#i mention her being 'small for an Exo' and my friend asks me

[chrimsone]

instead of working on my Main Three’s story I made an entirely new character and spent the last few weeks writing this. tho i am actually close to finishing the next chapter for em

i dont even have an actual appearance for her. trying to think of a design for an Exo is like super hard for me. i think i only figured out how i wanted some face plates to look like. but the crown looks too empty and i aint got a clue on color scheme. gotta love aphantasia

[nanawritesit]

Being EXO’s fem!idol crush who gets shipped with them - Hyung Line Ver.

Maknae Line Ver.

a/n: this is based on the SM girl group idol au that i wrote a while back, please read that first so that the writing will make sense :) ALSO chen’s will be written platonically bc as i’ve stated before, i don’t feel comfortable writing romantic scenarios for someone who has a wife and two kids 💀 AND these scenarios are LONG so i’m splitting this into two parts! enjoy :)

TW: kissing, being held, crying, mentions of food

Xiumin:

You and Xiumin had been growing close as colleagues and friends for a few months now. You began hanging out on a semi-regular basis, and today he was guest starring on a live video for Etoile Clubhouse.

“You ready?” you asked him, finger hovering over mouse to click the “live” button. You were actually asking yourself if you would be able to get through a whole video with him without making a fool of yourself. Lately you had been developing the biggest crush on him, and it was highly embarrassing. Not even your members knew about it. You knew that Nabi and Marie would just tease you mercilessly, and that Iseul and Kaori would never stop bothering you with questions, so you decided to keep it to yourself.

“You know it.” he winked, leaning forward in his chair with a grin.

You nodded, letting out a small gulp as you clicked the button. In just a few seconds, fans and comments were pouring in.

“Hi Starlight! It’s your main vocalist Y/N!” you greeted your fans lovingly. Xiumin glanced over at you with an admiring sparkle in his eyes, which you didn’t seem to notice.

“Today I’m joined by my good friend, Xiumin of EXO!” you announced, gesturing over to him.

Xiumin waved at the camera. “Hi Starlight! It’s good to see you!”

You began scrolling through some of the comments.

ugh, my two biases together, my heart can’t take it 😭

OLDEST MEMBERS ON TOP!

look at the way he’s looking at her 🥺💞

You tried to control the blush smile that threatened to make its way onto your face, leaning back in your chair. “Well, they’re certainly happy to see you too!”

He smiled appreciatively, giving the camera a small bow. “Thank you, Starlight. It’s an honor to be here with the lovely Y/N.”

You hit his arm playfully. “Stop trying to butter me up! You’re not stealing any of my fans!”

He laughed at you, ruffling your hair slightly. “Awh, you know I wouldn’t do that to you. Besides, I could never betray EXO-L like that.” He flashed a finger heart at the camera with a cute wink.

You rolled your eyes, then went back to reading some of the comments.

just ask her out already xiumin 😑

the banter??? they’re so cute omg

oh they’re definitely dating 👀

“Wow, you guys really have a lot to say today.” you chuckled nervously.

Xiumin glanced over at you again with a reassuring smile, his eyes so full of compassion that you could melt. “We do make a pretty good team, Y/N. You can’t blame them for being honest.”

You laughed at his comment, easing up a bit. As the live went on, you both just answered some questions and talked about the projects you’d been working on lately. There were a lot of laughs, and overall you were very satisfied with the fan turnout. A lot of EXO-L’s had heard that Xiumin was on your live, and popped over to say hi as well.

“Well, we’re approaching our hour mark, so unfortunately it’s time to say goodbye.” you huffed disappointedly. You always hated saying goodbye to your fans.

“I suppose so…” Xiumin sighed. He pouted at the camera, making you chuckle.

“Alright, until next time, stay twinkly!” you smiled at the camera, pressing you hand to your lips to do your signature ending. You always blew a kiss to the camera at the end of a live.

However, as you did, Xiumin pressed a kiss to your cheek. You froze, hand falling away from your lips slowly.

“Did you just…?” you asked in bewilderment, looking over at him with doe eyes.

He just sat there with a content shit-eating grin on his face, looking at you innocently.

You looked over at the monitor to see what the fans were saying.

OH MY GOD Y/N-MIN IS HAPPENING !!!

XIUMIN IS BOLD AF

KISS! KISS! KISS!

“ALRIGHT, it’s time to say goodbye Starlight!” you chuckled anxiously, quickly blowing a kiss before exiting out of the live. You swiveled around in your chair to face Xiumin. “What was that?”

“It was just a kiss on the cheek.” he chirped, resting his chin on his hand.

“Yes, but on live? That could’ve been a disaster! What if the fans-“

“What if the fans what?” he interrupted, grabbing your hand and rubbing his thumb long the back of it. “They obviously liked us together. And so do I.”

Your heart stopped, and you looked up at him in disbelief. “You… you do?”

He nodded, brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. “I do. I really do. I want something more with you Y/N.”

You gave him a small smile, placing your hand over his. “I do too Xiumin. I’ve wanted it for a while now. I’m sorry I freaked out.”

“It’s understandable. What I did was kind of risky.” he chuckled.

“You think?” you replied sarcastically.

“Come here…” he grumbled, tugging you closer to him. He brought his hands up to the sides of your face and pulled you in for a kiss. It was sweet and delicate, and everything you had been hoping for. You placed your hands on his shoulders as you leaned into it, deepening it slightly. As you pulled away, your foreheads came to rest against each other.

“You make me so happy, Y/N.” he whispered, squinting his eyes.

“Ditto.” you replied, pecking his lips again.

Suho:

It was the long anticipated MAMA awards, and you and your group were all dressed up in matching indigo gowns. You were all sitting together in your row, watching the performances and applauding as the awards were presented. You were especially entertained by one of the hosts… Suho from EXO.

“Wow, you’re really engrossed in the ceremony Y/N.” Nabi commented, leaning over and nudging you in your side.

“Oh, shut up!” you grunted, slapping her arm away. “I’m just excited to see all our colleagues get rewarded for how hard they’ve worked this year.”

“Yeah, and it has nothing to do with how you’ve had a crush on Suho since the day he accidentally walked in on our dance practice back when we were trainees.” Marie teased you from your other side.

“I’m feeling very ganged up on right now.” you grumbled, crossing your arms. “At least the maknaes respect me enough not to make fun of me.”

“That’s only because they’re such big STAYS that they can’t take their eyes off the stage long enough to realize you’re making googly eyes at the host.” Nabi retorted.

You glanced over at Iseul and Kaori who were totally immersed in Stray Kids’ performance. They were totally in love with Felix and Changbin respectively, and were so jealous when you got to make a cameo in one of their music videos. You promised to get them autographs, but it only eased the pain a little bit.

Everyone broke out into applause as Stray Kids exited the stage and returned to their seats. Suho and Irene walked back to the center of the stage to announce the next award, and a hush fell upon the audience. You looked up at the stage with bright eyes, trying to act as if you were looking at both the hosts, and not just Suho.

“What a wonderful performance from Stray Kids!” he congratulated. “It’s no wonder they’ve already received three awards tonight.”

You laughed along with everyone else, making Nabi and Marie share a knowing glance. You hit them both lightly on the thigh, making them snap away from each other quickly. Sometimes your unni-card came in handy.

“That’s true, but now it’s time to announce the winner of best female group!” Irene beamed, waving the envelope in her hands.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and all five of you looked at each other with wide eyes. It was your first year in the running, and while you weren’t expecting to win, the anticipation was killing you all. Etoile had really taken off last year after Andromeda was released, and was already considered in the realms of Twice and Red Velvet. It was certainly going to be a tense moment, and the whole audience knew it.

You grabbed onto Nabi and Marie’s hands, immediately forgetting about how frustrated they had made you earlier. Marie reached over to hold Iseul and Kaori’s hands. It was a tradition you all started after you won your first award with Andromeda. Even if you weren’t expecting to win, you all held hands to signify your unity. Irene began to unfold the envelope, and everyone was on the edge of their seats.

You glanced up at the stage, and for a moment, you could swear that Suho was looking at you. His eyes were full of admiration and joy. Your heart stopped, and you gripped onto your members hands even harder. Suddenly, Suho glanced over at the envelope in Irene’s hands. His eyebrows raised and his mouth fell open slightly. Forgetting himself, he looked back over at you in the crowd and gave you a small wink. Did that mean that…?

“And the MAMA award for best female group goes to Etoile!” Irene cheered, clapping her hands together excitedly.

The five of you sprung up from your seats, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. There was no way! This had to be a joke. But when you looked behind you and saw nearly all your colleagues, senior and junior, looking at you with praise and pride, you knew it was real.

You looked over at Nabi, who already had tears streaming down your face. You giggled at her emotional reaction, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

She shook her head, wiping her tears. “I’m… I’m…”

You chuckled at her, taking her hands in your own. “Come on, we have to go accept the award.”

As you led your leader out into the aisle way, you glanced back to see Marie clinging onto her, then Iseul clinging onto Marie, and Kaori clinging onto Iseul. They were all sobbing and barely making it out of their seats without passing out. You shook your head with an amused smile. This always happened. Your members would all be blubbering messes and you were always the only calm one, leading them up the stage like a mother hen.

As you reached the stairs, you looked up to see Suho rushing over to help you up. You couldn’t help the giddy smile that was plastered on your face as his eyes met yours. You took his hand and allowed him to lead you up the steps, with him taking extra care to move slowly enough so that you wouldn’t trip in your heels. As you ascended the last step, he gingerly placed a kiss over the back of your hand. Your eyes went wide, and you could hear your members giggling behind you.

“Congratulations. You deserve this.” he told you, gesturing over to Irene, who was waiting to give you your award.

You gave him an excited, blushy smile and rushed over to Irene, who already had her arms extended to give you a huge hug. As she pulled away, she handed you your award. “I knew you could do it, little sis.” she grinned admiringly.

“Thank you, big sis.” you replied with a small bow, leading your girls over to the microphone to give the speech.

—————

Later that night, you were all at the after party, and everyone there was treating you like the guests of honor. Your friends from Stray Kids came over to congratulate you, making Iseul and Kaori’s millennium.

“Did you see the way Changbin looked at me?” your maknae squealed, clutching the award to her chest. She hadn’t let go of it all night long, treating it like it was her own child. You had to admit, it was adorable to see your “daughter” so excited about your groups’ achievement.

“Yeah, it was the same way Suho was looking at our Y/N during the ceremony.” Nabi teased you once again.

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, well you couldn’t look at anything during the ceremony because your eyes were flooded with tears.”

The other girls laughed along with you, except Nabi, who scoffed annoyedly.

“I still can’t believe he kissed your hand though.” Iseul commented, shaking your shoulders excitedly. “I really think you should shoot your shot with him!”

“All I want to do right now is go get some air.” you shut her down, patting her shoulder lovingly. “All this interrogation is making me feel suffocated.”

The four girls chuckled at you, waving you off as you made your way to a secluded hallway. You knew they meant well, but god they were insufferable sometimes.

However as you turnt the corner, lost in thought, you came face first with a solid brick wall. At least, that’s what you thought it was until you looked up to see Suho’s eyes locked in on yours.

“Oh, forgive me, I’m so clumsy!” you apologized frantically, feeling your cheeks heat up.

“No, it’s alright!” he reassured you, placing his hands gingerly on your arms to stabilize you. “Are you okay?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I just had to get some air.”

“I get it. Being so successful is exhausting.” he replied.

You smiled at him before glancing down at the ground nervously. “We really weren’t expecting to win.”

“What?” he asked you, furrowing his brows in confusion. “Why not? I thought you guys were an absolute shoo-in.”

“Is that why you were staring at me in the crowd?” you asked, feeling a bit more bold.

Now it was his turn to blush and glance down at his shoes. “Maybe. I just knew that my favorite junior group had worked really hard this year and deserved to win the award.”

Your heart slipped a beat. “We’re your favorite junior group?”

He nodded with a playful grin. “Absolutely. And you’re my bias.”

Your mouth impulsively dropped open, making you feel like an idiot. You quickly slapped it shut, adjusting your hair anxiously. “That’s really funny, because you happen to be my bias.”

“Really?” he gaped, copying the same actions you had just taken. You giggled with a nod, making him chuckle. “I guess EXO-L and Starlight are right, we do make a good pairing.”

You squinted your eyes in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you must have been so busy out there that you haven’t had the chance to check social media!” he realized, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. He pulled up a popular fanpage and handed it to you. “It’s all anyone can talk about. Along with how adorable you were leading your group down the aisle.”

You scrolled through the comments, eyes bulging out of your head at how many there were.

suho was so cute kissing Y/N’s hand 🥺 i’m so jealous but i think they’d make an adorable couple

suho rushing over to help Y/N up the stage was the cutest thing ever! he definitely has a lil crush on her <3

did anyone else notice how Suho winked at Y/N in the audience??? and how Y/N was looking at Suho the whole time he was hosting??? they’re literally so in love idc 😤

You fought back the tugging at the corner of your lips, handing Suho back his phone. “That’s amazing.”

“I know. I guess the only thing left for us to do is go out on a date.”

You nodded. “I’d like that very much.”

You both exchanged numbers, then said your goodbyes as he made his way back out into the party. As you got to the bathroom, you shut the door behind you and pressed your back against it, clutching your chest. You had just gotten the award of your dreams and the man of your dreams, all in the same night. How much more lucky could you get?

Lay:

You were having a great time in China with Marie, being chosen as guest mentors for an idol training program. A lot of the girls on the show were fans, and your appearances were bringing in a lot of new Chinese Starlights.

You were reaching the end of your filming, running through the last steps of your dance practice with the girls. You and Marie were standing at the front of the room with your backs’ to the door, and you were so entranced with watching your girls’ practice that you didn’t even hear the door open behind you.

Suddenly, a strong pair of arms was thrown around the two of you, making you both jump. Your head whipped around quickly, and your eyes widened as you realized who it was.

“Yixing!” you both cheered, turning around in his arms to hug him.

He flashed a smile at you before wrapping his arms around the two of you tightly.

The girls all finished their dance and cheered at the arrival of another mentor, one that they had been working with for quite a while now.

“Alright girls, I think it’s time for a break!” you announced. They all thanked you and bowed before filing out, leaving the three of you alone in the dance practice room.

“I didn’t know you guys’ were going to be on the show!” Yixing beamed, putting his hands on his hips. “I came in to do the dance practice with the girls today and they were all gone, then the producers told me you were guest mentoring today, and I just had to come say hi.”

“Yes you did!” you agreed. “We’ve missed you so much at SM! You were our favorite senior!”

He blushed slightly, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve missed you guys too. But I really like the work I’m doing over here.”

“Of course, we understand that.” Marie reassured him. “It just gets hard without your expertise sometimes.”

You all laughed, shifting slightly.

“Alright, I think that’s enough footage for now.” the camera man announced. “The main focus of the episode is going to be the vocal practice so you guys are good to go.”

You and Marie thanked him, then turned back to Yixing.

“So, if you guys aren’t doing anything tonight, do you wanna get dinner together? It’ll be my treat.” he offered with a cute smile.

You blushed slightly. “I’d love to.”

“Thank you, but I’ll pass. I think I pulled something in my shoulder today.” Marie grumbled, rolling her shoulder back a few times. “But you guys have fun.”

“Okay, no worries. Y/N and I will have a great time together without you.” Yixing teased her, ruffling her hair. She pushed him away with a scowl. He had always treated Marie like a little sister, which made you laugh because she was usually so tough and headstrong.

He turned back towards you. “Text me which hotel you’re at, and we can meet up around 7 if that’s okay?”

You nodded, smiling brightly at him. “It’s a date!” You cringed internally. Why would you say that?

He said his goodbyes and left the room, leaving you and Marie to yourselves.

“You’re welcome, by the way.” she huffed, punching you on the arm lightly.

“For what?” you asked, grabbing your purse.

“For making up that lie about my shoulder so you could have a dinner alone with Yixing.” she grinned, taking a few swigs from her water bottle before continuing. “I’m missing out on a great dinner just so you can make a move with your crush, so you better not waste it.”

—————

“And so I’m standing there in the middle of the subway in a Sailor Moon costume, looking around for my members, and they’re just nowhere to be seen! I had to take the subway all the way back to the dorms in that ridiculous outfit!”

Yixing threw his head back in laughter at your story, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. “Oh my gosh, they did not leave you there by yourself!”

“Yes they did! And that’s why you don’t leave the group to get coffee after shooting a music video.” you concluded, rolling your eyes.

He was rolling, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes from how hard he was laughing. “Ah, that’s too funny. I mean, not for you, but… as a listener.”

You nodded, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. “No it’s okay. It’s unfortunate, but hilarious.”

“I’m so glad I asked you out to dinner tonight.” he commented, eyes looking into yours and sparkling with sincerity. “I meant it when I said I’ve missed you.”

“I did too. It’s not the same without you there.” you replied.

He seemed to be reaching across the table for your hand. Your heart stopped in anticipation.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

You squinted your eyes and exhaled an annoyed sigh. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, go ahead and answer it.” he chuckled awkwardly.

You practically ripped your phone out of your purse and hit the answer button, hardly even looking at who it was. “What?!” you spat.

“Y/N! For the love of god check your phone!” Nabi screeched on the other end of the line.

“Nabi? Why, what’s going on? Are the girls okay?” you asked worriedly.

“Yeah, we’re all fine! Just check your phone!” your leader demanded, then hung up the phone.

You looked over at Yixing in confusion.

“Everything okay?” he asked, concerned.

“I don’t know. Nabi just screamed at me to check my phone.” you shrugged, beginning to scroll through your text messages. First was the group chat you had with the members.

Nabi 🦋: “Y/N Y/L/N YOUVE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO”

Marie 🐈‍⬛: “Relax, I just ditched dinner so she could be alone with Yixing. They’re not dating yet. No one call her, you’ll ruin their date.”

Iseul 🐶: “YES! FINALLY!”

Kaori 🐥: “Wait, Y/N and Yixing are dating???”

Iseul 🐶: “Y/N? Who asked who out?”

Kaori 🐥: “I’m so glad my parents are finally together :)”

Nabi 🦋: “CALL ME RN.”

Marie 🐈‍⬛: “You guys are literal idiots.”

You knit your brows in confusion before switching over to your other text messages. Why were they talking about you and Yixing dating? And how did they even know you were out with him?

Yeri 💜: “bestie, have you seen this?” *article attached*

Taeyong 🌹: “Y/N, have you been on twitter recently? There’s some stuff you might wanna see…”

Ten 🐱: “WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME YOU WERE GOING OUT WITH YIXING?! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS 😭”

Karina ❤️: “yessss get it girl!” *photo attached*

Manager 🫡: “Call me when you get a chance. It’s important.”

Yixing reached for your hand again, actually holding it this time. “Y/N… what’s going on?”

You looked at him helplessly, feeling your heart swell with anxiety. “There’s dating rumors about us. I’m guessing the fans saw us on that tv show and then saw us here together.”

He looked like he was about to say something, but was interrupted by his own cell phone ringing loudly in his pocket.

He sighed, grabbing his coat. “Let’s go to my place. I have a feeling we’ll be sorting this out all night.”

—————

You had just gotten back to Yixing’s place, and were currently sitting on the sofa waiting for your manager to pick up his phone. He had gone into his bedroom to talk to his own manager, telling you to just make yourself comfortable.

You tapped your foot anxiously as your phone rang. You had no idea what your manager was going to say. Would he be angry? Understanding? Just as confused as you were?

“Hey Y/N.” he finally answered.

“Hey.” you sighed, feeling your stomach turn. You prepared yourself for the worst.

“How are you holding up kid?” he asked, seemingly genuinely concerned.

“About as good as I can. I still don’t really know what’s going on.” you replied.

“Well, I just got done talking to the company. They said the response is mostly positive. They’ve given you the okay to confirm the relationship.”

Your eyes widened in disbelief. That was pretty much the opposite of what you were expecting to hear. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s really interesting. Apparently they saw the two of you hugging and bantering on that idol show you’re on right now and thought it was really sweet. Then someone posted that picture of the two of you at that restaurant and the comments were just flooded with approval.” he laughed, seemingly just as perplexed as you were. “I’ve gotta say, I have to agree with them. You guys do look good together.”

You chuckled, pushing your hair back in amazement. “Oh my gosh. I have no idea what to do now.”

“Are you with Yixing right now?” your manager asked.

“Mmhm. He’s in the other room talking to his manager.” you replied.

“Okay. You two can talk it over for a bit. Let me know what decision you come to.” he instructed. “Take care, kid.”

“Okay, I will. Talk to you in a bit.” you told him, hanging up the phone. You sighed in relief, tossing your phone onto the coffee table. You sunk down onto the sofa and shut your eyes, rubbing them slightly.

Suddenly, Yixing emerged from the hallway. He chuckled at your disheveled appearance, walking over to sit down next to you. “You good?”

“Honestly, I’m better off than I thought I would be.” you answered with an amused smirk. “My manager just told me the response is mostly positive.

“Mine said the same thing.” he nodded. “Now it’s just up to us.”

You sat up, folding your hands in your lap. “So, what do we want to do?”

He shrugged casually. “I’d like to confirm it.”

Your heart stopped. “You do?”

He smiled, dimples showing prominently. “Y/N, I’ve had a crush on you for years. Now thanks to the fans, I might actually have a chance with you.

Your face broke out into an enormous grin, and you began to feel butterflies in your stomach. This was really too good to be true.

“Alright, I’ll call my manager and tell him to confirm it.” you beamed, reaching for your phone.

He grabbed your wrist delicately, stopping you. “Wait, just a second…” He then leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on your cheek.

Your face heated up, and you touched your hand to your cheek lightly, looking at him perplexedly. “What was that for?”

“For giving me a night I’ll never forget.”

Baekhyun:

It was the fans’ dream come true. A collab between SuperM and GOT the Beat. All the male and female legends of SM were going to be together in one music video.

You were all currently shooting the music video. The director’s vision was to mix up the different ages and genders in individual cuts to showcase the true unity of the super groups. Taemin, Hyoyeon, and Kai were put together since they were a fan favorite grouping. Taeyong and Taeyeon were another paring. Ten and Seulgi were partners, as well as Mark and Iseul. Then, Karina and Winter did their section together. BoA, Wendy, and Lucas were the last trio. That left you and Baekhyun, who had been your idol and celebrity crush since you were 16.

Karina and Iseul winked at you before walking off into their own groupings, making you scowl and roll your eyes. You turned back to Baekhyun with a weak smile, bowing politely.

“It’s so nice to meet you formally.” you stammered meekly. “I’m a huge fan. You’re actually one of my biggest inspirations as a main vocalist.”

Damnit, you thought, that probably made me sound like such a nerd.

Baekhyun’s face lit up in the most genuine smile, he was practically giggling in contentment at your confession. “That’s so wonderful to hear! I’m honored to have inspired the best female vocalist at this company.”

You gasped, eyes going wide. “Oh I’d hardly call myself the best, especially considering what powerhouses I get to work with in GTB!”

He chuckled, crossing his arms and leaning closer to you. “Your nickname is ‘angel voice’ for a reason.” He seemed to be getting more and more comfortable with you by the second. The two of you seemed to just click instantly.

“Would you like to hear a secret?” he practically whispered. You nodded and turnt your ear towards his lips with an intrigued grin. “You give quite a bit of inspiration to me as well Y/N. I might just be your biggest Starlight.”

You gasped again, this time out of excitement. “You’re kidding!” you exclaimed.

He shook his head, playful smile still wide on his face. “Why would I lie to my favorite junior?”

You rolled your eyes and blushed, looking away in embarrassment. He really knew how to fluster you. Luckily, the director had just walked over to you and was about to start shooting.

“Alright Y/N and Baekhyun! We’ve got a lot of good visuals and vocals between the two of you so I’m very excited to shoot these cuts!” she beamed, clapping her hands together. “We’re going to take a teaser photo first, then we’re just going to roll the cameras to get some b roll for the music video.” The both of you nodded understandingly before moving over to the shooting area.

“Let’s start by having Y/N stand in the foreground looking straight at the camera.” the director ordered. “Baekhyun, how about you put an arm around her chest and place the other hand delicately on her waist. Now, tilt your head towards her as if you’re whispering in her ear.”

Your heart stopped as you both assumed the position. You had filmed music videos with other male artists before, so the intimacy wasn’t the issue. It was the fact that Byun Baekhyun was going to be just inches away from your ear and holding you close to him.

You froze as he placed his hand on your waist.

“Is this okay?” he asked softly enough that only you could hear him.

You smiled appreciatively and nodded slightly. He then placed the other arm around your chest and gripped his fingers securely onto your shoulder as if to comfort you. He was really making it easy to lean into his touch, and soon you were comfortably standing there in his arms, giving the camera your best smize.

“You’re breathtaking, Y/N.” he murmured, a wholesome smirk evident on his face. You couldn’t help but flash a huge, toothy grin at his compliment. As soon as you did, the cameras flashed, signaling that your photo had been taken.

“Beautiful, you guys! That was a perfect photo!” the director praised. “We don’t even need to take a second one. Now just do your thing while we roll the cameras for some b roll.”

“The camera loves us together.” Baekhyun commented, resting his head on your shoulder with a sigh.

You glanced down at him with a teasing side eye, clamping your hands onto the arm he had around your chest. “Well, the camera’s apparantley not the only one.”

“Ah, so sassy for a junior.” he scoffed, leaning closer to your ear. “Someone should teach you a thing or two about respecting your elders.” he hissed out teasingly.

“And are you going to be that someone?” you chuckled, an amused grin making its way onto your expression despite how hard you tried to fight it.

“I might be.” he grinned, rocking you in his arms a bit. “But I’d have to take you out first.”

You turned around to face him, forgetting about the cameras in front of you for a second. “Are you genuinely asking me out on a date?” you inquired.

“That’s usually what someone means when they say they’d like to take you out. Unless they’re an assassin.” he chuckled, placing his hands on your hips.

You laughed nervously, gripping onto his arms with your hands. “Baekhyun, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I mean, we’re idols. I know we don’t have a dating ban anymore, but it’s still risky.”

“I’m willing to take that chance.” he reassured you, staring into your eyes with a carefree smile. “You’d be worth it, without question.”

You grinned uncontrollably wide, glancing down at the floor bashfully. “I… I just don’t know.”

“Think about it, okay?” he practically pleaded.

You looked up into his big brown puppy dog eyes, which were glimmering with hope and sincerity. It was impossible to say no. “Okay, I will. I promise.”

“That was incredible guys!” the director suddenly interrupted your intimate moment, making you spring away from each other. “Now let’s do some lip synching to the lyrics!”

—————

The fans’ response the collab was amazing. Many were calling it a shoo-in for song of the year, and one of the best decisions SM had ever made.

“Hey Y/N! Have you read the comments on our music video?” Karina asked you as she approached you in the SM hallway on your way back from vocal practice.

“No, I haven’t gotten the chance to yet.” you explained. “Why?”

She raised her eyebrows at you suggestively. “Well, you definitely should. Apparantley there’s a lot about you and a certain main vocalist you were paired up with.”

Your heart sunk. “Oh no, are the fans upset?”

“No, not at all!” your junior chuckled. “In fact, they’re shipping you guys together.”

You couldn’t help the idiotic smile that flashed onto your face. “Really?”

“Yes, so why don’t you just go out with him already? Taeyong and Ten told me he’s absolutely smitten with you!” Karina whined, tugging on your arm slightly.

You rolled your eyes, pushing her away. “Shouldn’t you be getting to your dance practice, Miss Leader?”

She gasped and began to take off down the hall. “Shoot, you’re right! See you later, Y/N!”

You chuckled at her silliness, then leaned up against the wall and whipped out your phone. You pulled up the music video and began scrolling through the comments.

Wow, Y/N and Baekhyun look really good together <3

Y/N-hyun is my new favorite ship 👀

Anyone else think Baekhyun and Y/N would make the best power couple in kpop history???

You let out a baffled scoff at the positive response. Maybe it was silly to be so worried about dating him. Suddenly, you took off down the hallway with renewed purpose, knowing exactly where you had to go.

As you arrived at Baekhyun’s studio, you knocked on the door and waited for him to answer. And he did, peering out with a smile and fixing his hair at the sight of you.

“Y/N? What are you-“

He was cut off by you grabbing his face and delicately pressing your lips against his. It was just a small peck, but it was ever so sweet, and let him know just how you felt about him.

“I thought about it.” you said once you pulled away. “Let’s go out.”

He put his hands on your hips, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank god. I was starting to think you didn’t like me.” He leaned down to kiss you again, longer and more passionately than the last time.

Chen:

“That was awesome, Kaori!” you complimented your maknae from the other side of the recording booth. She had just finished her rap feature for one of the songs on your solo album. “You’re good to go, kid.”

