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asahicore · 2 years ago

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moonlight - psh (m)

this work contains smut - minors please do not interact pairing. dancer!sunghoon x fem!reader synopsis. In August 1963, your monotonous summer vacation becomes a lot more exciting when you meet a group of dancers that work as the entertainment staff of the resort you and your family are staying at. Your fascination with them, and particularly dancers and close friends Sunghoon and Chaewon, pushes you to help them out by taking Chaewon's place at another hotel's show when she's unable to dance. The week you spend with Sunghoon as he teaches you to dance and the events thereafter give you a lot more than the ability to mambo. genre. dirty dancing au, strangers to lovers, summer au, poor boy x rich girl trope, the Big 3 (fluff angst n smut) word count. 32.2k a/n. it's finally here !!! i've been working on this for a while so i hope you guys will like it, please lmk what u think ur feedback is super important to me !!! if you've seen dirty dancing you'll see that this is like.. a complete copy of the movie lmaooo i'm sorry i didn't wanna stray from the plot cz i love it 2 much <//3 i'll make a posting schedule shortly after this so you guys can see which of my old works i'll be reposting and all that :)) enjoy !! also thanks to @ozymandia-s for betareading this u deserve the world and u made this fic a thousand times better <333 and yep thats a compliment from me to u so u better treasure it fr.

It’s the summer of 1963, everybody calls you Baby, and it hasn’t occurred to you to mind. You’re 18, have plans to change the world, and are sure there isn’t a better man than your father.

After years of being too busy to leave work for over a week, your father has finally retired, and you can all go on a long, well-deserved summer break. Like most people your age, your dream vacation would be to backpack through Europe or Asia, discovering the wonders the world has to offer, meeting people from all walks of life and eating all sorts of foreign delicacies. But your parents wish for something more laid-back, so, on the first Sunday of August, after a six-hour drive, you get out of the car at Kellerman’s, a summer resort that belongs to your father’s old friend. You are to spend the rest of the month here, until the last day of the season.

The resort is truly a sight to behold. Even though it’s only four floors high, the main building is downright massive in terms of how much space it occupies. You can imagine the many rooms it must hold, such as the different restaurants and their respective kitchens, the ballroom and other leisure rooms, the stage for various shows, and some offices and apartments where the highest members of staff reside. Tables are scattered all across the front lawn, mainly older ladies and gentlemen sitting at them, drinking lemonade, playing cards, gossiping. You can make out a golf course and a small pond from afar, as well as the back lawn where you’re told most of the activities take place. Such activities include the outdoor dancing lessons, which your mother and sister Seeun want to get to immediately.

Max, your father’s friend, greets you as soon as you arrive as if he’s been waiting for you. Amused, you watch as they clasp each other’s hand before coming into an embrace, giving three hard but friendly pats to the other’s back. “So glad to finally have you here, Doc,” Max says earnestly. “I promise you, one week here and you’ll feel like you’ve never worked a day in your life, that’s how relaxed you’ll be.” Your father laughs and nods, and you turn your attention away when they start talking about work, and how life’s been, and how your daughters have grown, and other things you don’t care much for.

You notice that a member of staff has begun to unload your numerous bags from the trunk, about half of which are your sister’s (“See, Mommy, I told you I should’ve brought those coral heels!” you hear her complain), and start helping him out. He turns to you with a smile as you haul a suitcase onto the trolley.

“Hey, thanks a lot! You looking for a job here?” he jokes, making you smile.

“Just wanted to help out, but I’ll let you know. I’m Baby, by the way.”

“Baby? Is that your real name?” he asks with an amused expression and a quizzical tilt to his head.

“No, but it’s what everyone calls me,” you beam back.

“Alright then, Baby. I’m Jake.” He wipes some sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand before extending it to you, and you take it, shaking it enthusiastically.

Your conversation stops there when your father calls out your name, motioning for you to follow him and your mother and sister. “Come, Baby, let the staff do their work.” You give Jake an apologetic smile and wave him goodbye, but he simply shrugs and turns away, seemingly used to this kind of dismissal from guests.

“See you around, Baby,” you hear him say as you start to walk away.

Seeun only gives you a few minutes to settle into your shared room and unpack your suitcase before she practically drags you outside, eager to get to the dance class in time. Your older sister absolutely loves dancing. No matter where or with who, if there’s music, she’ll start moving.

You, on the other hand, have two left feet, which doesn’t make dancing such a fun activity. You like it, but always feel you look like a fool. As for dancing with a partner, the intimacy that comes with it is too much for you, and isn’t something you particularly want to share with boys you barely know, nevermind complete strangers, like the people at the merengue class your sister is making you rush to.

It takes place in the gazebo, which is wide enough to host about thirty guests and the instructor, who introduces herself as Chaewon. You try to follow her “1, 2, 1, 2” as best you can but it’s hard to focus on the rhythm when you have to avoid being stepped on by the lady to your left and stepping on the man to your right. Everything around you is turned upside down when she cheerfully calls out, “Let’s get into a circle! Gents on the outside, ladies on the inside! C’mon now!”

You manage to make your way into the inner circle, holding onto the hips of the woman in front of you, and finally start to sway to the rhythm a bit more. “Come on ladies! God wouldn’t have given you this body if he didn’t want you to shake it!” Chaewon shouts enthusiastically, emphasizing on the “shake” with a movement of her own.

“On the count of three,” she calls out, “ladies, you’ll turn around, and meet the man of your dreams! 1, 2, 3!”

You find yourself face to face with a grandma that had ended up in the gents’ circle and force on your best smile as you dance with her. She looks delighted, but that expression might just be stuck on her face permanently.

The class comes to an end and the afternoon with it, and you leave the bungalow while everyone gets ready for dinner, yelling out that you’re going to look around as you close the door behind you. It’s the early evening and the sun has just started to set, but not enough for the gentle breeze to be too cold. The small, round bushes and colorful flowers that line the pebbled path from the bungalows to the main building have been expertly tended to; there isn’t a stray weed, nor branch that hasn’t been cut properly nor a wilting plant. It’s all so perfect, it almost looks fake. Yet, when you bend down to feel a petal, it’s soft under your fingertips and very much real.

You walk on the porch that surrounds the main building until you reach the outside entrance to the restaurant. Max’s booming voice catches your attention and you’re able to peek through the ajar door, making sure you can’t be seen from where you stand. Your father’s friend sits at a table while the waiters stand in a half-circle in front of him, hands locked behind them and heads slightly bowed.

“Tonight’s the start of the second half of the season, so I’ll use this opportunity to set a little reminder. You’re here because I chose you lot from the most prestigious schools in the country and you need some financial help, correct?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “So do your job, and do it well. And if you want extra compensation, the gents here may be very generous if you show their daughters a good time and keep their wives happy. But no funny business, you keep your hands off. Got it?”

A quiet flurry of yeses is heard throughout the room just as a group of young people stride in, the sight of them piquing your interest. They’re wearing much more fitted and fashionable clothes compared to the waiters’ simple white vests and trousers, and carry themselves with a confidence you’ve only seen in celebrities and important people. The man that leads them particularly catches your attention: slicked-back hair, useless sunglasses now that the sun has set, all-black clothes, too much leather for the summer weather and the prettiest face you think you’ve ever seen to top it all off. He looks like an off-duty movie star.

“You hear that, boys? No funny business,” he says with a smirk to the group behind him, and they chuckle in response, eyeing the waiters up and down. They work at the same establishment, but they seem to be from two totally different worlds, you notice.

“I think you’re the one who should keep that in mind,” one of the waiters says just as the group passes by him, just loud enough for the other guy to hear. He reacts immediately to the taunt, spinning around and pointing a threatening finger to the waiter’s chest.

“And I think you should heed your own advice, you jackass,” he spits, unfiltered venom in his voice. The waiter only smirks condescendingly, as if proud his remark had struck a nerve.

“Alright, alright, calm down, Sunghoon, and lay off of Heeseung. You’re booked and busy this week, and your whole entertainment team has work to do, okay?” Max says, tone stern as if telling a child off.

Sunghoon takes a step back but doesn’t look away from Heeseung as he scoffs a simple whatever. He then pivots back around and leads his team out of the room. You decide you’ve seen enough and turn around yourself, heading back to your family’s bungalow with quick steps.

Barely half an hour later, you’re back at the restaurant. The tables have all been set, the candles have been lit, a band is playing soft jazz in the corner, and the waiters are taking care of the guests’ orders and keeping them content. You’ve just sat down when Max himself approaches, introducing your waiter for tonight to your table. You try not to let your astonishment show when you instantly recognise him as the one who had had that scuff with Sunghoon earlier.

“Doc, this is Heeseung Lee, and he’ll take care of you tonight,” he addresses your father, a paternal hand around Heeseung’s shoulder. “He’s a third year med student at Harvard and has been working here every summer for the past three years. A very reliable and hardworking young man.” You feel like you’re being sold a car, but your father just smiles and nods approvingly at Heeseung.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Heeseung,” your father greets, holding out a hand for the young man to shake.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Doctor,” Heeseung responds, a most dazzling smile on his lips. If you hadn’t seen him earlier, you wouldn’t believe that this smile could turn snarky and patronizing.

“This is my wife, our eldest Seeun and our youngest Y/N, but we all call her Baby. She’s going to change the world,” your father introduces, beaming proudly at you.

“Yeah, and Seeun’s going to decorate it,” you say, turning to your sister. A bit unprovoked, perhaps, but this is just the way you and your sister have always been. You smile and tilt your head innocently as she glares at you.

“I think she already does,” Heeseung says, your eyebrow raising up in surprise as your sister looks down at her hands, the sudden compliment making her blush.

“Alright, Heeseung, go get these folks our best champagne. On the house!” Max exclaims, beaming at your parents.

“Yes, sir,” Heeseung says, bowing his head slightly to Max and your table before shooting your sister a smile and walking off.

“Oh, and here’s someone else I want to introduce to you - Jay, come here! That’s my grandson Jay. Yale Business School,” Max says emphatically. Jay approaches your table quickly, a somewhat self-assured yet awkward smile on his face. He greets your parents and sister with a nod of his head until his eyes settle on you. “This is Baby, I was telling you about her earlier. She’s going to study at Yale too, and her dad says she’ll change the world!”

Jay’s lips form a pout, the kind of pout one makes when watching kittens play or a child running to his mother, as if he finds your ambitions endearing. Used to this kind of reaction from men, you raise your eyebrows and a small smile spreads on your face as if to say, “yep, that’s me.”

“How nice, Baby. But before you go off and do that, how about you save me a dance? Tomorrow night at the ball?” he offers, and the urge to kick him in the balls is hard to resist, but resist you must.

“Of course she will!” your father answers for you, and you have no choice but to put on your best fake smile, but none of the three men seem to see through it. If your mother and sister notice how annoyed you are, they don’t say anything. Knowing them, they probably think you’re being unreasonable if you’re not already throwing yourself at such an obviously intelligent and respectable young man.

That’s how you find yourself the next day, hands stiffly clasped behind Jay’s neck and his own on the sides of your waist, dancing with him to a slow-paced but lighthearted live song, although dancing might be an overstatement as it’s impossible to find a proper rhythm with someone as clumsy as him. You never thought you’d meet a worse dancer than you, but here you were. You have to keep yourself from snorting everytime he winces or tuts when you “accidentally” step on his foot, and you make sure to leave ample room between the two of you for the Holy Spirit.

Most of the dance is spent in awkward silence, probably due to the fact that Jay’s gaze, one that is perhaps meant to be seductive but only comes off as creepy, seems to linger on you for too long and too many times. When a pair of kids spins right by you, looking far more talented and serious in their dancing than the two of you, Jay seems to think he needs to step up his game and tightens his grip on your waist. Although you try to disguise it as best you can, the action makes you look up at him in alarm, and you have to stop yourself from visibly flinching when he bends down to say something in your ear although the music isn’t that loud.

“So, Yale, huh? What are you going to study? Design?”

“Um, Environmental Studies and Politics, actually. I’m particularly interested in how underdeveloped countries work and how we can change things there for the better, rather than making things worse,” you correct him, slightly raising your voice so he can hear you from where you’re standing.

Jay is visibly taken aback by your detailed response, and all he can do is nod. “Right, right, that’s-”

To no one’s disappointment, you never find out what Jay was going to say next because right then, the music suddenly picks up and one of the musicians announces “Sunghoon and Chaewon of the Entertainment Team for a mambo demonstration” into his mic. Your ears perk up at the sound of those two vaguely familiar names, and you quickly recognise Sunghoon as the leather-clad man from earlier and Chaewon as the merengue class instructor from yesterday. He’s now wearing a black suit jacket and matching trousers with a tight white button-up, the clothes fitting him perfectly and making the muscles underneath them appear when the light hits him just right. On her is one of the most beautiful dresses you’ve ever seen, the red fringed fabric draping over her body like it was created for her, her toned upper back and arms on display.

The crowd of guests quickly forms a circle around the couple, giving them enough space to put on their show, and everyone, including you, is immediately enthralled by their performance. You’re mesmerized by how elegant and energetic at once their dance is, the smiles on their faces unfaltering and their legs and arms forming perfect lines at all times. Their posture is proud and their gazes are always fixed on each other even as they spin around, somehow never getting dizzy. They move in perfect synchronization as one entity rather than two separate people simply dancing together, and even though it is probably due to an impressive amount of practice, you can’t help but find that their chemistry is what makes them so fascinating. When he lifts her into the air, it’s with so little effort that she looks like she weighs no more than a feather. There is not a step out of place, and you’re reminded of those impeccable bushes and flowers from the day before. It makes you wonder how it is possible for two people to look so perfect together, and if that perfection is only superficial or not.

“Who are they?” you ask Jay, your curiosity about them greater than your aversion to talking to him.

From the corner of your eye, you see him looking surprised by your question before he leans in and answers. “Sunghoon Park and Chaewon Kim. They’re part of the dance people. Here to keep the guests happy and entertained.” He sighs, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head in discontentment. “They shouldn’t be showing off with each other like that, it won’t sell lessons. I’ll need to have a talk with them later.”

You barely register Jay’s words after he’s answered your question, your attention focused back on the dancers in front of you. On the other side of the room, you spot Max frowning at them and marching towards them. As soon as Sunghoon and Chaewon notice him, he waves them off and they separate, choosing a guest as their new partner to dance with, which you assume is their way of doing a taster session.

Jay drags you off to sit at a table and for the better part of an hour, you let him bore your ears off as he tells you either things he can’t fathom you’d already know even though you do, or things you couldn’t care any less about. It’s such a shame that a man with that handsome a face and that charming a smile would have the stalest of personalities, yet deem himself the most interesting man to walk the Earth. You nod and hum when you’re supposed to, and that’s all he needs to think you’re listening intently, when really you can’t stop thinking about the dancers you just saw, and even steal glances at them still dancing with some guests mere meters away from you. All you want to do is get up and get Sunghoon’s, or even Chaewon’s attention so they could show you how to move like them - just touching their shoulder or waist would be thrilling. But when you catch your mother’s eye a few tables away and she beams at you, two thumbs up in the air, you know you need to stay planted in your chair.

Thankfully, the amount of guests in the room starts to dwindle, and you use this dip in the evening to run off, telling Jay it’s getting late and you need to get back to your bungalow. You don’t let him try to convince you to stay back, and grab your purse, excitedly waving goodbye at him. He’s probably confused, but you’re too giddy at the prospect of finally leaving to care.

You were on your way to the bungalow, you really were - but just as you reach it, light from a tall lodge about five hundred meters away catches your attention, and you’re too curious about the building you hadn’t noticed before not to investigate. So you continue walking up the small hill where all the guest lodgings rest until you find yourself before a sign that reads “STAFF QUARTERS - GUESTS KEEP OUT,” which you promptly decide to ignore.

In just a minute, a wooden bridge reveals itself, enabling you to cross over the current that separates you from the other bank, where the lodge stands. If you looked to your right, you could’ve made out some more, smaller and dingier-looking bungalows than the guests’ that hosted the staff behind all those trees, but you run into a familiar face before you can take notice of them.

“Hey! I recognize you. Baby, right?”

“Yeah, and you’re Jake!” you beam, surprised not only by seeing him again here, but by the three huge watermelons he carries in his arms like oversized newborn triplets.

“Yeah…” he trails, squinting his eyes at you, his enthusiasm turning into suspicion. “You can’t be here. Max would kill me. Go back to the dance, Baby.” He can only take a few steps forward before you grab a watermelon from his unsteady hold, putting your most convincing smile on.

“I’ll help you carry these!” you state rather than offer, and march forwards across the bridge. Behind you, Jake sighs and shakes his head, then rushes to stop you in your tracks.

“Didn’t you read the sign? This area is staff only, you can’t be here,” he repeats, punctuating his words. He stays unwavering even at the receiving end of your very menacing glare, so you simply huff and stack the watermelon back on top of the other two and turn away. It takes him approximately two seconds to change his mind. “Can you keep a secret?”

Jake doesn’t prepare you for what you’re about to see when you enter the staff common lodge, but you don’t think anything could. The smell of a room full of people sweating and moving about hits you instantly, the heat it creates hanging heavy in the air. The breeze coming in through the open windows is practically useless in bringing the temperature down, but you aren’t curious to find out what it’d be like with the windows closed.

The music, a genre your father always bristles at when he hears it on the radio, is now blasting in your ears rather than whistling through the wind, and it takes you a few moments to adjust to the volume and intensity of the bass and drums bouncing off the walls of the room. The guitar sound is sensual and almost yearning, the singer longs for his lover, and the tempo is just fast enough for the dancers to find a swaying rhythm.

As if the lyrics themselves aren’t enough to make you blush, the way the staff dances makes you feel like you’re intruding on something. You try to look away as a couple thrusts their hips into each other’s, only to find another lowering themselves to the group until they’re crouching then slowly rising again, using each other as support the whole time. Skirts bunched up around hips, shirts almost fully unbuttoned or even discarded, hands grabbing onto the partner’s clothes or bare skin - you’ve never seen anyone dance that way. Far from the choreographed performances you’re used to, here, they’re simply letting their bodies move to the music without any second thoughts or a care in the world. You hadn’t even known this could be considered dancing, but surely, when your body molds itself this perfectly to the melody and your partner’s hands, then you can only be dancing.

Watermelon in arms, you follow Jake as he snakes his way to the back of the room through sweaty bodies holding each other close. You recognise a few people here and there as the entertainment staff who host activities, teach dance classes or help guests find their way around. They peer back at you, expressions either confused or disdainful - you aren’t sure whether that’s because they don’t know who you are, or because they do and don’t like seeing you there. Even if they don’t know that you’re Baby, your dress at least is a dead giveaway of your being a guest. Your mom had picked it out for you - a white sleeveless summer dress that reaches almost to your knees and cinches in at the waist before flowing out over your hips. And no cleavage, of course. Along with your impeccably curled and styled hair, your prim and proper attire is a far cry from the short skirts, tight t-shirts and denim that the staff wears, revealing sunkissed skin and toned muscles. And if all of that still isn’t enough to tell you apart, then your wide eyes like a kid seeing fireworks for the first time should do it.

You finally reach the back of the room and set your watermelon on a bar counter. Jake rests his hands on his hips and watches the dancers, a smile on his face, the kind of smile you wear when you can never get enough of a sight even though you witness it everyday. You watch them too, but you must look a mix of fascinated and terrified - sure, they all look terrific, but if your dad caught you here, you’d be dead.

“Where’d they learn to do that?” you lean in to ask Jake as the next song starts playing, your gaze not leaving the dancers who adjust easily to the more upbeat tempo.

He looks at you, stunned. “Don’t you know? This is how the kids dance these days. This is what American basements look like on Friday nights.” His surprise turns into amusement and he steps in front of you, one hand extended for you to take and a mischievous look on his face. “Wanna try?”

Your eyes immediately double in size and you shake your hands in front of you, but he grabs one of them anyway and starts leading you back into the middle of the room. You’re saved by the doors suddenly bursting open, catching everyone’s attention. In run Sunghoon and Chaewon, wearing the same clothes from earlier, although Sunghoon has ditched the suit jacket and popped the top buttons of his shirt open. Your stomach flips at the sight of his flushed cheeks and hair slick with sweat.

Jake chuckles when he sees how transfixed you are by the two of them, dancing so differently from earlier, their moves far more sexual, hands not so polite anymore, completely free to do whatever they wish. Rather than a smile, Sunghoon wears a small frown and bites his bottom lip, deepening his dimples, and it all seems to make each of his moves that much harsher. The sheer sex appeal that he exudes is absolutely undeniable, and it makes you feel things you’ve never felt before - things you’re not quite unsure how to name. You let out a small gasp as Chaewon jumps and hooks her legs around his hips effortlessly, then as she leans her upper body back until her head almost touches the ground. Sunghoon’s hands are tight around her waist and his biceps apparent under the thin fabric of his dress shirt. You realize how strong Sunghoon must be when he carries her all the way to his shoulders, letting her rest her knees there as she plays with her skirt and swings her head from side to side. You’ve never seen anyone look so good while having so much fun.

“They look great together,” you blurt out without thinking.

“Don’t they?” Jake says, looking out at them with a fond smile. “You’d think they were a couple.”

This makes your head pivot towards Jake. “Well, aren’t they?”

“Not since we were kids, no. They’ve just been dancing together for so long that they’ve developed this- this chemistry and understanding of each other, I guess.”

“Do you know them well?”

“Sunghoon’s my best friend from home. He met Chaewon when he started working here when we were 16, and then he got me this job when we were 17. The three of us are 22 now.” He meets your gaze and his smile grows wider. “Why, you interested?”

The sudden question (and the very obvious, very embarrassing answer) takes you aback and you stammer out a few nonsensical syllables before frowning at him. Your reaction just seems to amuse him. “No, I’m not. Just asking,” you manage to say.

He looks back at them, and you follow his gaze. “Well, good, cause we’re not allowed to get involved with the guests anyway. Which is why you shouldn’t be here in the first place.”

Just then, the song ends and Sunghoon and Chaewon laugh before they separate, finding another partner to dance with. As Chaewon heads towards someone else, Sunghoon catches your stare and walks to where you and Jake stand, eyes fixed on your face. You feel small under his gaze, but you will your knees not to buckle underneath you, although that’s hard to do when his eyes sweep your figure, giving you a once-over.

“What’s she doing here?” he questions Jake without looking away from you.

“That’s Baby, she came with me,” Jake says, not really answering the question.

“I carried a watermelon,” you blurt, not really answering the question either, but that seems to satisfy Sunghoon. His eyebrows raise slightly before he heads back to the dancefloor and starts dancing again. You release a breath you hadn’t known you were holding, but another one catches right in your throat when, after barely thirty seconds, he pivots back around as if there was still something he was curious about. His eyes stay focused on you, unreadable.

And then, he bows his head slightly, looks up at you through his eyebrows, raises his hand, and beckons you to him with his index finger. As if spellbound, your feet move on their own until you find yourself in front of him, his hands reaching immediately for your hips and holding on tight there. All the nerves in your body are on edge and your heartbeat speeds up, almost matching the fast tempo of the song resonating throughout the room. Simply remembering to breathe becomes an arduous task. Jake’s voice is a faint sound as he says, “So you go dance with him, but not me?”

This kind of dancing is completely unfamiliar to you, so you have no idea what to do. Thankfully, Sunghoon doesn’t seem to expect anything else, and he knows how to guide you so that you get the gist of it. “Keep your eyes on me,” he commands quietly, gesturing with two fingers for your gaze to stay on his. “And move your hips in a circle, just like that,” he adds, executing the move for you to mirror. “Just relax, you’re too stiff. Relax your arms. Put them around my shoulders.” His hands brush down from your shoulders to your wrists, sending a trail of fire all along your arms, grabbing them and resting them on his shoulders himself before settling back on your waist. His arm snakes its way around it, bringing you closer to him. You aren’t sure what’s more electrifying, his gaze or his touch.

You start to focus on the music and on getting your body to move along to it, and it feels like a miracle when your hips, firmly pressed against his own, sway side-to-side in rhythm. Remembering what you saw earlier, you lean back slightly, hips still moving in small circles, trusting him to keep you from falling. You lean back as far as you can, and something about it is so liberating, you feel the adrenaline rushing through your body as if it’s the only thing keeping you alive. When you come back up, your palms are flat against his chest and he looks at you with a proud but surprised smirk that lits your insides up. “Just like that,” he whispers, but his face is close enough for you to hear him over the music.

He spins you around a few times, and as quickly as he appeared, he’s already gone, having weaved his way through the crowd back towards Jake. It takes you a few seconds to register his absence, but when it does, it’s like all the warmth he filled you with is gone; you’re left only with the heavy heat weighing the room down and you with it, when you’d felt light like air not a moment ago.

Before you can decide on what to do next, someone taps your shoulder, and you turn around to find Heeseung frowning down at you. In the fraction of a second, you can tell this is the snarky Heeseung that you’d seen when you were snooping around the day before rather than the polite Heeseung that had waited your table that night.

“Baby, right? I don’t know what you’re doing here, but your sister and parents are looking all over for you. If I were you, I’d go now, and quick.”

Alarm shoots through you as you realize you’d been here for twenty minutes at least, the sort of absence that wouldn’t go unnoticed by your family this late at night. You thank him rapidly and practically run towards the door before risking a look back at Jake and Sunghoon, still standing in the corner of the room. Jake looks worried, so you send him a thumbs up, but Sunghoon simply peers at you, sipping on a beer as his back rests against the wall, that same unreadable look from before back on his face. You don’t linger to figure it out and rush to your bungalow, coming up with an excuse that you got lost on your way back for your parents to believe. Because their Baby would never do anything she isn’t supposed to, right?

That night, as you toss and turn in bed, trying to fall asleep, your mind wanders off to those warm, big hands firmly planted on your waist, and how they had guided your body until it moved on its own accord, until it let itself go and only followed the rhythm. How far can you go until your body no longer belongs to you but rather to the music, or to the person holding you close, you wonder? And if that happened, would you, for a moment at least, no matter how fleeting, be freed of all your worries for your future and of all the pressure on your shoulders?

Your feet already ache - from dancing or from wanting to dance some more, you can’t quite tell.

Every year when August comes, it takes you by surprise how early the sun sets. Just as you’d gotten used to the sky still being fairly light by 10 p.m., it was already getting dark at nine. This is what you think about a few nights later as you look out at the dark sky, the bright full moon and the hundreds of stars lighting it up. You’re standing next to the gazebo with your parents as you watch other guests dancing about; clearly, since you’re thinking about the state of the sky and the sun in the summer, you’re very entertained. Your sister has managed to become friends with some of the other guests’ kids, as well as some of the staff, and has even formed a budding romance with Heeseung, which your parents have made it obvious they approve of. This means that she is excused of any activities she might not want to partake in, while you have to follow your parents everywhere.

Your gaze follows Sunghoon as he dances with an older woman, guiding her through the dance and teaching her a few steps. You can’t help but frown slightly at his forced smile when she lets her hands wander a bit too far down his back, and you wonder why he doesn’t say anything when he looks so obviously uncomfortable.

“You see that woman over there?” you hear Max ask your father as he motions to the lady dancing with Sunghoon. “Vivian Kim. We call women like her bungalow bunnies. Their husbands work all week and only come back on weekends. That dancer Park Sunghoon is pretty popular with them, if you know what I mean,” he comments with a dark chuckle. “But I gotta pretend like I don’t know any better, otherwise the wives are unhappy. And if the wives are unhappy, so are the husbands, and then I lose money.”

You daze out of the conversation when you see Jay approaching, his steps quick and headed directly towards Sunghoon. “Where’s Chaewon?” he questions impatiently, taking no notice of Vivian, who seems to take no notice of him either and continues swaying her hips to the music.

“What do you mean where’s Chaewon? She’s on a break, Chaewon needs a break,” Sunghoon bites back, tone just as harsh as Jay’s. That seems to shut Jay up, and he just squints at him before turning his head to where you’re standing. His whole demeanor changes instantly as he walks towards you, that smile one would reserve for children that he always looks at you with.

“Hey Baby, wanna go on a walk?” he asks, but with the intent way your parents, Max and Jay himself are peering down at you, you know you don’t have much of a choice.

You put on your best forced smile and take his extended hand. “Sure, Jay.”

He takes you to a small wooden bridge that overpasses a small but feisty current. The walk there is fairly silent, which you’re thankful for, because it’s easier to pretend Jay isn’t here when he’s not talking, but the fantasy is shattered everytime he sighs and hums contentedly. It’s like he thinks spending five minutes without talking will make the world implode, and he has to make some kind of noise to keep the balance.

When you reach the bridge, you lean back against the rail, and he leans on his side, apparently so he can look at you better. “I love to watch your hair blow in the breeze,” he says after a few moments, and it takes everything in you to keep your laughter in at the sudden romanticism.

“You know, not to brag,” he starts, and you know he’s about to say the most pretentious thing you’ve ever heard, “but around here, I’m known as the catch of the county.” He’s smiling, but you know he’s being fully serious. “I mean, it makes sense, doesn’t it? I’m handsome, parents love me, and I go to the best school in the country. People ask me, ‘well, what’s the difference between you and any other guy at Yale,’ and I say, ‘five hotels and a million-dollar inheritance!’” He bursts laughing like he’s just made the funniest joke ever, although you’re not sure where the joke is. You chuckle awkwardly and nod, remembering your mother’s advice - when in doubt, just nod. You’re not particularly in doubt, but you’re also not sure how to respond to such ostentatious self-praise.

To your great despair, Jay is about to open his mouth again, but a voice coming from the exit of the forest near you stops him in his tracks. “Heeseung, please, you have to help me with this-,” the voice says, and you recognize it quickly as Chaewon’s.

“I told you, it’s none of my damn business.”

“But it is! Please!” she shouts back. He walks ahead of her and she tries to catch up to him, and just like that, they’re already gone without having noticed you or Jay.

A hand placed delicately on your shoulder snaps you from your thoughts. You turn to Jay who has a sad look in his eyes and who sighs as if pained to say what he has to say next. “You know, Baby, sometimes, in this world, you’ll see things you don’t want to see. And sometimes, you can’t do anything about them. It’s all part of growing up,” he finishes, his tone self-important like he’s just taught you a world of knowledge.

“You hungry?” he suddenly adds, all cheery. “C’mon, eating something might take your mind off of this. We can go to the kitchens and get you anything you’d like.”

He indeed takes you to the restaurant kitchens, completely empty due to the late hour. He opens up a fridge, and even though he basically does, the way he acts like he owns the place makes you wince. “So, what have we here? Some smoked salmon canapés, some ham sandwiches… ooh, brownies! What else…” he trails off, but your attention has been caught by something else.

You can hear someone snuffling somewhere in the room, and when you lean to the side to peer behind the wall, you can make out a female figure crouched down in the dark. She’s trembling from head-to-toe, and when she lifts her head to look at you, you recognize her as Chaewon. You’ve never seen anyone looking so scared.

Thinking quickly, you grab Jay by the shoulders, smiling at him as you say, “You know what, I don’t think I’m actually that hungry, let’s just head back to the gazebo, yeah?”

For once, you’re the one who doesn’t let him answer your question and you speed out of the kitchens and back to the gazebo. You find Jake immediately, rushing to him to tell him what you saw, and he in turn rushes to Sunghoon, who apologizes and drops his dancing partner’s hand as soon as he hears what’s going on. Ignoring Jay’s confused look, you run with them back to the kitchens, from which Chaewon hasn’t moved an inch.

Sunghoon sits next to her, taking her in his arms and helping her up. “It’s okay, you’re okay, I’m here now. Everything’s fine. Let’s get you back to my room, okay? It’ll be quiet there,” he coos, getting her snuffles to calm down and her breath to steady itself.

Since none of them tell you to go back, you follow along, Chaewon in Sunghoon’s arms in front and you and Jake not too far behind. “What’s wrong with her?” you ask Jake quietly.

“She’s pregnant.”

“Jake!” Sunghoon calls out indignantly, sending him a look as if to warn him.

“What? It’s not like she’d tell anyone.”

“Still, it’s none of her business,” Sunghoon replies, glancing briefly at you.

“And what’s he gonna do about it?” you can’t help but ask. This makes Sunghoon pivot on his heel and Chaewon frowns at the sudden movement.

“‘What’s he gonna do about it?’” he repeats, venom in his voice. “Oh of course, cause it’s my baby. Of course you’d assume that,” he practically spits at you. You try to stutter out a response, but nothing comes up. How could you not assume that, when you’ve only seen him taking care of her like she’s his responsibility?

You thought all staff lived in small bungalows, but the place you reach is more like a one-person studio. Sunghoon sits Chaewon down on a couch, covers her shoulders with a blanket and brings her a tall glass of water.

“So, whose is it then?” you ask again, eyes darting back and forth between the three figures that stare back at you. Sunghoon starts towards you, an accusing finger out, but Chaewon stops him.

“It’s fine, Sunghoon.” She sighs then lifts her gaze to look at you. Her eyes seem drained, like her tears took everything out of her. “It’s Heeseung’s,” she answers plainly, and you think your eyes bulge out of your face. What you’d witnessed earlier starts to make more sense in your head.

Next to you, Jake looks like he’ll explode if he has to keep in the words he wants to say any longer. “That bastard Heeseung. She needs money to get an operation, and she needs it soon, but he doesn’t give a shit,” Jake spits.

“But, Heeseung, he’s got money, I’m sure if you just ask him, he’ll-”

“Baby? Is that your name?” Chaewon asks softly, interrupting you. “Well, you don’t know shit about my problems, Baby,” she continues, her tone doing a 180. “You don’t think I’ve asked him? You don’t think he knows?”

“But-”

“Go back to your playpen, Baby,” she dismisses you, a finality to her tone. Sunghoon just glares at you while Jake shrugs, so you decide there’s nothing you can do than leave, and head back to your bungalow, heart heavy, but determined to help Chaewon out. There has to be something you can do, you just know it.

The next day, you pretend to help Heeseung set the tables for the lunch service to have a talk with him. You waste no time starting your interrogation, not even greeting him before diving straight into it.

“I know about Chaewon, Heeseung. You need to help her out,” you say sternly, using a random water pitcher you’d found at the entrance to fill up crystal glasses.

“Well hello to you too, Baby,” he says with a sarcastically sweet tone. His fake smile drops when he sees you won’t play into his game. “I don’t need to do anything,” he scoffs. “Not like it’s any of your business anyway.”

“Haven’t you seen her? You can’t leave her alone in a time like this, she needs your help. Even if it’s mostly financial help. It’s the least you can do.”

“Girls like her, they get into trouble all the time, okay? Hey, watch what you’re doing!” he whisper-yells when water spills over one of the glasses, not wanting to rouse the suspicion of any of the diners around.

“Yeah, because of guys like you,” you bite back, but he ignores you.

“She was bound to get knocked up at some point, going around like that.” You follow as he moves on the next table.

“So you’re not going to do anything? Just put her in a bad situation and then run away?”

He finally turns to face you, looking at you like he’s exasperated, like you’re the bad guy here. “That girl’s not my problem, okay? She brought this upon herself.”

You take a step closer to him, a fakely sweet smile plastered on your lips. “You’re a jerk, Heeseung. You stay away from me, stay away from my sister, or I’ll have you fired.” You then raise the jug of water up to his chest, and keep that same smile as you pour it on him before marching away, ignoring the gasps that echo all around the room and Heeseung as he yells at you to come back.

Your mom is struggling to get the ball in when you find your parents on one of the many golf courses. Your dad smiles as he sees you nearing them, asking you if everything’s alright.

“Daddy.”

“Baby?” he answers, looking amused by your seriousness.

“You know how you say I should always do my best to help out others when they need it?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I’ve got friends who need some help.”

“What kind of help?” he asks, slightly frowning as he realizes you’re not being serious for no reason.

You take a big breath in. “Money.” You don’t like asking your dad for money, but it’s the only solution you’ve come up with.

“And just how much money?”

“Three hundred dollars?” you say, your sentence coming out like a question as you slightly wince in apprehension.

Your father sighs. “That’s a serious amount of money, Baby. This isn’t anything illegal, is it?” he adds after a beat, taking you aback. Is this illegal? If it is, your father doesn’t need to know it.

“No, no, of course not, Daddy,” you say, trying your best at a reassuring smile. It seems to work, because his expression softens and he smiles back.

“Of course not,” he repeats, “I should know that.” He takes you in his arms. “I’ll have the money ready for you tonight.” You hug him back, thanking him before skipping away to whatever activity you might find to distract yourself before the evening.

After dinner, when your dad’s given you an envelope filled with cash, you throw a quick excuse your parents’ way before rushing to the staff quarters, making sure no one sees you on your way there. The music emanating from the common room makes you hopeful you’ll find the people you’re looking for.

And indeed, you do - Sunghoon and Chaewon are holding each other close, her head resting on his chest, and swaying together to the slow and sensual rhythm of the music at the back of the room when you find them. You feel a ping of something uncomfortable in your heart but ignore it and head straight towards them. Chaewon turns around when you tap on her shoulder, her and Sunghoon both looking at you with unmasked animosity, but you just smile as you hand her the envelope. Jake notices you and walks over to stand next to his cousin.

“Here you go. I hope it’s enough,” you say, relieved to see her surprised but ecstatic expression when she opens the envelope and sees all the bills in there. Jake wears a similar expression but Sunghoon just leers down at you.

“Oh my God, Baby, this is amazing,” Chaewon exclaims in disbelief. “How did you get Heeseung to change his mind?”

You purse your lips. “It wasn’t Heeseung…”

She frowns slightly but her eyes widen at the realization that if it isn’t from Heeseung, it has to be from you. “Oh, Baby, thank you so much,” she murmurs.

“Yeah, takes a real saint to ask daddy,” Sunghoon says sarcastically. Chaewon’s head snaps towards you and she starts to shake her head, forcing the envelope back into your hands.

“I can’t accept it, then.”

“Why not?” you, Sunghoon and Jake blurt at the same time.

“Who cares where it comes from? You need the money,” Sunghoon says, trying to persuade her, but she just continues to shake her head.

“It doesn’t feel right. And I can’t go to the appointment anyway,” she chuckles defeatedly, and Sunghoon looks at Jake in confusion.

“I can only get her an appointment next Thursday, when you guys have your act at the Sheldrake,” he explains guiltily, as if it’s his fault.

“For fuck’s sake,” Sunghoon breathes out, looking up to the ceiling in despair, hands on his hips.

“Can’t you miss just that one night?” you ask innocently, but apparently it is the stupidest question on earth, judging from the harsh glare Sunghoon fixes you with.

“No, we can’t miss just that one night. This is our job, and if we cancel the Sheldrake, not only do we lose this summer’s salary, but also next summer’s gig. Our livelihoods depend on this,” he hisses.

“So… can’t someone fill in?” you ask again, and wince when he raises his tone.

“No, Little Miss Fix-It, someone can’t fill in. Everybody works here, unlike you. Unless you wanna do it,” he adds after a pause, chuckling sarcastically, “take some time off of Simon Says?”

You can only glare back at him, even though you couldn’t look as condescending as him if you tried. You’re just trying to help them out and find solutions, no need to be so rude about it. Jake looks back and forth between the two of you, a look on his face like he’s thinking things over.

“You know, maybe she could do it. You weren’t so bad last time, were you, Baby?” he says, eyebrows raised at you as he waits for your answer, a hopeful look on his face that makes you feel bad for letting him down.

You shake your head fervently - learning a complicated choreography and performing it in front of an audience is unthinkable to you. “No, no, I can’t even do the merengue.”

“C’mon!” he insists.

“You heard her, Jake, she can’t even do the merengue,” he repeats, adding venom to the words.

Chaewon doesn’t seem to think this is such a bad idea either. “But Sunghoon, you could teach anyone to dance, you’re an amazing leader,” she says eagerly, but Sunghoon just rolls his eyes and sighs.

“The act is in a week, even if I was the best teacher in the world, she couldn’t learn the whole routine in that time. It’s a lost cause,” he sneers, his gaze fixated harshly on you. You’re not sure whether the lost cause refers to the situation or to you.

