#felix romance

[daceydeath]

Cigarettes and Cliche's Part 11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Felix!” you whisper shouted your cheeks burning.

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

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

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

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

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

Have fun baby, call me if you need anything x

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hi Lix, are you busy today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Kim Seungmin!" You yelped horrified.

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

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

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

“You are both arseholes” you groaned, pouting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Cunt” Felix yelled after him amused.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[aspenwritesstuff]

Part Seven: Just You

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🌹taglist: open! @drhsthl, @propertyoftoru, @pumkiinpasties @raehawthorne

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"Felix smiling because of you was quickly becoming one of your favorite things, and when he rushed forward without warning to hug you? You realized his hugs may be one of them, too." "Hugging Felix was like being wrapped in a warm blanket after being out in the cold. Comfortable, easy, soothing."

warnings: cheating mention, mentions of blood and snot, self-doubt, swearing, mention of violence, not a whole lot of warnings for this chapter, really, it's a lot of fluff.

wc: 5582

author's note: hi, hello. I am alive! I'm so, so sorry for how long it's taken me to update this fic. Writing has been hard, the last year has been a hell of a time. but I'm back now, and I hope that it was worth the wait. If you're still here, thank you. I appreciate your patience and love for PMW.

xoxo,

Aspen

As Lee Felix, twenty-three year old bartender opened his freezer to pull out a frosty bottle of liquor, you felt at peace. Despite the clutter here and there, his apartment managed to radiate the same comfort and warmth as the man himself. 

Following a heartfelt apology for the mess - along with an explanation, despite your insistence that you didn’t mind the few things he’d left out, that he simply wasn’t expecting company - Felix had given you what he referred to as “the grand tour.” 

Felix had given a remarkable amount of attention to detail whilst showing you around, as if you were staying longer than just a night, and made sure to show you where every single thing you could possibly need would be located. He’d even shown you how to operate his game consoles with a reasoning of, “Just in case you’re awake after I am,” and a bright smile.

“You could be a realtor, if you ever get bored of tending bar,” you mused, pulling yourself from the memory of your tour before casting Felix a teasing smile. He chuckled before shaking his head and pouring a shot in two of the glasses you’d made for him.

“I don’t know about that,” he said with a comedic level of wariness, drawing out the words as he tucked away the only unused part of your gift away in the cupboard, “But I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Your gaze was drawn to the pale blue in the midst of clear glass as your gift to Felix bumped against crystal, a tinge of self-consciousness settling in your thoughts at the absolute contrast to the things he’d already owned. He didn’t seem to mind, though, the corners of his lips remaining curved upwards in a content smile as he shut the cupboard. “Here,” Felix’s voice broke through the train of thought you’d been spiraling down, the squeak of ceramic against granite accompanying the sliding of the minty green cup to you.

“Thanks.” You managed, tearing your eyes from one out-of-place little shot glass to another, taking it into both of your hands despite its size. “What kind of fake boyfriend would I be if I didn’t have a celebratory drink in honor of your victory?” He said with an innocent seriousness, though he couldn’t hold his smirk towards his own joke for long. “Which victory?” You asked in reply, his lightheartedness paired with the way his head cocked to the side like a curious cat while he’d awaited your reply bringing a small smile to your own lips. “Being the number one fake girlfriend, of course!” He said with a blinding smile, holding up his pink shot glass filled with soju as he waited for you to toast with him, “To the best fake girlfriend in the world!” His prideful tone made you laugh quietly as you lifted your own glass to his with a small ‘clink’ that only tiny little ceramic glasses could make, downing your shot before speaking breathlessly through the burn, “You know, you’re not a half bad fake boyfriend either.” Felix absolutely beamed.

“Now you’re just flattering me,” his voice carried his smile, making it unknown whether or not the heat in your chest was the lingering effects of the soju or simply Felix’s warmth.

“You got a split lip for me tonight, I’d say that definitely got you some points,” you corrected him as he filled the glasses once more, sliding yours back over to you. “And you cleaned it up for me, so the score is evened,” he countered, raising a brow as if challenging you to argue. Of course, you did. “You cleaned my mascara up, too.” “Blood is arguably grosser than gray tear tracks,” he said with a tilt of his head, a hint of a smile betraying just how seriously he was trying to convince you he was taking this. “I snotted on your blazer,” you scoffed, “That’s pretty gross.” “I work at a bar, I’ve seen grosser.” “Touche,” you conceded before downing your second shot, pondering for a moment on how the evening had unfolded before speaking, “I’m still sorry, y’know, about–” “Ah-ah!” Felix held up a finger and shook it, his brows shooting up, “No apologizing for something I chose to do.” “But you–” “I said no apologizing!” he repeated firmly, a frown on his normally cheerful face nearly being enough to make you stop.

As powerful as a pouting Lee Felix was, your guilt was stronger. “You wouldn’t have gotten punched if it weren’t for me.” Felix paused at that, his goofy little scowl morphing into a genuine, parted-lips look of surprise and contemplation. “I told you before, and I’ll tell you now. I’d do it again,” he said earnestly, looking right past your eyes and into your soul. He’d been pretending before, but now? Now Felix was actually serious. “Felix…” you began, trailing off as you realized you couldn’t say what you wanted to. Surely Felix would frown for real if you told him that you didn’t think you, yourself, were worth the trouble - and genuinely upsetting Felix sounded like a great way to cry for the third time this evening. “I’m serious!” he insisted, taking his second shot and dutifully pouring you both another, “And, honestly? That guy seemed like a dick. I’d probably have punched him eventually anyway, y’know? So stop blaming yourself for a silly little scrape.” You sputtered out a laugh, having failed to hold it back at the idea of San and Felix somehow meeting without you as a mutual existence in their lives. “You think so?” You asked him, still trying to hold back from simply cackling at the notion. “Oh, for sure. Assholes love going to bars, and I work at one. I’m sure I’d have seen him eventually and he’d have done something that would warrant a punch.” You couldn’t argue that, at least. San did have a penchant for being a dick pretty much anywhere he went. “I don’t see you as the ‘punch-a-random-dude’ kind of person, Felix,” you argued the next best - and valid - thing you could.

“He isn’t a random dude, he’s a prick and he sucks,” Felix said somberly, looking gravely serious as he slid your refilled cup over to you.

The laugh that threatened to escape had now succeeded, making you cover your mouth while it made its way through you and out into the air. Once it had died down, Felix took his shot and sighed, looking a bit conflicted. You wondered what on earth could be so serious in his little sunshine-y head, but you didn’t have to ponder long. “So…who was that guy?” Felix asked quietly, averting his eyes as if afraid the question would be far too much. Normally, he’d be right…but now? You weren’t sure if it was because it was Felix asking, or the way he’d been there for you tonight, or the soju that was now effectively making you relax, but you would tell him. It was weird. Jisung knew about San because he’d been there firsthand, but otherwise you simply opted out of sharing. Of course, there were mutual friends of you and San’s who’d ask you, but you would always abruptly change the subject and then make a point not to see those people again. So, it was weird…

But you wanted to tell him. “That was San,” you answered him in a sigh, lifting your shot to your lips and taking it in one fell swoop - you’d likely need it. “And he is?” Felix prompted you to continue, though not aggressively. He was gentle about it, pulling the information from you like a splinter that might hurt, but needed to come out. He wasn’t being nosy, he wasn’t being impatient. He was being compassionate. 

As if just as much as you wanted to tell him, he wanted to know. Not for gossip, not for himself…but to understand. “He’s my ex,” you answered simply, setting your shot glass down as Felix immediately pulled it close to himself again, waiting to pour until he was sure you’d finished a complete - if not short - sentence. “You dated him?” Felix asked in an almost dumbfounded way, like the idea of San having once been someone you cared about was unreal. “I almost married him,” you corrected, watching as Felix’s eyes widened briefly before he regained his composure. “I’m glad you didn’t,” he said quietly, putting the now empty soju bottle next to the sink before moving around the counter to stand next to you rather than across. You appreciated his proximity more than you’d want to admit.

“Dodged a bullet, didn’t I?” you murmured, a dry laugh leaving you as you stared down at the shot of soju, “Or, I guess, the bullet dodged me in favor of a different target.” “No…” Felix whispered, going wide-eyed, “He..?” “Yeah.” Silence ensued for a moment as Felix simply glanced at you, then to the floor, then back to you. “Married her, too, if the ring on his finger was anything to judge by,” you added, figuring if you were going to talk about this? You may as well get it all out. “Only thing that ring is gonna be good for is splitting my lip,” Felix said with a quiet, simmering anger, taking his shot before turning to look at you, “Nothing born of cheating is gonna last. He’ll be alone, and he’ll have no one to blame but himself.” “That’s what I tell myself, too,” you responded in kind, swallowing your soju just as he had moments ago, “But maybe I’m wrong. He’s married, and I don’t even believe in love.” “Because of him?” Felix asked quietly, carefully picking up the shot glasses and setting them near the sink, turning to face you as he leaned back on the counter. “Yeah. Because of him.”

Felix frowned, walking up to you and clapping his hands against your cheeks just hard enough to make you pay attention, though there was no sting. His stare looked intense, though not in the same way it did earlier at the gala. He looked angry then. Now he looked sad. “Don’t you dare give him that power,” Felix said sternly, his voice rumbling in his chest as he continued to hold your face, “He doesn’t deserve to have any influence over you or your life. Ever.” “Felix, it’s not that big of–” you began, wanting to assure him that it wasn’t something that needed tending to - at least not now. “Yes. It is.” He interrupted, lowering his hands and sighing softly, “I hate that he did that to you. I wish I’d punched him harder.” “Felix, really, I’m okay.” “No you’re not.” “I’ll be okay.” “I know.”

There was a long silence, interrupted only by the soft swishing of Felix’s hand through his hair, before he finally spoke. “I’m sorry I got so worked up,” he mumbled, still looking away, “I just…you’re important to me, and he hurt you and messed with your brain and–” “Felix, it’s okay,” it was your turn to interrupt now, and the softness of your own voice surprised you. “Thanks for telling me,” he said quietly, looking over at you with a sheepish little grin, the beginnings of the brightness you knew him for starting to return. “It’d be kind of unfair of me not to,” you conceded rather than accepting his gratitude, doing your best to return what you hoped was a semblance of a smile. “What? Why?” Felix asked, perplexion leading him into that all-too-familiar by now head tilt. “You’re trying to prove me wrong, right?” Felix nodded in response, to which you continued, “Shouldn’t you know why I hold my beliefs?” Felix paused, but then nodded, “I suppose so…but still. You didn’t have to tell me, y’know? But you did.” He was right. You didn’t have to tell Felix about San at all, let alone that you’d almost married him. You didn’t have to tell him that San was now getting to live the life that could’ve been yours if he’d stayed faithful. You didn’t have to, but… “I wanted to,” you said quietly, “I…haven’t really talked about it much.” “Will no one listen?” Felix asked innocently, now intent on understanding as much of you as you’d allow. “It’s not that, plenty of people asked.” “Why me?” That question gave you pause. Why Felix, of all people, to unload - albeit in very little detail - what happened with San to? You knew the answer.

Who else to tell but the man who made you a silly little mug that matters to you more than an award? Who else to tell but the man who left a date with his dream girl just to come find you and make sure you were alright? Who else to tell but the man who carried you to bed when you fell asleep in his truck? Who else to tell but the man who almost punched your best friend, and did punch your ex, simply because he wanted you safe? Felix was warm. He was sunlight, he was joy. He was security, dependable even though he might be a bit goofy at times. Felix was safe.

Who else would you tell if not Lee Felix? That was far too long of an answer to give the eagerly waiting man, however, so you settled for simply saying, “Because you’re you.”

And he smiled.

Felix smiling because of you was quickly becoming one of your favorite things, and when he rushed forward without warning to hug you? You realized his hugs may be one of them, too.

Hugging Felix was like being wrapped in a warm blanket after being out in the cold. Comfortable, easy, soothing.

Felix did not hold you too tightly, just enough to make sure you knew he had you, one of his hands absently rubbing your mid back. He smelled of the peach soju you’d shared earlier and remnants of his cologne, and he was warm. Not in the sense you usually saw him, but genuinely and truly warm. 

“You know what you need?” he posed his question with an eager smile as he pulled back from the hug, though you wished he hadn’t.

You don’t voice that, though, so instead you settled on a query of your own, “What’s that?” 

“Brownies.”

Of all the things to suggest, making brownies at midnight was not on the list of expectations from Felix.

Though at this point, it seemed, Felix had a habit of defying your expectations.

“Hand me the flour?”

You complied, pulling yourself from that train of thought to hand him the large bag of flour, to which he thanked you with that brilliant smile of his.

As you watched Felix expertly fold the batter into itself, you couldn’t help but wonder what else there was to him that you had yet to discover. As much as being taken aback by Felix wasn’t a problem, it also opened the door to an almost unhealthy level of curiosity to who he was when he wasn’t existing in your presence.

A curiosity you couldn’t quite identify the necessity for.

“How long have you been baking for?” you asked, rather than focusing on finding the root of your newfound interest in his life.

Felix paused in his stirring, setting the rubber spatula down to rest against the edge of the bowl as he hummed, answering after a brief moment of contemplation, “A few years, I think?” he began, sounding just as unsure of the answer as you would’ve been, “I started out trying to learn to impress a girl, but turns out she had a boyfriend.” You stifled the urge to roll your eyes; of course he would’ve learned in an attempt to find love. A so very Felix reason to pick up a hobby.

“I liked it, though,” he began, “Baking, that is…not that she had a boyfriend. That’d be weird,” he said with a small laugh, shaking his head as he looked back to the bowl of batter and added in some cocoa powder.

“What makes you like it so much?” you asked him, surprised by the interest you heard behind your own inquiry.

“Well,” he began with another smile as he blended the powder in the bowl, reaching for the chocolate chips to add into the sweet-smelling mixture, “It’s kind of cheesy…” he mumbled, setting the bowl aside to get a pan from beneath the stove.

“Hit me with it,” you said with a small laugh, watching as he poured the rich brown batter into the pan carefully.

“Okay…” he spoke hesitantly, opening the oven and sliding the tray in, “I like having a skill that makes people smile.”

That gave you pause.

While you hadn’t necessarily been wrong about the reason for his initial interest in the hobby being very true-to-form, something about knowing he’d continued because it made people happy struck you, as if there were no other reason that would make as much sense as that one did. Why you hadn’t expected it was beyond you, but you felt a warmth settling in your chest at the thought.

“To make people smile?” you inquired, to which he nodded.

“Yeah. Someone has a bad day? Baked goods. Celebrating? Baked goods. Friends coming over? Baked goods. They’re never really out of place, y’know? And they always make things better.”

You nodded, understanding what he meant but likely not as deeply as he felt it. The look on his face spoke leagues, he looked so proud of being able to do something that brought at least a bit of a bright point to someone’s day.

“That makes sense for you,” you answered him eventually, the corners of your lips turning upwards.

“Does it?” he countered, tilting his head as he picked up a towel to wipe any lingering brownie from his fingertips, “How do you figure?”

“Well, yeah,” you started, the words to say coming from your lips in an unplanned series of compliments that made Felix’s cheeks turn progressively darker shades of pink, “You’re selfless, Felix. You left a date to make sure I was okay, you remembered I like dumb novelty mugs, you’re always smiling and ready to help at a moment’s notice…so, yeah, I think it makes perfect sense that, even with a hobby, you want it to bring brightness into someone else’s life.”

Felix cleared his throat, a grin on his lips that he tried to hide by looking away bashfully, “Wow…I mean, thank you, I…” he trailed off, “I’m really not that great, though, y’know? I’m just…me.”

“Just you was the first person I felt safe sharing my past with San to, remember?” you countered immediately, an ache forming in your gut as you felt the self-deprecating nature of Felix’s comment about himself. You wondered if there were maybe something that had happened to him, just as something had happened to you, to plant such a seed of self doubt in his mind.

You wanted to find whatever it was and pluck it from his little blonde head.

“I guess you’re right…” he said quietly, looking up at you with a lopsided smile.

“No guessing about it, Felix. Just you is pretty great, remember that.” The seriousness with which you spoke those words to Felix surprised you, and apparently him as he paused for a moment with his lips slightly parted.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, still looking every part a flustered boy who hadn’t the slightest clue how to accept a compliment.

“Yeah,” you said back, equal sheepishness in your tone now that exactly what you’d said and how you’d said it registered with you. 

Time passed quietly, though not awkwardly after that conversation. Felix had busied himself by washing the mixing bowls and measuring cups while you sat on the couch, scrolling through your phone. A sudden ping almost made you jump, the comfortable silence broken by a pop-up denoting a new message.

Dumb Squirrel: hey, minho and i just got back to our hotel!

Dumb Squirrel: how was the gala?

Dumb Squirrel: did you win?

You couldn’t help but smile, the startling dings becoming less jarring and more comforting as they continued to flood through. 

You: how’s Jeju?

You: I won, yeah.

You: The gala was…something.

Jisung’s reply came almost the second after you’d hit send, rendering switching back to scrolling socials a bit pointless as you tapped the drop-down.

Dumb Squirrel: “something”???

Dumb Squirrel: explain.

You sighed. Explaining this to Jisung may very well be as exhausting if not more than the actual events that had occurred. You could already guess that he’d react poorly, if not violently - not that Jisung could take a punch, let alone throw one. As tempting as lying was, this was your best friend…and you knew he’d find out eventually.

You: well…San was there.

The absolute flurry of texts you were then bombarded with were nothing short of the literary equivalent of a storm.

Dumb Squirrel: WHAT?!

Dumb Squirrel: what the fuck?

Dumb Squirrel: W H Y the fuck?

Dumb Squirrel: you didn’t call me why?

Dumb Squirrel: are you okay?

Dumb Squirrel: do you need me to come home?

You waited a moment, just to be sure he was done with his rapid-fire questions before responding.

You: I’m okay. He said it was to save me from embarrassment, but I don’t know if I believe that. I didn’t call because I was at the gala and you’re busy. You don’t need to come home.

You: Felix kinda saved me.

Jisung’s next text came in slower, a welcome relief from what was beginning to tempt you to turn off your ringer.

Dumb Squirrel: Felix showed?

Dumb Squirrel: I was hoping he would! thank god he did.That was…puzzling. Why had Jisung assumed Felix would come?

You: Did you have something to do with him showing up?

You: I swear if you gave him a guilt trip…

Dumb Squirrel: No, no, nothing like that. He just asked me what the gala was out of nowhere, so I told him. And he didn’t like that you were alone, and asked me if you’d have liked someone there.

Dumb Squirrel: all I did was tell him that yeah, you probably would.

You frowned, this made no sense…

You: How did he even know to ask about it? I never told him.

Dumb Squirrel: I don’t know, that’s a Felix question.

You: and you had NOTHING to do with it?

Dumb Squirrel: would I lie and pass up on being your knight in shining armor by association?

He had a point. Jisung would never pass up on an opportunity to boast about saving the day for you, even when it was something as simple as bringing you a coffee when you had a deadline coming up…there was no way he’d not admit to sending someone to accompany you at the gala.

“Hey, brownies are coming out!” Felix chimed happily from the kitchen, pink oven mitts on his hands bringing a fond look to your face.

You: Felix made me brownies, gotta go. Have fun with minho!

Dumb Squirrel: You’re still with him???

Dumb Squirrel: 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Dumb Squirrel: details????

Dumb Squirrel: bitch????

You ignored the texts with a small exhale of a laugh before leaving your phone on the arm of the couch, joining Felix in the kitchen. 

The smell in the air was heavenly. Cocoa and a hint of coffee filling your lungs, replacing any thought you had other than just how good something with that rich of a smell would taste. Your mouth watered, and it took more effort than you’d care to admit in order to remember what you wanted to ask Felix.

“So, Jisung texted,” you began, hoping to maybe find a smooth way to ask without sounding accusatory. Simply asking straightforwardly how he knew about the gala felt a bit too brash, a bit too harsh for someone like Felix. 

Felix was gentle, so you would be gentle.

“Oh! What’d he have to say?” Felix asked happily while slicing the brownies carefully with a knife, taking a spatula and scooping two out of the pan and onto little plates adorned with pastel flowers along the edges.

“He and Minho are back to their hotel room,” you started, pressing your lips together as you wondered how exactly you’d tackle the elephant in the room that only you could see.

“Oh, that’s right, they’re on vacation, right?” he asked innocently, handing you a plate expectantly.

“Mhm, Jeju,” you said quietly, sitting down at the island counter with your brownie. Why was it so hard to just ask?

“Ooh! Pretty this time of year,” he noted, sitting one seat over from you and setting his own plate down, immediately taking a bite of the brownie with a pleased grumble from deep in his chest, “Try it!” he encouraged, covering his mouth with his hand so as not to show off the mouthful he had.

It was impossible not to, when his eyes sparkled while stared at you. The question could wait.

You lifted the still-warm brownie in your hand, taking a bite from the corner. As soon as it hit your tongue, the perfect mixture of crispy and gooey, you felt your eyes widen with an unintentional exclamation of, “Mmm!” leaving your lips, brows now sky high as you chewed, savoring it for everything it was.

It was more than just a brownie. It was a gift from a boy filled with sunshine - a boy who’d saved you tonight, despite your uncertainty as to how he’d known you’d needed saving in the first place. It was made specifically for you, by a boy who’d learned for someone else entirely.

The boy who liked to bake to make people happier baked these for you, to make you happier.

That was more important right now.

“These are amazing, Felix!” you complimented, lips upturned without you having the intention for them to be, to which he grinned right back.

“Really?” he chirped, straightening up as he accepted the praise, his fluffy hair bouncing around his head as he almost vibrated with the happiness that compliment gave him, “They’re my own recipe, I’m glad you like them!”

“I do!” you nodded before taking another bite, the flavor being perfect - not too sweet, hints of the bitter from the instant coffee powder he’d used in them, “You could sell these!”

Felix shook his head, “They lose their meaning then,” he said earnestly, “It’s not special anymore if just anyone can have them.”

That made your heart lurch in your chest.

You were not just anyone to Lee Felix.

“I guess I see your point,” you managed to speak, rather than pondering exactly what his explanation meant to you. The two of you ate in silence for a while, your brownie being nothing but a few crumbs on a plate when you remembered your original question.

“Felix?”

“Hmm?” he asked, picking up both of your plates and carrying them to the sink.

“How did you know where I was?” you asked him, feeling much more settled now that you’d had a moment of peace with him.

“Oh…” Felix trailed off, a breathless chuckle leaving him as he turned to face you, running a hand through his hair - something you’d learned he did often when nervous, “I think you sent me a picture on accident instead of Jisung.”

“Huh?” you asked him, reaching for your phone only to remember you’d left it on the couch. Felix quickly pulled his own out, saving you the effort, and opening your texts to show you the photo and the text that had mistakenly been sent to him.

He was right in the assumption the photo and message had been meant for Jisung, a dry humor to the ‘pray for me’ you’d attached once you’d arrived to the gala sending off pings in your head as you realized that the message hadn’t, in fact, made it to the intended recipient.

It was an accident, albeit a lucky one.

“And you came..?” you asked him, handing the phone back to him in an almost-daze. 

“Well, yeah. I asked Jisung what it was, and once I found out you were all alone at such an important thing for you, I couldn’t just leave you by yourself,” he mumbled, looking away shyly as if admitting his own kindness were difficult for him.

“But you were out with Ryujin,” you pointed out, though if anyone knew that it was Felix.

“I know…I told her I had an emergency with a friend, though, and she understood,” he said, waving a hand almost as though trying to shoo away your concerns.

“How did you even know it was an emergency? You didn’t even know about San,” you spoke quietly, sounding every bit as confused as you felt.

“I didn’t need to know about him to know that being there for you was important,” he shrugged, still downplaying just how big it had been to you.

“More important than a date with the girl you’re head over heels for?” you asked him, incredulous that - without knowing about the discomfort of an ex being there - Felix still found being there for you to be urgent.

“Sure, why not?” he asked, his brows furrowing in genuine confusion as to how that was even a question, “I can reschedule a date, you can’t reschedule an award show.”

He…wasn’t wrong, no…but it felt almost foreign to have the show put on such a high pedestal. You had to beg San, back when you’d actually wanted him there, to come. A man you were supposed to marry basically needed to be dragged to it. And here was Felix…a friend who you’d made in the strangest of circumstances, who’d dropped something he’d wanted for months, unprompted, to support you.

It took everything you had not to cry - and Felix could tell.

“Hey, hey, did I say something wrong?” he asked, hurriedly making his way to your side and putting a hand on your shoulder - a warm, safe, comforting hand. The same hand on the same shoulder he’d comforted you with at the gala…

“No, no, it’s not that, it’s just…” you trailed off, cursing the wetness you felt in your eyes as your cheeks grew hot, shaking your head as it felt like your throat grew tighter.

His hand squeezed your shoulder, but he didn’t speak. You didn’t need to look at him to know he held a furrow between his brows, concern written on every facet of his face.

“I just can’t believe you’d show up for me,” you finished your thought, your voice cracking as you managed to keep the tears from spilling down your face.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Felix said softly, moving his hand to your back to rub small, soothing circles there.

“Because I’m…me,” you said with a dry laugh, wiping your eyes on the back of your hands - they still smelled like the brownies, and it was strangely comforting.

“None of that,” Felix said with a frown, reaching behind him to grab a paper towel in case you’d need to wipe your eyes or blow your nose, “Just you is pretty great, too, y’know.”

He echoed the sentiment you’d given him earlier, though it felt almost uncanny to have reversed towards you now. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you looked up at him and nodded with a quiet sniffle.

“Yeah?” you managed to ask, your voice thick with emotion.

“I wouldn’t make you brownies if you weren’t.” His words were like an oath, his face devoid of any hint of humor as he nodded in return.

And you believed him. You believed that somehow, Lee Felix, twenty-three year old bartender, found just you to be enough. 

Enough to make his special recipe he saved for making others happy for. Enough to leave the girl he was hopelessly in love with alone at a bar. Enough to punch your ex in the face. Enough to carefully clean your face up. Enough to remember you collected, let alone to make a silly novelty mug for. Enough to carry you up to your apartment when you’d fallen asleep. Enough to care about.

Even after the threat of tears were gone for the time being, that thought would stick with you.

You were enough to be cared for, and that thought would surround you just as much as the scent of brownies and Felix’s shampoo as you fell asleep in his bed that night, his light snoring from the couch being the sweetest lullaby.

It was the best night’s sleep you’d had since San left, and the final thoughts in your head were that you certainly hoped Felix knew that he, too, was enough. More than enough. You hoped he knew that everything he’d done for you had given you a deep sense of peace, quieting those voices in the back of your mind that would whisper things into your ears to make you doubt yourself. You hoped he knew that his brownies made you happy. You hoped he knew that you’d always be grateful for just how much he’d done for you - not only in the last twenty-four hours, but since you’d met him.

You were already grateful, too, for the things he had yet to do, because there was no doubt in your mind that there would, in fact, be more he would do for you.

Not that you’d ever ask him. You wouldn’t have to. That was just Lee Felix.

[causeilikelix]

'Cause I Like You - Chapter Fourteen - Dance Practice

↳ Pairing: Felix x OC / Hyunjin x OC

↳ Genre: Romance, comedy, smut (eventual), slow burn, enemies (idiots) to friends (idiots) to lovers (probably still idiots), high school au, college au, non-idol au

↳ See Chapter One for summery and blanket warnings

↳ Chapter warnings: Nothing specific, some sexual tension, a lot of girl talk, some creepy vibes...

↳ Read on my A03: Here

↳ Notes: Sorry this took so long! Had a mental break down. Here we are. Going forward there is a character in here who shares the same name and general appearance as a certain beloved idol. This character does not resemble him in real life, this is just a character depiction who needed a name, please don't be mad lol

<- Chapter Thirteen - Chapter Fifteen ->

“HYUNJIN-AH, WHAT AM I going to do?”  Eunbyeol lamented, throwing herself onto the black vinyl floor of the dance practice room.  “How is it that of all people I just had to be paired with the one person I hate the most?”

“You hate Felix?  Wait... you know Felix?”  Hyunjin blinked in surprise as he plugged his phone into the sound system to play music so they could warm up. 

“As if you told me that you knew him!”

“It never came up.”  Hyunjin shrugged.

“I guess I didn’t say anything either, but like come on!  How could you not talk about your other friends with me?”  Eunbyeol lifted her head off the floor to look up at him.  “Are we not best friends anymore?”

“What?”  Hyunjin turned to her with a gasp, his hand reaching up to clutch his heart.  “How dare you even suggest that!  My own best friend assumes I don’t devote all of my waking time to her!”

“I don’t know man, you’re the one not telling me about your other friends.”  Eunbyeol rolled her eyes and set her head back down on the floor and ignoring Hyunjin’s drama.  “It’s not like I enjoy talking about the person I hated in high school.”

“You hated him?”  Hyunjin quirked an eyebrow up at her.  He pretended like his gaze didn’t instinctively linger on her legs for a few extra seconds before turning back to his phone.  “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who hates Felix.”

“Really?  I’m the only one?”  Eunbyeol groaned, covering her face with her hands. 

“I think so, Byeol-ah.  He’s pretty popular in all of his friend groups and extracurriculars and stuff.  Whatever he did or whoever he was in high school, it certainly can’t be that bad.”

“Honestly, I’m over it.  He just gives off the wrong vibe, you know?  I can’t believe I have to spend all this fucking time with him and hold his hand or look into his eyes or some shit.”

“You have to hold his hand?”  Hyunjin perked up at this and tossed another glance over his shoulder.  He hoped his tone of voice didn’t give away his alarm.  He didn’t like the idea of some other guy holding hands with Eunbyeol properly before he could.

“Unless you can find something else to do that isn’t as fucking miserable with your partner, whatever his name is-”

“Dowoon.”  

“Sorry?”

“My partner.  His name is Dowoon.”

“Right, sorry, Dowoon... then maybe I can get out of all the shit I have to do with Felix.  I looked over the list and like ninety percent of them are all things I want to do with you!”

Hyunjin didn’t respond while he scrolled through his playlist for the perfect song to warm up to.  He kept quiet mostly to conceal the blush burning in his cheeks.  Eunbyeol stared at the ceiling fan over her head spinning in lazy circles.  She doubted very much that it would do anything for the airflow.  After a few more minutes of silence an upbeat, peppy song filled the room.  Eunbyeol groaned and threw her arm over her eyes, hoping for a few more seconds of peace before the work began.  

Hyunjin made his way over to where his friend laid on the floor and crouched next to her.  Eunbyeol’s breathing remained slow and steady and for a moment he wondered if she’d fallen asleep.  It wouldn’t be the first time.  Hyunjin reached out and gently poked her forearm.  She didn’t move.  Next he poked the palm of her hand, then her shoulder. 

“Byeol-ah, come on.”  Hyunjin whined, poking her shoulder a few times in rapid succession.  Eunbyeol could practically see his lower lip stuck out into a pout. “We have to stretch.”

“No!  I want to take a nap.”  Eunbyeol protested, turning her head away from him.  

Hyunjin poked her a few more times on her shoulder before venturing lower to her waist.  There, he focused his efforts on tickling the exposed skin where her sports tank had ridden up.  Eunbyeol shrieked and tried to roll away from him but Hyunjin’s slim yet muscular form hoved over her, tickling her relentlessly.  Any attempts to escape his grip would be futile had she even tried.  He poked his fingers to her sides and tugged on her arm, trying to pull it away from her eyes.  None of his attempts seemed to work. 

“Come on, get up!”  Hyunjin urged, continuing to poke and tickle any and all exposed skin.  He couldn’t help the grin that rose onto his lips from watching her wiggle around underneath him.  “We have to get to work!”

“Jinnie, no!  Stop!”  Eunbyeol’s breath heaved from her exertions.  Hyunjin immediately pulled his hands away.  He sat down next to her and laughed as he watched her fight for breath.  She laid there for a few more minutes with her arm slung over her eyes.  

“Alright, let’s go.”  Hyunjin rose to his feet and waited for her to respond.  After a moment, he decided to take things into his own hands. 

Eunbyeol thought for a second he’d given up or had started stretching without her.  However, only seconds later Hyunjin grabbed her hand and pulled, urging her to get up.  She didn’t move for a few seconds before sighing and letting her feet find the ground.  Hyunjin pulled her up easily with one hand until they stood facing one another while the music played behind them. 

Instantly, Eunbyeol let out a soft gasp at the sudden proximity.  Hyunjin gazed down at her, his eyes wide with the same realization.  His large hand enveloped hers comfortably with their palms pressed together warmly.  It certainly was not a secret that Hwang Hyunjin was hot.  Hyunjin’s features were soft and boyish, almost pixie-like.  His black hair looked soft and Eunbyeol’s fingers itched to run through his long, thick strands.  They were currently pulled back by a deep burgundy ribbon, keeping all of the flyaways out of his face.  Though his soft face was sharply contrasted with a few angles in his jaw and cheekbones, Eunbyeol could imagine him as a baby.  His plush mouth, however, was definitely not baby-like and she did not think about what it would feel like on hers.  Not at all.  Not even a little bit.  She didn’t think of her best friend as anything other than just that: her best friend. 

Not at all.

Hyunjin suddenly cleared his throat and dropped her hand.  Right away all of the atmosphere in the room disappeared.  Or maybe it was Eunbyeol’s throat closing.  Either way, Hyunjin turned towards the mirrors and began to tilt his head from side to side, exposing his neck to her.  Eunbyeol took a shameless moment to stare at him and wondered why the hell she couldn’t grow a goddamn backbone and just tell him.  In the end, she didn’t want to ruin a good thing.  She followed his lead and tilted her head back and forth in time with his. 

“Have you come up with some songs for our first duet assignment in a couple weeks?”  Eunbyeol inquired innocently, hoping to cover up any and all traces of the last few minutes.

“What do you take me for?”  Hyunjin scoffed as he began to roll his neck in slow circles.  Eunbyeol followed his lead.  Hyunjin reached into the pocket of his sweats and produced a carefully folded piece of notebook paper and passed it to her without missing a beat. 

“Have I ever told you that you’re the best partner of all time?”  Eunbyeol carefully unfolded the page to peer at the list.  “You also have impeccable music taste.”

“What can I say?”  Hyunjin made a huge show of tossing his imaginary hair over his shoulder.  “I’m the greatest.”

“Oh, I don’t know about ‘Senorita’.  I think everyone else will want to do that song, too.”  

“I know, but don’t you remember that night we went out to Starcatcher a few weeks ago?  That song came on and I swear to god even Minho was salivating watching us.  I think we could make it so unique.” 

“I love the song and all, but I don’t know about doing our assignment on it.  We could choreograph our own if you want, though.”  Eunbyeol offered him a sly smile in the mirror as they raised their arms over their head before bending over in half.  Even though he only saw it for a second, Hyunjin caught on anyway. 

“You just want to be in another one of my videos for YouTube.”  Hyunjin rolled his eyes so hard, Eunbyeol could practically see them rolling to the back of his skull. 

“Come on, don’t you remember how many views you got when we posted our duet of ‘Best Friend’?  Everyone loved our choreography!”  

“You just want the portfolio addition.  I see right through you, Cha Eunbyeol.” 

“As if you don’t!  C’mon, I got like a thousand new subscribers overnight.  Not to mention, my TikTok following skyrocketed.”  Eunbyeol slowly straightened her spine and they gracefully moved into the next stretch. 

