#mingi is jongho's favourite hyung

[maximura]

[makeitmingi]

When Flowers Bloom In The Dark [Chapter 1]

Genre: Romance, Mafia!AU, Violence, Angst, Slow burn

Pairing: Hongjoong x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Florist!Reader, Mafioso!Hongjoong, Mafioso!Seonghwa, Mafioso!Yunho, Mafioso!Yeosang, Mafioso!San, Mafioso!Mingi, Mafioso!Wooyoung, Mafioso!Jongho

Summary: When you appeared and wept at his mother's funeral, Hongjoong found himself wanting to find out more about you. A regular girl, who owns a flower shop in his territory and has a relationship with the mother that he hasn't spoken to in years, why hasn't he ever noticed you before?

[Warning(s): 18+ for violence, use of weapons, smoking, alcohol consumption, slight gore, gang affiliation, tattoos and character deaths. Minors DNI. This is a work of fiction and does not represent the Ateez members in real life.]

Word count: 3.1K

(Chapter warning(s): Character death, grieving/ funeral, injury, recollection of previous argument, Hongjoong is in a weird place with his feelings.)

"Thank you for coming." Hongjoong had a stoic look on his face as he deeply bowed to the people that came to pay respects. The people bowed back, reaching out to shake his hand with a comforting smile on their faces.

"She was a good woman. Kind." They patted him on the shoulder. All he could do was stiffly nod in reply.

"Please help yourself to the food and refreshments." He forced a small smile and gestured to the buffet spread where the other people were all seated.

"Should we ask him to take a break?" Yunho leaned over to ask Seonghwa as the older collated the beoseom money together.

"You can try but he's not going to like it. Just let him do what he needs to do." Seonghwa replied.

"Hyung loved his mother. They didn't have the best relationship but I know he always missed seeing her and talking to her." Yunho sighed with a small frown. Seonghwa hummed in agreement.

"But this is for him to figure out. We'll just help him where he wants us." Seonghwa said.

Hongjoong recognised all the people that came. All friends of his late father and now, mother, or his own allies. They were men that worked for him or with him. Although they didn't know his mother at all, he knew that Wooyoung had gathered all their men to come and support him as the leader.

"Oh, coming." Hongjoong noticed some people going to pay their respects and went to his post as the son, keeping his head lowered as they bowed to his mother's casket.

"You have our condolences, Hongjoong sshi. If you need anything, let us know." The leader of a small gang shook his hand.

"Thanks." He nodded. Hongjoong knew their motive, it was to create favours and forge loyalties with Ateez.

"Umm, excuse me." Hongjoong looked up at the sudden entrance of a light, tinkling voice. He eyes fell on the girl that entered, she looked so different, sticking out like a sore thumb.

Who are you?

"Here you go." You took out an envelope of money and handed it to Yunho and Seonghwa, who received it with a bow.

"You can head that way." Seonghwa gestured to where Hongjoong was standing. From the looks of it, Seonghwa seemed just as entranced and/or curious about you as Hongjoong was. You nodded and headed to him.

"You must be Hongjoong sshi." You looked at him with familiarity, still cradling the small bouquet of flowers in your arms. All Hongjoong could do was nod.

How did you know him? He, for sure, didn't know you. There wasn't an inkling of recollection seeing your face or hearing your voice.

"If it's okay with you, can I place this bouquet by the casket? It's our favourite flower." You asked politely.

"Go ahead. Thank you." He nodded. 'Our' favourite? His eyes followed you as you placed the bouquet of white tulips by the casket. The bouquet was simple but elegant.

"I'll miss our afternoon chats. Take care of yourself and rest easy." You prayed softly as you bowed to his mother's casket.

"Thank you for coming." Hongjoong said to you when the both of you stood up from your kneeled positions.

"S-Sorry..." Your bottom lip quivered and tears streamed down your face as you struggled to wipe them all away. There was so much grief and upset on your face, you probably felt more grief than Hongjoong did. Hongjoong held his handkerchief out to you but you hesitated, you didn't know him to take it.

"It's okay." He whispered, trying to convince you. With a shaky hand, you took the white cloth and dried your tears. All this time, Hongjoong was trying to study you.

"Thanks." You smiled awkwardly.

"How do you know me? Did you know my mother?" He asked, even if the answer was obviously yes.

"She comes by my shop almost every afternoon to chat with me. She'll even bring tea and snacks with her. I recognise you from the photos she shared with me." You giggled.

"I see... Well-"

"Hongjoong hyung, there are more mourners. Do you want me to take over?" Someone came over.

"No, it's fine, San ah." Hongjoong assured his brother and bowed his head to you before going back to where the casket was. You tucked the handkerchief into your pocket.

"There are snacks and refreshments." You were directed to the area where the other mourners were chatting, eating and drinking. There were barely any other women around, all men dressed in suits. It almost felt like a business convention, not a funeral.

"Who is that?" Wooyoung asked San when he came back to where they were seated.

"No idea." San shook his head. The 7 Ateez members watched you with curiosity. You sat in the corner by yourself, you didn't take any food or drinks.

"Do any of you know her or recognise her?" Mingi blinked.

"I think she genuinely knew my mother." The boys looked up to see Hongjoong standing behind them.

"Really?" Even Seonghwa was shocked too. They all knew that everyone who came didn't know Hongjoong's mother. How did someone like you befriend Hongjoong's mother?

"She's definitely not from underground." Yeosang said. You were still wiping stray tears that escaped your eyes.

"She's... really grieving the lost of my mother... Even more than me." Hongjoong observed.

"Her name is (y/n)." Yunho said, reading from the mourners book of those that came. The others didn't even notice that Hongjoong left them, going over to where you were seated alone. When Hongjoong pulled out the chair next to yours, you blinked, breaking out of your reminiscing moment.

"Apologies." He said.

"Don't apologise, you must be busy having to do this on your own, on top of the fact that you're mourning and grieving too." You shook your head with a soft smile.

"I have a good support system." He nodded over to where the other Ateez members were.

"You must haven known my mother well to know her favourite flower." Hongjoong brought the conversation back.

"She always came to buy them from me, along with other flowers. That's when I learnt that we both have the same favourite flower. I'm a florist actually." You informed.

"Oh... And here, I didn't even know my mother had a favourite flower." He chuckled.

"Hongjoong sshi." You shocked him and frankly, yourself too, when you placed a hand over his own in comfort.

"I'll miss her too but it'll be okay. From the way your mother spoke fondly of you, I could tell that you both had a great relationship. At least you'll still have your good memories of her with you." You smiled softly. Suddenly, Hongjoong retracted his hand.

"Excuse me." He stood up, buttoning his blazer. He watched as your face fell.

"Hongjoong sshi. I-I'm sorry." You stuttered, realising what you just said to him and how your words crossed a boundary. Hongjoong clenched his jaw and walked back to where Ateez was.

"Woah, hyung. You okay?" Jongho asked, noticing the sudden change in Hongjoong's mood and expression.

"I'm fine." Hongjoong replied through gritted teeth.

Despite what happened, you still stayed until the final standoff. Hongjoong was unexpectedly hypervigilant of where you were, standing on your own at the back of the crowd.

"Hang on." Before the Ateez boys could load his mother's casket into the back of the hearse, he stopped them.

"Captain?" They were confused. Leaning down, Hongjoong grabbed a stalk of flower from your bouquet and placed it on top.

"Carry on." He cleared his throat, side eyeing you. You were watching the entire time as you cried softly to yourself. All the mourners that hadn't left bowed to the hearse as it closed. Hongjoong, still holding his mother's picture, walked to the front seats where he would follow along to the burial site.

"We'll follow behind, hyung." Wooyoung said to him. Hongjoong nodded and entered with Mingi closing the door behind him. The 7 entered their respective vans that were prepared.

As the hearse began to pull out of the drive way, Hongjoong spotted you walking along the streets, arms hugging yourself.

"Who are you?" He whispered as you walked further away.

When the news of his mother's passing first came until this moment, Hongjoong hadn't shed a tear. Was he cruel or unfilial for not doing so? Or were tears just a sign of weakness?

"Good memories?" Hongjoong turned to his mother's picture, remembering what you said to him.

You sighed as you made your way into your apartment. After you removed your shoes, you fell back onto the couch.

"I can't believe you're gone." You said, feeling tears well up in your eyes again as you thought about Mrs Kim and her not being around any longer. Maybe because you grew up without a mother, she was the closest thing to a mother that you had.

"Can I help you?" The doorman asked when he saw how confused you were upon entering the building.

"Oh, good morning. Sorry to bother you but I'm looking for Mrs Kim? I hope I have the right address." You scratched your head, bowing to the older male.

"Do you mean the Mrs Kim that stays in the penthouse? I'm sorry but she passed away yesterday." He informed.

"W-Wait, what?" You couldn't believe it. The flower bouquet slipping from your hands.

"Are you okay, agashi? Yes, unfortunately, Mrs Kim passed." He picked up the bouquet, placing a hand on your shoulder. It was so shocking you couldn't even cry.

"Are you family?" He asked. It took you a while to answer as the news was still sinking in.

"N-No... I'm not but I knew her..." You tried your best to form a coherant answer in your head but it was too difficult.

"I'm sorry, agashi." He said sadly. You bowed your head and turned around, leaving the building. When you reached home, you searched funeral homes online and there it was, her name and her picture. It only solidified that what the doorman said was true, the closest person to a mother that you've had was gone.

"I can't believe I said that. (y/n), what did you do?" You facepalmed when you remembered what you said to Hongjoong. Who were you to tell him that?

"He's her real son, you're not." You scolded yourself, holding Hongjoong handkerchief in your lap.

Mrs Kim always spoke about Hongjoong with such a sad smile, indicating that their relationship wasn't amicable.

There was love, of course. But you could hear the regret and guilt in her voice. All you knew was that if you were to run into him again, you'll definitely apologise for overstepping.

Hongjoong seemed cold but you were grateful that he placed one of your flowers on top of her casket before the hearse left. Whether it was done for you or for her, Hongjoong's gesture warmed your heart.

-

"Where's he?" Seonghwa asked as he climbed up the stairs to the second floor. The younger ones nodded over to Hongjoong's back. The captain leaned against the banister of the terrace, a glass of whiskey held by his fingertips.

"He's still there. Been there since we've come back." Yeosang informed.

"(y/n) (y/l/n). She's a florist in Hongjoong hyung's territory, studying botany part time. Practically as normal as it gets." Jongho walked over, closing a folder. Seonghwa took it and read it.

"As long as she isn't a threat." San shrugged.

"Far from. If there was a motive for her to get close to Mrs Kim, it's not in the file." Jongho said, pouring himself a drink.

"But damn, she seemed to be closer to Mrs Kim than Hongjoong hyung was." Mingi stated and Seonghwa slapped the back of his head for being so direct.

"What? It's the truth..." Mingi rubbed his head. Yunho sighed, patting his best friend's back.

"Hyung will be fine, right? He has to be. He's our captain and our leader. Let's just give him some time then he'll bounce back like always." Wooyoung said with a small frown. Seonghwa nodded in agreement. Although Hongjoong suppresses his feelings and emotions, he always puts Ateez first.

"Yes, Hongjoong will be okay. He just needs space now. And don't bring up the girl anymore, okay?" Seonghwa said. The younger 6 nodded their heads obediently.

"Hyung, what happened between Hongjoong hyung and his mother?" San asked.

"No idea. Even if I did, it's not my story to tell." Seonghwa shrugged.

He is Hongjoong's best friend and second in command, but he didn't know what was Hongjoong's relationship with his mother. It was almost a love-hate relationship, for Hongjoong at least.

"Go back to work. Give Hongjoong a few days off, I'll be taking over his duties in the mean time." Seonghwa informed.

"Sure, hyung." All of them split up to go back to work. Seonghwa cast one more worried glance at his best friend's back before leaving.

Hongjoong sighed as he took another sip of whiskey. Even as he shovelled the dirt over his mother's casket, he didn't shed a tear. The heartache was there but he couldn't will himself to cry. He watched as the flower he placed on top got sullied by the dirt.

"She's really gone." He breathed out.

"You're really gone." He repeated as if he was speaking directly to his mother, clenching the glass in his hand.

You, the girl that appeared out of nowhere, seemed to have a much better relationship with his mother than he did. You cried while Hongjoong was emotionless.

"Damn it." Hongjoong must have channeled all his frustration to his hand because before he knew it, the crystal shattered into pieces.

"Hyung!" Yeosang rushed out, having seen the whole thing.

"I'm fine, Yeosang." Hongjoong hissed, cradling his now injured hand. Yeosang gently took it into his own hands, looking at how bad is was. Blood began to drip on the tiles.

"No, it's not fine. There's crystal shards in your hand now. Come." Yeosang frowned and brought Hongjoong in.

"Get someone to clean the terrace." Yeosang said to a passing butler, who nodded with a deep bow. He brought the captain to his office where his medical supplies were. Thankfully, Hongjoong didn't protest and sat down, patiently waiting for Yeosang to get what he needed to treat his hand.

"Don't move." Yeosang said as he took forceps and tried to remove the crystal pieces from the cuts. Luckily it wasn't too deep that he would need stitches.

"Are you not going to ask me anything?" Hongjoong asked as Yeosang took a magnifier to look for any smaller pieces.

"No. What's there to ask?" Yeosang asked back. At that, Hongjoong sighed and just leaned back in the seat.

"This is going to sting. Bear with me." Yeosang took the antiseptic and spray it over Hongjoong's hand, causing the leader to let out an onslaught of curse words and winces.

"I saw the butler cleaning glass on the terrace. What happened?" San came in.

"Just a small accident." Hongjoong sighed again, watching Yeosang use gauze to wrap up his hand.

"We're done. If it starts to bleed through the bandages, you have to get them changed. If not then I'll check on them in a few days." Yeosang said as he used clips and medical tape to secure the bandage. Hongjoong nodded and stood up.

"Thanks, Sangie." He left Yeosang's room. San stared at where their captain disappeared to.

"Everyone deals with grief differently, whether they want to admit it or not." San said and Yeosang let out a hum in agreement, clearing the bloodied gauze and area.

"He'll be okay. Hyung is strong." Yeosang assured.

When Hongjoong went upstairs to go back to his room, he walked past the second floor lounge and saw a file there.

'(y/n) (y/l/n)'

So, the boys went to search up on you and who you were. Reaching down, Hongjoong took the file and tucked it under his arm, retreating to his room.

"Florist... Studies botany... That's it?" He read the file as he walked. If there was anything else, even secrets, he knew Jongho and Yunho would have found it by now. No piece of information escapes those two. They can source information about a person's entire life on their computers, it's why they're the best.

"Oh?" Hongjoong paused, eyebrows raising when he saw the location of your shop. It was in the territory that he took care of, which was also the area where his mother's house was.

Despite that, Hongjoong has never once visited his mother nor has he spoken to her in years.

"How could you do this? How could you do this to me?! To us?!" Hongjoong yelled, seething with so much anger.

"I know... I'm a horrible mother, I'm sorry Hongjoong ah." His mother shook her head, tears in her eyes as she faced her angry son. She didn't even bother to give an excuse.

"Why?! Why would you do this?" He faced her, his own tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I couldn't just standby and watch. I couldn't." The woman wrapped her arms around herself pitifully. This time, Hongjoong didn't hug her.

"After everything, you'll still side with him. After knowing what he did to all of us, including you, you still..." Hongjoong shook his head, unable to finish his sentence. He was just filled with so much rage he couldn't even breathe properly.

"Get out. I never want to see you again." He turned away, hearing her soft footsteps leave his office and disappear.

"Seonghwa." Hongjoong called out, knowing that his second in command was standing nearby and most probably overheard the entire exchange that happened.

"Yeah?" Seonghwa walked in.

"I want her out of here now. Buy her a house or whatever, somewhere I don't have to see her." Hongjoong ordered.

"Sure, Hongjoong." Seonghwa bowed his head and exited the office. Hongjoong let out a yell, angrily swiping everything off his desk. Papers flews and things broke but he didn't care.

Seonghwa ended up buying his mother a penthouse apartment in the territory that Hongjoong managed. Although Hongjoong didn't like that idea, Seonghwa gave an excuse that at least Hongjoong could keep an eye on her.

He didn't know that Seonghwa did that so if he ever wanted to see his mother again or let her make amends for what she did, he'll know where she is.

But it was too late anyway. Hongjoong's mother was gone, there were no more amends to make, no more apologies.

"Great relationship? Good memories?" Hongjoong bitterly scoffed once again when he remembered your words, throwing your file aside and going to take a much needed shower.

He needed to get out of his head.

~

Series masterlist

[freyaphoria]

02 | freya | Intp | libra | unfortunately engineering student | REQUESTS ARE OPEN BUT please be patient, I am a slow writer / You can write me whatever you want, I love talking and making new friends! | I have a cat!! :3 | English is not my first language!!!

