#minho series

[jeonginsleftcheek]

Dolly IV

~ part 4 of the Dolly series

pairing: lee know x afab!reader

genre: smut, fluff, horror/sci-fi

synopsis: the human body is the most fascinating thing and you know all about the intricate anatomy of it. ever so curious you purchase a human-looking doll and your life changes forever.

wc: 7.9k

warnings: death & dead bodies, reader is a mortician, mentions of needles and scalpels, sorry if there are any mistakes

nsfw warnings: multiple sex scenes, unprotected sex, blood play, knife play, creampies, spanking, oral (m)

~ divider by @bunnysrph

It's eerily quiet around you but that doesn't bother you. Not tonight, not ever. Sometimes the silence is comforting and helps you concentrate on the intricate work you do.

You've always been fascinated with death, ever since you were a child. You weren't scared of it, you welcomed it with your arms wide open and it was your father who exposed you to it since you were young.

It wasn't really on purpose, but having a funeral home inside your house and a curious child was not a good combination.

Your father was a good and warm man, offering a friendly tap on the shoulder and a few consoling words to grieving family members, the ones who sat in his office discussing details about funerals, their noses runny and eyes red from crying.

Not all of them were like that; some just sat there with a numb look on their face, a kind of silent sorrow etched inside their features while there were those that seemed completely emotionless.

You'd always lean behind the wall and listen to them discuss until your father would notice you and send you back to your room. The only room in the house that looked somewhat... alive.

Your father was pretty fascinated with death and any art that surrounded it, prints of Francisco Goya's black paintings adorned the walls in your house; Saturn Devouring his Son, Witches' Sabbath, Two Old Men, Judith and Holofernes, Two Old Ones Eating Soup, Atropos...

They captivated you in a way you couldn't put into words and sometimes they gave you torturous nightmares, but you weren't scared.

You welcomed the darkness into your heart completely; in fact you thrived off of it.

It was one quiet and calm evening when you tiptoed down to your basement. The moonlight cast a glow through the windows as your shadow passed by the paintings staring at you with their freakish eyes.

The door was ajar and you pushed it, the creaking sound cutting the silence of the dark night as your heart started beating in your ears.

There they were on the table. A person who had succumbed to Death itself.

Silently, you treaded towards the sheet-covered body but before your little hand could reach it, your father grabbed your wrist gently, scaring you out of your wits.

"What are you doing here, y/n? You know you shouldn't be here." he said, taking you away from your curiosities.

"I- I just wanted to see."

"I know, sweetheart but it's not the time yet. One day, hopefully, you will take over this business just like I took over from your grandfather. Now, go back to sleep."

"Okay." you nodded, albeit feeling a bit sullen that you didn't get to see the person under the sheet.

It's been years since that night, and now you were the one who offered consoling words and friendly pats on the shoulders of grieving family members.

Your father had succumbed to his illness, leaving you alone in this world, alone with all the darkness and death. Of course, you missed him dearly but he suffered so much in his last years that you were somewhat thankful to Death for taking him.

Wherever he was, you knew he was at peace and watching over you.

Taking over his business was the natural step for you, death was just a part of life, and preparing someone's loved one for their funeral felt honorable and you viewed the entire process as a kind of art. When you were old enough, your father started teaching you bits and pieces about preparation and the embalming process, and of course it was only natural for you to develop even more interest for it and get the needed education.

You worked as his assistant at first and when he got sick you became the caretaker and the mortician.

Of course, you couldn't be the one to prepare your father for his burial, it was too much as you watched him disappear more and more every day while he was sick and you wanted your last memory of him to be as peaceful as it can be.

It's been a few years since then, and you were now one of the most respected morticians in your small town. You kept to yourself mostly, only having one close friend since you were kids, Emily.

But you weren't lonely, you focused on your work and your hobbies, like reading, painting and writing poetry, all in the company of your fur baby, your cat named Shadow. You had rescued the elegant black cat off the street when she was just a small lost kitty and ever since then you became inseparable.

Though, even you weren't immune to the troubles of dating. Most of your partners were a bit put off by your work, to say the least, especially if they'd come around to your house which you had repainted black, the decoration was halloween all year around coupled with the creepy paintings on your walls and the fact that there are dead bodies in your basement wasn't really an aphrodisiac.

It was frustrating because you wished you could share your life with someone who'd be genuinely into the things that interest you.

That's why when you found yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media, an ad caught your eye.

Sex dolls.

You chuckled to yourself as you got more comfy under your blanket, Shadow cracking one eye open to look at you from where she was curled up.

You clicked on it.

One doll in particular pulled you in.

Minho, the dark dolly.

He was beautiful, his hair black and shaggy, falling over his eyes, his features were sharp and perfect, somewhat feline-like and his lips seemed sweet and plump.

You liked the outfit they chose for him, all black like you dressed 99% of the time completed with a choker around his neck.

He was perfect.

You scrolled around looking at the other dolls, they all seemed intriguing but Minho was the one you wanted the most.

Besides, some of them already sold so you decided not to wait and jumped on it, ordering yourself the dark dolly. And it didn't take long for him to be delivered to your house, in a big black box reminiscent of a casket. Shadow inspected the box immediately, sniffing and rubbing against it, she seemed to approve of it.

You opened it up eagerly, finally taking a look at your beautiful Minho and he was even more perfect in real life than all the pictures they had posted.

There was a letter inside the box and you opened it up.

Hello,

my name is Minho and I am your dark dolly.

I love cats, horror movies, yummy food and staying inside.

Please treat me with kindness, even though I like scary things, I have a soft soul so never forget to pat my head.

Hope you'll love me as much as I love you.

"I'm glad you love cats, otherwise I'd have to send you back." you joked, as Shadow put her paws on the box, sniffing around before meowing at you.

"You approve, I suppose?" you asked and your cat meowed once again so you were satisfied.

"I guess you do." you ripped off the rest of the bubble wrap, scaring your cat with your movements as she scurried away to her place on the sofa.

Your doll was dressed in a black button up shirt that was almost see-through, coupled with black leather pants and some fine shoes. He looked so alive, it would've been eerie if you weren't already used to looking at people lying down lifelessly before you.

You noticed a little note sticking out of his pocket so you pulled it out and opened it.

My kitten!

I got ready for our rendezvous.

I hope you like the outfit I chose and I hope you'll enjoy our first night together.

"Kitten, huh? Interesting." you smirked as you grabbed the manual, ready to read it from top to bottom but your curiosity got the better of you so you reached your hand to touch Minho.

"Oh." that definitely felt like human skin.

Something was wrong here and you felt it from the moment you laid eyes on his still body. But of course, you weren't afraid, in fact you were determined to find out the truth.

You read the entire manual carefully, going over it a few times, specifically the part where it said the doll can bruise.

How can the doll bruise if there's no blood inside its body?

"Hm." you threw the manual aside and finally lifted the doll out of its little casket, setting it down on the couch in the sitting position.

It took some time to adjust him but Shadow came to sniff Minho and rub against him, seemingly she liked him very much and you trusted your cat's intuition.

"Give me a moment." you said to the doll before running to get some stuff you needed from the basement.

"I'm sorry for this." you grimaced as you sat down next to Minho.

Just a little prick on the skin is what you needed so you grabbed his hand and brought it closer to you as you held the little needle in your other hand. Quickly, you pricked him and waited for a moment.

Nothing was happening so you sighed putting the needle on a tray you brought. You were just about to get up when you noticed it; a tiny droplet of blood oozing out of your doll's finger. With a gasp you stared at the red liquid.

Your mind was reeling and before you could stop yourself, you brought his finger to your lips, licking at the droplet, the metallic taste of blood was unmistakable. Your doll had real blood inside its body. Something about that frightened you, but that fear ignited a flame within you and you wrapped your lips around his finger, lightly sucking on it, the blood coming out slowly as you lapped at it.

"Oh. Looks like I'm not the only one enjoying this." Minho's eyes were shining and his pants were filling up, the button almost popping off.

He was big and usually you weren't this impatient but it's been some time. Your hand explored his muscular thigh, running up to cup his erection and you swore you could feel him twitch in your hand.

You scooted closer to him, hand tangling in his hair and it was surprisingly soft and it smelled of shampoo like he had just washed it. You leaned in to take a whiff before pressing kisses there all the way down to his cheeks. His soft skin under your lips felt heavenly and you were already getting addicted to him.

You pressed your lips into his softly, then pressed them again a bit harder as your hands roamed on his chest. He was muscle everywhere and you were fluttering on the inside, your arousal increasing the more you touched him.

A loud pop scared you as you jolted looking down to find the source. A small laugh escaped your lips when you realized that the button on his pants had actually popped off.

"Fine, you're eager." you chuckled, sliding his pants down, your eyes on his prominent bulge instantly. Your nimble fingers unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his broad shoulders and strong biceps that were visible in the tanktop he wore.

"Wait. I should undress too." you said and Shadow perked up from her spot before standing up and rushing out of the living room like she had understood what was about to happen.

You took your robe off, letting it fall on the floor, you were left only in the silky black nightgown so slowly you slid that off too, the material pooling around your feet.

Minho seemed to have some kind of reaction, at least his neck flushed a little and you were wondering how it does that. How is any of this real?

That didn't matter after you stripped him completely, your eyes admiring the work of art before you. Hands touching and lips exploring, you didn't care about how freaky all this was.

Somewhere along the way you lost your panties, so you straddled Minho's lap, your hands grabbing his face. He was absolutely stunning and your pussy clenched at the look in his eyes. It seemed like there was a fire inside them, a passion burning wild.

Your hand wrapped around his cock, big and heavy in your hand, making you whimper at the thought of it being inside you. You ran the throbbing tip against your wet folds before slowly sinking down on him.

The stretch was delicious as you took him in, wrapping your arms around his shoulders for support, your hands splayed on his muscular back. When you adjusted, you slowly started to move up and down on his length, the squelching sounds filling up the room as you dripped on him.

It seemed as if Minho was looking at you and you sped up, bouncing on him faster, your moans getting louder as you neared your high.

Your nails dug into his flesh as you exploded around him, your hand running down to cup his ass which made him cum too, the warm liquid filling you up and making your eyes roll back.

"Wow." you gasped. Only when you lifted up and circled the couch, you saw that his back had angry red scratch marks.

"Shit, I'm sorry." you leaned over to look at Minho's face.

He seemed to be smirking just a tiny bit?

"I hope it doesn't hurt." you said, not forgetting to pat and caress your dolly's head. You pressed a few small kisses on his cheek before leaving to get cleaned up.

When you came back, Minho was waiting for you in the same position so you cleaned him too and put some of his clothes back on, the pants definitely needed some mending.

"A sex doll?" Emily looked at you in disbelief, holding Shadow in her arms like a baby, moving the cat left and right.

"Yes, isn't he beautiful?" you smirked, patting Minho's head as he sat in your kitchen, company to you and your friend.

"I mean, he is. It's just a little creepy." she said and you gave her a pointed look which made her laugh. "But I shouldn't be surprised when it comes to you. He really looks human though." Emily added, coming closer to the doll as Shadow jumped out of her arms.

"Here's the thing. I pricked his finger the other day and he bled." you told her, adjusting on your chair as you picked up your cup of tea.

"He what? Now, that's creepy. Are you sure it was blood? Maybe it's some kind of trick?"

"Nope, it was definitely blood." you shook your head.

"Hm. Can you like open him up?" Emily asked, making you chuckle.

"Do you know how much I paid for him? I'm not about to cut him up, besides the manual said not to mutilate the doll."

"And why is that? Because they don't want you to know the doll's secrets? Just think about it." Emily shrugged. "Anyways, I have to go. Call me if you find anything out." she added, wiggling her brows.

You took a look at Minho, it hasn't even been a week since he was in your house, but he blended in perfectly with the rest of the decor, even when he was more than that. Shadow seemed to love him, always rubbing against his legs and sleeping on his lap. Animals had a sixth sense when it came to things like this so you trusted that you weren't in any danger. Still, you were so curious.

-

Come evening, you were in a mood.

There was music blasting from your speakers, the lights were all out except the dimmed moody ones and a few candles here and there. The tv was on too, a silent horror film playing on it. Outside, it was raining hard, almost drowning out any other sounds as big droplets kept hitting your window.

Shadow was tucked away in her room and you were wearing lingerie.

Minho was sat on your couch, you turned him to look directly at you as you downed a glass of wine before you started swinging your hips seductively.

The music took you over and you danced, forgetting about everything around you, including your companion Minho whose eyes were following every single movement, unbeknown to you.

"Oh!" you spun a little too fast, colliding with the side of the sofa and chuckling to yourself.

Your eyes fell to Minho, then the coffee table where you had left some cake and knife to cut it with. You bit on your lip as you made your way towards him slowly.

You picked up the knife, twirling the handle once, twice as you smirked at the dolly.

"Are you scared, doll?" you leaned towards him, your tits almost falling out of your skimpy bra as you pointed the knife at Minho.

He didn't seem to react at all.

"No? How about now?" you asked, leaning the knife on his cheek gently. "Or now?" you added, sliding it down his chest and abdomen slowly all the way towards the bulge that appeared in his boxers.

"Enjoying this? I'm glad." you smirked, putting the knife aside for a moment to unhook your bra and slide down your panties.

You undressed Minho too, spreading his legs a little and adjusting him before you turned your back to him.

"Like what you see?" you ran your hands up your hips to your waist as you looked back at him.

The reflection of the candlelight burned in his eyes as you slowly sat in his lap, his length filling your pussy up perfectly, your feet planted on the floor. A moan escaped your lips when you found purchase on his thighs, bracing yourself as you started to bounce on him. The sound of your ass slapping against his abdomen filled up the room and you threw your head back, enjoying the feeling of his tip brushing against your sweet spot.

"Ah! Fuck, Minho!" you moaned his name, feeling him twitch inside you instantly and you gasped as you came, lifting off of him and squirting all over his thighs. What a sweet mess.

"Oh." you moaned, taking him in once again as you sat down and started moving up and down, your thighs burning from exertion. You reached back to grab a handful of his ass, making the doll fill you up.

You leaned on him, your back flush against his chest as you grabbed his arms and wrapped them around you.

"I kinda wish you would come to life but at the same time I don't know if you'd like me. Right now, you have no choice. Isn't that kinda fucked up?" you looked up at Minho but there was no sign of reaction or movement. "Well, don't move. I'll be right back." you joked as you stood up.

You prepared a bath for the both of you, struggling a little to get him in but as soon as you did, you sat between his legs and relaxed in the warm water.

Shadow appeared in your bathroom, meowing at you.

"What is it?" you chuckled, leaning a little to the side to look at her.

Your cat's tail twitched a few times as she stared at Minho, releasing a few more meows before sitting down and continuing to stare at him. You looked back at your doll but he was chilling, looking straight ahead like he always does.

Eventually, Shadow gave up the staring and left the bathroom. Huh, that was weird, you thought but brushed it off as cat behavior.

After drying yourself and the dolly, you got dressed and tucked him in your bed. After years of sharing your bed only with your cat, it was nice to also have someone fill up the empty side of it. And Minho was warm and soft in a way, you had no idea how they made him like that but in the tired and lonely moments, you didn't care.

It's been almost a month since Minho entered your life and you shared almost every moment with him. He had watched you cook and clean, do your hobbies, play with your cat. But, you had yet to take him downstairs.

You weren't even sure if you wanted to. But you were dragging him around the house all the time like a kid drags their favorite teddy bear so you didn't see the harm in it.

Whenever a grieving family came to talk to you, Minho was tucked away in the safety of your room. Today, a particularly loud widow came in to cry to you about her husband who was now in your basement, waiting to be prepared for his funeral.

You reassured her he was in best hands and that you'll make him look as wonderful as you can, since the accident he passed away in had ruined his face.

You just needed to get some things from a few shops before starting, and as soon as the widow left you went to your room to see Minho.

"I'm going to town. I'll be back soon, honey." you chuckled, giving him a peck and a few pats on his soft hair.

You were done with shopping quickly and as the sun was setting you decided to walk across the main square and have a short stroll since you weren't carrying many things.

You saw a little crowd gathered there around someone so naturally curious, you made your way towards it.

An artist was sitting on a little stool, painting a portrait of one of the onlookers. You peered down to look at the canvas, hypnotized by the brush strokes and the movement of this person's hand.

Your eyes followed his arm to his face and your brows furrowed. He looked somewhat familiar. You were trying to think where you had seen him before but kept coming up blank.

"Do you want a portrait?" his voice broke you out of your thoughts.

"Ah, yes sure." you nodded and he started working on it immediately.

He was talented and quick and you kept observing him as he worked, still trying to think where he was familiar from.

"Here. Done." he smiled proudly and you chuckled.

"Thank you, it's really good." you took out your wallet. "Here." you gave him a 100, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, thank you! T-this is a lot! Thank you so much!" he bowed a little as he took the bill from you.

"What's your name?" you asked.

"H-Hyunjin, miss." he looked a little panicked and you gave him a reassuring smile.

"Have I seen you somewhere?" you asked and he chuckled nervously, and you noticed a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Maybe you've seen me paint here." he said but you still weren't convinced.

"Maybe. You come here often?"

"I'm trying to make some money to buy a gift for my lover." Hyunjin smiled fondly and you smiled back.

"That's sweet."

"Thank you. Your portrait." he said as you stood up.

"Oh, thanks for that again. Bye, Hyunjin." you said as you grabbed it.

"Bye, miss." he yelled behind you as you walked away.

-

Finally, you took Minho down to your basement. You put him in safe distance from all the chemicals as you got ready to begin your work.

Minho sat in the corner, his eyes twitching a few times as he stared at your skilful hands. You worked almost on autopilot as you have done this a hundred times, rinse and repeat.

It took a few hours but the man finally looked at peace, you had reconstructed his face as much as you could for an open casket, the embalming process taking up most of the time after that.

After putting the body away and cleaning everything up, your eyes fell to Minho and you friend's words rang inside your mind.

Maybe you could take a little peak inside him? You stood there contemplating, remembering that he did in fact bleed when you pricked him, so if you cut him it might be even messier. You didn't want to hurt him but as always, you were too curious for your own good.

Minutes later, your dolly was shirtless on your table, a scalpel in your hand. Never has your hand trembled but as you brought the blade closer to his skin, your fingers twitched ever so slightly. Your heart sped up as you took a deep breath, pressing the scalpel softly against the doll's skin.

Suddenly, he lifted his hand and grabbed your wrist, his eyes moving to look at you as you screamed, trying to step back but he held on tightly, taking a deep breath that sounded somewhat painful.

"Don't hurt me." he pleaded, his voice raspy as he took in shallow breaths.

You snatched your hand away, the scalpel clattering on the floor as your wide eyes took in the sight before you. Your dolly was alive.

"I always had this irrational fear that some day one of the dead bodies I was working on would wake up." you chuckled.

"I wasn't dead." he sat up slowly and you rushed to him, seeing he was dizzy.

"I know. You bled when I pricked your finger."

"By the way, that hurt." he gave you a look and you shrugged with a smirk.

"What about the part that came after it?" you asked breathlessly as Minho's eyes softened.

"That was more fun." he smirked, making you chuckle. "Can we go upstairs? The fumes are making me nauseous."

You helped Minho up, taking him to the kitchen where he drank four glasses of water quickly while you heated up dinner.

"So, you were aware of everything the entire time?" you asked and he nodded, his cheeks becoming rosy. "I figured as much. Something was fishy ever since you came here. I knew you were alive."

Shadow appeared in the kitchen, jumping up on Minho's lap immediately and he wrapped his arms around the cat, caressing her. She meowed and started purring as she pushed her head into his hand.

"She approved of you from day one."

"I'm glad she did."

"Here, eat and then we can talk." you said, as if this was the most normal thing ever.

-

"It's so nice to be able to move and be outside in the fresh air." Minho noted as the two of you decided to take a walk in the woods behind your house.

The woods were comforting always and even more beautiful now with all the autumn colors painting the leaves. It was a bit chilly but you dressed well, the fresh air was helping you clear your mind.

"I bet it is. So, what do you remember before being here with me?"

"I remember a lab. Tables like the ones in your basement, I remember I didn't look like this from the beginning. I also remember I could walk and move and talk before they put something inside us. We were plugged to something and suspended in water tanks. There was eight of us."

"Oh, I saw the others on the site! Do you remember them?"

"Yes, I do. We all had our cells before they put us in the tanks. Chan was made first. Then there was me, Changbin, Hyunjin, Jisung, Felix, Seungmin and lastly Jeongin." Minho explained.

"Wait, Hyunjin?" you suddenly remembered the artist you ran into.

"Yes, he liked to paint."

"I saw him today!"

"You saw Hyunjin?" Minho's eyes widened. "Like this? Alive?"

"Yeah. Do you think the others are somewhere around here too?"

"Could be. I really miss them. We tried, y/n. We tried to fight the company but there were too many of them and we were kept in such a controlled enviroment. They kept injecting something with these big needles, it would make us sleepy."

"Do you remember anything before the lab?"

"As much as I dig around my mind, I only remember the lab."

"What do you mean, you didn't look like this the in the beginning?" you asked after a quiet moment of taking in everything Minho had told you.

"Well, I don't wanna gross you out with gory details." he said and you laughed.

"Honey, I'm a mortician."

"Right, you poke around dead people." he smiled teasingly.

"What a way to put it." you chuckled.

"Well. If you must know, they added skin later."

"Oh... Oh. So, I'm guessing maybe you're not human? Or at least, not entirely?" you said.

"I have no idea." Minho shrugged with a sigh.

Your hand brushed his as the leaves crunched under your feet.

You took hold of his hand, noticing his shy smile and rosy cheeks as your fingers entwined.

"We'll figure it out."

It's been about two weeks since Minho woke up and you had no idea your dolly would be so shy.

He avoided talking about what he was actually made for and never mentioned you using him for your pleasure multiple times. Minho enjoyed cooking for you and playing with your cat as much as he enjoyed watching you work and being the one to hold you during cold nights.

It was safe. It was comforting. You had found someone who was genuinely interested in what you do. Even when he was a little annoying, asking question after question like a curious child, his shiny eyes staring at you closely as he breathed in your personal space and kept asking stuff like 'What are you doing now?', 'What is that?', 'Why are you putting it there?'.

It was adorable as much as it was irritating, and you loved it.

Outside, it rained hard as you sat on your window bench, reading quietly while Minho sat on the sofa, cuddling with Shadow.

You gave him time to get used to everything, but you were feeling kind of impatient at the same time. Minho was observant, he learned all your little movements, the tone of your voice, what your sighs meant. He loved all the little details that made you you.

So, he stood up and made his way to you which got your attention, and you looked up from your book just in time as he stood in front of you.

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?" he asked and your eyes widened.

"Of course." you smiled then, your face heating up.

Minho sat down close to you, gently grabbing your book from your hands and putting it aside before he touched your face softly. He leaned in and you waited with bathed breath for his lips to collide with yours.

It wasn't what you expected, fireworks and passion, it was more gentle, more profound. He kissed you like you were the only thing that mattered in this world.

"I'm sorry I made you wait. It's just, I'm scared that somehow I will go back to how I was before. And I don't want that to be in that... prison anymore. Being able to see and hear it all but being unable to react, it was terrifying and I still have nightmares about it." Minho confessed as you ran your hands through his soft hair.

"That's not gonna happen, okay?"

"How are you so sure that it won't?" Minho asked.

"Because... I love you and I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." you said, Minho's lips trembled as he searched your eyes before a sweet smile spread on his lips.

"I love you too, my kitten." he smirked before leaning in, this time giving you a more passionate kiss.

It didn't take long for the kiss to escalate as Minho pushed his tongue into your mouth, tasting you. Your hands tangled in his hair as his roamed your body, exploring your curves and dips like he had always wanted to.

He kneeled between your legs, his knee pressed against your core and you whimpered into his mouth as he smirked against yours.

"My sweet kitten, I've always wanted to take care of you." he looked at you, eyes darkened with lust as you gripped onto his strong arms, your hips moving on their own as you rubbed your clothed pussy against his knee.

"M-Minho." you whined, throwing your head back and his lips attached to your neck and collarbone, traveling down between your breasts as he left hungry kisses everywhere. His hands gripped your waist before sliding down to grab your ass and lift you up.

You squealed as he turned your body towards the window; the view outside was breathtaking, all the leaves twirling in the wind, the rain dragging them down and washing them away just as the sky darkened.

"Here?" you gasped and he chuckled.

"Everywhere." he whispered in your ear before lifting your little nightgown and revealing your lacy panties.

"Very sweet." Minho grabbed handfuls of your ass and you moaned, nails scratching at the bench you were just sitting on. His fingers slid on your folds, your arousal soaking through the lace as he kept touching you, giving you a few spanks with his other hand.

You moaned his name, pushing back into him, your body craving for more; you were so touch starved that you lost your mind immediately, melting into Minho and giving him total control over you.

He wanted you as much as you wanted him so he slid your panties down just enough to have access to your wet pussy as he slid his pants and boxers down at the same time.

"I promise I'll take it slow later. I just need to have you right now." he breathed out as you felt the tip of his hard cock press and slide against your folds.

"Take me, Minho, please!" you pushed back again and he spanked you quickly, making you whimper.

"Stay still, kitten." he purred as he slowly pushed in and the stretch was perfect, your pussy taking him in easily until he filled you up completely.

"You feel perfect around me." he groaned as he started moving slowly, his hands splayed on your ass as you pressed your forehead into one of the decorative pillows on your window, little gasps and moans escaping your lips.

"Ah!" you moaned loudly when he hit your spot, biting down on the pillow as Minho's hand tangled in your hair, lifting your head up slowly.

"Let me hear you, kitten." he said, fucking into you harder, the sounds of skin slapping skin making your ears warm up in embarrassment. You caught a glimpse of your reflection in the window, seeing the expression on Minho's face sent shivers down your spine, your pussy clenching around his cock.

You let go and started moaning loudly, and the louder you got the faster he fucked into you.

"Just like that." he whined and you gasped, cumming around his length, making him more slippery and wet as he held onto you.

It only took a few more erratic thrusts before Minho exploded inside you, his warm cum filling you up deliciously and making you cum once more at the feeling of it.