You squint your eyes at him, trying to match his gaze. It’s one thing that you think it’s a bad idea, but it’s a whole other thing now that he’s so against it. Jake’s right - you weren’t that bad last week, you’re sure you could be an okay replacement. Sunghoon raises an eyebrow at you as if in challenge.

Challenge accepted, you think.

“Now it’s one, two, three, four,” Sunghoon says, synchronizing each number to the beat of the music. “You don’t dance ‘til the two.” This is probably the fifth time he tells you this in the past half-hour, and although you know what you’re meant to do, your body will simply not listen to your head.

You’re in the dance studio, trying as hard as you can to get your body to shape itself into what Sunghoon wants it to be. Arms up at shoulder-level, core engaged, back straight, head proud. He may repeat those directions over and over again, you aren’t used to holding yourself like that, and it’s a lot harder than it seems, even though he makes it look so natural.

He moves the tonearm of the record player so that the music starts from the beginning again and walks towards you, his stern gaze never leaving your eyes as if to say, “you better not mess it up this time.” It makes the room feel a lot hotter than it actually is, and the strong summer heat coming in from the open windows doesn’t help.

You can’t help but wonder if Sunghoon is this impatient with all of his students - surely he’d be out of a job if he actually behaved like this with the fancy ladies of the resort, so he must have some kind of problem with you. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that he isn’t the fondest of you, anyway. The fact that you’re only doing this to help him out and not for your own pleasure seems lost on him, but you’d rather not aggravate the situation by pointing that out.

His hands firmly holding yours, his gaze still fixed on your face, you hear your cue approaching and tell yourself “on the two, on the two, on the two,” but it’s no use, your foot starts to move a beat too early. But this time, Sunghoon anticipates your movement and says, softer than you expect ‘no,’ and you put your foot back down instead of stepping on his like countless times before. Then he instructs ‘now’, and you finally get it right, getting into the flow of the music properly. You repeat this process a few more times, and only take a break when he’s sure you won’t make mistakes anymore.

You’re halfway through a one-liter bottle of water when you hear him say, “Finally got the basic footwork down, only took an hour.” You scoff at the snarky remark and are about to come back at him with something just as petty, but you notice the shadow of a smile on his lips, more playful than patronizing, so you bite it back and try to suppress a smile of your own. With Sunghoon, you’ll take what you can get.

He doesn’t give you more than another minute of break, ignoring your complaints and urging you back towards him in the center of the room. “Let’s move on to the second part.”

You only have a week to get ready, so you practice like crazy, Sunghoon trying to reduce his working hours as much as possible and you slipping away from your parents and sister whenever you can. You go over the steps on your own, taking any opportunity to do so, whether that’s when you find yourself alone in your family’s rental or as you walk back across the bridge and lawn to the main grounds, letting your body move to the music in your head.

When she can make it, Chaewon also comes to practice with you. Her presence is always helpful - she sometimes stands behind you, holding you by the hips and correcting your posture, sometimes replaces either you or Sunghoon so you can watch her and mirror her moves from different perspectives.

Although she was originally wary and dismissive of you, when she saw how intent you were on helping her, a complete stranger, out, her view of you completely changed. You can tell how thankful she is by the constant kindness she shows you, encouraging you to compensate for Sunghoon’s lack of praise.

Indeed, all three of you are surprised and happy to see how quickly you’re progressing, but Sunghoon has a knack for keeping his emotions behind a veil and his praises to a minimum. Sure, that means his compliments, his small ‘you did well today’ or ‘good job’ make you blush a little redder, but you wouldn’t complain if they were more frequent, either.

What he can’t hide from you, however, is that he is clearly starting to become more tolerant of your presence. You’d like to say you knew all along that he would soften up eventually, but truth is, you were scared he was going to stay this cold for the length of your time together, so it comes as even more of a relief when he stops reprimanding you so harshly for small mistakes or when he smiles along with you as you celebrate getting through a big chunk of the routine flawlessly for the first time. When one day, he actually laughs with you instead of berating you, you almost explode in on yourself out of joy. You convince yourself that those butterflies you feel erupting in your stomach is because it’s so surprising to see someone usually so guarded letting himself go a bit more, that it isn’t just the simple sound of his laughter making you feel lightheaded.

On the fourth day of practice, you manage to find enough time to practice for almost three hours in a row. Towards the end of the session, after feeling like you were about to pass out due to extortion, you have a strange surge of energy. Sunghoon, on the other hand, has almost exhausted his very impressive stamina, but still wants to go through what you’ve learned up until now.

The music starts, and you don’t know if it was this surge of energy, or if it was Sunghoon’s tired expression that made you want to tease him, but you decide it’d be funny to repeat back to him the directions he always gives you - you know them by heart at this point.

“Hey! Head up,” you joke as you face each other again after a spin. “Lock your frame. Wiggly arms!” You’re happy to see he laughs along with you, shaking his head in amused disbelief at you.

The laughter immediately halts, however, when at the end of the routine, because of your lack of concentration, your foot slips and you find yourself much closer to him than necessary for the ending pose. Your breath hitches in your throat, and your cheeks immediately burn up. After a long moment, Sunghoon looks away, clearing his throat, and you take a big step back from him as if being any nearer might make you spontaneously combust.

“That was, um, that was good today. Good job,” he says quickly, then rushes to grab his stuff and leave the room. Forget the proximity the two of you were just in - was that a flustered Sunghoon you got to see? And was it because of you? It’s almost unfathomable that you could render him shy like that, but a small smirk plays on your lips at the idea of it.

Over the week, you start reaching for the thin tank tops and shorts you own, and steal some of Seeun’s lipgloss and mascara. If Sunghoon notices it, he doesn’t say anything. But perhaps, you’re the one who hasn’t noticed the way he glances at you in the mirror when you take a break or practice on your own, how he can’t help raking his eyes over your body when you aren’t looking, unable to reign his curiosity in. That you might want to get some kind of a reaction out of him doesn’t even cross his mind - because no matter how attractive he may be, he can’t imagine that a serious, educated girl like you with big plans for the future might be interested in a guy like him.

So even if his iciness thaws a bit, he doesn’t let it show that having you around messes with his head, and stays a stern instructor who wants you to get the routine down to a T. “We can’t afford to make any mistakes,” he always says. But there’s something about the way he delivers his instructions sometimes that makes it impossible for you to concentrate on the dance. He’s always either dancing with you, your bodies just a foot apart, or sitting on the floor close to you and watching you, so he doesn’t need to speak so loud for you to hear him. It’s this quietness mixed with the strictness of his tone that makes your insides completely melt. Soft yet rigid, intimate yet steely.

“Don’t put your heel down, stay on your toes.”

“Keep your eyes focused on me, especially when you’re spinning.”

“Always keep your core and your head straight.”

Words that have no double-meaning whatsoever, yet it doesn’t take long for you to start wondering if he keeps this tone everywhere. Whenever those thoughts cross your mind, you’re practically unable to look him in the eye and speak without stammering. He makes you dizzier than the spins you practice.

It’s on the fifth day that you realize how deep your infatuation with Sunghoon truly is. The routine isn’t exceptionally long, so after five days of practicing, you have all the steps down, except for the lifts which he keeps putting off for later. He watches you do it on your own, and although he admits you know it in and out, he said there’s still something missing. The pang of disappointment you feel at his words soon turns into anticipation as he comes to stand in front of you, closer than usual, and brings your hand to his chest, keeping both of his own over yours.

“Feel this?” he says, voice almost a whisper. By now, you’ve gotten used to the intensity with which he always stares at you, but this time seems different; there’s something more vulnerable, more intimate about his gaze, something you don’t quite understand. You just stare right back at him, unable to look away.

You aren’t sure what he means so you lightly shake your head no. “Here,” he insists, pressing your hand more firmly to his chest, and it clicks. He wants you to feel his heartbeat. Your eyebrows jump slightly, and his lips form a small smile at your realization. “Close your eyes.” he says softly, and you do as told.

“The steps aren’t enough, Baby. You have to feel the music. It’s within you, it’s within me, it’s within all of us. You just gotta find it.” This was something you’d heard a lot of times before, said by singers on the radio, by some of your friends in the high school choir - that they felt the music. But you’d never quite understood what they meant until now, until Sunghoon showed you. With two fingers, he starts tapping against the back of your hand to the rhythmic beat of his heart.

“Du-dum, du-dum. Feel it now?” he asks, and you nod, too transfixed to produce actual words. His smile widens, and your heart swells because of his expression, more affectionate than you’ve ever seen it.

“Now dance.”

Your body moves as if of its own accord, the moves now ingrained in your muscles and coming as a reflex to you. Together, you go through the whole routine with no music. You hadn’t needed to check yourself in the mirror to know you did perfectly - the smile on Sunghoon’s face tells you enough.

When the evening rolls around, there’s a lightness to your demeanor that both confuses and delights your parents, but even if they asked you to explain what happened, you don’t think you’d be able to find the words to do so.

Sure, Sunghoon doesn’t look at you like he hates you with every fiber of his being anymore, and he even dares crack a smile or laugh once in a while, but it’s not like you’re the best of friends either. There are still moments when he gets frustrated with you - one of those being the time you practice the opening of the routine. He hadn’t yet taught you that part, but as soon as he showed it to you, you understood why.

You stand back to him, heads turned towards each other. Your heights match perfectly so that, when standing so close together, his lips are right in your eyeline. His beautiful, plump, kissable lips that you find yourself thinking about too many times.

Your left arm stays by your side but your right arm is raised so that he can trail his fingertips all the way from your hand down to your waist - a sensual move that, despite setting the tone for the routine, you are not at all ready to perform. Not because it requires any kind of complex technique or years of practice, far from that, but because you don’t yet have the professionalism that Sunghoon, Chaewon and other performers like them have. Nevermind his fingers brushing past your armpit, which is obviously a ticklish place, you can’t handle the seriousness that comes with such intimacy, nor can you resist the urge to laugh every time. This, of course, does not please Sunghoon.

The first couple times it happens, he just rolls his eyes and sighs, thinking you just need to get your head in the dance and then you’d be fine. So he gets back into position, again, again, and again, and even though your full-blown laughters turn into quieter snorts or chuckles, you still can’t find it in you to keep a straight face.

After the sixth time, his patience runs out. You can tell he wants to blow up at you by the redness of his face and the iciness of his stare, but when he speaks, he doesn’t raise his voice - his tone is so harsh that there’s no need for it.

“You pull yourself together, or we’re done here.”

Whether he means you’re done for the day, or completely done with the practice, meaning all your efforts this week go to waste and you don’t perform on Saturday, you aren’t sure, but you don’t think this is the right time to question him. You get back into position, and finally, on the seventh try, you don’t laugh. After so many times, his touch doesn’t tickle so much - rather, it burns. Now, instead of resisting laughter, you have to keep yourself from completely melting under his touch.

But then, you realize that this is what you’ve been daydreaming about this whole time - to have him close, to have him touch you. Even though this was still part of the routine, the point of this move was to show the chemistry between the two dancers, the attraction they needed to, or at least pretend to, have for each other to take the performance from good to mesmerizing. Good thing you didn’t need to pretend.

Of course, Sunghoon has touched your waist and shoulders thousands of times by now, but after so many days together, you start to crave a different kind of touch, and in different places. You never let yourself relish too much in the warmth of his palms for fear of getting too used to it, and, worse than anything, missing it when he’s gone - as if that wasn’t already the case. But with this opening move, you can finally let yourself melt under his touch and play it off as being really into the dance. If anything, he’d probably be glad you’re letting your reserves go.

And so you do. Eyes closed, head tilted towards him and slightly back, revealing more of your neck, you feel his fingertips brush along your side until they reach your hand, and you start dancing. For the two minutes of the routine, you aren’t even thinking of the steps anymore, only looking into his eyes and letting your muscle memory do the work for you.

At the end, you stay in the final pose for a few seconds longer than usual, looking into each other’s eyes. Sunghoon isn’t the most expressive person ever, so you’d quickly learned how to decipher the slightest changes in his face. In this moment, he looks at you like he sees you for the first time, really sees you, with something like pride in his eyes. You smile at each other, and his next words make your heart skip a beat in surprise at first, then swell in satisfaction.

“I think that was the best you’ve danced so far. If you do it like this on Saturday night, it’ll be perfect.”

However, there’s one last thing you needed to learn: lifts. Sunghoon has been putting them off almost the whole week, saying you’d get to them later, that you needed to get the other steps down before. There are two in the routine, and whenever one comes up, Sunghoon says “that’s for later,” and keeps going with the dance. Except later never comes, and soon enough, you only have a day left to learn and perfect those lifts. The stress of not mastering them on time starts to get to your head, and your stress must be contagious, because Sunghoon explodes for the first (and only) time on Friday afternoon when you make a mistake in the basic steps.

“Are you kidding me?” he suddenly yells, taking a wide step back away from you and looking at you with uncharacteristic anger. Sure, he wasn’t always the most pleasant with you, and you were no stranger to Sunghoon’s expressions of or dislike, but you hadn’t seen anger on him until now. No matter how beautiful he is, you have to admit this isn’t his best look.

“What?” you respond, voice at the same level as his, not understanding his sudden burst of impatience.

“What?! This is a basic step you shouldn’t even be thinking about anymore, let alone not get right. The performance is tomorrow, you can’t be making stupid mistakes now!” He sighs in frustration and tears his gaze away from you for a moment, then looks back, his eyes hard. “Is this your idea of fun?”

You scoff and cross your arms over your chest. “My idea of fun? You really think I’m doing this for fun?” He doesn’t say anything, just keeps on staring at you. “I’ve been breaking my back and sneaking around for almost a whole week just to save your ass, I don’t get anything out of it, and you have the nerve to ask me if I’m doing this for fun?” You can see he wants to say something, but you don’t let him. “Oh, and I’m glad you seem to remember the performance is tomorrow, because I’ll have you know you still haven’t taught me those damn lifts! How can you get mad at me for a small mistake when you won’t even teach me the whole routine?!”

You’re out of breath after screaming so loud and so quickly, but still Sunghoon doesn’t move for a few seconds, until suddenly, he pivots and walks towards the door. At the threshold, he turns to you and tells you to follow him, as if that should have been obvious. He doesn’t give you any time for questions so you run after him. Outside, a heavy summer rain is coming down, and your clothes are soaked through after just ten seconds. You walk a few steps behind him as he heads to his car, muttering a curse under his breath when he realizes he’s forgotten his keys inside the locked vehicle. You let out a small shriek when he breaks one of the backseat windows to open the door from inside, reaching for his keys still resting in the ignition. You just stand there, watching him in confusion, until he calls to you from the driver’s seat. “C’mon! There’s a place I need to show you.”

You know it’s a bad idea - you’ve already been gone for over an hour, and if you leave with him for God knows how much longer, your parents would start to wonder where you are. But there’s something about his face, his anger that had completely disappeared and let way for what seemed like excitement, the rain pouring down and the loud sound of his car’s motor; it all creates a rush of adrenaline in you, and you want to know what he has in store. So you get in the car, and as soon as you’re buckled in, Sunghoon backs out of the parking lot and starts driving, the destination completely unknown to you, but you trust him enough to not be bothered by that.

The two of you drive for around ten minutes in comfortable silence, sometimes catching the other’s eye in the rearview mirror and bursting into giggles. You don’t know why, but when you open your window and let your arm out, letting out a big whoop, he laughs like it’s the most amazing thing he’s ever seen.

In the week you spend together with Sunghoon, these are the moments you love the most. When he’s seemingly let go of his barriers and lets you see a side of him that you don’t think many people get access to, a side to which laughter comes easy. Although it gives you whiplash when he so suddenly goes back to his serious and stonelike nature, you’d rather get glimpses of his carefree self than forever be stuck with the face he usually puts on with you. You aren’t sure if he is always one or the other with other people, or if he keeps his tendency to almost switch personalities with everyone, but you’re just glad it doesn’t feel like he’d always prefer to be somewhere else than with you anymore - and that it almost feels like he enjoys, or at the very least tolerates spending time in your company now.

He parks in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, on a small patch of gravel between the road and a forest, right before a bridge that crosses over a current. He gets out and starts towards what looks like a forest, telling you good-humoredly to hurry up and follow him. The rain has calmed down to a drizzle, gentle as it falls on your shoulders and a refreshing break from the sweltering heat of the past few days. Faster than you expected, you’ve reached your destination, which is a point where the current is calm and a wide trunk tree crosses it. You have no idea how Sunghoon ever found this place, but you’ve never seen him wear such an ecstatic expression, so you don’t even question it.

He takes his shoes off and gets on the tree trunk, spreading his arms wide to keep himself from falling. You sit down, one leg on each side of the trunk, and watch amusedly as he titters and regains his balance, sending sheepish smiles your way when he gets close to plummeting into the water.

“Where’d you learn to dance?” you ask suddenly, the question forming in your head and leaving your lips simultaneously.

He considers you for a second, then plops himself down on the trunk, letting his legs sway over the emptiness. He looks out to the current when he speaks, as if talking to the air around him rather than directly to you. “I lived and went to school in a low-income neighborhood, so there were always these people coming and going, trying to get kids like us to start working and get out of the neighborhood, or make it better or something. One day these people came in, saying they were giving out lessons to become a dance instructor, and it was the only one that ever caught my interest. I did it, aced the test, and they gave me a spot here that I managed to keep every summer. Haven’t wanted to do anything else since.” He looks back at you and you catch a glimpse of cautiousness, perhaps a fear of finding judgment in your eyes, but his expression turns friendly again when he finds only curiosity and sympathy there.

“What about the rest of the year? Do you also have a teaching job back home?” you ask, daring to go further in your interrogation of Sunghoon’s personal life. Just a few days ago, you’d never have dreamed of asking him something like this, but there’s something about him today that makes you think it’s okay to get closer, if you tread lightly.

He snickers humorlessly and looks down at his hands, palms resting on the trunk in front of him. “I’m lucky I get to escape that place just three months a year when I’m working here. Otherwise, I’m stuck with the old man and his carpenting business I’m fated to inherit when he retires.” Before you can say anything in response, he jumps back up on his feet and holds a hand out to you, making a motion for you to come to him. You’re slightly taken aback at the sudden switch in his demeanor, but you know better than to force anything with Sunghoon. “We didn’t come here to chit-chat, did we? Come over here.”

Devilish - there’s no other word to describe his expression at that moment.

“Nuh-uh, I’m not getting on there, I’m gonna fall and break an ankle,” you immediately protest, but he doesn’t need to say anything, just approaches you with a mischievous smile and reaches his hands out to you - and you take them, letting him bring you to your feet.

You climb up tentatively, glad to see the trunk isn’t slippery even after the rain, and hold on tight to Sunghoon’s hands until you’ve managed to find your own balance. “Okay, what now?” you say breathily, half-paralyzed in terror and half-pumped with adrenaline.

“Let’s dance,” he says, a playful smile teasing his lips.

“What, here?” you reply, looking at him like he suggested you rob a bank.

“Yes, here.” He grabs your hand tighter and brings you closer to him, securing an arm around your waist before you can stumble off of the trunk. It’s definitely your near-death experience and not his proximity that makes your heart beat faster, definitely.

He quietly hums the song, but you’ve heard it so many times at this point that you could do the dance with no music at all. More than dancing the same steps, there’s something electrifying about knowing that the same song is playing in your and Sunghoon’s heads right now. You wonder if he feels it playing in his heart too.

What you’re doing isn’t quite dancing - you’re just taking small, careful, clumsy steps together, giggling as you try to stay atop the trunk and letting out a yelp when he attempts to spin you but it only results in you two almost falling off. He holds you close as if making sure that if one of you goes down, the other goes down with them. Your face is right in front of his chest, and when you risk a look up at him, he’s already gazing down at you, his playfulness making the light in his eyes shine even brighter.

Your breath hitches in your throat when his eyes drift down to your lips, moving as you talk, but you still manage to get the words out, whispering them in the small space between the two of you. “You’re supposed to teach me lifts, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Let’s go,” he whispers back, but makes no move to leave the trunk or distance himself from you.

“Okay,” you breathe. You repeat the word and take a step back, somehow gathering the will to tear yourself away from him, from his eyes fixated on your parted lips. “Let’s go.”

He leads you back through the woods to a wide clearing. After the downpour of the early afternoon, the sun is starting to shine again, rays of light making their way through the grayish clouds and high pines, and bathing your surroundings in a comforting glow. Sunghoon stands facing the sun, and the sunlight hits his face so perfectly, you have to keep yourself from snorting at how ridiculously handsome he is.

The only instructions he gives you are as follows: “You’ve seen lifts before. You know you just run to me to gather momentum, then when you’re close enough, bend your knees and keep your core and whole body tight as I lift you. But the most important thing is that you trust me, alright? If you don’t, we could both get hurt.”

The first few times, you just practice the running and the picking up, not wanting to venture into the actual overhead lift right away. It’s easy enough - just find the right distance, the right speed, and remember not to let your body go limp in Sunghoon’s hands.

But when you’ve gotten the hang of it, and Sunghoon tells you to try the complete lift, you freeze. You just stop right in front of him, looking at him with wide eyes. “This is too scary, I can’t do it.”

To your surprise, instead of letting out an annoyed sigh or rolling his eyes, Sunghoon smiles. His eyes go soft and the corners of his lips tug up.

“What’s scary?”

“Falling. Getting hurt, hurting you,” you say, looking into his eyes with the hope that he’ll make all your anxieties go away.

“Don’t think about those things. Don’t think about anything, just trust me. Let yourself be picked up first, and then we’ll worry about your form and how to keep it, okay?”

“O-okay.” You walk a few steps back to regain some distance, and he nods reassuringly as you take a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. You run to him, and as if his words had gone straight from his mouth to your limbs, you let him lift you - and the world looks so different from this high up.

You marvel at the feeling of floating in the air, but you quickly start to feel yourself slipping forward, and Sunghoon is yelling “Hold it, hold it!” and before you know it, you’ve dipped forward and fallen right on top of him. Thankfully, it was a slow fall, and he had time to soften the blow, so that the immediate reaction from the both of you is to burst into laughter.

You roll over so that you’re laying on your back next to him and rest your palms on your stomach, feeling it shake with laughter. Once you’ve calmed down, you turn your head towards him and he imitates you a second later. You probably look like idiots, out-of-breath and smiling widely at each other in this field, but there isn’t a thing you would change about this moment.

“Do you know what the best place to practice lifts is?” he asks, and you watch how his dimples disappear and reappear as he talks. You shake your head. His dimples deepen. “The water.”

You change locations again, heading back towards the current and finding the lake it stems from. You and Sunghoon turn your backs to each other as he takes his t-shirt off and you, your denim shorts, not wanting them to weigh you down in the water. When you turn back around, you have to force yourself to detach your eyes from his perfectly defined abs and shoulders thanks to years of dancing and physical exertion almost every day. You stare out at the lake like it’s the first time you’ve ever seen so much water, otherwise you’d be gawking at him like it’s the first time you’ve ever seen a man. Your cheeks burn up when you feel his eyes on your legs, taking your half-naked figure in, and he chuckles as you rush to hide yourself in the water.

Once in the water, you practice the actual lift, which consists of Sunghoon hoisting you high above his head and you keeping a straight posture, with your arms perpendicular to your body and your chest slightly lifted as if you were truly soaring through the air. It already looks difficult, and yet it’s even harder than it looks. It does help being in the water because at least you’re not scared for your life when you lose your balance and dive forward, but you let out a yelp nonetheless each time it happens. Sunghoon keeps on telling you to hold your posture, but each attempt ends in you falling into the water and bringing him down with you.

You drift apart and swim back towards each other every time, your arms wrapping around his neck and his hands coming to your hips to get back into position for the lift. You’re having a lot of fun, too much fun, probably, when the performance is just a day away - but getting to see Sunghoon’s smile and hear his laugh as you play around and try your best at the lift makes it worth it. When the strap of your tank top slips over your shoulder, you notice out of the corner of your eye Sunghoon’s hand reaching for it just as you put it back yourself. He plays it off by raking a hand through his wet hair, getting it out of his eyes, and smiles shyly at you when your gazes lock. You have no idea what’s going to happen after the performance, if you’ll stay friends or if he’ll pretend like this never even happened - all you know is that you’d be happy doing this all summer.

“One last time?”

And just like that, it’s late Saturday afternoon and the performance is just an hour away. You barely eat or speak during dinner, partly out of nervousness, but mostly because you want your lie of having a headache and needing to rest in your room more believable. Chaewon had said she’d help you put your dress on and get ready before the show, so when you’ve escaped the dinner table, you rush to her cabin.

But just as you exit the building, an old woman you recognize as Mrs Jung walks in. She must be surprised at your sudden appearance because she slightly bumps into the door and drops her bag. An unusual amount of wallets fall from it, but you don’t think too much of it - you’ve seen rich people do weirder things.

You bend down to help her gather her things, and she chuckles lightly, thanking you. “Such a sweet girl, isn’t she, Harold?” she says to her husband who had appeared behind the door as well. You wish them a nice evening and part ways, gushing to yourself over how cute old couples are as you head to the Chaewon’s cabin.

She does your hair, pulling it into a tight bun and securing every stray strand with a bobby pin. You have no experience with makeup since it’s always been off-limits in your house, so she expertly applies eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick to your face. The sticky feel of it is unfamiliar but once you look in the mirror, you almost can’t look away. It’s still you, of course it is, but the bright colors make you look glamorous, like performing in front of a large crowd is just routine for you. You thank Chaewon, a huge smile on her face, and watch her own light up in relief that you like the makeup.

As she zips your dress up, a flowy baby pink dress she got out of her closet just for you, you repeat back all the instructions Sunghoon has given you over the week to make sure you remember everything. “I just gotta keep my head up, keep my core and my arms straight, follow the mu-”

“Thank you, Baby,” Chaewon quietly interrupts, and the slight tremble in her voice and the vulnerability with which she looks at you lets you know she really means it. You stop your declamation immediately and smile at her, kindness in your eyes.

She looks down and tries to find her words. “You know, I- I just want you to know that I, I don’t sleep around, and Heeseung, I really thought he loved me, and-”

You can see the tears already forming in her eyes so you bring her into a tight hug, resting your cheek against the side of her head. “I know, Chaewon, don’t worry. And even if you did sleep around, it wouldn’t matter, Heeseung should take responsibility no matter what. We’re all here to help you. Don’t worry.” You lean back to hold her face in your hands and try to give as reassuring a smile as you can.

“I’m scared, Baby,” she whispers, trying to calm her sobs to get the words out.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, Chaewon,” you say, and you hope she believes it as much as you do. “Everything’s gonna be just fine. You’ve got Sunghoon, and Jake, and you’ve got me too.”

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in. When she opens them again, she grabs your hands and shakes them between the two of you, mirroring your smile. “Okay, okay,” she murmurs. “Sorry, this isn’t the best time for me to break down. You feeling ready?” she asks, and even if it’s just for now, you’re glad she’s feeling better and got to let her emotions out.

“Not at all, I’m so nervous. I don’t want to mess something up and let you or Sunghoon down,” you admit, your smile wavering for a second.

“Whatever happens, you won’t let us down,” she says, squeezing your hands. “It’s amazing, what you’re doing.”

You can’t help but look away at her words. “It’s the least I can do,” you mumble.

“No, Baby, you’re doing more than most people would. And Sunghoon, he might have his own way of showing it, but he’s extremely grateful for you,” she says, and it puts a smile on your face.

“By his own way of showing it, do you mean not showing it at all?” you joke.

“That’s Sunghoon for you.” You giggle quietly together, but her eyes drift to the clock on the wall behind you and she lets out a sigh. “It’s time, Baby. And don’t worry, I know you’ll do amazing,” she says, bringing you into a brief hug.

You’re so nervous, everything that follows is a blur - leaving Chaewon’s cabin and sneaking over to Sunghoon’s car, the drive to the Sheldrake Hotel, the staff there leading you backstage, and finding your spot on the stage. You only snap out of it when the curtains lift and a voice booms from the speakers in the room, announcing “Sunghoon Park and partner dancing the mambo” as the audience breaks into polite claps.

The music starts, and Sunghoon can immediately feel the tension in your body. He trails his fingers all the way down your arm to your waist, just like you’d practiced a ton of times before, and he uses the proximity between the two of you to whisper “Relax” into your ear. “Just follow my lead, you’ve got this,” he says, loud enough for only you to hear, and extends his arm to send you spinning.

You manage the first few steps, trying to let go of your anxiety, but it’s got a tight grip on your body and makes your stomach twist. You think it’s all over when you mess up a turn, going right instead of left, but Sunghoon’s quick to whisper “over here” and you find your way again. “Look at me,” Sunghoon says once you’re facing each other again, and you lock eyes with him. And for some reason, that works - focusing only on him makes you feel like it’s just the two of you in the room, just like so many times this past week, and it dissipates all your nerves, makes your muscle memory kick in. You finally let him lead you and follow the music, thinking of nothing but Sunghoon and dancing together.

And yet, when it’s time for the lift, you freeze again. You find your position and run to Sunghoon, just like you know you’re supposed to, but you can’t let him lift you, your limbs turning into lead in his hold. Thinking quickly, you come up with another step on the spot, hoping it isn’t too obvious to the audience you just messed up. Sunghoon takes the lead again, and the rest of the performance goes smoothly, the other moves and the smaller, easier lift realized perfectly by the both of you.

You finish off the number, and the sound of the applause directed at the two of you fills you with a pride you’d never felt before, a feeling much more satisfying than any good grade or won argument ever had. Another sort of daze fills your mind now, and it makes you feel like there’s a small cloud under your feet so that you’re floating instead of walking everywhere. It almost makes you miss the Jungs, but when you see the old couple slowly walking out of the room, you’re scared you might be done for.

You rush back to the parking lot with Sunghoon, whooping in excitement as soon as you're out of anyone’s earshot. In the backseat, you change out of your dress and back into your regular clothes.

“God, that was- that was amazing, I can’t believe you get to live this every week during the summer, it was just- my God…” you say, struggling to get your right hand through the sleeve of your blouse.

“Yeah? Did you have fun?” Sunghoon answers, a smile on his face that turns into a gulp when he sees your half-naked body in the rearview mirror. He can’t help but risk a few more glances, hoping you don’t notice.

“I did, I really did, but I- I messed up that one turn, and I didn’t do the lift-”

“That doesn’t matter,” Sunghoon says firmly. “You did real good, Baby.” And after a beat, he adds: “Thank you. You did real good.” Your eyes lock in the mirror but you look away before he can catch sight of your reddening cheeks.

“And oh my God, there was that couple, the, the-”

“The Jungs, right? Yeah, I saw them too,” Sunghoon chuckles. “I got so scared.”

“Right? Me too! They won’t say anything, will they, do you think?”

“Probably not. I don’t think they even recognized either of us.”

You button your jeans and climb your way over to the passenger seat next to Sunghoon, grateful for the lack of headrests in his car. It suddenly grows quiet between the two of you. You want to ask whether you’ll keep meeting now that you’ve done your part, but you’re afraid Sunghoon might want to have nothing to do with you from now on even if it doesn’t seem like he dislikes you anymore. So you stay silent, watching out of the window, sometimes turning your head towards Sunghoon and catching his eye, then smiling at each other shyly.

Something in you is screaming at you to reach out to him, brush a hand over his hair, interlace your fingers with his - any kind of touch. You thought the ball of nerves in your stomach would disappear after the show, but it’s still there, and it’s taken hold of your entire body now, the anticipation of whatever is to come almost unbearable. You notice Sunghoon’s gaze ping-ponging between you and the road, and the tightness with which he holds the steering wheel, and you dare let yourself hope, just a little bit, that he shares those same wild thoughts jumping around your mind.

When you reach the parking lot next to the staff quarters, Sunghoon is quick to get out of the car, while you rub at your eyes and lips, trying to get as much makeup off as you can. Your parents would most likely be in bed by now, but just in case they were still up, you didn’t want them to catch you with bright red lips and blue eyelids. Sunghoon walks around to your side and opens your door for you, even grabbing your hand to help you out of the car. Once you’re out, he takes your other hand in his, facing you as he walks slowly backwards, and with the way he’s gazing down at you, you think those unspoken thoughts might finally come into the light. But before either of you can say anything, you hear quick footsteps rushing towards you, and a familiar voice calling out to Sunghoon.

He swings around to find a panting, alarmed-looking Jake. “Sunghoon, it’s- it’s Chaewon, something went wrong, she’s not feeling well-”

Neither of you need to hear more before you’re running to the cabin, reaching it in record time. There’s way more people than there should be in and outside Chaewon’s room, all watching and doing absolutely nothing except for another girl you recognise as part of the dancing crew holding a wet cloth to her head as Chaewon, her face covered in sweat and her eyes shut tight in pain, moans and mumbles incoherently, slightly delirious from fever. The girl at her bed steps aside when she sees Sunghoon approaching, and he kneels next to Chaewon, holding her hand in both of his and reassuring her as best she can.

“It’s that doctor,” Jake starts, “he was so shady, had a folding table and a dirty knife, and I- I heard screams coming from that room, Hoon, awful screams, and I tried getting in and getting Chaewon out but they wouldn’t let me-”

What’s obvious to you right now is that Chaewon is in desperate need of an actual doctor, and nobody here can provide that for her, so you rush out of the room, and, as fast as your legs can carry you, run to your father and wake him up in a hurry, grabbing his doctor’s bag. You’re glad for your father’s blind trust in you - other than an instinctive “Is Seeun alright?”, which you nod your head at, he doesn’t ask any questions, just sees you need his help. He listens to your unclear and frantic explanations of what’s going on as he follows you to the staff cabin.

“Alright, out of the way, everyone, give the girl some space,” your father says as he enters Chaewon’s room, the way he carries himself and speaks instantly commanding obedience from the group. People filter out as he takes Sunghoon’s spot next to Chaewon, checking her pulse and temperature. “Who’s responsible for this lady?” he asks without looking away from his patient.

“I am,” Sunghoon says, taking a step towards him. “Is she gonna be okay?” He seems so distressed you want to take him into your arms and tell him it’ll be okay, but you can’t do that - not here, not in front of your dad.

Your father turns his head to take a look at Sunghoon, his expression unreadable, then turns back to Chaewon, leaving Sunghoon’s question unanswered, floating in the air ominously.

He makes you all leave the room, and you wait for what feels like hours until your father finally comes out, his briefcase in hand, and announces that Chaewon just needs some rest and then she’d be okay. He lets Jake thank him and shake his hand agitatedly, but once again just stares Sunghoon down and ignores him when he tries to do the same. He takes you by the shoulder, making you walk away with him without saying goodbye to anyone. He’s silent for a few moments, waiting to have gone down a few steps before he speaks, and when he does, his voice is tense and almost trembles with anger.

“Is this what my money paid for? I’m disappointed in you, Baby. You’re not who I thought you were.” He doesn’t even let you defend yourself, just keeps walking without looking at you. “I don’t want you to hang around those people anymore, do you understand?”

“But dad-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” he says firmly, and the slight increase of volume catches you off guard. Not once has your dad raised his voice at you, or at least not since you were a child - that’s how you understand how truly upset he is at you. He finally turns around to look at you, his eyebrows furrowed. “And get that stuff off of your face before your mother sees it.”

The rest of the walk back to your bungalow is done in unbearable, utter silence, and you can’t wait to be away from your father and the anger pouring off of him in waves. But that silence doesn’t seem to go away, even when you finally reach your bed, even when your sister starts snoring quietly, completely oblivious to the events of the night. The silence grows so loud in your ears that it creates a fuzz all around your brain, making your head throb and blurring your thoughts, rendering them incomprehensible. The sheer weight of it forces your eyelids closed even though you don’t feel tired at all - there’s too much going on in your mind for you to fall asleep.

There’s the relief of your father having helped Chaewon, and the knowledge that she’ll be okay thanks to him; but there’s also the image of his disappointed expression etched into your brain and the words “You’re not who I thought you were” playing on a hellish loop. There’s the worry he won’t ever see you the way he used to, that you won’t be his little girl anymore, but there’s also the satisfaction of that exact thing, the liberation that comes with your father finally realizing you’re not perfect and make mistakes too.

And then there’s Sunghoon.

There’s Sunghoon, and his concern for Chaewon’s safety, his love for his friend that he’s known for years, the hurt on his face when your dad didn’t shake his hand, and the way he quickly retracted his own thereafter, a defeated expression like he was used to such disrespect. But before that, there’s his dimpled smile and sharp canines you find weirdly endearing, the carefree sound of his laughter after you fall on top of him in the water, his warm hands guiding you from step to step, the quick glimpses he throws your way when he thinks you’re not looking but hopes that you are. Even before that, there were the ice-covered walls he put around himself and his friends that could melt as quickly as they could freeze back up, until finally one day he opened the door for you to come in. There was the elegance in his moves and the feeling like all the air in the room had evaporated when you watched him dance, only for it to fill you back up when he took you by the hand and showed you how to let yourself go for the first time.

The fog in your mind clears at the thought of him, like sunlight forcing its way through gray clouds after a thunderstorm. You need to see him.

You need to check on him, to make sure he’s feeling alright, and laugh with him if he is or cry if he isn’t. You need to hold his head between your palms and graze a hand through his hair and do and say all the things you’ve been wanting to this week.

You climb out of your bed and grab the first cardigan you see, then slip your shoes on and make your way to the front door. You try to be as quiet as possible, but once outside, you hang back just for a few moments in case anyone has heard you leaving, so that if they come to check, you can just say you’re getting some fresh air on the front porch. No one seems to stir so you rush to Sunghoon’s cabin. It’s past midnight and the only light guiding you is that of the stars and the bright moon up above.

When Sunghoon opens his door, he seems at once relieved and surprised to find you there. “Baby,” he simply says, gazing down at you. He looks so tired, you think. The performance at the Sheldrake was just a few hours ago, but it already feels so far away.

“Hey. Can I- can I come in?” you ask, slightly out-of-breath from your walking so fast.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” he says, turning his body to let you in his cabin. Since your first time here, that night you’d found Chaewon crying in the kitchen, you’d learned more about this place. Thanks to his seniority here, Sunghoon has a separate studio-like cabin further down the path where all the staff bungalows are, and it’s bigger than most of them, even though it’s still just one room that accommodates his bed, a closet, a desk, a sink and some other chairs, shelves and drawers.

A soft song is playing in the background and the main light is off, the small lamps here and there providing enough light for you to see. You hadn’t at all thought to look around when you were here last, so you’re curious to really see what Sunghoon’s living space is like.

You walk further into the room, taking in your surroundings and reveling in all the traces of Sunghoon’s life - discarded clothes here and there, a stack of record players from the early fifties to now, posters of movie stars and famous singers, some photos of him with Jake, Chaewon and other members of the entertainment team. He looks around like he’s seeing the room for the first time too, maybe trying to see it through your eyes and imagining what you could be thinking of it. He picks up clothes from the floor and from an armchair only to throw them in his closet, gesturing for you to sit down, and rubs the back of his neck in what seems like an embarrassed gesture.

“It’s not much… you’re probably used to a lot better…” he says with an apologetic tone.

“No, no, it’s great,” you say quickly, not wanting him to feel embarrassed. You look at him with a smile. “I love it here.”

He mirrors your smile, letting out a shaky breath of relief, then sits down at the edge of his bed, too far away for your liking. The tense atmosphere from earlier in the car is back, filling the room with the silence of a thousand unspoken words. A beat passes before you speak up. “I’m sorry about the way my father treated you, Sunghoon. It wasn’t nice.”

Sunghoon looks genuinely shocked upon hearing your words and starts to shake his head fervently. “No, no, your father was great, the- the way he took care of Chaewon, I could never do anything like that in my life, he was amazing.”

“Yes, but I’m talking about you, Sunghoon, not Chaewon. He completely ignored you, he should have treated you with more respect.” His eyes find yours, and the look on his face like he wants to believe you but can’t quite bring himself to makes your heart ache.

He chuckles and lets his head hang low, looking down at his hands. “Why should he? I’m- I’m nothing,” he says quietly, so quietly that you think you might have misheard, because never in a hundred years would you have thought that someone like Sunghoon could think so lowly of himself.

