#now i'm simping over mingi

[hwaslayer]

the space between us three (jyh) | six.

⇢series masterlist | series playlist

⇢summary: while juggling the demands of life, yunho continues to do his best to raise his independent 11 yr old daughter, seora. throughout the years, they've built a strong foundation, an unbreakable bond— one that consists of late night talks and food runs, father/daughter dates, and sideline cheerleading at her basketball games. so when you unexpectedly come into their world, things shift. despite the uncertainty and the fear of stepping outside of their comfort zone, yunho and seora eventually learn how to open their hearts and learn how to rebuild a home where three can thrive together.

⇢pairing: single dad!yunho x f. reader

⇢genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, single dad au | fluff, angst, eventual smut

⇢word count: 6.6k

⇢chapter content/warnings: cussing, mature language, seora spends time with her uncle mingi, first date <33, yunho opens up about his parents to oc, holding hands, good conversations & just a bunch of cute simp shit, goodnight kisses 🥰, i swear things will get a lil spicier next chap lmao

yunho: goodmorning. 😊

This morning had been one of those mornings. You had gotten up a little later than usual, feeling tired from the exhausting week. On top of that, you turned down Yunho's offer to bring you to work so that you wouldn't have to take the bus over; afraid you'd be asking for too much since he was gonna be driving around later tonight. Had you known the bus would be running late, you might've taken him up on it. But, with it being Friday, you were just excited to get your day over with so that you could hang out with Yunho one-on-one.

It was a blessing and a curse that it was busy as soon as you walked in this morning. A blessing because the day would breeze on by. A curse because you didn't even get a chance to respond to Yunho's cute lil text before jumping right into your task list. Until, your desktop computer decided to be stubborn and stop working properly— setting you behind even more than you already were due to the commute.

you: hi, goodmorning ☺️

you: i'm sorry for the late response! i'm having quite the morning. i have so much to do, but my desktop isn't working now. i feel so incomplet and useless. 😭

yunho: it's okay! not like i thought you forgot about me or anything .. 🥲

you: lol sorry, never!

yunho: wdym it's not working?

you: it won't stay on. keeps going on power save mode even though my settings are adjusted to never go on power save mode.

yunho: interesting. where do you sit in the peds hospital again?

you: 4th floor, M103.

yunho: i'll be over in a sec.

you: yunho?? you don't even support our unit 😭

yunho: and? lol. i have time. brb!

"What?" You mutter to yourself as you set your phone down, a little worried about Yunho getting in trouble or pushing off his work to help you. You shrug it off, scribbling in your planner and working through emails on your laptop until Yunho swings by.

Which, didn't take him long post-reply. He was at your cubicle about 15 minutes later.

"Hey." Yunho says softly.

"Hi." You shyly laugh. "How did you even get in here?"

"IT has access everywhere, believe it or not." He smiles before pointing at your desktop. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Go for it." He pulls up an empty office chair nearby and drags it over to your desk, sitting comfortably as he presses the power button. He presses it a few times and clicks away at your mouse until the screen pops up. 

"Hm." He hums. "Took awhile."

"It's gonna shut down on you."

"Is that what's been happening?"

"Mhm. Just now actually. When I get it back up and running, it'll let me work for a few minutes before it shuts off and goes into power mode randomly." He's click-clacking away on the keyboard, forehead tightly knit as he eventually rests his elbow on the desk— hand hovering over his mouth, with the other on the mouse.

"How old is your computer?"

"I don't know, maybe 8-10 years old? It was passed down from the previous project manager when I stepped into her role."

"Yikes." He laughs. "I'll try a few things, but might also be a good time to consider getting a new one." He starts pulling up the terminal and plugging in some code— language you definitely don't understand.

"Yeah, I know."

"You actively push data or other work to the cloud, right? So you have a backup and can pull it up anywhere?"

"Mhm."

"Good." He gives you a small smirk. "Then, getting a replacement wouldn't be so bad. You deserve it." You laugh.

"Hope the department thinks so."

"I mean, you do need a working computer to get your things done." He sits back in the chair and crosses his arms, slightly slumped in his position. "I just plugged in a code to mimic the movement of your mouse so the computer thinks something is always happening. If you look closely at the pointer, you can see it twitching a bit." You look up close on the screen and manage to see what he's talking about.

"Woah. Okay, genius."

"Not even." He laughs. "If you don't mind me being in your space for a little longer, I wanna see if this keeps your computer awake."

"As long as it isn't taking up unnecessary time and making you behind."

"Never." He smiles at you. "So."

"So." You mimic him. "Where are you taking me later?"

"For me to know and you to find out." You snort.

"Clever. Am I dressed enough for the occasion?" Yunho eyes your outfit, running a finger across his bottom lip while he smirks at you. 

"Yeah, you look good. You always do." You playfully push him on the bicep, making him laugh. "What? I can't be honest?"

"Hey— oh? Oops. Hi Yunho." Noeul gives you a look before slowly walking away. 

"Hey Noeul." 

"I'll come back later." She mouths out as Yunho gives off a small chuckle. Suddenly, he shifts his attention back to your computer when he notices the screen go black, and he's back to sitting up again. 

"Damn." He tries fiddling with the mouse and keyboard again. "Guess that didn't work. I think this is a hardware issue now, but .." He turns to you with the same smirk he was sporting earlier when he was spitting out those compliments. "Since your computer is pretty old, I can't say it won't act up again if you get this serviced."

"So, you're saying a new computer is definitely the way to go." He nods.

"You deserve it." He stands as he reminds you. "You should think about getting a 38" monitor instead of having two. It's basically the equivalent and helps with productivity."

"What are some good ones?"

"I can send you some recs in a bit. I'm sorry you'll have to work from your laptop for now. But, whatever you order, I can help make sure it gets to you ASAP and I'll help set it up."

"Yunho." You slightly pout as he's slowly walking out of your cubicle.

"No but's. I got you." He looks down at his watch. "Anyway, gotta head back."

"See, don't tell me you have tons of stuff to catch up on now because of me?"

"I doooon't." He almost whines with a small laugh. He totally does. He's actually kinda swamped, but he made it over anyway because seeing you is nice. "See you later?" You nod and giggle. "I'll text you when I'm all wrapped up on my end."

"Okay. Thank you again."

"No worries." He playfully sends you a wink before walking off and out of the office area. Noeul finally comes creeping up to your cubicle, squealing at a low tone.

"Stop, he's so into you."

"Don't start." You bite onto your bottom lip as you continue to keep your eyes glued onto the tiny laptop screen.

"Where is he taking you? Did he say anything?"

"Nope. I am completely in the dark."

"Those are the best kinda dates. He's gonna take good care of you."

"I just wanna get out of here." You whine as your place your head down on your desk for a few minutes.

"You will! And the wait will be worth it!" You look up at her and let out a small sigh, nodding your head.

"You're right. Let me tackle all of this so I can get outta here sooner than later."

"And hang out with your man, yes!" She leans against your desk. "By the way, what'd he say about your computer?"

"Oh, this thing is done with. I need a new one. I'm just waiting for Yunho to send me some recs."

"Been telling you that."

"Well, it kept me going for some time." You pat the top of the monitor screen. "It was nice while it lasted."

"I love this for you, you know that? Upgrading your computer, your love life. This era is cute." You chuckle and shake your head.

"Go. I gotta get back to work." You push her along, making her giggle at how obviously flustered you are over the topic.

yunho: some recs for the boss lady!

You see Yunho's Slack message come in, along with links from the IT catalog. 

yunho: this CPU should do you good, along with the 38". 😮‍💨

you: haha, thank you. 😊 i'll place my order right now!

yunho: can you send me your ticket number so i can keep an eye on it?

you: maybe....

yunho: ☹️☹️☹️☹️

you: you have too much other work to worry about!

yunho: including your ticket, yes!

you: you're unbelievable. 😂

yunho: you can always opt out for tonight (ouch) ..... 😖

you: never! lol. i'm excited actually. ☺️

yunho: i am, too. 

You smile to yourself during the brief pause in between messages, unsure how to respond to Yunho without sounding like you're doing too much or saying something crazy. But, the Slack notification goes off again—

yunho: okay, i actually gtg and help jihoon with something.

yunho: seriously send me your ticket number after you're done, pls!

Pause.

yunho: can't wait to spend time with you, y/n.

And all that overthinking goes straight out the window.

you: same. 😌

Seora had a long day at school— her day filled with a bunch of tests and pop quizzes, damn near dragging herself out of the classroom and into the gym afterward. She happily talks with her friends as they change into their practice gear, joking around and being the typical girls they are as they get out onto the floor with their water bottles. After equal wins and losses, the coach decides to continue running and improving plays to push the team forward to the playoffs and hopefully, a championship win. 

When practice wraps up, Seora grabs her things and finds her other favorite uncle talking to some of the parents outside of the gym; sweat still on her face, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. When his eyes finally land on hers, he gives Seora's hair a good ruffle before taking her bags from her.

"Ace!"

"Uncle Mangi!" She copies his tone and laughs.

"How was practice?"

"Tiring. I'm pooped. I can barely feel my legs today."

"Working hard, atta girl. On our way to the WNBA." He tosses her bags in the backseat before hopping in. "Hope you don't mind, I gotta stop at the grocery store really quickly for our dinner."

"Only if I can grab some snacks."

"Course you can. Don't spoil your appetite for dinner, though. I'm gonna make some galbijjim."

"Yum! One of my faves."

"Exactly." He laughs. "How was school today?"

"The usual. Nothing too special."

"Nothing too special? Nothing happened at all?"

"Nope. Too many tests and pop-quizzes. I did get an A on my math test, though."

"That's something." She nods as she looks out the window.

"So, my dad's got another team dinner?"

"Mhm." He hums.

"Impossible." 

"They've been working really hard on a lot of different things across the hospital lately. Helps relieve stress, I guess." One thing about Mingi is that he will never out Yunho the way Seonghwa unintentionally does. If Yunho's got a team dinner, Mingi will stick to the story down to the T. Maybe even throw in his own details and dramatics to make it more believable.

"He barely used to have team dinners."

"Well, maybe their goal was to have more!"

"Are you hiding something, Uncle Mangi? Cause Uncle Hwa accidentally spilled the beans last time and said dad was on a date."

"Why would your Uncle Hwa do that? Should I fight him?" Seora laughs and shakes her head. "He wasn't on a date."

"Uncle Mangi." He looks at her.

"Mhm?"

"Lying is bad."

"I'm not lying!" She continues to squint her eyes at him before finally giving up her case and settling back into the seat. 

"Fine. What about you then, Uncle Mangi? What's new? How was your trip to Japan?"

"Nothing much. But, it was good. Nice to be in different sceneries from time to time."

"Dad keeps saying we'll tag along one day, but we haven't yet. I wanna go soon."

"I'll let him know, don't worry."

"They must have soooo much cute stuff. Don't they?"

"Lots." Mingi pulls up to the grocery store, driving into a spot near the entrance. "You'd definitely love it there."

"Where else have you been, Uncle Mangi?" She follows alongside of her towering uncle while he grabs a cart and heads into the store.

"Everywhere and nowhere all at the same time." She laughs.

"Seriously."

"One place I'll always remember is Switzerland. It's beautiful there. Probably one of my top places I've been to."

"I'm sure. I've only seen it in books, but it looks really pretty."

"It is. Those textbook pics definitely don't do it enough justice." Mingi sorts through the meat packages while Seora quickly wanders off into an aisle to grab her favorite chips and cookies. She drops it into the cart, with Mingi barely noticing.

"I have a random question for you."

"Try me."

"Do you think it's better to lock yourself up in a grocery store like this during a zombie apocalypse or keep it moving?"

"Well." Mingi continues to slowly walk down the aisles, making sure he doesn't miss any ingredients on his mental grocery list needed for tonight's dinner. "I'd say keep it moving."

"Why? You'd have everything in here."

"That's if no one raids the store, which would be impossible at that time. Plus, it can only keep you safe for so long before zombies find their way in or another group comes around. You could quite literally die before you even have a chance to try and survive."

"You'd have to take a break at some point though, right?"

"You could, but always best to keep it moving, ace. Never leave a trail for people."

"Okay, touché."

"Cereal first or milk first?" Mingi suddenly asks as they go through the cereal section.

"Cereal."

"What? No. Did your dad teach you that?"

"What kind of planet are you living on? Isn't that how it normally is?" Mingi stops the cart and looks at her. 

"Warm or cold milk then?"

"For cereal?" Mingi nods. "Cold?!"

"You and your weird ass dad." Seora laughs loudly. "Did anybody want a child? Cause this one is not mine—" Seora pinches her uncle's bicep, causing him to yelp as they push through the remaining aisles.

"You soggy cereal lover." Seora points out.

"That's literally the best way to have it."

"Ew, you're like eating mushed up cardboard." Mingi sighs.

"You're very lucky I love you and that your dad is my bestfriend or else I would've blocked him."

"You're so dramatic." She throws more snacks into the cart just as they're about to head to the registers.

"Any more snacks or you're good?"

"I'm good! I'm excited for dinner." Mingi laughs.

"I am, too. Too bad I gotta cook it first."

"You're a great cook, Uncle Mangi. I always enjoy the food you make." She tugs on his sleeve.

"I do try my best." She helps her uncle load the groceries onto the belt, pulling the cart towards the end to help bag up their things and throw it back in. Mingi taps his card to the reader before helping Seora with the heavier bags. Once they've gathered all their things, Mingi pushes the cart over to the car, loading it up in his trunk while Seora plops into the front seat. "Ready to head home?"

"Yeah, dying to shake a shower." Mingi starts up the car and begins the journey home.

"Yeah, you need it." He teases, causing Seora to lightly punch him on the arm.

"You're mean!"

"Kidding!" He laughs. "So, what's on the agenda tonight? We eat, you do homework. Watch some shows? Talk a walk around the neighborhood?"

"Sure, whatever floats your boat. I kinda have a bit of homework so I dunno about that walk. Plus, I'm pretty sore already."

"Okay, we'll play it by ear then." On the way home, Seora continues to tell Mingi about the staycation her father took her on and the new dog café they visited. She talks to him about her friends and how one of her friends started having a crush on one of the boys in their class. Mingi playfully gasps before lecturing her about boys and how icky they can be [coming from an honest heart]. But Seora laughs it off and tells her uncle that she's not really worried about that stuff.

All Mingi can say in response is 'you better not be.'

When the two finally get home, Mingi immediately sets himself up in the kitchen to get dinner going, while Seora throws her backpack down in the living room and heads straight to the shower. She takes a good, long shower before throwing on her pajamas and brushing through her wet hair. She sits on the living room floor and gets going with her homework while waiting for her uncle to finish cooking dinner.

Meanwhile, Yunho makes his way over to the peds hospital— happily stepping into the elevator to make his way back up to your office. When he gets there, he realizes most people have already clocked out and left for the day, only leaving you and a select few heads working away in the cubicles.

"Hey. Ready?" You smile as you look up at Yunho, sending one last meeting invite for next week before closing down your apps and shutting off your laptop.

"Yeah! I thought you were gonna text me so I could meet you halfway."

"Um, no." Yunho laughs. "I would much rather come get you so we can walk to the car together." 

"That's sweet." You throw on your coat and slide the bag strap over your shoulder. "So, how was the rest of your day?"

"Good. Not too crazy, at least."

"Did the offers go out to the candidates you were planning on hiring?"

"Oh, yeah! They actually signed earlier this week and they'll be starting next week. They were able to get the background checks cleared out in time."

"Aw, that's awesome! You guys will finally get help." 

"Yeah. It'll be busy for awhile getting them onboarded and trained."

"Yunho's gonna go MIA."

"Yunho is not gonna go MIA." He laughs. 

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, of course." He chuckles. "I'll always make time."

"You say that now."

"And I'll say it tomorrow, and the next day, and so on." He pinches your cheeks. "Don't trip." You smile feeling his warm touch against your skin. "Well, I didn't think it'd be so cold this evening. Are you okay with your coat and all? Is it enough?"

"It is."

"Okay, well just let me know. We'll be inside for the most part, but I want you to be comfortable."

"Thank you." You continue to walk alongside of Yunho until you get to his car. You give him the ins and outs of your day besides the whole computer issue that he tried to rescue you from while he grabs your bags and gently sets it in the trunk of his BMW and pops the door open for you. When you slide in and get comfortable, you notice how spotless his car is and how it smells like a hint of his cologne, along with laundry detergent and the fresh car smell. There are a few colorful hair ties lining the bottom of one of the cupholders, along with a hoodie in the backseat and a basketball. Yunho laughs and apologizes for Seora's mess— he also hasn't gotten a chance to bring in her things simply because he doesn't think much of it.

It almost feels like Seora is with him one way or another and he finds comfort in that.

On the drive over to dinner, he asks a bit about what other days look like for you and if you anticipate other big projects to come your way. You talk about a new project that was already mentioned to you by your manager, which involves remodeling one of the levels to a study/meeting area. You also tell Yunho it isn't a high priority, but you've already started the conversation with some of the facilities coordinators that can help rope in the appropriate vendors for certain tasks.

He transitions by telling you a few of the little projects he's been working on with his team, along with figuring out how to upgrade systems and all that jazz. You find that Yunho and his team are constantly working to support so many different departments, and it amazes you how well Yunho is able to delegate and keep himself afloat. You ask if he's ever had to work late because of really urgent issues and he says he's only had to do it once or twice— most can typically wait until the morning.

"Okay." He says, pulling into a tight, narrow street to start looking for parking. "We're here."

"I have no idea where we're at."

"Oh." Yunho laughs. "That's good then. More of a surprise for you. But, please keep your expectations down cause I didn't do much."

"Stop. Don't say things like that. I'll love it either way." Yunho smiles as he turns another corner and finds a spot right away. He parks flawlessly next to the curb, shutting off his car before turning back to you. 

"Ready?" You nod quietly, watching as Yunho hops out and does a light jog over to open the door for you. You give him a smile and tug on your coat while Yunho locks his door and leads the way next to you, hand on the small of your back. The walk isn't too far, the restaurant being down on the opposite end of the street, across the block. To your surprise, Yunho brings you to one of the new conveyor belt sushi restaurants. He greets the host and he immediately takes you back to a little booth near the belt. It's snug enough to fit two people. 

"I'm excited." You look at Yunho and he laughs.

"Same, I could eat. You like sushi, right? Please tell me I didn't fuck up." He looks concerned for a moment.

"No, no. I love sushi. I actually haven't had it in so long." You rearrange your set up so you can eat comfortably, the waiter taking your order for drinks. You both ask for water, but before the waiter can walk off, Yunho suddenly asks for two glasses of hot sake. 

"Thank you." He says, giving the waiter a curt nod.

"Sake?"

"Our little celebration for getting through the week."

"Wow, okay. Touché. I can get behind that." You look at him. "My birthday's coming up. You should come out with Mingi and Seonghwa. We're heading out to the club." You pause before shaking your head. "Or, actually, I'm being forced to go to the club to celebrate."

"Forced, hm?" He laughs. "That sounds fun, though. Send me the details. We'll definitely try to celebrate with you."

"Might be fun. We can be a fun group of people."

"Yeah?" Yunho likes that, you're down for things and he can tell you go with the flow. He likes someone who can just have fun with him. Someone who can just be with him; it wouldn't matter where they go or where their relationship takes them.

"Mhm. And I can tell you guys are fun." You laugh. "Seora must love having you as her dad."

"I hope so." Yunho laughs along. "By the way, feel free to start digging in." He gestures towards the moving conveyor belt and you happily start exploring your options as they come— taking a fresh plate of salmon nigiri to start off. The waiter quickly comes back with two glasses of hot sake, making Yunho smirk at you. He sets his chopsticks down and slides your glass over, raising his while you take yours. "Cheers? For getting through the week."

"Cheers!" You say cheerfully, tapping your glass against his before taking some of the hot sake down your throat. It burns, but the heat brings more warmth to your body on this cold evening. "Speaking of Seora, where is she right now now?" You drink a bit more before taking another plate off the belt.

"Spending time with her Uncle Mingi."

"That's cute." Yunho grabs a few plates and sets them aside while he decides which one he'll tackle first.

"She had practice and I had him go pick her up. I think they were heading to the grocery store to buy some ingredients for dinner before heading home last time he texted me."

"What did you tell her?"

"Mm." He hums. "I hope you don't take it personally or anything, but I told her it was a team dinner."

"No, of course not."

"I just, yeah." He chuckles a bit. "It's just easier to go with that."

"I believe it." The both of you continue to eat away at the sushi, small, empty plates piling up on the side of the table. Small conversations continue about day-to-day life; you and your friends, what you've been doing for yourself lately. Suddenly, you dwell on the fact that you don't know much about Yunho besides his day-to-day life with Seora and work. You know about his friends, his coworkers. But, you don't know anything deeper about his personal life.

His parents.

You didn't wanna be nosy and pry, but you wondered why his parents weren't the ones watching Seora. 

Was it too much of you to ask?

Was this considered a real date if you two weren't trying to get to know each other? What were the boundaries?

"Yunho?"

"What's up?"

"Can I ask you something more personal?"

"Anything."

"I hope I'm not crossing boundaries here, but what about your parents? How come they don't watch Seora?"

"You're not crossing any boundaries." Yunho reassures you, but shakes his head before dipping into his next plate of sushi. "Uh, it's complicated. Things kinda just fell apart when Eunha passed." You slowly nod. "When my parents found out Eunha was pregnant, they didn't want us to continue with the pregnancy cause we were, what? 20 years old when we found out? Still in the midst of college. But, that's not what we wanted. They almost got to Eunha but we pushed through in the end and we had Seora. It was really hard for a long, long time, but Seora was worth every bit of it. My parents obviously didn't like the fact that we went against their wishes, so they kept their distance. It's been that way ever since, even when Eunha passed. I think it got worst, actually. Plus, I never had the best relationship with them from the get-go. They only see Seora once in a blue moon. They're the grandparents that just send the occasional bouts of money, birthday and holidays cards. Seora always wonders about them, but I can never give her an answer as to why her grandparents aren't around." 

"I'm sorry, Yunho."

"Don't be sorry." Yunho smiles a bit.

"W-what about Eunha's parents?" You wanna ask about Eunha too, but you know this isn't the time.

"Uh, they're the same. They—" He pauses. "They cut off ties when she passed because it was too hard for them."

"Oh. Yunho." You say sympathetically, feeling incredibly bad for having brought it up in the first place. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to be such a debbie downer during dinner."

"No, it's okay. I promise. I've.. gotten used to it at this point. It used to be hard for me, but I've accepted everything."

"Still doesn't mean it doesn't get hard for you."

"I've learned to manage." He gives you a tiny, toothless smile.

"I hope you know you're doing an amazing job balancing everything and for being a great father to Seora."

"Thanks." 

"I'm also glad you have Seonghwa and Mingi."

"Me too." He laughs. "They're a pain in my ass, but they're my bestfriends. I don't think I would have been able to get through a lot without them. And they're good to Seora."

"That's good, I'm glad." You eat a bit more before you feel yourself getting content and full.

"Full?"

"Damn near. I think I ate too fast." You chuckle. "I'm almost done with my sake."

"Bottoms up?" You nod, tapping your glass against his before the both of you take it to the neck. Yunho finishes up a few more plates before he sits back and gulps his water down, causing you to giggle to yourself. "Fuck, I'm full. Overdid it, for sure."

"Was worth every bit of it, though. Maybe we should walk it off?"

"Yeah. Let's head to the next stop. I think you'll like it. And we'll get our steps in." He pulls his wallet out of his pocket, calling the waiter over.

"Can I split with you?"

"Absolutely not." Yunho says, handing over his card directly to him.

"You're already driving me everywhere and taking me to another location after this. The least I can do is chip in."

"Nope. The least you can do is just enjoy yourself with me tonight." He smiles sweetly just as he grabs the receipt handed to him by the waiter, signing off and tucking his own copy swiftly into his pocket before looking at you. 

"Couldn't even let me see the receipt."

"Nope." He repeats and stands. "Ready to go, pretty girl?" You feel the heat rise to your cheeks as you stand and nod, leading the way out of the restaurant with Yunho in tow. He answers your questions on the way to the car, giving you hints about the next location. It still leaves you stumped in the end, deciding to let Yunho continue taking matters into his own hands with you. He opens the door like the gentleman he is, slipping into the driver's seat as he rubs his hands together and immediately turns the heat on when he starts the car. "All good? Too hot?"

"Just perfect."

"Good." You sit back comfortably as Yunho sets off for the next destination for tonight. "So, how was the sushi? Be honest."

"It was so good!" He looks at you when he comes to a red light, almost as if he's trying to read you, really read you, and you giggle. "What?"

"Just making sure."

"That I'm not lying?"

"Maybe." You laugh even more.

"I would never. If I didn't enjoy it, I would've given an honest review."

"Mmkay, I believe you." He laughs. "I want you to have a good night with me."

"I am already." You look at him with a soft expression. "And I'm sure the next part to this will be just as fun. If not, more. I trust you."

"Do you?"

"I do." Yunho smiles, wanting to hold your hand so badly while he drives. But, he doesn't. He holds back. He feels like there could be a better opportunity.

One that'll feel right and set the mood for the remainder of the night.

For this entirely.

After a good 20 minutes of driving down south, Yunho exits off the freeway and takes an immediate right down towards a large-sized building with all modern exterior designs. He parks in the lot next to it, doing his gentleman deed of helping you out of the car and leading you towards the beautiful building.

It's one of the city's biggest museums, and the event they're hosting for a couple of weeks is called Spirit House. It focuses on Asian American and Asian diasporic artists that are showcasing art pertaining to horror, spirits, haunted houses, reincarnation, different dimensions and other themes along those lines. You continue to read the pamphlet before Yunho looks at you with a small smile on his face.

"Wanna walk around?" You nod.

"How'd you know I'd be into this stuff?"

"It sounded cool, so why not?"

"You're good, Jeong Yunho." You giggle and continue into the first part of the exhibit. The atmosphere is dark and dim, the artwork on the walls screaming afterlife. Death. Souls. Horror, fear. You're so intrigued that you find yourself slowly moving from work to work; trying to take in all the details of the images in front of you. You didn't even realize Yunho had been watching you from behind, snapping photos every chance he could before moving onto the next room to get a preview of what's to come.

"Hey." Yunho says from behind you. "Wanna show you something in the next room." 

"Okay." You look down at the hand he puts out, waiting for you to take it. You gently slide your hand in his, fingers intertwining before he guides you to the next exhibit and it feels incredibly natural. It's a room full of mini fixtures— almost like miniature set-ups of old fashioned homes and other buildings. He shows you one that has the artist's own adaptation of Junji Ito characters spread across levels of an old, haunted house.

"Oh my god, I love it." You peek down to get a closer look, hand still laced with Yunho's. "I love Junji Ito. And the work in the other room reminded me of Takato Yamamoto. It's amazing."

"Made for you." You chuckle, tugging him along as you both look at the next miniature setups alongside of it. Yunho doesn't even mind one bit. He's enjoying the exhibit, but he's enjoying it even more with you here— holding his hand every step of the way. You snap a few photos of the art before Yunho directs you to stand near one of the exhibits where the lighting falls on you perfectly. He takes a few more photos— more candid ones from behind you especially— just so you have photos to look back at when you wanna reminisce on your first date with him.

The next room of the exhibit is an interactive light show; the  room is completely dark, with different lights projecting things around the room. The background music is mysterious, creepy; fitting the vibe all together. You continue to walk with Yunho while snapping photos of your silhouettes in the mirrors. Yunho gets silly and makes a bunch of poses, making you laugh loudly in the process. At one point, you've found yourself standing near the corner of the room, watching all the lights come together to project a beautiful show onto the walls. Yunho comes next to you, admiring the same view— but you, mainly. You look up at him to tell him how amazing the event is, but he's already looking down at you with fondness and endearment sprinkled in his big brown orbs.

You almost.. wanna kiss him.

But, you shake off the thought quickly by dragging him to the next exhibits— loosely holding his hand throughout the rest of the event.

Too bad he would've kissed you back, had you known.

No, he needs to be a gentleman and he needs to do right by you, Yunho thinks. He can't just kiss you on the first date or else he runs the risk of you thinking he only wants you for one thing.

Like Ara; but, that situation is a little different.

"Yunho! That was so fun." You smile at him the way you do, and it melts his heart. "Thank you for taking me to this."

"Of course. I think it ends after the weekend, so perfect timing." You quickly scroll through some of the pictures you took. "I'll send you the pictures I have later."

"Okay." You look at the buskers on the opposite end of the street, along with a food cart nearby. "Yunho, let's go check it out really quickly!"

"I'm down." He nods, noticing it's only about to hit 10pm. Seora must be waiting for him, but he knows she'll sleep until he gets there and Mingi hasn't made a peep. He feels like he's in the clear.

He holds your hand tightly as you both cross the street safely, stopping near the food cart first while lightly bouncing to the live music nearby.

"Want a snack?" You nod and cling onto his arm.

"I could use one. Museum took up my energy." He laughs. Yunho buys some custard-filled bungeoppang for you two to snack on while observing the buskers. You bounce along next to him and he starts to dance in his own way, making you laugh at how cute he's being with you. You snap a few photos of him that you'll share later, not knowing Yunho had a bunch of your photos to share as well.

You and Yunho sing along to some familiar songs before the buskers end the first half of their performance for a tiny break.

"That was cool. They did really well!"

"They were so good!" You toss in some cash into the guitar case. "And I didn't know you could sing!"

"I— no." Yunho laughs.

"I wanna hear more of your singing." You pout as you tug on his arm on the way back to the car.

"Maybe."

"Yunho." You whine and he laughs.

"I promise you it's nothing that great."

"Very much the opposite of what I think, just so you know." He stands by the passenger door, allowing you to hop in but he doesn't close the door right away. He stands and looks at you and there's something in his eyes that you can't really read.

