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marshmallow-phd · 4 years ago

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Healing Touch

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Yixing x Reader

Summary: Medical school abroad was the last line on your to-do list before starting the rest of your life. Everything was going according to plan. Everything, that is, until tragedy strikes your campus. In the wake of a professor’s untimely death, you’re partnered with the cute boy with a breathtaking smile in the newly combined labs. You find yourself unable to resist the dimples and shy glances, but his life is here with no plans of leaving. Will you continue on as planned or will you accept the hand that Fate had dealt you?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I Final

Yixing sat at the kitchen table as the others finished up their breakfast. Minseok took the now empty plate that had belonged to Ji Yeon and rinsed it off in the sink, scrubbing away at the bits that had caked onto the white porcelain. Yixing continued to stare at the newspaper article. He’d read it so many times in the last fifteen minutes that surely he had it memorized by now. Worry pounded in his ears and not simply because of the rise in wolf-related deaths in the area. It had been his professor that was killed this time.

The same splitting headache that had been plaguing him for weeks now came back in full force. Dropping the paper, Yixing rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. It didn’t do any good.

“You okay?”

Yixing looked up at Baekhyun, who stood on the other side of the table. He smiled. “Of course. Given the circumstances. I’m just hoping I can catch up in this new class.”

“It sucks that it had to be one of your pre-med classes,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head.

“It’s terrible that it had to happen at all.”

“You know what I meant. We’re already worried enough about these attacks, but now you’re connected to one of the deaths. We’ll have to be extra careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

“Yixing isn’t the one we have to worry about.” Junmyeon said pointedly. Baekhyun feigned a wounded look. Snickers echoed around the room, except from Minseok’s mate, Ji Yeon. Her eyebrows were pinched tight with concern. And she had every right to be. Perhaps she should even be more worried than she already was.

The headache still throbbed behind Yixing’s eyes. Relief didn’t seem to be coming soon. He stood up from the table, excusing himself quietly as he left the kitchen for his bedroom to be alone.

“Yixing?”

He stopped a few steps up.

Ji Yeon stood just inside the short hallway, arms folded in front of her with the fingers tucked underneath. Yixing thought of her as a strong person, someone who stood as a good foundation for Minseok. He didn’t know her that well yet, but he already say her as the strong type, the sturdy kind.

“Yes?”

“You guys will catch this omega, right?” She glanced off to side, probably to check that Minseok hadn’t overheard her question. The eldest wolf was more than aware, Yixing was sure of it. The connection between a mate and their wolf was strong, indescribably so from the stories he’d heard. If he was honest, he was a bit jealous that Minseok was the first to be mated. The hope he had, however, was that she would not be the last. Once a pack started finding their other halves, it was a domino effect. His time would come, sooner or later.

Yixing mustered up a smile that he hoped came off as reassuring. “There’s nine of us and one of him. Eventually, we’ll find him.” Accepting that answer for the time being, Ji Yeon nodded and walked back into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, Yixing dropped the smile and swallowed thickly. He headed up the rest of the way to bedroom and shut the door.

Tense energy tingled through his feet as he sat on the edge of his bed. They were aching to move, to pace in hopes to work out the nerves, but he didn’t want to concern his brothers who would certainly hear it from the floor below. A run was out as well. As soon as any of the others got a whiff of someone shifting to wander through the woods, they jumped in to join. Only Minseok had the talent to get away clean.

Honestly, that was the least of his worries if he were to go running.

He wasn’t a killer. He wanted to help people. That was why he was studying medicine, why he wanted to be a doctor. But lately… These headaches were never ending, plaguing him over the last several weeks. And then there were the blackouts. Moments of time where he couldn’t remember what had happened. No one saw him during those times. Though he didn’t have to ask when he saw the pack after an episode. He was usually questioned where he had been himself. And he never had an answer. Not a truthful one.

No. This couldn’t have been him. There was another explanation for what was happening, both with the killings and with himself. It would just take time to figure it out.

Your fingers clenched tightly to the textbook against your chest. All morning you had been spending time at the library, reviewing last week’s vocabulary in an effort to distract yourself. Unfortunately, in a place like this with a wild animal running around killing people, escaping the whispers and rumors was not an option. It seemed that everyone was discussing the latest tragedy. And it made sense with how close it hit to the university.

“I hear her body was found in pieces.”

“I’m surprised they even found a body with all the animals that live in the woods.”

“Some of the hunters are talking about going out to kill the animal before it kills someone else.”

“No way. Did you see the pictures someone took of the paw prints in the dirt? That thing has to be huge. Like a bear.”

“There’s no way its as big as a bear.”

“I didn’t even know there were wolves in the forest.”

“What? Did you think it was all bunnies and squirrels?”

Unable to take it anymore, you’d slammed the textbook shut (gaining annoyed glares from those around you as if they weren’t the cause of your inability to utilize the library in the way it was meant to be used) and headed out. It was mystifying to you, the way others would talk about what was happening, like it was sports game or a thriller on TV.

Professor Xui was strict and stern, but she was also admired by the students. The “tough love” type. Though you personally had never been in any of her classes, you did know who she was, and you’d cried when you’d heard the news. Naturally, the university was on top of how to move forward. You’d groaned audibly when you’d read the email that the classes would be combining. Your human physiology class was already close to capacity. They had moved your session into one of the larger science rooms where freshman chemistry classes typically took place. Goodbye uncomfortable wooden desks, hello overly tall lab tables and bar stools with no back support.

You were one of the first to arrive at the lab, giving you the pick of the lot. One of the front tables was free so you settled there. You continued to clutch to the textbook that should have been opened to the page written on the white board in front of you. It was hard to let go. This thick, overpriced book wasn’t going to protect you from anything. And besides, you had no reason to be afraid. You didn’t go into the woods. You weren’t the kind to hike or camp or go near the trees for any reason. The flannel shirt you wore was simply because it was comfortable. You were absolutely fine.

Rolling your eyes at yourself and the silliness that was the track of your mind, you let go of the book and flipped to page thirty-four. Other students filed in as the seconds ticked closer to the allotted time. Professor Jiang, a short, salt and pepper-haired man with wired-framed glasses and a dad-level sense of humor, walked into the room with his old school briefcase, corners wearing thin and the metal on the push latches showing the brass base until the silver coating. The duet of the latches still made you jump even after fully expecting it.

“Good morning, everyone.” Professor Jiang adjusted his glasses. A nervous twitch he completed at the beginning of every class. All it took was five minutes into his lecture and he developed the steel nerves of an alligator wrestler. Pulling a pencil out from your bag, you barely paid attention to the rest of Jiang’s announcement. “I know it's difficult to process, but we’ll all get through this together. For the new students, I will be available for anyone who needs help adjusting to the new teaching style. And I- Oh. Hello.”

You looked up to see what the interruption was.

A late comer had entered the classroom, the door slowly closing behind him. Slim yet athletic, the newest student wasn’t overbearing or imposing, but he still captivated your attention, holding on to it as if his life depended on it. And he was staring right back at you with an intensity that matched your own. Mouth hanging open by the slightest of centimeters, he didn’t move or pay any attention to the professor or the other students staring at him. The muscles in his hand strongly gripped the strap of his backpack that hung off one shoulder. He was going to misalign his back if he kept doing that.

Professor Jiang cleared his throat pointedly, ending the staring contest. “New student?”

The new student blinked rapidly as he turned to the teacher. “Yes. Sorry. I got lost with the new room assignment.”

“One of Xui’s students?”

He nodded.

“That’s alright. We all need an adjustment period. Please, take a seat.”

You stiffened as Professor Jiang held his hand out in the direction of the empty seat right next to you. And that’s exactly where the new student sat. You forced yourself to keep your eyes straight ahead, concentrating a little too hard as Professor Jiang started his lecture of the circulatory system. But his words were drowned out by the shuffling beside you as the new student took out his textbook and other necessities for notes. You leaned forward, holding your neck up by your palm as you mentally repeated the highlights of the pulmonary circuit in order to be productive. The scratch of the pen against your notebook seemed louder today. Your heart seemed to be working in overtime as well. Was everything louder today? Or were you being overly sensitive to noise due to the current circumstances?

“Alright. Please, take a few minutes to go over the review questions located at the end of the section,” Professor Jiang said. It was almost a relief for his short lecture to be over. “Feel free to check with your partner at the table. To make things easier for all of us, the seats you chose today with be permanent for the rest of the semester and who you are seated with will be your constant collaborator.”

Oh, joy.

You were not the best at getting to know new people. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t think. The other person always wanted to start off with the weather or their job or some other subject that you found difficult to bounce off of to continue the conversation. It was like your mind wasn’t built for small talk. Somehow, you’d missed the installation of pre-programmed responses that everyone else carried around. You had a tendency to go a little too deep a little too quickly. Those were the conversations you wanted to have. Those were the kind that you found easy responses for. But people tended to find your passion about Rosalind Franklin and her forgotten contribution to science a little much.

“Hi.”

The cool voice that broke through your scrambled thoughts made you jump. You hit your knee against the lab table. Careful to hide it from view, you rubbed the sore spot to make the throbbing go away. Your new lab partner must have heard it given the shy smile that pushed up left corner of his mouth, revealing a deep dimple in his cheek. As much as you wished it wasn’t, your heart beating rapidly against your ribs.

For several seconds, you said nothing. No greeting back, no “I’m trying to focus on my work”, not anything. You were silent, staring back at him like he was walking around with a windmill on his head.

“I’m Yixing,” he continued in an effort to get you to speak.

Right. Conversations were two-way streets. “(y/n).”

His smile spread even wider. “It’s nice to meet you, (y/n).”

Words had apparently abandoned you today. All you could do was nod. He didn’t take it offensively. A small chuckle pushed passed the silence.

“Do you want to do the questions together?” he asked. “Or maybe when we’re both finished, we could compare what we got?” he suggested when you still didn’t answer.

“Compare,” you finally spat out. “I think it would be better if we compared. Afterwards, that is.” Not that you were usually the most articulate person, but this was becoming painful.

Yixing nodded. “Okay.” And with that he turned to his book, numbered the lines down on his paper and read over the questions. Taking a deep breath, you turned to your own station to do the same. Big mistake.

His natural scent hit you like a gust of wind on a previously calm day. You weren’t expecting the soft pine smell that he radiated. It wasn’t an overly musty, too-much-cologne type smell. It was subtle; the reason you didn’t catch on to it until this moment. Glancing over at you, Yixing frowned.

“You smell nice.” Oh, gosh, someone kidnap you now. Get you out of here in a fashion that would give reason as to why you didn’t come back. Did those words actually just leave your lips? Turning away from him, you reprimanded yourself for the slip up. Yixing laughed softly, making you turn to face him again.

“Thank you,” he said sweetly. “I appreciate the compliment. Especially since this building has a tendency to smell bad between the chemicals and dissections. I’m always worried that I’ll leave with some of it on me.”

You smiled at his joke. And that was where your thought train stopped. Instinct told you that an additional response was appropriate, but none came to you. You tried to rifle through the possibilities. Before you could find one, though, Yixing had turned his back down to his work.

With the awkward exchange over, you were able to make it through the five questions, writing down the answers with confidence.

“Do you want to compare?” Yixing asked as soon as you wrote the last word.

“Sure.” You slid your paper closer to the middle and shifted your body so you were partially facing him. One by one, you went over what each of you had gotten. Physiology of the human body was a strong suit of yours, more so than of your other science classes. That little bit of pride you had was perking up. It was ready to show off its penchant for knowledge. Unfortunately, this was not going to be one of those times for showing off. For the most part, you were evenly matched. Your answers were close, nearly identical in some parts.

“Professor Jiang might think we cheated,” Yixing teased.

“Well, he did say to collaborate with each other.” Good response. Appropriate response. You nearly patted yourself on the shoulder with that one. You even gave it the kind of tone that said you were merely teasing back.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“That concludes today’s class,” Professor Jiang announced. “As you leave, please stack your answer papers on the corner of the desk up here.” He patted the black top for emphasis. “Have a good day, everyone.”

Standing up, the sounds of stool legs scraping against the scuffed tile echoed through the large room behind you. Once your textbook was zipped up safely in your bag, you reached for the paper. Yixing swiped it up first.

“I’ll take it up there for you.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

You might not have been the only one blurting out thoughts before you stop them. A slight pink hue bloomed on Yixing’s cheeks. You were left there speechless as he hurried to the front, dropped off the papers, and left the classroom.

Dazed was an understatement. You didn’t know what to make of what had just happened. So, you ignored it. It was probably nothing anyway. Checking your watch, you calculated the amount of time you had until your afternoon sessions. There was a long break in between. The smart decision would be to hang out somewhere on campus to ensure that you actually went to your afternoon classes. But you needed quiet. Somewhere with no whispers about the woods or comments about the college’s new schedules. The only place you were guaranteed to find that was in your apartment. The building was a couple blocks away, a short walk no more than five minutes. You would have plenty of time to head there and back.

The front door was unlocked when you arrived. A bad habit from your roommate. She didn’t see the need to lock it if she was home and awake. You, on the other hand, clicked it tight and double checked it before stepping in deeper to the apartment.

Ran was sitting at the table, eating noodles and scrolling through a site on her laptop while her phone played a soft melody led by a pipa. It was a dreamy song, soft and comforting, like what your parents used to play for you after a nightmare.

Sighing to yourself, you sat down across from Ran and let your bag fall off your shoulder and to the floor. You hadn’t taken your computer with you, so the loud clump wasn’t one to panic over.

“How was class this morning with the new students?” Ran asked over the music.

The two of you weren’t extremely close. Friends, but not blood sisters. Ran had been your roommate freshman year and when you started talking about moving off campus, you’d offered her the other room to cut down on cost. She’d taken it rather than risk getting a new roommate that she didn’t like. You were similar some ways and vastly different in others. It balanced out, though, and you got along to the point where neither of you kicked up a fuss about cleaning the rooms or washing the dishes. You simply cleaned up after yourself. It was a co-habitation of convenience.

You shrugged. “It was fine. We’re all partnered up now, which is a little awkward, but I’ll survive, I guess.”

“Are they cute, at least?” Ran said with a smirk.

Yes. “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying that much attention.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Reaching over to the stack of envelopes, Ran plucked the one off the top and handed it to you. “I picked up the mail this morning. Thought you might want to see what came for you.”

Your stomach whirled like it was in a tumble dryer. The envelope had a familiar red emblem of a brick clocktower stamped in the top left corner. With a shaky hand, you took the envelope and ripped open the top. The nicely folded letter slipped out easily. Your eyes scanned the black letters. When they finally sunk in, you slumped back in your chair with a sigh.

“Oh, no.” Ran frowned. “They didn’t reject you, did they?”

You shook your head. “No, not out right. They want to see how well I do this semester before giving a final decision.”

“Well, that’s not too bad. It’s not a no.”

“It’s not a guaranteed yes either.”

Closing her laptop, Ran crossed her arms. Her lips were pursed, eyes down on the table. “You could just stay here. I mean, they have a pretty good medical program and you said that this was where your parents had met-”

“I don’t want to stay here,” you stated firmly. “There’s no reason to.”

“Your aunt is close by.”

“She wants me to do what I want. If that means going to medical school far away, then so be it. I’ll stay in touch with her. Visit when I can.”

“Well, I hope you get in.” Ran stood up and stretched. “On a brighter note, Hae In and I are going out tonight if you want to join us.”

You shook your head. “I’m good. Thanks for the invite, though. I appreciate it.” Whenever Ran and Hae In went out, things tended to get a little crazy. You were sure they had fun and they always came home safe. You just didn’t think that it would your kind of scene. She left a few minutes later and you were finally granted that peace and quite you had been searching for. Well, the quiet, at least.

Peace was nowhere to be found. Stress was rearing its ugly head as you stared at the letter. Ran was right, it was wasn’t a flat rejection. They were, at minimum, interested in giving you a chance. As one of the most prestigious medical universities in the country, you were eager to walk their halls.

The fact that it was far away from any reminders of your life was the bigger incentive. Releasing all the air your lungs were holding on to, you folded the letter back up and tucked it away in the front pocket of your bag. All you had to do was make it through this semester with no hiccups and you would be fine.

Shouldn’t be too hard. There was no reason for any of your plans to be derailed or for you to change your mind.

As long as you survived the next few months, that is.

