#pathcode au

[ksoodomination-write]

Colorado 06:26

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: EXO (Band)

Relationship: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O.

Word Count: 1000 words

Additional Tags: Music Video: Pathcode Teasers (EXO), Pathcode (EXO), MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Memory Removed Temporarily, Established Relationship

Written for tinysparks’ 12th Round: EXOʼs Universe

“Kyungsoo woke up one day in Colorado, remembered that he’s the manipulator of Earth. He needed to contact Baekhyun immediately, but Baekhyun was somewhere else in Lyon.”

[dragonowl]

Pathcode:

Light Through a Broken Lens

The Sky That Doesn't End: Part 2

Masterlist

Genre: EXO AU, Romance, Mystery

Rated: PG

Pairing: Byun Baekhyun x Lara (OC)

Summery: Exo has scattered. Now in hiding after the Red Force closed in on them and Luhan went missing. Baekhyun finds himself in a small town while he waits until they can reunite again. Guarded after everything that has taken place, he’s not looking for friendship, or anything else, until a light shines through, even as the darkness closes around them.

Next, AO3

Chapter 1: Depth of Field

The sun warmed Baekhyun’s skin against the cold breeze that weaved through the tall grass. It was turning golden, creating the perfect lighting for him to catch through his lens. The puttering of an old truck broke the stillness as it made its way on the road behind him, but he kept his focus on the camera. He was so focused that he didn’t notice the puttering had stopped. 

“You okay?” 

He jumped with a yelp at the sudden voice and spun around to find that the truck had come to a stop and its driver was addressing him. The light of the setting sun was blocking his view of the woman’s features, but he could tell she was young by her voice. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Do you need help?” she asked with a giggle that tinkled like soft bells. 

“I’m okay,” he responded, the Russian still awkward in his mouth. “Just catching some photos before the sun goes down.”

“Would you like a ride back to town?” she asked. “It’s quite a walk.”

“I’m going to be taking photos for a while, but thank you,” Baekhyun said and started to turn back to the scene he was capturing. 

“I don’t mind waiting,” the woman said. “I’d hate to leave someone alone on these roads after dark. They’re not the safest.”

“It could be a while,” he said, turning back to her again. 

“My evening is free.”

“Well…” he thought for a second. Walking back in the dark was not the most ideal situation. “Okay,” he finally conceded. “I’ll buy you dinner as a thank you.”

“I’d never refuse a free meal,” she said with a chuckle. 

He smiled at her honest response and then turned back to the scenery that was quickly changing with the sun’s descent. Faster than he anticipated, the sun was gone and he rushed to pack his gear in the lack of light, then made his way carefully through the tall grass to the road where the truck still waited. 

The young woman was now hidden in the heavy shadows of twilight, but she noticed him coming before he had even left the brush. 

“All done?” she asked, leaning across the truck to open his door from inside. 

“Yep,” he responded as he finally made it to the asphalt. “Where can I put my gear?”

“There isn't much room in the cabin, unfortunately, but you can get in here what will fit and place the rest in the bed if you’re okay with that.”

“Better than lugging it back to town on foot,” he said. He placed his camera bag on the floor then took his tripod to the back and placed it in the truck bed as securely as possible. When he climbed into the front she started the vehicle and then held her hand out to him. 

“My name’s Lara,” she said and he took her hand. 

“Baekhyun,” he said after a second of hesitation. 

“Korean?” she asked with surprise, her grip tightening as she pulled him closer.

He nodded, trying to pull back.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, letting go and switching to Korean. “I got excited. There aren’t really many Koreans in the surrounding towns. 

The language change surprised him and he noted the lack of accent. “Are you Korean as well?”

“On my mom’s side,” she said, then put the truck in gear and started driving. “Spoke both Korean and Russian growing up, so I’m fluent in both. Your Russian is pretty good, but I can tell it’s not a natural language for you. How long have you lived here? Must be fairly new if I hadn’t heard about you yet. Word about newcomers travels pretty fast around here.”

“I haven’t been around long,” he said, adjusting in his seat as he tried to come up with answers. “I travel a lot and liked some of the scenery in the area so I thought I’d stick around for a bit.”

“Do you work for a magazine, or…?”

“Just freelance,” he responded when she trailed off. “I’ll send shots to magazine companies sometimes and find random requests online to fulfill. I’d like to set up a studio someday though if I can ever settle down.”

“Wanderlust?”

“Something like that. Nowhere really feels like home.” He shifted again and coughed. “What about you?”

“I can’t really seem to escape the small-town life,” she said with a shrug. “Moved away from home, but only made it a few towns over. I didn’t really have any grand plans, just wanted to see how I would do on my own.”

“Sounds grand to me,” Baekhyun said with a smile. “Where do you work?”

“The little bakery on the east end at the corner. I was just coming back from a delivery to the next town over.”

“I’ve been meaning to go in there. What do you recommend?”

“We’ve got some pretty good muffins,” she said. “But they’re my specialty so I might be biased.”

“I happen to really like muffins,” he said. “I’ll have to give them a try.”

They continued to chat casually as they bounced down the road. Stars became more and more visible as the light continued to fade in the horizon and the homesickness that Baekhyun had been struggling with lightened slightly at the familiar language and constant chatter.