"I hope you enjoyed it."

"I did. A lot." He licks his lips, and you can tell he's having the same internal battle you had not too long ago in the light exhibit. But, he brushes it off by tapping the door frame before shutting your door gently and hopping into his seat. 

The drive home is as expected; with you and Yunho talking about your similar music tastes this time and Yunho being a bit more open about his vocals. You look at him as he sings a tune or two, explaining that his dad is the one with the vocals in the family. You tease that next time, you two should go to a karaoke bar to end the night and he smirks.

At least you're thinking about next time's just like he is, too.

When he pulls up to your apartment, you find yourself not wanting to part from him. You know he has to go home to Seora though, and it breaks your heart knowing she's been waiting for her dad to come home. You step out of the car and tug on your coat, the night colder than it was a few hours ago.

"Welp, this is me." You both look at the apartment building, with Yunho tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Let me walk you up."

"No, it's okay. I promise it's right there." You point at your apartment before chuckling and turning to him completely. "Goodnight, Yunho. Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun."

"You're welcome, Y/N." He watches as you lean in to give him a kiss on the cheek. He blushes, and he loves the initiation, but he freezes. Completely. 

"I'll see you next week, hm? Get home safely." You smile toothlessly at him before turning on your heel to walk up to your unit. Just as you're about to make it up the steps, Yunho is chasing after you with long strides, causing you to turn and raise a brow. "Did I leave something?"

"Mm, maybe." He says with a tiny smirk on his face. Suddenly, his large, warm hands come up to cup your cheeks— lips capturing yours in a sweet goodnight kiss. "Goodnight." You smile up at him as his thumb caresses the surface of your right cheek.

"Night." He steps back, biting his bottom lip to prevent himself from smiling too big. He lingers around until he sees you successfully slip into your unit and hears the door shut close.

What he doesn't see is the way you squeal and dig your face into your hands, incredibly giddy and happy from the turn of events.

You really liked Yunho.

And he does, too.

So much that the smile doesn't even fade when he pulls up to the house, Mingi's car leaving enough room for him to park in his usual spot. Yunho can see the faint flickering of the TV lights through the kitchen window, and he knows Seora is probably on the couch waiting for his arrival.

When he steps through the door, Mingi is placing some food into the fridge before returning his attention to the remaining dishes in the sink. He quietly greets his bestfriend before nodding towards the couch— signaling that Seora had fallen asleep while waiting.

"Has it been long?" Yunho asks lowly.

"A bit, yeah. She said practice was exhausting today." Yunho chuckles before crouching down in front of the couch and brushing her hair back.

"Ace." Her eyes slowly flicker open.

"Oh, finally. You're back." He laughs.

"Let's get to bed, hm?" She sleepily nods, sitting up before walking to her bedroom. "Say bye to uncle Mingi."

"Love you, ace!" Mingi calls out as he watches her sleepily walk across the living room.

"Love you too. Goodnight." She mutters and lazily waves before dragging herself into her room and shutting the door. It isn't long before Yunho sees her shut off the lights, causing him to turn the volume down on the TV before helping Mingi clean up.

"So, how was it?" Yunho smiles.

"Good." He avoids eye contact as he blushes, setting the dry dishes into the cabinet.

"Good?"

"Yeah."

"Meaning?" Mingi rests against the corner before smirking at him. " I have time."

"I really, really like her."

⇢taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @nopension @curse-of-art @thechaotictheoryy @likexaxdaydream @dalsuwaha @enha-stars @yasuraokaa @professormingisglasses @yunyunrin @pommelex @astral-trashcan @laura1399 @domfikeluva @tournesol155 @hwaskookies @yusalterego @hwa-stars @hyukssunflower @chngbnwf @jaytheatiny @lucid-galaxys-world @chaotic-floral @sofkloster @honeyrecommends @hwashua-luv @luvv4bby @spicxbnny @pandyandy71 @sanniesaurus @angel-hyuckie @wolviejex @purpleyou7x

[whatudowhennooneseesyou]

Are u able to do how certain Venus signs act when the like someone??

I hope u mums doing well now and ur car is doing ok no rush tho I understand 😊

Hey, my mum and car are doing okay and thank you for your patience because you requested this a VERY long time ago.

Disclaimer: This is based on traditional astrology and for delusional purpose only. Do not take this seriously.

Also someone's Moon Sign will also have an influence in how they show their affection for you so you're better off looking at both Moon AND Venus signs.

The Rizz Of Each Venus Sign:

Aries Venus:

These people yearn with PASSION and they're one of the easiest to figure out if they like you. You can just SEE it in their gaze when they're in your presence. Agreeable. Will instantly respond to messages and more likely to confess their feelings rather quickly.

Jeongin from Stray Kids is an Aries Venus and this manifests in the EXCITEMENT he has around his members and how he beams at them on the stage or when in his ending-ment when he talks to Stays.

Taurus Venus:

Will absolutely scrutinise and discover what you like and are interested in understanding the SMALLEST of details about you. Will also pay attention to your body language and figure out what makes you comfortable.

A great example of a Taurus Venus in action was when Yunho had a fancall with Vanessa and noticed how her make-up style changed and asked if she moved because her background changed.

Gemini Venus:

They love to play games and play cat and mouse. The type to offer you a beautiful compliment and then dip because they want you to think about them. Will ask you personal questions about your life.

Cancer Venus:

A healing presence will envelop you with the love of a Cancer Venus. Provide you with comfort and warmth. Will deliberately radiate an energy of homeliness so you feel safe in being vulnerable and expressing your deepest thoughts.

Leo Venus:

They just become the biggest simps and end up fawning and gushing over you. Will find any excuse to spend time with you. May make compliments about your hair and make-up and be extra touchy and giggly.

San from Ateez is a Leo Venus and he is so Leo Venus coded with how he is so attentive towards Atiny's. You can feel the care in his gaze and presence.

Virgo Venus:

The type to love quietly but unconditionally and it might take you awhile for you to realise they like you. Will give you gifts or do minor tasks for you and then act like it's nothing even though you know they don't do this for anyone else.

Mingi from Ateez and Changbin from Stray Kids both have a Virgo Venus and Mingi creates crystal bracelets and Changbin is always bringing food to his members.

Libra Venus:

Might want to take lots of photos of you or want to know about your artistic abilities. People with a Libra Venus are typically VERY physically affectionate so lots of hugging, petting, smiling (consensually) etc.

TEASING is a huge thing as well!!! Others might think you're bullying each other but you both know the humour you share is special between you two.

Han, Felix, Seungmin from Stray Kids and Wooyoung from Ateez are all Libra Venuses and massively tease and play around with their members but it's done so in a way that's harmless and cute.

Scorpio Venus:

Will pine for months before even making a move on you. Quality time. It's difficult to define how a Scorpio Venus shows their interest because you can just FEEL it and SEE it with how they interact with you. Heated gazes. Sudden bouts of confession. And of course, if they get jealous and possessive.

Bang Chan, Lee Know, Hongjoong and Jongho all have their Venus in Scorpio and a lot of their admiration is non-verbal, you can just see the way their eyes sparkle when they talk about something/someone they adore.

(I'm also biased b/c my Pisces Venus loves my Scorpio venus ppl, y'all get what it means to love someone with your entire body and soul).

Sagittarius Venus:

These people are CHEEKY with their affection and can become overly flirtatious and then avoidant within minutes of knowing you. Might put more effort into their appearance when they're around you and try to act non-chalant with their affection (though it gets pretty obvious at times).

Capricorn Venus:

Will prioritise and give advice over your health and well-being. Classic tsundere vibes with affection and if they like you and you ask them for a favour...they might complain about it before rolling their eyes and doing it for you anyway.

Minghao from SVT is a classic example of a Capricorn Venus. Carats always ask him to do certain Tiktok dances and he says he won't do it but then he rolls his eyes and ends up doing them anyway.

Aquarius Venus:

It's difficult because they treat their romantic partners and their friends in a similar manner BUT I've noticed they show their care for you by showing up and being there for you in your darkest of moments. Will send cute memes and gifs to you online. Might check in on a regular basis for no obvious reason.

Park Seonghwa from Ateez and DK from SVT both have a Venus in Aquarius and they are dedicated to their lives and HOBBIES! They love showing off their hobbies to Atiny's and Carats.

Pisces Venus:

I am a Pisces Venus and let me tell you the LIMERENCE we experience!!! Will ask questions about your personal life and remember certain details about you. Will do all they can to make you feel extra special and a top priority.

Hyunjin from Stray Kids is a Pisces Venus and I've noticed he always tries his best to make Stays and his members as comfortable as possible around him.

Let me know if this resonates and if there's anything else I should include or know about!

[edenesth]

TWTHH Spinoff: Written in the Stars [Teaser]

Pairing: military strategist!Mingi x royal physician!reader

AU: historical au (Joseon era)

Summary: Mingi had spent countless years searching for the angel who saved his life when he was on the verge of death. He believed god was on his side when she finally reappeared before him, but she was now so near yet so far, so unobtainable. No longer just a young medical trainee, she had become an esteemed royal physician—a woman working within the palace walls. And what did that mean? It meant she now belonged to His Majesty.

A/N: Credits to @sundaybossanova for contributing the main idea of Mingi's spinoff. I might have changed most of the proposed plot, but the MC's identity as a physician and how the two first meet remains Sunny's idea.

Main Story | Spinoff Masterlist | Part 1

"Ooh, guess who's here again," your colleague remarked, nodding toward the entrance of the royal medical hall where a certain tall, handsome military strategist strode in for what felt like the thousandth time this week. You sighed, refusing to look up from your book. "Please tell me it's not him."

She gulped, watching him approach. "Hate to break it to you, but it is your not-so-secret admirer, General Officer Song."

"Good afternoon, ladies. I, uh… I'm here today because—" his familiar deep voice rang out as he paused at a respectful distance.

Clearing your throat, you finally closed your book and turned to face him with a courteous smile, finishing his sentence for him, "Good afternoon to you too, Officer Song. Let me guess, you're here because you got hurt during training again?"

Instead of the usual sheepish nod, he shook his head and nervously fiddled with his fingers. "No, actually… I came to ask if… i-if you would like to accompany me to the royal banquet celebrating Joseon's unity with Ruhon tonight, Royal Physician Ahn?"

You froze at his question, and your colleague mirrored your reaction. The two of you exchanged bewildered glances, trying to process the fact that this fool was openly pursuing you, a woman working in the palace, someone who belonged to the King.

Does he realise what he's doing?

You're probably wondering why I'm posting this on a Wednesday (depending on where you are) but it's a public holiday here today in Malaysia, so surprise!! It's finally Princess Mingi's turn! The way y'all thought his spinoff would be the first and here he is HAHA

In case you're confused and are not sure what I mean by MC belonging to the King, please read ✨this✨

As always, I'll do my best to get the first part out as soon as I can! Let me know your thoughts on the concept! <3

Tag list (1/9):

@itstheghostofmypast @huachengsbestie01 @minghaoslatina @weedforthoughtz @minkiflwr |

@cheolliehugs @the-kpop-simp @writingwieny @stayatinykatsy @skzline |

@green-agent @stayinhellevator @vampzity @tinyteezer @evidive |

@vantediary @superbbananananana @kimyeolchan @chocolate-scoups @decadentstrangernacho |

@vic0921 @marievllr-abg @sunnyhokyu @seungmin-in-thebuilding @heyitsmetonid |

@sansaurora9904 @darkestacademiamindsx12-blog @myblovedjyh @professormingisglasses @newworldwritings |

@chicken-fifi @thunderous-wolf @shythinggiver @madnpan @yandere-stories |

@anxiousskylar @frobin4ever @starssongs98 @dollce-exe @jan-l |

@lovelyred2 @haven-cove @watermelon2319 @dreamingofyeo @akimkim |

@scuzmunkie @satsuri3su @mismatchfluffysocks @borntoshineateez @st4rhwa |

@ddaeing @tropicalsstuff @bts-army380 @skteezcursed @beauty143 |

@naps-over-degree @brown88 @sis-101 @lemon-sage17 @jcalicocatj

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

[mint-yooxgi]

{2} - Fight or Flight - Yandere!Redcap!Mingi X Tall!Chubby!Reader

Fae!AU & Yandere!AU - Part of the CoDN Thrill of the Hunt Collab

Genre: Fantasy, Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Smut

Pairing: Mingi X Reader

Words: 9,105

Rating: Mature - 18+ MDNI

Warnings: Please read the warnings carefully, as this is a very heavy story dealing with many dark topics. This is also all of the warnings for this fic as it is one long one shot that I had to split into multiple parts, and I'm too tired right now to individually categorize all of these warnings to their respective parts. 8 ft tall Mingi. Slow burn. Violence: depiction of a massacre, a deer being slaughtered, as well as physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional, both alluded to and not. Blood and gore. Abuse: physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual, both alluded to and implied. Assault: physical, and sexual, both alluded to, implied, and attempted. OC has a really rough past, really this isn't for the faint of heart. Whipping, both alluded to, and done. Mentions of branding. Heavy themes of possession and ownership. Deception. Arson. Really, there's a lot of dark subject matter. Mingi falls hard and fast, thus, he simps a lot for the OC, but it's not a story written by me if Mingi doesn't simp for the OC. The reader is mentioned to be both tall and chubby, but it is not mentioned often, so it shouldn't disrupt the flow of the story when ready if you are not tall and/or chubby. I think that's everything, but if I missed something, please let me know! Smut: Biting/marking, outdoor sex, fingering (fem. rec), oral (fem. rec), hand job (male rec), come eating, overstimulation, Mingi has a dig bick, sex in a spring, really, it's very soft in comparison to the subject matter. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

P.S. If there are any spelling or grammatical errors, please ignore them. I did my best through many rounds of editing, but some are liable to still slip through.

A/n: I am SO sorry this took me LITERALLY forever to complete. I meant to have this out so much earlier, and actually posted on time, but it turned out much, much longer than I ever anticipated it being. I'm really proud of how this story turned out, and I didn't want to split it into multiple parts because I felt it would take away from the story as a whole. I'm super excited for you all to read this one, as I had a tremendous amount of fun writing it, and I really hope you all love Mingi's and OC's journey as much as I do. Huge shoutout and thanks to @anyamaris and @kwanisms for listening to me ramble and rave about this story both before and during the writing process, and for always encouraging me while writing! Also, huge thank you to @sanjoongie for being so patient and understanding with me as I write this all out in full. I hope you all enjoy! As always feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~

Summary: Out of one horrible situation and into another, the cycle of abuse never stops. You've lived with monsters your whole life. So, what's one more?

P.P.S. Please don't let this flop guys. If you enjoyed it, please reblog!!!

Mini Masterlist - Part One

It’s early one morning when the redcap encampment explodes in an uproar. The sun has barely crested over the hills when a cry rings out, echoed by another, and then another until Mingi can no longer hear himself think.

“Quiet!” His voice booms out over the encampment as he steps out of his tent, silencing everyone in their path. “What is the meaning of this?”

“General!” A gleeful voice cuts through the silence. “General, it’s the human!”

Mingi’s eyebrows raise, eyes widening slightly in exasperation as he watches both Darius and Lias approach with grins wide enough to showcase their sharp teeth.

“She’s gone.” Darius snickers, his tongue darting out to trace over his top row of teeth.

“Speak clearly.” Mingi commands, his brow furrowing as he stares down at the two redcaps before him.

“We don’t know exactly what or when it happened, General,” Lias is quick to say, his eyes shining in glee. “All we do know is that she’s gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” Mingi looks between the two fae, lips pulling back in a snarl. The last thing he needs is to be carting around a dead human until they can properly dispose of the body. That, or his men tearing into your flesh because they got ‘hungry’.

“She ran away.” Another voice cuts through the looming silence, and all heads turn to see Windfel holding the tattered remains of your clothing.

This… this is somehow worse.

“The human tricked us?” A voice of disbelief rises in the crowd.

“She couldn’t have gotten far.” Another says, many beginning to stir as some already begin to look around the area in search of you.

“Who was the last to see her?” Mingi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Great. Just what he needs. Another setback to keep him from returning home to his keep, where he so badly wants to be. He knew this human would be trouble, and now he has to worry about going to find her.

All eyes turn to Windfel as he tosses your worn clothes to the ground. “She stunk so badly, I told her to change.”

“She must have slipped away at that point!” Lias growls, his teeth snapping together in ire.

“When was this?” Mingi rounds on Windfel.

“Not three days passed.” Comes Windfel’s reply.

Silence so deadly settles over the encampment that no one dares to breathe.

“She’s been missing for three days?” The loud timbre of Mingi’s shout causes a flock of birds to take off in the distance.

Windfel cowers back, taking note of the snarls now sent his way by both Lias and Darius. “I told her to wash herself in the stream and change. I returned with her clothes, but they must have been enough to overpower the senses.”

“She never returned?” A voice from the gathered redcaps shouts.

“I wasn’t about to watch her bathe!” Windfel shouts in defence of himself.

“You trusted a human to go off on their own?” Another calls out in disbelief.

More and more cries of outrage rise through the crowd. Seeing as the human was their responsibility and you’ve now escaped, each and every single one of them knows what this means. Yet, none want to waste their time taking a detour to find you, even if they would get the immense satisfaction of ending your pathetic excuse of a life. None, except for one.

“I’ll go.” Windfel drops to his knees before his general, bowing his head to the ground. “Let me amend my mistake and rid us of this pest once and for all.”

“No.” Mingi’s voice is firm, and his response garners a few shocked exclamations from the gathered redcaps. “Since I can’t seem to trust any of you to watch over one measly little human, I’ll go.”

“But General-“

“Return to the keep.” Mingi cuts Windfel off, his tone leaving no room for arguments. “I’ll be back soon.”

Without another word, or even waiting to hear an ounce of protest, Mingi takes off into the woods, back in the direction in which they came. He’ll travel faster alone, especially if he travels light. The sooner he gets this done, the sooner he can put this all behind him. Perhaps he’ll even dispose of you while he has the chance.

Stomping his way through the bush, Mingi curses his subordinates. The only reason he agreed to take you in in the first place was so that they could have fun. They wanted you to do who knows what to, and he allowed it.

That was his first mistake.

As Mingi soon disappears from sight, all that follow after him are the sounds of his encampment bursting back into action, and a wicked grin pulling over blood red lips.

***

Seonghwa is infuriating.

Nothing gets Mingi’s blood boiling as much as that smug faerie and his ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Talking with him is like pulling teeth. Though, in actuality, Mingi quite prefers that. At least pulling out someone else’s teeth can be enjoyable!

A full day and a half has passed since Mingi set off on this hunt, and so far, all he’s learned is that you passed through this town, and took a dip in the wild stream. If his guess is to be correct, it shouldn’t take him that much longer to find you. Being both injured and human, you can’t have gotten far. Besides, this is the direction your scent lingers in, and though it’s faint, he knows that this is most likely the way to go.

What’s even more irritating is that you smell faintly of Windfel. The two scents mix together in an unnatural aroma, guiding Mingi through the bush as he stomps his was through the forest and towards where you must be hiding. 

In the back of his mind, he wonders if you know he’s coming after you. Are you scared? Do you think you have any chance of escape? Will your panic cause you to make a mistake? Is he already too late?

Stupid Seonghwa wasting his time with games. Yet, what surprises him most is the fact that the faerie even involved himself. Ever since the incident, the elder fae has changed significantly. At least, that’s what Mingi has been told. He never knew Seonghwa before meeting him how he is now, and currently, that’s the least of Mingi’s worries.

Perhaps he’ll take a page out of the faerie’s notebook and stop outwardly caring about those around him. Only involving oneself to their own benefit does have its perks. He could simply stick to hunting and ravaging, both of which he’s quite good at.

Mingi has always prided himself on his tracking skills. Not only is he a fast hunter, but he’s thorough. Not a trace will be left of you once he finishes, and he’ll finally be rid of this irritating side quest once he catches up to you. If you’re still alive, that is. It really all depends on the state in which he finds you in. There’s no telling what could happen to an unaccompanied human in this realm. Maybe he’ll get lucky and find you already torn to shreds, saving him both the time and energy of having to bring you back.

Yes, Mingi could just kill you, but where’s the fun in that? He much rather prefers when his prey fights back, and against a human, there’s no fight at all. Mingi easily overpowers you, and bathing the band currently tied around his upper arm in your blood would be a waste.

No real general prides themselves on an easy kill, least of all him.

Taking a deep breath in, Mingi calms his nerves. Though he’s irritated, he knows he’ll think better with a clear mind. You’re close, he can almost taste it. It won’t be long now, and soon, he’ll be able to finally determine your fate.

After another full day and a half of travel, Mingi finally spots you through a thicket of trees. You seem to be sitting on the ground, your back resting against the trunk as your sleep. Your hands are clasped over your stomach, legs outstretched in front of you as if you have not a care in the world. In your hands, a lone flower stem rests.

Furrowing his brow, Mingi picks up his pace. Like hell is he going to let you get away from him now. Not when he’s spent the last five days hunting you down. It’s been a parade of none stop walking, tracking your every movement until all paths lead him here. Oddly enough, it looks as if you’ve been placed on display, as if someone has set a trap…

Mingi freezes in his spot, using the thicket of trees as cover. His lips pull back over his fangs in a snarl, nearly letting out a low growl.

That’s when the smell hits him.

He freezes, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he gazes upon your seemingly peaceful figure laying against that one tree. Now that he’s closer, he can see that the flower held in your clasped hands is a sprig of red spider lilies, and he scowls.

You reek of decay. Of infection.

Of death.

Were it not for the faint beating of your heart he can still hear echoing throughout the empty woods as he focusses in on you, he would have believed you have already died. Not that you aren’t already inches from death’s door at this very moment.

Taking a deep breath in, Mingi crinkles his nose. He doesn’t try to mask his approaching footsteps now, each stomp crashing through the bush as his sharp gaze zeroes in on you.

He watches you crack an eye open, hearing you hum softly.

“Oh,” your voice is hoarse. Weak. “It’s you.”

Mingi’s eyes flash, a low growl permeating the air.

“Are you here to finally kill me?” Your voice crackles from lack of use, taking in a harsh breath in attempts to fill your aching lungs. 

It’s as if it’s getting harder and harder for you to breathe, your chest rising and falling much slower than what Mingi is used to. He’s surprised you’ve lasted this long on your own, being both human and severely injured from the looks of things. The fact that you reek of infection is an obvious side effect from the wild stream. No being escapes those waters unharmed. You should be shrivelled up, gasping for water and air by now, but there seems to be some fight left in you still.

“Hurry up and get it over with,” you continue to fill the silence stretching on around you, settling slightly further back into the tree you rest upon as you close your eyes.

“I’m not here to kill you.” Mingi replies gruffly, that frown still pulling at his features as he glares down at you.

You hum lowly. “Shame.”

“Do you wish to die, human?” Mingi’s nose scrunches, the stench even worse the closer he stands to you. “You stink of death.”

“I feel like death,” you agree, eyes still shut. “Or maybe I’m already dead. Hell’s not so bad after all.”

“Why didn’t you run?” Mingi counters, eyes narrowing warily at you. He keeps a little bit of distance between the two of you still, unsure if this is a trick or not. Though, he doubts you could overpower him in the slightest. “Surely you knew you were being hunted.”

“Whispers,” you wheeze, chest heaving as you begin to hack out a cough. Your whole body violently jerks, eyes squeezing further shut as your face contorts in pain. “Always whispers.”

Mingi crouches down, observing you carefully. “You should be dead.”

Weakly, you shake your head. “Never dead. Always dying.”

Another cough wracks your whole body, and Mingi sighs. “Frail little human, can barely handle the wind.”

“You’d be surprised what I’ve survived.” Your eyes are suddenly sharp, lips parted as each breath escapes you as a wheeze.

He can’t help it. Mingi laughs. A loud, boisterous laugh that causes him to toss his head back, his eyes crinkling at the sides.

“If this is your attempt to make yourself sound tough, all it’s doing is amusing me, mortal.” Mingi grins, his fangs flashing beneath the eerie glow of the moon. 

The canopy you both reside under is abnormally bright, letting you see the redcap general in all his glory. Claws rest on the tips of his fingers, filed and polished to perfection. Teeth as sharp as razors line the inside of his lips, of which are now pulled back in amusement as his dark eyes glint in the moonlight. His ears, which taper off into points, are slightly hidden behind bright blond locks, the faintest of hues of red splattered throughout the strands.

“Get up. We’re returning to the keep.” Mingi stands back to his full height, looming over you as he lets out a sigh through his nose. “I’m not making another detour for you again.”

You don’t respond.

“Get up. Before I make you.” He snarls, kicking your left foot with the tip of his own.

Still, you don’t respond. You don’t even flinch when he touches you.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake-“ Mingi goes to haul you upwards and onto your feet, only to stop cold in his tracks.

Slowly, the hands you had resting on your stomach begin to slide to either side of you. The single stem of red spider lilies falls from your one hand as both hit the ground beside you. Your head lolls to the side, as if suddenly too heavy for you to hold up, and your shoulders droop.

The smell of decay fills his senses, and Mingi curses lowly. He crouches near you once more, studying you carefully. Faintly, he can see your chest rising and falling in laboured breaths, and he exhales a long breath through his nose. At least you’re not dead.

Shaking his head, Mingi soon moves to crack his neck. The past five days have been spent non-stop travelling to find you, only for him to greet you as you sit at death’s door. Some hunt this has turned out to be; not even worthwhile.

Well, it’s not like Mingi expected much. He was so annoyed at his subordinates, he didn’t realize just what he was getting into. You’re probably both severely dehydrated and starved. Not to mention the blood red hue that graces your right leg, the smell of infection wafting from beneath your clothing, originating from that very thigh. You’re going to need some tending to before Mingi can even think of beginning his trek back to the keep. If he’s lucky, you’ll be back on your feet by tomorrow afternoon.

Letting out a sigh through his nose, Mingi scouts the area. At least he can gather some resources while you sleep. Who knows. Maybe by the time he returns you’ll be dead and he can just leave you to the crows. Either way, he knows that even he needs to rest, and you shouldn’t be left on your own for too long. Who knows what’s wandering around the dark depths of the forest at this time of night.

At least you won’t be able to run away while he hunts for some supplies.

The next morning, as the sunlight is streaming through the branches and casting a warm glow on your surroundings, you finally begin to stir. It’s slow, and your breathing is still laboured, but you manage to blink open your eyes, vision blurred as your body feels the weakest it’s ever been in your life.

Shifting your head, your brow furrows. To your left rests three new things that weren’t previously there the night before. One seems to be some berries on a large leaf. They’re small and red in colour, the juice already staining the green. Another appears to be a canteen, with what you can only hope to be water residing inside it. The third and final thing is another leaf, a dark green paste of sorts residing on the light green plant. The paste is a little grainy from what you can tell, but there’s an almost sweet aroma rising around you which you can only assume comes from the dark green substance beside you.

Cautiously, your gaze darts from the items beside you to the redcap sitting across from you. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you since you opened your own, and you can just tell that he’s watching your every move carefully.

You stomach twists in hunger, throat burning with thirst. You try to swallow the dryness in your mouth, but every movement is a challenge, and your limbs feel as if they are made of lead. Your wound on your right leg stings, and if you weren’t severely dehydrated, you’re sure tears would be springing to your eyes at the way you can physically feel your body shutting down.

Your fingers on your left hand stretch open, twitching as you attempt to reach for the canteen of water first. If you could only take a sip, you’re sure more strength would return to you…

“Fragile little human,” the redcap tuts, shaking his head in disappointment. “Should have saved your strength for now instead of wasting it picking flowers.”

The most you can muster is a glance in his direction, vision blurring at the edges as you attempt to reach for the canteen of water once more. You hardly notice the fae standing to his feet across from you, approaching you slowly. It’s only when you hear the crunching of grass right beside you that you spare a glance upwards at the shadow now looming overhead.

“Do I have to do everything for you?” He rolls his eyes in annoyance, taking a knee and snatching the canteen from the ground.

Harshly, he undoes the cap, irritation marring his brow. A moment later, he leans in, fisting the back of your head in his hand, his nails pricking at your skin. He doesn’t even flinch when you attempt to pull away from him, your eyes wide as you look between him and the canteen he shoves against your lips.

As he tilts the container against your lips, your eyes fall closed, finally accepting your fate.

The moment water touches your lips, cold and refreshing, your eyes are flinging open. A small gasp escapes you, greedily drinking from the canteen as liquid spills over your chin and onto your shirt. Only, you don’t care, drinking your fill of this addicting nectar that floods your senses as he holds the canteen to your lips.

“What?” He scoffs, his grip tightening ever so slightly on the back of your head. “Did you think it was poisoned or something?”

You can only muster a glare at him, your mouth occupied with taking in as much water as you can for as long as he’s offering it. It doesn’t taste like anything in particular, so you assume it’s the same as you’re used to. Hopefully, no major, or magical, side effects.

“If I was going to kill you, I wouldn’t poison you.” The redcap shakes his head as if it should be obvious. “I’d have torn out your throat a lot earlier if I had wanted you dead.”

Your eyes dull, looking forward as you focus in on the water filling your throat. Sounds begin to muffle, taking note of the low timbre of his voice droning on in the background as the flow of water from the canister begins to slow. Then, and only then, do you focus back in on your surroundings, noticing how quiet it’s gotten within a few seconds.

“I asked you a question, mortal.” He pulls the canteen away from your lips, his gaze harsh and unforgiving.

You blink, swallowing lightly as you attempt to catch your breath. You can feel some strength returning to your limbs. Enough so, that you are able to lift the back of your hand to your mouth to wipe at the remaining water that clings to your skin.

“You did?” Your brow furrows slightly in confusion, blinking up at the redcap beside you.

