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beautifulchris · 1 year

Text

frog choir

pairing: yang jeongin x gn!reader

wc: 3,5k

featuring: bang chan, seo changbin, hwang hyunjin, nct’s mark and chenle

summary: jeongin joins the frog choir without knowing you’re in it too (he might like you)

genres: hogwarts!au, classmates to lovers!au, gryffindor!jeongin, slytherin!reader, fluff

warnings: i don’t think there is?

notes: moodboard made by me, pictures found on the internet. reposting works from my old blog

order of writing: chan - jisung - minho - hyunjin - jeongin - seungmin - changbin - felix

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @straykidsland @kwritersworld

tag list: @badwithten @soobin-chois @raethethey send ask/dm/comment to be added!

Because of his bloodline and his parents’ friends, Jeongin had only wizard friends during his childhood. Once at Hogwarts, however, they were all sorted into different houses and he ended up alone in Gryffindor. It wasn’t a problem for him and they still spent time together at first. But his friends spent more and more time with their housemates until one day, they finally didn’t have time for each other anymore. By that time, he found someone else too though. He met one of his prefects, Chan, who took him under his wings during the first month he arrived.

Jeongin already knew a lot about Hogwarts and the courses, he knew what facultative courses he would take the second he would have the chance but since his parents didn’t like the Frog Choir, they never talked about it. Therefore, when he first saw the students on his very first day, singing all together with frogs, he was amazed. Will his toad ever croak as beautifully? Cause yeah, he believed his toad had to be part of it to be able to join the Frog Choir and he never dared to ask Chan about it.

He tried for many months to harmonize with Froakie, but all he did was ignoring his owner or after a while, croaking so violently it was like he was telling him to shut up. He realized that, maybe, the problem didn’t come from his toad but from him. And so he exercised his voice to make it sound more pleasant to hear perhaps. He would know if it was enough when his toad would accept to harmonize with him, he figured. Jeongin practised for almost 2 years and during summer before his 3rd year, he was seated in the garden of his house with his toad, enjoying the sun. He mindlessly sang one of his favorite songs and to his surprise, Froakie croaked in rhythm with him. It became one of his happiest moments.

The second day of his 3rd year, he asked his charms teacher if he could pass the audition to join the Frog Choir. He easily passed it and was excited to start. When he found Chan revising in their common room, he directly told him.

“Chan! You’ll never know what I just did.”

The older one lifted his head up from the potions book he was reading with a smile. “Let me guess. You just had your first muggle studies lesson of the year and it’s fascinating?”

He never really knew about the muggle world so he meant to take it since his first year and he knew it would rapidly become one of his favorite classes.

“Well yeah, I did, but that’s not it.”

“What could you be more excited about if not that?” Chan was really curious now while Jeongin nervously played with the hem of his sleeve.

“The Frog Choir.”

Chan was confused because Jeongin never mentioned it before. “What about it?”

“I auditioned and got in.”

Chan’s face lit up. He was genuinely pleased to hear that his friend got to enjoy singing. “No way! I’m so happy for you Jeongin. You know who’s apart of it?”

Jeongin’s eyes widened a bit. “… No?”

Mark, a fellow Gryffindor and Quidditch player that was passing by, took part in the conversation. “There’s my 2nd year friend Chenle, his best friend and Yunho from my year.”

Oh, Chenle’s best friend. You.

“Yeah and Jaehyun too. Thanks, Mark.”

The boy smiled and left the common room. Jeongin grew nervous. As if reading his mind, Chan tried to make him feel better.

“Everything’s going to be okay, I promise!” He wished it would.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The next day, when he entered the Great Hall filled with older and younger students chatting, seated on the benches or up on the platform, all excited to be in the choir this year as well, he felt great.

You saw him approach the platform hesitantly, he didn’t seem to be friends with anyone in particular.

“Oh, isn’t that Jeongin from Gryffindor?” asked Chenle next to you. You smiled unconsciously.

“Yeah, we should go talk to him.”

“You’re right, he looks kinda lost,” Chenle smiled.

You got up from one of the benches and joined him.

“Hey,” you greeted as you tapped his shoulder, “what are you doing here?”

“I—” he coughed but quickly regained composure. “I passed the audition to be part of the Frog Choir.”

“Oh, that’s amazing!” you exclaimed, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, and Chenle looked apologetic for your behavior. When you realized, you nudged him and smiled innocently at Jeongin, who couldn’t stop his cheeks from heating up.

The professor, who was also the charms and music professor, entered the Great Hall and all the whispers faded away. You turned to watch him get closer.

“Hello dear students. Welcome to the new ones and welcome back to the old ones.” A loud cheer followed his words and Jeongin felt like he knew he would enjoy this class.

He eventually had to present himself, like everyone else and when he did, he spoke in a small voice, showing Froakie, snuggled in his small hands. Everyone had sympathetic smiles and he heard two or three older people saying he was cute. You found him really cute too, but you kept it to yourself.

When you had to present yourself, you were at ease, knowing almost everyone already. “I’m Y/N, third year in the choir, and I got Yggorf with me, like always.”

The professor explained what he explained every year, to teach the rules to the new ones and remind them to those who were there the years before. While he talked, you were humming discreetly and mindlessly. Jeongin wasn’t far from you and it made him happy and relaxed to hear your voice, he found it soothing.

“Hey, can I ask you where Yggorf comes from?” he whispered as he got closer to you.

“Just Froggy backwards. I know, I put so much thought on this,” you laughed quietly.

Jeongin suddenly remembered the first time he saw you, the night all of the first year students were sorted, his first night ever in the castle. When you got called by a tall and intimidating professor to sit on the chair in front of everyone, you were a bit anxious. You were just eleven and you didn’t really know who you were exactly yet nor in which house you would be put. The professor put the Sorting Hat on your head and it took its time but finally, shouted “Slytherin!”. You smiled and joined your housemates. Jeongin, already seated at the Gryffindor table, gently clapped his hands until an older Gryffindor glared at him. He realized the only ones who clapped were the same house students but couldn’t comprehend why he couldn’t be happy for every new student. And so, he kept clapping quietly for everyone else (and kept doing that every year).

You quickly found a friend, though. Chenle was a bit weird but adorable. You went to see him in your common room after your first day because you thought he was funny in class and he offered you to play gobstones with him. Since, you play together at least four times a week.

Jeongin and Froakie enjoyed every practice, Jeongin because he could spend time with his new friends and Froakie because he was hanging with other toads and frogs. You suspected Froakie and your own toad, Yggorf, to be friends as well cause they were almost glued to each other every chance they got.

Jeongin realized Chenle didn’t bring any toads to practice though.

“Hey Chenle, you don’t have a frog?”

“No, I have a rat.”

“Oh, but you’re in the frog choir anyway?” Jeongin’s face screamed confusion.

“Yeah of course, don’t tell me you thought you absolutely needed a frog to join— oh. Is that why you only joined this year?” Jeongin nodded. “Oh.”

“It’s alright, at least Froakie made me work on myself so I don’t regret it.” Maybe, just maybe, if he didn’t work on himself, tried out for the Frog Choir in his first year and didn’t get in, he wouldn’t have tried again and this moment wouldn’t exist.

“I’m glad to hear that, because you have quite the skill.”

“Thanks, you ain’t bad yourself.”

Chenle thanked Jeongin and both smiled at each other before going back to practice.

Jeongin and you had classes together, like care of magical creatures. He was really passionate about it and cared about them a lot. He took the subject so seriously that he knew almost everything there was to know about every creature you learned about. It made him the best in this class and you admired him for that.

Jeongin often talked to you about muggle studies. You didn’t take that course because you were a halfblood and already knew everything you needed to know. Every time Jeongin had a question, he went to you in the halls or after classes to know the answer, not able to wait for the next muggle studies class to ask the professor herself or even ask Chan, a muggleborn. Chenle kept telling you it was because he wouldn’t miss a chance to spend time with you.

Since you started talking, you spent time with each other every chance you got, practice, shared classes, after class, weekends… Jeongin had now found friends he was never going to let go of. You were happy to spend time with him, he was really cute and charming.

Chenle was feeling like third wheeling but he didn’t mind, he just wanted his friends to date and be happy.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“Jeongin, we’ve been friends for months now, and I know I can trust you.”

“Okay…?”

“I’m going to be straightforward. Do you like Y/N?”

Jeongin was out with Chenle, walking on the school grounds while you were at the library, finishing a mortally boring history of magic homework. His cheeks heated up at the mention of your name followed by the word “like��.

“What? Of course I like them, we’re friends,” he tried while nervously playing with his hands.

“I mean more than friends,” he innocently smiled.

“I—” Jeongin gulped. “I don’t know. I could. Or not. I mean, they’re cute. And smart. Passionate too. Also—”

“So, no feelings, huh?” Chenle laughed at his friend’s rambling and gave him a tap on the shoulder.

You joined them soon after and found Jeongin acting weirdly. You didn’t question it, he was definitely adorable.

Obviously, Jeongin wasn’t indifferent to your charm, he liked you since your first year but never dared to talk to you. Still, he needed to understand his feelings better, to at least know if it was friendship or love. He needed to talk about it with Chan. Jeongin went to the Gryffindor common room to find him and he was alone on the couch.

“Chan, I need you.”

“Why that serious tone?”

“It’s about Y/N.”

“Chenle’s best friend? What about them?”

Jeongin sat next to his older friend on the comfortable couch. “They’re more than that, Chan. How do you know you like someone?”

Chan smiled fondly at the thought of his lover. They had been together for around two months now. “Well, you always want to spend time with the person. You’re happy just to see them smile, you look up to them and are whipped for them. Like you could do anything for them in a heartbeat. These kinds of things.”

“I guess I really like them, then.” He looked down, lost in thought —of you, naturally.

“Cool! When are you going to tell them?”

“Wait, I need to know if they feel the same way now,” Jeongin put a hand up, pouting lightly.

Chan smiled. “What if they end up asking you first?”

“I would be relieved, not going to lie. Because it would mean they like me too, and I wouldn’t have to worry about saying the right things,” he explained.

“Our Jeonginnie’s in love~” Chan chanted excitedly.

“Stop!” Jeongin whined.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“Chenle!” you called your friend who was doing his history homework on an armchair in the common room.

“Yes, Y/N??”

“Did Jeongin ever talk to you about me?”

He put down his quill and glared you in the eye as you sat next to him, looking at him questionably. “Did you finally understand you have feelings for him?”

You recoiled in your seat. “What? No—”

“Don’t lie to me Y/N, I’m your best friend.”

“Why would you ask a question you already know the answer of, then?” you pouted.

“To see if you’re ready for that talk.”

You sighed. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” he winked, then wrote one last sentence to his parchment before tidying up his stuff. “So. I talked to him about you and let me tell you that boy is WHIPPED. Can’t blame him, you’re cute.”

“Thanks… wait, he likes me too??”

Ignoring you, he went on with his plan. “Now, the question is… will you ask him out?”

“Wait, am I ready for that? I’m only thirteen!”

“True, but we’re not talking about marriage nor kids yet… just a romantic relationship with kisses and hugs.”

“You seem to have thought about all this a lot…”

“I’ve waited for this talk for months now,” he sighed tiredly.

“Shouldn’t we ask Changbin about love? No offense, but he might know more about the subject.”

“Of course, go ask him. He’s by the fireplace.” You turned around and saw Changbin on the couch, seemingly revising a charms spell. You walked up to him.

“Hey Changbin, can I ask you a question?”

He looked up at you with a smile. “Hey, isn’t that my favorite Slytherin? Green really looks good on you, Y/N.” You giggled, Changbin was really nice to the younger students but you knew it was a Changbin trait, not a prefect one.

“You said I was your favorite Slytherin yesterday!” shouted Chenle, pouting. Changbin laughed while you pulled your tongue out in his direction.

“Sit, tell me everything,” he said as he patted the place next to him.

“Well, it’s a matter of love.”

“Oh, love. Aren’t you a bit young to be thinking about that?”

“Maybe, but I just needed your advice. I like Jeongin, and I don’t really know how to tell him.” Actually, he just heard from Minho, who heard it from Jisung, who heard it from Chan that Jeongin liked you.

“Jeongin, you say? He’s one of my friends. My little finger told me he likes you too, you can go and ask him. As for how, why not propose him to go at Madam Puddifoot's tea shop? It's perfect for dates.”

“Thank you so much Changbin, you’re the best!” You hugged him tight and returned to your best friend, a big smile on your face.

“Should I remind you that you told me I was the best this very morning?”

“You’re both the best for different reasons. Like, you’re my best friend and he’s my best prefect.”

“I’ll let it pass,” he said, not without rolling his eyes.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

After charms class, you stopped Jeongin to ask him something while Chenle left in a hurry.

“Would you, maybe, come with me at Madam Pudifoot’s tea shop tomorrow at 4:30pm?”

Jeongin went silent for a few seconds, processing what he had just heard. It sounded like you were asking him on a date, because the tea shop was known for couple dates. He was confused but his face lit up and he agreed vividly.

“Cool, it’s a date. I have to go to Hogsmeade now but I’ll see you later,” you explained and got out of class, Jeongin behind you. A date? His stomach was doing things he didn’t think were possible.

“Want me to come with you?”

“No! I mean, no need, I’m going with Chenle already. Why don’t you practice the banishing charm we just learned?”

“I—” But you were already out of sight, finding Chenle and going to Hogsmeade together. You didn’t mean to be rude, you just couldn’t take him with you for this.

“I did it. He said yes.” Your smile said it all about how you were feeling and Chenle was pondering what reaction was best, smile or laugh.

“You’re brave, I’m proud of you. As expected, he likes you very much.” Your cheeks burned and you didn’t talk until you were at Hogsmeade.

“I’ll get him cauldron cakes, he said he liked those a few weeks ago,” Chenle said before entering Honeydukes.

“Right. I’ll see what I can find in Gladrags Wizardwear.” You entered the shop as well, searching for accessories. Pretty matching bracelets were disposed of on a shelf and you immediately felt like they were the one. Paying 6 galleons, you asked the owner to wrap one of the bracelets in a lovely gift wrap.

When you found Chenle outside of Honeydukes, he chuckled at the bracelet on your wrist. “You really know how to win a boy’s heart.”

“What’s that supposed to mean??” You looked offended but he just giggled.

Meanwhile, Jeongin went to see Hyunjin for advice. He found him on the pitch and watched the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice.

“Hyunjin!” he called as the older one came out of the changing room.

“Jeongin, hey.”

“Y/N just asked me! On a date!” He excitedly jumped around.

“Oh my god, that’s amazing!” he high fived his friend. “When is it planned?”

“Tomorrow.”

The older raised an eyebrow. “But that’s your birthday?”

“I haven’t told them that… By the way, right after that, they said they had to go to Hogsmeade with Chenle and insisted I don’t tag along,” he pouted, looking down.

“Jeongin, don’t you think that, perhaps, they also need time to prepare?”

“Right, of course. Can you help me with that?”

“Get ready, I won’t repeat myself,” he said with a smile, throwing his arm on Jeongin's shoulders, walking together to the school.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The big day had arrived, you were waiting at a table next to the window, playing with your new bracelet. Jeongin entered the shop, spotted you and sat in front of you. Madam Puddifoot came taking the order and left just as fast. It was awkward at first, neither of you being totally comfortable with the date thing. Jeongin decided to act as usual, not wanting to be weird and following his older friend’s advice diligently.

It soon was as if you did this your whole life. You chatted like you always did.

Your tea was almost completely drunk. You took the gift you bought the day before out of your pocket and put it on the table, next to Jeongin’s cup of tea.

“What is this?” he asked, surprised.

“Your gift. Happy birthday,” you smiled contently.

He was delighted you would ask him on a date the day of his birthday but receiving a gift from you? He was nearly overwhelmed by happiness. “How did you know?” he enquired while opening it.

You shrugged. “I asked Changbin.”

“Woah, it’s really beautiful!” Jeongin’s eyes were sparkling, examining the bracelet. “So pretty. Thank you so much, Y/N.”

“My pleasure. Let me put it on your wrist.” As you did, his eyes fell on your own wrist and his eyes broadened.

“Did you get us matching bracelets?” You acquiesced shyly. “This is the best gift I’ve ever received.”

He took your hands in his and you stayed like that for a few minutes, until someone from another table sneezed.

“Regarding us, what I know is that I really like you. I want to hold hands with you, hug you whenever you need and be there for you. If you’re okay with that, then would you be my boyfriend?”

“I’d be the happiest, Y/N. Just spending time with you makes me so happy.”

You kept the heart eyes for each other and the rest of the date went smoothly.

The moment you set foot on the entrance hall, Chenle ran to you and started screaming when he saw your intertwined fingers.

He clapped his hands and congratulated you both. He then wished a happy birthday to Jeongin and gave him his gift.

“Oh Chenle, thank you so much! I adore those.”

Chenle winked at you and smiled brightly.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“Hey Chan, I just saw Jeongin and Y/N passing by, wearing each other’s ties. Isn’t that cute?”

“It really is. I would have loved to try it too but my significant other is also a Gryffindor,” he shrugged, smiling.

“That’s right. My best friend is also a Slytherin, so we can’t do it either,” Changbin sighed.

“You still didn’t make your move?”

“They like someone else…”

“Oh, it sucks. Stay strong, my friend.”

“You’re really good at pep talk,” Changbin said sarcastically. “I can’t believe your house is in first position —for now— for the Quidditch cup.”

“Watch us win it,” he smugly said with a wink.

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know <3 and here's the masterlist!

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kjmsupremacist · 1 month

Text

something sweet, a peach tree (mark/jaehyun)

Mark begins the summer after his junior year with an unpaid internship and no other plans. But when he agrees to go pick his baby niece up from her music lessons, her teacher, Jeong Jaehyun, catches his eye. Too bad he’s off limits, and not just because Mark’s niece is involved. Jaehyun is 41 to Mark’s 20.

To sate his curiosity about older men, Mark decides to look into becoming a sugar baby. He could use the money, after all. And he seems to find a willing patron right away. But for the first time in Mark’s like, he finds he might be in over his head.

Chapter 7 | prev next mlist

Characters: Mark, Jaehyun, other members of nct throughout

Genre: romance, angst, smut, age gap, sugar daddy!au

Pairing: Mark/Jaehyun

Warnings: AGE GAP (older jaehyun, younger mark), semi-public sex/voyeurism

Rating: Explicit

Length: 7.9k

James schedules his trip with Annie as planned, so from Saturday morning to Sunday evening, Mark will have his hands full looking after Lucy. Jaehyun offers to pick some dinner up for them and then come get him from work on Friday so they can have a nice night in together, which Mark happily accepts.

He’s staunchly repressing the weird feelings from last week, but unfortunately they don’t just go nowhere. The, uh, other feelings he’s had for Jaehyun since the beginning remain, and compound now with everything else channeling into one avenue. He’s been, like, obnoxiously horny for the better part of this week, maybe also because he and Jaehyun only fucked once, that Saturday afternoon, last weekend. Anyway, he’s very glad Jaehyun suggested this, because he doesn’t want to deal with that when he’s supposed to be babysitting his niece.

So he already has a plan when he gets into Jaehyun’s car that afternoon. And it helps that Jaehyun’s in a plain white tank top and soft shorts that ride up his thighs. How could Mark be expected to resist?

He waits until they’re a respectable distance away from his office building. He slips his hand over the console to rest innocently on Jaehyun’s exposed thigh. If Jaehyun suspects anything, he doesn’t react. It’s only when Mark’s fingers inch closer and closer to where Jaehyun’s cock is lying soft under the fabric of his shorts that Jaehyun raises an eyebrow at him and asks, calmly, “Can I help you?”

Mark glances at him. “Just missed you, that’s all. Been missing you all week,” he says. “I can stop if you want.”

Jaehyun presses his lips together, clearly trying and failing to hide his amusement. “I didn’t say that.”

Mark wraps his hand around Jaehyun’s cock and squeezes. Jaehyun inhales sharply but doesn’t even blink. “Good.” He begins to stroke, slow so the fabric doesn’t chafe. “Just keep driving, hyung. I’ll take care of you. See if you can make it home.”

“Fuck, Mark,” Jaehyun mutters, but he keeps his eyes on the road.

It takes a few blocks before Mark feels a wet patch of precome leak through the fabric under his fingers. “You’re making such a mess, hyung,” he teases, but Jaehyun just makes a soft noise and bucks his hips up into Mark’s palm. “Do you want it faster?”

“Mm-hm,” Jaehyun hums tightly. Mark smirks to himself, even though he’s getting hard, too, just watching Jaehyun.

“I dunno if you can make it home,” he says, speeding up his hand anyway. “I know you, you don’t come unless you’re with me, so you’re all pent up, right?” Jaehyun's silence is answer enough. “You’re already so hard.” And he is, hard and hot, the heat of it obvious even through his shorts.

They’re out of the city now, heading up a hill towards Jaehyun’s neighborhood. Mark keeps stroking, even when Jaehyun’s hands start to tremble at the wheel. There’s less danger of them crashing here, which Mark is vaguely anxious about somewhere in the back of his brain. If they need to stop, they can just stop. They’re the only people on the road now that they’re out of the downtown traffic.

“Close, baby, ‘m close,” Jaehyun warns softly.

“We’re only a couple blocks away,” Mark teases, but he’s now made it his mission to make Jaehyun come in his pants. He leans closer, pressing his lips to Jaehyun’s bare shoulder. Jaehyun shivers. “So pretty, hyung. It’s almost worse if you come now than when we were in traffic downtown. What if one of your neighbors sees?” The streets are empty and quiet, but Mark watches the idea bloom in Jaehyun’s mind and send shivers down his back.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun grits out, slowing for a stop sign. Mark can tell he kind of wants to just blast right through it, but Jaehyun is responsible, so he stops. And he doesn’t go. His grip on the wheel tightens. He bends over himself, panting, forehead grazing the top of the steering wheel, abdomen working helplessly, and then he comes with a broken cry, spilling hot release in his pants.

Mark strokes him through it, humming encouragement, until he’s empty. Some of the come has leaked through the fabric; Mark brings his hand to his mouth to clean it off.

“Jesus Christ,” Jaehyun mutters, finally easing his foot off the brake.

“Almost!” Mark says cheerfully.

“You’re literally evil,” Jaehyun replies, voice hoarse.

“What, you’re saying you didn’t like it?” Mark asks, only a little worried that he really didn’t.

Jaehyun gives him an exasperated look, but there’s a fondness underneath it that he can’t mask. “I’m not saying that,” he grumbles as he pulls into his driveway, and Mark laughs.

Jaehyun leaves Mark to set up their dinner out on the patio while he goes to find a change of clothes. It does amuse Mark endlessly, but it hasn’t done anything to ease his own troubles. Even though it takes a good few minutes for Jaehyun to join him, Mark’s slacks still feel tight by the time he sits down at the table. Hopefully, his behavior will earn him some form of retaliation after they’re done eating.

But Jaehyun returns to the patio calm and poised, and they have a completely respectable dinner. They take a dip in the pool after, but Jaehyun keeps himself politely out of Mark’s reach. Confused now and a little intrigued, Mark lets him play his game, wondering what his end goal is.

“You know,” Jaehyun says, as he pulls himself up out of the water. “I still haven’t seen your place. Still think the doorman is spying for your brother?”

“Oh,” Mark says, a little startled. He supposes now is as good a time as any—it’ll be far less suspicious for Jaehyun to stay for an hour or two than overnight, and normally they wouldn’t want to waste the time. But since Jaehyun has to take Mark back tonight anyway, it’s more worth it. And the summer’s going to be over soon, and Mark can’t bring Jaehyun back when his friends move in. He thinks about his apartment, the places he could fuck Jaehyun. In front of the windows, if they kept the lights off. It would be better than Jaehyun’s car or backyard. Right up against the door, where anyone walking by would hear them. In Mark’s bed, where he came thinking of Jaehyun just the night before. “It’s, um, it’s a little messy,” he warns, which is true.

“We don’t have to,” Jaehyun says. He’s honest; there’s a touch of uncertainty under his tone that Mark takes to mean he’s afraid of making Mark uncomfortable. It’s sweet. “I just… wanted to see. More of you.”

Mark smiles, feeling pleased and a little shy. “Okay,” he agrees, clambering out of the pool and accepting the towel Jaehyun offers him.

They get dried off. Jaehyun lets the dogs out while Mark sneaks upstairs to steal some comfy clothes for the car ride home, then returns to the kitchen to clean up their dishes and file them neatly into the dishwasher. Their forks go in the second-to-back section of the utensil organizer. Mark knows Jaehyun’s system better than his own.

“Those my sweats?” Jaehyun asks when he joins Mark in the entryway.

“Mm,” Mark confirms without raising his head, intent on lacing his shoes. “Didn’t feel like putting my work pants back on.”

“Just checking,” Jaehyun replies, the smile clear in his voice even though Mark can’t see it. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Mark follows Jaehyun out the garage door.

It’s early, still, the sun not even dipping low enough to cast a golden shine over the street. It’s thinking about setting, though; the days are getting shorter, and Mark knows that soon the world will be night-dark at this time. But for now, the light is bright and clear and catches in Jaehyun’s hair. Mark watches him as he drives, wondering when he’ll start to grey. He wants to see it. He thinks he’d like it.

Jaehyun doesn’t touch him. Mark half-expected him to; maybe it was wishful, horny thinking. Jaehyun has a lot more restraint than Mark does, and he’s more creative in his patience. Simple retaliation isn’t really his style. Mark should’ve known that, but he still feels disappointed and, as a result, hopelessly turned on as they accelerate on the expressway.

The sun glitters over the lake, sparkling off buildings. Little boats dot the water; Mark thinks he spots a long, skinny rowing shell on the far side near the shore, trailing a little coach’s launch. Wakes from the bigger pleasure yachts streak white on blue.

“Summer’s almost gone,” he says quietly.

