#minho series

[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

♡ taglist: @ppiri-bahng @jihanlovic @meloncremesoda @sweetlikecherry @hoes4lino @skzddicted @skzho @edgaralienpoe @harui-zen @bestleeknowstan @havenwithleeknow @septicrebel @heesdazed @borahae-reads @yoontaethings @pearbunny @bintificreads @lukeys-giggle @ajxreads @everglowdaisies @allaboutsan @endzii23 @leeknowsramen @heres-your-ramen2000 @morningstardada @mal-lunar-28 @downbadreading @lilysophie @feelikecinderella @urmomma0324 @ddazed-lhs @djeniryuu @melanctton @i8rsie @maru-matt @sleepyleeji @taerifin @nattisbored @jisunglyricist @m111nho @drhsthl @nixtape-foryou @arminseas @guiltycoco @syuuji @sulkygyu @cadihyo @reianagarcia @leeknowyah @smndjdufuehr

[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

[scarsnfevers]

Wolfgang — Masterlist (18+)

synopsis: burned out by the constant pressure of city life and overwhelmed by the presence of too many wolves, you—a lone Alpha—left Seattle behind in search of peace. Trading noise for silence, you bought a secluded cabin deep in the woods, hoping to start over far from the chaos of pack dynamics. For the first time in years, you felt calm, grounded, and finally able to breathe. But after a week of solitude, everything shifted the night a pizza was delivered to your door. In a place where wolves lived hidden among trees and old magic lingered in the air, your past—and your true self—began to catch up with you.

content info: werewolf!stray kids x reader, werewolf!reader, bang chan x reader, han jisung x reader, minho x reader, hyunjin x reader, felix x reader, changbin x reader, seungmin x reader, i.n x reader, smut [plenty of it], nostalgia, slow burn, pack dynamics, mature/strong language, more to be added

word count: open

minors do not interact!

CHAPTERS

Prologue: The Road Away

Chapter I: Wildflowers. Lilac. Storm.

Chapter II: Amber Eyes

Chapter III: Fire & Storm

Chapter IV: Scents.

Chapter V: Bond Dreams (18+)

Chapter VI: Gravity (16+)

[4linos]

the stranger you loved.

lee minho x fem!reader

synopsis: you don’t know him anymore. but minho knows you, every laugh, every tear, every promise. and he’s not giving up.

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, car accident, amnesia.

wc: 2838

[part 2.]

It was supposed to be an ordinary evening. Nothing out of the norm, at least, that’s what Minho thought when he laced up his shoes for dance practice, falling into the rhythm with the others as they cycled through choreography and light-hearted banter. You were always on his mind, of course, he’d checked your last message, smiled at whatever silly thing you’d said, and pocketed his phone again with no real expectation that something could go wrong.

Until it did.

Halfway through their dance routine, Minho’s phone buzzed on the speaker dock. It was odd, he never got calls during practice unless it was urgent. He didn’t recognize the number, but something in his gut told him to answer. And from the moment he pressed the phone to his ear, everything stopped. His heart. His breath. The world.

“Are you Lee Minho?” a firm, professional voice asked. “You’re listed as an emergency contact for L/N Y/N. There’s been an accident—”

His blood ran cold. “What?”

“A car crash. They’ve been transported to the emergency department. We need you to come to the hospital immediately.”

The rest was a blur. Minho’s breath caught as his knees went weak. He didn’t even say anything to the members at first. Just turned pale, hands trembling as he stared at the floor. Hyunjin called after him as he stumbled toward his bag, but Minho didn’t answer. Didn’t have it in him to form words. Only when Chan caught his arm did he choke out the most haunting, broken sentence:

“It’s Y/N. They were in a crash. The hospital—they said it’s bad. I need to go—right now.”

No one questioned it. Minho was already halfway out the door, running like his legs had minds of their own. His chest ached, every step a scream through his body. He didn’t even feel the rain when he made it outside, didn’t feel the way his hands fumbled with his keys as he jumped into the car. All he could think was please, please be okay.

When he arrived at the hospital, he didn’t have to ask for directions. The expression on his face was enough to have the front desk nurse standing immediately.

“Where is she?” His voice cracked as he rushed forward. “Where is Y/N?! Is she okay?”

“She’s—she’s in surgery. Please, sir, you need to calm down—”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! Just tell me what’s happening! Is she going to make it?! What happened?!” His voice was ragged, on the edge of shattering completely. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. His hands were shaking uncontrollably.

“We don’t know the extent of the damage yet. She suffered significant trauma, especially to the head. They’re doing everything they can.”

That phrase “everything they can” echoed in his skull like a death sentence. They didn’t know. Which meant he didn’t know. Which meant you could be—

He collapsed into one of the stiff hospital chairs, gripping the edge like it could anchor him to a reality he no longer trusted.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the members arrived. They looked just as shaken, frantic, and unsure as he had. Chan found him first, gently placing a hand on Minho’s back. He’d never seen him look so lost, so fragile. Not Minho, not the one who held everyone else up when things got hard.

“Hey,” Chan whispered. “She’s strong, okay? We’re gonna get through this.”

But Minho didn’t respond. He couldn’t. All he could do was stare at the surgery sign above the double doors. Waiting.

Time was meaningless in those moments. Could’ve been hours. Could’ve been years. His phone had long since died, and he hadn’t even noticed. Nothing mattered except that damn hallway, and whether or not someone would come through it with good news, or the worst news of his life.

And then, finally, the doors opened.

A surgeon approached with a face that gave nothing away, and Minho stood so fast his chair screeched backward against the floor. The others stood too, holding their breath.

“You’re here for Y/N?” the doctor asked.

Minho nodded, his voice gone.

“The surgery was successful,” the doctor said, finally offering the first sliver of light in hours of darkness. “There was significant head trauma, but we were able to control the bleeding and reduce the swelling. She’s in the ICU now, sedated, and stable. She’ll need to stay for a few days for observation and recovery.”