#exo #exo wolf au #exo wolf!au #yixing x reader #zhang yixing #lay #exo werewolf!au #exo werewolf au #exo supernatural au #exo series #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #exo college au #exo college!au #The Untamed Universe #Healing Touch

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luxekook · 5 years ago

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chapter three.

⇥ pairing: ot7 x reader (insert gif of elmo with flames behind him here)

⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst

⇥ summary: a series in which the reader meets (and falls for) seven members of the Beta Tau Sigma (BTS) fraternity

⇥ word count: 2.3k

⇥ warnings: 18+, cursing, dirty talk, jimin propositions the reader accidentally, taehyung is a menace, noona kink jumps out A LOT, chaotic ot7, talk of poly relationships, overall kinda smut free (the next chapter should quench fuel your thirst)

Chapter Three

“It means that we’re going to date the shit out of you.”

We’re going to date the shit out of you.

We’re. Going. To. Date. The. Shit. Out. Of. You.

Those words play on a constant loop in my head for the rest of the week. After Namjoon had dropped that bombshell on me, I’d kind of freaked the fuck out, faked an immediate illness, and ran at full speed.

When I had told Luna about it later that night, she had been just as shook as me. Surprisingly enough, she had also given her full support of whatever I decided to do but “would have her banana slicer on standby and would order six more if need be”.

It appears that she had drunk-ordered a banana slicer off Amazon when the last boy she talked to pissed her off. I had apparently drunk-approved the decision. Rad.

Jenni’s reaction had been even better. We’d been in the library on Monday and her screech of “he said what!?” had led to multiple events:

An abundance of shushes from every student within a 50-yard radius

Her continued rant: “Your own personal harem! Can you say goals? Maybe I should infiltrate EXO and collect my own...”

Us getting kicked out by our ancient librarian

For the rest of the week, I had Luna and Jenni both giving me shit about the BTS boys. It had helped that I hadn’t run into them at all on campus between classes. But I had known it wouldn’t be long before my luck would run out...

Quinn Library – 2:31pm

Typically, I don’t spend my Friday afternoons deep within the stacks of the library’s quiet floor. Yet, here I sit typing frantically due to my incapability to stop procrastinating. My fingers fly over the keys of my aging MacBook in hopes that whatever spur of productivity I had going on is captured in its fullest.

General education classes could burn in the pits of hell as far as I'm concerned. If I wanted to be a psychiatrist, why did I have to take – and pay for – an art elective that I would likely never utilize in the workforce? Plus, the only class within the category that fit my schedule ended up being “Writing About Dance”.

Yeah, I’m still a tad bitter, but in all honesty the class isn’t that bad so far. It mainly consists of watching different dance performances and learning how to write about them in different styles.

Today’s assignment is to write critical commentary on videos of the university’s dance team that the professor provided for us. Sighing, I finish my review of the second to last dance video provided by the professor, take a quick second to stretch, and then open the link to the last video on the assignment page.

“Park Jimin – Final Performance Solo, Spring 2019”

Slack-jawed, I fall into wonder as Jimin moves through his routine flawlessly. He dances like it’s easier than walking to him. His movements are somehow precise and fluid all at once. I barely realize a few tears have run down my cheeks until the video cuts off, signaling the end of Jimin’s performance.

Jesus, (y/n), get it together. I laugh lightly as I dig in my backpack for a tissue. How could I possibly capture the ethereal beauty that Jimin exuded into words? Am I even worthy of commenting on such exquisiteness?

Definitely fucking not. And before I can second guess myself, I type: “Park Jimin is art in its purest form. Watching him dance is like watching the sun rise over the ocean – raw beauty accompanied by the hopes brought with a new day. His performance left me wanting for nothing except an encore.”

Boom. Submit Assignment.

As my email pings with the confirmation that my assignment is turned in, my eyes widen in realization. Park Jimin of BTS is a dance god, and he – allegedly – wants to date me? That is just ridiculously unfathomable.

Namjoon must be off his rocker.

Closing my laptop, my phone suddenly vibrates with an incoming notification from snapchat...

President_RM has added you!

Before I can even comprehend the absurdity of Namjoon adding me, my phone bursts into a series of buzzes. Cursing, I switch my phone to silent and check my screen.

minsuga93 has added you!

jhopeworld_ has added you!

handsomeJIN has added you!

JKookie97 has added you!

vantae_BTS has added you!

95jiminie has added you!

Are they serious? How did they even get my SnapChat username?

vantae_BTS has added you to a chat!

Curiosity wins out over aggravation as I swipe to open the chat.

Heart pounding, I fight the urge to chuck my phone into the depths of the bookcases winding around the room. What did those idiots want with me?

(y/n) & Luna’s Apartment – 9:45pm

“What do those idiots want with me?” the decibel my voice has risen to is shocking even to my ears.

Luna cringes, accordingly, “I can’t tell if that’s a rhetorical question...”

I steamroll onwards, “And don’t even get me started on how they could have even gotten my snapchat. It’s a complete invasion of privacy!”

“You could just ask them,” Jenni’s voice cuts through my rambling tirade.

I pause, “No, I couldn’t—”

...Or could I?

Turning on my heel, I rush into my room and head straight for my closet. Grabbing the nearest sweatshirt and pair of leggings, I tug them on and then grab my keys from my nightstand.

Whirling back into the living room, I storm past a dumbfounded Luna and Jenni, “Be right back.”

Opening the apartment door, Luna shouts, “Wait! Where are you going? You’re not even wearing shoes!”

Whoops. I glance at my feet and note that she is, in fact, correct.

Jenni bounds over to me holding my Doc Martens, “Here, babe. You’re going to the BTS house, aren’t you?”

I nod grimly and salute my two best friends as if I'm going into battle. “I won’t be long. I just have a small errand to run.”

“Well, you’re not going alone,” Luna declares, pulling on her sneakers.

Jenni snorts and shoves her feet into her beat-up Converse, “No way am I missing out on this action.”

As we head out the door, I link arms with Luna and Jenni, “Have I mentioned I love you both recently?”

“Right back at you, bitch,” Luna laughs.

Greek Row – 10:17pm

Ten minutes later, we reach Greek Row. Fraternity and sorority houses dot the street on both sides. Personally, I think of this street as home to the chaotic rich, and I tend to avoid it at all costs – except tonight.

The line to get into BTS is so long it wraps around the block. Students dressed in the latest fashions converse as they wait, huddling together in their groups. I glance down at my outfit of a worn university hoodie and leggings.

“Well, shit. We’re underdressed, huh,” Jenni deadpans, causing all three of us to burst into laughter, “Do you think they put you on the list, (y/n)?”

Pondering that thought, I shrug, “Maybe,” and begin marching past the line of waiting students towards the front door of BTS, “But I sure as fuck am not waiting in that line.”

“Hey, there’s a line here!”

“Yo, bitches! What are you doing?”

“What the fuck?”

Paying the hecklers no mind, I saunter right up to the BTS pledges guarding the door, “Hi, I need to talk to Kim Namjoon.”

The pledge on the right rakes his gaze over me incredulously and then makes the same assessment of Luna and Jenni, “You know this is a party, right?”

I don’t deem that comment worthy of a response and instead cross my arms over my chest. He shrinks under the collective glare of me, Luna and Jenni.

The pledge on the left awkwardly clears his throat, “Names, please?”

My answer barely escapes my lips before the pledges visibly straighten, looking at me with new eyes, “You’re (y/n)? Why didn’t you just say so?”

And before I can answer, the front door swings open for us.

People are everywhere. A haze of smoke looms in the air, and rap music blares from the speakers. The bass is turned up so loud that the beat seems to take over the rhythm of my pulse. That cannot be healthy.

Turning to my friends, I do my best to communicate, shouting, “I’m going to find them! Are you going to be here?”

Luna and Jenni exchange a look and nod. Jenni shouts back, “We’re going to get some drinks. Might as well capitalize on free booze! Text us when you’re ready to go.”

And with that, we part ways.

Maneuvering around the sea of gyrating bodies in the main living room area, I scan around for any signs of my seven menaces.

“Do my eyes deceive me? Or is that my future wife?” The deep voice booms from behind me.

I sigh, recognizing the voice, and turn around.

Kim Taehyung is striding towards me with his arms outstretched, smiling like the damned fool he is and looking like he just stepped off the runway for Gucci. “Come to daddy.”

An idea forms. I smile sweetly and walk to meet Taehyung halfway. His boxy grin widens and just as he thinks I'm going to let him wrap his arms around me, I grab him by the ear.

“Ouch!” He cries, “Devil-woman!”

Ignoring him, I drag him behind me towards the stairs.

“If you wanted to get me alone, you could have just asked—OW!”

My hold on his ear tightens as we arrive on the second-floor landing, “Where are your brothers?”

“I don’t know, n-noona!” Somehow the honorific coming from Tae sounds divine, but I file that thought away for another time.

Removing my hold, I corner him against the wall of the hallway, “Okay, Kim, here’s what is going to happen. You’re going to point me in the direction of your room, go find your six idiot brothers, and then report back here so I can finally understand what the fuck is going on. Got it?”

My chest heaves as my directions conclude and I realize how close together we are. Taehyung stares at me with an indecipherable expression before breaking into a slow smile, “Noona is bossy.”

“Noona is going to shove her foot up your ass if you don’t get moving,” I growl.

“Kinky,” he laughs, backing away from me and my brewing anger, “Last door on the left is my room. I’ll be back with the six idiots.”

As he thumps back down the steps, I close my eyes and count to ten, trying to steel my nerves and rein in my anger. When I open them, my eyes are met with the amused gaze of Min Yoongi.

Slapping a hand to my heart, I wait for my pulse to settle from being scared out of my wits, “Motherfuck—how did you even move that silently?”

“It’s a skill,” Yoongi drawls, nodding towards to end of the hall, “So, group meeting in Tae’s room?”

Shooting him the best side-eye I can muster, I stalk past him, steadfastly ignoring the chuckles and light footfalls that follow behind me.

Throwing open the door which Taehyung indicated was to his room, I pause, taking in the horde of photos and art taped to the four walls. The light blue wallpaper barely peeks through the absolute massive amount of artwork.

“It’s overwhelming at first, isn’t it?” An angelic voice shyly breaks through my reverie, “Tae likes to collect pictures and things he finds beautiful.”

“Ah, so that’s why we’re friends.” The joke is followed by a laugh that can only be compared to the sound of a windshield wiper squeakily moving back and forth.

I shift my eyes from Taehyung’s walls and onto the two newcomers – Park Jimin and Kim Seokjin.

Meeting Seokjin’s gaze first, I cannot help but agree that he is a very, very beautiful man. With pushed back dark hair, mischievous brown eyes and impossibly broad shoulders, Seokjin can easily be mistaken for an idol. And, oh fuck, I’m still staring.

Shooting my eyes back up to his, I crinkle my nose at his shit-eating grin. Before he can even comment, I turn and lock eyes with Jimin.

“Your dancing is gorgeous,” I blurt out and immediately want to crawl under a rock and live out the rest of my life as Patrick Star.

Yoongi and Seokjin are cackling as Jimin’s face lights up at my embarrassing compliment, “You really think so?”

“There's no shutting him up now,” Yoongi is in tears, “Watch out, (y/n). Jimin loves his fans.”

“Shut up, Yoongi-hyung!”

Jimin looks ready to swing, but luckily Taehyung chooses the right moment to return, “What have we missed? Why is Jiminie about to fight Yoongi? I’ll put $10 on hyung.”

Gasping in betrayal, Jimin sits on the edge of Tae’s bed and pouts.

The rest of the boys file in behind Taehyung as he flops down onto his bed and reclines like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Hi, (y/n). Good to see you again. I’m glad you’re here,” Namjoon greets me with a slight bow, a crooked smile and wicked eyes.

He’s followed closely by Jung Hoseok, the only BTS boy I hadn’t met thus far, “(y/n)! It’s so nice to meet you in person! Wow, you look so pretty tonight!”

“Noona always looks pretty,” Jungkook cuts in, throwing an arm around Hoseok’s shoulder, “She’s bae.”

A collective groan arises from the rest of the boys. “Sit your ass down, JK,” Yoongi grumbles, “(y/n)’s going to break up with us before we even start dating.”

“Dating—!” I break off that train of thought. Other matters need to be attended to first, “No, I didn’t come here tonight to say ‘hi’ or to be your ‘bae’. I came here to get answers.”

I take my time making eye contact with each boy.

Taehyung is still spread out on his bed and Jimin has now joined him. Seokjin, Hoseok and Jungkook are sprawled out on the floor at the foot of the bed, while Namjoon and Yoongi slouch against the opposite wall of the bedroom facing me.

“Alright,” Namjoon lifts his chin, meeting my stare head on, “What do you want to know?”

a/n: sorry for the cliffhanger, hehe. i wanted to get something up for y’all! hopefully next chapter won’t take too long to finish/edit :)

taglist:

@hazeljrz @sessi03 @catsandstrawberries @h5naaa @meowmeowyoongles@leftflowerprunedonut @rjsmochii @athletes-of-god @karissassirak @weallhavesecretsinthebestway @cvbachacbitch @bewitch3dforivar @honeyspillings @xxonyxpearlxx @fivesecondsofsarang @oii-f-eli-x2 @joonsroses @theevilyouknow @jooniescupcakes @expensive-grl @i-dont-even-know-fck @doingmybestalltheftime @elraeee @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh @laced-brds @aokay1010 @breeeeh17 @lpayne612 @peachyharmoney @rilakoya @chulchuchi @tabula-rasa0 @guccishookv @nomimits7 @i-like-puppy-mg @s-noir @anna-sorel @valiantcollectorofsandwiches @cage7241

blogs that wouldn’t let me tag them for some reason:

@awkwardhumambean

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bedtimebrain · 4 years ago

Text

EXO Baekhyun: Cry for Love Part 1

Boldly writing this very unlikely scenario about baek. Part of me just feels like there might be a part of baek that might be in such a situation if he ever feels so deeply for someone that is not be able to handle the stress of dating an idol.

Using the song title of one of my favourite songs from his latest album for this~ there’s going to be 2 parts(hopefully not 3), and just a disclaimer the ending might not be fluff, so don’t get started if you’re not prepared !

Edit: Part 2 is up! (No part 3 tho, thankfull)

Part 2

Characters: Baek x You

Baekhyun finds himself falling for you, but feels he cannot be so selfish to put the burdens of dating an idol upon you. In an attempt to control his feelings, he tries to stay away from you

Standing across the narrow road opposite to Wendy Cafe, Baekhyun looked intently inside, with a sort of sourness at the back of his throat. This is at least 5th time this guy has been here, and it’s been the second time this week already. His inner self was literally scowling at that thought, but what could he do?

His phone that vibrated in his pocket called him out of his thoughts. It was a call from his manager, asking him to return to the SM building.

Taking one last look at you, at the guy, and at the cafe, he placed both his hands back in his pocket, head facing down and walked back to where his car was.

During the ride back, he thought long and hard, was this the right thing to do? Just 4 months ago, was the first step into the cafe the beginning to this unwanted path ?

He can’t help but replay once again all that started 4 months ago...

——

‘Bye! See you next week!’

Ending his gym session for the week, baekhyun headed for the carpark, eager to get there quickly. Today, he was to be home for a family dinner.

He had been up till late yesterday, practicing and preparing for EXO’s new album. With just 4hours of sleep, his ruined body clock woke him up in time for a gym session in the afternoon. Beating himself to be disciplined so that he can show his best image to Eris during the comeback, he got himself to the gym.

But now, the sweat from the gym session coupled with his sleep debt, was making him feel extra sleepy.

Needing some caffeine in his system, he stopped his car by the roadside to search up coffee houses nearby. Scrolling through, Starbucks -too crowded , dal.kom- he was not a fan , Daebak Coffee and Tea - seems very popular among reviews, Wendy Cafe - no reviews.

Feeling it’s best to avoid crowded cafes on a Friday afternoon, he decided to give Wendy Cafe a try. Following the voice of Google maps, he found himself along a narrow road, secluded and outcasted from the bustling roads just 2 minutes ago.

‘Am I at the right place? Why would someone open a cafe here?’ He loudly spoke in a typical monologue with himself

Just as he was about to give up, a small signboard peeked out from the brick wall stretching along the road.

‘Ah yes, found you! I hope I didn’t make the wrong choice’

After parking his car, he crossed the road to the cafe.

Wendy’s Cafe was clad in wood and white, wooden tables, white chairs, surrounded by grey walls. It was so small only about 6 people could be seated by the tables. To make up for it, a counter-side table was made available and soft music played in the background. Walking in, Baekhyun felt a comfortable sense of peace and relax.