“School soon,” Jaehyun agrees. “Think you’re ready?”

For school? Certainly. For everything else? Mark looks at Jaehyun out of the corner of his eye. He hasn’t said anything to make Mark think he’ll be done with him once classes start up, but they both know it’ll be different. “Kinda,” Mark says. “It’s my last year, and then… I dunno.”

“You have a while to think about it,” Jaehyun says sympathetically.

Mark doesn’t want to think about it. He wants to fuck Jaehyun ‘til they’re both sore and aching and boneless in their exhaustion and Mark doesn’t have the energy to even imagine tomorrow, or the next hour, let alone next year. If he doesn’t think about it, maybe it won’t come. It’s not an elegant solution, but it is a satisfying one. For now.

“Mm,” he says instead.

“Graduating can be scary.” Jaehyun’s tone is still sweet, placating. “I was scared.”

“I’m not,” Mark says. “I’m not scared of graduating. I just don’t like the not knowing. It’s like when I was waiting for my college decisions. I knew I’d get in somewhere. But I didn’t know where. It didn’t scare me. It just sat under my skin, like, I dunno. An itch I couldn’t reach.”

“Well, don’t rush into the future too fast,” Jaehyun says. He turns onto Mark’s street. “You’ll miss this time before you know it.”

I’m missing it already, Mark thinks. That’s the problem. He’s gearing up to say goodbye, and he almost wishes it was already all over, so he could grieve it in peace, with undivided attention.

Jaehyun pulls into a guest parking spot. Mark gathers his things. They head into the lobby. No one bats an eye.

“You said your friend’s parents own the building?” Jaehyun asks.

“Yeah, no way I’d afford it otherwise,” Mark replies. “A studio in the city with a nice view? Forget student loans, I’d be in debt to management well into my next life.”

Jaehyun laughs. “Could get yourself a real sugar daddy to pay it off.”

“Shut up,” Mark mutters, his skin hot.

He unlocks his apartment, letting Jaehyun in and re-locking it behind them. Jaehyun politely ignores the pile of laundry on one chair and the crumbs on the counter, instead strolling over to the windows to admire the view. “Beautiful windows. You can see the Space Needle!”

“Can fuck you up against them later, when it gets dark,” Mark offers, grinning when Jaehyun flashes him a mildly scandalized look. “What?”

“Is that what you think about when you look out them?”

“Lately, yeah,” Mark says with an offensively casual shrug, tossing his slacks onto the laundry chair. “Bed?”

“Not gonna give me a tour?” Jaehyun asks, a sort of glint in his eye that tells Mark his retaliation has finally come.

“You’re standing in the foyer, kitchen, living room, and laundry all at once,” Mark says drily. “Bathroom is behind that door and my bed is in the corner with a curtain over the opening, which is the only reason this isn’t also the bedroom. C’mon, hyung, we both know you didn’t come here just to see how I live.”

“But I do want to see.” Jaehyun flops down on the couch, still looking around.

“I’m drawing the shades, then,” Mark says, moving to the windows. “Sun’s about to get real annoying, anyway. We can open them back up again when it’s setting.”

Jaehyun doesn’t protest, just watches Mark turn on his strip of neon lights and tug the blackout curtains closed. The room turns deep blue with the sun gone, light enough still to see, but dark enough that Mark has to blink a couple times to get his eyes to adjust.

He grabs a pillow off the couch, throwing it on the floor between Jaehyun’s feet, and goes to pull his own pants off.

“No,” Jaehyun says, “leave them on. I don’t want to be the only one who comes in his pants.”

“These are your pants,” Mark points out.

“Mm,” Jaehyun hums, watching him get on his knees anyway. “So I’ll think of you when I wear them.”

“Oh.” Mark’s whole body feels weak suddenly. He runs his hands up Jaehyun’s bare thighs, slipping them under his shorts till he hits his underwear. He kisses his left kneecap. “Okay.”

He finally reaches up and tugs Jaehyun’s pants and underwear down. Jaehyun doesn’t help him, doesn’t touch him, just watches placidly while Mark frees his cock from the fabric and scoots as close as he can, tops of his thighs brushing the bottom of the couch. Mark blinks up at him, maybe for show, maybe to spur him into some kind of action, but Jaehyun is a wall. Before it can turn into a staring contest that Mark will surely lose, he dips his head and wraps his lips around the tip of Jaehyun’s cock.

Jaehyun starts soft, but hardens quickly under Mark’s touch. It’s enough gratification for a little drop of smugness to settle in with Mark’s growing desperation. Because Mark is hard, has been half-hard basically since they first pulled into Jaehyun’s garage. He takes Jaehyun down to the base until he’s choking, and pulls off wetly. Jaehyun’s hips twitch, but his hands remain impassively at his sides. Mark whimpers softly, pressing his tongue to Jaehyun’s slit, licking up the beading precome, hoping to elicit some reaction for all his hard work. Jaehyun lifts his hand to Mark’s hair, but he doesn’t pull. His touch is featherlight, combing through, carefully and slowly working the tangles loose, letting the minutes pass.

But it’s something. Mark bobs his head enthusiastically, humming when Jaehyun gives the tiniest thrust up to meet him. Mark presses his nose to Jaehyun’s pubic bone, breathes in deep. Maybe it’s gross, but he likes the musky, heady scent there, a familiar comfort. He can barely feel the press of Jaehyun’s cock on the back of his throat, or maybe he can feel it but it just doesn’t matter. He swallows around it once, twice, breathes out. A shudder passes through Jaehyun’s body; Mark readjusts his grip on his thighs as pulls off slowly, then pushes back down, keeping his cheeks hollowed. He does it again, and again, keeping his pace even, not fast, but not slow, either. Jaehyun trembles, huffing out tiny moans that make Mark’s head swim. He’s throbbing in his pants, but he can’t get a hand down to reach himself, and he has a feeling Jaehyun doesn’t want him to, anyway.

“Mark,” Jaehyun whispers, and goes still. Come hits the roof of Mark’s mouth, and Mark realizes, as he lets out a long, trembling breath, that there are tears stinging in his eyes.

Mark swallows all of it down, only pulling off once Jaehyun starts to go soft again in his mouth. He pushes Jaehyun’s tank up to kiss his stomach, tucks him back into his pants, then gets onto unsteady feet.

“Think the sun’s past the horizon now?” he asks hoarsely, keeping his tone casual.

“One way to find out,” Jaehyun replies, equally casual, pushing himself off the couch.

Mark goes to the kitchen to fill up two glasses of water for them, leaving Jaehyun to pull the shades back. The sun is, in fact, below the horizon now, and it’s painted the whole city a brilliant orange. It washes over the vinyl flooring, turning gray to gold. Jaehyun pads over from the far wall, quiet.

Mark passes one of the waters to him when he’s close enough, taking a sip of the other one. Jaehyun sidles up next to him, facing away from the windows, leaning back against the counter. The dying light shines golden around his silhouette like a full-body halo. He reaches out with his free hand, gets a grip of Mark’s hip and pulls him close.

Mark grins and kisses him. He hears the clink of the water glass against the counter, and then feels Jaehyun’s other hand on his jaw, his cheek. The hand on his hip shifts center, and lower. Jaehyun cups his cock and gives it a soft squeeze. Mark stutters a moan into his mouth, quiet and whispery. The counter is high enough that no one could see exactly where Jaehyun’s hand is, but one look at their position and the salacious pinch of Mark’s brow would say enough. Then again, no one’s really looking. The next building is far enough away that it doesn’t matter.

“No underwear?” Jaehyun asks.

“Accidentally took them off with my slacks,” Mark explains impatiently. “Too lazy to put them back on.” He kisses Jaehyun again, really kisses him, pushes his tongue in so he can run it over Jaehyun’s teeth, the points of his canines.

Jaehyun lets him lick into his mouth, breathing out soft moans of encouragement, but he makes Mark chase his hand instead of just giving him what he wants.

“Hyung,” Mark mumbles against Jaehyun’s lips, rolling his hips forward into his palm. “More.”

Jaehyun, infuriatingly, keeps his touch light. “Could’ve made me crash today,” he says.

“You would’ve stopped me, before,” Mark replies through gritted teeth. It feels so, so good, to finally have Jaehyun’s hands on him, but it’s not enough. He thinks he might cry, rocking his hips forward even though Jaehyun just follows the movement. He knocks his forehead against Jaehyun’s shoulder and lets Jaehyun pet soothing circles into his spine.

“It’s too bad we can’t actually do something like that, like really in public,” Jaehyun muses. “Too risky. But it’s fun to think about, isn’t it?”

Mark can only groan. He imagines them out at dinner, dressed up so fancy, Mark’s hands in Jaehyun’s lap as they eat. Jaehyun frozen with his fork and knife still in his white-knuckled hands as he comes in his expensive dress pants. The unmistakable stain when he stands.

Jaehyun takes a firmer grip of Mark through his (Jaehyun’s) sweats. Mark keens softly, letting his mouth drop open and his teeth scrape harmlessly against Jaehyun’s skin, right next to the fabric of his tank top. Mark realizes suddenly that he’s still holding his water, as a drop sloshes over the rim and hits his thumb, but he can’t bring his arm down, can’t move at all, can only rut hopelessly into Jaehyun’s hand.

“What’re you thinking about, baby boy?” Jaehyun’s voice is pitched low, the rumble echoing in Mark’s ears.

“Would make you come at dinner with my hands,” Mark pants out. He raises his head, hooks his chin over Jaehyun’s shoulder and stares out the window. He can just make out people moving around in the building across the street. Someone is cooking. A few floors down, people jog on treadmills. And in Mark’s kitchen, in the apartment gifted to him by his friend’s parents, Mark humps an older man’s palm like a desperate teenager.

“And then?” Jaehyun prompts, and Mark remembers dizzily that he was in the middle of a fantasy.

“When we got up to leave, everyone could see the mess you made,” Mark continues. “And they would be able to see how hard I was, too. No hiding it. Oh, fuck.” Jaehyun wraps his hand around Mark, and even through the fabric Mark can feel the press of his fingertips, can feel Jaehyun’s thumb against his slit. “And then I’d fuck you on the hood of your car, or maybe up against the side, in the parking lot.” He can see it, Jaehyun’s fingers sliding against the roof as Mark fucks into him, the car rocking gently with the force of it. Jaehyun weak-kneed and teary; they wouldn’t have time for a lot of prep. Mark pounding into him as people walked by, uncaring. Jaehyun, dripping with Mark’s come, covered in his own, driving them home. Or maybe they were out to lunch, and Jaehyun drives Mark back to school for his afternoon classes. He imagines waving bye through the passenger window, walking into class with his limbs still orgasm-loose.

“You wanna fuck me where everyone can see?” Jaehyun presses.

“Yeah,” Mark slurs. “Want people to see what I can do. How I make you feel. How I’d only do it for you.”

“I want it, too,” Jaehyun murmurs. “Gonna come?”

“Uh-huh.” He slumps against Jaehyun, his free hand clutching at the back of Jaehyun’s neck to help hold himself up, shaking. He presses a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the top of Jaehyun’s shoulder as his hips thrust up into Jaehyun’s fist, the fabric of his sweats scratching and pulling with every movement. He locks onto a guy pacing in front of his window across the way, looking over the city with his phone to his ear. He doesn’t see Mark, but Mark pretends he does, pretends he sees him draped over Jaehyun, eyes hazy, hips working behind the counter, Jaehyun’s arm moving in tandem.

He comes so hard he can barely hear himself moaning, his fingers digging into Jaehyun’s neck. “Hyung, fuck, fuck, fuck, Jaehyun.” It spills out without Mark meaning for it to. His come is hot and sticky, trapped against his cock with nowhere to go. He feels himself sliding around against the fabric, which sends another crazy jolt of pleasure through his whole body. “Oh, god,” he says weakly, hips twitching erratically. Jaehyun releases him and he bends over the sink, finally setting his water glass down with an unsteady hand. He blows out a hot breath; it fogs on the stainless steel.

Jaehyun’s voice bleeds amusement when he asks, “Still wanna fuck me against the windows after the sun goes down?”

“Yes,” Mark spits out immediately. “Fuck, hyung, I didn’t even really think I was an exhibitionist before I met you.”

Jaehyun does laugh now, running a hand down Mark’s back. “Sometimes it depends on the partner,” he says. “Maybe you’ve never had anyone you wanted to show off before me.”

His tone is playful, but it rings true. Mark wants to claim Jaehyun in front of everyone, wants him to be his and his only, forever, wants the whole world to know. “Yeah, maybe,” he huffs quietly, standing up. “I’m gonna rinse off before these stick to me.”

When he comes out of the bathroom, shirtless, with a towel wrapped around his waist, Jaehyun is back on the couch watching the sunset. Mark goes to turn off the lights, plunging them into near-darkness, then joins him wordlessly, curling into his side.

“Your internship ends next week, right?” Jaehyun says. “And school isn’t for another week after that?” Mark nods. “Y’know how we were talking about the peninsula? What if we spent the week out there?”

Mark sits up. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun says, like it’s no big deal. “I mean, I might’ve already booked the cabin. Sunday to Friday. It’s okay if you can’t make it, but—”

Mark kisses him, pins him against the couch and kisses him, smiling big against his lips. “Yes,” he says when he pulls away. “Let’s go.”

“You sure? You don’t have plans with your friends?” Jaehyun asks.

“Nah, they’re not coming in until the weekend anyway. I can just move next weekend,” Mark says. “And it’ll be nice. To spend the time with you, before I get super busy.”

“If you,” Jaehyun ventures slowly. “You know. If you’ll be too busy with school, that’s okay. I know neither of us really planned for this, so…”

Mark shakes his head. “Shut up,” he says. “I still wanna see you.”

“Okay.” Jaehyun still sounds uncertain, his eyes unreadable in the dying light. “Just, with all your classmates coming back and stuff, I thought maybe… I mean, if there’s someone…”

“There’s no one I want more than you,” Mark says. He’s almost angry at him. Does Jaehyun think Mark could give him up that easily? Would it be easy for Jaehyun? He tries to make light of it, swallowing the weird tension before he can ruin such a nice night. “Besides, Princess and Bobby would miss me.”

Jaehyun’s lips quirk up at the corners. “Alright,” he says. “Just making sure.”

“You’re stupid,” Mark says plainly, leaning in to kiss him again. Jaehyun’s laughter rumbles in his chest; he catches one of Mark’s wrists in his hand and holds it between their bodies, trapping Mark at his side. Mark kisses him fervently, half climbing into his lap. The towel loosens and pools over his thighs, but it doesn’t matter because the sun has sunk so far below the horizon it’s practically gone, leaving the sky with only a faint orange tinge. Mark likes this, too—being naked when Jaehyun is still fully clothed. He rubs himself against Jaehyun’s stomach, the head of his cock bumping their hands.

“You’re insatiable,” Jaehyun accuses softly. There’s no real accusation to it.

“You’re the one who’s gonna be coming for the third time this evening in just a little bit here,” Mark points out.

“Yeah, and whose idea is that?” Jaehyun releases his wrist in favor of grabbing his hip. He pinches him lightly; it doesn’t hurt, but Mark yelps all the same. Even in the darkness, Mark can see every careful line of Jaehyun’s smile. His heart hammers in his chest.

“You’re pretty, hyung,” he says breathlessly, and Jaehyun rolls his eyes, tugging Mark into him, arms wrapped around his body.

“You gotta stop calling me that. It isn’t true.” Mark can picture the pink of the blush that he’s sure has risen to his cheeks. It’s not doing much for Jaehyun’s argument.

“I’d never lie to you,” he says, earning himself a bone-crushing squeeze. He presses a noisy, tickle-y kiss to Jaehyun’s neck, then twists himself free so he can look out the windows.

The orange has faded from the sky. The stars are coming out and the moon hangs over the sliver of lake that Mark can see, its reflection rippling in the wake of the party boats.

“Think it’s dark enough?” Jaehyun asks.

“Let’s close the curtains a little bit,” Mark says. “Less light from the city. Then all people will see are two silhouettes. They’ll look away pretty quick, and even if they don’t, it’s not like they’ll see our faces.”

They pick the corner the half-faces the water, closing the curtains on the windows that face the other building and the rest of the street. Mark ducks into his room for lube. Jaehyun steps out of his shorts, tossing them over to the couch, and Mark returns to tug his shirt up over his head for him. Jaehyun splays a hand over Mark’s stomach, and it strikes Mark then the comfort he has here. He’s not extremely shy about his body, but he never feels comfortable just walking around topless, or pulling his shirt off when it’s hot out like so many of his friends seem perfectly content to do. It’s not that he’s insecure about how he looks, it’s just a general sort of embarrassment at nudity. But not with Jaehyun. He wants Jaehyun to look, likes it when he touches him, skin against skin. It’s not even really in a sexual way—well, not entirely, anyway.

Jaehyun leans in and kisses him. Mark throws his arms over Jaehyun’s shoulders and kisses back, pressing their bodies together. Jaehyun’s just a little bit taller than him, so his cock slides against Mark’s stomach while Mark’s brushes Jaehyun’s inner thigh. They’re both half-hard again, but neither of them move to do anything about it. They just kiss, body to body, soft skin against soft skin. Mark wants to touch Jaehyun everywhere. He wants to push his fingers against Jaehyun’s soft palate and run his thumbs over his teeth, he wants to open a seam in his belly and crawl inside—

And it sounds insane, but all of this is insane. He’s fucking his niece’s fucking music teacher, who’s just about double his age, who—oh, Christ, who Mark actually really cares about, like maybe way too much. Who most certainly doesn’t feel the same way back.

Mark bites Jaehyun’s lip, too hard. Maybe because he’s angry. Maybe because his heart hurts. Maybe because he wants Jaehyun to be his and this is the only way he can say it. With blood in his mouth.

Jaehyun, perfect Jaehyun, doesn’t protest or push away. Jaehyun moans.

It makes Mark weak; he moans back, sweet and soft and low, swiping his tongue over the swollen lump he’s just made. “Sorry,” he mutters.

Jaehyun just kisses him again. “It’s okay,” he says. “You like it when I cry.” Another kiss. “How do you want me?”

“Facing the window,” Mark says, trying not to say something else, something stupider.

Jaehyun presses himself to the glass, head turned so he can still see what Mark is doing. Mark pumps some lube onto his palm and then tosses the bottle aside, taking a small dollop of it onto his index finger and spreading it down to the last knuckle. Jaehyun sticks his ass out a little to make things easier, and Mark groans softly.

“You look so slutty,” he comments.

Jaehyun tries to look put out, Mark thinks, but it’s not really working because his eyes are dark and unfocused. As much as this was Mark’s idea, he can tell Jaehyun is enjoying it a lot. He grins to himself, pressing the finger against Jaehyun’s perineum, then pushing inside.

Jaehyun’s eyes flutter closed; he clenches around Mark, tight and hot. “Jesus,” Mark mumbles, working his finger in to the base and giving Jaehyun a second to adjust before slowly pulling it back out again. “Wish you could see yourself. But that’s part of it, I guess. Everyone can see you but you."

Jaehyun gasps quietly, but he rocks his hips back to meet Mark’s fingers. It softens something in Mark. For you, Jaehyun is saying. He wouldn’t want this with anybody else. Mark wouldn’t, either, he thinks.

He opens Jaehyun up pretty quick after that, too eager to get to the fucking to really drag it out. Besides, he’s tortured Jaehyun enough for one day with his antics in the car. Soon, he’s fumbling for the lube again to slick up his cock while Jaehyun catches his breath, fogging the window next to his mouth.

Mark pushes into him, gripping his hips with lube-wet hands, but it doesn’t matter. Jaehyun makes fists against the glass, his cock dripping between his legs. Mark slips in deeper and leans forward to rest his forehead on Jaehyun’s spine. “Hyung,” he manages. “God, still so tight. Is it ‘cause you’re nervous?”

“Maybe a little,” Jaehyun says. “Mostly turned on, though.”

“Good,” Mark says. He bottoms out, waits a beat, draws his hips back. Jaehyun is hot and wet around him, soft walls hugging his cock and making pleasure pool in Mark’s belly. He thrusts in, jostling Jaehyun against the window. In the streets below, bar-goers mill about, waiting at stoplights, watching the moon over the water. Any of them could look up and see two bodies pressed to the glass, body heat making it steam up a little and blocking the view. Mark’s next thrust is so hard it’s almost mean. He can hear Jaehyun’s teeth clack against each other, and does it again.

“Baby,” Jaehyun says, his breath coming in hiccups. Mark hums, kissing his vertebrae. He moves a hand around Jaehyun’s hips to jerk him off, and Jaehyun convulses beneath him. He’s trying and failing to find some purchase on the smooth face of the window. His scrabbling makes something dark and jealous in Mark’s heart bare its teeth.

“So good, hyung,” he says against his skin. “Anyone who looks should thank you. You’re like a fuckin’ wet dream, you know that?” Jaehyun makes a noise of protest, but it turns into a moan when Mark angles his hips just right. “Fuck, yeah, right there?” He hits it again, and Jaehyun is nodding—Mark can’t see it, but he can feel it, the fervent bobbing of his head, the silent yesyesyes.

The world sort of stills around him. Or maybe Mark’s mind just slows down. He listens to their bodies moving against each other, and the rapid beating of Jaehyun’s heart. He shifts his other hand up to the glass, crowding Jaehyun impossibly closer until he’s completely trapped, just enough room between his body and the window for Mark’s fist, still stroking him in time with his thrusts. Mark pants openmouthed, the hot breath fanning back onto his cheeks after it hits Jaehyun’s skin. Pleasure sparks down his legs, making his knees shake, but he doesn’t stop. Jaehyun is making noises that make part of Mark want to snap him in half and another part to wrap Jaehyun up in, like, fucking bubble wrap or something, Mark doesn’t know, all he knows is everything feels good, even the way his knuckles bump against the glass, even the way his thighs are getting sore, and–

“Mark, Mark, gonna come,” Jaehyun warns, and Mark makes some kind of low, insane noise in his chest and speeds up. Jaehyun squeaks out something that sounds like oh, fuck, and then he’s shooting come over Mark’s fingers and painting the glass with it. Mark lifts his head, craning his neck so he can see around Jaehyun’s body, can see his come dripping down toward the floor in a porn-perfect splatter.

It overwhelms him, and he can’t even say anything before he’s coming, too, still thrusting unevenly into Jaehyun’s body. His come mixes with the lube, squelching a little, but even that is hot to Mark. He can’t help the way his hips give little phantom twitches even after he tries to stop, still chasing the high as they both come down.

They stay like that, slumped against the window, Jaehyun’s release the crowning piece of evidence in their fucked up little crime scene. Mark knows it’s almost worse if people see them now, but he still doesn’t care. He’s bone-tired and deeply satisfied with himself. He doesn’t even move when, after he pulls out, he hears his own release dripping out of Jaehyun and hitting his floors.

It’s Jaehyun who finally peels them off the windows. Jaehyun who cleans up the come dripping down the glass, the spatters on the floor. Jaehyun who gets them in the shower, just enough to get the gross stuff off. Jaehyun who guides Mark to bed and tucks him in. He sits on the edge of the mattress, stroking Mark’s hair while Mark battles sleep.

“I’ll see you next Thursday at pickup,” Mark mumbles. “I have drinks with coworkers Friday and I need to finish moving Saturday, but I should be done before dinner. We’re gonna head out Sunday morning?”

“Mm-hm,” Jaehyun agrees. “Need any help moving?”

“James ‘s got me,” Mark replies. “It’s okay.”

“Okay.” Jaehyun leans over and kisses his forehead. “Okay if I just lock the bottom lock on my way out?”

“Yeah,” Mark agrees.

“Sleep well, baby.” Jaehyun’s voice moves farther away as he stands. “I already set your alarm.”

Thank you, Mark wants to say. But he’s so tired. He hears Jaehyun give a soft sigh of amusement. Another kiss to his forehead, to send him to sleep. Mark doesn’t even hear Jaehyun close the door.

///

James comes to pick Mark up bright and early, but he has breakfast so Mark doesn’t complain, just hops in the car, shoving his bag in the back.

“Where are you taking Annie?” he asks, taking a bite of his ham and egg croissant.

“Over to Orcas Island,” James says. “Booked a nice hotel room, fancy dinner, you know. We’re trying to catch the ten o’clock ferry, so we’ll basically have to leave as soon as I drop you off.”

“Have fun,” Mark says around a mouthful of food.

Lucy is in high spirits when they arrive, giggling with glee over getting to have a sleepover with her Mark-samchon. She clings to Mark’s leg as her parents finish packing up the car. Mark watches his brother and his sister-in-law, the easy way they have with each other. How Annie can hold her hand out and James knows to pass her his bag without a word. The way they don’t bump into each other, not once, in the chaos of packing up their car because they know each other so well, know exactly where the other is at all times and what they’ll do next. Mark tries to imagine him and Jaehyun like this, years down the road, maybe with a child of their own. The image is fuzzy at best.

Because as much as he and Jaehyun play pretend, what they have isn’t like this. No amount of blankets tucked securely around Mark’s shoulders and kisses pressed to his forehead can change that. Mark is just a passing whim of Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun will, in time, find someone his age, someone more settled, more mature. The warmth of last night seeps away as his brother’s life throws it into sharp contrast. At best, Mark will be a short, beautiful spring in the long years of Jaehyun’s life. Summer will burn through them and autumn will come. The leaves will change, and Jaehyun will have no more use for him. So there’s no point in Mark trying to pursue anything more, because Jaehyun would say no, and even if he didn’t right away, Mark knows eventually he wouldn’t be enough for Jaehyun anymore.

And the worst part is, Mark knows Jaehyun would be right to say no. Because even if they could make it work somehow… then what? Mark probably won’t stay in Seattle, and he certainly can’t settle down right away. Jaehyun won’t just wait for him. He shouldn’t. Mark wouldn’t let him, the same way Jaehyun wouldn’t let Mark shape his life around their relationship.