The air left Minho’s lungs all at once. His knees nearly gave out again, this time from the release of tension.

“She’s okay?” he asked, like he couldn’t believe it. “She’s really… okay?”

“She’ll need time. But yes. You can see her now, she’s still resting, but the nurse will take you.”

He looked to the members for half a second, eyes wide and glassy, searching for something. Support, maybe. Permission.

“Go,” Seungmin said softly. “She needs you.”

“Go,” Chan echoed. “We’ll be right here.”

Minho didn’t wait. Couldn’t. He followed the nurse like a man possessed, heart pounding, limbs stiff from sitting so long or maybe just from the terror still coiled in his chest. The hallways were too long, too sterile, too cold. But when the nurse opened the ICU room door, everything stopped again.

There you were. Pale. Motionless. Tubes running from your arms, wires monitoring your heart, your head bandaged carefully. You didn’t look like yourself, not completely. But your chest was rising and falling. And that was enough.

Minho moved to your side like he was afraid you’d disappear if he blinked. He sank into the chair next to your bed and reached for your hand careful, so careful like you were made of porcelain.

“You scared the hell out of me,” he whispered, his voice barely more than breath. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Tears slipped down his cheeks before he could stop them. But he didn’t care anymore. You were alive. And no matter how long it took, he’d be right here. Every second. Until you woke up. Until you knew he was here. Until you knew just how much he loved you.

Minho didn’t leave your side.

Not when the nurses dimmed the lights in your ICU room.

Not when visiting hours officially ended.

Not when the staff gently reminded him, again and again that you were sedated, and it could be hours, maybe even days, before you woke up.

He sat by your bedside, hand tightly wrapped around yours like a lifeline. Your skin was cold. Too cold. And you still weren’t responding. You hadn’t moved once since they brought him in. Machines beeped softly beside you, every sound too loud and not loud enough.

The nurses told him, kindly, that they’d watch over you, that he should go home, rest, eat something. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He’d never forgive himself if you woke up and he wasn’t there.

“I’ll sleep here,” he murmured once, half a promise, half a plea.

But he didn’t sleep. Not really.

He dozed off once or twice in short bursts, head slumped against the edge of the bed, still gripping your hand like it anchored him to the world. Every time he started to drift off, he forced himself awake again. What if you woke up and needed him? What if the first thing you saw was a stranger in a white coat, and not someone who knew you, loved you?

He couldn’t bear that thought. So he watched you. For hours.

Even when the hospital’s midnight quiet stretched unbearably long, and the only sound was the occasional shuffle of rubber soles in the hallway or the soft exhale of your breathing. He watched you, eyes burning, body aching, emotions worn thin and raw. He whispered to you sometimes. Just little things. Stuff you liked. Songs you loved. Memories you shared. He told you over and over again how much he needed you to come back.

“I should’ve been there,” he whispered once around 3AM, forehead resting against your hand. “If I had just called earlier… if I had told you to wait, or picked you up myself—”

He shook his head, tears threatening again. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Eventually, the first hints of morning light began to creep through the slats in the blinds. His body ached. His throat was dry. But his fingers were still laced with yours.

He hadn’t moved.

Not even once.

He couldn’t.

And then, just as the exhaustion began to drag his eyelids down again, your hand moved.

Just a twitch. A slight shift in his grasp. But it was real.

Minho jolted up like he’d been struck by lightning, eyes wide, heart hammering in his chest.

“Y/N?” he said, voice cracking. “Hey — hey, are you—?”

Your eyelids fluttered, slow and heavy. Then they opened.

For a second, he just stared, stunned, overwhelmed with a flood of relief so sharp it nearly knocked the wind out of him.

“Oh my god,” he gasped. “You’re awake—you’re finally—”

His hand fumbled for the nurse call button and pressed it hard, exactly like they told him to. He leaned in immediately after, lips brushing your forehead, then your lips soft, desperate kisses.

“I missed you,” he murmured against your skin. “I was so scared. I thought— I thought I lost you. You have no idea how worried I’ve been, Y/N. I should’ve been there. I should’ve protected you. I’m so, so sorry you had to go through all that. I love you—”

But then you blinked.

And stared at him.

And didn’t say a word.

The moment lingered, too long, too still. Minho’s heart began to slow, unease clawing at his chest.

“…Y/N?” he said again, softer now, trying to meet your gaze. “It’s me. It’s Minho. You’re safe. You’re—”

“Who… are you?”

Silence.

It crashed into him like a sledgehammer.

He blinked, sure he misheard. Then he let out a short, nervous laugh, too high, too forced.

“What? What are you talking about?” he said, trying to play it off. “Stop messing around, babe. It’s me.”

But your eyes didn’t change. There was no spark of recognition. No teasing smile. No warmth.

The door flew open and nurses poured in, followed by a doctor who immediately checked your vitals, looked over the machines, started asking you questions.

“Y/N, do you know where you are?”

You shook your head slowly.

“Do you know what day it is?”

“…Wednesday?”

“It’s Sunday,” the nurse said gently.

The doctor leaned forward. “Can you tell me what year it is?”

You tilted your head. Your eyes darted to Minho, as if maybe he’d help you guess right, but your voice came out unsure.

“...2022?”

Minho’s stomach dropped. It was 2025.

“No, no, no—” he whispered, voice hollow. “Please…”

He took a step back, like he could physically distance himself from the weight pressing down on his chest. Like that would make it easier to breathe.

But it didn’t.

The doctor’s expression turned serious. They asked you a few more questions, simple ones your name, your birthday, the name of the current president. You got most of them wrong. They explained, softly, that you’d suffered a severe head trauma, and memory loss even temporary wasn’t uncommon.

Temporary.

That word clung to Minho’s hope like a thread. But right now, it felt anything but temporary.