‘Hello, 1 Ice Americano please’

‘Hello, that will be $5.. omo’ Just as you looked up at him, you were shocked to recognise him as Baekhyun from EXO. But you quickly recovered in time, taking the money from him and continued your chores.

Seeing that you have recognised him, he nodded politely. He appreciated your politeness and professionalism to not overreact. And proceed to wait patiently for his coffee.

‘Thank you, have a nice day’ you smiled brightly at him and handed the coffee over.

Just then, it started pouring heavily outside, stopping Baekhyun in his tracks.

‘Should I drive back now ? It’s a long journey back and it’s raining so heavily ...’ he thought

‘Do you want to wait out the rain instead? It’s not too safe to drive in such heavy rain. No one comes here on rainy days, I can put out the close sign for you if you like’

You asked rather sincerely

Looking out again at the rain, he weighed his choices. He was going to be drenched if he crossed the road but what if you were one of those fans that would expose where he was to everyone?

He was feeling a little suspicious inside, afterall why would you close the shop to business just for him?

‘You can take the table furthest away from the window if you’re worried’

He looked at you, judging a book by it’s cover. And decided it doesn’t appear like you would turn out to be one of those crazy fans and took the option of waiting out the rain.

His phone was running out of battery, so instead of sitting by the corner table all bored and lonely, Baekhyun sat on the bar counter table instead; facing you and the other male employee who were busy with fresh bakes.

You presented a bite size muffin on a white plate and gave it over to him. ‘It’s on the house, we’re not going to have any more customers anyway’

Being curious since the start, he asked ‘why would your boss open a cafe right here? It’s really not the best location to be attracting people right?’

Laughing slightly, you replied

‘My boss? That would be me, and does this cafe look like I want to attract people in? The tables are all for 2s, I’m just encouraging solitude here’

‘You own this place? Wow I would suppose you’re only in your early 20s right? Anyway this place does give a sense of quietness that we dont quite get outside. I like it’ He lively replied

‘Yeah, I just wanted people that come by to be able to stop and find quietness they don’t get anywhere else. Finding time for themselves to be away from noisy city life just a few minutes away’

Not really having anything to say to that deep thought of yours, he simply replied ‘Ahh... I see. Uh, thanks for muffin, it smells tasty’

You smiled politely and left him to himself as you cleaned up the open kitchen.

The rain that was beating the ground outside was almost like a lullaby to Baekhyun. The warmth of the shop and the music aided the rain and drowsy effects he was having, shortly without knowing, he drifted to sleep. --

‘Baekhyun ssi, Baekhyun ssi’ you tapped him lightly till he woke up

‘It stopped raining, do you want to head off’

‘Oh my , can’t believe I slept, but that was certainly the quietness I need, haha. I’ll be leaving. Thank you for the coffee’

As he left, he thought to himself that he will surely be back.

—

A week later, he came back. On that day, he saw from outside that you were casually sitting down by on of the tables, chatting with a middle age office lady.

Opening the door, he caught your attention and you smiled slightly to acknowledge. As you were the only working employee today, you got up from the table to serve him.

‘Hi Baekhyun ssi, I see you’re back. Ice americano for you? Or would you like to try something else? Wendy’s special for a bright sunny day’

‘Sure I’ll go for the Wendy’s special’

Handing over the coffee to baekhyun, you asked

‘I heard EXO’s preparing for a comeback. How’s it going for you?’

‘Did you search up on EXO after you saw me last week? Hahaha. Anyway it’s fine, it’s just the discipline in diet, exercise and health that’s annoying’

‘I see. And nah, don’t make me sound like a stalker fan please. I just moderately keep up with kpop in general’

‘Anyway is the middle age lady there your friend? Or do you just chat with your customers all the time?’

‘Oh, she’s just a customer. Really depends though, some people come here seeming to have heavy thoughts, sometimes when I notice I’ll just casually chat with them. Some others are here really putting up a do not disturb sign. Those I wouldn’t bother’

Being cheeky, Baekhyun asked ‘what about me?’

You thought for a while before answering

‘Like a cat? Like those I would give some affection to before letting them run off so they don’t start scratching me. I mean not saying you would be aggressive, but rather, I’m sure a good balance of chat and quietness would be best for you’

Raising his brows and thinking through what you just said, he smiled after a while and went on sipping his Wendy’s special by the counter again. Occasionally, he would look up from his phone to chat with you.

—-

For that 1 month, it seems like he started developing a routine to drop by your cafe for short breaks. He enjoyed your company and somehow your cafe seemed like a place of comfort and refuge. With you, he could talk about anything, from the laughters to the deep insides. Over there, the burdens of being an idol is always momentarily lifted.

On the first week of the 2nd month you guys met. He dropped by again, only to find that the lights were off. A little surprised, he went up to the door which pasted a notice

‘the shop will be closed till further notice due to the owner’s personal reasons. Sorry for any inconvenience caused’

His regular high spirits whenever he came by was dampened as he read the notice. Turning back, he headed off.

The next two weeks, he drove by repeatedly, at least 2 times a week, but your shop was still closed.

It made him a little worried, did something happen to you? But seeing how you left this shop behind with just a notice also made him feel a little down, strangely. It made him think that was he nothing but just a customer to you? He had thought you guys were friends, friends with a special bond, one who he could tell everything to, and place so comfortable almost like his home sofa. But the sign that hung coolly by the cafe’s door left no sign of that friendship held.

Whenever he wasn’t working or was by himself, he pondered over what happened to you. Looking at his phone, he suddenly felt a disconnect. You both knew so many things bout each other but not each other’s numbers. There was nothing to call to reach you. Wherever you are, were you thinking about what you left behind?

He thought to himself

let’s not be too invested into this coincidental friendship

He made up his mind, tomorrow he was going to make a final intentional trip down. If you were still closed, he told himself he would never drop by intentionally again just to check if you were open.

—-

Driving by the next day, his heart was beating fast. And was as if the heavens heard his words, the lights of your cafe were on.

The sign outside still hung closed, but he walked briskly over and stood by the door. You saw him and beckoned him inside.

‘Hey! What’s up with you? Where did you go? ’ Within him he heaved a sigh of relief, finally seeing you again. But his heart wouldn’t stop racing as he waited for your answer. Looking at your face, he can’t help but notice you’ve lost some weight, making him a little worried.

‘Hey Baekhyun ssi, it’s nice seeing you again’

You smiled at him your normal smile and there was no hint of anything extra apart from the normal customer service you gave him. Your lukewarm reply bothered him a little, was he the only one who considered you both as friends? That thought came but left quickly

‘I went home to visit my parents, unfortunately I fell ill. Pneumonia.. Got me in bed for a really long time’

‘Oh no, no wonder you lost some weight? I hope you’re feeling much better already. But you’re not opened today?’

‘Yes I just came back to tidy up this place.’

Not really wanting to leave yet, he offered to clean the place for you, also worried you might not be feeling the most recovered yet.

‘Do you want to have dinner together tonight?’ Baekhyun asked on impulse.

You looked up, a little surprise, but didn’t reject it.

‘Probably not at restaurants or something though. Delivery , do you mind?’ He added

You were never someone who seemed bothered about such trivial things, as expected you agreed.

Over dinner Baekhyun was his chirpy self again, telling you about all he wanted to say the few weeks you guys didn’t met. You listened to him without much words, only saying words when it mattered, as usual.

As you guys were eating and chatting, there came a point where a comfortable silence settled between you both.

Till you broke it

‘Baekhyun ssi, can I share something with you?’

Though he wasn’t expecting this, he was ready to listen.

‘Go ahead’

‘When I went back, I found out my one and only best friend had died in a car accident. And no one told me because they were afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle it alone in Seoul. He.. was all I had.. when I was bullied because people thought I was weird... when I didn’t fit in... he.. he..’ you couldn’t continue as you burst into uncontrollable tears.

Handling such situations was definitely not something Baekhyun was most comfortable with. Catching him off guard, he internally panicked, Omo, what do I do. What should I say? Deciding the only appropriate thing to do was to pat your back or your head. He reached out and gently comfort you, feeling a little awkward.

After a good 3 minutes you finally calmed down. But still, Baekhyun didn’t exactly know what to say to a crying girl

‘Are you feeling better? Care for some BingBing now? Ice cream cannot solve your problems, but it’s sweet at least ’

You managed a laugh, and Baekhyun went to the kitchen fridge to pull out the ice cream that came with the dinner earlier.

On the drive home, Baekhyun decided that sometimes a friend is the ultimate remedy to sorrow. And as much as you have been there to hear him out, he wanted to pay it back to you too.

——

But slowly, their comeback preparations were getting more and more hectic. He no longer had the liberty of time to plan what he wanted to do. But today, there was a short 2 hour interval of free time and they were free to do whatever they wanted.

Deciding between whether to crash at dance practice room or to head to your cafe, he decided to do the latter instead. Though he was feeling rather tired, it has been at least 3 weeks since he came by to say hi. He left after telling suho he’ll be back swiftly.

—

Reaching your cafe, he was surprised to see you smiling and laughing so heartily as you were chatting by the counter with a fashionable young man. When you both spoke, you were always giving him polite smiles and laughters, somewhat out of manners? It somehow hurt his pride a little that while he still thought about you when he was away, did you just think of him as a normal customer who would just come and go? It made him feel like his spot in the cafe was easily replaceable.

As he entered, you did not even break away from the conversation you have with the young man. Only until he reached the counter did you look up.

‘Ah! It’s you! It’s been really long! What would you like today ?’

‘6 Iced americanos, thank you’

‘Alright you can take a seat at the corner table first’ handing him his change , you pointed him to the one at the furthest end of the shop.

He came by having the intention to have a short catch up with you, but apart from the exchange of greetings you had pointed him so far away from the counter and busily went off to prepare the amercianos as if he really was just another customer. He laughed a little bitterly and went to sit where you told him to.

When you were done, you brought the coffee to him and dropped to a whisper suddenly.

‘Baekhyun ssi, are you doing well? Sorry I had to cut our conversation short at the counter because of the oppa sitting there. Didn’t want to bring you trouble in case I accidentally say your name’

Smacking himself on the head internally for being so sensitive earlier on, inside of him also wondered what kind of magic does that ‘oppa’ have for you to be so comfortable? The friendship has almost been 3 months but there always seem to be a strange distance between the both of you. Baekhyun knew himself that his personally was not one people found hard to warm up to and neither did he take very long to warm up to others. He was confused, how sometimes your friendship felt so close yet sometimes so far.

‘How have you been? That guy’s your new customer friend?’

‘Not too bad, I started attending some baking classes and in my free time now I just read as usual. Nothing much as changed.

Yeh he’s been coming quite often because he’s back in this area to visit his parents and there’s nothing for him to do’

‘Ahhhh so what kind of customer is he?’ He arrowhead his eyes at him then back to you.

Laughing you replied ‘ just a really funny and nonsensical kind. Kind of just reminds me of my childhood friend I told you about.... oh right, there’s something I want to give you’

Rushing to the kitchen then quickly walking out, you handed him a box. You explained

‘Baekhyun ssi that day I was at a mall and i walked by this tea shop and I dont know why,I thought about you. It’s all without caffeine. I know you’re having your comeback now and you should be really busy. I purposely picked out some that would help you sleep, some that would revitalise you and just some others that could just help you relax.

I’ve kept it for so long but you didn’t come by again. I almost just kept it for myself already.. anyway I’m glad you’re here today so I could pass it to you’

Hearing this from you really made him touched on the inside, but on the outside he didn’t really know let those emotions show. Instead, he merely said

‘Thanks y/n ssi , for thinking about me. I’ll use them well.’ Looking at his watch , he added,

‘I got to go now, see you sometime soon!’

After saying the goodbyes, Baekhyun returned to his car. Setting his Americanos aside, he held the gift in his hand and looked through his driver’s window at you.

At that very moment he finally came to terms with his feelings.

He did not just want a friendship with you, he wanted you as a partner he could tell his everything to, someone that belonged to him and someone he belonged to.

This should make him feel happy and elated, warm and fuzzy. But there was discomfort lying in his heart.

Deep down he knew that desiring anything more than a friendship with you was putting chains on you.

You liked quietness and freedom. But in his world, parts of his life are made public and his freedom was not really freedom at all.

He cannot sink deeper into this, but could he stay away ? His heart clenched.

He tossed the gift aside and drove off.

—

To be continued!!

Sorry for stopping at such an awkward place, but I couldn’t find a good place to stop this at, hahaha.

Anw, I’m sure you guys already know bout baek’s medical condition? My respect and love for baek just hit another level. I really think we are such lucky fangirls to be stanning someone like him. The effort he puts in for us is above and beyond what is required. Sigh. Baek I hope you know we really appreciate you💛

Tag(s): @wooya1224

Edit: Part 2

#baekhyun #exo fanfic #exo #exo scenario #exo scenarios #byun baekhyun #bambi #baekhyun bambi #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun scenario #baekhyun scenarios

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oohfluffy · 5 years ago

Text

TIHM Ch.2 | BBH

Group: EXO

Member: Byun Baekhyun

Theme: Angst | Fluff | Rated M | University!AU | Football!AU

Word Count: 1,818

chapter 2

The final bell rang throughout the room, signalling the end of the last subject for the day. However, your professor seems to have a different schedule as he continued discussing the human anatomy all over again. You stared at his powerpoint presentation, trying to keep awake and take notes of what he was saying.

You can hear some of your schoolmates already buzzing and getting ready to pack their things. After ten minutes, your professor finally ended his lecture, but not before leaving a hundred pages of lessons to review for a short quiz on the next meeting. You just let out a sigh as you hear groans of complaints among your schoolmates.

"Do you guys wanna hang out?" You hear someone ask around. "I hear that there is a newly opened pizza place near the bookstore by the street!"

"Yeah! I want to go!"

"I'm in for the food!"

"As long as Irene would go, I will too!"

You didn't bother looking at the crowd forming at the back of the room, and continued packing your things. You never went to any group gatherings anyway, not that they made efforts to invite you in any. You were invisible in their eyes.

You stood up from your seat and quickly went out of the room without a sound. It was just half of the first week of your 3rd year college life, and it was the same as ever. As soon as you saw the lockers by the hallway, you brought out your key. Since it was nearing weekend, you'll start bringing home your books to read.

"You skipped practice on the last two days, man!"

"I was busy—"

"Busy with what?! What is more important than practice?!"

"Sex, man. I'm betting he did—"

"Shut up, Sehun."

That was the last thing you heard before your locker door hit you in the face.

You groaned in pain as you pushed the small locker door away from your sight, looking down at your feet. You cursed in your mind while your hand caressed your reddening cheek.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" You felt a hand touching your shoulder, urging you to turn around. You just waved your other hand without bothering to look back at the person. "I'm so sorry, miss. I-I wasn't looking where I was going—"

"It's okay." You said, just so he will stop talking to you. You flinched as you became aware of his warm slender fingers on top of your shoulder. You moved away from him, closing your locker quickly after getting your books. You locked your locker and silently nodded your head at his direction, being respectful enough to acknowledge his presence and apology.

You held onto your left cheek with a frown as you waited for the bus in the waiting shed. You heard noisy teenagers hanging around the shed, making your eyebrow furrow in annoyance. Your eyes couldn't stop looking at them as you waited.

You saw how much fun they were having.

Their smiles, laughs, and teasings that they share within their circle of friends, you kind of envy their bond. You looked away as you gripped on the straps of your backpack tighter.

How fun.

"I'm home." You said as you entered your apartment. You hear the radio's noise in the kitchen, making you smile. You quickly placed your shoes on the rack, and running to the kitchen. As you saw your roommate by the stove, you grinned in delight.

"My girl is home!" She exclaimed as she noticed your presence by the counter. She's in her baby blue apron with her hair in a messy bun.

"Jiwon-ah." You greeted her as you sat on the tall stool chair by the kitchen island. "You got out of campus early today, huh?"

"Yep! Our prof for the last class was absent, and she just sent us an email for the upcoming quiz." Jiwon shrugged as she looked at the ramen she was cooking. When you met her two years ago, you didn't expect she will be a bubbly person. She's so pretty to the point you got intimidated of her dashing looks. You were not prepared to have someone bright as her to be your roommate in college. "I cannot accept the fact that we're having quizzes in the first week!"