You watch as his eyes close, hearing him let out a long, exasperated breath through his nose.

“I did.” He confirms, blinking his sharp gaze back open to meet your own. “What is your name?”

You purse your lips, a small spark igniting behind your eyes. You’re not going to fall for that.

“Would you rather me refer to you as ‘human’ this whole time?” He asks, cocking his head in irritation.

Again, you stay silent. Pulling your hands into your lap, you clutch that flower stem for dear life.

“Suit yourself,” He sighs, standing back to his full height and casting your figure in shadows once more.

“Why are you doing this?” Your voice comes out low, strained from the lack of use. A clear sign that you’ve been passed out for much longer than you thought.

He pauses, clearly caught off guard by your question.

“I told you,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We need to return to the keep.”

“Why not just let me die?” You whisper, staring down at your hands.

“You’re less use to me dead, than alive.” He states bluntly, walking back over to his original spot across from you. “Now, hurry up and eat. We haven’t got all day, and I’ve already wasted enough time looking after you.”

You purse your lips, pain slowly creeping throughout your entire body. “Why won’t you just let me die?”

Your question clearly catches him off guard, for he’s blinking at you in mild shock before schooling his features. He lets out a small huff, latching the canister back onto his belt.

“I just told you, you’re more use to me alive, than dead.” He rolls his eyes. “None of my other underlings can carry what you can over such distances without complaining. Well, for the most part. You’re useful, and you’re mine. Or did you forget your parents practically gave you away?”

The sharp sting of tears prick at the back of your eyes, but you hold them off. After all, this isn’t anything you’re not used to; you’ve heard it all before.

Opting to remain quiet, you avert your gaze to the side. Your eyes land on those berries, and without wasting another moment, you begin to eat. He said he wouldn’t poison you, but now you’re wishing he could lie. In the back of your mind, you begin to hope the water mixed with these berries you’re eating forms a toxin within your stomach to claim your life so you don’t have to go through this all over again.

Just when you had thought you had finally broken the cycle, and escaped…

“Eat slowly, fuck!” The fae shoots you a pointed look. “I don’t need you getting sick on the way home. You’re already fighting off a damn near toxic infection. What even happened to you?”

“Why do you care?” You snap, almost instantly regretting the words once they escape your lips.

You watch as the fae before you closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself before responding.

“I don’t care about you.” He snaps, his dark eyes flashing open. “I do care about the trouble you’ve cause me since you were thrust upon me by those stupid mortal parents of yours.”

“Then, leave me here to die!” You retort, a fire blazing now behind your irises.

Perhaps you can irritate him enough to give you what you want: peace from this godforsaken earth. A place you don’t want to live for one moment longer than you have to. Not after what you’ve been through.

“I’ve already told you,” he lets out a long sigh through his nose, “you’re more use to me alive than dead. Simply because you want something, doesn’t mean you’re going to get it.”

“You should learn to take your own advice, General.” You spit, eyes narrowing at the fae towering over you.

“Watch your tongue before you lose it.” His tone is sharp, gaze deadly as he leers down at you.

Your whole body shakes as you continue to glare up at him. You take note of his hands clenched in fists at his sides, and you decide right then and there that if he’s not going to kill you of his own volition, you’ll make him kill you. He doesn’t seem to have the most patience in the world, and of the few times you’ve observed him on your travels, his fuse is quite short. You’re not going to subject yourself to a life of servitude under another egotistical male who doesn’t know how to care for anyone other than himself. Not anymore. Not again.

Thus, you remain quiet. Your one hand clenches so hard around that flower stem, you’re surprised it doesn’t snap in half. Yet, for all of your own irritation, you cannot bring yourself to push him any further right now. The pain in your leg is far too great, and it’s taking all of your mental capacity not to start crying at the searing sting that stabs you with every shift of your thigh.

“Hurry up, and finish eating,” he turns his back to you, crossing his arms over his chest. “We leave at noon.”

“How do you expect me to travel with a leg like mine?” You quip, your own sharp gaze boring a hole into his back.

“It’s not broken, is it?” He replies smartly.

“I can’t put pressure on it-“

“What do you think that is for?” He cuts you off, turning to point at the leaf with the dark green paste on it. “I’m aware of how to treat injuries, mortal. I can do more than just cause them.”

“I’ve had worse,” you mumble, wincing as you shift your leg the wrong way.

Whether he hears you or not, you do not know. Instead, he chooses to blatantly ignore your statement, turning his back to you while keeping his arms crossed over his chest.

“Hurry up, and put that ointment on the infected area.” He commands, voice firm. “I will not be carrying you just because you can’t walk.”

A sharp huff of air escapes your nose, scowling openly at the general’s back. Almost reluctantly, you bring another berry to your lips, chewing angrily on that piece of fruit as you grab the leaf with the paste on it in your hand. Just as you open your mouth to say something, he cuts you off once more.

“Believe me, I have the same desire to gaze upon you as I do a gnat.” He begins walking back over to stand beside the tree he had been resting against when you first woke up. “You also stink, so the sooner you finish, the sooner I can find you something better to wear. Those clothes are awful on you.”

Again, you say nothing. Instead, you opt to do as told, and quickly as that. The sooner you get out of this place, the sooner you can put your plan into action. He doesn’t seem too keen on listening to you right now, anyways, so you’d rather not waste your time trying to rile him up when he looks as if he’s about to take off running into the woods. You doubt he’d let you get too far behind, anyways.

The process of tugging off your pants and unwrapping those now soiled bandages is long. The linen clings to your skin, and peeling back the now discoloured cloth is painful, a grimace resting on your features as you reveal the cut on your thigh. 

The wound looks even worse than it did before you cleaned it at that stream almost a week ago, the jagged edges crusted over with dried blood and pus. It’s angry, irritated and swollen, and you fear touching it as every time you move, it feels as if thousands of pieces of glass are shredding into your skin.

You bite your lip, nearly hissing down at the wound. Hesitantly, you dip a finger into the paste, figuring you have nothing more to lose. Trusting one redcap led your this far. What’s one more?

The second the dark green paste touches your wound, you nearly breathe out a sigh of relief. Instantly, a cooling sensation spreads over the cut, and the more you add, the more you find your shoulders relaxing. Finally, after what feels like months, you’re experiencing some kind of relief.

Slowly, you watch as the paste begins to bubble, but the wound doesn’t sting at all. You can smell a faint aroma of pine and earth drifting from your thigh, and with every breath you take, the throbbing that you had been experiencing begins to ebb away slowly into a dull ache.

“Any longer and that infection would have spread to your heart.” A voice from across the way draws your attention.

Lifting your head, you stare at the broad back of the redcap general.

You purse your lips.

“I’ve never smelt an infection like yours in all my years.” He states bluntly. “You’re lucky to even be alive.”

You can’t help it. You snort. “I’ve heard that one too many times before.”

This time, it’s his turn to say nothing in response. Instead, all you receive is a grunt in acknowledgement as you continue to gently apply that paste over your wound.

A few minutes later, nothing remains of the paste on the leaf. However, just as you go to discard it, the redcap speaking draws your attention once more.

“Press the leaf over the wound. It’ll act as an adhesive until you can bandage it properly again.” He instructs, not even turning to look at you.

You nod, despite the fact that he cannot see you, and do as he says. The relief you feel as you press the large leaf over your wound is as instant as it was with the paste. A pleasant feeling travels up your thigh, causing tingles to erupt in its wake, and you find yourself breathing out a sigh of relief.

A small silence settles around you, nothing but the wind filling the space between you.

You swallow lightly, averting your gaze to the side. Keeping your voice low, you speak. “Thanks.”

You fail to see the way the redcap’s brow furrows in confusion. “Why are you thanking me?”

You hesitate, not wanting to tell him how grateful you actually are in this moment. Especially not wanting to imply that you’re grateful that he even cared enough to help you treat your wound, even like this.

“I don’t like to be indebted to others.” You reply, beginning to push yourself up after tugging your pants back on.

A grunt is all you receive in response, failing to see the way he spares a glance back at you from over his shoulder.

“Come on,” His reply is gruff as he begins the long trek back through the woods and towards the keep. “Let’s go.”

Silently, you follow after him, hobbling along with your injured leg. At the very least, your wound doesn’t throb with every step, but your ankle is another story. You just hope it doesn’t give out on you at any point. You honestly don’t know what will happen to you then.

About a day passes without rest, and by the time the sun is setting in the distance, you find yourself collapsing against the nearest tree. Despite quite a modified pace on your part, your chest still heaves, and your lungs burn with every breath you take. Your body still hasn’t recovered from the aftereffects of the wild stream, nor has it been properly able to fight off the infection from the wound festering on your right thigh. You’re surprised you’ve made it this far at all.

“Tired already?” 

Looking towards the taller fae reveals him to be standing with a quirked brow. His arms are crossed over his chest, and you can just feel his gaze scrutinizing every inch of your body.

You nearly shudder.

“Not all of us are made of energy, you know.” You snap, leaning heavily against the tree as your legs begin to give out beneath you.

Not even ten seconds later, you’ve managed to turn yourself so your back is against the trunk. Another few seconds, and you’ve slid yourself to the ground, wincing as your ankle twinges uncomfortably. You can feel the wound on your thigh beginning to throb beneath the leaf you have adhered to it as a makeshift bandage. You should have collapsed from exhaustion by now, considering how badly your muscles ache.

The redcap lets out a long sigh. “Wait here.”

Without waiting for a response, the fae takes off into the woods. If it weren’t for the fact that he storms off in a different direction than that which you are headed, you’d think he might be abandoning you. Though, that wouldn’t really be a bad thing at this point. Maybe then you could pass on in peace. It’s not like you have anything waiting for you when you get back to the keep except another life of servitude.

Another life you don’t want. A life you have never wanted.

About ten minutes later, you hear rustling from the bush. Thinking it’s simply the redcap returning from wherever he went off to, you opt to ignore it for now. Only, the more rustling occurs, followed by no snarky comments about you having passed out, you realize it’s not actually him.

Cracking an eye open in the direction you register the noise coming from reveals a deer to be stepping out of the shrubs. From the spots on her back, you can tell the doe is young, or at least, you believe her to be. Time works very differently in this realm than your own, or so you’ve been told.

Cautiously, the doe approaches you. Each step she takes is light, her ears perked and listening for any abnormal sounds around you. Sounds even you won’t be able to hear, despite straining your ears. Her eyes are brown, and wide, and you can’t help but admire the almost innocent gleam that shines within them as she creeps closer.

You steady your breathing. This is the closest you’ve ever been to a doe before - hell, any wild animal - and seeing one like this only makes a tightness form in your throat.

So, there is beauty in this world, after all. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ever so slowly, you begin to lift your hand towards her snout. She rests mere inches from you, treading carefully beside your left leg. You can see her nostrils flaring as she scents you, probably more interested in that stem of spider lilies you still have tucked within your pocket than anything.

You’re so close, and if you reach out a little further, you can touch her. However, before you even get the chance, a high pitched squeal fills the air. Something warm and wet lands on your face, and you blink in shock, the doe no longer standing before you. A blink and you hear movement as if there is a struggle happening right behind the very tree you rest upon.

A loud crack echoes through the forest, and all goes still.

Reaching the hand you had extended out to the doe to your face, your fingertips drag through the wet substance coating your cheek. You can feel the warm liquid smear against your skin as you pull your hand away to see red, and you cannot help the tears that spring to your eyes.

She was so young. She had her whole life ahead of her, and now she’ll never get to live it. Ever.

Turning your head towards the sound of approaching footsteps, you hear the familiar slide of a limp body upon the ground. A body which has given up. A body which has stopped struggling and accepted her fate, awaiting the familiar pain that is sure to come next. 

With shaking hands, you shift your gaze upwards to see that redcap walk into view, dragging the bloodied corpse of that doe back into your line of sight.

“Perhaps you have more than one use, after all.” He says with a slight hum, completely ignoring how you avert your gaze to your lap.

Staring intently at your palms, you attempt to stop your hands from shaking. “Why did you do that?”

“What do you mean?” He frowns, and the dull thud of the deer’s entire dead weight falling upon the earth makes you flinch. “We have to eat, don’t we?”

No response escapes your lips. Instead, a feeling of both disgust and nausea builds in your stomach, creeping up your chest and into your throat. You can feel your jaw twitching as you hold your tears at bay, mourning for the life you never knew. The life lost once the first drop of blood had been spilt upon your skin.

Silence surrounds you. Something you’ve learned to be quite good at. You had to. It was the only way to survive. Long since has the loud, boisterous girl you used to be been forced into the shadows. She still slips through from time to time - an old habit, really - but you’ve learned that each slip of the tongue has never been worth anything in the end. Or at least, so you thought.

An advantage you’ll use once you have enough strength to think again. Once you have enough strength to fight back.

The muffled stillness around you is soon drowned out by the pounding of blood in your ears. 

No, wait. 

That’s the sound of flesh tearing. Of bones breaking.

Shifting your gaze back into focus, your eyes catch on the horrifying sight before you. A shriek of terror leaves your lips as you see the corpse of the doe, or rather, what’s left of it, completely eviscerated before you. Entrails cover the ground, staining the once vibrant green flora red. Jagged bones stick up in odd ends, pieces of flesh tossed upon the dirt as meat is torn from her hide.

You nearly lose what little contents you still have in your stomach as you see the redcap crouched over the carcass. Slowly, he tears the meat into strips, feasting on the raw flesh of the doe as blood drips down his chin.

Your response in involuntary. Almost immediately, you begin pushing yourself away from him, eyes wide as panic seizes your entire body. Your breathing quickens, and despite the sharp sudden pain that shoots through your thigh, you do not stop attempting to push yourself through the tree you’re resting against.

Slowly, the fae turns his head, staring at you with cold, dark eyes. His chewing slows, and all you can see is the monster that haunts your every living nightmare.

Before you have a chance to think, before you even realize what you’re doing, you push yourself to your feet. The moment you turn, you end up tripping over the roots of the tree you had just been leaning against.

The sound of your body colliding with the cold, hard ground echoes throughout the area. All that can be heard are your whimpers and choked breaths as you begin to crawl away from the terror bathed in blood behind you.

Blood. Blood… Always so much blood.

Your nails crack as they dig into the harsh earth, the brittle keratin no match for the sharp rocks and ruthless splinters that pierce your flesh with each desperate impact on the ground. The wound in your thigh burns, and you can’t tell if the warmth you feel spreading along your upper legs is blood or not.

“What are you-“

“Stay away!” Your shrill voice, terrified and desperate, rings out through the woods.

You fail to see the way his brow furrows as he stands back to his full height, his looming figure towering over you as you continue to claw your way through the dirt.

Sparing a glance over your shoulder, you see him take a menacing step towards you.

“No! Don’t touch me!” Your frantic plea falls on deaf ears as he begins to stalk towards you. “Not again! I can’t take anymore!”

Mingi freezes in his spot, cocking his head at your frantic wailing. He can smell more than just the deer’s blood in the air, and he lets out a sigh in exasperation.

Only, his reaction seems to set you off even more.

“No!” The word is but a shrill chant upon your lips as you grab another root to drag yourself further away from him. Your arms shake, legs completely limp behind you as your whole body begins to go numb. “I can’t- I can’t-“ You hiccup on a sob, choking violently. “I don’t want to die!”

Your breathing comes in ragged pants as you begin to hyperventilate. You just manage to turn yourself back around to face him when your vision starts to fade around the edges.

The last thing you see before your world fades to black is a large man looming over you, covered head to toe in blood.

***

There are sounds: a bird chirping faintly in the distance, the rustling of leaves above your head, and the crackling of a fire nearby. The smoke lightly fills your lungs, but not enough to sting, giving rise to the other scents hidden beneath the crisp burning of wood. Earth, damp and heavy rests just beneath the smell of the fire, an undertone of pine and sandalwood. Comfort during a long awaited rest.

Sensations begin to return, and you can feel the dirt beneath your fingertips. Softly, you scrape them against the ground, the soil giving way with each movement you use to steady yourself. Small jolts of pain shoot up your arms from the tips of your fingers, and you vaguely recall cracking your nails as you scrambled away from something, or rather, someone.

Air fills your lungs, and with each breath, your head clears, body feeling the lightest it has in weeks. There’s something small, and soft, supporting your head as you rest on the ground, your skin tingling as your eyes shift beneath your still closed lids.

You take a deep breath in, and slowly, you begin to wake.

A soft groan escapes you as you stir, blinking your eyes open to stare up at the canopy of trees above you. Stars twinkle in the sky above, and you can just make out the faintest hues of light stretching across the vast expanse of black, turning all that was once night to day.

“Good.” A voice cutting through the calm of the night has your eyes darting to the side to see that redcap standing amongst the trees. “You’re up.”

You say nothing, opting to finally gather your full surroundings properly. To your surprise, you appear to be in the exact same spot in the woods where you initially passed out. What’s even more shocking is that the eviscerated doe is nowhere to be seen, nor are any signs that there had even been a mutilated corpse at all.

Turning your gaze back to the redcap standing within the trees, you take note of his appearance. Just like the surrounding area, he is clean of any evidence that would suggest of his previous violent actions. Not a spec of dirt seems to be on him, and he even appears to be wearing fresh clothing. Most surprising of all, his claws are no longer visible as his hands rest at his sides. Almost as if they’ve retracted somehow.

He seems… different. Calmer, almost. As if he’s suddenly become cautious around you. If you could even call it that.

“Do you remember what happened?” He keeps his stare fixed on you, but for some reason, it doesn’t feel as sharp as before.

A blink, and you swallow, opting to remain quiet for now.

He purses his lips slightly, but doesn’t comment on whether or not he believes in your silence.

“You managed to tear your wound open again.” He states, glancing from your face down to your injured thigh.

This causes you to panic, immediately moving to sit up only for your head to begin spinning as soon as you do.

In the blink of an eye, he’s crouching beside you. “Careful. You don’t want to aggravate it more than you already have. The last thing you need is for the wound to split again.”

Your eyes widen at his proximity, and before you can think, you’re shoving him away. The sudden movement only causes your vision to blur, losing your balance on the one hand you had been using to support yourself on the ground.

Of course, he barely budges, his brow furrowing as he lets out a sigh.

“You’re only going to hurt yourself more.” He states gruffly. 

Reaching out his hands, he grasps you by the shoulders. Roughly, he pulls you upwards into a proper sitting position, practically shoving you against the trunk of the tree. He moves so fast, that you feel your head jerk forward, only for it to be pushed backwards with that same softness now resting behind it.

It’s then that you realize he’s folded his old shirt into a makeshift pillow for you to use.

“I don’t need your pity.” You spit harshly, averting your gaze to the side as both anger and embarrassment culminate as the heat beneath your skin.

“It will truly be a sad day if I come to pity you.”

A tense look pulls at your features, but still, you refuse to look at him.

“You’re unfit for travel.” He states bluntly. “We’ll rest here for the day to gather our bearings, then continue the journey back to the keep in the evening. As much as I despise the delay, I am not carrying you.”

“Why won’t you just let me die?” You sigh, turning to look at him in exasperation.

An image flashes in your mind of a familiar monster tearing into a mutilated corpse, covered in blood. You flinch, quickly averting your gaze once more.

“I already told you,” this time, it’s his turn to sigh. “You’re more use to me alive than dead.”

“Then, treat my wound.” Your voice is bitter, demanding. “It’s the only way the both of us get out of this faster.”

“I already have.” His response has your head whipping in his direction, eyes wide in shock. “Why do you think I’m making you rest here for the day?”

Your lips part slightly, heart thundering away inside your chest as your veins flood with terror. You are quite literally at his mercy. You have been at his mercy for who knows how long. Given the way your body feels in its current state, you fear chancing a look downwards to see just what kind of damage he’s done. Not to mention the fact that you’ve been unconscious this whole time. Who knows just what exactly he’s done to you.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the first time…

“Don’t give me that look, it’s not like I wanted to touch you. Believe it or not, I’m quite respectful when it comes to that.” He clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes. Not even a moment later, he points at your thigh, a sharp claw suddenly adorning his finger. “I even kept your pants on, and everything. You humans are so fickle about nudity, I swear…”

Pushing himself back to his feet, he stares down at you expectantly.

Sure enough, when you spare a glance downwards, you see your pants still on. The right leg of your pants is completely torn off, the fabric resting about an inch from the top of your wound. It seems as if he’s cleaned it properly and added more of that paste he made for you the other day, for when you remove the leaf from your skin, the cut is much cleaner than before. There’s also the familiar scent of pine and earth lingering in the air, originating at your thigh. The swelling seems to have gone down significantly, and there’s no more dried blood or pus around the affected area. The cut even appears smaller than before, as if your flesh is starting to mend itself properly the more you rest.

“You are to spend the entirety of today sitting. No pressure is to be put on that leg until this evening when I lead you to the pond nearby for you to bathe. Then, you’ll change into a fresh pair of clothes which I’ve scavenged for you after I’ve wrapped that wound up properly with bandages.” He instructs, voice firm and leaving no room for arguments. “We continue on foot from there.”

You purse your lips, fisting the dirt beneath your hands. “Yes, General.”

He takes a moment to study your features, the corner of his lips twitching upwards faintly.

“Good.” He huffs out dryly. “You do know how to listen.”

The glare you send him is harsh, but it only serves to make him chuckle.

“You’re about as intimidating as a rabbit, mortal.” He shakes his head in amusement. “Keep trying. Perhaps one day you’ll scare someone who cares.”

“Then, why help me?” Your mouth moves before you have time to think. Your voice is harsh, hands balled into fists at your sides. “Since you don’t care, why waste your time waiting for me to heal?”

The redcap pauses, as if considering his answer carefully.

“You are aware that I cannot lie, correct?”

“Yes.” You blink, brow furrowing in confusion as to where this is going.

“I have stated multiple times as to why I have kept you alive.” He replies bluntly, moving to sit himself across the fire from you, leaning himself against another tree.

“I’m just a means to an end for you.” You spit, bitterness residing within your tone.

“I may not like your kind, human, but I don’t necessarily kill without reason.” His sharp eyes narrow at you from over the fire. The light from the rising sun combined with the dancing flames cast an eerie shadow over his features, and it only serves to make him appear more intimidating that he already is. One of his hands comes up to cover his right bicep, resting directly over that red sash tied around his upper arm. “There is a meaning behind each time this has been bathed in blood. I do not like tainting it with those unworthy of death.”

“Great.” You huff. “So, now I’m not even worth killing.”

“Everything is worth killing, human.” The redcap blinks at you, as if stating the obvious. “What matters is when and how it dies. It’s less fun when your prey doesn’t put up a fight. Against me, you’d have no chance. Therefore, you’re not worth the effort it would take to kill you.”

Not even you can refute that. You know how strong the fae are. Hell, even other humans have always proven themselves much stronger than you. You wouldn’t last a second against a creature physically capable of splitting you in two.

A phantom crack echoes through your ears, and you are once again reminded of the image of the monster before you bathed in blood.

“Is that why you killed that deer?” You snap, tone low and resentful.

“To use your own words, it was a means to an end.” He hums, tilting his head back against the trunk of the tree to gaze upwards at the sky. “I’m sure you’re aware of what a food chain is. Just because I won’t bother to kill you now, doesn’t mean I won’t if it would serve me a purpose.”

“So, you’re saying you will still kill me.” You do your best not to sound too hopeful, tugging the spider lily out of your pocket to pick at its wilting flowers.

He shrugs, humming lightly. “Sometimes we do things to prove we can. Others, because we already know the outcome. You obviously knew that flower would die if you picked it, yet you still chose to snap its stem. All for what? A fleeting moment of happiness? What good will that last you?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Your reply is barely above a whisper as you stare down at your lap, twirling that dying stem between your fingers gently.

He quirks a brow. “Try me.”

“Sometimes it’s those fleeting moments that are all it takes to survive another day.” The flower stills in your hand, and you look up to meet his gaze. “You hold meaning in bathing a strip of cloth in the blood of your enemies. It might seem trivial, but that same meaning for you is what this flower is to me.”

“You… use that flower to celebrate death?” His brow furrows in confusion, shifting to rest his one arm on his now bent knee.

“I suppose you could say that.” For the first time in what feels like years, the corners of your mouth twitch upwards faintly. “It’s more of a symbol, or a representation. It’s the things you associate with it that matter most.”

“I suppose it’s very human to find symbolism in the most mundane of things,” he hums, his eyes falling shut as he rests against the tree.

“Don’t count yourself out, General,” your gaze narrows at the thinly veiled insult. “You find symbolism in bathing fabric in blood.”

Instead of annoyance, which you thought he would have at your comment, a snort of amusement escapes him. 

“I suppose I do. Remind me to tear your tongue out if you ever compare me to a human again.”

“Then, who would you have to host such wonderful, and thought provoking conversations with?” You grin, only to catch yourself immediately afterwards.

Your heart skips a beat, staring intently at the redcap across from you. You half expect him to lunge at you for what you’ve just said, but instead, he simply lets out a low chuckle.

“Perhaps you have more than just one use after all.” He hums, remaining perfectly relaxed against that tree. “Maybe I’ll even let you keep your tongue.”

A chill runs down your spine, but you say nothing in response. Reality creeps in around you that you’ve just been conversing, somewhat casually, with a highly dangerous fae general. What’s worse is that it’s the first conversation in months that you’ve actually somewhat enjoyed.

Maybe, just maybe, this won’t turn out to be so bad after all.

[rems-writing]

How to cheer up a lifeguard

Pairing: swimmer!Mingi × lifeguard!reader

Summary: Mingi tries to impress the new lifeguard, only to fail miserably

Warning(s): simp!Mingi, Yunho clowns Mingi for flopping like a fish, gn!reader

Genre: Fluff

Nets: @mirohs-aurora-society

"MOROCCO, I HAVE MISSED YOU!"

"MINGI, KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN!"

Mingi simply giggled as he and Yunho entered the pool area. Jongho trailed behind since he carried all their stuff like the good maknae he is.

He was bribed with free food. Mingi's treat.

As they settled down in the cabana they reserved ahead of time, Mingi surveyed the area a bit. It was early morning yet it was still hot. Rather than lay in their beds with the air conditioner blasting, they decided to cool off by the pool. Yunho and Jongho were busy lathering on sunscreen while Mingi's eyes stopped on a person that was currently climbing the high white chair covered by an umbrella.

Based on the red shirt and white shorts with red trim, he assumed that the person was the lifeguard on duty.

And he couldn't help but be entranced by you.

You were wearing your uniform, along with a pair of sunglasses to cover the horrendous eyebags that were present right now.

Dealing with a hangover sucked yet you pushed through.

Mornings like this as a lifeguard were easy going however. Since this is a private resort, you didn't have to deal with screaming kids.

Only stupid adults.

As you scanned the area a bit more, you couldn't help but noticed a pair of eyes staring you down. Through your peripheral vision, you could see a tall man staring at you. You finally turned your head and he finally turned around.

Welp... so much for a peaceful morning.

Mingi was yanked back by Yunho before having the sunscreen bottle shoved into his hands by the same man.

"Stop drooling and put it on."

"I was not drooling!"

"Yeah you were."

"No I was not!"

2Ho giggled while Mingi rolled his eyes and turned away from them to cover his blushing face. As he finished lathering on the sunscreen over his dorito body, he couldn't help but notice the seemingly sad expression on your face.

He then developed a stupid idea.

And dragged 2Ho along with him.

"Are you crazy?! You'll get hurt!"

"My stomach will be fine!"

"I'm not talking about your stomach."

Mingi dismissed Jongho's disapproval and told Yunho to whip out his phone so he could record it.

Mingi then stepped back a few feet before breathing deeply and running towards the pool. As he leapt into the air, he gave a victory shout to which attracted your attention. You went from bored to attentive in a matter of minutes.

This is where everything went wrong.

The original plan was for Mingi to do a couple of flips before cannonballing into the pool.

That all changed when he finally got a good look at your face.

Attentive (e/c) eyes, a nose that held your sunglasses since you adjusted them to be like that, lips that formed a thin line, and a body that sat up straight in case you needed to escape the chair and intervene.

Luckily, you didn't need to.

A wince escaped your mouth as Mingi practically landed in the pool like a starfish. The harsh smack of the water against his skin as he finally landed in the pool disturbed the silence of the resort and you had to laugh a bit when Mingi just laid there in the pool, face down and still spread out like a starfish.

He was most likely holding his breath so he could hide the embarrassment better on his face.

After about a couple of minutes, he raised his head and breathed heavily as he swept his hair back and rubbed his face in case any chlorine got into his eyes.

"HOW'S YOUR MANHOOD?!"

"SHUT UP, YUNHO!"

2Ho were laughing their asses off as Mingi covered said manhood since that was the area that hurt the most. As he turned away to hide his shame, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned his head a bit and got even more embarrassed.

You were sitting at the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water as you cocked your head curiously and stared at him with amusement in your eyes. You called him over, to which he responded to but with his head hung low.

"Hey. It's alright. It's not every day a famous swimmer tries to entertain me as a way to distract me. I think thanks to you, my hangover is cured."

Mingi's head popped up at the sound of your voice and his heart fluttered.

You were so close to him.

"I thought you looked down, so I figured I'd cheer you up!"

"STARFISH BOY!"

"SHUT UP, YUNHO!"

You turned to see Yunho trying to keep it together as he walked back to the cabana with Jongho. You laughed quietly as you turned back around to look at Mingi.

"Well you certainly have."

Mingi smiled in victory as he swam closer to you before pulling himself out of the water so he could sit next to you.

"I'm Song Mingi by the way."

He stuck out his hand and you shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Mingi. I'm Y/N."