Masterlist

fluff: ♡ yandere: ☆ smut: ♤ angst: ♧

Hongjoong:

Type to ♡

Take Care of You ♡

Soup ☆

Run Away Together (feat hwa) ☆ * [side story]

A day with yandere Matz ☆

Jealousy Left Unwrapped (feat hwa) ☆

From Passion to Punishment (feat hwa) ☆ pt2 ♡

Yan!Matz Masterlist ☆♧

Seonghwa:

Type to ♡

Pretty and Handsome ♡

Bunny Costume ♤

Run Away Together (feat joong) ☆*[side story]

A day with yandere Matz ☆

Jealousy Left Unwrapped (feat joong) ☆

Little Flower ☆

Best Friends Forever (feat yuyu) ☆

After the Show ♤

They hurt themselves w yeo ☆

Look Like a Freak ♤

From Passion to Punishment (feat joong) ☆♧ pt2 ♡

Dark side ☆

Yan!Matz Masterlist ☆♧

Dress ♡

Yan!Seonghwa Thoughts ☆

Yunho:

Type to ♡

Long Sleeve ☆

Best Support ♤

His Lap ♡

I am Still Here ♧

Best Friends Forever (feat hwa) ☆

Best Friends Forever but really Forever ♤

Give it a Taste ☆

Yeosang:

Type to ♤

Just You ♡

5am breeze ♡

Nine Left ☆

They hurt themselves w hwa ☆

San:

Type to ♡

Jump, Bunny ☆*

Last Taste ☆

Mingi:

Type to ♤

Love Me ☆

Happy Birthday to Us ☆

His Moral loyalty ♧

Broken Doll ☆

Wooyoung:

Type to ♡

Type to 2 ♡

Veins ♡

Because I love you

Run Away Together | side story ☆

Jongho:

Balance ♡

Toys to Lovers ♤

Can you give me a headlock? ♡

Is This Love? ☆

Ot8: Jewelry ♡ Their kinks ♤

Reactions:

When you use safeword (hyung line) ♤

When you use safeword (maknae line) ♤

When their s/o starts showing affection (hyung line) ☆*

When their s/o starts showing affection (maknae line) ☆ *

When You Dug Your Nail Too Deep (Hyung Line) ♤

When You Dug Your Nail Too Deep (Maknae Line) ♤

You want to keep your hoodie/t-shirt on (hyung line) ♡

You want to keep your hoodie/t-shirt on (maknae line) ♡

* : my favourites

general taglist: @aim-blossom @bambisd0ll @oddracha @peqchplvto

If you want to join or leave my taglist, comment below this post or send me a message ♡

[eightmakesonebraincell]

[fic rec mlist] social media au | fake texts

main mlist | prev (scenarios) | next (ao3)

only general themes and tags are listed - please read through the author's specific tags and warnings

both sfw and nsfw fics are included. minors please dni with nsfw fics and respect the age restrictions put into place by the writers (suggestive, smut, and trigger warnings are highlighted in red)

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length: 3/3 parts [completed]

the barista keeps writing jongho's name wrong | @mangiverse

genre: fake texts smau, barista!reader, fluff

last updated: 11 july 2023

[hotteoki]

ateez masterlist

©️ hotteoki | do not repost

(a) = angst (f) = fluff (c) = crack/humour 🍧 = 1k notes

author's favourites are in bold with an arrow!

hongjoong (홍중)

instagram stories (f)(c)

the night we met (a)

seonghwa (성화)

10:24 (f)

instagram stories (f)(c)

texts with bf seonghwa (f)(c)

yunho (윤호)

pirate king (f)

instagram stories (f)(c)

-> texts with bf yunho (f)(c)

it's my birthday! (f)

it’s your birthday! (f)

ephemeral (a)

yeosang (여상)

instagram stories (f)(c)

san (산)

-> apocalypse (a)

instagram stories (f)(c)

texts with bf san (f)(c)

mingi (민기)

instagram stories (f)(c) 🍧

texts with bf mingi (f)(c)

wooyoung (우영)

instagram stories (f)(c)

-> happily ever after (a)

-> change of heart (f)

texts with bf wooyoung (f)(c)

caught! (f)

jongho (종호)

instagram stories (f)(c)

texts with bf jongho (f)(c)

ot8

-> drunk boyfriend ateez headcanons (f)(c)

rating my exes! (hyung line) (f)(c)

-> instagram posts with bf atz (f)(c) 🍧

sending bf ateez their own memes (c)

-> ateez in the multiverse?! (f)(c)

[peachesyeo]

The Visit

word count - 0.5k words pairings - nonidol!san x nonidol!jongho x fem!character sypnosis - san found jongho visiting their old friends. genre - mature, angst chapter warnings - mention of death, major character death, mention of suicide, alochol, violent descriptions, approach with tissues and caution.

author's notes: i'm sorry, i'm in a sad mood today. no beta read for you, sousy. (:

pernament taglist (ateez) — @watermelon2319 @levishun pernament taglist — @sousydive @yeodeulz @oddracha @jaerisdiction @yukichan67 @evidive @onysmamas

network: @newworldnet

back to masterlist?

San didn't know Jongho would be visiting her today.

He watched from behind the tree, as Jongho placed the bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of the tombstone, in front of her. San stood there, noticing how much Jongho had changed through the years.

Jongho's hair was slicked back, like how San used to style his own hair. He was wearing a black suit with a tie, and he was more skinny than San had remembered. His baby fat from his face was gone, replaced by a sharper jawline. His boots were polished neatly, and Jongho knelt down, taking out two small glasses of soju.

San's lips curled weakly at the sight. That soju was her favourite brand and in her favourite flavour, something that none of them failed to notice when she was alive. They would always buy the watermelon flavoured one, which she hates.

San's head lowered. Memories of how unfair they treated her rushed back into his mind, and the hole of regret and sadness swallowed him whole once more. His tears gathered to his eyes as he rushed his hands up to his mouth, sniffling a sob back in. His legs gave in, and San, like Jongho, kneeled down towards the direction where she was resting forever.

They killed her. He killed her. Choi San, why? Why didn't you notice how much pain she was in? Why didn't you answer her last call? Why weren't you fast enough that day?

If only he was fast enough, if only he answered her calls, if only he noticed how much pain she was in...

She would still be alive. She would be standing beside him. He would have told her to give up on the others, to be with him instead.

But he wasn't. He did not care about her. He ignored her calls. He was too late.

The blood seeping through the bathroom tiles haunts his dreams every night.

"Hyung." San looked up. Jongho was standing in front of him, looking down right at him. He was holding an empty glass and was offering it to him. "Want a drink?"

Jongho scanned the older man as he stood straight up, accepting the drink. San's style had changed drastically, he was wearing a soft and dark purple turtleneck, his red hair dyed back to its original black. He seemed to be even thinner than before, Jongho noticed his legs limping as they walked towards Kyujin's tombstone.

San broke his leg after being attacked by the hooligans who hung around the streets of the illegal boxing ring. In fact, San and Wooyoung got attacked together. Wooyoung's injuries were way worse, resulting in him currently being in a deep coma.

The group has not met each other for five years, ever since she died. Hongjoong hyung buried his grief in his work. Seonghwa is busy with his cases as a lawyer. Yunho had gone overseas. Yeosang is admitted to a mental health institution. Mingi...

Killed himself.

On the second anniversary of her death.

San and Jongho both stopped at the tombstone next to hers, Jongho placing an empty cup down in front of it. "Have some soju too, Mingi hyung."

Mingi's photograph smiled brightly at them. San waved at Mingi, his eyes turning into a straight line.

"Hey, Mangi."

©peachesyeo, 2024

i do not own the dividers nor pictures used in banner. all credit goes to their original owners. owner of animated / 18+ divider ; owner of wire divider

[tinata1117]

MATZ <3

Idol Seonghwa x fan Hongjoong Content: soulmates, omegaverse, fluff Words: 1152

This is my first Ateez fanfic so if anyone ever see's this, pretend you didn't XD /joking just please don't be mean.

-------------------------------------------

“Woo-“

“Wooyo-“

“Wooyoung!” a voiced screeched from next to said boy, causing his eyes to snap open and look around as he prepared to throw hands. Wooyoung looks around through bleary eyes until he sees Hongjoong waving his arms frantically in front of him making him to let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Yah! I thought we were being attacked!”

“Grab your stuff and move! Or we’re going to lose our place in the line and say bye to barricade!” that seemed to make something click in his mind as he jumped up to grab his stuff right before Hongjoong started dragging his arm.

“You can’t blame me for falling asleep, we haven’t moved in six hours!”

“Yea, yea but you’re up now and we’re heading inside so let’s go!”

The two were led into the building where they were about to see their favourite group perform, and they were both very excited, one perhaps more than the other.

“Don’t worry Joong, even if we were miles away, Seonghwa would never be able to miss your bright red hair” he says with a loud laugh as the mentioned just drags him forwards.

With a roll of his eyes and an extra tug on the youngers arm he replies, “Well I do want him to notice me at least once in my life”.

After another couple of hours of going through security and waiting some more, they were finally let into the room where they would be seeing their favourite group. Finally - after 8 hours and a couple telling offs from security for running - they made it to the barricade.

“Wooyoung we did it! We got barricade!” the usually quiet and more serious of the two exclaims with a wide smile making the younger falter for a second.

“We did and look at Mr Serious being all excited!” he teased and nudged the other with his arm. Hongjoongs smile immediately left his face as he glared at the other.

“Whatever. Let’s take a picture for the selfie challenge”. The group made a challenge for fans to take selfies and post them with the groups tag and before every concert they would pick one selfie, and those in the selfie would get to join the group on stage and do a dance challenge with one member of their choosing.

So, they took the photo and uploaded it to Wooyoung Instagram with #AtinyAteezSelcaChallange

- imagine the background is the concert stage.

--- with Ateez ---

“Yo guys come and look at this selfie challenge entry!” the deep voice of Mingi calls out as the others start to gather around him.

“They’re actually kinda cute!” another deep voice calls out from next to Mingi making the aforementioned look towards Yeosang.

“Right! The red hair suits him so much! Maybe even more than it suited San when he had it” Mingi teases with a sly smirk.

“Yah! I looked great with red hair!”

“Yes you did San, now let me see who we are talking about”, Mingi turns his phone to the eldest and Seonghwa’s eyes widen as his lips part a little.

“H-Hyung.. you’re letting out your pheromones” Yunho comes up behind Seonghwa to attempt to cover his body so that his pheromones don’t travel too far.

“A-ah sorry!” he exclaims and turns away from the phone and takes a deep breath.

“Someone liked what they saw! Tell us was it the red head or silver head?” Mingi continues his onslaught of teasing. Meanwhile Jongho was sat watching the whole scene with an amused smile.

The sound of a door opening broke up their conversation and caused them all to look over. “You guys are on in 10! Did you pick a winner yet?” Mingi smirks and goes to the manager to whisper in his ear something for only him to hear.

--- small time skip ---

Ateez were performing their song ‘wave’ - during the free moving part which allowed them to interact with fans - when it happened. The whole world turned slow motion as Seonghwa looked over the crowd and locked eyes with a certain red head in front of him. Hongjoong would have fell to the floor if it wasn’t for Wooyoung catching him under his arms. The boy looked at Hongjoong’s face to see if he was okay and audibly gasped upon seeing his friends bright blue eyes. His eyes rapidly moved from Hongjoong to Seonghwa with his mouth agape.

Once Seonghwa managed to regain his senses, due to Jongho patting his shoulder, he quickly called the security to get Hongjoong over the barrier as he could smell his pheromones already. It would not be good if other alphas start to smell him too. (luckily security had to be beta’s to work due to the amount of people they would see).

Hongjoong was pulled over the barrier and so was Wooyoung after the security gave into his screeching about staying with his best friend.

Not long after, the music faded away and soon the rest of Ateez knew what happened so Mingi started talking.

“Atiny! You know what time it is! Time for our selca challenge winners to join us on stage! I’m sure many of you noticed our leader during Wave and I’m happy to announce that his soulmate was picked to join us on stage today! What a coincidence right!?”

Hongjoong darted his eyes to Wooyoung in shock. “Seonghwa… soulmate… we won the challenge!?”

Wooyoung nodded quickly and gave Hongjoong a quick hug, “look at you all tongue tied! Come on let’s go!”. The security led them to the steps and helped them onto the stage where the members joined them. Hongjoong’s eyes scanned across them and immediately found Seonghwa’s.

“Oh my gosh… Seonghwa is my soulmate!?” he shouted and immediately covered his mouth with both his hands when he realised the group could hear them. A couple smiles were seen but none as wide as his newfound soulmates.

With a wide smile, Seonghwa walked up to his mate and stood within a foot of him and took one of his hands in his. Feeling the tingles travel up his hands was a welcome feeling as he flipped their hands over and saw their initials tattooed on their skin become their full names.

“Hello, my soulmate” Seonghwa said so softly that his mic could barely pick it up, all Hongjoong could do was star into his eyes in awe.

“You’re even prettier up close”. The whole stadium was silent at his bluntness until they started laughing when Hongjoong covered his mouth with his hands again and blushed a deep shade of red. Seonghwa stifled a laugh, if not for himself, but for Hongjoong’s sanity.

“Why thank you, but nothing compares to how beautiful you are my love”

“Well I assume we can guess who he’ll pick to do the dance with”

----------------------------------------------

that was so cringe XD

[itstheghostofmypast]

After Midnight

HongJoong x (F)reader

(Reader is Jongho's cousin)

Summary: Late night coffee trips and splattered emotions. Secrets kept by intention and secrets that were just words unspoken. How long could he cling onto the feeling without letting it slip, or would facing it become a bigger issue than how he'd often look at her loving eyes and trip?

Photo credit: to rightful owner : https://pin.it/7aIO4Lg

"Can you please stop being over dramatic, we won't do anything." Wooyoung declared from across the room, laying on the sofa as he tossed his comic book aside. Yunho, who was sitting at the other end of the same couch nodded, "You realise we aren't perverts."

"Hyung, please, I am begging all of you do NOT do anything weird." Jongho sat on the floor, in front of Seonghwa who was extremely confused, but patted the younger one's head nonetheless.

"Of course, I know that!" The youngest whined, "But you guys get so excited and- and SAN HYUNG BREAKS STUFF AND YEOSANG HYUNG IS SO CLUMSY-"

"What is this about anyway?" Seonghwa asked, looking around for their 'captain', who had asked him earlier in the day to gather all the boys for he had someone to introduce to them.

"Basically, remember San wanted to do a barista bit, so manager-nim got it arranged, the owner is this loser's cousin and he's afraid we're going to do something to mess it up", Mingi declared, not sparing a glance from his phone.

"It's not like we'll do anything on purpose," Wooyoung muttered causing everyone but the maknae to chuckle. "Listen to me, she just started her business and she's the family's favourite and if something happens to-"

"Calm down." Seonghwa placed a hand on his slumped shoulder, squeezing it lightly as he gave him his signature smile, "Hongjoong and I'll make sure nothing of the sort happens, okay?"

"Speaking of Hyung, where is he?"

☕

"You ready?" He placed his hand on hers, eyes still on the road, giving it a light squeeze.

The thing is, she wasn't nervous, but she knew he was. She had already met his parents and his brother, in the six months of being together and other than him assuring her about being liked by them, she was sure about their positive feedback of her as well. So, why was he so nervous about introducing her to his friends?

Though Hongjoong claimed to be a calm and expressionless individual, she knew he was far from it. There were many things that he'd do that would give away his feelings, from the way he'd bounce his leg every time he was worried, to how he'd randomly smile at himself when he was happy, to how he'd initiate physical contact when he was nervous, such as now. He was never a handsy person, which is something she loved about him, for he'd never initiate anything unless he got her approval first. The first time he held her hand was after they had been dating for three months, the full-on fingers locked together. He was nervous that day as well, standing in front of his parent's door as he waited for someone to open the door, praying the night would go well.

So right now, their hands were in the same position, gripping onto hers as if he was afraid she'd disappear, which is why she thought distracting him would be a good option.

"Joongie?"

"Hmm?"

"You know Ateez?" She felt how sweaty his palm got at that, glancing at her as he licked his lower lip, "Yeah? What about them?"

Frowning she shook her head, "No as in, do you know the group? Have you heard their music before? They want to do a show at my cafe and I agreed, I do need the money but I was wondering, if you're free that day, you could be there with me?"

He parked right in front of the gate of a house and looked at her. "Sometimes I forget how out of touch you are with the world." He pointed out, causing her frown to deepen as he chuckled, leaning closer to peck her.

"I'll be there." With that he was out of the car and was opening her door for her, holding onto the bag of pastries she had made for them before closing down her cafe.

Still sceptical, she stepped out before linking her arm with his, her nerves getting to her as she stared at the house. "We- I mean...what if they don't like me and you and I have to break up and--" she whispered only to be cut off by his firm, "They will like you."

☕

The eldest got up when they heard the doorbell ring, "Listen, he had to introduce us to someone, so everyone please be nice okay?"

"Hope it's a turtle." Yeosang whispered to himself, earning a look of confusion from Wooyoung who also muttered, "What is wrong with you?"

"Did you all listen to what Hyung said!?" Jongho asked, trying to bring back the topic needing everyone's attention, this is why he asks HongJoong to do things, they listen to him. Speak of the devil, he turned to the door when he heard their captain, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet-"

"Jongho?"

"Y/N?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh??"

"Eh???"

"You...know him?" Hongjoong cut the session of their confusion, staring at the confused faces of everyone else too.

"We're cousins."

"WHAT."

"Hyung's already made moves on your cousin, bro." Wooyoung snorted, high-fiving San whose boisterous laugh echoed across the walls, the faces of the two cousins reddening, for different reasons.

"HYUNG WHAT THE HELL- Y/N WHY WOULD U DATE SOMEONE YOU JUST MET?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"Jongho, I've known her for more than half a year." Their leader rubbed his temples, "If this is because of the cafe thing, then I assure you, I did not know the cafe owner we had been in touch with was your cousin, who also happens to be my girlfriend."

"Wait..." She pulled away from him to glare at him, "You're an idol- wait." Turning to look at Jongho, "You're part of Ateez?"

"Yes, get with the program sister." He snapped only to apologise as soon she raised an eyebrow at him, but it was HongJoong's death glare that had him apologising twice.

"I am." He cleared his throat, before introducing each member, "This is Seonghwa, that over there is Yunho, next to him is San, Yeosang and Wooyoung on the couch and of course, you already know Jongho." Placing the pastries on the coffee table he turned to look at her, for she had not moved an inch from the doorway, "I...I'm sorry for not telling you earlier when we started dating, I thought you really were joking about not knowing any other group after EXO or VIXX, but I soon realised how out of touch you were with pop culture...so I...didn't want to ruin it.' he mumbled the last part, only for her to stare at him then aimlessly nod.

"He's told me a lot about you" Seonghwa offered, placing a hand on her shoulder, "please have a seat," he glanced at Wooyoung and Yeosang who got up to give her space to sit.

"How about you guys talk and I'll go make some tea." Seonghwa motioned for Hongjoong to follow and the younger one knew he was going to get an earful.

Y/N sat there staring at her hands, he had kept it from her since they were together. Exactly who was she in a relationship with? What else was he lying to her about? Is that why when she told him she doesn't like the concept of dating pro-idols, he avoided her for a week? Was she some form of mere entertainment-

"Y/N?"

She looked up at her name being called, she wasn't too good at learning the names of strangers she'd just met, but she could tell San's face apart from all of them, his name did reflect his physical being.

"Yes?"

"Did you make all of these?" He asked with a boyish smile, "No wonder Hyung was obsessed with your cafe."

She couldn't help but chuckle at his comment, watching everyone nod in agreement, except for Jungho who was still sulking on a single seater, arms crossed, glaring at Y/N.

"Yah, stop being rude to our guest." Wooyoung scolded, flipping the lid of the box and showing the abstract logo, "How on earth did you not know this was from your cousin's cafe."

"Because I don't go prying into people's lives." He huffed, side-eying Y/N who rolled her eyes.

"Kinda think it was hyung prying into your life..." Yunho mumbled before grabbing a tart only to stop when he heard her gasp.