Next

[baekchen-express]

Since both Beautiful Goodbye and UN Village has this particular word in it, may i present to you: Streetlight.

send me a one-word prompt for a tiny baekchen fic c:

Jongdae wakes up at half past midnight with a jolt. He expects it to be pitch dark, but it's not -- there's light filtering in through the gap under the door.

Maybe Jongdae's forgotten to turn the kitchen lights off. He slips out of bed to check, but when he opens the door to the main area of his tiny house, the lights in the kitchen are off.

It's not coming from inside, it's coming from outside the house.

Jongdae halts. No, it can't be. Maybe it's just a car that's come to a stop right outside of Jongdae's isolated house, located in the middle of nowhere on a never-ending road bordered by an endless expanse of dry grassland. Maybe it's a lost traveller with a flashlight.

A phantom hand clenches around Jongdae's heart, causing a dull ache to bloom and spread across his chest, down to the tips of his limbs. He can't feel his legs as he makes his way to the front door and pushes it open.

Jongdae's breath hitches, clogs his throat.

There, in front of him, is the lone streetlight that accompanies his house. The streetlight that hasn't lit up for the last eight years that Jongdae's lived here. The streetlight that, when Jongdae comes near and tries to feel the river of electricity coursing through it, can't. The streetlight that feels sparkless and dead, because the wires inside are frayed and broken and it's not supposed to work.

But it is, right now, right in front of him, lit up in a light too white to be that of the characteristic sickly, yellowish glow of a normal streetlight, too bright, too pure.

And under it, with a smile so sweet and beautiful and familiar, stands Baekhyun.

Jongdae breathes out. He digs the nail of his thumb into the pad of his forefinger, pressing hard, pressing harder. It hurts -- not a dream.

"Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun's smile widens, relieved and disbelieving and oh so sweet. "Jongdae."

Jongdae's moving before he knows it, and within seconds, he's standing a mere step away from Baekhyun. It's been eight years.

Jongdae wraps his arms around Baekhyun's shoulders as Baekhyun circles his arms around Jongdae's waist, bringing him close and closer still.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here," says Baekhyun into the crook of Jongdae's neck, breathing out warm air into the skin there. His hair is white now, like the radiant, bright light he brings with him wherever he goes. "I left for Almaty when Jongin said he saw you there, but by the time I got there, you were gone."

Jongdae buries his fingers in Baekhyun's hair -- still so soft -- and his nose into Baekhyun's neck, and breathes in. "I'm sorry." He's missed this scent so much, been deprived for so long he was starting to learn to ignore the fact that he was starving, craving, for Baekhyun. "I'm sorry." He pulls away only far enough to kiss Baekhyun, press his mouth against Baekhyun's soft one. "I'm sorry."

Baekhyun sighs into Jongdae's mouth, nipping at his bottom lip until Jongdae is whining, whimpering for more. "And then I heard about some really unusual lightnings happening somewhere in Siberia. They said it was so frequent it rivalled the Catatumbo." Baekhyun's hands cradle Jongdae's face. Jongdae feels like he can finally breathe again. "And I knew you'd be here."

Jongdae kisses Baekhyun's cheeks, then his nose, his chin, the corners of his mouth. Hugs him tight again, whispers into his ears, "Thank you. Thank you."

Above them, the streetlight continues to shine, warm and clear and brilliant.

Baekhyun is home, and he's here to stay.

baekchen-express for more

[tales-from-exo-planet]

LYON | PATHCODES VOL. II

ACT II. “a castle of glass”

Length - 2,585

Mood - wrathful, intemperate

Pairing - Baekhyun x Reader

Warning - language

“Ever since the first time I laid eyes on you I saw the truth No questions just proof They may talk, but I ain't hear a thing they said about you

Ever since the first time we laid Everybody want details, but don't say nothin' I won't say nothin' if you don't say nothin' Cause this is between us Yeah we gon' fight But I'mma love you till it's alright Ain't gon' find these answers outside Boy we don't need nobody's advice Give me a shoulder to cry on And I'll be alright I'll be the one you rely on This love Ain't none of your friends business Ain't none of my friends business It's ours, all ours, nobody else's”

“Business” by Teyana Taylor

____________

“Travel safely, see you soon,” you said to both ____ (Almaty Reader) and ____ (Arizona OG Reader), kissing each of their cheeks in a parting greeting.

“It was such a pleasure to see you again,��� ____ (Arizona OG Reader) smiled elegantly as she reached to embrace you.

“Likewise,” you nodded to her as ____ (Almaty Reader) reached to embrace you as well.

“We probably want to organize a conference call within the next two weeks,” ____ (Berlin Reader) stated as she joined your parting circle, bristling at the chill of the wintry air that whipped around you.

The voices of your broader band were momentarily subdued by the gust of wind that had you all pulling your collars closed around your necks.

“Between-” you began eyeing ____ (Berlin Reader) questioningly.

“Well following our conversation yesterday probably just us ladies as a separate conference. A biweekly or even monthly check-in should suffice,” she said, pondering the subject before answering.

“Grand. Well we’ll talk later then,” you agreed as Baekhyun and Minseok approached.

“Ladies,” Minseok beamed at you all, missing ____’s (Berlin Reader) raised eyebrow.

“We’ll be off then. Bye everyone,” Jongin waved, ____’s (London Reader) hand in his as he turned to walk away. When you caught her eye again she raised her hand and demurely waved, her cheeks rosy when Jongin turned to tell her something as they continued into the airport.