"Oh." he gasped as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you tightly for a few moments. You finally turned around, grabbing his face and giving him a sloppy wet kiss.

"I love you." you smiled as he pulled you into a hug.

"I love you. I'm glad I came to you." he whispered.

"Me too."

The two of you were cuddled up with Shadow under a blanket, watching a horror movie per Minho's request when your doorbell rang.

"That must be Emily." you stood up quickly and Minho looked at you with a panicked look in his eyes.

"You sure she won't freak out?" he asked and you shook your head.

"No, she's literally seen everything with me." you chuckled as you went to open the door. Minho sat still on the couch, cuddling Shadow to calm his fast beating heart.

"Emily, I'd like you to meet someone." you pulled your best friend into the living room and she looked at Minho confusedly for a moment.

"Didn't we meet already?" she chuckled and Minho's lips fell open.

"She's not gonna faint is she?" he asked, making the both of you laugh.

"Not that I know of." Emily said with a shrug. "Look Minho, when you're friends with y/n for years, nothing really surprises you anymore. Plus, she told me in advance. Everything that happened and what you remember." she added as you served some tea for her.

"Minho sometimes has nightmares about the company." you added.

"Did you remember any more details?" Emily asked after taking a sip of tea.

"Not really. Just bits and pieces, it's more like feelings. Fear, dread, isolation. I especially hated when they experimented on us, the tables. I don't know what they did to us cause I couldn't move and look down but it hurt. The water tanks seemed to alleviate the pain though." Minho explained.

"Okay, now that is creepy." Emily said and you nodded.

"Did you manage to find anything on the site?" you asked her and she shook her head.

"I tried hacking it. It has top security on it, it's out of my skill range." Emily sighed. "I wish I could be of more help."

"Hey, you being here is enough for me." you grabbed her hand as she smiled.

"Oh, do you maybe know where the company is?" Emily suddenly remembered and Minho shut his eyes tightly, willing himself to think of the location.

"Ugh. I can't remember no matter how much I try. I don't remember traveling from there to your house." he looked at you.

"It's okay. We can try again another day." you said, caressing his back to calm him down.

It was all so suspicious and you were too interested in finding out more about where you dear dolly came from.

You were enjoying an afternoon nap when a loud clatter jolted you out of your dreams.

"What are you doing, Min?" you rubbed your eyes as you walked into the kitchen.

"Oh. I'm making dinner for us. It's been exactly five months since I came here so I wanted to do something special." he said, his cheeks rosy.

"Aw, you are so sweet." you melted instantly, making him chuckle shyly.

When you sat down to eat the delicious meal he prepared, you got to thinking.

You've never been so happy or felt so seen. Living with Minho, sharing the day and night with him came easy to you. Everything seemed more lively since he came into your life, even death became an afterthought when you spent time with Minho.

"Thank you for the wonderful dinner." you smiled.

"Of course." he stood up and you followed quickly, almost knocking your chair down.

"Wait here a sec." you told him before running off to your room. If he had made an effort with the main course, you were going to make effort with the dessert.

Minho decided to tidy up as he waited for you, his heart beating hard in anticipation. While you were sleeping, he saw the lacy set you had put out in your closet earlier and he was so excited to see you in it... or take it off of you.

"Min, come here!" you yelled from the room once you were ready and Minho all but tripped over his feet, the carpet and Shadow who was lounging in her spot before he came to you, looking as cool as a cucumber. He leaned on the wall and smirked at you.

"What do you think?" you asked, giving him a little twirl. The lingerie you wore left nothing to imagination.

"I think you look stunning." he said, somewhat breathlessly as his face heated up.

"You gonna do something about it?" you taunted and he made his way to you, his eyes filling up with lust.

His hands landed on your waist as he pulled you in, his lips pressing against yours. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders as you pressed your body as close as you could to his and his hands slid down to grab your ass.

You moaned into his mouth as he started massaging it, then giving it a few loving spanks.

"Fuck, let me take care of you, my love." you pushed him towards the night stand and Minho's eyes widened as you got down on your knees.

"Oh." he let out a quiet sound as you slid his pants and boxers down, not wanting to waste any more time. His cock was already hard and ready for you to play with and you were just too eager.

Your fingers wrapped around the base of his length as you leaned in closer, giving a few kitten licks to his tip, collecting the drops of pre cum on your tongue.

Minho breathed in sharply, his hands grabbing at the night stand behind him. You smirked, swirling your tongue around the tip, occasionally dipping it into his slit and trying to tease him as much as you could.

"Kitten." Minho moaned quietly, his hand tangling in your hair as you started sucking on the tip gently.

You were sure you couldn't take all of him but you were even more sure you were going to try anyways, so you slid down, taking more of his length in and trying to get used to it.

"You look so beautiful right now." Minho smirked, gripping your hair and holding you against him tightly. You moaned around him, sending vibrations through his body as you slid down more.

You bobbed your head up and down, wetting his cock with your spit and gagging around him multiple times and Minho couldn't help his desire as he slowly started to fuck into your warm mouth.

"Ah, y/n!" he groaned, accidentally pushing harder and making you gag. You slid off of him and he looked at you with panic in his eyes.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, his palm gentle against your cheek.

"No, I'm fine." you said, biting on your lip. "Just very needy right now."

"For what?" he smirked and you whined.

"You."

"Get on the bed, kitten." he said and you stood up immediately, lying down on the bed.

Minho climbed in after you, kneeling between your legs as he pushed your panties aside.

"This what you need?" he smirked, sliding the tip of his cock against your wet folds.

"Mm, yes." you moaned, already arching your back at the slightest touch.

"Hmm, I'm not convinced." he smirked.

"Please!" you whined desperately, making Minho chuckle.

"Okay." he said but you saw the mischievous glint in his eyes and you knew he was going to tease you some more.

He pushed in just the tip, fucking you slowly with it.

"Ah, Min!" you whined as he kept smirking, giving you a minimal amount of stimulation.

Your eyes teared up in frustration as Minho kept fucking you only with the tip, your pussy clenching and begging for more.

"Please, please!" you cried.

"More?" he teased, pushing a bit more in and staying still.

"All of it."

"As you wish darling." he said before pushing all of his length in and fucking you slowly.

You moaned as you wrapped your arms and legs around him and Minho held you close as he kept rocking his hips into you.

You reached bliss together, wrapped up in each other, completely content.

"Wait." you giggled as Minho started getting up so he can get a cloth to clean you up.

"What?" he asked and you pulled him closer, patting his head gently.

"Oh." he giggled cutely before standing up and almost running off to the bathroom.

While you laid there waiting for him, your phone started ringing.

"Ugh." you groaned and rolled over to grab it.

"Hello?"

"Miss l/n?"

"Yes, this is she." you sat up, thinking it was someone calling for your funeral services.

"We are calling regarding our dolly collection. We understand you have purchased our dark doll, Minho." the cold voice on the other end said.

"Yes, I have."

"We regret to inform you that the collection will be pulled back from the public and we will be taking all the dolls back to our company due to a malfunction. You will get your refund of course. We will come pick the doll up tomorrow morning." they said right as Minho came in.

"Okay, thank you for calling." you said politely before finishing the call.

"Who was that?" Minho asked.

"It was your company, apparently they are taking all the dolls back to the lab due to a malfunction."

"What? Please, don't let them take me! I can't go back there!" Minho looked angry and scared instantly.

"Oh they can come here. But they won't find anything. I have a plan, my love." you smirked.

You were not about to let anyone take away your happiness.

The doorbell rang at 9am sharp and you took a deep breath before opening the door.

There were six men in black suits and emotionless faces standing there and looking at you.

"We've come to pick the doll up."

Suddenly, you hiccuped and started crying.

"He is gone! My dolly is gone! I woke up this morning and looked for him everywhere. But there is no trace of him. I-I put him in my bed like always but he disappeared!" you cried and the men exchanged a look.

"Mind if we take a look around?" one of them asked.

"Please, go ahead." you let them in and they started snooping around immediately. Shadow hissed at them, running away as soon as one of the men came anywhere near her.

They were definitely dangerous.

"W-what kind of malfunction happened to the dolls?" you asked, blowing your nose in a napkin.

"We aren't allowed to discuss that." they answered.

"What's downstairs?" one of them asked.

"My preparation room. This is a funeral home." you said and they gave you suspicious looks.

"Can we take a look there?"

"Of course." you nodded and opened the door.

Then men looked around as you followed them, still crying silently and hiccuping a few more times.

"Well, he is not here. Don't worry about it, miss. You will still get your refund and the doll will be found." they finally gave up after checking every nook and cranny, or so they thought.

"Okay, thank you for coming." you said as they left.

You waited for them to get into their van and drive away before you ran back downstairs.

"They left!" you quickly opened one of the caskets and Minho sat up, taking a deep breath in.

"Gosh, I almost suffocated. I could hear them walking around here, it was so scary." he said as you grabbed his face gently.

"But they didn't find you." you smiled.

"No, thanks to my genius lover." he smiled back at you as you leaned in to kiss him.

"What do we do now?" he asked when you parted.

"We wait to get the refund. And then we'll see what our next step will be."

"Are you sure they won't come looking for me here again?" Minho sighed.

"They can try. But I won't let them take you away from me. I promise."

Minho wrapped his arms around you tightly, putting all his trust into your hands.

You knew you were running a risk as long as you stayed here, but there were preparations needed to be done before you could get away.

And you wanted to make sure there was no trace left for the wrong people to find you.

taglist: @moonchild9350 @janepg @velvetmoonlght @hwanghyunjinismybae @jehhskz @porangporangmeong @laylasbunbunny @laughatdanger @jeonginslefthand @sapphirewaves @s3ungm1nxxl0ve @painterhyunjin @starlost-mochi-x @saintcosette @ooshyana @frehyun @scarlet789 @skzdust @schniti-is-in-the-house @eastjonowhere @sona1800 @channiesrightasscheek @justwonder113 @yvettemint @inaribu00 @httpdwaekki @possum-playground @ria-april @yn-x-them @mariahxrrera @0omillo0

[lateatnewyork]

SECRETS…? | 000

pairing: minho (xo kitty) x rich!reader

info: summer of soft launching.

fc: luv_jayne and other randoms

info: dae and kitty are together, set in season two except this was written before season two came out so bare with me.

korean in italics

part zero | part one

minhom

liked by theynln, quincyshebazian and 832,491 others she pushed me even after i gave her a kiss 😔 view comments

damimoon when am i going to get to meet her? ➥ minhom shes forcing me to bring her soon ➥ damimoon i already like her quincyshebazian dude do we not get to know ➥ quincyshebazian and why is yn ln in ur likes ➥ minhom our moms worked on set together kimdaeheon didnt even tell me? ➥ minhom cant have press finding out kittycovey finally someone to make u happy yuri where are you? ➥ minhom i was in vegas, tokyo now italy then bali ➥ yuri well that’s interesting minhofangirl WHAT NO lulu did we mean nothing to you ➥ minhom IT WAS ONE DATE

koreagossip

liked by yuri, theynln and 1,285,738 others YN LN, only daughter to the son of Korea’s most influential family and daughter of Phillipines most powerful heritages, joins Korean Independent School of Seoul. view comments

ynlover YN MY QUEEN user78 IM GONNA BE IN THE SAME COUNTRY AS YN LN user65 I LOVE YN

baddest eva: bruh did you see the caption they done listed my entire family line yurine: this is why i like that ur my best friend baddest eva: what yurine: ur more famous than me baddest eva: jugeullae? yurine: anyways, you and minho huh? baddest eva: i was gonna tell you but i was too busy yurine: busy doing what? making out baddest eva: maybe baddest eva: i think we might keep it quiet for now yurine: i get it but at least ur not gay baddest eva: LMAO ILY YURI baddest eva: but i gtg minho n i are flying to bali today

theynln

liked by minhom, baesuzy and 1,843,921 others catch me in vegas, catch me in tokyo… 🤠 view comments

yuri THIS IS WORSE THAN ME baesuzy can’t wait to see u in seoul ➥ theynln YAYAY user98 deep down shes just a girl ➥ theynln 💪 🎀 kimsohyun BRO LET ME IN ON THE SECRET?? seoinguk your parents are not gonna like this ➥ theynln shhhh dont be a snitch

“arent i so clever” i say to minho pointing at my phone, he grabs my phone then throws it onto the bed and pulls me close.

“you have this beautiful man right in front of you and you’re asking him if you’re clever?” his british accent is so thick and it raises goosebumps all over my arms.

“you’re so full of yourself” i smile and wrap my arms around your neck.

“what would you prefer i do?” i say gazing up at minho.

i see his adam’s apple bob and i can tell he's nervous, i gently scratch my nails at the back of his head and it’s like that triggers something, the next second his lips are connected to mine.

minhom

liked by damimoon, yuri and 839,374 others idk i might keep her, she takes pretty good pics view comments

yuri thank god you only have another five days ➥ minhom a lot can happen in five days quincyshebazian ok i know who it is ➥ minhom WHAT HOW kimdaeheon bro just tell me even Q knows now kittycovey WHEN CAN I MEET HER ➥ minhom how about never?

“minho dont be mean” i scold him when i read his comment to kitty.

“whatever you say,” he huffs.

theynln

liked by damimoon, parkboyoung and 938,599 others im thankful for my parents, my friends, my boyfriend and tinted windows view comments

yuri 🤮 ➥ theynln you’re just a hater seoinguk so your parents know now ➥ theynln thanks snitch madisonmiller BRUH U GUYS ARE SO CUTE ➥ theynln I CANT WAIT TO SEE U

teenvogue

liked by minhom, theynln and 1,739,777 others Photoshoot with YN LN before the semester starts. view comments

user87 um why is minho in the likes ➥ user91 cos theyre friends ?? ynlover SHES SO PRETTY BRO iluvyn in another life this could be me user12 how is she the same age as me

minho and i had separated the night before because there was no chance that we could be able to walk into school together.

baby 💗: hey when are you coming to school baddest eva: soon, i can’t find my shoes baby 💗: you might have left those here baddest eva: im gonna kms baby 💗: dont do that whos gonna give me kisses baddest eva: right how could i leave you, manchild baby 💗: i am not a manchild baddest eva: keep telling yourself that

after a couple of minutes, i find another pair to wear and head to school.

the second i reach im happy that yuri is already there waiting for me, with minho, a really energetic girl, and two guys.

“yuri!” i squeal and hug her tightly. “i’m so happy we convinced our parents to let me come to k.i.s.s”.

“me too” yuri sighs.

“let me introduce you to everyone; you know minho,” my hand stiffens as his strong familiar touch engulfs my hand, our eyes flit to each others and we pull apart as if we were burnt.

yuri clears her throat and goes on “thats dae,” i wave and give a small smile, “i heard you helped yuri a lot,”

dae smiles back and before i can say anything, the energetic girl bursts “i’m katherine song covey, kitty to my friends, yuri has told me so much about you!”.

i laugh as she wraps her arms around me and i look at minho scoffing; my gaze hardens for a split second and my smile returns when he drops his malicious face.

once kitty has stopped hugging me, yuri goes to introduce the last person but i cut her off “Q, i know we’re insta friends,”.

he smiles and gives me a quick hug, before we head inside.

kitty comes up beside me, “so you and minho?” i choke on my spit.

“what?” i ask clearing my throat.

“you guys are hiding your relationship” kitty says a little bit too loudly.

“lower your voice” i hiss at her. “how do you know?”

“well for starters, i saw your phone earlier, sorry, it had a picture of you with a guy, and then i see minho with a similar lock screen but this time you can't see the girls face but shes wearing the same thing as you,” she explains.

i groan, remembering when i told minho that matching lock screens were too obvious. before i can say anything else kitty speaks up, “don’t worry i won’t tell anyone”

i sigh in relief “thanks”

“we’re rooming together,” yuri comes up to kitty and i.

“you’re staying at school?” i repeat it twice remembering kitty cant speak korean.

“i convinced my parents, since you’re here,” yuri says.

“i guess this means you’re officially invited to the group chat” kitty says excited.

new follower ! ‘ iluvcatsnmybf ’

iluvcatsnmybf

liked by iluvdogsnmygf, imyurich and 382 others first week at kiss kachow 💥 view comments

iluvdogsnmygf ur so cute ➥ xokitty give her a second shes giggling at her phone q_werty WHEN DID YURI AND MINHO HUG ➥ iluvcatsnmybf when they were arguing over who i love more ➥ iluvdogsnmygf obviously me ➥ imyurich i’ve known her since she burped after every meal dae_priv who was gonna tell me about yn and minho ➥ iluvcatsnmybf i thought minho told you ➥ iluvdogsnmygf i forgot

boba fiends

dae is my bae: does anyone know where kitty is baby 💗: no baddest eva: no q for quiche: where are both of you yurine: kicked me out of the dorm baddest eva: no i politely asked you to hang out with juliana kitkat: im safe guys baby 💗: great leave us alone now

“minho” i say lowly in a warning my eyes glaring down at him from my position in his lap.

baby 💗: please dae is my bae: did he just say please yurine: yn prolly made him baddest eva: anyway… movie night in the best dorm ever tonight?

“do we have to have a movie night with them?” minho complains.

“come on it’ll be fun,” i say “i’ll give you so many kisses,”.

i kiss the corner of his lips, then his cheek, then his nose. then finally i pulled back to stare at him and gasp when he grabs me and locks our lips together.

my hands instinctively run up his chest and delve into his hair.

we pull apart, needy for air; we’re about to go for a second kiss when there’s a knock at the door and the unmistakable voice of auntie jina.

my eyes widen, as i jump out of his lap and shove a shirtless minho into the bedroom and slam the door shut.

“yn hi im looking for yuri” auntie jina says as she steps in.

“shes not here right now, i can tell her youu came by though,” i say rubbing my sweaty palms.

“thank you,” jina says as she turns around to leave the room.

“and you can tell whatever boy is in the bedroom he can come out,”

my jaw drops and i start stuttering but shes already left.

a/n so rhis is definitely a series jusr patiently bare with me luv u guys

[for-my-reasons]

this felt right

[starlostseungmin]

husband!minho

✰ notes: third entry of my husband!skz series and as for who won the poll, it’s minho’s turn!! minor warning: sex is mentioned but nothing happened!! i hope you guys enjoy!! not proofread. DO NOT FORGET TO REBLOG, COMMENT AND LEAVE TAGS! thank you <33

seungmin , chan（ lee know ） jeongin , han , changbin , felix , hyunjin.

ꔛ

Husband Minho who asked, “Will you be the mother of my three kids?” instead of “Will you marry me?” on one random afternoon when you were both playing with his cats at his parents’ house. It served as his proposal and gave you a jingle ball because he didn’t have a ring with him at that time. 

Husband Minho who used to be a tsundere and nonchalant person but later changed into a fully affectionate bunny the moment he fell for you. 

Husband Minho who got emotional during the wedding day but tried to hold his tears back since it was expected that his friends would tease him later. He gave up eventually and cried when you slow danced with him at the reception. 

Husband Minho who teased you a lot but in a loving way. He tends to be a menace sometimes but it wasn’t bad. Your big baby just loves to play with you. 

Husband Minho who pretends to be annoyed when you ask for a kiss but deep inside he wants to smother you with all the love you deserve. Eventually, he couldn’t keep it to himself so he cuddles you with lots and lots of kisses. 

Husband Minho who spoils you with his five Michelin-star cooking skills and serves you high-quality food. He is the happiest when you compliment him and finish everything on your plate. 

Husband Minho who loves to drag you along when he goes camping and offers to take care of everything while you rest. He’d only ask for minor tasks from you to help him. 

Husband Minho who sends you weird selfies and cat pictures when you’re not together and says he misses you with the kids (his cats). 

Husband Minho who listens to your worries and gives constructive criticisms but at the same time he comforts you with the things you need to feel better. 

Husband Minho who loves to encourage you to do the things you want as long as it would benefit him and it’s not illegal. “The heart knows what it wants,” He said. “But let’s not go to jail shall we?”

Husband Minho who lets you burst out in anger while he stood there listening to everything. He’s not the type to baby you every time and will be civil when it comes to arguments knowing who is in the right and wrong. 

Husband Minho who will never allow you to sleep unless everything is resolved. He’d be sorry if it was his fault and be the cutest baby bunny that you can’t resist to forgive. This comes along with cuddles and kisses or makeup sex (if you’re both into it). 

Husband Minho whose love languages are acts of service, quality time, and words of affirmation. 

Husband Minho whom you swoon to over and over because of how handsome and cute he is. Never a day you’d miss complimenting him by which he’ll be all red and mushy from being shy. 

Husband Minho who got the interest of touching your butt out of his love and affection. 

Husband Minho who lays on top of you when he sees you lying down on your shared bed the moment he gets home because he’s tired and your presence makes him feel relaxed and secure.  He tends to bury his face in the crook of your neck. 

Husband Minho who is loud and dramatic in the most precious way. 

Husband Minho who never forgets important dates and will throw everything away just to spend time with you. 

Husband Minho who acts like a mother especially when you get sick and is stubborn. 

Husband Minho who is good with kids, and had asked you a few times if you want to have one with him but at the same time he doesn’t want to put pressure on your shoulders. He reassures that he can wait and doesn’t even mind if he spends his lifetime with you alone. 

Husband Minho who feels appreciated and loved when you tell him about the things he means to you and how much you are head over heels for him. 

Husband Minho who gets excited when you give him cat necessities. You wonder that he loves his cats more than you sometimes but he’d say you were equally receiving his love and affection. 

Husband Minho who doesn’t always say he loves you but rather says that you are his getaway from everything. It’s you and him against the world, nothing could replace you as you are his happy place and favorite person. The one who comes second after his cats and knows his priorities but you get the privilege. 

Husband Minho who loves you to the moon and back. 

Husband Minho who treasures you the most and the one he’d put first before everything. 

Husband Minho whom you’ll love for a lifetime, promised to never hurt, never leave, and never break his heart. 

✰ taglist: @notastraykid , @ameliesaysshoo , @l3visbby , @reignessance , @lix-ables , @skzfelixlove , @rachabreathing , @hyunverse , @minluvly , @sleepyleeji , @starseungs , @midsoulz , @oddracha , @armystay89

©️ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐌𝐈𝐍 , 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒.

[nsain25]

S2 SPOLIER ALERT ( watch at your own risk !! )

MY MAN IS STILL HAS OBSESSED AS EVER AND I AM SOBBING 😭

[youngzjae]

GET TO KNOW ME —» BIASES ↪ stray kids: lee know

[4linos]

across the street pt. 1

bang chan x fem!reader, lee minho x fem!reader

synopsis/request: life is finally falling into place for you and your daughter, but a new neighbor could turn your world upside down, bringing unexpected challenges along the way.

wc: 2178

[across the street pt. 2, across the street pt. 3]

(a/n: skz as a group don’t exist in this universe but 3racha does & some of the members will make special appearances!)

- flashback -

You had tried so hard to make it work. For so long, you were patient. You understood that Chan’s career was demanding. Being in a group like 3racha meant that there would be long hours, late nights, and endless commitments. But when it started affecting everything else the quiet, repeated disappointments that kept stacking up, something shifted.

It wasn’t even about the big moments anymore; it was the small ones that mattered. The times you asked if he could come home for dinner, to share a moment together like you used to. He always said yes, but it was a lie. He rarely came. And when he did, it felt like he wasn’t really there his mind was elsewhere, his body distant, as if even when he was physically in front of you, he was still unreachable.

You understood him more than anyone. You knew that when he was on a tight schedule, he couldn’t help it. You tried to convince yourself that you just needed to be patient, that everything would come back to normal. You reminded yourself that it was only temporary, that things would settle after the next comeback or the next tour. But as time went on, it started to feel like the promises didn’t mean anything.

He’d tell you he’d spend more time with you, he’d tell you he missed you, but he never did. You began to wonder if it was something more than just bad timing. Maybe this was who he had become now someone who cared more about his schedule, about his work, than the person he promised to love.

And then the pregnancy test came back positive. You weren’t expecting it. You hadn’t been trying to get pregnant, but life had a way of throwing things at you, and this...this felt like a sign. You kept the news to yourself for a while, not sure how to handle it.

The excitement you should’ve felt was overshadowed by the dread of knowing you didn’t have the kind of relationship you wanted to have with him anymore. You couldn’t help but wonder if this pregnancy would change things, would make him change. You tried to believe that it could, that maybe it would bring you two closer. Maybe this new chapter would be the one where he realized how much you were slipping away from each other.

But despite the shock of the pregnancy, you held onto that hope. You gave him one last chance, thinking that this might be the catalyst. You texted him, telling him you had a surprise and asking if he could come home early. For once, you wanted him to choose you, to choose the life you two had started together.

And for a moment, his response seemed to make things feel hopeful again. He said he missed you. He promised he’d come home early. The words seemed like everything you'd been waiting to hear. You prepared the dinner, set up the table with candles and soft lighting, trying to recreate the intimacy you missed so much. You bought a small gift, a box with the ultrasound picture, a onesie, and some tiny booties. It wasn’t grand, but it was everything you felt you needed to say. You were ready to share this new chapter with him.

But he didn’t show up. Hours passed. You tried calling, but he didn’t answer. You texted, no reply. At first, you kept telling yourself that maybe something important came up. He was stuck in the studio, maybe there was a meeting he couldn’t get out of. You waited, and waited, and waited. But deep down, you couldn’t shake the growing suspicion that it wasn’t about work.

When he finally came home at 3 a.m., his exhausted face was the last thing you wanted to see. You had stayed up, trying to prepare for a future that felt uncertain, and he came home with no recognition of what you had done. You felt invisible. Not just because of the lack of a proper response, but because even in this moment, when you were offering him something that would change your lives, he was too tired to care. Too tired to even ask about the dinner you’d prepared, too tired to notice the soft glow of the candles that symbolized the hope you’d been clinging to.

“Hey, baby,” he mumbled as he walked past you, barely sparing a glance at the table. His exhaustion was written all over him, and you felt a bitter pang of resentment. You tried to ask him, to make him see you, to make him realize how much this had hurt you. But his apology came without depth. "Sorry, I didn’t think much of it. Just... so tired."

He threw himself onto the bed, not even attempting to check if you were okay, not even considering that you might need him right now. His indifference hit you like a wave, and the weight of everything you’d been carrying started to crumble. It wasn’t just about the dinner or the surprise anymore, it was the realization that no matter how many chances you gave him, it was never going to be enough.