He gets that terrible tugging feeling again, like he’s straining against the present. He knows it’s going to hurt when he and Jaehyun have to go their separate ways, and Mark almost wishes they could rush through goodbye so he could stop waiting for it, not knowing how bad it will be or how it will feel. He’ll be miserable, he knows, but at least he’ll know where he stands. It’s not like he’s not hurting now. He might as well get it all over with.

James’ voice pulls him out of it. “We’re gonna head out, okay? Just call if you need anything.”

“Sure,” Mark agrees, still half in his own head. “Have fun!”

“Bye!” Lucy calls, waving madly from the doorway until the car pulls out onto the street and disappears.

“Well,” Mark says after they close the door, trying to be present with her instead of drowning in his own head. “What d’you wanna do?”

Lucy pulls him into an elaborate game of make believe, where Mark is an evil king and Lucy and her army of stuffed animals work together to take over his kingdom (the couch in the living room). It ends when Mark allows himself to be pulled to the floor and buried under piles of plush ponies and teddy bears, begging for mercy.

Lucy sits on Mark’s stomach, grinning triumphantly.

“Oof, Luce,” Mark groans, not really meaning it. “You’re gonna be too big to sit on me pretty soon.”

“Not yet though,” she says pertly. “But I wanna grow.”

“Yeah?” Mark can’t hide his amusement.

“Yeah.” Lucy nods seriously, spreading her hand in front of Mark’s face. “Jaehyun-seonsaengnim says I’ll be big enough to play a real piano when I grow more. I’m too small now. But soon.”

“I bet Jaehyun-seonsaengnim is right,” Mark says, regarding her little hand. “You’re outgrowing that little keyboard. It’ll be a while before you can reach the pedals, though.”

“I’ll make Appa press them,” she says, unconcerned. She tips her head. “You and Jaehyun-seonsaengnim are good friends, right?”

Mark starts a little. “Yeah, we’re good friends,” he agrees. “I like him. He’s funny, right?”

Lucy nods. “He thinks you’re funny, too,” she says. “He always smiles when you’re there.”

Mark files that away for Jaehyun later. They better be careful, because it sounds like Lucy is picking up on some things. The last thing he needs is for James to hear from his baby girl that Mark and Jaehyun make eyes at each other every time Mark goes to pick her up.

Lucy has moved on, though; she stands with purpose, releasing him. “I’m hungry,” she says. “Noodles for dinner?”

The night passes uneventfully. Mark makes Lucy bunny-shaped mac and cheese and gives up on trying to explain that Annie’s is also a brand and doesn’t have anything to do with her mom. They share a popsicle and watch cartoons until Lucy’s eyes are drooping, and Mark carts her off to the bathroom to brush her teeth and give her a quick bath before bed. She’s out like a light as soon as her head hits the pillow, and Mark goes back down to clean up the kitchen and then watch some TV until he gets sleepy too.

Around eleven, as Mark’s just thinking about heading to bed, he gets a text from Jaehyun. He thinks about ignoring it, too sore and raw about the things that are breaking ground inside him, but he knows he can’t punish Jaehyun for things that aren’t his fault.

>>> How are things?

Good. Lucy didn’t even complain about bedtime. <<<

I think she’s onto us <<<

>>> uh oh. What do you mean?

she’s noticed us joking around at pickup <<<

she asked if we were good friends <<<

>>> Good friends 👀

Is that the first emoji you’ve ever used in your life <<<

>>> I’m not prehistoric, Mark

>>> so what did you say

yes <<<

hopefully not too nervously <<<

>>> I’m sure it’s fine haha

>>> I’ll keep my distance next week just in case

Well, not too far I hope <<<

Mark pockets his phone and stands, stretching before he goes to put himself to bed. He tries to forget all the tough stuff for now, and lulls himself to sleep remembering the way he fucked Jaehyun against his windows. As far as lullabies go, it’s pretty shoddy, but Mark allows himself the bandaid.

The next morning, Lucy comes to wake him up so he can make them breakfast. They race to the kitchen and Mark asks if she’s ever had chocolate chip pancakes. She shakes her head, shiny hair bouncing excitedly, and Mark considers for a moment the damage he may be inflicting on James and Annie before deciding he doesn’t care because it’ll make Lucy love him forever, and goes to get the flour.

Lucy settles at the breakfast bar while Mark mixes the batter so she can watch (and steal a few chocolate chips out of the bag, which Mark pretends not to see). “So is it true you don’t have a girlfriend?” she asks him as he beats the eggs. “Or boyfriend,” she amends, not-so-sneakily popping another chocolate chip in her mouth.

Mark gives a sort of sigh-laugh, reaching for the vanilla. “I’m too busy, silly! I have school and stuff soon, and then I’m gonna have to look for a job.”

“But,” Lucy protests. “Appa already married Eomma when he was your age.”

“Well,” Mark says patiently. He gets out the big cast-iron griddle and lays it across two burners, then turns the burners on. “Your appa finished school early. Careful of this griddle, ‘kay Luce? It’s gonna get super hot and I don’t want you to burn your hands. It’ll hurt for days and days.” Lucy nods seriously. “Anyway, my brother was lucky enough to meet his person—that’s your eomma—when he was young. Not all of us are that lucky.”

“So… you haven’t found your person yet?” Lucy asks.

Mark thinks of Jaehyun. He shakes his head. “Not yet,” he says, spreading the batter for the first pancakes. “But that’s okay. I think I want to get my career started first, and then see what happens.” He plucks up the bag of chocolate chips before Lucy’s hand can inch any closer. “And don’t think I don’t see you, you little thief. You’d eat the rest of this bag if I let you and then you wouldn’t even get to try the pancakes!”

“No I wouldn’t!” Lucy protests, giggling, but she at least has the decency to look contrite. “I hope I’m like you,” she continues, and Mark blinks. “I don’t wanna get married early. I wanna be a musician like Jaehyun-seonsaengnim and go around the world!”

“I hope you do,” Mark says, smiling at her with genuine amusement.

When James and Annie get home that evening, they rescue Mark from, like, his twentieth round of Go, Fish. James sits with Mark in the living room, helping him clean up all the toys while Annie allows herself to be accosted by her daughter.

“Did she behave?” James asks.

“Oh, yeah,” Mark says. “You got a good kid, man. I may have introduced her to chocolate chip pancakes, though, so… sorry about that.”

Distantly, from the kitchen, they can hear Lucy asking Annie if they can have chocolate chip pancakes in the morning. James laughs to himself. “Well, that means I get to eat them, too, so I’m not complaining. Ready to head home?”

“Yeah.” Mark gathers his shit and says bye to Annie and Lucy before stepping out onto the porch. The sun is going down, and the heat is receding. Summer really is almost over, he thinks. It comes with a flash of unexpected anxiety.

He hops in the car and James joins him, pulling out onto the street. “Annie was thrilled,” he says before Mark can even ask. “So, thanks again.”

Mark nods. “I mean, I got to hang out with Lucy, so it’s no big deal, but I’m glad it went well,” he replies. With a start, he realizes he still needs to tell James about his peninsula plans. “Oh, I meant to tell you. I’m gonna spend next week out on the peninsula, since my internship is over.”

“By yourself?” James asks.

Mark makes a mental note to text Johnny. “Yeah, I asked my friends, but no one was free. And I know I won’t have time once school starts, so.”

“Just be safe, okay? Mom’d wring my fuckin’ neck if something happened to you,” James says. Mark nods, thinking about all the things Mom would wring both of their fuckin’ necks about if she knew.

“Yeah, I know,” he says. “Sorry for not mentioning it sooner, I just kept forgetting. Annie’ll have to pick Lucy up from music lessons.”

“Actually, I think her teacher is gonna be out of town that week, too,” James says, and Mark pretends like this information surprises him. “So no music lessons. Good timing, really.”

“Good,” Mark says, turning to face the window so James can’t try to read his expression. “That’s good.”

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starcandybby · 9 months

Text

NCT fic recs ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬

welcome to ncity

disclaimer: some works do contain mature content - so minors DNI!!!!!!!

nct drabbles

jaehyun

try again @gimmehyuck a | f - wc: 19.8k

idol!jaehyun x teacher!y/n, second chance romance

i couldn’t stop reading this fic- i read all 19k words in one go. such a good story!! this family captures your heart before you even realize!

enchanted @taelme a | f - wc: 23k

regency!au, viscount!jaehyun

this is for the jane austen & jaehyun girls (me). just amazing writing that makes the nct members fit this era so well

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

mark

a clouded fate @byunbaekby a | s | f - wc: 17.2k

exes to lovers!au, bad boy!mark x good girl!reader

this fic was written with such depth and feeling- incredible writing and story. one of my favorite mark works

(this fic deals with drugs, addiction, and overdose)

[camera is rolling in 3-2-1] @toothfa-1-ry a

interview format, exes!au

such well-written angst, mark is lowkey still in love as he talks about his ex </3- so so good!!

raw @mrkis s | f - wc: 3.4k

mark and reader fuck raw for the first time

the sm*t is written so well!! mark gets nasty and it’s so hot hehehe

where do broken hearts go? @rrxnjun a | f - wc: 12k

such such a good exes-to-lovers fic. need to read if you like angst, love, and character development !!!

☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬

renjun

can i have a hug? @cinnajun a | f - wc: 3.7k

established relationship!au, jun and reader explore a new stage of their relationship after moving in together !!

i demand everyone read this renjun fic!!!!!! it’s just written to well- i could read it over and over

☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬

jeno

golden boy @tddyhyck f | s - wc: 4.9k

jeno takes care of his gf both outside and inside the bedroom

if you want jeno brainrot, you must read this. sexy gentleman lee jeno <33

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

haechan

mornings with haechan @sleeping-sirens f - wc: 1.6k

idol!haechan, established relationship!au, reader has her period </3

so so sweet if you need any haechan comfort! ultimate boyfie domestic vibes

perfect mix @luvtak f - wc: 1k

established relationship!au, they are soooooo in love, talking about their future

so so in love and haechan is the sweetest and most understanding bf- ultimate haechan comfort

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

jisung

part of the newly wed series @gyeomsweetgyeom f - wc: 1.5k

the cutest fic about newly weds jisung and reader :((

i love jisung so bad- and this fic is just so him. yall have to read it to understand

☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬

multi-member

differences - 00s Line Series @jenonctcity

a short series for each of the 00s line dreamies

every single series is so good- you must read them all. they’re bad boys but the character development goes CRAZYY one of my favorite nct series

#nct fic rec #nct fic recs #nct fanfic #nct fluff #nct smut #nct angst #nct imagines

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toothfa-1-ry · 1 year

Text

～(つˆneo culture technologyˆ)つ｡☆

(☆) SERIES:

2ND CHANCE ROMANCES -N.JM

On hiatus

where, the pink haired boy and the sad girl, find comfort in eachothers broken hearts and find themselves giving a 2nd chance to romance after swearing off it

(☆) NCT 127

M.TL:

L.TY:

J.JS:

J.JH:

I HATE LOVE YELLOW TULIPS

Jaehyun always had a hate love feeling towards yellow tulips. Little did he know that yellow tulips would be the cause of his pain till the very end

K.JW

K.DY:

HUH?! THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT ARE DATING?

The entire student body (+ homeroom teacher Kyungsoo even though he doesn't admit it and probably never will) is convinced that the so called rivals of SM High are secretly in love with eachother so Johnny and Ten decide to give his friend a little push

N.Y:

(☆) NCT Dream

IF I LOVE YOU WAS A PROMISE, WOULD YOU BREAK IT IF YOUR HONEST?

NCT Dream hyung line reacting to falling out of love with you

NCT DREAM AS ODDLY SPECIFIC TROPES/AU EXCEPT ITS ALL ANGSTY

L.MH:

WHO WAS YOUR GREATEST LOVE AND WHY DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM?

HAPPY NEW YEARS AND GOODBYE

There was so many things racing in Marks head, so many thoughts at once but one thing was sure. That New year's would never be the same, not without you.

L.DH:

H.RJ:

LAST SUMMER

Renjun hated summer, but he didn't hate the summer he spend with you

N.JM:

THEY'RE THE PERSON OF MY DREAMS, BUT WAS I EVEN A PART OF THEIRS?

Jaemin loved you. He was utterly inlove with you, heads over heels inlove with you. He was willing to live for you, to die for you, he was willing to do anything you wanted him to do. So why couldn't you even spare him a small place in your heart? Even when his entire heart only consist of you?

L.JN:

Z.CL:

P.JS:

(☆) WayV

None so far

#toothfa 1 ry masterlist #toothfa 1 ry nct 127 masterlist #toothfa 1 ry nct dream masterlist #toothfa 1 ry nct masterlist #nct masterlist #nct fic

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from-izzy · 7 months

Text

cupid's mistake | tbz kim sunwoo

“Now that’s a mistake that I can live with.”

PAIRING » the boyz kim sunwoo x fem!reader (ft. nct's na jaemin) TROPE/AU » friends to lovers, non-idol au!, high school au! GENRE » THIS WAS SO FLUFFY UWU, but also add those angsts!!, SLIGHTLY suggestive (one makeout scene, sunwoo leaves kissing marks near your collarbones), love triangle...?, (kinda) slowwww burn, i love supportive and attentive sunwoo who gives so much love to the reader, MUTUAL PINING (they're both blind aye), sunwoo is an idiot because he PUSHES THE READER AWAY GRRR, cliché cause i live for this hehe, sunwoo babysits the reader's little bro (cutie sunwoo), sunwoo is the type to give the reader physical space because she's overwhelmed, reader blushing at sunwoo, a terrible attempt at comedy, oh...i think i'm in love with kim sunwoo again (i literally changed my bias to hyunjae like a month ago---) WORD COUNT » 13,061 (hi yes, izzy is entering her long wc era!!) ESTIMATED READING TIME » i'm scared to put this down 😭 forgive me!! WARNINGS (lmk if i missed anything!) » suggestive!!, reader is a lightweight (not sure if this is a warning), reader uses alcohol to distract herself (sunwoo will come to the rescue tho!; of legal age), reader has a bad schema for men, incredibly fast proofread once

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 part of 'especially to you...'

hands down the hardest story i've EVER written (including my 40+ wips) and i stopped multiple times because it explores a huge part of my life that makes me super vulnerable. the internet may judge me after this but i'm going to stay strong for myself; they don't know what i've been through.

i'm glad that i have met idols who have at least helped my schema for men. mark lee, na jaemin, cho seungyoun (woodz), lee jaehyun (hyunjae) and kim sunwoo (sorry i was so harsh on you 😭 i'm very thankful for your existence no wonder what anyone else believes and thinks; and people can believe what they want to believe because i'm tired of trying to make them believe something else).

izzy...

if there is one internet trend (?) that you should take seriously, it's that: not all men are the same.

and you know that. you've seen it with your guy friends and the teachers that you were close to in high school. they're not like the ones who hurt you. i know you're scared and with what you've been through, i would like to at least believe that it's valid. i really hope that you keep going and keep fighting.

thank you for reading @heemingyu @mmoonbaee !! love our chaotic trio!! 🥰

You’ve rejected Kim Sunwoo before.

Twice, apparently.

It left the rest of your friend group flabbergasted when they heard that you did something so incredible. When asked why you rejected the friend that has stuck with you since the beginning of your hellish high school days, the only response you gave them was a fake smile with your eyebrows knitted together and your eyes roaming around the room, avoiding the intense (and totally unnecessary) curiosity in their gaze.

The truth is that you really do see why people fall in love with Kim Sunwoo.

You agree with the fact that he’s a romantic person and would absolutely take care of his partner well. You can vouch for this with the number of times he almost faceplanted on the very non-slippery cement when he saw you on the other side of the road, excited to finally see his dearest best friend. You can confidently vouch for him when he stubbornly gives his favourite hoodie for you to use, not hesitating to make sure you’re warm even though he knows he’s going to be bedridden. You can brag about your best friend’s selfless personality, telling them how Sunwoo went out of his way to comfort you along the beach at night when you said you were feeling empty.

Out of everyone in the world, you’re the one who knows best that Sunwoo has always been a caring person. Like that time when you both finally became adults and he waited for his first sip of alcohol to be with you. Embarrassingly, you’re much more lightweight than you both thought but even though Sunwoo could barely balance his steps, that didn’t stop him from giving you a piggyback ride walk to your house where he also really embarrassingly this time, actually faceplanted in front of your mother as he misses the step down the stairs when leaving.

So yes, you understand why people have massive heart eyes whenever he’s around.

But to you, he’s just your best friend. One that you hope would be there for you every step of the way even after you go on to the next chapters of your life.

The first confession was a quick one, a simple “Have you ever thought of dating me?” from Sunwoo and with a playful disgusted look, you simply respond with “Ew, no way.”

But the second one is more serious for Sunwoo. His heart was beating so fast that it was strong enough to make his whole body fall onto the ground; maybe it would’ve been better for the Earth to swallow him up so that he’d never have to face you ever again. He didn’t know what took over him and where the sudden urge came from but he meant every single word that he said—and the hues of red and pink on both his cheeks show his true feelings for you (which you missed).

But maybe Sunwoo overestimated how confident he could be around you because as soon as he sputtered “I like you. Should we start dating?” He saw the way your fingers stopped their aggressive tapping on the black squares of your keyboard, freezing and halting for a bit more before your shocked eyes met his nervous ones. Scared to ruin this perfect friendship that he already has with you, he backs out of his words, shaking his head and letting out his forceful rehearsed laugh that got you both kicked out of the library. Though the day could have been the start of something new, he still relished the way he managed to hear at least the rapid complaints fly out of your lips. You’ve been stressed out over the English essay that you’ve been so distant, so at least even though you beat him in a game or rock-paper-scissors for food, the empty wallet that he’s left with after, filled the loneliness in his heart.

Gosh even when you’re mad, he finds you adorable.

But it’s been three years since the second confession and now three years after, Kim Sunwoo is still next to you. Call him a loser—a hopeless romantic—but he would argue the term, telling the people around him that he has his reasons.

“What are we doing for Valentine’s Day?”

The question is not a weird one between you both. Maybe you should’ve said the just-friends boy and girl version of ‘Galentine’s Day’ or whatever the kids these days call it because Sunwoo’s heartbeat would always spike at the mention of the couple’s holiday. He’s always spent the day with you and how could you refuse when he assures you that you can leave your wallet at home?

In truth, he just didn’t want other people to take you out. He tried to fathom the image of you receiving that giant teddy bear, a heart-patterned bow around the neck and maybe the word ‘love’ embroidered on its fluffy white tummy. The only smile in his head is yours and the date that is not him, and he couldn’t help but notice the constricting muscle around his heart and the churning of his stomach.

Kim Sunwoo will always root for you. If your happiness is with someone else, then he wouldn’t dare to take that away from you. He just wants to let you know his true feelings someday—if he could.

Sunwoo swivels his chair around, a quiet hum gave out as an answer for now. He hasn’t thought much about this year, his part-time job and full-time high school student occupying his thoughts a bit too much more than he would like. Usually, he would have a list of things to do but as responsibilities piled up, the wants decreased and with how you’re practically stuck with each other either way, he manages to check off most of the things in his places to go list.

You’re unaware of the longing eyes that fixed upon you as you kept your eyes directed to the ceiling, phone raised above your eyes. You made yourself comfortable on Sunwoo’s bed, his blanket going past your chest and covering your lower body from the blasting air conditioner. Your arms are getting a bit sore but you just want to know if the main characters in the drama would kiss soo—

“Alright, that’s enough internet for you today.” The device is snatched out of your hands, your arms cheering in relief as they plop down on the bouncy material. In refute to his actions, your back straightens but everything happened in a quick three-second interval that you didn’t realise that Sunwoo was already bending down and your forehead collided with his. “Oh my Go—” Sunwoo exclaims, his butt hitting the floor in surprise.

“Serves you right!” You exclaim, begrudgingly rubbing the area with your palm. “Why were you so close?!”

“I was telling you stuff but you weren’t paying attention!”

“You could’ve shouted it!”

“I called your name thrice?!”

“Oh my God! Okay, what was it that you wanted to say?”

All words get stuck in his throat. Even though his head and bottom hurt with the two critical hits at the most unexpected time, he couldn’t help but shy his face away with the way you blew the loose strand that blocks your vision, paired with the slight jut of your little lip as you turn your attention to him.

Sunwoo stutters, gulping when he sees your raised eyebrows from the corner of his eye. “U-Up to you.” Another gulp and wandering eyes, “Is there nothing you want to do?”

“Oh but,” you recall the favour that your mum asked from yesterday. “My mum asked if I could babysit my brother because she has plans already.” Heaving an apologetic sigh, feeling bad for letting Sunwoo down.

“Hey no,” an idea comes to mind as he leisurely crosses his legs. “I love your brother! How about we just spend the day together with him?”

Your eyes narrow suspiciously to the comment he once made about kids, “I thought you said you hate kids.”

“No, I said I hate those who are cuter than me.”

A scandalous gasp from you, “Are you calling my brother ugly?! I’m telling him and my mu—”

“No!” Realising his mistake, he quickly untangles his legs and tackles you back down on the bed instantly, his bigger build toppling over yours easily. “That’s not what I meant! He's an exception!” It's unclear whether his sobs are real or not at this point. “Your mum loves me! Don’t do this to me!”

“Get off me, you stinky raccoon!”

The gym resonates with the squeaks of sixty-something shoes on its polished surface. The sound easily makes you squirm, hating that it screeches against your eardrums so violently. A chuckle is heard at the sight of the displeasure written on your face.

“Very annoying.” The honey-like voices your thoughts. “Would you like to borrow my headphones for a while?”

Instantly, you’re met with his popular gummy smile, the one that swoons everyone in your school. If people aren’t swooning over your best friend, they most probably are falling for the man who made himself comfortable next to the gym steps where you sat. His features are nothing like Sunwoo’s, softer and more approachable with the way his eyes sparkle even more with the help of the shine from above. Because this isn’t sport class, he wears his everyday uniform, his collar is properly presented and not a single speck of ramen soup makes its mark on the annoyingly white cotton. Even with the physical exercise he did, he still looks dashing and neat, wondering how his messy hair still looks attractive—but then again, men with messy hair have always captivated your heart. Jaemin’s kind personality is the final cherry on top and with how you usually have conversations like these when he’s benched or having a break, you’re certainly one of the girls who is attracted to him in no time. Your brown eyes travel further down his dazzling smile, to the black headset on his open palm.

A wave from Na Jaemin to your dazed face pulls you back to reality and you nod wordlessly to the question before. Like the gentleman he is, Jaemin doesn’t even ask you to turn to him but instead adjusts to your line of vision, slightly making the gap between the earpads bigger before resting the cushion perfectly for you. The way he did so was gentle, even tucking your hair strands behind your ear.

“Better?” Another wordless nod. Jaemin lets out an airy chuckle at your pursed lips, moving back beside you. “Here for Sunwoo?”

“And to kill time, I suppose.”

Your eyes wander back to the boy who’s working hard on the soccer field. It’s a usual routine for you to wait for his weekly soccer training so that you both can walk home together. Usually at this time, your nose would be buried in your textbooks, catching up on the work you missed due to the lack of sleep from the previous night. Usually, as well, the practice would be outdoors, the same squeaky sound being non-existent, the same one that ripped you out of your focus since the start of the practice round.

The whistle blares and the coach shouts at the team for a five-minute break. Sunwoo stops his jogging, hands on his knees as he leans to catch his breath while the rest of the team sends encouraging slaps on his back to their dear captain. Sunwoo sends a playful one back to their buttcheeks, the rowdy group enjoying the little gap before they have to get back in the zone. But this is when Sunwoo’s eyes fall upon his teammate and his best friend not too far away. His eyes soften at the way you just blink at Jaemin’s smile, betting that you’re not paying attention to a single thing that he’s saying. Unconsciously, he doesn’t realise how his hands clenched at the growing redness on your cheeks but Sunwoo doesn’t look away even when he walks to get his water bottle.

“Oh.” Eric teasingly remarks. “That’s not a good look, Sunwoo.”

“Shut up.” He mumbles back to his closest teammate. Even though he forces his back on you, he can’t help but steal obvious lovesick glances back.

“Jaemin said he’s going to ask your dearest bestie out on a date for Valentine's.”

Sunwoo tries his best not to let the comment get to him. “Well, she’s busy already.”

“With you?” Eric questions his trailing voice. “The guy she rejected?”

“Shut up!” Sunwoo groans to the boy, swinging his arm around his neck for a headlock. “You’re actually so annoying, Sohn. The whole cohort knows because of you!”

The poor boy begs for mercy, sending hits to his friend’s stomach. And Sunwoo does let go, poking his tongue out at the boy after. Overdramatically, Eric sends one back, calling mischievous names to the boy who is looking over to you once more. He couldn’t force himself to look away from the vital information that Eric said. Without knowing, his feet stride over to you both, finally catching the words from Jaemin’s moving lips.

“Can I take you out on Valentine’s Day? Are you free?”

Sunwoo sees the gears turning in your head and he pleads that you would reject the offer, pleading that you didn’t forget your words from last night. He’s looking forward to the day, especially when he researched a bunch of things that your brother likes, combining with the things you like to make sure the day will be well spent. But the breath he takes stops at his throat when you just continue to stare at Jaemin with wide eyes. Sunwoo might’ve imagined it, but he swears he could see the corner of your lips rising, your head probably thinking of a fun, romantic date with Jaemin.

It’s obvious to him even on the other side of the gym, that Cupid has shot his arrow.

“Yeah.”

The answer didn’t come from you, the response was too deep to be your timbre. The headphones did their job well, masking Sunwoo’s steps and leaving you confused by the clear and loud answer he gave. Excited at the confirmation of your empty schedule, Sunwoo’s heart churns at the way Jaemin excitedly holds your hands, turning your confused head tilt to him into another blushing one. Unfortunately, you were unable to say a word to any of the two boys, the coach beckoning everyone in the team over for the final part of their practice.