All worried eyes looked at her, even her cousin.

"YOU'RE RICH, YET YOU JUST GAVE ME A FRUIT BASKET ON MY BIRTHDAY?"

☕

"I thought you said you've told her." The eldest began as he placed the cups in a tray, staring at the water boil in the kettle, he knew if he made eye contact with the leader, the younger one would lose all confidence and quiet down.

"I um...I tried to, many times I swear, usually something would come up and remember when she said that thing about the idol? I couldn't just take a risk, not after she told me she really really liked me, and I tried telling her three days ago too, but she was so busy with what she called a new venture and in the car ride today she told me it's with Ateez!" He argued, whining as he sat on a bar stool, laying his head on the marble countertop, feeling the cool sensation against his warm, buzzing forehead.

"So, what will you do now?"

"I don't know...I do like her-"

"Then tell her- no, you should have told her from the start." he sighed, staring at the steam slowly begin to seep out of the spout of the kettle.

HongJoong was about to respond but the loud noises from outside caused Seonghwa to sigh and motion for him to go check it out.

Stepping into the sitting area he saw Jongho on the ground, curled up in a ball wincing every time he got smacked with a cushion, thrown by none other than Y/N.

"What's going on?" he asked only to meet the glare of his girlfriend who ignore him and sit back down frowning.

Yeosang just patted his shoulder and muttered, "Jongho may have crossed a boundary. Also, we'll be in our rooms, call us when...everything okay...or at least when the tea is ready."

With that the others followed him out, Yunho dragging a whining Jongho by the ankle. If HongJoong wasn't scared of his relationship, he would've laughed at the sight. The room was filled with awkward tension, a million questions running through his mind, followed by the scenarios he assumed would play out. He was the leader, he was supposed to be good at communication, but to some extent that skill did not cross over to his personal life, restricted to only their professional industry.

So he stood there staring at the floor, hands by his side, wondering how to approach this, without hurting her or at least by not worsening the situation. Glancing at him she realised he must be off to his usual internal battle, that's the first she had noticed about him. However, he would just freeze in place, vividly having an internal monologue with himself, turning it into a debate.

"I'm sorry, we're closed for the night," she said as she twisted the key to lock the glass door, her eyes meeting with dull orbs. She could see the electric blue hair peaking from under a beanie, college students were weird these days. No, their parents were, her parents never even let her dye her hair to a lighter shade, let alone bleach it.

"I" Pulling out the key she turned to him completely, waiting for him to continue his statement. Only then did she take in his appearance, bigger than her, but smaller than the usual students who drop by, dressed in all black, covered with a giant black coat, the academic look of defeat completed by the backpack slinging off his shoulder.

Hongjoong had gone through possibly the worst day of his life. He had gotten up to the sound of the members fighting in the kitchen, which was very rare, especially if it was San arguing with someone, said someone being Yeosang. He knew the boy was patient, but under the immense pressure of the comeback, everyone was slowly cracking and it could only take so much for Yeosang to do as well. He would constantly remind the members that the boy has his limit too, and pushing him to it would be bad because while the quiet one was extremely understanding, his tongue was sharp enough to slice any man, woman or child in half. And that had happened,

"Hyung why not?" San had argued, about something extremely stupid.

"because I don't want to, just because you guys yell doesn't mean I'll always listen," he mumbled back scrolling through his phone.

"It's one backflip! Do you think I won't be able to catch you, you're already so small and-" his words were cut short as Yeosang slammed his phone on the counter and glared at San, "Small? I'm not small you giant man child, I am not a toy for you to toss around, go bother someone else."

"Yeosang..."Seonghwa sighed, noticing the frown present on San's face, he knew the younger one wouldn't answer back, just bottle it up.

"What? What Yeosang? I am sick and tired of this nonsense, everyone has a limit!" uncharacteristic volume of his voice startled everyone, the younger ones staring at their breakfast as he looked directly at Seonghwa, "You can't start a fight or throw an insult and expect me to always shut up and take it!"

"That's enough..." Yunho mumbled, placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly as he noticed his lower lip trembling, "No!" he slapped his hand away, "You all say whatever you want! And I just have to listen to it?! Why?"

"Hyung we aren't against you-" Jongho was about to continue but stopped when he met the icy gaze of Seongha- shit.

"You're not the only one here Yeosang." his words were sharp, with no warmth to them, "You don't want to do something- fine. But we're all under some kind of stress." he hissed, earning a scoff from the younger one, made the others gasp in fear. No one, not even HongJoong had scoffed let alone responded to Seonghwa when he was angry.

"You got a problem, Kang? You take it up like a man." the screeching of his chair echoed across the kitchen as he stood up with a force that scared Yunho enough to come in between their glare, begging the older with his gaze, "H-hyung come on, this isn't us. We're all just a little worked up." he looked at Wooyoung who for once looked scared as hell, "Y-yeah, let's all just apologise to each other." he aided his older friend and gulped when San shook his head staring it at his lap, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Oh look, big baby can start shit but not apologise?" Yeosang was practically shaking in anger at this point, he knew he was being rude, hurting San, and disrespecting Seonghwa, but if he was hurting then so would everyone else.

"What did you say?" Seonghwa shoved Yunho aside only to stop as his gaze locked with someone outside the kitchen. He let out a sigh before sitting back down, glancing at Yunho who looked at him with fearful eyes, slowly nodding at him. It was when Yunho sat down that others including, San looked up and Yeosang to craned his neck to look back and saw their captain. His giant glasses were at the tip of his nose, magnifying the dark circles under his tired, puffy eyes. He looked more tired than the rest of them, hw also looked more disappointed and upset than the rest of them.

Entering the kitchen he looked at the mess before shaking his head, going over to the counter to get himself some coffee, waiting for them to feel his presence. That's what he'd always do, just sit there or stand there stand in silence observing them. Two reasons; firstly he wanted them to realise their mistakes and secondly, he needed time to form words that were supposed to diffuse the situation.

"So, I guess I overslept through this," he said, back leaning against the counter, holding the warm mug of coffee in his hand as he stared at them. "I'd ask who started it, but I don't care, tell me, who wants to end it."

"I'm not going to, it's not even my fault," Yeosang muttered playing with a fork.

His eyes moved to San who looked at him before lowering his gaze and shaking his head.

He let out a sigh before downing his coffee in one go, placing the mug on the counter, "Fine. I'll go first." he said staring at them, "I'm sorry you guys have to work so hard to achieve your dreams."

"Hyung..." San mumbled but was cut off by HongJoong, "I'm sorry you all are so stressed and worked up, I wish I could take that from you all, but I can't no matter how hard I try. But if there's one thing I'm not sorry for, it's your crappy attitude, and I don't remember ever encouraging that we come at one another in the hardest of times."

Mingi looked at HongJoong, knowing how he was one of the people here who had to face the heat from all ends, someone who would cover for them blindly, no questions asked. So it is natural for him to be disappointed in this situation, given it involves the two people who fight the least.

Everyone thought San would be the first to apologise, but when Yeosang spoke up, even HongJoong was surprised, "I'm sorry...San, I shouldn't have lost my temper, but I'm not doing a back flip." he said looking at the boy who as staring at his lap before turning to the eldest and taking a deep breath, "Hyung, I'm so-"

"It's fine" Seonghwa cut him off, "Just...be careful next time, ya know." he gave him a small smile before everyone looked at San who sniffed.

"San? Do you have something you wanna say to Yeosang?" HongJoong asked, really in no mood for this to continue.

He was about to ask again before a choked sob left the big boy, causing them all to sigh in defeat, they knew once he'd reached the point of anger he'd just break down and cry himself to sleep. Usually, they'd let him, but HongJoong wanted him to apologise to Yeosang, so it would be fair.

He called out for the boy again but stopped when Yeosang got up, presuming he was going to leave, but once he walked over to the boy, a small smile made its way to HongJoong's face.

Sighing Yeosang patted the younger one's head, mumbling, "I forgive you...and you aren't a man child...though you are annoying sometimes." the younger one pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, whining out apologies into his shoulder, Yeosang wheezing out its okay, please don't crush me to death.

After that, HongJoong told them to take the day off and that he handle the manager himself. With only a mug of coffee in his system, he had gone to the studio, explained and begged the manager to let the rest take a day off, and in return, he would work on their album in the studio. To his luck, he was allowed to do so.

Unfortunately, he had started working at around, 10 am and by the time he felt that his body was demanding proper food and rest, he had realised that it was past midnight. Hence he had run out of the building to look for anything to eat, to kill his hunger and the banger headache that ran around, screaming in his skull.

He had recently been told by Bang Chan about a new cafe, where the owner was relatively young but paid no mind to celebrities or anyone else, just asked them to have a good time and the coffee was a blessing itself. This is why when he finally made it to the shop, lady luck was once again not on his side.

She was closing up and although he wanted her to listen, he had no real words or energy left to ask - beg- her to open the shop again, just for him, just this once.

"We open at 9 am, you can come by then." she gave the kid a tight-lipped smile, noticing how he never continued his statement or moved.

She had no plans on entertaining a brooding college student at this hour, hence, she was almost ten steps away when she heard a low but very loud growl. Slowly turning around to lock eyes with him, he quickly bowed embarrassed as hell, standing up straight to leave but his stomach was quicker than him.

A stiff giggle escaped her lips as she looked at the embarrassment behind his eyes, the rest of his face was covered by a mask but she could tell by the reddening of his ears that he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

"Alright, here's tart and here's your coffee, now," she frowned at him with her hands on her hips "This is not a healthy meal, young man, nor do I open up for students in the middle of the night. So, eat up and go home, and don't tell your college-" she paused when he took off his mask, and beanie, eating, no swallowing down the food, "Highschool? Either way, high schoolers shouldn't be out t this hour." she continued to berate him, no more concerned about him being a customer but him as a child. She remembered her cousin pulling shit like this, staying up late at night and for her to help him with his homework before class.

"And which school allows you to dye your hair-"

"I'm 24 years old by the way."

"It's unreasonable- I- sorry what?"

It was then that the two learnt something about each other. He was older than he looked and she loved to nag. Neither found it a problem after a week of him showing up at this hour- which was reserved only for him.

Hence, much like that night she saw him staring at her, well actually he was in thought. It didn't take long for her to figure out that it would usually be her who would address the elephant in the room, him being more of an introvert. Lucky for her, her ambivert personality made it easy for her to deal with just about anyone.

Patting the place beside her she looked at him with pleading eyes. "Wanna...talk?" she muttered, although still a bit upset.

Sighing in defeat he went and sat next to her, placing his hand on hers, unlike how they made fun of him for being small, he was always glad to know that she was smaller, her hands were a good size smaller than his, which is why he loved holding them.

"I know...I should've told you." he sighed glancing at her, only to find her staring at him with full force. That was another thing about her that he had to learn the hard way. The days when he decided to ditch her when she had shown her displeasure towards idols and dating such.

He had td Seonghwa, who had suggested perhaps telling her, to which he argued with the "She's too headstrong- it's like...convincing Jongho to lose a game so Yunho doesn't feel bad."

So, naturally, he had decided to not go there anymore, or at least tried to. For three months he had been a regular 1 am customer - no- a friend, a potential lover, he says potential because he could see the way her cheeks would be dusted with pink when he'd compliment her baking, or how she'd avert her gaze every time they'd lock eyes for longer than 5 seconds. He was ready to dive in and tell her about his job, himself, and his dreams.

That is until she told him how she was not into pop culture, her cousin being in some idol group was hectic for everyone and stressful, she had seen the elders in her family stress over him. She wasn't into the fandom wars too, music should be enjoyed, not be fought over.

"So, like...no band or group?" he asked taking a sip of her new variation of the coffee of the day- reserved just for him.

"Well, I used to be obsessed with EXO and...for some time with VIXX but, that's about it."

"You don't even know which group your cousin is in."

"Nope, don't care, punk owes me a decent birthday gift though."

Swallowing the lump in his throat he smiled at her comment, no longer interested in telling her about anything. To him, she was a peaceful, pure, pretty little girl, if she was truly happy not knowing things like these, then there was no way he was going to drag her into it all.

That's why he had decided to not go there anymore. Even when Bang Chan had texted him, asking if he liked the place, he said it was 'okay'. Truth be told it had been a week since he had met up with her, let alone call her- he had been ignoring her texts too. It had been going weirdly okay, it had been a week, no other member but Seonghwa knew about his secret friend- ex-friend and much to his surprise the older hadn't pushed him into meeting up with her again.

He wasn't going to go to her, yet, he stood in front of her cafe, staring at the dim light that was on, it was 00.58 am. Two more minutes and he'd step into the cafe- why? Simple.

For once he was free before midnight, for once he was going to go to sleep before midnight. Flopping face down on the pillow, he was almost gone to meet the sandman when his phone buzzed. Assuming it was the manager he squinted at the bright screen:

☕: Hi, I just wanted to apologise if I've said or done something to upset you. I know you aren't responding to me, which is fine, but I need to know if I should move on and forget our friendship. Tonight's the last night the cafe will remain open till 1 am.

(00.15)

That's all it took for him to go rushing towards her, no way in hell did he ever want her to think this was her fault, let alone apologise for something she didn't even do. It's not like she knew he was an idol, nor did she ask before they developed feelings for one another.

01.00 am

Taking a deep breath he walked into the cafe, closed the door behind him, and went to the table at the corner, nearest to the counter, where he saw a cup of coffee and a new pastry on a pretty plate.

Sighing he looked around before sitting down, waiting for her to come before beginning to eat, like he usually would. And just like usual the door kitchen doors opened and she came out with an empty tray, frowning. This was the first he had seen her frown, the first time he had seen a small crease between her eyebrows and a small pout replacing her usual smile.

Did she not want to see him today-

"Oh, you're here?"

Never mind, she just didn't see him sitting there.

Wordlessly nodding he gestured for her to sit down, he was going to do it tonight. Tell her the truth, so the ball would be in her court. He had enough happening on this side of the field to be dealing with this too. He liked her, he really did, he enjoyed knowing someone who was disconnected from his bustling world of stardom. One could also say he was truly inspired and somewhat intimidated by her straightforward personality and way of life. He'd usually ponder for hours before saying anything to anyone, she'd take 2 minutes, not that she was brash, but she was honest. There were many things she'd do that would remind him of Jongho and it somewhat scared him.

But he was ready this time, he was going to do the same thing she would always do, tell the truth.

Glancing up from his now empty mug to meet her burning gaze. He flinched and tried to pass a cheesy, heart-stopping smile, but he got nothing in return. Weird, fans would usually love it.

"Are we friends or not?"

No, they were not friends, he didn't want to be just friends with her.

"No."

She looked at him for a second, taking in his small rejection. She'd be lying if she didn't feel sick to the core, for almost a week she was waiting to see him. So desperate, she wasn't even sure if it was platonic anymore, but that made it worse. Never had she felt the urge to be around someone, that too with someone who barely spoke, often did the listening and then just ghosted her.

Taking in a deep breath she slowly nodded, feeling the dejected atmosphere settle around her. Perhaps she wouldn't even open the shop tomorrow-

"I want to be more."

His words echoed across the empty shop, only then did she realise he had moved right in front of her. Pulling her up to stand, cold hands cupping her warm face as he looked at her with love wrapped with guilt.

He didn't know why he had blurted out either of the things he had just said, but all he knows is as soon as he saw the defeated look in her eyes, he decided to not tell her about being an idol- perhaps it was him being selfish, wanting to experience the love that was not bound to his career, or maybe he pitied her, for falling for someone who had been lying to her, or maybe, just maybe, he had realised that it would have become difficult for him to pull through without her, especially when he had shown up as soon as the message of parting was delivered.

"I'm sorry." he whispered turning, "But, please try to understand, when you said...the idol thing, I did try to pull away but." Moving closer she continued to look at him with eagerness, wanting him to continue, she knew it was better for him to let it out of his system.

"But?"

"But, I couldn't" and just like that it was like they were sitting there at the cafe. Back to that very night at post 1 am, staring at each other, him confessing to her as if his life depended on it. Alone, together. He cupped her face again, just like that day, licking his lips as he glanced at hers, never understanding why he thought kissing her was better than using words to express himself.

If Wooyoung would even get a whiff of this then he'd never let it die, demanding something stupid like "Kiss me to convince me Hyung."

"Will you keep staring or say something?"

Snorting at her words, a surge of confidence ran through him, as he raised an eyebrow, "Impatient aren't we?" Squishing her cheeks he pecked her pouting lips, "I was scared you'd leave me. I...was...a bit selfish I guess". Smiling at her glare he repeated the gesture, short and sweet pecks, using them to punctuate each statement;

"And I am truly sorry for it."

"I know you're mad at me, and you have every right to be."

"I just didn't know what to do anymore."

"I did want to tell you, each day, but each day I felt my fears grow worse."

"What if we broke up?"

"What if you begin to hate me?"

"I couldn't... I didn't want to risk it."

"For that I am sorry. But I will never be sorry for falling in love with you."

With one last peck, he pulled away, all confidence deflated as he sat back up, staring at his lap again. Two things were bothering him now,

a)would she forgive him?

b)is Jongho his ideal type?

"You...love me?" she whispered touching her lips that were still warm from his antics as she stared at the wall in front of them. Her face flushed at this thought, covering her face with her hands as she let out a muffled giggle before quickly turning to meet his confused stare.

"You do? Really?" she asked holding his hand in hers, shaking him a bit as he chuckled nervously, "Not how I wanted to confess, but yeah- do you?" he asked, trying to read her positive expressions over and over so he could calm down his insecurities and fears.

"To the moon and back."

His ears perked up at that mumble confession, eyes widening at the sight of her shying away after saying that out loud. But he pulled her back, arms wrapping around her frame like a rope as he pulled her closer, slowly resting his forehead on hers, glancing at her glossy eyes then lips back to her shy and pure eyes, then closed his own, relishing in the feeling of pure bliss of being this close to her, body and soul.

"EW HYUNG GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The two flew miles away, at the opposing ends of the couch. Faces flushed, both eying the floor like it was the prettiest thing in the world. Neither spoke a word and Jongho stomped inside the room and sat between the two. If she wasn't embarrassed about being caught by him, she would've smacked him on the head. She was the same age as HongJoong but she was older than this idiot. On the other hand, HongJoong still couldn't get over this giddy feeling of her reciprocating his feelings, his fingers were digging into his pants as he smiled to himself like an idiot.