Baekhyun came to your side, humbly taking your bag you’d set beside your feet as you said your goodbyes.

“I’ll get our boarding passes,” he said aloud in your direction, hurrying inside.

“Are you flying into Arizona still or-”

“I am going to spend a weekend with ____ (Almaty Reader), and then I’ll head back. MQ said he’ll meet you there before he goes out of town,” ____ (Arizona OG Reader) revealed which seemed to be a surprise to Chanyeol.

“Oh...I’ll see you then. Safe travels ladies,” he stepped back from ____ (Arizona OG Reader) who had only turned over her shoulder to address Chanyeol’s concern. You all nodded to him as he went past following Baekhyun who waited for him within the sliding doors.

You caught the look on his face as he watched you standing there before he knew that you were watching him, and quickly masked it with a pleasant smile before he too turned away.

____ (Almaty Reader) pulled ____ (Arizona OG Reader) along after Chanyeol left, hooking an arm through the crook of hers as they carried on conspiratorially.

“Can’t they do anything without us babysitting?” You caught them whispering before they walked out of earshot.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” a sudden voice asked just beside you where ____ (Berlin Reader) also stood.

____ (Edinburgh Reader) had stayed behind while Sehun had gone in earlier with Kyungsoo and ____ (Colorado Reader) as they checked in and gathered their boarding tickets.

Since had ____ (Barcelona Reader) gone ahead with Tao back home to Barcelona she was alone in front of you all now, and very obviously uneasy.

“Me? Yes of course,” ____ (Berlin Reader) turned to her, gesturing for her to follow into the black SUV bearing Minseok’s trademark crest.

“Thank you as always for your hospitality, Minseok. Until next time,” you said cheerily, reaching a gloved hand out to him which he took and held in both of his, the light in his eyes flashing.

“Certainly. I hope to see you and Baekhyun and Yun Hee soon. Have you decided on a theme for her birthday party this year? As soon as you know please let me know so that I can plan her gift.” You were already modestly refusing his kindness as soon as the words passed his lips but he shook his head at you.

“Baekhyun is my family. And now you are part of his family. And now that family has extended to Yun Hee. If there is anything I can do, it is to take care of my family,” his smile remained sincere as he held your gaze but you had a prickling suspicion that you were not the only one who had revealed what you both had been keeping private.

“Baekhyun and I are so grateful to you Minseok. I could never thank you enough for how much you have blessed our family,” you reached forward to hug him and he held you close.

“He does love you, and I know you know that. No matter what happens, I hope that the both of you can be happy,” he spoke in deliberate muted tones and as he released you, you turned to see Baekhyun holding up the boarding tickets.

Your eyes narrowed at the way you could tell that he was gauging the result of your conversation.

His smile was pleasant, but it was the way his eyes cautiously lingered on you.

You were fuming.

___________

“It’s good to be home, jagi,” he tried meekly, looking at you through the rear view mirror where you’d sat with Yun Hee. After arriving at the airport you parted with ____ (Marseille Reader) who was traveling alone since Junmyeon had left abruptly following your New Year's event.

“Take it easy,” she muttered after a kiss to your cheek where you sent her off in her taxi.

Though you composed your fury at Minseok’s classy but brash attempt to contain you, and remained cordial to Baekhyun, you were seething by the time you were in French air.

You allowed him to drive to your mother’s house where you picked up a sleepy Yun Hee. “We colored for hours today. She was so excited to see you both but tired herself out too early.”

You listened, trying to calm your breathing as Baekhyun moved past you to pick her up.

“Darling?” Your mother asked, her tone apprehensive but you swallowed back the grit between your teeth and said your goodbyes.

Alone now and closer to home, your fury was piping white hot.

Ticking.

“If you want, I could-”

“I’m going to put Yun Hee to bed and then I’m going to the office,” you said, opening your door and hurrying to Yun Hee’s side. You opened the car door carefully, unbuckling her car seat so that you could bring her upstairs, leaving your purse and luggage in the car.

Your staff greeted you as you approached, standing clear of you as you went down the hall.

You heard a clatter of bags and buckles drop to the floor the moment after you’d reached Yun Hee’s door.

She stirred in your arms as you shifted her so that you could open the door.

“Shh shh mon petit,” you whispered, kissing her brow as you hurried inside.

You could see that your mother had given her her bath, washed her hair and brushed it.

You laid her in her crib bed, pulling off her shoes and socks, gently removing her jacket, and sweatpants.

She stirred at the sound of her door opening but you continued your task.

“Going to the office already? Jagi, let’s rest now. You don’t have to go in-”

You turned to look at him, a tempered glare set in your eyes.

He stood dumbfounded, unmoving as you turned to finish tucking your daughter in.

“Sleep well my baby,” you kissed her again gesturing for Baekhyun to do the same.

His stupor melted before he did as you asked, “sleep well my baby,” in an uncharacteristic stricken tone.

You headed to your bedroom, stripping as soon as you hit the door.

In your private wing, you knew based on past trials, that no one could hear how loud you could be. You wondered now whether that muted structural design was purposeful, and mockingly laughed aloud at the thought.

“Why are you going in now jagi?” He asked, following you into the room and closing the door to your wing noiselessly.

“Can you move please? I need to shower,” you asked icily breezing past him as he let you go in.