Faintly, you hear Jaemin saying that he’ll contact you and that you can return his headphones tomorrow in class. You just watch the way Jaemin hops back to the rest of the team while Sunwoo follows closely behind, his shoulders slightly slumping as he drags his feet to make that noise you hate.

The walk home isn’t as bad as you thought it would be. Sunwoo acts like the gym didn’t happen and you raise your eyebrows at his suspicious actions of him walking slightly in front of you even though he still talks about the parts of the day when you weren’t with him. With the slight gap, you observe the way his front bangs slump over his vision, covering his sullen eyes. The hands inside his pockets continue to tense and he tries his best to ignore the obvious crease between your eyebrows. He doesn’t even question the short answers you came up with in his storytelling. Even now as you arrive at your front door, Sunwoo doesn’t bring the topic up, choosing to send his usual smile and ‘see you tomorrow’.

But you refuse to let his actions go. “What was that all about back there?”

It puts Sunwoo’s feet rooted to the ground and he feigns an innocent look. “You know,” he starts now with a smirk on his face, “Na Jaemin could totally figure out that you have the biggest crush on him with the way you looked at him with those googly eyes of yours.”

“I do not have googly eyes when I look at Na Jaemin!”

“Sure, you don’t.” Rolling his eyes, “You were close to drolling over him back there.”

You could tell that he was just avoiding the subject and prolonging touching it until you just let it go. “Sunwoo.” The tone of your voice tells him that you're seriously looking for answers, “Why’d you say that back there? I thought we were babysitting my brother together?”

“It’s fine.” He swats his hand in the air. “You go have fun and I’ll look over the child myself.”

“But I—”

“Can you just stop complaining and go in? I’m tired from practice.” Sunwoo cuts you off, turning the doorknob and pushing you in with small strength. “See you tomorrow!”

He does close the door on your face, ignoring the inhale you take and walking away before you start rebutting his words. But with that, you also missed telling Sunwoo of your mum who stands leisurely behind him and when your mum greets him, Sunwoo gets the scare of his life, yelping and crouching to the floor, a hand over his chest.

“Serves him right for cutting me off twice.”

At this time, you didn’t realise the ache in your heart, too busy chuckling at his misery as your mum helped the poor boy before he disappeared out of your sight with multiple polite bows.

Now, Sunwoo is left to wallow in his stupidity. The devil in his head even shakes his head disapprovingly and the angel desperately tries to cheer him up, telling him that everything will be fine but it has no effect on the distraught boy. He lets out all the swear words that he knows, mumbling them to himself, criticising his past actions. A headache starts to form and he is unable to walk a straight line on the well-leveled road.

“You’re an idiot, Kim Sunwoo.”

He replays the earlier scene. The way your eyes fall on Jaemin fondly, the way all words seem to be lost when he speaks to you and the way you freeze when Jaemin holds your hand in his. His feet stop dragging on the stone when he spots an ice cream truck and the sweet fragrance of your favourite flavour. Even with small things like this, he thinks of you.

He observes the two friends who approach the vehicle, recognising the uniform as the same as the ones he has on. Judging by the satisfaction on the girl’s face and the complaints of the boy, Sunwoo assumes that the shorter one probably won a bet or something. His mind wanders to you once more, the dynamic of his two underclassmen similar to the one he shares with you.

More calm and accepting that he has probably lost you to Na Jaemin, if asked why he still chooses to stick with you after two rejections, Kim Sunwoo can.

The fastest and simple answer is that you don’t have a good schema for love. It was shattered the moment that you found out that your dad cheated on your mum four years ago. Your family fell apart shortly after your dad packed everything and left, leaving your mum alone as the sole parent when you were still trying to fully understand the world around you.

The rest of the world doesn't see how the separation affected you. However, Sunwoo was there during the times when you cried your eyes out, taking the frustrated punches on his chest, when you declared that you would never fall in love, scared of falling into the same fate as your mother especially when your dad has always voiced out that he loves his family and would always stay with them.

The world doesn't see how you hide behind his reassuring back whenever a male is too close for your liking. They don't see how you practically hold onto his arm with anxiety after a person confesses to you even though you're thankful that they look at you fondly. They don't see the fear in your eyes like Sunwoo has seen every single part of it.

When you would tease each other, like the time when he tackles you onto the bed, that's an exception. Sunwoo has always paid attention to your actions, both conscious and unconscious. He knows all about when you and when to keep his distance.

Thirty centimetres, sixty sometimes, and he would always wait for you to close the gap, stealing glances behind to make sure you were still following. Ninety-nine point nine per cent of the time, you would pick up your pace and Sunwoo would purposely slow down and the gap between the side of his arm and body would get bigger with each step you grow closer to him. When you clutch onto his arm again, he sends you that understanding gaze, mouthing a little 'hi' or 'hello' before facing forward again with newfound happiness.

The other point one is you asking if he could come back to stand beside you. But again, he would never ever touch you first and even when you arrive at your doorstep with no progress, Sunwoo would still look at you, reminding you of how proud he is and winks playfully to lift the corners of your lips before sending his 'see you tomorrow' still with happiness as his main aura.

It breaks Sunwoo’s heart whenever he sees you like that. That's the reason why he took his second confession back.

So when Kim Sunwoo, selfless and rooting for your genuine happiness, sees the different gaze that you send Na Jaemin, he can’t help but push his feelings aside. Plus, Na Jaemin is a good guy so he feels more reassured setting you up with the ace striker in the soccer team.

Cupid frowns down at the boy, his wings flapping sadly at the fake smile he puts on as he continues his walk home. It’s strange how he found himself sad for the dejected boy.

“Truly an idiot you are, Kim Sunwoo.”

Back home, you rewarded yourself with a warm shower. Though your physical body was able to let loose under the light sprinkles, your eyes couldn't help but mix in the metallic water with your salty ones. The water pressure manages to swallow most of your cries but the mirror doesn't lie when you see your red eyes after.

The gulp you took is painfully dry, tired from the tears from earlier. Your reach for the bathrobe is slow, letting the air cool touch your slightly red skin after the temperature. “At least he made it clear that he doesn't like me in that way.”

The knocks against the nearby room beckons a ‘Come in!’ from you and you quickly run the sides of your fingers on your eyebags as soon as you register the young boy from the mirror.

“Sis!” Dashing towards you, headbutting your back, “I heard Ddeonu hyung will be here tomorrow night!”

It's endearing to see how the news makes the little one jump, both his hands on your arm for support. A hand ruffles his already messy nest, “Be good tomorrow, okay?”

And the response morphs the smile upside down, “You’re not gonna be with us?”

Overloading with cuteness, you couldn't help but swivel around on your vanity chair towards your sibling, your hands pressing his cheeks, “With or without me, you're going to be with Sunwoo all day anyways!” Remembering all the times when he preferred to be in Sunwoo’s arms over yours, “Just don't make the poor raccoon run around too much, okay? He's getting old.”

“Does that mean he will fly to the cloud soon?”

“No, no.” Making a mental note to tell Sunwoo and imagining the way his jaw would drop at the wild question, “He's just old and tired now.”

Though confused at the repeated answer, the child seems to let it go, shrugging in satisfaction anyway at the plans for tomorrow. The smile upturned once more and you lift the boy much to his happiness, kicking his legs when you adjust his posture on your vanity table.

“Makeup!” He exclaimed about the objects around him, open palms to mimic a twinkling motion in the air.

“Makeup!” You echo, grabbing the cushion foundation. “Do you want to make me into a Princess?”

Obviously, he would not reject the offer, snatching the round object into his palm and patting the powder onto your neck.

“I'm going to make you the prettiest sister ever and raccoon hyung won't be able to take his eyes off you!”

Cupid shakes his head once more, his belly lying on the puffy cloud. He rests his chin on his palm, wondering how the similar-sized boy is more likable to him than the two blind adults—but it's obvious because he's not the stupid one.

“Well,” clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth, “this one is an idiot too.”

Leading up to Valentine's Day, you thought at the very least you could spend the missed day with Sunwoo but he's more than adamant about pushing you to Jaemin. Whenever he saw a window of opportunity, he would call the boy over, a big waving motion from his hand in the air.

Whenever Jaemin spots you, every part of his face lights up and yours is supposed to reciprocate the stars in his eyes. But how could you even see it when all you see is the whole universe in Sunwoo’s ones instead?

The realisation that it has always been Sunwoo scares you and it terrifies you even more that the same boy who has always given his heart to you is making the gap between you both larger, further away, more and more within arms reach for your comfort. At first, it was confusion but then every part of your aching heart just longed for his presence beside yours once more.

Jaemin reminds you of the date one last time, the final text before you part ways at the school entrance is bolded, italicised and underlined. And Sunwoo? He intruded the house way earlier than everyone expected but judging from the open arms from your mother and the way you could hear your brother’s shrieking from the other side of the house, it's obvious that you’re the only one who’s dreading the early visitor.

Speaking of the visitor, your brother made himself comfortable by sitting on his neck, hands gripping his hair to make two little pigtails. Seeing Sunwoo fit right into your family from the very start has always been heartwarming and you would've told your brother to pull on two tails if you weren't busy avoiding his eyes from the mirror.

“Look!” Sunwoo gasps to your brother, finger pointing to you, “Your sister is so pretty, isn't she?”

And it became ten times harder to keep your tears from falling.

“Thanks.” You managed to seeth out from gritted teeth.

“Come on! You're going to be late.” Reminding you of the long hand of the clock reaching the top of the circle when Jaemin promised to pick you up. “Which bag are you using?”

It's heartbreaking to see him just walk past you after the compliment, whistling leisurely as he looks through the pile of bags on the side hook of your wardrobe. You found yourself looking down at your lap, trying to shake off the nervousness and anxiety in your mind. You try your best to focus on the tension of your gripping fists, letting go and repeating to ground yourself back. The tears are starting to blur your vision but you push the sleeves of your outerwear over your knuckles and smudge them away.

The way that Sunwoo still entertains your brother as he takes the body of the bag in your direction, humming intently to see if the colour of your outfit will clash with the accessory, brings your emotions to their peak and you just want to run away from this situation. He settles on one, a victorious exclamation falling from his lips and begins stuffing your necessities himself.

“Phone,” checking off the mental list, “keys and wallet.” Your brother pointing at the lone lipstick left at the centre of the painted surface, “Ah! This too!” Putting the closed cylinder inside the small purse before the metal zips and is carefully balanced on your shoulder.

Your thankful mutter didn't go unheard by Sunwoo and so did the tinge of makeup on the sleeve that you used when he looked away for a brief moment.

“Hey!” Sunwoo cranes his head to speak to the younger, curious eyes. “Why don't you go on ahead first and pick what ramen you want?”

The kicking of his heels against his chest made him wince a bit, quickly putting your younger brother where he dashes off with his favourite food.

Throughout the whole exchange, it once again confirms the fact that Sunwoo is truly loving to the people around him. The way that he tries not to disappoint your brother, even if there are probably bruises forming from his kicking, the way that he peels his head out to make sure your brother is taking careful steps to the kitchen and finally, the beaming but adoration in his eyes when he finally lands on the casual outfit you're wearing.

“Wow.” A breathless chuckle, head empty with the sight of you.

His cheeks flushed and he couldn't help but stare at your stunning choice of outfit—if hoodies and no makeup could make his heart jump out of his chest, then he should go to the hospital because of your off-the-shoulder white top paired with the beige pleated skirt and cardigan.

“Okay?” You ask timidly, “L-Like, do I look okay?”

“You're stunning.” He says truthfully that your body goes numb, looking away from the sparkles in his eyes.

Now, that's new. “Hey…” Taking steps towards you, “What's wrong?”

But your heart is fighting so hard that you feel like you're about to give up. If Sunwoo is going to reject you, then you just want him to do it so that you can forget about all this and just go back to pretending that you will never have heart-shaped eyes for Kim Sunwoo ever again.

“Y-You’re okay with this?” The leather of your bag crinkles at your gripping question.

“Yeah,” Sunwoo answers. “Don't worry. Jaemin is a great guy.”

Your eyes widen at the comment, “No, I-I know that bu—”

But Sunwoo suddenly zooms into your face, even bending his back to make sure that you wouldn't miss the pout on his handsome face. His eyes landed on your lip-touched makeup, “Wait, can I have your lipstick? Let me retouch it for you.”

You couldn't even refute, feeling the cooling pink painting your lips, contrasting the palm on your cheek that steadies the delicate work on your lips. Why did he bother asking if he was just going to retrieve it himself? You're thankful Sunwoo can't multitask, missing the glimmer in your orbs as you try your best to keep your lips from shaking like your legs are slowly becoming. It’s clear that he didn’t know how to properly manoeuver the brush on your lips but you find yourself forgiving him even if your lips become a mess after this.

The defeated groans from his lips only made your heart swell and you take your time to look at him as if you’ve never done so before; from his eyelashes that flutter prettily, to his tongue that pokes out in concentration, it’s crazy how handsome someone can be when he's not doing anything special. The pads of his finger spread the colour, smacking his lips as a sign for you to copy which you eventually do.

“Done!” And just when your heart thought it could finally get a break, Sunwoo decides to play with it a bit more, fishing out a snap hair clip. His hands smooth any bumps that aren’t visible to the naked eye. A hand holds the side of your head gently, the other sliding the gift across your scalp carefully. “Alright, now let’s go!”

Your tears are so incredibly close to flowing but the lights of your room die like every hope of telling Sunwoo that you’re not as excited as he is for the night to come. But if this is Sunwoo’s way of completely rejecting any romantic feelings for you, then what can you do except to trudge down your hallway where even your brother wishes that you would have a fun time? The smile on your lips doesn’t reach your eyes when both boys remind you not to come home late in addition to Sunwoo’s “Text or call me if you need anything!”

You spare a final glance at the two, sombre smile plastered on your face. The last face you see is Sunwoo’s whose eyes still held on a smile even though yours has been wiped away. Maybe it was supposed to encourage you or maybe it’s nothing and you’re just reading too deep into it but if there’s one thing you know is that the night with Jaemin, even though he is a well-mannered man, a gentleman inside and out, your head couldn’t help but wish that it was Sunwoo who took you to the arcade, making sure your arms are filled with snacks and drinks.

You wished that after that, no one was there to pull your chair out, instead laughing at the way you almost tripped on air while trying to sit down. You wished that you could’ve just stared at the menu in contemplation and for Sunwoo to just choose for you so that he could silence the growling in his stomach.

Cursing the famous day as well, seeing the love around you, the couples enamoured by their partners all around you, it only made the guilt inside grow further.

By the time the night is spent, Jaemin knows that his feelings aren't reciprocated. First, it's the way you ask him to repeat his words multiple times. Second, it's the way that your eyes are blank, just your orbs staring into space. Third, it's the way that you try to discreetly check your smartwatch for notifications from your best friend at your home.

“I'm sorry.” Jaemin chuckles in response after he softly calls you out.

The boy shakes his head, hands inside his pants pockets. “I knew that you didn't like me. I guess I just wanted a chance to maybe change that once.” But then he sighs an understanding sigh, closing his eyes before fluttering them back at you, “but you're too far gone into your feelings to realise what I've been doing.”

Your eyes welled up with tears, apologetic at his words and Jaemin couldn't do much but give words of comfort after you explicitly stumbled away from his reaching hand, asking for physical space. You mutter a million apologies for today but Jaemin is respectful, convincing you that the friendship between you both won't change and that eases your mind.

“Should I text Sunwoo?” He carefully asks. “To pick you up.”

A shake of your head is what had Jaemin’s eyebrow furrowing. “It’s okay. I’ll text him right now.”

And though your makeup is a mess, transferring onto the sleeves of your cardigan more, Jaemin still thinks you're stunning, the clenching of his heart intensifying at the glitter you still managed to hold. Jaemin leaves you alone in a convenience store near your favourite beach and somehow, you manage to convince him to go on ahead first, leaving your thoughts alone in the night of love.

Your feet routinely take you along the beachside, taking shelter at the convenience store for a while, grabbing drinks and food to aid your broken heart. When you crouch for the bottle at the bottom shelf, your mind just has to remind you that someone wouldn't even let you do this, always protecting you from any wardrobe malfunction.

Your knees finally give out and the back of your thighs meet with the back of your lower leg. Your hands only clutche on the neck of the green bottle while you hide your distressed face behind the curtains that your hair made.

Thinking of it all infuriates you.

Why can't you just be more trusting towards others? Believe that not all of them are out to ridicule or make fun of you.

“Sunwoo…” You couldn't help but mumble as your tears finally painted your beige skirt darker.

Thankfully you were able to keep your emotions somewhat at bay, straightening your posture with the cooling drink in one hold. The cashier could only offer you an encouraging speech and an empathetic smile as soon as she saw the trail on your cheeks. The gesture is needed but the anxiety still weighs on your chest deeply. She must've thought that you've gone through a huge breakup on this unfortunate pinky day but you think the internal agony is worse.

For the last few hours or so, Sunwoo has been updating you with your baby brother through pictures. If only the pictures were just about the younger one and not a duo picture that once again shows that Sunwoo is a keeper when it comes to babysitting. The device is stashed in the bag that he chose from you earlier but if you could, you could honestly feed it to the sharks on the beach in front of you.

The wind provided you company, hitting your red apple-coloured cheeks to balance your rising temperature. You knew you shouldn't drink alone especially when the moon was high in the sky but you couldn't help but bask in the tide that hit the sand, pulling everything back into the body of water.

The tips of your toes are drenched and you would usually be running further away as soon as water hit your ankles but you didn't want to. It’s times like these that you’re thankful for the invention of safety shorts as you're able to sit in any posture you like without worrying. Your knees constantly bend and straighten, dragging the sand along with it and at this point, you've created a shallow hole.

“I mean,” you slur, “I’m so comfortable with Sunwoo so why can't I be the same with the others?” your eyes could only shut in self-contempt from today’s date, “And Jaemin was so respectful to me too…”

It’s frustrating that you can't trust others when they've done nothing wrong. The only thing that responded to the strike down your cheek was the last drop of liquid courage; now even objects have started mocking you.

“I have to stop relying on him,” a hiccup and a humourless laugh. “When he gets a girlfriend…” the thought cracks your heart into pieces and your knee grows closer to your chest, “Gosh, what am I doing?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

The deep voice and a couple of deep breaths made you turn back so quickly that you fell over sideways. The boy momentarily scolds you even more, grumbling, pointing at your ruined shoes tossed aside in the sand and exhaling whilst turning his head away to catch a break from the soaked ends of your outerwear. When the worry envelops him again, Sunwoo takes a better look at your state.

His tongue clicks against the roof of his mouth loudly and the crease between his eyebrows only deepens each time his eye focuses to another part of your face.

“Did you drink?! Alone?! I told you not to drink without me!”

His initial volume made you jump a bit, especially with how he directly circles behind you to pick up the discarded, lonely bottle. Sunwoo's nagging continues, crouching beside you to your eye level with the bottle making tunes from the wind. The pout answers him, along with the way your fingers fiddle on the hem of your sleeves. You had no intention of voicing out the answer now that he knows so you just say something else.

“You actually came…”

The ‘something else’ did make his ramble stop and his intense features started to soften and melt away when your words hit him.

“Of course, I came.” Reassurance above the whispering wind, “You texted me.”

Your lips couldn't even gape open with a response because Sunwoo takes a couple of steps back, away from you. Though his body is still facing yours with his shoes pointing at you and arms around his knees, the safe distance is what makes your head hurt at the many things you could say to him.

“Did you put him to sleep?” You opted for this conversation instead.

Sunwoo’s nods just got in your peripheral vision, but your nod is the centre of his.

You let the wind break you even more, not even raising your hand to move the strands that became trapped between your lower and upper eyelids, tickling your eyes when it finally is freed. Without a doubt, you know that Sunwoo is just watching you patiently, waiting for you to tell him to drop you home or to at least talk about the night whether it be his or yours. Your nervous system couldn't help but relax in his presence.

Inside, Sunwoo wants something from you too. An indication to move further and to close the thirty-centimetre gap he has created. Just anything so that he could finally leave the coldness that nips at his trembling skin. His bangs brushes over his sight but he still has a clear view of you. The side of his head only rests on his arm as he just stares at you, humming a tune that hopefully reaches you.

“Woo.”

“Hm?”

“Do you like someone?”

A series of stuttering and unsure hums came from him. Your knees push against your chest hard, burying your head between them. Soon enough, you're convinced that the pressure is what kept your heart together after the affirmative answer.

“I…” Here goes nothing, “was supposed to be with her today and maybe ask her out officially but she had other plans and so did I.”

“Oh.” You didn't know if he heard it. You kind of wished he didn't because of how sore your throat suddenly feels. “I’m sorry, I should've been the one to take care of my brother inste—”

“She was busy too,” Sunwoo repeated, words clearer and punctuated. “It doesn't matt—”

“Will I be able to trust anyone again?”

“W-Wha—”

“Will someone ever love me the same way that you love her?”

The thoughts haunt you every night when you're asleep and now that you finally share it with someone, you lose yourself in the alcohol and blurt out the impulsive thoughts.

“W-Whoa.” Sunwoo nervously chuckles. “Did the date really go that ba—”

“Do I know her?”

“Ye—”

“Tell me. Let me make sure she's a good person.”

The only response you get is a low groan and sigh; both from Sunwoo and the guardian Cupid above you both. The moonlight twinkles the curve of the forgotten bottle but it reminds Sunwoo that you're not in your right state of mind and that you're just pressing to get the thoughts out of your head rather than truly looking for answers.

For the first time, Sunwoo took action, dusting his clothes from the damp sand. You merely watch with half-hooded eyes as he strides against the swallowing sand, your head slowly turning from the side to the front where he settles himself. Sunwoo gives you a soft tug of the corner of his lips and his dancing bangs only make him all the more attractive. He tests the waters, holding his hand out to reach yours, permission to touch you through his gaze. When you nod, he doesn't hesitate to share his body warmth starting from his bigger palms, relieved at how you seem to let out a breath that you have been holding.

“Deep breaths, bubs.”

The nickname makes you swoon and makes his instructions unclear. Though the pounding on the side of your head makes it hard for you to morph Sunwoo’s clone together, the name managed to at least get your attention. With this, he didn’t mind the way his clothes drank the seawater when he kneeled, even dragging his fabric across the surface. Sunwoo responds with a jut of his lower lip when you just shoot him a glare but your act disappears when he opens his arms wide. Without any further hesitation, your forehead rests on his chest. One of his hands cups the curve of your waist and the other threads through your silky hair. The act makes your body shudder and you find your arms start to hold his middle even tighter when he collects your hair and tosses it over to a side, his palm now covering your whole nape.

“You’re alright.” Sunwoo muses. His diverts to yours and maybe you’re just imagining the adoration dripping from his eyes but you couldn’t help to speak a bit of your mind.

“You're doing it again…”

“Doing what?”

You didn't give him a verbal answer, the shake of your head and the whines you gave were enough for him to just embrace you into his presence. Sunwoo hides you from the world when he sees the tears brimming across the eyes that he’s fallen for. Daring, he presses a kiss on the top of your head, smiling fondly at your more balanced breathing.

“Let’s go home?” The shake of your head made Sunwoo rake for more ideas. “Wanna have a sleepover at my house then?”

“No.” Muffled answer from his chest. “You’re just going to make me sleep on the floor.”

“Hey! You lost the bet last time! Don’t blame your skill issue with rock-paper-scissors on me!”

“Fine then! I’ll just stay here for the rest of the night!”

Oh, he's so in love with you. Sunwoo only coos, his heart fluttering and content when you respond to the playful war that he wages.

“I’ll let you take the bed.” A raised eyebrow is what you offer him with when you crane your head and Sunwoo could tell the suspicion that you had against his words. “I’m serious!”

“Really?”

A roll of his eyes and a scoff, “As if I’ll let you take the floor knowing that you’ll be hungover tomorrow.”

“Well,” a shaky inhale, “you could.”

“Yeah?” This time it’s his turn to have an eyebrow raised. “Why would I do that?”

“Because when you go off and date someone, you won’t be able to keep doing whatever this is.”

“Yeah?” He repeats himself, desperate for a little bit more of your feelings. At least let me down properly, he thinks to himself. “And what happens if I don’t want to put my focus on someone else? What happens if I just want to keep focusing on you? What happens if I just want you in my life and no one else?”

Now, Sunwoo’s hands grip a hold on your upper forearm and pull you away from his body. The moonlight finally reaches your face and Sunwoo observes you thinking, his eyes boring into yours, silently pleading for some sort of indication that would end the pink and red swirls in his eyes whenever he catches even a glimpse of your figure.

“Then I would tell you that I like you and that I have for the longest time.”

Are drunken thoughts still sober thoughts in this situation?

Sunwoo’s head dips dangerously close and it takes everything in him to not press his lips onto yours. If you even allowed any words that imply that he may have taken your heart, he told himself he would look away even if it meant burying himself into the ground and never seeing civilisation ever again. The struggle is written all over his face: the tight wrinkles around his eyes that accommodate the crashing of his eyebrows, the protective hold he has on you and the way he presses his forehead onto yours with his hair tickling you, quiet exhales leaving his lips.

“Please don’t do this to me,” he pleads, “You’re drunk and I’m trying to not cross the line.”

“Cross it…” Mellow and enchanting. “I give you my consent.”

“Don’t.” He grits and tries to still his heart. “I can't…”

“Kiss me, Woo.”

Sunwoo swore that his heart almost leapt out of his chest when his eyes shot open, immediately growing bigger with how you nudged the tip of your nose to his. His temperature receptors feel the shift of the warmer air growing closer to his lips and he can’t help but focus on the way your eyelids flutter close.