You didn’t even feel angry. Not anymore. You had spent so long being patient, so long hoping for something that never came, that now you just felt empty. You were done. Done with waiting for him to change, done with asking for his attention, done with hoping he’d finally see you as his priority.

“I’m done, Chan,” you whispered, your voice soft but laced with finality. It was the end of a long chapter that you’d been holding onto in the hope of something better, but now you knew. There was nothing left to fight for.

When he didn’t respond, when he didn’t reach for you or even acknowledge what you said, the silence between you became deafening. He was too tired, too caught up in his world to see what was crumbling in front of him, and you realized, in that quiet moment, that you had already been alone for so long. The table with the candles, the onesie and booties, the ultrasound, all of it was just a reflection of what you had been trying to salvage: a dream that was never going to be real.

And as you turned off the lights and curled up in the bed, away from him, you could almost hear the faint echo of your heart breaking.

-

The morning after you told him you were done, you woke up to the heaviness of reality. He had already left for work. The silence between you both felt suffocating, but you didn’t regret your decision. You had made up your mind. You couldn’t keep living in a relationship that had drained you for so long. Your heart ached, but there was a sense of finality. You were no longer willing to wait for someone who couldn’t meet you halfway, someone who had neglected not only your relationship but also the future you had been imagining together.

With shaky hands, you called your family. You didn’t want to do this alone. You needed support. Your mom’s voice on the other end of the line was full of concern, but you didn’t have to explain much. She knew. She’d seen the toll it had taken on you for months. She had been a quiet witness to your pain, the way you kept waiting for Chan to come home, for him to keep his promises, and how he always let you down. She didn’t hesitate. “We’ll come over. We’ll help you, honey.”

It felt like a blur, the way everything shifted in the span of hours. Your mom arrived with your dad, and they both wasted no time, helping you pack up your things. The house you had once shared with Chan now felt foreign to you, as if you were walking through someone else’s life. The space that had once been filled with laughter and hope was now just a shell of memories you couldn’t hold onto anymore.

You moved through the process mechanically, packing your clothes, your personal items, everything that was yours. Your mom’s hands were gentle on your back, a quiet comfort as she moved alongside you. It was hard to see through the blur of tears that welled up in your eyes, but you knew deep down that this was what you needed to do. There was no other choice. You were done.

As the afternoon sun began to set, the last box was packed, and you were ready to leave. You had spent the last few hours in a daze, but now, standing in the living room, you could feel the weight of the decision pressing on your chest. The future was uncertain, and the path ahead felt terrifying, but it was yours. It was your decision, and it was the only one that made sense.

You couldn’t bring yourself to talk to Chan. Not yet. Not after everything that had happened. So instead, you wrote him a letter. It wasn’t a letter that explained everything, nor did it mention the pregnancy. You didn’t owe him that, not anymore. The letter wasn’t about him, it was about you. About your broken heart and how you were finally putting yourself first.

You poured everything into the letter. Your pain, your frustration, your sadness. The tears that had stained the paper were a testament to how much you had tried to hold on, how much you had hoped for something different. You wrote that you were no longer happy, that you were done being pushed aside, that you could no longer live in the shadow of promises that would never be kept.

When you finished, you placed the letter on the kitchen counter. It felt like the final piece to closing that chapter. You didn’t need to confront him. The words you’d written were enough. The letter was the closure, even if Chan never got the chance to read it or understand it.

Your mom held you close as you cried, her voice soft and comforting. “You’re strong, honey. This is the right choice. You’ll be okay.”

And as you left the house, walking out of the door for the last time, you felt a strange mix of fear and relief. You didn’t know what the future would hold, but you knew you couldn’t go back. You couldn’t keep living in a relationship that wasn’t serving you, that wasn’t giving you what you needed.

Once you were settled into a new place with your family’s support, you took the final step. You blocked Chan’s number, along with anyone else who was still tied to him, friends, other members, managers. You had to completely sever the ties in order to heal. You were walking away from the life you had once shared with him.

The journey ahead wouldn’t be easy. The pregnancy was just beginning, and you would have to face it alone, but you weren’t truly alone. You had your family, your friends, and most importantly, you had yourself. And as a single mother, you would find your strength. Even if it was a struggle, even if it meant stepping into the unknown, you knew you could build something better for yourself. You could create a future that was filled with hope, not disappointment.

It was time to move on. And this time, you were doing it for you.

Five years had passed since you walked away from Chan, and those years had been full of growth, healing, and finding new happiness. You had Nari now, a beautiful 4-year-old daughter who brought so much light into your life. And then there was Minho, your boyfriend, your rock. The one who made you feel safe and supported in ways that Chan hadn’t. Life had been peaceful, stable, and full of love.

You'd found comfort in your new normal. Every morning you woke up next to Minho, helped Nari get ready for school, and lived a routine that felt comforting. There were no more unanswered texts, no more broken promises. Just a life you could finally enjoy.

That morning was like any other. The sun streamed in through the kitchen window as you prepared breakfast for Nari. You could hear Minho coming down the stairs, fresh from his early gym session, towel draped over his shoulder. He looked over at the window, his eyes scanning outside.

“Hey,” Minho said, his tone casual. “Looks like we’re getting new neighbors.”

You paused for a moment, looking up. “New neighbors? Did you see who they were?”

Minho shrugged, wiping sweat off his forehead. “No, just a moving truck. Didn’t catch a glimpse of them, but I’m guessing they’re settling in.”

Nari, hearing the mention of "new neighbors," perked up immediately. "New friends? Are they my age?" she asked eagerly, her eyes wide with excitement.

She loved the idea of new kids to play with, and after her busy day at school, she’d probably be ecstatic to meet anyone close to her age. You and Minho both joked about how she’d probably be the first to knock on their door.

“Maybe you’ll have new friends to play with, sweetheart,” you told Nari as you handed her a plate of breakfast.

Minho went to freshen up, while you made sure Nari had her things packed up for school, everything felt normal. There was a sense of peace in the small things your daughter laughing, Minho humming in the background as he brushed his teeth, the comfortable sounds of your family living in harmony.

After you made sure Nari ate her breakfast and finished packing her bag, you and Minho both got ready to take her to school. You put on a jacket and headed out the door, holding Nari's hand while Minho walked alongside you. It was a crisp morning, the sun rising slowly, and you felt at ease, the weight of your past completely gone.

As you drove to Nari’s school, the world outside seemed so familiar, yet a strange sensation stirred in your chest as you passed the house with the moving truck.

A tall figure was standing near the front of the house, talking to the movers and directing them. Your first instinct was to brush it off, as it was a simple sight you’d seen a hundred times. But something about that figure, the way they moved, felt eerily familiar.

You stared for a moment, trying to place it, but the thought was fleeting as you focused on getting Nari to school.

You quickly pushed the thought out of your mind. It couldn’t be. This was a new chapter in your life, a chapter you’d carefully built, and you couldn’t let anything, especially someone from the past, take that away from you.

"Okay, sweetheart, here we are. Have a great day!" You helped Nari out of the car, giving her a quick hug and sending her off with a kiss on her cheek.

Minho stood beside you, watching Nari wave as she ran toward the school entrance. When you both returned to the car and drove back home, a sinking feeling started to grow. Something about the morning seemed off, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it.

Minho parked the car in the driveway, but before you even got out, your eyes instinctively went back to the house across the street, the one with the moving truck. And that’s when you saw him.

Chan.

It was unmistakable. The familiar figure was no longer just a shadow in the distance, but a real, tangible presence right there in front of you. He was standing on the porch now, hands on his hips, directing movers as they carried boxes inside. It wasn’t a mistake. It was him. The same man who had once been your world, your heartbreak, your past.

Your heart dropped to your stomach. You had tried to move on, to leave that chapter behind, but here he was, right across the street, as if nothing had happened. As if the past hadn’t torn you apart. You stood still, unable to move, processing the shock that had just hit you like a wall. You had never expected this.

Minho saw your reaction immediately, his eyes following yours to the house across the street. He didn’t need to ask anything. He saw the change in you, the way you froze, the way your breath caught.

“Is that…?” Minho began, but didn’t finish the sentence. His voice was softer now, knowing the weight of the situation, knowing that something was stirring in you.

You nodded, your throat tight. "It’s Chan."

For a moment, you didn’t know what to feel. Anger? Shock? Fear? It was as if your past had just collided violently with your present, and you were trying to make sense of it all. You didn’t want him back in your life. You had built something better, something real, with Minho and Nari. But there he was, standing on the porch, like he had every right to be there, like he hadn’t shattered everything you had worked so hard to put back together.

Minho, sensing your tension, stepped closer, placing a hand on your shoulder. His touch was warm and reassuring, an unspoken promise that he wouldn’t let Chan ruin what you had.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Minho asked softly, his voice steady but filled with concern.

You shook your head, not sure where to even start. "I don’t know what to say," you whispered, still staring across the street at Chan.

Minho kissed the top of your head gently, grounding you. “You don’t have to talk about it right now. I’m here, okay? You’re not alone in this.”

You nodded, your eyes still locked on Chan as he walked into the house across the street, carrying a box. Everything you had worked for, all the peace you’d built for yourself, suddenly felt fragile, as if one glance at that house could unravel it all.

But then, something inside of you shifted. You weren’t the same person you had been back then. You had Nari. You had Minho. You had a life that was strong, filled with love and stability. Chan was a ghost of your past, someone who was no longer part of your present. He might be back in your neighborhood, but you weren’t going to let him back into your life.

“Let’s go inside,” you said, your voice steadier now. “We’ll deal with this later.”

Minho didn’t say anything else. He just nodded, understanding that you needed space to process the situation. You both went inside, and as you closed the door behind you, the weight of what had just happened hung in the air.

You didn’t know what Chan’s return meant or why he had moved across the street. You didn’t know if this would change everything, or if it was just another random coincidence. What you did know was that you had built something real, something lasting, and you weren’t going to let the past come crashing in and take it from you.

You and Minho had a future together, and that future would not be defined by someone who hadn’t cared enough to be there when you needed him the most. No, you were stronger than that. You had built this life from the ground up, and no amount of unexpected moving trucks or familiar faces would change that.

And so, you focused on the love you had now, the love that was real. That was enough.

//

❌ proofread

masterlist.

[hyunfilms]

blue side of the sky (lmh) | eight.

♡ spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: waking up after 3 months with no recollection of your past, your friends do what they can to help you remember. except, they omit an important piece to the puzzle - afraid you would remember the heartbreak and hurt all over again.

—pairing: lee know x f. reader

—genre: (18+) exes to lovers, bestfriends to lovers au | fluff, angst, (eventual) smut

—word count: 5.5k

—chapter warnings: cussing/mature language, mentions of alcohol consumption (not by oc), very platonic slow-dancing with jisung, we hear jisung's feelings about the accident 🥺, a bit more descriptive details of the accident, more minho x oc interactions yay!!, flashback - kisses/probably err on the side of making out lol

"Shit, I need to be at Yeong-Su's in the next five minutes or else my parents are gonna kill me." Jisung huffs as he struggles to get his tie done. You put your eyelash curler down to help him because you can't watch him struggle any longer. You step in front of him and take over, neatly securing his tie around his neck before looking up at him with a small smile. "Thank you." He lets out a breath of relief before looking at himself in the mirror once more. 

"You're welcome. You should go."

"You're gonna be okay?"

"I will."

"What are you trying to say?" Chan yells from their room, making the two of you laugh.

"You look beautiful, cielo."

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself, pachi." He smiles.

"See you guys down there." He calls out before rushing out of the room to meet the groom and the groomsmen. You finish curling your lashes, adding some light falsies to spruce up your look. You didn't add much makeup since you were going for a more natural look, but you were satisfied with how it turned out in the end.

You weren't entirely sure in the beginning, you hadn't done this in a very long time. It feels nice.

When you finally give your hair one last fix and spray a bit of perfume, you step into Chan and Seungmin's room, seeing them fix their suits a few times while looking in the mirror. Chan's eyes dart from the mirror to you, then back to the mirror before he's doing a double take.

"Wow, you look amazing Y/N." He turns to look at you. "And you were saying you weren't sure about the dress?"

"I just haven't dressed up like this in awhile, you know?" You shrug. "San said it was nice." Your hands brush down the fabric of the dress while Seungmin and Chan chuckle.

"San was right." Chan nods. "Though, I hope he knows we won't make it easy for him to weasel his way into your heart." Chan focuses on tightening his tie once more.

"Seriously, Y/N. You look stunning." Seungmin adds. "Ready to go?"

"Mhm. Ready when you two are."

"Alright, let me just throw on my watch and I'll be good." Chan says, snatching his Rolex off of the nightstand and securing it around his wrist. The three of you head straight towards the garden area, your eyes light up at all the wedding decorations. The venue was decorated beautifully with its sage, taupe and champagne flowers and tones.

You're pulled out of your daze when you hear a familiar voice greeting Seungmin and Chan, Chan glancing over at you once you've met the eyes of said familiar voice.

"Y/N, hey." Minho says, slowly eyeing you up and down. "W-wow, you look amazing." You look at him with a small smile as you also peep his outfit— a  crisp button up with a black tie, sleeves rolled up mid-way with nicely pleated grey slacks. It's simple, but it works well for him. His long, brown hair slightly drapes over his eyes, a silver watch sitting prettily on his wrist.

"Hey Minho. Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself." You chuckle just as Chan gently tugs at the gift bag in your hand.

"I'll go place this down at the gift table for you, alright? Gotta put my gift down too." You give him a small nod before returning your attention to Seungmin and Minho. They're chatting amongst themselves, and you find yourself shuffling closer to Seungmin as the crowd grows.

"You okay?" Minho suddenly asks. "Did you take your medicine?" Seungmin subtly bites onto his bottom lip while he watches your eyes shift upwards at Minho. Suddenly, Minho feels a little embarrassed for outwardly showing his worry for you. He knows this isn't the time, he knows he needs to step back. "Sorry, I—"

"It's okay." You give him a reassuring nod. "I did this morning. I appreciate the reminder, though." Minho simply nods in acknowledgement before Seungmin butts in.

"We should find our seats." He says, watching the rest of the guests settle into their seats. Seungmin's hand settles on the small of your back, gently pressing you towards the way to your seats. At this point, Chan re-joins the group and follows along, greeting some of Jisung's family members on the way over. Seungmin takes the seat near the aisle, followed by you, Chan and Minho. Just as Chan settles into the seat, Minho meets your eyes and his facial expression softens. The corner of his lips tug upwards into a tiny smile that you almost miss, and he doesn't necessarily peel his eyes off of you even as the pianist starts to play the entrance song.

You feel that look settle in the pit of your stomach.

"Oh shit, it's starting already." Chan harshly whispers over to you and Seungmin. The three of you stand as the pianist plays the song loudly, the bridesmaids accompanied by the groomsmen. Jisung walks down the aisle with a smug smirk on his face that makes Chan, Minho and Seungmin quietly laugh to themselves. Shortly following behind is another couple, then another— until the entire group passes and lines up at the altar. Once they've settled in their positions alongside of Yeong-Su, Yuna begins to make her way down the aisle looking beautiful as ever in her wedding dress.

You watch the way Yuna and Yeong-Su look at each other so lovingly in the eyes as they go through their vows, the tears still flowing down their cheeks— causing everyone in attendance to break into their own tears and sniffles. You wonder what it's like to be completely enamored by someone, to love someone so deeply and with everything in you; 

What is love?

Were you ever in love at some point? True, genuine love? 

Your eyes wander to the ocean just behind the venue, before they fall onto Minho again. But, when you turn, you find that he's looking at you already and his expression is unreadable. He is always unreadable, but it's the feeling you get that confuses you the most.

"Kiss!" Seungmin yells just as the crowd begins to yell along, making you chuckle. Minho is no longer looking at you, and he's snapped himself back to current times— back to reality.

God.

The wedding passes quickly, with the reception following shortly behind. It's a short distance of a walk, the huge tent with champagne-colored drapes right around the corner of the hotel. The view of the sunset and ocean is clearer in this area, with the breeze a bit stronger [though it hits the drapes and decorations beautifully]. 

"Cielo." Jisung comes from behind, causing you to turn over your shoulder to look at him. "Are you still doing okay?"

"Mhm." You nod. "I was just about to to grab a drink."

"I can do it—"

"It's fine, pachi. I got it." You give him a toothless smile as you step forward to the self-serve area for the drinks; all the fruit-flavored, non-alcoholic drinks lined up in cute beverage dispensers with gold detailing. You help yourself to some of the strawberry mango concoction that's almost gone, waiting for every drip to fall into your cup.

"I'm nervous." Jisung whines a bit, watching as you wait for your cup to fill.

"Why are you nervous? You're going to be fine, Ji."

"I haven't sang in front of my family in such a long time."

"And I'm sure you'll do great. They'll love you. Besides, you'll have Seungmin with you." You finally bring your cup up to your lips while you turn to Jisung.

"You don't think my singing voice is icky, right?"

"Jisung, please." You chuckle and shake your head. "Your voice is lovely. Your family will love it." You give his arm a gentle squeeze. "Promise." He lets out a deep breath before he nods.

"You're right." He walks alongside of you as you walk back to the table, Chan helping himself to the salad and bread that was just served. The three of you engage in small talk over some food, while Minho decides to sip on his drink near the open bar area. He watches the way you laugh and smile, his gut wishing he was the reason why—

"Please tell me you're just taking way too long to decide which drink you'll go for after you finish that." Seungmin comes to his side, making Minho damn near choke on the cocktail he's sipping.

"Excuse you."

"Creep." Seungmin gives him a look and Minho glares at him.

"I was just people-watching."

"Like that makes it any better."

"Would you mind your own business, Kim Seungmin? Don't you have a song to sing soon?"

"Soon, not right now." Seungmin sips on his cocktail before digging his other hand into his pocket. "So, staring at Y/N?"

"I wasn't staring at her." Minho looks at him, but all Seungmin does is cock a brow up. "I mean I was, but like, I was just making sure she was okay.. from a distance. It wasn't too long ago when I brought her to urgent care."

"Was that hard?"

"What?"

"To say that you care."

"She's still my bestfriend at the end of the day." Minho blurts out the first excuse that comes to mind even though he has no right to play that card.

"Alright then." Seungmin shrugs, half-understanding why Minho was acting the way he was, half-not-understanding why he couldn't just say what was on his mind. "Whatever you say, my guy. I'm gonna head back to our friends." He heads for the table with Minho following shortly after.

The remainder of the program goes by beautifully, with Jisung, the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen giving their thoughtful and sweet speeches. You've cried once or twice, especially when Yuna shares a dance with her father, and Yeong-Su gives his own speech to everyone before catering to his now-wife. There are special surprise performances from family, one being Jisung and Seungmin's performance— singing to Alto Moon's 'Mars.'

As soon as the dance portion of the night begins, Chan whisks you away to the dance floor, twirling you around before the both of you start to dance along to the song. Shortly, Seungmin joins along after he's found his way towards you two, then Jisung, Yuna and Yeong-Su. Minho joins the circle, laughing and enjoying himself across from you. Nonetheless, it's a good time and you find yourself having tons of fun with Jisung's family and your friends. You almost don't want the weekend to come to an end because you'll be looking to relive the entire thing all over again.

It's the first time you've felt alive in awhile.

"Hey." Jisung slips into the empty seat next to Seungmin while you two sit down for a break. "Please, help. I need a break from them." He points at his family. "They're killing me with the pictures." He tries to duck by Seungmin's figure to avoid people calling him over.

"Sucks to be you." You laugh at Seungmin's remark. "Jisung is over here!" Seungmin calls out, making Jisung punch him on the bicep.

"You asshole." He moves away from his seat to keep dodging his family, putting his hand out for you to grab when the songs begin to slow down. "Perfect timing! Let's go dance, cielo." Jisung brings you out onto the floor for a slow dance. You wrap your arms around his neck and he holds you around the waist, the both of you swaying to the slow beat of the song.

"Are you having a good time? Feeling okay?"

"I am. Thank you for bringing me along."

"Of course, I knew you'd enjoy it." He chuckles a bit.

"No, really. Thank you." You pull back to look at him. "You know, for always looking out for me and being there for me? For being patient? I know it might not be easy after everything that's happened. Or, I might not be the easiest to take care of, but you make life a lot smoother."

"Cielo, you're my bestfriend. I'll do anything for you." He lets out a breath. "When the accident happened, I was scared." Even if he won't get into too many details right now, it's the first time Jisung is really speaking up about the accident. "I couldn't help but blame myself because I felt like I could've done better. I spent nights trying to figure out where I could have prevented this from happening, where I lacked in keeping you safe. Why I didn't do certain things—"

"Jisung, that wasn't your fault."

"Still." He looks at you. "Maybe I should've prevented you from leaving that night. I should have made you stay knowing the storm was at its peak." You can't even remember the night of the accident, but your uncle had briefly mentioned leaving Jisung's. Why you were there, you weren't sure. Why you left, you aren't sure. But you hopped in an Uber, the driver losing control of the car when a drunk driver in the opposite lane swerved— causing the car to flip when you were only 5 minutes away from home.

It makes you sick to even think about it. That's one thing you don't want ever to relive, or have memories of.

"There are things you can't protect me from, pachi." You say softly while looking up at him. "Just as me with you."

"I just should've done better, Y/N. I could have." He clears his throat. "You were almost taken away from me. I'll never let another opportunity slip past me again." He looks at you as if it's the last time he's looking at you. But before the moment carries on, he pulls you in, hugging you tightly and warmly. He keeps you close, because that's what he feels like he needs to do from this moment on.

"I'm here, pachi." You softly say as you part from him. All he can do is look at you and nod, giving you some space as the next song begins to play. 

"I know." At this point, Jisung's mom comes from behind him and sweetly asks for a dance from her son. You hand him off, smiling at them right before you turn on your heel to head to the bathroom. Luckily, it isn't too far into the hotel. You can't wait to relieve yourself and freshen up a bit, giving yourself a bit of a break before heading back out to be surrounded by people and loud music.

Once you feel like you've given yourself a good enough breather, you leave the bathroom and turn the corner—

"Woah." Minho says, his hands immediately coming to your elbows. "Oh jeez, I'm so sorry Y/N." He says when he realizes it's you he almost ran into. 

"You're alright." You chuckle. "I shouldn't have turned the corner so quickly." He puts on a small smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just needed a little bathroom break and a quick breather." You look past his shoulder to get a glimpse of the party. "Is Jisung still with his mom?" He shakes his head.

"No, but his auntie."

"Of course. I saw you and Chan with the aunties earlier."

"Gotta save them a dance or two, you know?" You giggle.

"How sweet." Pause. Silence. Minho observes every inch of your face, body— the scar on your cheek from the accident, and the one near your hairline. You're beautiful, and he doesn't even care if he's staring.

All that liquid courage, especially.

"You really do look amazing tonight."

"Thank you, Minho." You fiddle with your fingers. "I should let you get back to.. you know.." He lets out a small breathy laugh just as you see Jisung hurrying into your point of view.

"Please. Help." You read Jisung's lips and furrow your brows, causing Minho to turn over his shoulder and look at him.

"He always needs saving." Minho rolls his eyes, making you laugh at his statement.

"Are you gonna head back to the table after?" He nods.

"Yeah. But for now, I think you should get to Jisungie before he cries."

"Right. I'll see you later." You chuckle as you walk past him and meet Jisung, who is hiding from his aunties [again] even in plain sight. 

Minho is left alone to ponder on his thoughts, and he can't stand this.

Actually, he can't stand himself. Cause god, he was preparing to accept the worst. To lose you, to not have you around. To have something taken away from him so suddenly.

Then, that wasn't the case. But that's not the issue at all, no. He's happy and he can't stop thanking the higher power for giving you another chance at life. He doesn't know what he'd do without you, you were always important to him. Always will be.

Still, you are what he loves the most.

But he can't stand himself because he's here, acting like everything is fine. He was heartbroken when you didn't remember who he was, had no recollection of the memories you two shared— he fell deeper in this dark hole with Kat even though he didn't intend to. She just filled this void that he had, and it's fucked up of him to lean on the girl that messed up everything you two had in the first place. He couldn't help himself. But, what breaks his heart the most now is that you don't know, and you may or may not ever know. He couldn't dare to see you crying or hurt. Even though Minho really wants to be honest, he really wants to tell you.

You two have so much to talk about.

He looks at you as you hit the dance floor with the group and he's just not sure when or how to do this— how to even act around you because you're the girl he's always loved. You're the girl he imagined spending his entire life with. But you're also the same girl he hurt so, so deeply.

He's the one who brought you all this love, along with all this hurt, and he'll never forgive himself for it. 

He wishes it wasn't so difficult because when he looks at you, he wishes he could love you time and time again— like the world was due to end any minute now.

That's way too selfish of him, though. He's already been selfish once, and he won't dare to be that selfish again. He'll try not to.

Not if it hurts you.

Jisung joins Yeong-su and the groomsmen for a little after party at a nearby bar, while Chan and Seungmin busy themselves with rounds of Mario Party in the room. You decide that you want to walk and experience more of the ocean, listening to the waves crash against the sand under the cool weather.

"I'm going to walk around the hotel."

"Wait, do you want one of us to come?" Chan's eyes are fixated on the screen in front of him as he furiously presses the button on the controller.

"No, it's okay. I just wanted to take a quick walk and sit by the water for a minute. I'll come back." You stand at their doorway and give them a small smile.

"You su— ah, fuck off dude!" Seungmin yells. "Are you sure, Y/N?" He repeats to finish off his previous thought.

"More than sure." You give them one last wave before heading out the door. After the wedding, you quickly took a shower and threw on some cotton shorts, a baby tee and a loose zip-up to protect you from the colder breeze at this time of night. You zip it up halfway, tugging on the zipper as you step into the elevator and head down to the first floor. It's still pretty lively, with guests at the restaurant and bar. Just as you send a text to your uncle to let him know you're okay, you do a double-take when you catch a familiar face sitting in the same exact dining area where you and Seungmin sat yesterday.