“You sure?” she asked, removing her headphones. “I can stay and help you with the rest if you want.”

“Nah it’s cool, you’re a growing girl. You need your sleep.” you told her with a reassuring smile. “Besides, you know how particular I am about things.”

“Alright mom.” she chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully. “Just don’t pass out in the studio again. Nabi ran all over like a mad woman trying to find you last time.”

“I promise I won’t. I’ll see you back at the dorms in the morning.” you replied, waving her off.

You sighed as the door shut behind her, slumping down in your chair. You moved on to organizing all your tracks and adjusting them to your liking. It was a tedious process, but you knew it would be worth it when your solo album was finally out. You wanted to do this, for yourself and for your fans.

After what felt like a few hours of working, someone came through the door. You huffed irritatedly.

“Kaori, I told you to go to sleep…” you stopped mid-sentence as you realized the person at the door was definitely not Kaori. “Oh, Chen! What are you doing here?”

He chuckled at your sudden change of attitude. “Oh, I was working in the studio at the end of the hall and heard someone tinkering around on my way out. I thought I’d check it out.” He sat down in the chair next to yours. “How long have you been at this?”

You glanced at the clock. How the hell was it 3 am? You sighed before answering him. “Five hours, I suppose”

He pressed his lips together and nodded understandingly. “Yeah, that’s about what I figured. Come on, we’re taking a break.” He patted your shoulder and stood up from his chair.

“What? No, I can’t…” you protested, gesturing to the monitor in front of you.

“You most certainly can.” he retorted, putting his hands on his hips assertively, but still keeping a smile on his face. “Let’s go get you some food and water, and we’ll come right back. It won’t take more than ten minutes.”

You sat there for a moment, just staring at him blankly, not quite knowing what else to say that might make him give up.

“Don’t make me use my dad voice.” he threatened.

“Alright, I’m going…” you sighed defeatedly, grabbing your coat as you stood up and followed him out into the hallway.

—————

He was true to his word, the walk to the convenience store and back only took about ten minutes. You were now back in the recording room, snacks strewn about everywhere, going over your tracks with Chen.

“I think this is really solid!” he complimented you. “Obviously you’ll want to do a few tweaks here and there, but this is really good. You should be proud.”

“Awh, thanks Chen!” you replied gratefully. “One of the things I was thinking about doing was…”

The two of you went back and forth bouncing ideas between each other, adjusting parts of the songs and making them perfect.

“Okay, I’m gonna save your original, but I’ll tweak it how I would do it, and then I’ll show it to you.” he proposed, taking over the sound board. “Just hang tight for a sec, okay?”

“Roger that.” you told him, giving him a thumbs up. You rested your head against your arms, which were folded up on the desk in front of you. Suddenly it hit you how tired you were. Your eyelids felt like they weighed 100 pounds, and the soft clicks of Chen using the keyboard seemed to be lulling you off to sleep like a metronome. Before you could stop yourself, your eyes closed for the last time, and you were dozing off right there in the studio.

“Okay, I’m done…” he stated, swiveling around to face you. He chuckled as he realized you had fallen asleep right next to him. “This kid…” he laughed, shaking his head. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of you, posting it on instagram and tagging Etoile’s account.

Hey Starlight, just thought you’d like to know how hard your main vocal is working on her solo album! I know I can’t wait for it to come out!

He clicked the post button, then shoved his phone back in his pocket. He saved all your work, then shut off all the lights and machines. Once everything was taken care of, he grabbed one of your arms and threw you over his back, beginning to carry you back to the dorms.

—————

Needless to say, you were highly confused when you woke up in your own bed the next day. Furrowing your brows, you threw on your slippers and walked out into the dining room to see Nabi and Kaori at the table eating breakfast.

“There’s our sleeping beauty.” Nabi teased with a loving smirk. “Got in pretty late last night, huh?”

“Dude, I don’t even know how I got home.” you yawned, trudging over to the coffee pot.

“Oh, you don’t remember? Chen brought you home!” Kaori told you. “He said you passed out in the studio again.

“Yeah, the fans are talking about the picture he posted. They think it’s super cute.” Nabi explained, pulling up the post on her phone.

You took a sip of your coffee before grabbing the phone from her hand. You smiled as you read the caption, then began scrolling through the comments.

awh, chen is such a good big brother to our y/n! 🥺

thank you for saving y/n from nabi’s wrath XD

look at chen being a proud dad, i’m sobbing 😭

i love the wholesome sibling vibes these two have!

You grinned as you gave Nabi her phone back. “He is kind of like an older brother. That was really sweet of him to bring me home. I should thank him.”

You sat down at the table with your coffee and pulled out your phone, only to see that he had already texted you.

Chen ✌🏻: “Just so you know, I’m making you feature in one of MY solo songs sometime soon. I can already tell your album is going to be huge, and I need your talents 👀”

You laughed at his demanding tone, typing up your own reply.

Y/N 🦢: “aye aye cap’n 🫡 also thanks for getting me home last night :)”

Chen ✌🏻: “No problem, just don’t pass out in the studio again or Nabi and I will BOTH come after you 👊🏻”

“So if you’re my mom, and Chen is your big brother, does that make him my uncle?” Kaori asked with a confused expression.

“I guess so.” you shrugged with a smile. Your found family at SM just seemed to keep growing and growing, but you couldn’t complain. It was nice to work with people who cared about you, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[rose-likesto-write]

Meant To Be..

Pairing:- Taecyeon x fem reader; very brief mentions of Chan (SKZ), Baekhyun (EXO) and Yeji (ITZY)

Genre:- Fluff, humour (maybe), angst

Warning:- curse words, swearing, a bit angst past of Taecyeon

Rating:- T

Word Count:- around 1 K

Tagged:- @atiny-exol @chicken-fifi

Summary:- He never thought that he found his mate after long years of search and in this way? The man who never felt the feels of jealousy, being grumpy like an old man is really now acting just like a 5 year old boy for this girl whom he feels is his mate and wants to claim her as his but the problem you ask? It's her little golden retriever puppy of whom he is jealous and thinks as an obstacle.

A/N:- I feel this is one of the shortest (kinda) fic I wrote as I didn't wanna drag it like unnecessarily. I can always make another parts, if you all wish to read. I am sorry :")... This scenario is a continuation of werewolf reaction

"What did I land myself into?" Taecyeon thought as he inspected the situation and environment around himself. While he was busy analysing the surroundings a gentle tug at the hem of his sleeve brought him out of train of thoughts. He looked at the big doe glistening eyes and a small pout playing on the lips.

"T-Thank y-you a-and pl-please I a-am sorry. I-i didn't meant to take you like this a-" your lightining speed speech was cut off in the beginning by him. "its okay and also I came with you and not the way around. Plus, why didn't you get your wounds treated huh? Don't say, it is a vet hospital and stuff. Come with me."

Okay, you didn't say anything because first of all, you were too overwhelmed to say anything. Second, this man whom you don't even know, you not only find him attractive but that you started liking him and feel safe? Thats a BIG statement but ofcourse, why would you tell him and finally, the way he was talking to you without giving you any chance to reply back made you feel something.

Weird right?

The vet hospital he took you to was the one where some of his friends of the other pack and other supernatural creatures work other than the human beings. "Dr Chan, we an emergency!" Taecyeon rushed into the said doctor's room without any fear scaring the poor werewolf.

"Taecyeon, what the heck!! Are you hurt anywhere? Did someone from other p- "It's a human girl" Taecyeon said refering to you as you were being pulled inside, while Chan had to blink a couple of times before understanding the complete situation before a mischievous smirk came up. "Oh, ma'am please take a seat as I call my colleagues Dr Baekhyun and Dr Yejin." Chan said while trying to control his laugh as he dialled the numbers.

"Not that little shit again, I swea- "but, he is good at stuff like this and why are you so worked up? Miss, please tell me the details while the other two doctors come in"

As much as this situation was making you confused as hell as to what was happening as the said doctor Chan was busy laughing at God knows what stuff, then him calling other two doc's as well and that gentleman whom you now know his name is Taecyeon is reacting kinda weird especially when doctor Chan mentioned the name of doctor Baek? Baekhyun.. yeah, Dr. Baekhyun; there was Taecyeon who was feeling many emotions and numerous thoughts were continuously going through this head due to which he couldn't arrive at a conclusion.

When Yeji took you in for treating and dressing the wounds both Dr Chan and Baekhyun took Taecyeon to a more isolated room quite far from yours. "Hyung, you know why we brought you here?" Chan said while Baekhyun took out some drinks from the small fridge. Taecyeon gave a confused look making the other two boys sigh in disappointment. "You found your mate!!" Baekhyun said with a soft smile, making his eyes widened even though he knew this was about to come. "But I c--- "What? You won't accept your mate Hyung? Oh, come on.. Don't act like those rogue wolves. We all kn-

"It's not about that!" Taecyeon raised his voice before covering his face with his hands. "We know what are you trying to say Hyung but what happened can't be undone! None of us can't even that pain but not every mate is like that! She isn't that bitch like Claire a-and remember that Hyung Seok will always with us." Taecyeon can't help but to cry as he remembered his brother who was once full of life, love, happiness, bravery. He was everything and was so perfect that it seemed so unreal but fate had cruel ways especially in the hands of his own mate, that's really a treachery and it can't be imagined even if you have rivals or enemies to go this way. Heaven forbid!!

The sad atmosphere changed when Dr Yeji entered the room along with you who was one step behind from being like an Egyptian mummy. "Oh, my god!! You had this much wounds, are you really okay? Why didn't you tell me?" His heart was beating so fast and his eyes were draped in a fabric of concern. You too were shocked as in no one ever was this concerned for you except for your parents and this person standing in front of you is a complete stranger in the span of almost 3 hours out of which you only came to know about his name. You too were so lost in each other's eyes that it was only Baekhyun's soft giggles that made you both break the eye contact and he got a harsh glare from Yeji.

A few days passed away, with nothing new. Taecyeon was trying to get back at his work but he couldn't somehow at some point of time, his mind and heart went back to you, the way you had looked at him when you asked for help or the way you tugged at his sleeve or your smile when you saw that pet of yours after the small surgery that had to take place. There was so much to think about even though you were together for only 4-5 hours that day.

Maybe Taecyeon was busy smiling like an idiot but his wolf wasn't pleased at all with him. His inner self was in a continuous argument mode.

His inner self:- You are the stupidest person. I have ever seen. I really don't know how did ma-

Taecyeon:- Hey, don't need to get down to that level. What's your problem anyway?

His inner self:- MY PROBLEM?! You being idiot is the problem. Why can't you talk to her? Even, when she called you as you were about to leave that hospital?

Taecyeon:- What would I have said that? It's okay but since you are my mate, let's go on a date?

His inner self:- You really have that much courage? You didn't even ask her name and here you were talking to take her on a date? Let alone that, you were so jealous of that little puppy!! Oh, my god...

Taecyeon:- Oh, please as if you weren't jealous. I had to control myself because you couldn't bear the sight of that puppy kissing her.

His inner self:- As if you wouldn't be.. Anyways, do something good and just like those close mates of yours said it's time for the open wounds to heal. Maybe, it won't heal 100% but that 80-90% is a necessity.

Taecyeon didn't reply back because he knew his inner self was right but he couldn't do anything and if you were his mate, his Luna then you would have to meet someday, somewhere and maybe that he was kinda jealous of the golden retriever.

The following evening, as he went out for a walk in the park near the river, a few minutes later barks and woofs were heard. He didn't gave it a much thought till he felt something near his leg along with something wet on his pants. He looked down at the puppy and he was kinda irritated as the pants were expensive and the small pup had dirtied it.

As soon as he held the puppy high, a soft voice broke all his anger. "Buzo, Where are you?" it's you and that's your voice. Taecyeon's inner self was on a overdrive because of happiness that finally, it and some contact even if it's just of voice.

The said puppy, Buzo barked at you, making you turn towards it and Taecyeon, and a shy smile came over on your face.

"Thank you so much once again, Mr Taecyeon. You again saved my Buzo and the way it looks at you, I can say that it likes you very much." As much as he was annoyed at Buzo, Taecyeon can't help but thank the golden retriever for giving a chance to meet you again....

Soon, enough you both exchanged numbers and started to have conversations. First through, SMS which lead to sharing of usernames of various social media accounts to having 2 hours of phone calls. The steady progress was observed and maybe it's this steady progress and your personality that started made Taecyeon to come to terms slowly and step by step.

He still hadn't shared his past with you, his true identity but slowly as he was opening his heart and emotions, you at the other gave the way and space for him to explore and let it out as if you knew how it feels to express and feel the slightest of vulnerability.

One day, he would surely come to terms with his own emotions, his feelings for you and even the slight jealousy he has when he sees the close relationship of yours and Buzo.. He can't wait for that day to come !

Maybe, this was Meant To Be... To also know this feeling of trying to understand ones know emotions, to try let go of the past, to try to fill at least some small voids which would later give that sense of peace, a sad yet happy memories and to have someone to share this especially to act like a child who feels his/her special candy or chocolate treat would be denied. it's really a beautiful feeling....

[exodusmc]

Insider 07

Genre: Power au, war au, rebel au

Words: 1512

Paring: Light manipulator Baekhyun  x  Reader

Side character/s: Exo, Bts

Warning!: Hinting to death of a close one, mention of death 

a/n: Sooo....It’s been a while, like a year. I’m so sorry, I know how much it sucks to read a series when it’s not finished. I’ll try to be better now and hopefully have my motivation 

Gif is not mine 

Previous   Next  

Jongdae was peering over your shoulder, trying to hear what you said over the phone, since Minseok told him to stay with you in a blunt way, even when the younger whined out how you were a big girl and would take care of yourself. 

It was late at night and you weren't sure Yixing would pick up, the whole day had gone at eating and seeing the base. You had seen other people, their cheeks pulled to smiles and eyes which burnt with more than just survival. The republic didn't know how big the rebellion actually was or how strong they could become with a purpose. Namjoon wanted to ask you about things, you were sure of it, but he said tomorrow and to rest. 

“Is he answering?”Jongdae had freckles, you realized that the spots weren't dirt after he got to shower, he also had a charm which everyone seemed to fall for. You and everyone else had been shown the kids room, seen them all play with him, but you couldn't stay for long, a foreign feeling which made you feel sick crawled in your stomach. Those children could have been killed or put into facilities or they could have been born by a mother who didn't have a choice.”Y/n?”

“No…”you barely managed to finish the word before the other end  sparked to life, a static fading into Yixing’s voice. 

“You called…”he was surprised, smiling from ear to ear. You stayed, you would help them in the end. 

Tired and relieved, Yixing plopped down on a chair in a random room. They had lost about four patients but most were stable now. He had worked non stop since he came, not sure what time it was.

“You asked me too..”closing his eyes, Yixing chuckled weakly. His leg hurt more than before, having been overused. 

“I did..”you glanced at Jongdae who’s eyes were on you like a hawk.”...Do you want anything else?”

“Actually I wanted to tell you about your parents..”the world around you faded, heart being the only sound again.” I met someone who knew them personally.”

“Could you leave me alone for a little while?”Jongdae gaped, scratching his nape. He wasn't supposed to leave you but at the same time you were speaking with Yixing and it seemed important. With a small nod he walked away, giving you one last look before the door closed.

“I met a girl named Seohee..”he paused for a second, waiting to hear if you were still there.”She was good friends with you parents, knew them very well, and she told me she was surprised when you were first seen by the rebels. “

You wondered what this woman must have thought when she realized you, the daughter of her friends who fought for their rights, was a killing machine, molded to fit a government ruled by hate and greed. It must have been horrible, a tortury a sadist wanted. 

“She was happy to see you alive..”those words, you didn't like them. They spread a warm feeling in your blood and a stone in your stomach. Even if your life had been growing on lies, had it been easier without the tumult.”Seohee told me your parents would be revelied you survived when they didn't.”

“But I’m the enemy..” Yixing tensed, eyes wide and energy flowing back to his system. 

He could hear something different in your voice, the heaviness of emotion, like you broke the armor which was once meant to hold you in a cage. You said something which seemed to be your own and not forced out by years of training. Yixing had seen change in both you and Baekhyun, a spirit which returned to a shell, to lead. He knew you could finish what your parents started.

“But you don't have to be anymore...You can be like them, you can get to know them and find your bloodline.”so many thoughts circled your head, screams of dead and dying but you had no clue if it was the future or the past. Everything bleed together and you weren't sure if you could picture a world where children could smile instead of cry.”Your parents fought for freedom for them and you. They were loved and they helped everyone through hard times..Seohee said you were their hope, the fuel to keep fighting even if you didn't have any powers.”

“Okay I think that’s enough..”you hadn't even heard Minseok come in or realized he took the phone, only that hands landed on your shoulders and a soft voice asked if you were fine.”..I can call tomorrow but we need to sleep and so do you doctor Zhang, goodnight.”

“Hey hey Y/n are you in there?”Jongdae spoke softly, smiling at your cloudy far away eyes. He had heard your breathing pick up its pace and got concerned so he walked in, finding you with tears in your eyes. It had sealed the deal for him, you were just like them and he would protect you like it too.

But you...you couldn't stop thinking about Yixing’s words, the letters coming out like a manter in your head. But you don't have to be anymore..

-

Junmyeon walked through the corridor, eyes resting on the far end. In the near future could he only  make out that there would be no peace but a war and the world would be destroyed again. He wanted to see healing, however, you can't heal with poison still in your system. He knows it will be hard and devastating but he has to finish what was started years ago, because he can't let anyone else suffer like they do now.       

Walking up to the surface, he flows like water and turns to a stream of the past. In his hand is a pendel, silver slightly rusted due to its age, lines of a dragon almost faded. It was a long time ago, when he was the one left to carry it. Junmyeon believed it wasn't supposed to turn out like this, him being left behind, and maybe it was for him he fought so hard, the one who lost. 

Finally stopping, the water manipulator dropped to the ground by the shell to a tree. Time had fixed the earth just enough for red flowers to bloom every march, coloring the surrounding just a little. It was his safe haven, the place where he was a mere boy again, and the resting place for his best friend.

Digging up a little hole by a root, he dropped the neckles down, the younger version of him flashing in Junmyeon’s mind. He was safe here and when the future was unclear, did he want him to never be found again, have his peace. Tears fell down his face, silent and like a feathery touch, but it was okay, just like he said that time, it was all going to be okay.             

-

Baekhyun chewed the inside of his cheek, pain flaring up his right leg. Chanyeol was rougher this time, his eyes going in and out of focus. Anger, Baekhyun guessed, because of the fact that you weren't just a monster anymore. You saved a random person and his family, you saved Yixing and Baekhyun, Chanyeol couldn't let himself  see you as something with feelings. If you had feelings and a life, so would every other soldier and that makes Chanyeol sick to his stomach, because then there was someone waiting for them to come home and he himself would have made that an impossibility. 

With a low growl of frustration was he sending a fireball across the room, right at Baekhyun. It almost hit him, creeping up the walls instead until Sehun managed to kill it by taking away the oxygen.  

“What the hell Chanyeol!” Sehun turned around swiftly, nostrils flared as he panted due to the energy his power took. The three of them were just staring at each other, tension building with everyone's element.”You could have killed him..”

A red eye and a brown eye landed on Baekhyun, confusion filling them both to the brim. The older of them knew what was happening, because he felt it too once. Chanyeol was losing control and the sense of comfort in his power. He could have hurt someone badly, something he wants to avoid, but when the brain gets foggy, it’s hard to think clearly. 

“I’m fine...but maybe we should stop for today?”with a stiff nod was the tall man making his way out, gaze locked before him and yet not in the room. Chanyeol disappeared fast, leaving the other two staring after him.

“Will he be okay?” Sehun whose face never showed pain and fear shone brightly with the feelings, orbs flickering around. He was still young...they all were still young.

“Hmm, I sure he will…”Baekhyun remembered seeing you in the tunnel before you went away, he remembered the man telling them you saved him.”..but maybe he had to bury the axe with Y/n..”

Tags: @shesdreaminginoverdose

[ripperdaddy]

the viktor vector romance path + ending we deserve

Disclaimer: This is definitely something I came up with in my head. There will be a few instances that are solely made up so it can tie in with the “story.” This is purely fictional; something I wished happened if there was a possible Vik romance 🥰 This is based on my general knowledge of the game & Vik’s life. All gifs + images are from my own personal play through, but wouldn’t be possible without the help of the Appearance Menu Mod, found on Nexus Mods by the creators, MaximiliumM and CtrlAltDaz. And the shirtless Vik mod by the lovely samsnak ♡

It would start after completing the Paid In Full quest where you pay Vik back the eddies you owe him.

I feel like realistically, the general player would have to be at least halfway through the story to have collected enough eddies. I would say that a good point in the story where we can begin the romance is that you’ve already established a connection to Alt and have dealt with the VDB’s.

I think it would be a short side quest like River’s. Vik already plays a big part in the story overall on his own, so I don’t think it’s necessary to make his “side quest” too long. His romance would just be an addition to the ending.

And as much as I would love for him to be a bisexual option for both male/female V, if we’re sticking with the game’s standard with limiting partners to only one kind of partner, he would only be romance-able by a female V with a feminine voice.

V: Finally scrounged up enough eddies to pay you back in full.

Vik: Hold on to ‘em just in case - you need ‘em more than me.

V: I’m not taking them all the way to my grave, Vik. Here. And.. thanks again for doing so much work on me ‘thout ever seein’ an enny.

Vik: That’s what friends are for.

Then, there is an additional option for dialogue to trigger the romance path.

V: Friends? I think you’ve been in and out of my body more than anyone else I’ve hooked up with in Night City.

He laughs, with a coy smile. “Well, can’t argue with you there. Why don’t we take some of these eddies and grab a drink. You know, to celebrate. Catch up on old times. Haven’t seen you round here much lately, kid.”

You agree to meet at the El Coyote Cojo tomorrow evening.

You meet around 9 PM and you are welcomed by the sight of Pepe and Vik at the bar.

V: Nice choice of venue.

Vik: Thought you’d like it. Haven't been here since.. well, you know.

V: I miss him, Vik.

Vik: I know, V. Me too.

You immediately take a seat and tinker with a few dialogue options, where you can either have a sweet moment talking about Jackie or some surface questions to ask, like how he’s doing, what kind of drink he likes, etc. But it all winds down to Jackie anyway, where Vik confides in you about his past. Judging by how Vik was so affected by Jackie’s death, and V’s (if you chose the suicide ending), you can tell that he has lost a lot in his life, and keeps his circle very small.

You then achieve an even closer, more personal relationship with him. But, ultimately nothing happens other than the usual, wait 24 hours in game for a text/phone call from Vik to head into the next stage. At least now, you have established the foundation for a future romance.

Halfway through the 24 hour period, you get a text from Vik thanking you for the lovely evening. No reply needed, as he calls you once the 24 hour mark hits and invites you out for another date.

You meet at Tom’s Diner for coffee in the afternoon. It starts off with him apologizing for being emotional the previous night and asks if you’re open to hanging out again and going down to Pacifica to watch a fight with him.

Vik: Hey, V. I just wanted to apologize about last night. I didn’t mean to be such a downer.

V: It’s okay, Vik. We share the same grief.

Vik: I was going to head down to Pacifica and catch a real good match later on today. I was wondering if you’d like to come along, think it’d be great for the both of us, you know, as a distraction.

pssst even Johnny’s rooting for y’all ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Johnny: Hmm, interesting.

V: What?

Johnny: Never thought you'd be going out with this guy.

V: Vik's amazing. And I mean--we basically owe it to him since he practically saved our life.

Johnny: Don't tell me you're going out with him out of pity.

V: I'm not.

Johnny: I know, I can feel you get all mushy-gushy. It's almost repulsive. Just wanted to hear you admit it.

V: Eat a dick, Johnny.

You arrive before the GIM and blend into the crowd.

V: Nothin’ like watching guys beat the shit out of each other to get your blood pumpin’, huh?

Vik: This is a real good matchup, V. This kid’s fresh, young talent.

V: You miss it, don’t you?

Before the fight begins, Vik shares a story about his time in the ring and coming in second in the Watson Boxing Grand Prix.

There’s some extra fun options in the dialogue, you can bet some eddies on who’s gonna win, or side with him. The fight ends, and you two head outside.

Since you’re already out in Pacifica, you head over to the boardwalk (where you would ride the roller coaster with Johnny) and he starts telling you about the last days of his boxing career and how he transitioned from the sport to being a ripperdoc.

You both share a sweet moment with each other, reminiscing about old times and talking about V’s future with the relic. This is where I would see Vik confessing how he feels about you, mentioning how grateful he is for Jackie introducing you to him.

The evening ends and Vik asks you to give him some time to try and dig up some footage from his storage and have you come over to watch. You can kiss him then wait another 24 in game hours before the last quest. Halfway through, he texts you and asks you what you’d like for dinner. You can opt for pizza or chinese.

I haven’t seen or read anything about how or where Vik lives. If I overlooked something, please let me know! But for the sake of the story, let’s say he does actually have his own place that’s now introduced in the game. Personally, I think he has a typical bachelor pad, like a really nice apartment. Not too far from his clinic either. He looks like he would just walk to work. Vik definitely has a lot of money, but he’s so humble I doubt he would choose to live lavishly. As mentioned in the beginning, he typically just “sleeps nights” ever since he was over “being a legend” so I’m guessing his lifestyle is very routine. He goes to work, goes home, sleep. Seems unlikely he has a place like the Peralez’s. It would probably be just the same as V’s but decorated to his taste.

The evening comes and you are over at his place. He’s dressed in just a white undershirt, no exo-glove. You get to know more about his family, how he grew up — scanning things around his place. Then he plays some footage of one of his fights for you, while you two have a conversation and share a beer. As you two sit on the couch, you get close, then have an opportunity to kiss him.

then this is where da sex happen hihihi (ノ・ω・)ノ

The next morning you wake up and you two have a heartfelt conversation about where this is going. He already knows your situation, so I would assume he is very accepting and supportive. And with Vik, he seems like the kind of guy who would still want to be in your life and keep the friendship the same way despite no longer being together romantically. So it’s official. He’s your man 🥵 !!11!1!

Like how River gives you the “fuck the police” tank top after sleeping with him, I think Vik would give you his Night City Devils t-shirt that provides you with a significant amount of armor or some kind of cyberware upgrade that makes you invulnerable for a brief moment while using your hands to fight enemies.

Note: I was thinking of Vik giving V his boxing glove necklace, but because it's part of his character's appearance in the game, I don't think we would be able to essentially "take it" from him - unless he gives you a replica as a keepsake. Which I think would also work.

If you successfully romance, during the rooftop scene near the end of Nocturne OP55N1 (despite Vik’s disposition of him telling you to take matters in your own hands and being a little closed off), you still have an option to reach out to him when Johnny advises you to call a loved one.

V: Hey, Vik. I just wanted to say, thanks for hanging with me, until the end.

Vik: Quit talking like it is, V. Just do what you need to do.

V: I mean, think of it. It’s like I’m heading into the last round of this whole thing.

Vik: Well, in that case.. remember—keep your hands up, guarded at all times. It ain’t over just yet.

V: Heh.. I can feel it, just a few more punches.

Vik: Now look at you - the new welterweight champ of Night City.

V: Thanks, coach.

Vik: Last piece of advice from the coach's corner. Just.. be careful, kid. Remember, I’m with you.

Okayyyy, soooo I’m not the biggest fan of how CDPR gave us two of the same endings (Path of Glory). The only difference is that Rogue’s life is spared. I would have assumed that not only would we get to keep Rogue around, things should have played a bit more differently for V if we took the route of going solo against the corpos. So let’s tweak it.

This specific ending; it should be after getting through Don’t Fear The Reaper where you single-handedly manage to rip through Arasaka by yourself. Johnny goes back to Alt & Rogue is still alive. Yes nobody dies!!!

(honestly this ending can apply to any love interest you choose)

Vik and V are now living together in a lavish penthouse, entertaining an upcoming merc to do their work for them (which is now the current POV of the player.) You were recruited by Rogue at the Afterlife, who told you to visit this couple for a real, preem job.

They give you some vague details about the gig and go on for a brief moment about what you will be doing and what you should expect. Vik emphasizes to you that it’s important you get what they need because it’s for his wife, V, as her life depends on it.

As Never Gonna Fade Away is playing in the background, they tell you to break into Arasaka HQ.

Then the game officially ends.

[nctsjiho]

Relationship with: SM artists

For JiHo’s relationship with NCT check out the pinned post on my blog. By no means are these all SM artists or is this very detailed and my knowledge in some of these groups is also very limited so please bear with me. If I wrongly represent anyone now or in the future feel free to let me know, but keep in mind all of this is purely fictional.