“Jagi, please. Why are you going in now?” He asked again, the whine in his voice rising.

You knew that as his voice rose he was coming closer to his breaking point. And even with that thought in the back of your mind, you couldn’t stop yourself.

“Baekhyun, can you give me a moment please? I want to shower quickly and head in. We’ve been gone for a couple days now and I don’t want to get behind again. We do need to pay bills. We can’t rely on Minseok for everything,” you sighed dismissively as you turned the knob to your shower, sighing again as the jets pulsed against your bare skin whisking away the grime of recycled stuffy air and sweat.

You heard him retreat from the bathroom and turned to see whether he left the door open, which he had.

You took your time to wash your hair and towel off before you began your hair care routine.

Usually Baekhyun volunteered to help you with this part. He thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity that he had to touch you and since you had moved in together he had been fascinated with touching your hair in its slick wet and thick dry state and feeling the difference in your curls.

But he remained in your bedroom, waiting futilely.

After blow drying your hair, and applying lotion to your body you marched into the bedroom, nude, to find clean underwear and a bra.

He watched you as you walked around him, his expression pained.

“Don’t stay there tonight, jagi,” he spoke in sotto voce.

You looked at him in the mirror above your drawer after pulling on a clean pair of underwear.

“Excuse me?” You asked, turning to look at him where he held his head down.

He took a steady breath before looking up at you.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, trying to keep his sniffles to a minimum.

You could hear his panic now. It was getting harder and harder for him to hold it back. And though some small part of you knew it was cruel, you laughed.

“How dare you tell Minseok to talk to me?! I mean that was just ridiculous. You’re going to speak to me through your friends now?” You challenged, seeing the panicked sweat beginning to break across his forehead. His eyes searched the floor as he thought of a response.

“Jagi he’s just...he’s my friend and I was worried and the guys were just-”

“They were just what Baekhyun? Who the fuck does he think he is telling me to mind and obey. We are engaged but that doesn’t mean-”

“He didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure he just-”

“Well tell me how he meant it then since I don’t know. What does he mean talking to me as if I’m supposed to do exactly as he says?! I don’t owe him anything but maybe you do since he paid for the roof over this house. In that case we owe Junmyeon too for taking care of us,” you snapped, throwing your hoop earrings down on top of the drawer before rising to find a fresh pair of jeans and top in your closet.

“That isn’t fair-”

“Oh that isn’t fair? Now we want to talk about what’s fair,” you snorted, pulling on your jeans and your tank top, snatching your Supreme hoodie from it’s hangar and your heeled boots from its rack.

You pulled a roll of socks from your drawer as you exited the walk in closet, hopping into them before sitting at the foot of your bed.

Baekhyun’s breathing was silent as he waited on the bed while you zipped up your boots, and hoodie.

“You have no right to tell me where to go and neither does he. If I need space Baekhyun then you should respect that,” you said, rising from where you sat to head towards the door.

Baekhyun rose quickly, shutting the door as you opened it, his hands trembling as he dropped them to his sides.

“Don’t go jagi. You shouldn’t drive like this,” he protested, daring to meet your glaring eyes with his reddened ones.

“There’s nothing wrong with me-”

“But there’s something wrong with us. Don’t leave. I don’t want to keep doing this. I don’t want to keep waiting-”

“Waiting for what? What are you waiting for? You could just say it Baekhyun. Say it,” you dared him, stepping back from the door with your arms crossed over your chest.

“Do you want to leave me, jagi?” He asked, stuttering through the sentence as a sob threatened to split his voice.

You stood unwavering, growing more and more exasperated with every sniffle you heard.

“Baekhyun I am going to scream if I can’t get out of this room-”

“Then scream at me. Just do it, jagi. But don’t leave me. Don’t go jagi please,” he begged you, coughing back sobs as you stared him down.

“Baekhyun I can’t do this with you right now. Let me go,” you asserted moving towards the door.

But he stepped forward, blocking the doorway, refusing to move out of your way.

“Jagi-”

“Baekhyun-”

“Don’t-”

“Let me go!” You screamed moving towards the door where he held it closed.

You pushed against him, hearing the door rattle as you struggled with each other.

“Stop it,” he begged you as you pushed away from him where he tried to hold you against his chest.

“Baekhyun let me go!” You cried out, but he held you there with your back against his chest, crying into your hair as you both slumped to the floor.

“Baekhyun...let me go…” your fury imploded as you screamed again, pushing at his arms that he held tight around your waist.

“No,” he protested.

“Let me go right now!” You screamed again, struggling to lift his arms from you.

“Baekhyun!” You screamed louder.

“Jagi stop, please stop. Stop,” he moaned plaintively, but you persisted.

“Baekhyun let me go! Let me go now! Right now!” You screamed hoarsely, struggling to turn in his arms to break his grasp.

He hiccuped, his grasp around your waist loosening for a second.

You took your chance, moving quickly to your feet.

But he was right on your heels, slamming the door closed just as you opened it.

“Baekhyun get away from me! Get away!” You rasped, turning to hit his chest, trying with all your might to push him back so you could get out of the door.

“No!” He choked out, as he grabbed your wrists.

“Just talk to me, jagi. Talk to me,” he pleaded, willing you to look up at him.

You were unaware of how heavily and erratically you were breathing, until you looked into his eyes and saw yourself reflected in his irises.