You don't say much, but you're quick to find out that you don't need to. As if his instinct told him to turn right at the moment, he does. He catches your eyes as he's about to take another sip, a subtle smile forming at the corner of his lips when you shyly wave. He sets the glass down and lets the waiter know he's finished, acknowledging him once more before making his way over to you. He smiles a bit, but you can tell he's nervous [partially tipsy, too].

"I didn't think I'd run into you out here." Minho says, making you chuckle as he continues to walk alongside of you.

"I wanted to walk around and sit by the water for a bit."

"Not tired?" You shrug.

"I am, but I wanted to get a better view of the ocean before leaving." You look up at him. "I could ask you the same."

"I figured I'd explore around too."

"See." You giggle.

"What's Chan and Seungmin doing?"

"Playing Mario Party." He chuckles.

"Of course." It's silent for a bit before the two of you head down the steps and finally hit the sand. "They didn't wanna join?"

"I mean they asked, but I told them they didn't need to. Don't wanna interrupt their session."

"They'll live." You laugh a bit and nod.

"It's alright." Minho catches you take in a deep breath before exhaling, biting onto your bottom lip as you slowly take steps forward, closing in to the water. It falls silent between you two, but it's a comfortable silence. You take in the view, while Minho observes you.

Calm. 

Beautiful.

So—

"So pretty." His head tilts to the side because yes, you are.

"Yeah, it is."

"I think I want to draw or paint this when I get back home." You quickly snap a photo.

"You should." You look at him and give him another small, toothless smile before sitting on the sand. Minho stands for a bit before he finally sits next to you— legs propped up while his hands rest on his knees. "How's all of that going?"

"I don't know. Better? Finally feeling some kind of inspiration to get back into art." You smile out towards the water. "I haven't done much yet. But either way, it's refreshing."

"That's good. How are the pottery classes?"

"Fun." You shrug. "Keeps me busy." You tuck your knees to your chest and look at him again. "I think I wanna work at the florist shop near Sunday Morning." 

"Really? That'll be fun, too." Minho chuckles a bit. "You sure you're ready?" You nod.

"Yeah, think so. I feel ready. San said I should go for it, too." Minho's smile slowly fades. Of course he did. 

"How's that?" He forces himself to ask, though he's afraid of the answer. Selfishly so. Here he goes, already failing with being selfish.

"Which? San?" You ask him, genuinely confused about the question.

"Mhm."

"He's becoming a good friend. We hang out, we talk." 

"As long as he's good to you, Y/N." He's not even sure what direction that statement is going, but whatever it is— he truthfully and wholeheartedly means it. If San is what will make you happy, then he will let you be happy.

That's the most important.

"It's good company, that's all." Your arm brushes against his, but you don't react much about it. "Enough about me though, what about you?"

"I'm a boring person."

"Clearly not if we're bestfriends." You chuckle a bit.

"All I do is exist, Y/N. Truthfully. I just work, dance, cook." Minho laughs at how pathetic he's making himself sound right now, but it's true. It's all he does.

"Well, what about Kat?" He shivers a bit. It's weird how her name used to be like venom. Now, it's.. nothing?

"Kat?" He repeats and looks at you. You nod at him so innocently and it hits him how much the accident has changed you. Of course, not your fault. But it goes to show how difficult it's been having to adjust. "We— she— that's not really a thing anymore, I guess?"

"So, you two were dating officially?"

"No. Never. We casually saw each other but that's all." He swallows the lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry, Minho."

"No need." He chuckles. "We were never going to be serious. I just finally learned how to walk away from it. The hard way."

"I hope you really are okay." You rest your chin against your knees. 

"I am. Don't worry about me." It falls silent for a moment before you call for him.

"Minho?"

"Yeah?"

"This is nice. I.. haven't been able to talk to you much, so it's nice to hear your voice more." He smiles before his head drops and he shakes his head.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just get occupied, and I always try to keep myself busy. Plus, I wanted to give you your space for a bit."

"I understand." You sigh. "This must be weird for you."

"No." He shakes his head. "It's not weird or anything. Don't ever think that."

"You feel distant."

"I'm not gonna lie, it's difficult because a lot has changed." He looks at you before tearing his eyes away. "I'm terrible at coping, and I'm terrible at dealing with big changes. All my own personal struggles, that's all."

"I get that."

"But I am sorry you feel that way. I know I should've done better, especially as your bestfriend. I haven't acted like it."

"It's okay, Minho. You don't have to apologize."

"I do. You deserve that from me." He looks at you again and his eyes soften. How he wishes he could pull you close, hold you, reassure you through a kiss on the forehead. 

He feels his heart sink to the pit of his stomach, so he shifts and focuses on the water, listens to the waves crashing against the sand.

Maybe one day, he'll be able to look at you for longer.

"I wish you didn't leave so quickly after you brought me home from the clinic."

"I wanted you to get your rest."

"Jisungie was there. I was looking for you. I wish you stayed." This is what makes it difficult. You looked for him. He feels like it's been forever since that happened.

"I'm sorry." He replies softly. "I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"You can by staying and not hurrying away next time." You feel your heart thumping in your chest, and you're not sure why you feel so shy, so nervous around Minho right now. The root feeling you get with him is unfamiliar, strange— falls into the category of known unknowns. But, one thing is for sure: you crave Minho's company.

"I can do that." You nod before letting out a small yawn into your elbow. "Maybe we should head back so you can sleep?"

"Yeah, I think the exhaustion is finally hitting me." You giggle, watching as Minho stands and dusts himself off. He puts out a hand, letting you grab onto his to help pull you up to do the same. "At least I got to enjoy the ocean." You turn to him as you start to walk back into the hotel. "Thanks for spontaneously joining me."

"Of course."

"Are you on the fourth floor too?" He shakes his head.

"I booked my room a little last minute so I'm on the seventh." He digs his hands into his pockets. "Is Jisungie back?"

"No. He probably won't be back until later."

"Hm." He hums as he presses the elevator button.

"I think we're getting breakfast tomorrow right? Us 5?"

"Mhm. If Jisung is alive." You laugh and step inside.

"True. He'll be a mess later."

"Do you wanna sleep in my room?" You raise a brow at him and he instantly retracts. "Oh no, no— sorry, I meant like, you can sleep in my bed— fuck." He groans. before gathering his thoughts again. "We can switch. So you don't have to deal with him later." You laugh.

"It's alright. If I need help, I'll call you. How about that?"

"Fair enough."

"I'm sure he'll be okay." The elevator dings when it his the fourth floor. "Thanks again for the company. I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah." You smile. 

"Goodnight, Minho."

"Goodnight." His eyes are glued onto you even as you turn on your heel and walk down the hallway, the elevator doors closing in front of him.

Now, he feels empty.

He's left with another piece of his heart broken, left with the unbearing sadness and anxiety he feels every time you walk away from him.

How do you continue to love someone who doesn't remember you the way you remember them— who doesn't love you the way you love them?

☁︎ FLASHBACK | A NIGHT DURING FRESHMAN YR IN COLLEGE

"Ouch, fuck!" You whine as you almost slip on the dirt, making your way up the stupid fucking hill behind campus. "If I break my ankle or fall, this will be all your fault Lee Minho."

"You're fine! We're almost there, princess." He laughs loudly as he watches you struggle climbing up the somewhat steep hill. Minho holds his hand out for you to grab, giving you some leverage to tackle the dirt path. You squeal a bit when you feel him pull you upwards, letting out a laugh when you finally get your footing together on flat ground.

"All this for the tower." You dust yourself off and look up at the abandoned watch [fire?] tower nestled up in the hills behind campus. "So worth." You turn to look at the town's view ahead.

"Atta girl." Minho smiles and nods towards the tower. "Come, let's go up the stairs and sit up there." He swings the rusted, metal gate open to lead you to the stairs.

"We're not gonna get in trouble, right?"

"Baby, baby, baby." He says in a certain tone. "Are we really asking that question?"

"Well, I don't know!" Minho steps aside to let you climb up the steps first. "Campus security could see us from down there and catch an attitude about us being here at this time!"

"Then we'll just tell them we're not getting any younger. It's a must to explore what's outside of campus before we're thrusted in the real world." You snort as you reach the end, feet stepping onto the platform. It isn't an incredibly huge tower— quite frankly, it's tiny and you're not even sure why the dang thing existed in the first place. But, there's nothing eery to it at all. It's a nice spot to have these moments.

"A prophet. I am dating a prophet."

"Maybe." Minho laughs as he sits on the platform and takes a swig of his water. "Sit with me. Please?" Is all he says when he reaches for your hand and gently pulls you in between his legs. You sit contently, letting Minho lazily wrap his arm around your neck before planting a kiss on your temple.

"It's a perfect night." You look up at the dark, night sky, counting as stars in your immediate view. You feel your body into Minho's as he adjusts his position and holds you closer to him. "Thanks for taking me up here, love."

"Course." He gives you a small smile. "Just don't tell Ji or else he's gonna be pissed. He's been wanting to do the hike up here but I keep telling him I'm too lazy."

"Too lazy, huh?" You chuckle.

"Gotta make princess happy first and foremost." He boops the tip of your nose, making you slightly turn over your shoulder to meet his eyes.

"Hey, babe?"

"Hm?" He hums as he gently pushes the hair away from your face.

"What do you think life would be like for us in a couple of years?"

"Well." He lets out a breath as you lay back on him, the both of you watching the hustle and bustle of the town. "I'd be owning a café. You'll be teaching art, maybe opening your own little boutique for it. We'd probably live together, and I'll start stressing on how to propose to you as time continues to go on—"

"Woah, propose?" You smirk and playfully push him. "Is that so?"

"I thought we were looking at us in the future?"

"Cute. Do you think we're too young to think like that?" Minho shakes his head.

"Maybe." He presses a kiss to the top of your head. "But I'm sure of it. I think that counts for something." You let out a soft, breathy laugh.

"Yeah, you're right." You nod and lay back on him. "I like that. I like future us."

"Good." You scoff before laughing. Minho continues to stare at you, smile slowly fading when his eyes shift from yours, to your lips— back up to your eyes. "So pretty."

"It's nighttime." He shrugs as he leans in slowly.

"And? Can still see you perfectly." He mumbles just as his lips brush against yours— sending tingles down your spine. You subtly bite onto your bottom lip, closing in on the kiss. Minho holds the kiss for a moment before he inches back, coming in for another shortly after. This time, his tongue lightly glides across your bottom lip; his way of asking for permission to take the kiss a little deeper. 

And you let him.

You slightly turn to position yourself better, hand coming up his neck, jaw, cheek, just as he sucks onto your bottom lip and tugs it back. You let out a soft sigh, smiling into the kiss as Minho continues.

"Maybe—we should—" You kiss him. "Head back?" He nods, giving you one last peck on the lips. 

"Yeah." You prepare to stand and dust yourself off when Minho grabs your wrist. "Hey, babe?" You turn to look at him when he gets himself up. "I love you."

"I love you, too." You smile and kiss him on the tip of his nose.

☁︎ END

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[godslino]

PIECE BY PIECE | minho first date series. friends to lovers.

pairing: minho x fem!reader word count: 6.2k genre: college au, mutual pining, fluff, angst warnings: drinking, referenced injury (very minor) summary: minho, on a drunken whim, asks you out on a date.

chan | minho | changbin | hyunjin | jisung | felix | seungmin | jeongin · · · ♡ series masterlist · · · ♡ taglist · · · ♡

a/n: finally!! the minho part!! i’ve been sooo excited about this one since i first got the idea. i hope you guys enjoy! once again any and all feedback is appreciated, happy reading <3

“Dude, I think it’s clean.”

Minho looks up from where he’s scrubbing the counter, eyes narrowed. So what if it’s his third time going over every surface in the kitchen?

“Are you going to help me or are you just gonna sit there and make more crumbs?”

Jeongin’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline. He holds up his hands in surrender, the bag of chips in his lap crinkling. “I’m just saying. You’re acting like she’s never seen the place before.”

That’s the problem. You’ve seen his place. Minho has to stop the shudder that threatens to overtake his body at the thought.

“So you’re not helping? Great. Get out.”

“I live here!” Jeongin whines. “Why do I have to get out? You can’t banish me like this.”

“I can and I will. Now leave. I have two hours to make sure everything is ready and I am not going to vacuum for a fourth time.”

“Yes mom,” Jeongin rolls his eyes as he unfolds his legs from underneath him.

He stops just short of the kitchen counter, points an accusatory finger at Minho’s disheveled figure still hunched over an imaginary stain.

“For the record, Chan hyung would never do this to me. He loves my crumbs.”

Minho throws the scrub daddy at him.

🏠

The night it happens, all it takes is approximately three shots and a pep talk from Hyunjin for Minho to finally find the nerve to ask you out.

“You’ve got this,” the younger boy says, words slurred, his hands steady on both Minho’s shoulders. The bass thumps loud in the other room, drowned out by the walls of the kitchen until it’s nothing but garbled nonsense going in one of his ears and out the other, vibrations low in his chest.

“I’ve got this.” Minho repeats, the thrum of alcohol already spreading to his fingertips. He feels warm, light on his feet. His limbs are starting to loosen up and his insides are turning to jelly. He might even be floating.

“You look hot.”

“I look hot.”

“She’s gonna say yes.”

“She’s gonna say yes.”

“You’re gonna venmo me twenty dollars.”

“I’m gonna venmo you twenty dollars.” Minho parrots before he can even process what he’s saying. Changbin, who’d been watching the entire thing unfold from where he stands with his back pressed against the sink, snorts.

“Wait, what the f—”

“Go get her!” Hyunjin screams, pushing him through the door of the kitchen with one last pat on the back, “And send me my money!”

Minho stumbles over himself, just barely able to stop in time before he goes crashing into a group of people. The living room is crowded: there’s furniture pushed up against the walls, bodies pressed front to back in the middle of the floor, a makeshift DJ stand in the corner where Chan is controlling the music from his laptop, drink in hand. Minho catches his eye from across the room, the glow of the LEDs reflecting off the toothy grin he shoots his way, dimples on full display.

“Hey!” Minho feels someone grab his arm, and he turns to find you staring up at him. “Where’d you go? You said you were gonna get a drink.”

Minho follows your eyes down to where you’re staring at his empty hands. “I—uh, well. I ran into Hyunjin and we took a few shots.”

The pout you give him does nothing but spur on the fluttering of his chest, his brain still hyper aware of the way your hand was resting on his elbow. “Shots? I want shots!” you whine, and Minho has to avert his gaze from staring at your lips when your pout only worsens.

“How much have you had?” he tries to ask over the music. There’s a shitty pop song playing, high pitched and wonky. If he remembers in the morning, he’ll make sure he berates Chan about his DJ-ing abilities.

“What?” you scream back, tiptoeing to bring your mouth closer to his ear.

Minho is only a man. A man who's been in love with you since the moment you accidentally spilled your coffee all over Hyunjin in the quad during freshman year. He remembers that day well, remembers the way your eyes went wide and your lips parted. He also remembers the way he wished it was him with the large wet stain on his shirt, that way it was him that was offered to have his lunch bought as an apology.

He’d never admit it, but sometimes really late at night, when the moon is high in the sky and he’s feeling oddly sentimental, he counts his lucky stars that Hyunjin had been in a relationship at the time. Minho doesn’t know what he would’ve done had he been forced to watch the two of you hit it off—some form of arson, presumably. Anything to take the edge off. But because of the fact that Hyunjin was not trying to have his head cut off by said girlfriend at the time, he invited Minho along as some sort of collateral damage. That’s when the two of you became friends. Kind of perfect if you ask him.

With the jumbled mess of butterflies in his stomach that he gets whenever you’re near him, and the threat of the alcohol slowly seeping through his skin, his brain short circuits the minute your breath grazes the shell of his ear. When your hand follows not long after, fingers gripping the nape of his neck to hold him in place, he almost passes out.

“Min? What’d you say?”

Minho is rendered completely useless by you. Absolutely ruined. Your existence has thrown his entire plan to woo you off course and now his mouth is opening and closing like a badly programmed robot. Pathetic. Nuts and bolts for brains.

By the grace of God (or some other higher being that Minho’s never bothered to believe in until this very moment) he finds his voice, but not before you’re pulling back with a confused look on your face.

“I asked how much you’ve had to drink,” he says, straining against the music.

A saccharine sweet grin that has him seeing stars spreads across your face, “Not enough!”

Minho is not an enabler. Never has been, never will be. There was one time, back in that fateful freshman year that also introduced the two of you, that he let Hyunjin get blackout drunk. A terrible decision on his end, if the earful he got from Chan the next morning was anything to go by. And as if that wasn’t enough, he was finding remnants of the resulting hacking session for the following week. So yeah, never again.

But while Minho isn’t an enabler, he is smitten, and the way your hand feels wrapped around his wrist as you drag him into the kitchen has his soul threatening to leave his body. He thinks that maybe he could do anything as long as you asked. He also hopes you can’t feel the way his pulse is rabbiting beneath his skin, right under the press of your thumb.

“There’s, like, nothing here.” you say as you rummage through the cupboard near the window, nose scrunched and a frown on your face.

Minho laughs, rounds the kitchen island to crouch down and open the cabinet under the sink. “That’s because you don’t know where to look,” he smirks, pulling out a fresh bottle of tequila. “Also, Chan hyung is greedy. He knows people like you will go scavenging his supply if he isn’t careful.”

“I resent that.” you frown, taking the bottle from him. “Besides, people like me deserve to have fun too.”

“Mhm, sure.” Minho says, grabbing a solo cup. He holds his hand out for the bottle, pours just the right amount before sliding it over and following it up with a can of coke.

“A man after my heart.” you joke, holding your cup up to him in a mock toast before downing it in one go. Minho watches with so much focus, fighting against the way his head spins. He doesn’t even know if it’s the alcohol anymore, it might just be the effect you have on him. Dizzying—you flip his entire world on its axis in the best way possible.

Minho’s gonna be seeing your exposed neck in his dreams later, he’s sure of it—it’s branded into his memory.

“That…is so fucking bad.” you giggle, holding your cup out. “Another one.”

Minho clicks his tongue. “I don’t know…”

“Pleaseeee Min,” the lilt in your voice sounds oddly familiar. Minho holds his breath just in case you—yup. There it is. There goes that pout again.

It’d be so easy for him to lean down and kiss it right off your lips. He could blame it on the alcohol, maybe, but then that takes away from how he actually means it.

He sighs instead. “It’s gonna cost you.”

“An arm and a leg?”

“What? No—I meant some water.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Three shots and a full bottle of water later, Minho knows you’ve hit your limit. Cheeks flushed pink, a dopey grin on your face, pupils blown wide. Even in this state, Minho is certain that you’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

“Anotherrrr,” you slur, waving your cup in his face.

Minho shakes his head. “No can do. You’re cut off.”

“Please,” you whine, placing both hands on his shoulders, “I’ll do anything.”

Minho, completely taken back by the sudden closeness of your body to his, freezes.

“Anything?” he asks before he can stop himself.

This is stupid. You’re drunk. There’s no way you’re going to remember anything in the morning, much less within the next thirty minutes. He’s pretty sure that you’ll lose control of all your senses soon, which is why he’s already texted your roommate Jiwoo to unlock the door so he can carry you inside. Nothing he hasn’t done before.

“Anything,” you repeat, eyes going cross-eyed where they’re fixing on the mole he has at the tip of his nose.

This is stupid. But then again, so is Minho. A big, stupid fool that blames everything on the fact that he’s so in love with you it hurts. This might be the only chance he gets to shoot his shot.

Minho takes a deep breath, says something similar to a little prayer that’s more like Hey, if anyone’s listening, help a guy out, and hopes that the twenty bucks he sent Hyunjin works.

“Go on a date with me.” he says slowly, wincing when your eyes snap up to meet his gaze.

Well, there’s really no going back from that. The only thing that could possibly grant him redemption now is banking on the fact that you don’t remember anything in the morning.

Minho waits with bated breaths, watches as your eyes search his for a long while. He waits for the anger, the disgust, the visible repulsion that he starts to think might happen the longer the silence continues.

He’s about to backtrack, quickly conjuring up an excuse about how Oh, haha, gotcha! when your hands suddenly drop from his shoulders. You grab the cup, your chin tipped upwards, and hold it out for him to fill.

“Okay.”

“O…kay?”

“Yeah. Okay. Pour me another one.”

The next morning, when Minho all but drags himself into the kitchen in search of water and something to soothe the throbbing in his head, he nearly spits a mouthful at Jeongin, the poor guy too busy eating his cereal to realize he’s gotten a front row seat in the splash zone.

Y/N [10:34am]

so

when do you want to do that date?

🏠

Are candles too much?

Minho has options: clean linen, lavender breeze, ocean mist, warm vanilla. He really just needs something to get rid of the smell of cleaning spray.

He thought that having a night in for a first date would be ideal—less pressure, no unwanted attention, a bathroom that he can run into when he starts to hyperventilate if you smile at him for too long. But now that it’s happening, he’s convinced that every surface of his and Jeongin’s shared apartment will scare you away if anything so much as looks off-putting.

Minho is, to put it simply, freaking out. All the other times you’ve been over to his place were on a completely platonic level. Movie nights with all the other guys in tow, dropping off food that you felt generous enough to buy every once in a while, one time because you’d accidentally worn Minho’s jacket home from a party and needed to return it to him.

But this is different. This is a date. Minho’s not dreaming—he already pinched himself a dozen times in the bathroom mirror, tiny red marks on the inside of his forearm to prove it. He’s going to open the door, invite you in, cook for you, and then proceed to resist the urge to tell you how beautiful you are for however long the night continues on after that. He can practically hear Jeongin’s laugh in the back of his head, sneering at how pathetic his inner monologue sounds right now.

He needs to find another stain to scrub.

By the time you’re knocking on his door, Minho has changed his outfit seven times. Sweats were too casual, a button up was too fancy. Should he not have done his hair? No, that’s just lazy, the way his fringe is swept up and out of his forehead adds a nice touch that doesn’t scream Hey! I’m trying to woo you! You’ve never been the type to be impressed by grand gestures and shows of confidence anyways, he knows that well.

One time, when a guy from one of the frat houses hired the campus quartet to sing a song for you in the quad as he stood there with big beady eyes and a bouquet of roses in his hand, you’d all but ran from the scene, Minho following close behind as you called out to him over your shoulder. It’s one of his fondest memories. As soon as the two of you made it around the back of the science building, you’d doubled over in laughter, the both of you in disbelief at what had happened. Minho has had that information tucked into the deepest parts of his brain ever since, saved just in case he needed it.

(Later that night, in the safety of his own bed, he’d laughed maniacally at the situation. Something about watching you reject another guy filled him with a sense of joy he couldn’t explain. He just hoped he was never going to be on the receiving end of it.)

He does a quick once over of the kitchen: double checks that all the ingredients are out, blows a speck of dust off the glass stovetop, spins the tiny floral arrangement he bought so that it’s sitting at just the right angle. When the doorbell rings, the chime bouncing off the walls of the apartment, he visibly pales.

He has to reel it in, to remember that it’s just you. You might not even be here with any intentions other than to fulfill your end of the deal; one date in exchange for the extra three shots he poured you the other night. Minho takes a deep breath, grips the doorknob with conviction, and decides that he’s determined to show you the way you deserve to be treated. The opportunity is there, and he’s gonna take it.

As soon as the door swings open, every nerve that had somehow crept its way into his brain disappears, the sight of you standing on the other side immediately sending the anxiety scrambling and replacing it with fondness instead.

“Hi,” you smile, and Minho sees images of you coming home to his apartment flash across his mind. After class, after work, in the winter when it’s cold and your nose is tinted pink, on rainy days where the ends of your hair are damp and you have a wet umbrella in tow. He could get used to it. He’s so in love that it hurts.

“Hey,” he breathes out, stepping aside to make way for you, “Come in. Are you hungry?”

“Starving, actually. Been saving myself all day since I don’t always get to have your cooking.” You hop on to one of the stools, your attention momentarily stolen by the flower arrangement. One point for Minho.

I’d cook for you every day, he wants to say. But that’s weird, right? So instead, “Well then I guess today is your lucky day.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” You say softly.

Minho can’t see you with the way his back is turned, hands moving to grab out the knife and cutting board, but if he could he’d see the way your eyes are staring softly at his back, the ghost of a smile on your lips.

Conversation flows easily after that, despite Minho’s original worries about it being awkward. You’re not necessarily treating it as a date, and he isn’t really either. It feels more like a glorified hangout, just the two of you spending time together with the added glances and smiles that normally wouldn’t be there.

Minho finds it easy to get lost in you. He finds himself craving to know more about your day, about the things that’ve been on your mind lately and the hobbies you’ve picked up. Most of the conversation is a continuation of stuff that’s fallen through the cracks during the times you see each other, but he doesn’t miss the way you ask about him too, your eyes shining with genuine interest. It makes his heart slam against his ribcage.

“How are your cats doing?”

Minho looks up from the cutting board, follows your gaze to where it’s fixed on the scattered pictures that litter his fridge. “They’re good,” he says, smiling down at a head of garlic, “My mom sends pictures all the time. She says they claw at the door to my room when they miss me.” He smashes the garlic under the knife’s blade by hitting it with the heel of his palm. “It’s cute.”

“You’re cute.”

Minho, in a very flashy demonstration of what it means to be cool, calm, and collected, slices his thumb mid-chop.

“Shit.” he mutters, dropping the knife.

It’s not that bad, just a little nick, the surprise was mostly what scared him. He probably doesn’t even need a bandaid. But despite how small it is, nothing stops you from hurriedly walking up to him and taking his hand in yours, his thumb held closely to your face for inspection.

“Are you okay?” You turn his hand over between your fingers, the soft pads of them against his calloused ones. Minho is dumbfounded, struggling to find the words to say.

“Yeah—um, it’s fine. My fault. I was distracted.” He stammers out, pulling his hand back and holding it up. He wiggles his fingers, making a show of bending and twisting his thumb that, at most, has just a small cut on the side. “See? Perfect.”

Your face relaxes, and then you’re laughing. Why are you laughing? Either Minho looks like a complete idiot or he’s suddenly the funniest person in the world for being clumsy and reckless and almost ruining the night by losing a finger. Whichever one it is, he doesn’t care, as long as he gets to hear that sound again.