Super Junior:

Oh dear Lord help poor JiHo

She’s the victim of endless teasing from Super Junior

Since JiHo is pretty sociable she got quite comfortable with SuJu

They might not hang out a lot but whenever they see the girl they’ll approach her to at least greet her (and vice versa, of course)

SuJu also love to bring JiHo up during variety shows to tell a funny episode they had with the girl and “expose” her

Eunhyuk is a bit like an older brother to her, during her trainee days she once walked up to him asking him if he could critique her dancing. He was surprised at how bold she was and could only agree with her because she was so intriguing. He thought JiHo was a great dancer and since that time they became really close, even having each other’s phone numbers and JiHo having Eunhyuk on speed dial. When she was still under-age Eunhyuk became her guardian (not legally) since she has no family in Korea

Red Velvet:

They aren’t really close with each other for a few reasons (nothing bad though)

JiHo joined SM just after Red Velvet debuted and since the group was very busy with promotions and practice JiHo rarely got to see them

Though JiHo was very talented she didn’t have that much training and she was still a little too young when SM thought of adding another member into the group, Yeri had joined Red Velvet in march of 2015 which was clearly an amazing choice

SM also thought, pretty early on, that JiHo wouldn’t be a great fit for the group’s concept and overall look so they quickly stopped considering JiHo to become a Red Velvet member

Even after years passed, JiHo didn’t really get much closer to most of the members, but she respects them a lot as artists

Out of the whole group she’s probably closest with Seulgi and Wendy, who kinda see her as a little sister they want to take care of

Wendy checks up on JiHo every once in a while through text or invites her out to have dinner and drags Seulgi along with her

They look out for her and tease her a lot when it comes to being the only female member of NCT

“You need to be surrounded by a bit more oestrogen every once in a while, JiHo.” ^^

They will give her advice or just try to cheer her up when they catch the younger girl looking a bit stressed

JiHo would love to do a dance cover with Seulgi sometime in the future

SHINee:

Honestly who doesn’t love SHINee?!??

I’m not saying JiHo is secretly a Shawol, but I am saying SHINee is one of the groups that introduced her to kpop

She always had (and still has) so much respect for the group and they are probably the reason she accepted the scout’s request to come to Korea to become a trainee at SM

A possibility to debut under the same company as SHINee?? YES MA’AM

She has a very friendly relationship with the boys

Saying hi in passing or making small talk whenever they end up in the same elevator

Maybe even went to get something to eat together in the company cafeteria, but besides that there isn’t very much interaction

Taemin has mentioned her a handful of times after SuperM formed since he’s in the same group of some of JiHo’s members now

It usually about how he thinks JiHo’s really cute definitely during her trainee days when she was a little shy towards SHINee or that she’s a really great dancer/performer

Fans have wanted Key & JiHo or Minho & JiHo interactions for a while now, thinking they would make iconic duos (because chaos-), but some other fans have mentioned how she and Onew would make for a great duo because the girl tends to gravitate to the calmer members in NCT more often as well

EXO:

Well Kai is her idol so...

A lot of teasing once again

Though funnily enough, some EXO members seem to be intimidated by JiHo or act awkward around her

JiHo has been pretty open about being an EXO-L and so many fans poke fun at EXO about them being awkward around the girl (they have adopted her into the fandom and she’s pretty well received there)

“She just has this aura around her~”

MTL to feel intimidated by/awkward around JiHo:

Most: Sehun, Suho & Kai

Least: Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin (EXO-CBX ^^) & Lay (EXO-M <3, the former Chinese members were also not really awkward around her)

Not at all: Chanyeol & D.O.

JiHo’s fans are sad that her and Kai are so awkward around each other and blame EXO and NCT (mainly those in SuperM) for teasing Kai so much by mentioning JiHo looks up to him, that now he can barely look her in the eyes

People have also pointed out how funny it is that Kai and Sehun are especially intimidated by JiHo, comparing them to big dogs being scared of a little puppy (wait this is cute)

Chanyeol and D.O. get along very well with JiHo, Chanyeol mainly being kind of a big brother for JiHo, but a big brother who likes making fun of her and embarrass her

JiHo mentioned the group a lot in her first year of being an idol, after that she kind of stopped (theory: she got told of by SM for talking about EXO too much after getting a lot of mean comments from antis ＞﹏＜)

Interactions between her and the group have also been insanely spares since mid 2019

(another theory: fans think that JiHo isn’t allowed to talk/interact with EXO anymore)

She has only mentioned EXO members when talking about SuperM, but it was mainly to support the group’s promotions

#Bring_Back_JiHo_X_EXO_2021

SNSD/Girl’s Generation:

NCT has teased JiHo before saying that she’s scared of SNSD

She defended herself by telling everyone that it’s because they are her seniors and she really respects them so she tends to get nervous around them 

Some of the members of the girl group have mentioned JiHo before and said they hung out a little

Hyoyeon has been very expressive about her fondness for the girl

She even said that she wanted JiHo to join her when she participated in Hit The Stage

It didn’t end up happening because the kind of dances she did where either “too mature” or “unfortunately we didn’t get permission (from SM) to let Jiho join”

Hyoyeon has posted some pictures with JiHo on instagram, either cheering her on during NCT promotions or just because they were casually hanging out

JiHo also really likes Sunny and Taeyeon and has been invited by the girls to attended their concerts a few times now

On the outside it looks like they have a very strict senior-junior relationship, but every once in a while the group tells them how they are actually closer to JiHo than people think, they just don’t have very many opportunities to show it

They also do NOT tolerate any hate towards JiHo (definitely from those who comment on her not deserving to be in a boy group or her skill as an idol in general) and WILL defend her and shoot down any comments

Aespa:

She trained with a few of the girls for a little while

But when it got announced that JiHo would be joining NCT instead of a girl group, she started training with the boys (NCT and trainees who’d join NCT)

Some fans speculated that JiHo and Aespa weren’t on good terms, but there was no evidence to back up their theories

More so, it was even revealed that JiHo knew the choreography for “Black Mamba” during a V Live

JiHo has openly supported the group by talking about their debut song and stages, but there aren’t really any other interactions between them

BoA:

A collab between them would be LEGENDARY

When BoA visited NCT during their practise of Black on Black during the filming of Master in The House, she pointed JiHo out and complimented her for being able to be as powerful as the boys

JiHo looks up to BoA very much and during a variety show has revealed that she used to practise a lot of her songs/dances while she was a trainee

It happened a few times that the singer has expressed her faith in the younger girl’s potential and skill and hopes that JiHo will get to show of more of her talent because “Currently, I think she’s not able to show all her skills. She’s a junior I am able to trust to deliver (a great performance) if I asked her to work on a project with or for me.”

BoA’s comments about the younger girl only solidified the theories that SM is suppressing JiHo’s talent

JiHo has spoken out about it very subtly, saying that she’s happy where she is now as long as she gets to keep performing with the boys

In response to an international fan asking if JiHo ever thought about branching out to work on a solo project like a mixtape or even just solo dance videos to show of her choreographing skills:

“It makes me genuinely happy to perform with my friends right now. I think I still have a lot of learning to do. If ever my company reaches out to me to do something like that I will think about it, but I don’t really feel the need for anything like that right now. I’m happy (with the way things are) right now.”

[icequeenbae]

Desert Flower (m) Ch. 3 | BBH

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader x Baëkhyun

Characters: EXO and X-EXO (not all of them mentioned)

EXO vs X-EXO dynamics, complicated relationships, angsty, action, smut (as usual)

Warnings: sorta mingling with your ex’s ‘evil twin’, mentions of blood/ violence (nothing too graphic… I suppose), Y/N gets teary a lot(?), explicit content, rough sex, unprotected sex

Word Count: ~13.5k (full), ~4.5k (Chapter 3)

Summary: Baekhyun, your beloved boyfriend of three years, suddenly breaks up with you and disappears from the city in an attempt to protect you. But leaving you alone and clueless means trouble will surely find you. For it is easy to spot a flower in the desert.

Masterlist   >> One >> Two (m) >> Three (m) >> Four (fin)

Author’s Note: Heyy! How’re you guys doing so far?^^ Sooo, this chapter is the longest of all since the story begins to unfold here! The next one is the finale already, and it’s going to be pretty epic, dare I say;) Let me know what kind of plot twists you’re anticipating! 💥

Tags: @blahblahblah-boo @baeklightsx @wooya1224 @baekklove​

Chapter 3. The little birdie told me

For an entire week after you first had sex, you’d stayed away. You felt guilty and foolish for letting that happen. Was he a rebound? Was it even acceptable that you did it with your ex-boyfriend’s twin? Could you live with yourself, knowing what he tasted like, or how his voice became gruff as he really got into it? And, worst of all, you wanted to experience that again. You were virtually ashamed to recall the night you’d spent with him, his roughness that left bruises (not entirely unpleasant), his bossiness that made you come out of your own shell to take what you wanted, what you needed, from him. Thinking back to the way you slammed yourself onto his thighs, or how he then folded you in half and made you come, or the name-calling… It was unbearable because despite believing that you’d made a shameless mistake, you wanted to make it all over again. You wanted to feel his prickly touch on your skin, and his prurient eyes not missing a single curve of your body. You wanted to be pushed by him, and you couldn’t understand the nature of any of those desires. Was it because you’d developed feelings for him? Or because he offered you such a pleasant way of self-destruction?

In his hands, you fell apart and reassembled. Not entirely the same, but then how could you be? The person who broke you had left for good, taking pieces of your puzzle with him. It seemed like a better option than to stay depressed and waiting to be fixed, ending up never achieving completeness.

Baëkhyun wasn’t a perfect fit for you, nor was he someone to heal your pain with the tenderness of his own heart. But only with him, you felt these strong emotions again. Only with him your heart was not aching but fluttering again, excited by the dangerous smirk he was wearing, and the predatory eyes that promised to devour you in the most delectable ways possible.

You stayed away, contemplating your decision and the rationale for it. The questions in your head seemed never-ending. Were you subconsciously trying to get back at Baekhyun? Were you replacing him? Or maybe you were just this quick in finding someone else to hand your still-broken heart over to? Baëkhyun did not seem like the guy who’d want it. He was kind of a bad guy, if you could even be the judge of that. Yet he had never actually hurt you, and he did not like to see you upset, even when it was over someone else.

Or because it was over someone else.

And although you didn’t consider him to be boyfriend material, you decided to give it a try. Not at all expecting it to be a relationship – you weren’t ready for a new one anyway. Still, you wanted to continue this unusual arrangement. Or so you’d been telling yourself when you texted him to come over after a week of radio silence.

As easy as it was for you to grow attached to him as your strange relationship quickly progressed, it should have been a warning sign. Baëkhyun kept asking you about the boys, the time you spent with Baekhyun at their base, and the stuff they’d told you about. And it wasn’t like you just spilled all the secrets – he usually asked about completely random stuff that seemed quite harmless to reveal.

But he was also a strategist. And you had no idea how powerful his mind was.

***

You laid your head on Baëkhyun’s chest, still hot and sweaty after the hours spent roughing up the bed. He stayed with you this time, arm wrapped around your waist intimately.

‘I didn’t expect you to be a natural,’ he hummed out of nowhere.

‘Hm?’ You turned slightly in his hold.

‘You’re getting pretty good at going after what you want. Will suit you well, being a little bad, birdie.’

‘Birdie?’ He met your curious eyes and chuckled, pressing you closer into his side.

‘Ain’t it accurate? You’re like a baby bird that I’m teaching how to fly.’ He stared for a moment. ‘You shouldn’t be down because of anyone anymore. I’d take personal offense if you are,’ he accentuated.

The uninvited warmth seeped into you, and you nuzzled his neck in a fit of affection.

‘Maybe you have to teach me more,’ you teased. ‘Scratch that. Teach me more.’

‘Now you’re just greedy,’ he sneered. ‘But I don’t mind.’

He allowed you to place a few kisses onto the side of his neck, before catching your hand, tracing his V-line down.

‘As much as I enjoy wrecking you, I don’t think you can take any more today.’

‘Aw, worried about me?’ You mocked, biting onto his collarbone playfully.

He squeezed your ass cheek in response.

‘Don’t test me. If you like a little more pain, it can be arranged. But not like this. It’s not what you truly want.’

‘How do you know that it’s not,’ you whined, as he patted your ass.

‘I know you, birdie. And I have a feeling that you’ve learned more about yourself in the last month than in the years prior. Care to give me some credit?’ His icy blue eyes gleamed in the dim lighting.

‘I really wanna blow you right now,’ you deadpanned. Baëkhyun was so, so alluring with that sexy hoarse laugh of his.

‘Wake me up with it tomorrow. If you want it that much.’

But the morning of slow lustful awakening didn’t come – instead, you awoke in an empty bed, alone. Brushing your teeth and washing up quickly, you headed to the kitchen to find your lover... And froze on the spot as soon as you caught bits of the hushed conversation.

‘I’m aware it’s been weeks but building trust takes time, you know? She’s already told me so much-’ Baëkhyun stopped mid-sentence, supposedly interrupted, and sighed. ‘Don’t. I’ll bring her in myself. Yes, I got it, Suhø. I’ll drag her in if I have to.’

You felt anxiety rise at his words, cold sweat breaking. Was he- talking about you? Or was he ‘building trust’ with some other girl? No, that was bound to be you. And who was he conversing with?

Everything was unclear, but your intuition had you tiptoeing back and walking from the bathroom to the kitchen a little louder this time. He finished his call as soon as you entered the kitchen.

‘Hey,’ he beamed at you as if the previous conversation did not take place.

‘Morning,’ you forced a little smile. ‘Were you talking to someone?’

‘Just now? Yeah,’ you feigned curiosity and wrapped your arms around his waist to avoid raising suspicion with your weird behavior or the slight nervous tremor in your hands. ‘Actually, I wanted to take you out today. You can meet some of my friends.’

‘Today?’ He nodded and you blinked, trying to come up with an excuse and fast. ‘Where?’

‘You’ll see. It’s not exactly in the city, so don’t dress all fancy,’ his hand settled on the small of your back.

It was clear now that earlier he had been talking to someone about bringing you in. And having your trust, which, obviously, was his goal from the very beginning. You realized that you needed to slip out carefully.

‘Um, about that… My friend from uni just called. She woke me up, actually. Asked to meet up today, and I already said yes, so…’ You trailed off.

‘Can’t you reschedule? We really should go tonight, while everyone’s in the neighborhood.’

‘Oh,’ you chewed on your lip. ‘She’s going through a rough time, so I have to meet her today. Sorry,’ you added, acting guilty.

He frowned, deep in thought.

‘Can we go after?’ He suggested. ‘I can pick you up in the evening.’

Biting your tongue, you weighed your options carefully. You did not want to alert him as to your attempt to shake him off your tail.

‘Yeah. Sure,’ you forced a smile on your face. ‘I’ll text you when I head back home for a change of clothes, and then we can go.’

‘Perfect,’ he smiled again, before pecking your lips. ‘I’ll head out for a few hours then,’ you nodded, walking him to the door.

Before Baëkhyun opened it, he turned around, catching you by surprise, and kissed you properly. The way he rarely kissed you outside your sex marathons. Deeply, full of… some kind of emotion? You couldn’t really grasp it, but your mind blanked out for a few seconds and you responded. Whimpering into his demanding mouth as his arms hugged you tightly to his body, you felt so tiny and defenseless, almost needy for his protection. But that was a deceiving sentiment.

‘Stay safe, little birdie,’ he whispered into your lips. ‘I’ll be waiting for your message. Don’t make me wait too long.’

‘Okay,’ you promised, and he finally walked out.

Closing the door, you let out a shaky sigh.

You were fucked.

At first, you almost had a panic attack, breath growing shallow and erratic. Having no idea what to do or how to get yourself out of this, you grabbed your phone and dialed the only number you could think of in this situation.

‘Please, Baekhyun,’ you whispered. ‘I’m so scared-’

But he was unavailable again.

Almost sobbing at the automatic answer, you dropped the phone and looked around. There was no one to help you, so you had to save yourself now. Wiping the tears, you grabbed your backpack and started shoving the most important items in it. Your documents, phone, wallet. A change of clothes. A pepper spray you found on your roommate’s shelf, which, you supposed, would be useless against someone like Baëkhyun. But did you have any other option? You had no powers and you would definitely not stand a chance against him in combat. Baekhyun used to train you a little, but you couldn’t even touch him in sparring unless he let you.

It was apparent that your only option was to run. So you did.

You jumped into the first cab you could get and asked the driver to head to the railway station. Making a mistake of not looking at him, you got onto your phone to try and figure out where to go from there. You didn’t notice that the car wasn’t even going in the right direction – not until it was taking a sharp turn right, off the main road, and onto the vacant plot of land, shielded from the road by a line of trees.

‘Excuse me, where are we going?’ You asked, looking around in confusion, finally paying attention.

‘I think we should take the quicker means of transportation, don’t you, Y/N?’ You saw a pair of oddly colored eyes in the mirror, and then the driver turned to face you.

‘J- Jongin?’ You gasped. ‘What’s wrong with your-’

‘It’s Kāi, darling,’ he chuckled, reaching for your arm.

Operating on instinct, you dodged his hand and attempted to open the door. It was locked.

‘Tsk. I thought we’d do it the nice way. Hyung asked me, after all,’ he tutted. ‘But I don’t think you’re willing to work with me here,’ he gritted that last part, suddenly pouncing at you through the space between the driver’s and passenger’s seats.

You screamed and struggled, and then…

It was a blur.

Like movie scenes, your surroundings were changing around you rapidly, too fast for you to catch anything. It may have lasted a split second, but made you so dizzy that you shut your eyes to battle it. When you finally opened them again, your vision was still foggy – the entire surroundings spinning. Kāi let go of your arm, allowing you to stumble forward and barely get a hold of a vertical surface before releasing the contents of your stomach onto the ground.

‘I told you to be gentle with her. She’s not used to teleporting.’ Unmistakably, it was Baëkhyun’s voice.

‘I brought her here in one piece. See arms or legs missing? No? That’s about as gentle as I get.’ The taller one rolled his eyes.

Baëkhyun approached you, a frown on his face, and helped get your hair out of your face despite your weak protests.

‘Let’s get you inside,’ he said, holding you up by the shoulders when your insides were finally done doing flips.

‘Don’t touch me,’ you coughed, pressing your side into the wall to get away from the physical contact.

‘Y/N, please. Just do as you’re told if you don’t want to be hurt.’ You looked up at him, angry at yourself for being this dumb, but also upset because your trust was again broken.

And even though you kept telling yourself that you and Baëkhyun only had ‘a casual thing’ going on, it did hurt. It hurt like a motherfucker, because you were used by a person you... fell in love with. You didn’t understand much of their plan yet, but something told you that it was all meant to hurt another person you loved.

Your feelings had always clouded your judgment. And now you’d gotten yourself into a completely lose-lose situation.

‘Don’t look at me like that,’ Baëkhyun pursed his lips. ‘You shouldn’t have tried to run away.’

‘Right. Bad little birdie for thinking of self-preservation and for once seeing someone for what he is,’ you mocked frustratedly.

‘I’m truly wondering how you restrain yourself from slapping her.’ You heard Kāi muse from behind Baëkhyun. ‘Maybe you should head in, and I’ll teach her how to cooperate, hyung.’

‘Let’s go,’ the blonde one grabbed your wrist and nodded to his crude green-haired companion. ‘Lead the way.’

You had no choice but to allow him to drag you into the building. Only then you noticed that it was somewhere you’d been before – the base previously utilized by Baekhyun and the boys. Before they abandoned it, of course. It looked different and foreign now, the hallways long and dark as you were taken to the bigger room with a round table, where the others were waiting.

At that point you saw their faces, struck by the similarities all of them bore to the squad you used to know. Your head was spinning again.

‘H- how? Who are you?’ You managed, taking in the unfamiliar variations of familiar faces.

‘So, I take it he didn’t educate her on the clones?’ Chanyeol, or at least someone who looked like him, sneered.

‘What clones? I thought-’

You were interrupted by Baëkhyun, who cleared his throat and announced.

‘She’s here, let’s begin.’

‘Don’t act like we’re not the ones who had to wait while you played with your target,’ someone scoffed from the farther side of the table.

‘Shut up, Chën.’ The silvery-white head shot a glare in his direction, eyes going from grayish blue to a darker shade. ‘Suhø,’ he turned to the red-haired man.

‘Well, well,’ he got up from his chair. ‘If it isn’t the Y/N. To be honest, you should thank Baëkhyun for having so much patience – our first idea was to kidnap and torture you for intel.’

Your eyes flicked back to Baëkhyun’s profile, but he didn’t spare you a glance.

‘Oh, I see you’re still looking for comfort in a familiar face. That’s not part of the plan. Baëkhyun, step out.’

The strategist’s head turned at the leader’s words.

‘What?’

‘Get out of the room. I don’t need her to think she has someone to count on here.’

‘But-’

‘I told you we’re not going to kill her, only use her.’ You swallowed, realizing your heart was beating somewhere in your throat at this announcement.

‘Suhø,’ he pressed again.

‘You shouldn’t be so fond of your little toy, you know,’ Chën piped up, cracking his knuckles theatrically.

‘Just lay a finger on her,’ Baëkhyun growled in response, rays of red light escaping from his now tight fists.

‘Yah, we don’t have time for your bullshit,’ Suhø interrupted their bickering. ‘The sooner you get out, the sooner we’re done with her.’

Baëkhyun pursed his lips and gave him a curt nod. Not meeting your despairing eyes, he left you in the room. Alone. With these monsters.

‘Fucking finally,’ Kāi clapped excitedly. ‘Let’s get this show on the road!’

‘Sit her down in that chair,’ someone said and you were pushed down forcefully.

The men started rearranging the room, moving laptops and phones and other stuff closer to you.

‘Hold her down, Sehūn,’ the leader ordered, then gave a nod to Chën.

You barely managed to sit still as he approached, even your knees shaking with panic.

‘What do you want from me?!’ You blurted.

‘Nothing much. We simply need your voice,’ Suhø shrugged and looked at another one of his accomplices. ‘Whenever you’re ready, Xiümin.’

Swallowing hard, you took in his words. You were the bait. To lure out the EXOs, perhaps? Or simply… Baekhyun?

Your heart faltered.

No, no, no. This was a trap, you should’ve known all along. Nevertheless, you allowed them to fool you, giving these men the leverage they needed. You weren’t going to make a sound! Anything to keep the boys away from trouble. Your mind was made up.

‘I have the line. But you have to catch his attention quickly, he’ll hang up fast if you don’t.’

‘No problem,’ the leader affirmed.

Xiümin nodded and used the keyboard to type something into a weird interface. Then turned the speaker on.

A ring sounded, then another one. You prayed that no answer would come, but after the third ring, the call was taken. For a long second, there was silence.

‘If you hang up, Y/N is going to die,’ Suhø began.

You blinked, feeling the angry tears form again, as you pursed your lips to keep your pitiful sobs in.

‘Talk,’ the speaker responded in what you realized was Minseok’s voice.

‘We have her now. At your old base. Come by sunrise if you want her alive,’ Suhø was concise in his demands. Minseok was silent for a few moments.

‘Why should we believe you? Let her talk if she’s there.’

Everyone turned to you, and you kept chewing on your lip.

‘You heard him.’ The leader referred to you, but you shook your head.

A brutal hand landed a slap across your face and then grabbed you by the hair.

‘Use your voice,’ it was Chën.

You only looked down at the greyish floor, not even blinking when you tasted blood.

‘Y/N, if you are really there, please say something,’ you jolted at the voice.

It was him. It was Baekhyun.

Breathing accelerating and heart racing, you couldn’t help the tears anymore. Wanting to scream and beg for him to come back for you, you kept shaking your head and refusing to make a sound.

‘I guess she’s not willing to make it easy on herself. Chën,’ Suhø tilted his head slightly, and you felt hands on you.

Sehūn had you in a headlock now, and Chën grabbed onto your arm with a cruel chuckle, jerking it so violently that you could not contain a wild yell. They let go of you, and you wailed, grabbing onto your numb lifeless limb in horror. You had never broken any bones, so you had no idea if he dislocated it, or fractured it, or worse. The pain was so immense that you couldn’t even register your name being called from the speaker.

‘By sunrise,’ Suhø reminded before they finished the call.

At that very moment, the door flew open.

‘What the fuck?!’ You heard Baëkhyun roar.

Red sparks fell around you as Chën was blasted away from you by a red ball of light.

His eyes were completely black, with red sparks – like those you witnessed attacking your abuser just now – floating angrily in there.

‘Stop this circus!’ Suhø raised his voice as Chën got up, something resembling little bolts of lightning appearing and disappearing around his forearms. ‘Stand down, the both of you. She was being stubborn, and we had to extract a reaction quickly. Your little human will be fine,’ he huffed, as if this was a normal course of action.

‘I’m taking her now,’ Baëkhyun answered firmly, stepping towards you.

‘Not so fast. She is to stay here until they arrive. As leverage.’ Suhø cleared his throat when their strategist wanted to protest. ‘You can keep watch over her yourself, in your room, or we can throw her in the dungeon downstairs and the boys will.’

‘She’ll stay with me,’ he gritted, helping you up gently not to disturb your hurting arm and walking you out of the room.

As soon as the door behind you slammed shut, he gathered you into his arms to carry you to the next destination. You didn’t try to resist, legs too wobbly to walk anyways, so you just cradled your arm and sniffled, at first not even noticing the room he took you in was quite familiar, as Baekhyun used to stay in it.

Baekhyun.

You sobbed, replaying his voice in your mind. The way he said your name, and how he pushed for you to let him know if you were there, if you were in danger… The stinging in your chest reignited because now he was going to walk right into this ambush because of you. Beginning to cry even harder, you forgot about your damaged arm, and the hurt, and the person who sat you down on the bed and kneeled in front of you.

‘It shouldn’t have been like this, Y/N. They wouldn’t have hurt you-’ He began, touching your hand.

‘Stop it!’ You slapped him in the face angrily. ‘You played with my feelings all this time, and now you’re just using me to hurt people I care about. Do you expect me to believe that you meant no harm? I hate you, Baëkhyun!’

‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered before raising his voice too. ‘But you shouldn’t have been stubborn! Why didn’t you just speak up?’

‘You really don’t understand?’ You asked in awe of his question. ‘You would if you ever loved anyone.’

‘So,’ he looked down at your lap, nudging his cheek with his tongue. ‘Is it Baekhyun? It’s because you still… love him?’

‘Why does it matter? I’m sure you guys, whoever you are, didn’t invite them here to have tea. What are you planning to do with them anyway? Is it about the Red?’

His eyes shot up to yours.

‘You know about the Red Force? He’s seriously dumb – telling you about them and leaving the clone part out!’

‘Yeah, and you’re so smart. Fooled a clueless girl with your great strategizing, well-fucking-done!’ Your words had plenty of bite, and Baëkhyun reacted.

‘Damn right! The only thing I didn’t do well to keep you safe is leaving your stubborn ass in the room with my crew, and it’s still so much better than the initial plan the Red had for you! I’ve kept you alive this long, haven’t I?’ He snapped at you, and you scoffed.

‘The only thing you didn’t- My arm was nearly ripped off, and it hurts like a motherfucker!’

‘Oh, does it now?’ He mocked, and you noticed how his fingers pressed onto certain spots of your arm, easing the pain significantly. ‘Chën could’ve done so much worse to you, Y/N. But this time he just used his knowledge of pressure points responsible for acute pain. And some of his power to shock you through them.’

He removed his fingers and you felt the pain subside, becoming almost irrelevant and foggy.

‘What- So it’s fine? My arm is fine?’ You asked, rubbing it in shock.

‘You’re fine,’ he breathed out, looking away.

For a while, you just sat like that, in complete silence.

‘Baëkhyun,’ you called, voice hoarse from all the crying. ‘Are you- going to kill them?’

He sucked his lower lip into his mouth, thinking your question over.

‘I don’t know. The plan is to capture and hand them over to the Red. There’s no telling what they’ll do to them this time.’

‘Shit,’ you swore, hiding your face in your palms. ‘This is all my fault.’

‘It isn’t. We were on their tail for a while, you just became our bargaining chip.’

Huffing, you hit the mattress with an open palm in a fit of annoyance.

‘Had I not trusted you so stupidly, this wouldn’t have happened!’

‘Oh, birdie,’ he tilted his head to the side, as if talking to a capricious child. ‘The way we met… sparked my interest. And when it was discovered that you used to be… his girlfriend,’ he paused. ‘Suhø wasn’t kidding – the Red suggested that we torture you. But I came up with a different plan, because I-,’ he looked away as if he struggled to continue. ‘I didn’t want them to hurt you.’

The way he stuttered drew your attention. But you weren’t willing to let him in again. Not about to make the same mistake twice. Instead, you kept questioning him.