“Okay, before we decide on that, I want to know your ideas for our duet project.”  Hyunjin huffed decidedly. 

A smirk rose onto Eunbyeol’s lips and she briefly abandoned stretching one of her arms to reach into the side pocket of her leggings for her own folded piece of paper.  She reached out with that hand and slipped the page between Hyunjin’s backwardly outstretched hand.  His long fingers curled around the paper immediately and he quickly unfolded it before bending back into the stretch.  He hummed and mused over her song choices for a few seconds before immediately standing up straight and turning to her with a mock-hurt expression written on his features.  His lips parted into an ‘O’ and his hand found its place on his ever-wronged heart. 

“You bitch, you want to do ‘Senorita’, too!  Why are you being such a hardass?”  Hyunjin’s fake scowl made a giggle bubble up in Eunbyeol’s throat.  Hyunjin could insult her all day long every day and she would know that he didn’t mean a single word. 

“Because...”  Eunbyeol shifted into their next stretch and he was quick to copy her.  “It’s fun to be mean to you.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

He didn’t.  

As far as Eunbyeol was concerned, he was probably the best thing that could have possibly happened to her during her freshman year intro dance class.  They met on the very first day of class and hit it off like they’d been friends for years.  With Hyunjin, everything was easy.  Dancing came to him like he was born to do it and with how skilled he was already Eunbyeol could easily believe it.  They weren’t dance partners at first, since most of their first semester focused on basic steps and theory.  In fact, they weren’t partners properly until their second semester.  

Eunbyeol never once in her life thought that sparks flying was a real thing.  Perfect chemistry with someone else simply didn’t exist and she was sure that she would never experience it.  At least, not until she danced with Hyunjin.  It was like he knew each and every one of her movements several counts before she actually did it.  It’s not like they were improv pros or anything (the bruise on Hyunjin’s left foot from where Eunbyeol stepped it all semester was proof enough of that), but they grew to learn each other’s dancing styles quickly.  With all the time they spent together practicing, it wasn’t long before they started spending time outside of the studio.  Aside from Jiho, Eunbyeol was sure she’d never clicked with another person quite as well as she clicked with him. 

The pair stretched for a few more minutes while the music cycled through whatever playlist Hyunjin put on.  Eunbyeol sighed happily as her muscles tensed and relaxed into each new stretch.  Sometimes, the stretches at the beginning and end of practice were the best parts. Nothing was more relaxing than releasing all of that pent-up tension.  Hyunjin glanced over at her and grinned.  Nothing was quite as healing as dancing with your best friend.  How did she get so lucky?

“Alright,”  Eunbyeol stretched her arms over her head as Hyunjin made his way over to his phone to turn the music off.  “What ideas do you have?  I don’t remember everything we did.”

“It’s not my fault you had that fifth drink and can’t remember!”  Hyunjin teased.  “But I was thinking of something along the same vein as that one cover that May J Lee did.  Like one of us does the first verse and chorus, the other does the second, and then we combine them.  The idea is to show how our dance styles complement each other right?”

“Right, I agree, but I think we should combine on the second chorus.  Here’s what I’m thinking... let’s choreograph the chorus so our moves could be stand-alone for the first chorus and build from there.  I had an idea for the second eight-count, you know the part when he sings...”

Eunbyeol and Hyunjin jumped right into choreographing.  As Hyunjin showed her his ideas, some of that drunken night at Starcatcher came back to her.  Not all of it, but just enough to get what he was saying.  It wasn’t long before they found an easy rhythm, moving with one another easily as if they’d been doing this for years.  Hyunjin effortlessly countered her every move and even predicted her almost stepping on his foot (again) and jumped out of the way just in time.

She watched their bodies move in the mirror and it was almost surreal.  Hyunjin’s eyes were glued to the mirror, watching as a routine came to life before him.  Eunbyeol also couldn’t believe it.  No matter how many times she and Hyunjin worked together, Eunbyeol had to be reminded every time just how talented he was.  Hyunjin’s long limbs were completely under his control from the very tips of his strong hands to his toes.  He towered several inches over her, which made their dynamic all that much more interesting.  Somehow she wondered how he walked around because his legs were slim and sometimes she wondered if he even had a waist.  However, due to his active lifestyle his muscles were firm to the touch so he wasn’t about to wither away anytime soon.  Hyunjin didn’t need the ego boost, so Eunbyeol kept her thoughts about his physique to herself. 

The pair experimented with different moves for so long that she forgot to check the time.  A common instance, seeing as the texts building up from Jiho weren’t as alarmed as they used to be when she and Hyunjin first started doing this.  For now, Eunbyeol’s phone sat forgotten on top of her backpack.  The clock over the door counted the minutes away.  The sun dipped slightly lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over the campus and long shadows stretching over the ground.  Eunbyeol and Hyunjin kept their eyes on their reflections in the mirror as they danced and created. 

After a while, Hyunjin bounded over to his phone to turn on the song before hurrying back to her to try their new choreography with the music again.  They hoped that their timing would be right this time.  Their thin workout clothes clung to their skin.  Eunbyeol pretended not to notice his glistening skin when he made his way back over and took his natural place by her side.  He counted their steps under his breath as they danced, just to make sure both of them were on time.  After only a few hours it was far from perfect but on its way to something beautiful.  

Even after all that time, the pair only came up with the first half of the chorus but as soon as they came to a stop, with Hyunjin behind her with both hands on her waist, a wide smile lit up his face.  His eyes turned into little crescent moons and Eunbyeol couldn’t stop herself from turning in his grasp and throwing her arms around his neck. Hyunjin’s hands were quick to move from her waist to wrap around her torso and pull her into him.  They ignored the stickiness of their sweaty skin and damp clothes in favor of hugging.  She didn’t even mind that his long black hair stuck to him and droplets of sweat fell onto her shoulders.  Eunbyeol giggled brightly when Hyunjin lifted her feet off the ground. 

“This looks so good already, Jinnie!  We’re gonna get a good grade for sure.”

“That’s all I am to you?  A good grade?”  Hyunjin lowered her feet to the ground but didn’t let her go.

“Yes, but you’re the best grade.”  Eunbyeol smiled innocently up at him and he threw his head back and laughed, bringing a hand up to ruffle her hair a little bit. 

“I can accept this.  You wanna go get bubble tea?”  Hyunjin offered. 

“Do I ever!  I’m starving, too.  We should probably record this first and then do our ending stretches, though.”  

“Come on, let’s just go!”  Hyunjin whined, his face dropping into a pout.  He stuck his lip out at her and she almost caved.

“We have to record it so we can remember it!  Also, you’ll just whine at me when you wake up all sore tomorrow.”

“Always the voice of reason.”  He rolled his eyes dramatically before releasing her from his grip.  His hands grazed over her back and to her waist before dropping off  her completely.  “Whose phone should we use?”

“We can use mine.”  Eunbyeol dropped her grip from around him and started for her phone but a voice from the door stopped her in her tracks. 

“I could record it for you!”  

Her heart stopped in her chest and she gasped, turning to catch a glance at who might have spoken.  Park Jimin, a senior in the dance major, leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.  A smile stretched across his soft features and he tilted his head at her.  He stared at her openly, almost not even seeing Hyunjin until his protective hand came up to cover her shoulder.  Eunbyeol relaxed, seeing it was just her friend who was the TA for her dance theory class last semester. 

“Ah, Jimin-sunbae, you scared me!”  Eunbyeol smiled politely.  Hyunjin squeezed her shoulder but she brushed him off.  “That’s nice of you but we can take care of it.”

“I thought you didn’t bring your phone stand with you to school today.”  Jimin reminded her.

“Oh, I’m sure I did...”  Eunbyeol made her way over to her backpack and duffle bag to dig through her stuff.  She unzipped her duffle bag to rummage around, finding her ballet shoes, another change of activewear, binding tape, her foot roller for her arches, a circle light but no... phone stand.  “I could have sworn I packed it this morning.”

“It’s okay, I can hold your phone and record you guys.  I have pretty steady hands.  You looked great!”  Jimin stepped into the room, keeping his eyes on Eunbyeol and stretching out his hand for her phone. 

“We can take care of it ourselves.”  Hyunjin spoke, but Jimin waited for Eunbyeol’s approval. 

“Oh sure, thank you!”  Eunbyeol, thoroughly persuaded, opened the camera app and passed him her phone.  “I really appreciate it.”

“Byeol-ah, we can just prop it up on the barre.”  Hyunjin suggested.

“Come on, it’ll just take a second.  Go start the music.”

“I...”  Hyunjin watched Jimin out of the corner of his eye as he moved to stand in the front of the room, holding the camera up to gauge lighting.  “Fine.  But make sure to bring your stand tomorrow, yeah?”

“I will!”  Eunbyeol promised before heading to the center of the room to take her spot.  Hyunjin rolled his eyes and made his way over to his phone to set up the music.  “Thank you, Jimin-sunbae!”

“Always happy to help out a friend.”  He paused a second, glancing over at Hyunjin before continuing.  “Are you coming to the welcoming party for the freshman?”

“When is that?  I haven’t been to the common room this semester yet.”

“We have some conflicts for the next couple of weekends but it’ll be on the third week of the semester on a Friday.  Can you make it?”  A hopeful glance flashed across Jimin’s face but it was gone moments later. 

“In three weeks?  Strange time to have a party.  Don’t we usually do them the first week of school?  I don’t know yet, but I'll have to see what Hyunjin is doing.”  Eunbyeol looked over at Hyunjin.

“Oh, I think he’s going to be in Daegu that weekend for a showcase.  I thought you were going to go to that, too, but I looked at the list and didn’t see your name.”  Jimin’s easy smile returned, spanning across his young features.  “We had to postpone it because something happened at the restaurant we usually go to so we couldn’t get a reservation for a couple weeks.  I dunno, someone was saying something about a fire?”

“Oh... I’m not sure I’m going to go if he’s not.  I’ll have to let you know.”

“Sure!  Just let me know.  I hope you’ll be able to make it.”  

Eunbyeol’s muscles suddenly relaxed when Hyunjin signaled for Jimin to start recording.  She hadn’t realized how tense she’d gotten.  She figured she’d just been dancing for too long.  Hyunjin hurried to Eunbyeol’s side to start the choreography.  They got into position and waited for the second chorus to begin.  Eunbyeol watched herself in the mirror, trying to focus on that and not the camera trained or Hyunjin’s hand snaking along her waist from behind.  She tried especially hard not to focus on the blush creeping up the back of her neck or her thighs clenching in anticipation.  Hyunjin often affected her like this and she figured that it was part of why they were so good together... as dance partners. 

When the chorus started, the pair of them started to dance, falling into it and into each other easily.  Even though they’d only just started working on the choreography, her body remembered it as if it was as easy as breathing.  Hyunjin’s body rolled and swayed with hers and she found that she didn’t need to watch the mirror anymore, she only needed to watch him.  The moment their eyes connected, Eunbyeol’s knees almost gave out but Hyunjin’s hands were on her waist to guide her into the next move before she knew it.  His eyes bore into her intensely, letting the message of the song shimmer in them.  His lips parted slightly and Eunbyeol had to look away from him, faking a sudden need to check her movements in the mirror.  

Eunbyeol’s eyes found Jimin’s immediately and her lips parted in shock.  She’d forgotten that he was even there.  Something about dancing with Hyunjin made the outside world slip away.  Her heart skipped a beat to find that Jimin was already staring at her.  Hyunjin’s grip on her waist tightened the moment their choreography ended.  The song continued playing over the speakers but Hyunjin made no move to let go of her.  Jimin’s smile stretched over his face once more when the song ended and he tapped on the screen of her phone to end the recording.  

“Great job guys!  You choreographed all of that in just a few hours?”  Jimin stepped forward to hand Eunbyeol’s phone back to her, but Hyunjin took it instead. 

“Yeah, we did.”  Hyunjin responded on behalf of Eunbyeol.

“That’s incredible!  I can’t wait to see the finished result!”  Jimin shot Eunbyeol a wink and she responded with a weak smile.  Hyunjin’s grip on her tightened for another second before he had to move away to pause the song.  Jimin took the opportunity to close in.  “Listen... I knew you were good, but not that good!  I’m impressed.”

“Thanks.”  Eunbyeol managed, her gaze drifted past him to where Hyunjin stood in the corner, messing with his phone. 

“So, listen.  For the last couple years I’ve been interning at Hybe Entertainment and I’m pretty sure they’re gonna offer me a job when I graduate because they like me so much.  I was thinking... You really have a lot of talent.  If you wanted, I could get you an internship there.  I could talk to my manager and get your resume through if you apply.”

“Sorry, Hybe?”  Eunbyeol’s eyes widened and her already pounding heart began to hurt, remembering him talking about it during class last semester.  The prestigious company produced so many of the top idols in the Kpop industry and their choreography was notorious for being difficult.  Their backup dancers often went on to be in other idol groups or get other good jobs in the industry.  Except...  “I didn’t know they accepted women into the company?”

“Well, maybe not female trainees, but they would accept you onto the dance team to at least be a backup dancer.  Even if it’s not what you do forever, Hybe would look really good on your resume.”  Jimin wiggled his eyebrows.

“Really?”  Eunbyeol raised an eyebrow at him incredulously.  “You could get me an internship?”

“I could.  It would be so easy.”  

“That would be incredible!  I mean... I don’t know if I could fit it in between my job and school but it would be so amazing.”  Eunbyeol grinned in spite of herself, her mind swirling with images of working in such a high-profile company.  It almost sounded too good to be true.

“Come on, just apply and give it a shot.  I’ll pull some strings and get you a spot, hm?”  Jimin urged with a wink.

“You could seriously do that?”  

“Of course!  They’re recruiting interns right now, so you have a good chance.  Think about it and let me know, yeah?”  Jimin reached out and patted her shoulder.  “I’ll see you later!  Text me about dinner, okay?”

“I will!”  Eunbyeol waved as he started towards the door.  He shot her one more wink before slinking out of the practice room.  

“What the hell did he want?”  Hyunjin asked immediately, his voice filling the room a little too loudly.  

“He was just being nice, Jinnie.”  Eunbyeol sighed, getting in position in front of the mirror to do their post-dance stretches.  “He wants me to apply for an internship at Hybe.”

“You mean his internship that he never shuts up about?”  Hyunjin rolled his eyes and started his playlist and joined her to stretch.  “And he wants you to join?”

“Yeah, he says I’m talented enough to get in!  Isn’t that crazy?”  Eunbyeol grinned.  “I think it would be so cool to at least audition there, don’t you?  Hey, we could apply together!  They’re hiring interns right now!”

“I’d rather walk over a pit of hot coals than audition for Hybe, to be honest.”  

“Really?  Is it really that bad?”  

“Not necessarily, just not my ideal company, that’s all.”  Hyunjin shrugged as they started to roll their necks in circles.  

“Alright, then I’ll look into applying myself!”  Eunbyeol’s heart fluttered as she spoke.  Hyunjin shot her a grin. 

“Hey, guys,” a new voice came from the door but neither of the dancers budged.  Eunbyeol glanced up to see one of the seniors in the major but she wasn’t too close to him.  Luckily, Hyunjin knew him well.

“Yeah, Minho-hyung, what is it?”  Hyunjin kept looking at the mirror and not at the cat-eyed senior at the door.

“Are you guys almost done?  My studio time starts in less than ten minutes.” 

“Yeah, we’re doing our closing stretches.  You’re welcome to join us if you want.”  Hyunjin offered.  

Eunbyeol glanced over at their senior, who was still in his street clothes with his dance bag slung over his shoulder.  His arms were crossed over his chest and he rolled his eyes and Hyunjin’s answer.  His face was set and stoic.  For a second, Eunbyeol worried he was upset.  Instead, he waved a hand dismissively. 

“I still have to change.  You guys better be gone by the time I come back.”  

With that, Minho turned away from the door and disappeared from their line of sight.  Eunbyeol glanced back at the mirror, where Hyunjin was looking at her instead of where Minho-sunbae had just disappeared. 

“Where do you want to go for dinner?”  

Hyunjin glanced over at her as the gears turned in her head for a second.  Then, her eyes lit up and she turned to him with a glint in her eye that made his heart flip flop in his chest.  Even with her hair messy from dancing and reeking of sweat, she looked beautiful and like the only person he wanted to spend his day with.  She opened her mouth to speak and he said it with her.

“Ddeokbokki.”

~!~!~!~!~!~

“HYUNJIN-AH, WHY ARE you late again?”  Chan didn’t even glance up from his computer when Hyunjin entered the studio and crashed heavily onto the brown leather sofa along the back wall.  

Chan, a music production major and a year or two ahead of Hyunjin and everyone else in their friend group, kept his eyes glued to his computer and barely acknowledged Hyunjin until he sat down.  He pulled one of his earphones off his ear so he could hear both Hyunjin and Minho, who was in the recording booth and singing a new song that Chan wrote.  Hyunjin hauled himself off the couch and made his way to where Chan sat and found a few pages of sheet music with his name written along the top.  He took it and returned to his seat, sinking into the cool fabric. 

“Dance practice went over again.”  His usual excuse, and it was usually true.  Chan, however, was too smart. 

“You went to dinner with Miss Dance Partner again?”  Chan finally glanced over his shoulder to smile at his friend.  Hyunjin fought back a smile, but he couldn’t keep it at bay for long. 

“Yeah.”  

“Ooooh, Hyunjinnie is in loooove!”  Changbin, the shortest of the group and a music technology junior, cooed from his place in his beanbag chair in the corner.  Hyunjin coughed dramatically and turned his face away so the other boys couldn’t see the flush warming his cheeks. 

“I’m gonna have to have a talk with this girl and lecture her on letting you go early so we can record.”  Chan shook his head, but judging from the smile on his face, Hyunjin figured he didn’t really mean it. 

“Yeah, you still have to introduce us, don’t think I’ve forgotten!  From the videos on YoutTube, your dance partner looks hot as fuck and its a crime to keep that from me!”  Changbin thrust an accusing finger at Hyunjin. 

“I know, I know!”  Hyunjin raised his hands in defense.  “I asked her to tag along today but she got a message from her acting partner and got into a bad mood, so she went home instead.” 

“Her acting partner?  Wait, you didn’t get to be her partner?  I’m surprised the planet is still spinning!”  

“Yeah, she was late to class.  She was listening to that radio show she likes so much.”  Hyunjin rolled her eyes at the thought and suddenly found himself glad that the host couldn’t hear him.  “So, she got paired with someone she didn’t like and I got paired with some kid named Dowoon.”

“How will you ever survive this semester without her as your theater partner!”  Changbin lamented and threw his head back, covering his eyes with his arm.  “I shall begin arranging your funeral promptly.”

“Shut up, Changbin-hyung, seriously.  It’s not that bad.  I’m disappointed but it is what it is.”

“Very mature for someone who literally was drunk crying a few weeks ago about how much you liked her.”  

“Hey!  I thought we agreed not to talk about that!”  Hyunjin sat up, searching his immediate vicinity for something to chuck at Changbin.  He found a random crumpled receipt stuck between the cushions and used that.  Changbin didn’t even flinch when it bounced harmlessly off his bicep.  

“Our lovesick Hyunjinnie is so cute!”  Changbin’s smile made Hyunjin dive back into the cushions for something else to throw.  “I mean, I agree.  She looked cute in that dress on Jeongin’s Outfit of the Day Intsa post.  What, that blue dress?”

“She did.”  Hyunjin paused, his lip sticking out in a pout.  He paused.  “And the dress was pink.”

“Guys, come on.  At least look at the sheet music I spent all night notating for you?”  Chan muttered over his shoulder. 

The two younger boys apologized to the eldest and turned their attention onto the music.  The song that Chan had written was, as usual, incredible.  Hyunjin was always so flattered that Chan, Changbin, and Jisung liked to include his voice in their songs.  He thought he was a better dancer than a singer, but since he started working with Chan and the others on their musical endeavors his voice had improved so much.  This time, it looked like Hyunjin would be rapping more than singing and he wasn’t complaining.

Eventually, Chan okayed Minho to leave the studio and the boy inside took off his headphones and made his way into the room.  Minho was older than Hyunjin by a year or so and he often had a hard resting-face that made him look consistently angry.  The later into the day it got and the more tired he became, the more his resting-bitch-face unnerved Hyunjin to no end.  Which is why the moment Minho’s tired eyes landed on the spot where Hyunjin sat on the couch he sprang to sit on the other side.  Minho wasn’t exactly mean or rude, especially not to Hyunjin, but he never wanted to be on the receiving end of his anger.  He’d seen it once before and he never wanted to see it again.

Minho collapsed onto the couch and lolled his head back and closed his eyes.  It wasn’t terribly late in the day, but he’d been up since before dawn and he was looking forward to resting.  Hyunjin admired Minho for many reasons, including the fact that he was double majoring in dance and music production.  Because of that, Hyunjin was inspired to double major himself.  Despite the exhausting schedule, he was glad that he could indulge his two greatest talents and hobbies.  

When Hyunjin wasn’t in the dance studio with Eunbyeol, he spent the rest of his time in the art studio covered in paint from head to toe.  Even now he knew he needed to shower and wash his hair well because he accidentally got some blue in it earlier.  As long as images and colors and art left his fingertips, he didn’t care what medium he used.  Pencils, oils, markers, Hyunjin loved it all.  

“Hyunjin-ah...”  Minho’s tired voice came from the other side of the couch.  “Will you pass me my water?”

“Sure, Hyung.”  Hyunjin glanced around and found Minho’s distinctive yellow water bottle on the floor under the coffee table.  He passed it to his friend wordlessly.

“Is Felix here with the coffee yet?  I’m exhausted.”  Minho let out a long yawn and didn’t open his eyes to take a drink of his water.

“Do you see any coffee?”  Changbin’s eyes were also starting to droop.  “Felix and Jisung have been gone for almost an hour.  I’m gonna kill them.”

“Jisung has been trapped in this studio since lunch.  I’m jealous that he’s even getting a break.”  Chan spoke up from his place at the computer.  He lowered his headphones to rest around his neck.  

“Why don’t you take one, Hyung?”  Minho suggested.  “Hyunjin needs a little more time to look over the music before his turn in the studio, right?  For the love of all that is holy, go take a walk.  Use the bathroom.  Step out into the sun for a few seconds before it sets completely.  Touch some grass.”

“Touch some grass-”  Chan muttered along with Minho, “You know I’d love to do that but-”

“The work comes first.  Got it, got it.” 

“Once Hyunjin and Felix have their turns in the studio then I can finally finish piecing this song together.”  Chan explained. 

“Wait, Seungmin and Jeongin have already been here?”  Changmin looked up from his sheet music.  “I didn’t see them today.”

“Yeah, we popped into the studio last night for two hours or so.  Seungmin really only needed one take but we took three of them.  He was really adamant.”  Chan chuckled at the thought, clicking through a few pages and pulling up his recording.  “This was his first take.”

Seungmin’s airy, romantic voice filled the studio.  The raw vocals filled the room and Hyunjin’s eyes widened at the sound.  Seungmin, as usual, was a powerhouse.  He sang the words beautifully and without a single error.  Even his breathing sounded perfect.  He only had a few lines, so the recording was over too quickly.  Once it ended, all of the boys applauded even though no one was there to hear them. 

“Jeez, and he wanted two more takes?”  Minho gasped out. 

“He wanted four but I made him go home.”  Chan grinned.

“Where did we find this kid, again?”  Changnbin’s question was rhetorical but Chan answered anyway.

“He was part of Jisung’s friend group in high school.  Pretty much all of Jisung’s friends are just as talented.” 

“You say that as if we’re not all friends now.”  Hyunjin chuckled, smiling fondly at the thought of the friendships he had with each of the younger boys, including Felix. 

“I know, I know.  We won’t be friends for much longer though if Jisung and Felix don’t get here soon with that coffee and my refresher.  I’m dying here.”  Chan sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, letting it take all of his weight.  “I’m gonna call him.”

Chan grabbed his phone from the desk and called Jisung.  The boys sat in silence, listening to the phone ring for a few seconds.  Jisung didn’t answer, so Chan called him again all while muttering profanities under his breath.  Once again, no answer.  

Hyunjin took the opportunity to check and see if Felix had texted him.  His phone screen lit up when he pressed the button and he had to fight a smile at the sight of his background picture.  It was a simple one that he’d taken with Eunbyeol several months ago during cherry blossom season.  They’d walked through the park for hours, drinking coffee, snacking on candy, and taking hundreds of pictures together.  In this one, she smiled brightly up at the camera and Hyunjin had his chin atop the crown of her head with an equally bright smile on his face.  Even though it had been months, he didn’t have the heart to change it.  She looked so pretty. 

He had to shake his head to look at his phone properly, but it didn’t matter because Felix hadn’t texted him since this morning, apologizing for being late to class.  Hyunjin shot him a quick ‘Where the fuck are you?’ text before checking his other notifications.  Felix may not have texted him however, his other best friend had.  Judging from the time stamp, she hadn’t even made it home yet before texting him.  He cursed himself for not checking his phone earlier, but he responded eagerly to her message.  He knew they’d see each other the next afternoon, but he missed her already. 

“Chan-hyung, quit blowing up my phone!”  Jisung’s loud, whiny voice filled the studio as he pushed into the room with his hands weighed down with drink carriers.  “God, I know I’m popular but even popular people need a break sometimes.”

“What is he talking about?”  Changbin rolled his eyes.

“Well,”  Felix followed Jisung into the room, also carrying a drink carrier in each hand.  “First, I was talking his ear off, then he was on the phone with his girlfriend for over half an hour, then Chan-hyung was calling him while he was still on the phone... I think he’s overwhelmed.”

“The coffee was taking forever!”  Changbin argued.  “I mean, look!  Chan is almost asleep and Minho is practically dead!  Is that what you want?  To kill Minho-hyung?”

“Relax, it wasn’t my fault!”  Jisung argued back with a huff.  “The cafe was already busy and then we had to order six coffees.  My poor coworkers.  Didn’t inspire me enough to jump  behind the counter, though.”

“I can vouch for him.”  Felix offered, setting his drink carriers on the coffee table and sliding into the space on the couch between Hyunjin and Minho.

“You’re not innocent in this either!”  Jisung pointed an accusatory finger at the boy, who cowered behind Hyunjin’s lean form.  “You wouldn’t shut up about that girl!  What are we?  In a K-drama?  In high school?  Get it together!”

“‘That girl’?”  Changbin’s ears perked up at the mere mention of some gossip.  “Do tell!”

“Please, don’t make me listen again!  Put me out of my misery!”  Jisung wailed, throwing himself into a beanbag chair next to Changbin as dramatically as possible, careful not to spill any coffee.  “That's all he talked about for like thirty minutes.  I thought we were done with her!”

“Who?”  Hyunjin’s curiosity got the best of him.  

“Um, well...”  Felix’s freckled cheeks were suddenly tinged a shade darker and he rubbed the back of his neck.  “Remember that night we all got drunk and I cried about never seeing my first love again?”

“I think I blacked out, but go on.”  Minho encouraged. 

“The night Hyunjin cried about his crush?  How could I forget?”  Changbin cackled.

“Well, I thought I would never see her again because I thought she went to medical school.  Except she didn’t.  She's here!”

“What?”  Hyunjin blinked in surprise.  “Wow, that’s incredible!  What a small world!  How did you find out?”

“Honestly, it’s miraculous.”  Felix sat forward to grab his coffee from the table.  Chan’s eyes widened as he watched the younger boy take a drink, but hung onto his every word regardless.  Felix on coffee was always a sight to see.  “We’re taking a class together.”

“Wait, really?”  Chan lifted an eyebrow. 

“Not only that, but there’s a pairs project over the course of the entire semester!”  Felix began to bounce.  First, it was just one of his legs.  Then both of his legs.  Before Hyunjin knew it, it was like Felix’s entire body was actually vibrating right before his eyes.  “And I’m her partner!”

“Disgusting.”  Jisung wrinkled his nose.  “I don’t get why you’re so excited when she rejected you in high school and blatantly ignored you during senior year.”

“Wait, she rejected you?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get rejected.”  Hyunjin blinked in surprise, but something ugly settled in the pit of his stomach.  He witnessed everything in class but he hadn’t heard Felix’s side of the story.

“Yeah...”  Felix sighed sadly for a moment before perking right back up.  “I know, I feel crazy for being so excited about it.”

“She treated you like crap.”  Jisung rolled his eyes.

“I know!  And I thought I was going to hate being in this class with her, but I just texted her earlier to ask her when she wants to meet up to look at scenes to do together or figure out the rest of the assignment.  But... like... wow...”  Felix paused to take another sip of his coffee. “The second I got a text back from her... like, is my heart supposed to be beating this fast?”

Hyunjin really didn’t like where this was going.

“You’re drinking coffee.”  Minho deadpanned.

“I know, but like... is it weird that I’m looking forward to it?”

“Yes!”  Jisung exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.  “You’re absolutely batshit crazy!  You heard Jiho!  She thinks you’re crazy, too!”

“Jiho knows her, too?”  Chan blinked in surprise.  Normally, talking about girls wasn’t his favorite subject, but Hyunjin figured he was using this as an excuse not to stare at his computer for a bit.

“Yeah, she’s Jiho’s roommate.”  Jisung waved off the question as if the answer was obvious.  “So like, if Jiho says you’re crazy to see her best friend of five goddamn years, then you’re insane.  Chan-hyung, call the nearest insane asylum!  We’re losing him!”

“God, you and Hyunjin are both girl-crazy.”  Changbin rolled his eyes.  “You’ve both got heart-eyes for girls who are completely unattainable.”

“Hey, Hyunjin’s at least got a pretty good chance with his girl.”  Jisung muttered exasperatedly.  It was Hyunjin’s turn to blush at the phrasing.  He liked the sound of that... his girl.  “They’re actually friends.”

“That’s true but...”  Felix paused and Hyunjin’s heart stopped beating in his chest.  “In the class, we have to do a trust exercise each week.  We have to work together all semester!  That’s something, right?”

“Lee Felix, I am putting the asylum on speed dial!”  Jisung made a huge show of holding his phone up while he searched for a phone number.  “Chan-hyung, I can’t fucking listen to this right now.  Set me up, I’m gonna record my verse again.”

With that, Jisung stood and disappeared into the recording studio.  Chan flashed Felix a grin before turning back to his computer to set things up to record for Jisung.  Hyunjin watched his friend retreat.  On one hand, he wanted to know what this girl did to Felix but on the other hand he was happy not knowing a thing.  If Hyunjin was right in his suspicions, things were about to get really awkward.

Despite sitting up and away from him, Felix’s leg pressed firmly into Hyunjin’s.  Felix’s hands clenched and released, desperate to hold onto something or someone.  Minho, an unsuspecting victim, jumped when Felix grabbed his knee and squeezed.  At this rate, Hyunjin expected Felix to simply vibrate out of his clothes.  Felix, when they first met, was generally extroverted and excited about everything.  When Hyunjin bought him tickets to a Twice concert, Felix had collapsed in tears and he jumped and danced through the entire concert without stopping.  When their group of friends took a weekend in Jeju over the summer break, Hyunjin wondered if Felix’s face hurt from smiling so much.  Excited Felix was a force to be reckoned with.  But this... this level of anxiety and excitement was like nothing Hyunjin had ever seen before. 

When Felix’s phone vibrated in his lap, he practically leapt through the ceiling.  Minho cussed under his breath at the sudden jolt and Hyunjin jerked away so as not to be hit with a stray elbow.  Felix’s hands shook as he tapped the screen and he let out an audible groan when he saw the notification.  Hyunjin pulled his lip between his teeth and pretended not to steal a glance at his friend’s phone.  Playing the part of a concerned friend, Hyunjin leaned forward and slung an arm around Felix’s shoulders.  Felix gratefully leaned into him as he read the text.  Hyunjin’s eyes glanced over the screen and found his worst fear to be true.  

[Pretty Eunbyeol:  Fine, whatever, I have maybe an hour after class on Tuesday.  Don’t wait up.]

Hyunjin tried to swallow the lump in his throat.  Felix’s eyes were wide with wonder as he stared down at his phone.  Hyunjin glanced at his own phone when it lit up from a text from the very girl they were talking about.  From the very girl texting Felix now.  

Felix’s first love.  

Hyunjin tried to find solace in the fact that most of the time first loves never worked out, but it wasn’t as reassuring as he’d hoped.  Because, at this rate, he’d be shooting himself in the foot.  He wasn’t sure he’d ever cared for anyone the way he cared for Eunbyeol.  What if she was his first love, too?

“How do I respond to that?”  Felix glanced around him at the boys in search of any advice.   

“Hate to break it to you, but you don’t.”  Changbin shrugged, taking a long sip from his iced americano.  “Wait until next week and text her the morning of to confirm the plans.  That’s the next move.”

“But-”  Felix’s eyes shimmered with hope but Changbin wasn’t having it. 

“No!  No buts.  Jisung literally just told you that she doesn’t like you.  And you have to respect that, yeah?  Leave her alone.”  

Felix pouted and turned back to his phone screen.  The exchange between him and Eunbyeol was short, under five lines of text, but it was the most they’d ever been in direct contact like this.  Now he actually had physical proof that they’d spoken.  He shook his head and stuck his phone back into his pocket.  It was like he was a teenager all over again.  His heart pounded in his ears and his mouth went dry at the thought of seeing her.

Hyunjin, on the other hand, leaned back on the couch and strategically angled his phone so Felix couldn’t see.  He opened the extensive conversation between him and Eunbyeol and smiled when he saw her newest text to him.  It was short, sweet, to the point, and made Hyunjin’s heart explode with butterflies.  As he scanned the words over and over again, his anxiety about Felix liking her reduced a little.  It didn’t matter that they had history or that Felix had feelings.  The only thing that mattered was that Eunbyeol’s attention was on him.

[Partner in Crime:  Hyunjinnie~ I miss you!  Come over tomorrow after practice?]

Hyunjin agreed to those plans without hesitation, figuring he could cancel anything he might have had.  A small smile crept onto his lips and he had a feeling that good things were in store.  

After all, at the end of the day, she was his partner.

[krazieka2]

Here's a big old Fire Emblem Search & Find I did for the FE3H Masquerade Zine! Find the Golden Deer, but see if you can't find the rest of the students as well! For the ultimate challenge, see if you can't name every character! (Disclaimer two characters are NPCs with no names)

[seraphinitegames]

Is this a Dragon Age reference bc I cackled out loud when I read it 😂

Yes, it was very much a Dragon Age reference, hehe! ;D

Thank you so much for the fun ask! :)

[riickgrimes]

[1nthedarknessofthenight]

﴾ i drink your blood and i eat your skin, part ten.

pairing: hwang hyunjin x f!reader

genre: vampire au

word count: 10,5K

warnings: blood!drinking ⋆ suggestive

masterlist

playlist

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A cold, soft breeze ran through your hair, the smell of the water from the river under you tickling your nose. The clashing sounds echoing through the night couldn’t be heard however. You couldn’t hear anything other than your pulse pumping inside your ears. Everything started to turn into a blur before you. You knew this place, it haunted your mind from the moment it happened, turning into an unforgettable memory. You wished to look down, knowing what you would see if you would did so, but everything started to swirl around you. The starry night and the Moon became just a small spot, circle of colors. They let you take in their light, shining down at you, till everything turned clearer, yet darker.