Because you were looking at him like a stranger.

Because everything he knew, the life you shared, the love you built wasn’t reflected back in your eyes.

Minho couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. He just stood there, his world crumbling quietly around him while nurses continued their checks, their soft reassurances doing nothing to stop the sharp, slow break of his heart.

He had stayed awake for you. Waited through hell and back.

And now you were here.

But you didn’t know who he was.

It felt like the world was playing a cruel trick on him.

You were right there, alive, breathing eyes open, heartbeat steady, but it was like you were someone else entirely.

Minho had never known a silence so loud, so suffocating, as when you first said those words.

“Who… are you?”

They were innocent. Unassuming. A genuine question from someone waking up in a haze.

But for Minho, they were a dagger to the chest.

Still, some part of him, the part that loved you more than he’d ever loved anyone clung to hope. Maybe it was the drugs. The trauma. Maybe you were still foggy. It wasn’t over. It couldn’t be over.

So he tried again.

He waited until the nurses had finished checking your IV, gently adjusting the machines monitoring your vitals. He slowly stepped forward, each step feeling heavier than the last. He kept his voice quiet, as if saying it softer might make it easier for you to remember.

“Y/N…” he whispered, carefully reaching for your hand. “It’s me. Minho. You still don’t remember?”

Your hand twitched in his.

And then you pulled it away.

Like his touch burned. Like he was a stranger.

The nurses exchanged a quick, sad glance, their movements slowing around the bed. One of them gave Minho a soft, regretful look, but it didn’t make the ache in his chest any less sharp. He felt cold all over. His fingers curled into his palms to stop them from trembling.

“No, no, it’s okay,” he said quickly, eyes locked on yours, voice cracking. “You’re just tired. You’ve been through a lot. I’m sure it’s just temporary. Just… please try. We live together, remember? We’ve been together for years. You love me. You—”

The doctor cleared his throat, cutting him off. “Let’s just run a few more cognitive tests. I want to get a clearer idea of the scope here.”

“What does that mean?” Minho snapped, his voice rising now. “You said she was okay! You said the surgery was a success. So why—why can’t she remember me?!”

“Mr. Lee,” the doctor began gently, “this kind of head trauma—”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid!” Minho nearly shouted, stepping forward, his composure hanging by a thread. “You said she’d recover. You told me everything was going to be okay!”

“I understand you’re upset, but this isn’t uncommon with traumatic brain injuries—”

“Then fix it!” His voice broke entirely now, breath hitching as the tears finally came. “Please… just tell me she’ll remember…”

You flinched slightly at his raised voice. And then, in the quiet that followed, your own voice trembled into the space between you.

“…Can he please leave?”

It felt like time stopped.

Minho froze, every bone in his body turning to ice. Your voice wasn’t angry, it wasn’t cruel. It was confused. Frightened. You didn’t know who he was, and his grief looked like a threat.

You were scared of him.

That realization split him down the middle.

The doctor gave a small nod to the nurses, who gently approached, but Minho shook his head. He backed up slowly, holding up his hands.

“No. It’s okay. I’m going,” he whispered. “I don’t want to scare you.”

He turned without another word, walking stiffly out the door, and the moment it clicked shut behind him, the weight hit.

Minho paced the sterile white of the waiting room like it was a cage, back and forth, fists clenched, unable to sit, unable to stop his thoughts from racing. The same words kept echoing in his head on a loop.

She doesn’t know who I am.

She doesn’t remember me.

She asked me to leave.

When the door opened again, he nearly tripped over his own feet rushing to meet the doctor.

“Well?” he demanded, desperate. “What’s happening to her? Why doesn’t she know me?”

The doctor gave him a solemn look and sighed, folding their arms. “She’s suffering from retrograde amnesia. It’s a condition where the brain, due to trauma, forgets information that was stored before the incident. In Y/N’s case, we’re seeing significant memory loss, personal memory, especially. She’s retained basic facts, but she doesn’t remember her relationships.”

Minho went still. “You mean… me.”

The doctor nodded.

“For now, she doesn’t remember you.”

Minho felt like the floor disappeared from beneath him.

“What do you mean, for now? So she might? Or she might never?”

“There’s no clear timeline for recovery. Sometimes memories return gradually. Sometimes not at all. It depends on how the brain heals and that’s something we can’t predict. I’m sorry.”

Minho backed up a step. Then another. He slumped into one of the cold plastic chairs, burying his face in his hands.

He had stayed all night. Kept vigil like it would bring you back to him. He’d whispered promises to you in the dark, kissed your hand like it was sacred. He had pictured you waking up and crying tears of relief, pulling him into a hug and asking where you were. He had begged for this moment.

And now that it was here… it was worse than anything he’d imagined.

You were alive.

But you were gone.

//

masterlist.

[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 😭

[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

♡ taglist: @ppiri-bahng​ @jihanlovic​ @meloncremesoda​ @sweetlikecherry​ @hoes4lino​ @skzddicted​ @skzho @edgaralienpoe​ @harui-zen​ @bestleeknowstan​ @havenwithleeknow​ @septicrebel​ @heesdazed​ @borahae-reads​ @yoontaethings​ @pearbunny​ @bintificreads​ @lukeys-giggle​ @ajxreads @everglowdaisies​ @allaboutsan​ @endzii23​ @leeknowsramen @heres-your-ramen2000​ @morningstardada​ @mal-lunar-28​ @downbadreading​ @lilysophie @feelikecinderella​ @urmomma0324​ @ddazed-lhs​ @djeniryuu​ @melanctton​ @i8rsie​ @maru-matt​ @sleepyleeji​ @taerifin​ @nattisbored​ @jisunglyricist​ @m111nho​ @drhsthl​ @nixtape-foryou​ @arminseas @guiltycoco​ @syuuji​ @sulkygyu​ @cadihyo @reianagarcia​ @leeknowyah​

[wohyunz]

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

[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.