‘Did you find ways to contact them through me, too?’

Baëkhyun nodded, and you gave him an expectant look. He sighed and elaborated.

‘The strawberry necklace. You told me it was from someone important to you, so I assumed it was Baekhyun, especially since he likes the damn thing. Checked it out when you were asleep because I know what I would’ve done.’

You were still confused as to what he meant.

‘He was tracking you live, so we managed to hack into it and trace the line back to a burner phone. We could not access the location without establishing a direct connection, but we got the number.’

‘I just gave you this one,’ you chuckled bitterly, and his blue eyes dropped to your knees again. ‘And now we’re freaking doomed.’

He shook his head to this. ‘I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I promise I’ll keep you safe.’

‘You think that’s what I want?! When the person I love gets murdered or worse, all thanks to-’

‘Stop saying that!’ He raised his voice again, hitting the mattress with a fist, red sparks flying everywhere without hurting you. ‘Why do you love him all that much? Didn’t he leave you?’

‘He’s walking into a trap to save me. And he’s a strategist like you, he clearly knows the odds. Are you really asking me why?’

Baëkhyun stared at you, chest heaving, and nostrils flared. It seemed like he wanted to argue, tell you that you were wrong. But instead, he looked away. His voice sounded hollow when he spoke again, eyes a dim shade of blue.

‘Get some rest. Tomorrow’s gonna be a tough day.’

Lying in bed wide awake most of the night, you prayed for a miracle that would somehow save your EXO boys.

>> Chapter 4 [fin]

A/N: Meet X-EXO ✨ So... What do you think of Baёk at this point? Is he a bad guy or worse? Is Y/N going to make it? Just one chapter left, we’re almost there!! Let’s hope that EXO show up on time yes I'm evil

[luxekook]

chapter three.

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

⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst

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

⇥ word count: 2.3k

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

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

characters | prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

Chapter Three

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Us getting kicked out by our ancient librarian

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

Quinn Library – 2:31pm

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

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

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

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

“Park Jimin – Final Performance Solo, Spring 2019”

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

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

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

Boom. Submit Assignment.

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

Namjoon must be off his rocker.

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

President_RM has added you!

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

minsuga93 has added you!

jhopeworld_ has added you!

handsomeJIN has added you!

JKookie97 has added you!

vantae_BTS has added you!

95jiminie has added you!

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

vantae_BTS has added you to a chat!

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

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

(y/n) & Luna’s Apartment – 9:45pm

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

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

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

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

I pause, “No, I couldn’t—”

...Or could I?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Greek Row – 10:17pm

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

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

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

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

“Hey, there’s a line here!”

“Yo, bitches! What are you doing?”

“What the fuck?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And with that, we part ways.

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

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

I sigh, recognizing the voice, and turn around.

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

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

“Ouch!” He cries, “Devil-woman!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Shut up, Yoongi-hyung!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I take my time making eye contact with each boy.

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

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

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

taglist:

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

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

@awkwardhumambean

[marshmallow-phd]

Healing Touch

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Yixing x Reader

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

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

**

The smell had not changed in all the years that you used to call this place home. Pinecone potpourri mixed with traditional cooking spices and a hint of citrus from the constant dusting. Your aunt had always been a bit eccentric, a bit off beat. It had made being raised by her both adventurous and anxiety-inducing.

In the privacy of your home, her random dance parties and unfiltered way of speaking made you laugh. But when you were in public and she was pretending to be a mannequin in a window display, you ran away to the food court to hide behind a cup of boba. The explanation was always the same no matter what antics she was pulling: she wanted to break you out of your shell. It seemed like a lost cause. You were comfortable in your shell. It protected you and kept you warm.

“I don’t see how you expect to go trialing off to a place you’ve never been before,” your aunt had complained when you first told her about applying to the far away college.

“They’re two entirely different situations,” you had argued. “I can go to class and go back home without any issues.” These days there was your phone if you ever got lost or in need of food but didn’t want to leave the comfort of your apartment. Modern conveniences only enabled your shut-in ways.

“But what about, you know, friends?” She looked at you over her stylish, cat-eye glasses that she had no use for with her perfect vision.

“I have those,” you insisted. So, you might not have had a best friend, but you had people that you occasionally hung out with and collaborated on. Then there was Victoria and Amber from high school. You still spoke to them regularly, despite them going to different colleges out of the area. Your aunt didn’t realize that not everyone needed multiple circles of friends to bounce between.

Pushing her glasses back up her nose, your aunt pouted. “I just worry about you, that’s all. You still don’t like getting into cars, especially by yourself, and if you happen to be studying late….”

“I don’t mind taking the bus.” A bit of a stretch. You did mind but would still take it if the situation were dire enough. Walking was good exercise. And better for the environment. Someone had to look out for the little bunnies.

“Alright,” your aunt huffed as she sipped on her now lukewarm tea. “It is your life. I’m just a spectator of it.”

“At least you have premium seating,” you teased.

That had made your aunt laugh. She was back to her more carefree self.

“Is that my favorite niece?”

“No, it’s your least favorite nephew.”

Your aunt poked her head out of the hallway, the edge of her pink fuzzy robe telling you that she was getting ready to go out.

That was the exchange the two of you always had when you came to visit. The first time around, you had rolled your eyes and given the sarcastic answer for the cliché greeting. As your mother and aunt were the only siblings in their family and your father was the single offspring from his parents, there were no other nieces or nephews to put above or below you.

Without prompt, your aunt passed through the living room and onto the kitchen. When she came back, she had two wine glasses filled with bubble pink liquid. After handing you the lesser filled glass, she sat down on the couch while you opted for the loveseat, letting your purse drop to the hardwood floor by your feet. Your aunt leaned back on the arm rest with one elbow as she sipped on the wine. “It’s watermelon,” she informed you when you hadn’t taken a drink. “Try it.”

Shaking your head, you did as she asked. Oh, no. It was delicious. That was dangerous. You took another, larger swig before putting the glass down on the coffee table.

Growing up, you’d felt bad for your aunt. Sometimes you still did, though not as much after her many lectures as to why you shouldn’t.

She’d always been the carefree one. As a marketing consultant, she was constantly flying all over the globe, having adventures in between work meetings and bringing those experiences back to you in the form of expensive souvenirs. When your parents volunteered to go help a poorer nation with their health crisis, your aunt was quick to lend her babysitting services. It was only supposed to be temporary, after all. Then tragedy struck

Your parents never came back and suddenly your aunt was now your permanent guardian. The carefree spirit took it in stride. She shifted her strategy to more web-based conferences until you were in high school and able to be on your own for longer periods of time. She never turned into your mother; she never wanted to. For that, you were even more thankful. She was still the spontaneous, forever young aunt that you had always known. That stability in her personality was exactly what you needed. Too much had changed in your world on a dime, the less that was altered the better.

“What prompted this little visit?” she asked, a curious half smile on her lips.

You shrugged. “I hadn’t seen you in a while, so I thought I’d stop by and say hi. It looks like you’re getting ready to go out, though.”

Your aunt waved her hand limply. “Not for a few hours. Besides, anything can wait for you.”

Shifting in your seat, you smiled at the affection she had for you. “I finally heard from the university,” you told her.

Her eyebrows shot up. “You did? They finally decided to stop dangling the carrot and just give it to you, did they?”

“Not exactly,” you cringed. “They said they wanted to see how this semester went and then they would let me know.”

Your aunts face fell into a scowl as if something awful smelling had made its way into her nose. “What sense does that make?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know. But at least it’s not an outright no.”

Clicking her tongue, your aunt leaned forward so she was now balancing her elbows on her knees. “You know, there are still other options. Closer options.”

“I know,” you said with a monotone voice. “But Plan A is my focus. I’ll look to other options if that falls through.”

That knowing look you were all too familiar with formed on her face. A long, reminiscing sigh blew out from her lungs. “You are so much like your mother. It’s scary sometimes.”

You never knew how to respond when she said things like that. Should you be happy at the comparison? Sad because your mother wasn’t here to tell you herself? You were a child when your parents passed away. You remembered vague moments, birthday parties and movie nights. But when you’re that young, you don’t get a good idea of your parents’ personalities. You don’t learn what they like or don’t like, how they act in crowds versus a small group of people. You have to rely on the memories of those left behind.

You stayed at your aunt’s house for another hour or so, talking to her about her latest clients and nights out with the girls. You told her how your days were going and how you were adjusting to the new routine with the combined class. The news of Yixing sat on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t bring yourself to mention him. Her reaction would have been too predictable.  She’d ask when the two of you were going to go out and when you explained that it wasn’t like that, she would ask why not. For that, you didn’t have an answer.

While you wanted to say that the two of you were just friends, it didn’t feel like the truth.

You saw more of Yixing than of anyone else, including Ran. He would walk you to class multiple times a day and the two of you would talk. Not about anything too deep. You weren’t at that level yet. He was funny and charming, never speaking a word that wasn’t kind. You learned that he lived in farmhouse in the woods with eight other people, all men. He swore it was never too crowded and that he actually enjoyed the company. He got lonely easily.

He also told you about how he took a few years off of college to figure out what he wanted to do. You’d asked him how he came to the path of becoming a doctor. He said he simply wanted to do something that would help people. He thought about opening a low-income clinic once he had his degree. Suddenly your heart was pumping under your sternum. When he asked why you went pre-med, you gave a shrug and said your parents and left it at that. These conversations were usually nice and lighthearted, you didn’t want to be the downer.

Yes, spending time with Yixing was nice, the highlight of your day, sometimes. But he also felt like a secret. One that you should keep to yourself for now. Good things didn’t always last. You wanted to see if this was a long-term investment for him before you invited anyone else in.

The next day, you needed some fresh air, so you decided to take a walk in the nature center on the edge of town. Although the woods would be a no-go area since they still hadn’t caught the animal terrorizing the area, the center would be full of people and should be quite safe. It couldn’t really be considered part of the woods given the infrastructure and the observation building, could it? Deciding to go anyway, you packed your bag with a few notes, snacks, and a water bottle. As your hand landed on the doorknob to leave, your eyes fell on the jacket lying on the back of the couch.

You hadn’t worn the comforting fabric since that day. The weather had been nice and putting it on would have seemed a bit obnoxious in your eyes. But this morning the weatherman had mentioned a chilly breeze. It wouldn’t hurt.

Arms through their designated holes, you left the apartment and started the walk to the outskirts of town. It wasn’t too far of a walk, maybe thirty, forty minutes at the most. You thanked yourself for wearing the jacket. A “chilly breeze” was an understatement. A few families and couples were dotted among the trails of the nature center that wound near and over the small creek. You passed by them all until you came to a spot that was deserted. Resting your legs, you sat on a bench with your back to the trees. The sun was shining up above. The only noise seemed to come from the rustling leaves and trickling creek. It was peaceful, just what you needed.

With your bag beside you, you took out a piece of paper with yesterday’s notes and started to review them. Some of the words were smudged and the edges were already crinkling, but you could make most of it out. The paper flopped in the wind. You thought you had a good enough grip on it, but a gust of air proved you wrong.

The paper went flying over your head and straight for the trees. Panic made you jump up, slinging your bag over your shoulder as you ran after it. The wind – now relentless – was enough to keep the paper continuously out of your reach.

It finally came to a stop when it caught on a tree root sticking out in the ground. You snatched the paper up and stuffed it into the bag to keep it from running away again. Straightening up again, your eyes settled on the horizon.

Then you screamed.

**

Yixing’s eyes snapped open.

He was no longer a wolf. He was human again. Sitting up, he brushed off the leaves from his arms. What time was it? Was it even the same day? He’d blacked out again. At this point, it was almost routine. His only consolation prize being the fact that he was alone. He still needed to figure out what was happening to him. He wasn’t ready to take this to his brothers. There was enough to worry about at the moment.

Getting on his feet, Yixing headed in the direction of where his things were stored. In order to avoid the others wanting to run with him, he’d entered the forest from a different area, storing his things in a bush to get back to later. He flicked his jeans to get the dirt off before pulling them on and then stuffing his feet in his shoes.

A piercing cry for cut through the air.

The hair on the back of Yixing’s neck stood up.

“Help! Somebody help!”

It was your voice.

He gasped. Then he took off. If anything happened to you-

Yixing skidded to a stop when he saw you kneeling in the grass. A body was laying in front of you, the clothes ripped and stained dark. It was lying face down, but Yixing could tell that it was a man and that he’d been attacked.

“(Y/n), what happened?”

You stared at him with wide, confused eyes. “Yixing? What are you doing here?”

He ignored your question, more worried about your own wellbeing. “What happened?” he repeated.

You shook your head as you dropped your eyes to the man lying on the ground. “I don’t know. I just found him like this. He’s still breathing but I’m not strong enough to move him.”

Yixing analyzed the situation. His car was only on the other side of the trees. The man was still alive. From Yixing’s point of view, he could make it, but they needed to act fast. Slipping his arms under the man while careful not to move him too much, he picked the man up and motioned with his head for you to follow.

He said nothing and you asked no questions as the tree line broke. Yixing scanned the parking lot of the nature center until he found his car. He rushed to the vehicle with a few glances over his shoulder to make sure you were keeping up with him.

“(y/n)?”

“Yeah?” You were huffing. Had he been running? He’d tried to go at a pace that you could keep up with.

“In my front right pocket are my keys. Can you fish them out and unlock the doors?”

You nodded. Yixing could feel your fingers trembling as they slipped into the denim opening. The shaking was even more obvious once the keys were free, the house and car keys clinking together as you searched for the fob to unlock the doors. Without prompt, you opened the back door to allow Yixing to slip the man into the bench seat. He told you to get in the front. You tossed him the keys and the two of you rushed to the hospital.

A pair of doctors rushed out of the automatic doors as soon as the car pulled into the emergency entrance.

“We found him in the woods,” Yixing explained. The doctors quickly examined the man as two more nurses came out with a stretcher.

“I think that animal attacked him,” you added.

Yixing’s eyes flickered over to you with worry. The doctors nodded in acknowledgement then helped the nurses move the man to the stretcher. The two of you followed closely but were forced to stay behind in the waiting room. Yixing sat next to you in the uncomfortable plastic chairs that were connected to the wall.

“You never answered the question.”

Yixing frowned. “What question?”

You turned to look at him with your eyebrows furrowed, making him want to reach out and smooth the creases they created. “What you were doing out in the woods.”

Yixing stiffened. He pressed his foot into the tile floor to keep it from bouncing. “I was… hiking.”

“Without a shirt?”

He looked down. Crap. He hadn’t even realized that he wasn’t finished getting dressed before he took off. “I get warm easily.”

Your eyes narrowed suspiciously. Yixing fought to keep his face neutral. It was a pathetic excuse, he knew it. But you didn’t call him out on it. Instead, you leaned forward, unzipping the polyester bomber that was easily recognizable as his own, taking it off, and holding it out to him.

“I’m fine,” Yixing said, ignoring the jacket.

“You really should put it on. I heard the front desk call the cops. They’ll be here soon, and it’ll look suspicious. What would you tell them the reason was for you not having a shirt?”

A cheeky answer came to mind. Yixing bit down to hold it back, even if it would have caused your face to heat up in an adorable fashion. The instinct of making sure his mate was okay was almost too great to ignore. You were the one who needed to stay warm, stay protected. But you had a valid point. And you were inside, out of the wind. So, he accepted the jacket and ran the zipper almost up to his neck to hide the lack of shirt underneath.

The police arrived about twenty minutes later. They separated you, making him anxious. Over the next hour or so, Yixing gave his side of the story to the officer. They took him at his word that he was strolling through the woods. The doctors had already informed the officers that the wounds were clearly animal made. While severe, they weren’t life threatening. That gave Yixing a small amount of relief.

“Would you two like to see him?” one of the nurses asked another hour later. You nodded eagerly. Yixing stayed a bit behind as the nurse led you through the halls to a large room that held several beds separated by plastic curtains.

The man was awake. Black stitches covered his arms. Three claw marks ran down the left cheek. From what Yixing knew of the other victims, this guy was lucky. He was talking to a nurse when he looked to see who his visitors were. As soon as his eyes landed on Yixing, the heart monitor spiked and his breathing quickened.

“Hey, it’s okay, these are the people who found you,” the nurse said to try and calm him down.

“Oh.” The man’s heart rate started to slow again. Each breath was deeper until they were back to normal. “I’m sorry.”

“How are you feeling?” you asked, taking a step forward. Yixing fought the urge to put himself between you and the man you’d rescued. He was probably harmless, but he had also been through a traumatic situation.

The man nodded. “I’m… alive, at least. Thank you.”

You gave a small smile. “I’m glad I came along when I did. Did you,” you bit your bottom lip nervously, “happen to see what attacked you?”

Yixing held his breath.

“It was a large gray wolf,” the man answered. “Huge. Like a mutated one you would see in the movies. He came from nowhere, knocked me down. I thought I was going to end up like the others as he clawed at me. Then he was gone.”

Yixing’s fist tightened at his side, his throat constricting. He forced down a swallow. He couldn’t panic. Not here.

You frowned. “I wonder what scared him off.”

“Maybe you did?” Yixing said with a slight tease. It was more to keep his own mental state calm than for the benefit of everyone else.

“I’m not that frightening.”

“Whatever it was,” the man shook his head, “I’m thankful.”

“He should really rest now,” the nurse said sternly. Yixing nodded in agreement and, after the goodbyes were given, led you away.

Once outside of the hospital, Yixing stopped you. “I can take you home.”

“That’s okay,” you countered, “I can walk.”

He didn’t like that one bit. Besides, he really needed you by his side right now. “Where do you live?”

“In an apartment near campus.”

No way. “That’s nearly halfway across the city. I can take you. It’s not a big deal.”

You shifted form foot to foot, refusing to meet his eye. “I don’t… really like cars.”

“You made it here alright.”

“That’s because I was too worried about him to think about it. The adrenaline blocked everything out.”

“I’m a safe driver, I promise.”

“I believe you. I just-” You blew air out between your lips, which ended in a growl. It was actually kind of cute. Yixing pushed back a grin. It wasn’t appropriate right now. “My parents were killed in a car crash, so they kind of freak me out.” You sucked in your lips as if you hadn’t meant to reveal that vital information.

Oh. That explained… a lot actually. At least, in terms of what you had been holding back from him. He never wanted to push, but he felt better knowing more about you.

“I understand,” he said sympathetically. “Can I walk you home then? I can come back for my car later.”

You shook your head. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Maybe so. But I need to make sure that you get home safe.”

You weighed his alternative for a minute or so. Yixing kept his patience. He refused to push you farther than you were willing to go. He just needed to see you walk safely into your building and then he would be okay until he saw you again.

“Okay,” you sighed. “You can drive me home.” He could have leapt with joy.

Yixing waited for you to get in the car before sliding behind the wheel himself. The death grip you had on the side handle didn’t escape his notice. He made sure to slow down easily and to take each turn with care. The only words you spoke were to give him directions. It wasn’t until the car was in park outside of your building did you finally relax.

“Thank you,” you told him in a strained voice.

“Any time.”

“I’m sorry if I was a little dramatic. I—” the growl of your empty stomach interrupted your speech. You groaned from embarrassment. Yixing couldn’t help his laugh.

Knock, knock, knock.

Leaning over and looking through the passenger window of his car was a strange girl Yixing had never seen before. He rolled down the window barely enough to be able hear what she was saying.

“How the hell did you get (y/n) into a car?” the girl gasped. You visibly cringed in the seat, sinking down a few inches.

Yixing blinked, unsure of how to respond. “Um, I—”

“Yixing, this is my roommate, Ran,” you interrupted, saving him. “Ran, this is Yixing. We have class together.”

“Oh!” The inclination behind her exclamation was more than obvious. And Yixing didn’t object to it. “I just ordered pizza and I know (y/n) usually gets hungry around this time. Do you want to join us?”

You flashed your roommate a panicked look, but Yixing couldn’t resist the opportunity. “That sounds great.” He caught you flinching, so he added, “As long as (y/n)’s okay with it.”

“Yeah,” you relented. “It’s the least I could do. For the ride.” You flashed an annoyed glare at Ran before getting out of the vehicle.

Yixing shouldn’t be this elated as he nearly sprung from the driver’s seat. He walked around the car slowly and let you and Ran lead the way, in case you changed your mind. You didn’t, thankfully, and Yixing walked up to your door with anticipation so great that he almost was able to forget what the man had said back at the hospital.

Almost.

[swan-of-sunrise]

The Winter Soldier (Chapter Six)

Summary: (Y/N) and the others successfully abduct a high-level Hydra operative, who provides them with information on Hydra’s bone-chilling plan.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings/Disclaimers: Brief description of a panic attack

A/N: Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Six (Previous Chapter)

“How in the hell did you come up with this plan?”

(Y/N) and Natasha were using binoculars to stare out the window of an abandoned apartment at a small courtyard situated between a tall building and a crowded outdoor café, where Sam was currently sitting and enjoying an iced tea; Steve was sitting in Sam’s car and parked around the corner, at the ready just in case the plan didn’t work. Once (Y/N) told the others her plan to abduct Sitwell and they’d taken a quick trip to Fort Meade for the EXO-7 Falcon pack, Natasha had hacked into the Hydra operative’s digital planner; she discovered in his itinerary that he’d be in a meeting with Senator Stern all morning in the building across the street, and then she’d managed to remotely clone Director Pierce’s cell phone.

Glancing away from her binoculars, (Y/N) flashed Natasha a bright smile. “It wasn’t that hard; part of it’s from a scene in my novel, actually. This is how Amelia – she’s the main character, by the way – tricks an enemy agent into giving her important information on her case.” She pulled the laser pointer integral to their plan out of her pocket and twirled it around her fingers. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“You’re in the wrong line of work, (Y/L/N). You’d make a good spy.”

(Y/N) chuckled bashfully and turned back to her binoculars. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to writing. Less of a risk of being shot at, you know.”

“Well, not many writers would just up and volunteer to try and take down a covert terrorist organization.” Although she said it in an off-hand manner, (Y/N) could tell that Natasha was genuinely curious about her off-the-cuff decision.

“I’m not usually an impulsive person, but what I said earlier was true: I have no right to do any less than what the three of you are doing. I won’t sit by and watch as Hydra destroys everything we know, especially knowing that there are ways I could help stop them. Besides, Sam and I are a team, have been for over a year now. I can’t let my best friend put himself in danger without being by his side.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes at herself and gave the spy an embarrassed smile. “But please don’t tell him I said that, Nat, it would only inflate his already-enormous ego.”

“Secret’s safe with me, hot-shot.” Natasha paused for a moment. “You remind me a lot of Rogers. To tell you the truth, I think that’s half the reason why he let you onto the team.”

(Y/N) frowned at her comment, her eyes still looking through her binoculars. “What’s the other half-?” Just then, a group of men walked out of the building across the street. “Wait, is that Sitwell?”

Natasha looked through her own binoculars and nodded. “Yeah, the bald guy with the glasses.” She quickly set down the binoculars and typed out a quick text on her phone. “Time to see if your plan works, 007.”

Through the binoculars, (Y/N) saw Sam glance down at his phone and dial a number from his seat at the café. The group of men headed towards the parking lot, leaving Sitwell alone on the building’s steps. (Y/N) smiled to herself as she watched him pull out his phone and press it to his ear; he became skittish as he listened to Sam talk. Watching Sitwell’s lips, she carefully aimed her laser pointer and pressed the button just as he asked, “And why would I do that?”

She let out a triumphant laugh when Sitwell glanced at the red light on his tie and looked around in fear before hanging up the phone and walking towards Sam. “Yes!” She punched the air and put down her laser pointer and binoculars. “Dynamite with a laser beam!”

“‘Killer Queen,’ yeah?” Natasha grinned and nodded appreciatively. “Steve was right, you’ve got a great taste in music. C’mon, we’d better head down to the car…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fifteen minutes later, Steve was throwing Sitwell across the rooftop of an apartment building; Natasha strode confidently after him, and (Y/N) tried her best to hide her unease as she trailed behind them. Although she’d thoroughly researched torture methods for her novel, she wasn’t quite sure she could stomach seeing them performed in real life. Stay calm, Captain America wouldn’t do those things to someone else, she thought to herself, fiddling with the edge of her grey leather jacket, although he did mention that they might do that one thing if Sitwell doesn’t talk. She looked up from her combat boots in time to see Steve say, “Tell me about Zola’s algorithm.”

“Never heard of it.”

“What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?”

“I was throwing up, I get seasick.” Steve grabbed Sitwell roughly by the collar and forced him to the edge of the rooftop, but the man only smiled condescendingly up at the super-soldier. “Is this little display meant to insinuate that you’re gonna throw me off the roof? Because that’s not really your style, Rogers.”

(Y/N) couldn’t see Steve’s face, but she assumed that he was smiling as he smoothed out the crumpled lapels of Sitwell’s jacket. “You’re right. It’s not. It’s hers.” After quickly stepping aside, Steve watched calmly as Natasha kicked Sitwell directly in the chest and he toppled off the roof, screaming the whole way down. Despite (Y/N) knowing what their plan was, she still felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably as the man’s screams grew fainter the longer he fell; she’d never mentioned her extreme fear of heights to any of them, but in that moment she wished she had.

Natasha turned to Steve. “Oh wait, what about that girl from Accounting, Laura…?”

“Lilian. Lip piercing, right?”

“Yeah, she’s cute.”

Steve shook his head and looked down. “Yeah, I’m not ready for that.”

(Y/N)’s confusion and slight jealousy at their conversation shifted to awe as Sam suddenly flew up and threw Sitwell back onto the roof while he landed gracefully on his feet. (Y/N) rolled her eyes in amusement as her best friend flashed her a wink, his wings quickly folding back into his pack as he approached them.

Sitwell, no longer composed and condescending, was shaking with fear on the rooftop as he held his hands up. “Zola’s algorithm is a program for choosing Insight’s targets!”

“What targets?” (Y/N) asked, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

To her surprise, Sitwell sneered. “And who the hell are you? The personal assistant?”

Steve grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and squeezed until he began wincing. “What targets?”

“You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, a first-time novelist writing about the Cold War in D.C…” Everyone’s eyes snapped to (Y/N)’s, and she could feel the blood leaving her face as she fully registered his words. “Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who’s a threat to Hydra! Now, or in the future.”

Natasha, her face grim, drew closer to Sitwell. “The future? How could it know?”

“How could it not? The twenty-first century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it. Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola’s algorithm evaluates people’s past to predict their future.”

“And what then?”

Sitwell rubbed his temple agitatedly. “Oh my God, Pierce is gonna kill me.”

Steve shook him again. “What then?”

“…then the Insight helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time.”

A heavy silence hung over the group as they all absorbed what Sitwell had said; millions of people around the world are going to be killed by Hydra if we don’t stop them, (Y/N) realized in horror. She tried to avoid thinking about it, but she couldn’t help but replay Sitwell’s words over and over in her head: A first-time novelist writing about the Cold War in D.C., a first-time novelist writing about the Cold War in D.C., a first-time novelist writing about the Cold War in D.C…

“Okay, time to head out.” After yanking Sitwell roughly to his feet, Steve turned to Natasha and Sam. “You two mind escorting him back to the car?”

“’Course not, Cap,” Natasha smirked as she and Sam grabbed Sitwell’s arms and dragged him towards the rooftop doorway, Sam throwing a concerned glance at (Y/N) as he went.

“You okay, (Y/N)?”

As Steve’s words left his mouth, (Y/N) registered the ringing in her ears and that she was taking rapid and shallow breaths; her heart hammered in her chest and through her clouded vision, she could barely make out Steve’s worried face right before her. “Can’t…can’t breathe…”

“Okay, it’s okay, um, here,” Stepping forward, he reached for her hand but stopped himself short. “Is it okay if I hold your hand?” (Y/N) gave a short nod and he took her hand, gently placing her palm against his chest so she could feel his strong heartbeat. “You’re okay, just try and slow your heartbeat to match mine. Can you do that for me? Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, like this.” He began doing the breathing exercise, and she shakily began copying him. “You’re doing great, (Y/N), just keep breathing.” To her surprise, he stopped the breathing exercise and began quietly humming a familiar tune; it was so faint beneath the dim ringing in her ears that she could’ve dismissed it as her mind tricking her if not for the feeling of reverberation in his chest. (Y/N) gradually felt her body responding positively; her breathing began to even out and as her heartbeat returned to normal, her vision cleared and the ringing faded away into nothing.

Once his humming came to an end, she looked up at him with an insecure smile. “‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,’ The Platters. Thank you. I-I don’t know what came over me, I was fine until…well, you know. All at once, everything suddenly became very…real for me.”