But she was more than her looks. She was talkative, never letting you hear a pin dropping on the floor with her loud voice. She was also outgoing, becoming friends with people from different courses. You won't be surprised if she knows everyone in the campus. Even Irene's group knows her despite being in a different building.

"Me too." You frowned as you remember the hundred pages you need to read this weekend. You might start reading them later if there are no disturbances like Jiwon's loud voice. You were so deep into your thoughts that you didn't notice Jiwon was done cooking and was already beside you as she place a bowl of ramen in front of you.

"Ooh, what the hell happened to your cheek, girl?" She pointed at your cheek, where a small bruise was forming. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion before realizing that that locker door has probably damaged your face more than you thought it did. "Did someone punch you?!"

"No, no. It's an accident." You placed your hand on your cheek and tried pressing it, only to grunt in pain. "Damn, that locker door is harder than it seems."

"What? Someone hit you with a locker door?!"

"It's an accident, Jiwon." You shook your head as you sighed, picking up the chopsticks on your bowl to start eating. "Thanks for cooking ramen."

"Who was it?" She continued questioning you, picking her chopsticks up as well. "Did that person apologize?"

"I don't know who was it. Yes, he did."

"Well, that's good. If he didn't, I would have to find him and kick him where it hurts the most." Jiwon smirked as she munched on her noodles. You just chuckled at her protectiveness and ignored her incoming threats to anyone who tries to hurt her roommate. "I don't like how your batchmates do not want to get close to you. Like you're one of the best people I've ever met, and they're just treating you as an invisible woman."

You felt better chatting with your best friend slash roommate. She was the only one who appreciated you, and treated you as her own sister. She may be clingy most of the time, but she makes you feel accepted in this new environment you are living in.

"Oh! I forgot to ask you if you're interested in working part-time in my aunt's new coffee shop?"

Your eyes widened as you turned to her, full of excitement and curiosity. Jiwon glanced at you and laughed as she shook her head.

"Why did I even ask, you love coffee." She said with a smile, making you nod in agreement.

"I would love to work in a coffee shop, Jiwon!" You responded after you slurped down the soup from your bowl. You worked at the library last year, until you got too busy with school and ended up quitting in the summer. "I was about to seek for part-time jobs around the campus. Thank goodness you asked me."

"Welp, I'm your fairy godmother! It's my responsibility to make your life easier!"

You spent the whole night listening to your best friend's stories and gossips, which you aren't really interested but chose to listen. You enjoyed her company anyway. You looked at your biology book resting on the table in front of you, deciding that you can start reading tomorrow.

"Are you going on Friday?" Jiwon asked you, making you look back at her in confusion. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Of course you don't know about the first football game of the term!"

"Oh, that. What?"

"You're not going as usual? Oh come on! Come with me on Friday!" She pouted while shaking your arm in persuasion. "I'll introduce you to nicer people!"

"I've met your friends, you know. They're not that interested to be—"

"Not Krystal and her entourage! I said nicer people!" She emphasized, her eyes widening as if to prove a point. "I'm certain you will like them!"

"Will they like me though?" You rebutted her, raising your eyebrow. Jiwon huffed, shoulders deflating in defeat. She looks so sad that you almost gave in her favor.

"I'll buy you two corn dogs, extra large fries, and mocha frappe if you go—"

"I will go." You said in a heartbeat as you heard food involved in the deal. "You should have said earlier that you'll provide those."

"You bitch." She laughed as she pinched your cheek. "EXO will be playing, so we need to get there as early as possible or else we won't find any seats."

"EXO?" You mumbled as you tried remembering what or who was that. You just remember hearing the name a year ago when the music festival arrived.

"You don't know them too?!" Your best friend shrieked as she looked at you in disbelief for the nth time tonight. "You've been in the university for two damn years and you don't know them?!"

"Stop screaming, our neighbors will totally report us tomorrow." You rolled your eyes at her. "I've heard of them before, I just can't recall who are they."

Jiwon just sighed in dismay as she leaned her back on the bean bag. You looked at her in expectation, waiting for her long ass explanation. And that is what you get.

"EXO is a group of hot guys, coming from the Engineering, Advertising, Art, and Music departments. Most of them are scholars, and not only they are intelligent, they are also talented. Some participates in dance competitions internationally, and some in band festivals. If not performing arts, intellectual competitions are what they join into!" Jiwon narrated like a storyteller, hands going up in the air as she enthusiastically emphasize her admiration to the said people.

You nodded as you listened to her introduction. Sounds like a popular group.

"They also represent our university's football team!" She exclaimed excitedly, looking at you with a smile. "That's why they are so well-known everywhere. They are just so amazing!"

"I see." You replied to her long explanation, with a serious face as if you were indeed interested in the so-called group of hot guys.

"That's all you can say?"

You shrugged at her dismayed question. She scoffed at your indifference.

"Well, we still need to get on the field real early!"

"Then you need to buy my food as soon as you get out of your class then." You smiled innocently at her frowning face. "I'll head to the field as early as I can and save us seats."

"Hmp, fine!"

You are so looking forward to that most anticipated game.

Really.

—

♫ Ch. 3

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thbn-anything · 4 years ago

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does true beauty get better? i watched until ep 4 and i knew where the story was going, love triangle was my conclusion. kinda tired of that kind of story since i've been watching run on and live on. i mean it's not bad of a story if they all have partners and love interests and solve problems together, right? even if cha eun woo is my bias and i loved hwang in yeob in 18 again and moon ga young is such a sweetheart since exo next door, i couldn't seem to continue watching it. maybe i would, but like fast forwarding it and stuff. which i don't refuse to do atm.

Hey anon! True beauty was a solid kdrama in the first few episodes. I read the webtoon, so I was excited to watch the kdrama, and although the kdrama took a completely different turn from the webtoon (most of the plot was different as they changed a few A LOT of things) I still loved it, it was still funny and entertaining (and this is saying a lot coming from someone who usually hates movie adaptations of books that don’t stay true to the books (*cough* Percy Jackson *cough*)), the actors and actresses are also really good at acting.

Anyways it was a great start, but after some point it sort of lost its appeal, mostly because of the writing. I think it was around episode 9? Suho starts becoming a bit problematic there lol. I can’t really say much about the recent episodes as I haven’t watched them, but so far I feel like tb is going downhill. [SPOILER] Also I think kangsoo is starting to become mean?? Have no idea what’s going on in tb cause, again, I haven’t watched the recent eps, but apparently people are bashing out park yoona (the actress who plays kang soojin) in her own instagram (which is so stupid and immature tf lmaoo) just because of her character here. So anyways, my advice is if you wanna keep on watching tb, I think you might not wanna get too attached on kang soojin (which is absolutely difficult cause she’s such a girl crush character). Also kangsoo’s sudden character turn is one of the few reasons I don’t want to continue watching this drama lol. [SPOILER]

But I still wanna continue watching it until the end as the plot develops cause I’m just curious to see how it’ll all end. As for now, that was my review abt true beauty :)

#oh right and one thing I forgot to add: yes this story’s whole plot is basically a love triangle so #true beauty #true beauty kdrama #kdrama #kdrama review #ask #tumblr ask

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kpurereactions · 5 years ago

Text

Love Shot

Chapter 5

Pairing: Exo x Reader

Rating: Drama, Angst, Smut, Fluff

WARNINGS: Language, Eventual Violence, Lots of Smut Later on

Chapters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Jongin left the day following his midnight visit. I caved and even though it took me a few days to stop kicking myself for letting him sleep in my bed I was happy he did. I was even happier that I managed to keep my distance from them the week following, which really allowed me to focus on work. I was proud to say I had three pieces finished, and one still taking its time to dry.

We have a meeting in our house here in the next few days. If you have anything ready to be delivered please do so we can show off your work:) -Baek

I laughed at his little smiley face and quickly texted back. I decided to just get it over with so I carefully checked the two pieces I knew were dried before wrapping them gently.

As always the moment the cab I sat in turned down the long driveway I grew nervous. I never knew what to expect when I entered that house or who would be there to greet me. I found it a relief that it was just Baekhyun and Jongin who seemed to be in the house, but it was still unnerving since the last time I was with the both of them they tormented me to all hell. I secretly hoped they would take the paintings and just let me leave, but I was too hopeful.

Baekhyun opened the door with a large smile, looking just as beautiful as he usually did. His white shirt unbuttoned slightly at the top and his hair tousled as if he had just woken up from a nap. Jongin looked just as good as he appeared behind Baekhyun. Still in what I assumed was his work suit. He looked so clean cut, which made it hard to look away. He knew it.

I wanted to just drop the paintings and leave. That was my plan, but instead of taking the two large paintings from my hands they backed away, opening a space for me to walk through.

“We want to hang these now, which room were they made for?” Baekhyun said over his shoulder. Neither of the boys offered to help me.

“This one.” I said pointing to the main formal living room.

“Mind making sure it’s straight?” Jongin said, walking by me, taking one of the canvases from my hands.

I really didn't have an option other than to help them set up the paintings. My cab was quick to leave and with the amount of talking they did I knew there was no point in requesting a new one. I knew they could sense my discomfort because they both seemed to give me reassuring smiles as we moved. I sighed and followed, crossing my arms across my chest as my legs reluctantly moved forward.

I watched intently at the two standing at an awkward angle, both pairs of eyes on me as I used my hands to explain what their movements should be. When the last painting was hung Baekhyun jumped off the couch, proud of their work. I couldn't help the smile that broke out across my face seeing how happy the tedious work made him.

“Anyone else want a glass of wine?” He suggested, looking over to Jongin then back to me.

I watched Jongin smile with a small nod, his back already turning to me as he made his way down to the kitchen. I gave Baekhyun a pressed smile, which he took as a yes. He took me a different route than the one Jongin took, leading me into a large dining room that seemed to only be made of rich mahogany wood. I took a seat across from Baekhyun, hoping that when Jongin returned he would choose to sit next to Baekhyun. I don't know why I keep assuming the best of them.

I tried my hardest to keep my drinking steady and my attention on the conversation but Jongin’s constant touching was the only thing that crossed my mind. Every time anyone would laugh his hand would squeeze my knee. Every time anything was referred to me to answer, he'd press his thigh against mine. I knew as my third glass of wine was poured things were going to go bad. The wine loosened me up too much. My conscious was screaming as I laughed, swaying into Jongin’s chest before looking back at Baekhyun. I wasn't drunk. I was just tipsy enough to stop caring about my rules.

I noticed how dark Baekhyun’s eyes had gotten as I recovered myself from Jongin’s chest again, my smile dropping slightly as I reviewed the situation. Jongin’s arm had draped itself over the back of my chair, his folded leg practically resting on mine due to how close he was. Jongin seemed to realize and he lent forward, his lips brushing against my ear.

“It's almost like he knows what's under your clothes with the way he's staring at you.” he said softly. His warm finger stretched slightly to trace along my collar bone. I shivered. I opened my mouth to change the subjects, but Jongin’s voice came through once again.

“I think he wants to taste you too.” I shut my eyes, trying to push the words out of my mind as I finished the rest of my glass.

“I want to share you with my Hyung.” Jongin said just a little louder this time, as if to make sure I knew that Baekhyun had heard every word he had been saying.

My eyes widened as I looked up to Jongin, his face closer than I thought it would be. I choked slightly, looking to Baekhyun before looking back at Jongin. Both their expressions were full of lust. But not the type that made me want to squirm away. In fact it almost had the reverse effect.

I didn't even feel myself nod, but the triumphant look in Jongin’s eyes was enough proof that I had. I watched as his eyes darted to Baekhyun followed by a smile, then back to me. His hand found mine, which was resting in my lap and brought it up to his lips, kissing the back of my hand gently. My heart exploded. What had I gotten myself into? I knew I should have stopped him from pulling me up. I knew I should have asked him to let my hand go so I could just walk out the front door but I didn't have the balls… no… i didn't have the want to. I wanted this. The thought seemed like a foreigner said it. I couldn't believe my heart was beating in excitement as Jongin led me by the hand down the familiar hallway, Baekhyun following us slowly.

I turned my head over my shoulder to look at him. His hands were in his pockets and his expression had completely changed from what it was at the dinner table.

“Don't pay any mind to him. He’ll join us.” Jongin said, stopping at the top of the staircase and taking my cheeks softly into his hands. I could have sworn he was going to kiss me. My eyes fluttered shut and my chest rose drastically as I prepared myself for the heated kiss I expected. Except it never came.

Instead he chuckled, pulling my hand a little harder than before as we took a longer stride down the hallway. His teasing made me blush. Almost made me a little angry with how okay he was with doing that to me. So before he could reach for the door handle I stopped. He turned around looking at me with shocked eyes. He almost looked… afraid. I turned my head to look at Baekhyun, who had stopped at the end of the hall to watch us. I gave him a smirk, a burst of adrenaline erupting through me.

I didn't know what took over but soon my hands were pushing Jongin against the door, my hands moving down to grab his belt to pull his pelvis towards me, my own moving towards him until I had him pinned against the door. I let one hand go to wrap it around his neck, bringing his face down to mine. I pinned him to the door harder through a kiss. I couldn't believe my new found confidence, and it was obvious that neither could Jongin as his hands hesitated before wrapping around me.

I took charge rotating the two of us until my back was to the door. My hand reached down for the nob, letting my eyes open slightly to see that Baekhyun had crept up closer, watching the two of us intently. Feeling the door open I smiled, pulling Jongin in by placing both my hands on his pant line.

He seemed to be entertained with my attempt at dominating him as the feeling of a smile broke the kiss. I watched him as he looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my hands that remained half in his pants. I took this opportunity to wait until he made eye contact, only to hold it as I slowly lifted my shirt off.

I could tell that he had enough with letting me take control. I squealed through a giggle as he gently football tackled me onto his shoulder, only to drop me gently on the bed. His body pressed its way between my legs, one of his hands not waiting a moment to hook behind one of my knees to open me wider.

His lips found mine again, kissing me deeply as his body rocked up and down my body to add just enough friction to the kiss. I managed to get my hands between the two of us, tired of the feeling of his shirt rubbing against my bare skin. I made quick work of the buttons, watching him as he sat up to drop the shirt from his shoulders. I let my fingers memorize the movement of his body, running them over his chest and down his torso.

I let my head fall back as he dropped back down, now nipping and softly sucking at my hot skin. I brought my hands up to his hair, intertwining them as he connected our lips again. The heaviness of the kiss made it hard to breath, causing small moans to escape as I tried to catch my breath. Jongin seemed to like the noise, his tongue trying to reach further down my throat as he pressed himself harder against my body. There was no question he was ready for me, with how close he was I could feel just how hard he was. So I submitted.

He had to have felt my body relax into his, my fight for dominance given up. Another moan escaped my lips as he gripped my wrists and guided above my head. He held both of my wrists in one hand now, his other trailing down my side as his body rocked against mine. I tried to encourage him to take the next step through the sounds of my moans, wanting nothing more for him to sit up and quickly remove my pants, but his hands seemed to have another idea. He pulled me till I was sitting up and kept pulling until I was sitting on the edge of the bed. For the first time since we entered the room I realized that Baekhyun had entered the room, taking a seat across the room on a seat by the closet. The room was dimly lit, making Bawkhyun almost look sinister. I eyed him, his hands folded and brought up to his lips and his eyes… His eyes so dark and lustful.

My attention was brought back by Jongin, whose hands were slipping my bra straps over my shoulders. I hadn't even realized he undid it since I was so fixated on Baekhyun. I tried to sit as straight as possible, not quite sure what to do with my body as I now exposed it to two men. Jongin rounded on me, bringing my attention back up to him as he tilted my chin up to look at him. He kissed me gently, pushing against me until I was back on my back. It was like my senses were heightened. As Jongin kissed me back onto his bed I heard Baekhyun rise, and the sound of what I assumed were the buttons of Baekhyun's shirt hitting the floor. Jongin's hands were making word of my zipper when the feeling of fingers tracing over my arm made me moan. Jongin smiled into the kiss again before his kisses moved down my neck, his hands taking my pants with him as his body lowered. He stood me up again. His arm wrapping tightly around my waist while his free hand held my neck. He allowed me to create a small space between us as I quickly unbuckled his pants. There was something in me that needed to please him. I wanted to put a show on, almost.