The attraction is fatal and so is the small distance left. Unconsciously, even though it’s wrong, he couldn’t help but adjust his position, wanting to claim you as his even if it’s just for a while. Just when your lips are mere millimetres away from touching, Sunwoo denies the touch of heaven, the angel inside gets his hands to fly and block the intimate act with his fingers. A hand cups your cheek, tracing along your jawline and a thumb slots in between your plump lips from reaching his. His breath hitches when you peek at the smooth surface, void of the curves that you were expecting. He watches the stars fade from your eyes, replacing them with a wall that he couldn’t decipher.

Through his eyelashes that flutter quietly and the painful gulp, he prompts you once again, “Let’s go home.” More resolute and grounded than before. “We can talk about this tomorrow.”

The thumb did leave the presence on your cupid’s bow but lingers at your lip’s bottom edge. Sunwoo watches as your lips bounce back after he lightly pulls it down and he sees the dullness from your eyes with every single second that passes. He shoves his sleeves past his fingertips, wrapping the grey around his pointer and starts to collect your confusion on his sleeves.

“I-I’m sorry.”

He could tell it was genuine and he assumed that you might’ve sobered up a little bit within the last couple of seconds. Sunwoo met your forehead once again with his thumb that still held you like you were as fragile as the glass bottle that had been discarded.

“Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going to leave you. Don’t even bother to think of those things ever again.” He reassures your muddled-up mind. “I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

Between your hazy vision and the churning of your stomach, the only indication you could give is a nod and outstretched arms towards his now-standing figure. Sunwoo adoringly chuckles, bending down and supporting your weight by scooping you up by your waist. He kept your body close to his even when he turned around and kneeled, patting his back for you to slump over.

Out of energy, your arms lazily dangled during the walk, elbows resting on his shoulders during the whole walk. Truth be told, his back aches because you couldn’t get a proper grip on him but he knows as soon as he straightens his back to a more comfortable position, you might actually hit your head and wake up in the hospital. The walk back to his car is quiet, chattering filling the background noise. If you’re awake, you can feel the shaking of his thighs as he carefully rests you on the cushioned seat, an arm coming over his head onto the back of yours as a safety measure from the upper door frame. Without a single sound from you, he successfully buckles you securely in the front seat. Your coat is gently undressed from you to be used to cover your legs, the short skirt only makes you shiver in the night.

“Why do cars always sound so loud?”

Sunwoo complains when he twists the car key to start the engine. His eyes fall to you again, observing your sleeping figure who is unaware of the little jumps and loops his heart made. His pointer reaches over to the loose strands that tickle the front of your face. From the back of your ear, he holds his breath at your slightly gaped lips that pull him closer, drawing him nearer to share a kiss with you. Why did you have to look so stunning despite the reeking alcohol that only becomes stronger in the small space?

Though faint, his reflection from the front window stares at him and he can’t help but sink further into the seat, wanting to hide and run away from himself. “Will you ever look at me the same way?” he grumbles hopelessly into the palms that shield him from reality before driving towards his house.

The exhaustion from the eventful day finally washes over him as soon as he parks his car in one go. Usually, you would give an impressed look and Sunwoo would wiggle his eyebrows when you only scoff at his achievements. The connecting door to his house opens, throwing his things inside the hallway without much thought before jogging back to your side. His eyes narrow, concentrating on making as minimal noises as he can whilst opening the metal surface that separates you and him. A hand pushes on the door while the other does the contrasting action with the handle to avoid the loud click that vehicles make. Thankfully your head isn’t resting on the door, something that he made sure didn’t happen so that you could rest in his house without the bumps of the road lifting your head and slamming it back down due to ruthless gravity.

And as much as Cupid’s curly blonde hair is between all the sides of his fingers, he mastered the art of patience and ‘trusting the process’ as he took a series of deep inhales.

Throughout the whole time, Cupid is impressed at how blind you both prove to be. It’s obvious now as he pays attention to the way Sunwoo treats you and the way that you desperately clutch on his jacket that you both are more than best friends. He ponders if he should shoot another arrow even though the initial one he shot is showing progress.

In this line of work, where he’s used to shooting, and observing for a while before going to another potential couple, he seems to be stuck with the couple in front of him. Up until now, he has never thought to shoot the second arrow that is reserved for a couple that makes him look away distastefully. He’s never met one that makes him take them out of their trance as it’s obvious it became more bad than good for them but what he’s twirling in his hand is not that.

But he starts to think about his decisions whenever you're hurting because of the world and he starts to think of the shatter in Sunwoo’s heart whenever he's around you.

Is it worth it to have you both come together?

“But you know,” the arrow stops between his pointer and thumb, the crest hitting the perimeter of the stationary cloud. Cupid continues to peer over the two, finding himself squealing with the way Sunwoo continues to make teasing jokes to make sure you don’t fall asleep behind the bathroom door while brushing your teeth and changing into your favourite hoodie of his. “I don’t think shooting one towards these two will do much.”

He smiles knowingly, completely immersed in the way that Sunwoo hops over to cradle your head into his chest as soon as you open the door. Your mind is still under the scorching forty percent but you didn't miss the way Sunwoo’s fingers rub on your exposed thigh when he brings you to his bed bridal style.

And if he shoots another arrow?

Oh, Cupid knows that you’re both more than just teenagers in love. Especially in your case, terrified, and for Sunwoo who just wants to see you happy—another arrow means nothing if you both don’t learn and figure out this obstacle yourselves.

With Sunwoo’s help, you’re snugged underneath his blanket, pulling it up to your nose, just the way you like it. The laundry detergent brings you rest, and your brain immediately relaxes as it associates the scent with safety. Your body rests on its side and you watch Sunwoo as he takes a kneeling position on the side of his bed, taking his hand to yours while his other forearm rests on the bouncy futon. The act makes his heartbeat increase once more. “Sunwoo.” The boy only keeps his affectionate eyes on yours while he strokes your hair. “Thank you for picking me up.”

The brushes of his thumb on the back of your palm could lull you to sleep. “Can I sleep on the living room couch today then?” Mischievously suggesting, knowing how much you would complain about leaving you alone in the room for the whole night.

The question makes you pout awake again, “You’re going to leave me?” Maybe you weren’t up for the joke and Sunwoo smiles sadly, clearing his throat and shaking his head assuringly.

“I’m just joking with you.” An airy laugh seeped out from his lips. “I’ll sleep on the floor.” Pointing at the unoccupied space behind him. “Don’t worry.”

“Or you can sleep next to me…”

Cupid feels the tension in the air after your suggestion. He propels the bed of clouds, flying closer to have a better view of you two. He’s so invested in the way Sunwoo softly looks at you that the shake of his head after some thinking makes him scream once more, burying his face into the white puff of air.

“Why not?” You scooted against his bed, making space to prove your point that the bed was big enough for you both. “It’s not like we’ve never done it before…”

“I know.” Sunwoo stands from his kneeling position but you refuse to let go of his hand. Instead, your hands slide up from his wrist to entangle them between his fingers. “Bubs…”

“I’m scared.” That’s all it took for Sunwoo’s knees to hit the floor again, coming closer to you. “What if I do manage to fall in love but then I just get hurt?”

“Then he’ll deal with me.” It elicits a whimper from you and your vision suddenly blurs once more. The tears brim up more when Sunwoo’s hand cups to rest against the apple of your cheeks with his knuckles, brushing in a circular motion. “Love them, it’s okay.”

The pressure you’re exerting on his fingers makes him furrow his eyebrows. “You’re okay with that?”

“If he makes you happy then I’m okay with that, yes. If he is the one that will make you believe in love again, then yes.” And his shoulders shrug, not as a way to say that he doesn’t care about your feelings because he does—everyone how much he cares for you. “I just want you to be happy.”

“Then make me happy.”

There it is again.

The implication that makes his eyes dart his focus from your heavy eyelids to the small gap between your lips. It travels down to your joined hands that lay next to your plump lips. He loves it. The sight of your hands, intertwining beautifully between his and the way that you’re holding him close to you as if his presence is a gift—if only he knew how much you treasure him.

“Get some sleep okay?” Ignoring it once more by throwing his eyes to his lap.

By some miracle, Sunwoo manages to break free from your hands but not before he wipes away the leftover final drops from your doe eyes. He didn’t completely leave your side just yet though. Sunwoo just sinks his right forearm on the edge of his bed, his left on top before resting his chin later on. His eyes blinked and he held the momentary darkness for a few seconds longer before opening them again. You understand, nodding defeatedly. With Sunwoo looking over you, admiring you even though he’s much more exhausted after running around your house with an energetic child, you were able to finally slumber off to sleep. He only thought about standing when heard your drowsy breathing becoming soft snores. Even then, his hand snakes behind your nape and under all your strands, pulling your luscious locks up to hang over his pillow and leaving the cold air to cool your exposed skin.

“I love you.”

And that’s when Cupid made up his mind.

The first thing that greets you when the flock of birds chirps too loudly for your liking is the gutting feeling of wanting to run down to the toilet bowl and empty the contents of your stomach. The second thing that hits you is the desert down your throat, your hand blindly rummaging on the bedside table to find the familiar shape of your water bottle. The third thing that hits you is the remnants of a tight non-existent band that wraps around your head.

It’s all a good potion to remind yourself never to drink so much liquor in such a short period.

But the fourth thing that hits you as you rise to a sitting position, thumb and pointer running up horizontally across your eyebrows, is the familiar room that isn’t yours. It takes you a while to notice but you recognise the one familiar arcade teddy bear on the very unorganised study table on the opposite of the room. The picture framed your scowl while the owner of the room held his phone up, tongue sticking out to the camera with the little peace sign above your head.

“Shit…how the heck did I get here?” Your bed hair becomes a bird's nest in a matter of seconds. “Wait so last night I went to the convenience store,” tracing your steps carefully, “drank at the beach…” but a blank after that, “Sunwoo must've picked me up.” The dread hits at the name you just spoke, “I’m not ready to face him!”

The blanket is ripped out from your lower body, and the drop in temperature sends goosebumps all over your body. Quite simply, you're embodying the term of waking up on the wrong side of the bed without its metaphorical meaning.

There was no point in peeking through the slit between the door and the frame of Sunwoo’s bedroom because you knew directly on the other side is a wall with framed pictures of the family who resides there. You ready yourself with an inhale through your nose, preparing a bunch of words despite the still evident headache before exhaling through your mouth.

The smell of batter and vanilla becomes more evident as soon as your hand creaks the door open. It excites you knowing that your favourite breakfast isn't too far away from reach. The smile that you gave though, reminds you of the pressing matters when it strikes pain through the veins on the side of your head.

Your exclamation to the feeling is what rips Sunwoo out of his daydream, turning around to see you tiptoeing not too far behind him like a thief.

“You're awake.”

Beside him, a tower of the perfectly circular cooked batter is stacked in five, maple syrup around the rim of the treat as it drops down naturally onto the rest of its friends below. You could tell that he probably timed each side with how uniform the colours of each side were. Sunwoo hasn't picked up the panic behind your eyes, setting the plate on the island between you both.

“Take this first.” He pops the white pill from its aluminium seal and reaches for the full glass of water he prepared earlier from the fridge.

Sunwoo didn't know that his proud smile would fall as quickly as you almost did when you stepped back. His feet rooted themselves to the slippery wood underneath, his eyes widening even though you managed to grab hold of the backrest of the couch next to you.

“Are you alri—”

“I should take my leave now.” You rushed to say, “My mum must be wondering where I am.”

“I told her last night, don't worry.”

Right. Just like all the times he has done whenever you fell asleep on his shoulder while watching anime with him.

“Eat something first and I'll drop you home.” His head tilted to the alluring warm cakes on the table.

The perfect cylinder on his hand would have slipped from his sweaty palms with how you shake your head in the slightest. Now he's picking up something. Do you remember the events from last night? No, you've always been a forgetful one and he would help you remember by setting up cues and would always have his camera facing you to record the horror creeping up your face.

Whatever it is, he felt the need to take the lead first, especially with how you're avoiding even looking his way and sitting down on the board of the furniture from before, your hands gripping the polyester beside your body. He's not too far away from you, maybe a metre apart but he's feeling anxious with the air himself, turning away from you momentarily.

You hear the exhausted exhale from your best friend and that made you scared to even look his way. The rim of the glass hits the marbled top. “I'm not going to do anything to you, you know?”

“Of course I know…” Keeping your emotions at bay.

“Then?”

Cupid raised both his eyebrows, hoping that you would be able to find the courage to rightfully confront Sunwoo for the feelings in your heart. His hands clamp together, lacing together as he rests his forehead on the knuckle of his thumb, silently encouraging the growth of the couple in front of him.

“I know that it’s my fault too that I didn’t speak up about the date with Jaemin. I should’ve been more honest to him first and foremost because he’s done nothing but nice to me and yes! The date was really nice and he was a gentleman like you said Sunwoo but,” the implications of the last word wipes the proud smile that he had, lips pursed to a thin line, “I wish that you didn’t put me on the spot especially when you know that I’m scared of being around men.”

There was no audible answer that he could truly give you. What you said is true and he hates that he projected to hide his feelings for you in the worst possible way. He left you alone at night, in the hands of someone that he can’t fully tell your mother honestly that he knows. The shake of his head is slow but harsh and with a glance, you could hear the cogs turning inside the distraught boy’s head.

“I’m sorry.” Wavering in fear.

“Please don’t be.” He responds. “I’m sorry.”

Despite shutting his eyes, Sunwoo feels the looming shadow that falls over his slumped figure against the tabletop. His hands join together, a loud clap making you jump a little bit at the force of his thoughts. You watch as his hands drain the blood flow, slowly making his fist white. And though your chest hurts from the anxiety running through your veins, you decided that it was best for you to clear the awkward air.

What you did is beyond anyone’s imagination but it felt right as compared to last night—as compared to all those times two years ago. Your fingers cradle the underside of Sunwoo’s jawline, separating his chin from his chest and angle his shocked face to yours. Sunwoo would’ve genuinely run away usually, maybe even letting out one of those screeches that would leave you scolding him for the pounding of your eardrums, but something else is pounding in both of your chests and it’s syncing with each other for the first time.

You move little by little, your toes slowly moving in so that you can stand between his slightly open legs until the sides of your knees are between his. Slowly, the anterior side of his forearms starts to lift from the surface behind him, testing the waters to hold you in his arms by ghosting his already encircled arm around your middle. When you nod, Sunwoo finds himself tightening the hold immediately, pulling you into the crook of his neck while your fingers thread on the loose white of his fabric. His fingers widen their reach, wanting to feel your figure on a wider surface area.

“I’m in love with you.”

It’s such a simple line.

It wasn’t extravagant nor was it unique or poetic, yet you find yourself wanting to record it so that you could play it back whenever and wherever.

“I know you’re scared.” He affirms to your growing whimpers. “But I want to continue to love you if you’ll let me.”

Now it’s official. There was no buildup to the streams down your cheeks but you still let yourself indulge in the pent-up frustration over your lack of trust for the boy who is holding you like you’re the most precious thing in the whole world.

“If our friendship is going to end and you'll never look my way ever again, then at least please let me hold you a little bit longer.”

You wish you could at least have enough strength to throw some punches on his chest but you’re breathless in both the way your throat begs for air and in the way Sunwoo nudges the tip of his nose to a sensitive part of your neck. The same area grows colder without any effort and it takes you less than a second to realise that Sunwoo is crying himself.

“Why are you crying?” You ask as best as you can through your tears.

“Because you’re crying.” He simply answers. “It hurts me that you’ve gone through so much.” Sunwoo’s lips shudder, taking in small breaths himself. “But I’m really proud of you.”

“You say that all the time.”

Sunwoo chuckles, acknowledging the times he did say it. “And I’ll never get tired of saying it.”

Cupid relaxes his shoulders when you both slightly pull away, tender eyes looking upon each other with a wide grin appearing on you both but he could tell you both are trying your best to not look away, wanting to live in the love that the other shared in the moment. He was about to flap his wings, thinking that it was enough eavesdropping for today but you quickly pressed a light pucker to Sunwoo’s left cheek. Then to his right. Then to his philtrum. He couldn’t help but cover his eyes at your daring act but what made him push back further to the corner of the room to give you space were your words.

“Cross the line, Sunwoo.”

Sunwoo grips your waist, groaning against your lips and he’s momentarily still until you swipe the crease forming on his forehead and whisper a variation of assuring words. That’s all it takes for Sunwoo to finally close the gap between you both. It’s no longer a metre, sixty or thirty centimetres, not with the way his hands roam all over your body, needing more confirmation that you’re the one kissing him. His hands slide from your waist, gently to cup both of your bottoms, pushing you up closer to him. It elicits a soft gasp from you but Sunwoo pulls on your bottom lip to connect you back to him. Your dazed eyes met his dark ones and he took this time to swipe his wet muscle across the teeth mark to soothe the pain.

Feverish for affection, your zooms towards his lips once more, locking the plumper ones between yours before pulling away with a soft hum and engulfing the other one to give it the same amount of love. Sunwoo’s heart melts at the way you lightly tug on his scalp, the other hand sliding down along his nape and resting your palm on his collarbone. What makes him crazy is the vertical swipes that you give on his defined collarbones. He parts the kiss, pushing himself off the edge of the table and lifts you there, trapping your body with his palm on either side of your body.

“Bubs.”

“You okay?”

“More than okay.” Sunwoo chuckles, devouring your lips once more. “Can I kiss you somewhere else?” As soon as the confirmation is given, a warm hand wraps on the back of your neck and Sunwoo starts to alternate the pressure from his open mouth on the side of your neck, starting to mark you his.

The black strands of his hair swallow every part of your gripping hold on him but he smirks against your skin with the little pretty sounds dripping from your lips.

“S-Sunwoo.” Realising now that he’s painting you on a visible area. “My mum and brother are going to see.”

It’s not that you’re embarrassed by him—never him—you’re just shy at the new colour that he places on you, completely unfazed by what others think.

Possessive Kim Sunwoo—you could live with that.

“Can I pull the hoodie down a bit then?” Sunwoo pants against your skin, rough and slightly out of breath. “Only if you want it.” And he made sure you’re comfortable with whatever it’s going to be with how he wipes the forming sweat on your upper spine.

You spent what it feels like a minute holding his gaze to you. “I trust you.”

And he’s back to creating a masterpiece on your skin. Three of his fingers hook on the neckline and expose the body part that he wants to place his hungry lips on next. He watches the way your collarbones become more visible when you deeply inhale and he waits for your next breath patiently. When it does come, you slightly throw your head back at the pleasure of his soft nimbles. Sunwoo didn’t even want to spend a second away from you, his hand pushing on your lower back to press him up against you more. Your mewls are what motivate him more, pushing him just a bit more to finish the work in progress that he has in his head, pivoting his lower lip to a different angle and pressing the final press on you.

You release a breath you didn’t even know you held and Sunwoo frowns at the way you limp your upper body onto him, arms around his shoulder for support.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to do it that hard.”

Your hair ruffles against his when you shake your head. “Don’t be, I enjoyed it.”

Again, the room is filled with light chuckles once more, your dangling legs kicking the air at the shared moment together. Slowly but surely, the sweat evaporates from your face but your blush is still very evident. But before you become too shy and run away once again, you respond to his words that made you both cry in each other’s safety.

“I love you too, Kim Sunwoo.” Sunwoo’s hand that has been running up and down your back stops, wondering if he heard the right words. You turn to the vein on his neck, kissing along the line until the shell of his ear. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

Sunwoo’s heart combusted at that and he only buries his heating face into your shoulder, making you giggle even more. His whole body is on cloud nine and he’s truly the luckiest person in the world to receive such words from you.

“I want to look at you.” He says before pulling away once more, hands planted next to your thighs once more.

Sunwoo’s slender fingers tucked your strands behind your ears, squishing your cheeks in between and said a relay of sweet nothings. Even though his eye smile is mostly on you, occasional glances were being stolen somewhere else. Knowingly, your finger pulls the cloth down and you watch the shift of mischievousness start to leave.

“Is it pretty?”

The adjective is an understatement. Of course, he wanted to say ‘yes’ because it’s his art that he’s proud of. He's the one who put the distinct heart shape there, his teeth mark slowly fading on the tip of the heart where he pivoted before and the remnants of him still slightly shine on your skin thanks to the overhanging light.

“You’re prettier.” Quickly stealing a peck from your lips to silence your shy complaints. “Be mine?”

“Valentine’s Day passed, Woo.”

“Be mine for life then.”

Oh, Kim Sunwoo really does have a way with his words.

“Plus, I’m glad that we didn’t become official yesterday.” Shrugging when you tilt your head, still with that cute smile of yours. “Now we don’t have to spend our Anniversary and Valentine’s Day on the same day. More mandatory days to spend with you.”

A light shove on his chest is what you respond with but your other hand already had a grip on the lower hem of his shirt. Sunwoo almost stumbled when you pulled him back, enveloping your lips with his.

“Thank you for never giving up on me,” Hands cradling your jaw, yours doing the same and you make sure your feelings are known, “I love you so much.”

“I love you more.”

Guess Cupid changed his arrow’s trajectory much to Sunwoo’s content.

Or maybe, it’s not really his doing after all.

Truth is, Cupid never shot an arrow in Kim Sunwoo’s way.

In reality, Cupid actually shot his chance to Na Jaemin and him only—but even he has made a wrong guess. The trust and hope that you and Sunwoo share are unmatched compared to the lovesick eyes that he has matched people with.

“A love that’s greater than my powers…” Though defeated and his self-confidence took a bit of a downfall, how truly upset can he be when he sees you and Sunwoo just embracing each other, body to body, close and loving each other just the way you both are?

He’s glad of his decision to shoot that second arrow to the other boy after you both fell asleep last night.

“Now that’s a mistake that I can live with.”

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 'especially to you...' tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here!): @deoboyznet 📢❤️ @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️ @kflixnet 📺🍿@heemingyu @cupidjyu

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deedeekpop · 9 months

Text

NCT

Johnny

Nothing yet...

Taeyong

Nothing yet...

Yuta

Nothing yet...

Kun

Nothing yet...

Doyoung

Smartass- Angst, fluff, colleagues to lovers, enemies to lovers, teacher au

Doyoung, the Korean teacher, seems to have it out for everyone. Intrigued, you attempt to break down his walls.

Ten

Nothing yet...

Jaehyun

Nothing yet...

Sicheng

Nothing yet...

Jungwoo

Nothing yet...

Mark

Nothing yet...

Dejun

Nothing yet...

Kunhang

Nothing yet...

Renjun

Nothing yet...

Jeno

Nothing yet...

Donghyuck

Nothing yet...

Jaemin

Nothing yet...

Yangyang

Attitude Problem- Angst, fluff, enemies to lovers, celebrity au

After being stranded in the middle of nowhere, famous rapper Yangyang’s only hope is the one person who hates him more than anyone.

Chenle

Nothing yet...

Jisung

Nothing yet...

Series

Nothing yet...

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sunshinesukuna · 5 years

Text

divine | nct jaehyun teacher!au x reader

Summary: The kids practically pushed you toward one another.

Genre: Fluff

“And that marks the end our lesson on cell structure and function,” you said. The students in front of you cheered and clapped. “Don’t get too excited, yet. You haven’t even done your exams.” The cheering turned into groans of dissent. You could hear someone muttering things about you in the back.

“I heard what you said, Jackson. Come see me after school later.” Jackson seemed to brush it off, scoffing and looking away. Somebody knocked on the door.

“Come in!” you called. Leaning on the doorframe in thin glasses and several papers in his hands. it was the school’s resident heartthrob, Mr. Jung Jaehyun. He taught mathematics, and you had often consulted with him when you were faced with difficult physics problems.

“Well aren’t you being awfully mean to the students,” he remarked. “And I believe that the class period has changed.”

“Oh, hello Mr. Jung. I was just tidying up, no need to mind me. And Jackson needs to come to me after school because I was going to give him a few tips on his dancing with... GOT7?” You swiveled your head towards the blonde-haired boy. Jackson’s eyes were as big as saucers.

“Am I right?” you asked. “Your b-boying earned you that trophy at the Arts Festival last month, but your dancing still lacks technique, and you need a brushing up on the basics, Jackson.”

You gathered up your books and laptop. Most of the class was still dumbstruck at what you had just said. You started walking to the exit.

“I see. By the way, your outfit looks good today, Miss (Y/N),” Mr. Jung said. You didn’t know what to respond with, so you simply nodded your head and went to your next class.

Over the next few weeks, you met Mr. Jung in small but sweet little encounters. You were moving between classes again and stumbled upon Mr. Jung. He was wearing a smart black suit. One of his hands ran through his hair. Suddenly, you got why all these people were calling Mr. Jung the school heartthrob. He was.. well... really damn handsome.

“Miss (L/N),” he said as he passed by during break one day.

“Mr. Jung.” You wanted to ask him about some meeting results from last week, but you must not have been paying attention. A puddle caught you by accident. You felt yourself falling through the air. Trying to reach for something was impossible in the hallway. Nothing was there to cushion your fall except... Mr. Jung’s arm.

“Oh! Are you okay?” Mr. Jung asked. You hoisted yourself up. The students’ excited murmuring were all pointed at you. Some female students were glaring at you, but Mr. Jung paid no mind to them at all.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m alright.” Your brain was having trouble stringing together words. Small shocks of electricity prevented your body from being to function normally. You freed yourself from Mr. Jung’s grip. “Don’t need to worry about me, ‘cause I’m... gotta go!”

What, what, what, what, what, you thought over and over. You had just made a fool of yourself in front of Mr. Jung. Now he would think you were a total weirdo. You stopped by the bathroom to get yourself together. The person in front of you was sweaty with disheveled hair. After returning back to a better state, you walked out of the bathroom and went to go to your second class.

Fate would have you meet Jung Jaehyun again, this time, at break in the staff room. Your stomach let out a loud grumble. The last meal you had eaten was last night’s dinner, and your stomach was not putting up with it. Mr. Jung looked up at you.