[mingiswow]

417 Hz | Kim Hongjoong

⇒ MINORS DNI ⇐

Pairing: Hongjoong x afab!gender neutral!reader

Words: + 7,7k

Genre: Dystopian/cyberpunk, smut, angst, a lil fluff

Content warning: Mentions of kidnapping, mentions of death, mentions of weapons, fighting against the system, probably wrong tech jargon (sorry, I tried, my best, I'm a designer), mentions of mind controlling, smut

Smut warning: reader is virgin and Hongjoong is a sweetie about it, reader has a vagina and boobs, oral (reader), fingering (reader), piv, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, praising, sweet dirty talk, after care, just Hongjoong being wholesome and a simp

417 Hz is the Solfeggio frequency for the sacral chakra, also known as the sexual chakra. This frequency is known for being good for creativity increase as well as increasing sexual energy and pleasure for those who use it.

a/n: hey everyone! Another part of the dystopian series. I hope you are enjoying so far, It's been really fun researching and writing these. Hope you enjoy this one because tbh it was particularly my favorite so far. Love yall <3

You were taught to hate them, to hate the rebels, the Guerillas, how they call themselves. You never saw them, don’t know how they look, just heard about them and their actions. Every person in the small citadel that survived the test of time has a different description of them. Some say they are these big, enormous, scary-looking men, the size of mountains. Some others say that they have disfigured faces due to fight scars and accidents with their own weapons. Others say that they are infiltrated by the survivors.

The truth is you’ll never know who they are because it’s been years since they started going clearly, physically and psychologically against the government.

The world you live in is not the best, not at all, everything was destroyed decades ago when a nuclear accident happened. Nobody knew at the time that thousands, millions, of tiny nuclear bombs were buried under our feet, the governments of all the countries back then did without notice, ready to explode when something happened. The initial plan was to kill the poorest, to “purify” the earth, but it all went wrong when somehow all the warheads were activated at once, destroying basically everything around, killing more than half of the world population, rich, poor, it didn’t matter. The ones who survived had to reimagine and reinvent themselves, surviving from what was left. Over the years many more people died from radiation, hunger, and diseases. It was natural selection theory all over again.

Within time, the government, now the only one to rule all, found a way to control the population, an ancient technique with the use of frequencies and brainwashing. Chips were implanted in every kid that was born, being brainwashed with the government's ideas since day one, the frequency and subliminals, that once were used to help people, were now being used to control the population.

You were on the line to check-in on your boring work as a programmer when suddenly you heard a loud beep coming from your communicator, making you kneel in pain, then all went silent. No frequency. No subliminal. Pure silence. You felt dizzy, head spinning not being used to the silence, eyes slowly blurring until all went black.

“Are you sure they are the right one? They seem a little too young” you started to slowly wake up, listening to mumbles and whispers near you, but still too weak to move or open your eyes. People were talking?

“They are our age, Mingi” another one spoke with a chuckle. You don’t even remember the last time you heard people talk to each other.

You tried to move your body but everything hurt and you squealed in pain. Soon the sound came out of your mouth, you felt hands touching you and helping you to sit wherever you were.

“Don’t force yourself too much, yn. You have never been out of their control, it’s not easy to get used to the silence” you simply nod, the comforting velvety voice of the person making you feel somehow safe. “Can you speak?” the person asked and you tried to say something but nothing but grunts came out. 

The last time you remember speaking to someone was to your older brother years ago before he died in an accident at work. People usually don’t talk to each other outside of family and with the quick advance of the chips’ technology, people talked to each other through their minds. It wasn’t good since everyone had access to your thoughts, but that was another way of control. If you thought anything bad about the government, you were done. Executed.

“Don’t force yourself, I know it’s hard” you felt a hand caressing your hair and a shiver ran down your body, suddenly feeling safe, cared. You wanted to cry but even that you couldn’t do. “Hey hey, it’s okay. I know it’s hard, being deprived of emotions, from thoughts, it’s not easy” you simply nodded. “I’ll bring you water and some food, if you need help eating because of the poor sight let me know” you nodded again and you heard steps going away and a door sliding open and then closing.

You took deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth, trying to calm down your nerves. You opened your mouth and tried to leave a few sounds and escalating to a few monosyllabic words like yes and no. Slowly you tried to move your fingers, the hands being the easiest. Then you moved on to your eyes, trying to open them, they felt heavy, not even your weak just moving hands were able to open. After what felt like hours of trying to recover yourself to your normal state you gave up, more because of tiredness than other things. You stood there, silent in the empty room, sat up in what you imagined was a bed, thinking about how deprived you were of so many sensations due to the brainwashing sound. When people told you silence was a scary sound you never understood them. But there you were, completely paralyzed by the sudden silence.

“If you try to listen to the environment sounds it will help you” a different voice came in, but no door sound was heard, so this man was probably there all along. “I know how scary it is, I was in your place once” you nodded and heard steps coming closer to you and a calloused hand touch your face. “I hope you can open your eyes soon”. You nodded, not sure why these men were being so nice to you after literally kidnapping you. What did they want from you? What did they mean by the one?

You took a deep breath again and tried to focus on any sounds you could listen to. The first one you noticed was yours and the man’s breathing, also the sound of the skin of his hand caressing your skin. You focused more, trying to catch any distant sound. You listened to some sort of buzzing coming from your left side, very very far away from you. Then you could pick some conversations, not enough to understand, but enough to make you feel at ease, there were sounds around you again. You heard laughs far away and you don’t even remember when was the last time you heard those, people so miserable that happiness wasn’t an option. You kept focusing on these sounds, making them your own frequency. 

You tried to slowly open your eyes again, and you managed to do it. Very slowly but you did it. Your cones getting used to the very dim light, and you smiled thinking that they might have left the light so low for you to get used again. The blackness in your eyes started to slowly turn into blurriness. You heard the door slide open again but no one spoke, just steps and the same hand that kept caressing your cheek, hair and arm. You don’t know how long it took but your eyes finally opened fully, focusing on the first thing in front of you, a very cute-looking man with red hair. 

“Can you see me?” he asked and you nodded.

“Can you turn your head?” it was the sweet man caressing you, you turned your head to the right and you thought that you were dead. In heaven. “Hey, little one” there he stood, the smile you loved planted on his lips, his figure taller and stronger than before, but it was him. It was you brother. It was really Seonghwa. Immediately your eyes watered and you managed to cry. throwing your weak arms around him and hugging him. He was alive. After all these years he was alive. You didn’t know if you were happy that he was there or mad that he lied. “It’s ok, you can cry as much as you want, yn. I’m here now, we are all here” you kept yourself hung on his neck for some time, scared that it was all a dream and he would escape again. “I have so much to tell you, I can’t wait for you to speak again” you nodded, still crying on his neck.

“Sorry to interrupt but your food is here, yn” the man with the velvety voice spoke and you were able to finally see him. His face matched his voice, he looked soft, yet fierce, appealing. His shiny black hair was down, almost covering his eyes. His lips, even smiling, were plump. You heard your brother chuckle at you, probably because you were staring too long at the man. You bowed your head in a way to thank him and he put the tray on your lap, careful not to spill the liquid, you imagined to be soup, from the bowl. “Sorry about kidnapping you, but it was the only way” you shook your head denying, smiling at him and drinking the soup. The warm liquid soothed your dry throat and the taste was something you never tasted, inexplicably delicious. “I’m Hongjoong, these are Wooyoung, San and Mingi” he pointed to the cute red-haired one, another one with black hair and a giant one that happily waved at you.

“I know you might have a lot of questions right now, but we brought you here because we need your help” your bother said and stood by Hoongjoong's side. “We are the guerillas, my little one” your eyes widened and you thanked you didn’t have soup in your mouth, otherwise you would have spit on them. “I know. I know. I have a lot to explain” you looked at him like you wanted to say ‘yes, you sure do mister’ and he just smiled at you. “But why don’t you rest for the day and we talk tomorrow, huh? I might have been dead but you’re still my little sibling and I know you. Plus, the first few days after the loss of the frequency are terrible, I experienced myself first hand” he pinched your cheeks and you nodded, finishing drinking the delicious soup.

After you finished eating, the guys left your room, Seonghwa left some books by your side, kissed your temple and left you all alone. You were so dizzy you felt nauseous, not only from the lack of the frequency but also because of all that was happening. Your brother was alive and was part of the Guerillas. He and his friends kidnapped you and took you out of your state of trance. They needed your help with something that you had no idea what it was. And on top of all that, they were really cute. You imagined them in many ways, but never to be cute, soft, kind - and honestly sexy - guys around your age. You looked out the window that was to your left and saw some vehicles moving and noticed that they were the buzzing you listened before. You closed your eyes, enjoying the newly discovered sound, and fell asleep, too tired to even read or do anything really.

Over the course of the weeks you were there, these men, Jongho and Yeosang, helped you with going back to your normal state of body movements, as well as going back to speaking again. You learned that the Guerillas were all over the continent, finding ways to overthrow the government, as well as learning how to revive the land and live out of it. You were at one of their many headquarters, the one where they kept their technological research, the facility hidden by a magnetic field that tricked the eyes into thinking it was all empty. You were shocked by their technology and the number of people working there. 

Seonghwa told you that he indeed suffered a work accident, but the company left him to die alone in the field and Hongjoong and the boys rescued him. He was alive only because of the Guerillas and he was in deep debt to them. Well, he felt as if he was, but the Guerillas were one big family, a community. Everyone knew each other, everyone helped each other, and people of all ages were living in their facilities, working in different areas, planting, and raising animals. The Guerillas created an invisible continent within the continent. 

They got you because they were planning their biggest attack so far, they were planning on invading the chips’ frequency, but all at the same time. And since you were a programmer at the company that built the chips, you were extremely valuable to them. And so were to the company.

“They are searching for you all over the country” your brother said as you sat in front of their computers, analyzing the data they had so far. “But don’t worry, you are safe with us here. Besides Hongjoong wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you” he messed with your hair, joking about the way the man treated you. 

He wasn’t lying, Hongjoong wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, whenever he had the chance he’d be by your side, seeing your progress, or showing you around and introducing you to people. Sometimes he even tried to show off his battle skills out of nowhere, which you found cute and endearing. You grew very fond of your brother’s friends, specially Wooyoung. He became kind of your best friend. He caught you writing about Hongjoong in your diary once and he never let that go, but it was a nice starting point for your friendship.

“Can I go with you guys?” you asked once you saw your brother, Hongjoong and Yunho loading their truck. They were going to the other side of the country to look after the community responsible for the animals to see why some of the cows weren’t producing milk.

“yn, it’s dangerous, we are going to cross the country” your brother said, throwing another bag with guns inside the vehicle. “I’d kill myself if anything happened to you”.

“Joongie~” you grabbed the smaller one’s arm, trying to convince the man with the only trick you knew would work on him: your cuteness. “Please, I promise I’ll behave” you even tried to do puppy eyes at him, making your brother roll his own. 

“I’m sorry, yn, but your brother is right. You are not prepared enough to go out yet, you barely can use a gun” you pouted and left his arm. You understood them, they were right, but you couldn’t help but be sad. “Let’s do this” Hongjoong held your face and the heat crept to your cheeks. You loved when he touched you. “I’ll bring you a gift when we come back, okay?” you nodded, smiling happily. “Behave and you’ll get the gift” you rolled your eyes at him, like you weren’t going to behave anyway. He smiled at you and caressed your hair.

Wooyoung came by your side, turning himself so his back was facing you, and crossed his arms, pretending as if he was making out with someone. You hit his arms and heard him laugh at you. Little demon. 

The three men finished loading the vehicle and verified with the rest of the crew if everything was ready to go. Yunho turned the field around the truck and you saw the giant metal box disappear right in front of your eyes. It didn't matter how many times you saw it, the technology still amazed you. Seonghwa gave you one last hug and told you to keep studying the chips while they were gone. You nodded and wished him a safe trip. 

Hongjoong came to say goodbye to you as well, hugging you tight. “I have a gift for you too when you come back” you whispered in his ear and felt his hand tighten around your waist. You smirked to yourself and let go of the man. His hoping eyes smiled along with his lips to you before turning around and entering the truck.

“Is this gift of yours your body?” Wooyoung teased you quietly so no one could hear.

“What if it is?”

“God, you’re such a perv” he followed you as you left for your lab.

“You’re the one who came up with this idea” you chuckled at his murmurs behind you.

You smiled to yourself thinking about what gift he was going to bring you. It was going to be some long ten days without him. 

The days at the lab without Hongjoong or Seonghwa to help you, or to be honest, to bother you, felt infinite. Wooyoung was busy with his research, you basically only saw him during lunch or training. But you were decided to find the breaking point on the chips. For Hongjoong. And Seonghwa. And everyone else really. 

You spent the whole ten days inside the lab, working on the codes, working on the hardware and how they were implanted in the brain. The first guerillas discovered how to hack individual chips, but they needed to invade the whole system. And none of them found the break into the system. Somehow they had access to old programming books, old codes and hardware from when the world was different. 

It was during your lunch break that the eureka moment came, leaving your food - and a confused Wooyoung - behind to go straight to the library. You searched over the walls for one specific book, one so old that some of the pages had signs of the trial to destroy. It was in one of those pages that the solution was. You took the book to Mingi, who was a mathematician, and asked him to help you with the probabilities and which numbers and letters on the code it could be. 

Mingi and you spent three whole days on the research, trying and failing as the code wasn’t right. But the moment came and with just a switch of a coma you were able to find the way into the control center. You couldn’t hold your excitement, hugging Mingi and giving excited little jumps around the room. 

“Ok, next steps, boss?” He asked as he saved in different places the code, too afraid to lose the work. 

“We need to find some people willing to let us turn on their chips again and test on them” you stretched your limbs, the pain of spending days working without pause starting to kick in. “But the boys are coming back tomorrow so, let’s wait for them first. What do you think?”

“I more than agree, I need some rest and I know that Hongjoong will know what to do” you nodded. “Besides, he may want to try with his own frequency”. 

“He has his own frequency?” You asked and the tall man nodded. 

“He did his own research before you arrived and mixed a frequency that is somehow neutral but not too overwhelming as the silence as you could see for yourself” you chuckled remembering the sensation and nodded. “So his idea is to slowly start merging the frequencies and then leave only his own”

“But how are we gonna do this? Because we now have the access, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t know how long it takes for them to notice or even if they won’t notice right away” he nodded and started to push you out of the lab. 

“That’s why we’re gonna wait for them” he closed the door behind you and you pouted. “You and I both need to rest. Clear our minds, we are almost burnt out” he was right, you were working nonstop since the boys left and the last three days you and Mingi barely slept, you truly needed some rest. “And I know captain won’t be happy to see you tired and overworked, so go to your room, take a bath, maybe some scented bubbles, or whatever, just make sure you are hot, sexy, smelling good and well rested for him” he slapped your ass and giggled. 

“Mingi!” You scolded him. 

“Oh come on, yn… even your brother knows you two are pinning each other since day one” you felt your cheeks heat up on his comments, so you two weren’t as subtle as you thought then. “Just do as I say, besides, he’ll be happy enough knowing we cracked the code” you nodded and hugged him before running to your room to take a shower. Or maybe a bath like he said. You deserved.

You prepared the bath with some of the plants that were given as tea, the lavender smell being the strongest one. You laid in the bath, welcoming the warmth around your body and relaxing your muscles. Your mind wandered over the next steps of the research but soon was flooded by him. His face, his eyes, his smile, his voice, his body, all of him. The way he treated you, touched you, fingertips lingering more than usual whenever he had the chance. You felt all bubbly inside, just like a teenager in love for the first time. Which wasn’t entirely a lie. You never felt interested in anyone before, maybe the brainwashing hitting you too hard to actually think anything about it. So this new experience, the freedom of both your mind and body, the happiness of having your brother back and meeting nice people made you more easygoing and open to experiences. 

You looked over at your skin and realized that it started to look like raisins, so it was more than time to leave the bath. You dried yourself and put on your pajamas, ready to sleep until tomorrow. It was going to be hard with all the anxiety in your chest, but it was needed. You laid on the comfy bed, hugged the biggest pillow and smiled imagining how it would be to sleep cuddled up to Hongjoong, and with that thought, you drifted asleep. 

The sound of your door being slid open woke you up. What time was it? You slowly opened your eyes and found an overly excited Wooyoung. You just laughed at him and went to put on your clothes so you could have breakfast together and wait for the boys.

It was actually almost evening when they arrived, tired, and full of boxes with supplies, but nonetheless happy smiles on their faces. You ran to your brother, hugging him, happy that he was alive and safe. Yunho was the next to get your hug, taking you off the ground.

“You better brace yourself, tiny, Hongjoong even dreamt with you this trip” he whispered in your ear while hugging you. “He couldn’t shut up about you the whole trip, Seonghwa even said that if he didn’t shut up he was going to forbid you to even see him” you giggled at the newfound information.

“Oh, don’t worry, Yun, I’m more than ready” you told him, offering him a smirk and a wink, to which he responded with a chuckle and a nod of his head.

You stopped in front of Hongjoong, hands behind your back, waiting for him to notice your presence - as if he hadn’t noticed the first thing when he left the truck. He smiled at you, one of the many bags on his shoulder, and messed with your hair. 

“Missed me much?” he asked as he started to walk inside the building, probably to his office, you following behind him.

“Not really” you said, taking large steps to walk in front of him, turning yourself around to face him while still walking backward, grin plastered on your lips. “You know, it was easier to work without here to distract me”.

“So I distract you with my beauty?” you both entered his office, he threw his bag on top of the main chair and started to search for something inside.

“I never said that” you giggled and walked closer to him, seeing him holding a small box. “Is that my gift?” 

“It actually is indeed” he turned around and handed you the box. “I hope you like it”.

You grabbed the box noticing how pretty it was. The brown leather was scratched in many parts of it, the entails that once were golden now only held traces of the paint long gone. The close was rusty but still worked well enough for you to open the box and see a book inside. There’s no cover anymore, but you can read the name on the first page. The Giver.

“This is the book that inspired the government to implement the chips” he said seeing you reading the title. “I’ve read many years ago and it was what fueled my desire to end this dictatorship and made me join the guerillas” you nodded, smiling at him. “I thought you might enjoy it”

“Thank you so much, Joong, I loved” you kissed his cheek. “I have a gift for you too” he looked at you curiously. 

You grabbed his hand and pulled him to your lab, passing through curious eyes that have been waiting for you two to finally get together. You pushed him inside the room and guided him to the front of the main computer and pointed at the screen. He looked at you confused, he did not know a thing about coding, so it was just a bunch of letters and signs he did not understand. You rolled your eyes at him.

“Mingi and I cracked the code” he widened his eyes still not believing your words. “We spent the past three days working on it and we finally found the way in, we just need to know what our next steps are now, he told me about y-” Hongjoong cut you off with his lips on yours, kissing you out of pure ecstasy with the news.

You were caught off guard but nonetheless, you kissed him back, holding onto his arms that were holding your face. The man separated your lips and looked into your eyes, about to apologize for his manners, but you just attacked his lips again, kissing him with more need, your arms snaking around his neck and pulling him closer to you. 

Hongjoong reacted immediately, arms circling your body and pushing you flush against his chest. Your lips danced together, synchronized like they were used to the choreography. Tastes intoxicating each other, filling up your senses and making you high on each other. It was just a kiss, but the weeks of flirting and pinning on each other finally melted within your tongues that were soon enough added to the dance. Two of the most experienced dancers paired up. 

Your bodies moved like they knew where they were going, skillfully reaching the sofa. Hongjoong never broke the kiss, his lungs hurting without air but he was afraid of letting go of your lips and you would disappear. He gently laid your body on top of the soft cushions, supporting his weight in one hand while the other squeezed the sides of your tummy. His lips finally left yours but they met his new victim: your neck. He left open-mouth kisses on the skin, the taste and smell of the lavender bath from the night before still adorning your skin. He could taste the sweetness of it on his lips. 

Everything felt new, felt too much for you. You were in heaven. You died and heaven is this man’s body on top of you. You whined lowly at the feeling of his kisses on your skin, oversensitive from being touched like this. 

“Joong…” you whispered, hands tight in a fist holding his shirt. “I…” you moaned a little with the sudden bite he gave on the junction between your neck and shoulder. 

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked, stopping what he was doing and looking in your eyes. His plump lips looked even fuller, red, with the action, his forehead starting to show signs of sweat on it, his arm holding his weight on your side having its veins on full display for you to appreciate or even touch. No, you didn’t want him to stop but what if you disappointed him? You denied with your head, one of your hands caressing his side. 

“It’s just… I never did this and I don’t want to… you know, be silly” he chuckled at your innocence, biting the tip of your nose before planting a peck on your lips. 

“You’ll never be silly, it’s completely fine to never have had sex, it's a natural part of life” you nodded and he left his position to sit on the sofa, taking you to sit on his lap. “I’ll never do anything that you don’t allow me to. If you want to stop, I feel comfortable with just kissing you” he pecked your lips again. 

“I wanna try it” you said, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment. “I want to have sex with you” he smiled and kissed you once more. 

He grabbed your body bridal style and carried you to your room, which you were so glad to be two doors next to your lab otherwise, you’d die in embarrassment if someone saw you like that. He let go of your body to close the door and lock it, turning back to you and attacking your lips once again. This time the kiss was kinda messy, hungry, teeth clashing but you couldn’t care less, all you thought about it in that moment was that you needed him. 

Soon you two found your way to your bed and Hongjoong made you sit on the edge of the bed and lay back. He kept kissing you but his hands were riskier, roaming over your clothed chest, fingertips softly touching your nipples under the fabric, the muscle getting rigid with the touch. 

“Can I take your shirt off?” He gently asked, biting your ear shell. You nodded, chest rising with excitement.

He took your shirt off and he felt that you were the heaven. He tried to contain himself not to scare you with how hungry - and hard - he was for you. The man started to kiss your neck, going down to your collarbone and slowly going down to your chest, paying attention to all your reactions. You couldn’t hold a low moan when he put a nipple in his mouth and sucked the flesh. It was a whole new sensation, your body was feeling like it was on fire, overwhelmed by the feeling. Your hands flew instantly to his hair, holding his locks and pushing him flusher to your chest. He smiled at your reaction and decided to give the other one the same attention but substituted his mouth with his hand. 

Moans started to slip past your mouth. Having someone else touching your body was completely different than touching yourself, you’d never reach a third of the feeling. He kept playing with both of your buds for a while, your chest shining with his saliva. You started to grow impatient, hands pushing his head lower, the feeling in the pit of your stomach getting stronger each second passed. He chuckled at your eagerness which in any other circumstances he would tease you but that moment was all about you. About how you felt. So he followed your silent command and lowered his ministrations to your tummy and stopped with his fingers hooked on the waistband of your pants. 

“Can I?” He asked once again, always making sure you were consenting to everything. You nodded, a small whispered yes passing through your lips, almost inaudible. 

Hongjoong couldn’t deny the heat that was pooling in his own belly with the way you were completely given to him. Trusting your body to him. Allowing him to do all the dirty things he imagined to do with you in his most disgusting dreams. Your innocence was somehow endearing to him and he had to hold himself with all his will not to push you flush against the bed and pound into you like he wanted, how he desired. He needed to be respectful and careful not to hurt or scare you. Because it was what you deserved. 

He pulled your pants and underwear down, and he could die happily then and there. Your form all naked in front of him. All to him. Your core glistening with arousal waiting for him to feast out of you. Like everything he was doing, he slowly kissed your legs up, taking a little more time in your tights, squeezing the flesh and leaving little bites on the inner side. Huffs of annoyance and impatience leaving your lips without you even noticing. 

“Relax, little one, I’m taking care of you, don’t worry” he said while smoothing your skin, a little smirk on his lips. “I’m going to eat you out now, ok? And I want you to give at least one orgasm while I’m doing it” you nodded, eyes hooded with neediness. He had literally done nothing to you yet. Yet. You wondered what your state would be at the end of this. 

He finally touched your pussy, spreading the lips and spreading your arousal with it. You moaned with how his fingers would hit your clit every time they slid up, legs threatening to close on his head, but his open arms were holding them open. He then finally did what both of you wanted and licked you from bottom to top and sucked on your clit. 

“Hongjoong!” You moaned his name, the word coming stranded from your chest. 

He tried, he really did, to keep his ministrations on you slow but you just tasted so good on his tongue that he couldn’t help. He was eating you like a starved man, his tongue would go up and down a few times before giving its attention to your clit, sucking, licking, flickering. You were a whimpering mess, hands all over the place, the sensation being so new. So good. 

“Good gracious, sweetie, I could be here all day” he said, voice muffled by your pussy, nose hitting deliciously your clit every time he’d enter his tongue inside. “How are you feeling, babe?” He asked, genuinely curious but also to see you blabber between moans. 

“Good, so good, Joong” you managed to speak after a few seconds. You held his hair and pushed him more against your vulva and he noticed how your legs were trying to close more often. You were close to your release. 

He smiled to himself and decided to add his fingers to the mix, playing with your clit with his thumb while he penetrated his skillful tongue on your hole. The walls clenching around nothing. It didn’t take long until you covered your mouth with your hands, scared of being heard by anyone else, and convulsed around his face, your juices dripping down your hole and onto his mouth and chin. And that was heaven to him, you tasted almost bittersweet on his tongue, the best thing he tasted in so long. He was completely drunk by you. And he loved. 

Hongjoong waited for you to calm down after your orgasm, he didn’t want to overwhelm you or overstimulate you. At least not on your first time having sex. 

“How are we?” He asked, hands caressing your shaking legs as he lifted up from the ground. 

“Good…” you said, lifting yourself on your elbows to look at him. And if you thought he was pretty before, now, with your slick glistening on his chin and sweat dripping down his forehead, he was absolute perfection. 

“Now I’m going to prep you, ok? Get you a bit stretched so I don’t hurt you” you nodded, lower lip between your teeth. “Do you want me to stop?” You denied with your head. “There’s something you wanna tell me?” You nodded, cheeks getting even hotter than they already were from the previous actions. He signaled with his head for you to talk. 

“You’re still… fully clothed” he chuckled at your statement but nonetheless he started to undress, taking his shirt off. “Joong” you called him, making him stop in his tracks. “Can I… take it?” He smiled and nodded, waiting for you to do it. 

Your legs were still shaky so decided to stay on the bed. You reached for the button of his pants and opened it before pulling the zipper down. He smiled at you lovingly, caressing your head before pulling your face up and kissing your lips. Once again you melted under his touch, whimpering into the kiss. He broke the kiss and went back to his standing position and you went back to taking his pants off, pulling it down his legs. Your hands caressed the bulge under the fabric of his underwear, a low groan leaving his mouth and you felt his hand grip your hair tighter. You finally pulled the underwear down, revealing his cock. The tip angry red and already leaking pre cum from being denied attention for so long. Your hand went to hold his shaft in it without even thinking, you were just a little bit awestruck by seeing a dick in front of you for the first time. He wasn’t big or thick, just the right size. But you still thought he’d split you once he tried to enter you. 

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie, I’m going to prep you, okay?” He caressed your cheek and you nodded. “You can play with another time, today is all about your pleasure” your cheeks once again heated up, he was being so thoughtful, so caring, and made your chest swell with a feeling you couldn’t quite describe, but you were liking it. 

He gave you another kiss before making you lay down on the bed again, this time in the middle. He started to play with his fingers on your pussy again, collecting the wetness that was still there, and he wondered if it was from your thoughts about his dick. Hongjoong slowly entered your hole with his middle finger, pumping slowly to get you used to the intrusion. 

You had masturbated before, you were a grown adult, and you had your needs, you just didn’t feel interested in others before. But having someone else fingering you was a whole new experience. You were helpless, not knowing what he was going to do, with what pace, with what intensity. All you could do was moan and writhe under him. 

“More. Please, Joongie, more” you grabbed his arm that was supporting his weight. “I…”

“Such an eager baby, aren’t we? I barely put a finger inside and you’re asking for more?” You whispered yes and nodded, the knot in your belly tightening up. 

He inserted another finger inside, curling them up to hit that sweet spot that made your eyes roll back in your head. He started to alternate between curling them up and scissoring you open, walls hugging his fingers, back arching from the mattress. 

“Fuck you’re so tight, yn” he moaned with you, his dick twitching with the thought of entering you. “I’m gonna add another one, okay?” You nodded and pleaded, unintelligible words leaving your lips as your hips started to lift from the mattress. 

His free hand went to your clit, circling the bud to give you extra pleasure before adding his third finger, slowing down the pace of his fingers and trying to put them all the way in. You were past the point of no return, fucked out from just his previous actions and now from his fingers skillfully fucking you open. 

“Joongie~” you moaned, voice starting to crack. 

“Go on, baby, I can feel your walls flutter on my fingers. Go on, give it to me” with his words you came on his fingers, pleas of his name leaving your mouth as he rode your orgasm with you, legs shaking like you spent the last minutes squatting in the gym. “So pretty when you cum, baby. So good for me” he licked his fingers clean and gave you a kiss so you could taste yourself a little in his mouth. You couldn’t help but be even more turned on by that. “You think you can keep going? We can stop if you want” you denied with your head and pulled him for another heated kiss. 

“Please, Joong, now that you started, please finish it” he smirked at your neediness and hovered his body on top of you. 

“As you wish, sweet thing” he passed his dick between your wet vulva, coating himself in your slick, before lining his head with your hole. “Tell me if it hurts or if you want me to stop” you nodded and he slowly pushed past his head and you thanked him for prepping you first, otherwise it would hurt you. “You good?”

“Yes, keep going” 

“Can you take it all?” You nodded, caressing and holding his arms on your sides. 

He decided to take one of his thumbs to your clit to help you relax and feel more pleasure, so he started to slowly push his cock inside of you as he played with your clit. You opened your mouth but no sound came off, eyes rolling to the back of your head, and your back arching from the bed. It felt so good. The sting of pain was delicious, the sensation of being so full for the first time, the view of having the hottest man alive on top of you watching every reaction of you and your body to him. You could explode again just by that. 