It was my turn to take his clothing with the movement of my body. Slowly, as I pulled his pants lower I could feel Baekhyun becoming more interested in what it was he was seeing. I dropped to my knees, peering around Jongin to make eye contact with Baekhyun. He gave me a soft smirk and a slow nod as I kissed Jongin's hip softly. I wasn't hesitant to immediately grab his dick and leave one long lick before taking him all in my mouth. The feeling of his body tensing made me smile as I pumped, turning all of my attention to him. Swirling my tongue over the tip I looked up to make eye contact with Jongin, smiling playfully as he looked down at me with an intense stare. Baekhyun had moved forward, to stand next to Jongin, His eyes now watching me more intently.

“Kneel on the bed.” He said, putting his hands on his hips.

I followed instructions, standing up from my position on the floor before backing onto the bed and resting on my knees. He brought his hand up and made a circular motion with his finger, motioning for me to turn around. I did what he asked as smoothly as possible. I bit my lip and smiled as Jongin placed himself in front of me, Kissing me deeply while Baekhyun started to run his hands over my back. Jongin released the kiss so Baekhyun could push me forward till I was resting on my elbows, his hands now gently running over my back side. I took this opportunity to reposition my lips around Jongin’s tip and slowly begin pumping my head again.

I looked right up at him and held the eye contact. At first it was to just tease him, make it seem like I was this innocent thing he was corrupting. But the longer our eyes stayed locked, the more I became obsessed with his eyes and the way they looked at me. Baekhyun's hands running gently over my back and down my legs were nothing, almost unnoticeable while I was looking into Jongin’s eyes.

The feeling of Baekhyun stretching me out was enough to release Jongin from my mouth, The feeling of Baek now picking up the pace of his pumping was enough causing me to grip tightly to Jongins hips. I couldnt believe how different the two of them were when It came to fucking. Jongin would melt into me, his hips rolling and circling me while Baekhyun was very straight and hard with his pumps.

It was hard for me to catch my breath, Baekhyun's hard pumps had tiny squeaks leaving my diaphragm as he fucked me into the wall that was Jongin. I tried and failed a few times to retake Jongin and include him in the activity, but I was afraid of biting down or squeezing too hard. He didn't seem to mind though as I held tightly to his waist.

I felt Baekhyun's hand run down my back, his hand now wrapping around my hair and as gently as he could he pulled me up till my back was pressed against his chest. I gasped loudly. The hand that had intertwined through my hair had now moved to press the skin below my navel. My head rolled back to hit his shoulder as my hands gripped tightly to his thighs behind me. With the pressure he had added it felt as if he was about to push through my skin. And it felt so good.

I didn't know I could get any more wound up than I already was, but when Jongin came closer and began to run a gentle, but quick finger over and around my clit I couldn't help the way by body contracted, causing another string of loud moans to leave my lips as the way my body shifted allowed Baekhyun to reach even deeper. The tightness in the pit of my stomach seemed to rise out of nowhere and within seconds I was releasing. My body shaking and my breath becoming audible.

The sounds of Baekhyun tapping out were made with two soft smacks to my behind. I collapsed as he pulled out, sliding to the floor with a sleepy grin that I couldn't seem to wipe. My entire body was exhausted from how tense it had become. I let out a small giggle when a now clothed Jongin crouched in front of me.

“I think you need a little more practice in lasting.” He teased. I would have gotten upset with a comment like that, but I was too tired and it wasn't like he was wrong. “I'm sorry that you didn't get your turn.” I teased back. Baekhyun joined us, his lower half now dressed too.

I smiled and thanked him as he helped me stand and helped me to the bathroom on wobbly legs.

____________________

I woke up the next morning to someone talking loudly over me. I scrunched my nose and tried to sink deeper into Jongins chest before realizing I had once again slept over. I sat up quickly to see Kyungsoon now standing in front of me, a smug grin on his face as his eyes dropped.

Of course I was topless.

Kyungsoo’s grin turned smug as an eyebrow rose, but he didnt do anything but back away and tell me to let one of the two boys know he was looking for him once they woke up. My face was burning. I don't know why I had let myself get so comfortable with staying the night in a house full of men who all look at me like I was prey.

I quickly moved myself over Baekhyun, who grunted at my bodyweight pressing against a sensitive part. I tried to dress as quickly as I could. For every moment there was a moment Kungsoo was telling people I was once again naked lying in Jongin's bed.

“Leaving already?” Jongin said, his head now propped up on one hand as he smiled sleepily.

“Yes.” I said jumping once to get my jeans up all the way before securing my belt tighter than it should be. “And seriously, Jongin, this is never happening again.”

“You and I both no that's a lie.” He chuckled, his body now sliding off the end of the bed.

“I… I have never been so embarrassed in my entire fucking life.” I said, lowering my voice so my words wouldn't turn into a shout.

“What do you have to be embarrassed about? We had fun and it's no one will really ever know.” He said, his eyebrows now beginning to push together. I scoffed. “I promise you everyone fucking knows.” He looked at me with a cocked head. “Kyungsoo? He barged in here right before you woke up and saw me. Shirtless. With both you and Baekhyun clinging to me.”

Jongin didn't say anything. Instead he just took a deep breath and watched my face. I don't know why, but the rims of my eyes began to prickle, and I had to look at something high incase they decided to give out on me.

“Y/n, just stay a little longer.” Jongin said, both of our attentions moving to Baekhyun who had finally started to wake up.

“Call me a cab right now.”

I was thankful that he agreed without trying to fight with me anymore. I took a seat back on the bed, my jacket now folded tightly in my arms as my head dipped. The feeling of Baekhyun's arms wrapping around my waist and his lips pressing softly against my shoulder made me shoot up.

“Sorry.” I don't know why I apologized. Yes I did. It wasn't their fault. There was no real reason for me to be mad at these two. I'm the one who agreed. They gave me plenty of opportunities to change my mind. It wasn't their fault that I had no self control.

“Lets wait downstairs.” Jongin said, gently taking my hand.

Why I was surprised to see everyone was besides me, but as the comments started to roll my way about who got me next and who was better in bed I was almost glad that Jongin was standing next to me. His hand pulled me tighter to his side as he walked me out the front door, closing it loudly as if to tell the other boys to not follow.

“Im sorry, Y/n. Honestly.” He said, his thumb running softly over my knuckles.

“For what? It's not your fault.”

“I shouldn't have let Baekhyun talk me into it. I don't know how you're feeling but I do know that you're feeling like this because of me.” He said.

The sound of the cab stopping in front of us made him finally let go of my hand. I looked at him for as long as I could. It was like he was a completely different person standing in front of me. SO I kissed him before turning on my heel and getting into the cab.

#exo #exo smut #love shot #exo fic #exo rection #exo scenario

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myforeverforlife · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 8: The End

You pulled the door shut and jammed the key in, turning it in the lock as hands pounded against the door.

Removing your key, you let the pair drop back to rest against your chest as you stood, arm bleeding, face tear and sweat streaked, and your entire body trembling.

You had to warn the Council.

Masterlist

Obsession Masterlist

A few weeks later...

You stared out the window in your room, a hand tracing aimlessly over the skin at your neck. The necklace that you had treasured so dearly was gone — for now.

While you were resting up in the hospital, your father had agreed to reclaim ownership of the keys until you were ready to take up your post again. You couldn’t believe that the Council hadn’t agreed to strip you of your duties, removing your title as Gatekeeper and punishing you to the fullest extent for entering Exodeux without their consent. But after careful review of everything that you told them, they concluded that you were still fit for the job — if you still wanted it.

Never had they heard of the inhabitants of Exodeux calling out to Gatekeepers through the door. After hearing of X-EXO’s abilities, the Council agreed that it was only natural that you would be easily coerced, especially when you heard the voice of a dear friend crying out for you from behind the door.

“You are the only one in our universe who survived a trip into Exodeux, the only one fully aware of the dangers that they bring. You and your information are valued very highly, my child.” Your father had pressed a kiss to the crown of your head as you lay in your hospital bed. “Relax. You have gone through much more than was asked of you.”

Your mother had been adamant that you refuse the job proposal, worried for your safety. “What if they found a way out? You would be the first one that they look for,” she argued, her tiny body tensed up in fury.

“I know,” you told her. Revenge would be high on their list, especially since your time in Exodeux had brought death and injury to some of them. “But someone has to do it. I’d feel horrible if something like this happened again, and I wasn’t there to stop it.”

“This isn’t your duty,” you mother began.

“This is exactly what I trained for, what I agreed to when I decided to become a Gatekeeper,” you shot back. “I can’t let this affect the rest of my life.”

Your mother huffed in disagreement, running her hand over your hair. “I know. But there are other ways for you to feel useful while also staying as far away from the Realm as you can.” Just,” she paused, eyelids fluttering shut for a second. “Just promise me that you’ll rest for now. I don’t want you to make any rash decisions while you’re still recovering.”

And of course, because you always found it hard to refuse your mother, you agreed.

But it was hard to keep your promise, when your days were spent indoors and under hospital surveillance. You lay back down, tousled hair spreading out on the pillow beneath you as you daydreamed of being able to go outside.

A sudden knock at the door had you on high alert, immediately sitting back up with one hand poised over the button to call the nurse. The door opened slightly to reveal Sehun, shoulders hunched over as he peeked inside. “Hi,” he whispered. “Can we come in?”

Your hand fell back to your side, a sigh of relief flooding your lungs. “Of course. Come inside.”

It had been jarring to see your old friends at first, the images of their counterparts in Exodeux seared into your mind. But with time, you had slowly become familiarized again. The nightmares hadn’t stopped, but now you could look your friends in the eye without fear, without any suspicion that they would hurt you like X-EXO had.

The six men filed into the room, taking up any available space close by. Jongin had wanted to be by your side as soon as you came back, his soft eyes always keeping a watchful eye over you during your recovery. Now, he took the chair closest to you, his hands immediately reaching out and cupping both of yours. “Did you eat yet?”

“The nurse brought me porridge a while ago.”

Jongin’s nose wrinkled in disappointment. “You need to eat more often, get your energy back.”

“I don’t have much of an appetite anyways.” You gave him a tender half-smile as you repositioned your hands, squeezing one of his with your own.

“He’s right,” Junmyeon spoke up from where he sat standing at the foot of your bed. His arms were crossed over his chest, muscles flexing underneath the long-sleeved shirt he wore. “You need all the energy you can get.”

“I’m fine, really.”

From where he stood beside Junmyeon, Baekhyun shook his head. “You don’t have to try to act all tough in front of us. You’ve basically been to hell and back, and yet you act like you’re getting over the common cold.”

Jongdae stopped his friend’s rant, placing a hand on his arm when he noticed how your face was starting to flush pink with indignation. “Stop, Baek,” he warned.

Baekhyun sighed, a hand reaching up to push his silver locks back before addressing you again. “I’m sorry. It still scares me, you know? None of this was supposed to happen.” His droopy eyes seemed to fall a bit more, voice growing hushed. “You shouldn’t have been alone.”

As if sensing your discomfort, Chanyeol scooted his chair closer, his head resting on your shoulder as he draped an arm over your torso. The sight of this gentle giant hugging you like a teddy bear was enough to draw your thoughts back, and you giggled softly as you ran your fingers through his hair.

“Thank you,” you whispered to him. Chanyeol only hummed in response, eyes closing as a content smile grew on his face.

No one was sure of what to say next, the boys each trying their best to keep you feeling safe and distanced from the horrors you had experienced.

“So,” you cleared your throat. “What’s the plan? Father won’t tell me anything, and Mother refuses to, so I’m relying on you guys to keep me in the loop.” You looked each of them in the eye — except for Chanyeol, who at that moment was glad that he was still resting by your side instead of being stared down like the rest of his friends.

Junmyeon rubbed the back of his neck, lips parted as he struggled with how much information to share with you. “Uh, well... the Council hasn’t made any concrete plans yet. They’re still taking into account everything you mentioned in your statements. We need to be absolutely prepared for the next attack, whenever it comes. There’s so much we didn’t know about until recently.”

“Like the keys,” Sehun spoke up. He propped an elbow on the foot of your bed, leaning forward in his chair. “Why didn’t the Council tell you that the keys could be switched from one person to another? I thought the keys were yours for life, unless you decided to retire like your father.”

“I thought about that too,” you agreed. “But if it was made public that Gatekeepers could easily give up the control they had over their keys, what would stop then from trying to switch their responsibilities with someone else? Plus, Father said the Council had a couple of cases long, long ago of Gatekeepers switching keys and using those opportunities for political espionage in other universes. It was an absolute mess.”

“But still,” Jongdae interrupted. “It just feels weird to me. What if they’re hiding other important things too? I know that the Council is entitled to their own secrets, but when our worlds are at war like this, it just rubs me the wrong way to be kept in the dark.” He raised a hand to rub at his upper arm, suppressing a shiver.

“I agree,” you said. “And I think that’s something we’re gonna have to work on, before taking any sort of action. I want to know what else the Council already knows about Exodeux, what they might be hiding from us.”

“You need to rest, first.” Jongin pulled your blanket further up your body, trapping you in the soft fabric. “Leave the worrying to us for now.”

You grumbled even as the rest of the boys chimed in about how important it was for you to recover fully before making any sort of decision. It was reassuring to know that no matter what you picked — whether you chose to resume your post as a Gatekeeper or not — your friends would have your back.

After a nurse came in to check on you and found that you were fighting off sleep in order to keep chatting with your friends, she firmly suggested taking a nap. Every time they came to visit, their goodbyes were the same. Each one would come forward for a last hug and some words of support to hold you over until the next time.

Jongin, of course, always waited to be the last one to say goodbye. All of the others had left the room already, their voices growing distant as they walked down the hospital hallway.

“I’m serious, Y/N. Don’t push yourself too hard.” He pouted when you pinched his cheek, bangs swaying this way and that as you chuckled.

“Okay, I promise.”

Satisfied, Jongin gave you one last tight squeeze before leaving, shutting the door softly behind him.

You finally let your eyes close, your friends’ banter still echoing in your ears as you drifted off into a peaceful slumber. There would be enough time to catch up, to get back into the swing of things and find answers to all of the questions bouncing around in your head.

The monitor beside you beeped quietly, its steady rhythm the only sound in the room. Everything in the room was the same as when your friends had first come in, except for one small detail. On a nightstand beside your bed sat a small, red chess piece — a king.

In the Realm of Gateways, your father stood posted at the door to Exoplanet, already having checked that the door to Exodeux was locked tight.

The door to Exodeux was just as beaten up as before, a few drops of blood stained there. But behind the door, voices rose and fell as if caught in an intense conversation.

You may have found out a lot about your enemy, but they had learned a lot about you as well.

And they were determined not to make the same mistakes next time.