“Are you hungry, Miss (L/N)?” he asked. You waved your hand.

“No, not really. I just didn’t have breakfast.”

“Have mine.” He slid a sandwich from his table. You picked at the plastic covering it before sliding it back to him.

“No, it’s really alright, Mr. Jung. I’ll just buy something at the convenience store later at break.” You opened your laptop again, trying to get him to take back the sandwich.

“No, no, no. Just take it. You have a class after this, right?”

“Well, yes, but-” He stood up. Picking up the sandwich in his long and nimble hands, he put it in your lap.

“Eat. And call me Jaehyun.” Mr. Jung Jaehyun extended his hand. The corners of his lips went up in a smile. Gosh, he really is handsome. You shook hands with him.

“Then call me (Y/N).”

The halls were empty and deserted. Outside were some kids playing basketball for their extracurricular activities. There were bound to be some students inside too, but none of them were showing up. You passed an empty classroom with its door ajar. Walking up to it, you were prepared to close the door, when you heard your name.

“And so we’re going to lead Miss (L/N) here, and you’ll be out here, and-” a student babbled from inside. From the crack in the door, you spied several students and... Jaehyun?

��I heard my name being called? Is there anything that needs me?” you said, bursting in. The students stuffed something into a drawer. You confirmed your suspicions. Ten students were crowded around two tables, with Jaehyun at the head.

“Um, oh, yeah!” a student said. You recognized them as the head of the student council. “The student council needs your help with these matters, and since your our supervisor...” The student led you out of the classroom. They began to talk about an upcoming student event and how the student council would step in.

You nodded and gave bits of advice all while looking back at the classroom. Only one question was stuck in your head for the rest of the day. What was that man up to?

The rest of the week went smoothly. You still had your little encounters with Jaehyun, and each day he was getting sweeter and sweeter. One day, he gave you a ride home on his motorcycle when your car broke down. Another day, he bought you some food for lunch.

Finally, Friday arrived. One last day and you would get two more days of more work! The only thing that relieved it was the fact that you got to do the work at home, instead of at school.

It was a free period, so you were roaming the halls in search of a student you needed to speak with. “Miss (L/N)! Miss (L/N)!” somebody called. You turned back to find the head of the student council behind you. They were panting, exhausted after running.

“What’s the matter?” you asked.

‘Well-” the student paused to take a long breath. “We’re setting up the gym for next week, and we wanna see what you think of it.” You put your hands on your hips. Well, at least this would occupy you for some time.

“Yeah, sure, let’s go.” On the way, the student chattered along about the progress of the event. He pointed out key locations around the corridors that they would use later on. However, none of his words seemed to be staying in your head.

Thought of a man snuck into your brain. A man with soft brown eyes that crinkled whenever he laughed. A man whose voice was as smooth as fresh hotel sheets. A man who had captured your heart.

Jung Jaehyun.

The student had left you at the doors of the hall, saying that they needed to go check on something else. You opened the door.

In place of the harsh lights above, spotlights were installed up above. The dim light made it almost impossible to see. Suddenly, a huge spotlight on top of you lit up.

“What is-”

“Oh, (Y/N). I don’t know how to say this, but let’s get it on,” Jaehyun said, scratching the back of his head.

“I really, really, like you. I don’t know, there’s this-” he paused for a while. “This warm, feeling in my heart whenever I see you. I feel really giddy and warm and just- just wonderful.”

“Oh Jaehyun,” you rushed up to him. Your small height was no match for his taller and stockier physique. He slinked his arms along your waist and pulled you closer.

“Be my girlfriend?” Jaehyun asked, bringing forth a single rose.

And without you knowing it, your lips were on his silky ones. Jung Jaehyun’s scent was enveloping you all at once, loose strands of his hair touching your eyes, and it all felt divine.

#jaehyun #nct jaehyun #jaehyun nct #nct #jung jaehyun #jung yoonoh #nct jung jaehyun #nct jaehyun imagines #nct jung jaehyun imaginees #jaehyun nct imagines #nct jaehyun teacher au #teacher au #jaehyun teacher au #jaehyun nct teacher au

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hannie-dul-set · 3 years

Text

breakup prank with nct 127.

due to popular demand (one person) here is the 127 version. yes, mark and haechan are still here don't ask why because i don't have an answer.

dream ver.

taeil:

johnny:

taeyong:

yuta:

doyoung:

jaehyun:

jungwoo:

mark:

haechan:

#just had a very memorable class with a teacher who we were this close to reporting in the beginning of the semester :(((#😭😭😭✌️#nct 127 x reader #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 au #nct 127 fake texts #taeil x reader #johnny x reader #taeyong x reader #yuta x reader #doyoung x reader #jaehyun x reader #jungwoo x reader #mark x reader #haechan x reader #nct x reader #nct scenarios #nct au

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ssin-ent · 3 years

Text

Private lesson pt.2: the office

part 2 is finally hee! I've never wrote something like this, !I Tried to work as much on the plot, evolution of feelings and the nsfw parts equally! it was a lot -anD tough- work to make it as perfect as poasible

I hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I liked writing it!

part 1 here

warnings: johnjae x reader, teacher johnny, dilf johnny established relationship, con/ non con, cheating, discover of feelings ( gay little jaehyun* wink *wink), handjob, voyeurism, mature language, blowjob, pet names, 3some, they're all just horny for each other

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

You met mr. Suh again the following week, his classes following your little intercourse were torture everytime . You couldn’t stop thinking about him, your heart racing every time he walked past you or even looked in your direction.

So you met Johnny again.In his office this time, leaving Jaehyun worried outside of the building ,who was waiting for you like every other day after your classes.

You were 40 minutes late, not answering his texts, Jaehyun raced to one place, trusting his intuition , - deep down wishing he was wrong-, thousands of thoughts about how he was going to get Mr. Suh fired for daring to lay his hands on you.

He slammed the door loudly , the sound resonating in the empty hallways, he found in front of him, the said man sat at his desk, just pulling his head up to greet him warmly, unphased by the sudden entrance.

“Do you need something? you look pretty concerned, go on take a seat” Johnny gestures him, like a gentleman

“Shut the fuck up, I know y/n is with you” Jaehyun violently spit back

At the sound of his voice your heart thumps in your chest, you freeze under the desk, you try to pry off Johnny's cock in your mouth only to have his hand pulling you back down , stroking your hair to sush you down .

“Well, she’s a bit busy right now” Johnny says with a smirk as he throw a glance at you under his desk

You can’t see the way Jaehyun looks at Johnny right now, contemplating wether he should murder him right now or later

“Ohh don’t look at me like that, if you wanted to take part in one of our lessons you just had to say it, mind joining us? I’ m sure Y/ n would love it “

Johnny continues as he strokes your cheek, feeling the tip of his dick under the pad of his thumb, his eyes meeting yours lovingly when Jaehyun’s slammed his hands on the table, Johnny lift his head up, eyeing him up and down as he shoots:

“You cunt how dare you using my girlfriend like that, she’s mine get your gross hands off her.”

“Ho wow wow calm down big boy, you weren’t complaining that much last time, you think I didn’t see you literally cream your pants and soak your hand in cum in front of me?” Johnny provoked him, actually not being totally wrong.

“You’re a sick pervert” Jaehyun said in disgust

“You like it” Johnny simply said with confidence, cocking an eyebrow at him, leaving Jaehyun speechless.

Jaehyun only gave a death glare to Johnny who looked amused.

Yes of course he liked it, but he couldn’t say it. Getting angry was the normal reaction to having another man fuck your girlfriend right?, but god how much it was turning him on, he could get hard just by thinking about it. And Mr.Suh was rather hot...the way he was always riling him on, getting him to accept things he only saw in porn, he wondered how it would feel to be touched by him but no, no, no +he couldn’t bring himself to accept that. no, no, he won’t give in , jaehyun thought to himself.

“Since it seems like you don’t like me giving the lesson , I guess y/n will” Jaehyun felt a bit disappointed deep down, curious about what it would if Mr. Suh would have been the one to give it.

You looked up at the man overing you in surprise, too scared to intervene, you has rest your head on Johnny’s knee the whole time, secretly hoping for the situation to pass, or for Jaehyun to give in, you liked them both after all.

Johnny got up, obligating you to get out of your hiding place. He didn’t bother to pull his pants up, walking around with his belt hanging low and his zipper open ,- which jaehyun found himself staring at - Johnny wasn’t unaware of the eyes on him, he found a certain pleasure in swaying his hips to come closer to Jaehyun, a teasing hand efflering him as he murmured, low enough for the both of you to hear

“ Make yourself comfortable dear” Haehyun could feel his hot breath on his skin, the low voice and the nickname giving him goosebumps.

Jaehyun did as he was told, swallowing the lump in his throat as he sat down on the brown leather sofa across the desk. Quickly followed by yourself, the both of you staring at Johnny who was sitting on the edge of the desk, shirt unbuttoned slightly, giving you a glimpse of his toned chest.

Jaehyun hated how such simple words made his body react, just because they came from him, he hated how he was willing to listen to him, how he thought he was only there for you but it looked like Johnny didn’t intend on letting him on the side.

You’re confused as you see Jaehyun not rejecting the teacher right away, rather complying which is unusual. Unable to read in him you try to follow his movements, complying as well and trying to get him to relax. Scared he was mad at you. you tentatively move your hands to caress his shoulders and chest, taking his hand in yours and making sure to leave a sweet kiss to his cheek

“Alright baby relax, you look stressed nothing bad gonna happen uh” Johnny tells you, noticing your worried expression.

The nickname sounded bitter to Jaehyun's ears as he was starting to get up in anger, you try to hold him down. But your boyfriend sits down as soon as Johnny’s voice rings in his ears.

“Shh don't be so violent, Love, you’re part of this too, don’t you want this? “ he asks calmly, no hint of teasing in his voice, only care.

A moment of silence.

Jaehyun was speechless, thousands of thoughts running through his head, he wanted to say no, to get out of here, to punch him, but his curiosity - well, feelings- got the best of himself, the tone of Johnny’s warm voice eased him down yet made his heart race.

“ Well I see no objection” Johnny breaks the silence, getting up to walk towards you, his eyes piercing through Jaehyun's as if only the both of them were in the room. The tension made Jaehyun bite and lick his dry lips, suddenly feeling nervous.

Johnny didn't miss this small reaction Jaehyun gave him as he kneeled before him . Not doubting you wanted this as much as him, he was happy, almost proud to see Jaehyun finally give in and show his emotions.

As he unzipped his pants, his eyes never left Jaehyun’s, his body heating up as he felt like it was his first time- technically it wasn't wrong- Jaehyun cleared his throat, eyes looking everywhere but him as he took off his belt, nervous about Johnny touching him there. His heart dropped when Johnny placed a hand on his thigh as he stand up.

You and your teacher exchanged places, Johnny behind the couch while you were kneeling at Jaehyun’s feet. You winked at him before peeling off his underwear, under the observant eyes of Johnny who was looking down at you as he unbuttoned his shirt you pulled Jaehyun's shirt as well, kissing him in the way.

Finally kissing your boyfriend after such long moments of stress felt relieving, you could feel that Jaehyun wasn’t comfortable yet while your panties were already wet.You sat on him to hump against his clothed cock, kissing him deeper.

You ‘hands wandered all over his naked glory, touching every inch of his skin, feeling like you hadn’t touched him in forever. Drowning him in kisses, marking every inch of his body while grinding desperately against him, sighing against his lips , finally able to release the pent up sexual tension.

Jaehyun got lost in your ministrations too, giving in, his hands became more daring, moving from gripping your waist to cupping your ass. Johnny was in the back, cock heavy in his pants, loving the sigh when you turned around with swollen lips and begging eyes, searching for him.

“Johnny please” you begged him, aching for him to do something, to guide you.

“Awww someone’s needy uh” You only nodded before he continued his sentence

“ But this ain't about you sweetheart. Get on your knees”

You did as you were told, kissing your boyfriend one last time, you finally saw him smile at you as he was looking as fucked out as you.

You kneeled like you were told but Johnny giggled “ Looks inviting but I didn’t mean it was in front of me ” he said with a smile. You felt a bit shy yet you all felt like your little mistake had eased up the tension in the room.

“Alright, I want you to take him in your hand, mustn't be too hard for you considering he’s smaller than me hmm and stroke his cock, but only tease the tip” Johnny finally instructed.

You did as you were told, taking completely off his pants and brief as you head Johnny quickly comment

“ Not quite what I expected” jaehyun don't know if he should feel hurt or proud,

“ Shut up” he blurted out, only to have the teacher looking down at him with a teasing expression he hated -not that much if he was honest.

you ignored their bickering, knowing he was only doing this to get a reaction out of your boyfriend. You took him carefully in your hand, slowly moving your thumb to rub below his tip, making his cock twitch in your hand before you gave it a sweet kiss, never leaving his eyes. You enjoyed the way your hand was wrapped around him, you loved to feel him harden in your hand, you rubbed his balls in the meantime doing everything you knew he was into.

You could see the way he spread his thighs more, his hands not gripping the armrests anymore.You lean in to lick his, circling it softly with your tongue as you rubbed the rest with your hand. He watched you extend your tongue to lick his whole length, riling him up so well. At the feeling of your wet tongue on his shaft, Jaehyun bucked his hips up, his fingers digging in the leather, your hand was too loose around his cock, not allowing all the pleasure he wanted to feel. You licked him ever so slowly watching Jaehyun lose his composure.

When you took his tip lightly in between your lips, it was the last straw for him.

“oh my god y/n please” he begged

Only for you to pull out of his cock and let a string of saliva fall down on his cock instead, making it sloppy, just how he liked. but you didn’t give him any rest.

You leaned down to lick his balls, making sure to wet them, you could see his cock leak, adding to the wetness of your saliva, Jaehyun was groaning and sighing, cute small moans escaping his lips that made your heart melt.

Watching you intently, Johnny could tell that you were about to give him more than he wanted you to, so he tsked, getting both of your attention on him.

“Desperate already Love? i thought you would last longer than this.” he said , addressing to Jaehyun .

‘Here, let me take the lead” He told you as you exchanged places again.

Jaehyun’s eyes were fixated on Johnny who was kneeling in front of him, not missing any of his movements. Taking it as a challenge, Johnny never avoided his stare, instead he deeply stared back at him as he slowly wrapped his hand around Jaehyun’s cock. He moved closer to him, mere inches separating their faces, Jaehyun could almost feel johnny’s lips as he murmured against his

“You should do it like this, just like that, that's it Love '' he drew the words out, emphasizing the agonizing pace of his hand around his cock. Jaehyun’s heart stopped, sweat dripping down his forehead and his body heating up at the sound of his deep voice. He couldn’t stop looking at his lips, mesmerized until the feeling of Johnnys’ fistclosing aroun him, squeezing him ever so slightly as he moved up and down made him throw his head back in a loud moan, his cock leaking down his hand.J

Johnny was noticeably satisfied. He kissed the pretty extended neck presented in front of him, and Jaehyun blushed hard, almost panicking but his thoughts were too engrossed in the feeling in his lower stomach -and Johnny-.

He swears he is going to die, he’s going to break, to lose all of his self control. He wants Johnny to touch him, touch him more, drown him in pleasure with just his voice, and he wants you too, feel your lips on his, feel you clenching around him, he wants to feel it all.

Jaehyun’s breath starts to become hectic the more Johnny strokes him, finally giving in. You did nothing to help as you slide your hands down his bare torso,the feeling of your soft palms made him lean his head back on the top of the leather, giving you an opportunity to kiss his pretty lips as he swears

“Fuck” he says shakily as you toy with his nipples

“Sensitive there hun” Johnny comments. And for the first time, Jaehyun complies, no insult, no enraged comment , he simply nods in ecstasy, letting the both of you pleasure him, allowing himself to thrust into Johnny’s tight fist and god how good it feels.

But everything falls apart before him when Johnny withdraws his fist, making Jaehyun’s frustration and suppressed anger come to the surface again, poor him he was so close to come…

“Bastard..” he says through gritted teeth

“That’s sir to you,'' Johnny bluntly answers, and Jaehyun hates it but his body can't hide how much he liked the authoritative tone in Johnny’ voice , his cock even twitching in the teacher’s loose hand, making more precum drip from his tip.

Meanwhile, Johnny starts stroking him again, you massage Jaehyun’s chest, kissing his neck, making sure to lick and suck on the sensitive flesh.

You can see Jaehyun quickly starting to lose his composure as you play with one of his niple and Johnny attaches his lips the other .Jaehyun huffs, groans and squirms as you torture him, ovewrhelming him with pleasure. He tries to grab anything he can, his knuckles turning white on the armrests.

You try to ignore the ache in between your legs, sneaking your free hand in your panties. As your fingers collide with your clit, your knees buckle at the contact, so sensitive and close already from being on the edge for so long.

Jaehyun’s eyes start to water, moaning louder he lets out a broken “Please” with a hoarse voice, visibly worn out. Johnny coos , taking pity on him, he can't’ help but find him adorable in this helpless state. He grabs Jaehyun’s drooly chin his hand, ordering him softly

“Cum darling” before selling their lips together in a deep kiss, swallowing his moans as he cums hard all over Johnny’s hand, you quickly come too at the sight.

Once Jaehyun comes down from his high, obviously looking spent on the leather chair. Johnny pulls out of the kiss but Jaehyun pulls him back in , roughly making out with him, melting against each other's lips.

You watch them pull out of the kiss out of breath, eyeing them on the side. They take turns kissing you, making your heart flutter.

Johnny buttons up his shirt and buckles back his belt, hair and face a mess, you both can’t miss his thick cock probing at the front of his pants, he looks as fucked out as you yet he does his best to look composed as he pants

“We need to have a talk together, we should address whatever… - “ he pauses waving his hand in the air as if looking for a word to qualify what just happened , looking deep in thought before finishing his sentence with a warm smile, hiding his excitement”

“ this-” he emphasis with a smile before finally finishing his sentence

“more thoughtfully”.

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

part 3 at Johnny's house hehe

Looking forwars to your feedback!!<3

#kpop #kpop smut #nct #nct smut #johnny #nct johnny #nct johnny smut #jaehyun #jaehyun smut #nct jaehyun #nct jaehyun smut #johnjae #nct johnjae #johnjae smut #teacher au #dilf johnny #dilf nct

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qianinterprises · 3 years

Text

Incidents

Originally posted here

▌ꫂꯥ➣ title | indidents ▌ꫂꯥ➣ genre | fluff, angst, high school au!, teacher au! ▌ꫂꯥ➣ characters | yuta x reader ▌ꫂꯥ➣ summary | screams from down the hall filled the air and without thinking, you lurched from your post by the classroom door to bolt down the hallway just in time to see Nakamoto Yuta running into the boys bathroom to break up the messy incident. ▌ꫂꯥ➣ warnings | fighting, mentions of blood, mentions of violence, anxiety ▌ꫂꯥ➣ word count | 3k ▌ꫂꯥ➣ author’s notes | after an incredibly stressful week this past week, I needed an outlet, especially after a big incident that really shook me. I can only imagine what it would have been like if they were really there. ▌ꫂꯥ➣ tag list | @treasuretaeil @hachanbaecon @jisungsblackhairissuperior @nschit @jaesspresso

❝You got there just in time to see a coach you were very familiar with run through the crowd of boys, shoving a few out of the way in his dash to get into the bathroom to break it up.❞

- - - -

You sipped your coffee leisurely as you waited by your door, greeting teenagers with a chirpy “good morning” as they walked through the door with dead faces, each desperately seeking the warmth of a bed and the relaxation of sleep that would carry them to the crack of noon. They didn’t want to be here, much less early, but with one class finished and three to go, they pushed on with great effort.

You felt for them. You really did. You would have given just about anything to stay snuggled up in bed for another five minutes, cozy between the warm body of the man next to you and the Australian Shepherd curled up behind your knees. But when that 6am alarm tore through the morning, you were forced out of bed with groggy desperation. The shower had helped, but not as much as you would have liked.

Now, with coffee and a good first class, you felt much more energized and ready to joke around with your second class that were already sitting themselves into seats, though the bell hadn’t rang yet.You walked into the classroom and placed your coffee on the back desk to cool and stepped back out into the hallway.

That’s when you heard it.

A collective group of deep, masculine bellow’s, followed by shouts of glee, fear, excitement, and adrenaline that could only mean one thing.

Fight.

High school fights weren't a rarity, but they happened much less since you’d transferred schools. You’d heard about fights, but you hadn’t actually seen them at the new school. However, past experience at a horrible school sent flashbacks, and you were lurching off your post by the door and dashing down the hallway. It sounded as though it had just started, meaning no teachers or administration was likely to be there yet.

You rounded the corner where the B-wing hallway opened up into the upstairs quad hallway and immediately found a crowd gathered around the boys bathroom. You got there just in time to see a coach you were very familiar with, Coach Nakamoto, run through the crowd of boys, shoving a few out of the way in his dash to get into the bathroom to break up the fight, followed closely behind Physics teacher, Mr. Leechipornkul, and History teacher, Mr. Suh.

As you reached the wall of the bathroom, you didn’t dare go inside, it was already crowded enough, but as a phone caught your eye, you turned to a student towering over you, phone camera pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

“Put it up and get to class!” you hissed.

He didn’t argue as you had counted on. He pocketed the phone and walked off, but your attention was already gone onto something else.

More boys crowded the bathroom though the yelling had stopped. Tall body’s trampled over your shorter one, but you didn’t back away. You grabbed at the arms of the teens and yanked them away from the door, herding them toward the hallway, but you weren’t doing much. They swarmed the bathroom like gnats.

“Get to class!” a loud voice bellowed nearby.

You glanced over to find basketball coach, Coach Jung, shouting out, his baritone voice carrying louder than yours could, thus deterring other students, none too eager to anger the man that had a history of punishing by forcing students, any students, to run laps around the track or do push-ups in the hallways.

You pulled a few more students from the mess around the bathroom, calling out a string of “move!” and “get to class!”

All of a sudden, boys started running everywhere, several stepping on your feet and swarming around you, shoulders and elbows bumping into your body, but you stayed firm.

“Get to class!” you shouted.

As the boys swarmed as though gnats were being swatted away, Coach Nakamoto and Mr. Suh walked out of the bathroom, both holding an arm of another handcuffed male who was screaming and shouting profanities, attempting to kick away from them, but both only held on tighter.

Your eyes cast a worried glance at the two, one in particular, but your attention was quickly pulled away as Mr. Lee, a Literature teacher, started shouting for students to get to class as the bell finally rang. Students slowly began to disperse as more and more teachers circled the hallway calling for students to clear out.

When the last few straggling students had finally gone to class, you followed the group of teachers from your own hallway back to your classroom. Adrenaline was still pumping through your veins, your heart accelerated in your chest. Your nerves tingled jerkily, ready to leap into action should you need to.

When you walked into the classroom, your students were talking quietly. They weren’t working on the Warm Up that was posted on the board and had been since they started walking in, but they were all in their seats, which was all you could ask for at the moment.

“Get to work on the Warm Ups please while I call attendance,” you spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

Conversations quietened as bookbags rustled with moving papers as they got out their notebooks for the Warm Up. You moved around to your desk and took a few slow deep breaths, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

“Ms. (Y/L/N)? Are you ok?” one of the students closest to your desk asked.

This caught the attention of other students and pretty soon, all eyes were on you. You couldn’t show fear or anxiety. If you did, students would either stop taking you seriously or you’d never get anything done that class period. Good thing you’d perfected the art of hiding your emotions.

“Oh yeah! I’m fine! Not enough coffee,” you laughed, suddenly realizing it was on the back desk.

You stood up and, with eyes still on you, wound your way around the maze of desks to the back desk where you plucked your mostly full cup from the table and took a sip. Surprisingly, it was still warm.

“Who’s ready to share?” you called.

So class began and even though your nerves never calmed, you taught until it was time for individual instruction in which you turned your spotify playlist on the front board and released the students onto your laptops as soft melodies and the clicking of computer keys filled the room.

You turned to go back to your desk, hoping to wind your nerves down just a little when someone knocked on your door. A student in the back opened in and Coach Nakamoto stepped in.

“Can I speak with you for a minute?” he asked, voice calm as he spoke.

You took a deep breath, nerves even more abuzz now as you stepped from the classroom. No one said a word, most students remained focused on the task at hand as you stepped from the room, pulling the door closed almost completely, leaving only a small crack to get back in.

“Are you ok? I saw you when we were dragging that kid out.”

You nodded, casting your eyes down to the floor. If you answered, you were afraid you’d start shaking. You were used to fights, but they always got under your skin. It wasn’t necessarily that they scared you. Just… watching high schoolers beat each other down with no regard…

“Look at me and give me a verbal answer please.”

Your hands were already starting to shake as your nerves wound tighter. You looked up at him.

“I-I’m fine.”

“Mhm,” he mumbled.

He glanced around the hallways, most likely checking to be sure there weren’t any students out of class wandering the halls before he wound his arms around your waist and brought you to his chest.

“It’s ok to feel nervous or anxious,” he whispered against your ear.

You could feel your tense muscles beginning to relax as you settled against him, nerves soothing back down.

“Do you want me to watch your class while you go splash some water on your face?” he asked softly.

You didn’t respond for a long moment, taking in his cologne for just a second longer before pulling away from his embrace and nodding. He smiled and, checking for students one more time, he kissed the top of your head gingerly before pushing open your door and stepping inside. You didn’t stay long enough to hear how he addressed the students, taking off in the direction of the teacher bathrooms for a much needed moment of peace that you’d hopefully get during the last school period, your planning period.

You unlocked the door to the teacher bathroom and stepped inside, locking the door behind you before slinking over the sink and taking a deep breath as you turned on the tap.

One hell of a day, and it was only 10:20am.

You cupped your hands beneath the water and splashed it up onto your face, sighing in relief as it brought you back down to earth.