From the small spot that was once the moon became a mere dot, a freckle. You watched the colorful streaks turn into black and white. You couldn’t breathe for a moment, mind too slow to fully take in the changes of scenery before you. Everything that you just saw turned into a pitch black darkness. Your memory was thrown away, too far back into your mind, though the only piece left from it stood there so close to you.

The man’s eyes once blue and vibrant were now an hauntingly white, black pupils staring right into yours. No breeze, not even a whiff of air was felt on your skin, the only air that they was in your lungs. You could feel them expanding, your mouth hanging open to catch a deeper breath. Your eyes fell down to the freckle under his eye and back to his unemotional stare. That wasn’t him…

But his touch felt like his…

You looked down at your hand, sickeningly paler to your usually toned skin. Your world turned dull again it seemed. When you looked into the palm of your hand, you watched as fingers, not your own, appear from the darkness before you. You could feel his body so close to yours, but why did it feel like he wasn’t there at all? You watched the fingers trail over your opened hand, every dip and every wrinkle and then even in the darkness where no light there was, on a ring finger of his hand, glimmered the red stone right back at you. You choked at the color, so vibrant that it blinded you. You knew the ring, the fingers, the hand now holding yours, but it didn’t feel like his.

The softness of his touch — you couldn’t feel it. It was like his hand went through yours, like a ghost. He wasn’t here…you were alone. Your lips parted in a painful gasp, but it never was voiced. A tugging feeling at your heart, so familiar — you were alone. Your eyes started to sting, the vision of your hands joined together just a blur again. Everything around you felt like fire, the void seeped through you like millions of small knives, nitting and licking at your skin.

A tear rolled down your cheek. You felt the loneliness, the pain, realizing he wasn’t real. You were in denial as you looked up at him. His pale skin, white eyes, still glaring right at you. You watched his lips, waiting for even a small noise to come out of them, but nothing. You wished to hear his honeyed voice, watch the way each syllable rolled out of his mouth with a meaning. His hand holding yours — you couldn’t even feel it as your tearful eyes looked at him in wonder.

His right hand raised to your face, staying there for a moment. Every passing second felt like torture to you in this immense darkness. Your heart beated so fast you could hear it echoing around you, filling up this awful silence. His hand trailed down, like cutting through the thick barrier between you two, before it stopped at your neck. Your face turned into horror. His fingers just briefly touching your skin, were painted red.

Your eyes were wide. The thick substance coating them was bright, glistening in the strange light around your bodies. Your heart jumped wildly in your chest as your own hand immediately went to your neck. Your hand raised to your face, shaking, blood pooling into the palm of your hand and trailing down your arm. A sudden shift, pain ran up your body, all the way to the spot on your neck. Your mouth opened in a silent cry, knees buckling beneath you and you couldn’t stop yourself from falling onto them.

Shock, pain, fright and most of all confusion overwhelmed your whole mind. The last bits of air left in your lungs vanished, only leaving you with your lips parted. You don’t hear the way you fell down nor your gasps for oxygen, only your heart beat and whispering…You exchanged yourself to grasp onto him, but you only fell forward as you were met with thin air. You could feel the blood from what seemed like a wound on your neck, trailing down your chest. You couldn’t stop it.

You were alone…he wasn’t there. Those hushed whispers grew louder in your ears, so loud it slowly overlapped the sounds of your pulse. You felt chills run down your spine, not from the pain or your fright, but from the feeling of two sets of eyes watching you from afar…Your tears had stopped by then, so in pain that you couldn’t do anything other than to slowly turn your head to look behind you.

Your chest kept rising wildly, blood pumping through your veins, ready to burst. There wasn’t any light, but you could see it. You could see the dark figure behind you. It was a mass of darkness so deep that the scenery around you almost seemed dull. But you could tell that the darkness didn’t came from nowhere, it came from the person. It was a silhouette of a tall being, it radiated evil, but in a way you couldn’t fight this pull, the hold it had on you. You were frightened, but you couldn’t look away. Its eyes shined at you, red in color, but also amber…then by a blink of an eye it all changed.

You weren’t in the darkness anymore. You were back in the bedroom, laying in bed. Pain disappeared, the tears were gone, colors filling up your vision, but something stayed. A name was on the tip of your tongue. You wanted to call out the name in hopes it would safe you, but you seemed to forget it as soon as your eyes were met with the familiar figure. It stayed there with you, looking at you, piercing through your mind and taking over your own body. It looked at you with its red bloodied eyes from the corner of the room, before it slowly disappeared.

But you could still feel it. It called out to you, your eyes following its aura to the open door to the bedroom. The doors creaked open for you and you couldn’t do anything other than to follow. Your mind was wiped out from any thought, eyes empty. You didn’t feel the cold from the floor on your bare feet nor the roughness of the carpets. You could see its trails of darkness, creating a path for you to take and you did completely and blindly. You passed by doors, walked down the stairs, only set on following this person. Or was it even a person? You didn’t even wonder, you didn’t think, you only do what it says.

It was night, you could tell as the only light in your way were candles. You closed your eyes, took a deep breath and then you opened them again. You stared into the darkness, the same one you have seen before, but now it felt familiar to you. You stopped before an opened door, cold, stone stairs staring right at you, challenging you to take a step closer. You needed to, you felt like you needed to. Your hand grabbed a candlestick from a table next to you, a whisper of your name coming from the void before you. It was so quiet, but it lacked softness, though it only made your body and mind more eager to take a step further to maybe hear it again.

Cold and it got colder the more you descend down the curved stairs. It seeped through your dress, ruffling the dark layered material. Even more colder breeze, like a breath, ran through your hair. You didn’t feel the small stones and debris piercing your feet, your eyes were wide in expectation, glaring into the darkness ahead of you. The light from the candle danced wildly, the wind around you picking up speed, taking away even the one in your lungs again.

You didn’t need to breathe. You needed to only see, you needed to hear the voice say your name again. You felt like a puppet, your own feet taking you further down, like they knew where to lead you. At the last step, your feet were met with freezing, wet ground, the gloom wrapping around you. The light from your candle was the only thing separating you from it. You thought you needed to feel it on your skin, inside you, consuming you whole. You feel its presence again, forming out of the void before you.

You were in a maze, but in some way your body knew the way out. The light hit a stone wall and then another, glistening and reflecting the fire and you realized that they those were columns around you. They held this maze and your mind from crumbling. You could just feel it, right there…The two sets of eyes waiting for you at the end of the path. Their color was so bright and the wind around you decided for you that they shall be your only light.

The candle went out. You surrounded to the darkness that eagerly pulled you in. It was so close to you, you could just reach your hand out. You needed to feel it, your body needed to feel it. It called your name so sweetly, it lured you in, promising the most amazing things and you just couldn’t resist. Your body became his, just floating, but then you finally felt it. You needed to feel the pleasure that it promised you, but instead there was pain again.

It was coming from your heart. Your mind opened, letting in thoughts of confusion and realization. You don’t need it. You don’t need those things this mass of evil kept whispering in your ear. Your eyes blinked, clearing up your vision even if you still couldn’t see. Those eyes haunting you disappear and even if they should’ve been your light you feel relieved to not find them any longer. You don’t hear those voices guiding you, you don’t hear the heavy thumps of your heart, but you do see the light appearing before you, a new one.

It feels warm, but as you seem to come back to your own body, you can’t help, but feel frightened. You don’t want it — you don’t. A heavy breath leaves you as it comes closer and you at that release your need for air. You choke out, gasping, the sounds ringing in your own ears loudly. The light sways before you and you back away slightly from it, though something stops you.

You can see a silhouette of a person holding that light and with your rigid breathing your eyes well up with tears, blocking your way to see the person you truly needed. You stumble, but before you could fell back onto your knees there was something keeping you from doing so. Hands on your waist, his hands. There is the familiar coldness that could be felt even by the layers of clothing and you willingly let your weight rest into the palms of his hands.

You hear him, his voice, right beside your ear. The sound is blocked for a second, but the more he called out to you, the more clearer you hear. “Y/N! Y/N!” His voice sounded rushed, laced with his own fright. You try to breathe, you do, but your body till now finally seems to come back to you. You feel your muscles straining, heart beating rapidly from your gasps for air.

The light which you are holding shakes in your hold, you can’t even hold your own body let alone the heavy candlestick. It slips from your hand, loudly falling down on the ground — you don’t even feel the still hot wax on your skin. “What did you do?” Rasps out the man holding you. The voice, you know it so dearly…Your body is weak and so is his only by the sight of your injured hand, falling with you to your knees. You fight with your own weakness, it made your eyes fall shut for a moment, but your inner senses slowly start to rise back from the depths of your soul. His voice, you need to hear it say your name again.

He doesn’t know what to do. He is frightened by your pale skin, yet cheeks flushed — hot to the touch and your lips almost purple. You are so cold, your body is so heavy in a way it tugs at his heart. You look weak, your breathing is slow and steady now, however your heart is loud and that sound is simply suffocating. His wide eyes, look at your hand, raw and red and then back to your face. He holds you tightly to his chest, other hand softly caressing your cheekbone and even he jumps from your frozen skin. “Y/N.” He says your name again, calling out to you.

You hear him. A warm feeling spreads across your chest, eyes blinking open. “Hyunjin?” You say, mind repeating that name in hopes that he is actually here with you. Your eyes, tearing up from the cold air, look up and your heart swells as he truly seems to be here with you. His face is close to yours, long, dark hair caging you both from the darkness. Yet a warm light shines behind him and the more you look at him, the more you pull yourself closer to it.

“What happened? What are you doing here?” He says to you and you can truly hear him, his voice finally didn’t seem to be miles away from you.

Something comes over you — you feel his hand holding yours, fingers dancing across your skin. His thumb rubs small circles on your cheekbone — you can feel it. Feel his touch, he is here with you. You feel the way the stones on the ground dig into your feet and also your slow intakes of air. You ignore his question, looking up at him with wide eyes and slightly sitting up to take a closer look at him.

His skin, still white, but now seemingly warm. His lips and his freckle — your eyes stop at his. Your own search through them, blue vibrant color piercing you. “Is it you?” You wonder out loud, a small choked noise falling from your lips. “Is it truly you?” Hyunjin looks at you bewildered, shaking his head at your words.

“Yes.” He whispers, putting his hand behind your head to help you look at him. Your body still feels like a dead weight, but he feels small relief, because you can finally at least talk and see. However the way you gaze at him — you look at him with wide eyes, filled with an emotion he quite couldn’t place. “Why are you–“ He wants to know what and why, but you still let his questions be unheard.

“It’s you…” You breathe out, cutting into his sentence. Your own hand tightens its hold on his, but by that you jump out of your skin from the sudden sharp pain. Your eyes fall onto your hand, him letting you take a closer look, but still holding onto you like he is scared that you would just vanished. Though you are the one truly scared that he is just another fragment of your imagination.

Your palm blooms in red spots, skin raw, few specks of wax lingering on your skin. You almost hissed at the burning sensation, you didn’t even notice it till now. You grimace at the pain coming from your bones and muscles, other hand coming from the ground to fall onto your stomach. You let the small stones and dirt smudge onto your dress as your eyes look back to the end of the path. Nothing, absolutely nothing. You don’t feel eyes on you anymore, other than the man’s before you. No whispers taking over your mind, nothing. There is no one there…

You feel the hand still on your cheek, turn your attention back to its owner. “Y/N, talk to me, please…” Hyunjin voice is unsure, confused by your detachment. You look like you are not here at all, staring at him completely emotionless. However the fear you held in your red eyes is obvious to him. His throat is dry by the blank look you give him now.

“I think….I am starting to lose my mind.” You whisper back.

He shakes his head at your words, he is starting to panic. Your body screams in weakness, but also your mind. “Y/N, I don’t understand.” Hyunjin watches you closely, his hand slowly loosening its grip it had on you. You touch your neck, hand shaking and he just sits there for a moment, looking at the way way your wide eyes stare onto your fingers. “What happened? Please, tell me…” He speaks again, fighting the urge to not just shake you in hopes you would wake up from your trance.

“I don’t know myself…” You say, staring down at your hand. There isn’t any blood on your hand. There isn’t anything that would tell you that what you saw was true. You can’t believe that this was just your own head playing tricks on you. No, it wasn’t. There is no way…The dark figure is not here, but you can’t help, but still look around. There truly isn’t any two sets of eyes watching you from the void nor the feeling of his breath at the back of your neck. Was it a dream? Nightmare, though it felt so real that it made goosebumps appear on your skin. “Was I dreaming?” You ask yourself, quietly, but it is heard by the vampire.

Hyunjin followed your eyes, staring into the darkness with you, but finding nothing. Your words spark something in him. Perhaps you were only dreaming, but he himself could tell that wasn’t all. Dreams when you do remember them, can lead to something, they warn you. He can’t muster up the fact that if he wouldn’t be here, you could have injured yourself even more. He has a feeling that this dream wasn’t just any other. “You were sleepwalking, Y/N.” He says, but he also doesn’t want to except this truth. “Has this happened before?”

You shake your head, frowning at the pounding in your head from the small movement. “I have never done it before.” You say. You go back to the time you had something familiar happen to you when you were dreaming of him, but this was more serious. Were you really just sleepwalking? You don’t want to except that, but you did feel quite tired for these past few days and it seems like that it fell on you now.

You look at him and you finally realize how close you are to each other. He held your back by his leg, hand on yours and the other on your face. You blink at him at that, pulling a little away, because you are feeling again drowsy just by his touch. You already know that he is truly here with you and even if you really want to just let yourself fall on to his body, you can’t play with you heart like that.

“You are hurt–“ He states the obvious, pulling your burned hand close to you to have a better look. It stings more by just by looking at it, but you don’t really care about that as your attention is attentively on how he presses his thumb into your pulse, a habit of his. “What did you see?” He asks you.

“I don’t know…” You start, because you really don’t know how to describe it to him. When he appeared, he woke you up from it and also erased everything that just happened. You do remember just parts of it, but the feelings you felt back the couldn’t be repeated anymore. “I saw something — someone, I think. I was following it and it lead me down here…” You want to cry, laugh even at how crazy you sound. “I am going mad–“

“No.” He whispers again, calming you with his sweet voice. “Look at me…” You do by the help of his hand on the back of your head. You can feel his blunt nails, slightly scratching you and it almost feels like you could fall asleep again, but that thought repulsed you. However he doesn’t miss your droopy eyes, fighting against your tired body. “You need to rest.”

You shake your head, making you slightly wake up from your slumber. Sleep was always the one thing you looked the most forward to at the end of the day, but now you are too scared to do so. You are starting to think you are maybe also turning into a vampire by your lack of sleep. You just now realized how much you were missing out on sleep. You would go to bed late, wake up early. Maybe it was really just a dream, because you did have a sleep paralysis after what happened the first night you two met. You also couldn’t sleep... You think you can’t even tell what is real now, because how could you just imagine all of that?

You do know that there is a possibility that someone is actually watching you, but this seemed absurd. You didn’t have any control over your body. You lived in the moment that you can remember, but other than the few memories of your so called dream, you can’t remember anything else. Those amber eyes pooled with red however still haunt you, even now. They didn’t feel like the ones Hyunjin has, they were full of anger, just pure evil.

“Please, I don’t want to–” You say, not missing the concerned frown on his face. You really want to know what he is thinking about, of you at that. He didn’t seem to be that weirded out by your words or doings. Maybe he is also scared, but if so, you can’t tell from his face. “I am scared of falling asleep again.” You admit to him, pulling yourself up to your knees, only to groan in pain.

Your bones feel like they could just crumble under your weight any moment. He sees your struggle, the shaking of your upper body and how your face scrunches up. “Can I touch you?” He ask you, hands falling to his side by your movements, but they still linger around you if you would happen to fall over.

Your eyes momentarily widened by those words, maybe reading a little too much into it, because when you look at him you at that moment understood what he meant. You nod, almost just falling face first into the ground to escape your provocative thoughts. With your still cold skin, you can basically feel your blood rushing to your face that you immediately tug into your chin, but you just knew that you could still see it. He, to your relief doesn’t comment on it, even if he himself quickly realized his words right after. Maybe he should’ve said it differently, but why when he could finally see your face coming back in color.

His moves are slow, letting you know that you could still move away from him, but you only look at him in wonder. His hands fall on to the soft dip of your waist and you nearly pull away, because that touch feels so foreign. He helps you find your balance, digging his long fingers on to the soft rolls of your mid riff. You can’t fight those insecurities rising in you, because you know he can feel how round and squishy you are, though he on the other hand, he never felt anything softer. He cherish the fact you let him touch you like this — every time you did.

When your feet meet the cold floor, your legs jump, how could the cold ground not wake you up? Like those other time you let him carry you like this, your whole body was in his hands. You did wonder how he can lift you up so easily, but being a vampire probably meant that he can lift thousands of you. That thought makes you shiver as well as from the way he pressed your sides together, leaving his hand on your waist, dangerously close to your hip. You look at him momentarily and again you can’t look away from his striking blue eyes.

“What exactly did you see?” He asks you, head tilting down to meet your gaze. He still holds you firmly to him, keeping your shaking body stable.

You go back to the dream, eyes moving around the dark place you are in, only light being the one he is holding in his hand. Your own still burns slightly, the dark, purple fabric of your dress however cooling it down by its softness. “A dark figure, I felt it–“ You swallow painfully the lump in your throat, looking back at him and he listens closely to your every word. “Hyunjin, I am so tired…every time I turn a corner, I think it will appear. I feel it breathing down on my neck…” Your eyes go back and forth between his eyes and the darkness next to him, full of fear from just seeing another glimpse of it. “You must think I am crazy-“

You really do need him. You are going a dark way down, but he is in denial. “You are not, I believe you.” His words hit you, heart jumping at the tone of his voice, it slightly melts your worries away.

You are not sure if he is just trying to keep you calm, but after all that happened, you just can’t take these things so lightly. “What if it is trying to tell me something…” He definitely knows what you are thinking about that, he can’t lie that it also didn’t cross his mind.

Hyunjin’s hold on you tightens. Even if you don’t see him, even is he is in some way avoiding you for some reason you still need to ask him about, he is here for you. Every small tug of your lips, frown, it makes him tremble, ready to burn the whole world down for you just to smile again. “Y/N, I will not let anything happen to you.” He means it, but it felt like a lie telling you that, because something already happened and he didn’t know how to stop it…

“I am not as scared for myself as I am for others…please, don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Your own words hurt you, because you can see the expression on his face crack for a second. You just can’t lie about what you are thinking, seeing and feeling anymore. “You have seen what this person can do, maybe it is already taking over me–“ Your lip quivers over your own will.

He is quiet, because you are telling the truth about him not keeping promises. He doesn’t want to think about this horrible person trying to get to you, but how long can he pretend? He wants to give you everything good, he just doesn’t know how and that kills him. No one saw this person and now you maybe did, but he didn’t feel any presence other than yours. You were dreaming, but it must meant something, it didn’t seem like it was coming from you. Someone is playing with you and he can’t even imagine how this all must feel for you. It was all because of him…of his selfishness. He thought that it all would be easy, in a sense that you two would have time for each other and possibly fall in love. But that was just another fairytale in his head, how could he thought he could have it easy when he is vampire and you are human.

“You are cold.” Hyunjin says, stating the obvious yet again and it makes your mind shift back to reality. “I can feel your freezing feet.”

You in confusion look down at your said feet, only finding them pressing into his. You must be crushing him under your weight you thought, immediately putting your feet away, back to the ground. “Sorry.” You say, looking down bashfully.

“Don’t say that word, because we both know, I should be the one saying it.” You know what he means, but you don’t want to comment on it more. He takes a slow step forward, gesturing for you to do the same, but he basically pulled you by himself as he still keeps a tight hold on you. “Come, let me help you–“

He is still looking down at you, not even looking before him to keep his eyes on the path, but you do that for him, because you can’t meet his eye. His stare lingers as you take slow and careful stops. You feel heavy, but you will not surrender to your own weaknesses. The light he is holding in his hand gives you a minimal vision, just enough for you to see your feet dragging across the ground. You don’t even know what this place is, but it sure will be remembered. “Where are we exactly?” You ask, speaking your thoughts out loud.

Hyunjin’s eyes leave you to look around himself, like he had never seen this place before. In a way yes, it’s been a long time since he have been here and for a reason. “The dungeons.” He answers, keeping his answer simple.

Your eyebrows twitch for a moment, gazing into the abyss before you. “Dungeons?” You repeat, tasting the word on your tongue, chills going down your spine.

“Yes, it also was once a castle in my age, we build over it.” You can see that already this was everything you will get out of him. You didn’t think your innocence question could sparkle up something. His face is hard as a stone, eyes not meeting your figure, but his hand around your waist grips tighter. You don’t go further, because there is another, way more important thing that you just now you realized.

“What were you doing here?” You marvel over his profile, seeing his hard jaw softening at your voice. “You were here first.”

“I was looking for something.” Hyunjin answers and that he can tell you why, but now you do not need a further explanation.

“Oh and did you find it?” You ask, almost the ‘what’ slipping past your lips.

He doesn’t answer, stopping in his tracks to look at you. Your words get stuck at the back of your throat. His gaze is intense like always, but the way his hand trails over your waist to your back simply leaves you speechless. You can’t believe you are so moved by such a simple touch, but his are already intense to begin with. He towers over you, hair falling to his face and you at that notice how is hair is loosely put up. You have a full view of his long neck and collarbones — he leaves you again lost for words by his beauty alone.

“Can I touch you?” He repeats again and you can’t fight the small laugh falling from your mouth. It does die down immediately though, your throat dry.

“You already are–“

His eyes light up at your noise of amusement, even if it sounded quite small. Every chance of seeing a small smile on your face is blessing to him. Hyunjin asked for your consent for his own good, because if he would listen to his desires you two would be already in a way different position than the one he puts you in right now. His other hand puts the candlestick, he was holding to the ground, you watching him closely. You nearly choke at the shadow cast on his features, defying them even more. In your state of mesmerization you can’t do much other than to gasp softly as he kneels down before you, only to wrap his other arm around the back of your knees. Your head spins from his fast movements, air wiping you across your face as he picks you up with not too much effort.

You are in shock, looking at him, lips parted. Your faces almost bump into each other and you kind of wished he would tell you firstly why he was asking for your permission. Your side is pressed tightly onto his chest and you could feel his muscles ripping under your hand. Your eyes widened at that, pulling it away to your own chest to calm your heart. His long hair tickles your forehead as you tug your head down to possibly disappear in his body. You felt concerned, about him holding you, because even as a joke when someone tried to do that you would only hurt them. You feel warm inside now, because he didn’t look like your weight mattered to him — at least for carrying you up the stairs, you have to remind yourself.

Never you would never have thought that someone would pick you up like this, especially not someone like him. He didn’t huff or moan in displeasure, only a small breath of his move away the small hairs on your forehead head away. You were scared to move, because his lips would touch your skin if you would do so. You are not repulsed by that idea, but you can only handle this much. He keeps one of his hands on the underside of your knees, tips of his fingers touching your thigh. You remember how they felt on your skin, so soft and gentle with you. In a way it excites you more. You appreciate his patience with you, even if your time together might not be long.

You really do worry about your future more than your present. You should live in the moment and you do, just a little too scared about all of this new things you are experiencing. You are met with darkness again as he walks up the stairs, but there wasn’t any missed beat in his steps. The staircase feels narrow and you don’t even notice yourself how you press more into him to not hit the walls. In the dark you have enough courage to look at him or well try to, pulling your head up from your hiding, thankfully not hitting your head into his chin.

“Do you see in the dark? Like a bat?” You ask him.

His eyes are already on you, smiling softly at your wide eyes, trying so desperately to get even a glimpse of him. “Your questions are always so interesting, love.” His smooth voice hits your ears and you feel every word rumbling out his chest. “–but yes like a bat.”

This new information keeps your mind occupied, till you suddenly see a blooming light from the top of the stairs. You rest your head on his shoulder, just barely grazing it. Him holding you isn’t so bad after all, but that other night — it was too soon, too abrupt that’s why he maybe keeps asking for your permission. Someone holding you should feel warm, however his body temperature will always be otherwise, but you don’t really mind it. He doesn’t feel cold anymore, you think your own skin is even colder than his right now.

The light wasn’t that bright, but it still made your eyes sting, letting you truly see how much darkness you were put through. You didn’t like the dark, it scared you in some way, even before you met him. You somehow always needed some source of light next to you to keep you sane. He though only knew darkness, it was around him and in him — you were truly the only light he needs and will ever need.

He carried you to his workroom and you were silently thankful for the change of environment. It looked the same as you remembered, but it still left you amazed. He moved you further into the room, further than you have been before., however your eyes lingered on his main desk, before they went back to him. Every look of his you cherished in your heart, looking into his eyes, while slowly puts you down on a sofa. Your body dips into the softness bellow you in delight, completely exhausted. You don’t miss how his hands trail over your body before pulling away.

He disappears from your line of sight so quickly you almost have a whiplash. He turned into a blur before you. Small noises were heard from the back of the room, you curiously looking into that direction, but not for too look, because he is again there before you. You blink in shock at how fast he just moved. You have never seen anything like it, you didn’t basically, reflexes too slow to make anything out. It truly fascinates you.

“Let me see your hand.” His body falls next to you, the sofa too small for both of you, leaving your legs to press into each other. He holds out his own hand for you and you put yours onto his without a second thought.

You watch him press a cold, wet towel on your injured hand and you have to bite your lip at the pain. The cold fabric soothes your burning skin right after however as well as his soft touch. He keeps it pressed to your hand with his and you nervously rub in a small gesture of gratitude his skin with your thumb. “Why weren’t you there?” You ask him quietly, looking up at him through your lashes. “You never came back to the bedroom.”

“I did, but you were already asleep.” Hyunjin says, keeping his eyes on your hand. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“You promised…” You frown. The sadness in your voice is clear and when his gaze meets your face, you can see how much sorry he truly is. “You promised me that you wouldn’t let me out of your sight then why are you holding back?” He only keeps looking at you glad in the orange hue of the candles. “I started to open up to you…do you know how hard it is for me to do so?” You don’t hold back anymore, maybe because of all that happened moments ago, emotions still all over the place, but also because you can’t ignore anymore how his detachment makes you feel. You know that you are giving him mixed signals. Pulling away yourself and when he also does it you hate it. Can you even justify yourself that this is only because you are not experienced. “Maybe I truly don’t have much time left, you can’t say that I’m wrong–“ You say and you tell yourself that the stinging in your eyes is just your need for sleep. “I just want to spend it with you…” You mumble softly, choking out your words.

He moves even closer to you, suffocating you with his presence alone. You can’t describe it. Those other times you felt like this, could never live out to the way he makes you feel. It scares you, natural instincts telling you to pull away quickly, to not burn yourself again, but you can’t help, but take a small taste after taste. “Can you feel it? The tugging at our hearts?” He says and you breathe out in short breaths when he almost whispers those words to you. “Y/N…if they don’t let us be together, we shall fall together.”

Your face softens, heart swells, pumping wildly in your chest. “Then why are you pulling away from me?” You search for the answer in his eyes that seem to be deeper in color, pupils dialected.

He looks troubled, lips pressing together. “It’s hard for me to be next to you, the more I’m with you, the more I feel the need to–“

Your eyebrows rise in a realization, lips dry as you quickly continue his confession for him. “Bite me?” You say, sounding nearly unsure, but you already know the truth. He already told you multiple times, showed you in some way even. The more you two get around the topic, the more you thought about it.

You remember that in the dream, you feared him for that. Fearing he was just a creature that wants to take you, but as you did get to know him, it started to turn into something else. His lips on your neck, just barely grazing over your skin like yesterday — or maybe he would kiss the spot, before sinking his teeth into you. He would keep you close to his own body, melting both of your skins together, consuming you…your blood.

“But that’s not all, I can also feel your heart and I so desperately want to try its magic.” Said heart skips a beat, hurting from these intense emotions that it wasn’t so used to till now. “But what if they don’t see it either.” Hyunjin is now the one going back to future, face pulling into a grimace, in pain, looking down at your joined hands. “I don’t want to think about the fact that maybe in a few days, I won’t be able to hear it anymore. I know, I can feel you — how hard it is for you to open up for me, but I don’t know if I can be selfish enough to take a bite out of it.” You look at him with a face of disbelief, not being able to find an answer to such words. Your hand flies to your head, throbbing from all these thoughts. He looks up from your hands back at you when you don’t answer him, licking his lips nervously, but it vanishes into thin air when he sees the look of pain. “Y/N?” He speaks your name.

You look at him, lost in his eyes for a moment. You want to say something back, but it feels like you don’t even need to in away. He knows you enough that you don’t speak much, but if did need those answers they would be all reflecting in your eyes. “Sorry, my head is pounding…” You say, hand pressing onto your temple, trying to rub the pain away.

You know that it is mostly because of your lack of sleep and this conversation doesn’t help you that much. Hyunjin can basically see your exhaustion coming from your body. “Is there anything else you didn’t tell me about your dream?” He asks you. He also can’t get your dream out of his head. It didn’t look normal — how your body was anything, but your own and your emotionless eyes staring into his. He lived in a world of black magic and that’s why he in some way doesn’t want to take this lightly either, especially when it comes to you.

You don’t think you can tell him that he was there in the dream with you. Everything was blurry other than his hand holding yours, like it was now. “I don’t know what else to say.” You are not being truthful fully, but you just don’t want to bother his concern-self more.

Hyunjin if he did see through your small lie, he didn’t do anything to indicate it. He could tell that you also didn’t want to talk about it and he must respect that. He watches you — how your frozen feet are tugged beneath you, your rising chest and then your injured hand. He can smell your blood, see it even as the burns start to seep through the cloth. He didn’t realize how much you had actually hurt yourself. He doesn’t even remember physical pain is anymore, but he still thinks you are a little too numb. You just briefly showed a face of pain. It is probably from how tired you are, your head unknowingly to you keeps falling down, eyes screwing shuts, only to open again. Maybe he should be selfish…Get closer to you and stop being so detached, naively thinking it would make things better. He now knows how much you need him just as much he needs you.

An idea comes to him while looking at the stained, white fabric. Maybe it was a little too bold… “I can help you with your pain.”

You don’t try to disagree, because you truly are in pain. You feel weak, tired mentally, you just don’t know what to do. You don’t want to fall asleep, because you might see the mysterious figure again. “How?” You say, voice scratching the back of your throat. You gaze at him with big eyes of plead, desperate for any sort of relief. Hyunjin doesn’t say anything to you back, silently glazing over your soft features, because they might change into something different. Watching him closely as his other hand comes to the one still wrapped around yours, you almost gasp at his unexpected move.

He puts your hand upside down, his other hand going to the one holding yours, just for the nail of his thumb to push into his wrist. Without any hesitation and struggle he pierces his skin, blood pooling out of the small wound. You gasp, softly calling his name. You are lost for words, not so sure what this all means, but you do not jump away. Something about the way he looks at you so softly, makes you calm. You are not afraid . “Drink from me, Y/N.” He says to you, voice quiet to your ears. “Nothing will happen to you. Our blood is a key to turn someone into a vampire, but it also can help a human to ease their mind in a way…like yours can mine.”

You can’t think straight right now, seeing the wound made from his nail closing before your very eyes. This never crossed your mind — drinking his blood. It makes you drowsy, just the thought of your lips wrapping around his skin makes you shiver. He doesn’t mean to look at you this way, but you can tell this idea has already crossed his mind. It feels so intimate…but it doesn’t scare you. It will help you and you were curious enough, giving him a nod in agreement.

The move is minimal and you almost seem to regret it. Not because you don’t want to taste him…but because you just don’t know if your heart can handle it. Blood from the moment you met him became something so fascinating yet horrifying. The night you met, the morning when that horrible thing happened to your dream are nothing compared to the need of consuming it. Hyunjin breathes out deeply, taking in the scent of your own blood — so sweet and from what you could get his was metallic yet poisonous to your senses. Only just the brief look and whiff of his own blood makes you shake, you will now understand what it feels like to him.

His hand leaves yours, softly laying it down on to the dark, flowy skirt of your dress to put his stained wrist to your lips. He hears your heart pick up speed, breath shattering and eyes giving him all the attention. He can’t believe you will taste him, the thought excites him the same amount if the roles were switched. Both of you stare so deeply into each other, the air around you becoming dense and hot. He himself shakes inside as he finally breaches the skin of his wrist again, dragging his nail across to give you more room for your lips to latch onto.

His blood drops onto your bottom lip and without thinking you lick it, metallic taste hitting you immediately. It for a second tastes like any other blood would and you almost make a noise of displeasure, however he at the same moment presses his bleeding wrist to your mouth. “Sink your teeth in to me, to keep the wound open.” Your mouth is full of him, the smell of skin right under your nose. Your eyes flicker to him and without much thought you do as he says, upper teeth sinking into the open wound.

You want to cringe at the feeling of biting his skin raw, but you start to feel strange as you gulp the first flow of his blood down throat. Your eyes close at the strong feeling of power coming over you. You are in shock at how much your body starts to wake up. Your tongue drags eagerly across his skin, moaning into him in pure shock and pleasure. Even if your noise was loud you couldn’t miss his own, deep and almost whiny, watching you so closely that you just have to pull yourself closer to him.

You have never felt something so erotic and full of seduction. The way his body pressed into yours, your hand wrapping around his just to pull him closer to you. His taste was addicting — no metallic and awful taste of blood in your mouth, it was only him now. You needed more. You need him closer to you, you need to drink more from him. It gave you power, body and mind not feeling anything other than pleasure. You are starting to get lost in him, sucking more and more, just to feel with every swallow even more alive.

Hyunjin knew the look on your face all too well. He knew how quickly you could get lost in the taste. The pressure on his skin, how your teeth start to nibble almost at him, it didn’t hurt — quite the opposite. He just in some way can’t wait for you to finally feel it, but also he is afraid that he might not be able to resist the temptation. His own arousal was already showing on his body and when his nose is hit with the scent of your own, his body almost shuts down. He feels the veins inside his body pumping wildly, breaching the thin skin on his face and when your teeth just barely grazed over one particular one he has to pull away.

You don’t hear your own soft sighs of pleasure when he pulls away from you. You can’t catch your breath, but in a good way it seems. You feel drunk, eyes blurry with tears of pleasure you have left before. “Hyunjin I feel-“ You can’t describe it, but your body does it for you. You are flush with heat, fuzzy and — needy. You lick your lips, head falling to the side to stare at him with hooded eyes.

He shakes, hands gripping the cushion under him tightly, almost tearing it from your state. “I know, I am sorry about that — please, don’t look at me like that.” He breathes out, looking away from you to hold on to the last bits of control he has .

You both know what he means. You can feel it, your arousal and he on the other hand is slowly becoming crazy because of it. “Is it your blood doing this to me?” You watch him through your eyes you think, but he looks different to you, more clearer. Your question is unanswered, but you have to gain his attention again, you need to. You pull yourself up, kneeling before him to try and get him to look at you and you do with your next words. “Do you want mine — do you want to taste me?”