"Glad to see everyone's happy." they turned to the door frame where Seongjwa came in with a tray, tea and cups atop. Thebothers followed in as Wooyoung winked at HongJoong who rolled his eyes and leaned forward to look at Y/N who was still staring at the floor before, a blushing mess before she turned to Jongho and poked his side earning a squeak from him, "Move."

"But!"

"👀" he stopped when he noticed how almost everyone was side-eying him, causing him to whine and get up. As her cousin was out of view, her eyes locked with a smiling HongJoong- he looked a bit too happy, leading her confidence to falter as she cleared her throat and turned to face the rest.

"Here." Yeosang smiled at her, handing her a cup, "I'm glad you aren't a turtle."

She took the cup with a thank you before raising an eyebrow, mumbling a 'what'?

"He thought hyung would bring a turtle," San interjected from across the room as he picked up two pastries, much to Yunho's displeasure.

"But we're glad you aren't a turtle" Wooyoung chimed, winking at HongJoong, "But shall we discuss PDA rules, so Hyung can keep his hands to himself and so Jongho doesn't lose his mind?"

Before the older could react her laughter interrupted them, she covered her mouth trying to contain herself as she shook her head, turning to smile at HongJoong, with a knowing smile, resulting in him giving her a pleading look and shaking his head.

"He's BLUSHING"

"AWW HYUNG YOU'RE ALL RED"

"DOES THIS COUNT AS PDA TOO?"

She laughed along to their teasing, glancing at HongJoong who grew redder with each comment, this was his world, his safe place, and he trusted her enough to bring her here.

While they continued to make fun of him amongst each other, they didn't notice her moving closer to him. She placed a hand on top of his, only for him to flip it, so her palm was facing him, locking their fingers together. This was the only form of PDA everyone should have been worried about because as simple of a gesture it was, it was the most intimate thing they'd do.

"Why do I feel like this wasn't a good idea?" he whispered to her, earning a chuckle, "It's okay, 1 am coffees are still reserved only for you." she smiled back at him, before turning to see how they had moved onto teasing Jongho who was hiding behind Seonghwa as his savior.

"Thank you," he muttered out of nowhere, unsure of what he was thanking her for, but the squeeze of his hand made him sigh in relief, leaning back and watching it all unfold, liking how everything had turned out better than he had expected it to be.

"Y/N save me!" Jonghoncalled out to her as she got up from her place, HongJoong having an amused smile plastered on his face, knowing her intentions.

Jongho looked up at her with expectant eyes, everyone else stopping their ministrations at once, only for Mingi to burst out laughing as she stopped by the coffee table, grabbed a tart and went back to sit next to HongJoong, "Once, this is over, how about I show everyone Jongho's baby pictures."

"Y/N NO!"

"YES PLEASE!" They all yelled, getting worked up and messing with the maknae. HongJoong patting her back, too giddy and relaxed to let anything bother him at this point, at least for the night.

A/N: Okay, so I hope ya'll like it. Ateez will be the death of me, I'm sorry. I can not. If you like my work, I'd be glad if you want to join my Ateez taglist.

[lunarsun12]

Mama Seonghwa Down

Masterlist

It was 10am, Yeosang was getting ready and went to the kitchen to make food. Until he found seonghwa unconscious on the floor, with a spatula in his hand and wearing an apron. Yeosang when he saw Seonghwa called the Ambulance. As well an angry Hongjong…no one hurts his Hwa.

Who is the culprit?

Back At Ateez Chat

Today 19:00

Hongjong🏴‍☠️: Kids!! Own up who put your Eomma in hospital!

Yunho🐶: It wasn’t me, Mingi and Yeosang. We will never do these type of stuff!!

Jongho🍎: Excuse me? What about me?

Yunho🐶: I stand by what I said

Hongjong🏴‍☠️: I swear Wooyoung. If you sent your Eomma to hospital by making San going hulk mode. I’m disowning you!!

Wooyoung🐈‍⬛: San isn’t here…? He is on a sleepover with Younghoon Hyung

Wooyoung🐈‍⬛: Plussss i didn’t put the oldie in hospital! It is low even for me!!

Hongjong🏴‍☠️: Welll? Wait Mingi did you accidentally knocked him out. As he thought he was the mafia?

Mingi🦄: No! I don’t use violence unlike Jongho. I just ran away!!

Yeosang🍗: I just found him unconscious this morning. Whilst holding a spatula in his hand

Yeosang🍗: It got to be Jongho or Wooyoung. They wake up the earliest out of all us

Hongjong🏴‍☠️: Whatever pranks! You kids are playing. It isn’t funny!! You all better confess before I take all you into my room. For a ‘special’ talk

Yunho🐶: Not that! Jongho own up!!

Jongho🍎: For the last time! It is not me!!

Yeosang🍗: Who else in this household? Have the capacity to knock over a grown adult

Mingi🦄: You even sent hitmans!! After Appa!! It gotta be you!!

Jongho🍎: I NEVER SENT HITMANS! IT WAS MEANT TO SCARE EOMMA BUT SOMEONE GOT THE WRONG MESSAGE SENT HIS FANS TO THE WRONG PERSON!!

Jongho🍎: Wooyoung and San! How dare you double cross me!! I have to sit and listen to Eomma lecturing about controlling my anger!!

Yunho🐶: Don’t blame them!! For once it is not their fault….can’t believe I am saying this

Yeosang🍗: Yunho has a point. Wooyoung has been tolerable ever since San is gone

Wooyoung🐈‍⬛: Jongho stop making things up! You asked and we delivered. Should have kept anger inside…

There was smash from the kitchen, as well with a big yell saying it is not fair.

Mingi🦄: Wait a second? Jongho has tears…?

Yunho🐶: That not tears Mingi…Jongho is mad. Wooyoung stop teasing him. I will sort him out

Few hours later…

San🗻: WHO MADE MY BABY BEAR CRY!!

Wooyoung🐈‍⬛: San…I am not baby bear…

San🗻: Why did I get a very upset call from Jongho. Saying he is getting bullied by you all?

Yunho🐶: We didn’t bully! He is the obvious culprit!!

San🗻: Locking him in the bathroom, until he confesses…?

Mingi🦄: Yeosang! I told you don’t be so extreme!

Yeosang🍗: It’s the only way! To get him to spill!

Wooyoung🐈‍⬛: Yah! Since when you got buddy with Jongho!! You supposed to my bestie!!

San🗻: What kind of bestie, who stole my turtle and released it. Letting Yunho take the blame (See San Missing Turtle In Masterlist)

Wooyoung🐈‍⬛: How did you find out…? Hang on a second! THAT JONGHO!!!

San🗻: Sorry, Wooyoung you have been demoted to my third favourite…

Yunho🐶: It was Wooyoung….i genuinely thought Yeosang lost it…

Yeosang🍗: Jongho is stubborn. He refused to admit he did it…

San🗻: If I get anymore phone calls from Jongho of him being upset. I will be berry berry angry

Hongjong🏴‍☠️: Kids? Seems Jongho is the culprit again….

Seonghwa🌸: No it is not the kids! You owe me an apology!

Yunho🐶: Appa? No this tiny guy can knock Eomma down

Hongjong🏴‍☠️: I’m not short!! Seonghwa, I didn’t do anything

Seonghwa🌸: I may have blacked out! But my memory in tack! You were half asleep and thought I was a thief and immediately punched me in the stomach

Hongjong🏴‍☠️: Ohhhh that was you! Sorry my bad!

Yeosang🍗: I told you all! It wasn’t Jongho heh heh

Mingi🦄: You, locked jongho until he confess! I feel so bad

Jongho🍎: I told you all!! You all started to gang up on me! Only San and Mingi were on my side!!

Yunho🐶: Mingi? You said, you believe us!

Mingi🦄: I don’t want to end up like Jongho

Wooyoung🐈‍⬛: Jongho sleep with eye open now..

[yang2sfishkeeper]

ateez as vampires (maknae line)

side note: you can find the hyung line ver here (again, i preface that this is not the sexy kind of vampire. these are loser vampires.)

San:

I am aware of his status as ‘most-likely-to-be-sexy-supernatural’, but something about him screams average suburban vampire. Your local blood sucking ghoul. I can see him smiling and accidentally scaring a child because he showed his fangs. Putting his blood bags into a yeti cup so he can take it to his favourite spot at the park. Learning how to cook to give his friends nice meals. That being said I can see him using his powers to play pranks on people, like stealing the toilet paper in a train station stall; or tying people’s shoelaces together.

Wooyoung:

Idiot stupid dummy vampire. Smudged eyeliner and oversized leather jacket, and probably tells people openly that he is a vampire. I feel like he’d give his pals piercings by biting on their ear, and charge them $5 for it. Gotta make a living somehow. When you watch twilight with him, he thinks its cool to point out every inaccuracy, as though you care at all. Goes to the club and follows creepy men home to drink their blood; and then walks out on the street with blood on his face like ‘happy Halloween!’ Baby it’s march 

Mingi:

Probably scared that he will scare anyone for any reason at any time. Looks like he would strangle a baby if it tried to look at him, but in reality he has a collection of dried pressed flowers in a book. Super gentle but suck with the face of a warlord with a kill count in the six digits. Whimsical and inviting in nature. Writes poetry about the human condition and is too embarrassed to publish it anywhere. 

Jongho:

Out of all the ateez members, I’d say that Jongho is the most vampire-like normally; he dresses like one, and has that thousand yard-stare. Cue the scene in the show where he’s like “i’m a thousand years old”, and the girl is like but you look so young! It’s because he moisturises, babe. Has seen so much shit in his day to day life that he retains an unmovable sense of nonchalance. You could set him on fire and he would be like oh the third time this week get the fire extinguisher will you. 

[ao3feed-ateez]

I'll be with you (with you with you with you)

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/yK4g3AZ by Choi_Soobin_Enthusiast Six years of keeping his, and Yeosangs by extension, biggest secret hidden comes crashing down over dinner with his favourite hyung. How is Wooyoung going to explain his way out of this one? OR In a world where littles are known, Wooyoung and Yeosang have spent six long years hiding and repressing their true classifications in order to live independently after running from an abusive home. That is until Wooyoung slips in front of Kim Hongjoong, his doting coworker. Words: 559, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: ATEEZ (Band) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Kim Hongjoong, Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Kang Yeosang, Park Seonghwa, Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Choi San (ATEEZ), Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ), Choi Jongho (ATEEZ) Relationships: Kim Hongjoong & Jung Wooyoung, Kim Hongjoong & Kang Yeosang, Park Seonghwa & Jung Wooyoung, Park Seonghwa & Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong & Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa Additional Tags: Mentioned Choi Yeonjun, Mentioned Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Mentioned Seo Changbin, Mentioned Stray Kids Ensemble, Mentioned TOMORROW X TOGETHER Ensemble, Age Play Caregiver Kim Hongjoong, Age Play Caregiver Park Seonghwa, Age Play Little Kang Yeosang, Age Play Little Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Age Play Little Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Age Play Little Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Age Regression/De-Aging, Non-Sexual Age Play, Littles Are Known, Biological littles, Biological caregivers, Biological neutrals, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, alternate universe - littles are known, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Classifications, Baby Kang Yeosang, Toddler Jung Wooyoung read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/yK4g3AZ

[marknee]

about me.

some facts about me!

why is my username marknee?

my user is a play on words, and partially a running joke in my life. the first portion of my name sounds like ‘knee’ (ni), so i combined that word with one of my biases, mark lee - whose last name rhymes with said word. thus, i merged my own name (of sorts) and mark lee’s together and you get: marknee (mark-nee) or also seen as (mark-knee [ni]) or (mar[k]-nee).

who are my biases?

BTS. namjoon biased, yoongi bias wrecker. (re: hyung line enthusiast to my core.)

SEVENTEEN. scoups biased, jeonghan and seungkwan bias wrecker.

ATEEZ. hongjoong and mingi biased, seonghwa and jongho bias wrecker.

P1HARMONY. soul biased (he is my son), keeho and jiung bias wrecker.

what groups do i listen to?

honestly, i will listen to any group, any song, any genre if i vibe with the music. my main playlist is about 48hrs long! i listen to red velvet a lot though. their whole discography is worth dying for - especially their b-sides. but i love love love nct’s music too. and shinee. and every sm group ever.

when did i get into kpop?

unbeknownst to me, i actually started listening to kpop in 2016! my first song was boombayah by blackpink, and i just remember absolutely loving it. but i officially got into kpop mid-2017! best decision ever.

other:

my favourite songs of all time are: don’t by eaeon ft. rm, same dream, same mind, same night by seventeen, restless by bibi, everythingoes by rm, and guerrilla by ateez

i used to be dog person, until i had quite a traumatic experience with one, so now i prefer cats

my hobbies are photography, reading and finding new songs

my left and right pinkie are the only fingers on my hands coated in nail polish. this is for the polished man campaign to raise awareness for violence against women and children. i’ll link the website here if you’d like more info!

i describe myself as a private person. i like my own space and company and i’m not ashamed of it :)

i am currently reading almond by won-pyung sohn

i don’t like loud or sudden noises

i have a strange obsession with pirates - or really any kind of mythical folklore

i’ve recently started loving purple, green and brown

i’m not a shy person, but i’m quite hard to crack (i’m like an onion, i have layers to me hahaha)

i actually started the shakespeare series as a joke. the whole idea of it made me laugh, so i decided to give it a go

i cry easily, especially at certain films and songs

you’ve reached the end.

© marknee 2023. all copyrights reserved.

[makeitmingi]

The Greatest Gift Of All

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Fluff

Pairing: Seonghwa x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Reader, Boyfriend!Seonghwa and other Ateez members. 

Summary: When you just wanted a small intimate birthday celebration with all the boys, of course your boyfriend has a few tricks up his sleeve to make it more special. But what he doesn’t know is that he is the greatest gift you could have ever asked for. 

Word count: 3.6K

“Happy birthday!” The boys all wished as you entered the dorm shared by Seonghwa, San and Mingi. They had all decorated the living room and put out loads of food. 

“Aww, thank you guys. I really love it.” You smiled, grateful for all their efforts. When your boyfriend had asked you what you wanted to do for your birthday, like go to a fancy restaurant or stay at a fancy hotel for a short vacation, you surprised him by requesting to just celebrate your birthday at the dorm with the other Ateez members. 

“Happy birthday, princess.” Wooyoung hugged you, kissing your cheek. San grabbed his collar, yanking him back.

“You’re lucky hyung didn’t see that or he’ll get angry. Again.” San shook his head, lecturing the shorter male. Wooyoung just gave an unbothered shrug, he wasn’t going to be intimidated. 

“You were mine first.” Wooyoung flirted.

“Speaking of... Where is Hwa?” You looked around, not having realised the most important person wasn’t here. 

“Right, let’s sit first.” Yeosang guided you to sit on the couch while you blinked in confusion. What was going on? The sudden silence in the room and serious demeanour of the boys made you worried.

“What happened? Did something happen to Hwa? You guys are scaring me.” You were now panicking, wondering if something happened to your boyfriend and they were not telling you. Hongjoong clicked his tongue, slapping the back of Yeosang’s head. 

“Yeosang ah, you can’t just say that to her, you’ll give her a heart attack.” Hongjoong scolded.

“Sorry.” Yeosang rubbed the back of his neck. 

“So, you know how you have a favourite Seonghwa?” Yunho asked, breaking into a wide grin. You frowned slightly at his question, unsure of what he was asking you. 

“Favourite Seonghwa? What are you talking about?” You asked. Wooyoung dug into your pockets, showing your wallpaper. 

“Oh... you mean, Halazia Seonghwa. I don’t have a favourite Seonghwa, I like all Seonghwas.” You chuckled, feeling your cheeks heat up. 

“Your phone wallpaper, computer wallpaper, contact photo says otherwise. And all the times you randomly bring up how good looking he was in the music video and the performance.” San mentioned.

“Shut it!” You squealed, covering your cheeks. You didn’t think you gushed that much, thinking you’d like to have some sort of cool persona around the boys. But all of them knew about your odd obsession with that one look of your boyfriend during a certain comeback era. You just thought that stylistically, the hair and outfits fit him very well. 

“We’re side tracking. There’s a surprise for you. Close your eyes.” Jongho redirected the chaos back to the main point of the conversation. You did as you were told, closing your eyes. 

“I swear, if you guys bought some lifesize Halazia Seonghwa body pillow, he’s gonna get jealous and kill you guys. Even if it is him.” You pointed out. 

“Like that one year Yunho got you his body pillow?” Mingi asked. 

“Everyone was getting Yunho body pillows that year.” You shrugged. Even Seonghwa got one later on his birthday from Yunho. But Seonghwa made you put yours in the cupboard. 

“You still haven’t told me where Seonghwa is.” You reminded. 

“I’m right here, baby.” Seonghwa’s soothing voice flooded your ears. The smile that came on your face was an involuntary reaction to him. You opened your eyes with the plan to jump into his arms to hug him but you just gasped.

“S-Seonghwa.” You covered your mouth, unable to hide your shock as you took a step back. 

Standing in front of you was Seonghwa, in his Halazia outfit. The exact one that he wore in the music video and was wearing in the picture you had as your wallpaper. He had his black hair styled and make up done the same way, looking like he literally stepped out of the music video. 

“Baby?” He smiled with a tilt of his head. The only difference was the black hair and the fierce expression and persona Seonghwa had in the music video was replaced by his loving smile and soft tone as he spoke to you.

“You broke her, hyung.” Wooyoung stated, stifling a laugh. Maybe he was right, your brain felt like it wasn’t really forming a coherent thought. 

“Baby? Are you alright?” Seonghwa put his hands on your arms as he shook you gently. He let out a nervous chuckle. Maybe for some reason, you didn’t like the surprise.

“I-I need a picture.” You finally recovered, scrambling for your phone. 

“Sure.” He nodded, opening his arm for you to standing with him. 

“No, I need a picture of you...like this... on your own...” You gestured with your hands for him to stay put. Wooyoung handed you your phone that he took earlier. Seonghwa stood there awkwardly, not expecting you to take solo pictures of him. Mingi and Yunho peeked over when you were just standing there with the phone.

“(y/n) just took like 200 photos.” Yunho announced. You slapped his arm for exposing you. San led you forward and Seonghwa tucked you under his arm for Hongjoong to take pictures of the two of you together. 

“Gosh, this is so embarrassing. I’m like a crazy fangirl.” You mumbled. Seonghwa turned to look down at your flustered face.

“Breathe, baby. And fangirls won’t get to do this.” He cupped your face with both hands and gave you a peck.

“Yuck! Get a room!” Jongho yelled. 

“Dream come true, isn’t it, (y/n) ah? It was my idea.” Wooyoung raised his eyebrows proudly. You wanted to curse and thank Wooyoung at the same time for making you feel like this.