[scarsnfevers]

Bond dreams (18+)

Chapter V of Wolfgang

summary: their scents clung to the air like ghosts, weaving through your thoughts and curling around your senses. You drifted into the quiet streets of Fox River where the mist hugged the pavement and the lamps flickered like watching eyes. But even the stillness, even the faded charm of the town, couldn’t quiet the gnawing hunger of the wolf that stirred within you.

genre: werewolf!chan x werewolf!reader x werewolf!minho x werewolf!changbin, mentions of werewolf!hyunjin & werewolf!seungmin in the beginning

chapter word count: 5,2k

chapter warnings: smut, foursome, oral (female receiving), fingering, overstimulation

minors do not interact!

Two days.

It had been two days since they stood in your home, their presence still woven into the very bones of the cabin, like a scent you couldn’t scrub clean if you tried. Two days, and yet their traces lingered—faint but stubborn. A breath of clear mountain air, the wild sea and campfire, of sun-warmed skin and wild forests. Two days, and your wolf hadn’t stopped pacing beneath your skin. You understood why. At least part of you did.

Their scents had been heady, unfiltered, something ancient that spoke to the places inside you language could never reach. Their nearness had stirred something more than curiosity; it had rattled something loose. Something hungry. But it wasn’t just that. You kept reminding yourself. It wasn’t just biology. It wasn’t just the coil of instinct, the easy temptation of power and the raw safety that radiated off them in waves. It was the way Chan had watched you like the world might tilt if you looked away. The way Minho had seen you—truly seen you—behind all the careful walls. The way Changbin had smiled, not with expectation or assumption, but with hope. And because of that—because it was more—you needed space.

You needed to breathe.

Which is how you found yourself in Fox River on a soft gray afternoon, your boots crunching across the uneven pavement of the town square, the air brushed with the faintest kiss of rain. Fox River wasn’t much. It had a single main street that cut through the middle like a scar, a handful of side roads that bled off into the trees, and a smattering of stores clinging to life with stubborn pride. Most of the houses were tucked away far beyond the town limits, swallowed by the forests that stretched for miles, wide and wild ....and unforgiving.

It was perfect.

The remoteness had been what drew you here in the first place—what made it feel safe enough to build something new. Even now, weaving through the handful of shops with a worn canvas bag slung over your shoulder, you could feel that sense of rightness hum against your bones. You hadn’t bought much. Some dried herbs. A bar of handmade soap that smelled faintly of mint and pine.

A new kitchen knife, the blade sharp and clean and waiting for the work of your hands. Small things. Necessary things. You told yourself it was enough. You told yourself you felt lighter already. The sun had long slipped behind the trees, leaving the sky a deep, bruised violet, streaked with the last pale traces of day. The world was soft in this hour—edges blurred, colors muted.

It suited you.

You crossed the parking lot toward your truck, the worn soles of your shoes brushing over patches of gravel and grass. Your canvas bag swung gently against your side, the rhythm of your steps steady, familiar. And then you smelled them. You stopped mid-stride, breath catching.

Jasmine. Cedarwood.

The faintest curl of woodsmoke and fresh rain. It hit you like a stone to the ribs—sharp, sudden, vivid enough to drag you backward through memory. The slam of water against glass. The knock at the door. A face half-shadowed by dripping hair, eyes dark, wide and waiting.

The Pizzaboy.

Before you could fully process it, another scent braided through the first—sharper, brighter, almost biting in its sweetness.

Blood orange. Juniper.

New. Unfamiliar.

Your wolf pricked its ears, alert, curious. You lifted your gaze. Two figures stood by a battered sedan a few rows down, caught in the soft, dying light. The one you recognized immediately—the same easy stance, the same mop of messy dark hair. The other was leaner, his posture tighter, more reserved. The Pizzaboy—Hyunjin, you remembered now, though you weren’t sure how—lifted his head first. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

Then, slowly, he smiled. Cautiously. Hopefully.

You felt it ripple off him—nerves, tangled with something warmer. He started toward you, hands loose at his sides. The other boy hesitated a beat before following, his steps measured, careful. You didn’t move. You let them come.

Close enough now that the scents wrapped around you fully, peeling back the human layers to reveal what your wolf already knew.

Omega.

Beta.

The difference between them and the three who had filled your home was stark, immediate. Their energy was smaller. Not lesser—never that—but quieter. More cautious. More attuned to the careful balance of presence and permission. You softened your stance instinctively, angling your body just slightly sideways, a silent gesture of nonthreat. Your wolf, still keyed high from the memory of the other scents, settled with a faint grumble. Hyunjin stopped a respectful distance away—close enough to speak, far enough that you wouldn’t feel boxed in. “Hey,” he said, voice a little rough, a little shy. “Um… it’s really good to see you again.” You tilted your head, studying him.

The last time you’d seen him, he’d been a dripping, half-drowned thing, standing awkwardly on your porch with a box of pizza and a heart too big for his chest. Now he looked dryer, cleaner, but no less earnest. He shifted his weight, cheeks flushing pink under your gaze.

“I’m Hyunjin, by the way,” he added, like you might’ve forgotten. “Yeah, I—” he started, then stopped, laughing under his breath in a way that was self-conscious but genuine. “I guess you already knew that.” You couldn't help but smile, “Yes, I do.” You let your eyes flick to the other boy, who stepped up beside him with a short, almost reluctant nod. “Seungmin,” he said shortly. His voice was even, but his scent betrayed him—wariness sharpened with something like curiosity. Beta, you thought again. You tucked the canvas bag tighter against your hip, letting the quiet stretch just a beat longer than necessary.

Testing. Measuring. They didn’t press. They didn’t push. Good.

You let your mouth curve, just barely. “Y/N,” you said. Simple. Uncomplicated.