“Let me help cook, please? I know you said you would do it all but clearly you’re a threat to the integrity of this meal.” You say, bumping your hip against his to move him away from the cutting board.

Minho scoffs. “I wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t catch me off guard.”

“So what? You admit that I make you flustered?”

Oh.

Minho wasn’t prepared for this. He wasn’t prepared for the—the flirting that’s clearly happening. You’re flirting with him, right? Why else would you have called him cute or given him that suspicious side eye after you asked that question?

You and Minho have joked around like this before, but it was always empty with no real feelings attached—as far as he could tell. You’re a naturally friendly person, getting along with others comes easy to you. He’s seen the way you talk to the other guys and has always just assumed he was no different in your eyes than they were. Sure, there were moments where maybe your hand lingered on his arm for a little while after he made you laugh, or the two of you would steal glances across the room. Sometimes when Hyunjin said something stupid you’d both catch the other’s eye and make a face, just another funny way of proving that you were both on the same wavelength most of the time. It’s kind of why Minho is so taken with you—he’s never met anyone that gets him the same way.

Reluctantly, Minho puts his pride aside and allows you to help. And as it turns out, you’re actually really good at cooking. Minho doesn’t have to instruct you much, and before he knows it you’re both working like a well-oiled machine, scooting past one another as you switch places between the stove and the sink, reading each other’s minds without even having to ask.

“Taste this.” You say, holding the spoon up to his mouth. Minho leans forward, front teeth poking out, and brings the spoon into his mouth. You cup your hand under his chin to catch any droppings, watching in anticipation as he smacks his lips together.

His eyes light up, big and brown and twinkling under the light of the kitchen. “Perfect.” He smiles.

“Oh you have—uh,” you stop him with a hand on his forearm just as he’s about to turn back to the sink, your other hand hovering next to his face hesitantly, “It’s just, um, your—here.”

Minho’s eyes go wide when your thumb swipes against the corner of his mouth, your touch feather light. It’s so intimate, the only sound being the music playing low from the speaker on the counter. He’s half convinced that you’re able to hear his heartbeat, blood pumping loud in his ears.

“You had some sauce…on your face.” You say shyly, your palm still pressed to his cheek.

“…Oh.”

Minho’s never really looked into your eyes from this close up before. He’s always known they were beautiful, the shape of them soft, full of nothing but the world. He can see himself in them from here, and, selfishly, he hopes you can see yourself in his, too.

He might be imagining it when your gaze flicks down to his lips for just a fraction of a second, but there’s no time to unpack any of that when the sauce starts bubbling over the edge of the pot, spilling on to the burner as loud sizzling and smoke fills the kitchen.

It’s chaos. The bottom of the pot is burnt and there’s only so much of it that’s salvageable. He only bought the exact amount of ingredients too, because this is a self-proclaimed no-food-waste household (as explicitly stated in the napkin contract he has with Jeongin, much to his dismay). So, hooray for conscious consumption of goods!

At the end of it all, there’s no one to blame. You’re both guilty of…whatever that was.

Minho tries to reassure you that it’s okay as he dials the number for the pizza place just down the street, simultaneously shutting down all your attempts to pay as an apology. It doesn’t matter to him, he’d do anything as long as it means he gets to spend time with you. At the end of the day, it’s another memory that he’ll hold close to his heart.

“Listen,” you say, swallowing down a mouthful of pizza, the both of you seated on his couch with a half-eaten box of pizza open on the coffee table, “I know you wanted to cook and all—which, by the way, I’m still sorry—but this is so good. However I’m sure whatever you made would’ve been better.”

Minho chuckles. “Stop lying,” he wipes his hands on a napkin, “I can guarantee you that whatever I cooked wouldn’t be as good as this anyways.”

“Stop selling yourself short, Min. You’re good at everything you do.”

The words fall from your lips so easily, like it’s something you’ve convinced yourself of long ago. Minho’s never been the type to bounce around from one thing to another, always choosing to stick with it until he has it down to a science. Cooking is one of them. Jeongin can attest to all the times Minho has berated him with tasting his latest dishes, chasing him around the apartment with a spoon. The words tighten themselves around his heart.

“I’m not,” he rolls his eyes, “But nine times out of ten, grease and mozzarella cheese are gonna win. I know that for a fact.”

You laugh, and the conversation gradually diverts into a debate about the top ten best greasy foods in existence. You’re heated, half kneeling on the couch with a finger pointed at him as you plead your case for onion rings, when your eyes go past Minho’s head and settle on the shelf of games in the hallway.

“You have games?” you ask, suddenly giddy with excitement as you hurry over to inspect the selection.

Minho watches with fond eyes, collects the plates and napkins to throw away. “Yeah, most of them are Innie’s. We don’t really use them. Sometimes when we’re drunk, other times when we’re bored and decide to wager money for fun.”

You hum, not really paying attention. Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, some decks of cards, Uno—you scan the shelf until your eyes light up at what you find hidden at the bottom.

“Min! Can we play Jenga?”

“Jenga?” Minho asks, re-entering the living room. The coffee table is clear now, and he sits between it and the couch, his back against the cushion. “Isn’t that kind of boring? We have other stuff there.”

“It’s only boring if you play it the way it’s supposed to be played.” You roll your eyes. Minho turns to you when you situate yourself on the floor beside him and only momentarily contemplates running to the bathroom when your knee knocks against his. He’s been holding it together pretty well so far, however The Sauce Incident had him ready to book it if anything had gone further.

“Well how else are we supposed to play it?” He frowns.

“We make up our own rules.”

The pieces scatter across the wood of the coffee table, clacking as you diligently begin putting them together. “This is a date, right?” You ask, stopping for a moment to turn and assess his response.

Minho stills. He genuinely forgot the grounds on which tonight had even happened in the first place. Spending time with you makes him forget everything else. And, despite his fears in the beginning, being on a date with you has felt so natural that it almost seems like you’ve done it a thousand times before.

Your eyes meet. For a moment, Minho lets himself wonder what it’d be like if he went for it right then and there. “Yeah,” he says slowly, unblinking, hoping you can see the sincerity on his face, “A date. One of the best ones I’ve ever been on, actually.”

He almost cries out in victory when your face flushes pink. “Now who’s a liar?” You ask quietly, going back to piecing together the game.

Minho has learned something new tonight: he really likes seeing you flustered.

“Why do you ask?” he decides to cut you the slack, “Or what does this being a date have to do with Jenga rules?”

He waits as you finish the stack, your tongue sticking out in concentration. You’re so cute. Minho mentally pockets that image for safe keeping.

“Sorry, okay, it’s done. But basically, if we pull out a block, we get to ask the other person a question.”

“And if the tower falls…?”

“Hmm,” you think for a moment, chewing on your bottom lip, “Oh! I know. If you lose you have to tell me why you asked me on a date.”

Minho’s stomach flips. “Okay. If you lose you have to tell me why you accepted the date.”

Something unreadable passes over your face, but it’s gone in an instant. You hold your hand out for a shake, and Minho wraps his fingers around it gently.

“Deal.”

“Why are you taking all of the middle pieces?” Minho pouts.

The two of you have gone through a couple turns by now, throwing out random questions for the better half of fifteen minutes. Favorite colors, childhood foods you wouldn’t eat, the best memory you have from high school. Minho’s learned a lot, has fallen for you a lot more. But that was always a given. It’s impossible not to when he can feel the warmth from your body where you’re seated next to him, your presence overtaking all of his senses.

“Because I’m trying to win,” you laugh, putting your freshly pulled piece at the top. Just a little crooked, too. To piss him off. “Favorite movie?”

“Ponyo. Easy. My turn.”

“Seriously? Why Ponyo?”

“One question at a time, princess.”

He means it as a joke, really. He doesn’t even realize what he’s said until after the fact, the nickname making your heart skip a beat. Minho notices, the corners of his lips tugging downwards as he suppresses a smile. He manages to flick one of the side pieces until it gives way.

“What’s one thing you regret?”

“Ooh, getting deep I see.” You laugh, taking a sip of your soda. There’s a long pause, and then, “I regret spilling my coffee on Hyunjin that day.”

Minho’s brow furrows. You…regret it? He runs through all the possible reasons in his head. Surely it can’t be because you regret becoming friends with them, friends with him, right?

“Why?” He chances.

“One question at a time, princess.” You echo, laughing at his shocked expression.

You remove the last middle piece. “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate our first date?”

Minho’s brain is going a thousand miles a minute. “A ten. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.” He says it fast, wastes no time in moving forward to remove his own piece. He doesn’t even notice that your cheeks have gone pink again, too busy itching to ask his next question.

“Why do you regret spilling your coffee on Hyunjin?”

Minho watches you, lets his mind wander to the worst possible thing you could say in this situation, and mentally prepares to book it to the bathroom.

You take a deep breath, “I regret it because I wasn’t supposed to spill it on him. I was supposed to spill it on you.”

Wait, what?

Minho blinks. “What are you talking about?”

This is humiliating for you. A terrible thing to have to admit. Up until this moment, you’d thought that this information would follow you to your grave. You press the heel of your palms to your eyes, “This is so embarrassing,” you groan.

Minho pulls one hand away. He’s not really sure what to say, mostly because he’s confused, but, “You can tell me.”

“I had…” you start, looking up at him slowly, “A plan. With Jiwoo.” Minho nods for you to continue. “I’d seen you and Hyunjin walking through the quad a few times, and I thought that you were cute, but I didn't know how to approach you. So I did something stupid and decided that I would literally just crash into you. But I fucked it up.”

I thought that you were cute. The words echo in Minho’s ears like a bell. All this time, all those stolen glances and lingering touches, all the ways you would make hope spike in his chest that maybe you felt the same—they were real.

“So you, wait—” Minho shakes his head, “So you’re telling me that all this time…”

You roll your eyes. “Yes, Min, really. All this time.”

Minho’s never been skydiving, but he imagines that this is what it feels like. Free falling—his soul hurtling towards earth at a horrifying speed, slamming back into his body right here in his living room with a force so strong it would knock him off his feet if he wasn’t already sitting on the floor. You were interested in him first.

Wordlessly, you lean forward, pulling out a piece with practiced ease. Minho waits with bated breaths.

“Can I kiss you?”

Minho feels like he might pass out. “Am I dreaming right now?”

“You didn’t pull out a piece.”

He scrambles forward, clumsily nudging a piece on the side that ends up sending the entire tower toppling over. You smile at him, soft and sweet. “Looks like you have to pay up with an answer. You know, since you lost.”

Minho doesn’t care. “Because I like you,” he breathes out, “I asked you on a date because I like you. I like you so much, ever since I saw you that day. And, funnily enough, I’ve always wished you’d spilled that coffee on me instead, too.”

The confession feels like a weight lifted off his shoulders. He’s spent so long pining after you, laying awake at night thinking about how this would go down if he ever got the chance. He never expected for it to happen like this, much less for you to possibly feel the same.

Panic slowly starts to rise in his chest when you don’t respond. He watches as you reach an arm over, build a small tower out of a few pieces, and then knock it over. You turn to him with a small smile, “Oops, I lost too.”

Minho is so in love with you that it hurts.

“I accepted the date because I like you, Minho. I’ve just been waiting for you to ask.”

He doesn’t think twice before he’s surging forward, cupping your face with one hand and kissing you with a tenderness that has you melting into his touch.

There’s no fireworks behind his eyes, no big bang or grand display of whatever it is that happens in the movies. But there’s a warmth, it starts out small in the center of his chest and spreads throughout his entire body, lights his skin aflame and travels all the way to his fingertips. You’re like that. A gentle presence, someone who worms their way into the very essence of his being and burrows into the deepest parts of him, like it was never his to begin with. Kissing you is slow, and deep, and right. He wouldn’t want it any other way. Minho doesn’t ever want to stop.

He lets his other hand fall to your waist, pulls you closer until you’re practically straddling him with his back against the couch, your knees on either side of his hips. Minho lets out a long, drawn out groan when you tilt his head back farther, his lips parting and allowing you to lick inside of his mouth. It’s so good. So good. He can’t believe he ever lived without knowing what this felt like; lived without ever having you this close before.

After a while, Minho reluctantly pulls back, holding you by the shoulders. When he looks up, your eyes are half-lidded. You look utterly debauched, cheeks pink and lips swollen from how hard they’d been pressed against his own. “We should probably slow down.” He tries hard to convince himself, too. “Talk about it all, you know? I don’t—this isn’t a one time thing for me. I don’t want it to be. I like you. I want you to know that.” He says softly, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear.

You lean into his hand, smiling when he flattens his palm to let your head rest there. “You’re like, so perfect that I want to kiss you until you forget your own name.”

Minho’s ears go red, his head falling forward until it rests against your collarbone. The feeling of his breath against your skin makes you laugh and run a hand through his hair, rubbing at the back of his neck fondly.

“This is gonna be so bad now that you say stuff like that.”

“Bad? No, I think it’s cute. You’re cute.”

“Shut up,” he whines, but there’s no bite to it. Not when he can look up and press a kiss to your lips. A dream come true. The entire world in his hands, exactly where it was always meant to be.

🏠

In the morning, when Jeongin comes back home, one hand covering his eyes just in case, he calls out,

“Everyone better be dressed! Or else I’m ripping up that napkin and making a new one with No fornicating on the furniture added into the fine print.”

When he doesn’t get a response, he rounds the corner, and finds the two of you nestled into the couch. Minho’s back is pressed into the cushions, his arms wrapped tightly around you as you nuzzle your face into his neck.

Jeongin huffs out a laugh, sends a quick text to Hyunjin that reads: Negative. Clothes are still on. But they’re so cute it’s almost sickening.

He snaps a picture to send to the group chat, grabs a piece of cold pizza, and retreats to his room.

Yang Jeongin Fanclub

jeongin: [Attachment: 1 image]

chan: AWWWWWWW

jiwoo: i’m gonna cry

changbin: dude is that the good pizza from down the street?

hyunjin: FINALLY

hyunjin: wait

hyunjin: does this mean i have to send back his $20?

[tags: @palindrome969 @summergirlsmj @n1staytiny @strwbrrychannie ]

© all rights reserved. godslino 2024. please do not steal, translate, or re-upload.

[milkteabinniechan]

♡Dark Cinema - Minho

MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY MEMBERSHIP//M.LIST

pairing: bf! Minho x fem! reader

summary:Your boyfriend has been so busy lately. It will be nice to spend some quiet time alone in a dark theater together. And you know that Minho has a difficult time keeping his hands to himself.

warnings: exhibitionism, humiliation, fingering, dom! Minho, orgasms, squirting

“Movie night!” You tugged at Minho's shirt as the two of you walked into the crowded movie theater together.

Friday nights were always busy, but with the new Deadpool & Wolverine out, people were flocking to the theater in mob-sized groups. Minho stepped to the counter and bought your tickets. He bought popcorn and your favorite candy without even a second thought. You had long ago established that there were certain food groups that were absolutely necessary to consume during a movie, to this rule there could be no argument. So Minho had learned about the salty/sweet combination and never questioned you again.

Your seats were towards the middle so you could get the best view of the film. There was no one beside either one of you, but there were a few couples in front and behind you. You half expected Minho to pick seats more towards the back of the theater to give the two of you more privacy. You turned towards him before the lights went down and leaned into his ear.

“Thank you for this. I love you.” Your voice was soft and warm against Minho's ear. The sensation sent a shiver down his spine.

He groaned low and you leaned back to face the screen. He replied with a simple, “I love you too.” What he really wanted to say was,

I want to kiss you.

I want to taste you.

I want to make you moan.

I want to feel you squeeze around me.

Minho was desperate. He had been working like a dog for weeks. Every night he got home, you were already asleep. He could feel the blood pumping to his dick every time he looked at you. He needed to have you. Now. He couldn't take it anymore. He started to squeeze your thigh, slowly moving it up towards your most sensitive spots.

“Don't be too loud, princess. We don't want to interrupt the movie for everyone else, do we?” Minho's voice was thick with desire. His hands moved and swayed across the lining of your cotton panties.

You held your breath and tried to keep your whimpers low. The cushion of the movie theater seat was almost pulling you in as you pressed your back hard against it. Minho knew exactly what he was capable of. He loved to see you squirm like this. Like a little bunny with its legs caught in a trap. His breath was coming out in short and uneven huffs as he moved closer to your ear.

That's it, let's see how ready you are for me, princess.” Minho's long, slender middle finger slid beneath the hem of your underwear to the slick folds underneath. His finger dipped inside for a moment, bringing back a long, sticky string of juices to your clit. His index finger joined in on the fun and began to touch and incite along your swollen bud. Your legs squeezed together while you held your breath tight inside your throat. Your mouth was pressed firmly closed. You knew if you parted your lips for even just a second, a desperate, needy little noise would hiss past your teeth and out into the room. Movie goers would hear of the disgusting, perverted woman that moaned and whined inside a theater.

Minho's fingers continued to swirl and move around and inside your cunt. The juices now abundance and spread across your clit. He leaned his head into your neck, mercilessly licking and nibbling your neck until you had no choice but to whimper softly. Some small squeaks of pleading and begging poured from your wet mouth as you dug your fingers into the armrest of the chair.

“Please, Minho…” was all you could muster as your boyfriend's fingers continued to slip and glide in and out of you.

“Please what? Use your words.” Minho let out a soft, taunting chuckle.

Every ounce of your being was screaming and clawing and begging for release. And Minho knew it. He could see it in your twisted expression just how close to the edge you were. He knew exactly how to make you come undone. Like a careful safe cracker, turning the dial a little this way, then a little that way. Until the door swings wide open, revealing the treasure inside.

Minho flexed the muscle in his forearm and allowed his fingers to slide deep into your walls. You clenched around him with a pathetic pull until he was knuckle deep. A possessive pace began as his middle and index finger worked in tandem, hooking their way up towards your belly button and hitting that perfect point that made the sparks in your brain flicker on and off and on again.

He wanted to see what kind of mess you could make in front of all these people, his little princess, his good girl. He wanted to know how unraveled you could get for him. You pressed your hand against your mouth and cried into your palm. Something unholy was happening between your legs and you needed to climb to the top of this ungodly mountain to see what lay on the other side.

“Fuck!” You moaned out loud, in between a car chase scene. The cars on the screen flipped and crumpled onto the unforgiving pavement, while your orgasm seeped and streamed out of you leaving you a limp and boneless mess.

Minho smiled proudly, sliding his fingers from inside your panties and into your mouth. Your mind was so fuzzy and distracted you didn't even fight it, with Minho's soaked fingers dancing along your tongue.

“You taste so good, don't you?”

taglist: @simply-trash5 @sugawhaaa @trixiekaulitz @chrizzztopherbang @cassidymb121 @roanns-posts @staysinbloom @yaorzu-blog @bubblebisk @cotton-candycloudz @beautyinhypnosis @domicaru @strawberry31 @slxtmeri @newhope8 @tinyelfperson @dandelions-143 @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21 @msauthor @fun-fanfics @ell0thebell @stephanieeeyang @juskz @kimahreummm @readr1221 @kayleefriedchicken @ovulatingrn @hwnglixho @darthmaddie25 @queen-in-the-shadows @itgirlalisaa @miinhoo @greyaia @chanchansgirly @skzleeknowcore @skz-smut-reader @thatisrankharry

[leviackermanscleaningbuddy]

SKZ DRABBLE-OT8

The one where finding how you fit is a little like a puzzle-the 100,000 piece kind, not the 100 piece kind. or The twenty-seventh installment of the SKZ!Pack Prequel series

Tags: Skz, Stray Kids, Stay, SKZ!Pack, Pack!Prequel, Skz!Pack Prequel, ABO, A/B/O, Omegaverse, Series, OT8, Bang Chan, Lee Minho, Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin, Lee Felix, Han Jisung, Kim Seungmin, Yang Jeongin, Fluff, Angst, Skz imagines, Skz scenarios, FemReader

Genre: Light Angst, Fluff

A/N: I'm back! Sorry guys, I know it's been SOOOOO Long and yall have probably forgotten/given up on me, but I had to take a little sabbatical to keep my head above water in real life. But I've been here! Stalking and reading and checking comments and reblogs and messages. I love yall! <3 Thanks for being so patient with me!

Title: Call Me Anything at All, Just Don't Call Me Yours

“Dude, your fucking beta is killing me here.” 

You glance up as Jisung joins the cafeteria table, plopping down between Changbinn and Hyunjin, clearly frustrated about something, his voice a plaintive whine.

Changbin’s brow creases in slight confusion. “My beta? What, you mean Seungmin?” 

“Who else would I be fucking talking about?” Jisung grumbles, shooting a glare in the alpha’s direction, as he rips open the packet that contains his silverware with a little more force than necessary. 

“You, technically.” Felix points out helpfully from further down the table, giving Jisung a slightly teasing grin. 

“Yeah, ha ha, I’m killing myself, real funny, Lix.” Jisung mocks back, though his tone softens a little as he addresses the omega, because that’s just the effect Felix has on everyone. 

Jisung turns back to Changbin, slapping his palms down on the table. “But seriously, he’s weird as shit. Hot and cold all the time, man. I don’t ever know where I stand with him-not really-kind of like with Minho-hyung.” 

Beside you, Minho snorts softly. “Please, you’re always on thin fucking ice with me, Han Jisung. You know that.” 

Jisung shoots Minho an annoyed look, but continues badgering Changbin. “You gotta tell me the secret to crack the code, hyung. One second, I think we’re friends, the next, the guy barely has two words to say to me.” 

Changbin gives a slight shrug. “That’s just how Seungmin is.” 

You nod in agreement. “Yeah, trust me, Sungie, Seungmin is a tough nut to crack. We’ve been friends for a long time-study partners for longer-and there’s still days I think he’d rather murder me than be sat across the table from me. He’s hard to read, he keeps his feelings close to his chest.” 

“He’s also a slow mover.” Changbin points out. “Really takes his time to think things through, all the pros and cons, before he acts.” 

Minho snorts again, not looking up from his food. “Maybe he’s deciding the cons list is longer than the pros when it comes to being packmates with you, Jisung.” 

“Plus, he’s not all that affectionate. Skinship is kind of a struggle for him.” You remark thoughtfully, an observation you’ve had the longer you’ve gotten to be around Seungmin as a packmate, and not just a library buddy. 

He really only lets Changbin touch him openly. Maybe it’s a side effect of the whole moonmate thing. 

Biology. 

Jisung takes a swig of his soda and considers for a moment, furrowing his brow. “Well, have you guys been-” He clears his throat, motioning slightly with his hands in a flapping motion toward Changbin. “-you know, intimate?” 

You clear your throat at that, interjecting, trying to save Changbin the embarrassment of answering that question. “Intimacy can be a lot of things, Jisungie, you know, like when you and I and Seungmin showered together, or when Chan scents us, or trusting someone enough to talk to them about difficult subjects-” Hyunjin leans around the beta and stares directly at Changbin now. “No, he’s asking if you’ve fucked.” 

Down the table, Chan chokes on his food, and Jeongin openly covers a cackle with a well timed cough. 

Next to you, Minho mutters beneath his breath, “Jesus Christ.” 

Changbin clears his throat hard, and you note the tips of his ears going a bright red. “Well, yeah.” He gives a shrug, as if it’s not a big deal, but the way his muscles stiffen tells you he’d rather be anywhere but here right now, talking about this.

“You don’t have to talk about this, Bin-” Chan starts softly, shooting Jisung a warning look that practically screams head alpha.

Changbin waves him off, and Chan’s hackles visibly relax a little.

“He likes you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Changbin assures Jisung, throwing an arm around his shoulders and ruffling his hair with a large hand. “All of you. He’s just a little more cautious when it comes to showing it. With me, there’s the weird biological pull of moonmates or whatever, but with the rest of you, you just gotta be patient. But he likes you. He’s told me.” 

Jisung sighs, relaxing slightly at the alpha’s touch. “Fine. As long as there’s hope that one day we can fuck in your studio, I can live with that.” 

Changbin removes his arm so quickly from around the beta’s shoulders that it’s like he’s been burned. “Please don’t do that.” 

Jisung shoots him a wink. “No promises.” 

“Apparently he’s into degradation in bed if that makes you feel any better.” Hyunjin remarks offhandedly, picking at his salad with his fork. “You probably couldn’t handle that anyway.” 

Changbin chokes a little, glaring over Jisung’s head at the luna. “Hyun, you promised me when I told you that in confidence-” Changbin’s voice drops to a hiss. “-that you wouldn’t talk about it!” 

Hyunjin gives a slight shrug, glancing around at everyone’s stunned reactions. “What? There’s no secrets in the pack right?” 

Jisung’s jaw is on the floor. 

“He what?” 

“Oh my god.” Chan groans from down the table, fingers already kneading between his brows, staving off an oncoming headache. “This is not appropriate lunchroom conversation-” 

“Okay, okay.” You wave your hands. “You’re gonna give Chan an aneurysm. Let’s table the kink talk for a more private time and location, okay?” 

“Hah.” Jeongin snorts softly. “Table.” 

Minho elbows him hard. 

******

You’re watching Jisung practice something on his skateboard in front of the dorms-a kickflip maybe? You can’t remember what he called it-chin in hand, open textbook unread in your lap. 

“Shit.” Jisung swears as the skateboard clatters away from him once more, and he sighs, tucking it under his arm and coming to sit down beside you on the cold concrete of the steps. 

He bumps his shoulder into yours. “Why the long face?” 

You glance sidelong at him, wrinkling your nose slightly. “I don’t have a long face. I’m just thinking.” 

He arches a brow. “Okay, so what are you thinking so deeply about then?” 

You sigh, running a few fingers over the page of the textbook in your lap, considering for a brief moment. “I was thinking about Seungmin.” 

“Ah.” Jisung nods, tilting his head slightly. “What, about the fact that he’s into being called shit in bed? Because I for one did not see that coming.” 

“No!” You say a little too quickly, cheeks heating even despite the cool nip of the air. “No.” You repeat, a little more levelly this time. “Just-about how I relate, to what you said. I never really know how he feels about things.” 

Jisung leans back on his hands beside you, staring out at the campus for a moment. Finally, he says, “Yeah, he’s kind of a weird dude, huh? I mean, I know he’s into Changbin, but I don’t really know if he’s that into the whole idea of the pack.”