Steve nodded solemnly. “No one will think any less of you if you decide to go home. You’ll be safer, and-”

“No, no way.” She firmly shook her head, her mouth set in a determined line. “I’m staying. Just because I found out I’m a possible Insight target and had a panic attack doesn’t mean that I’m suddenly okay with sitting back while Hydra plans to kill millions; if anything, I’m even more invested in this fight than I was before.” She felt the corners of her mouth lift into a smirk. “If you’re trying to get rid of me, Rogers, then you’re going to have to try a little harder than that.”

When she finally stopped talking, she registered something akin to admiration in Steve’s small smile, and she willed herself not to blush. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few more moments, and that’s when (Y/N) realized that one of Steve’s hands was still resting on her waist and the other was gently holding her hand against his chest, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing small circles over her knuckles.

Steve seemed to realize the same thing because a moment later, he quickly let go of her and took a couple of steps back. With a pinkish tint to his cheeks, he glanced toward the rooftop doorway and replied, “Well, if you’re sure that you’re okay then let’s go. We’ve got a launch to stop.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy! 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4BenknAqQQnOWY8NmSa23V

Tagging: @mrs-obrien @lahoete @awkward117​ @cminr​ @momc95​ @awkwardnesshabitat​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @khuang3​ @supersouthy​ @benakenalove​ @brooke0297​ @hufflepeople​ @becausewelie​​ @outoftheregular @supreme-tantrum​

Chapter Seven

“The Winter Soldier” Masterlist

[quokkacore]

son of wolves III [park chanyeol and byun baekhyun]

summary: your entire life, you've fought bravely to defend the walls of your home from the evil forest spirits of the spearwood trying to destroy it, alongside your family, friends, and your betrothed, baekhyun. until you're infected by the evil that resides in one of these spirits, and you run away from home, before it can spread to those around you. it's in your exile, wandering through the spearwood that you meet the wolf prince, a tall man of hardened eyes, few words, and a fiery temperament, raised by these spirits you've so grown to resent. it's here that you begin to question everything you've ever known, and wonder whether the evil was out here, in the forest, or inside the walls of a place you once called home.

pairings: hunter!baekhyun x reader, wolfprince!chanyeol x reader

genre: reverse princessmononoke!au, ANGST, fluff, slow burn, enemies to lovers, fantasy epic, war au, wolf!au

warnings for this chapter: love bombing, emotional manipulation, non-sexual nudity, themes of infidelity?, mentioned child abandonment, gaslighting, guilt tripping, language, chanyeol is not in this chapter :(, baekhyun is an asshole and has huge mommy issues, reader makes No Good Decisions, mentions of gun violence, baekhyun is a bit forceful with reader at one point, threat of physical abuse(?), emotional abuse, blackmail, reader is drugged, possible non-con? (reader is drugged and baekhyun gives her a kiss on the lips)

song recs: fool of me - say lou lou & chet faker // blinding - florence + the machine // all my pride - black honey // king and queen - exo-cbx // power is power - sza, the weeknd & travis scott

word count: 5.8k

a/n: i’m sorry. i just had to!!! this isn’t the final chapter, i had a last minute idea of giving you guys ONE LAST CLIFFHANGER kjdkfjdk please don’t hate me!! thx to my irl best friend for all of the feedback (if ur reading this hi queen ily) and to @riajae​ for all of the help <3

disclaimer: i do not condone baekhyun’s actions in this chapter and i don’t believe that the real baekhyun would act like this in real life.

story masterlist // main masterlist

chapter three: the return

When you awoke, it felt as if you had never known peace in your life. Because your thoughts were jumbled when they should have been slow and sluggish as you were roused from your sleep. Despite the warmth of the quilts, you felt numb, as if you were still stuck in the cold. 

Your eyelashes fluttered, body stretching across the bed. You’d never felt more out of place in this bed. 

What you should have done was sighed in satisfaction at the bunches of quilts keeping your toes warm. You should have sunk further into the mattress, and buried your nose into Baekhyun’s pillow and taken in his scent after being deprived of it for so long. But as you recalled what had happened, you felt yourself sinking, but not because you were finally in your bed after so long.

Immediately, you understood where you were, what had happened and what had led you here. To a degree, you had an odd sense of coherency you weren't sure a person who had almost died of hypothermia could have. 

You could hear the murmuring behind the door. The sound of Baekhyun's voice mingling with Yixing's coasted through your ears, but you were only able to catch bits and pieces. Your thoughts were too jumbled to latch onto the conversation. 

"When you… was she...?"

"Delirious… didn't understand… anything she said."

"I need to… anything else?"

"No, I think… let you know."

You sat up slowly, when you heard the front door close. Your eyes squeezed shut, and you let out a quiet whine as you stretched your arms.

Your eyes fluttered open, head immediately craning to the pristine, white gauze wrapped around your arm. The bandages made their way around your fingertips, and all the way to your shoulder now. Aside from that, someone had changed your clothes, and now you were wearing clean clothes, at last.

You swallowed harshly, clenching your jaw. As you sat up, the sound of the front door closing made its way to your ears. Then, came the sounds of feet padding across the floor. You tried to move your legs, to stand. They wouldn’t budge, slightly weak. 

The bedroom door opened quietly, as if whoever was trying to open it didn’t want to disturb you. However, once the familiar pair of brown eyes settled on your sitting form, it swung open.

“Y/N,” Baekhyun sighed in relief, striding towards you. You tried to stand, needing to feel his embrace. “Baekhyun—”

Your knees buckled, but he caught you just in time. His hands grasped your waist, and you gasped, bracing to hit the floor facefirst. But you didn’t, instead coming face to face with the man you had so longed for for so long. His face was inches away from yours, his breath slightly ragged. Baekhyun’s eyes seemed to be painted in disbelief, and your heart twisted at the thought—that he seemed to be shocked that you were here, in your home.

The next thing you knew, his lips were on yours, bruising, desperate. He hummed softly against your lips, out of relief, out of exhilaration, out of heartbreak. Your shoulders slumped, and you almost sagged against him before wrapping your arms around the back of his neck. He lowered you back onto the bed gently, lips not leaving yours. Carefully, his body hovered over yours, cautious to not pin you down or press his weight down on you. 

His hands came up to cradle your face, before gently pulling away. “You idiot,” He huffed lovingly, pressing kisses all over your face, “Do you have any idea how worried I was—”

“Baek—”

He cut you off with another soft kiss before pressing more kisses to your face, “Thought I would never see you again, love…”

“How did you find me?” You murmured, finally gripping his chin and pulling his lips away from your forehead. You met his eyes, which were full of mirth. He caught his breath before finally speaking. 

“Ivan marched right up to the gate a few days ago. We did our best to track his prints in the snow, and branched out when the snow covered them completely. You walked right into our search party the next morning.”

“Wait, how long was I out?” You asked, pushing a stray strand of hair out of his face. His lips turned downwards, eyes turning serious. 

“Y/N, you were out for about two days. We only got back here late last night. You were asleep that entire time. We were all scared we wouldn’t be able to keep you alive long enough before we could come back here, but we managed it, somehow.”

Eyes not straying away from his, you let out a shaky breath. “Baek, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“That doesn’t matter now,” He shushed, quickly rolling off of you. He gathered you in his arms, lifting you like a man would his new wife. “What matters now is that you’re home, and you’re safe, and we’re back together again.”

You nodded, stomach heavy with guilt. Your small smile didn’t seem very convincing, even though you hoped it was. 

Baekhyun led you to the washroom, setting you on the wooden chair, before telling you he’d be right back. He was gone for about fifteen minutes.  

During that time, you crossed your hands in your lap, twiddling your fingers as you sat in silence. Quietly mulling over everything you’d been through for the past few weeks, you leaned back in the chair as emotional exhaustion overtook you.

The curse. The isolation you’d subjected yourself to willingly, at your naivete, the pride that you could negotiate with a god. The cold, the hunger, the loneliness… Chanyeol. Everything he’d said to you, the sensation of his skin on yours... his revelations from that night. Your natural distrust of his words. The uneasiness at the idea that they might be true.

Even if you’d been asleep for just about two days—the sensation of being tired seemed to have seeped into your bones, permeating the air worse than any hate curse ever could. It seemed to wrap itself around your neck, choking you until tears began to fall down your cheeks.

Baekhyun returned some fifteen minutes later, carefully carrying two buckets: one of boiling hot water, the other of cold water. He filled the small basin with both, testing the water with his hand to make sure it wasn’t too hot or cold. 

When he finally turned, he seemed to realize that you were crying. “Oh, my darling,” He said, kneeling in front of your chair, “Come here.”

As if it was second nature, your face buried itself in Baekhyun’s chest, his damp hand coming up to rub up and down your back, the other petting your hair. “I’m sorry,” You sobbed brokenly, hands gripping the white linen of his shirt, “Baek, I’m so sorry. I was wrong, s-so wrong…” 

Baekhyun pressed a soft kiss to the crown of your head. “Maybe you shouldn’t have,” He murmured against your hair, causing a pang of guilt to rack through your chest. “But you’re alive, okay? As long as you’re alive, everything else doesn’t matter. Come on, love, we need to get you cleaned up.”

He pulled away from you, wiping away the tears streaking down your cheeks. His eyes were glassy, and that made it even worse. Your body shook with every cry, vision blurring and lips trembling. 

His voice was gentle. “Don’t cry, Y/N… you’ll make me cry, and then you’ll cry even harder, and then I’ll cry even harder…”

A soft laugh made its way past your lips between your blubbering, and Baekhyun mirrored your laugh. “There’s my girl,” He said lovingly, “Come here. Can I take your clothes off?”

You nodded, not trusting your voice. Wordlessly, he began to undress you. You lifted your arms when he pulled off your shirt, and wiggled your hips when he pulled down your pants. His actions were gentle, tender, intimate, and the familiar hands tending to your body, lifting you up again and placing you into the bath, calmed you substantially. Automatically, you brought your knees up to your chest when he stood up, getting ready to wash you. 

“Can you get in with me?” You asked quietly, voice scratchy and weak. You pouted up at him, eyes still teary, and he put his hands on his hips. He nodded, smiling sympathetically.

“With that look in your eyes, you make it hard to say no."

Quickly, he shed his clothes, setting them onto the chair next to yours, before motioning you to scoot forward. He sat down behind you, placing a soft kiss on your shoulder. You craned your head back to lock eyes with him.

“You keep kissing me,” You murmured.

“Well, I wasn’t able to kiss you for three weeks,” He replied, pressing another kiss to your shoulder, eyes not leaving yours, “I need to make up for lost time.”

“Yeah, well I haven’t been able to bathe in three weeks. If there’s anyone who needs to make up for lost time, it’s me.”

He chuckled at your quip, cupping water with his hands to let it run down your skin. Picking up the soap, he got to work helping you wash. Running the bar down your arms, on your back and around your chest, touch never too heavy.

A few seconds after he started, you opted to speak. With a heavy sigh, you told him just about everything. The first week alone, Chanyeol attacking you, your meeting with the gods. 

“So he is still out there,” Baekhyun muttered when you described Emyr, “Who would have thought.”

You left out certain things, nervously swallowing the urge to question your loyalties. The story about removing the bullet from Sehun was left out.

So was what happened at the hot springs. You remained silent as he washed your hair, which was greasy and matted from weeks of not being cared for properly. You sighed in quiet satisfaction, eyes fluttering shut at the sensation of his hands massaging your scalp. When he was finished, he spoke again. 

"So they just made you follow them around all night?" His voice was quiet, tone unreadable. “Love, I don’t think they ever intended on healing you. It sounds like they were stringing you along.”

You nodded, unsure of what to say. In another life, you would have believed him. 

“Baek?”

“Hmm?” His hand grabbed yours gently, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles. 

"Would it be so crazy if I thought they weren't?"

He hummed pensively, his grip on your hand tightening ever so slightly. He remained silent for a long time, and you tried to keep your breath steady. "I wouldn't say… crazy. Maybe a bit too optimistic. It's not… we've been enemies for how long now? Not crazy. Maybe a bit naive. Which I wouldn’t really expect from you, but...”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You murmured quietly, turning your head. Your teary eyes met his unreadable ones. He pursed his lips, shaking his head. “I’m not trying to be mean, love. It just… You have to understand that I told you not to go, and you went anyway. I lost my mind when I woke up that morning. And I’m still… I don’t know. Never mind.” He shook his head, frowning. 

“Baekhyun…” You sounded defeated, turning your torso further back to get a better look at him. 

“Y/N, I just want what’s best for you,” He answered earnestly, straightening the chain of your necklace, “I was worried. I’m sorry if I’m taking that out on you now.”

Looking down, focusing on a mole on his bare chest to avoid his downtrodden gaze, you shook your head. “It’s alright,” You whispered, “You have every right to be angry at me.”

He didn’t rebuke you, shame bubbling in your chest when he pressed a kiss to your forehead instead. “Let’s get you into some new clothes. The Council wanted to see me after this, I’ll bring you along too.”

Wordlessly, you obeyed. He dried and dressed you, hands tracing over your body as if you were gentle porcelain as he draped clean, warm fabric across your skin. When he finished getting himself dressed he walked back over to you and kissed you again. While a few weeks ago you would have killed just to have one of these kisses, now it has simply left you hollow.

You weren’t sure if it was because of the guilt gnawing at your insides or because every time his lips met yours, all you could think of was Chanyeol’s; his skin on yours, the piercing blue of the water, everything that could have been but ultimately wasn’t—because you were both too cowardly to face the truth.

“You ready to go?” His hands made his way to your cheeks, gazing at you tentatively, warmly. Like he was scared that at any moment, you’d break away and run off even if he begged you not to. 

And you nodded, too exhausted to argue, even though all you wanted was to curl up in bed and ask him to hold you while you cry. Maybe if he held you for long enough, these feelings would go away and you would forget about everything that happened to you in that forest. But you didn’t, and he didn’t ask you if you wanted to stay. 

So you took his hand, and he helped you out the door. 

To say the Council was furious was an understatement. You thought you’d be given a reprieve when your father rushed to you and crushed you in a hug. He didn’t say anything, but when he pulled away, his eyes were glassy. 

But that seemed to be the extent of their mercy. You were berated for a good fifteen minutes, going on about how your escape was an insult to the military prowess, about how you had disobeyed a direct order, that if it were anyone else, they would have been tried for treason and abandonment. 

You let them go on, not finding the energy within you to protest. You were already feeling as low as you thought possible, and doubted they could make you feel even worse.

Oh, how wrong you were. 

“You say you met the old gods?”

You sighed, nodding. “I was forced to work for Selyne’s sons when I did find them.”

“What of the wolf rider?” One of the men asked, “Does he speak? What did you find out about him.”

Clenching your jaw, you decided to test the waters. “He told me his name and the names of his brothers. His name is Chanyeol.”

“He can communicate with the wolves?” An elderly woman asked, and you nodded tentatively. You needed to be very careful with your next words. If you revealed you could communicate with them also, you were done for. You would be tried for treason for sure. Maybe even witchcraft. 

But you couldn’t shake the idea that you were wrong. Not because of everything you’d been through, but because of what you’d told Baekhyun. That you were wrong to go out there. With every word spoken, you felt a growing sense of unease, an urge to protect the wolves, the Spearwood, and everything it stood for.

“From what I saw and heard, yes. But it’s… strange. He spoke out loud to them, and I couldn’t hear their responses. I asked him how. He said it was because he’s connected to the she-wolf, and as a result, to the other creatures of the forest as well.”  

They asked if he was from here or from somewhere else. You knew it didn’t matter. At the end of the day, they saw him as human, so it didn’t matter. He would be considered a traitor regardless. 

“He told me he was born in the forest. That’s all I know.”

There was a pause in the conversation, only perking up when Jongdae spoke up. “He said he’s connected to Selyne,” He pointed out, “What would happen if she were to die?”

Suddenly, the air in the room changed, and your stomach dropped. 

“He would have to lose his connection to the forest.” Minseok seemed to catch on to what Jongdae was saying. “On top of that, we get rid of one of their leaders. It would be a huge dent in their morale and strategy. That could give us the upper hand.”

Your father nodded. “Y/N, you know the forest better than any of us now. If you worked with the wolves, you must have seen their den.”

“I was with the pr—her sons. She lived in another den… I didn’t see it.” 

“Still, you’re our upper hand,” Baekhyun said, looking slightly hopeful. It made your stomach churn. “If you were able to survive for so long on your own, we could plan a military campaign and invade. We’re stronger in numbers.” 

  The chatter started up again, discussing possible strategies, and it became too much. You felt a ripple in your arm, but you managed to hold it back. 

“No.” 

The chatter died down as quickly as it had started, and everyone turned to look at you. Your heart began to pound in your chest, your palms turning clammy. “They… they said once they’d be willing to negotiate a truce. They’re just as scared as we are, as tired of the war as we are, and they just want peace—”

"We have an opportunity to get rid of them once and for all, so we can finally expand our home and reap the benefits of having the forest for ourselves," A man told you, "You wish for us to let it slip through our fingers?"

Swallowing, you shook your head. This wasn’t what you wanted to happen. "I don't think it's wise for us to simply invade, when both sides want the same thing—"

“Hold on, so they want peace but then they decided to ambush us one day?” Baekhyun said, sounding a bit louder. You didn’t like the accusatory tone in his voice.

“They wouldn’t have ambushed us if you hadn’t shot Sehun!”

Baekhyun’s head shot back, eyes widening. He was silent for a moment, eyes darting back and forth before he could speak again. But your father beat you to it.

“Y/N, who is Sehun?”

“The wolf that bit me that day,” You admitted. “He got shot. The wound got infected, and that’s what he spread to me. I pulled out the bullet myself—they forced me to.” 

Your head turned to Baekhyun, who had interlocked his fingers and whose eyes were dark and unreadable. “Chanyeol said that you were the target that day, because you were the one that shot him.”

“So you’re just going to take that—that creature’s word over mine?” Baekhyun’s voice was low, bordering on angry, “Really, Y/N?”

“I’m not saying that I believe him, I’m just saying that if one of us hadn’t—”

“It sure sounds like you do,” Jongdae snapped.

“—Provoked them, we wouldn’t be—”

“Enough!”

Your father’s voice rang through the room, and suddenly, you could hear a pin drop. The look on everyone’s faces gave it away. You had just made a fatal mistake.

“We’ll take a recess,” Your father said, glaring at you, “Baekhyun, take Y/N back to the house. Keep her there and when you return we’ll resume discussing strategies. Clearly, three weeks of wandering through the cold have made her unwell.”

“What?” You cried, incredulous. Baekhyun stood, walking towards you, cautiously gripping your arm. "Come on, love, let's go."

"No!" You tugged your arm out of his grip, "You can't do this, it's not safe and it's not smart—"

“Clearly, she’s gone mad from the cold and the isolation! How can we believe anything she says?” The old woman from before you was scowling at you, “Get her out of this room. Immediately.”

 “How dare you,” You fired back, “After everything I’ve done for this Council you would just—”

But Baekhyun was pulling you away anyway, and within a matter of minutes, you were back inside the walls of what was once your home. Baekhyun didn’t let go as he tugged you over the threshold, leading you towards the bedroom. 

“Baekhyun, let me go,” You demanded, still trying to pull away, “Byun Baekhyun, let me go! You’re not listening to me—”

“Why should I listen to you?” He snapped as he shoved you into the bedroom, pushing you to sit on the bed. 

“Because I know what happened to me in there! I’m not crazy! I’m—”

“We will discuss this when I come back from the meeting. My word is final.”

He looked furious, which completely caught you off guard. He seemed to be sneering at you when he slammed the door, shaking his head.

Then, you heard a soft click, and your blood ran cold. You shot up, darting towards the door, jiggling the knob.

He had locked you inside. You banged on the door. “Baek! Baekhyun, let me out! Let me out, please, Baek.” 

You heard the front door slam, and the next thing you knew, you had collapsed to the floor, sobbing, clutching the knob like a lifeline. 

  How long you stayed like that was a mystery. Eventually, your tears dried up, and your wailing quieted. What you were left with were a hollow interior, a growling stomach and a pounding head. You craned your neck to look at the bedroom, which was slowly getting darker as the afternoon stretched into the evening. 

Your eyes landed on a chair you hadn’t previously noticed in the morning. Draped over it were the clothes you had worn for the past few weeks, undoubtedly dirty. Making your way over to the chair, you picked up the shirt. When you lifted it you crinkled your nose, the smell of dried sweat and blood making its way to your nostrils. Had you really smelled like this the entire time?

Shoving the thought to the back of your mind, you looked in the pockets of the shirt until you found it: a small opal dangling from a chain of gold. 

You weren’t sure what to tell Baekhyun. Hell, you weren’t sure if you should tell him at all. He’d always been quite sensitive when it came to his mother. 

And to tell him now, with the way he was acting… 

You stared at the small stone, silently cursing Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s father. If you hadn’t been such a dick, I wouldn’t be in this situation.

Thinking over everything that was said in the Council meeting was painful. It didn’t help the pounding in your head. How you’d been called mad, and you’d been effectively silenced by the people who would easily listen to you in the past. 

You considered what they might be discussing right now. Because you knew they wanted the forest for themselves, to strip it barren and use it to build an empire. Your hands tightened around the necklace when you realized it.

This war wasn’t being fueled by fear. Not on this side, at least. It was greed, pure human greed, and it wouldn’t stop unless a major change happened. 

You didn’t hear the front door open, but you heard the padding of feet headed towards the bedroom door. You shot up, shoving the necklace into your pocket as the lock clicked, and then the door swung open.

Baekhyun’s eyes fell on you, standing right across from you. There was an odd mix of contempt and satisfaction in his eyes. You’re not an idiot. You knew which one of those emotions was reserved for you.

“I brought you some food,” He murmured, “I figured you might be hungry.”

Nodding, you sheepishly put your hands in your pockets, and trudged over to him. Baekhyun led you to the small dinner table, where he’d set down two bowls of soup, which he must have bought from Mrs Yang’s tavern. He was silent the entire time, watching you as you scarfed down the soup. The taste was as rich as ever, but this time there was a new kick to it. You also ate the bread roll you’d picked up from the basket in the middle of the table. The meal was warm and hearty and while it filled your stomach, the void in your chest was still there.

“We’re leaving early tomorrow, before dawn,” Baekhyun said finally, “We plan to go as far in as we can.” 

Your heart just about stopped, the stones on your chest and in your pocket weighing you down, stopping you from shooting straight up. “Why?” You croaked, eyes filling with tears.

Baekhyun sighed and scowled at you, pushing away his half empty bowl. “You were wrong.”

“What?”

“Today,” He clarified, “You said that the old gods were just as scared and tired as we are. You’re wrong. We’re not afraid of them. We haven’t been for years.”

Your hand grabbed his. “Baekhyun, you can’t,” You pleaded, “Please. Listen to me. There’s no need for all of this, this violence. It can end tomorrow if you’re just willing to negotiate with them.”

“We don’t want to negotiate.” He spat out the last word as if it was offensive. His hand pulled away from yours. “That forest is ours for the taking and we’re not about to let it slip through our hands.” 

He stood, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “We’re expanding our home. This is for the greater good, Y/N. Can’t you see? A future for us—”

“I’m going to die soon.” Your voice was trembling now. You couldn’t blame yourself. “There is no greater good for me, no greater good for us. For how long would it last, anyway? If the forest is gone, how do we hunt? It’s provided for us for generations, and all we do is take and take and take and we never give it anything in return—”

“Why the hell would I want to give anything to that forest?” He yelled, slamming his hands down on the table with a loud bang, causing you to flinch. “Over the years, they’ve killed hundreds of us—”

“And we’ve killed thousands of them!” You had stood now, chest heaving. “I know it’s hard for you to think there’s good in there, but there is, Baek. It’s calm and quiet and peaceful and that’s all—they—want. To keep it that way.”

He shook his head. “There’s never been good in that forest. Not since we left. It’s evil, and it corrupts anyone who stays there for too long. I-it corrupted that rider—Chanyeol or whatever his name is—and now, I’m starting to think it’s corrupted you too.”

“That rider will die if you don’t convince the council to stand down.” Your hands were trembling, but somehow, you mustered up the strength—the courage really—to throw the necklace down onto the table, just as Baekhyun was asking why he should care so much about Chanyeol.

At first, he didn’t understand. He probably thought it was his necklace, the one he’d given to you. His eyebrows furrowed, his lips turned downward, and then he looked up to see your face. Only when he meant to look back down at Chanyeol’s necklace and began to lower his gaze, did he realize that there was more than one opal necklace.

His expression turned uncertain, blinking a few times in disbelief. “Where… where did you get this?” He asked, breathless. Your voice wavered, uncertain of what would come next.

“Chanyeol gave it to me,” You said, staring at the necklace, “He said… He said it belonged to the woman who gave birth to him. His… his mother.”

Baekhyun looked back up at you, mouth gaping. “That can’t be possible,” He murmured, shaking his head. You shrugged. “I didn’t believe him either, Baek. Not at first. But… I don’t know.”

“What exactly did he tell you?” He murmured, gritting his teeth. “I need to know.”

So you did. You told Baekhyun the same story Chanyeol had told you, the same story Selyne had told him as a child. Of a young woman who died of frostbite after running away from her husband, who gave birth to a baby boy with wide brown eyes and big ears, who begged a wolf goddess to raise the baby as one of her own. 

The entire time, your gaze remained trained on him. His eyes turned glassy but his tears didn’t fall, and you felt your chest ache when you finished, and he took a shaky breath. 

“So that’s where she went,” He whispered, “I had always thought…”

You shook your head. “I’m sorry, Baekhyun. I wish I could have told you under better circumstances.”

Hands trembling, he picked up the necklace, and traced over the stone with a delicate finger. You saw a tear fall, but just as you were about to comfort him, something in him shifted. His breathing became heavier, his top lip twitched, before twisting into an angry sneer. His fist closed around the necklace, right before he threw it across the room. You heard it hit the wall, but you didn’t see where it went.

“No.” His teary eyes met yours, and you knew that something had taken over inside of him; some deep rooted pain he had locked away for years upon years. “I’m not helping him. Not after what he took from me.”

“Baekhyun—”

“Why do you seem to care so much about him, Y/N? Huh?” He leaned forward, voice dangerously quiet. “Did something… happen while you were out there? Is that what this is?”

“Nothing happened,” You growled, tight lipped.

He scoffed, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

Baekhyun walked towards you, once again gripping your wrist, this time even tighter. He tugged you towards the bedroom, you protesting every step of the way. Where you found the energy, you didn’t know. Because you were so tired.

“You’re hurting me,” You told him, but he didn’t let go. “Baekhyun, please! If you could j-just hear me out, o-or let me out so I can talk to the people in town—���

 “What, you think they’ll believe you?” He snarled, slamming the bedroom door shut and finally letting you go. He stepped forward, but you refused to concede. “Doll, you just spent three weeks wandering around in the wilderness because you didn’t want to die. At first, everyone felt bad, you know? Poor little Y/N, all alone in the woods because she wants to live a full life.” 

He stepped forward again, this time grabbing your face. This time, his grip wasn’t painful, wasn’t even tight. You didn’t pull away as his eyes filled with mock sadness, lips twisting into an exaggerated pout. “But then they watched as I, your poor, poor fiance, walked in and out of that forest for three weeks trying to save you. Because I thought I could,” He let out an empty, humorless laugh, “I thought I could still bring you back and take care of you until you died. Maybe have a less elaborate wedding, but a wedding nonetheless. They watched me do that and then they realized that maybe, just maybe, you were being a selfish little brat and only thinking about yourself. So tell me, my love, who are they going to be more inclined to believe, huh?”

Yanking yourself out of his grip, you stared at him in disbelief, but he didn’t stop. He seemed to be caught in his own little reverie, monologuing as if he were the one who had supposedly gone mad. “We were supposed to get married and lead these people to greatness. It was our destiny. But now you’ve gone and ruined everything.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t shot the damn wolf,” You hissed. His eyes flashed, and he shook his head. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “No. I suppose it wouldn’t… but I guess it’s better this way.”

He put his hands on your shoulders, and you jumped. “How?” Your voice was barely audible. 

“If you hadn’t gotten bitten, we wouldn’t be here. But that means I never would have found out that you were so… susceptible to the forest. We shouldn’t have such a weak leader running around. Wouldn’t want that, would we? But we are here, and now I know. So here’s what’s going to happen.”

His hands pushed down on your shoulders, forcing you onto the bed. You glared up at him as he put his hands on his hips. “I’m going to leave with the other soldiers in a few hours, and I’m gonna kill myself a she-wolf and her little bastards. You’re going to stay right here.” His condescending tone wasn’t missed, even as he got more sentimental.

“I’m going to come back, and we’ll get married, and we’re gonna be happy until you die. And when you do, since I, as your widower, will have married into your family line, I’m going to lead my people to destroy that forest once and for all. How’s that for a plan?”