Hyunjin’s shoulders loosened visibly at the sound of your voice. The three of you stood there for a moment, the dying twilight wrapping you all in its soft, forgiving light. Not quite strangers. Not quite anything else yet, either. But it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was… tentative. Fragile, maybe. A thread waiting to be tied—or broken.

You shifted your stance again, adjusting the strap of the bag against your shoulder. “You two live around here?” you asked, voice low, nonchalant. Hyunjin nodded, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Yeah. Just outside town. Toward the north side.” His hand moved absently, as if gesturing to something only he could see. Seungmin gave a small shrug, his thumb hooking into the strap of the worn backpack slung over his shoulder. “Pretty far out,” he added. “Most of us are. It’s quieter.” You hummed under your breath, a small sound of agreement. You understood better than most why wolves stayed away from the clustered mess of human life. It was easier on the senses. Easier on the instincts.

Hyunjin tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, glancing sideways at Seungmin before daring another step closer. “You, uh—” he started, then cleared his throat. “You settling in alright?” You caught the edge underneath the words. Not just small talk. Something deeper.

The unspoken currents of pack, of territory, of belonging. The ache in your chest stirred again—faint, but there.

You thought of the cabin, still steeped in the scent of Alphas who had made the walls feel smaller without even trying. You let yourself smile, just a little. “I’m getting there.” Hyunjin’s shoulders eased at your answer, though a thread of nerves still clung to him, light and jittery.

“We’re, um…” He hesitated, his gaze flickering to Seungmin for backup. Seungmin shifted slightly, his stance relaxing as he picked up the thread Hyunjin struggled to find. “We’re part of the same pack,” he said simply. “The one Chan leads.”

At the sound of the name, something inside you settled. No surprise. Only a quiet click of understanding.

Of course.

The way their scents carried that same steady undertone. The way they moved—with a quiet deference, but also a tether, invisible and strong, to something bigger than themselves. You gave a slow nod, letting your expression remain easy, open. There was no need to press further. Some things didn’t need to be said out loud. “I figured,” you said, voice low, almost amused. Hyunjin’s lips twitched into a shy smile, and Seungmin gave a small, approving nod, as if pleased you hadn’t made it awkward. For a beat, the three of you stood there, the evening stretching soft and golden around you, the first hints of night curling at the edges of the sky.

No tension. No pressure.

Just the fragile weight of something new, hanging in the warm, drifting air. And for the first time in days, the restless pull of your wolf eased, just a little. Not enough to forget. But enough to breathe.

Hyunjin shifted again, his fingers curling into the fabric of his jacket, like he was gathering courage. His eyes flickered up to meet yours, wide and earnest. “So—” he began, then gave a soft huff of breath, as if deciding there was no delicate way to say it. “Changbin mentioned... he invited you to run with us?” You blinked, surprised by the sudden shift, but nodded once, slow and steady. The memory of that moment—Changbin’s mischievous grin, the spark in his dark eyes—flickered through you like the brush of a hand. "Yes, that's right," you paused for a moment before nodding. “That’s... great,” Hyunjin said, and it sounded like he meant it. But then he hesitated, the smile faltering just slightly around the edges. Hyunjin pressed on, his voice softer now. “It’s just— We’re not sure yet if... we’ll be part of it.” You tilted your head slightly, curiosity sparking.

Seungmin cleared his throat, a rough little sound, and when he spoke, there was a tightness in his voice that hadn’t been there before. “Bringing someone new into the pack,” he said, “it’s... tricky sometimes.” Not hostile. Not unkind. Just honest. And maybe a little afraid. The way wolves always danced around the edges of newness, testing the air, testing each other. Old instincts, older than language. You felt your wolf stir in acknowledgment, the part of you that understood the push and pull of belonging better than words ever could. You let the silence stretch for a beat, letting them see you weren’t angered.

That you understood. Then you smiled again—small, but real. A flicker of warmth through the cooling air.

“I get it,” you said quietly. “No hard feelings.”

And you meant it.

Because some things, the important things, couldn’t be rushed. Not loyalty. Not trust. Not the slow, inevitable weaving of something real. Hyunjin exhaled, the sound almost a laugh, like he hadn’t realized until just now that he’d been holding his breath. Seungmin shifted again, like the ground beneath his feet still wasn’t entirely steady, but some of the sharp edges in his posture softened. The sky above you deepened into violet and indigo, the last scraps of daylight bleeding away into the waiting arms of night. And somehow, standing there with them, the world didn’t feel quite so heavy.

Hyunjin offered you another smile, softer this time, tinged with something that looked a lot like relief. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, the movement almost boyish.

But before he could speak, something changed.

You saw it — the way both guys tensed, just barely. A flicker across their shoulders, a tightening at the edges. As if they had heard something you hadn’t.

Something silent.

A summons threading through the cooling evening air. Hyunjin’s head tilted slightly, as if listening. Seungmin’s nostrils flared, muscles taut beneath his jacket like a wire drawn tight. The moment passed in a heartbeat, but it left a ripple in its wake — a vibration against your senses, a shift you couldn’t name. Hyunjin turned back to you, his smile apologetic now, tinged with something close to regret. “Well,” he said, voice low, hurried, but still sincere, “I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.” Beside him, Seungmin gave a short nod, more reserved, but the glint in his eyes was genuine. “It was good meeting you.” Seungmin said, his voice a little rough, like he wasn’t used to quick goodbyes. You smiled at them both — a small, honest thing — and tucked the fabric of your tote bag more securely into the crook of your elbow.

“Yeah,” you said. “You too.”

Hyunjin lifted a hand in a little wave, Seungmin offering a brief tilt of his chin in farewell. Without another word, they turned away, steps quickening as they crossed the parking lot toward their car, parked near the tree line.

You watched them go. The echo of their presence lingered — a soft pressure in the air, a ripple across your senses.