Your tamed hair was wild about your face, curls pasted with sweat against your forehead, your clean top and hoodie now sweat stained and disheveled.

You glowered at him, feeling a trembling sob rising up in him as he held you, waiting.

“Yes I want to leave you. I want space. I need to think. Baekhyun please let me go. Please,” you stated, closing your eyes.  

And he released you immediately.

“I...I’m sorry jagi. I’m sorry…” he whimpered, taking a step back from you.

You heard him descend to the floor in a slump as deeper sobs and gasps for air passed through him.

You turned to the door, taking and turning the handle in your suddenly shaking hands, feeling your resolve weaken as the door opened.

“______ I...I’m sorry,” he sputtered again, coughing.

You turned to look at him where he was slumped over on the floor, his hand gripping his chest as he took successive gasping breaths.

[gguksgalaxy]

3. Tao (Cerca Trova)

Masterpost <– Part 2 | Part 4 –>

Short: After what happened to your boyfriend Suho, you have to leave the comfort of your home and live up to your promise. For him. (this can be read as a one shot)

Type: Angst, a little bit of fluff, shit loads of dialogue Words: 3988  Pairings: (Reader X Suho), platonic!Reader X Chen Warnings: ahhh nothing? a bit of angst. 

Read it HERE on AFF or on tumblr :3

Barcelona 19:50

Your flight to Barcelona was long, but you didn’t hate flying so it was fine. You picked a cheap hotel not to far away from the airport, to start. This city was big as well, and your Spanish wasn’t any better than your Kazakh, but maybe your French would help. The location however, on the polaroid seemed more easy to find. It was a cafe, so more people might know the place. It wasn’t a picture of a part of a building, it was actually the front. It was a little too blurry to read the name of the cafe, but the doors were white and the walls grey. There were little wooden chair outside, with an open parasol. It looked cozy, and you’d love to sit there for a while, enjoying the sun. 

For now though, you checked into your hotel and went up to your room. You spread the pictures out on the cover of the bed. Jongdae’s picture you put with the other pictures that belonged to him, and you wrote his name on the back along with his number, 21. Suho’s pictures also went together with his number, 01. What number would you meet this time? Would this be Jongin’s location? The boy who’d saved you and abandoned you at the same time. How would you ever find someone who teleported, he could be anywhere right? You let yourself fall back after you’d neatly stacked all the pictures back into the little box. After finding Jongdae you had a little more hope of finding the others, you just hoped they’d all be so nice. You remember the feeling of his lips against yours, the little spark you’d felt. He was Suho’s brother, you’d never date him, but he deserved it really. He would call you soon, you were sure of it. Just to check on you maybe. Tomorrow your search would start, beginning in the city centre. But now, now you were going to take a rest from your trip. So your changes, brushed your teeth and got under the covers.

The next day you took a metro to the city centre, navigating here was easier. And french did help somewhat, luckily. You found yourself a large pastry store and bought a croissant there, you’d missed those. The store owner was nice and you showed her the picture. “I’m looking for this, do you know where it is?” To your surprise, there was a young girl standing next to you, maybe 16. She translated for you, and you thanked her. The lady frowned, and went then pointed somewhere outside, mumbling something in Spanish. The girl tapped your arm. “She says it’s called Cafe Kafka, it’s a few blocks from here, to the left of the church.” Your eyes were wide in surprise, were you really this close? Would it really be this easy? “Thank you so much, thank you.” With your croissant in hand you ran over the street, following to the place they’d pointed you. A few blocks, how many? You slowed down, taking a bite, and roamed around for a little. Then you stopped. There, right in the centre of a little plaza, was the cafe. It was small, but it was definitely there. Cafe Kafka. For a moment you just stood and watched, and then you went inside. But wait, this was a cafe, does that mean he comes here every day? Or is it a one time thing. The floor above seemed to be holding apartments, maybe he lived there? Should you just knock or? You finished your croissant, and went inside to just get some coffee and think. It seemed fancier on the inside, and you ordered a cappuccino. There was a nice place in the corner, and you sat down there. You noticed then, that the seat was warm. Like someone had just sat here, but the table was already cleaned and cleared. What if it was him? Were you too hopeful? Maybe you were. When your drink came you thanked the owner and grabbed your laptop from your back. There was wifi here, thank god. You logged on and went to your email, sending one to your parents.

Dear mom and dad, I’m in Barcelona right now, sitting at a small cafe near the city centre. Almaty was beautiful, and I think I liked it better until now. Although the Spanish language is better. I hope you guys are doing okay, and that you don’t miss me too much. I’ll send you some pictures later when I get the time to transfer them from my camera. Love, Y/n.

You also went and called your friend over Skype, but she didn’t pick up. Maybe she was out or something. So you decided to just text her, giving her a similar message you’d given your parents. When you locked your phone, you saw the picture of you and Suho, his face buried in the crook of your neck, holding you from behind. It made you a little sad again, remembering how happy you were. You had to be happy now as well, to be strong. You remember the stories, about the others. How Suho told you Jongdae had tried to comfort him when they were in that van, and you remembered him mentioning Zitao. Zitao who had cried on his shoulder there. Jongin and Sehun, their youngest, and Yifan, their eldest who hadn’t survived. You remembered Yixing who had gotten captured first, who’d screamed for his freedom. Luhan, who was lost, and might never be found. If you could, you’d go out and find him, but that was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. At leat you’d know to tell a needle from hay… When you finished your cappuccino, you’d browsed your social media, you’d ordered another one, and the hope was sinking. Finding the location so soon gave you false hope, maybe he was near, and not just here. No, you told yourself, you couldn’t give up that easily. You had to keep going, maybe if you came back a few days at different times. Maybe he’d already been here, or only comes around later in the day, or just on thursdays and mondays. It was Tuesday now. So you just told yourself you’d spend half a day here for two weeks. The rest of the day you could roam around and see other places, might as well enjoy the time here right? It was nearing 2pm, so you paid the bill and went to look through some places.