Your surprise makes it hard to gather your words and say something coherent, but you try your best. “What- Sunghoon, how could you say that? You’re not nothing, you’re- you’re everything,” you say, the last word coming out breathy.

He looks at you like he’s never heard those words before, never had somebody tell him he was so much more than he thought he was - but maybe that’s because he’d never told anyone how he really felt. A pained expression flashes across his face, and you’re scared you might’ve said the wrong thing but his next words reassure you that that’s not it.

“You don’t understand… One month, I’m living off of scraps and struggling to make ends meet, and the next, rich ladies are stuffing hundred dollar bills in my pockets and giving me the key to their room. Everywhere I am, people just use me to get what they need. My dad basically forces me to work with him and doesn’t give a crap what I really want, the women here use me to escape the boredom of their lives, and Max and his asshole grandson Jay just want me to make as much money as I can so they can get even richer.” His voice gets louder the more he talks, the anger getting to him. He chuckles darkly, but his expression softens when he catches your gaze. “I have to live like this. If I start thinking I deserve more, that I- that I’m everything, like you say, I’ll never be satisfied. I’ll always want more. I can’t handle that.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way. It shouldn’t be that way,” you say quietly, shaking your head and looking at him sadly. You don’t know how to make him see that for the joy he brings everyone who gets to see him dance, for the care and safety he gives the people he loves, and the way he’s made you feel like you can finally escape the thoughts in your head, he deserves everything he wants in the world. You don’t know how to make him see his worth and the respect he deserves as much as anyone else.

He smiles at you wistfully, like he can see his own, long-gone, naive hopefulness on your face. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Baby. You look at the world and you think you can make it better.”

It’s your turn to chuckle humorlessly. “Yeah, I run to my daddy, like you said.”

“No,” he says firmly, his tone catching you off guard. “No, that took a lot of guts, doing what you did. I love that about you, you just go ahead and do things. You didn’t even know Chaewon, and yet you learned a whole professional routine in a week just because you wanted to and you could. And now you risked your relationship with your father just to help her out once again. You- you’re not scared of anything!”

“Me? I’m scared of everything!” you cry out, suddenly standing up, the emotions boiling in your stomach making you unable to sit any longer. “I’m scared of the disappointment in my parents’ eyes, of failing school, of being stuck in a life I can’t escape from…” Your gaze travels around the room before it settles on Sunghoon once again, your gazes locking each other in so tightly you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to look away. “But most of all,” you continue, voice shaky and desperate, “I’m scared of leaving this place and never, ever feeling again the way I do when I’m with you.”

His jaw tightens and he has to force himself to look away from you, his eyes focusing on a random object in the corner of the room. With the way he huffs air through his nose and tenses his whole body, he almost looks angry, but you know that’s not it - finally, after a week of torturous hesitation and not-knowing, you understand how Sunghoon feels about you. He feels just like you. All those lingering gazes, those small shocks of electricity whenever you touched, those loud heartbeats at his constant proximity, he felt them too, and it drove him crazy too; you’re sure of it.

Or at least, almost sure of it. And there’s only one way to confirm your suspicions.

Sunghoon thinks you’re not scared of anything, so you’re going to prove it to yourself. You take a step towards him, then another one, and another one, until you’re standing right in front of him. You extend a hand out to him and he doesn’t question it, just takes it and rises, now towering over you as you had over him just a second ago. You’re as close as you usually are when you dance together - or perhaps a bit closer than that.

“Dance with me,” you whisper into the space between your bodies.

“What, here?” he whispers back, finally looking at you. His gaze lingers in your eyes before dropping to your lips, his pupils slowly dilating - there’s your confirmation.

“Yes, here,” you reply, echoing your conversation on the tree trunk, which somehow was only yesterday.

You wrap your arms around his neck just as his hands come up to hold you by the waist. It’s a position you’ve found yourselves in a hundred times by now, but tonight, it feels so different. The air around you is charged with electricity and all of your moves are purposeful, trying to make the other feel all that you’re feeling with just a touch.

Tight in each other’s arms, you sway to the slow rhythm of the music, your head resting in the crook of his neck while his hands travel from your waist, to your shoulder blades, back down to your hips. Even with two layers of clothing between your bodies, the feeling of having him so close sends shivers down your spine, even though your skin burns everywhere it comes into contact with him. Your breath makes goosebumps appear on the side of his neck, and when his grip on your hips tightens, you take it as a green light to start pressing faint kisses to his skin. He bunches the fabric of your blouse in his hands, slowly pulling it from the confines of your jeans and over your head, making you raise your arms. He makes a ball out of your top and throws it somewhere across his room, his attention fully taken by the sight of your now half-naked body. He immediately discards his own t-shirt, putting his hands back on you as quickly as he can, as if scared you might suddenly disappear.

You go on dancing together, bodies moving in harmony, as if you’re one being rather than two. You let your hands travel over his shoulders and chest and rest them on his stomach as you lean your upper body backwards, trusting him to hold you while you circle your way back to him. When you do, his hands roam down to grab your ass and hike one of your legs around his hips, the friction of your pelvises rubbing together eliciting a heavy, relieved sigh from both of you.

Finally, your lips find each other, and you kiss like you’re each other’s sources of oxygen. Of course, Sunghoon is one of, if not the best, kissers you’ve ever had the honor of sharing a kiss with, because how could he be anything other than perfect? The way he kisses is intense and a little bit messy, and it ignites your whole body, making you crave only more and more until you’ve had everything you want. Your hands and his are restless, endlessly drifting over each other’s bodies, grabbing at shoulders or hips or strands of hair.

He walks backwards to his bed, never once breaking the passionate embrace, until the back of his legs hit the mattress. He sits, spreading his legs wide enough for you to stand between them. His face is right at the level of your chest, and the way he looks up at you as he presses hot, open-mouthed kisses there makes your insides burst and the fire in your core burn harder. Keeping eye contact with him is too much to handle, so you close your eyes and let your head back slightly, grazing your hands through the soft locks of his hair and simply enjoying the feeling of his mouth on you. His warm hands roam your lower back before traveling north to the clasp of your bra. He undoes it but doesn’t take it off - instead, he calls your name, and it’s never sounded better than on his lips.

“Baby?”

“Hm?” You look back down at him and find in his eyes a sort of lustful, dreamlike daze that you’re sure must reflect your own perfectly.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks breathily, wanting to be certain this is okay for you, but sounding like it’d be the death of him if you said no.

You smile softly and take his head in your hands. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

He smiles too, exposing his sharp canines and pretty dimples, and sighs of relief. “Thank God.”

Your bra comes off, and you almost laugh when his pupils blow out at the sight of your naked chest, but your amusement dies, cut off by a loud moan as soon as he takes one of your nipples in his mouth, twirling his tongue around and sucking on the sensitive bud before moving on to the other one. One of his hands rests on your ass while his other arm is wrapped around your waist, and his grip on your waist tightens every time you make a sound that he particularly appreciates. You’re pulling at his hair so much, you’re almost scared of hurting him, but truth be told you’re too focused on the way his mouth feels on you to really be careful about it.

“Come here,” he says, voice hoarse. His jeans aren’t doing a very good job of hiding how hard he is, and he groans at the sudden contact when he pulls you down into his lap. You press kisses everywhere you can - his cheeks, the crook of his neck, his hair, before finding his lips once again. You don’t even realize you’re grinding yourself against him until he breaks away from the kiss to let out a quiet moan, and you bury your face in the dip between his shoulder and his neck, breath hot against his skin as you whine in pleasure.

You could do this for hours, and maybe you do - but at some point, you start needing something more and your core throbs, desperate for more attention. And what better way to communicate that to Sunghoon than to show him exactly what you want?

You unwrap your arms from around his shoulders and let your hand roam down to the waistband of his jeans, smiling shyly at him as you get down on your knees in front of him. He watches with a pained expression, like the anticipation of what you’ll do next actually hurts him, as you unbutton and unzip his jeans, then slide them along with his boxers down his legs. To distract from the fact that his size slightly intimidates you, you take him in your hand right away, circling his reddened tip with your thumb before starting to bring your palm up and down his shaft while your other hand rubs his thigh.

You’re absolutely breathtaken by the sight in front of you: Sunghoon’s abs tensing visibly at your ministrations, his head hung back and his neck and Adam’s apple flushed red on display for you, moans increasing in volume as you continue. You had a feeling Sunghoon wouldn’t be a quiet one, and you’re proud to be proven right.

You put your own needs aside for now, just wanting to see Sunghoon in as much pleasure as you can give him. You bring your head forward and lick a stripe up his length, satisfied when he lets out his loudest moan so far. You don’t tease for too long, only licking at his tip for a bit before taking more of him in your mouth. You keep one hand at the base of his shaft and swirl your tongue around the part you’re able to reach.

This is the first time you’ve gotten so much pleasure from giving - maybe because Sunghoon’s reactions feed your ego, maybe because you’re so obsessed with him that knowing you’re making him feel good is enough, or maybe both. Definitely both.

But Sunghoon doesn’t let you have your fun for too long, and soon pulls your face gently away from him. His flushed face and fucked-out expression is gratifying to say the least. You look up at him with a smile, rubbing his thighs with your palms as you wait for him to catch his breath.

“A minute longer,” he says, panting, “and I would’ve died.” You giggle at his dramatics and hoist yourself back up, about to position yourself again on his lap but Sunghoon has other plans. He lays you down on your back and comes to rest on his side next to you, holding himself up on a forearm; that way he has both full access to and full view of your face and body. Perfect.

His face is close enough to yours to press kisses there and on your neck while his hand makes his way down your body. When it reaches the waistband of your jeans, you don’t wait for him to say or do anything and undo them yourself, which makes Sunghoon smirk.

“Impatient, are you?” he teases.

“You’re one to talk,” you bite back with a smile, even though your cheeks start to burn.

He slips a hand under your jeans, and gathers slick from between your folds before starting to rub small circles on your clit with the pads of two fingers. He soon gets frustrated from the way your clothes restrict his movements, and whispers in your ear, “Might as well take everything off while we’re at it, don’t you think?”

You roll your eyes at his playful tone but comply, more than happy to undress if it means he can touch with more ease. And indeed, he wastes no time before slipping a finger inside you, smirk widening at the loud half-gasp half-moan you let out at the feeling. “Much better,” he whispers again, but any comeback is wiped from your mind as he adds a second finger in, curling them so that they hit just the spot. You’re drenched at this point, your arousal sticking to the inside of your thighs, but that only makes it easier for him to slip his fingers in and out and means you’re more than ready for him. He keeps his thumb on your clit so that the friction there doesn’t stop either, and it isn’t long before you start to feel that familiar knot twisting your insides, appearing much quicker than you’d like it to.

“Sunghoon- I’m gonna, I’m-”

“You are, huh?” he breathes against your neck in between kisses. And just like that, as if you’d told him to stop and not that you were about to finish, he slips his fingers out of you, watching your reaction with a devilish, amused smirk.

“What? No, no-” you whine, but it’s no use. He rolls away from you, opening the drawer in his bedside table to retrieve something, and he’s lucky it’s a condom, because you might have killed him if it was anything else.

“Just because it’s our first time, I’m making you cum on my cock,” he explains as he rips open the small packet and puts the condom on. He comes back and places himself over you, pressing a kiss to your cheek and aligning himself with your entrance. “Next time, you’ll cum on my fingers and mouth as much as you want, Baby.”

And then, he pushes in.

You don’t need to tell him to go slow, or to wait before he starts moving; he knows. He holds himself up on his hands, biceps tight, and watches your face carefully for any sign of pain or discomfort while he furrows his way in, inch by inch.

When he finally bottoms out, he presses a soft kiss to your glistening hairline and bends down to whisper in your ear, “I’ve been thinking about this all week, and it’s even better than I imagined.”

The corners of your lips tug upwards, but the feeling of Sunghoon filling you up like this makes your brain go fuzzy and you can’t even begin to form coherent words or thoughts. You grab on to his biceps and shoulders as he starts to move back and forth, slowly at first, but progressively picking up speed, your moans egging him on.

He takes one of your legs and hikes it up around his hip, allowing him to go deeper and hit that spot that has you arching your back and crying out. You’re clawing at his back, eyes shut tight and mouth going dry, and his fast, regular rhythm is bringing you to the edge once again. Either Sunghoon has terrible timing, or he knows precisely how close you are and wants to tease you, because he slows down and pulls out. “I just want to make it last a bit longer,” he explains, murmuring the words in the crook of your jaw and neck before pressing a kiss there.

He pushes himself away from you and sits up on his bed, his back against the headboard. He looks at you with a lopsided smile, and when you position yourself on his lap, you take a couple moments to admire him before taking him again. His hairline beads with sweat, his face and upper body are flushed a light red color, his breathing is quick and shallow, mouth slightly agape, and his eyelids are heavy with lust, eyes almost closed. He’s never looked so good.

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” he asks, and you smile both at the compliment and at the fact that you were thinking the same thing about him just a second ago, as if you shared each other’s exact thoughts. You shake your head, and his gaze turns loving as he brushes a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Baby. There. Said it.”

You kiss him passionately before taking him in your hand and raising yourself on your knees to guide his tip towards your entrance, keeping eye contact with him as you sink onto his length. The new position hits even more sensitive spots and makes the two of you moan simultaneously.

Deciding to let him rest for a bit, you start moving yourself up and down on his cock, quickly settling into a nice rhythm that doesn’t tire your legs out too much but still manages to make you see stars. You hold onto Sunghoon’s shoulders, hands sometimes grabbing onto his hair while his stay firmly planted on your ass, kneading the soft skin there. You try to hold his gaze for as long as you can, but the pleasure starts to overwhelm you and you can’t do anything but shut your eyes, head falling back as loud moans escape your lips. There’s no way you could have kept it quiet, so you’re extremely grateful that Sunghoon’s living quarters are far enough away to avoid an audience.

Despite the immense pleasure of being on top of him and of choosing your own rhythm, your thighs start to hurt after a few minutes of this. Thankfully, Sunghoon notices your decreasing pace and the way your legs falter, and takes things into his own hands, finally ready to stop edging and bring the both of you to your ends. One hand on your lower back, one arm wrapped around your shoulders, he presses your chest firmly to his, hugging you tight, and starts bucking his hips into you at a pace that has you crying out into his shoulder. Your hands find purchase in his hair, pulling tight enough to hurt at the roots. If Sunghoon stops, it might be the death of you, so even if it’s a struggle to get the words out, you want to let him know how you feel.

“Fuck, Sunghoon, right there, please don’t stop, please- oh, my God!”

The sound of your two bodies coming together is lewd, but it only adds to your bliss, and in just thirty seconds of this, the knot in your stomach breaks loose and sends your whole body trembling against Sunghoon’s. He’s not long after you, the sound of his name over and over on your tongue as you cum sending him tumbling over the edge. You feel hot tears streaming down your face at the relief of finally having come undone, and the sounds leaving your lips now are fainter, your body too weak to even make any noise.

You stay like this for a few moments, body limp on top of his, allowing your breaths to return to normal. You’ve had two boyfriends before, and they were the only two you’d ever had sex with, so it’s not like you had already discovered everything about the joys of sex, but you knew for sure that it didn’t always feel like this, didn’t always take you to heaven and back. Usually, you’d have stood up and cleaned yourself by now, but with Sunghoon, you never want to leave this spot. Fall asleep like this, wake up like this, stay as long as you wanted like this. But after a few minutes, Sunghoon stirs and you jolt out of your daze, getting off of him, wincing slightly at the sensitivity between your legs.

He slips from his seated position and lays on his back. You follow suit, turning your body towards the ceiling, suddenly feeling shy at the idea of touching him, of getting closer - or maybe scared that he’ll suddenly want to be left alone, or worse, never want to see you again. But all your negative thoughts dissipate when he shifts to his stomach, sliding slightly down the bed to rest his head on your chest, burying his face there, hugging your waist tight, and letting out a contented sigh. Although your heart swells at his ridiculously cute actions, to say you aren’t a bit surprised would be a lie - after seeing a leading, more dominant side to him all week, since he was the one teaching you the dance and guiding you through the moves, you had thought it would translate to the way he was in bed. Yet, he had let you do what you wanted, let you set your own pace, as much as he had himself. And now, he was perfectly happy seeking out your affection and not making you come to him. It made you appreciate him that much more.

One of your hands makes its way to his back, grazing your fingernails along the expanse of it, while the other plays gently with his hair. You fall asleep in record time, perfectly at peace and exhausted from so much exertion.

When you wake up a few hours later, you’re still laying on your back, and although Sunghoon has drifted away, probably due to the heat in the room, your legs are still intertwined and he’s got an arm resting on your midriff. There’s nothing to let you know the time, so you look out the window and notice with panic that the sun has started to rise, which means it must be close to six a.m. You try to shake Sunghoon awake, but he just grumbles something incoherent and hugs you tighter to him, which you absolutely would have swooned over if you didn’t need to get back to your bungalow - and so you shake him harder.

“Sunghoon, wake up!” you say, far too quietly for it to actually wake him up, but he looks so cute asleep that it’d break your heart to wake him up too harshly.

“Why…” he whines, face buried in your neck and voice coming out muffled.

“I don’t want my father to notice that I’m gone,” you say, the aftertaste of the words bitter in your mouth.

“Why, what time is it?” he asks, slowly coming to his senses.

“I’m not sure, but he never wakes up late, so I don’t wanna risk it.” Your father, needing a real break from intense work days, had started waking up at 6:45 instead of 5:30 every morning. How relaxing.

“But I want you to stay,” Sunghoon grumbles, and you bless him for speaking your own thoughts but also curse him for making it harder to leave.

“I know, so do I. But I’ll see you later, okay?”

A beat. “Fine,” he sighs, then pushes himself off of you. He doesn’t look at you while you put your clothes back on and walk out of the room, but you know he can’t have fallen asleep again so quickly, so you’re terrified of having said or done something extremely wrong, but you can’t take it back now, so you just close the door behind you and rush back to your own bed.

The breakfast table is completely silent, the tension between you and your father clear to your mother, who doesn’t say anything, scared of accidentally adding fuel to the fire, and even to your sister, who eats her grapefruit quietly, darting her eyes back and forth between the three of you. Jay shows up from only God knows where and, not even trying to read the room, asks cheerfully what you’re all planning on performing at the show.

“We won’t be at the show,” your father says, making everyone’s heads snap towards him. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning, miss the weekend traffic.”

“We haven’t discussed this, honey,” your mother says just as Seeun whines, “But Daddy, we’ll miss the show!” You keep quiet, pretending the overcooked scrambled eggs on your plate are the most interesting thing you’ve ever seen.

“It’s the biggest night of the season!” Jay chimes in, also trying to persuade him.

“Yeah, and I wanted to sing something!” your sister adds.

Your father looks back and forth between your mother’s and sister’s bewildered faces, then sighs and begrudgingly bows to their wishes. “Alright, alright, it was just an idea.”

A smile breaks on your mother’s face and Seeun clasps her hands together with a small noise of joy. “Perfect,” Jay exclaims, pointing a finger at you as he walks away. “Baby, I’ll need you for props.”

“So, Seeun, what songs do you have in mind?” your father asks and gets up, gesturing at your sister to follow him, although he looks completely uninterested. She practically jumps up from her seat and starts listing all her song ideas, leaving her half-finished breakfast behind.

You finish eating your own, making small talk with your mother for long enough so that she isn’t suspicious of your trying to escape, although you can tell she knows something is up and just won’t mention it. You thank her silently for it, and excuse yourself from the table to go check up on Chaewon.

When you get to her room, she’s still in bed, but isn’t sleeping and doesn’t look in pain anymore - she’s sitting up, flicking through a fashion magazine. She smiles brightly when she sees you at her door, discarding the magazine and extending her hands out to you.

“How are you feeling?” you ask as you take her hands in yours, crouching next to her bed.

“Much, much better,” she says, sounding relieved at her own answer. “You just missed your father. He’s an amazing man.”

You only have time to talk for a minute when the door opens once again to reveal Sunghoon. Seeing him creates a pit in your stomach, either from the memory of what you did last night or from the way you had to escape soon thereafter. You stand up straight, taking a few steps away from Chaewon. He looks at you briefly before turning his attention to her, and asks the same question you did moments prior.

“I’m feeling a lot better. Baby’s father says I’m still able to have children.”

“That’s great, Chaewon, that’s amazing,” Sunghoon says, sounding relieved.

“But what about you guys? How did the show go last night?” she asks, a hopeful expression on her face.

Sunghoon glances at you, and you avoid his gaze as best you can. “It went well,” he simply says, not explaining any further.

“Yeah, I didn’t do the lifts, but other than that it went well.”

Chaewon looks at him, then at you, and all at once notices the awkward tension in the air - and she understands the situation as clearly as if it had been written out in black and white for her.

It’s silent for a few seconds until you speak. “Well, I guess I better go then… I’ll see you around.” You give Chaewon a small smile and head to the door, letting your eyes linger on Sunghoon before slipping out. But of course, you can’t actually bring yourself to leave, and sit on the stairs a few meters away from the door. From where you are, you can hear every word spoken inside the cabin.

“Sunghoon,” Chaewon starts.

“So, you’re feeling better, huh?”

“Sunghoon.”

“But you should still get some rest, right?”

“Sunghoon, stop it.” That shuts him up. “What are you doing? You’ve told me so many times not to get mixed up with them,” she says, sounding at once worried and reproachful.

“I know what I’m doing, alright?”

“Sunghoon, listen to me you gotta stop it, you know it’s not gonna end well-”

“I said I know what I’m doing,” he snaps, but seems to immediately regret it. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Chaewon, I just- you’re in no position to be worrying about me right now. I know what I’m doing. I trust her.” There’s a small silence, and you have no idea what expression Chaewon must be wearing right now. Is she unsure, satisfied, worried, angry? Is she nodding, trying to respect his decision, or looking like Sunghoon’s making the biggest mistake of his life? “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you later, alright? Rest up.”

“Alright, see you later, Hoon,” she says quietly, and when Sunghoon opens the door, he finds you waiting for him. You stand up and just look at him, unsure how to express what’s on your mind. You’d completely forgotten everything you had meant to tell him.

“Oh, hey, Baby,” he says upon seeing you.

“Hey.”

You both just stand there, staring at each other, no idea how to start the much-needed conversation.

“Look, I’ve got a uh, a lesson I need to go to right now, so…” he trails off.

“Right, right, no problem,” you say, nodding far too vigorously.

“But I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, you will.”

Neither of you move for a few moments, and you feel like you’re completely stuck in place, unable to move until you’ve had the reassurance that things can stay as they were between you and Sunghoon. But he walks past you, already a few meters away when you gather the courage to call out his name, and he turns around so quickly, you dare to hope he might have been waiting for you to do so. You don’t say anything, you just smile, and hope he understands. He smiles back, an actual smile where his dimples appear and the corners of his eyes crinkle, and you know that for now at least, everything is okay.

“God, I am so sick of this rain,” your sister complains as she dabs powder on her face, covering up non-existent blemishes. All four of you are in the living room of your bungalow, resting after lunch and getting ready for the rest of the day. You and your father play a boring game of checkers, trying to make the tension disappear slowly, while your mother reads some detective novel.

“Where is my beige iridescent lipstick?” Seeun asks furiously, punctuating each of her words, as if that was the kind of everyday thing that lies about in everyone’s house.

Your father wins the game and looks relieved that it’s over more than anything. You pick up a light raincoat and head towards the door, but your mother calls out your name, stopping you in your tracks.

“Where are you going in this weather?” she asks with curiosity rather than wariness in her voice.

“They’re playing charades in the main lobby,” you reply casually, used to giving out random excuses by now.

“Quite the little joiner, are we?” your sister teases, and you’re not sure if she’s just making fun of you or if she knows you’re up to something but you ignore her anyway and walk out of the cabin.

You make your way to Sunghoon’s place as quickly as you can to avoid the rain. You had ran into him that morning and, when your parents weren’t looking, he let you know that he was free all afternoon with a smile that was as good as a spoken invitation.

He brings you into a hug as soon as you’ve closed the door behind you and presses a kiss to the top of your head, murmuring an apology into your hair. “I’m sorry I acted so awkwardly yesterday. You left so suddenly that night, and I was scared you regretted it…”

You lean back and gaze into his eyes. “I regret absolutely nothing, Sunghoon.”

He breathes out a relieved sigh, smiling as he nods. “Good. Me either.”

You press your lips to his, and although the kiss starts out slow and soft, it doesn’t take long for things to heat up. You let out a small yelp when Sunghoon lifts you up and carries you to the bed, laying you down gently on the mattress. He holds up to the promise he’d made the other night - namely, making you cum on his tongue and fingers as much as you want, or rather, as you soon find out, as much as he wants.

He starts by undressing you slowly, taking his time to revel in the sight of your naked body and the idea that it’s all for him. He only leaves your panties on, rubbing small circles over your clothed clit as he works his mouth on your nipples and breasts, paying each side its due attention. He then makes his way down, leaving warm kisses everywhere he can from your stomach to your inner thighs, and makes sure to work you up and have you squirming before actually slipping your panties off and giving you what you want. Once he’s wrapped his lips around your clit, it’s like he can’t get enough. With two fingers inside you, he sucks and licks at the sensitive bud for what feels like so long that you don’t know how his wrist and jaw don’t get tired. You don’t even try to count the number of times he makes you cum, simply taking every orgasm in stride, and even though you get so sensitive after a while, you’ve entered some sort of blissful, exhausted daze that you can’t bring yourself to break away from.

Afterwards, you’re lying next to Sunghoon, your head resting on his chest and grazing your fingernails up and down his arm while he plays with your hair. You’ve somehow managed not to fall asleep despite the tiredness filling your entire body, and you and Sunghoon talk quietly, the sound of the rain outside like a peaceful background song. You listen to him describe his dream of opening a dance school someday and choreographing professionally, then he listens as you talk about all the places you want to visit and the things you want to learn about the world. You share childhood memories and awkward first kiss anecdotes and compare your relationships with your parents and the similar sort of pressure they put on your shoulders, albeit for two very reasons.

“My dad especially, he just doesn’t understand that dancing can be an actual profession. He sees it as some kind of hobby I’ve had since I was a teenager and that it’ll pass soon when I realize I can’t make a living out of it. He completely ignores the fact I get paid more in three months here than in half-a-year with him, but he doesn’t mind taking the part of my salary I give our family when I come back, that’s for sure,” he chuckles humorlessly. “I’m scared he’ll think I’m betraying him if I don’t take up his carpentry business.”

“I was top of my class in elementary school, and my parents thought that meant I was the brightest little girl in the world and would grow up to achieve great things,” you explain in a joke-admirative voice. “And even if they tried not to say anything, I could see the disappointment on their faces when I brought home a B or was ranked third at a test. I’m happy I got into Yale, and that they can afford to pay for my studies, but it’s just gonna be even more pressure for four more years.” After a beat, you decide to add, “I can only forget about all of this when I’m with you. You just make all of my worries disappear for a while.”

The conversation takes a slightly sentimental tone as you tell each other what your first impression of the other was. You admit sheepishly to Sunghoon that you were attracted to him as soon as you saw him dancing with Chaewon that first night, and that you hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him after he danced with you, even though you found him a bit of an asshole the first couple of days he taught you the dance. You tell him you were sure he hated you at first, and he reveals that he didn’t at all.

“But I can see why you thought that. I just… I had never met anyone like you, Baby. Someone who thought she could just show up somewhere and decide to help a stranger out for no other reason than to help them out of the kindness of their heart. I didn’t know if you were the most foolish or the bravest person ever. And yeah, I’ll admit, I wasn’t the nicest to you at first. I kinda have this thing against… against rich people, I guess,” he says, chuckling softly. “For me, a wealthy person is like Max, or Jay, or all those ladies here. They use their wealth to get you to do what you want. But you’re not like that, and it took me a while to understand that. I’m sorry,” he finishes, pressing another kiss to your hair.

“No, no, it’s okay… I’m sorry they’ve all treated you like that. You deserve better.” He thanks you quietly and a comfortable silence settles between the two of you for a few minutes and you’re close to falling asleep when Sunghoon calls out your name.

“Hm?”

“What’s your real name?”

You raise your head to look at him and flash him a big smile. It’s been ages since someone asked you that, most people not bothering to question your nickname.

“It’s Y/N.”

“Y/N…” he echoes, gazing at you lovingly. “It fits you perfectly.”

You press a gentle kiss to his lips in response, and you think it’s gonna end at that, but Sunghoon pulls you back in right as you’re about to lean out, and you know you’re done for. You’re still extremely sensitive but that only adds to the pleasure of him filling you up, intertwining your fingers with him as you make love, his thrusts slow but deep and your bodies pressed flush against each other. Your heart is bursting with something that you can only recognize as love.

That night, as you’re on the verge of falling asleep, your sister says something that jolts you awake.

“I’ve decided to go all the way with Heeseung,” she says, a hint of a smile in her voice.

You snap your head towards her. “What? Seeun, no, you shouldn’t-”

“I’ve already thought about everything. I want it to happen on the night of rehearsals, I know what I’ll wear-”

“No, Seeun, listen, you can’t do it with Heeseung, I’ve already told you he’s bad news!” you whisper-scream, trying to get some sense into her head without your parents overhearing.

“Who else with, then?” she whisper-shouts back.

“Just- I don’t know, but not with him, it needs to be with someone you actually love, someone you can trust-”

“I can trust Heeseung. I do trust him - more than I trust you, actually,” she says, the conversation taking another turn.

“Seeun-”

“No, Baby. You don’t actually care about this, or even about me. All you care about is that you’re not Daddy’s little girl anymore. He listens when I talk now.” She turns her back to you with a huff.

“Seeun-” you try again, but she’s already done talking.

“Goodnight.”

You want to find a way to stop your sister from wasting an important experience like having sex for the first time on a guy like Heeseung, but you also know that once she’s set her mind to something, it’s hard to stop Seeun from doing it. Maybe this will be a lesson for her to learn from, you think, trying to reassure yourself.

The next afternoon, when your parents are busy playing cards with another couple and Seeun is off somewhere with her friends, you sneak off to visit Sunghoon in his dance classroom. He has an hour free in between classes and you use that opportunity to mess around for a bit. You put on a song you both love and dance together whichever way you want, acting out and lipsyncing to the lyrics. You have fun teasing him by swerving your head when he leans in for a kiss or trailing your hand along his arms, shoulders and back.

The sound of loud footsteps coming up the stairs spoils your fun, and you quickly position yourself face to the mirror and pretend you’re practicing basic mambo moves while Sunghoon heads to the record player. The one and only Jay stands at the door and seems to falter for a second at seeing you here.

“Hey, Baby, taking dance lessons?” You simply nod at him. “I could teach you kid,” he says, mirroring your moves and dancing a few steps until Sunghoon makes the record scratch, stopping the music abruptly. Jay’s arms drop to the side and he gives you a look as if to say “check this guy out,” and you try not to roll your eyes at him.

“Sunghoon,” he says, walking towards him with all the confidence of a boss talking to his employee. The addressee simply raises his chin at him, pretending to busy himself with the record player. “My grandfather put me in charge of the talent show, and I’ve been thinking about the final dance. I’d like to uh, you know, do something different-”

“Yeah?”

“Move with the times-”

“Yeah? That’s great, I’ve got plenty of ideas-” Sunghoon says, speaking so quickly he cuts himself off, but Jay’s smile drops instantly. “We’ve been working on something with the staff, it goes like-”

You watch in the mirror as Sunghoon dances a step you’ve never seen before, and it looks really cool but Jay shakes his head, gesturing at Sunghoon to quiet down like he would a kid, as if they weren’t the exact same age.

“Woah there, you’re way over your head, boy.” Sunghoon stands up straight once again, jaw locked tight. “I was thinking, instead of doing the last dance to the mambo, how about, this year, doing it to the pachanga?” Jay asks, looking at you with a smile and nodding, as if he’d just said the most revolutionary thing ever.

“Right,” Sunghoon says coldly, bursting Jay’s bubble.

“Well,” he says, clearing his throat, “you’re more than welcome to do the same tired number as the previous years, but I’m sure that next summer, we’ll find a dance instructor who’s-”

“The pachanga,” Sunghoon cuts him off, raising his voice over Jay’s. “Great idea, Jay, let’s do that.”

A satisfied smile grows on Jay’s lips as Sunghoon turns back to the record player, and he struts back towards you. When he’s close enough, he leans in and says conspiratorially, but still loud enough for Sunghoon to hear, “He’s, uh, a bit hard to get through to sometimes, but the ladies seem to like him.” He doesn’t realize that you’re one of said ladies. “Make sure you’re getting the full half-hour you’re paying, kid,” he says once he’s at the door, and slips out on that graceful note.

Sunghoon’s next class takes place on the gazebo, so you accompany him there, trying to keep up with his long strides made quicker by his frustration. “God, I just hate that guy, he has no idea what he’s talking about. He wouldn’t recognise a good idea if it hit him in the pachanga,” he huffs angrily.

“But can’t you just talk to him? I’m sure he’d listen if you’d just tell him-”

“Didn’t you see what happened, Baby? He won’t listen. I can’t get everything I want just by asking, he’s the one with the money, with the power, I can’t do anything-”

“But it isn’t right! You have to fight harder-”

“That’s not how it works for me, Baby-”

You let out a small gasp, interrupting Sunghoon whose head pivots towards you, but you take him by the shoulders and bring him down to a crouch next to you. He follows your gaze to find your father, leaving a building with Heeseung and Seeun. Your dad brings his arm around Heeseung and shakes his shoulder in a fatherly manner while Seeun looks at them with a smile.

Sunghoon’s muscles tense in realization - you don’t want to be caught with him, especially not by your father.

You’re completely oblivious to this, and stand back up when the three of them are out of sight. “Alright, I think they’re gone,” you say, and only realize what you’ve done when you see the tight expression on Sunghoon’s face.

“Fight harder, huh?”

You just messed up real bad. “No, Sunghoon, I was planning on telling him, I just haven’t yet-”

“I don’t believe you, Baby. I don’t think you’ve ever had the intention of telling him,” he says, shaking his head. His eyes look down at you harshly, and it hurts so much more now than when you’d just met.

“Sunghoon, please-”

“I gotta go. I’ll see you later, Y/N.”

You watch Sunghoon’s shrinking figure, cursing yourself for your cowardice and for your inability to do exactly what you preach. Your father was already so disappointed in you for simply being friends with Sunghoon, so if he knew what you were actually up to, he might go and disown you.

A few hours with no one to spend them with get you thinking. You had always thought your father was the best man on earth. Funny, loving, kind, fair. But you now realize it might not be so - he is prejudiced towards people who aren’t like him and isn’t forgiving of others’ mistakes. He made you believe in a world where everyone should be equal, but he himself doesn’t treat everyone the same.

You also hate what this is doing to Sunghoon. You, who had told him he deserved everything he wanted, weren’t even capable of holding his hand proudly for everyone to see. So, for Sunghoon’s sake as well as for your own, you have to tell your father how you feel for Sunghoon, and put up a fight if he tries to stop it.

But first, you had to find Sunghoon and apologize. It’s nearing dinnertime, and he shouldn’t be working anymore, so you go look for him in his room. He isn’t there, so you head to his dance studio, then the gazebo, and anywhere else you can think of where he might have classes. But he’s nowhere to find, and after half-an-hour of running around, your last option is to go ask Chaewon where Sunghoon might be. At least, you know she’ll be in her room, still recovering.

You take a second to catch your breath then knock on Chaewon’s door, then wait until she calls you in to open the door. “Hey, Chaewon, have you seen Sunghoon?” you ask, only realizing after you’ve said the words that it might be rude to be so direct, but you don’t have time to apologize because your eyes shift to the other person in the room, who is, of course, Sunghoon himself. He stands up from his seat on the armchair in the corner, looking at you with an unreadable expression. He could be anywhere on a scale where one extreme is ‘he hates you and never wants to talk to you again’ and ‘he has never been so relieved to see you’ and you’d have no idea.

“Can we, um, talk? Outside, if it’s okay?” you ask, eyes darting back and forth between Sunghoon and Chaewon. She smiles and jerks her head towards the door, silently telling Sunghoon to go with you. He purses his lips and nods, following you outside and closing the door behind him.

He rests his palms on the banister of the front porch, looking out at the lawn and the resort buildings in the distance. You stand behind him, bringing your palms up to his arms and kissing his shoulder. He closes his eyes and sighs, basking in your touch despite himself. “I’m sorry, Sunghoon. I’m sorry.”

He turns around, gazing down at you with that unreadable expression on his face. “It’s okay. I understand.”

When he kisses you, the relief in your bones is like nothing else, better even than coming home to your bed after a long, tiring day, or than getting a good grade on a test you thought you’d failed. Your arms wrap around his neck while his find their way to your waist, and you revel in the closeness of your bodies and the taste of his lips, like mint and something uniquely Sunghoon that you can’t ever get enough of.

But unfortunately, you stay long enough in this position to attract the attention of a one-man audience. “Damn, guess I picked the wrong sister,” you hear Heeseung chuckle, and when you pull away from Sunghoon, you see that insufferable smirk on his face. How you wish you could just smack it off of there. “Didn’t know you put out like that, Baby.”

It all happens so quickly, you don’t have time to understand what’s going on, let alone stop Sunghoon from jumping over the banister. He stomps over to Heeseung, grabbing him by the collar and shaking hard.

“Repeat what you just said, I dare you,” he says in a low, menacing voice, face close to Heeseung’s. The latter’s smirk falters for just a split second before coming back, as if incapable of not looking like an arrogant asshole for more than a few seconds at a time.

“I said,” Heeseung starts, “that I hadn’t thought Baby was so fucking easy.”

Heeseung has barely finished speaking that Sunghoon has raised his fist back, ready to strike the insolent expression off of the boy’s face. It’d be satisfying, that’s for sure, but it wouldn’t be worth risking his job, so you call out his name and make him stop in his tracks. He doesn’t look back at you, though, just keeps his hard gaze fixated on Heeseung, breathing heavily in anger.

“Sunghoon, please,” you repeat, pleading with him.

“So, what’s it gonna be, loverboy?” Heeseung teases, but Sunghoon just drops his fist and pushes him away, making him stumble a few steps back.

“You’re not worth it,” Sunghoon practically spits, sending one last cold look his way before walking back to you.

You don’t care enough to check how Heeseung reacts, just watching Sunghoon make his way back to you, relieved nothing happened. He stands in front of the banister, the height difference allowing you to hug his head to your chest and you press a kiss to the top of his head, whispering in his hair that you’re proud of him.

Soon afterwards, you have to head back to the building where the talent show will happen. He could do it anywhere else, but Sunghoon decides to plan out his performance in the same room, using the excuse of needing to see the stage just to stay around you.

You’re painting some sort of fake coconut tree while competitors rehearse their performance, your sister by far the loudest of them. You try not to cringe as her dissonant voice reverbs around the room, but nobody pays her too much attention. It’s hard not to steal glances every two seconds at Sunghoon, and you tell yourself that he just looks especially good today in his tight black t-shirt and black jeans, but you also know he looks good everyday. His gaze also strays towards you more often than not, and you try not to burst into giggles every time your eyes meet, not wanting to raise any suspicion.

This room is also where a group of men play their games of poker, and since it was big enough to host all of you, they had decided to stay there even through the preparations, sure that it wouldn’t disrupt their game.

The not-staring takes on another level of difficulty when a lady you recognize as Vivian Kim leaves her spot standing behind her husband at the poker table to make her way to Sunghoon, walking in a fashion far too languorous for your taste.

From where you are, you can’t hear exactly what she says, but it’s not hard to guess - an invitation to spend the night with her while her husband is busy, one last time before she leaves the resort and goes home.

Sunghoon stays silent but that doesn’t seem to deter her, and she flashes him a lurid smile before walking back to the poker table. He turns his head to check if you’ve seen what happened, but you look away from him and back at your coconut tree, hoping the jealousy you’re feeling isn’t written all over your face.

Vivian’s husband calls out Sunghoon’s name, waving him over good-naturedly. You watch once again as Sunghoon walks over to the table and as Mr Kim pulls out dollar bills from his wallet. “Tonight’s the final poker tournament, so how about some dance lessons for my wife?” he asks, and you can’t tell from his tone whether he thinks that dance lessons really are what his money is paying for or if he knows what’s actually going on.