“For that, I will forgive to fact that you kissed my girlfriend earlier.” Seonghwa said, glaring at the younger. 

“You like the surprise that much?” Seonghwa’s eyes bore into yours as he stroked your head. You nodded, hiding your embarrassed face in his chest, feeling the fur of his outfit tickle your skin slightly. You couldn’t even meet his eyes. His chest rumble from his laughter.

“Stop teasing me.” You hit him with your clenched fist.

“Alright, alright. Go ahead and eat guys. Thanks for celebrating with us.” Seonghwa said. The moment he said that, it was like unleashing hungry puppies as the boys piled on the food.

“Yeosang, you can’t cut the queue!” Mingi scolded as Yeosang cut in front of him to take a piece of chicken from the tray. 

“Hang on.” Seeing the others distracted, Seonghwa pulled you to his room. He sat on his bed, pulling you into his lap, his arms loosely rest around your waist.

“Aren’t you not going to look at your boyfriend?” Seonghwa continued his teasing, dipping his head down to make you have eye contact with him. You just coughed and looked away.

“You’re adorable, baby. I didn’t think me dressing like this would get you so flustered.” He chuckled. 

“You know this is my favourite era and look...” You mumbled. 

“If I change out of it, will you finally look at me?” Seonghwa rested his head on your shoulder, trying to act cute. You could practically feel his breath against your neck and cheek. A part of you didn’t want this to end, you wanted to continue seeing him like that. But of course, Seonghwa was still your Seonghwa, whether he was dressed up or not.

“One more picture?” You held up a finger like a child. He chuckled and nodded his head, letting you take another picture of him. He surprised you by grabbing your phone, kissing your cheek as he took the selfie. 

“Cute.” He smiled, sending himself the photo. You had a stunned look on your face in the picture. 

After Seonghwa changed into regular clothes, you wrapped your arms around his neck, standing on your tiptoes to kiss him properly.

“As much as I love Halazia Seonghwa, I will always love my Seonghwa the most.” You smiled, giving him another kiss. He squeezed your waist lightly, nuzzling your cheek with his own. 

“Happy birthday, baby.” He wished. The two of you went back out to join the others before t hey could eat all the food. 

“Thank you all for putting this together.” You thanked them again, touched that they would do this for you just because you requested it. But that’s all you wanted, to spend time with them because they were like your family.

“Don’t thank us. Of course we would celebrate your birthday! You’re always doing so much for us.” Hongjoong said. 

Yes, you were Seonghwa’s girlfriend but you also took care of all of them. You visited them often, bringing homecooked food to them since they really couldn’t cook. And you made sure all the fridges in their dorms were stocked with side dishes and snacks. 

“I haven’t done much, really.” You blushed. You stood with Seonghwa at the food table. He pointed at the different dishes as he held the plate for you, asking what you would like to eat. 

“My mum made the marinated crabs and marinated anchovies you like.” He said, putting some on a separate dish for you. 

“I’ll call her later to thank her.” You grinned. 

You had a great relationship with Seonghwa’s family as well. They treated you like their own and his mother was also constantly sending food over to you, reminding Seonghwa to ensure you’re well fed. 

“What Seonghwa hyung do you want for your next birthday?” Wooyoung asked, nudging you.

“I’m so not telling you.” You scoffed. Seonghwa came and sat between you and Wooyoung, being a little possessive since Wooyoung could be touchy with you. It was just in his nature to show physical affection to people that he was comfortable with but Seonghwa knew that Wooyoung did it deliberately to tease him sometimes. 

“Ah, hyung!” Wooyoung whined as he had to scoot backwards.

“I know! You like Bouncy biker Seonghwa hyung with the grills, don’t you?” He snapped his fingers. You didn’t reply him but Wooyoung knew you too well to know he was correct.

“Here.” Seonghwa ignored him, holding a piece of chicken for you to eat. You smiled and leaned forward to take a bite. 

“Make sure you’re eating too, Hwa.” You laughed, turning to talk to Hongjoong. Seonghwa watched you talk to his members, he loved that you all got along.

The day Seonghwa introduced you to them, he was so nervous. But the boys all loved you and were very accepting of you. You instantly clicked with all of them and most of the time, were even part of the chaos.

“The video of Hongjoong reluctantly kissing Hwa’s cheek on that show has gone viral.” You showed the others. Hongjoong facepalmed while Seonghwa let out a sigh.

“Why do you have it saved?!” Yunho laughed. 

“(y/n) is the only person I know who ships her boyfriend with another person. She even has a folder for Matz videos and fan edits.” Yeosang shook his head. 

“Hey, some of those edits are really nice and cute, alright? Especially with that whole mom and dad of Ateez thing. Honestly if I wasn’t dating him, I would be convinced that the two of them are dating for real.” You admitted. The 99 line boys and Jongho all laughed, nodding in agreement. 

“Woosan or Matz?” San asked. 

“Ah, of course, it has to be Woosan!” You answered without hesitation. The boys all adored that you were just as much of an ATINY as you were Park Seonghwa’s girlfriend.

“Yes! That’s the way. Woosan always wins.” Wooyoung clapped and cheered, doing the Woosan handshake with San. 

“Alright, kids, let’s clear up the area before we have some cake.” Seonghwa stood up. You all obeyed, splitting up to do different clean up tasks.

“Not you. You sit, baby. It’s your birthday.” Seonghwa sat you back down. 

“But I can help.” You pouted. He patted your head, leaning over to kiss you temple before going to the kitchen to help the others. The leftover food was neatly packed into containers for the boys to bring back to their dorms. 

“How has university been?” Yunho asked, coming to sit with you when he was done with his task. 

“Now we’re getting close to our examination period so it’s been busy. That means I don’t get to see Hwa as much as I like. Hopefully as we get the end of the year and the holidays come, my workload won’t be too bad.” You winced. You were currently studying in university, getting your Masters degree in pharmacy and public healthcare. 

“That sounds tiring.” He sent you a sympathetic smile.

“Being an idol is tiring too.” You giggled. Seonghwa was very supportive of your education. He always reminded you of how proud he was of you studying hard on your scholarship. 

“That’s true.” Yunho nodded. Seonghwa always wanted you to put your studies first, even before him. He knew how important it was to you. 

“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday, dear (y/n)/ baby~ Happy birthday to you~” The rest of the boys came out singing. Seonghwa carried the cake with the lighted candles.

“Make a wish and blow out the candles, baby.” Seonghwa said. 

“Okay.” You clasped your hands together and closed your eyes. You wished for all the Ateez boys to always have good health and to always be safe. 

However, as you opened your eyes to blow out the candles, Mingi and Wooyoung blew out the candles in a quick puff. You just stared in shock, not expecting them to have done that.

“Yah!” Seonghwa put the cake down and yelled at the two mischievous boys for robbing your chances to blow out the candles. 

“It’s okay, Hwa.” You assured with a giggle. Seonghwa sighed, a little disappointed that the chaotic children messed up the more significant part of any birthday celebration. He handed you the plastic knife, at least you could have the first cut of the cake. 

“Who wants cake?” You asked. The boys all raised their hands excitedly. Seonghwa placed the paper plates and plastic forks down. After you put the first slice of cake on the plate, Seonghwa took over.

“Have the first slice, love. I’ll do the rest.” He said. You nodded, taking the first bite of cake.

“It’s really good.” You melted. With Seonghwa busy serving the other members, you took a small piece and fed it to him. 

“Here, let’s share a bigger slice.” Lastly, Seonghwa put a new bigger slice on your already empty plate. His arm rested on your waist as you shared the slice of cake, alternating between feeding him and yourself. 

When the cake was finished, the boys gave you their gifts and left the dorm, wanting to let you spend some alone time with Seonghwa. San and Mingi offered to stay at the other dorms tonight to give you and Seonghwa privacy but you assured them that it wasn’t necessary. The only plan the two of you had was to cuddle and sleep. 

“Goodnight. Thanks again for tonight.” You bid Mingi and San goodnight.

“Ah, enough with the thanks.” Mingi waved you off. San waddled over and gave you a big bear hug. Mingi joined in, wrapping his arms around you and San, making you laugh.

“Goodnight. Sleep tight.” San smiled softly. You waved before going into Seonghwa’s room. You changed into one of Seonghwa’s shirts and a pair of shorts you left the last time you stayed over. 

“This is from me.” Seonghwa handed you a small wrapped box.

“Hwa, you didn’t need to. Spending time with you and the others was enough and Halazia Seonghwa’s appearance was already an even more amazing present.” You said.

“Ah... Just open it.” He sat beside you, resting his hand on your thigh. You opened the wrapping and recognised the box.

“Seonghwa, this is too much. I can’t accept this.” 

“What are you talking about, silly? You don’t even know what it is yet and you already don’t want to accept it. See what it is.” He laughed. You opened the blue box and saw the rose gold ‘S’ necklace that was encrusted with diamonds. You softened at the sight.

“D-Do you like it?” He asked nervously, worried that it was too tacky or sent the wrong message. When he dragged Hongjoong to the Tiffany store, the captain had mentioned that it might seem a little over the top. 

“I love it. ‘S’ for Seonghwa. Thank you.” You wrapped your arms around him, planting your lips on his. 

“Come. Let me put it on for you.” You lifted your hair as Seonghwa put the necklace around your neck and clasped it in place. 

“You’re mine, okay? And I’m yours.” Seonghwa hugged your waist, putting his chin on your shoulder. You giggled and nodded your head in agreement, you were more than okay with that. 

“Thank you for this, Hwa. But I want you to know that having you with me is the greatest gift of all.” You shyly admitted. Seonghwa showered you in another round of kisses. 

“Sleep first if you’re tired, baby. I’ll go shower real quick. You can open the other gifts tomorrow.” Seonghwa said when he caught you yawning. 

“I’m fine.” You said through another yawn, rubbing your eyes. He chucked and kissed your forehead before leaving the room. 

While waiting for him, you were on your phone, replying to friends and family that were also wishing you a happy brithday. There were some ATINY that wished you happy birthday on social media too. With your free hand, you reached out to take Seonghwa’s famous white bear plush to hug. 

“You were able to celebrate with Seonghwa?” 

“Yes, omonim. I celebrated my birthday with all the boys, they prepared everything. Thank you for sending over the food, I ate a lot and enjoyed it.” You giggled as you spoke to Seonghwa’s mother. 

“That’s good. I hope the boys didn’t do any cooking since they aren’t very good. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Seonghwa told me you have been too busy to eat so I told him to make sure you eat a lot.” 

“Don’t worry, they ordered the rest of the food in. And yes, Seonghwa has been making sure I am well fed.” 

“University has been busy, right?” 

“Yes. There are a lot of assignments and exams to study for. But with Seonghwa by my side, I’ll get through it!” You heard her laugh on the other end. 

“I’m glad my son can be there for you. You work too hard, (y/n). You need to make sure you’re taking care of your health and body too. Sleep enough, eat proper meals.” 

“I will, omonim. Thank you.” Your heart grew warm at her kind words. 

“You should go to bed. Happy birthday again, my beautiful girl.” 

“Goodnight, omonim.” You smiled, even thought she couldn’t see you, and hung up. You scrolled on your phone, pressing the white bear plush to your face as you inhaled Seonghwa’s familiar scent. At some point, you fell asleep with your phone on. Seonghwa crept in, knowing that you would have fallen asleep, he knew you too well.

“Pabo. I told you not to wait up.” He chuckled. He took your phone and closed the app you were watching, putting it on his nightstand to charge. 

When your phone lit up to show the charging status, Seonghwa couldn’t help the snort that escaped him at your wallpaper, which was the fan selfie he took while shooting the Halazia music video.

He was glad he was able to make you happy today just by dressing up. He had never seen you act that way around him before, he thought you were so endearing and adorable when you were flustered and embarrassed. 

After he slid under the covers, he gently removed his bear from your hold. 

“Sorry, buddy.” He put the bear aside and took its place, putting your arm over his body and his own arms around yours. 

“Hyung.” San poked his head in. Seonghwa craned his neck, softly shushing the younger male. San waved the phone that Seonghwa left in the bathroom.

“Just put it over there.” He nodded over to the desk. As San came in to put the phone down, Seonghwa protectively shielded your sleeping form with his own body. He didn’t want anyone seeing you in this state, even his own members. It was for him and him only. 

“Goodnight.” San wished.

“Goodnight.” Seonghwa replied in the softest whisper as San closed the door. At the small noise, your eyes peeked open and you looked up at Seonghwa. 

“Hwa...?” 

“Shh, go back to sleep, baby. I’m here.” Seonghwa stroked the back of your head, hushing you to coax you back to sleep. He used his free hand to adjust the blanket over the both of you before cradling you against his chest. 

“I love you.” You murmured in your sleep. You snuggled into his chest, letting out a relaxed sigh.

“I love you too. More than you know.” He pressed his lips to the top of your head, letting them linger there for a while. 

Like you did with him, your warmth and scent made Seonghwa truly relax. He could spend an eternity watching you sleep in his arms. He brushed the hair away from your face, the soft smile never leaving his own as he saw the necklace sparkling around your neck. 

“Happy birthday, baby.” 

~

Masterlist

[ferrethyun]

"At-eez!" Episode 2

Pairing: Implied!OT8 x 9thMember!Male!Reader

Genre: mostly attempted comedy ft. a lil fluff

Warnings: nothin offensive. maybe the the sheer amount of dialogue- that should be offensive lmao

Word count: 800+ (Yes i know its short- i too am upset my brain couldn't come up with more)

So yeah- this was origianally a hongjoong x reader thing but i cant help myself so its a poly!teez thing now lmao

“Okay, now, Y/n you’re going to go over there to that seat and put on the headphones provided” The lady behind the camera prompted, hand gesturing to the chair that faced away from the group, “You shouldn’t be able to hear anything once you put the headphones on. Once you’re situated, give a thumbs up and we’ll get started with the interview.”

Before the filming for ‘At-eez’ began, the members were informed of a few predetermined filming days. This being one of them; one at a time, a member would separate off from the group and put on some noise-canceling headphones while the other members would be asked questions about that member.

The first member? Y/n.

Chosen by rock-paper-scissors, of course.

With the cameras rolling, Y/n gave a solid thumbs up from his seat and the interview began “Okay! So we’re going to go through some fan questions first. Atiny would like to know: Is there anyone that Y/n didn’t get along with during trainee years?” The question prompted a few hums from the idols in front of the camera as they tried to recall back to their trainee years.

“I don’t think there was ever a time Y/n-Hyung didn’t get along with any of us” Wooyoung spoke up, tilting his head in thought, “He’s always been able to get along with anyone and everyone.”

“He and Wooyoung definitely were the first two to get along though-“ Yunho chimed in, “The two of them were practically two peas in a pod from the beginning.” As the members shared their agreement with the two, a hand was raised at the back of the group.

“While Y/n gets along with all of us-“ Seonghwa began, catching everyone’s attention, “There was this one time where one of us, I can’t remember who, ate the last of his favourite snack and he refused to talk to them for the rest of the week. It was surprising to all of us how he could be so petty but nowadays it makes sense…”

“Ah- It was me that ate the last of his snacks…” Yunho spoke up again, a shy smile now on his face as he rubbed at the back of his neck, “I did apologise then but I’ll apologise again now. I’m sorry for eating the last of your snacks Y/n-ie”

The interviewer let out a small chuckle as she shifted through her cards before settling on one “Another atiny would like to know: Is there anything Y/n does without thinking?” she read out with a curious hum, “Ah they wanted to specify that they mean at the dorms and not in the public eye. A TMI of sorts-“

A hand immediately shot up “One thing he does is sleep in other people's beds without asking” San beamed, a small grin on his face as if he was proud of his answer. Hums of agreement were shared, some members nodding their heads too.

“Oh? If I may ask, who’s bed does he sleep in the most?”

“Definitely Hongjoong-hyungs-“ Wooyoung called out, face telling of what memory he was recalling, “Oh! and Jongho’s-“

“My bed! Y/n-Hyung has his own bed and he ends up choosing mine over it! When I’m in it too!” Jongho cried out in exasperation while cutting off Wooyoung, “He never sleeps in it when I’m not in it either-“

“In all fairness, Y/n-Hyung refuses to sleep alone.” Yeosang added, “It’s not surprising- Especially when you see how often our dear captain indulges him by letting Y/n-Hyung sleep in his bed most nights.”

“I don’t indulge him-“ Hongjoong began with a scoff, stopping when he saw all the member's eyes on him.

“Oh really?” Mingi finally spoke up, “You told me off for being too loud once because Y/n-Hyung was sleeping-“

“Maybe you were being too loud-“ Hongjoong responded with a pout

“I hadn’t even said anything!” Mingi complained, his voice coming out whining, “The look you gave me was so scary too!”

While the members continued to go back and forth between each other over their captain's overindulgence, Y/n continued to sit with his back to the group, blissfully unaware of the chaos that was unfolding behind him. Suddenly, there was a small tap on his shoulder; Y/n turned around to see the interviewer, who then motioned for him to take off his headphones and rejoin the group. Once sat, the interviewer spoke up again “Y/n, is there anything on your mind that you’d like to say to your members?”

“Hmmm… Well- I don’t know what you all discussed but I’m very happy that I’m here with you all and I hope that we get to stay as Ateez for a long time.” Y/n grinned, his head nodding with his words, “Also, Jeong Yunho, I will never forgive you for eating the last of my snacks back when we were trainees."