A/N: this wraps up the obsession series! thank you to everyone who read/liked/reblogged/sent in any comments! this was wild but extremely fun to conceptualize and write up, and I’m happy to share it with everyone on here ☺️ I don’t think I’ll be revisiting this fic universe again in the future (unless we get related material in another exo album or something LOL) but that also means I’ll be able to go back to my list of wips 👍

Tag list: @thalasophilia, @skjdln, @trishmarieco, @jongin-be-my-jagi, @violentcosmicsymphony

#exo #jongin scenario #chanyeol scenario #baekhyun scenario #suho scenario #jongdae scenario #sehun scenario #exo scenario #exo fanfic #writings

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onceuponakdrama · 4 years ago

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Completed Drama Watched List

—

Dramas:

♡ Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

♡ Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

♡ Boys Over Flowers

♡ Meteor Garden ↬ Chinese Version of Boys Over Flowers

♡ Playful Kiss

season one | season two

♡ Heartstrings

♡ Flower Boy Ramen Shop

♡ Kill Me Heal Me

♡ Goblin

♡ Flower Boy Next Door

♡ Rooftop Prince

♡ A Witch’s Romance

♡ Uncontrollably Fond

♡ Moonlight Drawn By Clouds

♡ You’re Beautiful

♡ Fabulous Boys ↬ Taiwanese Version of You’re Beautiful

♡ Fated To Love You

♡ A Gentlemen’s Dignity

♡ The Master’s Sun

♡ Birth of a Beauty

♡ In Time With You

♡ The Time I Loved You, 7000 Days ↬ Korean Version of In Time With You

♡ Personal Taste

♡ Bride of the Century

♡ Reply Me Series

1997 | 1994 | 1988

♡ Pinocchio

♡ Absolute Boyfriend

♡ Protect the Boss

♡ It’s Okay That’s Love

♡ I Hear Your Voice

♡ Fall In Love With Me

♡ Doctor Stranger

♡ Cinderella and the Four Knights

♡ Coffee Prince

♡ Love Around

♡ Shut Up Flower Boy Band

♡ To The Beautiful You

♡ She Was Pretty

♡ Pretty Li Huizhen ↬ Taiwanese Version of She Was Pretty

♡ Just You

♡ Emergency Couple

♡ My Princess

♡ My Love From Another Star

♡ Heirs

♡ The Woman Who Wanted To Marry

♡ Secret Garden

♡ Hwarang

♡ You’re All Surrounded

♡ City Hunter

♡ Scarlet Heart Ryeo

♡ Descendants of the Sun

♡ Fight My Way

♡ What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim

♡ Strongest Deliveryman

♡ Cheese in a Trap

♡ Accidentally in Love

♡ The Beauty Inside

♡ Because This Is My First Life

♡ Handsome Guy and Jung Uhm

♡ My ID is Gangnam Beauty

♡ Oh My Venus

♡ A Love So Beautiful

♡ Miss Hammurabi

♡ Touch Your Heart

♡ Legend of the Blue Sea

♡ Suspicious Partner

♡ Introverted Boss

♡ He Is Psychometric

♡ Clean With Passion For Noe

♡ Her Private Life

♡ Kingdom

season one | no plans to watch season two

♡ Blood

♡ Put Your Head On My Shoulder

♡ Oh My General

♡ Romance of Tiger and Rose

♡ Love O2O

♡ Psycho But It’s Okay

♡ Oh My Baby

♡ Hotel Del Luna

♡ Shopping King Louis

♡ 100 Days My Prince ⇸ Drama Review

♡ Was It Love? ⇸ Drama Review

♡ The Uncanny Counter

♡ Mr. Queen

Mr. Queen: Secret of the Bamboo Forest

♡ True Beauty ⇸ Drama Review

♡ Tale of the Nine-Tailed ⇸ Drama Review

♡ Record of Youth ⇸ Drama Review

♡ Crash Landing On You ⇸ Drama Review

♡ World of the Married ⇸ Drama Review

♡ So I Married An Anti Fan ⇸ Drama Review

♡ Extraordinary You

♡ Start Up

♡ Squid Game

♡ Hometown Cha Cha Cha

♡ Yumi’s Cells

season one | season two

♡ Unforgettable Love

♡ Doom At Your Service ⇸ Drama Review

♡ A Business Proposal ⇸ Drama Review

♡ Welcome to Waikiki

season one | season two

♡ Our Beloved Summer

♡ Destined With You

♡ Marry My Husband

♡ Queen Of Tears ⇸ Drama Review

♡ The Glory

Web Series

♡ Dream Knight

♡ Nail Art Shop Paris

♡ EXO Next Door

♡ First Seven Kisses

♡ The Lover

♡ HIStory 3: Trapped

♡ Where Your Eyes Linger

♡ Color Rush ⇸ Review

♡ A Love So Beautiful (2020) ↬ Korean Adaptation

♡ Manner of Death

♡ Lovestruck in the City

#kdrama watched list #kdramas #chinese dramas #taiwanese dramas #to be updated #mine

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fangsandforests · 4 years ago

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Calcifer’s Story: One Year Later

Last October, I saw a post from our local reptile rescue asking for fosters for a pair of leopard geckos. The female was showing obvious signs of metabolic bone disease (MBD). The male had sores on his tail, swollen back feet, and since he was housed with the female, was likely also at risk of MBD.

Though at this point I’d never owned a leopard gecko before, I felt like I had done enough research on their care to help out at least one of the geckos, at least long enough to go through the medical treatments required. So I picked up the male, who I quickly decided to adopt. This is Calcifer’s story.

Unfortunately, Calcifer’s story isn’t uncommon. I see this happen far too frequently, and it’s really depressing. People pick up reptiles from pet stores or wherever without fully understanding how to care for them. Then they quickly end up with MBD, stuck shed problems, burns, and other common health problems.

Leopard geckos are pretty hardy creatures. They can even do well without UV-B as long as you provide the right supplements. (And supplements aren’t expensive!) Many people successfully house them quite cheaply. So it baffles me when people fail to provide even the bare minimum for these guys. This is why I always say if you’d like to get a leopard gecko and have done all the research, please look into rescues before buying from a pet shop or breeder. There are a lot of geckos out there who need a good home!

But back to Calcifer... We started Day 1 with a chlorhexidine soak and a dose of antibiotics. And this was his routine for the next 10 days, even though his swollen feet were already looking less red and inflamed by the second day.

And he seemed to recognize that I was trying to help, at least enough to put up with the treatment.

His enclosure setup during this time was very simple and sterile -- paper towels/cage carpet as substrate, hides that were easy to clean, etc. This was not only to prevent infection but because all new animals should go through a quarantine period. To properly quarantine a reptile, you should keep them in a separate room from any other reptiles in the house and in a setup that allows you to easily monitor for issues like parasites and diseases.

I was, however, experimenting with the heat source during his quarantine. I settled on the Deep Heat Projector, which you can read all about in my review. I also added a UV-B light and, once he was ready to eat again, started using Arcadia Earth Pro supplements. Due to the MBD issue, one of my priorities was making sure he was getting the best possible sources of calcium and D3.

For Calcifer, I knew his first shed in my care would help me gauge his progress, since his swollen feet came from stuck shed. And, much to my surprise, that shed came off perfectly -- not even the tiniest piece left behind.

He improved very quickly from there. His appetite came back in full force, and he started to associate me with food instead of foot soaks and nasty medicine. I started improving his enclosure, adding in natural rock, wood, and substrate.

It took a few months, but eventually his back feet were back to a normal size and his tail grew back. Unfortunately, the stuck shed issues in his past caused him to lose the tips of some of his toes, but he gets around just fine.

For a male leopard gecko, Calcifer seems to be on the small side. He averages about 45 grams. So even though he uses every inch of his enclosure, I haven’t felt the need to upgrade to a size up from the 18x24 Exo Terra he’s in now. (I'm not completely writing off the possibility though!)

Out of all my geckos, Calcifer is by far the most personable. He’s very curious and regularly pokes his head out of a hide or comes up to the door when I’m in the room.

Would I ever rescue a second leopard gecko? Well, it was definitely worth it to see Calcifer make a full recovery and watch his true personality come out. I didn’t fully understand how wonderful leopard geckos are until I brought this guy home, and that’s what makes it even harder for me to grasp how people can fail to give them the care and attention they deserve.

So, yes, when I have the space and resources available, I’d love to help out another gecko in need.

And if you read all this and are now thinking you’d also love to rescue a reptile instead of buying one, that’s great!

I’d encourage you to see if there’s a reptile rescue near you. Reptiles are becoming more popular, which unfortunately means that more of them aren’t taken care of properly. So if you don’t have a local reptile rescue yet, there may be a need for one soon!

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emperorsfoot · 5 years ago

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Finally, some much needed Entrapdak fluff. Angsty fluff. But its still fluff.

Also, the Horde garrison in Dryl misinterpreting pretty much everything about Hordak and ‘family’ in a wholesome and -hopefully- comical way.

Also, also, this:

...

Hordak was programmed to stand for a commanding officer whenever they entered a room. To be waiting for them, in formation and at the ready when they arrived on their flagship. In his current circumstances, as a refugee from the Fright Zone, deposed from command of the Horde, Entrapta held the higher rank. Princess of Dryl and sovereign of the territory he was currently residing in. In this scenario, Entrapta was his commanding officer. Dryl was her flagship. Hordak wanted to be standing at attention, waiting for her arrival home.

But he could not find the entrance.

Curse this labyrinth of corridors the locals dared to call a ‘castle’! There was no rhyme or reason to them. Hordak tried learning the layout. He tried marking the turns. He even tried making his own map. But it seemed like the layout changed semi-periodically. His marks inexplicably disappeared. And his map was useless by the next day. Hordak didn’t know how the mongrel got around without getting lost, but then, the mongrel was small and usually traveled through the air ducts and ventilation system. They probably did not have these problems.

All Hordak knew was that Entrapta was already home by the time Hordak finally found her.

Not in the entrance hall. He still wasn’t sure where that was anymore.

But he did find the kitchens.

Where Baker was just finishing up a pastry molded into the shape of a tiny creature with a pig-nose and bat ears. She looked up when he entered. It only took her half a glance to realize he was lost. She arranged the pastry creature on a tray held by one of Entrapta’s bots.

“That one’s going to the lab.” She told him.

Without saying anything, only offering a grunt as a ‘thank you’ Hordak left the kitchens and followed the bot.

The twisting and winding path the bot lead him on was not the same rout the mongrel lead him on the last time he was escorted to the lab. And they passed that damn painting of the flerken with the over-large eyes twice before they came to a familiar hallway. Then, finally, the lab.

The bot entered through a separate panel at floor level.

Hordak entered the passcode Entrapta gave him.

Thankfully, the door slid open without problem or incident.

Entrapta was already inside, reviewing the data from the exo-suit. Catching herself up on his condition and prosthetics.

“Oh. You made it.” She looked up at him with a smile. Happy to see him.

She crossed the room, propelling herself on her hair. Arms spread wide. But she stopped short of hugging him. They did not touch. She was mindful of his condition which often gave him muscular pain, and he was unused to initiating physical contact –it was not a thing clones did. So they never touched each other directly. Only through Entrapta’s hair.

Entrapta placed a lock of hair on his shoulder, giving the exo-suit an affectionate pat. “I missed you!”

Her smile was genuine, and infectious, and Hordak could not help but smile back. He missed her too.

He just lacked the words to tell her. They stuck in his throat. Admitting that he missed her when she went to Brightmoon for a couple of months also meant admitting that he would miss her indefinitely when he returned to Prime’s side and she remained in Dryl.

Instead he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Your clone preformed adequately in your absence. However, it is a relief having you returned.”

He placed his hand over the hair on his shoulder, intertwining his fingers between the strands. Hordak wasn’t used to physical contact, physical contact of affection least of all. He hoped he was doing it right. Entrapta did not pull her hair away immediately, and he decided to take that as a sign that he wasn’t doing it wrong.

“Dak did great!” Entrapta beamed. Wrapping her hair around his whole body, she carried Hordak over to the main monitor. “I’ve been reviewing the data from your tune-ups and it looks like your exo-suit is performing at peak efficiency. We can now start physical training.”

To get him back to a level of warrior proficiency comparable to what he was before being stranded on Etheria. Hordak would never be able to be active without his armor again. Just performing daily tasks like basic hygiene was difficult without it as a mobility aid. His muscles would ache and he would get fatigued easily. With the armor, he could function as any normal person did, but to return to Horde Prime Hordak needed to function better than a normal person. He needed to function like a warrior-trained clone of the Emperor of the Known Universe. Bred from perfection to be a living weapon and extension of his will. For that –even with the armor- Hordak needed training.

Hordak glanced around the lab.

It was tight. An enclosed space. And full of sensitive equipment neither of them wanted to get damaged, chief among them, the First Ones medical array Entrapta took from the ship in the Crimson Waste. They could not perform any kind of physical conditioning or combat drilling in the lab. Did the Crypto Castle have a gymnasium of sorts? Some place he could train. Another place to get lost trying to find.

Already holding him with her hair, Entrapta carried Hordak to the door of her lab. “Scorpia and Dak are already waiting for us in the courtyard.”

The door slid open and Hordak struggled to disentangle himself from her hair. By the Host, he was not about to allow her to carry him out into the courtyard where the remaining Horde that occupied Dryl could see him. The soldiers deployed in Dryl at the time of the portal’s opening were the only faction of the Horde here on Etheria that remained loyal to him. He was not about to shake that loyalty by appearing weak in front of them. And being carried in this tiny Princess’ magical hair definitely made him look weak.

“I am able to walk under my own power.” He assured her.

“Oh. Okay.” Entrapta let him down, feeling oddly rejected somehow.

It wasn’t like she was trying to initiate any kind of intimacy at that moment. He was just already in her hair and they had to go to the same place. It didn’t occur to her that he might feel more comfortable moving himself rather than letter her carry him. Hordak was Entrapta’s very Special Friend, not her Best Friend, that was Scorpia. But her Special Friend. She felt as strongly for him as she did for Scorpia, but… in a different way. And she wanted to hold him.

Not just with her hair –although, that was what was usually most comfortable for her- but with her arms too. The same way Scorpia hugged her when she came to rescue her from Beast Island. Both arms wrapped around, squeezing tightly, even… even bodies pressed together if that didn’t make him too uncomfortable.

But, Entrapta was also mindful of his condition. The exo-suit she made for him allowed Hordak to function the same as any average person. But underneath that armor, he was not an average person. He was frail and delicate. His skin sensitive. Not in the same ‘tactile sensitivity and overstimulation’ sort of way she was sensitive, but in the ‘a carless tap on the shoulder could cause debilitating pain’ kind of sensitive. Not counting Hordak himself, no one was more keenly aware of that than Entrapta. She knew what it was like to be sensitive and did not want to stress his boundaries.

So, why did Hordak wanting to walk on his own make her feel like he was walking away from her?

Because he still intended to go back to Horde Prime? To leave Dryl and leave her.

But that was always Hordak’s plan. Even before he started living in her Queendom. Back when they were in the Fright Zone building the portal in the first place. Nothing had changed.

So, why did she feel like everything had changed?

“It’s this way.” Entrapta pointed with her hair when she noticed Hordak was walking the wrong way to the courtyard.

Hordak suppressed a growl, letting out a hmph instead. “Nothing makes sense in this blasted place.”

Entrapta decided to let that comment go. It was her predecessor who designed the Crypto Castle, and Ensnarea made it intentionally difficult to navigate. Entrapta grew up here, she was well into her adulthood now, almost thirty, and she still sometimes needed the tracker app on her datapad to navigate her way around.

Outside the sky was gray and overcast. Dryl was prone to poor weather. Storms and lightning. An overcast day with heavy but calm cloud cover was actually a ‘nice day’ by Dryllish standards.

It took Hordak a few moments to get used to the natural light, after being in nothing but the dimness of the Crypto Castle for months. Blinking his nictitating membranes, squinting the second set of eyelids until his eyes adjusted.

The center of the courtyard was taken up by a unit of Horde soldier, being put through their drills by the Territory Captain. It had been months since She-Ra and her rebel companion kidnapped Dak –whom for all they knew at the time was Lord Hordak’s heir- and the Captain was not going to soon forget. She was determined that her forces would never allow a repeat of the occurrence. They were soldiers of the Horde, loyal to Lord Hordak, living in the territory of Lord Hordak’s chosen consort, the Princess Entrapta. They would not allow Hordak and Entrapta’s heir to be taken a second time. The Captain was almost fanatical in her training of those that were under her command.

Seeing Lord Hordak walking with his Princess, the Captain snapped to attention and offered a respectful bow. “My Lord, my Princess.” Then, snapped at her soldiers. “Attention! Salute your Lord!”

The company she was drilling performed similar motions. Snapping to attention, backs straight, shoulders tight, tails –of they had them- peaked. Then they bowed, humbling themselves for their Lord and his consort.

Hordak gave a hmph of satisfaction.

“Wow, you guys are so in sync!” Entrapta beamed at the company.

“Thank you, Princess.” Nodded the Captain. “I have been working hard with them. Rest assured that no harm will ever come to you or your… or the younger Lord Hordak again.”

“That’s great!” Entrapta smiled at the other woman. “And I’ll be upgrading your weapons before I leave for Salineas.”

Startled, Hordak glanced at her. She would be leaving again? To build more weapons for his enemies. In Salineas this time. But he thought the deal was only for Brightmoon. She was done in Brightmoon. Why was she going to another Princess’ territory so soon after she just got back? Hordak didn’t want her to go.

But in front of one of their subordinates was not the time or place to confront her about it. As sovereign Princess of Dryl and Lord of the Horde, they had to appear unified and of one mind in front of their subordinates.

Instead of asking Entrapta about it, he chose to remind her why they came out here in the first place. “Princess, you did mention that Force Captain Scorpia was awaiting us.”

“Huh? Oh! Right!” She offered a wave to the Territory Captain. “It was good seeing you Batting. I’ll get around to your equipment once I’m done with this grumpy-gus.” She pointed to Hordak with a tendril of hair.

The Territory Captain, Batting, didn’t know what to say to that, so she only saluted again. Only Lord Hordak’s lover could get away with calling his a ‘grumpy-gus’ practically to his face. Batting tried her best not to react. She tried really, really hard.