He trembles as his voice, trying to push himself away from you, but his body surrounders to you. “Y/N, my blood is playing tricks on you right now.” You don’t even blink at him and he realizes, he gave you way more than you can handle. Your lips are appetizing, red from his blood and eyes glazed over. “It will fade away, I don’t want you to do something you will regret–“ He has to keep reminding himself that this isn’t what you truly want, but when your hands press onto his shoulders, nails digging into his silky shirt, he can’t help, but let you touch him. You both breathe wildly over each other lips, him watching you try to climb onto him, but his senses win and that even shocks him.

He can easily overpower you if he wanted to, run away even, but he chooses to press you back onto the sofa. Your small whimper is quiet, but so sweet. He holds you down not letting you move, even if you still seem to quite enjoy it in some way. He hovers over you from between your legs and has to keep a great composure when you wrap them around his hips. You try so desperately pull him closer, crying out almost in displeasure when he just doesn’t move, even if he sees your dress falling to your hips.

You swallow your saliva mixed with his blood, eagerly trying to get every drop, but there is none left for you to drink. Your hands twitch around his own, him keeping them tightly pinned to your sides. Your breathing calms down a little by little, closed eyes blinking open to look up at him. You sigh deeply from your spot underneath him, even if you did feel your senses coming back to you, you can’t lie that this wasn’t you. You did that from your own will, you wanted it…his blood — it only awaken those dark desires. You feel your face and see his soften. Lips apart as his, your bodies melted into one.

Your mind clears up, but there is still the feeling of your lingering arousal. He sees you come back from the trance, watching your delicious blood going to your face underneath your skin. Hyunjin sighs deeply in relief, hand caressing yours, making you look down at it. He holds out your hand for you to see how it is completely healed now and your eyes widened in amazement. Nothing burns or hurts, you are not tired anymore. You look back at him, face shining in the dim light of the room. He pulls his lips into a smile at your adorable reaction, but you tilted your head away, before you could see it. Something reflected the light and as you turn your head to the side you came across a mirror.

You blink, for a second thinking you are just imagining things, but the reflection still stayed the same. You were the only one in the mirror. “The mirror — I can’t see you.”

You glance back at him, just to be sure he is still here with you. “It’s lined with silver.” He explains to you and your lips part again in understanding. “The only thing that can withstand our powers.”

His powers — from his inhuman strength, speed to his immortality and… “Like compulsion?” You say.

“Yes.”

“That’s why you asked me if I was wearing silver…” You wondered out loud as you back to the night when he appeared on the doorstep. Your lips parted again to ask more, but before you do so, you realized something. You legs are still wrapped around his hips. You swallow nervously, fidgeting for a moment at his unmoving stare. You release the grip you held him in, embarrassed, because his attention also for a second goes to follow your movements. “Tell me, how did you know?” You start, legs bent, but not touching him anymore, however this position maybe looks even more scandalous. “Why did you come to me?”

Your words are whispered, no need for you to talk louder and you are thankful for it. He still holds himself over you, no cramp in his body ruining his chances to see you like this under him. He so desperately tries not to breathe you in as you seem to be finally alright and collected. Your question does make his thoughts shift and he replies to you without any hesitation. “I didn’t know that at the time, I just had this feeling, I couldn’t stop thinking about you…” He will kill you with his honeyed words someday you think. “When I came back to the time when you were looking at me with your horror filled eyes they didn’t shift, your pupils didn’t move. If I would stayed longer, I would probably be able to tell immediately by your heart that it didn’t work…but with Han it did.”

You frown and he already knew you would do that. “You mean Minho?” You try to correct him, but he only shakes his head.

“No, Han…when you were at the club with your friend, well — you really weren’t as sneaky as you thought.” He is almost teasing you, but you only blink at him, still confused.

“I don’t know what you mean….”

“Before your friend found you and after Minho went inside, Han saw you. He firstly made you say why you were watching them so closely.” You put the dots together quickly. Han — that man with puffy cheeks and pouty lips. “You told him the truth and by that he knew you were the one I kept talking about, he made you forget right after…still I had to be sure that this wasn’t just a facade, so I went to see you, sorry for scaring you that night.”

You don’t take his apology too much to heart, because there is another big red flag waving at you. “How did you know where I was?” You try to sound collected you really do, because you can say that you do quite know this man before you, but the fact, he was probably following you…“Were you following me?” You hope that the dream you had, was truly a dream. Though it felt real, like he said he would never hurt you and that dream particularly didn’t end well. Now, you are looking too much into things…

He sighs, running a hand through his hair and sitting back on to his knees. “Are you mad at me?” You are taken back from the way he towers over you and how he smooths down his shirt that clinged to his body, but you still nod.

“Maybe…yes, I am!” You say, sounding like you are almost arguing with yourself. You sit up as well, taking advantage of it to pull the skirt of your dress down, because it had ridden up. “I knew someone was watching me.” You mumble, looking into the distance in thought.

“You do have excellent senses.” You don’t know if it should’ve been a compliment, because the small smirk on his lips is little to cheeky.

You fall into the corner of the couch, looking down at your hand. No scar even, you feel fine, way better in fact. You shake inside when you think back to the moment you two were drunk on each other, you drinking his blood, his noise of pleasure…You can’t think about it too much, because if you would it will only make you more desperate. You do crave someone’s touch, his. Even his hands on your waist made your heart skip a beat and by that you are sure you are not ready for more. Yet…

“Thank you for your blood.” You say, watching him slump his body in a familiar way like you at the other end of the couch.

He only gives you a small smile as welcome. He hopes you don’t see the way his eyes travel up your legs till they stop at your chest. It is a pity he didn’t see you in this dress in a better light, the color and how it draped over your skin looked quite stunning. Hyunjin feels warm inside, because you are finally excepting his gifts without any single thought. Like his wrist…

“Are you hungry?” He asks you suddenly, rather loudly, blinking rapidly.

You don’t know why, but you appreciate such a simple question. “Are you?” You say back, shrugging at his question. The moment it leaves your lips you realize what you said.

He doesn’t take it to his heart, laughing shortly to your delight. You nearly thought he would again vanish from your sight with this question. “Don’t tempt me.” Hyunjin shakes his head at you, standing up. You wish he would see that you were offering. It was bold move from you, you always bite off way more than you could chew. “I can’t drink from you, at least not now.” He mumbles those last words to himself so you don’t heard them or see his lips moving as he turns away from you. “I want you to rest and I promise you that this time I’ll be there with you.” He says, looking over his shoulder at you and you only sigh, before standing up with him to follow his steps.

The time for sleep came quite early. Even if you did have your strength back, thanks to his blood and he also from how he made sure you are well fed, your body pleaded you to take a nap. Your fright of seeing that horrifying image of those bloodied eyes was strong. You spend most of your time just laying on the bed, gazing up to the ceiling, but now you weren’t alone. Hyunjin made a promise and he did fulfill it. He layed on the couch, few feet away from you, his sketchbook in his hands to keep him occupied, because he also couldn’t sleep. His fingers played with the paper in his hands, eyes watching you in the dark and also from the corner of his eye the slightly open window to the balcony. The curtains swayed in the soft breeze, the sounds of trees and nature singing you to sleep. But he on the other hand didn’t find it appealing — how the blue light of the Moon shined inside the room, each sway of curtain showing him the bending trees outside. He didn’t sleep that night just to watch over you and looking out for anything that could harm you. You didn’t woke up, didn’t make a sound and his heart ached, because he realized, he will never again be able to not be next to you.

──────────────────────

taglist (still open);

@babrieeee @akaligogrrr @hyuninslutbbgirl @satosugu4l @lovemeorleavemetonight @dandelions-143 @skzfelixlove @syedazarintasnim @rylea08 @ahluvisyou @oddracha @annairacheyenne @dabiscrustyfeet @blankdyean @chartrucewhore @shuporanporang @palindrome969 @vv-us @reignessance @koalanacho @skz1-4-3 @hanonlymeuu

[ivyyisbored22]

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭— 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐅

Please check Intro about me ;) , my masterlist :) , Requests (& Rules) ^^

I'm currently in my writer's era, so I wanted to publish this Fanfic I've been writing for the past few weeks. I've always had POVs and ideas for stories in my head but I stored them away in my notes app or my diary. But this one, I wanted to share. (I publish on Wattpad as well but my reach over there SUCKS.)

Consider giving this story a read and tell me what you think of it. Leave your comments and feedback, I always appreciate it. I'm still a beginner, so there might be some errors here and there. If you spot any please tell me and I'll correct them.

I'll try to upload weekly or whenever I finish writing a new chapter.

WARNING ⚠️ This story is for matured readers since there's smut, mention of alcohol and strong language.

Ready? Let's get in.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Description:

𝑻𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆...

He knew that this marriage was under his agreement that it's only valid for a year. But once their contract ends and Aria tells him she is carrying his child, his protectiveness, possessiveness over her increased a ton more. He didn't want this marriage to last more than he wanted but now he can't live without her.

Bang Chan x fem/OC - Arranged marriage. Mature content. Cold Husband. Billionaire. DUAL POVS

TW ❗❗: Pregnancy (I know not everyone enjoys this trope but I can assure that once you read it you will understand the plot. Do consider giving it a chance)

This story contains mature content such as mentions of alcohol, sex and strong language. 🔞

Note: Underlined chapters are already published and non underlined ones are upcoming. Ones marked in red contains smut. At the end of each chapter, the next one is linked.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:

Chapter 1 || Chapter 13

Chapter 2 || Chapter 14

Chapter 3 || Chapter 15

Chapter 4 || Chapter 16

Chapter 5 || Chapter 17

Chapter 6 || Chapter 18

Chapter 7 || Chapter 19

Chapter 8 || Chapter 20

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢꜱ, ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ, ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴇᴇᴅʙᴀᴄᴋꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ.

If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know <3. New tags will be included in the upcoming chapters, but please note that I won't be updating the taglists in previous chapters.

Thank you for reading!

xx,

Ivyy

[tinyundercover]

pepper & felix

part one

In this universe, when a person turns 21, they gain the ability to communicate with their soulmate telepathically. For the borrower Pepper, this turns out to be quite a shock. MASTERPOST word count: 2.9k

“Can you hear me?”

The words floated around Pepper’s mind for a moment, soft and fuzzy as if he was hearing them from a distance. 

“Hello? Can you hear this?”

Pepper spun in a circle, searching for the source of the strange voice, but he was completely alone in the secluded area under a floorboard. He tensed up, briefly remembering a myth he had been told as a child, of soulmates and telepathic connections. He hadn’t thought it had been real, but…

“I’ll just try again later.”

After that, the voice went quiet, and the fuzzy feeling in Pepper’s mind vanished. He spent the next few seconds staring around at his surroundings, heart heavy. Once he was certain that he was completely alone, he tightened his grip on his satchel and continued his trek back home.

He could worry about the messages after he rationed out his food for the week.

—

The second time Pepper’s mind was filled with someone’s else’s voice, he felt more prepared.

The wiry black-haired borrower was sitting in his hammock, a thick piece of fabric being held up by two push pins in the wall. He had been absentmindedly scribbling in his journal when he heard it.

“Hello?”

Pepper bit his lip. He briefly thought back to the myth, stomach currently twisting in knots.

“It’s me. Your soulmate.”

A chill settled into Pepper’s stomach, and he drew his knees closer to his chest. 

“Um, if you want to talk back, just interlock your fingers and press them to your chest. And then I’ll be able to hear you.”

Pepper didn’t really understand how moving his hands somehow would allow this mystery voice to hear him, but he knew that being heard was not something borrowers wanted. He drew his bottom lip into his mouth, vaguely wondering if he was going crazy.

The voice had gone quiet for a moment, clearly waiting for him to respond.

Pepper could hear the disappointment as the voice said, “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk. I don’t even know if you can hear this. But, I just wanted to say hi. We’re… We’re soulmates.”

Soulmates? Pepper swallowed hard. Most borrowers go their whole lives without seeing more than fifty others of their kind, and they needed to be incredibly lucky to find someone they liked enough to start a relationship with. The idea that there was another borrower out there, that was supposedly “perfect” for Pepper, was astounding.

What if his soulmate was hundreds of miles away, hiding somewhere across the country? Pepper would never be able to meet them. 

“I just turned twenty-one a few days ago. You know, soulmate-connection age. Oh… maybe you’re not twenty-one yet and that’s why you can’t hear me. This is a little embarrassing, then. But I guess if you’re not listening, it doesn’t matter, right?”

Pepper was struggling to follow. He himself was twenty-two. You had to be at least twenty-one to communicate with your soulmate, then?

“I like to sing. I’ve always thought that my soulmate would maybe be a singer too. Or maybe not. I just get the feeling that you are artsy, too, you know?”

The borrower shifted in his hammock, peering down at the journal in his hands. He had ripped up thick sheets of paper and sewn them together with thread. He supposed he did enjoy making things.

“Are you artsy?”

The voice had lifted up a little, clearly hopeful that Pepper would respond. The borrower didn’t move an inch.

“...That’s okay. I’ll tune in later. Remember— interlocked hands on your chest. If you wanna talk.”

Pepper was left in silence. His small chest heaved with uneasy breaths, while tan arms hugged his journal close to his torso. 

Despite his apprehension, it was kind of nice to hear about his… “soulmate.” His soulmate might even be sort of brave, considering the fact that he is apparently a singer. Pepper hadn’t met a single borrower that felt comfortable enough to even speak loudly, let alone identify themselves as a singer. A strange feeling of appreciation wormed its way into Pepper’s chest. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.

Maybe it’s just nice to hear from someone, the borrower concluded. He had lived alone in the walls of this apartment for a little over two years, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had had a real conversation with someone. 

A smile settling over his face, Pepper continued doodling in his journal.

—

“Hey. My sister came to visit today.”

Pepper nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around, tiny hands clutched around a grape twice the size of his head. When he realized that he was alone in the kitchen, he relaxed microscopically.

“She just wanted to stop by to wish me a belated happy birthday. And she made me a bracelet, which is so sweet! I moved out a few years ago, and since we’re both so busy it’s hard to see each other. It was really nice.”

Pepper’s mind wandered to his own sister. She was a few years older than him, but they could be twins, sharing tan skin and shaggy black hair, two dark features that every borrower wished to have. Basil, Pepper's sister, had moved out when Pepper was fourteen. He had seen her twice since then, on the rare occasion she was able to stop home and say hi.

He really did understand his soulmate. If his hands weren’t holding the grape, he might have considered saying so.

“I don’t have any roommates, or anything, so I’m alone a lot.”

Pepper was trekking across the counter, one arm holding the grape to his hip. He reached the edge, where his hook was latched onto the smooth surface.

“I’m an introvert, so it’s fine, but it’s definitely nice to hear from the people that I care about. You know?”

It only took a few seconds for Pepper to slide all the way to the floor, carefully holding the grape in one arm to prevent it from falling. 

“My sister asked me if I had heard from my soulmate, now that I’m twenty-one. She’s really into the soulmate thing, but she’s only eighteen, so she has to wait. Anyways, I told her that I had reached out to you, but I think you might be younger than me, and you can’t hear me, maybe. Or you’re just shy?”

Pepper found the crack at the base of the counter and eased his way through, yanking his hook and his grape with him. He was met by a familiar darkness, and he subconsciously relaxed in the safety of the walls.

“Anyways, well… It’s late, and I should probably get some sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Pepper murmured, wishing he had the strength to truly say it back.

—

It had been a week since Pepper had first heard from his soulmate. Since then, the soft voice had entered his mind a total of five times— chatting about his sister, sometimes, or his favorite songs. Pepper was always left with a fondness, followed by a feeling of guilt, that he was ignoring his brave soulmate for the safety of his own comfort.

He was afraid that he would fall in love with this person. He would tell them all of his secrets and thoughts and desires, only to learn that they were miles and miles apart. Hell, even if his soulmate lived down the street, they would still be out of reach for a borrower.

But— why give up before even trying? Was it really that harmful to say hello?

So, Pepper pressed his shaky hands against his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart. He closed his eyes, focusing on the fuzziness in the back of his mind, tuning in. “Hello? Are you there?”

He felt his own heartbeat quicken as a voice immediately responded, bright and ecstatic.

“Yes! Hello! Oh my gosh!”

Pepper let out a sharp breath, a mix of a gasp and a laugh. Biting his tongue, he tried again. “It’s… nice to meet you. I’ve been wanting to talk back to you, but… I don’t know, I get scared every time. Um, yeah. I’m Pepper…”

Something strange happened, when he tried to say his name. He knew that he was saying “Pepper,” but as he did so, static had filled his mind, clouding the word.

“Oh! I guess you didn’t know. Soulmate telepathy doesn’t let you say your name. I didn’t catch that, I’m sorry.”

Huh. 

“Why? That’s dumb.” Pepper’s brow furrowed.

“I don’t know. The universe makes the rules.”

Pepper laughed again, pressing his hands further against his chest. The warmth of his hammock surrounded him, but he was solely focused on the warmth of the voice in his mind. “Well, I guess I’ll always be a mystery to you.”

“I guess you will,” his soulmate said teasingly. Pepper smiled to himself, thinking hard before proposing his next question.

“Did you have a good day?”

“I did! I called my sister.”

Pepper blinked curiously. “You called her?”

“Yeah. To say thank you again, for the bracelet. I haven’t taken it off since she gave it to me!”

The borrower stared at the wall, trying to fit the pieces together in his mind. “Do you live close to her?”

“Oh yeah, she’s only like twenty minutes away. I just called her because I was out all day.”

Pepper nodded to himself. That made more sense, he supposed. If his soulmate lived that close to his sister he could easily call out to her while on a borrowing trip.

“I have a sister too,” Pepper admitted. “But I haven’t seen her in… maybe a year? She’s six years older than me, and once we both moved out, well… you know how it is. We are not nearly as close as you and your sister.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you two close growing up?”

“Yeah, definitely. We actually lived right next to a bakery, and she would always come home with the best stuff. She got me a big piece of this brownie thing once, and it was incredible.” 

Pepper found himself smiling at the memory of Basil coming home with a big chunk of chocolate, beaming as she showed it to her younger brother. They had shared it and it had been the best thing Pepper had ever tasted.

He wondered how Basil was doing.

“Aww, that’s sweet! She seems like a nice sister.”

“She was.” Pepper relaxed into the hammock, closing his eyes. “I’d like to run out and visit her soon. Especially now that it’s getting warmer, and I can actually walk outside without drowning in snow.”

“Yeah, I get that,” his soulmate said with a note of amusement. “I still have a bruise on my leg from where I slipped on ice last December.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow. His soulmate must really be brave, going outside in the middle of winter! “I couldn’t imagine trying to walk on ice.”

“No need to rub it in,” his soulmate giggled, and he once again was left in confusion. 

When Pepper said nothing, his soulmate continued. “So, how old are you? What do you do for fun?”

Pepper chewed his lip. “I’m twenty-two. And I’m crafty, I guess? I like to draw sometimes, when I have the materials. I really like to make things.”

“I knew you would be artsy!” His soulmate said brightly. “What do you make?”

Pepper stared around his room from the height of his hammock. A scrappy rug, fairy lights, and assorted articles of clothing surrounded him. “Decorations for my room. I’ve really started getting into clothing, too. I just finished up a jacket, actually.”

“That’s so cool!”

“…Thank you,” Pepper responded, mildly surprised.

“I’m not very good with my hands, but I’m pretty good at singing. I like to perform.”

“That’s cool, too,” Pepper admitted. “I’ve never sang in my life. I don’t really know how, and I would be so scared of getting caught.”

“Aw, that’s okay. I used to be super shy when I was younger, but the stage fright eventually goes away, I promise!”

Pepper blinked up at the ceiling. “…Thanks?”

“Oh— sorry, I should probably go. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow. But… I’ll talk to you tomorrow..? If that’s okay?”

“Yes,” Pepper said immediately.

“Okay, great! Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight!”

“Goodnight.”

—

Pepper’s heart was pounding out of his chest.

He stood stiffly, back pressed against a metal thermos. He was currently stranded on the counter in the early hours of the morning, and he had greatly underestimated how early the resident human would be getting up today.

The heavy sound of footsteps filled his ears. Pepper swallowed hard, praying that the human wouldn’t touch his thermos of coffee anytime soon. The human usually forgot his coffee half the time, as sporadic as he was. Hopefully Pepper will be lucky this time.

The borrower shuffled to the side, peering around the edge of the thermos. His stomach chilled at the sight of the massive human.

The human’s hands alone dwarfed Pepper in size. A torso the size of a house moved around the room, easily carrying an enormous backpack that Pepper couldn’t even imagine trying to budge. A head of sand-colored hair was turned away from the borrower, much to his relief. The human seemed to be typing something on his phone.

The human left his apartment at different times each day, which was frustrating for Pepper. The borrower wouldn’t have ventured out this morning if he knew the human would be up before the sun rose.

Pepper’s gaze darted over to a thin crack on the wall, a few feet to the side. He could make a dash for it, but it would take about fifteen seconds to get there, and the human could turn around in any of those seconds… Pepper could wait for the human to leave the apartment, but the human might not leave without grabbing his thermos first…

The sound of keys jangling filled his ears, and Pepper’s blood ran cold. He begged for the human to leave.

He heard enormous footsteps receding, moving away from him, and he nearly sobbed in relief before a murmur filled the air. “Fuck, almost forgot—“

It took less than three seconds for the human to cross the room, and Pepper slapped his hands over his mouth at the sight of massive pale fingers closing around the thermos. He instinctively flinched away, staring up as the thermos was pulled away, leaving him stranded on the counter with a human who was sure to snatch him up the moment he laid his eyes on the defensiveness borrower—

But… the human wasn’t even looking at him.

Pepper swayed on his feet, staring at the human who was now opening his front door and stepping outside. The human had grabbed his thermos and left the apartment without even sparing a glance in Pepper’s direction.

The front door clicked shut, and the second Pepper was alone he collapsed to his knees, hugging his chest. Heavy gasps left his mouth, as the terror of the last thirty seconds left his body in shaky waves. “Oh my god, oh my god…”

He swallowed thickly, squeezing his eyes shut. Without even realizing what he was doing, he slid his hands to his chest, clasping his fingers together. “Hello? Hello? Are you there?”

It took a few agonizing seconds to receive a response, and Pepper almost sobbed in relief at the familiar soft voice that filled his mind. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I almost just got caught,” Pepper blurted, heart pounding.

“What do you mean?”

“Caught! I almost got caught! I was out, and the bean almost saw me, I almost— oh my god, I could have… this could have been so bad. Oh my god.”

His soulmate was silent for a long time, and Pepper’s stomach twisted in apprehension, a feeling that quickly morphed into irritation, that his soulmate would just ignore him when he was so clearly upset.

“Did you hear me?” He demanded with more anger that he intended.

“Uh, yeah, I— yeah, I heard you, I’m just a little confused. Sorry. Are you okay?”

Pepper swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut. Suddenly filled with the horrifying thought that the human could return at any moment, he jumped to his feet, beginning to jog towards the crack in the wall. “Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine now, he’s gone. I— I’m sorry, I’m just shaken up. That was just a really close call.”

“Uh,” his soulmate said. “Were you in danger? Did someone attack you? Maybe you should call nine-one-one?”

Pepper nearly laughed at the absurdity. “Of course I was in d—“

He skidded to a halt suddenly. “…nine… one one?”

“Yeah? Oh, I’m sorry— are you not in America? What’s your emergency line?”

Ice seeped into Pepper’s veins. His hands remained clasped against his chest, although they were significantly shakier than they were before.

“Are you… a…”

Pepper couldn’t bring himself to ask. Despite being alone, terror was sinking into his stomach like a rock. There was no way. No way!

“I’m sorry,” Pepper said numbly, staggering towards the crack in the wall. “I have to go.”

“Wha— are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Sorry. I promise I’m fine. Bye.”

His hands fell from his chest as he squeezed into the walls, immediately stumbling against a piece of wood to catch his balance. His soulmate was sending him a confused farewell, but he could barely hear it over the blood pounding in his ears.

“I can’t believe this,” Pepper heaved, burying his face in his hands.  “My— my soulmate is a human?”

thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed :]

reposts are appreciated <3

[aestheteasteria]

Men with long hair are my religion

[jeongtothein]

SKZ TEXTS : WHEN YOU SIMP FOR ANOTHER MEMBER

bsf! gen! reader x hyung line !! (platonically)

Got this idea from someone else but i don’t know their @ 😞😞

[daceydeath]

Club 143

Pairing: 0T8 x Reader, Felix x Reader Word Count: 27.1K Genre: Work Romance, slow burn, Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, swearing, male escorts, hosting, alcohol, Explicit Activities

This is my offering of thanks for the 2K of you that have followed me and also kept me going over the past 12 months you guys are amazing and I love the absolute shit out of you all xx

It had been a hard 18 months in every single way, your boyfriend has cheated on you, your job was a never ending cycle of not quite making it and all your friends were either getting married or having babies. Something had to go your way, so this new editorial opportunity had to be the start of it all turning around for you.

You swiped left again, the dating app that your best friend had downloaded for you was full to the brim with fuck boys, dip shits and douche bags none of which interested you long enough to even read the stupid little bio they had written. You had been alone long enough to know you didn't want to waste the little time and effort you could give to someone to be wasted on someone who wouldn't even be able to give you what you wanted let alone what you needed. You had complained to your best friends often enough that one had bought you a vibrator and the other had installed this stupid app telling you to just get back out there and meet people but you were struggling. You didn't want a cheap fuck in an alley behind a club or a guy who couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag let alone find your clitoris taking you home. You wanted to feel good, it wasn't neurosurgery it shouldn't be that hard to find. You had tried dating a few times since your break up with your ex but to begin with it was hard to trust a man again and then you realized you perhaps didn't want to fall straight back into a relationship until it was too late and you had given all the better options the flick.

Sighing you got back to work figuring that it would keep you busy you had been in the news media for a while now and although you weren't a fully qualified journalist, you had never bothered with university, you had made your way up the food chain and were currently working in the health, wellness and well being section of your company. You were sent to cover makeup launches, yoga classes, newest beauty surgical day spas and other garbage but this week you had been given a different assignment. As one of the only women in the team who didn't get embarrassed at the sight of anything too 'exciting' you were being sent to the latest host club for professional women. A week's worth of sitting around trying to not get too drunk while you watched professional, lonely and probably far too wealthy women get flirted with by attractive young men. It had made you a little nervous but you had looked into everything you had been given and you were hoping that it would go smoothly. 

Club 143 was in midtown just across the district border from the wealthiest areas of the city. The home of idols, celebrities and the business elite, it was incredibly well located to cater to their every need and whim. The man who you had spoken to over the phone had seemed quite casual, he had introduced himself as Bang Chan and said he was the owner and operator, he also seemed quite happy to have you come for the week to see how the premises operated and ran. You were going for the following day Wednesday to meet him and see what the club had to offer then you would meet with the various hosts and finally if you wished to he would grant you the full host experience free of charge in exchange for the editorial you would write. Your phone ringing broke you out of organizing what you would need to know for preparation.

"Good evening" you answered, slightly distracted as you saved your research on Mr Bang.

"Have I called at a bad time?" Chan's voice sounded slightly concerned.

"No not at all Mr Bang, I was just preparing for tomorrow" you chirped wanting to sound professional and interested despite being nervous.

"Good, good. I was thinking if it isn't too early we could start at about 11? It will just be me and the bar and waiting staff to begin with so don't feel you need to be dressed up. The boys wouldn't arrive until after 7 anyway so if you need to run home or to the office you have plenty of time" He explained to you gently.

"Oh excellent, that will hopefully give me time to interview you about the first half or so of the editorial on the beginnings and such" you nodded your head even though he couldn't see you.

"I'll see you tomorrow then" He said warmly, his voice having an effect of soothing you each time you heard it.

"See you tomorrow Mr Bang" you hung up feeling a little less worried but still unsure of how this assignment would go.

Arriving at 10:55 you stood looking at the fairly standard looking five story glass building, the only thing making it look slightly different from its surroundings was a total lack of signage except for a small black and sign with elegant gold script reading Club 143 next to the large front doors.

"Good morning Miss" a calm professional voice spoke, making you almost jump "You are here to meet with Mr Bang correct?". 

"Um yes, yes I am, I'm from the editorial team at JYP News" you smiled introducing yourself and following her inside.

"I'm just one of the wait staff Miss, Mr Bang asked us to keep an eye out for you and bring you to his office once you arrived" she explained leading you through the opulent looking bar with its high ceiling and huge chandelier to a door reading staff which she opened for you and gestured for you to enter and take a seat "He won't be long Miss" 

Nodding as she left you alone to wait you looked at the waiting area you had been led to, soft wingback armchairs in warm chocolate tones filled the space, gold accented furniture and a wooden floor seemed excessive for a staff area but you assumed you needed to present the lavish luxury everywhere just in case.

"Miss Kim?" His deep velvety voice asked, making your eyes snap to him "I'm Bang Chan, but please call me Chan" . His warm smile and adorable dimples were a stark contrast from his built physique and generally sexy appearance.

"Hello, if I am going to call you by your first name then please call me by mine" you swallowed hard shaking his hand as you greeted him.

"Good, I prefer to keep things as casual as possible, it can get too pretentious otherwise" He explained cheekily taking you into his office which was far more minimalist than the ostentatious club. "This is my office, we have seen the boys waiting room and you walked through the bar, would you like the tour first or to chat?"

"How about the tour first then we can start the start of the interview process" you smiled politely placing your bag on the floor beside his desk.

"Alright then" he clapped as you followed him back out to the bar to begin "This is the main bar this is where anyone can come to have a drink or enjoy themselves without interruptions, this bar isn't limited to women but we do anticipate that most of the clientele will be female due to the other services we provide"

"So this is not host related at all then just a regular bar?" you asked looking at the beautiful furnishings and row upon row of alcohol bottles that lined the mirrored walls behind the bar.

"Yes the first 2 levels are just a speakeasy come cocktail bar level 3 is where that changes although any available host will be down here in hopes of attracting clients" he waggled his eyebrows at you while he guided you to the large staircase which you climbed after he had offered his arm to you looking over the large cut out that had been made to house the gigantic chandelier.

"It does look beautiful" you murmur your fingers sliding against the fabric of the leather couches as you continue to the far end of the room towards the elevator that stood with its glimmering golden doors set against a black marble wall "Although very opulent".

"Opulence is not your taste then?" Chan queried interested in your opinion as the elevator doors opened and you stepped in together.

"Not to this level, I like a little bit of glitz every now and again but I'm more of a homebody" you felt your face heat up as you spoke not wanting to insult his business before you had even had a proper conversation with him.

"That's fair, I'm not into this lifestyle either, it is excessive" he chuckled. "But the women who are will pay for this experience without a second thought".

"Clever Chan, you know your target audience well" you tried not to smirk as you watched him stuff his hands into the pockets of his black chinos as you traveled up to the next floor through the mirrors all around you.

"This is level 3 and the first level of the host experience, women of all ages can come here and be doted on by male hosts who will drink with them, eat with them and basically fawn over them providing all the attention they desire" Chan continued to explain as your eyes roamed the deep red painted booths that could be hidden behind matching deep red velvet curtains. Before returning to the elevator to go up again into another room full of more private booths that were set further apart to elude more privacy.

"Level 4 is the next level of our host services, so the private bookings or most popular hosts will normally be here. They see people one on one for extended periods of time" Chan continued as you took in another over the top room only this time in deep emerald greens with gold accents.

"Ok so most popular? Does that mean the most requested? So the hosts on the lower level are more of a on demand and availability sort of set up?" You asked making a note in your phone to include the differences when you started writing.

"Yes, the ones that are requested the most or have customers wanting to request them on a regular basis. Yes they will be on this floor" he smiled as you took a few notes and asked things you weren't sure of.

"Is this the last level?" You asked, thinking back to when you had looked into the building as part of your research "I thought this was a five story building" you tilted your head to him.

"You are right there is one more level which I'll give you a tour of only one part since it needs to remain an enigma to out clients" he smirked like a cat who had gotten the cream as you stepped into the lift once again the last floor could only be accessed by key card as Chan swiped his allowing for the floor to be selected.

"Oh, is it really a secret then?" you sassed playfully as the lift climbed to the final floor, the lift opened revealing a single hallway that led to a set of 10 doors the entire hallway painted deep navy blue with only the golden door handles and numbers glinting like stars against the dark walls.

"This is level 5, the premium service, and the most expensive and exclusive part of Club 143" Chan grinned, leading you out of the elevator with his hand resting against your lower back "Pick a door any door and that will be the final part of the tour". You walked down the hallway and stopped before door three looking back at Chan with your eyebrow cocked"

"Door 3 please Chan" you smiled.

"Are you sure you won't get to see inside the others, this is the only one you will see?" He teased walking to the door and swiping his card and opening the handle slowly as you nodded up at him.

"Woah" you muttered as you stepped into what could be a million dollar penthouse, with a lounge area, large bedroom and as you wandered a giant bathroom with a several person bathtub and shower that could fit at least four people.

"Level 5 is the full host experience, you are wined and dined in the comfort of a luxury home and there are no rules except for the ones made between the host and the client" he explained further as you turned back to him, your eyes wide at his obvious implications.

"I'm sorry level 5 is a brothel?" you almost squeaked as Chan doubled over in laughter.

"We provide a full service, but it doesn't have to include sex" Chan continued to chuckle "Some of our hosts are escorts some are not, some of the women who come to this floor will only be here to avoid being recognized on the lower floors some will be willing to part with a lot of money for a night with one of my boys".

"Sorry, that came out quite rudely didn't it?" you apologized flustered "I just wasn't expecting hosts and escorts".

"It's fine" he shrugged, still trying to stop his laughter "Come back downstairs and we can chat about it all in my office and grab some lunch, I've told the kitchens that anything on the menu you order is on the house".

"You don't have to put up with me poking around all week and feed me" you retorted knowing how much this was potentially going to put him out of pocket.

"If you are here and you are working then I should feed you, it's the only way for you to have a fully immersive experience after all" he shrugged as you got out of the lift on the ground floor and followed him back to his office.

You had spoken with Chan about everything you could think of, why he started the club, where the idea had come from and how he selected the hosts you had moved into the waiting room that he had called the boys waiting room setting up your laptop and starting with the opening parts of your editorial as well as typing up your notes of all the things you would need for later a tasting plate of pasta that the chef had prepared for you sat mostly eaten beside the coffee you had asked one of the bar staff for. You felt strange being given anything you asked for so you had tried your hardest to only order a relatively inexpensive dish off the overly expensive menu so as not to appear greedy or that you were taking advantage of Chan's generous hospitality.

"Good afternoon beautiful" a soft pleasant voice interrupted your typing as you looked up slightly confused as two handsome men had walked into the waiting room.

"He means you sweetheart" the other smiled, his pretty smile and easy manner distracting from his hulkingly muscular frame.

"Hello" you answered quietly as Chan emerged from his office. 

"Minho, Changbin you're early and you have met our resident reporter I see" he rolled his eyes at them both.

"Resident reporter?" The taller one quirked his head furrowing his brows.

"Remember the editorial that is being written about our first week to help boost the popularity of the place Minho?" Chan sighed slightly exasperated.

"Oh yeah shit that's right" he smirked "Sorry" he turned to you again looking smug rather than sorry as you blinked again and went back to your article taking a sip of coffee.