[eightmakesonebraincell-replies]

DON'T MIND ME REPLYING LITERALLY A WEEK LATER 🙈🙉🙊 the maknae line tropes were some of my favourite to write (me saying that about all the tropes i write) but i think this was the start of my ✨calling✨ to write angsty endings hohohoho

NOT YOU CALLING ME OUT FOR STARTING WITH STRAIGHT SMUT HAHAHA DON'T EXPOSE ME 🫵🤫

but you're right i think hyung line had the same trajectory from smutty to fluffy oop

san

no hello's no how are you's only i want you's 😍🥵

whatever san wants he gets i'm all his haha ha ahahahaa haaaa

NO FR THOUGH SAN IS LITERALLY THE GREENEST GREEN FLAG TO GREEN FLAG EVER ???? istg there's no other way to depict him in my fics he is just green flag periodt

YOU 🤝 ME 🤝 NEEDING A SAN (or just the san) TO EAT OUR MUSHROOMS FOR US

ugh YES the desperation of yearning and longing for each other when they know they won't have a future together 😭 brb gotta go sob in my corner

until you bear the last name of somebody you will still be san's RAHHHH 👹👹👹

JAEHYUN MY MANN MY MANN MY MANNN AFJKDSGH I JUST NEED BOTH MY DIMPLE BOYS IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR

hehehehehehehehehe san was really like i 👏 can 👏 fulfil 👏 all 👏 them 👏 promises 👏

mingi

ahh yes onto mingi the start of my villain arc writing sad endings >:D

YOU'RE SO REAL FOR THAT mingi could literally brEaTHE in my direction and i'd be like 🫨🫨

i am such a sucker for power imbalances but them wanting to eradicate that imbalance uGH

mingi is just a baby boy cmere i'll sing you all the lullabies give you all the forehead kithes you need 🥹🫶

THOSE FOUR LINES ARE QUITE POSSIBLY MY FAVOURITE LINES FROM THIS AU

THE CONTRAST AND BOTH OF YOU WANTING TO LOVE EACH OTHER BUT KNOWING THAT IT'S NOT POSSIBLE IN THIS LIFETIME PLSSS

oooh yes :D things are looking too good :D how can i change things up hmm :D

HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOH 😈

EATING BRICKS IS LESS PAINFUL I AM HOWLING HAHAHAHA IF WE GONNA PUT IN ANGST WE GOTTA MAKE SURE IT ANGSTS WELL AMIRITE :D

it's okay i don't forgive myself either 🫵😭🫰

wooyoung

i love how we hit woo's au and it's just like yup okay what kinda lovely menace is he going to be this time what's the drill HAHAHA

advisor lee be thinking about retirement erry day 😮‍💨🤧

WE IN CAHOOTS INDEED OHOHOH 😏

no i actually love writing atz cameos bc their dynamics are already established and the comic relief they provide? absolute gold

HE JELLY JELLY HUEHUEHUE get yo gurl wooyoung

gotta show off to everybody you're his 🫱

LORD JUST GIVE US ONE CHANCE WITH POSSESSIVE WOOYOUNG WHO WANTS TO HOLD OUR WAIST TIGHT AND KISS US TO SHOW EVERYBODY WE'RE HIS PLS PLS PLS JUST ONE CHANCE PLEASE 🙏

I WOULD DIG MYSELF A HOLE AND NEVER UNEARTH MYSELF IF I WERE CAUGHT MAKING OUT

jongho

best source of comedy is the person lower on the power hierarchy to be absolutely real about the higher person's stupidity

who cares if you're the crown prince or the king you're straight up an idiot 🤨🫵

you're so real for wanting to be a sack of potatoes no thoughts head empty only being manhandled by choi jongho

RIGHT jongho make up your mind are you trying to bully reader or flirt with reader 😤 aND tAKE THE DAMN SPIDER WITH YOU

AHAHAHAH JONGHO'S AU WAS SO FUN TO WRITE SPECIFICALLY FOR ALL THE CRACK SCENES WITH THE SPIDERS

JONGHO STREAKING THROUGH THE CORRIDORS SCREAMING I BELIEVE THIS IS CANON 🤷‍♀️

Y E S i love you for noticing that he's teasing reader and pretending to be nonchalant wHILST LITERALLY BEING THE MOST LOVING unofficial-BOYFIE GIVING THEM THE BIGGER HALF AND WATER

KDJSGHSK I ALWAYS HAVE LIP BALM COME BACK HERE WITH YOUR CHAPPED LIPS CHOI JONGHO 😍

oh. I OVERUSE THIS SO MUCH FOR THAT LIGHTBULB MOMENT IN THEIR HEADS BUT I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH HAHAH oh. 🫨

GET YOUR OWN LIPBALM AHAHAHHAHA that's true he should buy his own damn lipbalm with his bodyguard pay smh

ateez as royals who fall for you (maknae line)

read hyung line here

genre: royalty!ateez x fem!reader, fluff, angst, smut, crack, a brainrot and smutfest of royal tropes

length: 11.3k

c/w: very nsfw scenes - mdni, explicit language (dirty talk, swearing, insults), death, violence, blood & injuries, weapons, heavy & mature themes (sex work, murder, assassination, execution, mentions of misogyny)

a/n: as much as writing royals was tricky, it's kind of 🤢 sad 🤢 to see this au end. that being said nobody ask me for a pt 2 pls i need to recover from the trauma LMAOO and as always, huge thank you to the queen of royal au's herself @sorryimananti-romantic for helping me finish the fic and for teaching me how to make moodboards using something that is *not* word doc :')

san

pov: you're forbidden lovers

“shh,” san hushes you with a teasing curl of his fingers that are buried inside you. “wouldn’t want everyone outside to know what a dirty little slut the princess is, do you?”

his other hand covers your mouth, stifling the breathy moans and desperate whines that escape your lips as you sit in between his legs, naked and pressed back to lean against his chest

there is the sound of water splashing over the edge of the bathtub when san hooks his feet around your inner ankles so that he can spread your legs wider for him

he presses the palm of his hand harshly against your clit and your back arches with a muffled worship of his name

“or maybe you like that,” he teases “you like the idea of people knowing how good i make you feel with my fingers”

san removes his hand from your mouth and lowers it to pinch your nipple, smirking against your neck as you babble incoherently

he coos as he adds yet another finger into you, “imagine that, everyone knows you as the princess who loves being fucked dumb. and by one of her servants, no less” 

all caution is thrown to wind and you drop your head back to lean against his shoulder, mouth lolling open with unrestrained pleads for more, more, faster as he angles his fingers to hit that sweet spot inside of you

“cum, princess” he demands

you grip bruises onto san’s thighs and arms when the pace of his fingers doesn’t relent even after your orgasm has washed over you

his arms tighten around you as his thighs flex to keep you still in his hold

you let out a choked sob from the overstimulation, teetering between pain and pleasure

“give me one more, i know you can do it,” he coaxes

the hand that has been fondling your breasts snakes down to rub your clit

with his fingers knuckle-deep inside of your pussy and his other hand playing relentlessly with your sensitive clit, the scale tips over and your vision blurs as another wave of pleasure hits you, more intense than the first one

“princess?” and then a knock. “are you okay?”

san slowly draws out the remainder of your orgasm with lazy thrusts of his finger into you

you just know he’s enjoying himself when you have to hide the shakiness in your voice to answer back to your maid outside, “everything’s fine. i’ll be done soon”

“soon?” san smirks, lifting you up by the waist to align your folds with his swollen cock. “then we better make this quick”

because you and san do not have the luxury of time, much less the luxury of love

he isn’t just another one of the numerous servants who serve you

he is everything to you despite how taboo it is for a princess and servant to love each other

his insignificance within the palace makes it much easier for him to slip away; for nobody to take notice

but at the same time, his insignificance is the whole reason why you two must be secretive in the first place

you make sure san has safely snuck out of the bathroom before you finally exit the bathtub and stand on unsteady legs

you allow your maids to come in and help you into the elaborate attire you are to wear for the afternoon

your parents have informed you that you are going to have visitors, thus requiring you to look your best

without much time left until the appointed meeting due to your…escapade, you make your way to the great hall, catching a glimpse of san’s dimpled smile from amongst the other body servants and waiting staff in the room

you have only just settled into your seat next to the king and queen when the guard outside the doors announces the arrival of your guests - the monarchs from the neodonian kingdom

schooling your expression to one of neutrality, you watch as they enter

and then you realise it isn’t just the neodonian king and queen who have come to visit

but the prince as well

he is undeniably handsome and pleasing to the eye with his sleekly gelled hair, chiseled features and tall, sturdy build

the young prince catches you looking at him and breaks out into a friendly smile and-

oh

he has dimples too

the king garners everyone’s attention with a clear of his throat, before he welcomes the monarchs

prince jaehyun, you learn his name is

“after much discussion between ourselves and king jeong and queen jeong, we are pleased to announce our desire for closer relations between our kingdoms,” your father starts, booming voice resounding within the hall

you can’t stop yourself from looking over at him as he speaks with purpose, a strange niggling feeling starting to twist your stomach

the tight smile that your mother passes you from your father’s other side does little to settle your nerves

“as such,” the king continues, “we shall look forward to the engagement between my daughter and prince jaehyun”

there is a roaring sound in your ears, as if you have been pushed to stand under a raging waterfall

engagement

the engagement

you

prince jaehyun

the engagement between you and prince jaehyun

it takes everything in your body not to bolt up from your seat

your hands grip the armrests of your seat with a grasp so tight you are certain you will leave a permanent imprint of your agony

instead, you look around frantically for the one person your instincts are screaming for

where is san?

you are afraid to see how much this is going to hurt him

you are desperate to tell him that you had no idea about this

you are aching to press confessions of love and reassurance against his lips

but just like the insignificance of his status, san is nowhere to be seen

over the two years that you and san have been in your secret relationship, he has gained extensive knowledge of which particular tasks allow him a greater chance of seeing you, which corridors reach you the quickest, and which times during your schedule you have a break

never would you have thought he would use this knowledge to avoid you

it continues like that for the weeks following the announcement

you have no choice but to spend time with your future fiance when your father tells you very clearly to “ensure the prince feels at home”

prince jaehyun is warm and you find yourself getting along with him like you two are friends, but that is it - there are no sparks brighter than friendship

when you spend time with him, you cannot help but compare him to san; san would’ve said this, san would’ve done that, san, san, san

jaehyun engages you in conversation, easily filling in the gaps and lulls with little comments here and there, equipped with a charming laugh and deep dimples

but it only reminds you of san’s dimples and crescent eyes when you two would race through corridors, fingers tightly interwoven as you both run away to a secluded area with hushed giggles

jaehyun points out that neither of you like mushrooms during a dinner and helps nudge the servings on both of your plates to one side

the smile as you say “thank you” does not fully grace your lips because you think about san, who boasts that he will eat all the mushrooms in the world so that you never have to lay eyes on one ever again

jaehyun offers a soft yet sturdy hand to help you down the stairs or when he notices you are walking in heels across an uneven surface

your body recalls san’s rough, calloused hands that leave a trail of goosebumps wherever they touch your bare skin as he worships your body all night long

jaehyun is handsome and he is kind, but he is not san

the night before the king officially announces your engagement with prince jaehyun arrives

and still, you have not had a moment alone with san since he disappeared during that first announcement in the great hall

hurt and longing consume you to the very core

some days it is manageable, a concealed yet incessant thought, like a sticker stuck to the sole of your shoe

other days it wraps around your soul completely like a constrictor tightening as it slowly squeezes the life out of its prey

but you know that you cannot be selfish

what you feel, san feels with an intensity multiplied several times

after all, you are not the one who must stand in the shadows as the love of your life becomes engaged to somebody else, powerless to do anything but watch and poison your own smile with lies

you are lying on your bed when a quick, sharp knock sounds on your bedroom doors

you make no move to acknowledge your visitor, having told your maids very clearly you did not want to be disturbed tonight

your last night as yourself before you become prince jaehyun’s fiance

but then the knocks come a little more urgent, a little more frantic, just like your heartbeat does as it starts to speed up in anticipation

you hold your breath as you hurry to pull open the doors-

and there he is

“san-”

he swallows the rest of your words in a desperate kiss, his hands coming up to cradle your jaw as he walks you backwards so that he can step into your room

he tilts your head and slots his lips against yours again while he nudges your door closed with his foot

it isn’t until you let out a whine as his tongue swipes over your bottom lip that he pulls back to finally look at you, both of his thumbs caressing your cheekbones

you grip the front of his linen shirt, afraid that he will disappear as soon as you let go

“san, i- i had no idea, i didn’t agree to any of this”

he shushes you gently, a painful smile adorning his handsome face

“i know. i know, so please don’t cry, love,” he murmurs softly

you don’t even realise the weeks of suppressed emotions have started making their way down your face in salty trails until san uses the back of his fingers to tenderly brush them away

“i’m getting engaged tomorrow, san,” your voice breaks as reality settles in

you are so afraid

you are so lost

above all, you are so in love with san

“i know,” he reassures again, “but until tomorrow, you are still mine”

and so you spend your last night together

time has always been precious; conversations, kisses and touches rushed and with fervour

but tonight, san takes his time with you

he lays on your bed with you cradled on top of him, limbs tangled together as he savours the taste of your lips against his

he turns you onto your back as he slowly undresses you, leaving tattoos of his love each time he bares another part of your body

he pleasures you with his fingers whilst whispering into your ears, creating a harmony with his praises and the melodious moans that leave your lips

and as he brings you both to your highs numerous times throughout the night like an ingrained dance routine, it is accompanied with confessions of i love you

san holds you against his chest under your blankets so tightly that you cannot tell where your body ends and his body starts

before you drift off, safe and protected in his arms, he murmurs against your temple, “no matter what happens tomorrow, no matter what happens in the future, my heart will always be yours”

“as will mine”

you wake up the next morning to an empty bed and an equally empty heart

restless and drowning in a mix of emotions, you pace the empty corridors of the guest bedchambers

which is where jaehyun finds you as he exits his room

he is surprised but is quick to greet you kindly, “good morning, princess. what are you doing here?”

you pause mid-step

what are you doing?

“prince jaehyun,” you let the words come out of you before you can regret them. “can we talk for a moment?”

he nods, entering his room again as he pulls the door open wider for you to follow

jaehyun closes the door and then offers you a seat on his sofa, before pulling up his own chair and settling a respectful distance away from you

“i hope you don’t feel uncomfortable in my room,” he explains, “i thought that we would be less likely to be disturbed in here…considering most people know of our engagement today”

“actually, i wanted to talk to you about that”

“go on,” he encourages you with a dimpled smile

you take a deep breath

“i’m sorry,” you blurt out

and then you are admitting to the prince that he is lovely and charming and caring, but you just don’t see it working out with him

you don’t want to get engaged with him

because your heart already belongs to somebody else

“good”

“i’m so sorry, i should have been honest with you from the start but- wait, what?” you look up from where you have been nervously picking at your cuticles

jaehyun is smiling at you - a genuine smile that you did not know he had

“i’m actually relieved to hear that, princess,” he admits. “because i…also have someone that i love back home”

and for the first time, you and jaehyun truly see each other in the same light

“who is it?” he asks

“his name is san,” and then you add on, “he has dimples just like you do” 

you ask him the same question

you see the way jaehyun’s expression softens with love from just the mere thought of the other

it makes you wonder whether you have the same look on your face when you mention san

jaehyun jokes, “want to be the one who tells your father we’re calling off the engagement? i don’t fancy getting executed today”

but despite what he says, mere hours later, when you are both standing in the great hall before your parents - the kings and queens of both your kingdoms - he is the one to speak up

“your majesty, we have decided to part ways peacefully and would not like to proceed with the engagement. our kingdom will always be your ally, regardless of marital relations or not”

“what?” you see veins starting to appear across the king’s forehead as he tries to maintain his temper, but the queen and the jeong monarchs seem to be taking the news much better

disappointed, perhaps, but understanding

the queen leans closer to remind the king that they had all agreed to this engagement on the terms that the decision would ultimately be yours and jaehyun’s

you suddenly speak up because this may be the only time you have the courage to

“i have one more thing to say,” you declare. “i revoke my noble status and thus declare nullified all the privileges, rules and traditions that come with nobility. i have someone i love and i wish to marry them as myself, not as the kingdom’s princess”

the king roars furiously, “that is enough! leave!” and he slams his hand against the throne’s armrest

shocked and betrayed by your father’s reaction, you rush out of the great hall with tears welling in your eyes

only to run straight into the waiting arms of san

“oh, princess,” he murmurs against the crown of your head as he engulfs you in his embrace

he doesn’t have to say anything for you to realise that he has heard the whole conversation

but you do not care about anything anymore

you are where you want to be, held by who you want to be with

“how are you here?” you sniffle

“jaehyun approached me earlier. i thought i was going to get beat up,” san’s attempt to make you smile is successful

when you lift your head up to look at him, you realise his eyes are wet as well

then you feel his body stiffen as his eyes shift to focus on something behind you

someone

he immediately steps away from you, bowing deeply as he greets the queen

you turn around to see her face adorning an endearing smile

“it’s fine, sannie,” she says, and you are not sure whether you and san are more surprised by the fact that she knows him by name or by the affectionate nickname she has used

“i’ll, uh, leave you two to talk,” he flusters

she thanks him with a teasing remark, “i won’t keep her away from you for very long”

san waits further down the corridor, back turned to give you two a moment of privacy

and then she is stroking your hair affectionately

“i am so proud of you. you’ve grown up so well and you are so brave,” she says

you don’t understand

you ask, “why aren’t you angry?”

“oh, baby,” she fondly runs her fingers through your hair, just like she used to when you were younger. “before my duties as the queen to my people, i am the mother to my daughter. i love you and all i want is for you to be happy”

your lips tremble with emotion as your mother pulls you into a hug

“does sannie make you happy, dear?”

you nod, “the happiest”

“then that is all i want. now go,” she takes a hold of your shoulders and gently turns you in the direction of san. “i’ll talk to your father”

with one last encouraging squeeze, you race down the corridor towards san

he hears your footsteps and has already turned around with open arms waiting to catch you

you hear him let out an oomph! with how hard you throw yourself into him, but he is then swaying your bodies side to side

san pulls back slightly with an incredulous look. “does this mean we can be together? together together?” 