Sunghoon takes the money and Mr Kim smiles at him, returning to the game, but Sunghoon just stands there, staring at the bills in his hands, then to Vivian, behind him to you, and finally back at Mr Kim. “Thanks, Mr Kim, but I’m all booked up for the rest of the week ‘cause of the show, so I don’t think it’d be fair to take the money.”

Mr Kim nods as Sunghoon hands him back the cash, saying he appreciates his honesty. Vivian looks at him, eyes wide, obviously surprised at his sudden refusal. Sunghoon walks back to his seat, sending a small smile your way, and you try your best not to gloat.

In the past few days, it’s become a bit of a habit to sneak out of your bungalow and rush to Sunghoon’s when your family has gone to sleep. Except tonight, what you don’t know is that Seeun hears you, because she’s planning on doing the exact same thing and paying Heeseung a visit. You’re already with your own lover when she heads out of the room, skipping in excitement and anticipation the whole way there. She’s applied lotion to her entire body, sprayed perfume to her neck, wrists and ankles, and has read all the sex advice columns of her favorite magazines - she’s more than prepared for this.

She reaches the door. Takes a deep breath in, stands up straight. Calls out, “Heeseung, it’s me!” but no answer comes. So she opens the door slightly, and almost drops her bag at the sight in front of her, gasping loudly. She has just enough reflex to close the door again and rest her back against it, taking a few seconds to let it sink in before running back to her bed, where she promptly explodes into tears.

Now more than ever, she wishes her sister was here, whether to comfort her or to say “I told you so.” She wishes you were here to help her make sense of finding Vivian Kim and Heeseung naked together in his bed when he had spent weeks making her believe he wanted to be with her and her only. She wishes you would curse him out and call him all the names she wants to but doesn’t have the courage to.

But unfortunately, you’re not there with her. Instead, you’re with Sunghoon, laying together in bed, your head resting on his chest and your legs intertwined. You’re both spent from a night of lovemaking and from your shower that was supposed to be innocent but quickly turned steamy. You wake up at dawn, knowing you’ll have to go soon but heart breaking at the thought of tearing yourself from Sunghoon’s warm embrace. You press soft kisses to his neck and whisper his name, trying to wake him up gently. His eyes stay closed as he tightens his arms around you and pleads with you to stay just a little bit longer, and you’re not strong enough to say no.

“I had a dream earlier where your father called me ‘son’ and put his arm around me like he did with Heeseung earlier.” His morning voice is raspy from sleep and sends butterflies straight to your stomach.

“I’m sorry, Sunghoon,” you hum. “I’ll talk to him today. I’ll tell him about you.”

You feel his chest rise up then down as he sighs. “I thought about it, and I feel like it’d make things even worse if he knew about us. He just seems to think I’m a bad guy, for some reason, and me being with his daughter will only make him hate me more.”

“But you’re not a bad guy. You’re the best guy,” you say, voice slightly whiny. You’re too sleepy to come up with a better reply, and it makes Sunghoon chuckle.

“Thanks, Baby.” He presses a kiss to your hair, and it’s become such a familiar gesture that you’re not sure how you’ll live without it once you go home.

It’s not long before you have to head back to your bungalow, and Sunghoon walks you outside, slotting his lips with yours for one last time this morning and making plans to meet up later. You don’t pay attention to anything other than him - not to the slight breeze picking up, or the sun rising, or the staff bungalows, off to the side from Sunghoon’s. But not paying attention means not noticing a figure standing on one of those staff bungalows, not seeing her eyes squinting at yours and Sunghoon’s embrace, first recognising him, and, once her initial shock wears off, recognising you. Because of course, just like you, Vivian Kim has to leave Heeseung’s bungalow before anyone notices - except that in your case, someone notices you.

And the consequences of it appear only a few hours later, as your family are having a late breakfast with Max and Jay. When the conversation first begins, you don’t think it’ll be of much importance to you.

“You know that feeling when you look at a patient and think he’s all fine, but then you get his x-rays and something’s completely wrong?” Max starts, addressing your father. “That’s exactly what it is to find out one of your staff, a trusted one at that, is a thief.”

“What happened, Max?” your father asks, eyebrows furrowed.

“Mr Kim’s wallet was stolen,” Max simply says, sighing. Jay jumps on the opportunity to explain the story himself, leaning in conspiratorially.

“It happened yesterday night when he was playing poker. One minute, his wallet was right there in his coat pocket, hanging on his chair behind him, and the next, it wasn’t.” Your sister lets out a small gasp.

“Vivian says she saw that dance kid Sunghoon walk by,” Max continues, and your head snaps up at the mention of Sunghoon’s name. “So we go and ask him if he’s got an alibi, and he says he was in his room alone all night, reading.”

Jay snorts. “There is not a single book in Sunghoon Park’s room.”

The whole time, you’re shaking your head slightly, unable to believe that Sunghoon might be wrongfully framed for this. You turn towards Jay, a pleading expression on your face. “Listen, there’s been a mistake, there’s no way Sunghoon did it-”

“There’s been similar thefts at the Sheldrake and even here. Three wallets stolen, and now Mr Kim’s!”

“No, I know he didn’t do it-”

“Stay out of it, Baby!” Jay snaps at you. You look at him in disbelief, because of the way he just talked to you, because of what they’re accusing Sunghoon of, but above all because it’s inconceivable that your parents ever wanted to set you up with a guy like him. Entitled, judgmental, unkind.

But you can’t just stay out of it - this concerns Sunghoon, and if you can stop it from happening, you’ll do everything so that he doesn’t lose his job over a false accusation. So you turn towards your father and Max, and plead Sunghoon’s case.

“I know Sunghoon didn’t take Mr Kim’s wallet, I know.”

“How can you be so sure?” your father asks.

“I-I can’t tell you, but Daddy, please, you have to trust me.”

Your father sighs, turning his attention back to his plate. “I’m sorry, Baby, but I can’t.”

“But- it could’ve been anyone else,” you continue, looking at Max now that your father avoids your gaze. “Maybe it was- oh, maybe it was that little old couple, the Schumachers, I saw her with a couple of wallets-”

“The Schumachers? Impossible,” Max refutes as your father furrows his eyebrows at you, raising his voice slightly.

“You don’t go around accusing innocent people, Baby!”

“But I saw them, I saw them at the Sheldrake- you said something was stolen at the Sheldrake, right?” you say, turning towards Jay again, your voice growing desperate.”

“Listen, Baby,” Max cuts in, voice calm but firm, “I’ve got an eyewitness and the kid has no alibi. Come on, Jay, let me show you how to fire an employee.”

You catch his wrist before he can turn away and gulp, preparing yourself for what you were about to say. “Wait a minute. I know Sunghoon didn’t do it, I know it, because he was in his room all night, and I know that because,” you pause for a second, risking a glance at your father, “because I was there with him.”

The table goes silent. You can feel yourself weighing down under the heavy gazes of everyone seated. After a few seconds that feel like an eternity, Max clears his throat and awkwardly says, “Right, well, we’ll investigate some more in light of these news-”

He’s cut off by the screech of your father’s chair being roughly pushed back. You watch as your father leaves the room, steam coming out of his ears, and you can only hope revealing the truth will be worth it in the end.

After giving your father some time to cool off, you find him in the empty gazebo, looking out at the lake. The water is still except for the parts where ducks dip their heads in and back out. Even now that the rain has stopped pouring every day, clouds still render the sky a blinding white, and the sun only appears now and then when they part enough to let a ray through. There’s a slight breeze that makes leaves flutter around, and you need to tighten your light cardigan around your shoulders.

You know he sees you approaching, but he keeps his gaze fixated on the lake, even when you call out to him.

“I told you I wasn’t lying about Sunghoon,” you start. “But I’m sorry I lied about the money. I’m not proud of myself for that, you know. But you lied too,” you say, and he finally looks at you, awaiting an explanation. “You told me everyone deserved a fair break, but you meant everyone like you. You said I could change the world, but you meant by becoming a lawyer, or an economist, and marrying someone from Harvard!”

He closes his eyes as if in pain, then looks back out to the lake, staying silent. “I made a mistake. There’s things about me you don’t know, and things you might not like, but I’m in this family too, and if you love me, you’ll have to love my faults too.” Your voice shakes and your eyes start to water. Seeing your father’s eyes do the same only adds to the difficulty of saying what you want to say.

“Because I love you, Daddy, and I’m sorry I let you down, but you let me down too!” Your voice completely breaks on those last words, and you turn away, letting your feet guide you wherever before your dad can hear the sob that escapes your throat. You know your dad’s silent treatment won’t last for long, so you leave him in the gazebo to think and cry as much as he needs to.

Your body must have developed new instincts, because soon enough, you find yourself in Sunghoon’s cabin, unsure how you even got here. His things are still there, which reassures you of the fact that he hasn’t left yet. You pace back and forth in the room for a few minutes until your emotions suddenly come crashing down, all the stress and tension and strung feelings, leaving behind only exhaustion. You lay on Sunghoon’s bed, thinking you’ll just close your eyes for a few minutes. But when you open them again, they fall on Sunghoon’s face, and you have no idea how long you’ve been there.

“Sunghoon?” you murmur.

“I have been looking for you all over,” he says, crouching in front of you, and gives you time to sit up and rub the sleep out of your eyes. “You were right about the Schumachers. Fingerprinted their glasses. Turns out they were wanted in a bunch of other states for theft too. They found them when they were already trying to leave the resort,” he explains, and your smile grows wider and wider as he speaks.

“Oh my God, that’s amazing! I knew it’d work out!”

But Sunghoon diverts his gaze down, unable to match your euphoric expression. “I’m out, Baby.”

You quickly put two and two together. “They fired you anyway because of me.”

“And if I leave quietly, I get my summer bonus,” he says sarcastically.

Your anger makes you stand up, walk to one corner of the room then back, your voice rising on its own accord. “So I did it all for nothing, then? I hurt my family, you lost your job anyway - it was all for nothing!”

“It was not for nothing!” Sunghoon exclaims, volume matching yours. “Nobody has ever done anything like that for me!” He searches your eyes for the reassurance that everything that happened this summer was worth it, but he only finds sorrow in them.

“You were right, Sunghoon,” you say with a sad smile, voice lowering to a hum, “you can’t change anything no matter how hard you try.”

“No, Baby,” he says, walking towards you, “I don’t want that from you, you hear me? You can. You can do whatever you want.”

Your gazes stay locked in each other for a few painful moments until it becomes unbearable and you have to look away. “I used to think so too.”

There’s nothing left to say. You watch silently as Sunghoon begins packing the few belongings he has in two small suitcases and a rucksack, then help out when the passivity starts to make your muscles ache. He hasn’t got much, so he’s done in just a few minutes, and you don’t realize you have tears pooling in your eyes until Sunghoon himself notices and wordlessly takes you in his arms.

You’re heading to his car when he suddenly stops in his tracks, saying he has something he needs to do first. You don’t question it, just agree to wait for him. It’s not like you’ve got anything better to do anyway.

A few minutes later, unbeknownst to you, Sunghoon is knocking on your cabin’s door. Just as he’d hoped, your father is the one to open the door, squinting his eyes meanly at the young man behind it as soon as he realizes who he is. Your father stays silent as he stares Sunghoon down, making a chill run down Sunghoon’s neck. He clears his throat before speaking. “Doctor, I-” he starts, already cutting himself off to take off his sunglasses. “I’m going anyway, and I know what you must be thinking-”

“You don’t know anything about me,” your father interrupts, shaking his head in disdain at Sunghoon. “Anything at all.”

Sunghoon had really wanted to stay calm and focused, to just say what he wanted to stay, but now that he’s leaving, he has no reason to put up with the blatant disrespect and contempt of the clients and higher-ups any longer. “I know you want Baby to be like you. An admirable person, the kind people look up to, but if you could just see, she’s already like that-”

“I know my daughter far better than you do, so don’t you tell me what to see,” your father practically barks, unable to contain his anger. “What I see right now is someone who got his partner in trouble and sent her off to some butcher, then moved on to a younger, innocent girl like my Baby.”

Rather than frustrated, Sunghoon’s eyes grow tired and sad. There’s no fight left in him anymore - he can see he won’t be able to change your father’s mind, there’s no point even trying. “Yeah, I guess that’s what you would see,” he murmurs before walking away, back to you, the only person who’s ever wanted to truly understand him.

And then it’s goodbye.

While you were waiting, you kicked pebbles, brooding over the fact that your already shortening time with Sunghoon was getting cut off even more. But as soon as you see him, those thoughts evaporate, and you’re left with bittersweetness in your mouth. You spent the most incredible summer with him by your side, and even though it’s coming to an end, maybe the experience and the memories are all that matters.

Sunghoon closes the trunk when he’s done packing it, and walks over to where you’re standing, back against the passenger door, arms crossed over your chest. He rests his forearm on top of the car and neither of you are able to look the other in the eye for fear of emotion overwhelming you.

“Guess we took them all by surprise, huh?” you say, trying on a light-hearted tone to dissolve the tension in the air.

“Guess we did,” he chuckles quietly, risking a glance up at you. Your eyes meet and before you can break down, you turn your body towards his, nesting your face in the crook of his neck. He presses a kiss to your hair like a hundred times before and it’s enough to make your heart break.

“I don’t know what I’ll do without you around.”

He rests his chin on the top of your head. “You’ll just have more time for card games and croquet,” he jokes, but you can’t laugh. “And Jake and Chaewon will still be around.” It’s silent for a few more minutes, and you try to commit the feeling of him against you and the smell of his skin to memory. “I’ll never be sorry,” he finally says, voice muffled by your hair.

“Neither will I,” you whisper against his neck.

He inhales deeply and tears himself away, gazing down at you sadly. With his thumb, he wipes a tear as it drops down your cheek, and presses his lips to yours in one last kiss, tasting the saltiness of your heartbreak. “I’ll see you around, Baby,” he says against your lips, forehead resting against yours. But he can’t linger - it would only make this impossible moment even harder.

Your vision is too blurry for you to see properly as he walks to the other side of the car and disappears in the driver’s seat. In a matter of seconds, his car becomes a fuzzy black dot in the distance, and you’ve no choice but to walk back to the place that made you discover love only to rip it from your hands.

The three days until the talent show feel like eternity. Counting down the minutes until you leave doesn’t make time go by any faster, but you don’t feel like doing anything else. You hang out with Chaewon and Jake and their friends when they’re free, going back with them to the staff main quarters one night, and even though the music is the same as the first time, Sunghoon’s absence changes everything. You can’t dance without imagining his hands on your waist and his voice guiding you through the steps.

Seeun is also a lot nicer to you. She tells you what happened with Heeseung, and it’s like your shared love troubles bring you closer, reminding you that you’re not so different after all. As you get ready to go watch the talent show, she sits next to you on the bed, offering to do your hair. But then she takes a strand of it in her hands, trailing her fingers through it, and looks at you with a soft smile. “You know what, I think it looks perfect just like that.”

You mirror her smile and drop your head to her shoulder. You stay like this for a few seconds, words unnecessary to understand each other. “You’ll do great tonight, Seeun. I can’t wait to watch you.”

“I know,” she replies, making you both giggle. “Now let’s go, it’ll start soon.”

You’re not surprised to see that your parents have chosen to seat you in a corner, trapped between a wall and your father. Practically the same thing, you think, but you’re wise enough to keep the comment to yourself.

The performers have gathered in a line on the stage, your sister included, to sing the resort’s last day song as a conclusion to the show now that Sunghoon isn’t here to do the final dance. Max even gets his own solo. The song goes on for far too long to your taste, so you take the time to look around the room.

The lights are dim, save for the ones on the stage so that the focus of the audience stays on the performers, and wall fixtures next to the exits so they can be found easily. Chairs have been brought to the center of the room right in front of the stage while tables line the walls, candles adorning each one. Staff don’t get seats - instead, they stand at the back of the room, their backs against the wall as they watch the stage with boredom written all over their faces. You catch Jake’s eyes and he winks at you, a mischievous smile on his face, and you chalk it up to his usual playfulness.

Heeseung walks near your table, and your father stands up, calling out to him. He gets something that looks like an envelope out of his pocket, handing it to him. “Good luck in medical school, son.” Heeseung takes the envelope, looking down at it with a smile, and your father rests a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you so much, Doc,” Heeseung beams. “And I also wanted to thank you for your help with the Chaewon situation, I guess we’ve all gotten into messes like these, huh?” Your father stands with his back to you, so you can only imagine the way his smile falls and his eyes harden.

“What?”

Heeseung’s smile falters slightly and he chuckles awkwardly. “I-I thought Baby told you… Look, it’s what Chaewon said, but I’m not sure, you never know with girls like that, they could pin it on anyone-”

Your father snatches the envelope back from Heeseung’s hands, glaring at him, and walks back to his seat next to you without a word. It’s only now that you understand your father’s dislike of Sunghoon - he had been certain Sunghoon was the one who had gotten Chaewon into such trouble. How could you have missed that? All this time, you thought it was just because Sunghoon was part of the staff and didn’t come from your world. Regret and frustration bubble up in your stomach. So many misunderstandings could’ve been avoided if only you had known what your father thought.

It’s only after a few minutes that he breaks the silence. “I’m sorry, Baby.”

You take a deep breath in. “Thank you, but I’m not the one you need to apologize to, Daddy.”

He turns his head to look at you. “You’re right. You’re right,” he sighs.

Just then, Jake walks past your table and towards the stage, disappearing behind the curtains on the side. You lift your head, trying to see what he’s up to, but the sound of the doors at the back of the room opening and closing loudly catches your attention. It seems to catch everybody’s attention - you hear small gasps and small murmurs of a familiar name, and your mind directly lands on the possibility, but you don’t believe it until you see it standing right in front of you, a hand reaching out to you - Sunghoon’s here.

“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

You take his hand and let him guide you away from the table. You’re so enchanted by seeing him again that you barely notice your mother having to keep your father from stopping you. Together, you climb up the small set of stairs, walking past the performers and standing in the middle of the stage, the music stopping abruptly. His voice booms throughout the room when he speaks.

“Sorry for the disruption folks, but I always do the last dance of the season. This year, I was told not to. So I’m gonna do my kind of dancing with a great partner. Not only is she an amazing dancer, but she also taught me that people will stand for other people no matter what it costs them, and about the kind of person I want to be myself. Miss Y/N Y/L/N, everyone.”

Whoops emerge from the back of the room where the staff are standing and you watch as Sunghoon walks to the side of the stage, discarding his leather jacket and exchanging a nod with Jake. The music starts to play - it’s a song you’ve heard before, a song you know well because you’ve danced to it many times with Sunghoon. It’s a song you love.

He walks towards you, a smirk on his face, eyes heavy with desire. He places his hands on your waist, your own coming up to his forearm, and dips you backwards in a circle, which elicits more cheers from the dancers. He then stands behind you, imitating the starting position of the dance for your performance at the Sheldrake. The music picks up, and after that, it’s like magic. You and Sunghoon know exactly what to do, a mix of the choreography he’d taught you and of other moves you had picked up when you just danced together for fun. All the steps and turns come to you as if you know this dance by heart, and the whole time, you’re looking into each other’s eyes as they shine with happiness.

Sunghoon makes you spin away from him, and, your arm extended between you two, brings your hand up to his lips and places a delicate kiss to the back of it. Then, he jumps off the stage, prompting gasps and cheers from all around the room, and makes his way while dancing to the back of the room, where the dancers join him. Seconds before the second chorus is about to start, some of them run to you and help you off the stage, and Sunghoon nods at you from the middle of the room. So you run to him, gathering momentum until you reach him and he picks you up, lifting you from the ground up into the air, and you manage to keep your bird-like position for a few seconds. A huge smile breaks on your face as everybody cheers, your mother and sister clapping excitedly and even your father looking at you, astonished, proud.

Sunghoon brings you back down slowly, grinning as he gazes at you with only love in his eyes. “I knew you could do it,” he whispers.

The staff starts to invite the guests to dance with them, pushing chairs to the side and getting people to stand up. Jake shows Seeun how to move, reminiscent of the way Sunghoon had done with you, your mother and Jay dance together, and the whole room turns into a dancefloor where couples and small groups can let go and move however they want to.

You and Sunghoon head to the exit to find a quieter place, but your father calls out to you before you can slip away. “I found out you weren’t the one to get Chaewon in trouble.” Sunghoon simply nods. “I was wrong. I apologize,” he says solemnly, and the corners of Sunghoon’s lips tug slightly upwards.

“Thank you, Doctor Y/L/N.”

Your father’s eyes drift to you, and his polite expression turns affectionate. “You looked great up there, Baby.” You sigh, relief washing over your whole body and alleviating the weight on your heart. You let go of Sunghoon’s hands to wrap your arms around your father’s neck, and he takes you in a brief but tight hug.

“I’ll let you two go now. I need to find your mother, haven’t danced with her in ages. That’s something else I can thank you for,” he says, smiling down at you.

You watch him walk away for a few seconds until Sunghoon takes your hand in his again, and you slip out the doors to the front lawn. Outside, you close your eyes and take a deep breath of fresh air in, laughing for no reason other than simple joy when your eyes meet his.

He leads you to the gazebo and brings his hands to your waist again. The song is nearing its end but you can still hear it drifting through the open doors and windows of the room. You know that even when it’s over, it’ll keep playing in your head - and in your heart.

Just like you’ll always keep Sunghoon there.

You move slowly to the rhythm of the last chorus, gazing into each other’s eyes. You want to enjoy this moment for what it is, but the fact that you’re leaving tomorrow won’t leave your thoughts. This might very well be the last time you and Sunghoon ever dance together, or ever see each other. You can give each other your address and send letters, or exchange home phone numbers and call, but how long will that last? You’ll go to college while he goes home and starts working with his father again, or finds a way to fulfill his dream.

He probably sees the sadness in your eyes and brings you closer to him. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to - you know the same thoughts are cramping his mind. Words are unnecessary, and promises are futile, so for now, you forget everything else, and focus on the sway of your bodies and on his hands holding you tight against him.

Resting the side of your head on his shoulder, you look up at the night sky. The stars are shining bright, unbothered by any clouds, and the full moon gazes down at you protectively. Even when you’re apart, you and Sunghoon will still sleep under the same moon every night. You may be just one of the many love stories she’s witnessed, but you dare to think that yours is a special one, one that can’t be reproduced, one that is uniquely yours.

You continue to dance even when the song is over, letting your bodies bask in the moonlight.

fic taglist: @jaetaimjadore @sleepingsag permanent taglist: @ozymandia-s @bbujiikseu @sunghoonmybeloved @lalalalawon @sd211 © asahicore on tumblr, 2023. please do not plagiarize, repost or translate my works. feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

#sunghoon smut #enhypen smut #sunghoon angst #enhypen angst #sunghoon fluff #enhypen fluff #sunghoon x reader #enhypen x reader #sunghoon fanfiction #enhypen fanfiction #sunghoon au #enhypen au

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wonwoosthetic · 11 months ago

Note

Hi there! Hope you are doing well! thanks for responding to my ask, I totally don't expect you to respond immediately. I really enjoyed the latest fan videos and social media posts you've uploaded!!! I'd also love a Minnie-Dino video! She'd be so supportive of his mixtape <3 All those variety shows you listed would be fun, also seeing how she and BM can bond over being in co-ed groups would be interesting. I wish Jessi's showterview was still a thing. Maybe Somi's yes or hot? --boo's pld anon

series masterlist

word count – 15k

a/n: I had troubles with the tags, but I think this will show up… let’s hope so🥲 thank you babes for your opinion and help! I decided to start with the minnie x dino fan video since I’ve also gotten private requests on my google form for a chapter like this so a big thank you to everyone you has sent in ideas for this through my form ˙ᵕ˙ Minnie and BM would be PURE chaos as well and I can’t wait to write something about them hahaha I thought maybe about doing a past Jessie‘s showterview kind of chapter bc I just love those videos so much, she’s so unhinged😭 but yes! Somi‘s yes or hot could also be an idea, I’ve only ever seen clips from her with hyuna, but I loved it hahah🩷 anyways, I hope you and everyone else enjoys this chapter, thank you as always and please stay happy and healthy🫶🏼

minnie and dino: the adorable noona-dongsaeng duo of seventeen

[welcome, welcome]

[this video will for one, warm your heart]

[and two, tear you to shreds when you remember that you neither have a minnie or a dino in your life]

[have fun]

[GOING SEVENTEEN] EP. 36 SVTSIDE OUT

[when I tell you, this woman would literally defend this man with HER LIFE]

[i mean it]

The mood was abruptly changed to 'anger', already calling out for chaos as Minghao was just passing around the bottles of different drinks he had brought for the group. Speaking normally was unknown to the members from that moment on. They only knew how to converse in shouting.

Hoshi had come up to the '97 Liner, ordering him to go back again and get more drinks.

[the entire episode was so chaotic, good god]

He got on his way but stopped a few feet away from the rest of the group to ask for specific wishes as to what drinks the members would want. When Dino offered to come along and help him, Hao shouted at him.

"Sit!"

[everything about this scene was so freaking funny]

[i literally almost peed my pants]

[#tmi]

Getting an immediate response from the maknae in doing exactly that. The girl next to him chuckled, hiding her grin behind her hand as she tried to keep the juice she had just drank from the bottle in her mouth. It was rare to see Minghao in such a state of anger, even if he was just acting. The dancer disappeared around the corner when at the same time, Jeonghan decided to speak up.

"Dino, go with him!" He demanded.

The youngest, who was just about to sit back down between Minnie and Jun, decided to stay up and turn around.

"But he- he doesn't- he said DON'T!" He shouted out, making all of the other members chuckle and laugh out loud.

[okay but why do i kinda want dino to scream at me now...]

Hoshi leaned onto the female member, almost unable to control his laughter.

"I want to, but he says not to!" Dino continued to argue with the '95 Line on the far left in the camera view as they continued to order him around, trying to get him to follow Minghao.

"Ya!" Minnie surprised everyone by suddenly standing up, "Leave him alone!"

[minnie not taking shit from man, even if it's just acting, even if it's her own members, LET'S GOOO]

Getting a hold of the maknae's lower arm. "If you want your drinks, go get them yourselves!"

[her defending him is so fucking cute omg]

"You can go with him if you talk back to us like that!" S.Coups stood up, making the girl subconsciously take a small step back.

[not minnie or dino related, but i just KNOW that was muscle memory and our girl here was SCARED]

[i mean, who wouldn't be, yk]

[but i'd also be turned on bc it's scoups]

"Yeah, go with him!" Joshua joined.

Followed by Jeonghan, "You have to respect your elders, Minnie!"

[why could i actually hear them fr using these arguments with her omg]

She was just about to open her mouth again, a small smirk making her lips curl that she tried to hide so hard when she felt a soft tug on her arm.

[oh she was ready to go OFF on them]

[i'm so sad she didn't]

[i need the evidence of scoups constantly talkign about minnie talking back to him]

[i need it]

"Come on, noona," Dino dragged her along with him. "They're not worth it."

['THEY'RE NOT WORTH IT']

[OMG]

With a sarcastic shake of her head, she sent one last glare towards the three eldest of the group before following the younger member.

[the comedic duo we never knew we needed just disrespecting elders]

[slay]

In the Soop 2 Ep. 2

[there's wayyyyy too much in the soop content]

[i should make a solo video of just minnie moments with certain members from in the soop bc it's literally my fave thing ever]

[but anyways, here we go]

Some of the members had gathered outside, drinking a bit and eating their dinner even though it was already late at night. Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Dino, who before had been on their own in a tent a little further away from the others, joined them - some other members, like Wonwoo and Vernon, had already left, leaving Seungkwan, Dino, Dokyeom and Minghao on one side of the table, while Seungcheol and Jeonghan were occupying the other seats opposite of them.

[they're were just enjoying their time together so much and i'm praying they'll get to do this OR things with na pd more often]

[pledis pls]

[but i know these bitches won't listen]

Minnie and Mingyu had decided to stand up with the rapper standing closer to the maknae line, his position fixed at the grill, and the girl resting her hands on Cheol's shoulders. The oldest member had put his right hand on top of hers, his thumb gliding over her skin comfortably.

[again: not dino-minnie related, BUT LIKE...]

[are we interrupting something here?!]

[i mean we know how close they are... platonically... right...]

[anyways]

[we'll never know]

[but it was a cute scene either way, so you better bet i kept it in]

After the not-so-few few drinks she had had, she needed every little bit of support she could get.

She had blended out most of the conversation that was going on around the table, too occupied with trying to understand what Mingyu was trying to tell her - how the hell am I supposed to be able to read lips while drunk, she thought to herself.

[i don't know what kind of messages they were sending each other but istg minnie and mingyu are something else]

[ESPECIALLY WHEN DRUNK]

[or maybe just when they're in the soop, i don't know]

[but i freaking love it]

Only snapping back into the present when Dino's voice rang through her ear.

"Have you ever lit a campfire before?"

Jeonghan's answer, was, as expected, "No, I haven't."

"Oh, he hasn't!"

"So, let's try lightening it tomorrow," the '95 Liner proposed.

Minnie let her hand drop from the leader's shoulder before walking to the other side of the table, passing Joshua, who had also joined them again. S.Coups' eyes followed her form as she walked up to Mingyu. To whisper something into his ear, she placed her hand on one of his arms, that he had crossed over his chest, to make him lean down to her height. As he raked himself up again only two seconds later, he smiled with a nod.

[?!]

Her attention was then immediately back on the maknae.

"If there's no fan with your mouth-" he spoke but stopped to show them how to blow onto the imaginary fire he was trying to create. "You have to blow like this to light it up," he continued explaining.

The female member was already grinning from ear to ear, listening attentively to every word the youngest was saying.

[BE MORE WHIPPED FOR HIM MINNIE, MY GOD]

[she loves him so much, i can't]

[he's literally just talking and our girly here is looking at him like that]

"Honestly," Jeonghan pointed at him, "You did this to look cute, right?" Minnie smiled to herself as this was exactly what she was also thinking.

[oh he most definitely did]

[gotta impress the noona]

As soon as the '95 Liner and Seungkwan started to imitate Dino's antics, there was no going back for him. They reenacted his pretended cuteness, getting chuckles from everyone at the table.

"Ok ok, then let's say that's not it and say it again," Jeonghan tried his best to get the maknae to repeat himself.

"Yeah," Dino started again. "When I went camping with my friend, we tried to light a fire, but we couldn't."

The '95 Liner played along. "Oh, then how did you light it?"

[jeonghan is such a parent HAHAHAHAHA]

[gotta love him]

"So, I just- I thought I should blow on it a lot. Like this-" the youngest repeated his action, adding an extra tint of cuteness as he imitated a 'blowing onto a fire' facial expression.

[STOP]

[WHAT A CUTIE]

[LOOK AT HIM]

Not able to hold back anymore, along with the rest of the members, Minnie started cheering and laughing out loud at the over-the-top cute antics of their maknae.

[GIRLY HAHAHAHA]

With quick steps, she was right behind him, throwing her arms over his shoulders to pull him back against her.

"Aaaah, our Dino's so cute! So grown up, but still so cute!" She squealed, getting a chuckle from the man in her embrace as he petted her arms.

[SHE'S SO CUTE]

[HOW CAN SOMEONE LOVE THEIR LITTLE BROTHER LIKE THAT]

[mine's a rat fr]

[but for minnie...]

[it's like once she looks at dino, nothing else is important anymore]

[but tbh, same]

The two swayed slightly before she released him again. In the next second though, her hands hand his cheeks, squishing his face in between her palms.

"Look how cute he is!" Getting another round of giggles from the guys surrounding them.

[i love how this seems such normal behaviour for them]

[i desperately need to drink with them one day]

[i want to be hugged and squeezed like that by minnie]

"Our little maknae!" She let go of him completely after pressing a kiss on the top of his head.

[AAAAAAHHHH CUTIESSSS]

Minnie Birthday Live 231222

The female member's eyes were fixed on the screen in front of her, frantically moving up and down and left and right as she tried to read through the comments Carats were writing. The cake she had only eaten a little bit of, was still in front of her, on the table in the hotel room she was staying in.

[i have so much to say about this birthday live]

[and just want to quickly adress how proud i am of her for adressing the airport issue]

[a queen]

[and now back to how much dino and her love eacht other]

"'What are you listening to these days?'" She read out loud, a small smile immediately appearing on her lips. "Well... I don't know if you've heard about it, but there's a new song that came out in... November- at the end of November. It's called 'Wait' and it's by this really cool artist called Dino," she couldn't help but chuckle at her own antics.

[and y'all are still arguing over who is the biggest dinonara, when this girl right here exists]

"So, yeah. In case you haven't looked up that song, I highly recommend it."

[of course you'd just try to mention him literally whenever you can]

[and of course, i've already listened to the song]

Right away, the comment section was filled with different coloured hearts - mostly pink and blue ones.

She giggled. "But jokes aside, I really have been listening to Wait a lot. It's really good and I really enjoy seeing this side of Dino. It's different... a little. But... it's good. And I'm really proud of him, so I want to support him, of course."

[she really is the best big sister ever wtf]

"Oh, is Dino watching? Some of you guys are saying Dino's watching."

[OF COURSE HE IS]

[he can't miss his noona's live]

The girl looked down at her own phone, which she wasn't filming with, chuckling down at the screen. "Ah yes, he is watching. He asked me how much longer I'll be live. Wait a second, Carats."

[he's actually a fan just like us, i'm telling you]

After a few taps on her phone, she put the speaker up to her ear. Only a couple seconds later, she spoke up.

"Hi, I think I'm still gonna be live for a while. Do you want to join me?"

[i'm actually convinced her voice changes slightly whenever she talks to him]

[but i'm also delusional af, so it's probably just my brain telling me that tbh]

The corners of her lips curled up at what came from the other side of the call.

"Ok, ok. I understand. Of course, yeah. Alright, we'll see. Bye-bye." She ended the call and looked back into the camera.

"Dino's gonna make a quick trip to the gym downstairs, and then he might join us," she explained and grinned at the end of the statement.

[LOOK HOW EXCITED SHE LOOKS]

A knock echoing through the room made her head shoot up towards the door.

"I'll be right back, Carats." She was quick to leave.

[girl is SPRINTING to let in her favourite little brother]

In the background laughter could be heard, coming from both male and female voices - everyone obviously immediately knew who was out of the camera's view.

After a few short moments, steps became louder and heavier as the two got closer to the table again.

"Look who's joining me!" Minnie called out, letting the maknae appear on the right side of the screen. "Dino-yaaa."

[shout it out girl, yes]

With a big smile, she patted the empty chair next to her. Without having to be told twice, the youngest sat down and right away, scooched closer towards the female member, both now perfectly filling out the screen.

"Hi everyone!" He greeted into the camera, waving his hands. "How was the live so far? Is Minnie entertaining you enough?"

[i could literally watch her just sit and it would be entertaining enough]

[i wish i was joking]

With a smile, the girl shook her head. "I've been entertaining them very well," she answered for herself.

[facts]

"Have you been enjoying the cake?" He turned towards her, looking at her with expecting big eyes as she nodded.

"Yess. It's really good, thank you." She patted his arm comfortably. "Do you want a little bit?" Not even waiting for his answer, she was already putting some of the cake's dough, along with the icing onto a fork. But before she could bring it up close to his mouth, he stopped her.

"No, no, thank you."

[he broke her heart with that, i just know it]

With a pout, she glanced at him. The fork still in midair. "Why not?"

"I just came from the gym. I have to be careful what I'm eating."

"Because of your diet?"

Dino nodded quietly. Minnie wasn't going to let him go off like that so easily.

"But it's good if you have a little bit of cake. Just a little."

[minnie lot letting him diet is soo big sister of her]

The maknae chuckled at her. "Says who?"

"Me!" She exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, chuckling afterwards along with him.

[i agree]

A few seconds later, she was back in her 'big sister agenda', "But it's really not good to diet too strictly. If you eat cake you'll be happy. And being happy is more important than to be in good shame." She kept up her guard by still holding the fork.

[YES]

[I KNEW I STANNED THE RIGHT GROUP]

[i love her so much]

With a sigh, he gave in. "I know, you're right." Leaning forward to eat the small piece of cake. "Noona's always right."

[jesus christ]

[they're so much closer than just siblings]

[this is the kind of platonic love i just don't get]

[but i love it]

Minnie laughed out loud as he chewed. "I'd be careful with that statement. I might use that against you later," she pointed out.

[HAHAHAHAHAAHA]

[i mean, at least she's warning him]

"Oh," his face dropped immediately, "you're right."

[this, my friends, is the look of immediate regret]

Before laughing together with her, knowing damn well she will FOR SURE use it later at some point.

The two continued to spend a comfortable time together, going through some more comments, and talking about the tour, the upcoming concert, a little bit about the Christmas time, and his mixtape.

[they kept talking and talking and talking, like damn...]

"'Minnie and Dino haven't done the 'Wait' challenge yet', you're right!" The youngest member pointed at the screen in front of them. "We haven't yet. We still need to."

[fr]

[i was actually so surprised that she wasn't one of the first ones though]

Without missing a beat, the girl just spat out, "Do you wanna do it now?"

[i love her]

Dino turned his head to look at her. "Do you know it?"

[RUDE]

"Of course, I know it!" She scoffed. "How dare you think I wouldn't!"

[she was so offended omg haha]

He raised his arms in defence. "I don't know! We haven't learned it together yet, so I wasn't sure."

"Let's do it now," Minnie impulsively decided, standing up quickly and getting her chair out of the way - Dino copied her every move.

[there wasn't even a 'yes' or 'sure' from him]

[she just wanted to show everyone that she knew the dance even without actively learning it]

[bc I BET she watched that mv an unhealthy amount of times]

[girly is probably half of the streams]

Soon enough, they had also moved the phone they were filming with a little further back, giving them more room and showing more space of the hotel they were staying in.

"Wait, we need the music," the maknae remembered, looking around to find his phone.

Minnie pointed towards something on the right side of the screen, "You can take mine."

Dino looked at her with scrunched eyebrows. "I thought you were using your phone for the live? Who's- ah, ok," he started but cut himself off before walking over to where she had pointed, coming back into the shot with the female's member phone in his grasp. He unlocked it, and a few taps later, the intro for his Mixtape was already playing.

[such a small thing, but i just noticed it: he knows her passcode?!]

[THE TRUST]

To get to the chorus quicker, he moved the bar on the music app, stopping shortly before the part they'd be dancing would start.

"Are you sure you know it?"

Minnie just nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!"

And sure enough, she did.

[she freaking killed it]

[INSIDE SEVENTEEN] Golden Disk Award Sketch

The group was in the middle of their practice session for the upcoming award show. Diverted into different small groups, the members were scattered around the room.

The group consisting of Jeonghan, Dino, Seungkwan, Hoshi and S.Coups, was up next to not only practice their own little moment but also ready to perform it and let their choreographer film it.

Youngjoon growled as soon as Seventeen's leader walked up to the camera. But once Dino had stepped into view, it was Minnie's voice that called out from the background.

[wonwoo and minnie are fr fighting for biggest dinonara and she is giving it 110%]

"LET'S GO DINO!" Getting a smirk from the maknae before he started his solo movements.

[HE GETS SO SHY]

[UGH I JUST WANT TO SQUISH HIM]

"WOW, SO COOL," she continued to cheer him on, making not only him but every other member too, chuckle, along with their choreographer.

[imagine being loved as much as dino is]

[damn...]

As soon as Hoshi moved into the middle, she fell quiet again.

In the next shot, after the practice round was finished, the camera was on the '96 Liner, who just looked at something out of view. A pout was evident on his lips.

Minnie chuckled, making the cameraman move over to her, letting everyone know that it was her, who Hoshi was looking at. "What?" She giggled.

"Why were you only cheering on Dino? What was that?" He asked her, keeping up the disappointed expression.

[HOSHI IS SULKY TOWARDS HER?!]

[compare this moment to all those stories they told about minnie being literally terrified of hoshi]

[how are these the same people HAHAHA]

This only made her chuckle again.

"Well," she sighed, "I guess you just have to work harder for me to cheer on you too."

[WOW...]