 You couldn’t answer. You didn’t want to play the hero and say that he would never win. Because the truth was, he very much could. The gods and their followers didn’t understand the guns or how to treat bullet wounds. Even worse, Baekhyun had a sort of magnetism that drew people to him, that made them hang on to every single word he said.

You had no more cards to play. Every single one you had tried had backfired, horribly. 

Pursing your lips, you sighed. “...Fine. I’ll stay.” 

You refused to concede. It wouldn’t end this way. But right now, you were too tired to fight back, and your muscles seemed to be getting heavier and heavier by the second. 

“That’s my girl,” Baekhyun murmured, gaze beginning to warm. “Get to bed, love. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

You nodded, holding back a yawn. You tried to kick off your shoes, but quickly realized your movements were sluggish. All at once, despite the slowness of your body, your mind snapped to the conclusion. 

The soup tasted differently. You were tired. Your movements were slowing down. Baekhyun had spiked the soup.

“Baek,” You slurred, “What did you do?”

“What was necessary, love.” It sounded so twisted, the way his voice was so warm. “I needed to make sure you wouldn’t fight back.”

But maybe this was how Baekhyun had loved you all along, and you had never realized; in his own sick, twisted way. Maybe he had never loved you at all, maybe he just wanted to own you. The realization came as he removed your shoes for you, before guiding you under the covers. Your fists weakly came up to hit at his chest as he did, but they did no damage.

“You’re vile,” You whispered. You heard Baekhyun chuckle. “Maybe I am.”

He tucked you in with a kiss on your forehead, one you barely felt. You were already beginning to slip away. “Yixing will be here in the morning to check on you. You’re still recovering, you know.”

You couldn’t respond, too groggy to do so. But you were aware enough to hear his final words, whispered into your ear before he pressed one final kiss to your lips.

“If you try anything, I’ll fucking kill him,” He said, voice saccharine sweet, “Family or not. He stole something from me once.”

Your eyes fluttered shut, but not before you heard him open the door. 

“I’m not going to let him do it again."

taglist: @delightpcy​ @chanyeolscoon​ @xxbluestrifexx​ @imsoba​ @chogiwhy127​ @always-wishing-for-rain​

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

The Wolf's Howl: Ch. 1

It began at the Cosmodrome, over twenty-five years ago. A lone Ghost drifted between the rusted cars and the skeletons of long-dead people. He had never been out here before, though he had heard many Ghosts talk about how they had found their Guardians here. The area was filled with old spirits, waiting to be brought back into this world again with the help of the light.

The Ghost scanned everything, every skeleton, every inch of ground, every car, in the hope that this would be the day, the day he found his Guardian. Then, just as he began to give up hope, he found something. There, underneath the Earth, was what felt to be a pulse to the small Ghost. And then his shell expanded, he pushed his light to this pulse, and then there, before him, was his Guardian.

She was in tattered clothing. It was obvious she was an awoken. Ripples of light went through her pale lilac skin, and bright blue eyes stared at the small orb before her. Curiosity shone in them.

"What are you?" She asked softly to the Ghost, her Ghost.

"I'm a Ghost, made by the Traveler to resurrect protectors of humanity. Guardians, such as yourself. I'm your Ghost now, and you are my Guardian. I know things won't make much sense to you now, but you'll understand more once we get to the City." He explained.

He could tell she was deep in thought, and probably had a lot more questions she wanted to ask, but she only nodded.

A screech from not too far off caused both of them to startle, especially the Guardian, who had never heard such a sound before.

She looked to her Ghost. "What was that?"

"Fallen. We need to go, now. Quickly, come with me."

The woman went to follow her Ghost, but then he stopped, turned around to face her.

"Here, hold still a minute." He drifted to her, then in glitters of light disappeared. His Guardian looked around.

"I'm still with you. Keep going. To that doorway, over there."

She went where he directed and entered the building in front of her. It was rather dark, and she had to admit she was a bit spooked. She heard creaking sounds which led her to believe she was not alone in here.

They went up a flight of stairs and soon reached a very dark area. Her Ghost knew they could not go farther without some light. So, he appeared out of thin air and drifted away. In no time the lights came on. And his Guardian watched as many sets of four eyes appeared, and fallen skittered down large pipes and walls towards her, as the gate went up beside her. She slid under it as her Ghost flew up to her and disappeared again. She didn't think as she grabbed the auto rifle which lay beside the chest in front of her. The sights were broken, but there was still ammo in it, so it would do. She took off running and as the fallen appeared in front of her she fired the weapon. Instinct that she didn't know she had took over. She did not miss.

She couldn't remember ever firing a gun before, but the way she held it and fired it proved otherwise. However, she didn't get much time to think about it as she shifted her focus onto the alien creatures in front of her.

She continued her run, and finally, she made it out of the building. And before her was a huge robot thing. It wasn't until her Ghost mentioned it was a walker did she know what it was. It turned its head and its red optics landed on her. A shot was fired and the woman barely dodged out of the way. She began to fire at the walker with her auto rifle, but it didn't even leave a dent in its armor.

"There! Leaning against that wall!"

She swiveled her head to see a grenade launcher laying against a wall nearby. She ran towards it, and the walker fired another shot which she ducked under. It hit the wall behind her and debris flew from it. The awoken grabbed the grenade launcher and let out a sigh of relief that there was still some ammo left in it. She went into cover as yet another blast came in her direction. Then carefully she took her aim, and fired.

The grenade hit its neck, a weak point her Ghost had informed her of, and on impact, it exploded. Sparks flew from the walker and it collapsed to the ground.

"I killed it." She whispered with wide eyes. "I killed it!" She raised her arms in triumph.

"That was amazing! I bet no Ghosts' Guardian has done that straight out of the grave!" Her Ghost exclaimed.

"Where do we go now?" She asked as she took a look around.

"That building, over there. We've got to figure out a way to get you to the City."

The awoken listened to her Ghost and went in that direction. She went past a few hallways and then, "A ship." Her Ghost stated, appearing out of the air and flying towards it.

"Can it fly?" His Guardian asked him, staring up at the hunk of junk laid in wires and cables.

"Maybe. I'll see what I can do."

The nearby sound of more Fallen made the Guardian prompt her Ghost to hurry up. She kept her eyes on her surroundings, and just as a fallen captain made its way into the room, she was suddenly in the dusty ship.

"It'll get us to the City, let's go." Her Ghost explained.

"I can't fly!"

"I will for now."

The ship rose, breaking past the cables, and in no time, they were in the air, flying fast.

The awoken brushed dust off of the window with her hand and stared out as they passed the Cosmodrome below them. Soon her eyes drifted to the controls before her, and then, to her Ghost.

"Do you have a name, or are you just called Ghost?" She asked.

"I don't really have a name. I was called Firefly by a friend for a while though."

"Hm. Firefly doesn't seem really fitting. It just doesn't. . . click, if you don't mind my saying so."

"You can pick my name?"

She went through many names in her head, but couldn't settle on one. "I think I'll just call you Ghost for now. At least until I can find one that fits."

He bobbed up and down as if nodding to her.

"Do you want to fly?" He asked her.

"I don't know-"

"I'll teach you. Here, grab hold of this-" Ghost began to instruct her, and in no time at all, she was soaring through the air.

"Slow down!" He exclaimed.

"Why, it's not like we can hit anything?"

"We could hit a bird!"

"It'd be the bird's fault. It should have moved."

Ghost rolled his singular optic.

It was almost no time at all when the Last City, in all of it's glory, came into view. The Guardian marveled at it, and then her gaze met the huge orb floating in the midst of it.

"Is that-"

"The Traveler." Her Ghost said.

In just a few more minutes the Guardian made her very, very shaky landing into the Tower's Hangar.

Her Ghost transmitted her out of the rickety ship just as a young woman (the Guardian guessed in her early twenties) with blonde hair running up to them both.

"You've got a mess there." She stated in a southern accent.

"Yeah." Was all the Guardian said in response.

"New light?" The question was directed at Ghost who was floating over his Guardian's shoulder.

"Just found her at the Cosmodrome. Can you believe that she took out a walker just five minutes after being rezzed?" He said excitedly.

The woman chuckled. "Name's Amanda Holliday. I'm the Tower's shipwright." She held out her hand and the Guardian shook it. "You better go meet the Vanguard now. Cayde's over there, leaning on that pole trying to look cool. He's the Hunter Vanguard. Go talk to him and he'll show you around. I'll take care of this piece of crap. Get you a real ship."

"Wait. Do you think you can fix it?" The Guardian asked.

"Yeah, I can fix it. Why, you wanna keep it?"

"Yes, actually, if that isn't a problem for you?"

"No, no. I've been wanting another big project. You go talk to Cayde and I'll get to work." Amanda went towards the ship.

The Guardian nodded and walked towards the blue exo Amanda had pointed to.

"You're Cayde?" She asked when she approached.

"The one and only."

"Amanda sent me to you. She said I needed to meet the Vanguard?"

"Newlight, huh?"

She nodded.

"You've probably got a lot of questions." He stopped leaning and stood up straighter. "Come on," He gestured with a nod out of the Hangar. "I'll answer 'em while we walk."

[oohfluffy]

TIHM Ch.20 | BBH

Group: EXO

Member: Byun Baekhyun

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

Word Count: 4,950

chapter 20

You nibbled on your straw as you nervously watched him play on the field.

You've just arrived ten minutes ago right after your Wednesday class ended. Since you didn't have a work shift today, which Baekhyun knew as he already memorized your working schedule, you were dragged here to watch him practice. Although you preferred to study at home, you couldn't say no to that guy.

Not after indirectly accepting his confession yesterday.

Your cheeks automatically blushed at the thought of what transpired at the hallway yesterday. You looked down at the lemonade drink he bought for you earlier, a smile getting to your lips as you remembered his words.

"Here, baby. You just sit there prettily, and watch me. I'll get back to you whenever we take a break." Baekhyun grinned as he gently placed the plastic cup of a well-known café in your hand. Before you could even utter a word, he leaned on your face and pecked your forehead. "I'll take you home later, okay?"

And like a weak chick you are, you responded with a nod as if in a trance.

"Hmm, 'kay."

"I was wondering why Byun is in such a good mood and is basically smashing the game big time." You grunted as you saw your best friend walking towards your seat. "And the reason is right over here." She bowed at you as if greeting a higher-up, making you attempt to kick her shin.

"I forgot you're practicing here as well, Jiwon-ah."

"How heartless, Jin-ah. How could you forget?" Jiwon pouted as she sat beside you, slumping on the bench like a lifeless being. "So, I'm guessing you chose the latter."

You stared at her for a while, seeing how her eyes drifted towards the field. Her lips curled up into a smile as she looked back at you. Grabbing your other hand, she squeezed it in assurance. You don't know why, but your heart felt so relieved.

"I might always sound like I don't want you to be with Byun, but I'm your best friend." She mumbled as she looked down at your hand. "I want you to know that I've got your back, always. I just don't want you getting hurt because of love, may it be for friendship or something else. Not again."

Jiwon has always been there. Although we only became friends almost a year after the incident, she didn't get swayed by others' words or the rumors about me. She was the only one who believed me.

With these thoughts occupying your mind, you gave her the widest smile you could ever give to someone. Her eyes slightly widened at your expression, one that she has not witnessed in the past years of being with you.

"I'm happy to have you, Jiwon-ah. I'm very grateful." You said as you squeezed her hand too, cheeks trembling with your smile. You wanted to cry right now. "I'm sorry if I did nothing but to make you worry about me. I-I swear I won't be reckless—"

"Oh shut up, Lee Saejin. It's my duty as your best friend to worry about you, and yours to me as well! S-Stop making that pitiful expression." She tsked as she pinched your cheek, making you groan.

"Jiwon-ah! We'll start in a few!" You recognized one of her friends in the higher year called her from a distance. They were warming up for their practice near the grandstand.

"Oof, that's my cue then." Jiwon huffed as she stood up. "Byun will take you home, right?"

Your cheeks reddened at the mention of his name.

"Y-Yeah. You can come with us—"

"I might as well die trying to get in between your lovey-dovey time. No thanks." She chuckled while patting your head. "I'll get home by dinner, so cook for us, okay? I'll be looking forward to it!"

"Alright."

"Oh! And help me pack my things for the break later, please?"

You smiled as you watched her run back to her group, easily blending in to the outgoing atmosphere. You wondered why she chose to befriend a loner like you. That goes for Baekhyun as well though.

You almost forgot that the winter break is getting nearer, specifically two weeks from now. Right after the last football game of the year, the break will start. You remembered that Jiwon will be going to her boyfriend's hometown since he's finally back from the States after a year.

What should I do for the holidays then? Should I just work at the café for the entire holiday season? That will be tiring, but money is the best.

You chuckled at your thought as you shook your head. It is true, but maybe, you can rest for a week or two without doing anything at home. Just reading, eating, watching, and writing.

"I guess the rumors are true. Baekhyun oppa really brought her here!"

"How'd she manage to seduce him?! This is unacceptable."

"From Lisa to a garbage? I'm sure oppa has been cursed."

"Our poor Baekhyun oppa!"

Your mood got spoiled as your hearing sensed the bees trying to sting you at your back. With how loud their voices were, you knew that they intended to let you hear them just to irritate you. Unfortunately for them, you were immune to such harsh commentaries. No thank you for the past few years of hearing shit, huh?

Just in time as you glanced back at the field, you saw Baekhyun trudging back at you with a frown. Your furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. Did he do bad in practice? He was playing with so much vigor earlier while casually looking back at you. Why is he—

"You're not paying attention to me, Saejin-ah." He spoke as he stood right in front of you. You were actually seated at the front bench, where they left their water jugs and towels, thus, you get all the glares from the audience at the back. Baekhyun said he wants you near his sight, so he placed you at their bench.

This is why I can't seem to look around freely.

"I am! I was just talking to Jiwon for a while." You exclaimed as you looked up at his sweaty figure. You gulped at the sight. "I-Is it your break already?"

Who looks good while they're sweating and... breathless? This guy.

"No." Baekhyun said as he sat closely beside you. His jersey touching your shoulders gave you an unexpected sense of comfort. You moved a bit away from him before turning your head to him because for your heart's sake, you wouldn't be able to breathe being too close to him.

"What? Junmyeon sunbae will surely get mad at me!" You exclaimed, instantly glancing back at the field where the boys were. They are still practicing with the captain shouting as he pointed to their positions. "He's been glaring at me for sometime now."

"Eh, I'll be back after I recharge."

"Recharge?" You mumbled incredulously as he turned to you, leaning his upper body on the bench behind him. Your gaze drifted to his jug that was just beside you, and realized that he must be thirsty from the practice. "Oh."

Taking the towel that has a small BBH initials at the ends from the other side, you faced him again with a determined expression. He tilted his head in wonder as you placed the jug in his slender hand.

"Drink." You said while patting his wet cheeks with the towel in your hand. "You're so sweaty. No wonder why you stink so much." You stifled a laugh as his lips frowned more, giving you enough confidence to help him recharge.

With your serious eyes wandering from his forehead down to his neck, Baekhyun felt too comfortable that he was already feeling hot from your stare. His tongue clicked as you were too busy dabbing his towel on his face, unconscious of how you were affecting him right now. He can't even bring his jug up to his mouth without staring at yours.

"Why aren't you drinking? Do you want the lemonade instead?" You asked with an eyebrow raised. You stopped wiping his sweat off and let the towel rest on his shoulder. "Wait, I'll buy—"

"I don't need a drink."

His voice was deep and hoarse. You would have argued that he sounded like he really needs a drink right now, but his gaze was too... intense. He placed his jug back at his side, sliding a bit closer to you as if noticing the distance you've managed to build between the two of you.

"But you said you wanted to recharge?"

"It's a hassle to take off this jersey, so I can't hug you. It's dirty too, so no." Baekhyun huffed as he patted his chest. His uniform is indeed brownish already since he kept on rolling on the ground and running. "A pat on the head will do."

"Pat on the head?" You incredulously asked, a smile creeping up your face. You suddenly figured out what recharging meant to him. "I-Is that suppose to be your way of recharging?"

Baekhyun just slightly bowed his head near you, shaking it like a dog wanting to be pet. You consciously looked around with trembling lips. You wanted to chuckle so bad, but this guy is seriously asking for a pat on the head.

When you saw that most of the people around you were watching the practice or minding their own businesses, you reached your hand out to Baekhyun's head. He smiled as your palm rubbed his grayish hair gently.

"Is this enough?" You mumbled while combing your fingers through his hair. He hummed, and suddenly leaned his face closer to yours. You cleared your throat as your eyes glanced at the bleachers behind you, where a group of girls were watching. Fortunately, they weren't focused on you despite Baekhyun's presence.

I wonder why they tend to avoid my eyes when he's here.

"Can I ask for more?"

"Hmm?" You looked back at the man in front of you, and widened your eyes at the little distance between the two of you. "B-Baek."

He pouted his lips as if to elaborate his request, his eyes twinkling in anticipation. You could already hear Junmyeon's call from the field, making your heart thump in panic. You tapped Baekhyun's chest as you glanced at the boys he left practicing.

"Captain's calling you��"

"I won't go until you kiss me. Just once!"

"Byun Baekhyun, go. We're in a public place—"

"The hallways are public places too!" He argued with the most childish voice you have ever heard in your life. You stifled a snort as the blush spread across your cheeks, remembering the outrageous act you have done yesterday with him.

W-Well, that's right.

"T-That was—"

"LEE SAEJIN, IF YOU DON'T BRING THAT BASTARD BACK HERE, I'M SUING YOU!" Junmyeon's loud voice rang through the air, making you cringe at the threatening tone. The other boys just laughed loudly as they teased the said boy.

"Come on, Jin-ah. They're waiting." Baekhyun's lips curled into a smirk, eyes now full of mischief and seduction. "Just a peck, please. Pretty pweaseee?"

You sighed in defeat as you playfully slapped both of your hands on his cheeks, earning a grunt from him.

"Okay, just a peck and you run back there, alright?"

"Deal."

After squishing his cheeks for a bit, you leaned towards his face and closed your eyes. The second your lips touched his, Baekhyun moaned in delight as if his thirst was finally quenched. You chuckled as he tried to bite your lower lip in an attempt to deepen the kiss. He was frustrated that he couldn't touch you fully as much as he wanted because he was dirty, and the last thing he desired is getting the dirt to your white shirt.

Before pulling away, you intentionally glided your tongue on his, not knowing it would spark something inside of him. With a triumphant smile, you patted his chest once again to remind him of the deal. His expression cannot be read, but he was totally at the edge of frustration.

"Run, Byun." You pointed at the field as you heard the boys cheered and shouted for Baekhyun. "They're waiting."

Baekhyun incredulously stared back at you, lips plump and parted.

"I don't think I can practice now. I got a hard—"

"Just go! Junmyeon's going to sue me!" You pushed him off of his seat, forcefully making him stand. "If you don't go there now, I'm going to be mad. Big time."

He scratched the back of his head, glancing at his team before gazing back at you longingly. You smiled at his soft gaze. You reached for his hand and squeezed it.

"I'll be right here."

He nodded with a grin, looking at your small hand grasping his longer ones. Baekhyun took your words as his motivation to go. Finally, taking a step forward.

Not before stealing another kiss from your lips though.

"WOOH! BYUN FOR THE WIN!" Kai shouted as he pumped his fist to the air, earning laughs and cheers from the other boys. They were all waiting for his return, probably using the time as their break. Junmyeon was even laughing along with them.

Your whole face was on fire as you watched Baekhyun run back to the field energetically, as if he really recharged while being with you. You didn't even want to look at your best friend's reaction from the corner. Sitting back up straight, you gripped on Baekhyun's towel on your lap.

How will you get used to this, Lee Saejin?

—

"Where's your boyfriend? I don't see him around." Jisoo asked as she looked around the cafè. You stopped on your tracks, hearing the 'b' word.

"I-I don't have a boyfriend, unnie. He's..." You slowly put down the plates on the tray, waiting for Rocky to serve the order. "...my suitor?"

"You sure about that?" Jisoo chuckled as your eyebrows scrunched in wonder.

"W-Well, we haven't really talked about it. I mean, how do you start a conversation about it?" You bit your lower lip, tapping on the counter impatiently.

You were actually thinking about your official relationship status with Baekhyun these past few days, but you cannot get an answer without an agreement from him, right? He's probably in the suitor stage.

But is he still up for courtship? Will anyone keep a Byun Baekhyun in the waiting area?

"One iced americano, please."

You instinctively bowed at the customer, moving away from the counter to prepare whatever he was about to order. Jisoo hummed in delight as she tugged you towards the cashier area.

"What—"

When you looked up at the customer, you realized why Jisoo placed you here instead. She cleared her throat as she smiled at him. Somi, who was by the coffee machine, formed her lips to an 'o' as if getting what was happening. You inwardly facepalmed at the situation.

"Ehm, one iced americano..." Your fingers tingle as you tapped on the screen in front of you, feeling his gaze piercing through you. "Anything else?"

"Hmm, two slices of strawberry cheesecake and..." He hummed as he looked through the display glass. "... what else do you want, baby?"

You shivered at the endearment as you stopped sliding your finger against the screen. Looking back up, he was alone, and obviously that question was for you. He raised his eyebrows up as you met his eyes, waiting for your answer.

"B-Baekhyun, I'm working." You lowered your voice, hearing Jisoo's laugh nearby. "You'll be eating by yourself—"

"I'll save it for you later then." He jutted his lower lip out as he blinked his eyes rapidly.

Why does he have to be so cute and annoying?

"One iced americano, two slices of strawberry cheesecake..." You looked into his expectant eyes as you spoke. "... and two honey glazed bagels."

That did it. Baekhyun paid the bill with a grin, squeezing your hand in the process. He winked before sitting on the nearest available seat. You're not sure if you can focus on work like this. Him within your sight range? No.

"Jisoo unnie, please take the wheel. I'll just go back in helping Woobin oppa at the kitchen." You quickly went to the back, welcoming Woobin's commands with a smile.

"Oh, Saejin-ah." Mingyu, who finally got back in duty, called out. You waved at him as he was on the other side of the room, getting new paper cups from the boxes. "Hyunjin went to clean the men's bathrooms. Can you help here instead?"

"Okay!"

After two hours of being swept with several customers, your mind drifted to Baekhyun. The last time you got to glance back at him was an hour ago when he was still sipping on his americano while scrolling on his phone.

He wouldn't wait for another three hours, right?

"Saejin!" Hearing the familiar voice of Aunt Jinah, you instantly looked back. She was placing her wet umbrella on the stand beside the entrance. You took that opportunity to glance at the seat where Baekhyun should be in, but he wasn't there. "You're still here? I thought you're leaving by 6?"

"Aunt Jinah, let me get that coat for you." You smiled at her, helping her take off the coat. "Me? Why would I leave by 6? My shift ends at 8:30 though?"

"Y-You must have forgotten you asked me before." She nervously laughed as she patted your hand. "Go pack up. Your boyfriend's waiting outside."

Why do they keep on saying that?

"He's not—"

"Rocky, Somi, and Mingyu are on the clock now anyway. You can go." Aunt Jinah smiled as she pointed at the three employees. She meant that the crew can handle the work efficiently now that they were present. You couldn't deny that the past weeks without all of them were kind of unstable, so having them here was a relief. "Enjoy, alright?"

"You can rest easy, Saejin unnie. There's not many customers by this time anyway." Somi grinned while ringing the bell, placing down the cup of coffee on the tray. Rocky instantly went to get the order and smoothly trudged through the tables.

"You've worked hard."

You weren't certain if you really just forgot about asking for an early leave, or some external force was intentionally dragging you out. You watched as Aunt Jinah greeted the whole crew, casually reminding them their tasks and noticing various things around.

You scratched the back of your head in confusion as everyone was already back to their work. You walked back to the locker room to get your things. It was the first time that you'd be the first one to leave, and you were wondering what can be the occasion today that will make you ask for an early leave.

"I'll be leaving then." You slightly bowed at Aunt Jinah, who just waved at you with an encouraging smile. Jisoo gave you a thumbs up while Somi grinned.

As you left the café, you heard a horn from the side. You instantly recognized the black Mustang on the first row of cars. Seeing Baekhyun waving from the window, you walked towards it instead with your lips tingling.

"Did you get too bored?" You asked him as soon as you got in the passenger's seat. You instantly saw the paper bag with your bagels.

"No, I didn't. I heard from your boss that you have an early leave today, so I was excitedly waiting for you." He answered with a grin as he cooly reversed the vehicle with ease. You watched as he seriously gazed at the side mirror outside while turning the steering wheel. Your gaze dropped at his hands that are gripping the wheel, his veins protruding a bit with the force he is using towards it.

His hands are really pretty, but at the same time, really really seductive.

Bothered with your thoughts, your eyebrows knitted as you observed his hands.

How can his hands be pretty and sexy at the same time? Is that possible? No wonder people compliments not only his piano skills, but his hands too. Mine looks like an old lady's.

"What are you thinking about?" Baekhyun noticed your silence as he drove through the street. Glancing at your side, he saw that you were intensely looking at his hands.

"Your hands."

"Hmm, my hands?" He said with amusement while spreading his hands on the wheel.

"Pretty." You mumbled a compliment as you looked at your own hands. Your left pinky was wrapped with a band-aid as you got a small cut from the kitchen earlier. Your fingers look exhausted and sad.

Baekhyun gazed at your hands and smoothly slipped his right on your left. You were surprised that he was also looking at you, his eyes gentle and attentive.

"Y-You're driving! Eyes on the road!" You mumbled in panic as he intertwined his fingers with yours. You looked away from him, taking the opportunity to hide your reddening cheeks by gazing down your lap. Now you could clearly see how pretty his hand is.

"Yes, ma'am!" Baekhyun said in a firm tone, a smile playing on his lips as he looked back at the front.

"Where are we going anyway?" You suddenly asked.

"Somewhere."

The mall.

You forgot when was the last time you've gone to the mall. You almost gasped at the bright lights when you got inside with Baekhyun. He still has your hand in his, keeping you close while you walk side by side.

The car was actually parked by the valet employee, so you could enter the mall through the front entrance easily. You wondered if this mall was a high-class one.

"What are we doing at the mall?"

"Shopping? Date?" He mumbled his answers as he looked at you, who was curiously looking around with twinkling eyes. "Ah, I actually have an appointment today."

"Hmm? Where?"

Without answering your question, he just led you both to his destination where his appointment was. Baekhyun was being stared at as usual, women of different age were ogling at him without restraint. But fortunately, they weren't bold enough to come up to him.

Why does he have to be so popular? I'm gonna break these women's necks!

"What are we going to do here? It's already quarter to 7 pm."

"We're here."

When you looked at the front, you saw a beautifully decorated salon. The color theme was white and gold, making a surreal aesthetic visual of the place. From the outside, you can see expensive looking velvet couches and high chairs. The lights weren't too blinding, but pleasing enough to see with. The mirrors in front of each revolving salon chair have their own vanity lights—

"Welcome, Mr. Byun! We've been waiting." You didn't even notice the employees lined up at the entrance. Your lips parted in awe and shock. "I'll lead you inside then."

"B-Baek, what's this? Why does it seem like they're welcoming the president or a royalty here?" You whispered at him as he walked with you inside, passing the bowing employees quietly. You were too scared to speak louder because hell, the place was empty except for the presence of the employees and you two. "Did you just rent this whole place out?"

"I don't need to rent it out, baby." Baekhyun chuckled as he watched you look around cautiously. He looked at the employee that greeted you both, who seems like the manager of the salon. His playful eyes turned back to serious. "The usual—ah, not the usual. Give me a cut, and black."

"What—"

"What do you want, hmm? Tell me." Baekhyun's voice was gentle as he spoke to you, in contrast to how he spoke to the personnel. You awkwardly looked around. His fingers twirled around your hair.

I don't think I could have my hair cut here.

"I just want to watch you then." You lifted your eyes to him, watching how he admired your hair.

"Hmm, okay." Baekhyun smiled.

When Baekhyun sat on the black revolving chair, you were led to the nearest couch. You could clearly see and watch him from here. His eyes easily caught yours, turning into crescent moons as soon as they did. You waved a magazine at him to assure him you were comfortable there.

The salon was sensible enough to play some music throughout the place. Most of the employees went back to their respective stations, making you feel at ease because you cannot stay any longer under their curious gazes.

I didn't know Baekhyun was very highly respected, even here. His family is really no joke, huh?

"Would you like some tea, Ms. Lee?" You almost slipped off of your seat when a female employee came up to you. "It wouldn't take more than an hour for Mr. Byun's haircut, but we would like to see you comfortable enough as you wait."

"Uhm, no thanks—"

"We insist." She smiled.

"W-Water then."

"Alright, I'll be back."