As Entrapta said, Dak was with Scropia.

They were off to the side, in a corner of the courtyard that was shadowed by the side of the mountain.

Scorpia had a bucket of what looked like many different colored calks next to her, and was handing them to Dak, whom was using them to draw on the ground.

“That looks great, Dak!” Scorpia was saying. “But, uh, what is it?”

As they drew closer, Hordak was able to peer over the backs of the crouched pair and see that the mongrel had drawn a hexagon and a pentagon with a shared side. A single line was protruding out from the hexagon, and another line that was bent in two places extended from the pentagon. Clearly, the hybrid was drawing some kind of chemical chain.

“You said I should draw something that makes me happy.” The mongrel reminded Scorpia. They labeled the line protruding from the hexagon HO, and the bent line extending from the pentagon NH2. “So, I drew serotonin.”

Hordak could not help the snort that escaped him. A very nasal, very wet sounding snort. Prime would have been mortified. But Prime wasn’t here. Scorpia instructed the creature to draw something that made them happy and they drew the chemical that –literally- caused beings to experience happiness. Hordak still did not like the mongrel, but they did like the creature’s sense of humor when it was not at his own expense.

Scorpia sucked in a breath between her teeth. “Well… I mean… that’s not wrong…” She seemed to be having trouble finding the word to explain to this child what she had meant. “Look what I drew.” She pointed to an entirely different chalk drawing. Sloppy, and childish. But still just recognizable as two figures. One rendered in red chalk with a scorpion tail, the other outlines in purple with many pink tentacles like snakes coming out of the head. The chalk figures appeared to be holding hands, and the words ‘Super Pal Duo’ was written over them in an arch. “This is the time I rescued your mom from Beast Island and she called me her Best Friend.”

Unconsciously, Hordak reached a hand out to run his fingers through Entrapta’s hair. He should have been the one to rescue her. At least, he felt he should. But Hordak did not learn that she had been sent to Beast Island until she was already rescued.

In response to his touch, strands of hair intertwined themselves with his fingers. Gently stroking and reassuring. He might feel like he had failed her somehow, but Entrapta harbored no such feelings. She was just happy he was with her.

It gave him a pang of an entirely different, but even more uncomfortable feeling when he remembered that he would be leaving her as soon as Horde Prime arrived. Leaver her, and not coming back.

But at least Entrapta would still have Scorpia as a companion. Her ‘Super Pal’ and Best Friend. Scorpia would take care of her. Besides, the mongrel would stay here too. Hordak would not take that hybrid thing back to the Velvet Glove and present it to Prime as a brother. Dak, or Hordak Second of the Name, was not a brother. He didn’t know what the creature was, really. But it was not his brother.

“That is exactly what a chain of serotonin looks like!” Entrapta nodded at the hybrid’s drawing. Satisfied with her clone’s work.

Dak offered their mother a hesitant smile. Entrapta’s approval and validation was what they craved most in this world.

“I hope you’re not too tired for our next experiment.” Entrapta continued.

Dak practically catapulted to their feet. “No. I’m ready.”

Hordak looked between the two of them, momentarily confused. “Now that you are returned, there is no need for the clone’s continued involvement.”

Except maybe for consistency of care, so that the mongrel could remain up-to-date and aware of his condition and progression. But Hordak was not about to admit that out loud. The hybrid made him uncomfortable and he did not want to admit that there might be a practical reason for continuing to allow the hybrid to be… on his maintenance team.

“Oh, Dak’s gonna be my Control for your vitals.” Entrapta explained, bouncing excitedly on her hair. “They’re not the same physical age as you, and they’re a hybrid with my own DNA, so they’re not perfectly analogous to you, but they’re the best thing I have to compare you to in terms of physiology. Dak is the closest approximation of a ‘healthy Prime clone’. So, Dak is gonna be doing exercises along side you.”

Hordak’s lips curled in a sneer of displeasure.

But he could not argue with her logic. When Entrapta first designed the clone, and yes, ‘designed’ was accurate. She went into his DNA and took out all the corrupted segments of code, filling in the gaps with her own healthy Etherian DNA. Dak was carefully crafted to be healthy. Not a perfect clone. But a perfectly healthy organism.

From her hair, Entrapta produced sterile gel, suction cups, and sensor nodes.

Using the sterile gel and suction cups, Entrapta fitted two of the sensor nodes to the sides of Hordak’s head, lifting herself up on her hair to compensate for their dramatic difference in height. She was mindful of his scar tissue which made the skin uneven. They looked worse than they were, the synthetic skin the First Ones medical tech knitted into Hordak’s real skin to close the wounds was the wrong color and stood out, a bold violet against the white of his face and the dark blue-gray of his neck. But the scratched Catra dealt him in that fight –even miraculously healed using seemingly magically advanced tech- still left the skin uneven and Entrapta had to work around them to get the suction cups to stick.

For his neck, she plugged the sensory nodes directly into the ports there. Same with the ports on his sides, she plugged the sensors directly into those too.

Dak applied their own sensors. Sticking them to the temples of their head, their neck, and their sides. Using their hair instead of their hands –which were covered in chalk and not sterile- the cobalt blue tendrils making sure they were even and secure.

With a bit of a sigh, Scorpia began packing up the colored chalks. At least she got Dak to play a little bit.

Entrapta ushered the clones back into the center of the courtyard.

The soldiers weren’t quite finished with their drills yet, but Captain Batting quickly made them clear the field. Whatever project their Lord and his consort were working on was obviously more important than making sure the garrison kept up their discipline as a single military unit. (Besides, Batting wanted to watch whatever was about to happen. She saw so little of the sovereign family interacting together. She would be lying if she didn’t admit she was curios.)

Hordak was uneasy about preforming in front of his only remaining soldiers. He was keenly aware of his physical limitations and of the fact that he was nowhere near as capable and strong a warrior as he used to be. He did not want to appear weak in front of his subordinates. Fear of betrayal and usurption aside, they were the only followers he had left. He did not want to lose the last and only Horde garrison he commanded because he so weak, even when compared to a literal child.

“We’re just gonna start with a few warm-ups to get your bodies read and establish a baseline.” Entrapta explained. “Just some simple stretches and light activity to loosen-up your muscles and get your blood flowing.”

Standing side-by-side with the mongrel, a double arms’ length apart, Hordak allowed Entrapta to guide him and the hybrid through lunges, tow-touches, jumping-jacks, and a little light running place.

Soldiers snickers behind the face shield of their helmets, or –if their heads were uncovered- hid smiles behind their hands. None of them had ever seen Lord Hordak appear so… normal before. Warming up for a drill. Like he was one of them. A soldier just like any other. And he was training with his heir. Just like a real dad (not that any of them really knew what a ‘real dad’ was supposed to be like). But it was still so cute!

All the while, Entrapta was studying their stats on her datapad, the screen split in half, one side displaying Hordak’s vitals, the other Dak’s.

She had them break for water before diving into the combat drills.

It was not all that different from the drills the garrison had just been practicing. Beginning with basic hand-to-hand kata, first going through the motions on their own, the two clones performing identical actions side-by-side. Then, after several sets, facing off and putting the combat motions into action in a mock battle against each other.

Dak was younger than Hordak. Lighter and faster on their feet. With healthy muscle tissues giving more strength to their limbs. However, Dak had barely been in one fight before, and didn’t actually know what they were doing. Hordak was older and more experienced. He had faced quick and spry opponents before and survived to learn from the experience. He was a seasoned warrior and knew how to handle himself –limitations and all- in a fight.

For the most part they were evenly matched.

Until Hordak over-extended himself. Dak did a backflip –on their hair- to evade the attack. And Hordak fell flat on his face.

The watching soldiers could not hide their amusement this time. Nothing was funnier than watching the terrifying and imposing Lord of the Horde do a face plant while trying to train his child.

Enraged, Hordak threw all manners of a polite spar aside and snarled at the mongrel. How dare they humiliate him like that!

Dak only grinned back. Flashing those razor sharp but pearly white teeth, as if goading the older clone. “Sorry,” they said, not sounding apologetic at all, “Old Man.”

There was a chorus of ‘Oo~oh’s from the spectators.

“Brat!” He growled back. In the peak of his health, Hordak could jump from a moving drop-ship, take out a small contingent of enemies, vault off a building roof, break through windows, and maneuver is close quarters combat. He was not going to allow this composite creature that hadn’t even been alive a year yet to humiliate him in a public forum!

Recollecting himself, adjusting his stance, Hordak assumed the defensive, waiting for the younger and quicker clone to come to him. Hordak didn’t have to beat the mongrel outright. He just had to let the dumb child tire themself out in order to win.

And ‘dumb child’ was right. Dak didn’t even hesitate to take the bait. Bouncing on their prehensile hair, the hybrid leapt into the air, coming down from above Hordak, hands with talons outstretched.

Hordak casually, almost lazily side stepped the clumsy and overly-showy attack. Dak would have smashed skull-first into the hard stones of the courtyard were it not for the quick reflexes of youth. They swung their hair around in front of their face, coiling it like a living blue cushion to pad their fall. Then transitioned into a sort of summersault to land on their feet.

Lowering his defensive stance, Hordak melted into a dignified parade rest. Turing one half-quarter to the side, he smirked sideways at the mongrel. Just to make sure the creature understood how insignificant it truly was to him.

The hybrid took the action as the taunt it was meant to be. Teeth bared in a growl of frustration, hair frizzing out like Entrapta’s often did when she over-excited. They ran at Hordak, attempting to slash at the older clone with their talons.

After facing off against a skilled and season opponent like Catra, young and naïve little Dak was nothing. Hordak barely had to break his rest to dodge. Only moving his feet. Arms still folded behind his back. Expression military neutral. It only took a few passes for the mongrel’s frustration to transform into outright anger.

“This is supposed to be a fight, Old Man!” They shouted.

Hordak smirked at them. “I am waiting for you to begin.”

That was the last straw that broke the back of the mongrel’s control. They did not quite have Hordak’s temper. They were not quick to anger. They could put up with Hordak’s quiet scorn and not-so-subtle distain. When it was just the two of them it was easy to stay calm. When it was just the two of them it didn’t matter. But when Mother was home… When Mother was watching them… When Hordak was making them look back in front of Mother… That was what set Dak off. Dak wanted nothing more than for Mother to love them.

Hair still frizzy, the tendrils and strands fanned outwards, haloing the mongrel in a semi-circle of cobalt-blue tentacles. Hordak would be lying if he didn’t admit it was a little intimidating.

He didn’t let any of it show on his face, however. Hordak, Lord of the Third Division, General on Horde Prime’s ruling cabinet, did not get intimidated by mongrel children.

Dak rushed him, running forward with the same speed as before. Hordak side-stepped them easily. But then the hybrid crouched down and lashed out with their hair, coiling two tentacles around one of the older clone’s ankles. It one solid jerk of the prehensile hair, Dak pulled Hordak off his feed, dropping him flat on his backside.

There was another exclamation of ‘Oo~oh!’ from the watching soldiers.

“That’s enough.” Entrapta called.

From his position on the ground, Hordak kicked up, just barely missing the mongrel’s face. If the move had connected, the metal toe-plate of his boot would have smashed into Dak’s chin.

Jumping back, the hybrid just barely managed to dodge the blow.

Hordak too the opportunity to leap back to his feet.

Dak lashed at him with their hair again. This time going high. For the face.

Raising an armored arm to block the blow, Hordak allowed the plating of his exo-suit to absorb the force of the hit, then grabbed the tendril of hair and yanked. Hard. Pulling the hybrid off balance, causing the mongrel to stumble as they winced in pain at having their hair pulled.

“Ow! Ow, ow, ow!” Dak exclaimed.

“I said that’s enough.” Entrapta repeated.

“A real opponent will do much worse than this.” Hordak informed them. How could the natives of this planet honestly believe that this soft, under-developed child-creature was his ‘heir’? They were no soldier. They weren’t even the kind of sparkling and gentle looking but surprisingly formidable kind of clumsy-fighter the Princesses of the Alliance was. The mongrel was… more like a Horde cadet. A child the Etherian Horde took in and trained. Young and stupid. But full of potential.

The mongrel only growled at him. They pulled the strand of hair, but Hordak did not let go of his hold.

“He’s right, ya know!” Someone called from the soldiers that gathered as spectators.

“Listen to your father.” Shouted another. “He knows what he’s talking about!”

Hordak bristled, uncomfortable at being called the mongrel’s ‘father’. The clones of Horde Prime had no fathers. The clones of Horde Prime had no children. The clones of Horde Prime were all brothers.

“Hey, if your hair is cut, it is like losing an arm?” Asked another. This question went unanswered.

Dak yanked their hair again, pulling harder this time. Pulling hard enough to make the taller and top heavier clone to stumble off balance. Mid-trip, another tentacle of hair lunged out. This this time. With more force. It struck Hordak in the stomach.

Hordak let go of the hair he was holding. Spitting and gasping.

“Stop!” Entrapta appeared between them. Wrapping both in her own hair, she forced the two clones apart. “As big as your ears are, you should be better at listening. Both of you.”

The watching soldiers heaved identical groans of disappointment. They were enjoying the show.

Placing herself between Dak and Hordak, she turned to the latter and held up her datapad. “Look at your blood pressure! The suit is not regulating it the way it should. And that gut-punch just now didn’t do you any favors either.” She turned the datapad back to herself and began scrolling through all the information the device was telling her. Muttering about adjustments and upgrades. About extending the exoskeleton to cover his chest and middle-mass.

As she spoke, Hordak took a breath, forcing himself to calm down. He had not risen to the killing edge. The mongrel was not a big enough threat for that. Not had they made him mad enough to push him to that edge. But Hordak was not as young as he used to be and active combat was not as easy as it once was. Now that he was no longer moving and adrenaline was no longer pumping through his veins, Hordak realized that he was… tired. His muscles under his exo-suit were already sore. His middle-mass most of all. The mongrel’s hair was very strong.

But he could not afford to appear weak in front of his soldiers.

Hordak melted his stance back into a rest. “I shall respect your concerns and end combat training for the day, Princess.”

There was a soft chorus of ‘Aww’ from the soldiers around them. One soldier wrapped her arm around another, the two women cuddling closer. Hordak might be a looming, formidable, terrifying military Lord, but he loved his consort. It was so sweet!

Their doe-eyed, adoring faces, and soft smiles made him uncomfortable. Hordak turned and walked back to the double doors of the main entrance into the Crypto Castle. Quickly realized that he would be lost the moment he got inside, and paused. Turning to look back at where Entrapta was still standing with the mongrel, he held out his arm. A gesture he understood meant he was offering to escort her inside. He hoped it did not make him seem vulnerable and afraid of going back into the castle alone –which he was.

“You can play outside some more if you want.” Entrapta informed the hybrid. “Scorpia tells me children should play. Come back to the Lab when you’re ready and we can go over your data together.”

“Yes, Mother.” Dak demurred.

She crossed the courtyard, moving on her hair, and took Hordak’s offered arm.

The crowd gave a second ‘Aww’ as the couple went inside together.

Entrapta waited until the double doors were shut behind them before remarking, “I think I’ll also add a navigation feature to the exo-suit. So you won’t get lost inside the castle. Not that I mind escorting your around. But I know you like… to go your own way...”

Hordak’s lip curled, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable. It felt almost like she wasn’t talking about his wanting independence while living in the nightmare labyrinth she called a ‘castle’ and more about… his impending departure when Prime finally came to collect him.

“I will always appreciate the things you do for me.” He informed her. Not knowing what he needed to say.

“Thanks.” Entrapta replied. “I will always appreciate you- -your friendship.” She twiddled her hair, looking off to the side to avoid eye-contact, cheeks a slightly pinker shade than was normal. “Out of everyone I’ve met on Etheria –Scorpia included- you are the one I- …work best with.”

A lump formed in Hordak’s throat and he found himself having to swallow a feeling he was unfamiliar with. “Your work is without equal.”

If he thought –even for just a moment- that Horde Prime would welcome Entrapta, Hordak would take her with him. In a heartbeat.

“Thanks.”

Entrapta looked uneasy for a moment, as if question a decision she was about to make. She raised herself up on her hair, so that their faces were on an equal level. Leaning forward slightly to close the distance between them. Her mouth parted slightly.

Hordak had no idea what her intensions were. He had never seen Entrapta behave this way before.

But whatever she was about to do, they were both distracted by shouting outside.

They both turned.