You let out a breath you hadn’t meant to hold and turned toward your car. The parking lot was nearly empty now, save for a few scattered vehicles gleaming under the streetlights. The sun was gone, swallowed by the horizon, leaving the sky draped in deep purples and bruised blues.

Your boots scuffed quietly against the asphalt as you walked, the tote bag bumping lightly against your side. Behind you, the sounds of town slipped away — the murmur of distant conversation, the dull thud of a door closing somewhere. The ordinary, familiar sounds of Fox River settling into night.

And yet—

You couldn’t shake it.

Couldn’t leave the feeling behind so easily, no matter how many steps you took. Their scents still clung faintly to your skin, carried in the folds of your jacket. The weight of their cautious hope, their guarded trust, pressed against your ribs like a secret you weren’t ready to put down yet. You reached your car, unlocking it with a soft beep. The sound was oddly loud in the gathering quiet.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, you set the tote bag down beside you, fingers lingering on the worn fabric a moment longer than necessary. You closed the door, shutting out the cool night air — but not the heaviness that had settled somewhere deep inside your chest.

You started the engine. The radio crackled to life, a low murmur of static and half-formed melodies. You didn’t turn it off. Didn’t turn it up, either. You just sat there for a moment, hands resting on the steering wheel, breathing in the remnants of twilight and something else.

Something new. Something you weren’t sure you were ready for.

And then, with a quiet exhale, you pulled out of the lot and drove into the deepening night, the lights of Fox River dwindling behind you like the last embers of a fire.

The night fell softly around you, wrapping the cabin in a hush that felt thick enough to touch. The kind of quiet that made even the old floorboards seem reluctant to creak. Inside, it was warm — the rich, toasty kind of warmth that seeps into your bones after a long day of pretending you weren’t still the new girl in town.

You'd made yourself a cup of tea — the real stuff too, none of that half-hearted herbal nonsense — and claimed the battered couch as your kingdom. A knitted throw was tangled around your legs, soft and slightly fraying at the edges, just the way you liked it. The TV flickered across the small living room, casting shifting shadows across the wood-paneled walls.

'The Vampire Diaries' played in front of you — a show you'd seen enough times to quote entire episodes, though that never stopped you from watching it again. Something about the reckless drama, the impossible hair, and the serious lack of unattractive people made it the perfect background noise for nights like this. You sipped your tea — careful, because you’d already scorched your tongue once tonight — and let yourself sink deeper into the cushions.

On screen, Damon was doing his brooding thing. Elena was being all soft-eyed and complicated. And Stefan... well. Stefan was brooding too, but with more guilt. Classic.

You found yourself smiling against the rim of your mug. Seriously — what was it about these actors? Had the casting director just raided the nearest magazine shoot and called it a day? It was borderline offensive. Not a single bad hair day between them. No one looking vaguely puffy or uneven under the harsh lighting. It was like the universe had decided some people just got to win the genetic lottery twice. You huffed a soft laugh, setting your mug down on the end table with a soft clink. Unfair didn’t even cover it.

Your gaze drifted from the screen, caught somewhere between the flickering images and the steady crackle of the heater kicking on. And like a thread tugging loose, your mind wandered. You thought, not for the first time, of them.

Of Chan’s quiet, grounding presence.

Of Minho’s sharp eyes.

Of Changbin’s warm laugh, wrapping around you like a sweater you didn’t realize you needed.

And, unexpectedly —

Hyunjin.

The thought brushed past you like the flick of a feather, soft and uninvited. You blinked, shoulders shifting under the blanket. Hyunjin’s face — wide, honest eyes and that slightly crooked grin, like he wasn't quite sure if he should be smiling yet — surfaced in your mind’s eye with an ease that was almost suspicious. You snorted quietly to yourself.

Seriously?

One polite conversation and you were already handing out mental screen time like candy? Your wolf stirred inside you, a low, lazy stretch that buzzed faintly against your skin. Not a growl, not a snap — just a slow, content hum.

Approval.

The kind that made the corners of your mouth tug upward against your will. Traitor, you thought at it mildly. But you weren’t fooling either of you. You shook your head, more amused than anything else, and reached for your tea again. The mug was warm against your palms, grounding in a way that had nothing to do with caffeine and everything to do with the simple, stubborn comfort of small rituals.

Hot drink. TV. Warm blanket. Simple. Safe.

And yet—

You sipped slowly, letting the steam curl up against your face, and acknowledged — if only silently — that maybe, just maybe, reality wasn’t such a terrible place to be after all. Especially not when it included the possibility of new faces. New laughter. New belonging, however tentative and delicate it might still be.

On the TV, some new plot twist unfurled — betrayal, heartbreak, another completely unnecessary shirtless scene (not that you were complaining) — but you barely noticed.

Your mind was elsewhere.

Caught between the scent of jasmine still clinging faintly to your jacket, the lingering warmth of cautious smiles, and the not-so-quiet agreement of the wild thing coiled comfortably beneath your ribs. The thing that knew better than you did sometimes. The thing that whispered of pack and belonging and the dizzy, dangerous sweetness of being known. You exhaled slowly, blowing a ripple across the surface of your tea, and let yourself sink back against the couch. For now, this was enough.

Warmth. Laughter.

The distant promise of something more. You smiled to yourself again — a small, secret thing — and let the night close around you, soft and full of possibility.

The world blurred into soft twilight.

The television's light flickered faintly across the living room, forgotten, as your breathing grew slower, deeper. You shifted once beneath your blanket, the warmth cocooning you, and a drowsy sigh escaped your lips.

Sleep welcomed you like an old lover — gentle, patient, inevitable. The edges of reality softened, melted away, and the moment your consciousness slipped free, something inside you stirred.

It started with a scent — sharp, wild, masculine.

It curled around you like smoke, teasing, tempting, pulling you deeper. You floated, weightless, until the world reformed around you, vivid and dreamlike. You were no longer in your living room. You stood barefoot in a clearing bathed in silver moonlight, the grass cool beneath your feet. The air was thick, almost humming, heavy with unseen promise.