Before the performance unit leader could say anything, their maknae appeared from the right side, rushing over to the female member.

"No, Minnie just likes me more than you," immediately throwing an arm around her shoulder.

[HE'S THE CUTEST LITTLE BROTHER EVER]

[MY GOD, JUST LOOK AT HIM Y'ALL]

The girl giggled against his side before wrapping both arms around his torso, cuddling even deeper into him, as he put his other free arm around her frame as well - both now just standing in each other's embrace with big grins decorating their faces.

[i would actually do anything and everything for them]

Hoshi just continued to stare at them.

SEVENTEEN ‘손오공’ M/V BEHIND THE SCENES

Dino was in the middle of getting interviewed by the cameraman when in the middle of the sentence, the female member of the group surprisingly appeared. She engulfed him in a side embrace, her arms around his upper body and arms, holding him close as she let her chin rest on his shoulder.

[just IMAGINE being minnie and just getting to do that on the regular]

[he literally just continued talking as if this was nothing new to him]

Absentmindedly, she nodded along to everything the youngest was saying. After a few moments, he stopped and looked moved his head to look at her.

"Cold?"

She answered him with a simple nod and smile before opening her mouth to answer him.

"But don't worry Carats, Dino's body will keep me warm." Her comment got a chuckle out of the maknae, whose hands had started to rub her arm, trying to create some form of warmth, knowing she was one of the members to easily get cold.

[HOW DO I FIND MYSELF SOMEONE THAT LOVES ME THIS MUCH]

[DINO PLS I WILL BE GOOD TO YOU]

"You know," she glanced into the camera. "Whenever I'm hugging Dino these days, it feels like I'm hugging Mingyu."

[THE WAY SHE'S RUBBING IT IN]

[WE KNOW HE'S BEEN WORKING OUT]

[WE CAN SEE THAT]

[but she just had to mention it once again]

She dropped her arms to free him just in time as her compliment made the maknae laugh out loud, giving her his signature contagious bright smile as he threw his head back. She grinned at him.

[THAT SMILE IS PURE LOVE AND ADORATION]

He shyly smiled at her, "Ah, noona, don't overreact-"

[don't get all shy now]

"Hugging Mingyu?" Suddenly the familiar voice of her fellow '97 Liner appeared from the side she had just come from as well. "What about hugging me? Do you want a hug?"

[this man has ears EVERYWHERE when it comes to minnie]

[my god, my guy, she just mentioned you, calm down]

Without waiting for an answer, Mingyu copied her stance from before, wrapping both of his arms around her shoulders, her left arm buried into his muscular chest as she chuckled.

[?!?!?!?!?!]

[SO THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE MINNIE?!]

"I just said that hugging Dino feels like hugging you nowadays," Minnie glanced up into his eyes. "He's been working out a lot."

[also: can we talk about when the hell minnie went from pushing mingyu away to literally MELTING in his embrace?!]

[what chapter did i skip?!]

[bc i literally remember her avoiding his hugs to annoy him like it's yesterday]

[and now she's suddenly like this?!]

[girlyyyyyyyy]

The rapper nodded, both of the '97 Liners smiling at the youngest, who had a subtle, yet noticeable blush brightening his cheeks.

"That's true."

"But be careful not to get too big, Dino," the girl added, still in the embrace of the older member.

With a frown, Mingyu looked down at her, his arms loosening around her frame. "Are you saying I'm too big?" He wondered.

[THE WAY HE NEEDS THE VALIDATION]

[no mingyu, don't worry]

[minnie noona is just looking out for her favourite little dongsaeng]

No answer, just a pat on his chest and a loud laughter from the maknae followed.

'sleepover live hihi'

[i really do think that we as carats have moved on way too fast from this]

[their sleepovers... who seem to be like an almost REGULAR occurrence?!]

[but anyways, here are some of my favourite moments]

[mind you, this live is almost two freaking hours long... it's so hard to cut out only a few parts for this video]

The live started with no members in frame. The only thing Carats could see was the edge of a table and a navy couch in the background.

The comments were skipping over the screen at a quick pace.

'Who is this?'

'Which member put on the live and forgot?'

'Who's sofa is this?'

'omg they're having a sleepover????'

Then all of a sudden, two heads popped into the frame from each side.

"Hello!"

"Hii!"

Minnie and Dino greeted the livestream with wide smiles as they showed their faces, scooching in closer to sit right next to each other. Both of them were not wearing any makeup and in sweats, along with him in a black sweatshirt and her with, what appeared to be the same one in cream.

[CUTIES]

[LITERAL CUTIES]

[ANGELS]

[BABIES]

"Hi Carats," the girl leaned forward with a grin, her eyes scanning the comments. "Ah, everyone's so shocked to see us."

[not surprised]

[but i definitely wasn't expecting it ngl]

[but this has to be one of the best lives in svt history]

"That means our surprise worked," the maknae added, a proud smirk on his lips. He leaned back against the sofa, swiftly brushing a hand through his hair.

Minnie nodded, "Looks like it." She stopped for a second before continuing. "'Dino and Minnie look so cute so late at night'" Thank you," she chuckled. "Even though we've already had a few drinks, Carats still say such nice things about us."

[i feel like she gets so giggly when drunk and just even more beautiful fr]

[y'all see that GLOW?!]

[gorgeous]

"Mm," the youngest nodded, now joining the girl by leaning forward to also read through the comments. "Yeah, we've already had a few drinks, but we only now decided to put on the livestream."

[AND HIM?!]

[YUM]

"I think not a lot of Carats expected us to drink together like this."

"Hm, yeah, that could be true," Dino stated before his eyes fixed on one specific comment. "'Are you really having a sleepover?'-"

"Yes!" Minnie showed a bright smile to the camera, stretching out her arms to the sides.

[SHE'S SO EXCITED ABOUT IT AAAAH]

[you gotta love her, come on]

The youngest changed his seating position slightly. "Minnie invited me over to her place."

[defo not crying]

"Because you haven't slept over here yet," she glanced at him as he nodded.

"That's right, not here yet."

[didn't know wtf they were talking about back then]

[now we know: mimiwon moved into a new apartment]

[and minnie needed dino and her to have a sleepover at the new place]

[CRYING]

A yawn escaped her lips, making Minnie cover her mouth and close her eyes for a second. "But I'm more tired than I expected, to be honest," she commented.

Dino smiled at her, his hand patting her shoulder comfortably. "We've been preparing for the album very hard, that's why maybe."

"Mm, probably."

After a few minutes of just casual conversation flowing between the two idols, as if the camera wasn't even recording, the girl had gotten up to get them something more to drink.

It was now Dino who was in charge of entertainment.

"Okay," he looked down at his own phone, which he had put on the livestream, so he could read through the comments more easily. "'Do you have sleepovers like this often?'" He read out before speaking up slightly louder, looking to the right side of the screen where the girl had disappeared into. "Would you say we do this often, noona?"

[there's just something... about him... he's just too adorable]

Minnie's distant voice could be heard in the background. "Not as often as I would like to." Her comment got a wide grin from the maknae in return, who tilted his head to the side.

[GIRL YOU CAN'T BE SO CUTE WHAT THE HELL]

"Awww, noona! You're so cute!" He almost squealed, making her laugh out loud.

[FACTS DINO]

"Carats, Minnie-noona is really so sweet, right?' For a second he went quiet, now back to looking at his phone. "They're all saying how sweet you are!" Dino called out to let her know.

[well, gotta let the queen know that we love her, yk]

Minnie chuckled, "Thank you, guys!" She shouted out to make sure her voice could be heard in the live.

"Oh-" the maknae suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"What?"

"Some are saying Vernon is watching- is he watching? Hold on" After tapping around his phone, his lips curled up. "Aaah, he really is watching. He commented 'Wow, now I'm jealous', 'Minnie is making drinks for you?'"

[OF COURSE]

[of course vernon is jealous of them]

[i'd be too]

[minnie pls take good care of him as well]

[god... minnie and vernon are also so adorable together]

With quick steps, the girl was back in the living room,

"What? No! I asked him if he wanted to come too, and he said no!" She whined out loud as the sound of clinking glass rang through the background, coming from everything she was placing on the table for them to drink.

[missed his chance i guess]

"He's regretting his choice now," Dino stated.

[i'd be regretting it for weeks tbh]

Once the girl went back into the kitchen, the youngest's eyes went wide as soon as they landed on the amount of liquor on the table that was hidden from the view of the livestream.

"Noona! You really think we're gonna drink that much?"

[let's gooooooo]

"I don't know, maybe," she just answered. "Maybe Mingyu wants to drink something too."

[she really thinks of everyone, doesn't she?]

[god, i'm gonna cry]

"Aaah, ok ok," Dino nodded, going back to reading through the comments while the girl came back with takeout containers, putting them somewhere behind the camera and onto the floor before she made herself comfortable again next to the maknae. "'Is Mingyu invited too?' He... I don't- I don't know, is he invited?" Directing the last question to the girl, who just chuckled.

"I can't not invite him. He lives here."

[she knows that we know and i know that we know, but will i ever get enough of mimiwon living together? No.]

[i need all the domestic shit about them, pretty please]

[including dino, their child, having fun sleepovers at their place]

"Exactly!" A loud voice surprised the two younger members, making them jump up and look to the right side, groaning when they came to sight of the culprit.

Minnie was holding her chest. "You idiot! Stooop! Don't scare us like that!"

Mingyu ignored her scolder and started chuckling, "Did you buy the entire liquor store? Are you crazy?"

[not him judging her for that]

[bro, when i tell you i bet he drinks even more than her]

"I can buy whatever I want. It's my money, and I'm an adult," she fought back and sat up straighter, making the maknae clap and nod proudly as he was just sitting there, listening to the two '97 Liners bickering around.

[POP OFF MINNIE]

[love supportive feminist dino]

"Wow," the rapper sighed, "You two... you guys are really- wow..."

[he's so done]

[he is sooooo done HAHAHAHA]

"'Dance cover now please'" Minnie chuckled after reading a comment she found amusing, "Right now? I don't think that's a good idea." And oh how right she was, but that wasn't gonna stop the maknae.

"No, noona, let's do it!"

[HOW COULD SHE EVEN SAY NO IF HE LOOKS AT HER LIKE THAT AND LITERALLY SPEAKS IN POUT?!]

He turned towards the camera, "We've been wanting to film a Danceology video, but we can never decide on just one song. We have so many songs we want to do, so it's hard. But we can show you now." Without wasting another second, he pushed himself up from the floor, only for Minnie to quickly reach out for him.

"No, Dino, stop," she laughed, "You're gonna hurt yourself. Don't. We can do it another time, but not after drinking," she assured him with a nod.

[...]

[when i tell you: she will in fact be the most amazing mom]

[i don't care that they're 'only' two years apart]

[the way she acts with him, takes care of him, AND TALKS TO HIM]

[perfect sister and perfect future mom]

[minnie pls adopt me]

Slowly, but surely, Dino lowered himself onto the floor again, landing on his butt with a heavy sigh. "When did you become so responsible?"

[SINCE SHE CARES ABOUT YOU]

[but in all seriousness: jesus, just call her out like that]

[minnie just gets responsible when it's about dino]

[her favourite]

Making the girl laugh out loud.

"Noona?"

[melting every single time.]

"Hm?" Minnie hummed in wonder while her eyes were still trained on the comment section on her phone in front of the duo.

Dino, who was still looking at his own screen, leaned forward, tapping his older sister on the shoulder to make her turn towards him as he pointed at the screen.

"Read it," she told him with a nod, but he shook his head.

"I don't know how to pronounce it."

Her frown at first quickly turned into a kind smile as she tilted her head in awe. "Yes, you do. You can speak English. Read it."

"Ah, noona, I don't want to. You do it." Pushing his phone towards her.

But even with his cute voice ringing through her ears, Minnie stood her ground, "No, you can do it."

[the way she keeps insisting on him reading it]

[like yes, go on]

[i love how supportive he is of every member whenever they speak english or want to speak it]

"Then I will look for a different comment," he shook his head and leaned back against the couch, getting another chuckle from the girl.

[but then, she also doesn't push him to make him feel uncomfortable, but just lets him do his thing]

[UGH, probably looking way too much into this, you don't have to tell me, but just leave me to it pls]

"'Is Dino... your... fa-vourite member?'" Dino read out loud in English.

With a wide smile, the girl turned her head to glance at him, "Of course, you are."

[GIRLY DIDN'T EVEN HESITATE FOR A SECOND]

"Ah, noona!" With a shy squeal, he hit her arm, making both of them chuckle in synch. "You are my favourite member... too."

[HIS ENGLISH]

[stop, he's actually the cutest]

"I'd hope so."

"What?"

"It means I would hope that that's true."

The maknae surprised the female member with his sudden laughter.

"'Minnie and Dino have couple hoodies?'"

"What?!" She whipped her head to look at him, shock written all across her face. "Those aren't couple hoodies!" Minnie whined out while all Dino could do was fall onto the floor, his laughing continuing.

[SHE SOUNDED SO OFFENDED]

"Why would we own couple hoodies?!" She wondered out loud, more to herself than to anyone in particular, before looking back into the camera. "You guys," she pointed a strict finger. "Ew, why would we wear something like that?"

"Hey!" The youngest pushed himself up again, glaring at the girl. "Why 'ew'?"

[oh no dinooo]

Minnie sent him an unamused facial expression. "What else am I supposed to say? It's weird."

Dino shrugged, "It's funny. Maybe they are couple hoodies and we didn't realise when we bought them."

With a pout, the female idol leaned back against the couch. "Now I don't know if I want to wear them anymore."

[she's so dramatic, i love it]

"No, you can't take it off," the maknae was quick to tell her, his eyes giving her a serious look.

"Why not?"

"Because... I would be really hurt," he simply told her, making Minnie giggle.

[well now she REALLY can't]

[she'd never do that to him, we all know that]

She threw her head back against the cushion, reaching forward with one hand to push the younger member away from her.

Dino chuckled at her reaction, touching the spot where she had shoved him. "I mean it, noona. Let's just continue wearing them."

[love how persistent he is about this]

"Okay, okay," Minnie agreed, running her fingers through her hair to get them out of her face. "But let's not call them couple hoodies."

"Yeah... it feels a bit weird," the youngest admitted shyly, sending a quick look towards the camera when a sudden touch from the girl surprised him.

"I told you!"

[you gotta understand]

[if dancers do a livestream, they gotta also dance]

'That That' by Psy feat. Suga was blasting through the speakers in the living room of the apartment. The coffee table had been pushed back, the phone still prompt up on it. Minnie and Dino's bodies were eliminated by the colours reflecting on them from the video the beamer was displaying on the wall. The duo had the choreography perfectly memorised- of course, they did.

[i just imagine wonwoo and mingyu somewhere in the apartment, just praying that minnie and dino will get tired and just go to sleep]

[it was way too late for them to be up and have this much energy for dancing like this istg]

Along with the, at this point probably too much, alcohol in their system, singing and dancing had become much harder than each of them expected - now rather slurring and panting through the lyrics of the song.

Shortly before the song had reached the end, the female member fell to the floor, her hands on her knees.

"Jesus..." she breathed out heavily.

A laugh erupted from the maknae as his eyes fell on her crouched frame. "Noona! You're a main dancer, come on!" Reaching out and grabbing her arm to pull her back up.

[oh to have dino's energy]

Minnie groaned as she straightened her back, "I'm not as young as you anymore, Channie." Only making him shake his head and laugh even more.

[PLS]

[she really just took over jeonghan's old person personality]

He turned around to snatch the phone from where he had thrown it onto the couch and tapped on its screen. "What do you want to do next?" He moved his body around to let the girl get a look at the screen as well. "This?" He asked her, to which she nodded,

"Let's do that."

[whatever the baby wants, the baby gets]

DINO Mixtake 'Wait' M/V BEHIND THE SCENES

Vernon stepped into the shot first, greeting the camera with a quick "Hello" as he passed the cameraman. Dokyeom, Wonwoo and Minnie were already taking their seats by a table that wouldn't be used in the scene the crew and Dino were filming.

"Our Dino's first mixtape," Seokmin smiled into the camera as he spoke. Behind him, the girl was standing up with her phone in her hand, filming and taking pictures with a big grin on her face.

[insert kris jenner's camera meme]

[YOU'RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE]

Wonwoo took a quick glance to his left, the same direction Minnie was focused on. "Woah, so cool!" He shouted out proudly, getting a chuckle from the other members.

[again: the fight for biggest dinonara continues]

[why not just agree they're both the unofficial parents and leaders of the dino fanclub?]

"Dino-ya!" The female member called out, making the maknae turn around, immediately smiling when he saw her with her phone on him. He sent her a quick grin and a thumbs up. The girl's smile widened.

[she's such a mom omg]

One last picture later, she put her phone down, turning towards the other members, who were looking at her in amusement, when she noticed the camera was still filming her.

"I'm gonna send those pictures to Dino's parents." She explained, taking a seat opposite Wonwoo, who was still gazing at the youngest member.

[HOW COULD SHE BE SO ADORABLE?!]

[her sending his parents pictures of their son, omg stop i'm already about to cry myself to sleep]

[this is too much for my heart]

Seungkwan and Mingyu had joined the group, also deciding to visit their maknae on set. The younger of the two was speaking into the microphone as Minnie joined them, walking up to them behind her fellow '97 Liner to stop by his right side. With her arms crossed she kept her eyes on the younger member, who had started to comment on Dino's hair.

[i love how literally whenever there's seungkwan bickering with dino, there's minnie showering him with even more love]

The girl suddenly got closer to Seungkwan, motioning for him to hand her the microphone, not wasting a second, to voice her opinion.

"I love your hair, Dino-ya!" She smiled brightly. "And I love you too!"

[gotta let the world know yk]

Her quick addition earned her a gentle smack on her arm by the '98 Liner while Mingyu just chuckled at the duo, as Minnie had started to hit him back.

[don't even get me started on seungkwan and minnie, my god]

DINO Mixtape 'Making of Wait' EP.1

The youngest member was in the studio with Seventeen's main lead vocalist and producer. The two were going through the lyrics Dino had written for his upcoming solo.

"Minnie said she'll be here in ten minutes," he explained to Woozi. "I want to show her before we record."

[NOW THIS IS WHERE I ACTUALLY START WHEEPING]

[HE WANTS TO SHOW HER HIS LYRICS FIRST?!]

[stop being so adorable, dino, please]

[for the sake of my well-being]

"Ok ok," came as an answer from the '96 Liner who was out of the shot, his voice only barely noticeable.

The maknae turned towards the camera after reaching for his water bottle on the couch behind him. "I really trust noona when it comes to lyrics. Maybe she has better ideas for them."

[...]

[you don't want to know the noise i made when he said that]

The next moment, Minnie entered the studio, greeting the room with a cheery, "Hi!" Getting a wide smile from the '99 Liner in return. His eyes lit up as a plastic cup of coffee was placed right in front of him, slightly covering the camera's view.

"Wow, thank you, noona." As Dino reached out for it, the female member gently patted his head with a grin before letting herself fall onto the sofa.

[AGJFKSJOIFHEIBIF]

"Oh-" he stopped himself before he went to take a sip, snatching a piece of paper from the table the camera was placed on. "Here are the lyrics." Turning around to face her, Minnie stopped him by waving her phone.

"I read through them on the file you sent me."

"You already looked at them?"

With scrunched eyebrows and a slightly shocked facial expression, the girl gazed at him. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

[exactly]

[how dare him even question this]

Dino shrugged, taking a sip from the Iced Americano. "I thought you were busy maybe."

[STOP]

Minnie had started to hunch over her phone, her screen brightening up the lower half of her face as she looked up at him. "Yeah, but this is important to you. Of course, I'm gonna look at it right when you send it to me."

[...]

[I...]

[... i am so not okay]

[i don't even think i know people that care this much]

[LIKE HOW]

Before the youngest could answer her again, Woozi spoke up from the right side of the screen. "You never do that with my lyrics. You always text 'I'll take a look later, I'm busy now.' And then you never do."

[OH HERE WE GO]

[lee, i'm so done with this girl but i also love and cherrish her so much and even let her stay in my studio when i'm not here and will always support her but also annoy the hell out of her and be an annoying ass brother who just loves her so dearly and will support her till my last day, jihoon]

"Stop lying!" Minnie exclaimed. "I don't say that! And you never look at MY lyrics!"

[the money i would pay to be a fly on the wall in the studio when they're there]

The maknae chuckled at the silly argument going on behind him, laughing out loud as Minnie tried to throw a pillow at their producer.

[and he's just sitting there enjoying this PLS HAHAHA]

"Alright," she took a deep breath as she pushed herself up to her feet. "I'm gonna go now."

"You're not staying?" Dino turned around, looking up at the older member.

[IF SOMEBODY LOOKS AT YOU WITH EYES THAT BIG, YOU STAY]

Minnie stopped in her tracks, "You wanted me to stay?"

He shrugged, "No no, I just thought maybe you want to."

[DINO PLS I CANNOT HANDLE THIS ANYMORE]

[HE IS TOO PRECIOUS FOR THIS WORLD]

"Aah..." she let out a sigh, "I'm sorry. I'm meeting up with someone. If I knew you wanted me to stay, I wouldn't have made plans."

[just drop them, minnie]

[drop them]

[stay with him]

[pls he needs you]

[LOOK AT HIS EYES]

"It's okay, don't worry," he assured her. "Go, don't make them wait."

[noooo dinooooo]

The girl couldn't help but chuckle after she finished putting on her jacket again. "I shouldn't 'tell them, wait'," she imitated the sound of the song he was about to record, getting a laugh from him in return.

[... girl has been spending too much time with wonwoo bc good god, that was even worse than a dad joke]

"Exactly," he chuckled.

Before she left the duo to finish the recording, Minnie leaned down to be back in the camera's shot.

"Carats, please support Dino's solo well. It's gonna be really good and I know you're gonna love it."

[and she was right]

[we did]

[INSIDE SEVENTEEN] UNESCO Youth Forum Special Video Sketch

Seungkwan was grasping onto the sheets of paper in his hand, the maknae of the group right by his side as they read through the lyrics they had printed out. They were going through the English version of the group's song 'Together'. With both of them unsure about their pronunciation, Dino started looking around.

His eyes stopped scanning the room. "Noona!" He called out for the female member who was out of the cameraman's view.

[i could literally make a compilation of just him shouting out for her and wouldn't get tired of it]

"Can you help us?"

[OF COURSE BABY]

With quick steps, Minnie jogged up towards the two, coming to a halt by his left side. "Hm?" She hummed as her eyes fell onto the black-on-white text in front of them.

[girl was so quick]

[she'd definitely drop everyone and everything to help him]

[reminds me of when wonwoo called her with na pd-nim and she was on her way literally while they were still talking]

[she loves them so much, like HOW]

"You and I are never losing our way. You and I, we will be walking straight." The two younger members sang along to the song that was playing in the background. Seungkwan went over the lyrics with slightly more ease than Dino, who started chuckling at his own struggle.

"Try going slower first," the female member placed a comforting hand on the younger's upper arm.

[she is so patient]

[... god... please let me have my own minnie]

[or dino honestly too]

"But it's supposed to be sung at a quick pace," he told her.

Minnie nodded. "Yeah, but try speaking the lyrics slowly first and then increase the speed. That way your pronunciation will be clearer and you won't stumble over your words."

[THE PATIENCE]

[the way she's also explaining it to him so softly]

[as if he was delicate keramic]

[what a comparison, wow...]

With a grin, Dino turned towards the camera, "Everyone," his arm was thrown over the petite shoulders of the '97 Liner. "I have the best English teacher."

[AWWWWW STOP]

Getting a shy giggle out of her and a smack towards his chest, making him chuckle.

After his somewhat decent acrostic poem to UNESCO, Dino called out for the girl as she walked past the cameraman's back. Without having to be asked twice, Minnie showed up right next to the younger member.

"We're filming for UNESCO right now and we'll be in Paris in a few days, right?"

"Mm," the female performer nodded with a grin, the strong wind blowing through her hair, making her squint her eyes and tighten the colourful jacket around her body.

"Are you excited?"

"Of course," she smiled, "I can't wait to finally be in France with almost all of the members."

Dino nodded along with her answer. "Should we learn a little bit of French? Can you teach me something?"

[he really wants her to teach him, stoooop]

[omg imagine if he just started learning french from her]

[he'd be unstoppable]

Minnie chuckled, "What do you want to say?"

The maknae looked around the open field for a second as he thought to himself, the girls' eyes never leaving his form. He turned back towards her. "Something like 'thank you for your support'."

"Merci pour votre soutien."

[fuck, she's so hot]

"W-What?" Dino just glanced at her dumbfounded, taken aback by her quick answer, not remembering a single syllable that just dropped from her mouth. "What did you just say?"

[same dino, same]

Minnie couldn't help but laugh out loud at his reaction, stumbling back a few steps. Her cheerful sounds must've caught the attention of Wonwoo as he suddenly showed up next to her, bringing the girl into the middle of the two male members.

[and oop, there we go, the next dinonara appeared]

"'Thank you for your support' is 'merci pour votre soutien'"

"Ok," the youngest nodded slowly, "Merci-"

"Hm," Minnie supported him with a smile, "pour."

"Pour."

"Votre."

"V- Votre."

"Soutien. Sou-"

"Sou."

"Tien."

"Tien. Soutien?"

"Exactly," she nodded proudly.

[SHE'S SO PROUD OF HIM]

[LOOK AT HER SMILE]

[AW MINNIEEEEEE]

"Merci pour-" Dino stopped himself before continuing, glancing at her with squinted eyes as he tried to remember the correct pronunciation.

"Votre soutien," Wonwoo suddenly spoke up. "Merci pour votre soutien."

[HUIDHNIFJBHUZDGBP]

[I ACTUALLY JUST THREW MY PHONE AGAINST THE WALL]

[THIS MAN JUST DROPPED THIS SO EASILY]

[WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK]

[just when we thought he couldn't get hotter...]

With a shocked facial expression, the maknae looked at the '96 Liner. He pointed at him, "Who on earth do you know how to say it so perfectly?"

[RIGHT?!]

[i mean i'm no french expert but that sounded pretty freaking good]

[also: if you have minnie as a teacher, you're gonna learn well either way]

Getting the rapper's signature deep laugh in return.

"I already taught him," Minnie chuckled, looking back at the other member as he caught himself again, a small smile still on his lips.

[this is a minnie x dino video, so could you quit acting like the cutest freaking lovebirds, my god]

[:)]

"Aaah, ok ok," the '99 Liner smiled along with the older duo. "Ok, so... Merci pour... votre... and then?"

"Soutien."

"Soutien is support?"

Minnie nodded.

"Merci pour votre soutien," Dino repeated her phrase slowly, looking straight at the French speaker of the group, whose eyes went wide in pride.

"Yes!" The girl clapped her hands, Wonwoo joining her.

[#proud #oursonisagenius]

The youngest turned towards the camera. "Carats, merci pour votre soutien."

"Well done," she patted his back, the proud grin not leaving her face.

[i could actually cry from the way she looks at him]

[Relay Pick] BALANCE GAME with SEVENTEEN ┃Performance Team

[teacher minnie strikes again]

[but yk, sometimes you gotta teach 'em about life]

The next two scenarios were presented to the unit.

"Peeling perilla leaves or peeling shrimps," Hoshi read out loud. Minnie's head popped out from behind his shoulder, trying to get a look at the screen ahead of them.

Dino, who was standing right behind her shook his head, "I don't really know this."

"Really?" The female member whipped her head around, looking up into the wide eyes of the maknae. "You never heard of that?" But he just shook his head.

"Do you know this?" He asked her, to which she nodded.

"Of course, it was a big debate."

Jun, who was just as lost as the youngest of the group, had walked up to the screen, disappearing out of the camera's view.

"Look, it's like this, Jun," the performance unit leader started explaining. He took a step back, urging the others to do the same to create more space between them as he started.

"But why must it be perilla leaves?" Dino suddenly wondered, getting a chuckle out of the female member and making her turn around to describe the situation to him.

"Perilla leaves get easily stuck together, that's why they chose it."

He nodded along, "Aaah, ok ok."

[just accepting everything she tells him]

[i love them]

Mingyu's sudden voice surprised the duo that was deep into their own conversation.

"You're seriously so old fashioned," the '97 Liner commented, "it's a famous topic nowadays-"

"But that just means that he doesn't get jealous easily, that's good," Minnie fought back to the man she shared an apartment with.

[oh- there we go again hahahahaha]

"But he's part of the MZ generation, come on."

"No," a gentle pout formed on her lips as she took a small step back to place a hand on Dino's upper arm, "He's not the jealous type, it's a good thing. Old fashioned isn't bad anyways."

[THE WAY SHE DEFENDS HIM SO HARD]

With a smirk, the youngest turned towards his older sister. "But that means that you're really jealous, right? You know a lot about this topic."

[AND HE THROWS HER UNDER THE BUS JUST LIKE THAT]

[wow dino...]

[she got called out fr]

Minnie's expression changed when she glanced up at him with an open mouth, surprised by his statement. Hoshi moved to the side to take a look at the duo, chuckling at the situation when laughter in the background could also be heard, followed by Minghao and Jun who joined in.

"No!" The girl defended herself quickly, shoving him away from her. "I'm just... I'm into popular stuff at the moment, so I know about discussions like this."

[MH, sure...]

"No, noona. You just admitted that if you know about this, you're a person that gets easily jealous-"

"Alright, but it's not a good thing!" She quickly gave in, getting another round of laughter from the members in front of and behind the camera.

[this is were the real sibling energy is coming through]

[why would he call her out like that in front of the camera hahahaha]

"But how can it be considered normal for a friend to do things like that with your partner?" She whined out loud.

"Well," Hoshi answered her, "It depends on how good their relationship is, I guess."

"It's TOO GOOD if my friend does these things!"

[ngl... i feel a very deep and desperate need to see jealous minnie]

[pls]

[i NEED it]

A soft hit on her shoulder made her chuckle. Turning to the side, she found the youngest leaning into her, his laughter ringing through her ears.

"It's okay, noona." Infecting her with his joy.

[YEAH, CALL HER OUT FOR BEING JEALOUS BUT THEN TELL HER IT'S OKAY]

[little siblings, istg...]

"I'm okay with peeling shrimps," the leader made his final decision, "but the perilla leaf one is weird." He stepped to the side to leave a stunned Minnie in the middle - Dino, with a matching facial expression, right behind her.

"What?"

"Why?"

"Amazing..." Minghao added to the shock.

[they were NOT having it]

[but i get it bc same]

"Peeling it by hands like this," the maknae imitated the action of peeling a shrimp to the rest of the group.

"That's so much worse!" The girl agreed with him. "You take your time to peel it... only to then give it to the partner of your best friend?!" She turned to Hoshi. "That's not okay."

[SHE GETS IT]

"I agree," Dino nodded, linking his arm with hers as he dragged her in the opposite direction in which their leader had gone.

[dino went from not knowing anything about this topic to agreeing with his noona]

[gotta love them]

[GOING SEVENTEEN] COMEBACK SPECIAL: God of Light Music #1

[i'm so obsessed with every pi cheolin x minnie/a minnie character interaction]

[why do her characters literally ALWAYS have beef with him HAHAHA]

[but i think that might need to be a seperate video ngl]

[anyways, the following few scenes have still made it into this video just bc i love them so much]

"And I've also been working with a lyricist recently," Woozi explained to the man in front of him.

"Ooh," Pi Cheolin sat up straighter, "Who is this new lyricist?"

"Her name is Minnie, but she sometimes goes by Minhee."

"Minhee?" The man's face scrunched up in almost disgust. "I don't like that name."

['i don't like her name' when it's literally her government name😭]

Getting a chuckle out of Woozi that he couldn't hold back. "Where's she from?"

"She's from abroad. Europe," the '96 Liner continued. "Young and very talented."

"I see..." Dino, deep into his character, glanced around the room. "Then she must be really good in English, right?"

Woozi nodded, "Yeah, she lived in England before. She writes a lot of her lyrics in English, actually. And I, ehm-" he cleared his throat. "I actually asked her to accompany me here today to this meeting, I hope that's okay."

"Oh, of course, of course!" Pi Cheolin raised his arms up into the air. "The more, the better!"

The producer nodded with a smile, "Good, good. She should be here any second, I think." Just right after he had said that, a knock shook through the door.

"Come in!" Pi Cheolin shouted out.

Only a second later, the door opened to reveal the face of the girl they had just mentioned, peaking in to look around. Her eyes held still on Woozi's form, but before she could say anything, the man in the hat shot up from the chair.

"Minnie! You must be Minnie!" With a hard push, he jumped up onto his feet, his chair hitting the wooden shelves behind him before rushing over to the female member.

[bruh HAHAHA]

"What a beautiful young lady!"

[he's too good in this role, i love him]

Without warning, he grabbed her by her upper arms and pulled her in, letting first their right cheeks touch, then the left ones. Each time, he added an overly dramatic kissing sound.

[STOP]

"O- Oh- ok-," Minnie looked at him taken aback as soon as they were face to face again.

[so this was definitely not scripted, i guess]

[HAHAHAHAHA]

Pi Cheolin smiled brightly at her. "That's how you greet people in Europe, right?"

"I- sure? I guess?" She just shrugged.

[her new personality: europe]

Harsher than needed, the man patted her arms, making her almost wince.

[i can't]

"I'm glad to finally meet you!" Without looking at her again, he turned back around to go to his seat. "Please, take a seat! I heard so much about you."

Minnie directed her eyes towards Woozi as she claimed the chair right next to him, raising her eyebrows to ask him 'Really?"

He shrugged, "I only just started telling him about you. I don't know what he's talking about."

With a slow and unsure nod, she sat down.

[they're too good]

"I have to be honest with you, Minnie," Pi Cheolin suddenly turned seriously after the three had just negotiated the producer-writer duo to join his agency.

"Ok..." the girl carefully answered, fiddling with her fingers in her lap.

With his teeth tightly pressed together, he hissed in a breath. "Minhee. Your other name."

"My legal name, yes."

"We have to change it." He simply stated.

"What?" Minnie stopped with every little action she was previously doing, glancing over at the man. "But that's my real name. My grandma gave me-"

"We need to change it," he interrupted her, making her send an unamused look right into the camera.

[he really don't give a fuck about the grandma huh?]

For a second the room fell into complete silence. Pi Cheolin had a finger on his chin, looking like he was deep in his thoughts. "What about..." he spoke before stopping for a bit again. "Minstar!" He shouted out, surprising both members, making them cover their mouths as chuckles escaped their lips.

[HOW IS HE NOT DYING FROM LAUGHING]

[MINSTAR?! HOW DO YOU EVEN COME UP WITH THAT SHIT]

"Minstar?" The girl wondered.

The man nodded. "Yeah. 'Min', from Minnie. And 'star' because you are A STAR!" The sudden change to English was all it took for another round of quiet chuckles to fill the room.

[he's so random for what]

After not getting an answer in return, with Woozi covering his face with one hand and Minnie turned around towards the wall, trying to calm down her laughter, Pi Cheolin continued.

With his arms opened wide and a big grin plastered on his face, he stared at the two. "Do you love it or do you love it?"

The girl just sent him a thumbs-up.

[i just KNOW i could never hold it together in front of the camera]

[i know, out of all the members minnie falls out of character the most, but i would be so much worse omg]

[how could you not if you have someone in front of you playing this old man just a little too well for it not to be real?!]

As soon as the three walked into the recording studio, where Wonwoo, Jeonghan and Dokyeom aka Leo, Charles and Seokmin, Minnie was holding her hand up to cover her mouth, unable to keep any grins hidden as soon as her eyes fell on her fellow members.

[she was having a hard time keeping it together for literally the entire episode]

[but who could blame her]

They stood up to greet the CEO, producer and lyricist.

"Have you seen these guys before?" Pi Cheolin asked, pointing at the trio in front of them.

Minnie and Woozi shook their head. "We've never met them before," the '96 Liner answered for both of them as the female member was busy wiping away the tears that had fallen from her eyes due to her laughter.

"Oh, is that right?" The man exclaimed. "Then I'll introduce you-" As soon as he turned to the girl, who was crouched over, he stopped. "Are you okay? What's so funny?"

She was quick to catch herself, standing up straight again, "Nothing. Nothing. I'm okay."

With a slight squint, Pi Cheolin glared at her. "Lyricists need to be a bit more serious, I think."

[oh okay]

"I'll try my best," she promised him.

"Well then, let me introduce you to the best singers in the industry! Say hello, starting with you," he pointed at the '95 Liner, who revealed his age and name, followed by Wonwoo until they landed on Dokyeom.

But instead of talking to them, the '97 Liner started moving around, showing them a variety of what could only be described as 'tiktok moves from 2019'. Minnie couldn't hold it again and gave in as she turned to the side slightly, trying to ignore her fellow member in front of her. Pi Cheolin was having none of that.

"No, no," he grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around. "It's rude not to look at people when they introduce themselves." The girl just nodded.

[PLS LET THIS GIRL LIVE IN PEACE]

After a few more seconds, the CEO took the word again. "Your name... what's your name?"

"Seokminie," Dokyeom answered him.

"Oh, Seokminie?" Pi Cheolin's eyes widened. He surprised the girl with a slap on the back.

[why is he like this]

"See! Another reason why you have to change your name." But she just continued to stare at him. "So people don't confuse you two!" Pointing between the '97 Liners.

"So they don't confuse us?"

[...]

"Yes! Look at you two. You could be twins. Both young. Both attractive."

[DINO😭]

No comment was made to his statement as everyone was trying to hold in their giggles. Minnie shook her head.

After a few more jokes back and forth, including Seokmin shouting into their ears and bursting their eardrums, everyone had sat down.

"So!" Pi Cheolin suddenly stood up again. "Now, I'll introduce my trusted people right here." He placed both of his hands on the female member's shoulders, making her tense up slightly, which he noticed right away.

"Aah, don't be so tense, Minstar," he started massaging her shoulders, clearly not in a comforting way though as her face scrunched up and she tried to free herself from his grasp.

[MINSTAR]

[he's really going through with it]

After a few seconds, he stopped, only to squish her face in between his hands. "This is Minnie. We call her Minstar because she is A STAR!" His hands started moving around, squishing her cheeks a slight bit more. "

[minnie is so much stronger than i am bc i would actually beat him up as soon as the cameras go down, but i just know she lets him do this bc he's dino and she loves him]

[bc imagine if this was seungkwan]

I mean look at her." The room went quiet. "Look at her beauty. Her talent. You can smell her intelligence." Another moment of silence washed over the group after he took a big and loud sniff.

[JUST WHY]

"I see, you agree with me." He freed her again, making her touch her own cheeks again and frown at the camera.

"Let's move on to Woozi, the genius producer!"

[GOING SEVENTEEN] Don't Lie III #1

[something about dino in this episode was just so pure and cute]

The members cleaned up nicely. Each one of them was wearing a personalised, colour-coded outfit for the filming of the third part of their Don't Lie series. Minnie was sharing the couch with Minghao, Seungkwan and Jeonghan, sitting between the '95 and '98 Liner.

After going through the casualties and flaming Mingyu along the way, the group decided to let Dino be the first in the starting round of the Lie Detector test.

He got down to the floor, to sit right in front of the coffee table with the machine on top of it. After securing his hand with the velcro seal, one of the producers behind the camera started to explain the rules.

"After detecting your heart rate, when you're asked a question, press the button and answer-"

The members listened attentively, some nodding along to her words, but the maknae seemed as lost as he possibly could be. Dino looked to his left, making the girl chuckle as she could practically see the wheels in his head turning.

"How?" He suddenly asked, his eyes wide in lostness.

[THE CONFUSION]

[oh dino]

The group couldn't hold back laughing at his reaction.

Not even a second later, Minnie was already up on her feet, Jeonghan's hand on her back, dropping down to his side.

[she literally only smiled before she SHOT UP to get to him]

[the older sister instincts KICKED IN]

[also: pretty sure jeonghan kinda like pushed her forward bc he saw his baby in need]

She walked over to him and crouched down on the floor, her knees hitting the carpet as she tried to explain it again in simpler terms. But his eyes told her everything she needed to know - he still had no idea what to do. It just made her chuckle even more.