- - - -

By the end of your second class, Coach Nakamoto, who had been sitting in your class, had been called away to handle another fight. The rest of class went by smoothly, though, and your nerves were settling as you found a discreet outlet for your thoughts.

By third period, you were completely back to normal, joking and laughing with the most energetic class. You’d almost put the fight completely out of your mind. The class period brought on no new complications, which you’d been weary of as lunch also happens during third period. However, class time came and went, students filing out at the bell, leaving you in your classroom alone to collect yourself and get any work done that you needed to get done.

You took a breath and reclined your office chair back as far as it would go, stretching your back out to release all of the stress that had accumulated over the day. You had never seen such a mess.

You closed your eyes, taking another breath and just relaxing in your chair, taking a moment to collect yourself.

“Why don’t you get the fuck out of my face!” a loud voice yelled from outside.

You let out a groan. Not again. You got up from your chair, pulling your mask back on your face and walking toward the exit. Out in the hallway stood two boys, both obviously freshmen, shoulders squared standing toe to toe.

“Why don’t you-”

“What’s going on out here!” you yelled to deter them.

It didn’t work. One boy lunged for the other and before he could make contact, you were between them, the punch landing against your side, though you didn’t have time to worry about the pain.

You pushed the boy closest to you back and turned to face the other, holding your hands out to block any more punches. He squared up as though ready to fight you, but at that moment, the door nearby ripped open and your neighbor, Mr. Lee emerged.

He didn’t ask questions. He got in between you and the boy, sending him a harsh glare that deflated the boy’s shoulders. You turned your attention to the one you’d pushed away and just pointed to your empty classroom with a hard glare.

Other teachers filed out of their rooms, one declaring that she was calling for administration and before too long, the halls were swarmed once again. Though not as needed, Coach Nakamoto rounded the corner of B-wing, Coach Jung hot on his trail and your shoulders relaxed.

One of the administrators walked into your classroom to speak with the boy still there while two others escorted the instigator from the scene, profanity leaving his lips as he was led away.

“You ok?” Coach Nakamoto asked, walking closer to you but not touching.

You nodded, but didn’t look at him.

“You sure? I walked out in time to see that kid hit you!”

You let out a groan as all eyes turned to you. You could feel Coach Nakamoto’s eyes boring into your skull.

“Thanks Taeyong,” you muttered.

“You were hit?” the head administrator, Mr. Junmyeon Kim, asked.

You sighed but nodded.

“Let’s go see the nurse,” Coach Nakamoto insisted.

“I’m fine-” you would have continued but he cut you off with a stern glare.

Reluctantly, you let him lead you away.

“Jaehyun!” he called when you were both about to leave the hallway.

“I’ll get Yukhei to cover your class,” Coach Jung responded.

Coach Nakamoto nodded and led you down the stairs and into the staff workroom. You passed several frazzled-looking office workers before finally walking into the nurses office.

“Mr. Kim, Ms. (Y/L/N) had a student punch her in the ribs,” Coach Nakamoto said pointedly.

“Yuta!” you scolded.

A man wearing a white coat over slacks and a button down shirt walked out from the back room to give you a once over.

“Where?” he asked in his usual short manner.

You didn’t answer for a moment, but as Yuta’s eyes bore harder into your skull, you relented.

“Ribs.”

Mr. Kim hummed and walked closer, pulling back a curtain to reveal a small examination chair and a computer he’d use to key in the information.

“Lift your shirt please.”

You let out a grunt, crossing your arms over your chest as you glanced back at Yuta.

“What? I’ve-” you cut him off by stepping closer to Mr. Kim and closing the curtain on Yuta’s face.

You lifted your shirt for the nurse to see and the man tutted softly.

“You’ve got a bruised rib. No big deal. Take over the counter pain medication if the pain is too great,” he instructed.

Simple enough.

You lowered your shirt and stepped out to see Yuta still waiting on you.

“Junmyeon said I could take you home. He says he’ll clock you out,” he said, flashing you his phone with the administrator’s text message.

You nodded. It was a relief of sorts. The day was almost over anyway.

“What about my stuff?” you asked.

“Taeyong is going to drop it off.”

You nodded. That pretty much covered the basics. Besides, you were beyond eager to get home. Who were you to argue against it?

You nodded and let Yuta lead you out of the nurses office and down a hallway where two resource officers, Officer Park and Officer Byun, were questioning the instigator. You turned down a hallway when the boy lunged at Officer Byun and Officer Park had to restrain him.

When you got out into the back parking lot where teachers on your side of the building parked, you let out a breath of air and quickly ripped the claustrophobia-inducing mask from your face, sucking in a deep breath of relatively fresh air.

“Alright?” Yuta asked, stepping closer until he could slide an arm around the small of your back.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been… a long day,” you breathed.

He nodded in understanding and led you to the blue SUV parked among a cluster of cars. He walked you around to the passenger side and touched the door handle. When the car sensed the key fob, the doors unlocked and he opened the door, helping you slide up onto the seat before walking around to the other side and climbing in.

- - - -

Yuta paved the way up the steps leading to the front door of your small house, keys in hand. You followed closely behind, but didn’t stop him as he pulled open the screen door and stabbed the key into the lock, turning it until it clicked. He pushed the door open and stepped back, holding the screen door with his body, but leaving room for you to step past him into the house.

Your Australian Shepherd, Squirrel, greeted you as soon as she saw you, dancing around your legs and letting out small little yips of excitement as she went round and round. You heard Yuta pull the door closed and locking it as you slid out of your shoes, placing them by his at the door before bending to pet Squirrel’s furry head.

“Are you absolutely sure you’re ok?” Yuta asked for the thousandth time.

You rolled your eyes, sick of the same question over and over.

“I’m fine, I promise. You’re the one I’m worried about! You were the one dragging those kids out!”

He let out a sigh and opened his mouth to say something before seeming to decide better of it.

“Let’s just admit that we could both use some time to process what happened,” he said.

You let your arms fall, shoulders relaxing. You hadn’t even realized they were tensed.

“Can we take a nap?” you asked quietly.

Without responding, he grabbed your hand and led you into the master bedroom that was currently messier than you liked, though at the moment you didn’t care. You let Yuta guide you to the well-made bed where you wasted no time in stretching out across the duvet, letting out a small groan as your back molded against the bed, your eyes slipping closed as you took in the comfort of the mattress. You didn’t open your eyes as the bed dipped in and Yuta’s body fell back beside yours. You simply shuffled closer until you wound your dress pants through his slacks, letting your ankle rest over his. His arms wound around your waist, letting his hand slide up the inside of your shirt and press against your back. You let out a small, happy sigh and Squirrel reclaimed her usual spot behind your legs.

“When I walked that kid out of the bathroom, I could see you visibly trembling. Then when you got hit… I didn’t know what to think or do,” he mumbled.

You let your head rest against his chin, lifting your face up gently to press a small kiss against the underside of his chin.

“I’m alright as long as you’re there. I was worried you’d get hurt, but just seeing you there felt so much better than being alone.”

His hand firmly pulled you closer, his arm tightening around your waist.

“And I will always be there,” he whispered.

He tilted his face down and captured your lips in a tender, soft kiss that made you remember just how much you loved the man.

“Tomorrow will be better, Coach Nakamoto,” you said when he pulled away.

He smiled against your lips.

“Much better, Mrs. Nakamoto.

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lattaeyongs · 4 years

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[12:16 PM] "You know, one of my students said the funniest thing today," you tell teacher!Jaehyun, who works at the same elementary school as you. With a chuckle on your lips, you continue. "She said 'Mr. Jung likes you.'" As you're spending your lunch period with Jaehyun in your classroom, you take your sandwich from your lunch sack, raising it to your mouth to eat. Jaehyun sets his soda down on your desk. "Yeah, first graders do say the funniest things." You nod at his statement, but continue to look at him as a shy look emerges on his face. "But she's right, Mr. Jung does like you."

#nct #jaehyun #jung jaehyun #nct fluff #nct scenarios #nct 127 #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #nct imagines #nct 127 fluff #nct blurbs #teacher au #jaehyun smut #jaehyun blurbs

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kjmsupremacist · 1 year

Text

something sweet, a peach tree (mark/jaehyun)

Chapter 3 | prev next mlist

Characters: Mark, Jaehyun, other members of nct throughout

Genre: romance, angst, smut, age gap, sugar daddy!au

Pairing: Mark/Jaehyun

Warnings: AGE GAP (older jaehyun, younger mark), alcohol mentions, poor decision making perhaps

Rating: Explicit

Length: 8.2k

Mark wakes in an unfamiliar bed with a beautiful man beside him. He panics for two seconds, and then remembers yesterday and sinks back down into the mattress, waiting for his heartbeat to slow. Right. Sugar daddy date. Jaehyun.

They ended up ordering pizza and watching Netflix while they ate last night and then turned in before the sky had even gone completely dark. But they’d both been exhausted, and now Mark is glad. He feels well-rested for the first time in… well. A really long time, he thinks.

He rolls his head to the side, looking at Jaehyun. He’s on his back, one arm flung out to the side, hand dangling off the edge of the bed, the other arm wrapped loosely around his own torso. Even in a worn cotton t-shirt, mouth slightly ajar and snoring softly, he’s still the prettiest person Mark has ever seen.

Anxiety rears in Mark’s stomach, and he goes patting around for his phone. He finds it on the nightstand, and he unplugs it and checks his notifications. Nothing, just like there should be. Who’s gonna find out, anyway? And why would it matter? It’s not like anyone at work has any idea about (or any interest in) Mark’s personal life. And his family doesn’t track his location. And Johnny can’t say anything to Mark now that he’s scored, so what’s to worry about?

It’s fine, he tells himself firmly, putting his phone down and rolling onto his side. I’m an adult, anyway. I can fuck who I want.

He doesn’t quite know how long he spends gazing at Jaehyun, thinking about the night before. He hopes Jaehyun’s up for round two (or three, or four) today, hopes he won’t have to face his real life until later in the afternoon. He likes the little bubble they’re in, just him and Jaehyun and Jaehyun’s dogs and his pretty house and everything that Mark wants to try.

The sun finds a crack in the curtains and a beam of light dances across the bed sheets. Jaehyun draws in a deep breath and Mark snaps his eyes shut so he’s not caught staring.

There’s some rustling and a dip in the mattress, and then Mark feels Jaehyun’s hand on his cheek.

“I know you’re awake,” he says softly.

“How?” Mark mumbles, firmly refusing to open his eyes.

“Your eyes keep trying to open,” Jaehyun replies.

Mark relents, blinking his eyes back open and giving Jaehyun a sheepish grin. “I’ve been awake for a little while.” God, he’s pretty, he thinks to himself. He stretches his arms up, sighing, using it as an excuse to drape them over Jaehyun’s shoulders on the way back down. “G’morning.”

“Morning,” Jaehyun replies quietly. “Doing okay?”

Mark resists the urge to roll his eyes. “If I was gonna freak out, it would’ve happened last night,” he says. “Yeah, I’m good. I don’t regret it.” He leans closer. “Don’t regret it at all.” Jaehyun’s leaning in, too; their noses bump but neither of them move to kiss. “Do you?”

Jaehyun gives a slight shake of his head. “As long as you don’t, no,” he says.

“Yeah?” Mark whispers. “Good.” He finally presses his lips to Jaehyun’s, soft and chaste at first, then more insistent when Jaehyun kisses him back.

“Mm, Mark,” Jaehyun hums between kisses.

Mark pulls himself closer, keeping his movements lax and slow. He wants to climb on top of Jaehyun and pin him down and kiss him until they’re breathless and messy with spit, but he’s too tired to actually do it. It does register as a little funny that the desire is still there, though—Mark kind of thought maybe he’d be a little less insane about Jaehyun once he’d fucked him, but he’s not finding that to be true. Actually, it’s the exact opposite. He pushes his tongue past Jaehyun’s teeth, moaning mostly for show, sneaking his left arm around his waist instead, splaying his fingers over his spine. He can feel the heat of Jaehyun’s body now where it’s touching his, his soft thighs against Mark’s, his—

“Hyung,” Mark laughs softly when they break apart, rolling his hips up to meet Jaehyun’s just so there’s no way he can deny it. “You’re hard.”

“So’re you,” Jaehyun accuses, which is completely fair. “Guess we should do something about that.”

“Guess we should.” Mark kisses him again, working to disentangle their limbs somewhat. He kisses Jaehyun’s chin, his neck, his collarbone as he scoots himself down. “Lemme suck you off?” he asks, though he’s pretty sure he knows Jaehyun will say yes. “You won’t have to do anything.” His fingers are already on the waistband of Jaehyun’s underwear, but Jaehyun is nodding anyway. Mark pushes Jaehyun’s shirt up and kisses his stomach before tugging his underwear down just far enough for his cock to spring free.

He wasn’t just saying shit yesterday—Mark’s good at sucking cock and he knows it. He dips his head, swirling his tongue around Jaehyun’s tip and smiling to himself when Jaehyun gasps quietly. He anchors himself to Jaehyun with a hand on his hip, dropping his mouth open wider to take him deeper, reaching his other hand down to palm himself over his underwear. The heat quickly grows stifling, with Mark pressed so close to Jaehyun and halfway under the blankets, but he doesn’t care.

Jaehyun tangles his fingers in Mark’s hair; Mark thinks he’s using both hands. Mark hollows his cheeks, humming in the back of his throat when Jaehyun chokes out a quiet moan. He swipes his tongue slowly, running it side to side over the veins of Jaehyun’s cock. A sort of light static fills his head. He can smell Jaehyun, the earthy dampness of his skin; can taste him, the precome spilling out onto his tongue. Jaehyun, Jaehyun, Jaehyun. Everything else Mark knows is crowded out until only Jaehyun remains. He rolls his hips up into his palm, his heart pounding in his ears as he bobs his head. The obscene wet noises are only somewhat muffled by the duvet crumpled around Jaehyun’s hips.

It feels quiet to Mark’s ears. The house is still, the air sort of soft and sleepy, like the world is only just waking up, slow and lazy. There’s a sort of serenity to it, even if what they’re doing is messy and lewd. Mark breathes in, out, pressing his heel down against his own cock and feels wetness seeping through the fabric. The rush of his breath lulls him; he moans softly around Jaehyun. Who cares if it’s messy and lewd? Who cares about any of it, except that Mark is happy, warm with pleasure, and that Jaehyun is too?

“Oh, fuck,” Jaehyun breathes, grip on Mark’s hair tightening and making his scalp burn. “Feels so good, baby.” Mark only responds by moving faster, taking Jaehyun a little deeper each time. He relaxes around the intrusion, taking a few deep, steadying breaths through his nose as he goes. His gag reflex rears its head for a few frightening moments, and then he feels the tip of Jaehyun’s cock bump against the back of his throat.

Mark lets his eyes roll back in his head, dutifully hollowing his cheeks once more and holding Jaehyun there. He exhales sharp, short puffs through his nose; Jaehyun’s pubes are tickling him a little, but not enough that he thinks he’s in danger of sneezing.

“Holy shit, Mark,” Jaehyun mumbles when Mark still doesn’t move. “You sure you’re not gonna pass out?” Mark pauses briefly to give a minuscule shake of his head. “F-fuck, okay,” Jaehyun continues shakily. “I-I’m getting close, I think, can—can you swallow?” Mark nods as enthusiastically as he can, accidentally picking up the pace a little in the process. “Okay, if you need to pull off just tap my thigh or something, okay?”

Mark hums his agreement, but he doubts he’ll need it. He knows what he’s doing. He keeps the same rhythm, timing his breaths as best he can, rocking his hips up into his palm mindlessly, so focused on Jaehyun he’s barely realized how close he is himself. It shouldn’t be surprising, really—Jaehyun’s making sweet noises above him, whining softly every time Mark takes him as far down as he’ll go. Mark knows his throat is going to be sore, but it’s so, so worth it, especially now, as Jaehyun’s moans get louder and louder, as he releases Mark’s hair to scrabble weakly at the sheets.

“Fuck, oh fuck, Mark, so good, I—“ He cuts himself off with a soft cry, and Mark feels hot, sticky release hit the roof of his mouth. Mark swallows just like he said he would, slowing to a stop and rolling his tongue over Jaehyun’s tip instead to stop his come from shooting straight down his throat.

It’s the combination of things, of the rough friction of his underwear and the weight of Jaehyun’s cock in his mouth and Jaehyun’s breathless moans and Jaehyun’s come on his tongue and Jaehyun’s scent in his head—Mark can’t help it. He gives a muffled groan, shuddering as he comes in his underwear. It’s fucking gross and kind of embarrassing, but Mark can’t find room for shame inside him when it feels so good.

“Baby,” Jaehyun gasps softly, coaxing his softening cock out of Mark’s mouth. “Did you just come, too?”

Mark rolls onto his back, panting, pushing the blankets down so he can breathe, hand still over his cock so he doesn’t stain Jaehyun’s sheets. “Sorry,” he manages. “I was already so close, and you sounded so good, I couldn’t—stop myself.”

Jaehyun scoots closer, propping himself up on one elbow so Mark can see him. He’s wearing a look of amused disbelief. “You don’t have to apologize to me,” he mutters, shaking his head. He reaches out with his other hand and brushes Mark’s sweaty bangs off his forehead. Mark has to trap an embarrassing whimper in his throat. Jaehyun treats him so gently when he’s least expecting it, and he doesn’t know what to do with it. “That’s really hot, you know?” Jaehyun continues. “You, getting off on giving me head.” The end of this last sentence is tinged bright with suppressed laughter, and Mark smiles up at him.

“I like the way you sound when I’m touching you,” he replies softly, and Jaehyun groans, rolling away.

“I don’t have another round in me, so don’t try, because it’ll probably kill me,” he complains, and Mark laughs with his whole belly. “I don’t have stamina like you do.”

“Yeah, and then I’d go to jail for elder abuse,” Mark replies placidly, closing his eyes.

“Shut up,” Jaehyun says, but he’s laughing, too. The bed dips and then releases again, and Mark hears shuffling. Jaehyun must’ve stood up.

“You’re the one who was just saying how old and tired you are,” Mark points out. There’s a hand on his wrist; he snaps his eyes open, surprised.

“C’mon, let’s get up.” Jaehyun has already made it around to Mark’s side of the bed. He tugs gently. “Up, and give me your underwear.”

Mark pushes the blankets out of the way, letting Jaehyun haul him into a sitting position. He raises an eyebrow at him. “Thought you said you didn’t have another round in you,” he says, swinging his legs over the side of the mattress and slips down onto the floor.

“Not for that, so we can throw them in the wash and have them dry before you need to leave,” Jaehyun says, that cute pink blush rising to his cheeks, though he’s adamantly holding his hand out for them all the same.

Mark grins to himself as he steps out of his underwear. “Let me hand-wash them in the shower first,” he says.

They get cleaned up, find Mark some sweatpants to wear in the meantime, and start the laundry like Jaehyun suggested. Jaehyun lets the dogs out briefly while Mark watches from the back stoop, grinning at Princess when she takes off, running in circles as Jaehyun picks up after them. Dogs taken care of, they all come back inside and head into the kitchen to see about breakfast.

“As I said, I’m not much of a cook,” Jaehyun says as he rummages through his cupboards, “but I do have pancake mix and I don’t think the berries I bought on Friday have molded yet, so we could do that.”

Mark huffs out a breath of laughter. “Works for me,” he says, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around Jaehyun and squeeze his breath out. Mark always knew Jaehyun was hot, but he wasn’t expecting him to be cute, too, unintentionally endearing in the most paralyzing way. “Can I help? I mean, I dunno if you should trust me around a stove, honestly, but I could make us coffee or something.”

Jaehyun chuckles at this as he plops the bag of pancake mix onto the counter. “Sure,” he agrees. “Coffee is in that little pantry there, coffee maker just needs some water. Do you want something else, though?”

“I take a little coffee sometimes,” Mark says. “But if you have juice, I’ll have that too.”

“Orange juice is in the fridge,” Jaehyun says, and Mark nods, busying himself with the coffee machine.

They fall into a comfortable silence. The morning light streams in through the big windows that face out to Jaehyun’s backyard, coloring the whole kitchen a bright, happy yellow. Princess sniffs around their feet, hopeful for crumbs, while The Dread Pirate Roberts munches away at their automatic feeder. The coffee maker burbles softly as Mark pokes around for mugs and creamer; on the other side of the kitchen, Jaehyun scrapes patiently at the pancake mix, folding it into the milk and egg mixture as he waits for the pan to heat.

And for one second, Mark’s life feels still, full and quiet and warm. Obviously, he and Jaehyun are just fucking. They know that. And it’s not like Mark is in any danger of falling in love with him or anything, but—this is nice. It’s like a glimpse into his own future. Not now, not yet; he’s not ready. But someday, he’ll have this: a familiar body next to his, working beside him, building a life slow but sure, one pancake at a time. Something separate from the gogogo of professional life, something rich and intangible, something for no one else but Mark and the person he’ll love.

“Do you want sugar in yours?” Mark asks when the light on the coffee maker turns green, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

“Just a little, and a splash of creamer, please,” Jaehyun replies over his shoulder.

Mark makes their coffees, filing that information away for future reference. He gives himself a tiny mug, then carries them over to the little breakfast nook in the corner before doubling back to get a glass of orange juice, too. He spots the blueberries as he’s returning the carton and holds them up for Jaehyun to see.

“These berries?” Jaehyun nods. “I’ll wash them.”

Together, they finish making breakfast and setting the table, then get settled in their seats, passing the syrup and whipped cream back and forth. The dogs come trotting up; Mark giggles when he feels Princess’s cold nose against his ankle.

“Thank you for the coffee,” Jaehyun says.

Mark shakes his head. “No, thanks for cooking! These look really good.”

Jaehyun smiles into his coffee cup. “So,” he says slowly. “What’s the plan for today, do you think?”

“Oh,” Mark says, surprised it’s up to him. “I dunno. I don’t have anything to do, so, uh, you tell me.”

Jaehyun’s smile grows. “Well, the dogs need walking,” he says. “But other than that, I thought maybe we could just spend the day. Cool off in the pool, maybe. Get to know each other a little better.” Mark raises his eyebrows. “Literally, not like that.” Mark gives him another look. “Okay, maybe both. But seriously. I know this—” Jaehyun gestures between them. “—is pretty casual, but I don’t want that to mean it’s impersonal.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Mark says earnestly. “I’d like—I’d like to know you, too.” He doesn’t know why it’s embarrassing to say, but he trips over the words.

But Jaehyun—sweet, unassuming Jaehyun—just keeps smiling. “Good,” he says softly, and takes a bite of his pancakes.

They finish their breakfast, leaving the dishes in the sink to soak, and then Jaehyun finds the leashes for the dogs. He hands Mark Princess’s.

“She’s easier than Bobby,” he explains when Mark gives him a curious look. “She has a lot of energy, but she knows how to heel. Bob… kind of has a mind of his own.”

Mark laughs as he shoves his feet into his sneakers. “I suppose I could’ve guessed that.”

It’s not even noon, but the hot air sweeps into Mark’s face in a violent blast the second Jaehyun opens the door. “Definitely using the pool today,” Jaehyun comments, putting his sunglasses on as he steps outside. “Seattle never used to get this warm.”

“So I’ve heard,” Mark replies, following him outside and stepping out of the way so Jaehyun can lock the door behind them. “But weren’t summers really rainy?”

“They still are,” Jaehyun says. He leads them down the front path and out onto the sidewalk. “It’s a fun mix now. Let’s just hope August doesn’t bring too many fires. Is this your first summer here?”

“Uh, yeah,” Mark says. “I just go to school here. The last couple years I was back—up in Canada. Vancouver.”

Jaehyun nods. “That explains the passport.”

Mark had forgotten about that. “Yeah, I’ll probably have to carry it with me even if I do get a license ‘cause apparently a Canadian license is really popular for fakes around here.”

“I’d never heard that, but that makes sense now that you mention it,” Jaehyun comments. “So, Vancouver. I went once when I was younger. It’s really nice up there.”

“Yeah,” Mark agrees. “I actually—so, I was born in Toronto, and then we moved to New York when I was, like, seven, and then over to Vancouver when I was around twelve. I don’t have the clearest memory of Toronto, but I still really do like Vancouver the best.”

“Oh, okay,” Jaehyun says. “So you’ve been all over. Like me.”

“Yeah?” Mark looks up at him, curious.

“Mm-hm.” Jaehyun nods. “I was born in Korea, then we actually moved to Connecticut when I was in elementary school, which is where I learned my English. We went back to Korea for the rest of my education, including college, but I came back to the States for my masters—New York, actually.”

Mark tries to do some fast math, but concludes they probably weren’t in New York at the same time. “And then—here?” he asks.

“Yeah, people are big on the environment out here, so I found some investors and got started on my company after getting my degree,” Jaehyun says. “I was, what, twenty-four? Twenty-five, I think.”

“Oh wow,” Mark says, wiping some sweat from his hairline. If it weren’t for the intermittent shade of the trees lining the street and the promise of an afternoon soaking in Jaehyun’s pool, he’s pretty sure he’d melt into a puddle right here on the sidewalk. He kind of feels like he’s frying. “So you’ve been here for a while, then.”

“Yep,” Jaehyun confirms. “Almost twenty years.”

“So you like it here,” Mark says.

Jaehyun laughs. “I guess I do,” he says. “I think when I get older, I might want to go back—to Korea. But yes, I like it here. The seasons are pretty mild—well, they used to be, anyway. And the culture is definitely better than on the East Coast, to me. And I love how green it is.”

Mark nods. “Yeah, it’s beautiful,” he agrees. “Have you been out to, like, the Peninsula and the islands and stuff?”

“I go from time to time,” Jaehyun says. “Have you?”

“Yeah, I went out to, like, Forks and stuff for spring break this last year.” They round another block, and Mark can see Jaehyun’s house come into view again. Relief washes through his body. He knows he’s not the only one; he can hear Princess panting raggedly beside him. “It was so pretty. I loved the rainforest. And the night sky—way less light pollution, you know.”