Before you could move, before you could even breathe properly, you felt them. Not saw — felt. The slow, magnetic pull of them, like gravity itself had shifted to center around you.

Chan.

Minho.

Changbin.

Their names whispered themselves across your mind, soft as a lover’s sigh. They didn’t approach you as much as they materialized — stepping through the shadows like the inevitable force they were, each movement fluid, predatory, beautiful. Their eyes burned into yours, dark and endless, and your heart stuttered in your chest.

You couldn’t run. You wouldn’t.

Your wolf within you keened, pushing you forward, pushing you toward them — toward home.

Chan reached you first.

There was no hesitation — only the slow, deliberate slide of his fingers along your jaw, tilting your face up to his. The simple contact set your skin aflame. Minho came next, circling you like a slow orbit, his hand grazing the bare skin at the small of your back, lingering just long enough to make your breath hitch. Changbin’s presence was a weight at your side, solid and sure, his gaze pinning you in place more effectively than any hand could.

You were surrounded. Caged. Cherished.

You trembled — not in fear, but in anticipation so thick it tasted metallic on your tongue.

The first kiss was like a spark.

Soft.

Tentative. As if asking permission. But the second was deeper — demanding — and you surrendered without a fight. Hands slid over you, reverent and greedy at once. Mouths mapped the curve of your neck, the line of your collarbone, the sensitive hollow behind your ear. Clothes dissolved from your body, as natural and inevitable as the tide pulling sand from the shore. You were bared before them, every inch of your skin tingling under their worshipful touch. Chan’s mouth trailed down your throat, his teeth grazing your pulse point with exquisite care. Minho’s fingers brushed the underside of your breast, teasing, while his gaze — hooded and dark — never left yours. Changbin pressed a slow, open-mouthed kiss to the inside of your wrist, then your hipbone, then lower still, each touch branding you in ways you would never recover from.

They didn’t rush you. Didn’t overwhelm. They unfolded you.

Patiently.

Ruthlessly.

You gasped as strong hands gripped your thighs, lifting you effortlessly, spreading you open to their hungry eyes. One of them — you couldn’t tell who anymore — pressed a slow, lazy kiss between your legs, and your body arched off the ground in a helpless, instinctive offering. Their mouths worked in concert — licking, kissing, tasting — until you were nothing but sound and light, trembling and begging in a language made only of moans and whispered names.

Fingers slid into you — slow, thick, unrelenting — while another mouth suckled at your clit with devastating precision. You cried out, sharp and broken, and were immediately soothed by soft kisses against your stomach, your breasts, your throat. They murmured to you — soft, low, unintelligible — but you understood the meaning instinctively.

Ours.

The orgasm built inside you like a living thing, clawing at your insides, desperate to be released. And when it came, it tore through you violently — your back arching, your fingers digging into strong shoulders, your cries echoing into the humid, heavy night. But the dream did not end.

Your body was passed from one set of arms to the next, each touch grounding you even as it ignited you all over again. Hands skimmed your thighs, thumbs brushing your nipples until they ached. Tongues traced lazy patterns across your skin, making you shiver, making you sob with want.

One of them — Minho, you thought — entered you with a slow, devastating roll of his hips, and your body welcomed him instinctively, slick and eager.

Another — Chan, maybe — kissed you deeply, swallowing your broken gasps, stroking your hair back from your sweaty forehead.

Changbin’s hand wrapped around your throat — not tight, just enough to make you feel his strength, his control — as he whispered filth and praise into your ear.

You lost yourself in them completely. In the rhythm.

The heat.

The sounds of skin against skin, gasps and growls, the wet slap of bodies colliding in frantic, desperate need. You came again, each orgasm crashing into you with almost painful intensity, leaving you shaking, crying, begging for more.

And they gave it.

When you could no longer move, they moved for you — lifting you, adjusting you, guiding you until you were lying boneless and sated among them, their bodies still tangled with yours, their skin damp against your own.

Someone — Chan, you thought — kissed your temple. Another — Minho, maybe — pressed a hand low against your abdomen, as if claiming you even now. Changbin’s hand traced lazy circles along your thigh, grounding you to this impossible, perfect moment.

The world began to blur again, softening at the edges, the sensations dissolving into light and warmth. You floated, weightless once more, their names echoing through your mind like a promise.

Yours.

Forever.

The world peeled away in slow, trembling layers.

You surfaced from sleep with a soft, broken gasp, your body shivering beneath the thin blanket thrown haphazardly over you. The living room was dark now, save for the faint, flickering glow of the television screen, its muted light casting restless shadows along the walls.

For a moment, you didn’t move. Couldn’t.

Your heart hammered violently against your ribs, so loud you were almost sure it could be heard beyond the four walls of your apartment. Your skin was flushed and oversensitive, every inch of you tingling with phantom touches that no longer existed. You lay there, dazed, the remnants of the dream still thick and cloying in your mind.

Fragments clung to you — the press of strong hands, the scrape of teeth against your throat, the low, reverent growls against your skin. Heat pooled low in your belly, vivid and humiliatingly real. You squeezed your eyes shut, as if the darkness behind your lids could somehow erase the memory. But it was useless.

The sensations were burned into you, stitched into the very fabric of your being, and they refused to be forgotten.

You shifted beneath the blanket, your thighs brushing together, and a soft, helpless whimper escaped your throat at the sudden rush of remembered pleasure.

Gods, what had that been?

A dream — just a dream — and yet it had felt more vivid, more real, than anything you had ever experienced awake. The faces floated before your mind’s eye — Chan, Minho, Changbin — their touches, their mouths, their bodies moving against yours in a rhythm older than time itself. Your inner wolf stirred sluggishly inside you, dragging herself up from the depths where she usually slept. She pressed against you, nuzzling insistently, her emotions raw and simple: longing, frustration, hunger.