After less than an hour, you were in the middle of reading the fifth fashion magazine when you heard Baekhyun's voice. Figuring that he must be done already, you placed back everything to the stack of reading materials on the side.

"Thank you for your patronage, Mr. Byun. It was nice to have you again."

"Saejin-ah, let's go." Baekhyun reached for your hand as soon as he got close enough to you. It was like the most casual thing you've been doing with him these past few weeks.

Were we acting like lovers before without being conscious about it?!

"Sorry, you must be so bored—"

"No, it was fun—"

You forgot to even look at him closely.

His hair is now dyed black, undercut and parted in the middle with his bangs loosely framing his pretty face. Although it still looks fluffy, he looks more intimidating in this hairstyle and haircut. You couldn't help but to reach out and touch it.

"Wow." — the only word you could come up with at the moment.

Baekhyun smiled at you, eyes mesmerized with the way you are looking at him right now. He bowed his head lower to let you touch his hair more, which you gladly welcomed. He can feel your breathing on his neck, making him feel things.

"Handsome." You giggled as you carefully scratched the sides of his head, feeling the roughness of the newly shaved part. "It looks good on you."

"Did you fall for me now?" He mumbled quietly as he held your waist closer. "I told you, you will when I dye my hair black." He chuckled, hands freely caressing you.

Hmm? I think I remember that conversation.

"I wonder if black hair suits you better."

"Any color suits me, love."

"Oh really."

"You'd probably fall for me when I dye my hair black."

You stifled a laugh, patting his cheeks as you remembered. Baekhyun pouted his lips, thinking that you were mocking him instead.

"You're hurting my feelings."

"Pss. You don't even have to dye your hair black."

When he heard your reply, his eyes turned into their usual crescent moon shapes as he happily gazed at you. Your cheeks flamed when you realized what you just said. In front of the many employees waiting around you—

"O-Oh, we should go." You bowed at the employees as you tugged Baekhyun out of the salon.

That was embarrassing! Did we seriously just flirt inside of a salon with several eyes and ears— ah shit.

"I think I'm getting too aggressive and bold like you, Baekhyun-ah." You unconsciously said as you breathed out when you got outside.

"I like it."

"Aish, this guy."

Baekhyun stopped right in front of you with a smile that almost blinded you for the nth time. His black hair can kill, damn it. His hands covered your flushing cheeks, making you feel warm. When he leaned in, you knew what was coming.

*smooch *smooch *smooch

His cute mouth made sounds as he pecked your lips repeatedly without any shame. Your eyes remained open, still not conscious enough to respond. Feeling the one-sided act, Baekhyun bit your lower lip carefully. His perfect teeth dug a small dent on your mouth, letting him earn a moan from you.

When you had the chance to peel him off of your lips, you placed your weak hands on his chest.

"I-I don't think we should be doing this here."

"'Cause it's a public place?" Baekhyun said with a smirk, his arms now dangling around your waist. His lips lingered over your cheek, letting you breathe and speak.

"N-Not just that, because it's inappropriate!"

"Car then?"

"Shut up!" You hit his broad chest as he laughed.

"Baekhyun?"

His laugh subsided and your breathing got stable when you suddenly heard a female voice. It was full, firm, and stern. You pushed Baekhyun away as he hesitantly took a step back to turn to the one who called him. A smile was still on his face until he recognized the woman in front of him.

She is in a wheelchair.

There are two body guards behind her, excluding the woman pushing her wheelchair. Her clothes were classy; her jewelries exude elegance; and her hair pinned in a neat bun. Her presence was intimidating but graceful enough for you to take a second glance.

You didn't know who she was, but you kind of got the hint that she was someone powerful and important as Baekhyun bowed his head in respect. You just slightly bowed your head, following him.

You wouldn't have heard his voice if not for the close distance between the two of you.

"Mom."

—

An early New Year gift from fluffy-nim!

Tagging my loves: ❤

@byuncock | @neogoturback | @jisungispilledmyuwus | @shesdreaminginoverdose | @precious-seungwooya | @junmyeonimissyou | @baekhyunsdangerouswoman | @jummyjammy | @tobiosbbyghorl | @lalalala-lav | @thoughtsofidk | @byuniieo | @feline-xiu | @banddits | @half-moon-x | @byunxo | @strawbaeri-s​ | @vishary15​ | @hansolturnt​ | @jungkooksworld18​ | @kingkushdealer​ | @marovekian1​ | @chloebarlin​ | @lifewithsehun​ | @dobomiyeon​ | @kpopseregi​ | @starrybbhx​ | @making-me-blush​ | @bbh-kji​ | @cam-peggio​ | @sehunnies-hunnie96​ | @chanvan61 | @cherish-you 

I don’t know why I can’t tag some of you huhu. I hope you guys can still see it! Stay safe. 

—

♫ Ch.21

[qiankunfics]

JohnKun Masterlist - Part 1

AO3

1. rearranged by renjaune - 

Summary: johnny has to share a room with his long-time crush thanks to haechan Rating: Explicit  Status: One-shot

2.  Wow, Bulge by lunalius J

Summary: Johnny's always dreamed of getting a soulmate tattoo and meeting his other half. The hand the Fates end up dealing him is not so dreamy. Rating: Teen  Status: One-shot

3. The Blue Antonov by tentography 

Summary: Kun runs a small bookstore and Johnny, a famous actor, stumbles into his life. Yes, this is absolutely a Notting Hill AU. Rating: Teen Status: On-going 

4. don't take my breath away too soon by sofarsoperfect 

Summary:  Like if he falls asleep he really has to start saying goodbye to the NCT 2020 era and he’s not sure he’s ready to do that yet. Rating: Teen Status: One-shot

5. put me right in my place by sofarsoperfect

Summary: “I am,” he replies. His voice is soft and velvety, warm and syrupy. Johnny leans down to nudge their noses together, Kun smiling softly as he does so. Rating: Explicit  Status: One-shot Trigger: Kinks

6. An Open Wound by lunalius 

Summary: Kun's life is thrown off balance when he stumbles upon a dying Youngho. Rating: Mature Status: One-shot Trigger: Blood & Injury

7. You're an Idiot (but you're My Idiot) by samuraiseonghwa

Summary: Sometimes disasters make the best dates. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

8. from one shadow to another by rowenabane

Summary: Kun has the audacity to smile. “Oh, Johnny,” he says. “You really are a man after my own heart.” Rating: Mature Status: One-Shot Trigger: Blood & Injury 

9. Indebted by lunalius

Summary: Johnny has three credit cards, of which one is frozen into an ice block for his own good.  Rating: Teen  Status: One-Shot  Trigger: Possible irresponsible spending 

10. you warmly melted me by blazingsirius

Summary: For a while, Qian Kun’s life is a bumbling mess between juggling his Master’s study, working as a budding producer, and being a single father. Johnny Suh came somewhere in between and suddenly everything felt okay. Rating: General  Status: One-Shot 

11. Here Comes The Prince, The Royal Frogness by blazingsirius

Summary: Prince Johnny was forced to attend a ball his parents held to find him a partner, but he found a way to escape the ball, which ended with a wrongful meeting with a magical being that put him in a curse. Somehow, a (literally) poor guy, Kun, got dragged into the mess. And oh, they’re both frogs now.  Rating: General Status: One-shot

12. Addictive Frequency by Sakunade

Summary: Johnny misses Kun, misses spending time together and having the younger in his bed. Kun is beautiful, perfect, and has the most delicious ass Johnny's ever seen. Rating: Explicit  Status: One-Shot

13. brightest light by tentography

Summary: Their summer had only just begun when Kun asks him to stay beneath the neon lights of the 7-eleven, bathing them in an electric mix of fluorescent white and bright orange-green-red. Rating: Teen Status: On-going 

14. johrny (horny 4 johnny) by borntovixx 

Summary: Johnny lifts weights without wearing a shirt and Kun can't stop staring at his muscles flexing – is it advisable to ask your crush if you could to lick his abs pretty please? It definitely isn't, but Kun's brain short-circuits and gives in to the cacoethes. Rating: Teen  Status: One-Shot

15. cream stuffed buns by farthendur

Summary: straight frat bros johnjae discover they feel real weird around neighborhood baker and DILF kun. Rating: Explicit  Status: On-going

16. in all glory by farthendur

Summary: Captain Qian Kun and First Officer Johnny Suh spend an intimate and spicy night in their quarters. What could possibly ruin it? Rating: Explicit  Status: One-Shot

17. We Got Married International - Johnny and Kun by jhengchie

Summary:  We got married International edition with Johnny as the member of the popular KPOP idol group Limitless and Kun is the beloved Chinese soloist Rating: General  Status: One-Shot

18. dubrovnik by lowkeyamen

Summary: Johnny takes off to Croatia, and meets someone from his past he didn't even recognise. Rating: Explicit  Status: Completed  *trans!Kun

19. this will be by sofarsoperfect

Summary: “When we do trade them back,” Johnny says and the inevitably of it makes Kun’s stomach twist in knots, “we really have to find something better.” (Parent Trap AU)  Rating: Teen  Status: One-Shot

20. The Moonlight after Midnight by writesinfontuwu

Summary: They shared a memorable night in Osaka two years ago. Now they are reunited for NCT2020, Johnny feels his heart thumping in his chest again. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

21. Up or Down by lamarina

Summary: Caught between a cute TA and a foreign language credit, what's a guy to do? Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

22. Is this a scoop? - in the eyes of Mark Lee by cherrycitrus_blossom

Summary:  Who is that customer and what relationship does he have with Johnny to make his eyes light up in delight when he walks through the door? Rating: General Status: One-Shot

23. I Love You Still by nu-exo (Nekohime)

Summary: JohnKun Agent AU  Rating: Explicit  Status: One-Shot

24. turn the lights on by jeanheir

Summary: Kun’s soft snores fill the room, the other man sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. It’s almost cruel, how unbothered he seems. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

25. Bad Kind of Player by Sakunade

Summary: The plan was supposed to be easy - count cards, win money, and be done with it. Except Kun chose the wrong casino, one under the control of Seo Youngho, known as Johnny, the rising head of the Gyeonghui jo-pok.  Rating: Explicit  Status: Completed Trigger: Kinks

26. red, gold (burning) by tentography

Summary: Kun Qian and the Audacity Of This Bitch (HP AU!)  Rating: Teen Status: Completed 

27. In-Sync Heartbeats by mezzaluna_ch

Summary: This is the piece he plays every time he wants to escape reality in haste. This is the piece he plays every time he thinks of Johnny. Now, Johnny is the one playing it. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

28. I Owe You by seungwanxndxnly

Summary:  Only Johnny's big crush on Kun can hold him back. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

29. superluminal by wentz

Summary: A man who can only be the captain of the smuggling vessel stands at the top of the ship's ramp, cutting a roguish picture as he leans with one arm against one of the hydraulic pillars. He looks supremely dashing. Kun dislikes him on sight. Rating: Mature Status: One-Shot

30. Shoot For the Moon by lunalius

Summary: Kun wants to go to space. He's got a plan to get there, and he's following it to a tee.  Rating: Explicit  Status: Completed

31. he was a superhero, he was a seamstress, can i make it any more obvious by fvckradio

Summary: Superhero Kun with Seamstress Johnny  Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot Trigger: Mentions of blood and injury 

32. just a touch of your love by seonho

Summary: Kun is rather mild in his kinks — not entirely vanilla, but then again, certainly nothing as scandalous as having his blood sucked out of him. (Vampire) Johnny Suh, however, poses a very tempting threat to those convictions. Rating: Explicit  Status: One-Shot Trigger: Blood 

33. So I Can Fix Your Hand, I'll Be Your Handyman by IsabelArmuelles

Summary:  Johnny dislikes his landlady but is very much crushing on her step-son, the handyman.  Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

34. connect the dots, baby! by rowenabane

Summary: Johnny suspects Kun of being a serial killer.  Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

35. Countercurrent Exchange by indiecheetah

Summary:  Johnny wasn’t exactly a believer. He never thought monsters or cryptids were real, always finding those stories amusing at best. But even all of his years of knowledge of marine life could not explain this creature. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

36. Inevitably Loving You by occultclysms

Summary: Prince Kun and Celebrity Johnny fake date.  Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

 37. i'm stepping on the cracks (i feel fine) by sofarsoperfect

Summary: Sprite Kun and Human Johnny - Kun seeks refuge with Johnny ;)  Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

38. Domestic Bliss by cobalamincosel

Summary: Johnny and Kun work through a divorce.  Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

39. you say my name like i have never heard before by sofarsoperfect

Summary: Mafia Johnny with Kun  Rating: Explicit  Status: One-Shot Trigger: Mafia-related triggers and homophobia 

40. love me harder by sofarsoperfect

Summary: kun is fine, he's not even that resentful of his past or of johnny and he's doing really well and it's fine. except that one thing leads to another and it's totally, absolutely not fine at all. Rating: Explicit Status: Completed 

41. Emotional Distancing by lunalius

Summary: A global pandemic puts a dent in Kun's Green Card plans, but not in the way he expected. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

42. Domino by cobalamincosel

Summary: Kun and Johnny get back together after a break up.  Rating: Mature Status: One-Shot

43. and the next, and the next by jenhyung

Summary: Childhood friends Kun and Johnny meet again.  Rating: General Status: Completed 

44. would you mind by jokheiz

Summary: Single dad Kun crushing on his co-worker Johnny.  Rating: General Status: One-Shot

45. Charmed by lunalius

Summary: So no, he wasn’t blind. He was well aware that Johnny Suh had a crush on him. (HP AU) Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

46. you got what i want, boy (and i want it) by sofarsoperfect

Summary: JohnKun PWP  Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot 

47. Flower Boy by bananaboatt

Summary: Kun wants a really cute flower crown for his coronation, Johnny is a real big sucker for his boyfriend. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

48. head first by jenhyung

Summary: Youngho crushes hard. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

49. In the Middle of the Night by kittensuh

Summary: Kun knows him, reads him like he’s an open book conveniently placed on Professor Qian’s podium for him to consume in all of his glory. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

50. Altered States by unnameable

Summary: When Johnny’s sexual dry spell has lasted for longer than he can recall, Ten suggests Kun, a erotic hypnotist, instead of helping him get laid. Johnny forgets about the ridiculous suggestion until he meets Kun at one of Ten’s parties a few months later. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

[hyuniebaby]

Fractions (1)

GIF originally posted by chanshine

Pairings: Minseok x Y/N

AU: Soulmate AU

Inspired by this tweet:

A/N: I’ve had this in my drafts for over a month now but I still haven’t finished writing it yet so I decided to cut it in half instead of posting it in one go. 😅 I didn’t even proofread it because it made me anxious for whatever reason. Now please excuse me while I hide after I post this. 🙈 I hope you enjoy this...

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

When you were younger, you’ve always dreamed of being married to your soulmate. Your parents were soulmates and having seen how they deeply loved each other growing up, it made you want to have the same thing they did.

You recall coming home from school one time with a skip on your steps. When your parents asked you how your day went, you gave them a toothy smile and exclaimed, “I learned about fractions today! My teacher said that if you divide something into equal parts, each part is a fraction of the whole.”

Your mother smiled at your enthusiasm. At that moment, as she heard you explain what you learned, she knew you were going to grow up to be a wise lady.

“Mom, Dad, do you know fractions?” You ask cheekily, back then you thought they didn’t know it because you’ve never heard them mention the word.

“Of course, darling,” your father scrunches his nose at you, a hint of smile in his lips.

“Can you give me an example, Daddy?”

He pauses, thinking deeply. He turns his head away from you and looks at your mother’s eyes, “Your mom and I, we’re two halves of one soul.”

You watched as they looked at each other with sparkling eyes and warm smiles.

“Why are you smiling? Did I miss something? Was it a joke? I don’t understand,” you whine. “I don’t think you’re talking about fractions, Daddy.”

“You’ll understand when you’re older, darling.”

And he was right. When you grew up, you understood what he meant, theoretically, at least. He was talking about soulmates.

You found out about it from your best friend Jess. You were still young back then, maybe around twelve years old. Her parents told her that they were soulmates when she saw that her mother’s skin on her arm was glowing. Her mother preferred wearing t-shirts and long sleeved blouses rather than sleeveless clothes which was why Jess hadn’t noticed it before. Her parents explained that when you meet your soulmate a part of your skin lights up in daylight and glows even brighter in the dark.

When you got home that day, you remember immediately walking up to your parents to ask them if they were soulmates. They were startled by your question at first, but gave you a gentle smile. “Yes we are, darling,” your mother confirms.

That night you learned that the patch of skin that shines when you meet your soulmate is called the soulmate mark. But most people initially called it an “invisible tattoo” because it was the easiest way to describe it. It was like a tattoo in a sense, because it was a permanent kind of body art, except that you were born with it instead of having a tattoo artist injecting ink on your skin.

Each soulmate has distinct patterns on their skin and they have it at the exactly the same location. Your parents’ tattoo was like a very intricate design of leaves located just a few inches above their hips. When your mother showed you her glowing tattoo, you couldn’t help but gawk at it as you gently ran your fingers over it.

It was then that you realized why your parents were perfect for each other. Whatever your father lacks, your mother makes up for it. They complemented each other. They told you that was how soulmates work, that everything falls into place as you meet them. They were two halves of one soul.

That was how you got really excited about weddings, not just normal weddings, weddings of soulmates to be exact. It was the reason why you were close to tears right now as you heard the priest say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Your breath hitched and you placed your hands over your heart. You were so overwhelmed with happiness. You couldn’t close your eyes, if you did, tears would start to fall and you didn’t want that. You didn’t want to ruin your makeup.

You watch as Jess smiles adoringly at Chanyeol before they both leaned in for a kiss. You were extremely happy for Jess. Chanyeol is a nice man, and a romantic one at that. When you first met him, you knew he was Jess’s ideal man and when you introduced them to each other you were shocked to know that they were actually soulmates.

You couldn’t imagine how Jess must be feeling. This was Jess’s dream too, to marry her soulmate. You wonder how she managed not to cry while you were barely holding your tears.

You look over the other guests. Their reactions were similar to yours which made your heart swell. You were glad the couple were surrounded with people who love and care for them.

Your eyes meet with your friend, Yixing, and you both smile at each other and wave. You and Yixing became friends when you were in high school. He’s heard you daydream about meeting your soulmate a million times already so he knew that you were also feeling a bit sad deep down, despite your joy for Jess. You knew too that he felt the same. You were both in your 30s and you both haven’t met your soulmates yet after all.

When the wedding and the reception was over, you bid Jess goodbye and congratulated her once again. You wished Chanyeol and her to live a happy life together. Jess pulled you into a hug and whispered, “You’ll find him too. Don’t worry,” as if knowing what’s plaguing your mind.

You smiled and nodded, although you weren’t sure if what she said was true. It was uncommon for people to meet their soulmates beyond 30 years old after all. What’s more uncommon is if one doesn’t have a soulmate. Just the thought of not having a soulmate made your heart ache terribly.

Yixing, oh sweet Yixing, suggested one time that if you both haven’t met your soulmates by the age of 35, you should just get married with each other. You agreed instantly, you didn’t want to end up being alone for the rest of your life. At least, you had Yixing who you knew would treat you right if you did get married with each other.

But fate was cruel. On his 34th birthday party which you planned, he met his soulmate, Diane. She was Jongin’s cousin who worked in China. She flew home to Korea to visit her family after years of working overseas.

How timely it was that Jongin brought her to Yixing’s party claiming that she needs to expand her social circle.

When Jongin introduced her to Yixing, you saw how they both froze. You wondered if it was true that you’d feel a slight buzz in your body once you find your soulmate. Out of nowhere, Diane and Yixing’s left elbows shined. You watched with amazement and slight sadness as four seemingly interconnected circles appeared glowing on their skin.

You had to admit, despite the bitterness on the tip of your tongue, it was truly breathtaking to watch the invisible tattoo come to life. It was magical to watch your skin shimmer and take form into something beautiful — all because of love. Maybe this was why the expression “You’re glowing” is said when you meet someone who treats you right.

With Yixing finding his soulmate, you felt lonely. Among your friends, you were the only one left without a soulmate. But Yixing finding his other half at such an age did give you a small flame of hope. That small flame was enough to make you happy, so when you got to talk to Yixing again, you congratulated him sincerely. But you could sense his worry as soon as the words left your mouth. He didn’t have to voice his thoughts, you knew well enough what he wanted to say.

You smiled at him. He truly is the sweetest person. “I’m fine Yixing, I really am. It rarely happens that you meet your soulmate when you’re more than 30 years old, but it happened to you. I have a feeling it’s gonna happen to me too.”

Yixing knows you’re a pessimist so he naturally gets worried about you, but today, he knew you weren’t lying when you said those words. He was glad you were being optimistic for once. “I know it’ll happen soon, darling. I have a good feeling about it too.”

That was enough for you. Yixing doesn’t lie and the fact that he believes you’ll find your soulmate flares up the hope you were feeling.

As much as you wanted to spend your time finding your soulmate, you have to work too. The previous company that you worked at unfortunately closed down. So you didn’t have a choice but to go look for a new job.

The company you’ve always dreamt to work at was EXO Pharmaceutical Company but it was a highly competitive company and when you applied back then, you lacked the credentials. You’ve been building up your resume and your credibility with seminars and training from your previous work, so this time you were really hoping to get the job. You just have to impress everyone there.

When you got a call from Jongdae, the HR personnel, saying you got the job, you were beyond ecstatic. You couldn’t help but jump around and scream as soon as the call ended. You called your parents informing them of your good news. You were close to tears as you heard them say that they were proud of you and the woman you became.

Just before you ended the call you father whispered, “We’re three parts of a whole.”

This made your heart melt. To you what he said was loud and clear: You don’t need another man to make you feel whole because you have us – your family. With that, your worries on whether or not you find your soulmate is gone.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It was your first day of work at EXO and you were really nervous. Junmyeon was assigned to help you familiarize yourself with the workplace and to guide you on what to do. When he first introduced himself to you, your breath hitched and your heart started thumping faster. Was he your soulmate? But then you notice that he had a glowing tattoo on his wrist when he offered his hand to shake and yours didn’t.

You felt embarrassed. This has happened a lot of times to you. You often mistake people as your soulmate. People had different descriptions on what they felt when they first met their soulmates so sometimes when you find someone overly attractive that it makes you nervous, just like Junmyeon, you get confused if that person was your soulmate or not.

You quickly push your momentary attraction aside because it felt wrong. Sure you were free to think some men are good looking but somehow you felt like you were cheating on your soulmate if you think of other men that way. What a hopeless romantic.

You clear your throat and greet Junmyeon warmly. He then guides you to your workplace. He points and names which equipment you’ll be handling. He teaches you how to handle the machinery and equipment. You were a fast learner and have handled almost the same equipment before so by lunch time, you were able to do things by yourself.

“Thank you for your help, Junmyeon.”

“No problem! Come on, let’s grab some lunch with the others,” he smiles at you. “The CEO wants to meet you later, by the way.”

This made you freeze. The CEO of the previous company you worked at never once visited you or asked to meet you. You’ve only ever seen him when there was a company event. So this was something that you weren’t familiar with. What if he sees something in you that he dislikes or asks something that you don’t know the answer to? Sure you just got the job, but he can fire you on the spot, no? You pale.

Junmyeon notices your panicked state and immediately says, “Hey, don’t worry. Mr. Kim is really nice. Although he does have an intimidating aura but that's just the CEO vibes,” he shrugs. “It’s customary for him to greet his new employees. I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as you’re polite.”

Junmyeon has a warm smile and a soothing voice, it did help a little in alleviating your nerves but you still couldn’t help but think of the worst. With a sigh you just nodded your head then plastered a smile.

Lunch with your coworkers was fun. You may have forgotten about meeting the CEO as soon as they graced you with their presence. Baekhyun, Sehun, Kyungsoo, and Junmyeon were all fun to be with. Mostly it was Junmyeon and Baekhyun who talked a lot while the rest of you listened and laughed. It was nice to have people welcome you so warmly.

You weren’t used to talking a lot and you mostly kept to yourself when you’re in a new environment so this was quite different than what you’re used to. Different in a good way.

By the end of lunch, you couldn’t help but sigh in relief that you successfully made friends just on your first day at work.

As you were walking back towards your workplace, Baekhyun assured you that you didn’t need to worry about meeting Mr. Kim — the CEO. If Junmyeon liked you, then Mr. Kim would too. Apparently they were cousins.

You don’t really know if Baekhyun was lying, it was after all the first day you’ve known him. But his face was wiped off of mischief and the tone he used was comforting, so you found yourself believing him.

You were in high spirits when Mr. Kim’s secretary came to call you. But even when you weren’t as nervous as before and definitely less worried, your palms were sweating.

The secretary, Ms. Moon noticed you kept fidgeting, although, you swear to god you were trying to be subtle. She gives you a smile and says, “You don’t have to worry.”

You cringe internally. You’ve been awfully bad at hiding your nervousness today.

“Mr. Kim is really nice. Just be polite and professional.”

You nod your head and compose yourself.

“You ready?” She asks.

“Yes Ma’am.” You say as you rub your palms over your pants for the last time. You immediately put on a smile.

She knocks on the door, “Mr. Kim, Ms. Y/L/N is here.”

“Let her in.”

You entered the office with a smile on your face. Mr. Kim was still busy signing papers so he hasn’t looked up to you yet.

You stood in front of his desk, not really knowing what to do. Your heart was pounding so fast, you wanted to make a good first impression so badly.

It didn’t take too long though, after a second he has plastered a smile even before he looks up. When he finally turned his face to you, everything felt like they were moving in slow motion. You couldn’t even hear the clock ticking anymore. You freeze.

Mr. Kim is gorgeous. If Junmyeon made your breath hitch, Mr. Kim took your breath away. It was impossible, but you felt like your heart was pounding ten times faster than before.

Mr. Kim didn’t move. The smile on his face falters a little. You wouldn’t even notice it if you weren’t staring at him.

It felt like you were both staring at each other's eyes for an hour when in reality it was just one hot minute.

Mr. Kim was the first to break off from the trance. He clears his throat and smiles wider, “You must be Ms. Y/L/N. I’m Kim Minseok, CEO of EXO Pharmaceutical Company.” He offers his right hand to shake.

You return a smile and look over to his hand and shake it. As you raised your hand, your eyes focused on the back of his hand that was glowing. From the tip of his ring finger to his wrist lay a pattern of flowers. The pattern seemed to have surrounded his wrist too. It was beautiful and you were mesmerized. You unconsciously stopped moving to stare at it in awe.

Unbeknownst to you, Mr. Kim was observing you too. But when it took you a tad bit long to reach for his hand, he tears his gaze away from your face reluctantly. His eyes trail to his right hand which you were looking at. His eyes widened at the sight. He was quite sure the soulmate mark wasn’t there before. Which only meant one thing…

You. You were his soulmate. He was yours.

You realize that you were staring and so you straighten your back and reach for his hand. “I-I’m sorry—” but you stop in the middle of your sentence when your hand finally touches his.

There was a tingling sensation when it happened. You knew you weren’t imagining it because you felt Mr. Kim jolted slightly.

After the initial shock, Mr. Kim tightens his hold on your hand as he shakes it. You firmly shake his hand in return.

You clear your throat, “I’m sorry… for... zoning out, Mr. Kim,” you face down. You felt all your blood rush to your face in embarrassment.

Mr. Kim doesn’t respond. When you looked up, you noticed he was staring at your hands. He was still holding your hand and you didn’t know if you wanted to retract it at all. His hands were warm and soft.

But then you suddenly remembered that he was the CEO, he was your boss. So you carefully removed your hand from his grip.

That’s when you saw it. The back of your hand was glowing, exactly the same pattern and position as Mr. Kim’s. You almost gasped.

You closed your eyes really quickly and tried to compose yourself. Internally, you were screaming and jumping, but you have to suppress your emotions. It was highly unprofessional.

[jeongyunhoed]

8 Stories, 8 Movies from the Golden Age (1930s to 1960s).

It’s the golden age and 8 men are the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. Ateez, but make them Old Hollywood, basically. Lights, camera, action!

Member: Wooyoung

Genre: Screwball romantic comedy

Warnings: Mentions of death, shipwrecks, widow/widower, mentions of infidelity (don’t cheat, it’s wrong)

Things to note: Set in the 1940s, Wooyoung’s a father in this one

Will have OCs

As with the rest of the stories in the AU, there will be other idols mentioned, most likely NCT but may have some of my other faves (EXO, etc.)

A/N: So sorry for putting this off for weeks, but yeah, it’s here now. Get ready for more chaos. 

Masterlist

After getting marooned on an island for 7 years and being declared legally dead, Ahn Jea returns home to find her husband, Jung Wooyoung, already remarried to someone else.