"Get in the office will you we have stuff to talk about" Chan groaned as the other two plodded into the office after him and you took that as your cue to finish up and go home to change for the evening so that you at least looked the part of someone who should be in attendance at a fancy arsed party. You had borrowed a few dresses from a colleague that you had spoken to about the assignment, she had suggested you stick to darker and more modest dresses that would help you blend into the background so that you didn't draw unwanted attention. Needless to say the black square necked mid length dress made you feel like no one would notice you compared to the socialites that were expected to be in attendance.

When you returned to Club 143 the doorman ushered you straight in and you were met by a well dressed man who welcomed you and took you back to the waiting room you had been in for half of your day.

"Mr Bang, your guest has returned" he knocked and ushered you in leaving you quite surprised at the room now full of preposterously handsome men.

"Um hello, guests aren't meant to be back here sweetheart" One of them smiled his eyes friendly as he moved to take you into the still empty bar.

"There you are! you disappeared I wondered which one of the boys had stolen you away" Chan teased.

"Well I didn't think I would fit in that well in a work suit so sorry about that" you sassed straight back feeling distinctly more comfortable after floating around him for so long during the course of the day.

"Miss reporter you came back" one of the guys from earlier grinned.

"Reporter?" A very young looking man asked, his fine facial features making him look distinctly fox like.

"This is the reporter who will be doing the editorial on the club to, hopefully, increase our business. She's here for the whole week so be nice to her. She isn't a client so don't treat her like one" Chan announced.

"This is Minho and Changbin who you saw earlier today" he gestured to the two guys furthest away, "this is Han, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Felix". You followed Chan hand as he introduced each one, smiling until you met his eyes. He was so beautiful he almost took your breath away but you tore your eyes back to look at Chan as he introduced you to them.

"I figured tonight you can wander at will observing whatever interests you and then tomorrow you can talk to the guys about whatever you need for the article" he continued.

"Sure that sounds good, give me a chance to see the rest of the staff in action as well" you smiled politely hoping to seem professional.

"We do have more hosts obviously, but they are either getting changed or not here yet" he added, looking at you as you quirked your eyebrow at him.

"How many are there in total?" you tilted your head pulling your phone from your tiny purse to take more notes.

"There are thirty hosts in total and these seven are the ones I expect to be the... most popular ones" Chan smirked.

"Oh the host for upstairs, the hosts that are actually escorts but you're calling them hosts, those hosts? Right" you rolled your eyes sounding sarcastic as you entered a few short notes looking back up at him to see a shit eating grin on his face.

"You catch on quick" he winked.

"You are an impossible flirt Mr Bang" you pursed your lips to cover your chuckle.

"Hey what did I say about the Mr Bang thing?" he almost yelped.

"Not to use it" you met his eyes cheekily "So naturally that will be what I call you". 

Your eyes flicked back across the others, taking in the amused expressions before you put on your best professional face and turned back to the door, opening it and walking though to cut off whatever comeback he was preparing for you.

"If you need me Mr Bang I'll be at the bar, need to review your bar staff too you know" you called as you walked towards the large bar where three barmen were waiting.

Once the music started and the doors opened to the many beautiful and well dressed women who wanted to see what a building full of ridiculously handsome men could offer them. You watched as each of the impeccably dressed hosts were either assigned or accosted by the women filling the bar you watched on seeing socialites you recognized, CEO’'s and directors of well known businesses and politicians wives all ogling the men you had met earlier and the many that you hadn't as they flitted through the crowd with ease. Chan was busy entertaining a group of women who all had glasses of champagne in their hands, Minho seemed to be captivating his audience of four young women who had bee lined for him and an a tall man you hadn't met was keeping another group of women enthralled by some story he was weaving for them.

"All alone tonight Miss R?" A sexily deep voice asked from you left making you jump slightly as you turned to face him as he slipped the stem of a glass of champagne between your fingers.

"Oh no I'm just observing tonight" you answered slightly flustered by how smooth his actions had been until you actually looked at him, tall, blond and handsome in an expensive tailored looking suit.

"I'm Felix" he smiled dazzlingly, taking in what must have been a slightly shocked expression on your face "We met before but there were a lot of names for you to remember".

"Yes, yes we did" you smiled back feeling helpless to do anything else as his golden flecked brown eyes skimmed over your face "How is the night going so far for you?".

"I would say excellent but then I saw you alone and I thought you might want a little company for just a little while" His voice was like honey and you instantly realized that this must be why Chan knew he would be so popular with his clientele.

"That would be lovely Felix, but aren't you meant to be working?" you sipped the champagne to cover the flush that was creeping up your neck as he moved a few strands of your hair behind your eyes.

"I am working" he teased "I am working on giving you a good view of how this works although this is more enjoyable to me than politicians wives or silly socialites".

"I can't tell if you are actually telling me the truth or that you are a professional when it comes to flirting" you admitted almost too quietly to hear over the music and noise.

"Truth not flirting" he smiled crookedly "Flirting is hardly going to work on you since you know what happens here".

"Well thank you for the honesty" you conceded while taking another sip of the wine.

"It's not entirely selfless but it thought I could show you around a bit let you see how upstairs is looking" he suggested offering you his arm like a gentleman "after all showing you around does give me at least something enjoyable to do that also gets me away from some of the women old enough to be my mother" he joked.

"I would really like that, it seems less like spying if I am next to you" you grinned taking the offered arm before Felix escorted you to the elevator, you noticed the looks some of the women threw at you and started to fell a little self conscious of the sheer lack of wealth and importance you looked as you passed them.

"Ignore them" Felix whispered, placing his other hand on top of the one you were holding his arm with. "They are just jealous of how beautiful you look tonight compared to them".

"I agree that they are jealous but it's not for how I look it's because I'm with you Felix" you whispered back making him smile genuinely at you. "So level 3 then?"

"We can start there and see where it takes us" Felix smirked naughtily as though he was intentionally breaking a rule, gently guiding you into the elevator along with another host you hadn't seen before who had a giggly young woman clutching his arm Felix tiled his body to hide you from the other woman his warm chest brushing against your arm.

Stepping from the lift the hosted area looked almost as full as the bar downstairs, each of the booths were either occupied or had velvet ropes preventing the area being used until a host was available to fill it. Felix took your hand from his arm and instead guided you with his arm delicately draped around your waist, your skin heating up where he made contact with your dress. He helped you onto one of the bar stools slipping onto his own beside you and catching the attention of one of the bartenders.

"What is your drink of choice?" he asked casually, still looking toward the bartender.

"Oh I'm working, I shouldn't be drinking" you replied softly.

"Well how about a non alcoholic drink?" he shot you a seductive smirk as you blinked at him.

"Um" you thought for a moment.

"Can I get two specialty martinis please" Felix ordered before turning back to you and winking "if you say specialty at any of these bars they will serve you a non alcoholic drink that looks like one so no one is the wiser".

"Any other tips you can share with me?" you smiled gracefully as the bartender placed the two drinks in front of you making Felix lean into your ear as though he was spilling secrets.

"Don't take Chan as just the owner, he is one of us too" he whispered "and to be honest half the escort boys you met would have knocked me out if they knew I was going to monopolize your attention for so long". His breath grazed your neck as he spoke, making you shiver hoping that he wouldn't notice the effect he was having on you and the struggle to remain as professional as possible that you were currently battling inside your head.

"How often this week do you think you will be on this floor then Felix?" you whispered back hoping to keep the purely professional status between you since your mind was screaming at you that he was too good to be true.

"This is probably going to be the only time to be honest with you" he moved to tuck your hair behind your ear once again, before taking your elbow to guide you back across to the elevator "I have a feeling I will be booked fairly solidly from here on out, shall we see the next floor?"

Stepping into the elevator again Felix draped his arm once again around your waist pulling you closer to his side, completely distracting you from the doors closing or opening again, before leading you from the elevator to a private booth at the far end of the room and sliding you in and following in after you.

"So tell me, why did you take this assignment?" he tilted his head looking only into your eyes as he spoke, capturing you entirely from what you had been planning on observing around the room.

"Truthfully, I was hoping I could make a good impression on my bosses and get more interesting work" you admitted "I'm a little tired of the ten ways to look younger, or how to land a wealthy boyfriend articles I usually get".

"Hmm, I can understand that" he sipped his drink casually. "You don't seem the type to work in the whole lifestyle media world to be honest with you, you seem more serious".

"I wouldn't have taken you for an escort either, a rich boy maybe or even a host but still here we are" you fired back teasingly.

"Well right now I'm not any of those things" he smirked, eyes twinkling in the low mood lighting of the room.

"Oh I'm pretty sure you're still a rich boy, judging by how tailored that designer suit is" you giggled playfully, enjoying how he was making you feel much more comfortable than you had anticipated.

"Fair I am still that, but I'm not treating you like I would if you were one of my guests, I thought you might get a bit sick of me if it was all just smoke and mirrors" The honesty of his words made you feel somewhat pleased that you were seeing a more realistic version of Felix even if it wasn't the same as if you had met him anywhere else on any other day.

"Right this is where you're hiding huh?" Chan's voice floated over you both bursting the bubble that you were currently in.

"I'm just showing Miss R what a host experience would entail Chan" Felix grinned cheekily.

"Well you have a booking so off you trot I'll find someone else to entertain our fly on the wall guest" Chan chuckled as Felix got out of the booth missing the look he shot you before he left to find his guest, he looked almost a little disappointed to be leaving you which made butterflies burst out in your stomach.

"Would you like me to find someone to look after you?" Chan's voice had you turning back to him blinking.

"Oh no, it's opening night, you need them for your guests, I'll just wander and keep to myself if that is easier" you said hurriedly not wanting to cause him any issues.

"That's fine too. I have a keycard for you so you can go to any of the floors you want, except the top, don't want you walking into something you shouldn't" he winked sneakily pressing the card into your hand before heading back to your assumed work.

You slipped from the booth taking the final sip of your drink and heading towards the elevator deciding that you should probably make your way back down to the bar to observe the party and not just spend the rest of the evening hoping to catch a glimpse of Felix again. Stepping into the party atmosphere of the upper bar you walked towards the bar slipping around groups of women and wait staff who looked like they had been training for how busy it was going to be for weeks in advance. Different handsome men caught your attention as you looked about, all were almost unbelievably attractive but no two looked that much alike they all had their own uniqueness which you suppose was how they made their money catering to the exact fantasy of the guest they were entertaining. As you made your way closer to the bar you were intercepted by a man you hadn't met before.

"Good evening, beautiful, what brings you here alone?" His smooth voice washed over you "May I keep you company?".

"Hello and of course you can but you will be wasting your time on me" you apologized quickly.

"I would very much doubt that" you smiled softly, his pretty eyes and angelic face making you feel a little flustered "I'm Yunho" he introduced himself taking your hand to press a chaste kiss to your knuckles.

"Pleasure to meet you Yunho" you stammered as he guided you to a seat at the bar "I'm the reporter that is writing the editorial on the place".

"Oh you're Miss R!" his eyes lit up as he waved down one of the staff at the bar "Some of the others were talking about you, said you were very pretty and had been swept off her feet by Felix. I'll admit I'm pleased that only one of those is true".

"I can tell you're a host but what kind of host are you?" you licked your lips trying to keep your composure at his flirting.

"Ah Chan already mentioned there are differences, no wonder he's hopeless with telling too much to pretty girls" he laughed "But I am just a host, I'm not in the same league as Felix, Chan or Hyunjin".

"Now you know I'm not a paying guest, do you still want to sit here with me?" you questioned not just because you wanted to ask him everything you could think of about his job but also because you didn't want to make him feel obligated if there was money to be made elsewhere.

"I would rather talk with you about whatever you wish to know than pretend to be interested in empty headed socialites" he whispered coyly his lips coming closer to your ear "Although maybe we should move to our own little corner rather than the bar?"

"What did you have in mind, Yunho? you're the one with experience here" you whispered back conspiratorially a small smile tugged on the corners of his lips.

"Follow me Miss R, I'll show you all the ins and outs" you waggled his eyebrows playfully at you before picking up two tall glasses that looked like gin and tonics. Yunho nestled you right into the front corner of the upper level which gave you access to watch the whole floor and a good section of the lower floor placing your glass in front of you he sat closely beside you.

"What drew you to this job?" you quipped as soon as he was seated.

"Well I fell into it actually, I met a few of the other guys Yeosang, Wooyong and Mingi they said I should give it a go. I already knew I had pretty good looks so why not use them to make some money right?" He explained animatedly "So after I worked at a few different host places where I was just part time I met Chan, he had given the others a job and he gave me one too".

"That is such a random set of circumstances" you laughed.

"Well the other three work here with me, we’re here 5 nights a week and make more then we would working a normal job with way less hours" he shrugged easily his smile infectious as he looked at you softly "I meet interesting people, I get paid to flirt and be charming it is the easiest job in the world the only downside is that I haven't told my family and getting a girlfriend is hard" you nodded empathizing with him, you hadn't thought about it but you would probably have to leave all last names out of the article to make sure that a level on anonymity was maintained. You couldn't out people for their jobs to their family after all that was unethical.

"So the hours are good and the job isn't too hard? Sounds like a dream really" you said wistfully thinking of how much over time you were going to need to work to type up the part of the article to do with the opening.

"It's not all roses, some of the people we have to entertain treat us like shit, we are paid to give them attention, flatter them, make them feel special but they treat us like we are nothing more than an object half the time. Or worse we get some who not only eat up every word we say but believe it so they become obsessed and come in all the time." he continued shrugging as though it was normal to have admirers fighting for your attention.

"What happens in the case of them becoming obsessed?" you asked genuinely concerned.

"Well as long as they can afford to pay for our time then we keep seeing them, you do feel bad for them they think we are in love with them and we are actually saying the same to the next woman we see. Once they can't afford our time they can come in the building anymore" his answers were still far too casual for what he was talking about in your opinion.

"They are just barred?" you almost splutter.

"Well not barred permanently they can come back when they can afford to but that is why Chan decided to make a much more elite version of the standard club. The more money you have the more you can spend but the more likely you will draw a scandal if you become too invested in any one host" he clarified not looking at you directly but leaning in to you as he spoke so he could keep his voice quiet. He seemed to be watching the room far closer than you which made you sit back from him and continue to scan the crowd and how smoothly things were coming together.

You couldn't help notice the moment Chan walked back into your eye line speaking to another quite tall and attractive man who he sent toward a man who had been standing at the bottom of the stairs monitoring the room the whole time you had been in a place you could see him. You hadn't been introduced but you assumed he was the majordomo in Chan's stead while they were all working, he seemed to direct just about every host that was on the lower floors and he sent this tall handsome one up the stairs towards you.

"Good evening Miss R" he smiled almost sinfully "I'm San and I deeply apologize but I need to steal Yunho here away".

"Oh of course, I don't want to interrupt your work" your eyes widened slightly thinking you had gotten Yunho in trouble "I didn't mean to take so much of his time".

"Don't worry Miss R" Yunho grinned roguishly "I think someone else wants to monopolize your time" he stood following San across the floor to a group of women who were probably in the later part of their thirties to make a good impression and hopefully some business.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Chan noted, offering you his hand so you could stand.

"This is a lovely bar regardless of the other things you have going on here" you conceded watching him look proud from a moment.

"Would you like to have a little more in depth look around?" He offered chuckling at how you seemed to be taking in as many details as possible.  

"How much more in depth?" you tilted your head at him for a moment making him chuckle before he led you to the elevator. 

"Were going up to the level 4 I have a space that I haven't been able to fill that I think you might be perfect for" Chan almost purred as he spoke to you making your body react in a way you hadn't expected, you shivered and your breathing increased at the prospect of what he meant.

"I'm confused Chan" you said slowly as he gently guided you towards a booth that was unoccupied.

"Well the fourth floor has a booth that hasn't been filled and a host that hasn't been assigned so I was hoping you would do me a favor and fill that gap for the time being" he revealed helping you on to the plush velvet couch that made up the majority of the space. Most of the curtains around you were drawn partially or completely, you could see the occasional glimpse of the host that was working but not the guest. The booth to your right hand side Changbin lounging legs half spread as he lent toward whoever he was entertaining to your left you saw a flash of blonde hair and a tailored suit and knew instantly it was Felix.

"I can do that for you, it would be my pleasure" you bit your bottom lip a little to cover the nerves you were feeling but you did feel like you owed Chan to help him if he needed a favor in return for the unlimited access he was giving you.

"Excellent, I will let him know you are here" He grinned walking behind you to the bar. You didn't want to get caught looking around too much but you couldn't help your curiosity, looking at the other booths you could see occasional comings and goings of the wait staff bringing drinks or bottles of wine but nothing too interesting until you sat further into the cushions and looked to your left noticing Felix's looking at you with a almost annoyed expression but his eyes darted away quickly.

"Hello, we met earlier" a slightly husky voice took your attention away from Felix and to yet another handsome man, this one tall and lean with beautiful features and the prettiest lips you thought you had ever seen on anyone ever. "I'm Hyunjin".

"Hello Hyunjin, I do remember" you swallowed feeling shy to be under such an intense gaze, he moved to draw the curtains across both the left and right of you to keep you from any other person's gaze but not before snorting softly as he pulled the left side across. Sitting beside you he pushed a small button on the coffee table in front of you and made himself comfortable.

"I realize this might be slightly strange for you but I will try to make this as genuine as I can without too much theatrics" He chuckled honestly making you feel a little more at ease.

"How is it that a host such as yourself is not fully booked?" you asked tentatively not wanting to start off on the wrong foot.

"Well my guest was unable to choose between myself and another host so she flipped a coin and I was suddenly no longer booked" he smirked as you furrowed your brow at him. "We will see guests in pairs or sometimes even groups but if they want a more one-on-one experience we usually prefer to work solo, unless of course the price is right".

"One on one? you don't, mean down here do you?" you asked, picking up and sipping the glass of wine that had appeared on the table for you brought by a very discrete member of the staff.

"Perceptive of you" he chuckled and smiled fondly at you "Yes one on one upstairs".

"Well you guys have to pay your rent too" you shrugged looking up at him "So what is a night with a host actually like? Is it all flirting and playing a role for you?"

"Its both those things but much more, I won't bother with the smoke and mirrors Felix said you can see through that, but we make conversation, give you our full attention, give you the opportunity to unwind with a man you might not normally get to spend time with" Hyunjin clarified "We are paid to feign interest but I won't need to do that either because you Miss R are quite interesting already".

"Why have all of you started calling me that?" you almost giggle watching his eyes crinkle with amusement.

"Well you are a reporter, and we are not going to call you by your name in case someone recognizes you, you get the anonymity that the rest of us hosts do while you're here. But if you come back after we will all definitely use your name" Hyunjin teasingly laughed making you smile as his eyes turned into perfect little moons making him look younger.

"How did you fall into this life Hyunjin? Was it just that you are incredibly attractive?" you continued to smile as he looked almost surprised at the confidence with which you spoke as you swirled your drink.

"Incredibly attractive huh?" Hyunjin smirked, recovering quickly. "Probably the same way as the others you have spoken to did, I was in art school and pretty broke. I was thinking I could do life modeling for extra money but that isn't the best paid job. I overheard a classmate say she had gone to a host club with her friend and they weren't even as pretty as me and I thought I can do that so I did" he shrugged casually readjusting his position on the couch so he was closer to you.

"That is actually not too different from what Yunho told me" you agreed, finishing the glass of wine.

"Yunho? First you run off with Felix then Yunho, you are popular" Hyunjin joked moving to pour more wine into your glass.

"That's not what happened!" You almost squeaked "Felix showed me around and Yunho just sat with me for a little while at the bar in between his bookings". Hyunjin threw his head back laughing at your defense while you still looked scandalized.

"I was just teasing you Miss Reporter" he admitted smiling wide, his overly sexy demeanor dropping to show you a glimpse of the more everyday version of him as you continued to sip to hide your nerves and keep yourself grounded.

"I think I might have gotten Felix in trouble though" you admitted sheepishly "Chan didn't look too pleased I was taking up his time".

"Oh he wasn't displeased or even annoyed" Hyunjin interrupted you swiftly "Chan was thrilled Felix took an interest in you actually, it gave him the potential of a very favorable editorial and also Felix doesn't really have an interest in anyone who isn't part of our little circle".

"What do you mean by that, the not showing interest part?" you quizzed quickly feeling more forthright as the alcohol buzzed through your system.

"Felix is incredibly professional, he doesn't see women outside of the job, we were worried he was gay for a while and that we had been using him to attract the wrong clients. But he just doesn't take any interest because he doesn't want to get hurt, he knows nearly all women would not want to be with a man who make his money fucking other women" Hyunjin stated bluntly.

"Oh that's awful. Do you all feel like that?" You probed gently feeling sad for Felix and mad at yourself for not noticing that he was perhaps not happy.

"We all love our job, we are well paid, we get to spend time with beautiful women and we can work when we want. But it can be lonely in our world" his smile was wistful as he looked at you moving to tuck you hair behind your ear slowly pulling his hand away from you.

"Still, that sounds like it makes things harder for you" you sighed, meeting his eyes.

"Kind of you to say but we will only have this job for so long, then we will have the rest of our lives to find someone" Hyunjin leaned a little closer again but you didn't mind closer was good for sharing information that otherwise wouldn't be divulged.

"Still you're all so young to just give up on the idea that someone out there won't care for you regardless" you chastised playfully "You only have your youth once Hyunjin".

"Well consider me a changed man then" he giggled, taking your hand in his tracing his fingers in small circles across your wrist. "What about you then? Surely your boyfriend would have hated the idea of you spending a week here, job or not".

"I am very single so that was not an issue" you grinned starting to feel a little more than buzzed from the wine.

"I find it hard to believe someone as gorgeous as you is single" he smirked, his fingers still tracing patterns on your bare wrist and forearm.

"Funny Hyunjin" you rolled your eyes. "I have actually been single for a while, I don't seem to attract the right men".

"Again that seems unlikely but if you say so" he teased, topping your glass up again.

"I understand how you are so popular as a host now though" you smirked while you enjoyed his flirting and gentle touches you knew they weren't real.

"I'll let you in on a little secret then shall I?" Hyunjin whispered in a low voice sliding across the velvet surface until he was touching your thigh with his and his words could be breathed directly into your ear.

"Sure Hyunjin, tell me and see if I believe you" you whispered back sounding more confident than you were.

"Everything I have said has been true and I would very much like to take you upstairs" he whispered again pressing his lips to your earlobe.

"I'm sorry?" you spluttered, completely flustered by his words and the feeling of his lips on your skin.

"I. would. like. to. take. you. upstairs" he repeated slowly enunciating each word.

"I, um, why would you want that?" you stuttered feeling heat burning under your skin

"I think I could show you exactly how you should be treated, I think you would enjoy it and I very much would" he continued slipping his arm around your shoulders to hold you closer against him, the hand on your wrist now cupping your face.

"I don't think you mean that Hyunjin" you whispered breathily, your wide eyes trained on him.

"I think you will find that I do" he smiled sultrily before closing the space between you and softly pressing his lips to yours. It had been so long since you had been kissed you almost melted into him as his plump lips slid against yours but instead you pulled away slightly and Hyunjin dropped his hand from your face as he moved to press his forehead against yours.

"Hyunjin" you breathed your breath no doubt caressing his lips given how close he still was "You can't, we can't, I can't".  

"Because of your editorial or because you don't want to?" he smiled softly, not moving away from you.

"The editorial is most of it" you admitted trying to get your heart rate to calm "but I also don't want to be tipsy if I was to go upstairs with you or anyone else".

"You are very honest Miss R, which is almost fatally attractive" he whispered fondly, moving himself slightly further back from you to give you a little more room.

"I try to be" you blinked, still feeling a little dazed.

"How about we call this a night, I will make sure you get a driver to take you home and make sure you are safe" Hyunjin smiled ruefully.

"I am sorry Hyunjin, I don't mean it harshly I just don't want to be clouded by alcohol" you bit your lip feeling like you had hurt him.

"I'm not hurt by your decision Miss R, I respect that you wish to be sober that is not a flaw" He explained intertwining his fingers with yours "now let me make sure you get home safely"

"Thank you Hyunjin" you agreed following letting his lead you to the elevators but not before looking to see if you could catch another glimpse of Felix, the booth he had been in was empty now curtains pulled back and the table sparkling clean again making you feel something you couldn't identify as you looked around noticing the others were all still occupied and that the elevator was not coming down not up towards your floor.

"If you're looking for him he is on level 5 by now" Hyunjin whispered in your ear making your stomach drop slightly.

"Oh no I am just wondering what happens when the table becomes empty does Chan replace it with just regular hosts?" you tried to cover your obvious want to see Felix again.

"I don't actually know, you see all of the guests in here, beside you, will end up on level 5 with their host so what happens after we go upstairs isn't something I've ever bothered looking at" Hyunjin shrugged mischievously as he stepped into the elevator with you making your way down to the ground floor but instead of leaving through the main entrance he sneakily took you through the the staff door. 

"Hyunjin, where on earth are you taking me?" you chuckled, confusion lacing your voice as you noticed some of the other hosts you hadn't seen before looking at you surprised.

"I told you Miss R, I'm making sure you get home safely, we have drivers, I will send you home with one to make sure that happens" he shook his head at you sitting you in one of the chairs as he ventured through a door that led further into the building.

Hyunjin had put you in a black luxury sedan that drove you home and made sure you had entered your building before leaving to return to Club 143. Your head was full of too many thoughts and the fog of alcohol to actually bother writing anything down for the editorial you simply got into the shower, washed your face and climbed into bed hoping the morning light would bring clarity not just embarrassment for your behavior. Felix had flirted with you and had shown some sort of interest in you, but he looked annoyed at you later on, Hyunjin had kissed you and asked you to go to bed with him and Yunho had divulged some more sinister aspects of the job. The following part of the week was going to be intense, you could feel it but that was fine you would be able to handle it.

You were happily surprised that you had no headache or hangover when you woke up although you didn't think you had drunk enough to get hung over. It was much more of a little too tipsy, not full on drunk. You knew as you got dressed you would have to transfer your notes from the cloud to your laptop so that you could start the editorial about how beautiful a location it was and how fantastic the food, drinks and staff were, you could also start adding the sections that you needed to write about Chan as the owner/operator but you would need to speak to him about what he would and would not like to have added about his on host activities. It had been almost two in the morning by the time you got home so you knew that there was no way you could turn up before lunch, the staff would need time to recover all though surely there were dozens and dozens of them in order to be open everyday.

Concentrating you spent the first few hours of your morning writing and editing your drafts before ordering flowers for your colleague who had lent you the dress for the previous night. You would probably need to shop or at least rent something for the other nights rather than just wear her clothes the whole assignment. Besides, something inside you was telling you that looking a little bit more interesting than you did last night wouldn't be a bad thing, at least for the first weekend they were open. You were expecting to see more interesting things over the Friday to Sunday nights, more normal to the host world and less of a large opening gala type thing. Chan had previously stated that you were welcome to bring clothes with you to change into and anything else you might need for you to change into, to save you time and no doubt also to give him more time to sleep off the night before so shopping before you left for Club 143 should be easy for you.

Stepping into the large department store was something fairly foreign for you, you stuck to smaller and cheaper stores generally since you couldn't afford this level of expense everyday. The sales assistants were all impeccably dressed in black chic uniforms flitting between customers and looking far more put together than you ever did, for the most part they ignored you which gave you time to think about the level of investment these few dresses would be.

"Good morning Miss R" a deep honeyed voice spoke softly to you as you ran your fingers across the fabric of a beautiful dress that was way too expensive for you even to pretend to look at, making you look up slightly startled.

"Good Morning Felix" you smiled shyly looking up at him "I didn't think you would be out and about so early considering how busy you were when I last saw you".

"I needed to pick up my suits for the weekend" he explained his smile warming you "Although from what I was told you spent your time all over the party last night, even Hyunjin was lucky enough to spend time with you".

"True, not my doing though I was asked for a favor from Chris which was to fill the booth Hyunjin was working" you shrugged "He seems nice if not a little forward".

"Forward? Sounds about right" Felix laughed, the deep smooth sound attracting the attention of the attendants in the area "Did you have fun? Is that why you are shopping for new clothes?"

"I am but I have strayed off course I could never wear designers like these" you admitted as his brow crinkled slightly.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't try them on, these clothes are only beautiful on someone not hanging on a rack" he smiled again dazzling you into nodding slightly.

"Excuse me miss? my girlfriend is looking for a few new outfits, could you assist?" Felix turned to the assistant waiting a few racks away smiling at her politely.

"Oh course sir" she nodded, batting her eyelashes at him as she made her way between the clothes  to you "What size would fit you, Miss?" she smiled.

"Oh I'm not sure" you bit your lip looking at the dress in front of you.

"I would suggest a medium sweetheart" Felix almost purred as the assistant nodded in agreement and found several items in your size ushering you and Felix towards the dressing room area.

"Felix" you quietly hissed, "I shouldn't be wasting her time like this and who said anything about girlfriends" knowing he heard you as he silently shook with laughter.

"It's not wasting her time if she had nothing to do anyway" he whispered back taking a seat on the large lounge suite that sat next to the full length mirrors as you were ushered behind gold colored curtains to change into the dress you had originally been looking at a black lace square necked dress that was lined with a skin toned underlay. You knew you were not going to buy any of these but Felix waiting for you to show him how you looked in it spurred you on. Getting yourself into the dress was easier said than done. The zip was small and awkward and you needed to wiggle yourself around but when you got there clearing your throat you popped your head around the curtain to see Felix smirking waiting for you.

"Well come out sweetheart let me see how it looks" he teased, somehow seeming to know he was flustering you again, taking a deep breath as you stepped out from behind the curtain.

"How does it look?" you asked softly your hands, smoothing the fabric nervously.

"Well you do look beautiful in it, but I think you would look gorgeous in something a little shorter or maybe tighter?" Felix mused tapping his chin as the assistant returned to agree with him as he sent her to find exactly that.

"Felix, didn't you have suits to collect?" you mumble as you were now left alone again.

"Yeah but this is much more fun" his eyes lit up as you looked at yourself wistfully "besides you will spend the whole night watching women who aren't as pretty as you get attention for men who would be rather talking to you as you take notes for an editorial that might change your career, live a little".

"You are a terrible influence on me" you laughed disappearing behind the curtain to get the zipper back down as the girl returned with a rack of things for you to try.

"I have several different styles and a mix of black and color so you can find exactly what you think would be right" she chirped, sliding behind the curtain to show you the rack which was filled with ridiculously expensive and gorgeous dresses. Leaving you to change she left the room allowing you to slip into a black mini dress with hot pink lining, the pink was going to be visible every time you took a step but you liked it, you were just nervous that Felix might not, which logically made no sense to you as you were not buying any of these dresses and you weren't trying to impress Felix, but you still took a deep breath before stepping out.

"Now that one looks amazing" Felix whistled playfully looking you up and down.

"You don't need to pretend she isn't here anymore" you sassed rolling your eyes.

"I'm not lying, you look incredible Miss R" he sighed, his eyes finding yours and looking almost innocent "try the others" he encouraged. After trying on every single dress your favorite was the black and pink satin mini, a black long sleeved mini that was studded with crystals and a one shoulder red and black mini. Felix had said that he liked all of them but those three got the best reactions from him.

"What were your favorites?" He asked sweetly as you reemerged in your own clothes.

"The black and pink and the black with crystals" you smiled as he gestured towards the door.

"They were my favorites too" he whispered temptingly in your ear.

"Shame that is the only time I'll get to wear something like that" you sighed as the assistant returned to the shop floor with the rack.

"Did you want to get a coffee with me Miss R? I have another 45 minutes before my suits will be ready.

"I would like that" you stuttered, heat rushing up your throat and into your cheeks.

Sitting with Felix in the open was very different than sitting with Felix in a Club 143, firstly the looks and stares he attracted were constant and second he was much less of a smooth operator when he wasn't on the clock. Ordering you both coffee, at his insistence, and coming back with cake was somehow unsurprising even though you barely knew him, you still thanked him and took the chocolate cake with a happy smile making him almost grin at your reaction.

"You look like you like sweet things" he spoke softly as he sat opposite you at the little table in the back of the cafe.

"I do like sweet things, guess you busted me" you chuckled taking your first bite and just about moaning at how good it tasted.

"I'll let you in on a secret" he winked exaggeratedly "me too".

"So is this your life when you aren't hosting?" you asked genuinely as your coffee was being brought over to you.

"Sort of, I do all the normal things during the hours most people work and often a bunch of us hang out or work out together" he shrugged while sipping his coffee.

"So just the reverse of everyone else" you nodded "That must make meeting people hard".

"It would be if I actually wanted to, but I don't think a lot of women are that understanding of my job" he replied easily like it wasn't a big deal.

"Yeah I get that I guess a lot of women wouldn't see that it's all just smoke and mirrors, it's an experience that you tailor to your customers needs it isn't real". You conceded sipping your drink and not noticing the look Felix was giving you as you continued eating.

"You said you were single too though, didn't you?" Felix recovered quickly "Is that because of your job or because you aren't looking?".

"Bit of both really, my job means I have to be flexible to go to any event I get sent to regardless of what else I had planned" you smiled "guys often don't like it if they aren't your main priority".

"That's shitty of them then" Felix scoffed, making you laugh, it was so easy talking to him he was much more relaxed even though he still looked like he should be on a runway with his perfectly tousled hair and designer look.

"I think your suits would be ready by now, it's been an hour Felix" you said finishing your coffee "I shouldn't take up anymore of your free time since you don't have that much of it".

"Nah, you can take up as much as you like but you still have dress shopping to finish, so will I see you tonight then?" He agreed, offering you his hand to help you to stand.

"Of course I will be in tonight and each night this week" you smiled as he walked you back towards the place you needed to be "See you tonight Felix" you waved before walking towards the escalator to find clothes you could actually afford to buy.

The rest of the day had been dull you had bought a tighter than normal floor length emerald green dress and a black mini dress in a satin fabric that reminded you of the mini that Felix had said he liked so buy the time you were packed up and ready to head to Club 143 to start your evening you weren't feeling nervous about having to meet so many different hosts to get a feel for how they liked working for Chan or how they became hosts in the first place because it felt like, in Felix, you had at least a friend on your side hoping for you to succeed. You had not bothered to dress in your work suit since you would be changing into more appropriate club attire before the night actually started so when you arrived in jeans and a sweater you were not expecting the almost same response as you had gotten the night before when you were far more dressed up.

"Looking good Miss R" Yunho called as you walked through the staff door with a large bag in tow.

"Hello Yunho, did you have an eventful night?" you called back knocking on Chan's door before wandering in when you got no answer and depositing your things in the corner he had said you could use.

"Yeah the only fun part was talking to you" he told you with a slightly flirtatious tinge in his voice.

"I'm sure" you chuckled as Chan appeared through the staff door from the bar.

"Ah good you're back, I was hoping last night didn't frighten you off" he teased dimples flashing as his own joke.

"Hyunjin tried his hardest but he couldn't chase me off. Sorry" you shrugged.

"Ooh immune to Hyunjin, you will be hard to win over" he scratched his chin in jest "but you met some of my hosts last night and tonight you will probably get to meet a few more but I have found a handful you haven't met yet if you wanted to talk to them about this place".

"That would be brilliant Chan, thank you" You smiled genuinely.

"I figured you can speak to our regular hosts as they float around before they start and if you wanted to join me for dinner I thought you might want to speak to Seungmin and Changbin" Chan continued please with your reactions.