You shook your head sharply, more to silence yourself than her, and forced your sluggish limbs into motion. The television’s faint buzz filled the heavy silence, a low drone that seemed impossibly loud in your heightened state.

You reached for the remote with a hand that trembled slightly, switching it off with a muted click. Darkness swallowed the room, thick and absolute. Only the faint silver of the moon, peeking through the half-closed curtains, offered any illumination now.

You sat there for a moment longer, staring blankly at the blackened screen, your body still humming with aftershocks you couldn’t will away.

Finally, with a soft, frustrated sigh, you pushed yourself upright. Your legs wobbled slightly as you stood, and you pressed a hand to the back of the couch to steady yourself. The cool wood against your palm grounded you somewhat, anchoring you to the present. It didn’t help nearly enough. Your skin still burned, still remembered — phantom hands still traced your body, mapping every secret place as if you belonged to them. You shuffled toward your bedroom, your steps slow and heavy, the quiet thud of your bare feet against the floor the only sound in the hush of the apartment. Your wolf whined softly inside you, rubbing against the edges of your mind, stubborn and restless.

You crossed the threshold into your bedroom, flicking on the bedside lamp. Soft, golden light spilled across the room, gentle and forgiving.

You caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror — flushed cheeks, tousled hair, eyes still wide and glassy with unshed emotion.

You barely recognized yourself.

You looked…Awakened. Marked.

Shaking your head again — more desperately this time — you peeled off your clothes with clumsy fingers. The fabric stuck to your overheated skin, and the cool kiss of the air against your bare body made you shudder.

You grabbed the nearest oversized shirt — one of your favorites, soft and worn — and pulled it over your head, the familiar scent of home doing little to soothe the ache lodged deep within you.

Still trembling slightly, you crawled into bed.

The sheets were cool against your flushed skin, and you buried yourself beneath them, curling onto your side with a soft, involuntary sigh. You closed your eyes tightly, willing sleep to take you again — but this time, gently, dreamlessly. But it wasn’t that easy.

Every time you drifted near the edges of unconsciousness, the dream resurfaced. The scrape of stubble against your thigh. The low, possessive growl of your name. The heavy, relentless press of bodies against yours.

Your wolf was relentless, tossing those images back at you like sparks from a fire, fanning the embers that still glowed too bright inside you.

You groaned quietly, pressing your face into your pillow. You weren’t naive. You understood what this meant. Bond dreams didn’t happen without reason. Not with this kind of intensity. Not with this kind of… inevitability. Your soul had recognized theirs. And part of you — the deep, feral part you usually kept locked away — had already decided.

They are ours.

The thought was terrifying. And exhilarating. And completely, utterly impossible to ignore.

You lay there, heart pounding, breath shallow, listening to the sound of your own racing pulse in the dark. You should have been angry. Confused. Scared. But mostly, you felt…

Empty.

Lonely.

Like something inside you had been touched — awakened — only to be left aching and hollow in its absence.

You curled tighter into yourself, pulling the blanket over your head like it could somehow shield you from your own mind.

Sleep came eventually, not as a peaceful embrace, but as a slow, grudging surrender. And even then, somewhere in the murky depths of your dreams, you could still feel them — warm, strong, waiting.

Calling you home.

masterlist | prologue | chapter I | chapter II | chapter III | chapter IV

🐺 taglist; @shoganaiiii, @h0rnyp0t, @maddy24207, @ihrtlix, @alisonyus, @poody1608, @asweetblueberry2, @thatgirlangelb, @rougegenshin, @vampkittenb82, @braveangel777, @dark-moon-light02, @softchannie, @miniverse-zen, @skzfelixlove, @yukisroom97, @wolfo2027, @galaxy4489

[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.

[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

[skztext]

For The Plot…Right?

𝑰𝒅𝒐𝒍 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒐 🝮 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒀𝒏

< Messages: Cut The Cameras

Recipient: Moon Y/n | Lee Minho

Contact Name(s): Seungmin[Kim Seungmin(SKZ)] Minho[Catty Idol(Lee Minho)] Y/n[Moonie🌙🌸✨] Seungmin[My Dog] Chan[SKZ Leader] Changbin[Dwaekki] Hyunjin[Dumpling] Han[Weird Quokka] Felix[Brownie Boy] Jeongin[Jeongin]

Username(s): Yn[girlonthemoon] Minho[catdadof3] Chan[ot8isfate] Changbin[thebestboyever] Bestie1[unofficialidolyn] Bestie2[kimmieyn] Seungmin[toptierhater] Jeongin [not.ur.maknae] Felix[justice4bbokari] Hyunjin[notyourprince] Han[hamstarquokka]

a/n: sorry for the long wait!! all for kicks and giggles, insomnia and boredom makes me creative. apologies if i misrepresented the group and the members. I hope you all enjoy this mini series for Minho aka Lee Know this is a work of fiction. the other “y/n” used in the series are referring to your friends. app social maker ʙɪɢ ʜᴜɢs 🫂 ʜᴏᴍɪᴇ sᴍᴏᴏᴄʜᴇs ᴀʟʟ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ💋

warning(s): sassy kings// top tier haters// jealous Minho// dating rumors// sad fanboys// profanity// jokes of offing self// suggestive comments// mentions of stealing cats// ALL fictional

tag(s): @avilio-is-dead @chuuyaobsessed @shuuporanglinos @hanniemylovelyquokka @estella-novella @igotajuicyass @bisexual-rebekah @drewsandsebastianswife @callmekda @batty-barty-crouchjr @skz-ot8-stay @my-neurodivergent-world @hanniesbubuwife @geni-627 @httpsxnox @queenofdumbfuckery @sunfk88 @mythicmochi @to-toad @mrsminseochoi @moonlovingperson

[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.