1 week later Barcelona 10:09

It was Tuesday again, and you still hadn’t seen a single asian boy in the cafe. They were all asian right? Suho mentioned four of them having been from China, and the rest from Korea. So you just assumed you weren’t looking for a blue eyed blonde boy. You were drinking your cappuccino, you’d lost count of how many you’ve had here but they’re really nice. The flavour was full and the milk was really foamy, plus the tiny cookies were to die for. The owned by now recognised your face, and greeted you every time. It would’ve been easier if you spoke Spanish, to ask him maybe if he’d seen someone, but sadly his English was terrible. You’d chatted to your friend on skype yesterday, she was excited to see your face. The two of you talked about small things, the places you’ve been and things you visited, people you met. Apparently she was dating someone now, and you were happy for her. The little bell of the store rang, and someone stepped in. You lifted your head from the book you’d gotten from a local store. The guy who stepped in made you look twice. He was slim, tall, and gorgeous. His skin was flawless, sharply defined features, like a fox. The colour of his hair was light blonde, and he was wearing a black turtleneck with a blazer, and white and black checkered pants. He looked at you, frowned and stepped over. You held your breath as he moves, silently and graciously. “I’m sorry, this is my table.” He spoke in a bit bracketed English. You blinked a few times, but you couldn’t utter out a word. Was he one one of them, one of Suho’s brothers? “Hello, can you please move from my table?” he asked again, a bit louder this time. “Uh…I’m sorry,” you stumbled, getting up, not knowing what to do really. The way you met Jongdae had been much easier. He sat down and you picked up your coffee, placing it on a nearby table. You watched him open his paper, as the owner brought an espresso to his table. “Staring is impolite.” He mumbled. “Huh?” “Stop staring.” His voice was sharp and harsh and it took you aback. You looked down at your table, how could you ask him this, maybe he was a random stranger. He didn’t seem nice, and you really had no intention of upsetting him or causing a scene. Your duffle bag was by your feet, as you were moving to a hotel closer by the other side of the city today. Maybe you should show him the blanket, Jongdae had seemed to recognise that, or your necklace? For a second you looked to your side, and you met his eyes, he glared at you. You decided then, that it wasn’t him, it couldn’t be him. Someone that seemed so menacing. So you paid the bill and got up, taking your belongings and leaving the cafe. One more week, you told yourself mentally, one more week and you’d move on. You’d find a way to ring the apartments upstairs to see if he lived there. While strolling back to your new hotel, you passed crowds of tourists, and calm almost empty streets. This city was diverse, and changed the further you got to the outskirts. You just hoped you hadn’t wasted your time.

3 days later

You were sitting at the cafe again when your phone rang, it was Jongdae. “Hi there.” You said, picking up. “Hey.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “How’ve you been? Did you find anybody yet?” You sighed deeply, rubbing your temple. “No, I found the location, on my first day here. But I haven’t found him yet…” “Where are you at?” “I’m at a cafe, something small but fancy.” Jongdae was quiet for a little, probably thinking. You heard a soft bark on the other line. “Is Kris with you?” “Yeah, I’m home right now.” He said. “You said a cafe, fancy? Makes me think of only two people, one of them being Junmyeon and the other Zitao.” You nodded. “What does Zitao look like? So I can scout out for him, who knows it might help.” “Tao is, one of our younger ones. He’s tall, skinny probably, he has a bit of a feline like face. Sharp eyes and lips, will probably wear expensive looking clothes and possibly earrings as well.” It sounded an awful lot like the guy from Tuesday. “I saw someone, he was ab it foxy, like you described, with blonde hair. But he was really rude and snappy. Told me to move away from the table because it’s his. Was quiet most of the time though.” “Sounds like something he’d do.” Jongdae said. “If it’s him though, go easy on telling him about Junmyeon. He was really close to him, he might snap at you if he thinks you work for the people of the asylum.” “He has a short fuse?” “Zitao is a bit…eccentric. His power is time, so everything feels very odd to him, time passes him by in a way. But he’s also really whiny and rude, like you said.” You took a sip of your drink. “Jongdae, how have you been? Did you find a new place yet?” “Yes, I’m moving out in 2 weeks.” “That’s great.” “I’m not telling you where I’m going though.” He mused. “Because you won’t tell me where you are.” You chuckled, it was nice to laugh. “Because I don’t want you to secretly follow me.” “I wouldn’t.” He whined. “I just want to know if you’re okay.” A soft laugh escaped your lips, at his concern and tone of voice. “I’m okay Jongdae, don’t worry.” “I just wonder if they might come to find you or something. I worry.” “Jongdae, you barely know me.” “As the brother of your boyfriend, I feel it’s kind of my job to look after you now. If he can’t I will do it, so please if anything happens call me. Or if you need someone to talk to.” He spoke, and you heard little Kris bark again. “Kris misses you too.” “I will Jongdae, thank you. Tell Kris I said hi, I need to hang though. Otherwise I’m going to run out of minutes for this month. Foreign phone calls are expensive.” “Ah yeah, talk soon okay?” “Bye Jongdae.” “Bye y/n.” You hung up the phone and sighed again, rubbing your temples and finishing your coffee. If only this was as easy. You’d have to somehow talk to that guy from earlier this week. The bell went off again, and there was a sound of fancy shoes on the tile floor. A movement in the corner of your eyes as someone sat down in the corner table. In his spot. You dared lift your eyes to the person and found him, wearing the exact same clothes, his hair styles in the exact same way. Something about him could be a model, his features to flawless and unique. There wasn’t a single blemish on his skin, let it be for the slight dark circles under his eye. He took a sip of his coffee, and you adverted your gaze, before he caught you staring again. Courage, you’d need courage to do this. So you took a deep breath, closing your eyes for a second and willing yourself to just do it. You spoke; “Zitao?” His head immediately whipped to the side, eyes wide and startled. “How do you know my name?” “Uhmm, I….” “You work for them don’t you.” He was up in an instant, and everything around you seemed to slow. Or he seemed to speed, up, you weren’t a hundred percent sure. He was out of the door in a flash. 