You glance sidelong at the beta sat beside you, and you note the way he bites his bottom lip, fingers drumming along the skateboard held in his lap. 

“I was kind of excited to have another beta around.” Jisung admits a little softly with a sigh, glancing down at the chipped orange paint that adorns his nails currently, courtesy of Hyunjin. “I dunno, until I moved to university, I never really spent a lot of time around others like me. And it’s nice, the dorms and the friends, but there’s something about having a potential packmate who just gets it that’s comforting, you know?” 

You nod, reaching out to put one of your gloved hands over his. “Yeah, I do. I know you’ve been through a lot, with the whole beta thing, and I was hopeful Seungmin could help you through some of the stuff you’re still dealing with.” 

Jisung gives you a slight smile, but it’s tight and doesn’t quite reach his large dark eyes. “I don’t even know if the guy likes me, noona, or if he just puts up with my company because of Changbin.” 

You sigh, glancing down at where your gloved fingers rest over Jisung’s chapped, red ones. “Well, at least he didn’t straight up tell you that he didn’t feel like that about you. That’s something.” 

Jisung snorts. “That’s because I didn’t ask like you did.” 

You swallow. “Yeah, well, I’m an idiot.” You huff out, glancing over at him and it’s your turn to give him the hint of a smile that doesn’t quite feel completely real or genuine. “I mean, I told him I loved him, and he didn’t say it back. So maybe his feelings really haven’t changed.” 

Jisung gives a slight shrug, and then knocks his shoulder into yours once more. The smell of detergent is strong in your nose, as if his beta is subconsciously trying to put out pheromones to soothe your obviously agitated alpha. 

“Hey. You said it yourself-the guy’s an enigma. We just gotta give him the time and space to figure it all out on his own.” 

You sigh, long and hard. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” 

Jisung leans his head on your shoulder, and you bury your nose into the soft knitted fabric of his beanie, breathing him in for a lingering moment. 

He squeezes your fingers. “If it’s any consolation, I said it back, remember? And it’s still true.” 

You give a little laugh at that, kissing the top of his head. “Yeah, I know. I love you too.” 

You squeeze his fingers back in return, and then nudge the round, reddened apple of his cheek with your shoulder with a slight hint of a smile. 

“Now c’mon, that kickflip of yours isn’t gonna learn itself.” 

******

“I dunno, maybe I’m pushing too hard. Putting expectations on everyone that are unrealistic.” 

Yeosang glances over at you, breaths coming in harsh little pants in the cold morning air, his hands on his hips as he walks a few loose circles around where you stretch. 

“Betas are tricky. When Mingi joined the pack, I swear to god, the hyungs almost drove themselves crazy trying to figure out what he was thinking.” 

He drops down beside you on the sidewalk, leaning over to stretch out one long arm along the line of his leg, before he switches to the other side effortlessly. 

He’s barely panting from our run, skin glistening with a light sheen of sweat in the early morning rays of weak sunlight. 

You blow out a breath, leaning your head back slightly to stare at the sky. “Jisung is losing his mind. He had this whole grand vision of what having another beta in the pack would mean, and Seungmin’s just-” You hesitate, considering for a moment, before you sigh again. “-not that.” 

Yeosang’s gaze flicks over to me, and he makes a little sound of understanding under his breath. “Mm. Yeah, when we all study together, I can tell the kid’s a little harder to read than most. Even for a beta.” He shifts, coming to his feet again as he rolls his ankles a little, then his arms and his neck, glancing down at me. “But he seems nice. And he seems to be into Changbin, so that’s a plus.” 

“That’s the thing though-” You admit, standing up too now, rolling your shoulders for a moment, before you tuck your earbuds back into your pocket. “-he likes Changbin, but does he like the rest of us?” 

Yeosang moves to stand in front of you , reaching up to push some loose strands of hair back from your jaw with a long finger, chilled from the morning air. He gives you a slight smile. “Wolves aren’t solitary creatures, babe. You know that. And with how smart Seungmin is-and how obsessed with biology-he knows that too. Just give him some time to warm up. It’s probably overwhelming, especially for a seemingly solitary guy like him.” 

You groan. “Fuck, you’re right, but do you have to be?” 

Yeosang chuckles at that, moving to bump his shoulder into yours as you turn to follow the sidewalk back toward campus and the bus stop. 

“Yes. It’s one of my many talents.” 

You arch a brow at him. “Being right?” 

Yeosang grins. “Never being wrong.” 

You roll your eyes and elbow him in the side. “They’re the same thing, idiot.” 

He laughs in response. “Trust me, they’re really not.” You walk in silence for a few moments, shoes scuffing the concrete, hands tucked into the pockets of your jackets, and then Yeosang asks, “Have you tried talking to him about all of this?” 

You scoff a little, shaking your head. “No, because what the hell am I supposed to say?” You move to walk in front of him, taking backward steps as you face him, pitching your voice into something akin to a fake version of your own. “‘Hey, Seungmin, weird question, but like, are you into us? Also, just wondering, but have your feelings changed about me? Oh, and Jisung would really like to fuck you, but he’s nervous you don’t even really like him, and by the way, Changbin totally told everyone you like to be degraded in bed.’” 

Yeosang’s eyes widen at that last part, his mouth dropping open slightly. “Wait, really?” 

You wave him off. “Yeah, well, technically Changbin told Hyunjin, who told everyone else, but that’s beside the point.” 

Yeosang whistles beneath his breath as we continue to walk. “Shit. Okay. Didn’t see that one coming, but good for him.” 

His tone is laced with slight surprise still, but mostly just open admiration and appreciation. 

You pull your phone from your pocket and glance at the time, groaning slightly. “Fuck. I have to go. I’m late for a lab and then I have a study session at the lib.” 

Yeosang arches a brow at that, a slight smirk coming to his full lips. “Oh, with you know who?” 

You stare him down, expression and voice deadpan. “No, I am not meeting Voldemort, The Dark Lord, for a study session, Sang. That’s just stupid.” 

Yeosang rolls his dark eyes, reaching out to shove you, but you dodge the halfhearted attack easily. 

“I’m talking about a certain beta.” 

“I know that.” You retort back, rolling your own eyes now. “Besides, even if Voldemort went here, he’d never be in the sciences department. Probably like arts and humanities or something.” 

“Or dance.” Yeosang points out thoughtfully. 

His suddenly wide eyed gaze meets your own, his mouth in a small ‘o.’

“Minho.” You both say together. 

Yeosang grins as you both laugh, reaching the bus stop. He bumps his shoulder into yours once more affectionately, as you separate to take different buses. 

“Good luck with your study session, babe.” He points a stern finger in your direction. “Talk to him.” 

You roll your eyes and wave him off. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll consider it. Say hi to Voldie for me when you pick up Hwa, will you?” 

Yeosang’s grin widens as he gives you a little salute. “Will do.” 

*****

“You’re staring again.” Seungmin comments without looking up from the page he’s working on, his pencil scratching rhythmically in the quiet of the library. 

You clear your throat, dropping your eyes back to your own textbook. “What? No, I’m not-” 

Seungmin sighs, shutting his notebook, and pushes his glasses up on top of his head as he angles to face you, expression unreadable. 

“All right. Out with it.” 

You’re taken off guard, glancing up at him in a slight panic, like a deer caught in headlights, eyes going wide as your mouth opens and closes a few times before you finally manage to choke out, “Out with what? I’m good. Fine even.” 

Seungmin snorts at that. “You haven’t stopped rereading that same page for the last half an hour. And I’m pretty sure you’ve been studying me more than anything else.” 

“Plus your scent is all wacked out.” He says with a slight wrinkle of his nose. “Even my limited faculties can tell that much.” 

You sigh, glancing down at the open book in your lap before you close it and set it aside, tapping your pen along the table for a brief moment as you consider how to word what you want to say. 

Finally, you get out softly, “Jisung is worried.” 

Seungmin’s brow ticks up a bit at that. “About me?” 

You give a slight shrug, not really looking at him, gaze on the pen flicking between your fingers. “I guess? He’s just worried because he doesn’t really know how you feel-” You glance at him then, and then away again. “-none of us do.” 

The eyebrow goes up another notch. “How I feel? About what?” 

You sigh, a slight sound of frustration now. “About everything? About him, about us, about the pack, about-” I throw a hand out. “-all of it.” 

You tap the pen down a little harder than necessary to punctuate the end of your sentence. “In case you haven’t noticed-” You point out in a mutter beneath your breath. “-you’re not the easiest guy to get a read on.” 

There is brief silence for a moment, and then Seungmin admits quietly, “Yeah, I know.” 

You flick your gaze up to his then, and see a hint of vulnerability in the depths of his dark eyes before he reaches up and scrubs across his face with the palm of his hand. 

“Look, (Y/N)-” He says on a sigh, and you tense up, preparing yourself for what he’s about to say next. Judging by the slight hint of burnt bitterness that now mars his orangey citrus scent, it’s probably not going to be what you want to hear.

Great, can’t wait to break the news to Jisung that the only other beta in the pack doesn’t even wanna be here. 

Seungmin smooths his palms on the table in front of him, staring at the pages of notes scrawled in his messy handwriting. “I know there are expectations. I knew that coming in. I know Jisung has expectations especially, and from what he’s told me about his past and how his parents wanted an alpha for a son, and all the struggles he went through as a beta to try and fit in, I don’t blame him. But I-” 

Seungmin gives a little shake of his head, and his gaze meets yours once more, lips pulled into the hint of a thin line. “I never went through anything like that. I was a beta, born into a family happy to be betas, and I never even thought twice about it. Never felt like I was somehow lacking, or less than, because it was all just biology. Nothing more. So I don’t really know how to-” He hesitates, seeming to struggle with his thoughts for a moment. 

“-relate.” You finish for him softly, and he gives a slight jerk of a nod. 

“Yeah.” He agrees. “But I’ve found I’ve had that problem all my life, not just with Jisung, not just with this, with everything.” He gives a tiny shake of his head, and a humorless sardonic smile curves his lips in the slightest way. “I don’t know how to relate to people. I never have. Maybe I’m missing some integral part of my own biology, because I know better than anyone that wolves are not loners, they’re pack oriented, but I’ve always always preferred to be alone. A lone wolf, I guess you’d say.” 

You study him for a moment and then you say softly, “There’s nothing wrong with that, Seungmin.” He heaves a sigh and leans back, staring up at the ceiling above us. “I guess not, but I guess, what I’m trying to say is-” He glances at you, expression going flat. “-I don’t know how to let you all in to understand me, if I don’t even understand myself.” 

Before you can second guess yourself, you reach out and cover one of his hands on the table with your own. “Hey.” When he looks at you, you give him the hint of a smile. “We’re all figuring this shit out, just the way you are.” 

He blows out a breath through his nose, almost like a sardonic sort of laugh. “Yeah? Well, you guys seem to have shit pretty figured out from my viewpoint.” 

You shake your head. “We don’t, trust me.” Your lips curve slightly as you stare at him, holding his gaze. “We’re a mess, we’re just pretty good at hiding it. Well, most of the time.” 

Seungmin stares at you for a long, silent moment. 

“I want to be what Jisung needs.” He finally admits, so softly it’s almost just a breath. “I want to be what Changbin wants. I want to be-” He blows another harsh breath out through his nose and drops your gaze. “-pack, but I’m just not sure where to begin. This is all new territory for me, and while I’m all about new discoveries in the scientific fields, my personal life is another matter entirely.” 

You give a little laugh at that, and note that he hasn’t pulled his hand back from your touch yet. 

That’s a good sign. 

“You don’t have to have it all figured out today. Just one step at a time.” You encourage softly, leaning down so you can meet his ducked gaze. “You can do that, right?” 

Seungmin sighs, but he nods anyway. “Yeah, I can do that.” 

“Good.” You sit back and blow out a breath, glancing down at your study materials spread out before you. “Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t study anymore tonight or I might go blind.” 

Seungmin nods, surprisingly, and begins to pack up his materials. 

After another brief moment of silence, he asks suddenly, “What about you?” 

You shove another handful of pens and papers into your backpack without looking up. “What about me?” 

Seungmin makes a noise that clearly signifies he thinks you’re being obtuse on purpose, and you can feel his annoyed stare burning holes in the side of your head. 

“You know, don’t you wanna know how I feel about you? Now that I’ve had some time?” 

You freeze, swallowing, and then force yourself to resume your previous activities of packing up and getting ready to leave. 

“I mean, not really. I figure you’ll tell me that when you’re ready.” 

Lies. 

You wanna know so bad it’s driving yourself and your wolf crazy. 

You busy yourself with lining up your highlighters back in their designated case, just so your antsy fingers have something to do. 

“You know-” Seungmin states suddenly, voice even, tone neutral. “For a long time, I thought I was asexual.” Your eyes jerk up in surprise to meet his own, lips parting slightly. 

“You don’t have to-” 

He waves you off, pulling his glasses off his head and carefully folding them to stow in their case as he talks. 

“No, it’s fine. I want to.” He glances to you then, a slight smile curving his lips. “I’m supposed to be pushing myself right? Opening up so you can get to know me better?” 

You swallow and give a slight nod. 

“You know, the whole lone wolf thing from before? I didn’t really ever feel the need to be involved with anyone like that. Didn’t think I needed it, felt complete without it. And then-” He sighs, and a slight flicker of annoyance crosses his pretty features. “I met Changbin.” 

“Changbin.” You breathe in slight agreement, and your lips twitch upward a little at the other alpha’s name. “Yeah, he tends to have that effect on people.” 

“Mm.” Seungmin nods in slight agreement. “So then, I thought, well, maybe it’s just biology, but maybe I don’t really want to be alone, not quite like that. But then I think-” He considers you for a long moment. “-I met you, and we became friends, and I liked your company, but then you asked me if I could ever like you like I liked Changbin.” You cringe slightly at that. “Oh god, can we just pretend that conversation never happened?” 

“No.” Seungmin responds back immediately. He arches a brow. “It made me think you know. About myself. About what I wanted. It was good for me.” 

“Glad to help.” You mumble back, your cheeks flushed slightly in an irritated sort of hot feeling blush. 

“I considered that maybe, after you asked me that, that I was just into guys.” Seungmin admits in a softer sort of voice, but still matter of factly. 

“Oh, so it’s my gender, got it.” You retort back, avoiding his gaze. 

“No.” He shakes his head at that. “I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t really care about gender, not in the long run of things. I think I’m more into people themselves, their personalities, and how they handle mine.” “Great, so it’s just my personality then.” You blurt out, throwing out your hands now. 

“No.” Seungmin repeats a little bit more firmly, sharper. “You’re not listening to me.” 

You give a little sharp laugh at that. “It’s really fucking hard to listen to you when we’ve been studying shit that turns my brain to mush for the last four hours.” 

Seungmin’s hand covers your own, and you freeze, gaze flicking to him, mouth slightly agape, words instantly dying off. 

“I-” He says firmly, taking in a sort of shaky breath, his fingers still resting a little bit awkwardly on top of your own. “-like you. You, (Y/N). I like the way you make me feel accepted, I like that you listen to my ramblings about scientific findings, I like that you don’t push me to go further than I’m comfortable, and I like that we started as friends first, and you’ve given me time and patience to explore where this could potentially go. At my own pace.” 

You stare at him for another beat and then, “I’m sorry. If what I said in the shower made you uncomfortable.” 

His lips curve slightly at that, his nose wrinkling with the hint of a smile. “It didn’t. In fact, it kind of surprised me that I liked hearing it. Just-” He blows out a breath. “-give me some time to figure out my shit okay?” 

You nod, curling your fingers around his own. “Yeah, I can do that.” 

Seungmin nods, and removing his hand from yours, begins to move to pack away the rest of his things. “Now c’mon, I promised Jisung we’d be in time to watch a movie with him.” 

You grin, standing up and slinging your backpack over your shoulder. “It’s gonna be one of those cheesy action flicks he loves, you know that right?” 

Seungmin sighs, but his voice is filled with affectionate amusement. “Yeah, I know.” He glances at you with a lift of his brow. “But anything for our boy, right?” 

You grin back at him, knocking your arm into his as you walk. “Anything for our boy.” 

As you walk down the stairs that lead out of the library, shoulder to shoulder, he slides his hand into yours. 

[agendratum]

lee know's underappreciated dad jokes collection (1/?)

translation and joke explanation credit to straykidscrumbs

[inchandescence]

Moon Minho's sacrifices (time, energy, money/wealth, emotions & feelings) for Kitty Song Covey from S1 when he still "hated" her until S2:

1. Helped Kitty organizing and hosting her first traditional Korean event in her life and cooking 95% food for said event

2. Remembered Kitty disliking mayo and ordering the right food for her despite being mad at her for "ruining" his party

3. Burnt his expensive jacket without a thought to save Kitty

4. Bought 2 plane tickets and did a deep "research" to sit beside her

5. Listened to Kitty and dated the girl that Kitty match with him as a rebound relationship to move on from Kitty herself

6. Helped Kitty sneak into the campus archive building to get her mom's time capsule

7. Gave a suggestion to Kitty to ask Praveena for a real date by inviting her to the ski trip

8. Helped Kitty ask Praveena to come to the ski trip

9. Helped Kitty avoid riding with Yuri and Juliana & opened the car door for her and Praveena

10. Comforted and hugged Kitty in the hot tub after Kitty's letter got exposed

11. Accompanied Kitty in 4 hours ride to Bukjeon and helped her to meet her great aunt and cousin despite Kitty's failed attempt to help him by talking to Dae (and comforted her in the rain after)

12. Showed up at the market to help Kitty with her family despite Minho still mad at her

13. Hid the fact that his family is in danger and Stella blackmailing him to protect Kitty ("Don't you dare touch Kitty")

14. Lent Kitty his private jet to fly Margot and Kitty's halmoni from US to South Korea

And more that we haven't known yet that happened in S1 and S2 and about to be revealed in S3

[m30wk1ttycat]

maze runner masterlist !

› updated: 30.11.24, masterlist w all my other works

★ - masc!reader ☆ - fem!reader ✮ - gn!reader

characters:

𝐛𝐫𝐞���𝐝𝐚

☆ i love you - brenda just randomly saying 'i love you' to her best friend.

𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲

✮ gally's runner - you're not sure how to apologize to him after an argument about you volunteering to be a runner.

✮ rainy day - you teach gally how to braid your hair on a random, very boring, rainy day.

𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐭

★ wish you were sober - newt is drunk, and confesses to the person he tries to hate, only that he's too drunk to realize it.

✮ whoops! - you and newt get caught cuddling. feat. minho and thomas <3

✮ first and last 'i love you' - you confess to newt, but it's too late.

✮ stay? - newt takes care of you after you witnessed your friend's death.

✮ early bird - the box arrives too early, and the only glader awake is newt.

✮ pretty face - sucking him off in the deadheads. (incase you haven't noticed, this is smut. minors, NO. bad kids. I WILL BE INFORMING YOUR PARENTS :3)

✮ blondie - sleepy newt being clingy.

✮ flowers - newt giving you flowers ! (headcanon)

✮ double trouble - sonya and newt take care of you when you get sick. (platonic?)

✮ failed attempt - your attempts at comforting him were - quite frankly - futile.

✮ the not so subtle note passing - newt slips you a note during a keepers meeting.

✮ newt hcs because i was bored - pretty self explanatory.

✮ tough love - he confronts the med-jack, who's been acting as if he put all of them in the maze. (kinda nsfw lol)

✮ sleepyhead - newt being affectionate while you two cuddle in his bunk in the wckd facility.

✮ next time - newt being more rough during make-outs with his darling in the early stages of the flare infection)

✮ kiss me hard before you go - one last kiss before he goes on the mission to save minho.

★ dizzy - and not in the good way - newt gets really queasy when it comes to blood. his boyfriend, a slicer, who's always bloody in some way after his shifts at the blood house, adores to tease him about it (and then he feels really bad about doing it).

𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨

✮ make up, not make out! - apparently, he 'misheard' you.

✮ minho tripping you just for shits and giggles - headcanon :3

𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐚

✮ double trouble - sonya and newt take care of you when you get sick. (platonic?)

𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬

☆ drunken greenie - thomas being moody when he's drunk.

✮ angel - as much as vince tells him that he needs to rest and recover from everything they've been through, thomas is too stubborn and asks gally if he can help the builders. thomas, however, manages to get injured during the job, too distracted by a certain someone, and finds himself contemplating his, admittedly, very bad decisions.

✮ dionaea muscipula - after a long, exhausting run, thomas still somehow finds the energy to sink his teeth into his beloved's flesh. (tw, slight biting kink!!)

✮ tommy's own personal human heater - how thomas likes to warm his hands up, feat. gn!reader!

✮ ridiculous - while attempting to run from his problems, he only causes more. (this isn't angst, sorry, angst lovers)

✮ the blind leading the blind-er - when a tiny little crush starts to turn into something so much more, thomas is too awkward to say it out loud, so he keeps giving not-so-subtle hints. of course, minho, his best friend keeps reassuring him that you picked up on his hints. (you didn't.)

✮ be my baby? - what should've been common knowledge by now still manages to shock you whenever you witness it.

✮ thomas with reader on their period

..𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 ! i lied. no longer writing for this fandom soz diva

[4linos]

across the street pt. 3

bang chan x fem!reader, lee minho x fem!reader

synopsis: chan meets nari, and you're trying to come to terms with the idea of him stepping in as her father figure.

wc: 8451

[across the street pt. 1 & 2]

(a/n: hehe😅)

You took a deep breath, trying to steady the rapid beating of your heart as you stood in Chan’s living room. The house still smelled the same like the faintest hint of his cologne mixed with something warm, like cedarwood and vanilla. It was painfully nostalgic, but you pushed the thought aside. You weren’t here for that.

Chan stood across from you, arms crossed loosely over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but you could tell he was trying to figure out why you were here. You wasted no time.

“I owe you an explanation,” you started, voice steady despite the emotions clawing at your chest. “I left because I felt like I didn’t matter to you anymore.”

His eyes flickered with something guilt, maybe but he stayed silent, letting you speak.

“I tried, Chan. I tried so hard to hold on. You were always too busy, always had something else going on. And I understood. You had work, responsibilities, but it felt like I was never part of them. You’d blow me off, tell me you’d make it up to me, but you never did. And I kept forgiving you because I loved you.”

Chan's jaw tightened, but still, he didn’t interrupt.

“I gave you one last chance,” you admitted, voice thick with the weight of the past. “I planned something small, just us. I wanted to tell you I was pregnant. But you didn’t show up. You didn’t call. I waited and waited, and you didn’t come home until three in the morning.”

You let out a shaky breath, finally meeting his gaze. “I realized then that I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t keep waiting for you to see me. And I didn’t want my baby to ever feel the way I did like they weren’t enough.”

Chan looked like he wanted to say something, but he held back, letting you finish.

“That’s why I left,” you said, voice barely above a whisper. “And that’s why I never told you.”

A heavy silence settled between you, thick with all the words left unsaid. Your fingers curled into fists at your sides as you forced yourself to say the words that would change everything.

“Nari is your daughter.”

Chan inhaled sharply, his lips parting slightly. But he didn’t look shocked. He didn’t look blindsided.

You frowned. “Say something. Anything.”

He exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck before finally meeting your gaze.

“I already knew.”

Your stomach dropped. “What?”

“The first time I saw her,” he admitted, a wry smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “A few days after I moved in, she was outside playing. Changbin and Jisung were with me, and she waved at them. When I told them she was your daughter, they both turned to me immediately and said she looked just like me.”

You swallowed hard, unable to look away from him.

“And after that, it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together,” he added, his voice quieter now. “The timelines, the way you avoided me, the way she looks…” He let out a humorless chuckle. “I just… I didn’t want to believe it at first.”

Your throat tightened. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Chan hesitated, shifting on his feet. “Because I wasn’t sure if I had the right to.” His voice was softer now, almost fragile. “You left. You never told me. You had a reason for keeping her from me, and I didn’t know if I even deserved to ask.”

Tears burned the back of your eyes, but you refused to let them fall. This conversation was already painful enough.

“You deserved to know,” you whispered, voice shaking. “No matter how things ended between us, you deserved to know.”

Chan ran a hand through his hair, exhaling harshly. “And now I do.”

Another silence stretched between you, but this time, it felt heavier. More uncertain.

You had no idea where to go from here.

Chan let out a slow breath, his fingers twitching at his sides. His expression was unreadable, but you could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw clenched as if he were holding back a thousand different emotions.

You hesitated before asking, “What would you have done if I never told you?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply through his nose. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, more careful.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess… I would’ve waited. Maybe I would’ve confronted you eventually. Or maybe I would’ve just kept watching from a distance, wondering if I was right.”

His words made your stomach twist. He really had known. For a while. And yet, he had said nothing.

“I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted you to know,” you confessed, barely above a whisper.

His gaze snapped to yours, eyes dark with something unreadable. “Why?”

You swallowed hard. “Because I was scared.”

Chan’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and you saw the flicker of hurt in his eyes. But he didn’t interrupt, so you kept going.

“I was scared of what you’d say, what you’d do. I was scared that you’d try to take her from me. That you’d hate me for keeping her from you.” You paused, voice trembling. “I was scared that telling you would open old wounds that I spent years trying to close.”

A long silence stretched between you.

Then, Chan’s voice cut through it, softer this time. “I don’t hate you.”

You blinked, stunned by how gentle he sounded.

“I could never hate you,” he continued, running a hand through his hair. “And I would never try to take her from you. She’s your daughter. You’ve raised her, loved her, given her everything. I wouldn’t change that.”

Something deep inside you cracked at his words. A part of you that had been holding onto fear, onto guilt, onto the weight of all the years spent keeping this secret.

You took a shaky breath before asking, “Do you want to meet her?”

Chan’s eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn’t expected you to ask. His lips parted, but no words came out at first. You could see the emotions warring inside of him hesitation, longing, uncertainty.

Finally, he nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

“But,” you added quickly, “she can’t know who you are. Not yet.”

Chan flinched slightly, but he nodded again, his expression unreadable. “I get it.”

“I just—” You struggled to find the right words. “I need time. She’s still young, and I don’t want to confuse her.”

“I understand,” he said, though his voice was tight, as if the words physically pained him. “Whenever you’re ready.”