[minnie pls he just needs your help]

[pls help him]

"I'll do it for you. I'll activate it," Minnie placed a hand on his shoulder while her other one was on top of the coffee table, close to the lie detector. All Dino now had to do was listen to the question and answer truthfully.

"Noona!"

The female member whipped her head around at the sound of the youngest's voice. An awaiting smile was already plastered on her face.

With quick but short steps, Dino was right in front of her within a second.

"Is there a pharmacist?" He wondered in a hushed tone.

[i love how she was the first person he thought of to ask]

With scrunched eyebrows, clearly confused by the random question, the girl looked at him.

"What?"

"Is there a pharmacist in the game?"

"A pharmacist? Like... someone that works in a pharmacy?" She repeated his words, still unsure if she had understood him correctly. After getting a nod from the maknae, she spoke up again. "Why?"

Dino quickly glanced at his left and right, before leaning into her just a little bit closer and lowering his voice. "Jeonghan said he's the pharmacist," he explained, "I didn't even know there was such a role."

[well ngl i wouldn't believe anything that comes from jeonghan's mouth after being with him in the same group for this long of a time]

[the trust issues i have with this man are unreal]

"Aaah," Minnie nodded, almost unable to hold back her chuckle. After having dealt with the older's mischief for far too long, and getting involved in it for just as long, she immediately saw right through the lie.

You could see her eyes looking around the room as she debated her next statement - she could play into it, or she could tell him the truth.

But with those boba eyes looking right at her, she only had one option.

"No," she shook her head with a grin. "He's just joking with you. There's no pharmacist role."

[BUT DINO AND MINNIE, TRUST ISSUES?! NEVER]

"Really? Are you sure?"

Minnie nodded.

"But he keeps on collecting little pieces of paper that he finds," Dino imitated the size of the mentioned paper slips.

"I don't know... maybe he wrote them earlier? He was writing something before we started filming." The female member dropped the truth, making the youngest look at her with an open mouth.

[she even reveals jeonghan's secrets to dino, like what]

"Aaah... wow..." he shook his head. "He's really passionate about this game."

[he IS REALLY passionate about that game]

[but so is everyone else of you, sooo...]

The female member laughed as she agreed with him by nodding again.

[GOING SEVENTEEN] Runner-Up Sports Day #2

Part of the members were standing in a line, waiting for the next instructions during their filming. Vernon was holding the ball they'd be using for the dodgeball match that was coming up. It was fairly windy, but Minnie had found out the Mingyu was a good wind blocker, explaining why she was standing to his left.

[the gose producer's caption 'the great wall of mingyu' was perfect]

Dino was next to her, on her other side.

The group had fallen into a comfortable conversation, forgetting about the multiple cameras on them for just a few minutes.

After finding out that the only members to know about 'Shaun the Sheep' were Vernon and Minnie, Dokyeom had another question,

"Who knows 'Fairly Odd Parents?"

The youngest member of the hip-hop unit turned to the '97 Liner, continuing to subconsciously play with the ball in his hand.

"Ah, the Nickelodean cartoon?"

Dokyeom confirmed his wonder.

Minnie was fixing her hair when the maknae spoke up after a chuckle fell from his lips,

"My nickname in elementary school was Jimmy Neutron." The girl next to him fell into a fit of giggles, her head falling back as she was surprised and most definitely amused by the sudden comment. "My head was so big back then," Dino continued to explain.

[AWWWWW]

With a pout, the female member reached out to touch his arm, leaning forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder, hiding her amusement.

[she adores this man so much]

Without even thinking twice, Mingyu opened his mouth, "It still is." Followed by a chuckle.

[PLS]

[MINGYU]

[no filter]

Minnie's head immediately shot up. Her eyes wide, but her lips pressed together, trying to keep the corner of her lips from curling. She turned to her side and got a groan from her fellow '97 Liner in return as his hand flew up to where she had just smacked him on the chest.

[go off big sister minnie!]

[getting ready for defence]

With a sarcastic unamused facial expression, Dino commented on his statement. "You say such nice things." To which the girl was quick to turn to him,

"Awww," she laughed out and let her hand come up to cup his cheek, leaning onto his shoulder once again.

[PURE ADORATION]

In the Soop 1 Ep. 2

[what i want to say:]

[i am very sorry to end this video with this in the soop moment]

[BUT]

[it's literally probably my all time favourite minnie x dino moment, EVER]

[we see them always acting all sweet and loving and just caring for each other]

[but this... this was so much than that]

[and i still cry whenever i watch it]

All of the members left to do their individual things. Some had started getting ready for bed. Others were already sleeping. A few had gone into the kitchen for snacks. The only ones left outside were Dino and Minnie. As it was starting to get colder, Minnie had thrown a blanket around her body, while the maknae had chosen a jacket to keep him warm. The girl had started to collect some of the trash left behind by the other guys and put together the empty bottles of alcohol, so they'd have it easier to throw away.

It was quiet. The only sounds filling the open outdoors were coming from the river from a distance and the crickets and other insects that you'd find close to the woods.

Dino's eyes were trained on the female member, following her every movement.

[i don't know what it is, but dino just gazing at her is something that hits me so hard]

[like, a lot of the members look at minnie in a specific way, but dino... it's very special]

[again: pure adoration]

He stayed quiet, feeling just a bit sorry that he wasn't helping her, but the sudden rush of tiredness had surprised him - Minnie knew that and wouldn't comment on it.

Then the maknae suddenly broke the comfortable silence, "I'm really proud of you, noona."

[LITERALLY STARTED TEARING UP ALREADY]

The girl stopped in her tracks. She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "What?" She chuckled. "All of a sudden?"

"No," he shook his head almost shyly, immediately crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I've been wanting to tell you things like that, but... I've never found the right time."

The female member stopped her actions, taking a seat in the chair that Seungkwan had previously occupied.

[notice how she literally dropped everything and just sat down to listen?]

"Well..." she took a deep breath, "Do you think now is the right time? Do you want to talk to me?"

"I always want to talk to you, but...," Dino admitted, looking down at his hands before up at the older member again. "I don't really know... how to say it well."

"You can always talk to me. I'm always all ears for you, you know that," Minnie reached out to get a hold of the glass of water one of the members had left for her.

[first tears started falling]

"I know- Of course, I know." The maknae gulped. "But I really am proud of you."

The girl's eyebrows shot up as she tried to fight a pout. "Thank you, I'm really proud of you too."

Dino nodded. "You've been working so hard, so I... I just wanted to tell you that. Especially this year, you've been working a lot- I mean, you've always been working very hard with writing lyrics and helping Woozi... and also doing photoshoots and promoting Seventeen so well."

"Thank you, Channie," she smiled at her younger member who had been trying to avoid her gaze.

[something about her using his real name seems so special]

[i mean, maybe it was the alcohol]

[but also maybe not]

She continued, "But you should be really proud of yourself too. You've been doing a lot for not only the group but also for yourself. You've grown a lot over the past few years. You can be very proud of that."

Dino's eyes were fixed on nothing specific as he just glanced into the dark emptiness to his right.

"Do-" he suddenly started again. Minnie was still waiting patiently for him to speak, a soft smile plastered on her face as she couldn't take her eyes off the maknae. "Do you ever feel like you've missed out on something?"

She scrunched her eyebrows, "What do you mean with 'something'?"

He took a deep breath, brushing his hands over his thighs as he looked down. "That's something I've always wanted to ask you... but I was never sure if... if you wanted to talk about it." He took another second to let the question fall from his lips. "...Do... you ever feel... like you've missed out on something because you're in a group with us?"

"Because you're guys?" She wondered.

The maknae nodded. "I've been wondering about that for a long time I think, but especially now... and... after our contract renewal- I don't know-" he shook his head slightly. "I just... I was asking myself that. And if... like- do you ever think about how you're life as an idol in a girl group would've been?"

[HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT HER FOR SUCH A LONG TIME]

[AND NOW HE'S ASKING HER ABOUT THIS]

[bc of the contract renewal]

[makes me kinda think what if he was scared that she wouldn't want to renew it bc of that exact reason]

[brb gotta dry my tears]

A nearly sad chuckle tumbled from Minnie's lips as she looked at the younger member in front of her. "Why are you wondering about that?" Sounding almost concerned.

[fr don't make us cry like that]

Dino shrugged. "I was always wondering about you... and the group... but... when the contract renewal became a topic... I... almost started to feel bad, I think." Minnie decided to stay quiet to let him continue and give him as much time as he needed. "I was thinking about if...if we were maybe taking something from you... or... just in general... if you feel pressured into resigning maybe for some reason."

[...]

[WE DO NOT DESERVE THIS MAN]

"Ah..." Minnie sighed, looking down at her own hands, "Why are you worrying so much, Dino?" As soon as she looked up again, the camera, as well as the youngest, caught her glassy eyes. She didn't get an answer from him in return as he just continued to look at her.

"I..." she started quietly, her right hand brushing through her hair as she looked up at the sky and gulped. "I definitely- during the contract negotiations, thought a lot about the future and... also, of course, the past and... everything that has happened and what we've been through and... also how my mindset used to be in the beginning, you know? Because it changed a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"I... I- like you asked about me missing out on something. I never felt like that. I never thought that I was missing out on... for example, being in a girl group. Because... all of you make me so so happy. And... I know that every single member is, like- I know that all of your guys' kindness and support, and... just everything about you... I couldn't ask for anything more, because... it's so much more than I could've ever imagined already. And so much better and... I don't deserve any-"

"No no, stop," he was quick to interrupt her. "You deserve everything, noona. You deserve so much more."

[i don't want to interrupt this beautiful moment but yes, I'm crying]

"No, stop!" She chuckled.

"You really deserve this."

"Well, you do too!"

"But you're doubting yourself right now!" He argued back with a sad smile.

Minnie stopped him with a wave of her hand. "No, no, I'm not, don't worry. I mean... I don't know who even in this world would deserve a group as wonderful as Seventeen, you know?"

[facts]

"You do, noona."

[BUT EVEN MORE FACTS]

"Ah, stop, you're gonna make me cry!"

[you and me both sis]

The female member chuckled as she covered her sight with one hand before trying to wipe away the tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes.

"No, don't! Please don't" Dino giggled along with her trying to find a napkin he could hand her. After his eyes landed on one clean one, he reached out with it for her to grab. Minnie thanked him.

"There were definitely times where... I doubted if I should be in a group like this, you know?"

[NO MINNIE DON'T DO THIS TO MY HEART]

She continued, and the maknae nodded while listening attentively. "Especially shortly after our debut... and during our trainee years," she cleared her throat, sitting up just a bit straighter. "None of the members have ever made me feel... like... I'm not a part of the group. You've always made me feel very included and... accepted... and just... never made me feel different, but... just... my own mindset and a lot of other things, you know? It sometimes told me that... I'm not- I'm not supposed to be here. That it's supposed to be only you guys-"

"But without you, something would definitely be missing."

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling the tears pool up again. "But I've learned not to listen to that and... just enjoy the time that we have right now. And... that made me realise that there is nothing better I could ever ask for. During our trainee days, I- I've definitely felt a bit lonely at times, of course, because... I was also growing into an adult, and that's a hard time already. But... I'm just so thankful for all of you... that's why I renewed it. I definitely didn't feel pressured by anything. I just... I couldn't imagine what else I would be doing, you know? I love you all so much, and I'm so thankful... I just want to hold onto every single member for as long as I can."

By the end of Minnie's speech, Dino's eyes had also turned slightly more glassy than before, but he continued to nod along to every word she spoke.

[seeing him like this in front of her is actually breaking my heart]

"During our trainee days, I don't think I thought much about it, but as I'm getting older, I started to realise that some times must've been very lonely for you. And I couldn't help but to feel sorry about that. Because... I don't want you to ever feel lonely. We all appreciate you so much and we hope that you can see and feel that... we really do. But when I was younger, all I thought was that it was weird but cool to have so many older brothers and one older sister because I never had that. And then... especially to have you as a sister... someone I know I can always rely on and ask for help and who I know will support me... but getting older, I just had to start thinking about what this all must be like for you. And that it must be very- ah, noona!"

And this point, there were already too many tears to count that were running down Minnie's face. She chuckled at the youngest's reaction, trying to pat away the stains on her cheeks, the silence of the night now also filled with her sobs.

"I didn't want you to cry, I'm sorry," the maknae spoke gently as he stood up, quickly wiping away his own tears that had started to fall before he pushed one of the chairs as close as possible to her. After taking a seat, he was quick to wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a comforting side hug.

"I just wanted to talk to you about this because I was thinking about it and I noticed that you're never complaining about it and have never said anything about this."

[i will stop interrupting now bc i don't even know what to say anymore]

[i love them so much]

[both of them deserve the world]

"Dino..."

"What?" He chuckled at her sigh.

"You've grown so much. You shouldn't be worrying about me or us in general like that," the tears were still running down her cheeks, but she was able to speak normally.

The maknae shook his head, "Don't say that. We all worry about each other."

"Yeah, but," she snuffled, "You're our maknae..." and looked up at him as his grip around her softened. "You haven't acted like a maknae since... I don't even know... since never. And... it's kind of... really hard to watch you grow up so quickly because... it's okay if you want to act like the maknae. You can act like a maknae! It's okay. That's what we expect from you. To see you all grown up like this and think so much about worries that shouldn't even cross your mind is really scary..."

Now it was Dino's time to look up, trying to blink away his tears. Minnie took his hand into her grasp with a sad smile.

"Please don't think that you have to grow up quickly. I feel like you couldn't even enjoy your youth much because you became a trainee so young-"

"You became a trainee at 13 too," the youngest told her with a somewhat chuckle.

Minnie nodded with a smile, "Yeah, but I was almost an adult when we debuted. You weren't. And... I feel like that may have made you want to grow up quicker than we wanted you to." She reached out to touch his cheek, running her thumb over the fresh tears that had escaped his eyes. "Please don't worry about us so much. Focus on your youth and enjoy it. And be a maknae at times. Don't be so mature, you're gonna make me sad to see you grow up!" Her scolding made both of them laugh and lean into each other.

"But-" Dino cleared his throat, "I feel like you never talk about your struggle and that worries me. I can't help but worry. You're a special person in the group. Of course, I'm gonna worry about my older sister."

"But you shouldn't," she patted his hand again. "I... I sometimes do talk to... Coups-oppa, especially. But you know... everyone has their own worries, so I don't want to hurt anyone with my worries even more."

"I know..." the maknae copied her soft tone.

"It's hard sometimes, but... yeah... everyone is struggling a little bit differently, but we all learn how to deal with it. And... we know that we can always rely on each other."

Dino nodded again. "And I just wanted you to know that you can always also rely on me."

"I know," Minnie told him in a whisper, another round of tears already making their way down her cheeks again. "But don't worry," She took a deep breath, "A lot of happy things have happened recently, so... I'm very happy as well." And smiled shyly, making the maknae copy her expression.

"I'm really happy for you." His whisper hit her ears oh so softly.

"Thank you." With a big smile, she wrapped her arms around the muscular frame of the '99 Liner. "Just remember that you'll always be our maknae. You're not the oldest here, so don't feel pressured to act like it."

"I know," he buried his face deeper into her neck. "You're a very important part of the group. And also to me. I mean it... I don't know what I would do without you, noona. I really love you."

"I love you too, Channie," she tightened the hug, noticing him doing the same, making her smile. After they released each other again, the female member took another look at the maknae.

"And you can always talk to me. You don't have to wait for a good moment or something like that. If you need to talk to me, I will listen. Doesn't matter when or where."

Dino decided to just nod, scared of the lump in his throat that was about to appear again.

[they both have been through literally so much individually]

[i'm so glad they found towards each other]

[if none of the moments from before convinced you that they need each other, i hope this one did]

[i really hope that they will be forever happy and healthy]

[also:]

[i'm actually convinced that finding someone that cares about me as much as minnie and dino care about each other would heal me from inside out]

Taglist: @waosobii @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @alixnsuperstxr @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms

#minnie 🌷#seventeen #seventeen oc #seventeen 14th member #imagine #Fan Video #kpop oc

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jinnie-ret · 1 year ago

Note

Hey can I request a fluffy comfort gif where y/n has period cramps and stays to work from home and is kind of in a bad mood so when Hyunjin comes home early from (idk doing Versace ambassador stuff lol) and he tells her he isn’t feeling well and he’s got a stomachache too, she gets annoyed and thinks he’s just teasing. But later on she realizes he’s actually sick and being serious and she feels bad and takes care of him 🎀🤭

under the weather

hyunjin x reader

gif imagine

genre: fluff, teeny tiny angst

content warnings: none

summary: you think hyunjin is teasing you as normal when you're on your period, but turns out he's not feeling too great himself.

My first gif imagine! Hope you enjoy!

As always, like, reblog if you enjoyed, and my asks are open for any requests you may have. And let me know if you'd like to be tagged when I post :)

HYUNJIN'S MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

You were used to his teasing, even when you were in a bad mood like this. Cramps, a raging headache and not enough food to satiate your cravings. Of course he always made sure you were okay too, which was why you were surprised by his quiet mood, especially since he has just come back from his recent Versace trip. You had seen plenty of posts on social media and it made you miss him even more. Why wasn't he his normal excited self?

"Hi love, I missed you," you clung onto him as he entered your apartment, looking more tired than usual.

"Mmm, yeha, missed you too," Hyunjin sighed as he walked in, automatically collapsing on the sofa.

"Wow, what a great welcome back," you roll your eyes, unable to help your bad mood from returning as you sat next to him.

"Sorry, I did miss you, I saw your texts as well, I know you've not been feeling great," he sat up slowly, stroking your hair.

"Cramps have been extra bad," you groan, leaning into him.

"I know how you feel," he groaned, leaning against you, staring off at the wall after taking a glance at you.

"Don't tease this time, they've actually been so bad," you playfully whack his stomach, but he hunches over and groans.

"Stop messing around, Jinnie," you whine.

"I'm not, got such a bad stomachache, must have been bad plane food," he hunched over again.

That's when you realise he wasn't joking around this time, it should have been obvious from his mood, you thought.

"Oh, love, I'm sorry I thought you were messing," you sighed, sitting up and wrapping an arm around him and rubbing soothing circles into his back.

"No, not this time darling," he groaned again.

"Let me get you what normally helps me," you pouted as you wiped away his small tears of pain.

You got up and grabbed two hot water bottles, slowly moving around and pouring boiling water into them, as well as two mugs of tea. First you brought over the bottles and gave him one, gently pressing it against his stomach. He immediately let out a sigh in response, seeming to relax a bit.

"Here, have some tea, take these too," you put down your mugs of tea on the table, just as you handed him some paracetamol.

"Thank you Y/Nnie, I know you're not feeling too good either," he took the tablets, curling up on the sofa.

"It's ok, you know what though, I think we'd both be comfier in bed right now, yeah?" you pushed back his hair as you planted a kiss on his forehead.

He nodded and slowly sat up, carrying the mugs as you held the hot water bottles and rested your hand on his back.

"What are we gonna do, hey? We're both gonna be like potatoes laying around in bed," you lightly laughed, the roles now reversed as you carded your hand through his hair as he cuddled up to you, head rested on your chest.

"I'll just be a potato forever then if I get to lay here forever with you," he murmured lightly, pressing a kiss to your knuckles of your other hand.

"Do you always get sentimental when you're under the weather?" you teased him now, your cramps easing ever so slightly.

"Sshhh, you, I'm unwell, you need to take care of me," he looked up at you with pouty lips.

"I will, love don't you worry," you pecked him on the lips, smiles prominent on both of your faces as you relaxed in the comfort of each other.

tagged: @skz-streamer @hannahhbahng @backintomykpopphaseagain @kiraisastay @sakufilms

#skz #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids #skz fluff #skz angst #straykids imagines #stray kids fluff #skz fic #stray kids imagines #hyunjin gifs #hwang hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x y/n #hyunjin x oc #hyunjin x you #hyunjin x reader #hwang hyunjin x you

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emswritings · 4 months ago

Text

escape room

Synopsis: you tell Regulus some big news, and Regulus tells Sirius

Wordcount: 1.0k

Author's note: @morallyundefined gave me this idea in a comment on a recent post I made, and I was immediately struck with ideas, so thanks :-)

Tags: Regulus x reader, fluff, Sirius and Regulus

—---------------------------------------------------------------------

You really should've known this was going to happen. With the way that you and Regulus go at it, you're kind of surprised it hasn't happened sooner. You were just worried about how Regulus was going to take it. You knew he loved you, and his top priority was always to protect you, so you hoped that he would expand that priority to this child.

You were nervous. Very nervous, and Regulus could tell. He could always tell when it came to you. Just like you could tell when it came to him. You two were open books with the other, so you knew that his stare meant that he was silently trying to figure out what was making you so nervous in the first place.

“Mon amour, will you tell me what's got you so worked up now?” Regulus asks once all the dishes are done and the two of you are sitting on the couch. You sigh, but say, “alright, just-stay here for a second.” With that, you go to the bedroom and get the five pregnancy tests, plus the shirt that reads “daddy in more than one way” on it and put them in a gift bag for Regulus to open.

When you walk back into the living room, you see your husband in the same spot that you left him in, though his knee is bouncing now.

“I wanted to do this a little differently, but here,” you smile, handing him the bag. He looks at you with a raised brow, but opens it anyways, breathing in harshly when he realizes what's inside it.

You expected all sorts of things, ranging from him shutting down to straight up leaving you. But what you did not expect was for him to sit there staring at one of the tests silently crying. No, you didn't prepare for that at all.

So when you sit down next to him with your hand on his knee, you really didn't expect him to pull you into the softest of hugs that you’ve ever received.

“So… you're not mad?” You ask, needing to make sure that he's happy about this. Regulus pulls away from the hug, and looks at you like you've grown two heads.

“Chérie, why would you ever think that I would be mad about a mini you coming into this world?” He asks incredulously. You smile, and let out a small laugh, “maybe it was a tad silly to think that way, but yes. This is why I was acting weird during dinner.”

Regulus smiles, and puts one hand on your stomach and one on your cheek, then leans in and kisses you. You smile when he pulls away, and say, “You know you're going to have to tell Sirius right?”

“Why’d you drag me here reg?” Sirius asks for probably the millionth time. They had just entered one of the muggle escape rooms that you had recently shown him, where Regulus was going to deliver some very big news to sirius. It had taken a lot of convincing for the employees to set all of this up, but when they found out what was happening (along with quite a bit of money), they couldn't say no to the offer.

So the fact that he still hasn't figured out how all the clues pointing to someone being pregnant could relate to them makes Regulus want to pull his hair out.

“Okay Regulus, I've been in here with you for long enough. Tell me why you brought me here. Now,” Sirius says, poking his finger in his little brother's chest teasingly.

Regulus sighs, but relents anyways, saying, “Y/N thought we could use the bonding time. She showed me this place once and I thought you might enjoy it.”

“Aww, Reggie, you do like me!” Sirius coos, hugging his brother. Regulus groans, and pushes him off, grumbling about “finishing this room already.”

It takes a few more minutes of figuring out the escape room, but eventually, Sirius asks, “have you noticed how all of these clues seem to elude to someone being pregnant?”

“Someone is pregnant Sirius,” Regulus responds, looking up from what he was doing.

“But… we’re both boys?” Regulus sighs and turns to Sirius, giving him a good hard look until it clicks in his head.

“Yes. Who else do we know that could possibly be pregnant?” He asks, trying to help Sirius along.

“Lily. Is Lily gonna have another baby?” Sirius asks.

“Why would I know that before you? Who else could be pregnant?” Regulus responds, rubbing his temples. I should've just gotten him a shirt, he thinks to himself.

“Uhhhhhh… Y/N?” Sirius guesses.

“Yes! Fucking finally, y/n est enceinte, crétin,” Regulus throws his hands up happily, glad that he figured it out.

“That's amazing! Congratulations, Reg!” Sirius cheered, hugging Regulus.

“Thank you Sirius, I'm really happy about this.”

“You should be! This is a good thing that's happening to you, you should soak up every second of it.” Sirius smiles softly at him, then continues. “Look at you. You really are all grown up now huh? You’ll be a great father, Regulus. I'm sure of it.”

“Thank you,” Regulus says quietly, a small sniffle coming out. Sirius grins, and pulls him into another hug, this one a lot softer though.

“You'll be a good uncle Sirius,” Regulus pulls away from the hug, “though i'm sure you're going to teach her things I don't approve of.”

“Her? You already know the gender and I'm just finding out?” Sirius asks incredulously.

“No. We don't know the gender yet. But I have a feeling that she'll be a girl.” Sirius barks out a laugh, and claps Regulus on the shoulder.

“Of course you do,” he shakes his head, but says, “will you be happy if it’s a boy though?”

“Sirius, if my baby is a boy, I would be the happiest man ever. But I think we’re having a girl. Now lets finish the fucking room. I have a pregnant wife to get back to.”

#harry potter marauders #marauders era #sirius black #marauders #regulus black x reader #regulus black #sirius black and regulus black #the black brothers

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elliespassagerprincess · 1 year ago

Note

I’d love if you can do window by spill tab she’s so underrated I just love your style so much

Window - (ellie williams x reader)

hi anon! I didn't even know who she was until you requested it! And you're right she is so underrated???? I've been obsessed with this song for a while now lmao... I hope you enjoy it <3

This story is based off the song Window by spill tab, if you can please listen to the song as you're reading <3

Pairing: ellie x fem!reader

requests are always open feel free to leave one and I'll take it from there:)

Warnings: reader being called annoying and pathetic and Ellie being a bitch

Summary: In which Ellie Williams made a big mistake

Authors note: maybe I should start posting twice a day??? Because I have so many requests lmao. Remember you are loved and to always be kind

I get used to ignoring

Closing the door and

Opening yours since

You've been clueless and honest

I wouldn't know the

First thing to say to you when you're here

"I love you" the text you sent Ellie read.

You loved her. You truly did. She was and will always be your one and only truly love.

The day you met Ellie, both of you felt an instant connection.

It started with a "hey" at a party and hours later the two of you were found stargazing and talking about anything and everything.

Your relationship with Ellie moved very quickly. Soon after meeting, you started dating and you practically lived with her.

Ellie always loved having you around, she always loved the way you ask her random questions. The way she'd find your hair all around her apartment after you'd gone home. The way you'd leave small trinkets as decorations.

Ellie loved everything about you.

But soon changed one night.

Ellie remembered coming home from work one night. She was exhausted. All Ellie wanted was some peace and quite but soon as she opened her front door she was met with your smiling face.

"Hi babe!" You said happily.

Ellie flinched as you brought her down for a hug.

Peace and quite.

That's all she wanted.

The rest of the night went down with you talking and asking her questions, and then begging her to cuddle.

Ellie looked down at your sleeping face and she realized just how fucking annoying you were.

You never gave her space.

Wherever she looked you were there. Wherever she breathed, you appeared.

All Ellie wanted was space and to be alone.

Ellie felt bad. She felt bad for finding you annoying when you have always been sweet and loving to her.

Out of all the relationships Ellie has been in, the one with you was the most special to her.

She couldn't leave you because she knew deep down she'll never find someone better than you.

Ellie tried ignoring you. Distancing herself from you. But it never worked. You'd always show up with a smile on your face asking what's wrong.

There were pieces of you everywhere in Ellie's apartment so you were never technically gone.

Ellie let out a sigh as she stared at the message you sent.

How does she reply to this?

You were always so genuine. So honest. You loved her but she doesn't feel anything for you anymore.

Should she lie and say she loved you back?

All Ellie did was reply with a heart emoji, and she switched off her phone.

You were clueless. Clueless that the love of your life didn't love you anymore. Clueless that Ellie hated you with everything within her and it made her sick being around you.

What Ellie is doing to you was sick. Staying in a relationship with someone you don't love was wrong. But Ellie didn't know how to leave.

How do you easily leave a 3 year relationship?

And Ellie didn't want to hurt your feelings.

How would she even start the conversation?

"Hey! I think you're annoying, let's break up!"

No. That would be a dick move.

At a point she couldn't get enough of you, now she couldn't stand looking at you.

I'll push away like I did like when I had you clear

It's the crux of the nature to crave what is not near

(I think I'm done)

Having to hold your hand and keep you over the water

(I think I'm done)

Having to hold your hand and keep you over

Ellie had a bad day.

She ran out of gas halfway to work, she spilled her coffee onto herself so she had to drive all the way home to change. She ended up being 3 hours late to work and she got into trouble. Ellie got yelled at, the printer didn't work, she missed her deadline, and she spilled coffee on herself again.

So yeah she had a shitty day.

Ellie sat in her car, with her head against the steering wheel. She let out a loud sigh.

She was so exhausted from today, that she wasn't sure that she could even get out the car.

She let out a groan when she heard her phone ring. Without checking she picked up her phone, and answered: "hello?" With an irritated tone.

"Ellie?" she heard you whimper from the other side.

She rolled her eyes.

You were fucking crying? Again?

"What happened?" she asked.

"Well I had a bad day" you started.

And Ellie lost it.

"You had a bad day? I had a worse one. You are so fucking overdramatic and annoying! Oh my God every time I hear your voice, I want to stab myself so bad "Oh Ellie I had a bad day"" she mimicked you after her rant.

"Well all of us have bad days so, shut the fuck up and grow up" she yelled.

Ellie was heavily breathing at this point. She was tired of looking after you. She was done holding your hand and being nice to you when you were a grown ass women.

She heard you sniffle on the other side of the phone.

"You can't even say anything" Ellie chuckled. "You're so fucking pathetic"

"You're being mean Els"

"I'm being honest"

A few seconds of silence filled the air before Ellie spoke again.

"Look I think we should break up, please come get your things, I'm so tired of this- of us"

"ok" was all you said before you hanged up.

Ellie felt relived. She felt free. She felt like she could think clearly again without you.

A few days later when Ellie got back from work she saw you in her apartment.

It looked empty without all your things. Her apartment didn't look like home anymore.

Ellie awkwardly, stood at the counter as she watched you pack the last box into your car.

You walked over to Ellie not saying a word, you didn't even make eye contact, as you lowered your set of keys into her hands.

Ellie watched as you turned around and walked to your car, not looking back at her.

"Hey! I'm sorry about how things ended" Ellie spoke.

She watched as you stopped and turned around to look at her. With teary eyes you gave her a smile and said "it's ok" And with that you got into your car and you drove away.

All Ellie did was hope that breaking up with you was the right thing to do.

Open up the window by my bed

Hoping you'll come crawling in like back then

Open up a window in my head

I'm hoping you'll infect me like you did back then

Did back then

I'll push away like I did when I had you clear

It's the crux of my nature to crave what is not near

Ellie opened the window and she let out a sigh as she gazed towards the stars.

She felt defeated. Tired. Angry. She felt regret. She felt empty.

Her apartment once filled with color, once filled with you, was empty.

It felt as empty as her heart did when you drove away that day.

She realized in that moment, the moment she saw the way your eyes teared, the way you said "it's ok" with smile, she knew she made a mistake.

Why would you smile with the women that broke your heart?

Ellie had hoped you'd crawl back to her. She'd hope you'd call her and tell her how much you missed her.

But you didn't.

It's been 6 months and you still had her blocked on everything.

Ellie hoped she'd see you again in public, so that she could run to you and say sorry.

But it was as if you had vanished.

They say you miss something when you've lost it and Ellie finally understands. Now that she has lost you, she realized what she had lost.

She'd never find someone so loving, so caring, so kind as you.

Ellie never hated you. She found you annoying but she soon realized that she took her stress and own problems out on you.

You didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve Ellie. You deserve someone better. Someone who could actually communicate with you.

What the two of you had was gone. And there was no what in hell that you'd be able to rekindle.

All Elle could do was look out her window and pray that maybe just maybe you'll come back.

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guppydoll · 1 year ago

Text

This Isn't Barbie Land: Chapter 1

Ken x Fem!Reader

You are working away as a waitress at a night club when the oddest man came up to you after your shift and accidentally swept you off your feet. Yet you don't know if you are ready for another relationship after the disaster that was your last one. You just hope everything goes nice and easy.

Ken is your doll and he wants you to teach him how to be human and help you through the pain you've been feeling.

This first chapter felt rushed to me a little but it's all the world building setting up the plot of the story and what's to come. Enjoy this little dabble and I promise I have a ton planned. It's also my first time writing in second person. Forgive me if there are some grammar errors and feel free to leave any critique on this story! I wanna always improve and I love feedback!

I also did a quick once through for editing cause buh, I hate editing and I just wanted to post it. Also I wanna say I got inspired from the heart beat part of this story from Nothing Natural by @interpolanticssuperfan . Their fanfic is super amazing please also check them out

This story is 18+ but I'll add in the warnings if there is any smut in the chapter.

Warnings: None for this one aside from mild swearing, alcohol consumption, and jokes about sex/mentions of sex. (Ken is virgin so get ready for Reader having to teach Ken about sex soon enough)

Words: 1893

You knew it was always a bad idea to stay for a drink after your shift ended, but after the night you had it had become a necessity. Another rough night of running around on your feet in heels that could qualify as an OSHA violation. You pulled your skirt down, trying to give yourself some modesty. Not that you disliked mini skirts, you loved them! You just hated the feeling of eyes burning into your skin and longing looks drunk men would give you as you brought them their drinks. At least the tips made it worth it.

You downed your cocktail quickly, scanning the crowd of partying people. You noticed a very tall blonde with women huddling around him until you would see their faces scrunch up after he spoke and they would walk away, only for another woman to try her shot at the blonde. He had a complete look of innocence and just the biggest smile, not seeming to understand when a girl would run her hand up his chest. It made you giggle, he was nothing like any of the regulars.

He was stunning, even though it was hard to see him in the dull light of the club. His big blue eyes danced all around the place. He would smile like a child as a waiter would walk past holding a tray filled with sparkling drinks. When he suddenly made eye contact with you, you felt a rush of chills. He was similar to a doll, staring back at you with a big bright smile and glossy eyes. You shifted nervously as he raised his hand to you and waved as if you were an old friend. Your hand twitched, wanting to wave back at him. He had to be waving to someone else as you glanced back to the bar you were sitting at and raised your hand for another drink.

“Seems blondie likes you.” The bartender brought your refill, just a plain vodka cranberry. Simple but it tasted good and you enjoyed the little buzz.

“I’ve never seen someone like him before.” You turned to your coworker. She was the other reason you stayed after. Claire was fiery and always soothed your nerves. She had been there for you when no one else was. “He’s got quite the crowd around him.”

“He’s had the crowd since he’s walked in here but no girl has seemed to have won him over.” Claire laughed, stealing a sip from your drink.

“Hey, people are allowed to be picky.” You swatted at your friend, taking back your glass. The chills hadn’t left. It was the feeling described as seeing your soulmate for the first time. The air knocked out of your lungs, goosebumps running over your skin but deep warmth flooded your entire body. It had to be the vodka.

Claire grinned like a cat and winked, pointing behind you. You gave a swift glance behind you, bringing the glass to your lips not expecting your view of the entire bar to be blocked by the chest of the blonde you had been staring at before. Fuck. He was hot from a distance but up close he was godly.

“Hi! I really love your dress! You look beautiful!” The blonde smiled brightly as compliments kept tumbling from his perfect mouth. “I’m Ken!”

“Hi…” You stared blankly at him, the blonde- um- Ken, who waited attentively for your name. “I’m y/n, and thank you. This is just my uniform, I work here.”

It was a tight pvc mini dress, uncomfortable to wear but it matched the theme of the night club. Every waiter and waitress was meant to be eye candy for the guests.

“It’s something Barbie would wear!”

You cringed a little at his comment, he was right. This was like a cheap doll outfit, leaving little to the imagination.

“I love it y/n!” Ken beamed so brightly you thought you would go blind.

“What?”

“I love it!” The man took your free hand in his. “You’re the prettiest girl here! I don’t understand it, you just took my breath away. All of the Kens would be so jealous if I brought you back to Barbie Land but I made a bet with Ken that I wouldn’t come back to Barbie Land cause I could make it in the real world just has Barbie had.”

He was either insane or the drunkest person here, but he was stupid hot. You just nodded your head slightly, sipping more from your drink. Ken was still holding your hand and pulled you up quickly, your drink spilling over both of you. You could barely react as he pulled you through the crowd.

You shot a panicked look at Claire, only for her to give a toothy smile and a big thumbs up. She was gonna pay for this, she had been trying for you to get back into the dating scene ever since… he had left the city. You placed your cup on a tray of a passing waiter and you tugged Ken to a stop.

“Where are we going Ken?” Taking his other hand in yours, his hands were massive… the alcohol had definitely gotten to you. Images of his hand wrapped around your throat or holding your hips to his, danced in your brain.

“The beach, y/n! I’m way better on the beach! You’ll love me on the beach!”

Better on the beach? What did that even mean? If this had been any other man you would have started screaming bloody murder but something about Ken was enduring. You know it was stupid to trust some random stranger but you knew he didn’t have the ability to cause harm to even a fly.

“What? For beach sex? I’d recommend taking me to dinner first.” You knew your inhibitions were lowered but that had slipped from your mouth without you even thinking.

“Sex?” Ken paused and looked down at you, still smiling dumbly. “What’s sex?”

“You don’t know what sex is?”

“Well, of course I know what it is.” Ken’s whole demeanor changed instantly and puffed out his chest. “Just seeing if you know what sex is.”

“Yes, I know what sex is.” You answered as he looked you up and down.

“Well good then yes that is what we are gonna do. Sex on the beach. I’m good at everything Beach.”

It was obvious he had no idea what he was talking about. You started to giggle. Who on earth was this man?

“Hey!” Ken had panic written all over his face, “Please don’t laugh at me! Y/n!”

His whining was adorable and you led him out of the club, feeling the humid air of the outside hit your skin. This was a first but you were the experienced one here even though he appeared far older than you. You didn’t get it but this odd man was pulling you in.

“It’s okay if you don’t know what sex is. I was kidding anyway.” You smirked. “Let's just go to the beach Ken.”

His blinding smile returned and began pulling you to the sandy shore.

“That’s a relief! I have zero clue what that is. We don’t have that in Barbie Land.”

It was hard to walk in the soft sand in heels so you kicked them off and left them behind. You’d find them later, right now the very handsome and even stranger man in front of you was more important.

Ken had started talking again, something about Barbies and plastic waves. It was absolute nonsense spilling from the blonde. You finally understood why all of the women that had approached him turned away absolutely appalled.

You plopped yourself on the warm sand, entranced by Ken’s bizarre story. He was waving his arms around, explaining about how once he tried to impress Barbie by surfing the waves but got thrown into the air. He didn’t break anything because he is super cool and super strong. Then he started about how after Barbie left Barbie Land some of the Kens started putting him down for being “Barbie-less”.

“But I’m Ken!” Ken huffed and placed his hands on his hips. “I’m enough! They just don’t understand it! Some do but Ken always has to one up me!”

“You are all named Ken?”

He paused and focused down on you, scrunching his brows.

“Yes. It’s what Mattel named us.”

“Mattel?” You sober upped after hearing that. “The toy company?”

“Yeah! I’m a Ken! Or I was, now I’m Ken. Just Ken. Not a Ken.” The blonde gave you a million dollar smile. “I’m my own man, tiny baby.”

You just sat there, gaping at the weird man. He was telling you he was the boy doll that came along with the popular Barbie doll. You only had one Ken as a kid but you had at least 10 Barbies. The craziest part? You believed everything he was saying.

“You’re a doll.”

Ken flopped down right in front of you, nodding his head vigorously. He took your hand again and compared its size to his.

“Not just a doll.” Ken was entranced by how petite your hand was compared to his. “When I saw you, I had this feeling. I’ve never had this feeling before, but I know you Y/N. I think I'm your doll.”

“My doll?”

“Yes!” Ken laced his fingers with yours. “Weird Barbie told us that every Barbie and Ken have someone that's playing with them. Even Allan and Midge have someone playing with them.”

“I haven’t played with a doll in years. How does that even work?”

“I’m not sure how it works either. All I know is you’re my girl.”

You were thankful it was dark outside so Ken couldn’t see how flushed your face had gotten. This had to be a dream. You stared at your hand being held by Ken’s, you felt oddly complete.