My Favorite Wife

tag list: @minervaaaaaaaa , @closer-stars

Part 2

Jea went back home that same night, offering to pay for the room she stayed in even if she wasn’t in there very long. She hoped Wooyoung had already told Taehee while they were there, and maybe from there, Wooyoung would come back on his own and they could start over. It was going to be an opportunity to bring things back to normal. Her, Wooyoung, their two children. 

“Jea, I know it’s none of my business, but you’ve been here since last night and the children are starting to wonder,” Mrs. Jung watched her look out the window. 

“I know, I know,” Jea nodded, looking down at her cup of tea. 

“Are you going to tell them who you are?” 

“Of course I will, mom. As soon as I get the chance,” Jea assured her mother-in-law. “Did you hear anything from Wooyoung?” 

“No, he hasn’t said anything.” 

Jea frowned, worry seeping in. “Not to me he hasn’t. Do you suppose he’s having trouble telling her?” 

“Well, he’s had a night and a day, Jea, that should be long enough.” 

“That’s just it, it’s been that long, a little too long if you ask me,” Jea looked out the window again. 

They heard a honking of a car horn outside and Mrs. Jung approached the window, Jea getting up. “That must be Wooyoung now,” Mrs. Jung glanced at her. 

Jea nodded as she watched the car pull up the driveway. “Yes, that is Wooyoung,” She saw him get down from the car, but her expression fell even more when he went to the other side. “Oh, mother, he’s got her with him.” 

It was Mrs. Jung’s turn to panic. “Oh no, don’t you suppose he’s told her?”

“I guess he hasn’t said anything,” She shrugged. 

“Then, it might be best if you weren’t here,” Mrs. Jung patted her shoulder. 

“But- why should I leave?” 

“It’s just that it’s going to be a little awkward,” Mrs. Jung explained. 

Jea understood where her mother-in-law was coming from, but she was still determined to stand her ground rather than skulk around to meet Wooyoung in secret. This was also her house, Woojin and Jiyoung were also her children, she had just as much a right to stay, at least that’s what she tried to convince herself. “Ah, I know, you can tell her that I’m an old family friend, from uh, from down south?” She suggested. 

Mrs. Jung looked worried. “Jea, I don’t like this,” Panic seemed to set in even more with her. Jea rushed back into the living room as Mrs. Jung waited by the hall to greet them. 

“Well, here we are, home sweet home,” Wooyoung and Taehee approached the door. 

“Wooyoungie, aren’t you going to carry me across the threshold? It’s good luck,” She cooed. 

“Oh sure, sure,” Wooyoung tried to stifle the uneasiness he was feeling, especially after the night he had, from seeing Jea again to having to deal with the fact that he was married to someone else. He opened the door and picked her up bridal style. As soon as he carried her inside, his eyes widened in shock upon seeing Jea by the hall. 

“Hi, Wooyoung honey!” She greeted him with an accent. 

If Wooyoung wasn’t aware that he was carrying Taehee, he would’ve dropped her. “Eh?” He mumbled, blinking to snap himself out of it. He glanced at his mother, who also seemed uneasy. He put Taehee down.  

“Surprised?” Jea spoke, keeping her accent thick. 

Wooyoung was staring at her. “...Yeah, sort of.” 

“Oh, Mrs. Jung, do you mind if I kiss the groom?” Jea turned to Taehee. 

“Not at all,” Taehee replied. 

“Just one big, sisterly kiss?” Jea eyed him. Taehee didn’t say anything. Jea turned to Wooyoung and planted a big kiss to his lips. “There ya go, honey.” Wooyoung felt his legs turn to jelly and he quickly wiped his lips with his sleeve. 

“Uh, hello Taehee! She’s just visiting us, her mother and I went to school together,” Mrs. Jung tried to explain, in the hopes of appeasing her. Taehee looked apprehensive. 

“How nice.” 

“Oh, Wooyoungie, isn’t he the sweetest thing, Mrs Jung?” Jea turned to Taehee again. “I used to just adore him, he was the darlingest boy you did ever see but faithless just like a bumblebee. Going from flower to flower-” 

“Now, now, now,” Wooyoung cut in. 

“Oh, I was only joking, honey, I come from a family of comedians,” Jea continued, playfully smacking his arm. “You’ve been married before, haven’t ya, honey?” 

“No, of course not,” Taehee replied. 

Jea feigned embarrassment. “Now, whatever gave me the idea you was a widow?” 

“Not yet,” Taehee glanced at Wooyoung. 

“Well- I’ll go and make some drinks for us, shall I?” Wooyoung stepped back. 

“You must be tired, Wooyoung, you both look tired,” Mrs. Jung spoke this time. 

“That’s what I’ve been thinking but not daring to say,” Jea chuckled, eyeing him again. “Oh, I’m just terrible, saying things like that, I’m so sorry honey. Did you drive all night long?” 

Wooyoung caught her gaze. “Yes, we did-” 

“Oh, now ain’t that awful? No wonder you look tired,” Jea playfully smacked his arm again. “Well just you two make yourselves comfortable, we’re going to have a nice dinner for you and after dinner, Woojin and Jiyoung are going to entertain you-” 

“If you don’t mind, I-” Taehee cut in. 

“Jiyoung is going to play her latest piano piece on the piano, and Woojin’s going to recite a poem! Won’t that be just grand?” 

~ 

“The village blacksmith stands!” Woojin recited the poem out loud later in the living room. Wooyoung sat next to Taehee, who seemed uninterested. Jea was glancing at him from time to time while listening to her son. “With large and sinewy hands! And the muscles of his brawny arms are as strong as iron bands!” 

“Wooyoung,” Taehee patted his arm. “My head’s splitting, I’m going to bed,” She slowly got up from her seat, making him get up as well. 

“Oh, no,” Jea was quick to bring back her accent. 

“I’m afraid I’ll have to,” Taehee rubbed her temple. “Good night,” She greeted everyone. “Are you coming, Wooyoung?” She asked as she turned to leave. 

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be up in a little while,” He replied. 

“I’ll be waiting,” She kissed him on the cheek before leaving the room. 

Jea turned to him. “I guess she must be pretty tired. Kids! Kids! Quiet down now, I’m afraid someone’s got a very bad headache, we’ll have to end this performance now,” She said to the children. Both Woojin and Jiyoung frowned, the latter sliding off the piano bench. 

“I was just getting started,” Woojin pouted. 

“It’s time for bed anyway, both of you,” Wooyoung ruffled his son’s hair. 

“Okay, good night daddy,” Jiyoung said. 

“Good night, Jiyoungie,” He bent down to kiss her cheek. “Good night, Woojinie.” 

“Good night,” He was still pouting as he trudged up the stairs, following Mrs. Jung. “Just when the party was getting good.” 

“Good night, kids,” Jea called out to them, as she and Wooyoung watched them from the landing of the staircase. 

As soon as the doors closed, Wooyoung turned to her. “Well I thought your performance was mighty good this evening, sister Jea,” He said, copying her accent and making her laugh. 

“I thought you’d like that,” Jea smiled. “You’ve done a good job raising them, they’re nice kids. They’re really wonderful.” 

“I’m glad you think so.” 

“Woojin’s just like you, you know,” She smoothed out the crease on his shoulder. “Headstrong, jealous-” 

“Wooyoungie! I’m waiting!” They heard Taehee say from the top of the stairs. 

“I’ll be up in a minute!” Wooyoung called out, looking up at her with a small smile, a hand already reaching for Jea’s. “What were you saying?” He turned back to her. 

“I was saying Woojin’s just like you, headstrong, jealous, but adorable,” She squeezed his hand. “I feel sorry for the woman who marries him.” 

He raised a brow. “Why?” 

Jea grinned. “Because he’s a heartbreaker, like you.” 

“What are you talking about? I’m one of the most faithful husbands that ever lived.” 

“With a wife in every room,” Jea teased. 

“Wooyoung, I’m waiting!” Taehee called out again. 

As much as he wanted to stay holding her hand, Wooyoung knew Taehee could only wait so long. “Alright! Alright!” He called out again, hearing the thud of the bedroom door. 

“Are you going to tell her?” Jea asked. 

“Sure I will.” 

“But when?” 

“Right now,” Wooyoung fumbled with his sleeve. “Of course it’s uh, it’s going to take tact, and delicacy.” 

Jea nodded in understanding. “Taehee’s waiting for you.” 

Wooyoung took a step up the stairs. “Yeah, well, here I go,” He glanced at her, hoping that she would know how he was feeling at that moment. “Good night, Jea.” 

“Good night, Wooyoung,” Jea said quietly. 

Wooyoung stepped back down. “You...used to kiss me good night,” He went up to her, taking her hands in his before pulling her into his arms. 

“Alright, good night,” And he leaned in to kiss her deeply, the two of them lingering once they pulled away. “Oh, you Cassanova you,” She pouted, chuckling as he kissed her again. 

~ 

Wooyoung crept inside the bedroom, taking deep breaths as he prepared himself to break the news to Taehee. The climb up the stairs from earlier seemed like an eternity, mostly because he had to think of how to tell her. He was torn between his wife and his new wife and if anyone found out about their situation, or at least the updated kind, he’d be in big trouble. Wooyoung closed the door quietly behind him, stopping as he overheard Taehee on the phone. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears as she talked to someone on the other line. 

“Mother, we drove all night, all night!” Taehee ranted. “And when we got home, he didn’t even tell the children,” She broke into sobs. “Oh, mother, he just ignores me,” 

He stayed still, not wanting to interrupt her conversation. “What? I don’t care what father did! I’ve never been so humiliated! I’m not going to stand it another minute! I’m going to leave him!” She sobbed, blowing her nose into a handkerchief. Wooyoung took a few steps forward, at least to make his presence known. He was hoping and praying hard that Taehee would really do it so he wouldn’t have to. Taehee sniffled and sat up upon seeing him. “Mother, I’ll call you back,” She put the phone down. 

“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Wooyoung said quietly as he approached her. 

“I’m all through now.” 

“How is your mother? Your mother’s quite nice, once you get to know her.” 

Taehee sniffled and reached for his hand. “Wooyoung, do you love me?” She asked. 

Wooyoung felt a lump in his throat at the question. “Taehee, you’re one of the most attractive girls I know-” 

“I’m your wife!” She broke into sobs again and Wooyoung sat down. 

“Taehee! Don’t cry! Taehee, please!” He rubbed her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. 

Taehee pulled away. “You’re playing up to that countryside snip just as if I weren’t there!” She sobbed. “In the name of heaven, tell me, what’s wrong with me?” 

“Taehee! There’s nothing wrong with you! Believe me under other circumstances, well, who knows!” Wooyoung tried to appease her, only to make her cry even more. “Taehee, please, stop crying. Please, please! Let me explain! Let me start from the beginning..” 

“I’m waiting,” Taehee looked down, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose some more. 

“In the beginning, uh,” Wooyoung rattled his brain for the proper words. “Once there was a man, who-who met a girl. He-he was living alone for some time but he told the girl he loved her, and naturally he married said girl, now-” 

She raised a brow at him. “What are you trying to say, Wooyoung?” 

“Just this,” Wooyoung took a deep breath. “Taehee,” He sputtered, but her expression remained the same. “Taehee…” He stopped when he heard a ringing. “Listen, do you hear that? That’s the doorbell! Somebody’s at the door!” He got up. 

“You don’t have to answer-” 

“I do, somebody’s trying to get in! There’s the doorbell! I’ll get it!��� Wooyoung rushed back outside and closed the door. If he could turn into a puddle, he would’ve done it already, as he climbed down the stairs to answer the door. “Come in! Come in! Uh, what do you want?” He hurriedly gestured for the man carrying a suitcase to go inside. 

“Mr. Jung Wooyoung?” The man asked. 

“Yes, that’s right, that’s me,” He nodded eagerly. 

“I’m Kang Yeosang of the Sunrise Life and Accident Insurance,” He introduced himself. “I’m very sorry to intrude on you at this hour.” 

“Not a problem, not a problem at all, let’s talk in the living room,” Wooyoung gestured for him to step in. 

“But this would only take a moment-” 

“No, no, I insist!” Wooyoung sat him down on the couch. He needed to stall. It was bad enough that Taehee was a sobbing mess after what he tried to say, she would’ve made a scene and woke everyone in the house if he carried on. “Well, what can I do for you, Mr. Kang?” 

“Mr. Jung, have you received any communication from your first wife, Ahn Jea?” He asked. 

Wooyoung stared at him. “Hmm…?” 

“Oh of course not, just as I expected. You see, our district manager, Mr. Song Mingi, he’s one of those fussy types, who likes to check everything. Of course it’s customary to check when the company’s paid out a large sum of money, but this is ridiculous,” Yeosang explained with an exasperated sigh. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Mr. Song claims to have a report that a woman of your first wife’s description was rescued by a Portuguese freighter,” He revealed. “As was also a man named Park Seonghwa, who was reported drowned at the same time.” 

Wooyoung’s eyes widened at the mention of the name, his lips beginning to form a thin line. “...Would you mind saying that again?” 

“Oh please, please, don’t get angry with me, Mr. Jung, if you knew Mr. Song-”

“This uh, Park Seonghwa... He was rescued at the same time as my wife?” 

“Well, according to that unverified rumor, yes,” Yeosang nodded. “Rescued after seven years. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” 

Wooyoung forced a laugh. “What else did Mr. Song hear?” 

“Not very much really. It seems that he talked to someone who talked to a Portuguese captain. He says the woman’s name was Eve.” 

“Eve?” 

Yeosang chuckled. “Yes, it’s lucky it wasn’t Jea and by a curious coincidence, Park Seonghwa called himself Adam.” 

“What?!” He nearly shrieked. “...Oh yeah, yeah, of course, that makes sense, a lot of sense.” 

“Yes, well, you should be grateful that the woman’s name was Eve and not Jea,” Yeosang got up. “Because aside from the money involved, can you imagine the situation you’d find yourself in?”

“Yeah, I can just imagine,” He said through gritted teeth. 

“That settles it, I should be going now. Good night, Mr. Jung,” Yeosang greeted him again before seeing himself out. 

Wooyoung tried to wrap his head around what he just found out. Jea wasn’t alone when she was shipwrecked, and by a coincidence she happened to be marooned on an island with another man. He glanced at the guest room, where he knew Jea was staying in and trudged towards the door to knock. “Who is it?” He heard Jea say behind the door. Wooyoung opened it slightly to look inside. “Come in, Wooyoung!” She said cheerfully, putting the book down on the bedside table. 

“How can you sleep at a time like this?” He asked as he went inside, closing the door behind him so as they wouldn’t be disturbed. 

“I wasn’t sleeping.” 

“Dreaming about Adam, hmm?” He crossed his arms. 

Jea’s expression stiffened as she stared at him. “...Adam?” 

“Yeah, Adam! Adam! Adam and Eve!” He repeated. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t alone on that island?! Why didn’t you tell me this man named Park Seonghwa was with you?!”

“But we didn’t arrange it, it just happened,” Jea replied calmly. “We didn’t want to be there, those awful mosquitoes, oh-” 

“Never mind the mosquitoes, why didn’t you tell me about him?!” 

“Because I knew you’d react the way you’re reacting right now-” 

“That’s no excuse.” 

“Wooyoung, I wanted to pick the right time to tell you.” 

“There will never be a right time for that.” 

Jea raised a brow at him. “Really? You know it just occurred to me that I should be insulted by what you’re accusing me of! I go through seven years of agony, I come home to find my husband in the arms of another woman, married, my children don’t know me! And all my husband could think of is did I carry on with some poor man who wouldn’t hurt a fly.” 

“Now just a moment!-”

“You just a moment,” She cut him off. “Did you tell her? Did you tell Taehee?” 

“Well-” 

“No,” She glared at him. 

“I was about to tell her when Mr. Kang came from insurance-” 

“How long does it take to tell a woman: My wife’s come back? I can say it in two seconds, you’ve had two days,” Jea pointed out with a frown. “Oh, Wooyoung, you’re like this because you don’t want to tell her, so you’re taking it out on Adam..”

“Well you can’t blame me after hearing about Park Seonghwa from that man.”

“You don’t trust me,” Jea pouted. “I thought you’d be proud of me, loving you, thinking of you every day for seven years.”

“Where is he now?” 

“Who?” 

“You know who I’m talking about. Adam, where is he?” 

“Oh, Adam, you’re jealous of him, he’s very gentle and harmless, he lives at this country club,” Jea replied. 

“What’s the name of the club?”

“How should I know? He’s a clean-living, upright, stand-up guy, and a gentleman too.” 

“How old a gentleman?” Wooyoung stared at her. 

“Well, I-I never asked him.” 

“Too personal, hmm?” He said. 

“Well, he’s slightly bald, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jea replied. “About 160 centimeters tall.” 

“Scrawny?” 

“Mhmm.” 

“You noticed that?” 

“Well, after all, we’ve been marooned together for seven years. Is there anything else you want to know?” 

“Yes. When do I meet him?” He said stiffly. 

“When do you tell Taehee?” She countered. “Good night, Wooyoung.” 

~ 

Wooyoung spent the rest of the night thinking about where the man Jea spent seven years on a deserted island was now. By morning, he started calling every single sports and country club close by, much to Taehee’s liking. He needed to find this Park Seonghwa, and probably give him a piece of his mind. By the time he found the club that had Park Seonghwa as a guest, Wooyoung made his way over, almost passing by Taehee without saying goodbye. He was too focused on seeing what this Park Seonghwa looked like. 

“Olivier Sports club, huh,” He mumbled, following the clerk who was assigned to show him to where Seonghwa was. Wooyoung followed the clerk to the poolside, groups of families, couples, and friends crowding around the large Olympic-size swimming pool. “Oh, that must be Park Seonghwa,” He gestured to the small, scrawny, middle-aged man applying sunblock on himself. 

“Oh, no, sir, that’s not Park Seonghwa,” The clerk shook his head. “There’s Park Seonghwa.” 

Wooyoung’s eyes traveled to where the clerk was pointing, only to realize that he was looking at the tall, young man on the high dive. He was lean yet toned, and he was incredibly handsome. If anything, he looked like he could be in movies. “...That’s Park Seonghwa?” 

“Yeah, he said he used to be a champion swimmer, nearly made it to the Olympics,” The clerk said, as if anticipating what the male was about to do next. Wooyoung noticed that everyone seemed to stop and look at him. Seonghwa jumped off the high dive and landed into the pool with a flourish. Everyone clapped in their places. “Will there be anything else, sir?” The clerk asked this time. 

“Yeah, I want to reserve a table for lunch, a table for two, right next to Mr. Park Seonghwa,” Wooyoung was still watching the way the taller male greeted the ladies, flashing a smile every now and then as if aware of the charm he brought on. He left the resort and headed for home, ready to confront his wife. 

~ 

“Some wine for madam?” The waiter said to Jea as she and Wooyoung sat at the table he reserved by the pool hours later. Jea nodded and the waiter poured some wine into her glass while setting down the martini in front of Wooyoung before walking off. 

“Ah, Wooyoung, this is such a nice place for lunch,” Jea smiled. “I guess you thought you owed me after those awful suspicions of yours,” She took a sip of her wine and Wooyoung did the same to his own drink. “Tell you what, let’s make a toast, to no more suspicions,” She suggested, holding up her glass. 

“No more suspicions,” He repeated, clinking his glass with hers, watching her as she took another sip. 

“If married people can’t be honest with each other, who can?” Jea said proudly. 

“Exactly” Wooyoung was still smiling, glancing over at the tall male who was getting out of the pool. 

“What are you looking at, darling-” Jea followed his glance and stopped, realizing why he brought her here. “Oh.” 

“What are you staring at, honey?” Wooyoung stifled a noise of satisfaction. “I thought maybe you were watching that guy go for a swim.” 

“What- What guy?” Jea eyed him. 

“That guy, coming this way,” Wooyoung pointed out. 

“Eve! Eve!” The male from the pool waved at her as he walked up to them. 

“Oh dear,” Jea mumbled. 

“I thought I saw you down here,” He said, drying himself with a towel. “Can you bring my robe over, please?” He said to the clerk passing by, clearly aware of who he was and where he usually stayed by the pool. “Well, I’m so happy to see you, Eve.” 

“Won’t you introduce me?” Wooyoung was trying not to break out into a grin as he noticed Jea’s expression, but before she could say anything, he stood up to hold out his hand. “My name’s Jung Wooyoung, I didn’t catch yours.” 

“I’m Park Seonghwa,” He shook it, taking the robe from the clerk to put on. “Hasn’t Eve told you that we were-” 

“Park Seonghwa?” Wooyoung asked, as if to rub it in Jea’s face. 

“Yes, Park Seonghwa,” He nodded.

“That’s funny, I thought Seonghwa was balding,” Wooyoung eyed his wife again. 

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not,” Seonghwa shook his head. 

“Well, Mr. Park, why don’t you have lunch with us?” 

“I’d be glad to! I’m in need of nourishment,” Seonghwa sat down on the extra chair next to them and waved over another clerk. 

“We’ve ordered chicken a la king, does chicken appeal to you or do you confine yourself to raw meat?” 

“I’ve never touched it. I’m strictly a vegetarian,” Seonghwa replied. “Could I have a glass of tomato juice, a milkshake, and carrot sticks,” He said to the clerk, who nodded and walked off again. He sighed in content. “Ah, how are things, Eve?” He turned to her. 

“Mr. Park, I better tell you, my husband hasn’t slept since he found out you were on the island with me,” Jea began to explain, side-eyeing Wooyoung as she said it. “He’s arranged this meeting to trap us into a confession-” 

“Hey, wait a minute-” Wooyoung tried to chime in. 

“He’s a very clever lawyer so beware. I plan on being foxy myself,” Jea cut him off, turning to Seonghwa this time. 

“I’ve got nothing to hide,” Seonghwa chuckled. 

“I know, but he has,” Jea side-eyed Wooyoung. “You see, Wooyoungie over here’s married again.”

Seonghwa gaped and Jea nodded. “Congratulations!” He shook Wooyoung’s hand again. “That’s the best news I’ve received!” 

“Why? What’s that to you?” Wooyoung raised a brow, suspicion settling in again. 

“Can’t you see? It makes everything simpler! Now I can come and finally tell you,” Seonghwa took her hand. 

“Tell me what?” Wooyoung’s lips were pressed into a line at the growing frustration. 

“Well, I’d like to marry Eve.” 

“Oh you would, would you?!” Wooyoung nearly shrieked. 

“I’ve known your wife for seven years,” Seonghwa beamed with pride. “And no man could ask for a better companion, a truer friend, or a more charming playmate if I do say so myself,” He chuckled. “I’ve admired her so much, but all she could talk about was you, well, now that you’re married again maybe she could listen to me,” He turned to Jea. “Will you marry me?”  

Jea stared at Seonghwa at the sudden proposal. Wooyoung couldn’t believe what he was hearing even more. “That’s sweet of you, Seonghwa-” 

“Wait a minute! Wait a minute!” Wooyoung tried to cut in. 

“I don’t see why you should get upset, you’re not allowed to have two wives, you know,” Seonghwa pointed out. 

“I know! I know!” 

He turned back to Jea again. “What’s your answer, Eve? Marry me?” 

“Leave her alone! What are you rushing for? Your-” Wooyoung was getting flustered. “Your carrots aren’t here yet!” 

“Can I ask you something? How long were you married to Jea before she got shipwrecked?” 

“Four years.” 

“Well, I was with her for seven, so I have seniority,” Seonghwa pointed out with a grin and a laugh. “Ah, looks like I’ve got you there.” 

“You’ve got nothing but a lot of-” 

Jea got up, passing behind Seonghwa’s chair and taking a few steps back. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I think maybe you two could settle this better without me, no don’t get up, it might surprise you to know that I can perfectly get along without either of you. I’m perfectly able to take care of myself-”

“Jea! Look out! The pool!” Wooyoung yelled, but it was too late. Jea’s misstep with her heel sent her falling into the water. 

Seonghwa removed his robe and got up from his seat. “Hold your breath Jea! I’ll save you!” He jumped in the pool, swimming towards her.” 

~ 

“Dr. Choi, what do you think it could be?” Taehee asked the man sitting with her in the living room. “We’ve been married since a few days ago and I’ve hardly seen him,” She looked worried. 

“It’s not at all unusual, Mrs. Jung,” Dr. Choi Jongho assured her. 

“Really?” 

“Oh, there are hundreds of similar cases,” Jongho nodded. 

The front door opened and Wooyoung came in, not bothering to remove his hat and coat. “Wooyoung! Wooyoung, where have you been?” She asked. 

“Oh hello, excuse me,” Wooyoung greeted her and the doctor behind her. “I’ve got to get some dry clothes,” He took a few steps up the stairs. 

“Wooyoung, your clothes are dry.” 

“They’re not for me, they’re for a friend of mine,” Wooyoung replied. He really wasn’t in the mood to tell Taehee everything at this moment, his mind preoccupied with the thought of Seonghwa spending time with Jea while he was here in this house. “She fell in the swimming pool-”

“This is Dr. Choi Jongho, he said he gave a message during a funeral,” Taehee introduced them. Wooyoung only waved at him in response. “It’s alright, he knows, he’s going to help us.” 

“He knows what?” Wooyoung stared at her. 

“It’s not at all unusual, Wooyoung, Dr. Choi says there are hundreds of similar cases.” 

“Oh, well, it’s very nice to meet you again, Dr. Choi, but if you’ll just excuse me, I’m going to get some dry clothes” Wooyoung rushed up the rest of the stairs and into the room. 

Taehee frowned and turned back to the doctor. “You see? He just doesn’t make sense. Sometimes I think I’m going mad,” She let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Now, now, it’s not unusual, the mood and pose is characteristic of the frustrated individual,” Jongho patted her shoulder. “If I may make a suggestion? You get some rest while I wander in on your husband and casually talk things over, hmm?” 

“Please, Dr. Choi. I don’t care what you do, but please do something,” Taehee pleaded. 

Wooyoung suddenly returned with an armful of clothes, passing by them as he climbed down the stairs and was about to head for the door. “Bye! I have to get back!” He called out as he was about to place the clothes in the car. 

“Wooyoung! Wooyoungie!” She called out. “Where are you going? And those clothes - they’re a woman’s clothes! Some of those are my clothes!” Taehee followed him out, as did the doctor. 

“I know, I know, I just told you, a friend of mine-” 

“Now, now, Mr. Jung,” Jongho spoke. “Be calm, your friend can wait.” 

“Wooyoung,” Taehee took his free hand. “If you’ll talk to Dr. Choi just for a few minutes, please.” 

He glanced at the doctor. “What do you want? What do you both want? Can’t a man come into his own home without being pestered?” 

“We’re only trying to help you, darling,” Taehee squeezed his hand. “Don’t you want to come back in and lie down?” 

“Well, I don’t want to lie down, and I don’t even need a doctor either,” Wooyoung was getting frustrated. “I might as well tell you right now. I’m married.” 

“Of course you are,” Taehee said. 

“No, no,” He shook his head. “My wife’s… not dead, she- she didn’t drown. She fell in the pool, I was getting clothes and there’s another guy, a tall guy, he was on an island with her and now they’re at the Olivier sports club and now I have to go there,” Wooyoung explained. 

 “I understand, darling,” Taehee rubbed the back of his hand and he snatched it back. 

“No, no, you don’t understand,” He was getting more frustrated, knowing that Taehee wasn’t exactly seeing what he meant. “Taehee, listen carefully, she was at the hotel when we arrived at Grant for our honeymoon and that’s why-that’s why I was- So upset, so distant, and oh my god isn’t it clear to you? Do I have to draw a diagram?!” 

Taehee tugged on his hand again. “You need a long rest, Wooyoungie. Doesn’t he, Dr. Choi?” 

“Yes.” 

“What’s the matter with you two?” Wooyoung gave them a look. “I think you’re both crazy!” 

They saw two policemen and a detective approach the gate. “Is Mr. Jung here?” They called out, showing their badges. They eyed Wooyoung. “Are you Mr. Jung Wooyoung?” The detective asked. 

“Not now,” Wooyoung waved them off. “Look, Taehee, my wife, the mother of my children, Ahn Jea-” 

“Mr. Jung?” The detective called out again. 

“Yes, yes, what is it? What do you want?” 

“Mr. Jung, I’ve got a warrant for your arrest,” They said. “Please come with us to police headquarters.”

He raised a brow. “Arrest? You can’t arrest me. On what charge?” 

“Bigamy.” 

Wooyoung gaped at them. “...Eh?!” 

“Bigamy?” Taehee looked stunned, as the policemen put handcuffs on Wooyoung. 

“Bigamy! I’m arrested!” Wooyoung was still in shock. 

“Oh Wooyoung-” 

“Now do you believe me?!” Wooyoung yelled as he was being taken to the car.