He finally groaned when he was balls deep inside you, the tightness of your walls hugging him viciously. He just wanted to be permanently buried inside of you. He waited for a little for you to get used to the feeling, never stopping his work on your clit. 

“Move, please” you moved your hips and the sensation was indescribable. 

“Oh dear god, you’re so good for me, baby, I can’t wait to ruin you just for me” he said, words coming out of his mouth without him even realizing. You moaned at the thought, walls clenching. “Oh. Would you look at that” he nuzzled his nose on the crook of your neck, leaving a bite behind. “Do you like the idea of being ruined, baby?” You nodded, not thinking straight at this point. You pressed your nails on his back, bringing him closer to you. ”fuck, yn. I can’t wait to teach you everything to be perfect for me, I’m going to ruin your chances with any other man” he didn’t realize it, but his thrusts were getting faster. And you were loving it. 

You moaned his name over and over again, back sliding back and forth on the mattress with how hard he was fucking you. His thrusts were deep, not too fast, but hard enough to make you see stars. Now you knew what all the fuss about sex was. It was divine, delicious, mind-erasing almost. You didn’t have one thought besides the way Hongjoong was fucking you into oblivion, eyes getting blurry with the pleasure. 

Without warning, the knot in your lower stomach snapped once again, for the third time in the night, and your orgasm washed over you, making you see black. Mouth hanging open with no sound leaving. 

“Again already? Such a good baby for me” Hongjoong kissed your temple and slowed his thrusts a little for you to not get overwhelmed. “Can you hang a little more for me, baby? Just so I can cum too” you nodded, eyes closed, completely fucked out and limp on the bed. You were his now, he had all the control he wanted. He started to thrust a little bit faster again, moaning with the feeling of his member being squeezed even more by your abused walls. He wouldn’t take much longer to cum. 

A few more thrusts and he stilled his hips, his hot white seed painting your insides, the feeling of being even fuller making you cum again on his cock, mixing your juices together. When he mentioned moving, you held him in place, the feeling of having him inside of you too good.

“You did so well, baby. I’m proud of you” he kissed your forehead and took some sweaty strands out of your face, eyes still glassy but satisfied. “I need to clean us up, you need to rest, and so do I” you pouted but nodded.

You hissed at the sudden feeling of emptiness, liquids spilling down your hole and onto the mattress. You definitely had to wash that up. But that was a thought for the next day. Hongjoong appeared with a cup of water and a wet cloth from your bathroom. He put the cup on the bedside before cleaning you. The sensitivity of the prior actions starting to show up. After cleaning you up, he made you drink water and laid by your side, pulling you to lie on his chest. 

You two stood in a comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence and having your thoughts organized. 

“Thank you” he said, hand caressing your arm that was on top of him. 

“For what?”

“For trusting me” you smiled and switched your position to be looking at him, elbows holding your upper body. “I like you, yn. I think you already know that but I want it to be very clear for you” you nodded. “And if you’re willing, I’d like to be with you, be your boyfriend” you giggled and kissed his lips. 

“I like you too, Joong. And I am more than happy to be your significant other” you both smiled and he kissed you again, peppering kisses all over your face and lips.

You laid back on his chest and enjoyed each other's company. Both of you were almost falling asleep when you spoke again. 

“Joong?” He hummed. “Remember when you said you wanted to ruin me for the others? Can you teach me how to pleasure you?” He looked down to you and you had the most innocent and expecting eyes. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, yn, you’re going to be the death of me” you both laughed as he held you closer, soon drifting asleep to dream about all the things you wanted to do to each other. 

Masterlist | Feedbacks and requests

[sara-wishes]

And July. - 민기 - prologue ☘️

☘️ Mingi x Female!Idol!Reader

☘️ warnings for this chapter: none.

☘️ now listening to: And July by HEIZE and DEAN

☘️ summary: When on her 4th comeback's backstage Y/N is unwillingly reunited with her brother, suddenly 8 boys are swept into her and her group mates' lifes. A tall boy in particular has taken a liking to Y/N and apparently, maybe... she feels the same?

(images after text)

Date: [10/24/2018]

The day had started early for you. Since the clock on the dorm had marked 5:00, you had been up. Mostly getting ready for the event of the day, the performance starring your group, lucyd, on Music Bank.

Although you could be feeling nervous about this, this was your 4th comeback already, and now it all came more naturally to you after 10 months officially on the job. 

But the ringing of your alarm had happened a long time ago by now. Right now? You found yourself on a mission-- finding Minho's dressing room (well, stray kids'), in the multitude of dressing rooms that Music Bank backstage counted with. 

You didn't actually mind taking your time to find it, you still had some to spare until you had to perform. Regardless, there was just a small issue that was actually bothering you. Your group mate, Marte (or sometimes Moriko for friends), was accompanying you. And she had not stopped rambling about anime since you had awakened this morning.

Really, you loved her, but being in the same dorm room, sometimes it got hard to handle. Hard to handle like the headache that you could notice growing from her constant screams and simping over some JoJo or something. 

It's not like you had a personal vendetta against anime, in fact, you yourself were a big fan, but sometimes, her obsession could get too much for everyone. 

...Or, maybe not everyone? 

As you made your way down the white colored corridor, you both encountered an unthinkable image. Two boys, a tall one and a shorter one, were walking your way. The taller one, making his incessant anime rambling audible to everyone, thanks to his enthusiasm and his deep, deep voice. The shorter one, clearly tired of his never ending monologue. 

'Wait... that guy... '

'Nah, no way. It can't be him.'

In an instant, Marte turned her neck a whole 90 degrees towards the larger boy, her weeb radar spiking uncontrollably. 

"Hey, you! Are you talking about JoJo's new episode?!" You wouldn't have ever believed her introvert ass could shout in the middle of a crowded hallway like that, but you clearly were proved wrong.

"Have you watched it too??" The guy answered (shouted) back to her, and rapidly sprinted your way. It didn't get him much to get to where you were, with his height, all that he had to do was stride across the hall. 

"Yeah, it was so good! I'm Marte by the way!" Normally, your eyes would've fallen out of their sockets because of how wide-eyed you'd be by now, over Marte interacting with someone else. But at the moment, your focus was only on the other man that had been walking side to side with 'tall-guy', not too long ago. 

"Y/N…?"

You immediately froze in place. ‘It really was him. Wooyoung.’

Your brother. The brother you so much adored, but regrettably had been forced to abandon with your cruel parents in return for your freedom.

Maybe he didn’t hate you like you thought he did. Maybe he didn't resent you for leaving him behind with those, cruel, wicked- 'Nevermind, he definitely hates me for it.’  But now that didn’t matter as much as the fact that his appearance had unintentionally triggered all the trauma that you had left behind, and had brought back all the ghosts of your past.

“Y/N I-” He began to speak to you. Thanks to the ring of his voice, you were thrown out of your momentarily stupor and welcomed back to the real world. To the hallway. Before your performance. With your brother. Next to Marte. ‘Right, Marte.’

Remembering she was in fact next to you, still talking to the guy -apparently named Mingi, according to the conversation you had overheard- you rushedly began to tap on her shoulder. You needed to get out of there. You could not have an emotional breakdown right now, and the steady steps Wooyoung was taking towards you as if he was approaching a wounded animal, were not helping you. At all.

“So about the new One Piece episode- Y/N what’s wrong with you?”

“Marte, we have to get out of here right now.” You hastily told her, already walking backwards towards the exit, failing at your attempt of dragging her by the arm. 

“C’mon, don’t be rude, I’m talking to Mingi here. We still have like half an hour before hair and make up.” She dismissed you, turning back to Mingi, who seemed to have noticed your presence now, and looked kind of star-struck.

Done with trying to convince her, you used the ace up your sleeve that always seemed to work when  Marte was being too stubborn. “Moriko. Marte. Sugawara., I need you to get me out of here right now, you hear me? Please.” You repeated, slowly and heavily pronouncing every syllable, to get her to realize the position you were in. Now clutching her forearm and pleading to her to get you out. Before Wooyoung could find a way out of his stunned stance and had the chance of making you break down in tears.

Finally, looking at you and upon a closer examination of your state, she decided to take your usage of her full name seriously. She was annoyed, but she was helping you out of this one. 

“Hey… is she okay?” You looked so frightened even the kind male worriedly asked about your condition.

“Yes. Sorry, don’t worry. But I’m afraid we really have to go. It 's been fun Mingi. See you around!” She hooked her arm around yours and rushed you down the corridor, heading for your dressing room. While you walked back to it, she complained about your actions and demanded an explanation. “You better tell me what that was all about. I missed a conversation about Narancia just for it.” But you were too focused on trying to keep your labored breath from turning into hyperventilation, to browse your memory in search of information about this so-called ‘Narancia’ guy.

܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀܀

The two girls hastily disappeared from the corridor, leaving the two rookie idols alone once again. 

Wooyoung could see the confusion and intrigue over the last events still swirling inside Mingi's eyes. But he himself was still as paralyzed as Y/N had been mere moments before. 

"Dude, did I do something weird?" Poor Mingi asked him, too kind for his own good. 

"No, Mingi, you did nothing wrong, she ran away because she," he made a pause, searching for oxygen inside the now claustrophobic space. "She is my sister."

"Marte? But I heard she's japanese."

"Y/N, dumbass, Jung Y/N is my sister." He loved him, but boy, sometimes he could be so dense, must be Yeosang rubbing onto him or something. 

"Ohh, right. That makes sense." He nodded at the realization, maybe even… blushed? Wooyoung must still be dazed, he must not be seeing right. 

Quickly, a frown replaced Mingi's look of realization on his features. "But, why did you let her go? You have been looking for her everywhere all this time."

"Because did you see her? She looked frightened." The boy's heart broke a little at the thought of never seeing his sister again. 

Mingi blinked at his disheartened friend. "Hey, at least I got Marte's number, so maybe you can reach her again?"

Okay, maybe all hope was not lost. 

𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙊𝙐𝙎. ❀ 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 ❀ 𝙉𝙀𝙓𝙏.

🏷 taglist: @bbycrabcakes, @cookiechristie, @xxxquinnxxx, @brrrreee37, @many-names-yuna, @bashkins, @so-nyeon-dan, @pearltinyy, @funkydinorawr, @svenjafangirlt, @annicht, @justredpandasthings, @moonstarwitch, @caitleen, @cocoforkuroopuffs, @crustyrat335, @n-n4y3li, @alice0blog, @motherhwasnoodles, @likejay-z, @aoi-turtle, @7dilemma7, @strangemaximoff, @watamotee33, @kibs-and-bits, @milkyr4bbit, @xazucaradictax, @lukalime, @harmonized-disarray, @anew-inception. (names not on bold could not be found).

[pocketjoong]

You should hold your idols accountable and not put them on a pedestal. There is so much they don't show us that remains behind a camera. You don't get to tell people how to feel.

Listen, I've been listening to K-pop for over 14 years now. And trust me, there's probably not one fan who's as suspicious of idols as I am, not just because I've been a fan of multiple groups, but also because I have been working for a company that majorly deals with the Hallyu industry for 6 years now, and that has made me distrustful of each and every idol.

Yes, you might find me simping over xyz idol, but I tend to differentiate between the idol on stage or in front of the camera and the person they are off stage. I know more than you do that each and every idol has a persona and goes through image training to show the best version of themselves to their fans. Never once have I put them on a pedestal and treated them as something they're not. Because they're humans, and that's exactly how I'm going to treat them. And as for me "holding my idols accountable", when it comes to that, you'll always see me in the front row of that crowd.

I never said people don't have the right to feel what they feel about this situation. They have the right to be upset with him or distance themselves from any and all media pertaining to Mingi. But what they don't have is the right to be extremely harsh with their words towards him and say things like, "I hope he's reading all the hate he's getting because he deserves it".

Considering I've not negated anyone's feelings on this matter, or asked someone to forgive him immediately, I expect them to give me the same consideration. Coming to my blog and basically questioning me where I stand in regards to a certain situation that has already been done and dealt with (according to me), while also insulting Mingi is not the way to go about it (especially when Mingi was set up by the fancall op).

[what-if-nct]

have you ever thought about having an imaginative baby with hyunjin? i had one with onew because he "accidentally" spilled the forbidden milk and now i have a son named bingo or bingchilling- i'm kidding his name is dongyeon.

my boyfriend likes to think about having babies with irene (are we surprised at this point) or that girl from dreamcatcher i think her name is jiu but anyways they had two girls named minji and jisoo.

do a lot of people do this or is it just us? i mean, who doesn't want to have babies with the one and only bang chan lol

my brother does. of course he likes bang chan and hyunjin. he simps for stray kids too much i can't even explain. THE BOY FUCKING LISTENS TO MOANS and i caught him in 4k when i walked in loooool

but nah i love him as much as i love taemin's ass. mmm, taemin's ass.

— a sussy baka 💀

No but that's a cute idea. I have Dream babies with Hyunjin, they're twins. It was the sweetest dream. I have dream babies with Hyunjin, Johnny, Doyoung and maybe Hendery some of mine and Johnny's kids looked like Hendery. Doyoung was a way before this blog, dream. his dad was Kevin James from King of queens I'll never forget that. But an imagine baby is so cute. My current bedtime or stare into space fantasy is I'm a cheerleader and Hyunjin is on the football team with Bangchan, Mingi, and Johnny. So Chan encouraged me to talk to Hyunjin and now me and Hyunjin are dating but Mingi also likes me and is trying to persuade me away from hyunjin. And Johnny is just an ex I'm cool with. Hyunjin lives with his big brother Lee know and I sleep over very very often. And there's usual spicy scenarios of course. Also a party once in awhile I think a pregnancy will fit in just well thank you for the idea. Hyunjin will be so happy.

[chronicvagabonds]

hi, i'm having to reread this because the first readthrough left me with such toothrot that i had to get three cavities filled (does that make sense? idk. but it's true) and my notes are made up of incoherent keysmashing and simping so.. on a more serious note, it's only been three days.. but there's not one day i didn't think back on this and didn't get flustered.. normally fluff doesn't even get to me THAT much but this was on another level.. 🦷🎀

[spoilers ahead]

this moodboard first and foremost.. MWAH CHEF'S KISS!! 🧑‍🍳💋 the vibes are immaculate, the greens and yellows from the fauna with the blues and pinks from the sunset, cromnch

i'm just going to imagine mingi smells like his nacific notes (cedarwood, floral) bc it seems so fitting 😌

not the biggest heat fan but i love taking walks on summer evenings, when the warmth still clings to your sunkissed skin but there's a gentle breeze and you can hear cicadas and crickets.. this fic clearly made me reminisce

mingi shooing away reader's (male) students like he couldn't handle hearing others give them compliments before he can hehehehe

"you made it" - "did you think i wouldn't?" - "i was hoping you would, actually." ABSOLUTE GAAAAME!!

STOP RIGHT NOW WITH THE PREVIOUS LITTLE ACTS OF SERVICES AND STEALING GLANCES AND GIFTS OMGLMGGKM 🫠 it's like every love language all at once

us? 👊💢👊💢👊 SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST!

you didn’t expect his eyes to travel all over your face and his lips to curve into a smirk ..remember when mingi told fans to always make eye contact, even when he eventually loses the staring contest.. LORD

me who almost became an english professor now reading fiction in my free time 🧑‍🦯

mingi would be THE one to pick up on someone's mood change and to be THE one to find a way to help someone without making them feel exposed or uncomfortable

just imagining reader taking candid pics of everyone but when mingi catches them they can't help but pretend to be taking pictures of the sky instead heheh

ah yes, wonka mingi with his shades would make reader feel less shy when he's standing a breath away from them ☝️🤓

“do i seem intimidating to you too?” [nervous giggles intensify] the stars know all our secrets

what i wouldn't give to have a night of stargazing with mingi, hours of deep talk, reminiscing memories and re-processing decisions we have made in our life that made us the person we are today 🥺

MINGIS PRONOUNS ARE HIS/TORY CAWCAAWCAW 🐦‍⬛

OH WE'RE HOLDING HANDS AND!! WE'RE ON FIRST NAME BASIS WHOA

“can’t we stay like this even when we go back home?” my heart dropped for a second at the angst/hurt potential

“i don’t think i would have to look for stars” mingi said, looking right at you

you just wanted him all to yourself. was it selfish of you? yes. absolutely. but did you care? nope. GO GET YOUR MAN!!!

“hmm… are you sick of watching the stars with me?” - “i thought by now you knew that i never watched the stars.”

a sky full of stars and he was staring at her by atticus

if i were a star, i would have fallen for you, everytime you look at the sky by the pacified soul

fanfiction so good it makes me think of poetry

you know damn well, he's going to nag them at every opportunity back on school grounds, trying to catch them off-guard when he asks how long they've liked him for

🗣️ HORIZON MENTION!

oh lord, mingi let got of ALL his inhibitions god damn

KHEKHHHEKEHEHEEHEJJEKEKEEKEEEEHKEHHEEEE :D

Wave

teacher!mingi x teacher!reader

summer camp/school trip au

word count: 7.8k

genre: fluffy stuff, just tooth rotting fluff for once

synopsis: when you suggest the idea of a one week trip to give the seniors a little break before their exams, you find yourself paired with mingi as the teachers in charge of your group of students, to your surprise and satisfaction. you've had your eye on him for quite a while- but so has mingi. he proves that it isn't too late for a highschool sweetheart - him.

manager-nim: @eightmakesonebraincell (we formally salute all fluff writers bc this shit was tough)

when you heard you were accepted as a part of the crew who would be accompanying students on a one week road trip 

not only were you beyond relieved because you needed a break so bad

but you were also way too curious about who else made it into the crew

it hadn’t been long since you started teaching at eden high school

but it was the quickest you found your place as an english teacher

it was surprising how well you got along with the staff here considering your not-so-excellent experience at your previous school

and the students here were just students, yes, just like everywhere but

you were pretty sure this was the most adored you had been

perhaps because you were in charge of the seniors who really needed someone like you- a person they could confide their problems and concerns in

a person who would offer solutions instead of telling them that it was just a fleeting worry

a person who would notice when they were beyond exhausted with the pressure of being, well, a senior

you remember how hard it was when it was your time and you wouldn’t want your students to go through the same thing

which was why you once suggested to mr. kim that perhaps the students would appreciate a trip

it was just a casual observation you had made and when mr. kim said ‘perhaps they really need it’, you weren’t sure if he was being serious

but turns out that he was, and the preparations began

not all the teachers could join but you had to be a part of it, mr. kim said, since you suggested it in the first place

you got so busy with assuring the students that they would have fun and they had nothing to worry about

talking to their parents in case they were being reluctant to send their kid, thinking it was a waste of time

convincing the students who were taking their studies way too seriously that they needed this- they really didn’t want to be burned out when exams would be near

that it slipped your mind- another suggestion for mr. kim to take mr. song along

mr. song mingi- the history teacher- the one who made history quite fun to learn

you had specifically planned with the staff- including him- to visit a few historical sights on the road-trip

however, he wasn’t the only history teacher here so you weren’t sure if he would be tagging along

and you never got the chance to ask him

(or even if you did, you were too shy)

but the day finally came

way too early in the morning when even the sun was asleep, you were standing by the bus counting the heads

almost all of your students made it- it was a bummer that some couldn’t but you promised to take them out for dinner after you were back

it was the least you could do for them

the girls were all over you, finding your casual style pretty intriguing

they had only ever seen you in professional clothing, tied hair and reading glasses on the bridge of your nose

so with your hair down, shades hanging by the neckline of your light blue sundress

the girls were pleased, yes, but the boys couldn’t help but share the sentiment too

“miss y/n, you should wear dresses more often!”

“light blue is your colour!”

“your hair looks so good-”

“come on now,” a familiar voice boomed and if you thought the flood of compliments from your students was making you smile

the smile changed into a grin, almost a giggle when you turned to the source

the source being none other than song mingi- in a loose sleeveless white shirt with a denim outerwear and matching jeans

song mingi may be a ‘boring history teacher’ like you sometimes teased him

but that man has got impeccable style

“stop flattering poor miss y/n and find your seats, come on!”

the students laughed but obeyed and the class pres started the roll call

and you felt a little somersault in your stomach when you locked eyes with mingi

“you made it”

he grinned back. “did you think i wouldn’t?”

“i was hoping you would, actually.”

and that took mingi off guard

you weren’t always forward with what you said unlike him and he found you a bit hard to read sometimes

and oftentimes, you surprised him with your actions or your words, just like you did now

but mingi knew when to make something out of an opportunity

“well, you’re stuck being paired with the boring old history teacher. hope you don’t mind.”

“i never called you old, though,” you told him, smiling to yourself before following the guard’s orders and getting on the bus

.

mingi, of course, sat next to you, the only seat available

and you marvelled at the turn of events

because how long had you wished for some sort of proximity to happen?

it wasn’t easy to be alone in the school with him- not that you wanted to do anything alone with him, but

sometimes, you thought, it would have been nice if you got one-to-one interaction with him that wasn’t related to grading each other’s papers 

or sharing pointers about the next exam

sometimes, he would find you alone with your head in your hands

and he would decide not to disturb you and leave a little something for you near your desk for you to spot if you, well, got your head out of your hands

a candy or a ‘cheer up!’ note

you would also find him alone in some classroom sometimes

you noticed he preferred to be alone at times so you knew to look in his classroom first instead of the staff room

he would be so absorbed in whatever he was doing

that you would simply watch him until he felt your gaze burning into his skin

and then you would pretend to have been passing by 

and of course you ‘accidentally’ bought two of whatever you were going to snack on

mingi would offer you to join him but most of the times, you let him be

but sometimes, if the staff room was too noisy, you would join him

and the two of you would sit at opposite ends of the classroom doing your own work

(while secretly stealing glances but nobody needed to know that)

so now that you finally got to be alone with him

ignoring the twenty-some noisy children in the back- they could be considered background noise

you couldn’t help but play with your fingers

the bus started and mingi initiated conversation

telling you who was paired with who

each bus had at least one male and one female teacher and only two out of the four buses had two teachers

the other being jongho and gyeoul

“ah, gyeoul is going to forget she’s a teacher. i bet she’ll be sitting with the students playing uno with them.”

“jongho is going to drive the kids away with his dad jokes,” mingi tsk-ed. “but guess the most interesting pairing?”

us?

“hongjoong, wooyoung and yuqi.”

“no way!” you actually laughed out loud this time. “hongjoong’s going to regret ever planning this trip.”

“you bet,” he scoffed. “seonghwa, mina and eunha are in the other bus.”

“all the calm ones?”

“i switched with seonghwa, actually,” he admitted and you raised a brow. “seonghwa gets along with them. i get along with you. we might as well have a good time too, now that we’re here, right?”

right.

he switched to be with you

“you sure you won’t regret that decision?”

you didn’t expect his eyes to travel all over your face and his lips to curve into a smirk

“i’m sure.”

and that was your cue to check on your students

you took a round, making sure everyone was comfortable and told them all to just take a nap

there wasn’t anything interesting going to happen for a good few hours

lucky for you, the kids were sleepy

so the bus fell quiet, the driver assuring you that you both could relax too- there was another driver to keep him company anyway

so you asked mingi if he was sleepy

“not yet. are you?”

“not yet,” you confirmed.

“are you comfortable? do you need anything?”

you relaxed back, shoulder to shoulder with mingi, a small blanket on your lap. “i’m good. do you need anything?”

“not for now, nope,” he took a deep breath. “how long has it been since your last trip?”

.

and that was how you found yourself actually relaxing and talking to him

you told him your last trip was a while ago with your family

you didn’t want to count school trips but you told him about that too

and he told you about his experiences

just like that, you got to know each other a little better

details you wouldn’t have shared otherwise

from random facts about each other:

“i used to love reading. i became an english teacher because i would consume books like nothing else. but i haven’t read a new book in about a year.”

“i hated the idea of being a history major until one of my professors started using storytelling as a way to get us to learn about the world. i still remember the stories he’d make up.”

to gossip:

“i think i saw wooyoung checking out eunha earlier”

“don’t you think mina’s got a thing for seonghwa?”

somewhere between all of that, you got too sleepy to continue talking

you didn’t realise when you dozed off but when you woke up with a weight on your side

your heart almost stopped when you realised it was mingi resting his head against your shoulder

and quite comfortably at that

you realised you may have been resting your face on his head too

and the current position with your neck upright was sending a painful wave down your shoulder

so you decided to give in, checking the time- you could sleep for another hour

you went back to resting your face on top of his head, the bubbly smell of his shampoo lulling you right back to sleep

you woke up when you felt the bus stop and when you groggily lifted your head

you realised that mingi had been awake for quite some while, using his phone

but he never moved because you were using his head as a pillow

“oh my god,” you said, hiding your face in your hands so he wouldn’t see your flaming cheeks. “i’m sorry, i didn’t realise-”

“it’s okay,” mingi chuckled, waving his hand in dismissal. “i’m to blame too.”

you looked at him to make sure it was really okay and when he said, “your snores are cute” you chucked your blanket at him and looked around

you were making a quick stop at a rest area

you woke the kids up and told them now was the time to get snacks or use the toilet

you met up with the teachers to have coffee, everyone in good spirits having woken up from their naps

the wind already felt different and fresh now that you were a few hundred miles away from the city

with newfound energy, you all got back into your buses and that was when the fun started-

for the kids.

it was suddenly too lively and noisy, loud music blasted in the bus and a few kids showing off their dance moves, the rest cheering them on

you clapped along, reminiscing about your own highschool time

soon, you reached the first town on your list- a town known for its historical ruins

though the kids had been complaining about visiting ruins- what’s there to learn about ruins?

you assured them the trip would only get better and you kept the ‘boring’ sites for the first few days

because you wanted to end the trip on a cheerful note- the beach

as the kids crowded and started following the teachers, you took note of their complaints and unsatisfied grunts

and though panic started bubbling in your heart- maybe you shouldn’t have put this town on the list? all your anxieties faded away when a certain history teacher stepped in to save the day

“alright, remember when i told you guys about the spirit of the exiled princess that haunts a certain town? that people spot in the forest sometimes?”

“is the spirit pretty?” a boy asked, earning a bunch of snickers from the crowd

but the way mingi smirked made them all shut up

“i guess you’ll find out soon.”

you winced when the kids burst into a chorus of cheers or frightened screams and the teachers shared a good laugh at how mingi handled this

“remember- if you find a four-leaf clover, the spirit might spare you!”

and as mingi guided them along the town, sharing fun facts about the sites, the kids kept their eyes trained on the ground in chances of finding the lucky leaf

really, it was worse than a needle in a haystack

.

after visiting a few sites, you found yourselves in the heart of the town, at a food street

all the class presidents were instructed to make sure the kids stay in sight and that they were free to go eat whatever they wanted

the kids were simply famished and just wanted those corn dogs and fish cakes

the staff took a table in the centre and you were glad that it was a weekday today- apart from a few people, you were the only ones here

you all got some noodles and double checked on your accommodations- it was supposed to rain so you wanted to check-in before dark

just like that, it was time to go find shelter

you stuck with your group of students like every other teacher 

and when you reached the lodge, you made sure everyone went to their rooms before finding your own that you were to share with the female staff

the rest of the girls were already there, removing their makeup and stretching. you smiled as you followed suit

“this trip is exactly what i needed,” yuqi slumped down on the mattress as she said. “even though today was a bit boring, the weather makes up for it.”

“well, the night isn’t over yet,” gyeoul smiled mischievously. “it doesn’t have to end on a boring note.”

she came up with the genius idea of having drinks in the backyard with the boys

mina sighed in disappointment because if gyeoul had told her earlier, she wouldn’t have removed her makeup so soon

“you’re pretty anyway,” eunha told her, grabbing her hand and dragging her out

you told them you would join after a few minutes and changed into your pjs like the rest

when you went to the backyard, you let out a surprised laugh

because the boys had already prepared drinks for all of you before gyeoul

“great minds think alike” hongjoong said

“rich coming from you because all it takes is one drink and it’s game over for you,” wooyoung said and seonghwa’s laughter boomed in the air

“you’re no good either, seonghwa!” mingi pointed at the teacher, clicking his glass with wooyoung’s and sharing a shot

you smiled to yourself- it looked like you were going to make really good memories on this trip

you took a seat between the noisy ones- wooyoung and yuqi- and immediately started regretting it

because not only were the two of them were making you drink a lot, ensuring a good hangover

but they also kept teasing everyone (including you) and you thought they were too loud

not that you weren’t having fun

you surprised everyone by joining them after a few drinks, though you couldn’t defend yourself like the two did

what a team they made

of all the people, mingi noticed that perhaps… you needed to switch seats

or the environment- he didn’t want you to get too drunk

so when he subtly motioned for you to follow him, you nodded in answer

he told the drunk lot he would get more drinks

as if there weren’t a bunch of unopened bottles on the ground 

but thankfully they were too busy roasting each other to notice

and then you made the excuse of wanting to go to the toilet and left

you walked inside the hall, trying to figure out exactly where mingi had gone

you almost walked past him in the dark corridor and if mingi hadn’t grabbed your arm, you wouldn’t have known

you turned towards him, eyes wide in surprise

he immediately let go of you, not wanting you to feel uncomfortable

“wanna go see the stars?”

when he said that, you didn’t realise it would become a nighttime ritual for the two of you

because away from the city, you could see so many stars

that drunken night, you watched the stars with him in silence

too afraid to speak lest he figure out the desires within your heart

the desire to be with him, to get to know him more, to simply talk to him

but that comfortable silence definitely created a shift in your dynamics.