The weight in your chest didn’t disappear entirely, but for the first time in a long time, it felt a little lighter.

After a long pause, Chan’s eyes softened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Could I have your number?” he asked quietly, almost as if he were bracing himself. “So we can stay in contact, for Nari.”

You hesitated for only a moment before nodding, the weight of everything settling into a strange mixture of relief and fear. You typed in your number and handed the phone to him. “Thank you for understanding,” you said, voice low. “I appreciate that you’re willing to be patient for all of us.”

Chan gave you a small, tentative smile, and you knew that despite the years of hurt and silence, he was willing to try to rebuild something however fragile for Nari’s sake. After a brief goodbye, you stepped back out into the cool morning air and walked back across the street.

-

When you returned, Minho was in the living room with Nari. Nari, who had been engrossed in a game on the floor with her toys, looked up when she saw you approaching. In an instant, she ran into your arms, her small face lighting up with a pure, unburdened smile. Minho watched the tender reunion with quiet relief, his eyes warm with concern.

As you settled back into the familiar comfort of home, Minho gently asked, “How did it go? Are you okay?”

You exhaled slowly, leaning against him as you allowed yourself a moment to process everything. “It went… better than I expected,” you admitted. “He was more understanding than I thought. I gave him my number so we can stay in touch, especially for Nari.”

Minho’s hand found yours, squeezing it reassuringly. “That sounds like a start,” he said softly. “You did what you had to do, and I’m here with you every step of the way.”

In that moment, as Nari giggled nearby and resumed her play, you felt a gentle easing of the burden you’d carried for so long. There was still uncertainty ahead, and the future was far from clear. But with Minho’s unwavering support and the possibility of healing old wounds for Nari’s sake and your own you found a small measure of peace.

It wasn’t a complete resolution, but it was a beginning a tentative step toward a future where truth and understanding could finally take root.

The days that followed were strange, a mix of emotions you weren’t quite sure how to process. Now that the truth was out, you felt lighter, but the anxiety of what came next lingered. Chan had your number, but he hadn’t reached out yet not that you expected him to immediately. He was probably processing everything, just like you were.

Minho, sensing your unease, never pushed but remained close, offering small reassurances through touch. A hand on your back, a soft kiss to your forehead, gentle words when he caught you staring off into space. Nari, blissfully unaware of the weight on your shoulders, continued to fill your days with chatter and laughter, but you caught yourself watching her more intently now. Every time she smiled, every time she laughed, every time she pouted in frustration, you saw pieces of Chan in her, and it made your chest tighten.

Then, one afternoon, while Nari was at school and Minho was out running errands, your phone buzzed. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw the message.

Unknown: Hey, it’s Chan. Can we meet? Just us. I want to talk some more.

Your fingers hovered over the keyboard, uncertainty washing over you. You knew this was inevitable, but the thought of sitting down with Chan again without the safety net of avoidance or distance made your stomach twist.

After a moment, you typed back.

You: Okay. When and where?

His response was quick.

Chan: Coffee shop? In an hour?

You exhaled slowly, your hands gripping the phone tightly. It was happening.

An hour later, you found yourself at the café, nervously stirring your drink as you waited. When Chan finally arrived, he looked different tired, maybe, or just weighed down by thoughts like you were. He sat across from you, his hands clasped together on the table, fingers tapping restlessly.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. Then, Chan took a deep breath and looked at you with an intensity that made you freeze.

“How much of her life did I miss?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Your stomach twisted. You knew this was coming. You just didn’t know how to answer in a way that wouldn’t hurt him.

“A lot,” you admitted quietly. “I mean she’s four almost five.”

Chan inhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. “Four,” he echoed, as if testing the word on his tongue, as if trying to grasp the years that had slipped away from him.

“I’m sorry,” you murmured, your guilt creeping in again. “I—I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.”

Chan shook his head, exhaling a shaky breath as he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t even know where to start,” he admitted. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be her dad when she doesn’t even know who I am.”

You swallowed, gripping your cup tighter. “We don’t have to figure it all out right now,” you said softly. “I just… I just need to know what you want. Do you want to be in her life?”

Chan looked at you, and for the first time in years, you saw something raw and vulnerable in his expression.

“I don’t know how to,” he admitted. “But yeah. I do.”

The conversation stretched on for nearly two hours, filled with questions Chan had probably been holding in ever since he pieced everything together. He wanted to know everything, things you hadn’t thought about in years, memories you had tucked away in the back of your mind.

“How did you find out you were pregnant?” he asked, his voice quieter than before, almost hesitant.

You let out a small breath, thinking back. “I wasn’t feeling well one morning. I thought it was just stress, but something felt… different. I took a test, and when it came back positive, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to figure it out even if I had to do it alone.”

Chan swallowed hard, guilt flashing across his face. “And when did you find out she was a baby girl?”

“A little after the first trimester. I went to the appointment alone.” You hesitated before adding, “I remember crying when they told me. Not because I was sad, but because everything suddenly felt so real. I was going to have a daughter, and she was going to rely on me for everything.”

Chan’s hands clenched into fists on the table. “I should’ve been there,” he muttered, more to himself than to you.

You didn’t respond to that. It was in the past. No matter how much you wished things had been different, the reality was that you had done it all alone.

He kept asking, his curiosity endless. “How was your pregnancy? Was it difficult?”

You gave him a small, tired smile. “It had its moments. Morning sickness was brutal, but I got through it. The hardest part was just… being alone. I had Minho, and he was great, but it wasn’t the same.”

At the mention of Minho, Chan’s jaw tensed, but he said nothing about him. Instead, he pressed on. “And the birth? How was it?”

You hesitated before answering, knowing it wouldn’t be easy for him to hear. “It was rough. She was early, and I was scared. I had never felt so alone in my life.”

Chan inhaled sharply, his eyes closing for a brief moment as he processed that. “And when she was born?”

Your lips curled into a bittersweet smile. “She was perfect. Tiny but strong. She cried the moment she was placed on my chest, and I remember thinking that I would do anything to protect her.”

Chan ran a hand down his face, his emotions barely contained. “And when she was a baby? What was she like?”

You couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, she cried. A lot. She had colic for the first few months, and there were nights I didn’t sleep at all. But she was also the sweetest baby. She loved being held, and she would stop crying the moment I sang to her.”

At that, Chan let out a shaky breath, rubbing his thumb against his lip. “I missed everything,” he murmured, voice thick with regret. “Her first words, her first steps, everything.”

You nodded solemnly. “Yeah. You did.” There was no point sugarcoating it.

For a long moment, he just stared at the table, lost in thought. Then, cautiously, he asked, “Do you have any pictures I can see?”

You hesitated but slowly pulled out your phone, scrolling through the many photos you had of Nari. You showed him the first one. A picture of her as a newborn, swaddled in a pink blanket, eyes barely open.

Chan exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around the edge of the table. “She was so small,” he whispered.

“She was.”

You swiped to another photo, Nari as an infant, sitting up for the first time with a gummy smile. Then another of her taking her first shaky steps in the living room while Minho knelt nearby, arms outstretched.

Chan tensed at that one, but he said nothing.

Then, you showed him the most recent one, a picture of Nari just a few days ago, her hair tied into little space buns, laughing at something Minho had said.

“She looks so happy,” Chan murmured.

“She is,” you confirmed.

Silence stretched between you again before he finally looked up at you, determination in his eyes.

“I want to meet her,” he said. “Even if she doesn’t know who I am yet… I just want to see her.”

You agreed, feeling the weight of the decision settle on your shoulders. It wasn’t going to be easy, but you knew it was the right thing for Nari. She deserved the chance to meet her father, even if it was just the beginning.

After a long pause, you finally spoke. “The zoo, tomorrow?” you suggested softly. “Nari loves animals. She’d feel more comfortable there, and it’s a place where she can have fun without too much pressure.”

Chan nodded thoughtfully, a look of determination mixed with a hint of nervousness in his eyes. “The zoo sounds perfect,” he said, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of emotion. “I just want her to know that I’m here... when she’s ready.”

You smiled faintly, feeling a small weight lift off your chest. You were both walking into this unknown territory, but you hoped the zoo would be a safe enough space to ease Nari into meeting her father without overwhelming her.

“Alright,” you agreed.

You both exchanged a quiet but understanding look before you stood up to leave, your mind swirling with all the things that could go wrong or right in the coming days. But for now, all you could do was trust your instincts and try to make it as gentle as possible for Nari.

As you walked out, Chan called after you softly, his voice steady, “Thank you… for letting me in.”

You nodded, not quite trusting yourself to say anything else, but your heart was full of hope, knowing that at least this was a step forward.

The next morning, you woke up feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation. This was it. The day Chan would meet Nari for the first time. Even though she wouldn’t know who he was yet, the thought of them interacting made your stomach twist with anxiety.

You carefully picked out an outfit for her, making sure she looked as adorable as ever. A soft yellow dress with tiny embroidered flowers and a matching bow in her hair. She giggled as you helped her put on her little shoes, completely unaware of the weight this day held.

Minho watched from the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned against the frame. “You okay?” he asked, his voice gentle.

You nodded, though your hands slightly trembled as you tied Nari’s shoes. “Yeah… just nervous.”

Minho crouched down beside you, resting a comforting hand on your back. “You’re doing the right thing,” he reassured. “No matter what happens, I’m here, okay?”

You gave him a small smile, appreciating his support more than words could express. When you stood up, Minho kissed your forehead before turning to Nari, ruffling her hair playfully. “Be good for Mommy today, okay?”

Nari giggled, nodding eagerly. “Okay, Minho!” She threw her arms around his legs, hugging him tightly before bouncing back to your side.

With a deep breath, you took her small hand in yours and headed out the door.

The car ride was filled with Nari’s endless chatter. “Where are we going, Mommy?” she asked for the fifth time, swinging her feet excitedly.

“You’ll see,” you replied, keeping your tone light.

She pouted but didn’t push further, instead continuing to talk about how she saw a bunny outside the window the other day and how she wanted one as a pet. Her innocence made your chest ache, she had no idea how important this day was.

When you arrived at the zoo, you spotted Chan almost immediately near the entrance. He stood there, shifting nervously from foot to foot, his hands stuffed into his pockets. When his eyes met yours, you saw the same mixture of anxiety and anticipation that you felt.

You took another deep breath before turning to Nari. “Alright, sweetheart, we’re here.”

Her eyes widened as she finally took in her surroundings. “The zoo?!” she squealed, bouncing on her feet.

You laughed, nodding. “Yep! We’re gonna see lots of animals today.”

She gasped dramatically. “Can we see the lions?”

“We can see whatever you want,” you said before leading her toward the entrance, where Chan was waiting.

As you approached, Chan’s eyes flickered down to Nari. His breath seemed to catch in his throat as he took her in properly for the first time, her round cheeks, the way her eyes shined with excitement, the tiny dimples that appeared when she smiled.

You watched as he swallowed hard, composing himself before offering a warm smile. “Hey there,” he greeted, crouching down to her level.

Nari tilted her head, studying him curiously. “Hi,” she said shyly, stepping slightly closer to you.

You placed a reassuring hand on her back. “This is our friend, Chan. He’s gonna spend the day with us at the zoo.”

Chan smiled gently. “I hope that’s okay with you.”

Nari thought about it for a second before giving a small nod. “Okay! Do you like lions?”

Chan chuckled, nodding. “I do. They’re really cool, huh?”

She beamed. “Yeah! I wanna see them first!”

Chan glanced up at you, as if silently asking if this was really happening. You nodded slightly, and with that, he stood up and smiled at Nari. “Then let’s go see some lions.”

As the three of you walked into the zoo together, you couldn’t help but glance at Chan from the corner of your eye. His expression was a mixture of awe and overwhelming emotion as he watched Nari skip ahead excitedly.

He was meeting his daughter for the first time, and even if she didn’t know it yet, it was a moment that would change everything.

The day at the zoo was everything you’d hoped it would be calm, enjoyable, and surprisingly natural for the three of you. You watched as Nari’s curiosity grew with each new animal she saw. Chan, despite the nerves that seemed to still simmer beneath the surface, was a natural with her. He leaned down to answer her questions about the animals, made her laugh with little jokes, and even shared little facts that seemed to captivate her attention.

At some point, Nari let go of your hand, and your heart swelled as she confidently reached for Chan’s, her small fingers curling around his. He didn’t hesitate to hold it back, his gaze softening as he looked down at her. You could see the way he wanted to be involved in her world, how much he cared even though they’d just met. It was such a small thing, but it felt significant. Nari was getting comfortable with him, trusting him, and in turn, so were you.

The three of you stopped for ice cream, and Nari, with her usual enthusiasm, began recounting a story from school something about how a classmate tried to race her to the swings and ended up tripping over their shoelaces. Chan listened intently, asking questions and genuinely engaging with her, which made you smile. It was heartwarming to see how well they were getting along, and you couldn’t help but feel a pang of bittersweetness.

As Nari’s animated voice filled the air, you found your mind drifting back to the past. What if you had stayed with Chan? What if you had told him about Nari from the start? You could’ve had this life, this kind of family life with him. Watching Chan with Nari, seeing the way he took to fatherhood so easily, it made your heart ache with what could’ve been. You could’ve been a family, watching Nari grow up together, not in the way you’d lived the last few years, keeping them apart for reasons that, at times, still felt unclear.

But then the memory of how everything went down with him, the neglect you felt, the heartbreak, and how you’d been left with no choice but to leave, flooded back. You had made the decision to protect yourself, to protect Nari, even if it meant carrying the weight of that choice on your own shoulders. Yet, in moments like this watching Chan laugh with Nari, seeing her trust him so effortlessly it was hard to ignore the question: What if?

“Mommy,” Nari said, looking up from her ice cream cone, snapping you out of your thoughts. “Are you okay? You look like you’re thinking real hard.”

You smiled, shaking off the thoughts. “I’m okay, sweetheart. Just thinking about how much fun today’s been.”

Chan smiled at you, his gaze soft. “Yeah, it’s been great. We should do this again sometime.”

You nodded, grateful for the moment but also conflicted by the weight of everything you hadn’t said yet. Nari happily finished her ice cream, chattering about the next animal she wanted to see, oblivious to the storm of thoughts that had just passed through your mind.

For now, though, you pushed all of that aside. Today was about Nari, about the joy of seeing her bond with someone who, despite the past, was still willing to show up for her, and for you.

As you and Nari made your way back home, you felt a sense of calm settle in, even though your mind was still buzzing with everything that had transpired that day. Nari had been so happy at the zoo, and she seemed to take to Chan so naturally, which gave you a mixture of relief and uncertainty. When you got home, Minho was already there, waiting for you both with dinner prepared, Nari’s favorite pasta, a small gesture that made you smile.

Nari, excited to tell Minho all about her day, ran up to him, her voice high-pitched with excitement. “Minho, Minho! I like Channie! He’s really nice! And we saw so many animals, and he told me about them, and I held his hand!” She grinned up at him, her eyes wide with enthusiasm.

Minho chuckled, glancing up at you to make sure you were okay. “Sounds like you had a great day, huh?” he asked Nari, rubbing her head affectionately. His tone was warm, and you could hear the calmness in it, like he knew what you were processing without needing to ask.

“Yeah! I liked him, he’s funny. And we had ice cream too!” Nari continued to ramble on about everything she’d seen and done, her excitement uncontainable.

You took a deep breath, walking over to the table where Minho had laid out the meal. “It went well,” you said softly, settling into your chair. “Nari really liked him... and Chan seemed... happy to be with her. It was good, all things considered.”

Minho smiled at you, though there was a softness to his gaze, like he could see through the layers of your quieted nerves. “I’m glad it went well. And I know Nari enjoyed it.” He glanced over at Nari, who was still busy chatting about the day, but his attention returned to you. “How are you doing?”

You hesitated for a moment, considering his question carefully. “I’m... okay. It feels a bit overwhelming, honestly. But it was nice to see them together, and I think it meant a lot to him to get to know her.”

Minho nodded, his expression understanding. “You did the right thing, talking to him. And Nari... she’s lucky to have both of you.”

You smiled at him, grateful for his steady presence, and took a bite of the pasta he’d made. It was comforting, like everything he did for you simple, but grounding.

As Nari continued to talk about her day, Minho shot you a quick look, as if silently offering support for whatever came next. You knew there would be more conversations ahead, more steps forward, and likely some setbacks too but for now, you were here. With him. And Nari, who was clearly content in her own world, safe and happy for the moment.

For tonight, at least, you allowed yourself to feel some peace.

After dinner, Nari was still buzzing with excitement, her little feet swinging under the table as she kept talking about all the animals she had seen. She barely touched her food at first, too eager to share every little detail with Minho, but after a few gentle reminders, she finally ate.

Once she finished, you helped her clean up before letting her settle on the couch to watch one of her favorite cartoons. You and Minho lingered in the kitchen, washing dishes together in comfortable silence. Every now and then, his hand would brush against yours, and when you glanced at him, he gave you a small smile, reassuring and steady.

“So,” he finally spoke, drying off a plate. “Do you think you’ll keep meeting up with Chan? Letting them spend time together?”

You sighed, placing a dish on the rack. “I think so. She really liked him, and… he looked happy. Like he really wanted to be there for her.” You chewed on your lip, hesitant. “I don’t know what this means long-term, though.”

Minho set the towel down and turned to you, leaning against the counter. “You don’t have to know right now,” he said gently. “One step at a time. No one’s saying you need to figure everything out overnight.”

You nodded, appreciating his patience. He never pushed, never made you feel rushed, even when he had every reason to feel conflicted about all of this. “Thank you,” you murmured, glancing up at him.

Minho just smirked, reaching out to flick a bit of water at you. “For what? Being your ridiculously handsome and supportive boyfriend?”

You rolled your eyes, but a smile crept onto your lips. “Something like that.”

After finishing up in the kitchen, you both joined Nari on the couch. She was already curled up with a blanket, barely keeping her eyes open despite how much she insisted she wasn’t tired.

“Did you have fun today, baby?” you asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

She yawned, nodding. “Yeah. Channie was nice. Can I see him again?”

Your heart squeezed at her innocent question, but you nodded. “Yeah, you can, sweetheart.”

Minho glanced at you but didn’t say anything, letting you handle it at your own pace.

Nari smiled sleepily, cuddling closer. “Okay…” Her voice trailed off as she slowly drifted to sleep.

You and Minho sat there for a while, watching her, both lost in your thoughts. Eventually, he reached for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“No matter what happens, you’re not alone in this,” he whispered.

You squeezed his hand in return, leaning against his shoulder. “I know.”

And for the first time in a long time, you really believed it.

The following days felt a little different. Lighter, maybe. Knowing that Chan and Nari had finally met and that she genuinely liked him lifted some of the weight that had been pressing on you for years. But it also left you with more questions about what the future would look like.

Chan kept his word, texting you every now and then to ask about Nari. Nothing overbearing, just small things like what her favorite snacks were, what shows she liked, how she was at school. You could tell he was trying, and while part of you still felt hesitant, another part was relieved that he wasn’t pushing too much too fast.

One afternoon, while Nari was napping, Minho sat beside you on the couch, idly scrolling through his phone before he glanced over.

"Have you thought about when you're going to tell her?" he asked, keeping his voice soft.

You sighed, pulling your legs up onto the couch. "I don't know. I don’t want to rush it and confuse her, but I also don’t want to wait too long and make it worse."

Minho nodded, understanding. "Maybe let her get used to him first, then ease her into it. She already likes him, so it won’t be as scary when she finds out."

You hummed in agreement, but before you could say anything else, your phone vibrated. It was a message from Chan.

Chan: Would it be okay if I saw Nari again this weekend? No pressure, just wanted to ask.

You bit your lip, staring at the message for a moment. Before, you had been terrified of this, of him wanting to be a part of her life, of the unknown that came with it. But now? You weren’t sure what scared you more, the past or the future.

Minho leaned in, reading over your shoulder. "What do you think?"

You exhaled slowly before typing back.

You: Yeah, that should be fine. I’ll let you know what time works best.

The response came almost immediately.

Chan: Thank you.

Minho nudged you playfully. "Look at you, co-parenting like a pro."

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t help the small smile forming. "Shut up."

He just smirked, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you closer. "Hey, you’re doing good, you know that?"

You leaned into him, letting out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding.

"I hope so."

The weekend came quicker than you expected. You had arranged for Chan to meet you and Nari at a small park near the neighborhood, somewhere familiar and comfortable for her. Minho had plans with a friend that day, giving you space to focus on Nari and Chan without any distractions.

When you arrived, Chan was already there, sitting on one of the benches. He stood up the second he saw you both, offering a small wave. Nari, holding onto your hand, looked up at you curiously.

"Channie?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

You smiled, nodding. "Yeah, baby. He’s here to hang out with us again."

Without hesitation, Nari let go of your hand and ran toward Chan, who crouched down with a grin, ready to catch her. She stopped just in front of him, tilting her head.

"You came!"

"Of course I did," Chan chuckled. "I wouldn’t miss a chance to see you."

You watched as she grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the swings. "Push me?"

Chan glanced back at you for a moment, as if silently checking that it was okay. You gave him a small nod, and with that, he followed Nari to the swings, helping her get seated before pushing her gently.

You sat on a nearby bench, watching them interact. It was strange, seeing them together like this so natural, as if they'd always known each other. Nari giggled each time Chan pushed her higher, her joy infectious.

At some point, Chan sat on the ground while Nari excitedly told him stories, her hands flailing around dramatically. He listened intently, nodding along, laughing when she did. It was a sight that made your chest tighten with a mix of emotions: happiness, relief, guilt.

After a while, Nari ran off to climb on the playground, leaving you and Chan alone for a moment. He moved to sit beside you on the bench, exhaling as he watched her play.

"She’s incredible," he murmured. "I don’t know how you did it all on your own."

You swallowed, glancing down at your hands. "I didn’t do it completely by myself, I had Minho."

Chan was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "I’m really grateful you told me."

You looked at him then, meeting his eyes. "I wasn’t sure if I ever would."

"I know," he admitted. "And I don’t blame you for that. But I’m here now. And I want to be here."

You nodded slowly. "I know."

The conversation wasn’t long, but it was enough.

For the rest of the time, Chan played with Nari, helping her down the slides, pretending to chase her like a monster, letting her win every time. By the time you left, Nari was tired but happy, waving at Chan with a big smile.

-

Minho had been in the kitchen preparing snacks when Nari excitedly pulled Chan inside the house, rambling about her plushie collection. The second Chan stepped into the house, his gaze landed on Minho, and the air instantly felt heavier. You noticed the way Chan's shoulders tensed, his usual easy-going demeanor shifting slightly. Minho, on the other hand, remained calm, but you could see the way his eyes subtly flickered with something unreadable.

Nari, blissfully unaware of the tension, tugged on Chan’s hand. "Come on, Channie! I have so many plushies!"

Chan finally looked away from Minho and down at Nari, his expression softening as he let her pull him toward her room. "Alright, lead the way, princess."

You let out a small breath, feeling a little relieved that Chan followed her without issue. But when you turned back toward the kitchen, Minho was standing there, arms crossed, watching you with a raised brow.

"You didn’t tell me he was coming over," he said, his voice casual, but you knew him well enough to hear the edge beneath his words.

You sighed, walking over to him. "I didn’t know either. We were walking home, and she wanted to show him her toys."

Minho hummed, glancing in the direction of Nari’s room before looking back at you. "You look nervous."

You hesitated before nodding. "I just... I know things between you two are weird."

Minho’s jaw clenched slightly, but he forced a small smirk. "Weird? That’s one way to put it."

You gave him a look, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I don’t have anything against him being in Nari’s life. That’s between you, him, and her. But that doesn’t mean I have to like him."

You wanted to press further, but before you could, Nari came running back out, holding one of her stuffed bunnies in the air.

"Minho! Look! Channie says this one looks like me!" she giggled, holding the plush up to her face.

Minho smiled, taking the bunny from her and playfully inspecting it. "Yeah? I can kinda see it."

Chan followed behind her, hands in his pockets, but his expression was unreadable. His gaze flickered between you and Minho briefly before he cleared his throat. "She has quite the collection."

You forced a small smile. "Yeah, she’s been collecting them for a while."

An awkward silence filled the space before Nari tugged on Chan’s hand again. "Do you wanna stay and eat snacks with us? Minho makes really yummy food!"

You didn’t miss the way Chan’s jaw tensed slightly, but he forced a smile down at her. "I—uh..." He glanced at you, as if looking for an answer.

You swallowed. "You can stay if you want."

Minho didn’t say anything, but you could feel his eyes on you.

Chan hesitated for a second before nodding. "Alright, just for a little while."

Nari cheered, running toward the couch while you and Minho exchanged a brief glance. This was going to be interesting.

Every time Nari left the room, the atmosphere shifted. The moment her small footsteps disappeared down the hall, the weight of unspoken words settled between Chan and Minho like a thick fog. You could feel it, the tension so heavy it made you want to disappear into the walls.

Chan sat stiffly on the couch, fingers drumming lightly against his knee as he glanced toward where Nari had disappeared. Minho, on the other hand, leaned back slightly in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp.

You prayed neither of them would start anything.

But Chan finally broke the silence. “So.”

That one word was enough to send a spike of anxiety through you.

Minho raised a brow, waiting. “So?”

Chan exhaled through his nose, glancing at you for a second before looking back at Minho. “You’ve been around Nari for a while.”

Minho didn’t flinch. “Yeah.”

Another silence. The air felt suffocating.

Chan licked his lips before speaking again. “I appreciate you looking out for her.”

You blinked. That wasn’t what you expected.

Minho’s expression didn’t shift much, but you noticed the slight way his shoulders eased, just barely. “She’s a great kid.”

Chan nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah… she is.”

For a second, you thought maybe just maybe things wouldn’t get worse. But then Chan’s fingers curled into his jeans, his voice dropping slightly. “I just wish I could’ve been there for her sooner.”

Minho let out a slow breath, his jaw tightening. “That wasn’t her fault.”

“I never said it was.” Chan’s voice was calm, but you could hear the slight edge creeping in. “I’m just saying I would’ve wanted to know.”

Minho scoffed under his breath, shaking his head. “And what would you have done?”