Hordak pushed the double doors open.

At first, they were both confused. Nothing seemed out of place in the courtyard. Everyone was still standing exactly where they were a minute ago when they left. Except now everyone was all tuned, staring in the same direction. Faces tilting up. Staring gape-mouthed, horror struck, and confused at the sky.

Following their gaze, Entrapta and Hordak looked up.

A strange light cut across the sky, shining brighter than the moons. A diagonal slash. The edges of which seemed to fray and peel back, like fabric torn and tattered. As if the very air itself was physically cut with a blade. A blade of light rather than steel. A rift opening.

The gaping Etherians were right to be afraid. They didn’t know what this was. They had never seen anything like it before.

Admittedly, Hordak had never seen it before either. But he knew what it was. He was expecting this.

Horde Prime got his message.

Horde Prime was coming.

#entrapdak #entrapta/hordak #entrapta #hordak #entrapdak kid #clone baby au #dryl #crypto castle #spop #fan fiction #ao3 #RenkonNairu #scorpia #dak #a song of steel and light #prodigal brother

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marshmallow-phd · 5 years ago

Text

Catching Rain

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Minseok x Reader

Summary: You were more than satisfied with your life. You attended a nice college, had nice friends, a nice boyfriend. That’s what your life was: nice. You weren’t looking for anything more, so what were you to do when this seemingly harmless boy walked into your life and turned your nice little world into one much more dangerous?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I Epilogue

You parked on the side of an empty back road, careful not to stop in any spot that might be muddy. It hadn’t rained for a few days, but with the weather lately, you couldn’t be too careful. The last thing you needed was to have to call Erik and confess to him that you did indeed go out to the woods to take pictures and were now stuck in the mud and needed his help.

A small part of you felt guilty. His concern wasn’t completely unfounded. If he’d had gotten hurt working on a backdrop by himself, whether by falling off a ladder or being hit by a light, you would be hesitant about him doing it again. But each of you were your own person, right? Independent not codependent?

Okay, it was probably time to lay of the self-help books for a while. You took one modern philosophy class and it had been a downward spiral from there. Perhaps it was time to give the supernatural genre a try.

The trees smelled intoxicating. Mixed with the humidity in the air, it was the kind of scent that could outperform even the most expensive of perfumes. It was an aroma that surrounded you, engulfed you in its arms the further into the woods you went. The peaceful smile that pulled on the corners of your lips were automatic, involuntary. Not that you would fight if you could. Despite the rumors of wolves running around, you were comfortable here.

Deep within the forest, a wide, oval clearing full of browned wildflowers rested. Bits of green here and there tried to break through the foliage that had died during the harsh winter. Their odds of making it through might not have been great, but you admired their tenacity.

These clearings were common in the woods and yet, they were your favorite places to capture. From one angle, it could seem like you were lost in a fast labyrinth of Mother Nature. Another, a prairie that belonged to another region entirely. The possibilities were endless if you really thought about it. And each clearing, you’d discovered, was unique within itself. Its shape, the plants it held, the thickness of the grass. You knew you hadn’t found every one yet, but you were determined to someday. For now, though, you would have stick with this particular clearing that you had visited before, as it was close to the road for a quick getaway, should you need it.

Sliding the bags off your shoulder, you crouched down and dug through until you found your notebook. The pages were unlined, which allowed you to right down your thoughts and ideas at odd angles. To you, it gave the otherwise somewhat boring inside a more artistic aesthetic. The plain leather cover was soft in your hands, worn from the amount of use and abuse you’d put it through. It wasn’t exactly common for photographers to write out their ideas before shooting. Some drew out the scene they wanted to capture, trying out different angles in their imagination. Most didn’t do any sort of prep like this at all. But you preferred to write it out, especially since most of your ideas tended to come at the most inconvenient times. Scribbling down half-coherent words tended to be quicker than a sketch.

After a quick review of your latest ideas, you tossed the notebook down and turned on your camera. You took several test shots, adjusting each settling until you came to the look you were searching for. Long shots and close ups, you photographed nearly every square foot of that clearing in order to get that one picture. That one picture that took everyone’s breath away, that made them stop and tilt their head every which way in order to take the scene in at all possible viewpoints. You wanted to them to see the world the way you did.

So in tuned to what you were doing, you hadn’t noticed the pair of eyes watching you from the shadows. They gave off the faintest glow filled with curiosity as they hovered in the air. You snapped a few photos in their direction, still unaware of their presence, and then lowered the camera to look back on the shots. At first, when you clicked through the pictures, you didn’t notice the tiny amber dots that blended in with the foliage. But by the fourth picture, you stopped.

Never before had you been scared by this place. Then again, the only animals you’d ever encountered before were rabbits and deer and other mostly harmless critters. These did not look like the eyes of a friendly Disney sidekick. Ice ran down your spine. You couldn’t run. If it was a predator, that would only encourage it. So, you tried to remain as still as possible while lifting your eyes to the spot that the animal was hiding. Perhaps there was a chance that it wouldn’t sense your fear and would take your stare down as a reason to walk away.

No such luck.

The leaves under its paws rustled as it stepped forward into the sun.

A tannish wolf with a long black strip down its back revealed itself. But it didn’t look menacing. In fact, though you might have been fooling yourself, it seemed almost… curious? Confused? It was hard to read the expression since you couldn’t fully compare it to a human. With slow, thoughtful steps, it came closer. You tried to remain still, tried not to move. The strain was causing your legs to tremble slightly. Now, you felt tremendously stupid for not listening to Willa’s warning about wolves. Was this considered an ironic moment? You weren’t entirely sure since language arts had never been your strong suit.

Unable to keep you upright anymore, your legs gave out. At least you landed on your butt with your camera hanging safely around your neck. Your fingernails dug into the dirt next to you as the wolf came closer, still at that same cautious pace. Harder and harder, your heart pounded in your ears. The wolf paused for a few seconds before continuing on. Could it hear your terrified pulse? Silently, you said your goodbyes as the wolf erased all space between you. Its muzzle nudged your cheek, coming to a stop near your ear. It sniffed deeply, then jumped back.

Your eyes widened, somewhat relieved that it hadn’t pounced, but also confused. Why wasn’t it attacking? Why did it look spooked?

The wolf sat back, head tilting back and forth as it studied you. It made no threatening moves or sounds. The tips of its ears perked up and it let out a sound that was eerily similar to a scoff.

“I guess you’re not hungry then?” An odd thing to say out loud to an animal that couldn’t talk, but you blamed it on the shock of the whole situation.

The wolf responded with a short puff of air before lowering itself down to its stomach.

This was… surreal. All the other animals you’d ever encountered had either kept their distance or ran away at the slightest sound. And yet, here was this wolf, laying in front of you, not vicious or aggressive. It was almost… cute, in a way.

“You’re a strange creature,” you said out loud. The wolf apparently took that as a sign to come closer. Crawling on its stomach, it took came to the point where it was almost able to rest its head in your lap-

The shrill sound of your current favorite song ripped through the air. You gasped, jumping up to your feet and running to your bag where you desperately searched through the pockets until you found your phone. It was Willa.

“Hello?”

“Hey, where are you?”

“I, um,” you glanced at the wolf who had jumped up to its feet. “I got bored so I’m just out driving around. Why?”

“Jiyoung called and asked last second to switch shifts at the coffee shop and so I’m free for the evening. And I’m hungry.”

You laughed a little at her not-so-subtle hint. “Alright. Give me twenty minutes to get back to the dorm. How does brick oven pizza sound?”

“Like heaven.”

“Okay, then. See you soon.” You ended the call and looked up, meeting eyes with the wolf. It never broke contact and in turn, gave you a bit more bravery. Lifting up the camera, you snapped a single shot of the wolf. “I’ll be back.” A strange promise to make, but you said it anyway. You wanted another encounter with this mysterious creature. Gathering up your things, you hurried out of the clearing and back through the trees to your car, still sitting on the side of the road.

It took less than twenty minutes to make it back to the university. Back at the dorm, Willa was lying on her bed, scrolling through her phone mindlessly. She sat up as soon as you came through the door.

“Fun drive?” she asked.

You shrugged. “It was fine.”

“No exciting scenes to snap?”

Her tease made you roll your eyes. “No, not really. Now, come on. I thought you said you wanted to eat?”

Not missing a beat, Willa jumped up from the bed, snatched up her purse, and pulled you out of the room, contemplating out loud which signature pizza sounded good.

Minseok growled as he ran through the forest. How he could have possibly lost those three was beyond him. Being unable to find them now was even more stupefying. They were loud, how could he not know which direction to take? He had to be careful. This part of the forest was close to the back roads and Junmyeon was worried they were being spotted too often. If the three them weren’t paying attention-

Click. Click. Click.

Minseok brought himself to a halt at the strange sound. There wasn’t any sort of pattern to it, but there was an underlying shuttering that seemed vaguely familiar. Too curious to just ignore it, Minseok headed in the direction e suspected it came from. Once he found the answer, he’d go back to finding the others.

The sound led him to one of the many clearings in the woods. A person wandering around the area taking pictures seemed to be the source, a camera in their hands. You appeared to be alone. Odd since not many ventured out in the forest by themselves. The isolation didn’t seem to bother you, though as you carelessly went about your task.

Staying in the shadows, Minseok watched your back as you continued to photograph the nature around you. Something… something strange was tingling in his shoulders, like the muscle beneath the skin had fallen asleep. Without prompt from him, his paw moved forward. He should be leaving. Be gone before you spotted him. But he couldn’t do it. Something told him to wait.

That’s when you turned around. By the way you kept taking pictures, you hadn’t seen him. It wasn’t until you lowered the camera to review the film did you freeze. And you weren’t the only one.

Something in Minseok’s world snapped when he saw your face. His muscles contracted, shivered and ached.

Go! an inner voice urged. He tried to turn his body in the opposite direction of you, but failed. Not that way! He had no choice but to obey. So he stepped closer to you. Your eyes snapped up, meeting his own. In his chest, his heart accelerated. What was this? What was going on?

Slightly fighting each movement, Minseok broke out from the tree line and into the clearing. It was obvious you were frightened. And he was breaking all the rules by revealing himself. Logic could not win, however. He kept walking. Even after you fell backwards, he was only able to pause for a brief second. Your rapidly beating heart was loud in his own sensitive ears. But he wasn’t so sure that it was completely out of fear. He needed to be closer. So closer he went. The whiskers of his muzzle brushed against your cheek, sending a lightning bolt through his body. He took in your scent and reeled back.

You smelled human. You were human. But… there’s something different about you and he couldn’t fathom what it might be.

“I guess you’re not hungry then?” you said oddly.

Minseok laughed. Well, as much as he could with this ribcage and these vocal cords. Overwhelmed, he adjusted to a more comfortable position. The feeling in his chest was almost all consuming and it weighed him down. He’d seen plenty of humans on his runs, but this had never happened before. Was this something that would only happen because he was in his wolf form? Or would he still feel like this if he saw you on two legs?

With a glimmer in your eye, you sighed, “You’re a strange creature.”

Taking that as sign, he tested the waters and pulled himself across the grass with his front paws, closing the gap between you.

A song suddenly cut through the air and forced him to a stop before he could rest his head in your lap - an action that he was itching to try out. You jumped up with a gasp and ran to the bags resting at the bottom of a tree. Frantically, you searched the pockets until you found the source of the noise, answering the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, where are you?” asked a female voice on the other end.

“I, um,” you glanced over him, making him jump to his feet. Will you tell your friend the truth? “I got bored so I’m just out driving around. Why?”

He almost let out a sigh from relief. Talk of an overly friendly wolf would be bad, especially if it spread through town and more people ventured into the woods to try and encounter him.

“Jiyoung called and asked last second to switch shifts at the coffee shop and so I’m free for the evening. And I’m hungry.”

You laughed. “Alright. Give me twenty minutes to get back to the dorm. How does brick oven pizza sound?”

“Like heaven.”

“Okay, then. See you soon.” You hung up the call and met his eyes again. Impulsively, you took one last picture of him, which he didn’t shy away from. “I’ll be back,” you promised softly.

Minseok could no longer feel the ground beneath him. He just stood there, watching as you ran through the trees in the direction of the road. When his senses came back to him, he noticed a small brown square hidden among the tan grass. He went closer to inspect what the object was. It was a notebook.

It must be yours.

Scooping the leather-bound book in his mouth, he took off after you. Following your scent through the forest was easy – it stood out like a pink flower in a sea of green grass. But he wasn’t quick enough. He caught the sight of your tail lights far down the road. He would have to keep a hold of the notebook until he saw you again. You did say that you would be back.

Or you could track her down?

Minseok shook that thought away. How would he ever explain that without giving away his true nature?

Giving up for the time being, he turned around and decided to head back to the house. There was no way he could find the others now. And with you gone, the elated feeling disappeared, leaving him weighted as if he were being dragged down into the earth. Each step was anchored down. It took him much longer to get back to the farm house.

Several other members were scattered about the house, either working on their studies or clowning around. Your notebook tucked between his clothes and held close to his chest, he headed up to his room. After a quick shower, he got dressed once again and sat on the end of his bed. In his hands, he flipped the notebook over and over. He contemplated opening it. But that would be invading, wouldn’t it? But he wanted to find out about you.

So he pulled open the cover.

Inside, in the top right hand corner of the first page was your name. He smiled, saying it softly over and over. It felt… right on his lips. Your face hovered in his mind. It fit you so well, like a jacket tailored with perfection.

The nature of wolves was an odd kind. There was a constant urge to belong. To belong to a pack and then… to belong to a person.

Ever since he was young, he was told about how someday he find that special person whose soul was connected to his. Fate predetermined who that person would be and no one could ever fill the void that existed until that person came along. Ordinary humans would never experience that kind of feeling, that kind of love. The type of love for the wolf that could only be given by one person.

A mate.

Was that what you were? None of his brothers were mated. They were all free – some taking more advantage of the situation than others. Occasionally, they would joke about who would be first. Some thought it might be Yixing, given his soft heart and the genuine warmth he radiated. Others liked to joke that it would be Baekhyun or Jongin, the big serial daters of the pack. Minseok, though, had his money set on Jongdae. That wolf had barely been able to give in to the call of the pack when he first joined them all. He was verbally against the idea of mating, more so than anyone else. Opening up to people was not a strong suit of the younger wolf and Minseok couldn’t wait to see what kind of journey that would be once he was forced to.

Minseok would have been the last person on everyone’s mind for the mated list. Not for any malicious reasons, just because he didn’t venture out very much beyond school so the odds of meeting someone new were low. Or so he thought. He liked being out at the house, being home. He was the very definition of “homebody”. Ironic that he ended up meeting you out here.

Knock, knock, knock.

He looked up and quickly hid the notebook beneath his pillows, just in time before Junmyeon, the alpha, peaked his head in. “Minseok?”

“Yeah?”

Junmyeon looked back towards the hallway. “Yeah, he’s in here!” he yelled. “Tell Jongdae to stop worrying!”

Minseok laughed. Naturally, they leave him behind but then they get worried. He was the eldest, always looking after the others. And yet, oftentimes, it didn’t feel like that.

Where he thought that might be the end of the checkup, Junmyeon, instead, closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed beside him.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Minseok nodded. “Yeah, of course. Why?”

“I saw the look on your face when you came in,” Junmyeon explained. “You looked troubled.”

The two of them weren’t the closet out of the whole pack. In fact, there were times where it was awkward between them, the role of the alpha and the role of eldest clashing at times. But other times, he was the best one to turn to.

“What do you know about the mating aspect of us?”

Junmyeon pursed his lips, thinking. “The mating aspect? Only the basics, really. That when you meet that one person, that’s it. And you’re supposed to live happily ever after.” He laughed at the cheesy line, releasing some of the tension.

Minseok couldn’t help but laugh along. It died out soon, though, as his mind went back to his current dilemma. “They always say you just know after one look. Do you think that’s right?”

“Yes, I do,” the alpha confirmed. “That’s all it takes. You feel it in here.” He tapped his chest, right about his heart. “Minseok? Why are you asking about this?”

He weighed his options. If this wasn’t what he thought it was and the others found out, he would never hear the end of it from them. But having someone validate his theory would ease some of the strain.

“I think I found her.”

#exo #exo wolf au #exo wolf!au #minseok x reader #kim minseok #xiumin #exo werewolf!au #exo werewolf au #exo series #exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #exo supernatural au #untamed wolf universe #Catching Rain

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