.

you didn’t travel much the next day, just explored the surroundings and made a trip to the top of the hill

taking as many photos as you wanted

capturing candids of the students and the teachers to share with them later

watching in fascination as some of the kids caught bugs quite easily

thanking the girls who made flower bracelets for all of you

and when you caught mingi smiling at the bracelet on his wrist, you showed off yours

“the boring old history teacher received a gift?” you teased

“you have to admit that they’re creative,” he laughed. “look- the boys want them too.”

the boys, in fact, wanted them. they were all queued up waiting for the girls to give them all a bracelet- or a ring

“oh, when we go back, there are gonna be so many campus couples,” eunha joined the two of you to watch the sight

really, it was pretty obvious who liked who- they wanted to receive the flowers from the person they liked

and the girls wanted to give the flowers to the person they liked

you wondered if they were so obvious… were you too? 

because it was common knowledge that wooyoung liked eunha- even right now, you caught him stealing glances at her

and if you looked behind you, mina was listening to seonghwa quite intently while he rambled on about something

hongjoong, who was right there, seemed the least interested

so when you looked up at mingi, you caught him staring at you and your heart skipped a beat

“you’ve got a little something on your head- a petal.”

“where?” you ran your fingers through your hair where he pointed but it seemed like you didn’t get it

and mingi decided to take the matter into his own hands and leaned down a bit to pick the petal from near your ear

and just like that, time stopped for a few seconds

maybe you should stop really stop reading novels

even though you haven’t read one in about a year

but just like in the books, the length of the duration- despite being only a matter of a few seconds- seemed too long

as you met his eyes, the golden rays of the sun casting a warm glow on his skin

and making his dark orbs more prominent

you wished he was wearing shades right now so you wouldn’t be entranced by the way his eyes scanned your face

but you blinked, and the moment was over- he drew away and tossed the petal on the ground, smiling awkwardly

and you were so glad jongho called you at that moment, having spotted a kitten and knowing how much you liked cats

you got busy with him, burying that moment aside for the time being

that night, you came back to the same lodge

you didn’t drink this time, having learned your lesson from how bad the hangover was in the morning

but you played a few games of uno and perhaps… this was noisier than last night

because there were quite a few sneaky players in this game

gyeoul and jongho- the evil duo of the school

“have some shame,” wooyoung tsk-ed at gyeoul who grinned at jongho- only you seemed to have noticed the look they shared

the look of an underlying scheme

you were sometimes surprised by how well they got along despite gyeoul being a few years older than all of you, and jongho being the youngest teacher in the school

like attracts like, apparently. evil attracts evil

you noticed jongho mouth a number at gyeoul and you realised what was going on

they either took a peek at the other teacher’s cards since there wasn’t much space here to hide your cards properly

or when jongho had shuffled the cards… he had pulled some trick at that time

either way, you weren’t going to let the two of them win- at least not them

so you looked at mingi who was right in front of you, and you subtly let him know that the two were at it again

he stifled a smile, whispering ‘i got this’ 

and the tables turned when within a few minutes, he somehow tricked gyeoul into playing her wild cards but completely destroyed her

he did not win the game but to you, he was the winner

and you told him that when he asked if you wanted to watch the stars a bit tonight too before sleeping

he laughed loudly at that, almost getting shy

.

and that night, you talked about the most random stuff. again.

it was like you could never run out of things to talk about

after all, there was so much to talk about

the work tea

recent developments- eunha was noticing wooyoung back and seonghwa was still an airhead

you thought seonghwa was just equally nice to everyone so it would be hard to figure out if he looked at mina differently

some students tea- one of the close-knit group of friends had a falling out during the trip

mingi was sure they would figure it out on their own

but you were sure one of them would come to you or wooyoung for advice

you both were the unofficial counsellors in your school

“why wooyoung?” mingi wondered. “why not me?”

“because you, mr. song, seem a tad bit intimidating at times.”

the puppy eyes of disbelief he made in response proved you wrong

“who? me?”

you couldn’t help but laugh at the way he was looking at you

“sometimes, yes.”

“more than wooyoung?”

“wooyoung is a literal ball of sunshine though…”

mingi turned towards you, stepping closer

“do i seem intimidating to you too?”

though it was an innocent question

it did nothing to help the butterflies in your stomach

it took everything in you to shake your head no

because he felt intimidating sometimes, that was true

and if it wasn’t for his warm personality

you might not have ever interacted properly with him

mingi laughed to himself, perhaps knowing that you might be lying

and it fell silent all of a sudden

just the sound of the crickets and the rustling of the leaves

and the loud sound of your thoughts

the next two days were a blur

and you thought that when you would go back home, you would have to look at all the photos you took

to ingrain these memories in your brain

because the days were packed travelling and having fun

the bus rides were fun and now it was mr. song who showed his dance moves to the students

he was surprisingly very good- in fact- too good

you wondered if that was why he felt so chill- because he just had this chill groove to him

which showed a lot in his dance moves when he freestyled

you had to physically go and calm the girls after this because

suddenly they were seeing the boring old history teacher in a new light

you folded your arms when mingi made his way back, still laughing at the way the girls cheered for him and the boys clapped

he asked you if you liked what you saw

and that made you smack his arm and turn your focus out of the window to hide your blush admire the scenery

now it was mostly visiting a few spots such as more historical sites and shopping points

and during the day, you were usually with the girls so you could shop together

you tried the local delicacies which was a new experience for most of the people here

and visited an apple farm to help the farmers as well

since it was a packed two days, the teachers didn’t really play more uno or drink 

though all of you would gather, this time in the common room, to plan what was next

but both of these nights, mingi offered you the same thing-

wanna see the stars?

you learned more about him and he about you

you learned that he has always loved to dance 

and he loves karaokes- especially drunk karaokes

he learned more about your previous school experience 

how they overworked you so much 

combined with gaslighting, you thought it was normal and you were just lacking

he assured you that you made a good decision quitting

and commended you for taking the big step- after all, it must have been daunting

though he did not have a similar experience, he could understand you

just like that, you learned the little things about each other

and now that the trip was almost over, you told mingi that you would like to take a walk around while you watched the stars

.

while walking, you were suddenly reminded of the time the staff went out for dinner once

and everyone was at least a bit tipsy if not drunk

when it was time to wrap up and mingi saw that you meant to walk home

he offered to accompany you

and that was only a few months after you started teaching so you weren’t very familiar with all the teachers

though you were pretty sure they were all very nice

you told mingi that he was too drunk but he insisted anyway

and you let him walk you to your neighbourhood which wasn’t far from there

now, almost two years later, you were both taking a walk again and it was oddly reminiscent of that time

and it seemed like mingi was thinking the same when he asked you if you remembered when he first walked you home

“i never told you but i didn’t remember for a while,” he confessed, the rustling of the leaves under your steps growing louder as you stepped on the autumn leaves

you weren’t surprised, if you were honest

“it’s okay. you didn’t do anything stupid. except make crow noises, but that’s okay.”

mingi covered his face in his hands as he laughed and you smiled

“i may or may not have been trying to impress you.”

“really? it was a success. i haven’t heard many people pull off crow noises that well.”

when mingi made a face at that, you lightly punched his arm

“it really is okay. but i have one little favour to ask…”

mingi knew what was coming before you said it

and you both walked a bit further from the hotel

making sure no one was around

before mingi turned away from you and made the loudest caws

and this time, you laughed heartily 

you were so absorbed in your little bubble that when you heard the sound of a door opening

probably the door of the nearest lodge who heard strange sounds in the middle of the night

you grabbed mingi’s hand instinctively and started running away from the source of the sound

the two of you couldn’t stop laughing, even as you ran

so much that it made it harder to run, actually

he took the lead and guided you to the benches to catch your breaths

and it was only after a couple of minutes when your breathing returned to normal

and the adrenaline started to wear off

that you realised the two of you were still holding hands

maybe because the muscles of your arm tensed at the sudden realisation that mingi finally noticed your joined hands

but when he glanced at you and found the corners of your lips curved in a small smile at the sight

he squeezed your hand instead of letting it go

and you looked up at him to see him shyly smiling

“what?” you asked

you couldn’t help it- you needed to know what he was thinking

“nothing, y/n,” he shook his head though he was unable to stifle his smile

“it’s not nothing,” you insisted. “why are you trying so hard not to smile?”

“it’s because i quite like this,” he finally admitted, raising your joined hands and you noticed how small your hand was in his, almost swallowed in his grip

for once, you were the one who was at a loss for words

“did i say something wrong?” mingi asked

and you wished he wasn’t so straightforward

but perhaps, it was for the better

and you thought the timing felt right too

the sky looked beautiful

the air felt like it was enveloping you in its embrace

the moon beautifully lit his face, highlighting the sharpness of his features

yet casting such a soft, welcoming glow

you shook your head, caressing the skin of his hand with your thumb in answer

there was no need for words anymore- the feelings were reciprocated, and you both could feel that

.

mingi made a daring move when he raised your joined hands in the air again

you wondered what he was up to now

but the last thing you expected was for him to kiss the back of your hand

it was such an endearing action that you could not help but giggle

“can’t we stay like this even when we go back home?”

an offer. a question. a confession. it was all of that and more

“i don’t think you can see many stars in the city though.”

“i don’t think i would have to look for stars,” mingi said, looking right at you

that was enough

you smacked his arm. “that’s the cheesiest pick up line i’ve ever heard. you really are the boring old history teacher, mingi.”

you started to go back, folding your arms and still giggling especially when mingi laughed loudly, rushing after you

you tried to run but damn his long legs

he caught up to you, running backwards in front of you now

you pouted as you tried to cross him, but he just won’t let you

“you haven’t answered my questions.”

you paused. you really hadn’t, huh?

he stepped closer to you, trying to read your face for a hint of what was going on behind your eyes

and you thought it was time to finally follow your heart’s desires

and test the waters without any fear

you stepped closer, surprising him

you placed a hand on his shoulder and he wondered what you were about to do

he shut his eyes when you stood on your tiptoes, inches away from him

and you took a moment to drink in the sight

before you pecked his cheek, a giggle escaping your mouth

and this time, you ran for your life

because you didn’t think you could take anything else right now

especially because you had waited so long for some sort of a signal from him

though you wanted nothing more than to hug him and stay there for the rest of the night

you let him chase you and let him hold your hand again

when it was time to separate to go to your respective rooms

he patted your cheek, looking at you with such soft eyes that you melted

and you knew, in that moment

that you were absolutely done for

the travelling time for the next day was a bit longer

which meant you got to spend more time with mingi on the bus

and it was a little awkward at first, the both of you fumbling around like the very teenagers you were making fun of not too long ago

the very teenagers that were on the bus right now

and it took you both a while to stop fidgeting and do something other than awkwardly laugh

thankfully, one of the students came forward with some snacks to share

and thus began a discussion of which snacks were better and which were mid-tier

you both were so enthusiastic about this that the students joined as well

before you knew it, you reached the outskirts of the village you were going to stay in for the next two days

and you thought beautiful was an understatement

the sea was so bright that it looked like a sheet of clear crystals under the sun

the air smelt of salt and sand and you felt a sense of relief

and so did the rest of the passengers- you could hear the soft sighs of the students

this was why you planned the trip

so everyone could just relax at the seaside

there was nothing planned for the last two days- there were a few sites so the students could divide into groups according to where they wanted to go

and the teachers would divide and tag along accordingly

the next two days were all about having fun

no more historical sights, as the kids teased mingi

though mingi retorted with a poetic ‘history is everywhere’ that earned him a few grimaces

as soon as you reached the lodges by the beach, the kids all ran towards the sea with the teachers shouting concerningly

thankfully, there were a few lifeguards since it was a tourist destination

so all of you decided to relax a little too, while still keeping an eye on the kids

.

that day, you all simply enjoyed being on the beach

making sandcastles, playing volleyball, swimming and collecting shells and rocks

mingi was out with his sleeveless again, no jacket covering his arms this time

you had a tough time if you were honest

and so did mina who couldn’t stop sighing at the sight of seonghwa’s long wet hair matted to his face

you could kind of relate to her, though your eyes only followed mingi

and perhaps, you were as obvious as mina now

because a certain menace came to stand next to you

“was just curious why you keep grinning into the distance. but nope. you’re just watching that fool. also, maybe wipe the drool off your mouth.”

you glared at wooyoung

“when you wipe yours. do you want to know what eunha thinks about you?”

suddenly, he’s ready to bow in front of you if necessary and you laughed

you’re both just two lovesick birds at this point and decided to calm yourself by making some sandcastles

“i never realised you got the hots for mingi too,” wooyoung said while trying to place a shell on the top of the lopsided castle. 

“what do you mean ‘too’?” you asked absently, more focused on making sure the whole thing wouldn’t collapse because of a shell

“he’s liked you for the longest time, y/n. you’ve just only noticed now.”

oh. 

that can’t be true, can it?

“are you sure?”

“i mean, he literally watches the stars with you every night. why else would he do that? and only with you? i like watching stars too, he knows. never offered me now, did he?”

you snorted at that

it did make sense

plus, with the events of last night… he must like you a little, right?

you decided to confirm it tonight

this time, you were the one who asked to watch the stars with him

after dinner when you made sure all the kids were in their rooms

the whole staff went to watch the stars, actually

you couldn’t miss it here- the full moon was the cherry on the top

however, you noticed how wooyoung and eunha found a spot away from the rest

mina also managed to get seonghwa to follow him- and perhaps, you thought, he really did like mina 

the rest were in their own bubble

and you grabbed mingi’s hand to lead him towards the big rock you had spotted earlier

where you could have a little privacy 

not that you aimed to do anything, no

you just wanted him all to yourself

was it selfish of you? yes. absolutely. but did you care? 

nope

did mingi care? he followed you willingly

this time, you were more touchy with each other

while you talked about how much you had missed the beach, his fingers trailed the curves of your hand absently

you brushed the sand off his cheekbone

and he scooted closer to you

“i don’t want to go back now,” you sighed happily

you really didn’t want to- it was too peaceful here

and you had never felt more content

“neither do i,” mingi said. “but at the same time… i do.”

“hmm… are you sick of watching the stars with me?”

mingi laughed at that

“i thought by now you knew that i never watched the stars.”

your heart did a few flips at his words and you glanced at him

he was right- he never really looked at the stars

he was always watching you

“would you like to see the stars when we go back?”

“every day, if i can?” he tucked your hair behind your ear as he said

“i really like you, y/n.”

.

god

it’s like you’re the high school student on a trip the way you’re feeling right now

you smiled, looking away and shyly responding

“i really like you too, mingi. i have, for a long time now.”

“how long?” the goofy mingi was back

“never answering that by the way,” you said, getting up and away from him. “you cannot extract that information out of me.”

“y/n!” he yelled your name in warning and you laughed as you tried to make a dash

but he was far too quick and he grabbed your wrist

you had to put your free hand over your mouth to keep your laugh from booming across the horizon

but you could not contain it when he pulled you in to his chest

you wasted no time wrapping your arms around his slim waist

and he curled in your hold, rocking you back and forth

“you’re too tall, by the way,” you said when you realised you were on your tiptoes and he was leaning down

he parted with a kiss on your cheek, pinching your nose afterwards

sending your brain into a spiral, turning you into mush

“you’re too cute.”

no.

you’re too insane because you want to kiss him right now

and you don’t know what took over you when you did just that- pecked his lips, surprising both of you

giggling when his eyes went a little wide 

your grin almost faded when he didn’t respond

but before you could say or do something, he crashed his lips on yours

kissing you deeply, once before drawing away and making sure that it was okay

oh, it was more than okay

but he decided to keep things calm, kissing you slowly and testing the waters

it was perfect in every way, more than what you ever dreamed about

you just never expected this

you and mingi on this beautiful beach, the full moon shining on you two, the waves almost washing your feet

all the four-leaf clovers you found were worth it, it seemed

now that you were sort of official

you spent the next two days with each other

without any hesitation this time

the others barely noticed the difference and you realised that it was because perhaps, the two of you had always looked at each other that way

(or maybe a certain kim hongjoong told them to shut up and let you two enjoy)

but either way, the others let you two tag together when you accompanied the students into town

you went to the local shops and this time, you bought things for your friends and family just like the students

you all had bbq before coming back to the lodges

and that night, you gifted mingi a silly pair of sunglasses

round sunglasses with wide white rims

and when he wore them, you burst into a fit of giggles

“you look like willy wonka from charlie and the chocolate factory”

“do i?” mingi asked, unlocking his phone to check

“mingi wonka. mingi wonka, the amazing history teach~”

you were pretty sure your laughter was heard by everyone on the beach as he chased you 

you decided to take refuge in the waves of the sea and started swimming away from him

but he was quick to follow

and once he caught you, wrapping his arms around your waist, you laughed shyly

“someone will see us!”

but when you turned in his arms

the moonlight illuminating his face but hiding his eyes due to the glasses he still had on

you tried taking them off his face but he grabbed your wrists

“yeah, keep them on,” you whispered. “they suit you.”

“i can’t tell if this is a joke or not,” he smiled a bit

“you just need a hat and a cane to go along with it-”

and before you knew it, mingi put his hand on top of your head and dunked you under the sea

you splashed water on him in revenge

and the two of you chased each other again until he finally caught you

and this time, you thought he really did look beautiful with the damp hair and the glasses

so you didn’t try to wriggle away from his grasp when he leaned in to kiss you

.

the last day, everyone decided to just laze around at the beach

the kids played in the water all day

and it was a bit cloudy so the heat was tolerable too

you wore a hat, resting your back against a rock

and whoever passed by would mess up your hat, annoying you

wooyoung decided to step in to guard you

but also for advice

“would it be too much if i cook and take eunha to a private spot for a little picnic?”

you shut the book you had been trying to read and turned your focus to wooyoung

“that sounds cute, actually. would she accompany you willingly?”

wooyoung smacked your arm and you snickered. “she gifted me my favourite perfume last night.”

“so?”

“how did she know?” wooyoung folded his arms. “i’ve never talked about which perfume i wear. no one knows, but she knew.”

this time, you let out a long ‘oh’ as you pondered

“you’re telling me she did her research?”

wooyoung nodded, very pleased

“do you know what her favourite food is?”

“that’s what i came to ask.”

you both did a little planning and wooyoung admitted that he had noticed a shift in your relationship with mingi too

you asked him if you were that obvious

and almost comically, you both looked towards seonghwa

“he’s hopeless,” wooyoung concluded

for some reason, mingi was very curious about what you two were talking about

(or maybe he just wanted you all to himself for the time being)

and he told you that intrusive thought that night

it was the last night of the trip and you would be leaving for home in the morning

so you told him that he better get used to the lack of proximity

because during school hours, it would be pretty packed especially now that exams were nearer

and after that, you both would have too much to work on

“will i be able to see you often then?”

“i mean…” you began. “what are we?”

mingi’s mouth formed an o shape as he realised

that you two hadn’t really talked about this

“shall i ask you out?”

“if i have to tell you that…” you scowled at him and he laughed

digging into his pocket to extract a small box

it was your mouth forming the o shape now

he opened the box to reveal a set of matching bracelets

a pretty little silver chain, very subtle, and just how you preferred

“will you go out with me?”

you made an impressed face, accepting the bracelet

“i didn’t know you were such a romantic”

“there are a lot of things you don’t know yet”

“i’m pretty sure i don’t need to know most of those things-”

mingi only laughed this time 

that night came to be a memorable one

as the trip concluded and you got back to your daily routine

you found that it no longer felt mechanical

you started off with a smile on your face

even mondays felt exciting 

because you could see mingi at school

you would eat lunch together everyday with the rest of the staff

but it was official now- you and mingi

and wooyoung and eunha

the latter was more unexpected, the staff revealed

and you were flustered to hear about how obvious the two of you had been

but it was okay

seonghwa finally noticed that mina acted differently only around him

and was left confused as he tried to figure out how he felt

hongjoong and yuqi were your new enemies

they made it their life’s mission to never let you couples have a peaceful moment

at least wooyoung could fight back

you and mingi were the type to let him bully you

and the students?

they thought they were being subtle when they tried to make the two of you cross each other at the same corridor

or when they casually told you things about each other, little updates

you caught on pretty quick but you let them be

though it was all fun and jokes

hongjoong told you a little secret later on

that mingi had specifically requested to come on this trip because of you

it was endearing

after school, mingi would walk you home every night

because that was the time you could catch up with each other in private

sometimes, you would stop by to have dinner or coffee

you met each other’s families and they instantly liked you

everything was perfect

everything was perfect, just like the waves had been on that beach 

calm, playful but strong

just like your love for each other

and every night before you went to sleep

(if you were not sleeping beside mingi)

you would look at the grid on your wall

at the pictures of you and mingi on the beach

and the picture of him in those silly glasses that suited him so well

and if you were sleeping beside mingi?

well

you could just look at the real thing :D 

[enthusiastickpopquotes]

FIX ON YEAH READY NOW FOR NEXT JOURNEY SUM CHAMGO DALLYEO NAEGA DALLYEOGANEUN GET MONEY SKRRT I GOT A WIN DEO OECHYEODAE ACREBODA KEUGE CHYEOBEORINEUN TAEMBEORIN JAEK SEUPAEROUBODA NOPI GARAGO NA GARAGO HEUNDEULLIM EOPSHI TTAERYEO BANG BANG DANBEONE SUMI MACHI DOWN WITH US GET IT GOING

[doralupin01]

.

[edenesth]

the boy is mine

Hands pressed against his broad chest, you refused to budge, your eyes locked onto his absolutely gorgeous face. God, he looked amazing tonight. Was he even real? At times like this, you found it hard to believe that this incredible man was all yours. You bit your lip, heart fluttering as you felt his hands squeeze your hips before wrapping his long arms around you, enveloping you in his embrace.

"Let go, babe. As much as I hate to say this, I really have to go," he murmured, though his actions screamed otherwise.

"No," you whispered, your hands balling into fists as you tugged him down by his collar, pressing your forehead to his and feeling his breath warm against your lips. "I refuse, Mingi. I refuse to let you go out there, especially not when you look like this," you whined, one hand gently cupping his face. "You're mine. All mine, you hear me?" you growled softly. "Those girls can only dream of being this close to you."

His heart skipped a beat at the possessive edge in your voice. Seeing his usually shy and reserved girlfriend acting this way was a new and thrilling experience. Maybe he really did look irresistible tonight, enough to make you act like this. Lord, he was dying to kiss you senseless, but he couldn't afford to mess up his makeup now.

Instead, he smirked, pulling you closer, pressing his nose into the crook of your neck as he fought the urge to go any further. He had to keep both of you in check.

For now.

Just for now.

"That's right, babe. I'm all yours. Everyone else can only dream, but you have the real deal. I'll go and show them what they can't have. And when I'm back, I'll be all yours again. How's that sound, hm?"

You huffed. "You better be, Song."

He pulled back just enough to tilt your head up, making you meet his intense gaze. Your breath caught at the predatory look in his eyes, locked on your lips, as if he were ready to devour you.

"Oh, I will be."

ATEEZ Masterlist

Obsessed with this song, this man, this look. Am I the only one who is still struggling to get over this fit? I swear to god, he drives me insane. The way I was working on the second part of Jongho's TWTHH spinoff and this scenario just refuses to leave me alone.

General ATEEZ Tag list:

@aurasblue @marievllr-abg @itsvxlentine @minghaoslatina @huachengsbestie01 |

@evidive @weedforthoughtz @minkiflwr @cheolliehugs @ho3-for-yunho |

@the-kpop-simp @itstheghostofmypast @vantediary @green-agent @skzline |

@sharksandminhos @writingwieny @heyitsmetonid @tinyteezer @hollxe1 |

@pandabur666 @vampzity @tournesol155 @lilactangerine @oddracha |

@haven-cove @idfkeddieishot @vic0921 @vnessalau @apriecotte |

@bangtannie7 @vtyb23

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

[mint-yooxgi]

{4} - Fight or Flight - Yandere!Redcap!Mingi X Tall!Chubby!Reader

Fae!AU & Yandere!AU - Part of the CoDN Thrill of the Hunt Collab

Genre: Fantasy, Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Smut

Pairing: Mingi X Reader

Words: 8,188

Rating: Mature - 18+ MDNI

Warnings: Please read the warnings carefully, as this is a very heavy story dealing with many dark topics. This is also all of the warnings for this fic as it is one long one shot that I had to split into multiple parts, and I'm too tired right now to individually categorize all of these warnings to their respective parts. 8 ft tall Mingi. Slow burn. Violence: depiction of a massacre, a deer being slaughtered, as well as physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional, both alluded to and not. Blood and gore. Abuse: physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual, both alluded to and implied. Assault: physical, and sexual, both alluded to, implied, and attempted. OC has a really rough past, really this isn't for the faint of heart. Whipping, both alluded to, and done. Mentions of branding. Heavy themes of possession and ownership. Deception. Arson. Really, there's a lot of dark subject matter. Mingi falls hard and fast, thus, he simps a lot for the OC, but it's not a story written by me if Mingi doesn't simp for the OC. The reader is mentioned to be both tall and chubby, but it is not mentioned often, so it shouldn't disrupt the flow of the story when ready if you are not tall and/or chubby. I think that's everything, but if I missed something, please let me know! Smut: Biting/marking, outdoor sex, fingering (fem. rec), oral (fem. rec), hand job (male rec), come eating, overstimulation, Mingi has a dig bick, sex in a spring, really, it's very soft in comparison to the subject matter. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

P.S. If there are any spelling or grammatical errors, please ignore them. I did my best through many rounds of editing, but some are liable to still slip through.

A/n: I am SO sorry this took me LITERALLY forever to complete. I meant to have this out so much earlier, and actually posted on time, but it turned out much, much longer than I ever anticipated it being. I'm really proud of how this story turned out, and I didn't want to split it into multiple parts because I felt it would take away from the story as a whole. I'm super excited for you all to read this one, as I had a tremendous amount of fun writing it, and I really hope you all love Mingi's and OC's journey as much as I do. Huge shoutout and thanks to @anyamaris and @kwanisms for listening to me ramble and rave about this story both before and during the writing process, and for always encouraging me while writing! Also, huge thank you to @sanjoongie for being so patient and understanding with me as I write this all out in full. I hope you all enjoy! As always feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~

Summary: Out of one horrible situation and into another, the cycle of abuse never stops. You've lived with monsters your whole life. So, what's one more?

P.P.S. Please don't let this flop guys. If you enjoyed it, please reblog!!!

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three

For the whole night, Mingi holds you in his arms. You manage to pass out sometime within the same hour it took for you to finally calm down, and Mingi cannot help but hold you tighter.

His gaze lingers on your features, taking note of every dip and curve of your face as you rest in his arms. He studies the slope of your nose, the softness of your cheek as your eyes dance behind your eyelids throughout the night. He keeps his one hand resting over your own over your stomach, noticing how your body relaxes the longer he soothes you.

Not once does Mingi dare move. He doesn’t want to disturb you, and besides, you’ve been through a lot this evening. Letting you rest is his top priority. Getting to feel your body wrapped around his own is simply a bonus. One that he never knew he wanted until the very first touch.

It’s odd to him, how one so different from him can open up a whole new world he never knew possible. There is something deep within him that revels at having you near, a feeling that settles deep within his bones and tells him that being with you like this is right. A side within him arguing against everything he once knew and felt towards your kind, urging him to accept his basic instincts and always protect you.

He’s starting to care, and he doesn’t know whether that fact thrills, or terrifies him. All he does know is that he will keep you safe, no matter the cost.

Gently, Mingi lifts the hand he had resting over your stomach to your face. Tentatively, his fingers trace over the skin of your cheek, shifting to caress you softly in the palm of his hand.

Almost instantly, you lean into his touch.

His breath hitches, and his heart begins to pound within his chest. He’s never felt this way before. About anyone, or anything. You make something within him come alive, and he actively enjoys spending time with you. Seeing you scared, knowing you’re in pain, only serves to make his instincts go into overdrive.

You are as delicate as that flower you clutch so dearly in your hand. A blossom which Mingi will help flourish, nourishing you until he can see you fully bloom into the person you are meant to be. 

He will keep you safe. He will see you smile, and make you laugh. He will do all these things and more, and he will do them to ensure your happiness. 

Mingi may know nothing about your past, but he guarantees your future will be a bright one. He will make it so, even if it’s the last thing that he ever does.

***

Morning comes. The light of the sun creeps through the window, and casts a warm glow throughout the room. Faintly, birds can be heard chirping in the distance, and their tender song is what begins to rouse you from your slumber.

Groggily, you blink your eyes open. You can tell your face is a bit swollen from all the crying you did last night, and as you lift your hands to your cheek, you realize two things.

One: you fell asleep while held in that redcap’s arms last night. You currently do not know where he is, for he doesn’t occupy the bed beside yours, nor is he in your immediate line of sight. You also do not know how long he decided to comfort you, but from the way your heart feels, you do not care. 

You actually got a decent rest last night, slumbering straight through until morning without a single night terror. For that, you are grateful, albeit surprised.

Two: you are currently laying down. A soft blanket is wrapped over your figure, and your body no longer aches. You seem to be resting on your side, facing the bedside table, a pillow tucked carefully beneath your head.

Resting upon the top of the table beside you is a fresh glass of water. You can see the condensation forming on the glass, informing you that the water is cool, and hasn’t been there for long. Though, that’s not what shocks you the most.

A single stem of red spider lilies lays beside the glass of water. The flower is in full bloom; vibrant and healthy. From the faint scent you can smell drifting through the air, you can tell that this plant has just been picked, too.

Your heart warms, and you cannot help the way you immediately reach for that flower. Very carefully, and with that stem held in your hand, you sit up in bed, noticing how your stomach doesn’t seem to ache anymore in the spot where that fae had been digging his knee into you. 

Leaning against the headboard, you stare down at that flower held in your hand. Softly, you begin twirling the stem between your fingers, the faintest of smiles causing the corner of your lips to tug upwards. It’s been a long time since you felt this rested, this at peace.

Maybe you are dead, after all.

A figure out of the corner of your eyes startles you, and you drop the flower in surprise. It lands softly on your lap, a bright red to contrast the light brown sheets.