“Can you help me, Y/N?” Ken’s voice was soft, timid almost. “I wanted to find you, the one who had been playing with me. It wasn’t because Ken dared me. I’ve been feeling lonely, unlovable. I thought it would be fixed after I realized I wasn’t just a Ken but it didn’t go away. I went to Weird Barbie and she told me it was the feelings of the girl who had played with me. You are feeling like this and I don't get it!”

Ken forced your hand to his chest, his skin was warm. You expected to feel a heartbeat but his chest was entirely still aside from the rise and fall of his chest from breathing. The lack of a thump in his rips killed the rest of your doubts.

“I want to become like you. I want to be human. Then I can help you.”

“You feel what I feel?”

“Not everything, just the feelings deep down.” He squeezed your hand like a vice. “Please, Y/N. There is so much I wanna learn about. Then I can help you not feel lonely and unlovable!”

“Okay, Ken. I’ll try to teach you.” You smiled gently and it startled you when you felt a beat in his chest. Ken was also alarmed by the new sensation he was feeling.

“You have a heartbeat Ken.”

“I have a heartbeat... you gave me a heartbeat.”

Next Chapter

Tag List! Lemme know if you wanna be added in the comments!

@stanfanfiction

#ryan gosling #barbie #ken x reader #ryan gosling smut #ryan gosling ken #ryan gosling x reader #barbie 2023 #fanfic #ken doll #ken x you #ken x fem reader #ken smut #the barbie movie #barbie movie #barbie the movie #ken barbie #guppydoll #ryan gosling fanfic #fanfiction

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the-blue-eyed-firebender · 4 months ago

Note

royai fic recs?

Ahhh friend you've read my mind! I actually started making another Royai fic rec post and it's been sitting in my drafts for a couple of days! Thanks for the ask, and enjoy! ❤️

Yet Another Royai Fic Rec

(I keep making these.)

My Girl Claudine by Leelo_Forever

Rating: G

Word Count: 2.2K

Summary: On a night out with the team, Riza's attempts to avoid dwelling on today's date are almost working.

Excerpt: “Stay on beat!” shouts the Colonel while watching their feet, one arm in the air, the other slung over Breda's shoulders, with Havoc at the end of the line. The patrons begin to clap to the rhythm of their footfalls and she watches as the Colonel looks up and around, smiling and glassy eyed, shirtsleeves rolled, jacket discarded, and collar askew, crushed under Breda’s forearm. All three are breathless and rosy cheeked, grinning through their concentration.

“Louder!” he yells at the pub’s revelers, laughing as men begin to bang on the tables and stomp their feet from their seats. They are all going to be in sorry shape in the morning.

My thoughts: A vivid bar scene, a lighthearted moment with the Mustang team, and a lovely, quippy exchange between our two favorites. If you're looking for meaningful fluff, this story really hits the spot. And the song is just *chef's kiss*. It's that good I was fully expecting it to be a real song, not just part of this story. I was highly disappointed when I typed the lyrics into Spotify and nothing came up.

Want You to Live by @starwritingbri

Rating: T

Word Count: 4K

Summary: After telling the Colonel not to perform human transmutation for her sake, Riza finds herself slipping away. She has a conversation with an old friend about life, death, and Roy Mustang. (NOT a major character death fic!)

Excerpt: The man sitting next to Riza felt like he’d been there for as long as she could remember, and yet she knew he hadn’t been for a long time. Time felt more difficult to grasp than ever before. As a sniper, it would warp as her focus narrowed on a target, or in meetings where the speaker felt too self-important to get to the point. Seconds and minutes rarely felt like the allotted times they were supposed to be, but this situation brought an entirely new sensation to time distorting.

Riza sat up to get a better look at her companion. “Maes?”

My thoughts: Gut wrenchingly emotional and poetic, amazing characterization, and the scene this author created was so vivid in my head it was like watching a movie. The dialogue here is poignant and bittersweet, and Maes Hughes is captured so beautifully it's almost painful. Gosh, I love this piece, A+ angst with a happy ending.

two tickets to the rabbit hole, please by @chryseis (lovelyleias on AO3)

Rating: T

Word Count: 2.9K

Summary: A selection of letters exchanged between Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye from 1903 to 1908.

Excerpt: Dear Mister Mustang,

It pleases me to hear that you’re finally getting along with your rival. I must say, antagonizing someone over a piece of quiche is very strange.

My father is well, thank you for asking. Sometimes I hear things in the night–terrible sounds that I cannot explain, coming from the attic where he keeps his office. I have a sense that something is going to happen soon. But sometimes I wish I was an alchemist, so that I might understand him better. You probably think that’s silly. It probably is!

I hope your birthday was fun. Did you do anything exciting? You strike me as someone who enjoys their own birthday very much.

Best,

Riza Hawkeye

My thoughts: This one is a masterpiece, full stop. I've read this one several times, and keep coming back to it. Each letter is a progression of their long-distance relationship, a token of their importance to one another and how it deepens over time. And I love the poignancy of the strikethroughs. Roy's second to last letter absolutely shattered my heart, I actually had to stop what I was doing to absorb the feelings it gave me.

I first found this story by listening to the podfic version by the incredibly talented @klainelynch, who performs it so well. Highly, highly recommend.

Your hands, holding me up by @lassusog

Rating: T

Word Count: 3.6K

Summary: After a mission gone wrong, Riza wakes to find that her memories are gone. Her colleagues, best friend and her -surprisingly- very caring superior are there to offer help.

Excerpt: For the second time she locks eyes with the man in the coat.

“What’s your name?” he asks her quietly.

“I-,” she begins. Her pulse thunders against her temple. The man’s eyes bore into hers like he already knows the answer. So she gives it to him, because the realization is too heavy for her to carry alone.

“I don’t remember.”

The room goes deadly quiet.

My thoughts: This is one of the first fics I read in this fandom. It gets rec'd a lot, and for very good reason. This story is captivating right out the gate. I feel like memory loss is a trope often used but seldom done right. This author has done it right.

And this dialogue. THIS. DIALOGUE. Oof it just sizzles. The team's banter. Rebecca and Mustang's bickering. Mustang's gentleness and his suave sense of humor. Perfection, all of it.

The characterization is spot-on, especially for Riza, which is so impressive as she herself doesn't know who she's suppose to be, and yet she still comes across as herself (does that make sense?)

More Royai fic recs: here and here

#royai #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #fanfiction #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #fma #fmab #royai fanfiction #ao3 #fanfic #royai fic rec #fic rec

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yagirlwrites · 11 months ago

Text

(Not) My Baby (4)

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Synopsis: Y/N makes a decision with the help of her friends but Rafe isn't going to like it.

A/N: Not me posting this at 1am on a Thursday lmao! Y'all it's finally here! Part 4! I have been in such a massive slump and had huge writers block for many months. Honestly don't know how I wrote this tbh🤣 That being said I'm not super happy about my writing here but I'm posting it because y'all deserve to get it immediately, you've waited long enough! Hope you enjoy this part! Love you all❤️

Series Masterlist

My work is my own; it's not to be copied, transferred or translated. Reblogs, comments, feedback are always welcome and appreciated❤️

Happy reading! 🥰

(Not) My Baby (Part 4)

"So what are you gonna do?" Y/N sighed at her friend's question. She knew it was wishful thinking that they might finish breakfast before Stella brought up the issue. To be fair to her, she hadn't mentioned it all night and Y/N managed to actually get some sleep because of it.

But now it was time to face the music and deal with her problem. Fuck.

"What are we talking about?" Lena's voice came from the doorway, the girl looking like she had been through the wringer. The girls at the table almost giggled at her messy appearance, given her usual insistance on being put together at all times.

"Well, hello to you too. Couldn't be bothered sending a text that you'd be home late? Again?" Lena blushed at Stella's words, knowing she was right and she had messed up. Yet again.

Since her and Kelce started dating she had become more and more forgetful of their rule - always let each other know where you're staying the night. They had a few rules in their roomate agreement, this one being the most important one. Hell, she invented the rule herself. And yet, here she was, constantly breaking it.

She knew Stella wasn't really mad, but it still made her feel embarrased. How she let a guy distract her like that so often, she didn't understand.

"Yeah... Sorry." She let out a sheepish smile and Stella rolled her eyes, motioning her to join them at the table.

"While you were getting busy with your man, we have been in a crisis!" Lena's eyes widened, slightly concerned, slightly suspicious.

"Expand." Y/N's head met the table and let out a muffled groan. Lena looked at the girl in confusion.

"What happened??" Stella folded her hands, getting ready for a dramatic retelling. Y/N remained face planted on the table while Stella caught Lena up to the latest drama.

Many 'he did whats' and 'oh my god's' later, interrupted by both Stella's and Lena's laughter at the sandwich incident, Lena was finally in the know about the Rafe situation. And boy was she loving it.

"I fucking knew he was into you! I knew it-"

"Can you please not?" Y/N had gotten up from the table and planted herself on the couch mid-story, not wanting to deal with any of it so early in the morning. Or ever. Preferably she would deal with it never. She just wanted to go back to bed and sleep for several weeks. She was exhausted.

Lena and Stella gave eachother knowing looks but said nothing further about it. Instead they plopped down on the couch either side of her and Y/N knew the ordeal was far from over. They wouldn't let her keep ignoring it. Sometimes she hated having friends who knew her too well.

"So what are you gonna do?" This time it was Lena posing the dreaded question.

"I don't know." It was an honest answer. The only one she had. But she knew her friend would not be satisfied with it.

"Well what do you think?" Y/N closed her eyes, trying to mentally prepare for everything that was about to unfold.

"I don't know...." She sounded tired. And Stella felt a pang of hurt on her friend's behalf.

Lena, however was not going to accept that as an aswer. She was a doer, she always thought three moves ahead and prepared for everything. 'I don't know' was not in her vocabulary. Usually that was someting Y/N loved about her, but at this moment she resented it.

"Well lets figure it out." Lena started. "It is a good opportunity."

"I know that." Y/N begrudgingly admited.

"So what's holding you back?" Y/N looked at Lena as if she was stupid for posing the question. Lena was not bothered.

"Don't say it's cause you don't like him because I know that's not really the reason. You're pragmatic, you know this is a good chance to network. So I'll ask again. What's holding you back?"

While Lena was right about her being pragmatic, she just didn't understand how big of a factor her dislike for Rafe was in her dillema. Whereas Lena couldn't fathom why she'd let something silly like that get in the way of a good opportunity to make connections, she felt sick to her stomach at the thought. The mere idea of being on his arm while he flaunted her was making her flushed with anger. She knew she couldn't explain it to her friends though, so she didn't even try.

"I don't know. I just hate the idea of giving him what he wants and seeing his smug face-"

"You're getting something out of it too." Lena, annoyingly pointed out.

"Not as much as him." At Y/N's words, Lena finally grinned.

"There it is." Lena's words made Y/N look at her in confusion.

"What?"

"What's holding you back. You think its an unfair deal. He's getting more out of it than you are." Lena explained.

Y/N's brow furrowed in thought. Stella was quiet the entire time, knowing not to interrupt the two girls when they're debating something. She learned long ago it was a bad idea. It was best to let them figure it out and not get involved.

Y/N realized Lena was right. She was feeling resentment because she felt like she would be giving him a lot more than she'd be getting in return and it made her real mad.

"Yeah... I guess so." Lena nodded.

"Good."

"Good?" Y/N asked, exasperated.

"Yes, good. Now we know the problem. Now we can solve it." Lena said as if it was the simples thing in the world.

"Oh it's that simple?" Y/N's sarcasm was felt but ignored as Lena continued.

"So what do you want?" Y/N looked at her confused, again.

"What do I want?" She repeated.

"So what do you want that he can give you?" Lena asked again. Y/N frowned.

"Yes. He's getting the better end of the deal. So even the odds." She was explaining it as if it was obvious. Y/N didn't think so.

"I don't want anything from him."

"Don't be stubborn." Lena interrupted. "There's always something you can get from someone. It's just a matter of figuring out what you want."

"I don't want anything from him!" Y/N repeated, a bite in her voice.

"Now you're just being childish."

"Let's not get nasty." Stella finally piped up, seeing that this was not going in the right direction.

"How am I being childish?" Y/N bit out.

"You're letting your feelings cloud your judgement. Stop letting your dislike of him lead the converstation." Lena spoke evenly, making sure not to push Y/N further than she had. They could both be stubborn and they knew it. Lena didn't want to fight. She was just trying to help her friend. The problem was she wasn't always the best at showing it.

"Okay, lets take a step back." Stella interjected. Hands up in what she hoped was a calming gesture.

"I think what Lena is trying to say is that you might be holding yourself back from something that could benefit you because you're letting your feelings for Rafe get in the way of seeing the bigger picture."

"I don't have feelings for Rafe." She quipped back.

"You know what I meant, Peach." Stella's use of her nickname softened Y/N's features some. She was realizing Rafe was now causing her to fight with her friends. The thought infuriated her. No way.

Y/N sighed and closed her eyes, trying to clear her head. They were right. When it came to Rafe, he always managed to unhinge her and anger would lead her actions. But she was smarter than that. She wouldn't let him get in the way of her friendships. And she wasn't going to let him being a dick be the reason why she misses on a good opportunity. One that could do her a lot of good in the future.

That's when it hit her.

When she opened her eyes her friends were looking at her with bathed breaths, anxious for her next move.

"There is something." Lena smiled.

"But he'll never go for it." Y/N was doubting herself. It was crazy.

"Babe, he's in a position where he can't refuse you. He's got a lot to gain from this but he also has a hell of a lot more to lose if you say no." Lena reasoned.

"She's right. I'm pretty sure you could get a kindey out of him if you wanted to." Stella joked and the girls laughed.

"That's a bit much, Pumpkin." Stella beamed at her friends words.

"All we're saying is, he won't be able to refuse you. He's desperate. He needs you." Lena explained.

"Okay." The girls grinned, Stella jumping up in excitement.

"So what is it?!" Y/N smirked. Oh it was a good one and he was going to hate it so much. The thought made her giddy.

--------

It had been days since the sandwich shop. Since he poured all his shame out to her and asked her to help him. Since he embarrased himself thoroughly and put his fate in her hands.

It has been days of radio silence. He was getting antsier every second, feeling like he might crawl out of his skin in suspence. Truth was, he had no idea what was going to happen. She really didn't like him and she could refuse to help him so easily, leaving him the deep deep hole he dug for himself. She didn't owe him anything. He wasn't great to her in the past and he regreted it. Had regreted it for a long time. He tried making things up with her for months but she was so unreceptive to his efforts, and then she pushed his buttons and he'd lose himself all over again.

And now he was at her mercy. She could embarrass him by telling the whole world about what he had done. Or she could just ignore him, letting him stew in his misery. Leaving him stranded and giving his father the perfect opportuinity to cut him off for good. Disown him even. He was losing his mind.

It has been days and everyone around him could feel his sour mood. He was twitchy, easily irritable, incapable of focusing on anything and constantly fiddling with his phone. Constantly writing and deleting texts, to what they assumed was the same mystery person.

None of his friends knew what the hell was going on with him but none dared ask, knowing it would most likely end with him shutting them out further. He was moodier than usual, which they didn't think possible.

Kelce and Topper knew the only person who could ever affect him like that was his father. Or Y/N. Both in very different ways, of course, but in simmilar intensity.

His friends never knew what it was that him and Y/N had going on, never understood the odd relationship. They knew they'd get punched if they brought it up though, they learned it the hard way.

His father was a whole other story. They both knew, for the most part, how Ward Cameron treated his son. Having grown up with Rafe, they'd seen enough of their fraught dynamic to understand there were serious issues there. Their friend never confided in them fully though, preferring not to talk about his father at all. But every once in a while he'd get that glazed over look in his eyes, the dark cloud around him palpable. They knew then that something had happened involving his father.

This time was different though. He wasn't depressed, he wasn't angry from an argument with his dad. He also wasn't buzzing with nerves and excitement from a row with Y/N. It was unusal and unnerving and the entire appartment was enveloped in the odd energy.

So when Kelce had insisted he needed a night out Topper agreed. Kelce had demanded he needed to unwind and that after football practice he expected his two best friends to take him out for drinks and help him get his head straight. They agreed, Topper knowing Klece's plans had nothing to do with his own well being - and Rafe because Kelce rarely ever expressed that he was having issues, usually the most chill out of the group. It made him feel too guilty to reject him. Even though he'd rather do anything but go out tonight.

But there he was, waiting for Kelce to finish up his practice so they can go to the bar where he fully intended to excuse himself after an hour. The sun was just beginning to set as he fiddled with his phone in his hands, willing it to do something, snap him out of his misery. The orange and pinkish hues enveloped the sky as he heard someone approach him in the parking lot. He was leaning on his car as he looked behind him and nearly dropped his phone in shock.

There she was. She was standing right in front of him, the last rays of sun casting a halo around her. She took his breath away.

For a moment he stood there gaping at her, not quite able to process that she was actually here after days of no contact, after days of him wishing she'd call or text or even email him, give him anyhing to go by.

She cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence. He snapped out of his daze and took an unconscious step forward. She eyed him warily. He looked rough. As if he hadn't slept.

A sliver of guilt crossed through her but she quickly crushed that down. This whole situation is his fault and she had every right to take even more time, than just a few days, to get back to him. She reminded herself to keep her head in the game, to not get distracted.

"Hey." She spoke first.

"Hey." He sounded breathy, unsure.

"Can we talk?" He nodded, nervous to what she was there to say. He wasn't sure how she found him but guessed she probably talked to Lena. Lena would know he was waiting for Kelce.

"I've thought about your proposition." He gulped, bracing himself for the worst.

"Yeah?" He wished she would just rip off the band-aid and reject him instead of dragging it out.

"I've realized you'd be getting a lot more out of it than me -"

"What do you want?" He interrupted her, cringing inwardly at the sharp glare he was met with. But he couldn't wait another second.

"For future notice, I want you to not interrupt me again." He almost rolled his eyes, almost.

"Noted. What do you want?" He sounded nervous and she almost smiled. Almost.

She looked to he right, taking her time to apreciate his vehicle, letting him stew for a few more agonizing moments while he waited for her answer.

He looked at her, impatient, ready to jump out of his skin, shake her, fall to his knees, beg her to just say it.

Her eyes met his again and she smiled. It was a beautiful sight, but he quickly realized the smile was one of mischief. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. She glanced back at his car. Then back to him. Then back to the car. Then back to him. She gave him a pointed look, raising her eyebrows.

He looked on in confusion and she rolled her eyes at his ignorance.

"The car." She finally spoke. His heart was hammering in his chest from the suspense.

"Huh?"

She looked back at the car and he followed her eyes finally realizing what it was she was saying.

"No way." He spoke before he could even process his words. She nodded her head.

"Okay." She shrugged, swiflty turned around and started walking away. No look back, no explanation, no chance to barter. Panic rose in his chest.

"Wait!" She stopped in her tracks but didn't bother turning around. His mind was running a thousand miles an hour. This couldn't be what she was asking of him? Surely she wasn't that crazy? Surely she didn't expect him to give her his car.

His car. A black, 1967 Ford Mustang, complete with white stripes. A picture of sleek elegance and power, with the classic leather interior and and an upgraded motor, the rev of which caused goosebumps to rise on his skin every time he turned on the key. His pride and joy. The first thing he ever bought for himself. His father protested, of course he did. He would have preferred a more modern vehicle, something that showed status. Not an old muscle car. But Rafe was adamant and as soon as he turned eighteen and got access to his trust fund, he found Clarence and never looked back.

She was his most trusted companion, which is why it was hitting hard that Y/N wanted to take her from him. Couldn't she have picked anything else?

"You seriously want me to just give you my car?" His voice was incredulous. She turned around and calmly walked back to him, as if she had all the time in the world.

"Of course not. I'm not that cruel. Or crazy." She smirked while he looked at her in confusion. What was she getting at?

"I don't expect you to give it to me. Not forever anyway." He blinked at her, still confused.

"I want free use of your car for... In the name of fairness, let's say I'd get to keep it for as long as this charade lasts." His heart was slowing down some, glad she wasn't insisting on actually taking his car from him.

"So... when was it you told your family we were dating, again?" He gulped, redness on his neck and cheeks visible.

"Three months ago" he almost whispered. Her eye twitched but she forced herself to stay calm. The prick.

"And how long did you tell them we've been together?" He gupled again. This was more and more emabrrassing with every minute.

"Three months." She swallowed down her anger that was rising again at his bullshit.

"So let's say six months backlog... and however long this continues. That's how long I get to keep the car. That sound fair to you?"

He wanted to say no. To argue. To call her crazy and beg her to pick something, anything else. But by the look in her eyes he knew it would be pointless and only serve to further his embarrassement. She was determined. This is what she wants. And he has no choice but to give it to her. He has no fucking choice and she knows it.

"Fine. But-" she interrupts him before he can finish his sentence.

"Gas included." He nearly choked on his saliva at her words. She was pushing him to his limits. She wanted him to pay for her gas too, while she drove his car around flaunting it in his face. The redness on his face was now also from anger. She was enjoying this.

"Fine. Fine!" She smiled.

"But that's it!" He continued. "I agree to this and we have a deal? You'll do it? No second guessing, no going back on it. You'll do it?"

He was looking at her with such desparation it tugged at her heart. This really was important to him.

"Yeah. Yeah I'll do it." She nodded along with her words.

He felt like crying. It was as if a ton of weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was still upset about Clarence. Obviously he was. But mostly he was relieved and happy that he wouldn't have to be embarrassed in front of his family. That she was going to do it. She was going to help him. He wanted to hug her in thanks or yell at her for manipulating him. He wanted to pass out from all the stress - of the situation, of the past few days, of suspence.

"So when's this wedding?" She dreaded asking because if there's anything this situation had taught her is that Rafe always can and will piss her off more than she thought possible. Every single time.

He was nervous again. He sighed and Y/N knew she wasn't going to like the words that came out of his mouth.

"Two weeks." He finally said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

----

Taglist: if anyone wants to be tagged in future work let me know; @r0und3bitch @lovelornanonymity @mentallynot-here @wishing-i-was-rafes-princess @goldenjo @emeloyy @kanib45 @clinelyn @magnificantmermaid @hey-sunrisee @mannstarkey @harringtonstudios @totallynotkaibiased @popcrone818 @bookaholics-stuff @zzzina7 @fangirlwithlou @namelesssav @rafesxgold @cmac-writes @malfoytargaryen @alinaharlow @mveggieburger @theyluvmesblog @withbeautyandrage @sierrahhh @harrys-humble-housewife @piceous21 @vifuckingp @ditzyballerina @xoxo3m1ly @jessmaybank @whore-4-drewstarkey @palmwinemami @mew227 @dustbunniess @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @starkowswife

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sylo-writes-stuff · 1 year ago

Text

Sleepless nights

Syzoth × reader

|| Introduction || Masterlist || Simp Rants ||

Cw: insomnia, angst, mental breakdown?, over thinking , comfort, nb reader, sleepy!Syzoth, tired!reader, insecurity, possibly ooc, no use of y/n

Summary: Syzoth helps you with your insomnia^^

A/n: welp as of posting this it's 8:15am I started writhing this at like 5am. Um safe to say this was pretty much what I was going through. Though I irl do not plan on sleeping I already fucked up my sleep schedule as it is. Also I love this man so much he's so ahhh bark bark. Anyways hope you enjoy this^^ requests are open don't be shy to request/ask for specific characters

Word count: 1,075

You've been unable to sleep at night for the past couple of weeks now. Staying up way past the time you said you would and Syzoth has noticed your routine, the way the bed shifts as you stir around the bed trying to get comfortable but you eventually sit up and stay like that for hours. You lay down in bed having your mind set on sleeping, body aching, eyes tired, ready for sleep, body feeling heavy, but your mind is racing. You say you're going to sleep and you want to your exhausted. But your mind won't let you, suddenly it's the best time to wonder what you'll eat for dinner. But then your mind shifts to different thoughts.

Much more emotional thoughts you had pushed to tomorrow you, and that you is now. You suddenly question why you don't know the answer to some simple question your friend asked. Like what you want for Christmas. Suddenly your mind looks deeper into that question. Why can you really not answer that question? I mean it's a simple one you could ask for something like socks you've needed socks for a while. But no your mind draws blanks whenever it's brought up. Why don't you know what you want? 'Maybe it's because you've never gotten what you've wanted' your mind thinks 'because you don't get what you want you don't have expectations for anything' your mind races with emotions. Your eyes sting with that familiar feeling of soon to come tears. 'You've never gotten what you've asked for no matter how easily achievable it is, so the only thing you can ask to have is to be understood and even that seems-' your thoughts are cut off as you feel a hand.

You jump slightly at the feeling "Why are you still up love?" He asks in a raspy voice much more raspy than his usual voice, almost going out due to the sleep in it. You turn to face him "Oh did I wake you? Ah I'm so sorry" you say as you hold his hand. You give him a tired smile reassuring him, but he isn't falling for it. "How much longer are you gonna go like this?" He asks leaning on his side facing you "It's been going on for weeks now, I know you're not ok. What's on your mind? " he asks looking at you with those emerald eyes of his reading you like a book.

You open your mouth to tell him your fine, but your words get stuck in your throat. Your reassuring smile turning into a frown quickly, you can't fight the overwhelming feelings. The knot in your throat builds up, you feel like you can't speak as if your words can't express your true feelings. Sadness washes over you. You get the overwhelming feeling to cry, it all crashes on you. He quickly sits up and holds you, bringing you close to his own body almost engulfing you with his own. He hushes you rubbing your back and kisses your neck, face, and anywhere he can. "You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to" he says in a hushed tone. "Cry it out if you need to" and with that you do. You cry, you bury your face in the crook of his neck. You sniffle and hic and let out incomprehensive words. You try to explain yourself through your cries but it's useless.

"It's okay I'm here, let it all out" his reassuring words make you cry even more. It's him, it's him who makes you feel understood, he who listens to you, he who is there for you no matter what. You hug him tightly, with your whole body. You let out your sobs, all your bottle up emotions, you cry harder than you have before. Harder than the silent cries you've been letting out the past few weeks. Your insecurities are pushed to the side as he reassures everything you've been so overwhelmed by. He knew the words you needed to hear. He knew exactly what to say.

As your crying stops you move the slightest away from him to wipe your face, and his shoulder. "Heh looks like I made a mess" you joke quietly as you compose yourself. You continue sniffling as you look up at him much more stable than you were before. You kiss the underside of his chin. You smile softly as you look into his eyes, he leans down to kiss you on the lips. "Thank you" you say sniffling a few more times, he tilts his head in slight confusion "What do you mean by that?" he asks rhetorocally as he continues "It's the least I could do my heart, but you don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to" he smiles softly as he kisses your cheek pulling you in for another hug. Your body much more hotter than his due to all your emotions rushing through your body. You hug him back yet again, he rubs reassuring circles into your back as you bask in the feeling of him. He lays back and pulls you on top of him. Your ear right over his heart. He continues rubbing circles on your back as you both lay in silence. His heartbeat, his calm breaths, and his calming scent lulls you to sleep. The crying also adding to that. "You're what I want for Christmas" you mumble as you doze off, a silent chuckle escapes his lips as he hears your words. A few minutes after you fall asleep, making sure you're asleep he finally closes his eyes as well whispering a quiet "I love you" as he does so.

~---------------------bonus---------------------~

As you wake up in the morning the sun shining brightly through the curtains. You quickly sit up looking around the room and out the window "fuck hoe long did I sleep for?" you ask yourself. You jump as you hear Syzoths voice coming out from the bathroom, he walks towards you freshly out the shower. "You slept enough dear don't worry about it" he says rufflinfs his hair with the towel to try it off. You look at the clock and your eyes widen "Syzoth it's 5:30! Pm!... P!M! That's like half the day gone! " you say in total shock "Why did you let me sleep so long?! " you ask quickly getting up and looking for clothes to put on. "I-I have stuff to do, I'm meeting up with my friends later, and then I have to go to work and and" you ramble off but he quickly cuts you off. "Woah woah calm down, your friend called about an hour ago to cancel, they has some personal things go do. And you don't work today hun, calm down." he says pushing you back down to the bed by your shoulders and places your clothes to the side. He kneed in front of you and looks into your eyes. "Today is about you ok? You've had way too much on your shoulders. You need to let me take some of that weight the same way you've done with me" he says and kisses you. "Today's a day of relaxation, no worries just the two of us ok?" You nod, your worries won't be bothering you for a while. Not as long as Syzoth is here to help you with it.

Introcution || Masterlist || Simp Rants || Previous Fic ||

#mk syzoth #x reader #syzoth #syzoth mk #syzoth mortal kombat #reptile #reptile mk #reptile mortal kombat #reptile x reader #reptile x you #syzoth x reader #comfort #mortal kombat #mortal kombat 1 #sfw #fluff #angst

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kindestofkings · 1 year ago

Text

when i meet the band they ask, "do you have a man?" i can still say, "i don't remember"

matty healy x reader

face claim: amelia dimoldenberg

childhood friends, reader and matty healy have been the ultimate power couple, with his success with the 1975 and her increasingly popular online series. unfortunately, things don't always stay perfect forever...

authors note: this took me FOREVER but she's my baby and I hope you enjoy!! Absolutely no hate to gabrietta shes seems really cool, but i needed the drama lol

yourusername and chickenshopdate

liked by trumanblack and others

chickenshopdate when will they get it!! my quest for love is still ongoing. TWO more dates lined up for this season, lets hope I don't get ghosted xx

view all 290 comments

yourusername mwhahah you guys are gonna love them!!

1975fan1 oh my god please please have matty on we've been so patient 1975fan2 fr i need to see more of my parasocial parents yourusername dont think I know a matty ?? is he the one who sings about chocolate?

trumanblack well fit xx

yourusername stranger danger !! 1975fan2 hahah you'd swear they haven't been dating for like 5 years 1975fan3 AND friends for like 7 years before that

yourusername and chickenshopdate

liked by charli_xcx and others

chickenshopdate No crashing here, just crushing. 😏 My date with @charli_xcx is out on Friday!💕

view all 200 comments

fan1 holy shit this is my roman empire

yourusername watch out @bedfordanes75 imma bout to steal your girl xxx

bedfordanes75 two can play at that game hun xx charli_xcx guys please theres enough of me to go around trumanblack and me yourusername @trumanblack sorry who brought you into the conversation?? trumanblack love it when you're mean to me x rass75 AH my eyes

1975fan1 damn they're both so hot, i fear the boys of the 1975 have rizz...

(liked by bedfordanes75 and trumanblack)

yourusername

liked by trumanblack and others

yourusername sadly Miss XCX wasn't the one for me, or i wasn't the one for her whatever blahblahblah

im giving love one last try next week before i give up and let my mum set me up!

view all 146 comments

1975fan1 omg matty liked this post maybe he's the last date?

1975fan2 me when im delusional xx 1975fan3 you do know they're going out years? he likes all her posts babe x

chickenshopdate

liked by trumanblack and others

chickenshopdate it's the one you've all been waiting for.. my date with @trumanblack @the1975 is out THIS Friday!

keep the hopes low guys he can't be funny in his first language let alone a foreign one xx

view all 500 comments

1975fan1 OH MY GOD i was right this is everything

rass75 you picked the wrong band member love

yourusername if you weren't too busy being cool and mysterious, it could've been us falling in love over chicken nuggets xx trumanblack oi rass75 back off

yourusername

liked by trumanblack and others

yourusername just broke the internet so i think i'm good to hardlaunch my current placeholder @trumanblack x

view all 490 comments

trumanblack babe you look so cool

yourusername BAHAHA did you quote your own lyrics to me?? thats an ick I might have to rethink this placeholder thing, rass75 are you free? trumanblack stop tryna replace me, hurts my feelings

trumanblack posted on their story!

-go watch me be fit and cool on a date

1975fan_base

liked by yourusername and others

1975fan_base in honour of @trumanblack and @yourusername's groundbreaking date i thought we should all love on the old pics of the two and the guys from her old insta!

view all 10 comments

1975fan1 parents literally my parents

1975fan2 so so cute they've been together so long !

1975fan_base ikr!! they make me believe in love

1975fan3 shes doing gods work giving us those photos

yourusername 💕💕

1975fan_base ahhh omg HI!!

yourusername posted on their story!

trumanblack reposted onto their story!

more boyfriend content cause he's giving out it's ruining his "cool" image lol

replies

bedfordanes75 cant ruin what was never there in the first place 1975fan1 IM SO OBSESSED WITH YOU TWO AHH

four weeks later

tmz

liked by 1975fan1 and others

tmz SPOTTED !! the 1975's frontman matty healy was seen out on a loved up walk around NYC today with gabriette, despite him and his long term girlfriend being seen together just over a month ago. Do we think the previous couple had broken it off already or is the singer adding cheater to his name?

let us know what you think down below!!

view all 500 comments

1975fan1 oh my fucking god men I cant

1975fan2 nooo I hope he and yourusername broke it off before this, shes too good for this shit!

1975fan1 doesnt even matter its very quick to already be in a relationship after ending one that lasted like 5 years...

1975fan3 this afternoon?? tmz you guys are disgusting putting this up, what if yourusername finds out through this!!

1975fan_base

liked by 1975fan1 and others

1975fan_base guys i cant be delusional anymore yourusername just unfollowed matty and all the boys 💔💔

view all 15 comments

1975fan1 noo I cant stop thinking she found out through tmz, hard day to be a 1975 fan....

1975fan2 how can he cheat on the girl who he wrote when we are together and about you for !!

1975fan_base genuinely makes no sense men are TRASH

1975fan3 feel like you guys should've seen this coming he's written so many songs about cheating on his girlfriend

1975fan2 literally no one asked!!

yourusername

liked by pheobebridgers and others

yourusername oh hi! hope you've missed me? let's play 2 truths and 1 lie: it's awards season, i'm fit as fuck and men are trash.

fans of chickenshopdate don't fret we'll be back with another season soon! it's time to level up on english singers, im looking at you @harrystyles xxx

view all 400 comments

yourusername god 1'm so bad at games there's 3 truths there isn't there?

fan 1 AHAHAH you are so iconic, gone for three months and you come back with this fan2 make him payyyy

florencepugh the real queen of england right here!

yourusername 💕💕

harrystyles i'm a pescatarian so what about just a regular date love x

fan 1 oh she's such a girlboss I hope ratty healy regrets every decision he's ever made!

bedfordanes75 gonna smash it! call one of us back when you get the chance <3

(liked by rass75,1975adam and charlie_xcx) fan3 eek the fallout of a couple in the same friend group right there

#matty healy #matty healy imagine #matty x reader #matty the 1975 #matty healy fanfiction #fake instagram

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taeyongsfemdom · 1 year ago

Text

| Made For Me |

TWINNNNNNN WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!

•sub!taeyong & the return of the futa!reader

•After giving him that special session that one night, the love of your life decides to return the favor when he finds out about one of your secret kinks that you've been hiding from him.

●WARNING: this the return of the futanari reader and taeyong having female parts (not your speed, then don't read)

•Contains: filthy rough kitchen sex, fingering (male receiving) degradation, sloppy kissing, lingerie & skirt wearing, slight cumflation, reader has daddy kink, spit kink, choking (just hella nasty shit) light fluff at the end.

•So this fic is basically an unplanned sequel to "A Cheer Up Session" and I know you guys loved that one, so that's why I brought back the futa reader. Also just wanted to say that Taeyong is very feminized in this (wearing a maid outfit, panties, high heels etc.) You know the vibes! I was thinking of what my next story should be and this came in my horny ass mind pretty quick also this was a bitch to post due to technical issues lol

• hope you all enjoy, loves 💋

It was a surprisingly chill day at your office, it was a beautiful afternoon and you were gonna be closing things up pretty soon. You had a few meetings today, but oddly, your phone was going off quite frequently during your meetings but you already knew it was Taeyong texting you, it's not very often where he spams you unless he's feeling needy.

"Alrighty boss, I got everything done on the list you gave me" Mark said with a nice smile on his face "Thank you so much for all the hard work you do Mark, you and the team! I just wish those meetings weren't so damn long" while speaking to him, you finally open up your messages from Taeyong and your eyes pop open immediately, they are blessed with multiple images of your angel wearing a tight maid outfit with no panties on and his tongue out like those slutty anime girls in those unhinged hentai videos with the message "ruin me..." right under. You threw your phone down on the desk as your cock thickened up in your skirt, a boner becoming visible and your breath getting caught in your throat "Hey boss, you feeling okay? You look a little flushed"

"H...hm? Oh don't worry about me! It's just u..um a little hot in here! Hey I think I'm gonna go ahead and head out for the evening! You all be safe going home okay?"

Mark smiled at you again and nodded as he walked toward the door "Yeah of course! Get home safe and stay hydrated! It's been hot this summer! You have a good weekend okay?" You waved at him while he left as you released a held breath, your eyes looking down at the massive bulge in your skirt while eyeing your phone "Goddamn it...why would he send that to me?" You & Taeyong talked about everything together, you knew everything about each other except there was one thing that you didn't want him to find out. A while back, you left your laptop unlocked in your home office accidentally while you stepped out, with a curious Taeyong coming across it while looking for you to let you know that dinner was ready for the night, his mind filling with a devious ideas to please you, ever since you fucked him very rough that one time to cheer him up, he wanted to give you a thank you.

You were turned on yet pissed off "Fucking Taeyong....why did he send me that?" I can't walk out the building with a fucking hard on!" You grab your phone and look at the pic of him with his mouth open, your mind running wild "fuck he is so hot" your nails clicking against the screen responding to his text saying "What the fuck is wrong with you? I'm on my way home..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't take you long to come home from work, you had scurry away from the office with your purse covering your boner, you pulled into the driveway of your mansion and parked your brand new black SUV and stormed into the house quite quickly, you walk in and scan the house as you shut the door.

"TAEYONG!?" You yelled as you headed to the kitchen as your heels clicked against the marble floor, you stop in your tracks as you see the petite boy wearing a tight maid skirt with stockings & a lace black bra with a pair of black high heels that you realize are the ones he asked you to buy for him, you didn't question him on why but you didn't care because you spoil him, his dirty blonde hair with his dark roots showing hanging in his face and he looked delicious in his little outfit.

"Been waiting for you to get home from work, so you can see your dirty little maid"

His skinny leg lifting to reveal his sweet wet pussy that was dripping fresh juice that slid down his leg from how horny he was just waiting for you to come home and have your way with him.

"You like what you see, mistress?" His slender fingers playing with his sensitive cunt while his other hand rubbed one of his nipples under the bra causing him to moan. Your boner stiffened up under your dress skirt even more as he looked at you while biting his lip, you walked over while licking your lips like you were hungry, your body was pressed against his, your hands gripping his chest and squeezing his nipples as he held the counter, hot breath was between the both of you before crashing your lips against his plump ones which led to a heated make-out session, sloppy sounds of kissing filled the kitchen as you kept groping his chest, Taeyong tongued you nastily as kept groping him. You pulled away as a string of spit hanging off both of your lips which were very swollen, your free hand slid off the bra and down to his cunt, sliding two fingers deep inside him.

"Look at you, getting fingered in my fucking kitchen when you're supposed to be cooking and cleaning! You've been horny ever since you sent those dirty pictures to me, haven't you?"

Your fingers started working his pussy HARD he looked at you with his bottom lip in his mouth as you fingered him roughly.

"You thought it would be a good idea to send those fucking pics to me while at work? Let's not pretend that I didn't see that text under them...I WILL ruin you until you can't stand up straight, you fucking drooling whore" his head fell back on the counter as pussy juice dripped on the floor while moaning loudly "OH FUCK CAN I CUM? PLEASE FUCK!" one of his legs squirmed with the sound his high heel clicking against the floor "Fucking hold it in, you don't deserve to cum yet" your fingers slowly pull out of him and got shoved right back in before you rubbed his clit lightly.

"P..please please! Please let me cum" you gave him a stern look as your fingers moved away from his pussy "I said HOLD IT...I'm not fucking playing with you right now, slut"

You take your pussy juice covered hand and rub it all over his pretty face, a smile appeared after he licked your hand a little bit, that smile getting wiped away as you slapped him across the face hard.