Your stomach twisted. “Minho—”

Chan’s eyes darkened. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Minho met his gaze, unwavering. “It means exactly what I said. You say you wish you could’ve been there, but you weren’t even there for her mom.”

A sharp silence filled the room. You clenched your hands together, heart pounding.

Chan inhaled sharply through his nose. “You don’t know anything about that.”

“I know enough.” Minho leaned forward slightly. “I know she left for a reason. And I know she didn’t do it lightly.”

Chan’s jaw clenched. “I don’t need you to remind me of that.”

Minho shrugged. “Then maybe you should think about it before blaming everyone else for what happened.”

“Enough,” you finally cut in, your voice firmer than before. You looked between them, frustration and exhaustion creeping in. “This isn’t about either of you. This is about Nari. And if you two can’t get over whatever this is for her sake, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

Both men went silent, but the tension was still thick.

Before either could say anything else, Nari’s little footsteps came running back. “Look! I found more!”

She held out a handful of plushies, beaming. Completely unaware of the war brewing between the two men sitting before her.

Chan immediately softened, forcing a smile as he turned back to her. “Wow, you have so many.”

Minho sighed quietly, leaning back again. You shot him a warning look, and he just nodded subtly, backing down, for now.

You knew this wasn’t over. But at least for Nari’s sake, they were trying.

As soon as Chan left, you felt the weight of the day pressing down on you. Nari was already running around, excited and oblivious to the undercurrent of tension that had been hanging in the air. You knew it was time to address what had just happened, but the last thing you wanted to do was upset Minho after everything that had unfolded.

You sent Nari off to put her toys away, needing the space to have this conversation. The moment she disappeared into her room, you turned to Minho, your chest tightening as you spoke. “Minho... that wasn’t okay.”

Minho froze for a second, his posture stiffening as he looked at you. His eyes were conflicted, but you could see the frustration there. “I just... I couldn’t stand hearing him talk about how he wished he could’ve been there for her sooner, like it was your fault,” he said, his voice low. “Like you didn’t have your reasons for everything.”

You sighed, rubbing your forehead. You didn’t want to argue about this, but the tension in the room was unbearable. “Thank you. I know you’re angry. But confronting him like that, when Nari could’ve walked in... it wasn’t the time. It wasn’t the place.”

Minho ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “I don’t trust him, and I don’t think you should either.”

“I don’t trust him either, but I need to be the one to handle this. Nari’s involved now, and I don’t want her seeing this.” You took a deep breath. “I want her to have the chance to bond with him, but I need it to happen naturally, on her terms, not with us having this constant tension between us.”

Minho’s expression softened, though you could still see the frustration lingering in his eyes. “I just want what’s best for her. You know that, right?”

You nodded. “I know. But that’s why we need to be careful. Nari’s still so young, and she doesn’t understand the complicated stuff between us. I need her to feel safe, not caught in the middle of something that’s not her fault.”

Minho’s gaze dropped for a moment, his hands resting on his lap. He sighed, and when he looked back at you, his face was less tense. “I didn’t mean to cause more trouble, I just—” He stopped, shaking his head. “I just wanted to protect you. You’ve been through so much already, and I hate seeing you go through more of this.”

You reached out, placing a hand on his arm. “I know, and I appreciate that more than you know. But this is something I need to handle, not just for me, but for Nari too. I need you to trust me with this, Minho. I’ll handle it. We’ll handle it together, but we can’t fight each other about it.”

Minho let out a long breath and nodded slowly. “I understand. I’ll back off... but only because you asked me to.”

You smiled gently, relief washing over you. “Thank you.”

Still, there was a part of you that worried about what might happen next. But for now, you needed to focus on Nari, on trying to make sure she felt loved and supported. She didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of the chaos.

As the two of you settled into a quieter evening, the weight of the conversation still lingered, but at least now, you felt like you were on the same page. You just hoped things wouldn’t get more complicated as time went on.

Minho knew he had nothing to worry about or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. You had reassured him over and over again, told him that you chose him, not Chan. But it didn’t make the jealousy any easier to swallow when he saw you and Chan together.

Like today, when you had just gotten home from picking Nari up from school. Chan had been waiting outside, leaning casually against his car, and the moment Nari saw him, she bolted toward him with a loud squeal. Chan lifted her effortlessly, spinning her around before setting her down, the two of them giggling as he ruffled her hair.

You stood beside them, laughing at their antics, your eyes soft as you watched them together. And Minho, standing inside the house, just behind the window, could only watch with a heavy heart.

You looked happy. Not just in the way a mother watching her child be happy would be, but in a way that made Minho’s stomach twist uncomfortably. The familiarity between you and Chan, the easy way you fell into conversation, the way you smiled at him, it was all gnawing away at Minho’s confidence.

Chan had something with you that Minho never would. History. A family that had already existed before Minho was ever in the picture. And no matter how much you reassured him, no matter how much Nari loved him, there was always that lingering fear in the back of his mind

What if he was just a placeholder?

He knew he was being irrational. You wouldn’t be with him if you wanted to be with Chan. But logic didn’t do much to silence the insecurity whispering in his head.

When you finally walked inside, you kicked off your shoes and beamed at Minho, completely unaware of his inner turmoil.

"Nari had a good day," you told him as you set your bag down. "She wouldn’t stop talking about some project they’re doing in class."

Minho hummed, trying to shake off the unease. "Yeah?"

Before you could respond, Nari ran in, still buzzing with excitement. "Minho! Channie picked me up and spun me around!" she said, grinning from ear to ear. "Can you do that too?"

Minho mustered a small smile, bending down to her level. "Of course I can, princess."

He lifted her up effortlessly, spinning her around just as Chan had done, and her delighted laughter filled the air. But even as he smiled and played along, the weight in his chest remained.

-

Minho had been trying to ignore the feeling for weeks, the creeping doubt, the nagging fear that he wasn’t enough. That eventually, you’d wake up one day and realize you wanted to go back to Chan, back to the family that was already built before Minho was ever in the picture.

At first, he had brushed it off. He trusted you. He knew you loved him. But then, little things started to pile up. You had been distant lately, colder. The warmth in your eyes when you looked at him had started to fade, and he felt like he was grasping at straws, desperately trying to hold onto you before you slipped away completely.

When he came home from work that evening, exhausted and just wanting to wrap his arms around you, he was met with that unbearable distance again. You barely even looked at him when you greeted him, your smile forced and lacking its usual warmth. Minho tried to push past it, to pretend it didn’t bother him, but the frustration gnawed at him. Had he done something wrong? Was there something he had missed?

You barely spoke during dinner. You avoided his gaze when he reached for your hand. And when you finally disappeared into the bedroom while he cleaned up, Minho felt something inside him snap.

Fine. If you were going to be cold, he could be too.

By the time he made it to the bedroom, his patience was worn thin. He undressed in silence, his back turned to you, ignoring the way you shifted anxiously on the bed. He wanted you to say something, anything but the silence stretched on, suffocating.

Then, finally, you spoke.

"Minho... I need to tell you something."

//

masterlist.

[taglist: @alisonyus @bowsnbang @mariteez @melanctton @candyquokka @mysterysold @st4rv3lly if you’d like to be added too let me know!]

[hyunfilms]

blue side of the sky (lmh) | seven.

♡ spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: waking up after 3 months with no recollection of your past, your friends do what they can to help you remember. except, they omit an important piece to the puzzle - afraid you would remember the heartbreak and hurt all over again.

—pairing: lee know x f. reader

—genre: (18+) exes to lovers, bestfriends to lovers au | fluff, angst, (eventual) smut

—word count: 3.8k

—chapter warnings: cussing/mature language, wedding time for yuna!! aka weekend getaway for the group!, overthinking/some insecurities, alcohol consumption (not by oc), playful moments between chan, jisung and seungmin, oc has a cute, mini heart-to-heart with seungmin, flashback at the end - crying, another core memory for minho

♡ a/n: more happens btwn oc and minho next chapter (and beyond), i promise! lol and i know everyone is dying for someone to tell the truth!! i also promise that will happen.. soon... in time. 😬 hehe ty for sticking along on this ride 🥺

"Everything okay?" Seungmin looks at you as you stand and study the hotel in front of you. You look at him as he gently smiles, Chan and Jisung taking care of all the belongings in the background.

"Mhm." You respond. Your eyes shift down to the arm he props out, signaling for you to hold onto it before following Chan and Jisung inside. You softly chuckle and grab onto his arm, letting him lead you into the lobby.

As Jisung mentioned, both the wedding and reception were going to take place in the garden area of the oceanside hotel. Jisung, of course, needed to be here a day before the wedding for the rehearsal. Upon entering the lobby, you see him and Chan greeting his parents, with Yuna and Yeong-Su following behind. Their eyes all shift to you and Seungmin as you get closer, Jisung's mom the first to approach you and gently take you into her arms.

"My babygirl." She says. You embrace her and hug her tightly, being that Jisung's parents were just like your own. They've popped in to check on you at the hospital and a few times post-release. You can tell they're also trying to keep it safe around you, almost like you're fragile— need to be handled with care. "I'm so happy you're here." She pulls away, cupping your cheek. "Are you doing okay?" You nod.

"I'm okay." You verbally respond just as Jisung's father is pulling you in for a hug.

"Your uncle couldn't make it?" You shake your head.

"No, he's working on a big project right now. He sends his regards, though." You make a mental note to call your Uncle Adrian later just to let him know you've made it safely. Being that he owned his own construction company, he was always on the go and working on projects around town. He was reliable, someone known for his kindness and trustworthiness. People always wanted him to be handling their projects or needs. You don't blame them— he was your mom's brother and he reminded you of her in so, so many ways. You were grateful for him and for the many ways he has provided and kept you safe, protected. You're especially grateful to have him because if you weren't going to have mom here, you at least had him— a piece of her. They shared the same attitude, values, the same gracefulness.

Both angelic and gentle.

"Well, you let us know if you need anything. Especially if he starts working up your nerves." Jisung's dad nods towards him.

"I will." You chuckle.

"Y/N." Yuna pokes out her bottom lip as she comes to embrace you. "God, it's so nice to see you and hug you. I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too."

"Thank you for coming. Seriously. I know it's a lot, but it means so much to me that you're here." She looks at you.

"I'm glad I'm here." You smile at Yeong-Su and greet him. "How can I help right now?"

"No, no. Don't you dare lift a finger. We have people taking care of everything. I just want you to relax and enjoy yourself while you're here, okay?" Yuna hangs onto your arm. "I can't believe it's here already."

"Time flies by."

"Sure does." Yuna leans her head against your shoulder. "I hope it all goes to plan."

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine, and it'll all be amazing. You'll look so, so beautiful walking down that aisle and I can't wait to witness that moment." Yuna smiles at you. Although you can't recall the moments you've spent with Jisung's family or Yuna in general, her aura is comforting. She's special to you, and you to her— that seeing her only confirms that fact that she has been someone dear and close to you. It's easy to talk to her like this, as if your body was working with its muscle memory. Though, you wish you could look back at those moments and cherish them instead.

"Thank you." There's a slight hint of worry in her eyes when she looks at you, when they all look at you, and it's a clear sign that they too, are walking on eggshells around you. Fragile, sensitive, afraid you'd crack and break into pieces any moment.

These times were trying, and you hated it when people looked at you that way. You have to constantly reassure yourself that people cared. Maybe even a bit too much, but they cared.

They believe in you, Y/N.

You aren't lost, Y/N.

That's not what this is.

"If you need me or anything at all, don't you ever hesitate to let me know. Okay?"

"Okay. Don't worry Yuna. This weekend is all about you and Yeong-Su, alright? It'll be great." She nods happily.

"Sorry to bother. Need to borrow my bestfriend so I can show her to the room?" Jisung steps in and Yuna rolls her eyes.

"You're always so selfish with her, you know that?" He scoffs.

"Woah, I'm literally just taking her to the room!"

"Share sometimes." She continues to playfully argue with him before returning her attention to you. "Get some rest. Enjoy yourself. I'll see you tonight for dinner." She squeezes your hand before reuniting with Yeong-Su and Jisung's parents.

"Ready? We're on the fourth floor." He has his duffle bag strap over one shoulder, while carrying your weekender bag by the hand. He gives you a small smile, eyes darting back to Chan and Seungmin walking ahead towards the elevator. "We're sharing a room with two beds, and Chan and Seungmin are in the connecting room. Is that okay?"

"Mhm, that's fine." You follow the three boys into the elevator. "Where's Minho going to be?" Chan and Seungmin look at you before looking at Jisung.

"Oh, he's not coming tonight. He's just gonna show up for the wedding tomorrow and stay after."

"I see."

"We should check out the bar and stuff before the dinner." Chan chimes in as he continues to scroll through his phone. "Wanna come, Y/N? No pressure."

"Hm, sure. It'll be nice to explore." Chan smiles at you. Once you hit the fourth floor, the four of you walk over to the rooms silently, Jisung dropping your bags to the floor before opening the door that joins the two rooms together. You immediately walk towards the window to look out at the view, arms crossed at your chest as you take in the way the sun bounces off of the water's surface.

"Pretty isn't it? I suggested for Yuna and Yeong-Su to get married here." You chuckle at Jisung.

"Nice choice."

"Did you get to call your uncle yet?"

"No, not yet. I'll call him in a bit." He nods.

"Want this bed?" Jisung points to the bed closest to the window and you smile at him.

"You'd give up the bed with a view?"

"Why not? All that matters to me is that you're comfortable." He shrugs. "I know all of this happened kinda last minute for you."

"It's not like that." You chuckle. "I'm glad I came along. It already feels nice to be away for a weekend."

"Good." He looks at Chan and Seungmin. "I can use their bathroom so that you have this one to yourself."

"It's fine, pachi. It's not like we haven't done this before with our families." You look at him with a certain look in your eyes, and he feels like he can relax. Jisung does worry about you, probably way more than he should, but at the end of the day, he just wants to make sure you're taken care of. It's his duty as your bestfriend, and he feels especially protective after everything you've been through. You've done so much for Jisung while growing up that he can't help but feel like he didn't do enough to keep you safe, to keep you from getting hurt, to protect you. He knows it's not his fault, but he can't help but blame himself. 

He feels like he could have done more.

And with you being here—being awake, being you— he feels like he's gotten a second chance to do better. He's gotten a second chance to make up for the things he didn't do before. He'll never take that for granted ever again.

"Mmkay." He chuckles. "Well, I'm gonna go wash up before we head down." You nod before unzipping your weekender bag and gently pulling out your wedding gift. Thankfully, after some days of rest and taking it easy, you were able to finish off the vase you started for Yuna. On top of that, you were able to grab other useful items to gift the couple as well. You set the things aside before hanging up your dress and setting your heels aside for tomorrow. While Jisung is still in the bathroom, you grab your phone out of your pocket and press your uncle's number under your Favorites list. It rings for 3 times before he picks up on the other line, the construction sounds blaring in the background.

"Hey Y/N, sorry it's so loud." You can tell he's trying to walk towards a quieter place with the way the background slowly fades out. "Did you and the boys make it okay?"

"Mhm, it was a smooth ride."

"Good, that's good to hear. How is the hotel? I heard it's really nice."

"It is super nice. I saw Yuna, Yeong-Su and Jisungie's parents as soon as we got here. I told them you send your regards."

"Thank you. Yeah, I wish I could come, but this project is taking up so much of my time. We're still behind." He chuckles a bit. "You have fun and enjoy yourself, okay?"

"I will. I just wanted to let you know that we were here."

"Okay, call me later when you're free. Hopefully I'll be home and resting by then." You laugh.

"You should. Don't work too hard."

"I'll try not to. Tell Jisung and the boys I said hi."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too." And with that, the call ends. You set your phone aside and dig through your bag again, checking to see which clothes you could change into that are more fitting for the warm weather. You pull out a simple black mini skirt and a crop top, hugging it against your chest as you wait for Jisung to finish up in the bathroom. You peek into Seungmin and Chan's room to see them lazily lying on their beds, with Seungmin the first to look up from his phone when he sees you looking in.

"Need something, Y/N?" He sits up and you shake your head.

"Do you mind if I change in your bathroom? Jisungie's taking forever."

"Go for it."

"Dude, tell him to hurry up." Chan looks at Seungmin. "I wanna grab a drink."

"Han Jisung, hurry up!" Seungmin yells from the bed as he crashes back onto it. You slip into their bathroom and shut the door behind you, hearing Chan and Seugmin constantly yelling at Jisung to hurry. You giggle to yourself as you change into your clothes, already feeling better being out of those leggings and the thick hoodie you had on.

"Where's Y/N?" You hear Jisung ask.

"She's changing in our bathroom cause you took too long."

"Oh." You hear footsteps approaching the bathroom door. "I'm sorry, cielo. You should've knocked."

"It's alright." You swing the door open, which causes Jisung to step back and quickly eye you from head to toe. "I'm ready now, we can head down."

"You look nice." You smile at Jisung.

"Thanks." You walk past him to get back to your room and drop your clothes.

"You always look nice, Y/N." Seungmin adds.

"Even in your pajamas, Y/N." Chan playfully chimes in causing Jisung to roll his eyes.

"Back off." You giggle to yourself when you hear Chan and Seungmin laughing at Jisung’s remark. They stand up to their feet when you walk back into their room, and the four of you start heading back down to the hotel lobby to explore around. On the way down, Chan and Seungmin are cracking jokes between each other that make you laugh, while Jisung picks up a call that comes through on his phone.

"Minho, yo." He picks up the call. "Yo?" He repeats. "What do you want?" You obviously can't hear Minho on the other line, but Jisung furrows his brows while listening to him. "What do you mean you don't know what to buy as a present? They have a registry. Just buy something from there or give them money so they can use it towards whatever they please." Jisung sighs. "Uh no, absolutely not a good idea to give them sex toys as a present." You chuckle, making Jisung look down at you before looking back ahead. "Dude, you're fucking gross. Do what you want. I'm telling Yuna and Yeong-Su that I had nothing to do with it." He lets out another breath. "Yeah, okay. I'm hanging up now." He lets out a laugh. "You're full of shit. Bye."

"Productive conversation, I see." Jisung shrugs.

"Dude is out of his mind. He's terrible when it comes to giving gifts."

"I'm sure he'll figure it out." It falls quiet as you continue walking towards the bar near the lobby. But for you, you're mainly wondering why you haven't talked to Minho as much as you expected to. He was your bestfriend, right?

Why didn't he say hi?

Does he ask about you as much as you do with him?

Why does it feel like Jisung is a wall between you two?

"Yo, look at this." Chan picks up the flyer at the front of the bar. "Tequila shots are only a dollar from now until 8PM."

"You're out of your mind." Seungmin laughs. "That shit is probably poison, and I'm not taking care of your asses."

"I can handle myself!" He nudges Jisung. "Let's go."

"I'm only gonna take like.. 3, my guy. I still have to rehearse, you know?"

"What better way to rehearse than tipsy?"

"Fuck you." Jisung shakes his head as he gives in to Chan. "You're really not gonna join in?"

"No, hell no. I'll stay here with Y/N and keep her safe from you two weirdos." Seungmin stands closer to you and you smile at the two. "We'll just help ourselves to some family-friendly drinks and people-watch outside." He looks down at you and you nod.

"Sounds fun to me." The boys know you aren't fond of drinking, especially after the accident. It's not like they've ever pressured you, but it's nice to have Seungmin swoop you away from Chan and Jisung's chaos just so you two could chill. Which, he does by asking the bartender for virgin pina coladas, taking the glasses over to two seats near the edge of the dining area that overlook the beach. You sit onto the stool while Seungmin doesn't waste any time with his drink. After quenching his thirst, he looks at you and gives you a toothless smile.

"Is it okay?" You nod while sipping your drink.

"It's really good!" You look at the drink in surprise. "Thanks. How much do I owe you?"

"What?" He chuckles. "Don't worry about it, Y/N. It's on me."

"Thank you, Seungmin."

"Of course." Silence. The two of you appreciate the view ahead before Seungmin breaks the silence again. "I didn't expect it to be so hot this weekend."

"Didn't pack the right clothes?" He does a head tilt while letting out a soft laugh.

"Not really, but I'll make it work. Like I always do." You chuckle before there's another pause. Seungmin feels safe. He always radiates a warm aura; someone who won't ever judge you, or make you feel stupid. Especially for what you're about to ask—

"Seungmin?" You slightly turn in your seat to look at him. "Can I ask you something?" He returns the favor by turning in his seat to face you.

"Anything."

"Is Minho really that busy?" His eyes widen at the random question, but he answers anyway.

"Um, yeah. He kinda is." He laughs a bit. "He's my roommate but I see him come and go pretty often, and I've gotten used to it. I'm sure the café is hard to manage. Why?"

"I don't know. I just.. feel the need to ask." You tilt your head and look at him. "Can I tell you something else?"

"Of course." His voice softens.

"I'm having a hard time figuring out why I feel a certain way when it comes to Minho. We were close at one point, right? So, why doesn't it feel like it? Why do I feel like I'm missing something?" You look out at the view, then back at him. "Why do I feel like he's purposefully avoiding me?" He lets out a breath. You can tell he's hesitating but he covers it up well. 

He recovers well.

"I think Minho is still trying to process everything." Is all he says. "It's not anything against you, this entire thing is just hard for him. Give it some time. He'll come around." This is all he gives you. 

"Sorry, I must sound stupid. I don't really know how to explain it."

"You're not stupid, Y/N. I know you are just trying to understand. And, I understand you. Don't worry." You also feel like Seungmin wants to say something else, but he doesn't. And that's because Jisung chose this very moment to rush over towards you two, arguing with Chan about their choices.

"I hate his ass." Jisung comes rushing over, pointing at a laughing Chan behind him. "He made us do five tequila shots."

"You're both glowing." Seungmin laughs. "Sure you can do it for the rehearsal?" The two of you watch as Jisung playfully pushes Chan and continues to put the blame on him and whine.

While you and Seungmin finish up your drinks, Yuna, Yeong-Su, their parents and Jisung's parents eventually come down and meet your group right before the rehearsal is scheduled to start. You laugh at Jisung's parents scolding him for getting tipsy before rehearsals— Jisung's mom clinging onto you as you all walk towards the garden area where things are set up for tomorrow's festivities.

As you sit alongside of Chan and Seungmin while watching the wedding rehearsal, you can't help but think of your quick conversation with Seungmin. With the gentle way he spoke with you earlier, you can't help but feel like you've been overthinking the entire thing and that's what you wanted to avoid while being here. It was hard for everyone to process what had happened, knowing that everyone was on the brink of letting you go, of giving you peace.

Then, to come back and change everything— to change their feelings, their mind, their decisions.

Maybe it was just you, after all.

☁︎ FLASHBACK | A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER YOU WOKE UP

Minho doesn't even know where he's going.

He finds himself running, and running, and running— in hopes he can finally escape the repeating sounds of your cries and screams.

"Fuck." He groans as he leans over onto his knees, squinting his eyes at the dull headache that is suddenly coming onto him early this morning. The sun is barely rising, the air is still cold, sharp. He drags himself over to the rail before sitting on the step— chest beginning to ache at the shortness of breath. His head falls and his breathing is the only thing he hears besides the occasional early morning chirping, cars passing by, geese dipping into the lake ahead of him.

"Knew I'd find you here." He looks up to the familiar voice, surprised at seeing his roommate standing in front of him in a hoodie and sweats.

"What are you doing here?" Seungmin shrugs and sits next to him on the step.

"Think I don't wanna get a run this morning, too?"

"Right." Minho looks straight ahead at the lake again. "Sleep is everything to you."

"Damn right. This is so fucking early."

"So, why are you here?"

"To make sure you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" He's avoiding eye contact, again. Seungmin may not say much, but he notices these things. He always notices the small things.

"You haven't said much to anyone since Y/N woke up. Think it's safe for me to be worried about you." Seungmin says softly, arms lazily hanging over his knees while he joins Minho and looks out to the lake. It's quiet for awhile before Minho finally speaks up and lets out a soft sigh.

"Nothing to be worried about."

"You don't have to do that. We can talk about it." Seungmin looks at him before shifting back to the lake. "It's hard, I know it is. I say that as her friend, so I can only imagine what you're feeling right now. So let me be your friend, and let me be there for you." And honestly, that's all it takes for Minho to crack. Because he's not okay. This is hard. He doesn't know what to do.

You saw them, and there was nothing.

You saw him, and there was nothing.

Minho's head falls, and Seungmin hears the harsh crying next to him even if Minho is trying his hardest to mask it. He can hear Minho whimpering in between sobs, Seungmin's heart breaking at the sound. He gently pats his back, giving him some time to let it all out.

"I didn't think it'd be this fucking hard." He mumbles and Seungmin barely catches on. "She doesn't know any of us, she doesn't know me."

"She's scared. Give her some time, okay? We'll get her back to where she needs to be."

"No, no." Minho shakes his head as he continues to cry. "No. She's different, she doesn't know me." He repeats. "I'm so stupid. Why did I let her go that night?"

"You're not stupid."

"I am. I am." He repeats. "None of this would've happened." His crying finally slows down but he still can't bring himself to look at Seungmin yet. He lets himself calm down, crying finally subsiding as he lets out a breath and wipes away at the straggling tears. "I was getting ready to accept it. I think I did. I was ready for whatever was gonna happen next. I was at peace with it. He pauses. "Then she came back. And I'm supposed to feel relief, right?" He finally turns to Seungmin again, eyes red from all the crying.

"You don't have to feel that way right now. Understandably, it's a lot at once." Is the best Seungmin can do.

"Yeah. Because truthfully, I don't feel relieved." Seungmin sees the tears building up on Minho's bottom lids again, his lip slightly trembling. "I'm not relieved because it feels like I still lost her either way. That's the hardest part about all of this." He starts to softly cry again, and he remains silent. Quite frankly, he doesn't know what else to say to Seungmin. He's overwhelmed with emotion, but at the same time he feels so fucking empty inside. Your cries and screams are still ringing in his head, the fear in your eyes when it quickly landed on him, the boys.

He shouldn't have let you go that night.

He's so stupid.

Nothing could have prepared him for how difficult this was going to be. He feels a selfish, feels kinda like an asshole for this. But, he truthfully cannot say he feels relieved after these past few days—

In the end, he still loses you.

☁︎ END

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