Standing near the end of your bed with a neutral expression on his face is that redcap, his eyes locked on your figure. You swear you imagine it, but for a brief second, you thought you saw the corners of his lips quirked upwards softly while looking at you.

“Good morning.” The low timbre of his voice fills the room. For some reason unknown to you, it wraps itself like a blanket around your figure, warming you from the inside out.

Your eyes dart from his face to the flower in your lap, then back again. Words get caught in your throat, and you find yourself unable to speak for the moment, opting to incline your head slightly.

Why is it that you suddenly feel shy around him? Did he actually do something for you, or are you simply imagining things while in a state of delirium?

“You should eat something.” He keeps his tone soft, motioning to the bedside table with his chin.

Turning your head, you notice a small tray of food resting just behind the glass of water. From the angle you had while you had been laying down, it made it difficult to see.

You nod, fingers fiddling with that stem in your lap as you avert your gaze downwards. It is then that you realize that your wrists are also no longer hurting, nor are they swollen. The fae must have healed you overnight, just as he’s always been doing.

A small silence passes between the both of you, and you notice how he doesn’t move a single inch from his spot. Although he keeps his gaze fixed on you, it’s not uncomfortable in the slightest. In fact, it’s probably the softest look you’ve ever felt him give you since you’ve met. A look you have never experienced before, but the longer he stares at you, the longer you wish to bathe in the warmth this new feeling provides. 

You don’t know why, but you want him to keep looking at you like that. To always look at you like that.

You swallow lightly, lips parting as you take a small breath in. The dryness in your throat prevents you from speaking the words you wish to say.

“Here,” Slowly, he crosses the short distance to the bedside table, grabbing the glass of water in his hand. “Drink this.”

Every movement he makes is careful, so as not to frighten you. A fact which you appreciate more than even you realize at the moment.

Reaching your hand out, you take the glass from him. Lightly, your fingers brush over his own, and neither of you can prevent the way you both react to the other’s touch.

His breath hitches ever so slightly, but it’s so faint that you swear you imagine it.

You, on the other hand, swallow once more, a light shiver caressing your spine.

Neither of you comment on the other’s reaction, and for that, you’re both grateful. You’re not ready to acknowledge the sudden shift between you, certain that this is really only a temporary thing. The rug has been pulled out from under your feet too many times before, and you’d rather be prepared for the sudden shift in gravity than fall flat on your face again.

Bringing the glass to your lips, you take a sip of water. You don’t realize just how dehydrated you are until the first drop hits your tongue, downing the glass almost instantly. Once empty, you go to place the glass back onto the table, only for a gentle hand to reach out and prevent you from doing so.

Blinking your gaze upwards, you see the fae leaning forward lightly. A pitcher of water is in his one hand as he uses the other to steady your own. Without a word, or waiting for a response, he fills your glass once more.

Gently, he pulls away from you. Intently, you watch him place the pitcher onto the bedside table, shifting backwards soon after to sit on the bed across from your own.

You take another sip of water, letting a comfortable silence fill the room. Your back still rests against the headboard as you sit upon the mattress, gaze falling to your lap. In one hand, that glass rests, fingers curled around it as the crisp coolness of the water seeps into your palm. In your other hand, you hold that stem of red spider lilies, twirling the bloom softly between your fingers.

Your expression is the most relaxed it’s been in a long time, and for once your body doesn’t ache in pain. Breathing is the easiest it’s ever been for the moment, and filling your lungs feels refreshing for a change, rather than a chore. Your lips part slightly, and your tongue darts out to wet them.

You hesitate, before taking a deep breath in to steady your nerves.

“Thank you.” The admission is barely above a whisper, but from the way the fae seems to stop breathing across from you, you know that he’s heard you loud and clear. “General-“

“Mingi.” His tone is firm, but more so in an eager way than demanding.

Your gaze darts up in surprise to meet his own, and you notice him clear his throat. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, the faintest hue of pink dusting his cheeks as he averts his gaze to the side.

You didn’t realize fae could feel something as trivial as embarrassment.

Not even a moment later, his once sharp eyes are drifting back to your own with the softest look resting on his features. You’ve never experienced anyone look at you in such a way before, and to say it makes your heart race would be a complete understatement.

Please, don’t let it be a dream. Don’t let it be a cruel trick you have become so used to. This feeling may be foreign, and terrifying in it’s own right, but the possibilities the outcome holds has you looking towards the future with hope for once.

“I wish for you to call me Mingi.” He breathes, his hands gripping lightly at the edge of the mattress he sits on.

It’s faint, but you cannot help the way your breath catches in your throat. Your gaze softens as you stare at the fae before you, heart swelling inside of your chest. You doubt this is his true name, but the fact that he trusts you enough to share such a part of himself with you has you feeling a certain type of way. A certain type of happy way.

A soft incline of your head is the first response he gets. The second is a slight upturn of your lips, and you’re certain he can hear the way your heart is thundering away erratically inside of your chest.

“Alright.” Your reply is gentle as you hum. “Thank you, Mingi.”

Such a tender, almost giddy smile, pulls at his lips. Even the corners of his eyes crinkle slightly, and you are suddenly taken by the beauty of this creature in front of you. Gone is the brute of a fae you met only a short while ago, and instead, in his place, is an oversized kitten parading around as a lion. Yet, you know that that beast still lingers just beneath the surface, ready and willing to strike at a moment’s notice.

Slowly, tentatively, you tell him your own name. A name no one has called you in years.

If you thought his smile was vibrant before, the second your name slips passed your lips his smile becomes downright blinding. 

There’s something about the way he repeats your name slowly, as if testing the weight of it on his tongue to ensure he gets it right ever time, that has another warmth blooming in your chest. There is no malice in the way he grins at you once he’s perfected the way your name falls from his lips, and you find you can only smile faintly at him in response. A fact of which that only serves to make him more giddy.

“You should eat.” He repeats his words from earlier as he stands back to his feet. “Regain your strength for when we set out once more.”

You nod in response, reaching over to place the glass of water back onto the bedside table. Once your hand is free, you carefully slide the tray of food towards you, lifting it onto your lap to begin eating.

“Take your time,” he says casually over his shoulder. “We leave once you’re ready.”

Again, you simply nod in response. 

There’s a sense of calm that hasn’t left you since you woke up, and the longer the morning lasts, the more you settle into this new feeling. You know you probably shouldn’t let yourself get too comfortable. The wool’s been pulled over your eyes too many times to count. However, there’s something about this fae - Mingi - that urges you to trust him.

After all, no one else has ever come to your rescue like he did last night.

Glancing down at that stem of spider lilies resting in your one hand, you cannot help the small smile that graces your features once more. It surprises you, because for a time, you thought that you may have forgotten just how to do such a simple thing. Yet, with this redcap, you seem to be relearning how to live again.

A girl that you haven’t seen in years, that you could no longer recognize in the mirror, is finally becoming the woman she has always been meant to be.

***

An hour or so later, and you begin to make your way back down to the main area of the tavern. Mingi said he would meet you downstairs to let you finish getting ready for the day. He told you not to rush, but you know not to keep him waiting. Besides, it’s not like you want to, anyways.

The tavern is much quieter than last night, with far less patrons. Only a few fae can be seen sitting around the space as you walk out onto the main floor, but that doesn’t mean their eyes still aren’t locked on you as soon as you appear.

More whispers about a supposed missing claim mark reach your ears, but you ignore them for now. You purse your lips slightly, saying nothing. Not when you see Mingi seemingly arguing with the owner of the tavern off to your left.

“Then, where the fuck did they get the ward key in the first place?” The redcap’s sharp tone is kept low, yet deadly all the same.

“I didn’t give them the key, if that’s what you’re implying.” The owner frowns, standing his ground. “If you’re that concerned about a human, don’t bring them into a den full of unknown fae. You, of all creatures, should understand.”

Mingi scowls, nearly reaching across the counter to scruff the fae’s shirt. His eyes glance over to you briefly, and you notice the way he stops himself, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

“You have to activate the wards before a key can be used, do you not?” He hisses, irritation marring his brow.

“I must have forgotten to deactivate it when it was returned the last time.” The tavern owner replies without missing a beat. “If it’s taken from the return counter, I cannot prevent that.”

“You let them take the key off the counter?” Mingi’s voice booms across the tavern, and all heads turn to look at the both of you.

“Watch your tone.” The owner snaps, eyes suddenly sharp. “Don’t forget, you’re a guest here.”

“Fine.” Mingi lets out a sharp, exasperated huff. 

Without another word, Mingi turns around to face you. Your eyes go wide as he places a hand onto your shoulder, turning you towards the exit. Though his body is tense, his touch is surprisingly gentle as he leads you out of the tavern and towards the edge of the forest, muttering under his breath.

“Stupid fucking creature left the key on the counter for them to take,” his voice is but a growl upon his lips, the stomping of his feet drawing attention from the few townsfolk outside enjoying the early morning air.

Your eyes dart every which way, glad that none of the other fae seem to be following after such an annoyed redcap. Of course, given the circumstances, you’re grateful. However, a chill still caresses your spine.

No one would have come to your aid should Mingi choose to take his annoyance out on you. Nor do they seem concerned that you do not belong with him, being a human and all. You’re in above your head, or at least, you would be, if you were in any immediate danger.

Walking through the woods, you remain silent for the time being. Given the morning you’ve had, you do not wish to upset the balance and make Mingi actually turn his anger towards you. You know he cannot lie, so his statement to protect you should hold true. However, you do not know how long that truth will last, or what might accidentally set him off.

This is completely new territory for you, and it both excites and terrifies you to no end. Someone felt that your life was worth saving, and not out of necessity.

It shouldn’t, but that means something to you. It means everything to you.

Passing by the stream you took that fateful bath in with Windfel as your ‘guard’ takes no time at all. In fact, you barely notice when you do, too caught up in your own mind for the moment. Still, there’s that familiar call from the water, beckoning you back towards its crisp coolness. A call which you rightfully ignore, just like the first time it sung to you.

You don’t have time for that, nor is bathing an option right now. Thus, you resist the streams’ call for another day.

Soon, hours pass with you traversing through the woods. No longer are you forced to follow after the redcap general. Instead, Mingi makes sure to walk right beside you. The only time he seems to speak is to alert you of a sudden root or rock in your path, or to let you know the direction you’ll be headed in.

Sometime later, and after he’s completely calmed down, you notice his arm starting to brush against your own. It’s gentle, and it could easily be passed off as his walking pattern, but after the third time he does it, you realize that maybe, just maybe, he wants to touch you.

His eyes are slightly out of focus, and you believe him to be walking purely on muscle memory alone. He must know the path to this keep of his like the back of his hand, for he doesn’t even blink when he steps over a few large roots you don’t even think he noticed.

“You’re lucky to be alive.” Mingi’s voice cutting through the silence of the woods has your eyes immediately darting over to him.

“So, you’ve said.” You reply lightly, cautiously.

This must be what’s on his mind. Hopefully, he’s not about to turn him saving you into a lecture about being in his debt. You’ve heard that one too many times to count.

“The stream you bathed in,” he begins, sparing a glance at you out of the corner of his vision as you walk beside him. “It should have killed you the minute you entered its waters.”

You breath catches in your throat, and you nearly trip over your own two feet.

“Well, that’s reassuring,” you exhale a long breath through your nose, frowning slightly.

Is that why Windfel…? No. It can’t be…

“I don’t know what drove you to dive into its waters, but the wild stream is enchanted so that once you enter, you can never leave.” He explains, keeping his head forward, gaze fixed on the path before your feet. “Or, well, it’s supposed to be."

“Windfel told me to bathe.” Comes your reply, staring down at the ground nervously. “He said I stunk.”

“Ah, so he pulled you out.” Mingi hums, as if the answer has suddenly been revealed to him.

“No, I got in and out myself.”

“That’s impossible.” Mingi frowns, turning to glance at you walking beside him. “The stream coaxes you into a sense of bliss, and the waters pull you deeper into its current the moment you set foot in it.”

“Well, I did hear a small voice encouraging me to stay.” You tilt your head slightly, almost in recollection.

“Yet, you still managed to pull yourself out?” Mingi asks, slight disbelief clinging to the edge of his words.

“We had to get back to camp,” you shrug, shoulders suddenly curling in on yourself. “There were things to be done.”

Almost immediately, Mingi stops walking. When he notices you get a few paces ahead, his hand reaches out to halt you in your tracks. Turning you to face him, you notice worry lining his brow.

“You escaped the waters of the wild stream because you felt a sense of duty?”

You purse your lips, eyes flitting everywhere around the area except to Mingi’s own.

“It’s not like that…”

“Then, how did you manage to escape Windfel?” He questions, both his hands resting on top of your shoulders now.

“I didn’t.” Comes your blunt reply, blinking up at the redcap before you.

You can feel your heart rate accelerate at the look in his eyes, fingers picking nervously at the end of your shirt. You know you should meet his gaze, it’s been drilled into since who knows when, but you fear the monster you’ll see looking back at you if you do.

“What do you mean you didn’t escape Windfel?” Mingi’s fingers tighten ever so slightly over your shoulders, frown marring his features. “It’s not like he would have just let you go.”

You say nothing, opting to purse your lips in response. You can feel your heart pounding inside of your chest as you continue to avert your gaze to the side. Given the way he’s currently reacting, you doubt he’d believe you anyways. Even if you tried.

Softly, he calls you name. His one hand gently cups you beneath your chin, turning your head to meet his gaze as he searches your own.

“If you believe I will get upset with you for telling me what happened, I will not.” His words are calm, yet firm, and there’s a certain look residing in his sharp eyes that makes you believe him.

So, you take a deep breath in.

“He told me to go survive on my own. That’s all.” Your body is tense beneath his hold as you tentatively brush his hands off of your shoulders.

He lets you.

Mingi purses his lips, clearly not satisfied with your answer. Only, despite the way you can visibly see his jaw twitch, he doesn’t push you.

“Come on,” he sighs, turning back to face the direction in which you’re travelling in. “There’s still a long ways to go.”

***

Two more days pass by like this, with you walking side by side with Mingi as you make the long trek back to his home. He’s a little more talkative than you’re used to, but not by much. He seems to be respecting your boundaries, for the most part. He doesn’t push you to answer him, nor is he as forceful with you as he was during the first few days you spent together.

Ever since that incident in the tavern, he’s been… nice. Well, as nice as a fae can be, all things considered.

In the evenings, when the sun begins to set and he notices your limp becoming more prominent, he purposely makes you stop to rest. He brings you food, and water, and if you get cold, he always makes sure to build a fire. He even goes so far as to sit near you, or against the tree beside your own, always making sure he’s close by in case you should need him.

The odd time, you even catch him glancing your way. Usually, he wears an unreadable expression on his features, but every so often, you catch that same soft look residing in his eyes as you did the morning you woke up in that tavern. It’s happened too often for you to just be imagining it anymore, and given the sudden way he’s been treating you, you find yourself relaxing more and more around him every day.

It’s beginning to look less and less like a false sense of security, and more and more like a genuine connection. Something which, now that you think about, you’ve never experienced before in your life.

The third day passes with no major events, but during the morning of the fourth, Mingi wakes you just before the sun rises.

“Come with me,” he says gently, keeping his voice low so as not to startle you from slumber. “There’s something I wish to show you.”

Mingi leads you up and around a small nearby hill, a beautiful pond stretching out before you. The water is as still as glass, and just as clear. You can see some wildlife faintly grazing around the edges, fish swimming beneath the surface of the pond. It makes you smile.

A few mountains can be seen rising in the distance, and the first rays of the morning sun begin to peek through their valleys. The tops of the surrounding trees begin to glow, the mist from the mountains rolling over the hills. Faintly, you can even hear birds beginning to sing their morning songs.

A small gasp of wonder escapes you as you see vibrant shades of pink, red, orange, and yellow light up the sky before you. The sun crests between the centre of the mountains, and you cannot help but to stare in awe at the beautiful sunrise spread out before your very eyes.

Blinking a few times, you can feel the familiar sting of tears beginning to line your vision. No one has ever done something like this for you, let alone shared in such a wonderful sight.

Standing here, you feel as if the whole world is spread out before you. A feeling you have never gotten to experience. Right now, you could be anything, do anything, or maybe even go anywhere.

For the first time in your life, you know what it feels like to be free.

Turning your head, you glance upwards to see Mingi already staring down at you. The same soft look rests on his features, his lips tugging upwards tenderly in a faint smile. His eyes shine with something you do not quite understand, but at the way the sunlight bathes his features in gold, you cannot help but feel that you do.

The hand you feel him place onto your back, right between your shoulder blades, is hesitant. Almost as if he expects you to pull away from him at any given moment. The fact that his touch is always so gentle now only makes your skin tingle pleasantly. For some reason, you just know that he’s also giving you the opportunity to pull away if need be.

Always, now, it is your choice. A choice you’ve never had in the past, nor ever been given the opportunity to take, even if you wanted to.

You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, the tears that have welled in your eyes finally spilling over onto your cheeks. Though, for the first time in a long time, they aren’t out of pain or sadness. 

No, grief does not cling to your lashes this time. This time, only a seed of joy can be felt, feeling it cultivate within your chest and beginning to grow outwards until it reaches the very tips of your fingers. A seed of which is beginning to bloom, and all because of him.

Movement catches your attention, and you look down to see a fresh stem of red spider lilies held between the tips of his fingers. The old stem had started to wilt, the flowers dying as their petals fell from the once vibrant flowers given to you that morning at the tavern.

It is then that you realize that he was the one who gifted you that fresh stem all those mornings ago.

You cannot help it. Your heart skips a beat inside of your chest.

“Is this-“ you swallow the emotions building within your throat. “Is this for me?”

Mingi smiles softly, inclining his head gently as he holds the flower out to you.

Carefully, you reach out and take that brilliant flower from his hand. Your fingers curl around the stem, more tears falling over your cheeks as you hold it tightly against your chest, pressing it directly over your heart.

Pursing your lips to keep your chin from wobbling, you squeeze your eyes shut.

It’s real. This is real. You are choosing to believe that what is happening right now is all real. What’s even better is that it is for you. It’s all for you.

At the soft touch you feel caress your cheek, you know that you’ve made the right decision. The decision to believe, even if you’re still terrified of what it means to take that leap.

Blinking your eyes open, you glance upwards to see Mingi already staring down at you with the most tender look you’ve ever received from anybody resting on his features. You can feel his thumb gently stroking over the skin of your cheek, wiping at the trail of your tears in the process.

Slowly, and ever so gently, he pulls you in closer.

“I want to see you thrive,” his voice is barely above a whisper, but you still hear him loud and clear within the silence that the morning brings.

It’s as if the whole world has gone still around you, and all you can see in this moment is him.

“I want to nurture you, and make you the happiest you’ve ever been.” His gaze never leaves your own as he tilts your head upwards slightly. “You have the most captivating smile, and I wish to see it more often.”

Your lips part in a silent gasp, heart pounding erratically inside of your chest.

“I wish to be the cause of it, of your laughter, your joy,” he leans in closer, his eyes hooding over as he darts his gaze down to your lips. “For you, there is nothing I wouldn’t do.”

There’s a slight hitch to your breath as your free hand comes up to rest against his chest. You swear you feel a slight rumble beneath your fingertips in contentment, too.

Again, his gaze flits down to your lips, and your hand tightens over his shirt. You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, clinging to him as he continues to hold you so tenderly in the palm of his hand.

“More than all of that, though,” he breathes, and you can feel the warmth of his body against your own, “I wish to see you bloom.”

The second those words escape him, he’s pressing his lips to your own. His one hand cups your face so gingerly, pulling you in even closer as his opposite arm wraps fully around your waist. You can feel his chest rumble beneath your fingers once more, and this time, there’s no denying the pleased growl that escapes him.

Your eyes flutter closed in bliss, breath catching as you hear his growl of content surround you. The kiss is sudden, but welcome, nonetheless, and you cannot help but lean into him slightly.

All too soon, he pulls away, resting his forehead against your own. The light of the morning sun surrounds you both, and only serves to make the other glow beneath the golden hue of the surrounding hills. A warmth that covers you both as you stare into each other’s eyes.

“I have grown to care for you, My Blossom,” his gaze holds nothing but tender fondness as he says this, his thumb gently stroking over the skin of your cheek. “I only hope you will grow to care for me, too.”

The hand you have resting on his chest slides upwards, carefully cupping the side of his face in your palm. You notice his eyes flutter shut almost immediately, leaning into your tentative touch.

“I know it won’t be easy,” he keeps his voice low as he revels in your touch, “but I will always keep you safe. Nothing will hurt you while I am here to protect you.”

Mingi blinks his eyes open, shifting the hand he had splayed over your back to rest over your own over his cheek. His dark eyes glint in the light of the morning sun, full of promise and hope. 

A look you’ve only ever dreamed of being on the receiving end of one day.

“Mingi,” the way you breathe out his name has his eyes fluttering closed in bliss once more. “I- I-“ you swallow the lump in your throat, “I think I’m starting to care for you, too.”

Your words have a brilliant smile tugging at his features. His eyes crinkle at the sides, and he stands back to his full height. Softly, he squeezes your hand in his own, intertwining your fingers together as he begins to lead you through the woods for the day.

“That’s good enough for me,” he hums, lightly swinging your hands back and forth between you. “The fact that you can come to care for a monster like me makes me the happiest creature in the world.”

Suddenly, you stop in your tracks, and Mingi turns to look at you with a furrowed brow.

“You are not a monster, Mingi.” Your voice is firm, albeit a little pained.

The furrow in his brow deepens, and he begins to speak, only for you to cut him off.

“I have lived with monsters my whole life, and you are the furthest thing from being one of them.”

The air around you goes still with tension, and you notice how dark the sudden look in Mingi’s eyes is. Not even the birds dare to speak as the sun dulls behind the canopy of trees.

“Who hurt you?” The words are but a low growl on his lips, his hand tightening subconsciously over your own.

You go to pull away, but Mingi tugs you back to him in an instant.

“Who. Hurt. You?” This time, he emphasizes each word carefully. 

His gaze is sharp, and he can barely control his breathing. Lips are pulled back over sharp teeth, and his claws threaten to unsheathe any second at the anger building within. Again, his hand tightens over your own and you end up crying out in pain, pulling yourself out of his grip as he recoils from the sound.

Remorse paints his features, but there is no hiding how dark his eyes still are. He attempts to step towards you, wanting to make sure that you’re okay, but you take a step back. The smell of fear fills the air, but not just any fear.

Your fear.

Mingi’s expression falls. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

You say nothing in response, cradling your hand protectively to your chest. That sprig of flowers acts like a beacon, and Mingi is suddenly hit with the memory of how he first found you leaning against that tree all those days ago.

He inhales sharply.

“Please,” his dark eyes are pained, and he reaches for you once more. “Forgive me. I do not know what came over me.”

You blink rapidly, reaching your hands up to rub at your eyes.

Lightly, you shake your head, taking a deep breath to calm your nerves. “That you could get angry for me, not even knowing what’s happened…”

“Much as I would like to know, I will not pry.” He replies, suddenly appearing much more calm than he was mere moments ago. “Know that I will always get upset at the thought of someone hurting you. It is in my nature to want to protect the things I care about. It will… take some getting used to to remind myself to control my strength around you, as well.”

Averting your gaze to the ground, a small warmth begins to bloom in your chest. The fact that he seems so earnest in his explanation has a tension releasing from your shoulders that you didn’t realize you had been holding onto. He is fae, after all. You know he is much stronger than you, and from what you’ve gathered, hasn’t been around humans all that often.

As terrifying as it is to admit, you trust him. He’s done nothing to deceive you from the start, and if his words are anything to go by, he never will.

Tentatively, he offers you his hand. “Shall we?”

Your eyes flit from his face to his open palm, taking a cautious step towards him. Not even a moment later, you place your hand softly in his own, and he laces your fingers together without a second thought. Though, this time, it feels as if he’s holding onto you even more carefully than before. A fact which both surprises and elates you at the same time.

“I didn’t know you could be this gentle.” The corners of your lips twitch upwards, admiring the warmth that radiates from his palm to yours.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” he hums, a slight grin tugging onto his features.

“As there are many things you do not know about me.” You agree lightly, trying, and failing, to hide your smile as he begins swinging your hands between the both of you again.

“And yet, I grow more curious about My Blossom every day,” he responds, his thumb beginning to rub softly over the back of your palm.

The heat that rises to your cheeks is involuntary, and you avert your gaze to the side shyly. Subconsciously, you squeeze his hand, and you hear him chuckle lowly in response.

“Well, then, General,” your voice is light, teasing. A tone you haven’t used with anyone in a long, long time. “What would you like to know?”

His grin widens, and he turns his head towards you. 

“Tell me everything.”

For the entirety of the day, the two of you talk. Conversation flows easily, and you get to know each other better. He tells you more about the keep, and why he chose that place to live. In return, you tell him a little bit about your hometown. However, as you talk about the field of red spider lilies that used to reside about two miles away from your house, you cannot prevent the sad smile that pulls onto your lips.

“It burned.” You recall with an expression akin to longing on your features.

“Then, I shall plant you a new one when we get home.”

His reply shocks you, and you cannot prevent the way your eyes go wide in response. The way that he says this so casually, too, has your heart swelling inside of your chest.

Mingi then goes on to tell you a little bit about his childhood. It’s gruesome, and wild. Everything you would expect for a redcap raised in this realm. Though, what surprises you the most is when he goes into detail about his moral code.

No wonder he is the way he is, and if you’re being honest with yourself, you wouldn’t want him any other way. It’s unexpected, but if you had to get stuck with any type of fae in this realm, you’re glad you got stuck with him.

It’s about an hour before the sun is supposed to set that your limp starts to become prominent again. You notice the way Mingi’s brow furrows in discontent, his gaze fixated on your right foot as he helps you sit down against a tree.

“Blossom, why is it that you have a limp?” His question is soft, his hands holding yours gently in his as he kneels beside you on the ground.

You stiffen, breath catching in your throat. Memories which you haven’t thought about since they happened flood your mind, and your chest tightens. Your lungs begin to ache as filling them with air suddenly becomes difficult, nearly beginning to hyperventilate.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see that same monster covered in blood. Only this time, he’s holding a shovel.

Taking a deep breath in to ground yourself, you remind yourself that you are safe. Mingi will protect you from the monsters hidden in plain sight. He promised. 

You turn your gaze to meet his own, speaking softly, “That’s a story for another evening. Okay, Min?”

His eyebrows raise slightly, but he doesn’t press the matter. In fact, you believe he’s far too distracted by the name you’ve just called him, for you hear him let out a low giggle, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiles giddily.

“Wait right here,” he tells you as he stands back to his feet. “I’ll be back with some supplies in a little bit.”

“I can help, too,” you go to push yourself off of the ground and back to your feet.

“No.” Instantly, he’s crouched before you once more, hands placed gently on your shoulders to keep you seated in your spot. “You stay here and rest. Let me handle everything. I want to take care of you.”

“Okay,” you breathe out, looking up at him through your lashes.

You’ve never experienced this before. Always, it’s been you fending for yourself whenever you can. First came others, then if you had a rare moment to yourself, you would treat her to something. Though, as more and more time passed, those moments came few and far in-between, until even so much as thinking of doing something for yourself caused you to recoil back in horror.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Mingi smiles in response, leaning in to press his lips to your forehead before standing back to his feet. “I promise.”

True to his word, Mingi isn’t gone for more than an hour. He brings back with him some food and fresh water, along with the materials to build a small fire. One which he sets up quickly after handing you the food he found.

Once the fire is lit, Mingi shifts to sit beside you against the trunk of the tree you’re resting on.

“I thought I told you to eat,” his voice is low, his arm brushing against your own as he settles deeper against the wood at your back.

“I wanted to wait for you.” Comes your soft reply, holding out some berries he had picked for the both of you in the palm of your hand.

Carefully, he plucks up a fruit in his fingers. Only, instead of bringing it to his lips, he holds it to your own. You meet his gaze, and he only smiles at you, pressing the berry a little firmer against your mouth.

“Eat.” His voice is firm in his command, yet still tender all the same. “I will not until you do."

Parting your lips, you allow him to feed you the berry. He places it ever so gently onto your tongue, his thumb tracing over your bottom lip as the dark juice smears against your skin.

The sweetness of the fruit explodes onto your tastebuds as you bite down, chewing softly. You swallow, maintaining eye contact with him the whole time. You can hear your heartbeat ringing in your ears, and an actual thrill of excitement shoots through you. Quite a new feeling that you wish to feel again, and again, and again. With him.

One that gives you the courage to dart your tongue out, swiping at the tip of his thumb.

Mingi’s lips part, his eyes hooding over as he stares down at the way your tongue darts out to brush against his thumb a second time. He nearly moans at the feeling, chest rumbling deeply in contentment as he reluctantly pulls his hand away from your mouth.

The last thing he wants is to not be able to control himself around you, and scare you aware. He’s already tasted your fear, and he never wants to experience that bitter, repulsive scent ever again. He’s had enough of it to last a lifetime already.

A small smile begins to pull at his features as he watches you take a berry into your free hand. He cannot prevent the way his heart swells as you bring the fruit up to his lips, which eagerly part for the offering you provide for him. His eyes shine with that familiar tenderness, gazing upon you as if you are the brightest star lighting up his night sky.

To him, you are.

Slowly, carefully, Mingi wraps an arm around your shoulders. He shifts the slightest bit closer to you, but even if he senses the mildest form of discomfort from you, he will move away. Luckily, he doesn’t have to worry for too long, for you shuffle closer to him, tucking yourself against his side as you lean your head onto his chest.

“Is this okay?” He asks softly, his hand settling against the side of your waist.

Gently, you nod your head.

“More than okay.” The words are but a low hum as they fall from your lips. “I don’t-“ You take a small breath in. “I don’t think I’ve ever been held like this before.”