Thing flickered back to normal when the door fell shut behind him, the owner dropping his cup, coffee spilling on the floor. You stood up quickly, leaving money on the table and sprinting after him. But out on the street he was nowhere to be seen. You scanned around, there weren’t a lot of people, and he shouldn’t be hard to spot. Checkered pants slipped around a corner on your right and you went in that direction. You ran, and ran, calling out his name. But he never stopped, he occasionally looked back to see if you were still following him. “Zitao stop!” you called, running out of breath. “Please!” he was way faster than you,and you were going to loose track of him. In a moment of dread, you yelled the only thing you thought of. “Junmyeon is dead!” Then he stopped, he stopped dead in his tracks but didn’t turn around. You closed in on him, stopping a few feet away and leaning on your knees. “Please tell me you’re lying, and said that to come and take me away.” He said flatly. “I wish I could.” You answered him. He turned around, facing you with no emotion whatsoever in his eyes. “What year is it?” “It’s 2017, July 25th.” “It’s been exactly 1381 days since I’ve last seen him.” Zitao stated. “Since I’ve last seen any of them. It’s weird you know, it seems like yesterday, like only a week passed. I don’t feel a day older. Time passes so quickly.” You nodded, stepping a little closer to him. “Zitao, do you want to sit down and talk?” “I don’t want anything to do with you.” He growled suddenly. “With any of you.” “Zitao please.” You reached out for his arm but he flinched away. “Zitao I just want to talk.” “NO!” he yelled, so loud it made you flinch now. “No, I don’t want to talk, I don’t want to see them. I don’t want to sit here and see how they wither away with age while I stay the same.” His voice was erratic and his hands were trembling. “Junmyeon isn’t dead, he’s not. He’s happy somewhere, happy and smiling, and content. Don’t come here and tell me these lies!” You didn’t know what to do, you could only watch this boy as he fisted his hands in his hair. “Go away!” he yelled at you, tears shining in the corners of his eyes. “GO THE FUCK AWAY!” There was nothing else you could do, you were on the verge of breaking down, and you didn’t need to give him the satisfaction. So you turned around and left, left him standing in the middle of the empty street, crying for his brother. You left with a hurt feeling in your chest, walking slowly to your apartment and picking up some food on the way. Not that you really had an appetite,but 4 chicken nuggets would have to do for now. You had to eat something. This room was a little bigger than the previous one, and you stripped to get under the shower and wash away the feeling. Wondering whether more of them would react this way, you rinsed the shampoo from your hair and stepped out again. The room smelled a bit old, and it looked so, but the bed was nice. So you laid down wrapped in a huge white towel and took out your phone. Should you call Jongdae? Tell him what happened? You stared at your phone for a while and decided it might be better to call him tomorrow, because you’d be waking him up now. So you just went to sleep

The next morning you slept in, you felt lethargic and down. How would you be able to deal with this every time. The distress and fear and anger in Zitao’s screams. For a second you had been afraid the police would come to the sound, or at least nearby people. But nobody did, and you left him there on his own. You wondered if he didn’t really miss them, if he really didn’t want to see them. You contemplated getting food and staying in the room all day, but maybe also found it worth it to check by the cafe and see if Tao was there. So you showered again, free water was good, and it calmed you a little. It was another warm day, and you pushed you’re baseball cap on a little further to shade your eyes. It was a Saturday, so it was more busy, and your wait for food was a little longer. You left a tip, because you’d eaten at this place every day and it hadn’t disappointed you yet. After shopping for some things you’d needed by now, and going to a place to do laundry, you went to the cafe. It was a bit busier, and you actually took seat outside after checking if Zitao was there. But he wasn’t. The sun was pleasant on your skin, and there was a soft breeze right there. Zitao never came, and he didn’t come the next day, or the day after that. And the second week of waiting had passed and you never saw a sign of him again. You’d even asked the owner, and he said he hadn’t seen Zitao in a long time. That he’d been coming here religiously every day at the same time. But not anymore after what happened with you. You’d apologised and moved away. You decided to write him a letter, to let him know what was up. Not that you know where he lived, but you’d leave it at the cafe.