"That sounds perfect. Who are the hosts for me to catch before they start?" you asked, remembering that Chan said he had thirty odd hosts who worked for him.

"I have asked San and Hongjoong to hang out with you on and off while everyone gets ready" he explained "I assume since there are bags in my office you will be getting ready here?"

"Yeah I figured I can get ready after the night has started so I don't take up too much space" you smiled.

"So like yesterday, make yourself at home and use whatever you need. I'm thinking of a slightly early dinner so I will come grab you if you like for that" Chan continued watching you closely.

"Oh that would be great if it isn't too much trouble for you I might get lost in what I'm writing otherwise" you agreed easily.

"Well I will leave you to your work then I'll send whichever of the boys is free and ready first your way" he grinned as you went to sit at one of the tables that littered the room getting out your laptop to start your work and figuring a coffee wouldn't go astray either at that point in the afternoon. You had been sipping your iced latte and going through photographers that you could get in to get the best shots of the club for your article. You hadn't even noticed the two suited up men making their way towards you.

"Miss R" the first one interrupted, breaking your concentration "Is now a good time for us to talk or would you like us to come back later?".

"Oh no, now is good" you blinked up at them as they took seats opposite you.

"I'm Hongjoong, and this is San" he continued smiling at you casually.

"Nice to meet you both" you greeted, remembering that San was the one that had collected Yunho the night before "Thank you for speaking with me" trying to not look like you had been totally floored by their good looks.

"Did you want to talk to us about why we started hosting?" San asked leisurely, leaning back on his chair.

"Yes but also about working for Chan and how you entertain your guests. It's a good way to sell your particular skills since you all seem to do things slightly differently" you explained.

"We can do that for you Miss R" Hongjoong grinned as you opened your notes and started listening to them. Both were very sweet so it was easy for you to get lost in the conversation until Chan reappeared at the table suited up and looking stupidly handsome.

"We are having dinner in a few. Did you still want to join us?" He grinned looking at how your eyes widened and you realized the time.

"Oh yes, yes I will change after if that is alright" you nodded, collecting your belongings together and thanking both the hosts for taking the time to talk to you. You followed Chan towards the elevator which took you both up to the fourth floor which was confusing to you.

"We are going to use this area tonight to give you a bit more time to chat since this area isn't open until after the bar" Chan explained, picking up on your train of thought instantly.

"How is it that you guys do that? Pick up what someone is thinking or feeling?" you narrowed your eyes at him in faux suspicion.

"We make our living on exploiting what women want, we wouldn't be very good at our jobs if we couldn't read you well" Seungmin sniggered as Chan pulled out a seat for you to sit in.

"That's very honest of you" you chuckled looking at him across the table.

"I'm Seungmin in case you haven't heard enough names over the past 24 hours" he smirked.

"Thank you for the reminder Seungmin, it isn't easy to talk to a dozen ridiculously handsome men without the added burden of remembering their names" you smiled dryly making Changbin laugh.

"He's just poking fun because he thinks he can" Chan sighed, giving Seungmin a look that you didn't quite understand.

"You can poke as much fun as you like Seungmin, I am after all just an interloper into your world" you continued smiling but pulled your face into the professional expression you used for work.

"I like you, you're way more fun than we expected" Changbin grinned casually as food started to arrive at the table.

"I took the liberty of ordering things you hadn't tried yet" Chan explained as you curled your brow at the plates in front of you, knowing that somehow he was responsible for it.

"So how does this all come together? Did you know each other before this? How do you make the jump from maybe I'll host to I'll escort on the side to, I'll open/work at an elite level like this?" You mused looking between them for clues to how this all worked because you had an inkling that at least the 8 core of elite hosts were closer and more equal than it first appeared.

"Well I told you how we came to open already but I'm assuming you want how we specifically found ourselves here?" Chan smirked already seeing that you had put more pieces together than he had supplied information for. You nodded as you put the first mouthful of souffle into your mouth before you paused savoring how good it was. 

"Well I met Chan years ago" Changbin started putting his fork down as he watched you eat a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips "We have been friends for years it was him that got me into hosting to begin with we were far younger then but it wasn't all that different except that working for other people meant a smaller cut of what you got paid but it was easy money while we were in uni".

"I met them later when I got a job as bar staff, not as a host at the same club. Jeongin was the same, we both became hosts at a different club later but we kept in touch" Seungmin added before taking another mouthful of pasta.

"So when and why did it jump from hosting to escorting?" you questioned letting Chan carve the large steak that was on the table and serve you a few slices.

"Why is easy, that was because the money was fantastic and being young and horny with easy access to women every night why not" Changbin laughed "The when was, I think just before my 21st birthday I had been hosting since I was 19 so I already learned all the skills I needed to flatter my way into that situation so why not get paid for it".

"Practical" you quipped sipping the wine that had been delivered to you "I mean why not get paid for what you like doing". All three of them laughed then as you didn't pass any judgment on them for their choices.

"This would be why everyone you have talked to so far is so enamored with you" Seungmin smirked, making your eyes widen in confusion.

"Excuse me?" you spluttered completely caught off guard.

"I agree doesn't judge openly and is oblivious to how she is seen by others" Changbin added as though it was an afterthought.

"I would respectfully call bullshit on that observation" you grumbled as your phone began ringing and your boss' name and number flashed across the screen "excuse me, my boss" you smiled. They nodded watching your change in demeanor as you answered the call mouthing thank yous to Chan.

"Good Evening Sir" you chirped, faking your enthusiasm to speak to him as you made your way across the room to the lift so you could slink out the back and get yourself ready.

"Your request for a photographer who can take artful photos is for what reason?" He gruffly demanded without greeting you.

"Well the bar is particularly attractive and last night alone I saw politicians wives, and half a dozen socialites if we can capture how beautiful and opulent it is we might be able to swing some fashion comments from them to boost out fashion pages and the male hosts here are very attractive the readers would very much like to have decent photos of them" you explained quickly trying to spin as much of a positive for him as you could even though you were wanting to move past him and to the editorials boss.

"If you can't take the photo's yourself then you can't expect us not to take the photographer fee from your paycheck" He continued telling you off subtly.

"Of course sir, I will do that instead sir" you swallowed as he hung up on you hoping that he would not be calling back with another complaint once you submitted the first draft of the editorial in a few days time. 

Stepping into Chan's office you locked the door and quickly slipped into the dress you had brought with you, after last night you had decided that you should also put a little more effort into your makeup so you blended in a little more so you weren't surprised by the knock at the door indicating you had taken longer than you should have.

"Sorry Chan" you apologized, unlocking the door and pulling it open coming face to face with Felix and Hyunjin.

"We meet again Miss R" Hyunjin purred playfully, taking your hand and kissing the back of it.

"Hello Hyunjin" you rolled your eyes at his dramatic flare.

"You look beautiful in emerald, it brings out your eyes" Felix smiled as you met his eyes instantly becoming transfixed with how beautiful he looked with his hair slightly tousled in a deep navy suit.

"Flirt" you mumbled shyly as Chan cleared his throat behind them both. 

"Sorry Chan, I didn't mean to take your office for so long" you apologized again as he chuckled.

"It's not a problem Miss R, shall we?" He offered you his arm in a friendly manner which you took before he led you out on the floor, missing the expression on both Felix or Hyunjin's faces but not the loud whoop of laughter that erupted as the door started to close.

Most of the second night was not as intense as the opening night less pomp and ceremony and far more rich women on a mission, you were content to sit on the second level watching the hosts come and go entertaining and the farewelling their guests, occasionally getting winks or nods of recognition before they dived back in for the next guests. You hadn't seen Felix, Hyunjin or Chan again during the course of the night but you had caught glimpses of Seungmin and Minho as their guests arrived and they escorted them upstairs but the more fly on the wall view of them working was making it much easier for you to think up how the start of your editorial would go and how you would sell the speakeasy bar of the enterprise at least. As the night wore on you found yourself more and more comfortable with the idea of being at Club 143 which was, you assumed at least, Chan's entire plan for you. He had welcomed you, fed you, given you access to his employees but you were struggling to actually figure out how you could justify the next few nights of sitting around observing when you really had probably gotten everything you needed. You made a note in your phone to speak with Chan about whether he had already had any professional photos taken of the place or his hosts that you would be able to use for the article.

After several hours had ticked by you made your way back towards Chan's office so you could change again and head home, entering the staff area you noticed there were a few of the boys sitting either having a break or getting ready to head back into the club.

"Miss R, you alright?" San called to you looking slightly concerned.

"I'm fine San, I just should be calling it a night" you smiled warmly back at him, his concern for you making you feel genuinely thankful. Entering Chan's office you collected your bag so you could change out of your dress and into your jeans again.

"Did you want me to grab you a car to take you back home? I'm sure Chan would want to make sure you were safe" he continued appearing at the open office door.

"That's too kind of you San" you chuckled as he made his way towards you to help you with the bag, taking it effortlessly from you and offering you his arm.

"I know I'm not Felix or Hyunjin but I still would like you to get home safely" He joked guiding you to the back entrance to the building to where the cars were and once again you found yourself being helped into a black luxury car "See you tomorrow Miss R" he grinned shutting the door for you to let the driver get you home.

After getting a decent night's sleep you decided it would be better to get as much of the draft done as possible so you could run through any final questions you had with Chan later that night. You were sure you had enough now to be able to write the article without needing to spend a full week taking up Chan or any of the others further time and preventing them making the full amount they should for an opening week, and if Chan had photo's of at least the hosts that you could use the article would be pretty much done and could go off to the editor to go over. Without meaning to, you managed to work all the way to lunch time before getting your things back together to head back to Club 143 for perhaps the last time depending on whether you needed to add any extra information to your editor, or Chan for that matter, request.

Arriving at 12:30 you made your way through the empty bar after being greeted by the doorman and waving to the bar staff who were preparing for the night's service. Making your way into the staff area you were surprised to find Chan meeting with some of his top hosts making you pause as you closed the door behind you.

"Miss R, you return to us again" Hyunjin smiled, waggling his eyebrows at you.

"I promise I will be out of your hair soon Hyunjin" you smirked watching him deflate slightly and the others to laugh.

"Hopefully not to soon" Chan grinned standing to take your bag and place it in his office "Come join us it will give you some more insight" he gestured for you to take a chair somewhere in the room so you did without argument, partly because you were being paid to learn about his business and partly because the closest empty chair happened to be besides Felix totally missing the look Chan gave the others as you sat yourself down and got your phone ready to take notes.

"We have been discussing how the first two nights went" Seungmin added, making you look up at him in case he was going to continue.

"It has been pretty profitable" Felix added easily.

"Have the ladies down stairs been interested in meeting the more exclusive hosts?" Chan asked, turning to you.

"Of course they have, have you not watched them just about drool every time they see any of you?" you chuckled knowing that they knew damn well how they were being received.

"Told you" Changbin smirked looking at Chan "Miss R is a professional, she sees things the same way we do".

"It's a different point of view to ask a woman though" Chan half smiled before looking back at you. "How have you found it though you have spent time in the bar, the third and fourth floors is this place a worthy use for your time if you weren't writing an editorial about us?". 

You paused thinking exactly how you should answer such a loaded question.

"I think you have achieved what you set out to do, the bar is beautiful you feel welcomed and safe there, your hosts are handsome and all slightly different so you can cater to a thousand different women's fantasies without much trouble and from what you have shown me so far the actual host experience is very enjoyable so I think any woman would enjoy it here" you explained watching him as you did you could tell he was very pleased with your answer but you could feel that he wanted just a little bit more from you.

"As much as all of that is exactly what I wanted to hear you missed on little detail" he smiled roguishly, his host persona peeking through "Would you want to spend time here if it wasn't for your job?"  

"Yes, I would come to the bar at least" you replied, careful to keep some of your professional face on so that you didn't need to admit to the fact that you could never afford their services.

"But you wouldn't use the host service?" Seungmin pushed which made you quirk your eyebrow at him.

"I'm not sure the smoke and mirrors are going to be all that believable now that I have seen what's behind it" you shrugged "Plus I'm not sure if you have noticed but you boys are expensive". They laughed loudly at that leaving you hoping that they thought you were joking about their costs.

"Well I guess we will have to set you up some proper host experiences for you over the next few days" Hyunjin smirked at you but his eyes filled with mischief.

"Are you going to tease me about level 5 the whole time I'm here?" you pouted dramatically, rolling your eyes.

"Honestly it might be good if we have you try hosts from each of the tiers so you can write which sort of experience you can get at each level to make it obvious we are only super exclusive at the top end of the scale." Chan agreed, looking at you to gauge your reaction "If that is alright with you I can give you a rough price estimate of each encounter and you can see if it meets the experience you have" he scratched the back of his neck as he continued to watch you.

"That's actually very sensible if you want me to include all the services you have here but if you only want me writing about the first tier or two of the hosts to leave the others more exclusive you wouldn't need to bother setting up more than one or maybe two hosts willing to waste their time with me" you nodded "as long as they will still be paid properly I will feel endlessly guilty stealing their earning time on me".

"Oh they will all be paid, it's for the editorial and therefore good for the overall job we will all be doing so don't worry about them but I think Hyunjin might be right you should sample all the levels so you can experience what each type of guest can expect". Chan mused before getting out his phone to check the booking calendar. "I'll put you with San tonight or perhaps Yunho depending on their bookings, you can be on level 3 then with one of us on level 4 the same and if we get you to agree maybe you could see another room on level 5". You knew your face flushed at his final statement but you couldn't help it. You couldn't escape the connotations that level 5 was going to lead to a full host experience including sex if you agreed and although it was incredibly tempting you didn't know if morally you should. "So you would get the same treatment as our most elite clientele who cannot be seen on the lower floors" Chan finished.

"That is a huge out of pocket cost to you Chan I couldn't possibly accept that" you almost stuttered covering it by clearing your throat.

"I insist, really I should have thought of that sooner" Chan sighed looking back at you with a soft expression "I have San for you tonight so you will get the first tier host experience tonight he has a free opening that you can fill as a favor".

"The last favor I did for you I ended up tipsy" you bit your lips embarrassed.

"That's exactly how the experiences should be though" Hyunjin grinned again, looking like he had won some sort of grand prize.

The rest of the afternoon was spent going over photos with Chan that he had already had taken that you could use for the editorial. Most were only of the establishment that sold how opulent it was so that made your life a little easier to be able to write about each different area and show what was to be expected. The photos of the hosts however were going to be a little more difficult, Chan had given you a hard drive that contained photos of each of the hosts in his employment and not you needed to pick which ones you wanted. You knew you would obviously need to use one of Chan but then should you just use pictures of the hosts you were going to see as part of this experiment or should you pick the most enticing pictures you could find. Unwittingly you stumbled onto some which were virtually softcore porn, some of the escorting hosts had done a series of photos to show off their bodies to entice customers, Hyunjin with his suit jacket off and his shirt open, Chan in just his suit pants his tie undone and hanging loosely around his neck, Changbin flexing his large muscular arms and Felix laying in silk sheets looking sinful. You could feel your face heating up but you couldn't stop staring at him, Felix even in this far more sensual pose was still so painfully beautiful that you didn't want to stop looking even though you knew you shouldn't be seeing him like that.

Shaking your head to clear the lust that was begging to cloud your eyes you walked to Chan's office to see if it was empty so you could get ready, it was now almost opening hours and you couldn't be late to your appointment with San. That would be most rude. You slipped into a royal blue satin dress that was simple yet flattering to emphasized your hips and chest while remaining not too low cut or short so appropriate you figured to be just another guest in a bar and not someone begging for attention, you fixed your makeup adding to what you were already wearing and returned to the waiting room to pack up your laptop and notes. Stepping back into the room you heard a soft whistle.

"Each dress makes you look more enchanting than the last" Felix smiled, taking your hand and twirling you.

"Thank you Felix, I thought I should look a bit more expensive since I'm spending a week here, don't want to make the place look shabby" you grinned feeling thrilled with his compliment.

"You always look beautiful" Felix reassured "and San is a lucky boy tonight getting to spend his time with you, we are all very jealous he whispered leaning in as though he was telling you secret information.

"I doubt I'm that interesting to him Felix" you chuckled, feeling warmth spreading through you at his words and the feeling of his breath on your skin.

"I was wondering if you wanted to get another coffee tomorrow? Before you have to come in to work some more" He asked softly without the host bravado that he showed out on the floors above.

"I would like that very much" you nodded, catching your bottom lip in your teeth as nerves suddenly set into your stomach.

"Can I have your number to text you so we can organize it?" he continued smoothly, seeming more confident at your reaction, handing you his phone you added your details and gave it back to him quickly. "Can I escort you out to find San?" he offered easily, his arm already in position for you to take.

"Thank you Felix" you grinned, taking his arm and allowing him to lead you out into the bar. 

San stood casually by the bar and appeared to be scanning the room for you as his eyes stopped on you the moment you appeared with Felix, smiling at him nervously you made your way over to him only for Felix to lean in and whisper something in his ear before turning his attention back to you.

"Enjoy your evening Miss R" he grinned cheekily allowing San to take his place at your side moving back into the crowd you assumed to tend to his own booked guest.

"You look gorgeous Miss R" San drawled softly his arm slipping behind you to guide you towards the stairs "We will be heading up to level 3 tonight so that I can thoroughly indulge your every whim"

"Thank you San" you almost blushed at the seductive tone his voice had taken on "you look very attractive yourself". With his arm wrapped protectively around your waist he led you to and from the elevator into the booth that had been arranged for you, it seemed to be further back towards the bar which seemed to give off the illusion of even more privacy as he pulled the curtains around you after helping you into the booth. The deep red velvet absorbing the outside noise enough for you to almost feel like you were alone with San.

Reaching just behind you, San pushed a discreet button which summoned a waiter with a bottle of chilled wine and San discreetly thanked him before pouring you a glass.

"So Miss R, tell me about you, tell me about what you have always wanted" San smiled one eyebrow raised

"You know about my job already San" you blinked wondering where he was going with this.

"Not your job, about what you want in life, kitten your future" he chuckled softly, his eyes trained on you with a softness that made you feel safe.

"I want to be a serious journalist, it’s still pretty male dominated in the world of journalism and women don’t seem to get a look in when it comes to crime reporting or heavier news. We are always left with lifestyle and beauty and I want more than that” you answered sincerely letting your guard down a little knowing that San wouldn’t admonish you for having aspirations.

“Aren’t you a serious journalist now? Looking into the seedy underbelly of hosting?” he smiled slyly leaning back into the plush velvet seat back and extending his arm behind you.

“That’s not what this is San, and you know it” you almost sighed knowing that he was only playing his role.

“I know but you are still taking your job seriously and working diligently on this editorial, I know your work will be noticed, how could it not be?” he encouraged, letting his arm drop from the top of the seat to sitting comfortably around your waist. You shivered unintentionally at his touch even through the layers of fabric that separated your skin, it was becoming very clear why Chan’s hosts were as in demand as they were.

“What do you want to do in your life, San?” you tilted your head to look at him through your fluffy eyelashes. 

“Being a host can have a short shelf life depending on how good you are” he explained gesturing around you both “you have more options if you move into a more companion business but it's not guaranteed” he shrugged casually as he finished topping up your glass.

“Companionship?” you knew it was probably a dumb question but you had to ask.

“Escorting” he chuckled watching your face change to one of understanding “guys like Chan or Minho will stay handsome well into their 30s and 40s so they can continue the work for as long as they like. But hosts have to be young to flatter the woman seeing them that's part of the fantasy”.

“So is escorting the plan then?” You questioned breezily hoping it wouldn't come across as an interview.

“Maybe, or I could open my own place” he smirked cheekily “would you visit me if I did?”

“San!” you fake gasped clutching invisible pearls at your throat “how scandalous”. You dissolved into giggles that were helped along by the bubbles you were drinking.

“Well I'll take that as a yes” he laughed heartily, shifting himself closer to your side and another waiter appeared through the curtain to deliver another bottle of wine. “What else do you have planned for your life? It can’t be all work and no play?” 

“I want to travel. I want to see as much of the world as I can. So Paris, Milan, Prague, Rio, Nepal I want to see everything. But mostly I want to find someone who won't push me into a life I don't want" you replied slowly each thought coming out of your mouth without being filtered by your better judgment as the rapport you felt with San felt real even if that was just the alcohol and his excellent acting.

"I would love to travel too" San nodded, "I would love to see the world with you" , his sly smile feeling very flirty as you sipped from your glass.

"With me?" you blinked the wine making its way through your system and removing a little more of your inhibitions.

"Of course a beautiful woman like you should be fed dessert in fancy restaurants, doted on completely while shopping and being bought every single thing that brings you joy, and worshiped nightly in every place you wanted to stay. How could any man not want to be the one giving you that life" San purred, sliding himself closer to you so he was now touching you with the whole side of his body, the warmth from his chest seeping through his suit and into you "I couldn't think of a more enjoyable way to spend my time than making love to you in moonlight in Paris or Prague".

You swallowed hard, your surprise was probably obvious to San but after a moment you remembered this was an act, San was being paid to charm you and say all the right things. Once again he topped up your glass, when he lent closer to speak to you his breath fanned across your skin giving you goosebumps at the thought.

"You are very good at this San" you smiled, turning slightly more towards him.

"But not that good as you can still see what I'm doing" he chuckled, breaking the sexy character slightly and showing the more playful side that you had already met.

"I wouldn't say that I was very swept up" you admitted softly making him grin further "But I should be letting you get back to actual paying guests".

"Stay just a little longer no unnecessary flirting I promise" San faux pouted before breaking into a grin.

"Oh no don't pout like that I can't say no to that face" you giggled the wine now making you feel a little less professional and a little more cheeky.

"Ah I found a weakness" he almost crowed proudly "I will have to make sure the following guys know".

"You wouldn't betray me like that would you San" you pouted in return trying not to laugh as his eyes widened at your reaction.

"You are not meant to get upset" he whined as you melted into giggles.

"Happily tipsy looks very, very good on you" San quipped once again leaning back into the plush fabric of the booth.

"You're being paid to say that" you challenged, raising your eyebrow at him before leaning towards him "It's nice to be flattered though".

"I'm not being paid to tell you the truth I'm paid to make a fantasy and this isn't fantasy" San replied honestly as a new waiter reappeared with a tray containing several dishes that you weren't expecting San instantly picked up on your confusion his pretty laugh filling the booth "Chan wanted you to have a full experience and with our level of host that includes dinner so he ordered for you, I hope that is alright".

"Of course he did" you rolled your eyes making San's laughter continue "that man knows no limits when it comes to flaunting the sense of opulence does he?".

"He does but he wants to make sure you can write a proper review and that is worth every cent to him" San's eyes were still crinkled into attractive little moons.

"I do appreciate where he is coming from but surely he knows I am writing a favorable editorial by now" you continued watching San carefully watching for any sort of tell to show he was being disingenuous.

"I'll be honest I figured you would stop staying after the opening hours if you hated it. Just do your interviews then leave" he shrugged carefully, portioning a fork full of lobster that he then brought to your mouth to try, his other hand hovering under your chin to catch anything that might fall. Strangely enough you found yourself opening your mouth for him to place the lobster against your tongue before grinning at you.

"I forget you are all strangely perceptive about women" you lopsidedly grinned savoring the delicious buttery taste “Is feeding me also part of the experience?”

"It's all part of the deal kitten" San laughed lightly winking at you for dramatic effect. You ate the rest of the meal chatting with San about anything and everything before letting him lead you back downstairs where he told you Chan had arranged a car to get you home, because Chan really did think of everything.

Waking slowly, after having more drinks in the past week than you were used to, you were very happy to write the rest of your editorial, you had everything you were going to need you would just add a few bits and pieces about the experiences that Chan had decided to give you but the rest, including the photographs, was now ready to be fully drafted and read over by one of your editors. You attached the draft to an email saying that there was still one more page that needed to be done but that they could go over the first few and the photos that Chan had graciously provided to make sure that it was what they were looking for before you started getting ready for your day and your potential coffee catch up with Felix. 

Getting together your outfit for the day and choosing your outfit for that night was a very strange experience. You had been dressing yourself with a little more care to spend your days looking as nice as you possibly could but picking your outfit for the evenings had so far been a little daunting, it was a need to look the part of the patron so that everything looked normal to anyone who viewed you in Club 143 but also wanting to look attractive and even a little sexy just because you wanted to see how whoever you were paired with would react. Each outfit had been a little more daring; the emerald dress you had been far more form fitting around your chest, the blue had flattered your figure making you feel more womanly and tonight’s outfit was a form fitting silky burgundy dress with fine straps and a low cut back and a slit up the thigh. 

Arriving at Club 143 after lunch you had still not heard from Felix but it didn’t really surprise you he had been booked out every single night you had been there to observe and he must have been needing to catch up on sleep. You continued through the bar waving to the staff you had already seen several times and making your way to Chan’s office to drop off your things before making yourself comfortable in the normal corner of the waiting room. It was still quiet none of the hosts had arrived yet and you passed the time talking to the bar staff and writing up thoughts that you could flesh out later about the next level of host experience, even though you were yet to find out who you were going to be paired with. Chan arrived two hours later and waved as he passed you talking on the phone to someone before entering his office and closing the door.

“All by yourself again?” a very familiar voice asked from the doorway behind you.

“I guess I am Felix, how was your night?” You smiled to yourself before turning your head towards him.

“It was work-like” he shrugged, plopping himself down in the chair opposite you.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” you mused furrowing your eyebrows as you took in his appearance, he was still beautiful as ever but his eyes looked a little more downcast than you had seen them before.

“Both I guess” he sighed “It was profitable but it was just going through the motions, some nights are just more routine than others although I rarely have interesting ones” he admitted, his eyes flicking downwards before making contact with yours again.

“I never really thought about how all this must just be a day at the office for you guys, not everyday being enjoyable, some just tedious” you frowned slightly, the few glimpses you had been given of the darker side of the job were very unappealing to you.

“It’s not that any of us hate it” Felix countered “It’s just that it can get monotonous the same vapid women, the same fake interactions, the same facade over and over again but there are always going to have perks most of the time it's very easy to still see the attractive woman underneath who just wants to feel worshiped but sometimes you do come across women who you cannot find a single good quality about”.

“Hmm” you hummed not really knowing what to say. It made you feel a bit awful that there were nights that he had to pretend to feel attracted to someone and then have sex with them even though he had no interest in them.

“Let's talk about something else” he smiled trying to pick the mood back up “maybe we should have that coffee now” 

“Sure” you nodded hoping you would be able to perhaps make him feel a little better. Felix got up and went towards the kitchens to ask them for coffee you assumed and you were back to being alone saving your notes for later you decided to perhaps email Chan a draft copy of what you had written but he was still in his office so you didn’t want to disturb his work. Felix returned and offered his hand to you.

“Come on, follow me” with a mischievous glimmer in his eye you took his hand and allowed him to lead you to the elevator where he quickly swiped his key card before hitting the button to the fifth floor.

“Felix, where are you taking me?” you whispered a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“Do you trust me?” he grinned impishly, not giving you any further explanation.

“Yes” you answered instantly, surprising even yourself by your own admission.

“Then you will see when we get there” he teased stepping closer to you. The door dinged and opened showing you the navy blue hallway that Can had shown you once before. Taking your hand in his again he beckoned you to follow him until he stopped at door 3, the room you had already seen briefly. “I’m not breaking any rules in showing you the room you have already seen” he soothed after noticing the slight trepidation in your eyes.

“You can read everything about me can’t you?” you contemplated following him into the room where there were already two hot coffees and two pieces of cake waiting for you in the lounge area of the large room.

“Not everything which is why you are so interesting” Felix clarified “Your honesty is what masks things from us, we all find it fascinating that you can see through the act without much trouble but also never judge us or behave as though you are better than us”.

“That’s because I am not better than you” you uttered feeling a little confused “I’m just a person like you Felix, like all the guys that work here”. You sat at one end of the lounge opposite him taking your cup and sipping from it.

“That right there is why every host here wants to have their five minutes to talk to you” he grinned toothily “A few sentences and you make us all feel better about a world of different things”.

“You are being too kind” you argued softly.

“You are selling yourself short” he shot back the dazzling smile still on his face “We had several media sources wanting to cover this opening mostly because it aligns them with the powerful women who come here whether they are CEO’s in their own right or the wives and girlfriends of powerful men. All of them spoke with Chan but you were the only one who didn’t speak down to him as though he was just another whore. You treated Chan with respect and with honest interest which is why your publication got the job”. Felix’s explanation hit you like a truck. You had been the one to volunteer for the position to pitch the editorial and also write it when your boss had mentioned it and your coworkers had seemed to have no interest but you hadn’t realized that there were other media companies vying for the same editorial.

“Who else did he speak to?” you asked concerned that maybe the job would have been done better by one of your competitors and Chan had only settled for you.

“SM Media Inc, KQ Publishing, YG Multimedia Co. None of them would have done as good a job as you” he shrugged again eating a mouthful of cake.

“Well I’m pleased he wanted me for the job. I'll send him the article before it’s published so he can go over it” you nodded slowly considering how you would get away with changing the editorial you had already sent in for viewing if he hated it. Felix laughed heartily, he seemed to be taking great pleasure in watching the cogs move around in your head.

“So tell me what else you do in your life Felix? I want to know something you have not told me yet” you smirked, making him stop laughing and turn serious again.

Returning back downstairs you found that half a dozen other hosts had arrived including Hyunjin who blew you a kiss as you walked past him, and also that Chan had emerged from his office. He stood from behind his desk and wandered into the waiting room as he noticed you pass by his office doorway

“So I realized that it might be a better idea to let you choose who you would like for your last host experience” Chan smiled kindly watching you take a seat and log yourself back into your laptop to continue working.

“Oh really? I assumed it would be whoever didn't have a booking” you blinked looking at him with curiosity as he continued over to where you were sitting.

“Well if I asked for volunteers I think Hyunjin would have fallen over himself to put his name down, and I'll admit I wouldn't mind it being me either but it should be your choice so you are totally comfortable” he continued a slight glint in his eye making you unsure if he was teasing you or not while Hyunjin nodded vigorously just behind him

“Well who have you decided I'll be seeing tonight?” you raised your eyebrow at him.

“Tonight you're with yours truly” he grinned smugly, making Hyunjin and Seungmin roll their eyes in unison.

“Let me think about it then” you smiled, laughter coloring your voice as you began typing up a few more notes.

“Booking is at 9 Miss R” he chuckled, heading back towards his office door.

“I won’t be late” you called after him.

You started changing at 8 o’clock sharpe so that you would have enough time to get your hair and makeup sorted as well as changing. Chan was nowhere to be seen so you assumed he was out on one of the floors or entertaining another guest which allowed you to take your time. When you finally emerged it was almost time for you to meet him so you opened his office door and stepped into the waiting room.

“Woah!” Jeongin whistled, looking you up and down slowly.

“Thank you Jeongin” you flushed slightly, your hands moving to smooth invisible wrinkles in the fabric.

“Would you like an escort to find Chan?” he offered a wide smile, his eyes turning into pleasant little moons as he offered his arm to you.

“Actually, yes please” you breathed knowing that he would probably see your nerves if you tried to hide them.

“You don’t need to be nervous Miss R. Chan doesn’t bite unless you ask him to and even then you would need to ask nicely” Jeongin joked trying to alleviate your fears.

I’ll try to remember that for the editorial then” you laughed lightly feeling slightly better.

Stepping onto the level 4 with Jeongin was a little odd. You could still see Changbin and Han entertaining two girls who looked like sisters in one booth and Minho leading his client towards another booth. The curtains of two others were pulled closed already meaning they were full but all the others were only half closed or still empty. 

“Here you go Miss R, step this way” Jeongin pulls aside one of the half pulled curtains to reveal Chan in all his glory leaning against the side of the booth watching the empty portions of the room.

“Not even a second late” Chan chuckled, offering you his hand to take as Jeongin winked at you before leaving. Helping you to get comfortably seating he moved to pull the curtain closed giving you a single glimpse of Felix who was looking straight at you, eyes wide, and distinctly not at the woman beside him who looked every bit the beautiful and rich CEO, his slight frown before the curtain separated you leaving you with an odd feeling in the pit of your stomach.

“So gorgeous, are you ready for me?” Chan’s velvety voice surrounded you like honey as you turned your face towards him. You had obviously spent time with Chan, you had even seen the professional photos that they had all had taken but it hit you like a lightning strike just how easy it would be to be wooed by him in this setting.

“You look devine tonight” he purred, sliding a little closer to you, watching you closely he slowly took your hand to kiss the inside of your wrist “you also don’t need to be nervous”.

“I was told you wouldn’t bite unless I asked you nicely” you tilted your head to gauge his reaction.

“For you I would do anything if you asked me nicely or not” you raised one eyebrow almost challengingly making you swallow hard and your eyes widened slightly.

“Good to know” you breathed a flush creeping across your cheeks.

“I was told by a reputable source that you like sweet things” he continued with a teasing smile gracing his handsome face as a waiter appeared with a tray of cocktails “so I took some liberties and ordered you some dessert”.

Placing down two cocktails you could see quite obviously that Chan had asked the others what you had drank, eaten and spoken about because the chocolate martini that was for you was very close to a favorite drink of yours.

“Thank you Chan” you whispered, picking up your glass to sip at it, your mouth suddenly very dry.

“I also heard you do not want to be placed in a cage” his dark cinnamon eyes made you feel like he could see into your soul.

“San has loose lips it seems” you added the corners of your mouth twitching as his grin increased.

“No, I am just incredibly persuasive when it comes to you” he advised sipping his own drink which to you looked very much the opposite of your drink. Chan seemed very good at keeping you somewhere between flustered and hypnotized but after a few more moments your brain caught up.

“I can see the difference now, from level three to level 4” you admitted coyly relaxing your posture slightly “San was particularly good but you are exceptional at this”. Chan faulted slightly before breaking into a breathtaking grin.

“I have to say you are quite remarkable at seeing through the act, it’s a bit of a rare gift” he hummed approvingly “Had to admit it’s a little bit of a turn on actually”. You coughed as you almost inhaled your drink at his words making him chuckle at you.

“Did you actually say that or did I imagine that?” you sniffed trying to regain your composure.

“No I said it, Hyunjin told me it was a completely different feeling watching you see straight through our usual way of working and I get now why he wanted to take you upstairs” Chan divulged “San let me know that you were the most fun he has had so far and you seem to have bewitched our little Felix”. Your jaw dropped slightly allowing Chan to slide closer to you lifting one finger to shut it again for you his fingers then moving to grasp your chin gently tilting your face towards his. It felt magnetic like you were being drawn closer to him every second but the illusion was shattered when you heard a loud shrill laugh from somewhere outside the curtained bubble you were in.

“I think perhaps I need another drink” you murmured as Chan dropped his hand away from you. He tilted his head slightly and a waiter appeared as if summoned, although you were sure CHan was just more subtle about the button to call the staff than San.

“Can we have another round and bring dessert this time please” Chan instructed smoothly not moving away from you instead slipping out of his jacket, leaving him in only a black shirt with no tie.

“The drink isn’t dessert then?” you mused, thinking he had been mentioning the sweet drink earlier.

“No I have something far more substantial for you, after all I need to leave a sweet taste in your mouth from the experience” he flirted effortlessly knowing that the choice of words would push you just a little.