“Yeah, there’s nothing else like it,” Jaehyun says. He slows as they come up to his front walk, though The Dread Pirate Roberts tugs insistently on his leash. “Well, maybe we can find a time to go this summer if you have a weekend free,” he suggests, glancing briefly over his shoulder while they climb the stairs up his porch. “There are these beautiful cabins I really like up by Lake Quinault.”

Mark tries not to get distracted by the thought of spending a whole weekend alone with Jaehyun in an idyllic lakeside cabin. “I-I’d love that,” he says. “Really.”

“I’ll do some research then,” Jaehyun replies, opening his door and letting them into the blessed cool of the air conditioning.

“Fuck,” Mark groans, kicking off his shoes and bending to help Princess out of her harness. “It’s scorching out.”

“Well,” Jaehyun says, releasing The Dread Pirate Roberts and letting him scamper down the hall, “it’s about noon now, so we can wait out the worst of the heat inside, and then later when the sun’s not so bad, we can take a swim. I can lend you some swim trunks. I have beer if you want it.”

“That’s illegal,” Mark points out, grinning. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

“And I think I have popsicles, too,” Jaehyun adds, padding off towards the kitchen and gesturing for Mark to follow. “Want one?”

“Yes, please,” Mark says. “What kind?”

“Lime or strawberry.” Jaehyun’s voice is muffled from behind the freezer door.

“I’ll take lime,” Mark says, and Jaehyun presents him with a faintly green popsicle, a bright red one in his other hand.

They collapse onto the couch in tired silence, working on their popsicles as they wait to cool down. Mark squints out at the backyard. The sun glitters off the surface of the water, almost dangerous.

“What do you normally do on the weekend?” Mark blurts.

Jaehyun takes a moment to respond, caught by surprise. “I guess… I take care of my dogs. I work out. I usually have some business to take care of. I was on a lot of calls yesterday morning, but—” He pulls out his phone to check. “—today’s been pretty quiet.” He shrugs, swirling the popsicle in his mouth. Mark tries not to look at his lips. “I don’t know,” he says, looking up at Mark with a small smile. “I guess I don’t do much.”

“Do you mind me asking—I mean, okay, I am asking but if you don’t wanna talk about it, I’ll just drop it,” Mark says haltingly. “It’s just that, you’re successful and you’re rich and you’re—you’re really handsome, and you seem, I guess, like, normal and nice—” Jaehyun’s giving him a look that says get on with it. Mark hesitates for a second, choking on the question, then rushes on. “So why aren’t you married? Or dating? Why are—why the sugar baby app instead?”

Jaehyun blinks; his smile turns a little sad. Guilt grips Mark’s heart immediately. “S-sorry,” he mutters, looking down at his lap. “That came out ruder than I meant it. I just—” You’re beautiful. You’re perfect. You could have anyone. What are you doing with a kid like me?

Jaehyun sighs softly, shaking his head. “No, it’s okay,” he says. “Looking for skeletons in my closet?”

“I… I guess,” Mark replies. “I just don’t… understand.”

“There’s not much to understand,” Jaehyun says. “It’s a cliche, but it’s true. I’m married to my work. I’m too busy for a real relationship. And—” A wry tint mixes in with the sadness. “I think I’ve gotten a little too used to solitude. I don’t know how to do anything else.”

“Oh.” It’s sadder than Mark was expecting, but—what else could he have been expecting, anyway? “Do you… do you want a real relationship?”

“I don’t know,” Jaehyun says evenly, but Mark gets the feeling he’s lying. He can’t tell which direction he’s lying in, though. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh,” Mark says, his cheeks heating. Maybe it sounds like he’s trying to—get with him, or something. “No, I’m just curious, ‘cause I don’t—I don’t really know what I want, either, I guess. I think I want to get married eventually. But I’m not sure. I can’t imagine it.”

The warmth in Jaehyun’s smile comes back. “What do you imagine?” he asks.

Mark thinks for a moment, then smiles sheepishly back at him. “I guess I imagine myself kind of like you,” he admits. “A good job. A couple of dogs. A place of my own. Yeah.”

Jaehyun laughs. “Well, it’s not so bad,” he says. “If that’s what you want, then do it. And you’re young still. If you want to change your mind in a few years, you can.”

“That’s true,” Mark says, struggling with the last of his popsicle as it threatens to slip off the stick entirely.

Jaehyun’s polishing his off, too. “Here,” he says, holding out his hand for Mark’s stick when he finally succeeds in fitting the rest of the popsicle in his mouth. “I want a beer. Can I get you one?”

Mark nods, handing off the popsicle stick. “Yef plea,” he manages, and Jaehyun giggles.

They nurse their beers over the next hour or so, chatting. The dogs come join them, Princess panting happily at Mark’s side as he gives her head scratches, Bobby taking over Jaehyun’s lap. Jaehyun talks about his company, how it started with pianos and violins and guitars but how he’s interested in expanding to woodwinds and things. Mark tells him about his internship, how he dreams of being a writer but more likely will end up an editor at a publishing company or something.

“Dunno what I’ll do with my music,” he says. “Got any openings at your company?” He’s only half joking.

Jaehyun laughs lightly but shakes his head. “Now that would be inappropriate,” he says, and Mark groans good-naturedly.

“C’mon, man,” he complains, grinning.

“Okay, looks like the temperature is starting to come down,” Jaehyun says, standing up and carefully depositing Bobby on the floor. “Shall we?”

“Oh, yes.” Mark takes the final swig of his beer and stands, too, giving Princess one last pat before following Jaehyun to the stairs. In all their talking, he’d forgotten about the pool and the heat outside.

Jaehyun’s already in his room by the time Mark makes it up the stairs. He’s rummaging through his dresser, and produces two pairs of swim trunks a few moments later. “Blue or black?”

“Blue,” Mark says, reaching out for them.

They change quickly, leaving their other clothes on the floor. Mark takes his gaze over Jaehyun’s bare back, the contours of sturdy muscle, the line of his waist. Desire returns in an instant, curling up in Mark’s belly like a little cat. It blinks lazily at him, asks, well? What else are you here for?

“I know I have sunblock somewhere,” Jaehyun is muttering, poking his head into the bathroom. “Aha.” He returns with a can of the spray-on kind in one hand and a bottle of gentler lotion for their faces in the other. “Let’s go downstairs.”

“‘Kay,” Mark agrees vacantly, too busy staring at Jaehyun’s pretty chest, covered with little bruises from Mark’s own mouth to give a proper response.

They pass the stuff for the face back and forth as they head to Jaehyun’s back door. Jaehyun also snags a six-pack from the fridge, then unlocks the door and leads them out into the oppressive heat.

There’s a minifridge outside, too, behind the little bar on the patio. Jaehyun slides the six-pack into the bottom shelf, then straightens. “Here,” he says, holding up the spray can of sunscreen. “I’ll get your back, and then you can do mine.”

Mark turns obediently, wincing at the sudden cold of the spray on his heated skin. He hears the clatter of the can being set down on the countertop, and then Jaehyun’s hands are on his back, smoothing in the sunscreen, kneading at some tension in his shoulders.

And then, lips on the nape of his neck. Jaehyun kisses him softly before pulling away. “Okay, my turn.”

Mark’s legs kinda feel like jelly, but he manages to turn and grab the sunscreen from the bar. He sprays some sunscreen on, then presses his palms to Jaehyun’s back. His skin here is smooth and unmarred, and Mark resists the urge to dig his nails in, just to hear him gasp. They’ll have plenty of time for that later.

“All done,” he says once the streaks are gone, letting his hands linger a moment longer before pulling himself away. His voice comes out a little hoarser than usual.

If Jaehyun notices, he doesn’t say anything. While he puts the rest of his sunscreen on, Mark ducks back inside to get another beer, figuring he’ll leave the six pack outside for when they don’t want to drip all over Jaehyun’s nice hardwoods. When he returns to the heat of the patio, Jaehyun is wading into the pool.

“Make sure the door is closed tight,” he calls to Mark when he sees him. “I don’t want the dogs to run amok. We’ll let them out when it’s a little cooler so they don’t give themselves heat exhaustion.”

Mark double-checks the door, laughing to himself. Who the fuck says “run amok”? And Mark thought he was the one with the weird vocabulary.

He pops the beer open at the bar, takes a quick swig, and then works on his own sunscreen. By the time he’s done and sauntered out towards the pool, beer in hand, Jaehyun is floating in the deep end.

Mark wades in, holding the beer up just in case and stays close to the edge as he makes his way to Jaehyun. He puts the beer down on the patio and joins Jaehyun in floating near the middle. Jaehyun’s watching him, smiling.

“What,” Mark asks softly.

“You’re cute,” Jaehyun says simply, dimple popping.

“Me?” Mark blinks at him. “Like how?”

Jaehyun shrugs, sending ripples of water out from his shoulders. “Just, the way you do things. The way you waded in. You put your beer down so careful. The way you’re looking at me, now.” Mark must look as puzzled as he feels, because Jaehyun laughs. “Big, wide eyes.”

“Oh.” Mark is flustered now, not sure how to respond. “Thanks, I think.”

“I like it,” Jaehyun says, sensing his unease and paddling closer till their shoulders knock. “Really.”

“It’s just, um, I was kinda thinking the same thing about you,” Mark admits. “You’re cute, too.”

Jaehyun groans. “I think I’m a little too old to be cute.”

“Mm-mm.” Mark flips over, slotting one of his legs between Jaehyun’s so he can’t float away, using his arms to tread water. “You’re cute when you blush, and when you giggle. I’m serious, I was thinking it earlier, when—” He sucks in a breath. “When I was fucking you. You’re—you’re cute when you’re getting fucked, too.”

Something flickers behind Jaehyun’s eyes, but he smiles easily all the same. “You think so?”

Mark pushes himself closer. “Yeah, I do,” he says. He doesn’t know what’s going on in Jaehyun’s head, but he knows how to make him forget it. Their noses bump, and Jaehyun giggles. “See, there it is!” Mark rushes through the words so he can finally kiss him. It’s a little unsteady since they’re both still trying to stay afloat, but Mark doesn’t care. His teeth bump Jaehyun’s, his upper lip throbbing from the impact, but he doesn’t care. Jaehyun thinks he’s cute, and he makes Jaehyun giggle. Mark from two days ago would’ve passed out and died from joy, probably. He presses closer still, though the water makes it difficult, Jaehyun’s skin soft against his own.

They pull away, chests heaving, watching each other over the surface of the water. Mark pants raggedly, waiting for the fog of pleasure to clear from his brain. Jaehyun’s hair is slicked back, water dripping down his forehead and jaw and neck. The world is still for a moment, just Mark and Jaehyun bobbing in the wake of their kiss, eyes never leaving each other’s.

“I’m gonna get a beer,” Jaehyun says, smiling with one side of his mouth. He doesn’t look away until Mark does, turning only after Mark goes back to the edge of the pool for his own beer, half-finished and warming in the sun. Mark clambers out of the pool from there, circling its edge and heading back into the shade where Jaehyun is bent over the mini-fridge. He must feel Mark come up behind him, or else be watching their reflections in the window, because without looking up, he asks, “Need a refill?”

“Nah, still working on this one,” Mark says, proving it by taking a sip.

Jaehyun stands, beer in hand, closing the door to the fridge. “Then what are you doing over here?”

Mark finds the bottle opener, putting his beer down on the counter and holding his hand out for Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun hesitates a moment, then passes it to Mark. “You’re cute, but you’re also really hot,” he says quietly as he pops the cap off and hands it back. “Guess… I didn’t want to let you out of my sight.” He holds onto the bottle even after Jaehyun takes it, releasing it after a second in favor of running his hand down Jaehyun’s arm. “You look so good shirtless.”

Jaehyun gives him a warning look, but his amusement is poorly disguised. “And? Are you gonna do something about it?” He tips his head back to take a drink of the beer, but he keeps his eyes on Mark.

Mark runs his thumb over the muscle of Jaehyun’s bicep, looking at him through his eyelashes. Big, wide eyes. “I dunno,” he murmurs. “Are you gonna let me?”

Jaehyun presses his lips together, swallowing. “Mmm, if you fuck me again, I’m gonna be sore.”

“Ugh.” Mark drops his hand, going back for his beer. “That the only thing that’s stopping you, hyung?” He half-sings the word hyung, drawing the syllable out. “Cuz after dinner, you won’t see me ’til next weekend.”

Jaehyun steps up next to him and leans back against the bar, elbows up on the counter, talking to Mark almost over his shoulder. “If it were up to me, and not the limits of my body,” he says softly. “I’d let you fuck me all day long.”

Mark groans, half earnest, half for show, taking his beer with him as he spins around to stand in front of Jaehyun, stepping close and trapping him against the bar. “Yeah?” He leans close and presses a hot kiss to Jaehyun’s neck, right over his pulse, running his free hand down his waist.

“Yeah.” Jaehyun’s voice is breathier than before, and Mark knows he’s won. He won’t fuck him, of course—he doesn’t want to hurt him, and if Jaehyun says it’ll hurt, then that’s that. But Mark has other plans. He lets his hand travel lower, down to Jaehyun’s thighs, where his swim trunks are quickly drying in the afternoon heat. They don’t cling to his skin, so it’s easy for Mark to sneak a hand under the hem. “Mark.” This is a warning, though Mark’s not quite sure why.

“What?” Mark asks, looking up at him and trying to arrange his expression into something doleful. “Your fence is high and you have a stupid huge backyard and tons of trees. No one can see.”

“I can’t limp into music lessons tomorrow,” Jaehyun protests, though he makes no move to stop him when Mark inches his fingers up his thigh.

“No? What if I fucked your thighs instead?” Mark asks, squeezing the soft skin, humming encouragingly when Jaehyun gasps. “Hm? Would you be limping then?”

“You that desperate for me, baby?” Jaehyun asks, all semblance of hesitance gone from his tone in an instant, replaced by a bright playfulness.

“’S’not desperate,” Mark counters around another drink of beer. He’s getting near the bottom of the bottle now, and it’s getting pretty warm, and gross. Still, it’s getting the job done—his lips are numbing, and there’s a tingling under his fingertips. “Not desperate,” he repeats, “you just have really pretty thighs, hyung, did y’know that? Been thinking about them all day.”

“Oh, have you?” Jaehyun saturates his tone with incredulity.

Mark pulls his hand back, finding Jaehyun’s eyes. “‘M being honest. I wanna fuck your thighs.”

Jaehyun blinks, then lets out a shaky breath. “Fuck, okay,” he says. “There’s aloe in the far drawer, that should be enough.”

Mark grins, leaning in for a kiss before releasing him, tugging the drawer open and finding the bottle. “Think one of your lounge chairs will hold both of us?"

“We’ll find out,” Jaehyun replies, and Mark laughs, looking up to see him crawling onto one, sitting on his knees, facing the back of the seat.

Mark saunters over, finishing his beer and tossing it in the recycling on the way over. He bends over so he’s eye to eye with Jaehyun. “Sure it’s okay?” he asks quietly. “Don’t mean t’ push, you’re just so—”

Jaehyun kisses him, and Mark nearly loses his balance. He grabs Jaehyun’s shoulder so he doesn’t topple them both, kissing back once he’s sure his feet are gonna stay underneath him. Jaehyun’s hand finds Mark’s waist, his hip bone, his—

“Fu-uck,” Mark mumbles into Jaehyun’s mouth when he closes his hand over Mark’s cock. Jaehyun strokes him over his swim trunks, dropping his jaw open wider so Mark can lick into his mouth. “Mm, Jaehyun, ah—” He wrenches himself away. “You wanna do this, or do you want me to come in my pants for the second time today?”

Jaehyun laughs, but his eyes are dark. “No.” He drops his hand. “Fuck my thighs.”

Mark exhales sharply, stepping to the side and coming around behind him. “Yeah, okay,” he says. He gets onto the chair right behind Jaehyun, places a kiss between his perfect shoulder blades. “Gonna let me use your body? Hyung?” He doesn’t know why he uses hyung like a taunt, but it comes out low and pointed.

“Mm-hm.” Jaehyun pushes himself up off his heels, bending over to balance on all fours instead.

Mark tugs Jaehyun’s shorts down to his knees and has to stop himself from staring, cracking open the aloe instead and squeezing some onto his palm. It’s a little stickier than lube, but it’ll definitely do the trick, so he coaxes Jaehyun’s legs a little wider and spreads it on his inner thighs, reaching forward to use the excess on Jaehyun’s balls and the underside of his cock.

“Mark,” Jaehyun chokes when Mark wraps his hand around the base and strokes up.

“Don’t want it to chafe,” Mark says, leaning over him so he can kiss the base of his spine. It’s a shitty excuse—Mark’s big, but Jaehyun’s thighs are bigger. At most, his tip is going to make it to the other side, but Jaehyun drops his head and moans as Mark twists his wrist, clearly resigned.

Once he’s tortured Jaehyun enough, Mark pulls back and works his own shorts down his thighs, pulling his cock free. He’s already half-hard thanks to Jaehyun groping him a few minutes ago, so he doesn’t have to do much besides spread a little more aloe over the length of his cock before he puts the bottle aside and lines himself up behind Jaehyun. He has to take one knee off the lounge chair, planting his foot on the patio beside them instead to keep steady.

“Ready?” he asks. Jaehyun nods. “Keep them tight for me, okay?” Another nod; Mark feeds his cock between the hot press of Jaehyun’s thighs, slick with aloe, and moans a little too loud.

“They might not be able to see us, but people still have ears,” Jaehyun hisses, but he’s giggling as Mark’s balls slap against the backs of his thighs.

“Oh, fuck, that’s—” Mark grabs Jaehyun’s hips with both hands, bending over and resting his forehead on Jaehyun’s back. “That’s better than I thought it was gonna—fuck, you’re so warm, hyung. Kinda feels like—” He draws his hips back and pushes forward again, mouthing over Jaehyun’s spine, another moan forcing its way up his throat, quieter this time but just as embarrassing. “Feels like fucking a girl, mm, ’s soft, and wet, ah, fuck, h-hyung, fuck.”

“Is it good, baby?” Jaehyun murmurs. “Does it feel good, baby boy?”

Mark thinks maybe he blacks out for a second. He either stills, or his hips are moving by themselves, he’s not sure. He squeezes his eyes shut, letting out shuddering breath after shuddering breath. Baby boy. “Jaehyun,” he thinks he whimpers. Whimpers. It should be mortifying, but one of Jaehyun’s hands is over his own, thumb sweeping over his knuckles. “Oh, fuck, Jaehyun, lemme just—”

He snakes his other arm up until he finds purchase on Jaehyun’s chest, then pulls them both upright. Jaehyun gasps in surprise but goes pliantly, one hand flying up to grip Mark’s wrist, the other scrambling backwards to hold himself up against Mark’s thigh. Mark rests his cheek against the back of Jaehyun’s shoulder, pressing their bodies together and rutting up between Jaehyun’s thighs. With his other hand, he reaches around and takes hold of Jaehyun’s cock.

“Mark, hah, careful,” Jaehyun manages.

“Mm, I got you,” Mark says, slurs. Maybe he’s drunker than he thought. Or maybe it’s just Jaehyun, getting in his head and in his veins and making him slow with lust. “Keep your legs closed, hyung, you said—you said you’d let me use your body, right?”

“Yes,” Jaehyun whispers, slow. “Baby boy.” Mark groans, scraping his teeth over Jaehyun’s shoulder blade. “You like that? You wanna be my baby boy?”

“Yes,” Mark practically keens, maybe begs. “Yesyesyes, please.” He’s not sure why he likes it so much. It’s just intimate and sweet and right. He’s Jaehyun’s baby boy, and Jaehyun will give him everything he wants. His hips are moving without Mark even thinking about it, mindless chasing the gentle friction between Jaehyun’s legs. He refocuses on Jaehyun’s cock with the tiny fraction of his brain that hasn’t been entirely corrupted by desire, thumbing at the slit. Wet noises fill the air, the sticky squelching of their bodies, but it just turns Mark on even more. It’s so gross, but it doesn’t matter because he and Jaehyun both want it, both like it.

“That’s it, baby.” Jaehyun is shaking, Mark guesses from a mix of arousal and the exertion of keeping his legs pressed tight together for Mark. “Like that, so good. You gonna come?”

“Mm, close,” Mark admits. His head swims. “Please,” he whispers. “Say—say it again.”

“Come for me, baby boy,” Jaehyun says, his voice sweet.

“Fuck,” Mark groans, speeding his hips up. He thinks he’s digging his nails into Jaehyun’s chest, probably painfully, but Jaehyun doesn’t complain. He thrusts forward, nosing at Jaehyun’s skin, breathing in his scent—chlorine from the pool, a hot hazy tinge from the sun, and underneath, clean body, something like sandalwood and teak. Jaehyun.

He doesn’t even realize he’s coming at first until he pulls back a little too far and some of his release spatters up his stomach and across Jaehyun’s back. Jaehyun is murmuring encouragement still as Mark’s hips slow, Mark panting hotly against his skin.

“Shit, ‘m sorry,” Mark groans when he comes back to himself a little and realizes he paused, mid-stroke, and that Jaehyun is still hard in his palm.

Jaehyun fucking giggles, of course. “It’s okay,” he says. “Let go so I can turn around.”

Mark releases him, and Jaehyun manages to maneuver himself around so that he’s facing Mark, sitting down and leaning back in the chair.

“You’re sitting in my come,” Mark comments breathlessly as he reaches for his cock.

“I’m covered in it already, anyway,” Jaehyun points out, which Mark has to admit is a pretty good argument.

“Gross, hyung,” he says regardless, sitting down between Jaehyun’s legs and ducking his head to take the tip of his cock in his mouth.

Between both of Mark’s hands and his mouth, Jaehyun comes only a few short minutes later, curled over himself with his fingers tangled in Mark’s hair, pretty little moans spilling over his perfect lips. Mark strokes him through the aftershocks, the last of his release dripping down Mark’s knuckles and onto the already stained cushion as Mark surges up, kissing Jaehyun so he can taste himself on Mark’s tongue.

“Oh, shit,” Jaehyun mutters when they pull apart. Another giggle. “I’m never getting those stains out. I’m gonna have to buy new ones.”

Mark slaps his hand over his mouth, but it doesn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up out of his chest. “Sorry,” he gasps out, and Jaehyun smacks him painlessly with an open palm. “You could just flip them over.”

“No, that’s fucking disgusting!”

///

They run around the backyard with the dogs after they clean up, and then eventually order dinner and eat that out on the patio too as the air cools and the sun begins to set, steadily sobering up. As the sky begins to color, Jaehyun gathers their trash and pulls Mark to his feet.

“C’mon,” he says. “It’s time to get you home.”

Mark retrieves his underwear from the dryer and the rest of his clothes from Jaehyun’s bedroom, retrieves his phone from the kitchen, and shoves his feet into his shoes. Jaehyun waits patiently, keys in hand.

“So,” Mark says, taking his time with his laces. “Next weekend?”

Jaehyun grabs his phone out of his back pocket and brings it down in front of him so Face ID activates. “I’ll put my number in your phone,” he says. “We don’t need that app anymore.”

Mark panics for a second, wondering if his text thread with Johnny is visible, but a second later, his phone is back in his pocket without any further commentary. “Okay,” he says, standing.

Jaehyun opens the door, watching the dogs while Mark slips past. “But yes, next weekend,” he says, stepping out onto the porch as well and locking the door behind them. “I can come pick you up Friday after work, if that’s good for you?”

Mark nods, then realizes he probably can’t see him as he’s already out on the driveway. “Yeah, that’s good for me. I should get off around 5, so any time after 5:30 is good.”

Jaehyun unlocks his car and they both get in. “Sounds good,” he agrees. “If the weather’s not too bad on Saturday, I was thinking we could take the dogs for a hike. I know a nice trail—not too hard, and really pretty.”

“I’m game,” Mark says. “It’ll probably be good for me, I haven’t really been working out since school ended.”

Jaehyun laughs. “Well, I don’t think you need to worry too much,” he says wryly as he starts the car and pulls out onto the street. “You’re in pretty good shape.”

Mark grins. “Thanks.”

They chat about nothing as Jaehyun makes the drive across the city to Mark’s place. Too soon, he’s pulling up in the loading zone in front of the doors. Jaehyun turns his car off and bends forward, peering up at the building.

“This is you?” he asks.

“Uh, yeah,” Mark says.

“Why do you need a sugar daddy?” Jaehyun straightens, but when Mark finds his eyes, his gaze isn’t accusatory, just confused.

“Right, sorry, I kind of forget—this, my friend’s parents own this building, and they’re giving me a massive discount,” Mark explains. It’s Chenle, of course; his parents have a small real estate empire up and down the entire West Coast. “My friends and I are living here next year for school, but I’m in a studio right now since the unit I’m gonna be sharing with a couple of my buddies is still occupied by this other family. So it looks like I’m rich, but I’m just lucky.”

Jaehyun laughs. “Got it,” he says. “Sure you’re not a scammer?”

“I told you, I don’t need your money,” Mark groans, and Jaehyun laughs some more.

“I’m teasing,” he says. “Go on, it’s getting late. You can give me a tour next time.”

“Uh-huh!” Mark agrees, thinking immediately about how gross his place is since he hasn’t cleaned it in weeks. “Uh, text me if anything changes. And, um, have a good week. Probably shouldn’t—kiss, James might’ve paid the doorman to keep an eye on me.”

Jaehyun snorts. “Yeah, okay,” he says. “Have a good week, Mark.”

Mark pops the door open, waving as he steps out onto the curb. “Bye!”

He waits until Jaehyun rounds the corner and disappears before heading inside, then hurries up to his apartment and immediately starts cleaning. The sun has fully set by the time Mark is satisfied with the state of his room, dragging himself to bed and just barely remembering to set his alarm.

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