"Dirty fucking whore, the fuck are you smiling about? Enjoying yourself too much?" You gave his nipples one good tug "Sometimes I dream about you having tits, I would suck on them all day just to have a taste of milk" you turn him around roughly, bending him over the counter and lifts the tight skirt up, his tight pussy in full view, your hands pull your skirt up as your cock bounced free, throbbing hard with potent pre-cum dribbling out of your thick tip.

"Fuck...you're lucky that you have a pretty face because you have no ass, but that doesn't matter because all I care about is this beautiful pussy"

You rubbed your thick cock against his small ass and tip poked his hole. Before he could say anything, his mouth fell open as he got filled up by your cock "Oh fuck!!!! Mistress! I always forget how big that cock is" A soft yet hot moan left your lips as you started thrusting slowly while taking your large full breasts out of your tight work blouse, Taeyong looked back at you while you fucked him, he looked like the sluttiest pornstar to ever exist "Mmmmmmmm fuck me!!!! Fuck me like the dirty whore that I am!" Your thrusts got rough real quick after his request "So *ah* I have a question for you, how the fuck did you find out that I would enjoy seeing you dressed like this?" The small boy was too fucked out to respond to you "Uh hello? I'm speaking to you, slut!" You said as you pulled his hair roughly.

“A..AHHH! I SAW THAT YOU WERE LOOKING AT BOYS IN MAID OUTFITS ON YOUR LAPTOP WHEN STEPPED OUT OF YOUR OFFICE WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU!” You blushed with embarrassment yet happiness when he found out your secret kink for boys in skirts, you pulled him up off the counter and turned him to face you, both of you touching nose to nose while dripping in sweat. You lifted his pale leg over your shoulder and poked his cunt with your tip “Look at what you did to me, made my cock hard and along with filling my balls up” you shoved yourself back into his tight pussy and continued fucking him.

“Open that mouth….WIDE, and keep it fucking open” you grabbed him by his hair and Taeyong truly looked beautiful, his lips were all swollen from all the kissing, his mouth opened with his tongue hanging out, your hand gripping his throat hard, the tip of your acrylics lightly touching the sides of his neck, a large wad of spit landing on his tongue "Filthy fucking whore...." your cock was basically in his womb at this point.

“You feel that slut? You feel me deep inside you? Tearing up your fucking insides?”

You force him to look down at his belly where your cock was bulging inside him, your hand letting up off his throat so he can breathe, he let out a large exhale with a ragged cough following after “Now…call me daddy” you gave him an evil smile as you choked him roughly again, cutting off his airways yet again.

“D..daddy! DADDY!! Please don’t stop fucking my tight pussy! Please please fuck your dirty little maid! I’m your dirty slutty little maid who’s just a fuck doll! Oh fuck fuck fuck! I n..need to c..cum, i need to cum s..so bad" Taeyong was completly out of breath since he was about to explode "One more thing I want you to do, tell daddy how much you love this cock while you cum...c'mon babygirl, cum for me while saying how cock addicted you are" your hand lightly grabbing his cute cheeks.

"I FUCKING LOVE DADDY'S COCK! I'M YOUR COCK SLUT, COCK SLUT, COCK SL-" his voice cutting off as he came insanely hard from a denied orgasm, your hand going for his neck since you love seeing him struggle to breathe, Taeyong had tears sliding down his face as he clenched around your cock “Ohh fuck, i’m cumming!” You released your hand off his throat for the last time and as he took a gasp for air "Daddy please kiss your filthy little maid! Please kiss me!!!” your tongues crashed together with your kisses being deep and passionate. Your balls sloshed and churned as you unloaded inside him during the kiss, his flat belly swelled with fresh steaming hot cum, Taeyong barely lifting his head up to see how primal you looked while cumming. The both of you were out of breath as you pulled your now limp cock, cum dripping out of his ruined pussy onto the floor.

"Oooh daddy I feel so full!" his finger grazing across his swollen belly as you walked to the fridge to get bottles of water for the both of you. You patted your face with a napkin as you brought him a bottle of water "You know this is your fault right? You should've never sent those pictures to me" runny makeup stained the napkin as you looked at it

"I know but I wanted it to happen, I wanted to give you a thank you for uhhh...cheering me up that one night after I was really sad, I hope you liked it" You gave him a sweet smile as you pulled him into your arms. Taeyong was literally your entire world, him wanting you to give a thank you gift was just so adorable to you.

"I absolutely loved your gift, baby boy, honestly seeing you in a skirt, tights and heels really had me going, especially when you called me daddy" Your finger lifted his chin, his cheeks getting bright red as you took him upstairs for a shower "I...i really liked it how you made me call you daddy, it was really hot and it makes me feel owned by an amazing woman like you, y/n" You giggled as you put your long hair up in a thick bun.

"What can I say? You were just made for me"

END

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I already know you kinky freaks are gonna eat this up like a buffet, also shoutout to the futa enthusiasts out here! This one is for you! hope you guys love this 🥺 also I'm not too far away way from 300 followers which is so exciting!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

#sub!taeyong #taeyong smut #sub!nct #sub!kpop #lee taeyong imagines #lee taeyong smut #my fic

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parental-unit-of-chaos · 2 years ago

Text

Lines drawn in Charcoal : Jason Todd x Male Reader.

This will be the frist writing I've ever posted online, so I hope at least some one enjoys this. @n0cturna1-m3 here ya go!

Cw: mentions of scars, childhood truama, past truama in general, body image issues and self image issues.

Living in a safehouse with Jason has a roommate had it's ups and downs, no matter how many years you've know Jason. It was no secret he had been through a lot, only a small drop of that pain he's shared. Most he keeps in his head, if to remind himself he is still alive or to torture himself to stay in control. You were never sure.

That's what made scenes like this sobering, reminding you that he's still the sweet Jason under all the walls he built up. The Jason that no matter how much he tries to hide it, to cage it, he has a heart bigger than himself. This morning, Jason choose to spend in his favorite reading spot. Slumped in the red padded chair that caught his eye, while walking past the antique store. The thought of leaving the chair or even moving an inch, melted away has soon has your fluff ball decided to join him.

The cat had falling asleep purring hours ago; Jason's attention was only focused on the book that he was half way through. And where were you? You were sat on the couch with your sketchbook and charcoal pencils, capturing each soft and rough line of the handsome man.

Making sure to get every detail and proportion right; his sharp jawline, the soft lines of his lips, his brows knitted in concentration. More importantly how relaxed he was, where he wasn't on edge and paranoid. That the next corner he turns someone will be someone with a gun pointing at him, or worse, someone he cares about.

During one of the times you were looking down at your sketchbook, Jason finally pulled out of the fantasy world he was so engrossed in. Probably from the not so subtle sound of the pencils dragging in short or long strokes on the paper.

' Whatcha drawing now?' he inquired, with his own hypothesis that you were drawing the fluffy croissant in his lap. 'Just my world' you replied causing a sign to leave Jason's lungs at how cryptic the answer was. Sure it still could very well still be the cat, you drew the little whiskered demon everytime she was still. With the vague answer though, it could be a sketch of the city, to your favorite food.

' Ya gonna give me any hints or am I gonna have to geuss on my own?', Jason knew you loved when people tried to geuss what you were drawing. He also loved the weird ass guinea pig like noise that came from your throat, when someone didn't geuss correctly. 'the sketch is of a living thing' now you were intentionally being vague to draw out the game.

' Let me geuss, is it the ball of fluff in my lap? That for some reason, you took one look at, and named spleens??', Jason interrogates with a humored toned. The unique chuckle coming from your vocal cords, was he needed to hear to know he was wrong. 'for the record I explained why I named her spleens, when I first brought her home with me. And Nope! It's a human, a handsome and strong one at that'.

Handsome and strong? Jason had to think harder with that answer; my world, handsome and strong. Was it a trick answer and you were referring to poetry? 'Atlas??', he replied, perplexed. His answer was met with more of a laugh this time, he assumed he got too far away from the answer. You laughing frustrated him,' Fine, enough of the game. I give up, who are drawing?'. He didn't care about winning anymore, just wanting to know the answer.

' It's you', the answer and smile you gave was so simply, but it cut through Jason deeper and with more weight than of of the League of assassins' blades ever could. Him? Your world? Handsome and strong? Jason couldn't see where you were coming from, or more so his insecurities wouldn't allow him too.

This had to of been a sarcastic answer and you actually drew someone else, it has to be. He's seen himself in the mirror, he knows he's not anything but disgusting. He's not handsome, his body looks like a living corpse, all the damn scars that covered his body. The walls felt like they were closing in, there was ringing in his ears. His image, his face, his body changing in the mirror being distorted. Taunting him, proving that no matter how much he tries to move on from what joker did to him, he'll never be anything more than what Joker made him. The memories of his biological father screaming about how much hates him, Batman -

' Jason!', your worried voice and your gentle hands touching his face, with the other on his arm brought him back to the present. He hadn't realized he had been shaking or the panic that exploded out of his chest. 'Breathe, you're going to past out if you don't. Focus on me, follow my pace of breathing.', he did has you said syncing his breathe with yours.

Once Jason finally calmed down fully you asked why he just had a panic attack, 'You don't have to share all of it, you can just give me the cliff notes'. He doesn't know what he did to deserve someone so understanding. 'When you said those things about me, my thoughts got the better of me. Reminding why I can't be any of those things', he stated still a little shakey.

'Do you want to see what I see you had?', he was hesitant, no he was scared to see it, but your voice sounded so reassuring. He trusted you,' If you think it would help, then yes', you gave him the finished sketch. His mind didn't allow him to believe fully that someone could see him like this, he looked normal, he looked so happy. You held his hand and flinched, like he was still on fight or flight.

'When I see you, I don't see you has your trauma or a victim. I see you has a survivor. You aren't who you are, because of joker or anyone else. You made yourself who you are, despite what happened to you.', you took a breathe giving that chance to look him in the eye.

'I read somewhere that in some Asian cultures, when a plate breaks they mend it back together with gold.', Jason felt like he couldn't breathe, he didn't know what to say. 'You aren't something that needs to be fixed has if you were brand new, that's not how truama works. But if let me, can I help mend those wounds with gold? To help build you back up?' Jason couldn't stop the tears that welded up and fell down his face. He pulled into the strongest hug he could muster, he never knew he need to hear those words, until you said them.

You let him cry has long has needed, he's been holding those emotions in for so long. He finally answers the question in a shaky voice, so small you almost didn't hear it.

'yes'

#i am sorry in advance #jason todd #jason todd x gender neutral reader #jason todd x male reader #hurt/comfort #Crow!Writes

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karatekels · 1 year ago

Text

Fresh Start - Day 13 (Part 2)

Sorry for the delay everyone! I'm (mostly) recovered from my cold and Day 13 (Part 3) is already half written, so I'm hoping it's out today or tomorrow! We're quickly coming to the end of this fic, but I hope you've enjoyed it so far.

Previous Parts:

TW: Smut; oral sex (male and female receiving); teasing; dirty talk

---

Day 13 - Morning

Waking up the next morning, the memories of the night before run through your mind before you even open your eyes. Part of you can’t believe that last night was real; rolling onto your side and feeling a pleasant ache between your legs, you are reminded that it most definitely was.

You take a deep breath, your pillowcase smelling like Terry, and sigh happily before rolling over to cuddle your lover. Disappointingly, you see he isn’t in the bed with you, taking in the rumpled sheets on his side of the bed with a frown. Looking around, you see that both the bathroom and closet doors are open, and your bags have been brought in, set just inside the room; you presume he will be back soon.

Sliding out from beneath the sheets, you walk over to your suitcase, fishing out your toiletry bag and heading into the bathroom. Like everything else in Terry’s house, the ensuite was huge and opulent, but still comfortable. You brush your teeth, leaning back against the bathroom counter and looking from the bathtub to the shower, trying to decide which you’d prefer trying out. The shower made more sense to wash your hair, and maybe you could try out the tub with Terry later…

Smiling to yourself, you turn to spit in the sink and rinse your mouth when something catches your eye in the mirror. You look down, confirming that all the love bites you’d just seen in your reflection are really there with a gasp. You put your toothbrush down on the counter and run to the floor-length mirror you’d seen in the bedroom the night before.

You are covered in marks all across your breasts, up your collarbone to the sides of your neck. You couldn’t even count them all. You don’t think you’ve had a hickey in over a decade! Your cheeks flush with embarrassment, but you’re also oddly… aroused? You would’ve thought that you’d be upset, but these just make you think back on the night of passionate love-making that you’d had with Terry, dirty little reminders of what you’d done together.

You hear the bedroom door open behind you, and bite your lip to keep back a giggle.

“Y/N, you’re awake! I was just coming to –”

“You’d better be here to explain yourself, Terry Silver.”

“What are you talking about?” he asks with concern, and you whirl around with your hands on your hips, glaring at him, trying not to smile. He takes in the hickeys dotting your torso, his lips curving into a very self-satisfied smirk.

“Well?” you ask impatiently, trying not to be distracted but how good he looks in nothing but a red silk robe. “How did this happen? When did you even do this?!”

“I believe most of it was while I had you… wrapped around my finger?” he teases, and your blush comes back in full force as you scowl at him.

“I look like a damn dalmatian, Terry!” you grumble, ignoring his innuendo.

“I quite like it,” he comments smugly. “Think of them as reasons to stay,” he suggests in a low, attractive voice, echoing the phrase you used to seduce him last night.

“Oh, aren’t you clever,” you snap at him, sticking out your tongue. He grins at you, completely unabashed by his actions and your response.

“I can’t remember the last time someone made me feel like a hormonal teenager; I couldn’t help it.”

“Don’t think you can get out of this with flattery, Terrance,” you say huffily, narrowing your eyes at him as you walk past, though inside you’re nearly giddy at the thought that he had enjoyed last night as much as you had. “You will pay for this.”

You stalk past him into the bathroom, closing the door behind you to muffle his laughter. Trying to keep your own giggles down, you head over to the shower to turn it on, scouring the room looking for towels as you wait for the water to heat up. Gathering the needed bottles from your toiletry bag, you place the towels just outside of the shower door and slip inside.

The water pressure from the shower head is amazing, and you feel your muscles relax under the hot water. Whether it was because you hadn’t had sex in the months since your break-up, or just from Terry’s size and… thoroughness, you were definitely aching more than you normally would the morning after.

Lathering up your hair with your shampoo, you close your eyes, trying to relive the memories of the night before. Never in your life had you even imagined that sex could be that good. And it wasn’t just the sex itself; every one of his touches, his words, the way he looked at you, all of it had been so erotic, so intimate… you feel like you finally know the difference between just fucking and making love.

Rinsing your hair, you hum happily to yourself, picturing Terry’s hands on you despite knowing that you aren’t doing the experience justice. Perhaps you could convince him to give you a reminder…

“You have a lovely voice.”

“ARGH!” you scream, whirling around and blindly swinging your fist. Terry catches it in his hand easily, looking briefly surprised at your reaction before kissing your knuckles.

“You’re awfully jumpy.”

“How the hell did you sneak in here, Terry?! You almost gave me a heart attack!” you exclaim, trying to calm your racing heart. It was a difficult task to achieve, seeing as you are currently faced with the sight of a naked, wet Terry, and you bite your lip, forcing yourself to turn around and grab the soap off the shelf carved into the tiled wall. It smells like Terry, and you feel the urge to scrub it all over your body. Terry seems to be thinking along similar lines, snatching it out of your hand.

Before you can turn to tell him off, he is lathering your breasts with soapy hands gliding across your skin, and your complaints turn into soft moans. He tugs you back slightly, and you lean against his chest, feeling his cock twitch against you as he starts to get hard.

“Why so wound up, sweetheart?” he asks patronizingly, teasing your nipples until you’re grinding back against him. “I thought I had worn you out last night, but based on the look on your face when I snuck in here, you’re already wanting more, isn’t that right?”

One hand slides down your stomach and through the closely cropped curls between your legs. Curling a long finger into you, Terry finds you slick with arousal. You feel him smile against your shoulder, immediately setting a steady pace with his finger, bringing another above it to play with your clit.

“Unh, Terry!” you whine, grinding against him. The ways this man could make you feel better than you ever had in your life…

But no, he had been in control more than enough last night, and there were still things you wanted to do that you couldn’t do in here. Forcing yourself to remain in control, you slip away from him and out the shower door before he can stop you.

“I wasn’t done with you,” Terry protests through the foggy glass as you wrap your hair up in a towel. “Get back in here.”

“I’m not done with you either, darling,” you respond as you towel yourself off quickly, teasing him with the petname. “I have plans for you that require more space and less water.”

You spot a red silk robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door and throw it on, swimming in the fabric as you escape to the bedroom, giggling to yourself. You snag a pillow off the bed and run to hide behind the mirror once you hear the water turn off.

He emerges from the bathroom a few minutes later, a towel wrapped around his waist, looking around the room with amusement when you aren’t immediately visible. He looks for you on the other side of the bed before turning to head into the closet, at which point you spring out from your hiding place and go to bat him with the pillow.

He has you on your back on the bed before you even realize he’s dodged the pillow, and looks down at you intently. How did he move so fast?

“I was looking for that,” he says pointedly, eyeing his robe as it slips off one of your shoulders. “Stealing from me now, are you?”

“Oops?” you chirp up at him, completely unapologetic.

“I can see my lesson on manners didn’t stick,” he comments with a sigh, stepping further into your personal space. “I guess I’ll have to be a bit firmer with my instruction this time…” he continues, and you feel a hand slip under the robe to caress your thigh. Your mouth goes dry, your body immediately responding to his touch.

“I quite like you making yourself at home here,” he continues casually as his fingers move up one thigh, past your hip to your belly button before trailing down your other leg. “Even if it means you getting your greedy little paws all over my things. Provided, of course, you allow me to take the same liberties with you…”

His hand draws smaller and smaller circles as he speaks, refusing to touch you where you need him to.

“No.”

His hand stops.

“No?” he questions, and you force yourself to sit up and slide off the bed, turning around to face him with your hands on your hips, determined to regain control of the situation… if you’d ever had control in the first place. Terry, amused by your posturing, turns and sits on the edge of the bed to listen, pointedly letting the towel fall from around his hips. You stubbornly lift your chin and keep your eyes on his face, though you feel the blush creeping up your neck.

“You’ve ruined all my plans, you know. I was hoping I’d wake up first,” you tell him petulantly; it was hard to appear intimidating in a robe far too large for you.

“And why is that?” he asks complacently, looking down at you with a smirk. Quick as a flash, you reach down, taking his cock in hand and stroking it lazily. He hisses through his teeth, snatching you up and pulling you onto the bed, moving himself to fully lay on the bed. You look at him with exasperation as he takes control again. It wasn’t fair that he was so much bigger and stronger…

“Oh, by all means, keep going,” he insists, seeing your grumpy expression. “I just want to watch,” he adds cheekily, folding his arms behind his head as he leans against the headboard, a smug smile on his face. You roll your eyes at him and he chuckles at you, his laughter immediately turning into a whimpering groan as you suddenly take one of his balls in your mouth, sucking gently as you wrap your hand around him again, feeling him getting hard. He tastes like pure sin.

“What was that?” you ask innocently, cocking your head to the side, still stroking his length with one hand. He looks dazed from the sensation, his eyes darkening almost to black, and you do it again, toying with him with your tongue. His upper lip curls as he growls, and one hand reaches down to tangle tightly in your hair. “Are you alright, baby? Should I stop?” you ask teasingly.

“If you stop now, Y/N, I’m going to lose my mind.” His voice is hoarse in its desperation, and you find it incredibly sexy, resisting the urge to touch yourself. This was about you being in control and pleasing him.

“My plan is for that to happen either way, Terry,” you reply, slowly licking his cock from the base to the tip with the tiniest touch of your tongue, your eyes locked with his. “Now, why don’t you show me what good manners look like, hmm?” you ask with a wicked smile, your lips poised to take him in your mouth.

The look he gives you is a mix of emotions, but he seems to have settled on grudging admiration as you take his words and use them against him, one side of his mouth curled up in a smirk even as he looks down at you with need.

“Is this really a game you want to play with me?” he asks you softly, his voice dangerous. You respond by giving the head of his cock a firm, wet lick of your tongue that makes him buck his hips towards you. “Christ. Please, Y/N,” he groans, and your grin widens as you watch his self-control crumble.

“Please whaaat?” you tease in a singsong voice. He gives you a withering look, but the effect is greatly lessened by the way he sucks his bottom lip into his mouth.

“Please put those beautiful lips around my cock, love. I need to feel you.”

Your pussy throbs with need at his words and you barely keep back a moan. You look into his eyes and see a mischievous twinkle, and realize that he is fully aware of the effect his words are having on you. Smug bastard… you would not let him get the best of you this time.

In one fluid motion, you take half his cock into your mouth, wriggling your tongue along the underside, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction at the deep moan he lets out. You bob your head up and down, gradually taking more of him into your mouth and throat, swirling your tongue around him and trying your best to keep your eyes on his face; his reactions were incredibly sexy.

The closer he gets, though, the more determined he seems to be to take you down with him, dirty words spilling from his lips along with his moans as his grip on your hair tightens and he thrusts his hips up to meet you.

“That’s it, babygirl,” he coos, though his voice has a harsh edge to it. “Put that mouth to work, just like that.” You moan around him in response and he hisses in pleasure. “Such a dirty girl, getting off on sucking my cock. Are you going to come before I do, Y/N? Come for me with my cock in your mo–” Terry’s smutty words turn into a loud groan as you take him fully down your throat. Good. Serves him right, the smug, dirty-talking bastard, teasing you when he was meant to be letting you have your way with him.

He stares down at you with glittering eyes, his mouth slightly open as he watches you deepthroat him. Your own eyes start to water but you stay put, letting your throat convulse around him while he moans.

“Fucking hell, Y/N! I’m going to come, baby,” he warns you, fighting to keep his eyes from clenching shut. You slowly release his cock from your mouth, replacing it with your hand for a moment while you catch your breath before sucking him again, swirling your tongue around him and bringing him to his peak, swallowing his cum as he grunts with his release.

Licking your swollen lips, you take in the sight of Terry post-orgasm, his head tilted back, his eyes closed, a slight smile twisting his lips. Perfectly vulnerable.

You crawl up the bed and straddle him, sitting on his lap and immediately latching onto a soft spot where his neck meets his shoulder. You nibble and suck for a long moment, hearing him hiss in a breath as his hands remove his robe from around you before he wraps around your hips. He was certainly being well-behaved…

You lean back for a moment, surveying your work, pleased with the large hickey you’ve left on him. It didn’t compare to the dozen or so he’d marked you with, but it was the principle of the thing. Satisfied, you sit back, looking into his eyes.

“Proud of yourself?” he asks, lips quirked, his eyes darting in the direction of the love bite. You give him a cheeky grin in reply, feeling victorious.

“Are you done?” he questions, raising an eyebrow at you, and you nod.

“Good.”

In a move far too quick for you to fully process, Terry lunges forward, pushing you onto your back, your head at the foot of the bed. He’s taken the silk tie off of the robe you were wearing, and quickly binds your hands together over your head before securing them to the bedpost. You glare up at him, though you’re sure it’s far from intimidating.

“I did tell you I would be prepared this time,” he says teasingly, looking quite pleased with himself. You scowl at him, your body twitching as he slowly traces patterns across your stomach with his fingers.

“So, what, you’re just never going to let me be in control?” you demand, pouting. “That’s sooo unfair!”

“On the contrary, my dear,” Terry murmurs, leaning down to kiss you deeply, stroking your sides softly. You initially try to resist, but he is far too tempting, and you quickly find yourself laying back obediently against the sheets, kissing him back as passionately as you could from your position. Letting you up for air, Terry’s lips move slowly down your neck, making you arch up against him with a gasp.

“You still fail to realize the extent of the hold you have on me,” he continues, teasing your nipples with his tongue and making it very, very difficult to actually string together what he’s saying.

“T-Terry,” you stutter, squirming against the sheets, his hair tickling your chest as his head moves further down your body, tongue swirling around your bellybutton.

“I frequently find myself completely at your mercy,” he goes on as though you haven’t spoken, sliding between your legs, which you part willingly for him. You were so wet…

“I fully plan to give you everything, sweetheart,” Terry croons, kissing along your inner thigh even as he pins your legs and hips down with his strong arms. Your head is spinning.

“So if, on occasion, I have to pin you down in one way or another so that I can be in control, I will do so without hesitation.” His words are vibrating against your entrance now, your thighs twitching at his proximity. “Now be a good girl, and let me taste you.”

His hands grip your hips firmly and he swipes his tongue up and down your entrance before latching onto your clit, eating you out like a man starved as you cry out in ecstasy. He thrusts his tongue inside you, moaning at your flavour as he presses himself closer still.

“Oh God, Terry! YES!” you cry out, thrashing against your restraints. You desperately want to run your fingers through his gorgeous hair and hold his head in place.

“That’s right, babygirl,” he growls, lifting his head to lock eyes with you with a wolfish grin, his mouth and chin shining with your juices. “Just lay back and enjoy, and let me drink you up.” He lunges forward again, and you grip his head with your thighs, grinding your hips against his lips and tongue desperately. He allows you to do this for a minute or so, panting against you and driving you wild, before pinning your hips to the bed, spreading your legs wide.

“I love seeing you come apart for me, Y/N,” Terry purrs. “I know you’re close; come for me, honey, please.”

Him begging for your orgasm takes you over the edge, and you scream his name again and again as you come, his tongue remaining at your clit, drawing out your orgasm until you’re a shuddering, whimpering mess. Finally, he relents, and your legs collapse bonelessly onto the bed as you struggle to catch your breath. Terry comes up beside you, looking down at you, kissing you the instant he thinks you’ve had enough of a break.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” you say breathlessly once he lets you come up for air. He cocks his head to the side, looking up and down your body with a frown, eyes lingering at your bound hands. He shrugs.

“Hmm? No, I don’t think so,” he replies innocently, leaning down to kiss you again.

“Terry!” you whine, and he chuckles at you, moving to untie your wrists from the bedpost.

“Fine. I’d love to keep you here and give you more reasons to stay,” Terry says, wiggling his eyebrows at you suggestively and making you laugh. “But we do need to talk about things, and I know that I won’t be able to focus if we stay in bed all day.” He massages your arms as he speaks, helping your circulation and making the thought of your much-needed discussion slightly less intimidating, and you give him a small smile, standing up on your knees to give him a chaste kiss on the lips.

“Maybe we could talk over breakfast?” you suggest, reluctantly slipping out of his arms and walking across the room to your suitcase. “Just let me get dressed and I can whip something up.”

“That won’t be necessary.” You freeze partway through picking out your clothes for the day.

“Oh no, your staff are here already?!” you squeak, turning bright red. “Did they hear us just now? Did they hear us last night?”

You whirl around to face him, still babbling in a panic, until Terry quiets you with an indignant look.

“First of all,” he begins imperiously, throwing his robe on and slipping the silk tie back through the loops to knot it around his waist, “I sent everyone home last night before I went after you. They won’t be back until tomorrow morning.” He stalks towards you, and you find yourself mildly intimidated, though you know he’s not really upset with you.

“Secondly,” he continues, rapidly closing the distance between you, and you find yourself backing away instinctively. “I meant that I would cook for you, silly girl. I do know how to take care of myself, you know,” he adds, arching an eyebrow at you, and you have the grace to blush.

“And lastly,” he says, trapping you in his arms and bending down to speak in your ear, “I fully intend to take you frequently when my staff are here, so you’d better get used to the idea, or plan on being gagged quite regularly.” He ends his speech by giving you a searing kiss that has your mind reeling, then winking at you before walking past you to the bedroom door.

“Now get dressed please, Y/N, and meet me downstairs for breakfast. We really don’t have time for all of your theatrics,” he teases as he makes his escape, leaving you to process things alone in his bedroom.

---

You find Terry in the kitchen around twenty minutes later, dressed in a comfortable but pretty summer dress. You were starving; it’s fairly late in the morning, and you hadn’t eaten much yesterday. The kitchen smells delicious, and Terry looks… incredibly attractive, even when acting all domestic, cooking breakfast in nothing but his robe. You lean against the wall for a moment, taking in the picture he makes with a smile.

“Enjoying the view?” he teases, not looking up from dicing fruit.

“Maaaaybe,” you reply, skipping over and hopping up on a barstool that sat beside the counter. You reach down to snag a slice of banana, but he swats your hand away, lightning quick. “Hey!”

“Patience, my dear,” he says, adding to the growing fruit salad in the bowl before you. “Or do I need to tie you down again?” You blush, and he smirks, turning to the frittata on the stove. You sneak a banana slice while his back is turned, feeling victorious. He places the frittata pan in the oven before turning to you. You take a moment to appreciate the way that his robe reveals a good portion of his chest.

“Can you behave yourself long enough for me to go get dressed?” he asks you sternly. “I can’t have you ogling me if we’re going to talk.”

“Well, that will likely happen regardless of what you’re wearing, but please, go get changed!” you reply sassily, shooing him away. “I’ll make sure the kitchen doesn’t burn down.” Staring at you coolly, he wordlessly picks up the bowl of fruit salad and easily places it on top of the fridge and out of your reach.

“Just in case you think I didn’t catch you stealing from me,” he murmurs, giving you a wide smile before leaving you alone in the kitchen. You make a huffy noise of discontent, and hear him chuckle from down the hallway.

You sigh deeply after a moment, trying to take in the fact that this could be your home, one day. You felt comfortable here already, and thought that that was a good thing, but still… you worry your lip between your teeth. You were going to have a serious discussion in a few minutes about your future, and you didn’t think you had any answers for the questions that Terry was bound to have for you. What did you want? What did you not want? How were you supposed to know? What if you made the wrong decision? This was all so overwhelming, and you hadn’t even gotten started yet!

“What a pleasant surprise, seeing you exactly where I left you for once,” Terry says from behind you, kissing you on the cheek as he walks past to take breakfast out of the oven… and off the top of the fridge. He serves you each a portion of frittata and a small bowl of fruit salad, sliding yours over to you. You nod in response to his question of coffee, and he sets it to brew before leaning against the counter beside you.

“Come back to me, Y/N,” he says softly, taking one of your hands in his own and stroking the back of it with his thumb. You blink slowly, looking up at him, and he kisses the worried crease between your eyebrows. “Please, don’t start worrying before we even start talking. Everything will be fine,” he says soothingly, stroking your cheek.

“It must be nice to always be so sure about everything,” you muse, trying to lighten the mood. He snorts, going to fetch coffee before taking a seat beside you.

“There are very few things I’m sure of, my dear,” he corrects you, pausing to take a sip of coffee. You mirror his actions, not wanting to be chastised for not eating. “You just happen to be one of them, so of course it would appear that way to you.” You melt a bit at his words, but your tension rises again as you see that he’s slid a notepad and a pen towards himself on the counter.

“You’re planning to take notes?” you ask, feeling nervous. He gives you a patient smile, taking one of your hands again.

“Only because I want to be thorough with this,” he says gently. “If you’re anything like me, which I suspect you are, at least in this regard, then you’ll feel better once you can look at things once everything is out in the open. This isn’t a contract or anything, I promise.”

You take a deep breath, trying to nod with some degree of confidence. “Okay.”

“Do you want to eat first and worry about this later?” he suggests kindly, but you shake your head firmly.

“No, we should do this now. Maybe doing it while we eat will make it seem more like a conversation.”

“It is just a conversation, sweetheart. All I want to do is hear about your life and what you want, and then I’ll try to figure out how to fit myself into that picture,” he says with a wry smile.

“But what about you?” you grumble, spearing a blueberry with your fork.

“What about me?” he asks patiently, surveying you over his mug of coffee.

“Why doesn’t your life and what you want fit into the equation as much as mine?” you ask, cocking your head at him.

“My life is far more… malleable than yours, Y/N. The only thing that I want is you; everything else can be adjusted. You have much more of your life ahead of you, my dear,” he murmurs, his voice taking on a slight twinge of sadness. You immediately lean over and give him a brief but deep kiss, needing to banish that train of thought from the conversation immediately.

“Don’t talk like that, Terry Silver,” you order him, whispering fiercely against his lips. “And just because I have more to figure out than you do doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have the same say in the conversation as I do,” you continue, leaning back into your seat and cutting off a corner of your frittata.

“In fact, you should have more of a say, since you’re bringing all… this to the table,” you add, gesturing around to the house with your fork before bringing the mouthful to your lips. “This is good,” you say approvingly, digging into the meal with more gusto. Terry smiles at you, amused as always by your intense and quickly-changing moods.

“You need to stop devaluing yourself,” he tells you firmly. “You’re terrible at business negotiations.”

“Good thing this isn’t a business negotiation then,” you reply lightly, licking yogurt off of your spoon. Terry arches an eyebrow at you, and you sigh. “Alright, but you’ve clearly thought about this more than I have. I don’t even how to start thinking about this; help a girl out?” you ask, and while you can admit that you’re playing up the damsel in distress angle a bit, you do honestly want his help figuring this out.

“I have some questions that might help you organize your thoughts,” Terry admits, chuckling slightly when you perk up at the thought of having some direction. “But I don’t want to steer you in any direction one way or the other, Y/N. This is your life we’re talking about.”

“Our lives,” you correct him firmly, and he smiles indulgently at you.

“Fair enough,” he concedes. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

“Will you answer the questions too?” you ask pointedly. He needed to value himself more, you think to yourself, looking up at him with affection.

“After you do,” he replies calmly. “And I will always be honest with you, Y/N.”

You consider the compromise over a few bites of food, and he gives you the time to think, digging into his own breakfast. After a minute or two, you nod at him, accepting the agreement.

“The first question is the most important, and it’s the hardest,” he says, his eyes tracking your movements as you tense up again. He leans over, kissing you until he feels you relax beneath him again. He tastes like strawberries.

“I think this will be easier if we take frequent breaks to make out,” you inform him seriously, your face still flushed from the kiss, and he laughs warmly at you.

“I’m sure I could get you to agree to all sorts of things that way,” he replies teasingly, brushing a lock of hair behind your ear, “but you need to think things over with a relatively clear head.”

“Fiiiine,” you whine, though you’re smiling. “Lay it on me, Mr. Silver.”

“I want you to think about what you’re feeling about all this, and try to figure out the roots of those feelings.”

You bite your lip, looking down at the counter. Terry takes your hand, and you give it a squeeze.

“I know it’s hard, just take your time,” he says encouragingly, and you nod, thinking.

“I’m feeling very scared and… overwhelmed, honestly,” you begin. “When I go back home, I’m not really sure what I’m going back to. Like I said, I kind of came here to reevaluate, gain some perspective… you ruined that plan, by the way,” you say teasingly, looking into his eyes for the first time since you’d started speaking. He preens a bit, making you giggle.

“I don’t have a job or anything to go back to, I quit before I came here. I have some interviews lined up over the next couple of weeks, but not for anything I’m really passionate about…” you shrug nonchalantly.

“I don’t feel particularly close to anyone there right now either.” Not compared to you anyway, you think to yourself. “I was never really a social butterfly, and a lot of my time was spent with my ex and our mutual friends, and I’m really sick of all of them looking at me like a kicked puppy.” You sigh, biting your lip. “I’m sure this is all great stuff to hear from the person you’re interested in,” you add sarcastically.

“Not tied down by anything or anyone, just begging to be whisked away? My kind of woman,” Terry replies teasingly, leering at you, and you giggle. He leans in to whisper in your ear. “And I think we’ve established that I’m far more than interested in you, haven’t we, love?”

Your heart skips a beat at his words, and he rests his forehead for a moment on yours, staring deeply into your eyes.

“I guess that’s why this is all so overwhelming,” you confess, still close enough your noses are touching. “It would be so easy to just drop everything and move to L.A. and be with you, and that’s what makes it so scary. There’s nothing to hold me back…” your breathing hitches and your heartrate increases, and Terry leans back, giving you space to just feel.

“It’s crazy, moving across the country with nothing, and there would be so much to figure out so fast…” you continue after a moment, trying to maintain some composure. “What if I make a mistake?”

Terry strokes the side of your face comfortingly, and you close your eyes, leaning into the touch.

“Any better?” he murmurs, and you nod slightly without opening your eyes.

“A bit. Your turn?” you ask, looking at him pleadingly, and he nods.

“Eat while I talk,” he instructs, and you pick up your fork obediently, making him smile at you.

“This is incredibly overwhelming, Y/N, you’re not alone in thinking that. And while I obviously can’t share your concerns for a number of reasons, I hope I can help ease your worries no matter what decision you choose. If you want to stay back home for awhile, I will fly you out as often as you’d like. I’ll come visit you, I’ll buy a damn house there if that would help. The same goes for if you want to move here. If you want a place of your own, I’ll help you rent one, or buy you one, or move you right in here with me. Renovate the whole west wing of the third floor and call it your own, if you wish.”

“Now, I know that that’s a problem for you,” he says, as you go to interrupt him, pushing your fruit salad towards you and giving you a stern look. You scowl, taking another bite. “And I want to respect your independence and desires for your life. I know that you’re not comfortable with me using my money to solve your problems. So if you want a job here, I can and will open doors for you. I can give you a job at one of my own companies. If you never want to work again, that’s more than alright with me. Anything you need, Y/N… I’m there for you. Your whole life.”

Terry takes a casual sip of coffee after his confession, while you struggle to swallow your mouthful of fruit.

“But how are you so sure?” you protest once you manage to swallow. He smiles at you.

“Because I want to be,” he replies, as if that explained everything. “I want you, I feel oh so many feelings for you, and I want to plan for a future with you. I am in a fortunate position where I can and will move mountains to make that happen; you just have to tell me where to put them. I am happy to help you figure everything else out along the way, my dear. I plan on spoiling you as much as I possibly can, in whatever capacity you will allow me to. If that has to start in separate houses across the country or across town from each other, it makes no difference to me. As long as you’re mine,” he purrs possessively, gripping your chin firmly in one hand. You’re shaking like a leaf, something he notes with a self-deprecating smile.

“I’m sorry, I’m scaring you,” he says softly, releasing your face. “Tell me why, and I’ll fix it.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re willing to risk all of this on me,” you whisper, your voice breaking. You’re not even sure why your heart is clenching the way it is; the man you were crazy about had just told you that he would do anything and everything in his power to give you the exact life you wanted. All you had to do was choose.

He takes your face in hand once more, tilting your face up until you meet his eyes. You try your best not to tremble this time.

“Are you only interested in me for my money, Y/N?” he asks bluntly, and your jaw drops.

“What? No, Terry, of course not!”

“Would you still consider a relationship with me if I was just another middleclass man?”

“That would actually level the playing field between us a bit.”

He gives you a look, getting out of his chair and turning yours around, your back now to the counter. He comes to stand in front of you, leaning down and caging you in.

“People meet and fall in love in all sorts of circumstances, Y/N. When they stay together, they try to build the best life together that they can. It’s not your fault that I’ve had a few decades more than you, and a great deal of luck, that have allowed me to build up a life for both of us before I met you. We just get to skip the part where we struggle together.”

“And live happily ever after?” you tack on cheekily, trying to process his logic. This kind of thing didn’t happen in the real world, did it?

“Yes, if I get my way.”

“You usually do,” you tease, and he rolls his eyes.

“I don’t know about that,” he replies, gently tugging a lock of your hair. “You’ve been undermining me since I met you.”

“You’ll get used to it eventually,” you reason, looking up at him meaningfully. His blue eyes lock with yours, his mouth opening as he tries to find words.

“I don’t know just what I want yet,” you tell him firmly, wanting to be clear. “I just know that I want you. And I still have to go home first, but I don’t see the point in going back and forth and wasting all your money on pointless flights when we both know I’m going to end up here eventually–”

You had several other points to make, but Terry’s mouth on yours has them quickly slipping from your mind. He lifts you into his arms with ease, kissing you with a fierce joy that has your heart singing as he carries you to a couch in the living room. Negotiations were over, it would seem.

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Day 13-C | Day 14-A | Day 14-B | Day 14-C

#terry silver #thomas ian griffith #terry silver x reader #cobra kai #smut #fresh start

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