“Still hoping I’ll come back after this editorial is done then?” you teased back knowingly

“Oh I have no doubt you will come back, I’m hoping to sway you to come back to level 3 or 4” he cheekily retorted, his dimples shining.

“Well Mr Bang that all depends on what you have got for me?” you giggled as the waiter reappeared and stopped Chan’s comeback in its tracks. Placing down another martini for you excused himself to collect the rest of Chan’s request. Moments later he reappeared with a tray full of what looked like chocolate truffles and strawberries dusted with gold flakes.

“As with San last night I like to go all out” Chan grinned like a cat that got the cream “We get these in from France they are made with the finest Swiss chocolate and the best French champagne”. He lifted one off the tray and brought it to your lips which you opened keeping your eyes locked on his. He was right they were the most delicious chocolate you had ever eaten and you were quite alright with the idea of sitting drinking your martini with him feeding you, but you assumed that was due to the rather strong cocktail you had already drunk and the one you were about to start. You continued chatting to Chan a little more casually after he started hand feeding you strawberries and chocolate until you had accidentally had a third martini and your head was actually fuzzy.

“Would you like another drink or would you like something else?” Chan murmured sensually his lips only inches from your ear.

“I think I’m good” you smiled lazily, enjoying the warmth of his breath on your neck.

“I’m sure you are very good gorgeous, but that wasn’t what I meant” he quipped leaning in closer so his lips brushed your earlobe making you involuntarily shudder “I love that you are so eager to please, such a perfect little tease”.

Your brain wasn’t fast enough to react with wit instead opting to just hum and let him get even closer to you, being ever the gentleman Chan gave you time to respond between each gentle touch of his fingers running down you bare back, each brush of his lips against your skin until you were almost embarrassingly pliant.

“Tell me to stop and I will, gorgeous” he whispered huskily in your ear before actually pressing his lips to your neck making you gasp softly turning your head toward him. Following the line of your jaw Chan kissed his way to you lips each one slightly more passionate than the last until his lips pressed against yours. His soft plump lips felt stupidly good against your own especially when he dragged your bottom lip between them using his teeth and making you sigh with pleasure, his tongue traced the seam of your lips teasing you and hoping you would allow entrance which you did too caught up in the moment and the alcohol to be thinking quick enough to stop yourself. 

“Mmm… wait Chan stop” you slurred slightly as he broke away from your lips to kiss his way to your earlobe, your brain finally registering what you were doing. To his immense credit Chan did stop instantly removing not only his lips and hands from you but also sliding away from you so you were no longer touching.

“I apologize” he replied instantly “I didn't mean to overstep”.

“You didn’t, not really, I’m just a little too drunk for this to be a good idea” you admitted trying to shift the alcohol from your brain so you could think better.

“I will get you a car home” Chan smiled genuinely, his eyes shining with something that looked a little like admiration and a little like affection.

“Thank you” you swallowed as Chan moved to help you stand from the booth, steadying you by wrapping his arm around your waist as he walked you to the elevator. Moving past the tables you saw the booth that Felix was in earlier still occupied which gave you a strange sense of relief that he was still on this floor and not the one above but that was shattered we the curtain opened and you saw him, his arms wrapped around his patron feeding her strawberries the same way Chan had fed them to you. You looked away quickly hoping that both Chan and Felix would not notice but you had a feeling that Chan already had as he pulled you slightly tighter against his side as the elevator doors opened stepping inside you turned towards the closing doors to see Felix’s face fall as his eyes landed on you for the brief moment before the door separated you both.

Chan led you to his office to collect your things, easily carrying both your bags on one of his arms making sure you were stable enough to not hurt yourself. He mentioned to the driver that he was to escort you into the building and help you with your bags before taking your hand in his and kissing your knuckles.

“We will see you tomorrow Ms R” he beamed, helping you with your seatbelt even though it was unnecessary.

“But we haven’t talked about tomorrow’s host experience” you protested, suddenly aware that you hadn’t even discussed the topic properly yet. You felt yourself flush, hoping that Chan wouldn't notice it over the pink already dusting your cheeks from the alcohol you had been drinking.

“Good thing I had already put him aside for you then” his eyes twinkled as he spoke and his dimples were on full display.

“What?” You stammered “I haven’t told you yet”.

“I know, Felix asked to host you if you requested him and I figured you would. You seem to have already formed an attachment to each other” He continued before chuckling.

“Goodnight Chan'' you mumbled a tad embarrassed that you were so transparent to him.

“Goodnight Miss R” Chan replied teasingly, shutting the door and allowing the driver to take you home.

The following morning was not as pleasant as the previous few mornings, you woke up nursing a headache and a mortifying recollection of embarrassing events where you had almost let yourself take things too far with Chan then practically told him of your little crush on Felix, which you realized the night before was exactly that, a crush, there was no way that you would ever entertain the idea that a grown woman like yourself would end up with a silly little crush on a man you were writing about. It was the least professional thing you had ever done and now you needed to turn up at the same place that he worked and face not only him but his boss who knew about it. You needed to distract yourself. You needed coffee and something sweet for breakfast then perhaps you would feel better.

You washed up and got dressed into a simple shirt and jeans before venturing out for the sustenance you needed to help with your predicament. You knew deep down you hadn’t actually done anything wrong, the host experience is to sell a fantasy of feeling loved or desired or more often than not both and that every single one of Chan’s hosts lived up to that. Each fantasy they created absolutely made you feel that the average woman they saw would have been totally swept off her feet by them. You, once tipsy, were almost swept up in it too so you knew they were good, you knew they were worth the money but still a little part of you was sad it was all just a fantasy and potentially the hosts themselves were not as happy as they seemed.

Your constant thoughts had made you almost miss the door to the cafe you were heading to. It was almost a twenty minute walk from your apartment but the coffee was so good you would happily make the trip. Moving your way through the few filled tables you found yourself an empty seat and sat down looking through your phone as you waited to order. The quiet chatter and the smell of freshly ground coffee gave you some much needed comfort after your order was taken sitting staring into space. You barely registered your phone's message alert, checking it you noticed it was from an unknown number, you frowned but opened it anyway.

 Hey. It’s Felix, are you alright after last night? I saw you leave the floor with Chan so I wanted to check in.

 You read it twice to make sure you had read it correctly then smiled of course the first text he sent you and it’s asking about your welfare, he was too sweet for his own good and that was the problem. He was otherworldly beautiful and far too sweet which of course is what made him so successful as a host, but it also made him too attractive to you. Sighing you thought about how you would reply you didn’t want to sound like it was a flippant thing given he was concerned but you didn’t want him to think the worse either.

Hi Felix, I’m ok just nursing a little bit of a headache but I’ll be fine by the time I head in this afternoon. I hope you had a successful night.

You put your phone down to concentrate on the pancakes that had been delivered to you. The sugar and dough no doubt likely to help with how you felt you would just need to remember to pace yourself a little bit better tonight.

That’s great, I’m glad you’re feeling alright. I know Chan has a tendency to be a little intense sometimes, especially on the 5th floor. I saw on my schedule you're with me tonight so I’ll do my best to keep you entertained :) 

You stopped completely, almost dropping your fork, as you looked over the message coughing when some of the pancake you were eating went down the wrong way. Felix had assumed you had gone upstairs and had sex with Chan. Your stomach dropped, you didn’t want any of them thinking that you had, but especially Felix, because you hadn’t. Sipping some water you blinked the stray moisture from your eyes that the coughing fit had caused and pressed the call button.

“Sorry to call Felix but this is easier to explain than text” you blurted as soon as he answered his phone.

“That’s fine Miss R, you sound stressed, are you sure you feel well?” he asked, his voice sounding concerned against the noise in the background of his surroundings. 

“I really am fine, just a headache, but I had to correct you. I didn't go to level 5 last night. I got a little too tipsy and Chan took me downstairs to put me in a car to get me home. I swear nothing happened with Chan” You explained your tone at a higher pitch than normal making you sip your water again to soothe your throat.

“It’s fine if you did, I wouldn’t judge you for that the way you don’t judge me” Felix reassured you, sounding almost relieved if you were honest with yourself. You let out a large breath making him chuckle slightly.

“I didn’t want you to think the wrong thing that’s all but about tonight Chan told me that I would be able to be in with you since you had an opening which I was surprised about actually” you admitted shyly a flush decorating your neck as you spoke.

“Oh you requested me then” he teased sweetly “Well I’m happy to be your first pick and I’m glad I had an opening”.

“I will see you tonight then Felix” you added not knowing what else to say.

“You will Miss R” he replied, hanging up instantly and leaving you staring at your phone. God, you felt even more embarrassed calling him to assure him you hadn’t had sex with anyone, in public, when he didn’t even seem to mind. You finished your breakfast quickly before returning home so you could overthink every word you had said over the past week while you picked out the final outfit from your closet for your final night at Club 143.

You settled on the outfit that most made you think of Felix a black off the shoulder mini dress with a flippy hem, like the one you had tried on in the department store the morning you had run into him, and simple black pumps. You decided you would just add some winged eyeliner to your everyday look and maybe some bolder lipstick to take it from regular working to host experience working and hoped it would be enough to make a slight impression on Felix so that he would at least potentially remember you after the night was over and you had left his life. Furrowing your brow you looked at yourself in the mirror your bag packed behind you on the bed to change and your simple jeans and a square necked top you were utterly plain compared to every single host you had met, and although they had all been sweet and accommodating during the past week with them you couldn’t help feel a little sad it was over. You did suppose that Chan had a point you could always just attend Club 143 as a patron you didn’t need to buy their time you could always just say hello in passing and pretend that it was enough, pretend it didn’t feel strange that they pretended so well to almost become friends to actually not be at all.

Collecting your bags you made your way back to work taking the slow and scenic way wandering the neighboring streets to see what else was around. Finally making your way into the main entrance you were greeted like you had been before by Chan’s bar and floor staff before entering into the staff area to set up your laptop with the final bits of writing you would need to add. It was later than you normally showed up and Chan was in his office with several of his elite hosts so you just bypassed his office for now. Your editor had sent back a few tweaks for you to make to the editorial but was overall quite supportive and approving of what you had come up with so it was just finishing up the experience with San and writing out Chan’s before finishing it all tomorrow and submitting it. For the final draft stages. You started typing, noting to yourself to add a head shot of both San and Yunho to hopefully further their customer base as a thank you for their time, only to hear a huge roar of laughter from Chan’s office making you jump. 

“Miss R” Seungmin sang as he wandered out of the office towards you. “Could you join us for a moment?”.

“Of course Seungmin” you eyed him warily, making him waggle his eyebrows at you “what are you getting me into?”.

“Nothing bad. We just want to go over last night with you” he grinned his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Well shit” you sighed, standing slowly and following him into Chan’s office. 

“We were just talking about your date with Chan” Seungmin started as you stepped through the door.

“Yeah and how you disappeared with our dear boss” Hyunjin grinned, making you look at the ceiling for help.

“Chan claims he cannot kiss and tell, but we are pretty sure we know where you ended up” Changbin teased, looking from you to Chan.

“Really? And where was that?” you mocked his tone slightly making Chan grin and Minho laugh loudly.

“Upstairs of course” Hyunjin whispered, shouting dramatically as though he was helping you jog your memory, making Changbin snicker.

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure upstairs looks nothing like the inside of a car. Or my apartment block for that matter” you replied dryly, making Chan and Seungmin laugh while Hyunjin’s jaw dropped and Changbin looked confused.

“Felix said he saw you getting in the lift with Chan and that Chan gave a thumbs up” Changbin argued as though you didn’t know where you had been.

“Felix did see me get in the elevator, but you do know that elevators go both up and down” you tried to hold in a laugh at the indignant look on Changbin’s face.

“So you didn’t go upstairs with Chan?” Hyunjin repeated.

“I did not” you laughed “How much money did you have riding on that?”.

“More than they should have” Chan smirked as Hyunjin opened and closed his mouth a few times.

‘Can I finish my editorial now? Or did we need to discuss the sex I didn’t have with Chan further?” you raised your eyebrows waiting for one of them to answer.

“You go back to work Miss R” Chan smiled “I think Hyunjin will be bringing you a coffee in a little while”.

“Aw thank you Hyunjin” you grinned, walking back to your chair and going back to what you needed to get done. Still having the occasional giggle about the conversation you just had.

By the time the other hosts started appearing and it was time for you to start getting ready you were beginning to get nervous. An elite host experience Chan had called it and it was exclusive to only those willing to pay a small fortune to spend time in private with a host of their choice. Felix would probably meet you out in the bar like you had done with San since you were heading straight up to level five and bypassing the other host floors. There would be dinner and you would have Felix all to yourself for the whole night which was a huge amount of time compared to the other experiences Chan had his hosts offer. Closing down your laptop you packed away all of your work items and moved towards Chan’s office to change.

“Am I able to use your office again to get changed or are you still busy?” you enquired sticking your head into his office where he was sitting at his desk already decked out in his deep gray suit. Chan got up and walked over to you taking your work bag from your hands and placing it beside his desk

"Sure and what color are you wearing tonight? just out of interest" Chan smirked stepping out into the staff area.

"Black" Felix answered for you before you could say a word, his voice surrounding you like smoke.

"How did you know I bought a black dress?" you turn towards his voice, your eyes widening the moment you saw him in his satin black suit jacket looking like a model straight off the catwalk.

"Oh I didn't know that I just knew what I bought" he smiled dazzlingly, holding out a large white gift bag tied with a deep red ribbon.

"I don't understand" you mumble, your brow creasing in confusion looking at the bag before he took hold of your hand and placed the handles of the bag in your palm, closing your fingers around it.

"You didn't think you could try on that dress and look that good and I wouldn't insist you wear it?" He smirked, leaning forward and lowering his voice.

"You didn't!" you squealed loudly as he laughed and wandered out into the bar you guessed so he was out of the room before you could argue back.

"What dress are we talking about?" Chan asked, perplexed, his eyes scanning the bag for a label.

"Oh is that the McQueen one? Felix said she looked a million dollars is that one" Hyunjin grinned following Felix's trail through the room and stopping beside you.

“No!...he’s not allowed to do that…fuck where did he go?” you scoffed while still holding the bag.

“He is and he did” Hyunjin winked at you “Now go put the dress on so I can see if he was right”. You gave a resigned sigh you knew this would be a battle you would never win. Too many rich boys with too much money was always going to end in stupid decisions like buying dresses for women they barely knew because they could.

Turning silently you went into Chan’s office and shut the door but not before hearing Hyunjin announce loudly that you were about to knock their socks off so they should all wait around for a bit. You unwrapped the dress carefully, trying to not mess up the ribbon or the tissue paper it was wrapped so beautifully in, your fingers caressing the silk that you had already tried on and secretly loved but had thought you would never in a million years own. Your eyes stung slightly as a stray tear fought to make its way free of your eye, Felix’s gesture proving that his kindness and sweetness knew no bounds and that you and your little crush were doomed to an inevitable heartbreak at the end of the night. Slipping out of your clothes and into the dress you remembered you were going to struggle with the zip again.

“Hyunjin?” you called through the door

“Yes princess” he called back obviously just outside the door.

“Who is waiting out there with you?” you asked as sweetly as you could.

“Oh! There is Chan, Minho, Hongjoon, San, Yunho, Seungmin and of course me” he listed off.

“Excellent” you popped your head out of the door “San can you help me with the zipper please?” you smiled as he grinned and stood up immediately.

“Wait, I can help” Hyunjin protested.

“I know, but I asked San” you quipped as San moved past Hyunjins disappointed face and into the room with you.

“You look exquisite” San whispered appreciatively as you turned around, his fingers easily sliding the zipper up your back.

“Thank you San” you smiled genuinely as you turned back to face him.

“Felix is a lucky, lucky man” he smiled lopsidedly before slipping back out of the room which caused Hyunjin to protest all over again.

You fixed your makeup and took a steadying breath, your nerves were now sky high but you knew there was no turning back now so you stepped out of Chan's office and into a room filled with silence, except for San’s whistle. 

“You look incredible” Chan grinned, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles.

“Thank you Chan” you smiled while worrying your lower lip slightly between your teeth.

“You look far better than just a million dollars” Hyunjin whispered reverently, his eyes wide.

“You are going to make me blush if you keep complimenting me” you shuffled on your feet slightly. 

“Can I escort you out to meet Felix?” Yunho interrupted getting in before any of the others could say anything else.

“That would be amazing, Yunho” you grinned at him as he raced across the room to take your hand and place it in the crook of his arm. You didn’t feel any different stepping out of the staff area into the bar, it was the same as every other evening the difference was going to be when you came face to face with Felix.

“You don’t need to be nervous” Yunho muttered trying to hide he was speaking to you from prying eyes “Felix won’t do anything you don’t want him to, and there is no expectation on you” his hand squeezed yours where it sat in the crease of his elbow “I didn’t even know you could get nervous”.

“Funny Yunho, I’m not immune to everything” you whispered in reply knowing he was right everything that would happen tonight would be the same as all the previous nights you had spent in the club. The ball was entirely in your court. 

Yunho walked you to the entrance where Felix stood waiting for you, several women trying to get his attention but being politely declined until his eyes landed on you.

“Excuse me ladies, my queen awaits” he smiled graciously, walking towards you and Yunho. Yunho for all his imposing presence disappeared effortlessly into the crowd as Felix stepped into your space to take your hand moving it to his lips to kiss the inside of your wrist softly.

“Felix” you smiled coyly, making his perfect face light up as he moved to wrap his arm around your waist to lead you to the elevator.

“You look bewitching” he breathed in your ear making you shiver against him which seemed to only encourage him into pulling you tighter against him. Virtually every woman in the bar watched you with envy at being beside him.

“You look incredibly handsome yourself” you replied feeling more comfortable now that you were with Felix again. He grinned as he stepped into the elevator swiping his card to get you to the exclusive fifth floor starting what you knew would be a once in a lifetime night.

“Chan made sure you had seen one room when he gave you the tour so now I can show you a second” Felix broke the silence between you.

“Did you pick which room you would show me?” you tilted your head to look at his profile.

“Yes, because it's a particular favorite of nearly all of us hosts” he admitted, easily meeting your eyes.

“A favorite as in it makes you guys a lot of money or favorite as you guys actually like being in that room?” you teased gently 

“We like being in this room, it's the easiest to make comfortable for clients who perhaps aren’t interested in certain things” he carefully explained letting you know before you even reached the room that there would be no pressure on you.

“Good to know” you beamed as the elevator door opened to the navy blue hallway. Taking your hand he led you down the hallway passing door number three and leading you to door number 8. Unlocking the door he allowed you to step inside the room first letting you take in your surroundings before wrapping his arms smoothly around you from behind.

The room was the opposite of what you expected it wasn’t some overly ostentatious room styled after a luxury hotel room instead the blue and gold continued only instead of navy blue it was more of a deep teal blue with antique gold light fixtures and dark coloured furniture but the main focal point was the dozen upon dozens of candles flickering on almost every surface in front part of the room stood a black glass table with place settings for two large floor candelabras covering the area in a romantic golden glow. Further into the room dark lounge suites and the further again a bed made up in matching teal sheets all surrounded but flickering light.

“Do you think you prefer this room?” his deep honey voice in your ear.

“Yes this room is beautiful” you replied in awe, feeling his arms squeeze you slightly before unwrapping them from you and leading you towards the table pulling out your chair for you.

“I thought rather than the normal ridiculous menu I would try something new with you” he started taking his own chair as you heard the keycard beep for the door to open revealing a waiter wheeling a food serving cart with large silver cloches covering several dishes. The waiter placed the dishes on the table and then left himself out of the room as quietly and discreetly as possible.

“New in what way?” you tilted your head looking from Felix to the covered dishes.

“I already know that your immune to the normal charm act so I figured instead of playing the part I usually would, I’ll just be me” he shrugged “ I can still give you the full experience without pretending to be something that you will see through anyway so why not have a normal dinner together like we would if this was any other normal date?”. Lifting the cloches and placing them back on the serving cart you were met with two types of pasta, Caprese salad and arancini with aioli. You realized immediately what he meant instead of ridiculous amounts of over the top food he was trying to keep you as comfortable as possible.

“This looks fantastic Felix” you grinned toothily making his shoulders relax a little more. Felix served you a little bit of everything insisting you could eat whatever you liked but you were more interested in just spending the time you had available with him.

“This is the last night you’re going to be here isn't it?” Felix enquired quietly between mouthfuls.

“For this editorial yes” you nodded, taking a sip of the white wine that Felix had chosen to go with your meal. “But I thought I might come back for a drink or two sometimes, the bar is great and it feels really safe as a woman to be in here”.

“But that is only the bar” Felix pressed you slightly “You won’t return to the hosts will you?”.

“I might, I couldn’t obviously be paying for Chan or you to entertain me, you are too pricey for a lowly journalist. But I could see San or Yunho occasionally” you admitted pulling your bottom lip between your teeth as his eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second.

“Are you interested in seeing San or Yunho again?” I know you spent time with Yunho for the editorial and you had the mid level host experience with San” he continued but you could tell he was selecting his words carefully. 

“That was just an example, someone like me could only afford the basic or mid level host experience at a place like this. It doesn't have to be either San or Yunho specifically although they are both a lot of fun” you confessed hoping that he liked that answer better.

“Oh so you would be happy to see anyone then?” he teased.

“Well I’d see you but your price tag is more than I could afford unless you take payment in other ways” you teased back making his eyes widen before he laughed, the rich deep sound sinking into your skin like the sun's warmth. 

“I’m sure we could figure something other than money out if you were interested in only seeing me” he smirked, his eyes darkening as little as he wet his lower lip.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be playing the part tonight” you raised your eyebrow “yet here you are flirting like Hyunjin would”.

“This isn’t the facade, this is me” he confided, his voice deeper than it had been before as he stood from the table and slowly walked around to your chair pulling it away from the table so you were now facing him. “I’ve never been more serious”.

“Felix” you whispered softly, confused where this was going.

“How about I show you what I mean” he murmured leaning down he cupped your face gently angling your chin higher so you were looking into his whiskey colored eyes, his thumb gently traced along your bottom lip as he leaned in tentatively pressing his lips to yours in a featherlight kiss giving you time to pull away. When you didn’t move he smiled graciously, pressing his lips against yours again this time with a little more force allowing you to kiss him back with your hand moving to wrap around his wrist. Taking your other hand in his he helped you stand his plump lips never leaving yours, pulling you flush against him.

“Do you understand what I mean now or should I explain further?” he whispered against your lips letting you decide how much you wanted from him.

“A little more should make it crystal clear” you sighed softly you words cut off as his soft lips claiming yours tenderly once more, Felix teasing your bottom lip with his teeth until you were gasping breathlessly into the kiss, his tongue dancing with yours sensually he moved one hand around your waist to hold you to him. 

“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted this” he smirked, pulling away from you just enough to slide his hands around you deftly gliding the zip of your dress down and watching it fall from your chest. Licking his lips as your upper body became completely exposed to him “I had never been so jealous of Hyunjin before after he said he had kissed you”. His fingers caressing your cheek while he leaned in to kiss your neck his lips softly tracing your pulse point before continuing down to your chest.

“I wanted to end Chan when he bragged about touching you, kissing you” he continued his hands cupping and lightly squeezing your breasts as he kissed his way back to your face. You couldn’t move, enjoying the feeling of his hands and lips on, your arm wrapped around his neck to keep yourself upright, carding your fingers through the hair on the back of his head..

“Neither meant anything if that helps” you whimper feeling his lips turn up against your lips as you pressed them back against his taking the initiative for the first time since Felix had touched you. 

“It does” he smirked, stepping back from you and leading you towards the bedroom area of the suite, the warmth of his hand anchoring you to him. Sitting on the bed he guided you into his lap, your skirt bunching up around your waist as you straddled his strong thighs. You kissed him again allowing him to slip his tongue between your eager lips to slide against your own in a slow dance for dominance beginning between you which he easily won as you pushed his jacket off of his shoulders to get closer to his skin. Felix let his hands roam your sides and arse encouraged you to grind yourself against him while you buried your hands in his amazingly soft hair tugging slightly as your need for him started to build, making him hum against your lips. Without much effort Felix switched your places you back now pressed against the soft mattress as he discarded his jacket and returned to kissing his way across your body, his lips left a scorching path down your chest until he reached your breasts taking one into his mouth while his hand played with the other.

“Fuck your tits are incedible” he breathed against your nipple circling the now swollen bud with his tongue as you arched against him slightly letting out a string of whiny noises “and you are so sensitive, your going to drive me mad baby”.

Your heart skipped a beat at the term of endearment that fell from his beautifully plump lips as he made his way across to your other breast giving it the same torturously pleasurable treatment. Nipping and sucking at your flesh like he was a man possessed. Moving lower he kissed his way to your belly button before hooking his fingers into the material of your dress that remained bunched around you carefully lowering it down your thighs dropping it beside the bed leaving you is just black lace underwear that he admired slowly dragging his finger along the pattern that covered your core.

“Lix” you whimpered softly your skin one fire beneath his warm touch.

“Fuck call me that again” me purred sexily closing his eyes while his fingers continues to trace across your flesh.

“Lix please” you whined watching his adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard, his head tipping back slightly seemingly turned on further by your words. Smiling wickedly he licked his lips and lowered himself between your thighs kissing the inside of one before placing a chaste kiss on your covered core making you shiver in anticipation. His smirk was covered by your mound as he began to trace the lace patterns on the small piece of fabric separating the two of you making you whimper again you were sure he could probably already feel how wet the fabric had become. His teasing continued as he unbuttoned his dress shirt stopping only for him to toss the garment behind him and pull your underwear aside his tongue gliding through your drenched folds earning you the pleasure of a deep groan falling from him before he swiped his tongue through them again collecting your essence and began eating you out as though it was going to keep him from from dying of thirst. Your whines and soft moans spurred him on as went between kitten lick to your clit and long dragging figure eights that drove you insane reaching down you grab a handful of his hair to ground yourself and making him groan loudly against you the vibrations sending you into an unexpected orgasm with a loud sob of his name.

“You taste delicious baby” he teased, moving away from your sensitive core, his angelic face covered in your arousal making him look like he had fallen from grace and straight into your bed. “Can’t wait to feel you fall apart around me baby”.

Standing from the bed he began to undo his belt, removing it slowly his pants and boxers following abandoned where they fell he leaned in to pull your now very wet underwear down your legs before climbing back over you to kiss you, his rock hard cock pressing against your thigh. He ran his hands up and down your sides making sure you were relaxed again he kissed you softly giving you time to come back down from your high to not push you too fast you could taste yourself on his lips and tongue making the knot in your abdomen begin to tighten again.

“Lix” you whispered cupping his face softly as he pulled himself away from you slightly to look into your eyes “I want to feel you, please�� you soft pleading making his eyes widen and genuine look of adoration cross his features.

“God you are everything I could have ever dreamt of” he breathed almost inaudibly allowing his length to slip between your thighs coating himself in your juices “I need you to tell me you want this”.

“Please Felix, I need you” you pleaded again the desperation in your voice showing through making him nod pecking your lips gently as he continued to coat himself in your juices, the head of his cock brushing your clit and making you gasp loudly. Slowly rutting against you he finally lined himself up at your entrance and began leisurely pushing himself inside your still fluttering hole.

“Fuck you feel amazing baby” he groaned bottoming out inside your plush walls before gradually pulling himself out and sinking back into you again. You had never felt so full his dick stretching you to the point you felt like you were being split in half, the pleasure tinged with pain bringing tears to your waterline. 

“Lix…ngh…ah” you moaned uncontrollably each snap of his hips making you feel utter blissful pleasure. Taking his time Felix unhurried pace was leaving you feeling almost drunk as he leant his forehead against yours sweetly humming every time you loudly moaned his name. You met each of his thrusts, your hips rolling against his.

“You’re breathtaking like this” he whispered, increasing the strength of his movements “like you were made just for me” he groaned as you clenched at his words.

“Just for you Lix, only for you” you babbled as white hot sparks spread through your veins making tears fall from your eyes running down your temples into your hair. You were sure Felix could feel your body tightening below you as he moved one hand to wrap your leg around his waist giving him the ability to go even deeper than before, his cock head almost kissing your cervix making you cry out.

“That’s it baby” he purred, burying his face into your neck to kiss and suck on your skin pushing you to the edge again.

“Felix!” you screamed convulsing around his length as your entire body shook and your vision went white, his name tumbling from your lips again and again like a prayer. Felix continued his pace helping to prolong your ecstasy only stopping when you felt him fill you with his thick warm seed. 

Felix peppered your face with sweet kisses as he carefully pulled his softening dick from you, pulling you into his arms as he lay beside you stroking your skin softly until you returned from the fog of pleasure that was currently filling your head. After a few moments he began to massage your thigh easing the muscles that had so tightly squeezed him.

“Is that what it is always like?” you rasped looking up at him with still watering eyes.

“It’s never like, not for clients” he admitted pulling up the blankets to cover your sweat sheen covered bodies. “But for you it would always be like that”.

Felix held you tightly letting your body recover, allowing you to doze off in his arms for a few minutes. When you woke he was wearing a silk robe tied tightly at the waist and was hanging up both your dress and his suit in an empty wardrobe.

“Lix?” you questioned softly sitting up and letting the blankets fall away from your still naked form.

“I didn’t want to wake you baby, you needed to rest” he chuckled quietly, bringing you a glass of water and another glass of wine, climbing into the bed beside you.

“What happens now?” you asked, sipping from the glass of water before allowing Felix to wrap you back up in his arms.

“That is up to you” he conceded, his voice tinged with nervousness.

“Did you want this to be more than tonight?” you continued hoping that you had understood him correctly “Do you want me?”.

“So much, I never expected to meet anyone like you” he confessed “I’ve not been interested in anyone for such a long time that I just thought it wasn’t going to happen ever. But then you appeared and I couldn’t help it, I want to try to make it work with you if you will let me”.

“How would it work though? You here every night and me at work every day we would be like ships passing in the night” you sighed trying to think of what sort of schedule would actually work for the both of you.

“So your first concern isn’t that I make my living like this, it's my hours that are the issue?” he chuckled looking at you with disbelief.

“Well, I mean…. Look Lix I know what you do, and I know you have been doing it for years so it isn’t fair for me to just demand you change your life for me when we don’t even know each other that well” you exhaled looking up at his face.

“The others were right, your honesty is insanely attractive” Felix hummed, placing a soft kiss against your forehead. “But I am willing to go back to just hosting and not escorting if it means I get a shot with you”.

“Have I not been obvious enough?” you giggled your fingers drawing patterns on his beautiful honey skin “I thought you could read women like a book?”.

“Women yes, you no” he groaned, his muscles twitching under your gentle ministrations.

“I like you a lot Felix” you whispered your hand sliding lower brushing his warm skin and eventually wrapping around his half hard cock. “I want to be with you”.

Felix tilted your head with his fingertips connecting his lips to yours in a long kiss that he only broke when the gradual pumping of your hand made him hiss in pleasure.

“I will never stop worshiping you baby, especially now you are mine” His breath fanned across your face and he rolled you back under him grinning devilishly once more.

a/n: Thank you for reading you beautiful people, all your likes reblogs and comments are adored and I hope you enjoyed this one even though it is a bit of an epic. Thank you again to everyone that has followed me and left messages of love and encouragement for me you are amazing xx

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz @armystay89 @damnyouficc @roamingpolar @tara-skyhold @bakedlilgoonie @krishastumblernow @mrsseals16 @fawnpeaks @leeknowinggg @uno7 @tanzen-ist-gold

[aspenwritesstuff]

Part Five - Bitter

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🌹taglist: open! @drhsthl​ @propertyoftoru

🌹 permanent taglist: @svintsandghosts

"To Felix, seeing you like this rather than how you usually present yourself was like being offered two slices of cake made up with the same ingredients, simply decorated differently." "He simply couldn’t pick one over the other."

🌹warnings: borderline cheating mention, embarrassing interactions between friends, alcohol (casual mention, though hinted at as a potential coping mechanism), intimidation as abuse (merits is grabbed), verbal abuse/name calling, general angst, unprocessed rage and unresolved trauma, general anxiety

🌹w/c: 7.5k

🌹a/n: Not only have I returned with an update on Prove Me Wrong (and our beloved Sunshine boy), but wowee I was NOT skimping on the heavier topics/angst this go around. I hope that despite it being not as lighthearted of a chapter, that you still enjoy this update. We’ll return to our regularly scheduled sweetness eventually. Promise.

I also couldn’t help but include bestie Jisung more in this chapter because I’ve lowkey been neglecting this lil rascal. xoxo -Aspen

Lee Felix, twenty-three year old bartender with a smile full of sunshine and a heart made of gold, had carried you to bed last night.

And, as expected, your best friend had not shut up about it all morning.

“I was not drooling!” Your squealed, landing a firm smack to Jisung’s arm - though, despite the force with which you’d struck him, his shoulders still shook with laughter.

“You definitely were,” he managed between gasps, his eyes wrinkled shut as he threw his head back, “I can text Felix right now and ask him if his shoulder was wet?”

“Don’t you dare,” you warned, burying your reddened cheeks in your hands.

Jisung hadn’t stopped teasing you about your unexpected slumber - or the subsequent events - from the moment you’d woken up. You groaned as he continued cackling next to you on the couch, tears welling in his eyes from just how funny he’d found the entire situation.

The humor, however, was lost on you as your skin flushed deeper into a concerning shade of crimson.

“Fine, fine,” Jisung said, still grinning from ear to ear as he waved his hands in front of himself, signaling his temporary surrender, “But you were definitely drooling.”

“Shut up,” you grumbled, rubbing your heated cheeks in an attempt to urge them back into their former, pre-Jisung fueled embarassment shade.

He chuckled again, winking as he stood up to fill a mug of coffee and leaving you alone on the couch - a frustrated pout on your lips. You sighed as you planted your chin atop your palm, elbow on the armrest, and Felix on your mind.

Had he really carried you up to the apartment as Jisung had claimed? You weren’t sure what all was true of his recollection or how much was simply an exaggeration at your expense. You should probably thank Felix, regardless of how you’d gotten into the apartment, after he’d managed to handle your unconsciousness with a gentleness that never once roused you.

Though you were a bit too ashamed at the prospect of the potentially true, humiliating contents of the latter half of your evening.

It wasn’t too terrible, though - at least, from what you remembered before your little catnap, things had gone well for Felix and Ryujin.

There it was, your opening. The way to reach out without being completely awkward. You pulled out your phone, shooting Felix a quick text to ask if he’d heard from her yet. 

As you waited for a response, Jisung returned with a steaming mug of coffee - with an added splash of cream, just as you liked it - holding it out to you carefully with both hands. “Peace offering,” he explained as you took it from him, rolling your eyes as you read the statement on the side.

World’s Okayest Author.

It had been yet another gag gift from Jisung after you’d initially discovered your love for cringey, cheesy statements on ceramic cups.

“You’re lucky I love you, you know that right?” you murmured, raising the slightly-bitter drink to your lips before sipping it slowly.

Jisung beamed, obviously doubting that you’d ever stop loving him at this point, “Yes, I’m so unbelievably lucky my beautiful, smart, clever, best friend who definitely drooled on Felix’s shoulder loves me.”

Coffee got caught in your throat, sending you into a coughing fit as you held the mug out for Jisung to grab. He did quickly, shifting from poking fun to fussing over you in an instant.