“i goddamn hope so because i gave up my princess privileges for you. no more carriages, no more assorted sweet delicacies, no more daily massages-” you fold down your fingers as you continue listing things off

he cuts you off with a tickle to your sides as he says, “that’s easy to sort out”

“first, you’ll still be my princess,” he unfurls one of your fingers so it stands upright again

“second, i’ll carry you myself so that you never need to use your feet again,” he unfurls another finger

“i’ll give you a treat whenever you want,” he kisses your lips, nibbling on your bottom lip with a teasing tug

“and, dear princess,” he pulls you flush against his body and you have to steady yourself on his chest to avoid tripping over, “i can give you hourly massages…”

smirking, he starts to lower his head to suck pretty marks onto your neck as he whispers in a low voice, “...if you can keep up”

mingi

pov: you're the prince's maid

for what you are about to do, you could very well be executed should somebody catch you

but desperate times call for desperate measures

and there’s no guarantee that you and all the other staff will not be executed anyway…

not with what has just happened in the palace

you push the door closed behind you with a soft click, using the brief changeover of guards to slip inside the bedroom of the youngest prince, unnoticed

you call out softly but urgently, “prince mingi”

when you hear him groggily murmur, starting to bubble towards the surface of consciousness, you dare to give his shoulder a rough shake

“prince mingi, please wake up”

his eyes flutter open, confusion starting to clear the fogginess in his head as he struggles to comprehend the sight of your face hovering inches from his, deep into the hours of the night

“w-what’s going on?” he clears his husky voice, “are you okay?”

you wish you could reach out and smooth the wrinkles of concern from his forehead

reassure him that everything will be okay until he falls back asleep

but there is no time

“the crown prince is dead and we must leave. now.”

the effect is immediate, like you have just driven a knife into his chest

although you suppose it must not feel very different for prince mingi right now

“the crown prince is d-” the word tastes vile on his tongue, so he asks after his second oldest brother instead. “what about prince eun?”

you must drive the knife into him once more

“he was the one who murdered the crown prince, but he has framed you for the murder. there is no time, prince mingi, we must leave now”

“the court will find me innocent,” yet he lets you tug him out of his bed

you hastily help prince mingi into a dark brown robe while you shake your head, “not when your inscribed sword is currently covered in the crown prince’s blood. we do not know who is secretly working for prince eun. until we know for sure, we do not stand a chance of clearing your name”

he knows that you’re right, even if his heart is hoping that you are wrong

the prince slides his hand into the gap between his bed and wall, pulling out a spare sword and wrapping the belt around his waist

eyes sweeping across his chamber one final time, he locks eyes with you grimly before turning to flee

you follow the prince through a back passageway - it’s not entirely a secret and it won’t be long before the royal guards come for the prince, discover his empty bedroom and give chase

but it is long enough to give you two a head start

he helps you up onto the back of his personal horse before he swings himself up easily onto the saddle behind you

with a nudge of his feet, the prince sends the horse into a gallop

you startle with a yelp, having never ridden a horse before, much less one at this pace

prince mingi presses himself a little closer to you and slots his chest against your back as he leans forward to guide your hands to hold the reins with his

“here,” he murmurs, “just follow me”

he shifts one hand to settle on your waist, guiding your body into a comfortable rhythm that dances in sync with the horse’s movements and his own

when he’s sure you’ve gotten the hang of it, the prince places his hand back on the reins, yet he stays close, keeping you safely encased within his arms to prevent you from falling off

you’re not sure how long you two ride for

but at some point the prince slows the horse to a canter

with the slower sway of the steed, the steady clack of hooves against the forest floor, and the warmth of the prince around you, you drift off to his whispered, “sleep, i’ve got you”

you wake up to find yourself on a scratchy pile of leaves

the events of last night piece themselves together when you spot prince mingi, still adorning his deep blue silk pajamas, leaning against a tree a few feet away

it would have been a sight to see if not for the fact that-

“what are we going to do now?” you sit up, and the prince’s robe, you now register, falls from around your body

the prince gives you a warm smile as you rub the sleep from your eyes with fisted hands

“we’ll head into halsburg. the town is small enough the news should not have traveled that far yet. we’ll replenish some supplies and go from there”

it’s unspoken

the fact that there is no solid plan from there

even if the two of you have managed to escape the royal guards, for how long can you two run?

plus, it will be impossibly difficult to find evidence while on the run, when the answers are within the castle walls themselves

but you push those thoughts aside as you two enter halsburg, the prince’s hood pulled up over his face

you do the bulk of the purchases, less likely to be recognised by the townspeople

it’s mainly food and water for yourself, the prince, and his horse, and a simple tunic to replace his royal pajamas - something you have been teasing him about since you woke up

later that night, hours away from the outskirts of halsburg, you two settle for a couple hours of rest

a small fire crackles away to the song of the cicadas, an occasional pop as the licks of flames cast shadows across your faces

you glance at the prince sitting across from you, who is idly fiddling with his pajama top

specifically, the royal crest of the song family embroidered onto its front pocket

your heart clenches painfully, knowing the death of a family member is hard enough to process without the additional weight of being framed for murder, much less by your own brother who is the real culprit

“prince mingi…” you start, voice low

he glances up at you, eyes softening as he curves his lips up into a small smile, “i’m okay.”

you hesitate for a split second before letting the clench in your gut pull you to your feet, and you shuffle to settle back down in front of the fire, except this time beside the prince

all the while his eyes never leave you, not even when you nudge his shoulder softly and say,

“you don’t have to be strong. not in front of me…”

and he knows

because despite the differences in your social statuses, you are the person he trusts the most

you, the girl who used to trip over the lengths of his robes that you carried, now a woman who holds herself righteously and bravely

you, who chose to risk your own life from the moment you woke him up in his chambers

you, who is still risking your life to flee with him

“only if you stop calling me prince,” he jokingly nudges you back, attempting to make the atmosphere lighter despite the wetness that is starting to paint his eyes. “with you, i am just mingi”

“okay, prince mingi,” you tease

yet, you still extend a hand out to him, palm upturned in a silent invitation for comfort should he wish to seek it, because you can tell that he isn’t quite ready to seek it verbally

mingi laces his larger fingers through yours, tucking your interlocked hands closer to his body as he draws his knees up so that he can rest his chin upon them

mingi thinks that he feels numb more than anything, but he finds he isn’t as surprised as one would expect him to be

perhaps he always knew of his middle brother’s thirst for the throne 

he just never thought it would be enough to spill blood

for now though, he lets himself be distracted by your thumb tracing mindless patterns against his knuckles

he lets himself relish in the heat radiating from your side that seems to warm him from inside out, even as the embers of the fire slowly lose their glow and die out with the darkening night

the days start to repeat themselves

you two cover as much distance as you can while sparing what time you can afford for yourselves and mingi’s horse to rest

mingi has decided to travel to prince yunho's kingdom, an old and trusted ally who may be able to provide you two with protection while he pulls strings to fight back against prince eun

from his calculations, the journey will take at least another two weeks

and although mingi doesn’t tell you this, deep down he does not know whether you two have two weeks left

the threat of the royal guards catching up hangs over the two of you like a hangman’s noose

neither of you have brought up that night by the fire either

but something has definitely changed in the way you seek comfort and reassurance in each other

as if so long as you have each other, everything will be alright in the end

when you feel him tremble as he sleeps curled around you, restless from a plaguing nightmare, you hush sweet nothings and brush his locks away from his forehead until his breathing steadies out again

and when you’re seated on the saddle in front of him, you now having long grown accustomed to horse riding, he still finds himself resting a comforting hand on you somewhere - your hips, thigh or over your own hand

sometimes when he is laughing softly with you, your arms brushing against each other, you imagine a different story; one where you are worthy of loving him

sometimes when you are tucked into his chest, small exhales escaping your open lips as you sleep, mingi imagines a different story; one where he is able to love you freely

because despite the blood running through his veins that has ultimately led to his downfall, you still look at him as though he has placed the stars in the very sky that you two have spent countless nights under

and although he knows the reality is that he cannot, he tries to write his own story, even if just for tonight

you are lying in his arms, legs tangled together, when the question comes tumbling out of his lips

“will you stay with me, forever?”

he feels you still in his embrace, before you’re pulling back a little to look at him with a chuckle

“you should be asking a princess that, prince mingi, not somebody like me”

“you are a princess in my eyes”

you can’t help the endearing look that crosses over your face as you lightly tap his nose, “you know that is not how it works”

“then we can run away. for i am already as good as dead to my kingdom,” he tells you with boyish determination

“you cannot, mingi. your people need a good prince”

“but what prince would i be if i cannot even boldly love you? the person who is dearest to me?”

under his sincere gaze and the weight of his words, you allow him this moment of solace

because perhaps, you want it just as much as he does

“okay, i’ll be your princess,” you breathe out

“forever?”

“forever”

that night, it is just you and mingi - no titles that separate your world from his, no looming threat of death - just two people in love

even as an uneasy pit settles at the bottom of mingi’s stomach, a growing feeling that gnaws away at him into the early hours of the next morning

he is startled awake, your expression frightened, and he immediately understands when he hears the thunderous chorus of hooves hitting the ground towards you two

mingi had known there was not much time left, but he did not think that the inevitable confrontation would happen this soon, only mere hours after the soft kiss he had pressed against your forehead

the desperate attempt to escape once more is futile, the royal guards closing the distance within minutes

left with no choice but to stop, you and mingi demount and the guards move to flank you both in a wide semicircle

when the head of the guards, prince eun, saunters forward, mingi matches with a stride of his own so that he can step in front of you

“you killed the crown prince, eun,” mingi spits at his brother

“running and denying your actions up until your very last moments, i see,” prince eun laughs condescendingly. “and you even took a little dog with you, too”

mingi presses you closer to his back, hiding you from the leering gaze of his brother

prince eun smiles smugly at mingi’s reaction, before he takes out a scroll and unravels it

“for high treason of the assassination of the crown prince, the king hereby decrees the immediate revocation of nobility of his third son, song mingi, and for the execution of song mingi and his maid upon sighting.”

you press your nose into mingi’s back, taking one last inhale of his familiar scent

the bowmen all take aim as prince eun sneers, “any last words, brother?”

mingi turns around, and all you can see in that moment are his warm eyes and dimpled cheeks

“i love you, my princess,” he proclaims

“forever,” you reply

he brings his lips down to connect them with yours, drowning out the distinct vibration of loosening strings and the hiss of flying arrows with the roaring symphony in your hearts

you’re unsure what pain swallows you whole first - the pain as an arrowhead sinks into your chest, or the pain as you realise that this is the end of your short-lived love with mingi

you struggle to keep the smile on your face as you lock eyes with mingi, trying to memorise the loving gaze that adorns his own face

you see his mouth moving, but the pain exploding throughout your body is too loud for you to make out his words

with your last breath, you gasp out your final confession, “i love you too, mingi. we’ll meet again in the next life”

as the world starts to fade away, cold creeping into your limbs, you hope that in another story, in another lifetime, you and mingi will be able to find each other again

wooyoung

pov: you're the princess of a rival kingdom

“absolutely not, advisor lee,” your mother raises her nose in the air

“your highness, i understand but-”

“oh please, do not flatter yourself, queen cho,” queen jung spits out, “you are not the only one who abhors the idea”

you glare at the prince sitting across from you, your own gazes reflecting the tension in the room

advisor lee has suggested that your family and the jung family host a joint royal ball as a grand display of amity between the two neighbouring kingdoms, particularly between the princess - yourself - and their prince - prince wooyoung

there have been spreading rumours in town of the strained relationship between the two royal families

which aren’t entirely untrue

as a child, the two kingdoms have been loyal and steadfast in their alliance and friendship

in fact, it is not uncommon to find you joining prince wooyoung in his kitchen, begging the chefs to let you two lick the spoons

or to find prince wooyoung squatting next to you in your garden as you both look at the ladybugs

but as power imbalances emerge and political agendas start to diverge, a wedge is driven between your families

the relation is now dangerously close to severing completely, but not without the increasing attention of the towns surrounding the two kingdoms

and one of the last things both royal families need is unease and disunity amongst the commoners

which brings advisor lee to look on with exasperation as he tries to do his job - advise

except neither your mother nor queen jung look ready to accept his advice

your father nods slightly at the two of you, “you are dismissed, as are you, prince wooyoung”

you curtsy as the prince takes a slight bow, before you obnoxiously flick your hair over your shoulder and turn away on your heels

you escape to the garden, knowing that the meeting will take at least another hour before you are required to bid the jung family farewell

except, surprise surprise

who do you run into

you narrow your eyes at prince wooyoung as he steps towards you, who has one eyebrow quirked, “a royal ball, he says?”

“absolutely not,” you fold your arms across your chest

“oh please, do not flatter yourself, princess,” he sneers, not dissimilar to the nasally tone his mother had voiced her dissatisfaction earlier with

neither of you back down, daring the other to say something else

before you two break out into giggles, eyes glittering scandalously

“did you see your mother deliberately pass the salt instead of sugar for the tea?”

“and then the face my mother made when she took a sip of it-”

he pulls you to crouch behind an azalea bush as you both chortle like children, out of sight, before he brings you in for a dizzying kiss 

you sigh, resting a hand on his chest

“do you also abhor the idea of dancing with me, prince wooyoung?” a teasing lilt in your voice

“absolutely,” he nods grimly, “why go to all that effort when there is a much grander and longer-lasting solution?”

“and what is that, my prince?”

he sneaks another chaste kiss from your lips, “for me to take your hand in marriage, my princess”

at his words, your smile dampens

“you know that i would say yes in a heartbeat. it is not i who needs convincing, but our parents”

because despite the growing hostility between your two families, the relationship you share with wooyoung has, ironically, blossomed into one of well-concealed adoration, intimacy and love

you two have come to learn that that one slightly lighter stone on the western side of your kingdom’s outer walls comes loose, and is the perfect size for slipping a piece of paper behind it

you two have also come to learn that every fourth week, if you ask your personal tutor enough questions about the plants laid out on the store’s table in front of you during your scheduled lesson in town, you’ll be able to drag it out long enough for you both to just catch a glimpse of each other as he and his escorts cut through the town on their way back to his kingdom

and of course, you two have come to learn the most isolated spots in your own respective kingdoms, like the second stairwell leading down to the cellar in wooyoung’s palace

and amongst the azalea bushes in the back garden in yours

which is exactly how you knew that he would appear, how you knew that he would give you those sweet kisses you have been craving so desperately 

as wooyoung cups your jaw to kiss you once more, one that leaves you wanting to chase his lips forever, he bets you that it’ll only take two weeks of close-quarter meetings between your royal families before one of your mothers blow up and the ball idea falls through completely

in response, you bet him that they won’t even last two weeks - one at the most

except you’re both wrong

the meeting turns into two, followed by several more as the planning goes ahead

sometimes, the meetings are held in the jung palace

other times, their family journeys to your kingdom instead

one thing that stays constant is the malevolence in the air

the parents are sarcastic snipes and saccharine smiles

and on the surface, you and wooyoung are further extensions of your own parents’ simmering loathing for the other

but under the intricately-carved wooden table, you two are playing footsies, jeweled heels and leather shoes engaged in a playful fight

you see how many times you can slide your heels up along his shin, gradually inching closer towards his inner thigh with each coquettish touch

he has you pass him anything and everything under the guise of forgoing the help of the numerous royal butlers and maids around the room to deliberately irritate you

really, it is to accidentally brush his fingers over your hands; to see the pretty shade of rose that settles over your cheeks and ears as you both try not to break out into giggles

and perhaps, during the meals that may take place during the meetings, there have been a couple of peas flicked at each other here and there when no one is paying attention

(unbeknownst to you two, the maids and butlers alike must hide their own endearing smiles)

the weeks turn into months and you practically have a permanent glow radiating from you, now that you have been seeing the prince so frequently

(which also does not go unnoticed)

as you select a necklace from the assortment of choices to emphasise the plunging neckline of your off-shoulder gown, you wonder how the day of the royal ball has arrived so quickly

your personal maid, jihye, carefully fixes the clasp of the necklace around you before stepping back to let you look in the mirror

you smooth a hand over the soft lavender charmeuse of your dress, nervously looking at jihye

“how do i look?”

“stunning, my princess,” she assures you, before adding, “prince wooyoung will definitely love it”

“prin- he- what? i- sorry?” you say unintelligibly, before you try to salvage the situation by tucking a lock of hair behind your ear as you laugh her off

but jihye just looks at you knowingly

meanwhile, prince wooyoung is already at the grand hall, the jung family having arrived two days prior for the final preparations of the ball

he and his friends, princes from kingdoms located further up north and towards the east, are lingering around one of the tables decorated with flower arrangements and elaborate candle holders, ignoring the longing glances of other attendees, women and men alike, thrown at their striking posse

wooyoung is trying to keep his gaze subtle, scanning the vast number of people at the ball without craning or turning his head, searching for one particular face

yours

prince yeosang nudges the others, jerking his chin to motion towards the distracted wooyoung

when wooyoung finally realises he isn’t as subtle as he thinks, all his friends are already looking at him with varying degrees of smirks

“just know that if there were not so many people here,” wooyoung begins with a pleasant smile, “i would flip you all off right now”

before he can try stepping on his friends’ toes in the form of petty revenge, prince seonghwa points towards the entrance as his smile grows impossibly wider

“look”

wooyoung turns around

and like any typical man who is head over heels in love, the world around him slows down

the gushing whispers spreading throughout the ballroom fade into the background

because finally, there you are, gracefully stepping past the threshold of the arched doorway in all your alluring beauty, accentuated by the way your curled locks and flowing gown frame your body

for the briefest moment, you lock eyes with him, and wooyoung feels his brain shutting down on him

“you’re going to catch a fly in your mouth, woo”

“pick up your jaw. it’s on the ground”

prince yunho pretends to dab wooyoung’s mouth with the ruffled sleeves of his cream shirt, “you’re drooling, darling”

at that, wooyoung smacks his lips dazedly before coming to a moment of realisation, blinking hard twice to bring himself back to reality

“god, you’re hopeless. just go up and talk to her,” prince hongjoong snickers. “the whole point of this ball is to show off how ‘close’ your families are anyway”

wooyoung grumbles that he knows, he’s just looking for the right timing

which, unfortunately, does not seem to come

you spend what feels like the next two hours being whisked around, feigning polite interest as you are forced to engage in dull and bland conversations with numerous men of differing royal statuses, all of whom are no doubt trying to make an impression on you in hopes of becoming a potential suitor in the future

not that you have eyes for anyone apart from the one who already has your heart

the very same person who is currently fed up with watching you converse and let your hands be kissed by men who are not him

even if he knows you are pretending, he thinks that you sure are damn good at giggling at all the right times

you are trying not to let your smile turn into a grimace as the older-aged man, lord ryu you think, boasts of his wealth to you, when wooyoung enters your peripheral vision

“princess, lord ryu,” he greets you both, before looking down at the latter, “pardon me as i take the princess for a dance”

lord ryu, visibly irked but unable to say anything to the prince of significantly higher status, lets go of your hand to step back into a bow, “of course, prince wooyoung”

you giggle, this time genuinely, as wooyoung takes your hand to gently lead you towards the center of the ballroom, where several others are starting to waltz to the soft music that is now playing

you rest a hand just below his shoulder, feeling the sturdiness of his muscles flexing beneath his shirt, as he places his other hand to settle on the dip of your waist

a little possessively, you might add

“you look beautiful today,” he murmurs lowly, away from any prying ears

“only today?” you quirk an eyebrow teasingly

his voice drops down an octave, “well it’s not every day that i can tell you, princess”

wooyoung’s eyes flicker down hungrily to look at your lips

you run your tongue slowly over your bottom lip, knowing it will drive him absolutely crazy that he cannot just take you right there and then in front of everybody

and you can see the moment his resolve snaps

“meet me for some fresh air in ten,” bringing his lips as close to the shell of your ear as he dares

and then he’s gone

you become progressively antsy as you wait out a generous amount of time after he leaves for you to also slip away from the ballroom

wooyoung pins you against a pillar as soon as you emerge in the garden, aching to kiss you and fight for dominance until you’re both breathless and light-headed