A pleased rumble shakes his chest, and Mingi pulls you in slightly closer into his side.

“How happy I am, then, that we get to experience this together.” 

The rest of the night is spent curled up in Mingi’s arms, of which he is more than happy to hold you in. You take turns feeding each other berries, along with the other fruit he’s gathered, and by the time the moon has risen high in the sky, you are fast asleep against his side.

Like that fateful night not quite yet a week ago, Mingi absolutely revels in the feeling of you in his arms. There is no greater feeling for him than your body pressed against his own, and the fact that he gets to take this time to admire you while you sleep causes his heart to swell inside of his chest.

You are so peaceful like this. So calm. You fit perfectly with him, and just like the first night he got to hold you while you slept, he traces each and every contour of your features. Everything he sees, he commits to memory, letting his gaze linger almost longingly on your lips as he recalls the feeling of them pressed against his own.

Mingi smiles, tracing a knuckle softly against your cheek. The way you still seem to lean into his touch, curling deeper against his side subconsciously, only makes his heart race. A pleasant tingle erupts beneath his skin wherever he feels you pressed against him, and all he wants is more.

There is nothing he wouldn’t do for you, and as Mingi rests with you beneath the light of the stars, he vows to himself to figure out who these monsters are that you spoke of earlier that day. Anybody who brings you pain, who makes or has made you suffer, does not deserve to live any longer. Not if he has anything to say about it.

He’ll show these monsters what a true beast looks like, all while proving that a real monster fights for you.

[rems-writing]

Doberman cafe but a Maltese owns it?

Pairing: barista!Yeosang x office worker!reader

Summary: This will be tied to the dilf YunGi fics I posted a while back but this time, the reader will have no connection to any of the characters. Just a heads up lol

Warning(s): Swearing, yelling, Yeosang being a total softie for the reader, reader is a certified simp for Yeosang (i mean who wouldn't be lol), mentions of a non-Ateez member

Genre: A shit ton of fluff lol

Nets: @mirohs-aurora-society

Originally, I was going to post a Hongjoong fic. However, in observance of the birth of the man named Kang Yeosang, I've decided to post this first before the Joong fic.

Thank you to @bunnliix for helping me decide the order of the remaining fics that I should write and post

The calming effect of the soft jazz music playing in the background of the Doberman Cafe provided much needed soothing effort for those that entered the small coffee shop. From college students to families that wanted a day out, the owner would always greet his customers with a smile.

Kang Yeosang was happy where he was at. After quitting his old job, he found it relaxing to grind coffee and mix in various ingredients to create caffeinated drinks varying from sweet to bitter. He also got some help from his best friend Jung Wooyoung, who was currently in the back baking various pastries. The two have been friends since diapers and they vowed to never abandon the other.

Yeosang has heard tales of Wooyoung's other best friend getting together with Jeong Yunho and the widow of Doh Kyungsoo dating Song Mingi.

When would it be his turn?

Business was slow as usual for today. After all, it was Friday so most of his usual customers weren't coming in which was fine. It gave the man time to relax and rest his hands from making coffee. The bell attached above the front door chimed and Yeosang looked up. He was getting ready to greet the customer with a kind smile when he heard the argument that came through.

"LISTEN, JONES! I DON'T FUCKING CARE IF HE ACTS LIKE A DAMN CHILD THROWING A TANTRUM! HE SHOULD'VE THOUGHT TWICE BEFORE FUCKING CHEATING ON ME!"

Oh dear. This person sounded angry. Wooyoung must've noticed Yeosang's confusion and slight fear since he poked his head out of the back and heard the unintentionally loud conversation this person had with this Jones person.

"HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY THAT?! OH HELL NAH! I'M OVER HERE BUSTING MY ASS LEFT AND RIGHT 24/7 TO BRING FOOD ON THE TABLE AND PAY RENT WHILE HE SITS ON HIS ASS AND DOES ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING! AND YET HE HAS THE GALL TO SAY, 'yOu nEvER mAkE tiMe fOr me' STRAIGHT TO MY FACE?! AT LEAST I DIDN'T SLEEP WITH HIS BEST FRIEND!"

Oh. This just got interesting. As Yeosang saw the customer sit down, he couldn't help but to be smitten with them. Sure, they were angry as hell and very much stressed yet he couldn't help it. He tilted his head and eavesdropped some more. Unintentionally.

"Look, Jones! After gathering the divorce papers, make sure you also provide documents for a restraining order against my soon to be ex-husband. It may be too much, but I don't care. I'm so fucking tired! I'm just... done. Let me know when those papers are finished and fax them to me. My boss won't care. He knows of the shit that's happening to me right now. Hence, that strangely kind offer for me to take a trip down to the Bahamas. Anyways, I have to go. Tell your wife and kids I said hi."

You hung up after your attorney and former college roommate Jones bid you goodbye. You groaned quietly and laid your head on the table that you sat at. You felt someone sit across from you and you were about to tell them to kindly fuck off when you lifted your head and was immediately greeted with a statue staring down at you with big brown eyes that were full of curiosity and wonder.

'HOLY SHIT! I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THAT THE OWNER WAS HANDSOME, BUT THEY CERTAINLY DIDN'T TELL ME HOW HANDSOME! AND HE'S SO CUTE TOO! LIKE A MALTESE!'

'Quit it, Y/N! He probably thinks you're a lunatic with the way he must've heard you scream over the phone.'

'Damn it! Ok I'll stop my simping...'

After you finished internally scolding yourself, you looked down to see him move a white teacup slowly in your direction, along with a slice of cake.

"Hey. I figured you'd need this. I didn't mean to, but I overheard you yelling at someone over a certain douchebag that's also a man-child. Hopefully, this cheers you up." He said in a rich honey-like deep voice.

In the cup was a freshly brewed batch of lavender green tea and on the plate was a slice of black cherry chiffon cake. You smiled sheepishly and thanked him shyly for the treats.

When you sipped the tea, all the stress over your cheating soon-to-be ex-husband washed away and you instantly relaxed. You then picked up your fork and took a piece of the cafe before eating it.

You were in heaven. You definitely needed this.

"Um... thank you." Your voice came out softer than usual and had a twinge of shyness to it. Yeosang smiled and beckoned for Wooyoung to come sit with you.

Wooyoung was extremely sexy, but not as sexy as the man sitting across from you.

"I hope you guys don't mind me coming in here at this ungodly hour. If you haven't heard, I'm... kind of going through a lot right now."

Wooyoung, who was usually loud as hell, softened his voice.

"It's no problem. Fridays are our slowest days and since Saturday is our day off, we usually stay in here until we decide to go home. You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you. By the way, these are amazing."

"Thank you! I made the cake." Wooyoung proudly said with a smile.

"And I made the tea." Yeosang said. "Speaking of which, would you like to spill the tea on your oh-so shabby life?"

You found yourself smiling at that and Yeosang found his heart beating rapidly with excitement.

"Oof. Where do I start?"

From there, you spilled the tea on everything. From your recent tragic event to your life in general, you said it all. Yeosang and Wooyoung were sassy and savage and you found yourself giggling at their quick and witty responses. Finally, you felt yourself becoming sleepy and you yawned. Yeosang found the sound cute. Wooyoung cleared the dishes while Yeosang stood up and help you with your things.

"Would it be possible to walk you home? Not only do I enjoy your company but uh... the Namhae Strongman is still out there. You need to stay alive in order to sign those divorce papers and file that restraining order against that ex of yours."

You shivered at the thought of the killer coming after you. Even though you were angry at your ex, you wished him well enough to pray for his safety.

The Namhae Strongman is not someone you'd want to mess with.

"Of course, Yeosang. I live down the block from here so it'll be a short walk."

Yeosang grinned excitedly and your heart ached in adoration for the human personification of a Maltese. After Wooyoung locked up the shop, you three headed to your apartment. You talked some more and kept an eye out for any suspicious activity or sign of the killer. Finally, you reached your apartment.

"Thanks for the walk home. Oh and for the tea & cake as well. How much do I owe you by the way?"

"It's on the house."

"No no, Yeosang. It's ok. I seriously need to repay you-"

"Repay me by giving me your number. So you can send updates."

Wow. He was smooth.

You blushed lightly and nodded before exchanging numbers with him. After that, you bid him goodbye and entered your apartment. You sighed dreamily as you closed the door behind you and locked it. You set your keys on the counter and made your way to the kitchen, where your roommate was still awake.

"So... you got a new man now?" He teased you and smirked at your reaction.

"Shut up, Jongho!"

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

A couple of days later, you found yourself in Doberman Cafe again. Insomnia was being a bitch to you so you woke up way earlier than Jongho. Sighing to yourself, you threw on a hoodie and walked to the coffee shop before looking for the one person you were majorly simping for.

He just so happened to be standing in front of you with a grin on his face.

"Good morning, lovely."

The pet name gave you butterflies.

Yeosang led you to your seat from Friday night and sat down across from you.

"What will it be today?"

"I'll get a caffe mocha with a soymilk substitute and if possible, a slice of that black cherry cake?"

"Ahh. Now with that cake, it only pairs with tea since it's sweet. Unless you have a giant sweet tooth, I'd recommend some of our breakfast sandwiches. Specifically, a roast beef sandwich with a fried egg all on ciabatta bread that's toasted to perfection."

"Ooh! In this case, I'll have that then. And maybe later, when I leave, can I get an iced americano to go?"

"Sure thing, lovely. It'll be $10 by the way. For your order and that iced americano."

You pulled out a $10 bill and gave it to Yeosang before seeing him walk away and do his magic. While you waited, you received a text from Jones.

Jones: Hey. I'd thought I'd stop by and give you the papers myself. Are you home?

You: No. I'm at the Doberman Cafe. I couldn't sleep anymore so I'd figure I'd stop by here and wake myself up.

Jones: Oh? Ok bet. I heard from my wife that the owner is handsome. Maybe I'll see for myself. ;)

You: And I oop -

You: Don't go simping for the barista now, Jones. You're married and he's actually mine fyi

Jones: Can't a man appreciate another man's good looks?

You: Of course you can. Just don't go full on simp mode. XD

Jones: Like you? XD

You: Fuck you <3

Jones: Ew. No thanks <3

You: Hurry with the fuck ass papers, you dickhead.

Jones: Ok ok! XD

"Is that Jones?" Yeosang asked curiously. You would expect the Maltese to be jealous, but since he overheard your conversation two nights away, he wasn't too worried.

"Yeah. He's coming by here to drop off the divorce papers and the necessary documents to file a restraining order." You clarified to him. "I know I said that he'd fax them to me, but I didn't think he would get them that fast. Hence, why he's coming over to drop them off himself."

Yeosang nodded and set your coffee and meal down before sitting next to you. You thanked him and began to eat. You two made small talk and even introduced Yeosang to Jones when Jones came walking in to deliver the papers. Yeosang grabbed a pen and you happily retrieved it from him before signing the papers. After that, Jones put all of those papers away and bid you goodbye before buying a coffee from Yeosang and going home.

A weight lifted off your shoulders and you felt at ease. Yeosang was feeling the same way, especially since he found you attractive.

Little did he know that you felt the same way.

"Now that it has been done, want to turn this little encounter into a date?"

Yeosang was shocked by your boldness but he eventually nodded eagerly.

"I would love nothing more than that."

[destiny-fics]

The Diamond-Kang Yeosang

[Demon!Kang Yeosang x Fem!Reader]

Warnings: smut, angst, crying, yelling, arguments, the reader gives Ateez the silent treatment for a while, Yeosang is the sweetest person ever, sub!Yeosang, dom!reader, riding, making out, face sitting, unprotected sex, please wrap before you tap, praise kink, yeosang gets called baby, please forgive me I'm being self indulgent again.

Taglist: @treasure-hwa @vitrealislux @breezy-simp @bucky-thorin-winchester @scuzmunkie @hoohoohope @knucklesdeepmingi @fairygirl18 @giulianacelestino @craxy-person @sweetsojudreams @mork-ly @woahitsguin @wtfjongseong

Smut under the cut. Minors Do Not Read

"I can't believe you y/n."

You sighed, playing gently with Yunho's fingers as you sat in his lap, not looking at Honjoong. After Yunho had cleaned you up he'd called Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Hongjoong to come over and you'd facetimed Yeosang, Mingi, Jongho and San, ready to talk to them about what had happened with the enchantress earlier in the day.

"I'm sorry Joong."

"Are you? I told you that we were handling it and you went behind our backs and saw the Enchantress anyway," he turned to Wooyoung who was situated in Seonghwa's lap, mirroring you and Yunho "and you. Wooyoung you went behind our backs and gave y/n the Enchantress' address, even when we told you not to."

"It's not his fault Hongjoong," you met the man's eyes for the first time since he'd arrived in your bedroom, "I practically begged him to give me the address. I couldn't sit by and not help you and I found something! We can get you out of this."

"But you'll lose your memory of us," Seonghwa, who hadn't spoken up until this point, hummed as he rubbed Wooyoung's shoulders gently.

"We don't want that to happen y/n," San's voice sounded through the phone, "you mean a lot to us."

"I don't want that to happen either," you sighed, rubbing your eyes "but if it's the only way to get you guys out of the contract then I'm okay with it. Like Yunho said, I can learn to love you again." Yunho kissed the side of your head softly and you smiled. Hongjoong, on the other hand, was still pacing, fingers twisting through his hair. "Hongjoong..." you reached you hand towards him, "I'm okay."

He stopped his pacing to look at you, eyes wild and full of concern mixed in with his anger, "But you might not have been! Y/n don't you understand how dangerous that woman is? She's a danger to us and we're much more powerful than a human like you."

Your mouth dropped open and you blinked at him, did he think that you weren't able to take care of yourself? "what's that supposed to mean?"

Hongjoong paled and shook his head, "No, y/n that isn't what I meant."

"Then what did you mean? What exactly is a human like me Hongjoong? You think I can't take care of myself? Because I was fine today, more than fine actually and I found out more information in one afternoon than any of you have been able to find out in years."

"And that solution may just happen to cause you to lose every, single memory you have of us y/n! And that's if we can prove to her that we love you...if we even love you in the first place."

A gasp sounded through the phone and you knew it came from Mingi, coupled with Seonghwa's warning "Hongjoong," but the man kept talking.

Hongjoong was shaking now, face red. "I mean why would we love you? Do you even love us? It seems like you only call us when you want sex, is that all we are to you? Just something you can use to get off." Yunho squeezed your waist in an attempt to tell you that he knew the weren't like that for you and you avoided looking at Seonghwa and Wooyoung, who were wide eyed in shock and the phone screen where you knew the other men would look the same. You felt hot, angry tears brimming in the corners of your eyes but you were determined not to cry, not now. Not in front of Hongjoong.

"Get out." Your voice was much stronger than you had thought it would be. "If you don't love me? Fine. I don't care. Just get out."

"You don't mean...?" Wooyoung's voice was quiet.

"I mean it. All of you, get out. I want you to leave." The angry tears were beginning to fall and you stood up out of Yunho's lap, wiping your eyes. "Go."

Wooyoung went to rush to you but Seonghwa pulled him back, shaking his head, "No, Woo. If she wants us to go, we need to go."

"No...Hwa," Wooyoung looked up at him, tears collecting in his eyes "no..."

"She'll call us when she's ready. But for now, she needs us to go."

Wooyoung shook his head again but stayed close to Seonghwa, Yunho hanging up the phone before going to stand with them. Seonghwa snapped his fingers and the three of them disappeared, leaving you with Hongjoong. He had stopped shaking and there were tears streaming down his cheeks, "Y/n I- I didn't mean it. I'm just-" you shook your head.

"Go, Hongjoong. Please. I need to be alone." You looked away from him and properly let yourself cry after he had left.

~

It had been three weeks. Three weeks since you'd visited the Enchantress. Three weeks since you'd summoned Yunho. Three weeks since you and Hongjoong had fought.

Three weeks since you'd spoken to any of them.

It hurt, of course. It hurt more than anything. But you were filled with self doubt after what Hongjoong had said. Was that really how they felt about you? Like you were just using them to get off? That you were only interested because they were sex demons?

You hadn't blocked any of their numbers so your phone was blowing up with texts and calls from all of them. Apologies upon apologies from Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Reassurances from Wooyoung and San and Yunho that they did care about you and they knew that you didn't think of them the way Hongjoong had said. Sweet messages from Mingi and Jongho and Yeosang trying to make you feel somewhat normal, to cheer you up and fill the eight demon sized hole in your heart.

You never answered the calls or messages, but every night you would sit on the floor in your living room and listen to the voicemails they had sent you that day, tears streaming down your face. You wanted to talk to them again, you really did, but you also needed space. This felt like a compromise almost. You put the phone up to your ear as the first message started.

"Princess," it was Hongjoong "I know you don't want to talk to me and that's okay, I said some awful, completely untrue things about you. We don't think that you want us just because we're sex demons, that you're using us to get off. You're smart and you're beautiful and you're funny and you're so so brave. Much braver than I am and much braver than I will ever be. You've taken all of this in stride so well even if it's not exactly a normal arrangement," he sighed. "If you never want to speak to me again, I understand. But please, don't keep doing this to the others. Wooyoung is losing his mind. He's loved you since the moment he saw you y/n, and the rest of us aren't far behind him. Just please, talk to them. For me."

You sighed, feeling your throat already becoming tight with sadness. You clicked to the next voice message and felt some tears slip from your eyes as Wooyoung's desperate voice rung through your speakers.

"Y/n, my love please call me back, please please. Hongjoong was wrong, we do love you. I love you. I just want to hear your voice again, please," he was crying and you could hear both Yeosang and San on the other end trying to soothe him, "please just call me, y/n. I love you."

You jumped back from your phone as it began to ring, wiping your tears. You looked down to see Yeosang's name across your screen. You sighed and pressed the answer button, bringing your phone back to your ear. "Hello?"

"Y/n," Yeosang's voice was slightly panicked "I'm so sorry, I told him not to go to you."

"What?" You jumped as you heard a bang on your door, "Yeosang what's happening?"

"Wooyoung, he," another bang at your door. You got up and began to walk over to the door, "Seonghwa took away our ability to directly go to your house until you were ready to speak to us again and Wooyoung. He took a taxi."

"Y/n, my love," Wooyoung's voice sounded through the door. "Please let me in. Please."

"Oh my god he didn't," you said to Yeosang and he sighed.

"He did. I'm so sorry, I'll send Seonghwa to get him. You don't have to let him in."

"Please don't listen to anything Yeosang says my love," you almost laughed at Wooyoung's timing, "just please, I need to hear your voice."

"It's okay Yeosang, I'll let him in."

"I'll still get Seonghwa to come get him."

You laughed softly and Yeosang smiled so much he was sure you were able to see it through the phone line. "Okay. It was nice hearing your voice again Yeosang."

"You too y/n. Thank you for letting Wooyoung in."

"Thank you for calling me in warning."

Yeosang laughed and you hung up before making your way to the door "Wooyoung?"

You were able to hear the shaky sigh Wooyoung let out and it broke your heart. "Y/n?"

"I'm going to let you in okay? Just until Seonghwa comes to get you."

"Okay, please...please."

You closed your eyes briefly before opening the door to a sobbing Wooyoung.

"Oh Wooyoung," you took his hand to bring him inside your apartment and into your arms. The two of you sank to the floor as you began to cry into each other's arms, overwhelmed by the feeling of being in each other's presence again.

"I'm so sorry y/n. Seonghwa said you needed space but I just missed you so much. I needed you."

"It's okay Woo," you stroked his hair gently, "I needed you too."

"You did?"

"Of course I did Wooyoung."

"And...and you're not mad at Hongjoong? He didn't mean any of that y/n, he's just worried about you and he's scared. He hasn't...he doesn't...he's not great at feelings."

You huffed a soft laugh, "I could tell. And no, I'm not mad. I know he didn't mean it, but it still hurt me Woo. I don't know if I'm ready to talk to him just yet."

"But me?"

"I'm definitely ready to talk to you Wooyoung."

And that's what you did. You and Wooyoung talked on the floor in the entrance of your apartment until he fell asleep in your lap, your hands carding through his hair.

"I'm not surprised he's asleep," you jumped at the sound of Seonghwa's voice and turned your head to see the man standing in your doorway a small smile on his face. "He hasn't been sleeping much since...well you know."

You nodded, motioning for Seonghwa to join you and Wooyoung on the floor. He sat next to you and pressed a kiss to Wooyoung's forehead. "I'm so sorry Hwa, I never meant to hurt him...to hurt any of you. I just...Joong really hurt me."

"I know," Seonghwa sighed "I should have stopped him. He was just worried and scared though, you know that right?"

You nodded "I've listened to all his voicemails. I'm not mad anymore, I just...I think I need to talk to him about it. Just us. Not yet," Seonghwa nodded.

"But soon?"

You smiled softly down at Wooyoung's sleeping figure.

"But soon."

~

Over the next week you slowly began to add each of the boys back into your life. It was easy for you to do it with Jongho, Mingi, San and Yeosang and of course Wooyoung, after that night. You and Yunho had spent the whole next day together and you and Seonghwa the day after.

You had needed a day in between to prepare for your day with Hongjoong.

There had been tears, plenty of them. And lots of hugs...and love making. But between all the crying and hugging and love making, you and Hongjoong had been able to do a lot of talking and were now on the same page. And you were now sporting a pretty heart locket around your neck and Hongjoong as your official boyfriend. Wooyoung had been annoyed that Hongjoong had asked you out before he got a chance to and promptly asked you out right after, to which you obviously replied with a yes. It was nice, having them all back in your life. You felt normal, even if there had been a shift in the way the nine of you were interacting.

"You know," Hongjoong hummed as the two of you sat on your balcony, his head in your lap, fingers twisting through the soft strands, "while I wish it never happened, I think we're all stronger because of our fight."

"Me too. I mean, I hated it, but I don't know if I hate the change it brought upon us. I mean, I have two boyfriends now right?"

Hongjoong laughed softly "You know the others are dying to be added to that list right? I'm pretty sure I overheard Seonghwa practising how to ask you out with his Star Wars Lego."

"Aww, that's so cute," you scratched Hongjoong's scalp gently, making him sigh. "And you're okay with that? You don't mind them asking me out? You don't mind me finishing the contract with them?"

"Why would I? They're my boyfriends too y/n."

"Yeah, but still."

Hongjoong kissed your thigh gently, "you could summon Yeosang right now and I wouldn't care. I'd ask to stay and watch if I were allowed to." He rolled himself out of your lap and then on top of you, pressing his hips into yours gently.

You giggled and rolled your eyes and looking your arms around his neck "I was thinking about it, summoning Yeosang. Tonight."

"Then you should. I think he might surprise you." Hongjoong grinned, grinding into you again to make you gasp.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

~

You spent more time than you cared to admit getting ready to summon Yeosang, making sure that everything was perfect. Your bed, your room, your apartment, you hair. Anything you could think of. And when you thought that everything was exactly the way it should be, you sat on your bed and flipped the card, smiling when a very confused Yeosang materialised in front of you.

"Y/n? You called me?"

You blinked in confusion, smile fading "Of course I called you, why wouldn't I?"

"Because you're with Wooyoung and Hongjoong? And probably Seonghwa and Yunho too, I don't really know. So why..." he looked at the ground "why would you want me?"

"You're kidding right?" You stood up and went over to Yeosang, "Yeosang why wouldn't I want you? You're smart, like so so smart. And you're kind and beautiful," you tilted his chin up so that he was looking at you "you're gorgeous Yeosang. You're everything I want. I want all of you, equally."

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do."

Yeosang smiled softly and nodded "Okay."

You giggled softly "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

You laughed again and it made Yeosang laugh too, his arms wrapping around your waist to bring you closer to him. Pecking you lips gently

"You're too sweet for your own good Yeosang."

He raised an eyebrow "Isn't that a good thing? We can't all be the dom all the time y/n, I think we'd die."

You hummed in surprise "Wait. You're a sub? You don't exactly seem the type."

"I can be both y/n," he grinned, kissing you deeply. You sighed softly into his mouth and drsped your arms over his shoulders. Yeosang grinned as he pulled away, lips ghosting over yours. "Which Yeosang would you like? Would you like me to bend you over, fuck you so hard you see stars and can only remember my name?" You shivered and it made Yeosang grin again and his voice came out whiny when he spoke next "Or do you want me to beg for you? I can beg so nicely, Seonghwa tells me all the time. I can please you sweetheart, I'll be so good."

You gasped softly and Yeosang began to leave butterfly kisses against your neck, humming as you twisted his hair around your fingers. "What Yeosang would you like to give me baby?"

He whined into your neck, bucking his hips into yours, already beginning to grow hard "I think you know."

You giggled and tilted your head back to give Yeosang more access, moaning quietly when he started to kiss your neck with fever, sucking small purple marks into the skin. "Then you can my baby, you can give me whatever Yeosang you want."

"Your baby," he mumbled into your neck, fingers twitching on your hips. You grinned and tugged his hair gently, grin widening when you heard him moan and felt his hips buck into yours again. You weren't exactly used to taking a dominant role, especially with your demons, so you weren't exactly sure if you were doing it right, but Yeosang seemed to be responding well. And it felt good, even with your total lack of experience.

"Exactly baby. Now," you began to lead him towards your bed and sat him down on the edge of it, climbing on top of him. He was looking at you like you hung the stars in the sky and it was making your heart flutter. "How would you like to fuck me tonight Yeosang?"

"Can I..." he gulped "I mean, can you...? Can we?"

You smiled "It's okay, take your time."

"Ride me? Please?"

"I can do that," your voice was soft and Yeosang was certain that you were some sort of sex demon, not him. You began to grind your hips on top of him slowly and he gasped, eyelids fluttering. "You won't need to prep me."

"N-no?"

You shook your head, beginning to unbutton Yeosang's shirt slowly, before lifting your own shirt off and exposing your pretty purple lingerie to him. His eyes widened and he gulped. If he wasn't rock hard before then he definitely was now. You'd worn that for him...only for him.

"Why?"

"Because Joong fucked me earlier. He stretched me out nice and good for you."

Yeah. Yeosang was convinced that you were a sex demon too. How were you so good at this? You were wondering the same thing. But it felt so nice being like this with Yeosang. You could get used to it.

"He did?"

"Mhm. Got me ready to sit on your dick."

"Please do it, please y/n. Please I've waited so long to have you like this. Please please please." You giggled softly and moved back so you could take off your shorts and panties, before doing the same with Yeosang's jeans and boxers. You slid your soaking pussy against Yeosang's cock and he moaned, throwing his head back onto the pillows. "Please y/n, please please please!"

"As you wish," You smiled and leaned down to peck his lips before sitting back up and easing Yeosang's cock into your entrance, the two of you groaning as he filled you to the brim. "Mmm fuck Yeosang...that's good."

"Yeah? Am I good for you?"

"So good for me baby."

Yeosang was about half a second away from blowing his load inside of you and he was utterly embarrassed about it. He was a sex demon! And he was seriously about to cum from your wet, wet... walls and their vice grip on his cock. He knew he was done for when you began bouncing on top of him, little moans being pulled out of you everytime you sat fully on him. It was so good. You were so good. You were everything Yeosang dreamed of.

"Y/n...fuck~" his voice was whiny, but no less deep than before "fuck I'm going to cum. I'm so so sorry. You're just so good!"

"It's okay Yeosang. You can cum for me, cum for me my baby."

Yeosang screwed his eyes shut and moaned deeply as he came, filling you with ropes upon ropes of his cum. You continued to fuck yourself on top of him, slowing down when he began to whine in overstimulation.

"How was that my baby?"

"So good," he was panting quietly "but you didn't cum."

"That's okay," Yeosang shook his head and ran his finger over his lips.

"No, it's not. Sit on my face."

"I'm sorry?"

Yeosang's eyes widened and he blushed, "I mean, you don't have to, I just...you should cum too. And Hongjoong and Seonghwa always go on about how good you taste, I want to taste you too. But we don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, Yeosang. I want to sit on your face. Just...are you sure?"

He nodded, "Yes, please. Come up here, let me taste you."

You smiled and slipped Yeosang out of you, the two of you moaning at the feeling, before you moved to hover over his face, gasping when he licked his cum off your thigh. "You ready baby?"

He nodded "Please please, sit on my face."

You lowered yourself onto Yeosang's face gently, gasping again when he pulled you flush against his mouth and began to eat you out like a man starved. He was moaning and groaning into your hole, tongue pushing against the entrance as he slurped at your hole and clit, determined to make you cum with his tongue, all over his face. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head and you rode his face, feeling so close to the edge from the combination of everything Yeosang had done and was currently doing.

His dirty talk was what pushed you over the edge, he pulled away from you pussy to whisper a small "Please cum on my face lovely, all over me y/n. I want it so bad." And you were cumming all over his face, grinding on his mouth as you rode out your orgasm. You pulled off his face and moved next to him, Yeosang immediately pulling you into a cuddle pile, face pressed into your shoulder.

"Can I be your boyfriend too?" He mumbled, making you laugh.

"You really want to be?" You smiled, scratching his scalp gently and laughing again when he nodded.

"Yeah, I do. I almost broke the rules and went with Wooyoung to you that night."

"I wouldn't have been upset if you did."

"You wouldn't?"

"No."

He moved to look at you "So boyfriend?"

You laughed softly and nodded, pecking his lips. "Boyfriend. But maybe take me on a date?"

Yeosang nodded and pressed his face back into your neck, "Yeah I can do that."

You smiled and felt yourself begin to drift off. Yeosang not to far behind you. You knew he'd be gone in the morning, but you weren't going to let it bother you too much. You were determined to stay here in the moment, with Yeosang.

Letting yourself stop worrying about what might happen if the boys couldn't prove to the enchantress that they truly loved you.

And what might happen even if they did.

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