“Breathe!” he commanded, his brows shooting up high enough to be obscured by his bangs. He set the mug down on the table in a rush, patting your back as though you were a baby that needed burped.

“Jesus, Ji,” you sputtered, residual throat-clearing interrupting your words as you slammed your fist against your sternum, “Peace offering, my ass.”

“I’m sorry!” he whined, firm taps shifting into gentle circles being rubbed between your shoulders, “It was just right there, I had to!” 

“Had to?” you croaked, swallowing hard to soothe the sudden scratchiness your choking episode has caused.

“C’mon, sweets,” he pleaded, “If I were the butt of these jokes you’d still be laughing.”

You hated just how true, and just how fair his statement was.

With a disapproving shake of your head, you let out a long sigh in lieu of an answer. Jisung simply grinned before singsonging out a satisfied, “I knew it,” placing the mug back into your hands and ignoring the daggers you shot his way.

You shook your head, saved from admitting defeat by the chime of your phone. You picked it up with one hand, the other holding your mug to your lips as you took a long sip and relished in the way it soothed the irritation from your near-suffocation.

Felix☀️: yeah, she messaged me to ask if i’d gotten home alright!

Felix☀️: i told her i did and then we said goodnight. 

Felix☀️: wait…should i have done that? did i mess that up?

You couldn’t help the affectionate laugh that escaped your lips, Felix’s doe-eyed expression of panic materializing so vividly in your mind that you barely even noticed Jisung announcing he’d be right back. 

You shot him a small wave, still smiling as you replied quickly to the messages, hoping to avert the crisis that was a spiraling Lee Felix.

You: Felix, deep breath. It’s fine, goodnight is definitely not dealbreaker.

The three dots appearing and disappearing as the spirited boy second, third, and fourth guessed himself had become something of a signature in your conversations - evoking a certain fondness - completely certain he was chewing his lip and running his hand repeatedly through his fluffy, blonde locks. You: Whatever it is, you can just say it Felix.

The dots disappeared one final time, before waving along for a solid thirty seconds. You felt your shoulders sink as you read his words, feeling every shred of your dignity evacuate your being.

Felix☀️: did you sleep alright?

Felix☀️: sounded like a rough dream for a bit there

Felix☀️: I stuck around until I thought you were settled, but i was pretty worried

Your heart dropped in your chest, a surge of guilt mostly to blame, though gratitude was taking the small remainder of that accountability. You: You didn’t have to do that, Felix.

You: But, thank you. I’m okay, sometimes my subconscious just…hurts.

Explaining these recurring dreams to Felix was harder than you’d have imagined. He was so gentle and soft - radiating joy and peace. You didn’t want to dim his shine, especially not as he basked in the glow of Ryujin contacting him.

Felix☀️: you sure?

Felix☀️: you can talk to me if you want to

Felix☀️: but no pressure!!!

The small smile that seemed to accompany conversations with Felix crept back onto your face, pushing the anxiety over explaining yourself far into the background. His messages were so…him. Prone to rambling, yet thoughtful and well-meaning with every tangent he went off on. If only he knew that you were the one feeling nervous about how you were affecting him this time around.

You: I’m really okay, but…noted, thank you. 

Not even in the furthest recesses of your imagination would you have figured Felix for the intuitive type, his bumbling nature giving off much more of a clueless vibe than one capable of such inferences.

Yet, here you were, so shell-shocked you nearly dropped your phone - and your coffee - before you’d gathered yourself enough to even attempt to formulate a reply.

Felix☀️: does it involve how you feel about love?

Attempt had been the key word in your mental monologue, seeing as your fingers flew across the keys in the most avoidant, juvenile way imaginable.

You: I don’t wanna talk about it.

Less than a second later, Felix had responded. You could picture him staring at his phone, overthinking the fact that he sent a message so personal. Realizing the troubled thoughts he must’ve been having made you feel a bit ashamed of your own terseness.

Felix☀️: that feels like an answer

Felix☀️: but i won’t push, okay?

Felix☀️: just know i AM here for you, if you ever change your mind

The fact that he still managed to be so understanding, so comforting so…Felix about it all, only served to make the way you’d answered him feel even more shameful.

You: Thank you.

It was all you could think of to reply with, setting your phone beside you before leaning your head back against the couch - staring up at the ceiling blankly. You couldn’t stop cursing yourself internally, wishing you’d met Felix’s softness with something a bit less abrasive.

At least he didn’t seem too terribly torn up over it - you seemed to have that covered on your own at this point, anyways.

Right on cue, with true chaotic-best-friend energy, Jisung barged back into the apartment, his face pale as he held a bright-blue flier in his hand. “Ji?” you asked, sitting upright on the couch to search his eyes for anything that could explain his offputting silence.

He stepped forward, blinking rapidly before handing you the innocuous paper, barely managing to whisper, “Honey, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot…”

“What are you talking about, Ji?” you asked, keeping a nervous smile plastered on your face as if it would change whatever he was going on about into something unworthy of his atypical quietness.

You flipped it over, bold black text sending an immediate chill down your spine. 

Bi-Annual Author’s Gala.

You felt your breath catch in your throat as you looked up at Jisung with genuine fear in your eyes, his own expression softening into worry - it was probably best that only one of you were in crisis at a time, and you definitely took precedence when it came to this particular event.

As the name stated, the Bi-Annual Author’s Gala was a party hosted by popular publishers all around the region once every two years - serving both as a social mixer and an award ceremony for authors from all different publishing houses. 

And it was tonight.

This, on its own, wasn’t much cause for concern. You were, in fact, an author and it would be far from your first time in attendance of the Gala. The biggest concern each year was typically finding a dress that suited the occasion in time, or making sure that your makeup wouldn’t photograph poorly should you be given an award.

This year, however, the hurdle you needed to overcome was something you’d never had to face before; attending alone.

You’d attended last year’s event with San.

You’d purchased a plus-one ticket in advance, because you certainly hadn’t predicted San leaving you before the next Gala.

There were going to be two seats saved under your name, and one body to fill them.

“Ji, fuck, you gotta go with me!” you whipped your head up from the flier, ignoring the painful sting that always came along with remembering anything at all about San.

Jisung couldn’t look you in the eye - the surefire tell that he was about to tell you something you really didn’t want to hear.

“Honey, Minho and I are leaving for Jeju in like…two hours, remember?” he spoke in a startlingly soft and serious voice, still unable to meet your eyes, “It’s our first vacation as a couple, I can’t cancel on him…” he chewed his lip, finally sparing you a fleeting moment of eye contact.

You understood, of course, but that didn’t stop your veins from running cold at the prospect of explaining to everyone there why you had two seats, and no plus one. 

Understanding did nothing for the fact that you had less than eight hours to find not only an appropriate dress for such an event, but a date who could also dress accordingly. You must have been wearing your dread in every facet of your being, because Jisung was quick to start spouting suggestions.

“Would your publisher let you skip out? Claim any award on your behalf?”

You shook your head, recalling how she’d reacted when you’d tried to call out of a book signing, let alone an actual award ceremony.

“I highly doubt it, Ji. You know how she is…” you trailed off, your lower lip trembling as you took a shaky inhale.

“Oh! Ask Felix, maybe?” he chirped, tilting his head to the side with the first shadow of a smile he’d worn since reappearing with that cursed, blue paper.

That…wasn’t a terrible idea.

You pulled your phone out, typing and retyping your message until your shaky fingers spared you any typos.

You: Hey, what are you doing tonight?

You wondered if Felix would find amusement in knowing you were nervous on the other end of the phone, just as his through-text stammering tickled your funny bone. Such thoughts were quickly cut short as your heart leapt into your throat.

You finally understood what people meant when they’d complain about how nervous appearing and disappearing typing cues made them.

Felix☀️: was gonna go out for some drinks with ryujin

Felix☀️: why? is everything okay?

You swallowed the lump in your throat, trying to convince yourself that encroaching on his first actual outing with - as he oftentimes called her - the love of his life was acceptable. That your personal emergency outweighed the potential of his happiness.

The thought itself felt like poison, making you nauseated at the fact you’d even considered it. It felt almost as wrong to lie to Felix, but it was for the future of the relationship you’d promised to help him secure. 

You were sure that, should he ever find out the truth, he’d forgive you. Felix was certainly the type to brush something like this off if he knew your heart was in the right place.

You: Yeah, all good. Have fun, be yourself. Tell me all about it later?

You sighed as you tucked your phone back into your pocket, looking up at Jisung’s expectant eyes before shaking your head. His expression fell instantly back into one of guilt and concern. The way his jaw clenched showed you that he was wracking his brain for any other possibility.

You didn’t need him to say a word to know that he was likely out of ideas.

There was no ill will towards Jisung, just as there was none towards Felix. Plans with someone you loved were important to those who still believed in it’s magic, after all. The only bitterness your heart held was towards San, and towards love itself.

None of this would be a problem if you simply had never loved San in the first place.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Jisung asked, reaching out to place a comforting hand on your shoulder. 

Your best attempt at a smile likely appeared more tight-lipped and forced than reassuring, though you did your best to come across as much more composed than you felt.

“Yeah, I’ll survive, Ji,” you nearly whispered, nodding your head before lightheartedly pushing him away, “Now, go pack. I don’t want Minho to blame me if you’re late for your departure, yeah?”

Jisung nodded, giving a half-hearted grin at your attempt to diffuse the tension, “Okay, sweets. Send me outfit photos? I can at least help with that.” 

With that, Jisung leaned forward and pecked the top of your head affectionately, casting a melancholy glance over his shoulder before leaving you alone in the apartment.

All there was to do now was tear apart your closet, put on your makeup, and try not to cry.

You were only confident in the first two.

Time was of the essence, so exhausting your wardrobe was the only option in order to find suitable attire for the Gala. It would be so much easier to head to one of the boutiques uptown, allowing one of the overly helpful employees there to play dress-up-author-Barbie with you.

But you only had two hours, and couldn’t risk being late and alone.

So, you’d spent ten minutes pulling every article of clothing resembling formalwear from the closet, spreading them out on your bed before snapping photos to send to Jisung for approval.

You sat at your vanity, pulling your hair back from your face to apply a thin layer of foundation and a generous layer of bronzer to your cheekbones, a necessary effort to combat the washout due to cameras flashing. A bit of a dusty-rose blush, simple flicked eyeliner, and a shock of red lipstick topped off the entire look.

You had to admit, you looked at least ten times more put together than you felt.

The chiming of your phone brought you to your feet, nearly jumping across the room to check what you had rightfully assumed was Jisung’s verdict.

Dumb Squirrel: honey, are you serious?

Dumb Squirrel: that pretty black dress and you considered other options?

Dumb Squirrel: I taught you better than that???

You rolled your eyes, not quite appreciating his humor as much as you would whilst under such immense levels of stress.

You: Unprovoked???

Dumb Squirrel: Minho wants to see your makeup before he agrees with me.

You snapped a quick photo, trying your best to put on a pleasant expression despite how pointless it felt to waste time with selfies, but you knew better than to argue with Jisung after asking him for advice.

Dumb Squirrel: first of all, i am offended

Dumb Squirrel: you hide this bad bitch in pajamas every time we hangout

Dumb Squrrel: rude

You groaned, brows furrowing as you replied to him quickly. You: Help me now, compliment me later.

Dumb Squirrel: yeesh, grouchy.

Dumb Squirrel: i get it though, so i forgive you

Dumb Squirrel: Minho said, quote, “black dress, match some heels. sleek, sexy and professional”

Dumb Squirrel: he also insists that i apologize because “this isn’t a time to joke” and to inform you he called me an idiot on your behalf

For the first time since your seemingly endless panic, the ghost of a true smile appeared on your face. You had always known there was a reason you approved of Minho outside of Jisung’s happiness. You: Thanks, both of you. Gotta finish up now, message you when I arrive?

Dumb Squirrel: you got it sweets. good luck!

You set your phone down on the vanity, picking up the elegant black number from your bed. It was a simple dress, enough to look dressed up without overdoing it. The sleeves were full length, clinging tightly to your arms despite exposing both of your shoulders. The neckline was modest, resting in a slight curve against your sternum, the skirt floor length - flaring out just enough to flow - with a slit up to your mid thigh. 

After slipping it on and struggling with the zipper alone, your reflection told you that Ji and Minho had been absolutely correct in their recommendation - your resolve only solidifying as you took Minho’s advice about a pair of black pumps. A few pieces of dainty silver jewelry, and an understated black clutch were all that was required to give you an air of poise that - until now - you weren’t sure you were actually capable of.

You’d have no idea this was a last-minute effort if you weren’t, well, you.

Sitting down once more at the vanity, slipping your phone into the clutch, you twirled a piece of hair around your fingertip. You didn’t have the time to do anything fancy, but knew that your unstyled hair would definitely not blend in with the aura of sophistication you’d managed to exude with everything else adorning your body.

The time restriction may have turned out to be a good thing, you thought to yourself. Straightened hair pulled back into a high, tight ponytail tied the whole look together in a way that you were sure Jisung would gush about for weeks after seeing the photos from the event.

Date or not, you looked absolutely fantastic - and you knew it. That confidence exuded from your features, even when you’d simply gaze blankly into the mirror. It was that same overwhelming aura one would get watching perfume commercials; despite how disinterested the actress may appear, your attention was always pulled for at least a moment.

You gave yourself one last glance, spritzing on a light perfume before making your way to the door. You’d had the sense to call a cab in advance, thanking whatever deity may have been watching over you as you spotted it pulling up from halfway down the stairs.

Another quick prayer of gratitude as the interior of the cab didn’t smell horrible, though this was likely due to the extra fee you’d paid to have a nicer, newer model pick you up.

The driver politely greeted you, nodding as you prattled off the address quickly. He seemed to be a man of few words, yet another thing you could only accredit to a guardian angel or impossible luck.

The ride was rather uneventful, save for the occasional bit of traffic at stoplights, and you’d managed to arrive at the venue with five minutes to spare. You snapped a quick photo outside of the venue, sending it to Jisung so he’d know you’d made it safely.

You: Made it to the Gala safe and sound. Now to make it through the evening without needing to explain the lack of date…pray for me. Talk later?

You shut your phone off then, not wanting to risk it going off during any announcements for the awards, slipping it back into your clutch to avoid the temptation to distract yourself with messages or social media. 

Your publicist spotted you from the entrance, waving her arm above her head to draw your attention. You stepped towards her, plastering on your best smile as you greeted her warmly. “Nari, good to see you,” you spoke softly, ghosting your lips above her cheeks rather than actually greeting her properly - the alternative being to stain her makeup red.

“Am I ever glad to see you,” she sighed, audibly relieved as she returned the gesture, “I hadn’t heard from you all day and had honestly begun to worry you’d forgotten.”

“I would never,” you lied, turning your head as your name was called by one of the photographers.

You let the corners of your lips raise as you parted your lips, the look Nari had taught you under the name pleasantly surprised to be photographed. It sounded dumb when she’d first told you about it - though the shots, and how gentle and candid you ended up looking in them, quickly won you over to her side.

“You came alone?” Nari asked quietly, speaking through her teeth behind her own gentle smile. “Mhm,” you hummed softly, turning towards a different photographer to allow them all the shots they wanted. It wasn’t as it would be as an actress or musician - there weren’t really paparazzi to speak of. This was more…documentation for online profiles, potential headshots for book covers, and coverage for the sake of equal representation amongst the arts.

Despite your hopes that Nari would leave the topic alone, it seemed you’d used up your luck reserves for the day.

“Didn’t you book a plus one?” she mumbled haphazardly, trying to keep her expression calm as she wondered how, as your publicist, she’d explain away the empty seat.

“Two years ago, yes,” you reminded her, hoping your discomfort wouldn’t be apparent in any of the photos.

“You couldn’t have canceled?” she asked, sounding more and more urgent despite speaking through a closed jaw.

“Didn’t cross my mind,” you dodged, allowing your face to shift from pleasant to neutral as the photographers gathered around the next author to arrive, “Is it really that big of a deal?”

Nari sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose as she shook her head, “In general, no. As your publicist, yes.”

You frowned, turning your body to face her. You did your best to hide your displeasure - it was embarrassing enough for you without Nari reminding you that she’d have to field questions about your dateless award show from fans of your books.

“Nari, I really don’t see what the problem is, people show up to events without an escort all the –”

You were cut off by a blossoming smile on Nari’s face, visible relief in her eyes as she stared behind you.

“That wasn’t funny, you really had me going,” she scolded, glancing at you only momentarily before allowing her focus to return somewhere behind your shoulder. “Nari, what are you talking about? I meant it when I said I came –” you were cut off by an all too familiar throat clearing behind you.

“-- alone…” you trailed off, the hair on the back of your neck slowly rising as a heavy feeling of dread made itself at home from head to toe - though it seemed to constrict your heart in your chest. “Hey,” a familiar set of sharply angled lips spoke quietly. His jaw - one that you could vaguely recall pressing your lips against once upon a time - clenched awkwardly, the man attached shuffling in place. His sheepish eyes landed upon yours, holding a strong uncertainty that only seemed to increase the contrast with the blatant shock you wore.

You swallowed hard - fight and flight playing the highest-stakes game of chicken you’d ever considered in your mind. 

Both of these options felt like a nightmare. 

Punching him in front of cameras? Tempting, and Jisung would probably ask you to sign a copy - probably even treat you to a fancy and expensive dinner after bailing you out on an assault charge. Though, as far as PR went, it was a horrible decision - having an angry publicist was never a smart choice.

Running off was just as enticing, the desire to head home without looking back - finishing a bottle of wine alone in a pretty dress - sounded absolutely cathartic. Though, Nari would have to explain your sudden disappearance - which also translated to having an angry publicist. You asked the only question you truly felt like you needed answered in that moment, though you couldn't quite recognize your voice's newfound hollowness as your own.

“San, what the fuck are you doing here?”

Lee Felix was not the type to check his phone on a date. If anything, he was the type to leave it in his truck, devoting the entirety of his attention to the person sitting before him. 

That had been his intent this evening - to sit across from Ryujin and finally engage in meaningful conversation. To smile and laugh with her as he filled in the blanks he’d so desperately craved the answer to as he’d crushed from afar. To lose himself in her eyes as she spoke about her passions.

Yet, completely out of character, Felix had forgotten to take his phone out of the pocket of his tight slacks. He, of course, had apologized when it interrupted their small talk, quickly silencing the ringer before returning to his previously enraptured state.

Even further from his typical behaviors, Felix’s curiosity about what awaited him beyond his lockscreen had stuck in his mind. So much, in fact, that he couldn’t stop himself from taking a peek at the screen whilst Ryujin was in the restroom.

Confused only slightly covered Felix’s reaction when he opened your text, swallowing hard to prevent his jaw from dropping at the sight of the photo attached;

#1 Love Hater💔: Made it to the Gala safe and sound. Now to make it through the evening without needing to explain the lack of date…pray for me. Talk later?

He was at least 99 percent certain that he wasn’t the intended recipient, yet everything about your message sparked question after question in his mind. What Gala were you referring to? If he were to glean anything from your attire and more-glamorous-than-usual makeup, it was some sort of formal event. Was this why you’d asked him about his plans for tonight? He felt his stomach lurch with guilt at the thought of you alone at something so…so utterly not like the you he knew. So formal and gaudy. 

Felix had grown accustomed to seeing you dressed comfortably in oversized sweaters, a messy bun or completely unstyled hair framing your barely-made-up face. 

Felix had only ever seen you in casual settings; your apartment, his truck, the food court, and the art studio. You looked beautiful, and Felix could acknowledge and appreciate the effort you’d put into your appearance for whatever this “Gala” was. 

He’d always found your features to be pretty, though, even with your face smooshed against the window of his truck as you slept soundly.

To Felix, seeing you like this rather than how you usually present yourself was like being offered two slices of cake made up with the same ingredients, simply decorated differently. He simply couldn’t pick one over the other.

Ryujin still hadn’t returned, allowing his mind to continue questioning every aspect of the message you’d sent. He could only put so many pieces together on his own, though, and found himself increasingly antsy as he wondered how you were holding up - out of your element, and alone.

He’d shot you a quick text, trying to see how you were doing. He couldn’t help but frown as the checkmark stayed faded, not even registering as delivered. Was your phone dead? If it was, how could you call anyone if you needed something? He quickly scrolled his contacts, finding Jisung and typing out a message before he could even consider other options. Felix: what’s the gala?

Ryujin came back out then, giving Felix a brilliant smile that instantly made him wish he’d never seen your message. He was truly happy to have this time with her, finally getting the chance to become more than the guy who makes her drinks, yet here he was - worrying about you.

“Sorry I took so long, there was a line,” she explained before sliding back into her chair, lifting her wine glass to take a small sip.

“No worries,” Felix assured, his typically shining grin dimmed significantly as he tapped his foot subconsciously beneath the table. 

If Ryujin noticed a change in his behavior, she didn’t let on, launching right back into where she’d left the discussion.

Though once enamored by every word that left her lips, Felix barely registered Ryujin’s recollection of her previous job as a secretary before moving on to her current position as an executive assistant. He felt his phone buzz against his thigh. Felix was doing his best to nod and smile attentively, despite the way his fingertips were twitching with the desire to pull up his phone and get the answers he craved. 

Ryujin finished her story, looking at Felix expectantly as she took another sip of her wine. Shit, did she ask me something?

His palms began to sweat, another buzz against his thigh only serving to worsen the clamminess. He gave his best attempt at a remorseful smile, standing from his seat to give her a slight bow of apology.

“I’m really sorry, I’ll be right back, okay?” His eyes were wide, and it seemed to suddenly register with Ryujin that something was going on with him - that his attention had been elsewhere for the last several minutes. “Oh, yeah,” she said, her kind expression barely faltering as she read the look in his eyes as concern, “Is everything alright?”

“I hope so,” Felix replied with uncertainty, half of his mouth upturning into a crooked smile. Ryujin nodded, seeming to understand fully that this was something important to him - why else would his mood have shifted so suddenly?

Felix bowed again, though this time from gratitude, before hastily walking off in the direction of the outdoor patio. He pulled his phone out so quickly that he’d nearly dropped it, his level of worry causing him to mess up his own lock code not once - but twice.

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): howd you know about the gala?

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): its some fancy writing award thing i think tho?

Felix’s brow furrowed so deeply into his head that there would likely be residual wrinkles for a few minutes after he finally relaxed, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.

Felix: and she went alone? 🙁 what if she wins?

Felix: accept an award alone? 😭

Felix’s guilt from earlier was on the fast track to evolve into unadulterated shame. He wondered why she’d have kept this from him…sure, he was busy, but her secrecy almost gave him further cause for concern.

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): yeah…i’m on jeju with Minho rn

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): she said you were busy but if you arent?

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): she’d appreciate someone there, i think

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): at least to save her from her publicist’s wrath

Felix sighed hard enough that it could’ve easily been mistaken as a frustrated groan. He was far from being irritated though - uneasy due to his lack of understanding, maybe, but not frustrated.

Felix: why would her publicist hound her?

Felix: was she not supposed to be alone?

Felix’s confusion only grew stronger, every answer to his questions revealing at least two more things he didn’t understand. 

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): its not really my place

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): all i can say comfortably is that she’d planned on a plus one

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): and some shit happened

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): emphasis on shit

Felix’s heart sank. On one hand, you hadn’t shared this information with him yourself. If he acted on it, would you be upset with him for prying? Upset with Jisung for sharing? On the other, from what he gathered, tonight might be painful for you - especially if you’d planned on someone special being by your side for it.

Felix: you really think she’d want me there?

Felix decided to double check, despite Jisung’s earlier statement that you’d likely appreciate a friendly face. If anyone would be able to predict your reactions closest to complete accuracy, it would be your best friend.

Jisung (tried to 👊 once): i know she would.

That’s when Felix made arguably the toughest decision of his adult life, stuffing his phone back into his pocket as he reapproached the table - Ryujin’s momentary happiness fading as she recognized the look on his face.

“What’s up?” she asked, trying to remain casual despite the sudden intensity in Felix’s gaze.

“Please forgive me,” he started, though his voice sounded much more resolute than a plea for forgiveness should, “There’s an emergency with one of my friends, I really have to go.”

Ryujin blinked a few times, nodding her head before giving him a sweet smile - disappointment barely visible as she responded calmly, “I understand completely.”

“Rain check?” Felix asked hopefully, pulling his blazer from the back of his chair with a raised brow before slinging it over his arms.

“Of course,” she replied softly, watching as he tossed enough cash for their meal and tips onto the table before handing her a few bills to pay cab fare to get her home.

She blinked at the money in her hand before looking back up at him, her brows creased together. Sure, she hadn’t known Felix long…but his entire demeanor looked different somehow. Gone was the awkward, shy, fumbling man she’d arrived with - in his place stood a man completely sure of himself, confident in his choice to cut their date short in the name of a friend in need.

As she watched Felix race back to his truck, turning the keys in the ignition before he’d even buckled his seatbelt, Ryujin wasn’t quite sure if she was more puzzled or besotted by this brand new side of Lee Felix.

As you stood face to face with San you became certain of two things.

Firstly, he was exactly the same. From the way he parted his hair, to the slight lean to the right in his posture, San had not changed - even a tiny bit. No sign of new fine lines or wrinkles. No difference in the offhanded way he’d addressed you. The only difference, in fact, was a glittering gold band on his left ring finger.

That had led you to your second revelation; any love you had for him was - in fact - gone. The tentative smile he offered you that used effortlessly placate even your largest irritations only served to give you an uncomfortable case of the goosebumps, chilling you to the very core. The way he tilted his head, once something you’d found precious now only infuriated you. 

How dare he look at you so calmly after what he’d done? How dare he show up at an event that wasn’t even for him in the first place? How dare he show up with the audacity to escort you wearing a wedding ring after breaking off your engagement to marry the woman who’d likely slid that onto his finger?

How dare he do this in front of your publicist, who now wore a relieved and excited grin on her face at the notion of having the seat next to you filled.

How dare he waltz up to you with absolutely no warning, uttering a casual hey as if you were somehow friends? 

How fucking dare he?

Your teeth were clenched following your less-than-amicable question, jaw set in a tensed position as you crossed your arms against your chest.

“Don’t act this way,” he started, his brows knitting together before he pursed his lips.

“I said what the fuck are you doing here?” you hissed, eyes widened with a rage that, until just now, you believed had been abandoned in favor of grief.

“I –” he cut himself off, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as he took a sharp breath in through his nose - the telltale flaring of his nostrils showing just how hard he was working to keep himself gentle, “I was supposed to be your plus one. I’m not so shitty that I’d let you sit alone at the Gala.”

“I beg to differ,” you deadpanned, “You’re exactly that shitty, and nothing would make me happier than if you’d never shown up here.”

San’s jaw clenched as he took in your quiet anger. He’d experienced different sides of you before, but this was new. 

You’d had jealous anger before, resulting in tears and long monologues of your insecurities - coating everything you did like a cold drizzle, sinking you into yourself as you’d seek warmth in any way possible.

You’d had explosive anger, too. Raising your voice and refusing to listen to reason, certain that exactly what you believed to be happening was strictly fact - down to every last detail. Like an earthquake, threatening destruction on anything not secured tightly in place.

Now, though? Your face was blank, save for the slightly widened state of your eyes and the hard line your lips had formed. Your words were clear and concise, as if you had been waiting to say these very words to him for your entire life. You sounded sure. You sounded calm.

You were the eye of a hurricane, a single spot of calm amidst the raging sea. Moving in any direction too quickly could plunge him into the chaotic, swirling depths.

“Unfortunately,” you continued on, not once shifting your steely gaze away from his, “It seems that in order to be rid of you, I’d need to do something my publisher will absolutely disapprove of.”

San swallowed hard, “I didn’t come here with the intention to upset you –” his eyes bulged as you laughed - as though his attempt at reassurance was actually the funniest thing you’d ever heard in your life.

“That’s fucking rich, Choi San, considering you’re planning to walk at my side as though you’ve done nothing wrong,” you took a step closer, despite how sick the proximity made you feel, just to ensure that no prying eyes or gossip-hungry ears could pick up on a thing you said.

“You want to come here, to an award ceremony for my profession, wearing the ring given to you by the woman you swore to me I didn’t need to worry about?” you scoffed under your breath, every bit of your body language screaming discomfort and volatility.

You whispered the last sentence, the audacity he had to appear shocked, requiring you to push back against the urge to spit in his face, “But, I guess since you didn’t come here to upset me, it’s all fine I suppose.” 

If it hadn’t been for Nari, you’d have definitely caused a bigger scene. 

If you didn’t know for a fact that she’d have several choice words, if not threats on your career should you turn San away, you’d have simply called him a cab and told him to get fucking lost.

You had to be escorted by the man who ruined your entire concept of love for the night. There was no other option. You suddenly found yourself wishing you’d simply not been reminded by Jisung about the event earlier, simply missing it and facing Nari’s wrath.

That was better than forcing yourself to pretend to be fine next to San.

If you had to be escorted by the largest reminder of your heartache, you refused to do it with an agreeable demeanor - so you turned away from him suddenly, making a beeline for the outdoor bar, hoping to get a couple of drinks to coax you into spending the evening next to the devil. 

You’d expected him to perhaps follow you, at least having the decency to be as close to invisible as he could be in the seat next to you for the evening.

You’d expected him to let you get a drink, maybe to even understand why you wanted to dull your senses around him.

What you hadn’t expected was his sudden, tight grip around your wrist - stopping you in your tracks.

“I showed up for you,” he whispered with accentuated sibilance, a noise more closely associated with a feral cat than a man. His grip tightened on your wrist as his eyes grew wide, “I left my wife home to escort you at this stupid fucking gala,” he spat that bit bitterly, his nose wrinkling with anger, “that I’ve never actually liked attending, just so you don’t feel fucking embarassed, all alone.” San’s voice had morphed into one filled with venom, it’s sole intent to mock you and make you feel small.

“I didn’t fucking ask you to,” you hissed back, ignoring the stinging in your eyes at his words. You didn’t love him anymore, this was true. You didn’t care about his opinion, and that was true, too. 

It was also true that he knew you well enough to know exactly where to prod, exactly how to hurt you.

You barely noticed whispers of a few passerby as the two of you exchanged your hushed, turbulent stabs.

You barely noticed the familiar sound of an engine thrumming beneath the hood of a red pickup truck.

His grip grew tighter, making you wince slightly, “You’re so fucking ungrateful,” San continued, running his free hand through his hair - as he’d always done when he’d grown frustrated with you - before shooting his darkened eyes back towards you, “All you’ve ever done is complain about everything I do for you, no matter how fucking much I hated doing it.”

“I didn’t want you here,” you insisted, trying with futility to pull your wrist from the constraint of his fist, “This isn’t for me,” you swallowed the thickness growing in your throat, ignoring the way your voice quivered as you spoke - determined not to break where he could see you, “If this were for me, you’d be gone. In fact, you’d never have shown up here in the first place, San.”

San grew red in the face as he pulled you closer by your wrist, hissing whatever the opposite of sweet nothings were directly into your face, “You stupid, selfish, spoiled little –” he suddenly stopped, his gaze focusing behind you reminding you eerily of the way Nari had spotted him before.

The smell of a summer’s rain and wildflowers flooded your senses, prefacing a warm hand resting against your bare shoulder. 

San’s jaw clenched as he glanced at the hand, his eyes slowly making their way up to the face attached.

It was then that a familiar, comforting bass voice met your ears - soothing you despite the intimidating closeness San maintained with you. 

You turned your head to confirm your suspicions, relief overpowering the bewilderment you felt seeing the last person you’d expected to show up this evening.

“So sorry I’m late,” he whispered just loud enough for San to hear as well, stepping close enough that he hovered directly over your back.

Felix.

“I’d appreciate if you’d unhand my date." He nearly growled, the look on his face completely foreign to the gentle, fluffy haired boy you'd grown so accustomed to. "Now.”

[tokiiee]

dating the ninth member — stray kids ( maknae line )

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

han jisung ( 한지성 )

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

lee yongbok ( 이용복 )

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

kim seungmin ( 김승민 )

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

yang jeongin ( 양정인 )

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

© tokiiee 2O23.

[queers-gambit]

Hanahaki Disease collection masterlist

Japanese folklore ― fictional disease where the infected coughs up flower petals when suffering from one-sided love; ends one of three ways:

-> one: when the Desired returns feelings for the Infected. happy ending. -> two: when the Infected endures an operation to clear the flowers but in turn, forgets the Desired entirely. -> three: when the flowers prove fatal.

featuring: Eddie Munson, Felix Catton

total collection parts: 4

note: there are thousands of ways to write HD, these are just my variations. if you have you own idea in the form of a request, i am frothing at the mouth to hear it!

status: active and open

requests OPEN

universal warnings: requires maturity and caution. cursing, angst, unrequited love, depiction of physical illness, medical phenomenon, blood, borderline self destruction, Lord's name in vain, AU timelines, "best friends" trope. only Saltburn spoilers.

Eddie Munson

fandom masterlist: Stranger Things

Cherry Blossom Colored Kisses

when Eddie tells his best friend he wants to ask Chrissy Cunningham to prom, she begins to cough out flower petals.

word count: 8.8k

🍒 author's favorite 🙊 general language and content warning 🎭 drama 🥰 romance 💔 angst ❤️‍🩹 hurt and comfort 🩺 depiction of medical phenomenon

read here

Tears in the Rain

feelings are confessed and a decision is made; only thing left to do is heal and be okay.

word count: 8.4K

🙊 general language and content warnings 🎭 drama ❤️‍🩹 hurt, s o m e comfort 💔 angst 🩺 depiction of medical phenomenon 💛 proceed with maturity and caution

read here

Gone with the Sin

he loves another, and your fate is sealed.

word count: 8.9k

🙊 general language and content warnings 🎭 drama 🥺 hurt 🚫 NO comfort 💔 angst ☠️ character death 💛 proceed with maturity and caution

read here

Felix Catton

fandom masterlist: Saltburn

Midsummer Night(mare)'s Dream

when Oliver's obsession reaches new heights, you fear Felix might return the affection - resulting in bloody flower petals suffocating you.

word count: 12.9k+

🍒 author's favorite 🤮 depiction of physical illness 🩺 depiction of medical phenomenon 🩸 depiction of blood / injury 🫠 depiction of self-destruction ⏳ alternate timeline ✝️ Lord's name in vain 🥂 alcohol consumption 🚬 brief illicit material use 🥊 brief depiction of physical aggression 🙊 general language and content warning 💔 angst 🎭 drama ❤️‍🩹 hurt and comfort ⚠️ spoilers ♻️ "friends to 'strangers' to lovers" kinda 🧂 Fix It Felix 👯‍♀️ "best friends" trope 🐍 dead parents / family angst 💛 requires maturity and caution

read here

requesting rules and masterlist

[seraphinitegames]

After torturing myself through A's route my last few playthroughs, F's is even more of a bright ray of sunshine. They have such puppy energy, can never contain their overwhelming excitement at seeing their human!! Very much needed after all that angst.

It's the comment I get back from ALL my readers—that F route just instantly makes them smile, hehe! :D

It's definitely the route you want to play if you just want to enjoy the romance.

I remember getting the comments back from readers for the demo of Book Four, and they all just loved F's opening so much because of their happiness and enthusiasm! F doesn't hold back and doesn't hide how they feel, and it makes it such a joyful and romance-y route!

Thank you so much for the ask! :)