“you don’t know how desperately i wanted to kiss you in front of everyone - let the whole world know that you’re mine,” he nips at your bottom lip

you rest your hands on his chest, fingers curled around the pleated front of his satin shirt to hold yourself steady as he turns your lips into an artwork of swollen cherry reds

he tilts your head back a little more, your mouths moving in tandem, soft moans drawn out of you, when-

“what in god’s name is going on?”

you and wooyoung startle apart at the shriek

the blush dusting your faces pale almost immediately at the sight of not just your mother, but also queen jung and a few of the royal staff

it’s kind of amusing that of all things for the two queens to have the same mindset about, it is the discovery of you and wooyoung’s secret relationship that unites them, both sharing twin expressions of horror and revulsion

you’re ripped from each other’s arms as you are forced back into the confines of your bed chamber, royal ball long forgotten

your only solace is learned later that night, when jihye brings a trolley of food you have no appetite for, that the jung family have not yet returned to their kingdom

they are still in your palace somewhere

yet that does little to soothe your tears, overwhelmed by the drastic turn of events, and you do not know when you fall asleep that night

all you know is that it is to a bed too cold and a longing in your heart too gaping to ignore

“princess,” you look up to see jihye standing at your door the next morning, almost apologetic, “the king and queen request for your presence in the throne room”

as you approach the room after tidying your appearance, your breath hitches when you spot him just by the double doors

you barrel forwards into his waiting arms, uncaring of the staff following behind you

not that they have the heart to stop you either way

“i thought you would have been forced to leave,” you blurt, unable to believe that wooyoung is right in front of you

“i’m still here,” he chuckles. “i have been summoned by your parents”

your heart drops down to your stomach at his words as you realise what this meeting is about

“and i am glad they did, princess,” wooyoung is quick to interject before your apology makes it past the tip of your tongue. “i am going to ask for your hand in marriage. officially”

“what if they banish us from ever seeing each other again?” worry overwhelms you as your breathing quickens

wooyoung gently laces his fingers through yours, bringing up his other hand to cup your face and run his thumb comfortingly over the curve of your cheekbone to keep you grounded

“no matter what happens today, no matter what the outcome is,” he looks at you with the fierce determination of a man ready to give up anything and everything for your sake, “i will never ever stop fighting for you”

he presses his soft lips against yours

“for us,” he vows

your breathing evens out, and while your heartbeat still pounds inside your ribcage, you know that it marches in rhythm with the man in front of you

this time, not afraid to appear in front of the rulers of your kingdoms - your parents - you and wooyoung nod in reassurance at each other once more, hand in hand, before you both push the doors to the throne room open

together.

jongho

pov: you're under his protection as your royal guard

over the din of volunteered names in the meeting room, jongho steps forward

“your majesty, i will accompany the princess,” he declares

“choi jongho?” your father scans him up and down with regard before nodding in approval, “it is decided then”

“him? surely i need another person with me as well?” you protest

your father quirks an eyebrow at you, a subtle reminder that whilst he is your father, he is also the king

“no, you will need to travel in disguise and stay as discreet as possible. only jongho will accompany you as your royal guard”

your father looks away and starts to address the next item on the meeting agenda; it is quite clear there is no room for argument

meanwhile, jongho sidles up to you

“you trying to catch bugs or something? close your mouth, princess,” he teases under his breath

you nudge him with an elbow, “you’re the only bug i see around here”

he rolls his eyes but you both snicker in unison when one of your older sisters turns around to shush you with a dirty look

regardless, you stay silent for the rest of the meeting

you’re not sure why jongho stepped forward to take on this task

because for someone who is your main royal guard and is supposed to be loyal and obedient, he sure makes it clear that his job is about as gratifying as babysitting

(“you can’t talk to me like that. i’m the princess”)

(“no, you’re not. you’re an idiot”)

in fact, when you had been notified a few days prior that you would be traveling with one other royal guard - who had yet to be decided at the time - jongho had spent every single day gloating that he would finally get a break from babysitting you

and yet here he is

with the opportunity to hand you off to somebody else

but instead, baring his teeth at the other guards who offer themselves up for this scouting mission

he would never admit to it either, but jongho personally spoke to the king years ago about being rostered on as your main bodyguard since he’s “known the princess for the longest and so i can protect her the best”

you don’t want to travel to the border

you’re in charge of maintaining security and defense along your borders and with neighbouring kingdoms, usually dealing with complications remotely through the ministers and advisors who work for you

this time though, there has been recent unrest near the southern borders of your kingdom near denport, a city notorious for bandits and fugitives

the situation has worsened with increased risk of bloodshed, thus has the need for you to survey the borders in person

and as the youngest sibling of five, the king has made it very clear that this is your opportunity to prove your capabilities

jongho makes sure to remind you of this fact when you grumble your way through packing a satchel of essential items to take with you

(“your fluffy slippers are not essential, princess”)

(you listen and throw them back onto the floor of your bedchambers, but stuff in a few paperweights when he isn’t looking out of petty revenge because you know he’ll end up carrying your bag for you later when you ask him to)

it’s a relatively long journey to denport, so as soon as you are ready, jongho having long finished packing his own bag, you leave your kingdom with him at your side

by the time the sun is starting to set later that day, you’re passing through a small town

he suggests calling it a night and recuperating at one of the inns

you wait while he inquires about available rooms and then follow him through a small alleyway to the inn that he has chosen for the night

you take all but one look at the rotting wood and creaking sign at the entrance before you are crossing your arms like a petulant child

“there’s no way i’m staying the night in this sorry excuse of an inn”

he merely blinks

“you’re technically not the princess right now so you better listen to me or god help me, i’ll-”

“you’ll what,” you challenge, nose-to-nose

or nose-to-throat, you suppose

but before you can dwell any further on your height difference, jongho picks you up, slings you over his shoulder like you are nothing more than a sack of potatoes, and walks into the inn without a care in the world that you are screaming bloody murder

you resign to your fate and flop uselessly against his back as he carries you up the stairs

instead, when he throws you onto the bed upon entering the room, you look up at him sultrily and smirk, “ooh, now i’m turned on”

jongho shakes his head with exasperation but you don’t miss the redness that is creeping up the back of his neck as he turns around to close the door shut

“wait,” you sit up on the bed, “we’re sharing a room?”

“it’s safer. i’ll sleep on the sofa”

you scrunch your nose at the arrangement, but you do admittedly feel a little more at ease in the unfamiliar room of the inn

you start to take a shoe off before a thought flits through your mind and you point the shoe in your hand at him like a weapon, “you better not snore”

jongho rolls his eyes as he steps forward to take the shoe out of your hand, and then he is bending down to help slip off the shoe from your other foot

a thank you lies on the tip of your tongue

“you’re the only snorer in this room, princess”

nevermind.

it’s gone.

you’re settled in bed, waiting for jongho to finish washing up and turn off the lights, when you spot it

holy shit

your immediate reaction is to seek his protection

“jongho!”

the door to the bathroom swings open almost immediately as he rushes out, eyes alarmed, alert, and zeroing onto you

water drips off the ends of his hair and you can still spot suds on his exposed torso

“what’s wrong? are you okay? are you hurt?” his voice is laced with restrained panic

you point to the corner of the room and then he sees it too

his body stiffens completely

because, mere metres from the two of you, presence sinister and dangerous…

is a fucking spider

all is quiet and still for a while, your eyes flickering back and forth between your royal guard and the spider in a tense standoff

then, just as you are about to speak up, jongho grabs his bag and swiftly turns on his heels to head towards the room’s door

“where are you going?!” you shriek

he looks at you forlornly from over his shoulder, “to prepare for my execution”

“what the fuck are you on about, jongho?”

“for abandoning my duties and failing to protect you. farewell, princess. you are on your own from here-”

his sentence is cut short as the spider scuttles towards him

and that is how you two, disguised, but still a royal princess and royal guard no less, are given an eviction warning because he streaked through the corridors of the inn half naked and screaming at the top of his lungs

needless to say, the innkeeper ends up having to remove the spider for the two of you

“you’re so embarrassing,” you whisper to him once you two are finally settled in bed and on the sofa

“no, i’m jongho,” he cackles

you don’t humour him with a response, but you know he snickers himself to sleep that night

you can’t help but let the corner of your lips tug up as well

a few days later after leaving the town, you two are resting side by side against a tree trunk when you decide to grace jongho with the opportunity to redeem himself

he’s currently halving a sandwich so you two can share

“if i were trapped in a forest full of spiders and you were the only person who could save me,” you ask gravely, “what would you do?”

without missing a beat, he replies, “prepare to grieve your death and make sure your pet cat is well fed in your honour”

he passes you the bigger sandwich as you turn to look at him with the most scandalised expression

“can you at least pretend to think for a bit?” you grumble

there’s a hint of a smile on jongho’s face when he apologises, “okay, sorry. ask me again”

you hit him with a different scenario this time

“if you had to fight a giant spider who had taken me hostage, what would you do?”

he hums thoughtfully for a few seconds, unscrewing a canteen of water for you and placing it by your side

“i would say, she is all yours, your spidery majesty, and then i would bow and walk away”

“fuck you,” you shove him good-naturedly with your shoulder

he swipes the canteen before you can knock it over and presses it into your smaller hand instead, giving it a quick pat as he dismisses your insult, “sure, if you think you can handle my dick”

“like they say,” you waggle your eyebrows at him as your voice drops down lower, “practice makes perfect”

jongho’s stoic facade finally cracks when you lean in closer and he hurries to stand up and put some distance between you and him

he shifts his legs subtly, clearing his throat to say, “we should go, denport is close”

when you’ve finished off the last of your sandwich, you dust off your fingers and grab jongho’s offered hand to stand up too

“let’s go”

one thing you have both noticed is that the closer you get to the border between your kingdom and denport, the quieter and thicker the atmosphere seems to get

the small towns you pass through have less people roaming around; in fact, most people seem to flee back into the refuge of their own houses, locking their doors and closing their windows when they catch sight of your pair

and then it happens

your plan goes awry

you and jongho are harshly awoken by a commotion outside the small room you have rented for the night

there’s a sickening smell accompanied by wails of grief in the air

when you rush outside, all you can see is a huge crowd of people gathered and your ears strain to pick up on the broken hushes of information being thrown around

“his son is lucky to have been spared”

“lucky to have seen his father slaughtered by bandits?”

“i heard it wasn’t money that they were after, though”

“those damned denport devils are up to something”

that’s all you pick up on before jongho snatches your arm and leads you back into the inn, telling you that it’s too dangerous to be out there; too dangerous for you two to continue traveling

which leads to the very first argument you ever have with him

you two butt heads all the time with your own fiery fronts and hardheadedness but more often than not, he yields to you

you’re facing him in the dim room - it is shadier than that first inn you two made a stop at weeks ago, but you’re both sharing one room just like you two have done at every single inn since

“we need to go check it out!” you shout at him

jongho takes a shaky breath as he tries to keep his voice even, “no, we should go back to our kingdom, report on the situation and call for backup!”

you throw your hands up into the air, “we’re already here - we’re basically at denport! what if something blows up soon? it might be too late by the time we go back”

jongho steps in closer as his eyes narrow

you don’t cower because you know he would never hurt you, but you do step backwards because you don’t think you can keep a clear head when he is standing so close to you, proximity dizzying like the buzz of alcohol

“of all times for you to play hero and do something that you weren’t asked to, why now? why put yourself in danger?”

your back hits the wall as jongho corners you

your chest heaves, as does his, both of you overwhelmed with emotions

he holds your gaze but his eyes are rounded with agony and distress

you don’t understand why he is so against your decision

you don’t know what to say, until your eyes flicker down involuntarily at the movement of his lips parting to exhale-

“damn, jongho, your lips are real chapped. you should use some of my lip balm”

he blinks hard at the absurdity of what you chose to say

he looks at your lips

he makes a decision

“then give me some of yours,” he says, a little breathless

and then he’s pressing his chapped lips against your smooth ones, the taste of coconut filling your mouth as your lip balm smears

suddenly, he pulls back with the audacity to look shocked as if you are the one who kissed him

and then he leaves the room without another word

he doesn’t return that night and you don’t manage to sleep either

you wonder when you started becoming used to falling asleep with him in the same room

jongho clears his throat awkwardly when you open the door in the morning and find him leaning against the wall just by the doorframe

you’re not sure whether he came back not too long ago from god knows where, or whether he was actually standing guard outside all night

you think you know which one it is, even if he doesn’t confirm it

“we’re checking out,” he mumbles, shuffling briskly into the room to grab his few belongings he had left and exiting the room again with you trailing behind

neither of you say much more to each other

you think that he’s going to lead you back the way you two came, lead you back and undo the weeks’ worth of journeying and go back to the castle

but then he’s sighing, deep and burdened, and he gently takes your hand to continue on towards denport

he’s never held your hand before

not like this, at least, tenderly tugging you along with every step so that you are no more than a few inches away from his side

you want to bicker with him and chortle together like usual but you keep quiet, giving him the space that he appears to need even if he is physically ensuring you are tucked right into his side

you two walk until the sun has dipped below the horizon

from what you know, you are right along the southern border and denport will only be another half day’s walk away

jongho makes a small bonfire before he joins you to lean against a fallen log

he shimmies off his coat and drapes it over your legs and then the forest also settles into silence along with you both

it’s now or never

“why are you so against us going to the border?” you ask him

he runs his fingers through his hair

an unruly tuft of hair stays upright and you fold your arms to stop yourself from reaching out and smoothening it for him

he looks at you as he says, “i’m fine with me going to the border, it’s you i’m not fine with. you do remember that i’m your royal guard, right”

“is that all there is to your reason,” you push, “that you’re my guard?”

you both know you’re referring to more than just the argument itself

jongho’s gaze breaks away, looking ahead at the flames of the fire instead

he is silent

for once, jongho is unarmed; no immediate snark or teasing remark to toss back at you

you hear him swallow and take a breath

“i…i don’t know,” he starts. “all i know is that with each passing day, the more i want to keep you safe”

jongho looks at you again, eyebrows drawn down ever so slightly

“why do you make me feel so worried?”

at his words, your heart clenches in an unfamiliar way and you attempt to lighten the mood, “maybe you like me”

“maybe i do”

oh.

with the reflection of the fire dancing in his eyes, it almost looks as though he is about to cry

“please, don’t go to the border, princess,” he begs softly

his plea remains unwavering and you find your heart doing the exact opposite

after a few seconds of silence, you say

“okay, jongho. i won’t”

the tension from his shoulders seeps out and he gently tugs you towards him so he can tuck you into his side once again

“you promise that we turn around and go back tomorrow morning?”

you nod against the warmth of the crook of his neck, then murmur, “do you think father will be disappointed in me? for returning?”

he rubs a hand up and down your arm soothingly

“of course not, princess. you’ve already done so much more than you needed to. he’ll be proud of you”

and then he adds on, “just like i’m proud of you”

this is the first time anyone has ever really validated your efforts; being the youngest of a large family means you are often overshadowed

caught off guard, all you can do is whisper out, “thank you, jongho”

he hums and you feel his smile against the crown of your head

you’ve never been drunk before, but you think that this is the closest you have ever gotten

you are intoxicated by him

“if you’re thankful,” the rumble of jongho’s voice against your cheek is pleasant, “can i ask for something?”

“whatever you want”

he eases you from the comfort of his neck and tilts your chin up slightly with a finger, cheeky grin plastered across his face

“can i have some more of your lip balm?”

[mingi-banana]

MTL likely to wake up early to make you breakfast:

Most likely

Yunho

Wooyoung

Seonghwa

San

Hongjoong

Jongho

Yeosang

Mingi

Least likely

I think Yunho would be most likely to wake up early itself, let alone make breakfast for you! He's naturally a very caring person, so even if he doesn't like mornings, he'll go out of his way to make something for you. Expect blueberry muffins, hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, and plenty of hugs and cuddles :)

As for wooyoung, he strikes me as someone who goes to sleep late, but wakes up early and then can't go back to sleep, so he'd probably lie in bed with you for a while before realising that he might as well make breakfast for you both. I think he'd make you something super posh because he's a brilliant cook so something like an omelette with mushroom, red onion and cheese, followed by candied bacon, red velvet pancakes and a super berry smoothie.

Seonghwa would also go out of his way to make something for you, except he'd set an alarm so he doesn't miss making you breakfast! He'd spend ages slaving away in the kitchen to get you a perfect meal, gently placing everything on the tray before taking it up to you. He'd make something like waffles, croissants and pesto eggs. Yum!!

I feel like San is super sentimental, so like seonghwa-hyung, he'd also set an alarm (but slightly later because he isn't going to miss out on a bit of sleep) then go down and realise it's actually later than he expected and you'd be up soon, so he quickly puts something together and garnishes it so it at least looks nice. He'd be really excited about his porridge with a face that he gave bananas for eyes, blueberries for pupils, a strawberry for the nose and sprinkled sugar for the mouth 😆

As for Hongjoong, he'd obviously be very tired from his constant late nights, so I think he'd wake up when you do, and then offer to make you breakfast, but you end up helping him anyway because he's put the spoon in the bin and the empty packet in the sink. You'd sit together and eat your breakfast that both of you made, usually an oatmeal mix with berries and nuts, and a glass of orange juice.

For Jongho I think he'd not only wake up late, he'd have no idea what to do or make for you, or even how to do it! He's still learning to take care of someone younger than him so he's a bit unsure, but he still tries to do his best and goes to the kitchen anyway, doing his utmost best before bringing you up a tray of toast and crumpets, and nutella and butter, and a mug of warm milk (and an apple) 😆

Yeosang strikes me as a huge sleepyhead. Sleeping is his favourite thing to do and he'd probably wake up sometime before lunch, thinking it's 7am and going to make you breakfast and then seeing the actual time. He'd laugh to himself for oversleeping and then get his head down to make you lunch. Probably an omelette that's been whipped 1000 times 😏

Mingi is at the bottom because he loves to sleep! He even said sleeping is his talent, so I think if anyone were to make a meal, it would be you! You'd surprise him with a warm brunch like eggs and soldiers, sausages and hashbrowns and watch as he eats the lot and comments on your amazing cooking :D