Zitao

I apologise for scaring you last week, or whenever it was when you read this. I’m writing this because of your brother, Junmyeon. I am, or well, was his girlfriend. We lived happily together for quite a while until he mentioned to me what had happened to you all, his powers, yours the asylum. I loved him so much, and then that day, they came for him. They came for him and they killed him. He died to save me and for that I am sorry. As his dying wish he asked me to find you all, to see if you were safe and help you to relocate. I am sorry for upsetting you, it was not in my intention. But I hope you’re okay. I won’t bother you anymore after this, but know it’s probably safer if you change name and relocate after this. I’m sad I couldn’t do this more securely, and not lead them your way, but I wasn’t made for that. I’m just another girl My phonenumber is on the back of this card, if you ever need anything, or want someone to talk to. Don’t hesitate to call me.

Y/n.

You’d given the envelope to the owner the next day, saying it was for him. He’d nodded, and put it on the counter. You’d never really know if he’d ever see it, but it was a little sliver of hope wasn’t it? A few hours later you found yourself in an internet cafe, together with the photo’s. You’d written Zitao’s name on the back of his, but his number was yet unknown to you. Maybe you could ask Jongdae when he called again, he’d sure know. You’d flipped them over, and drawn a random card. That card would tell you your next destination. You were happy to see it, it was a city you’d always wanted to go. So you’d logged onto a booking site, and found a not to expensive flight there. You didn’t really care for luxury in that way, right now it was important to save money where you could. Because there were faraway flights that would cost you a lot. More so than this one. When your phone rang you picked it up before you looked. “Y/n.” “Hey sweetie!” “Hey mom!” you smiled, logging off the internet quickly. “I just saw you booked a new ticket.” You sighed. “You don’t have to check my bank account, really.” “No, sweetie, we want to just give you a little extra, so we’ve covered the expenses for this one for you.” It silenced you for a little, and you felt tears prick at your eyes. “Thank you so much mom, that means a lot.” “Everything for our daughter. We know how important this is to you, but you know you can come home for a while any time you want. We miss you.” A tear slipped away. “Yeah mom, I know. I love you.” “We love you too, y/n. We’re always here for you.” “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” The two of you chatted about the things you’d seen, and your mom mentioned that Snuffs missed you, it was their cat. A grumpy cat at that. You promised to send over some more pictures when you arrived in the next city, where you hoped you’d have better wifi than here. When you hung up, you had to wipe away more tears. You really did miss your family, you were here all alone. God why did you have to be so negative about this al the time. You had to push through. You were seeing the world, this was a positive thing. Suho would’ve wanted to see you happy, and strong, as he’d known you. For him you had to keep pushing. For him, for love, for his brothers.

A/N: This series has been gone for such a long time, and this part kind of sucked I'm sorry. I didn't really have a vision in how to go about this. So I hope you guys liked it, please let me know.

@oh-beyond @xingtrash @xiubaek13 @yeollieollie @littlekatlizzy @an-army-exol @melyyexo @paark-haaraa @nunchiwrites 

[fuckyeahexofics]

Hello, do you know any kaisoo or chanbaek fanfic where one of them disappears, something a little mysterious?, thankss ,

190324

And then you're gone too (Kyungsoo/Jongin, Gone Girl!au, R) had we but world enough and time (Kyungsoo/Jongin, pathcode powers!au, PG)Hold me in my dreams (Baekhyun/Chanyeol, forbidden love, PG)Only in the Darkness Can You See the Stars(Kyungsoo/Jongin, best friends, R)The Tyranny of Distance (Baekhyun/Chanyeol,mythology!au, NC-17)Where He Lies (Baekhyun-centric, canon, R)

-cat

[chansoobookshelf]

Smoke White (2697 words) by jongdae Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: EXO (Band) Rating: E Relationships: Chansoo Characters: Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo | D.O Genre: Romance, Smut, Fluff AU: Pathcode Powers, Domestic, Not Famous Summary:

Kyungsoo is prompted to think back on their relationship as he watches Chanyeol smoking.

[attractive-asshole]

When you think it’s too late, you’ve already fallen for me, it’s out of your control.

Playboy - EXO (Spy!AU with KJN) for @hellomellowyellowjello 

[aj-summers]

The Unexpected Path Summary

Have you ever woken up so scared that you had a hard time breathing? That something went wrong that shouldn’t have that would effect you so much that it felt like you were dying? This isn’t something that usually happens but it did. It happened to me and I had taken such an unexpected path. Im Ji-eun and this is that path that led me to him and his friends.

[fy-exo-mama]

Exodus: The Movie - Official Trailer (Fan Made)

[coffee-and-kpop]

타는 저 해가 져 그렇게 너는 더욱 눈부셔

    taneun jeo haega jyeo geureoke neoneun deouk nunbusyeo

         The burning sun is setting, but you’re even more dazzling

Lyon 06:26 -> 06:27

“Are you sure we’re not going to get caught,” I whispered, my breath hoarse and throaty. I couldn’t help but giggle as I was pushed against the stairs leading up to the large church, the concrete digging into my spine.

“Not unless you’re too loud,” Baekhyun whispered back playfully, placing a kiss under my ear. He pulled away slightly and looked down at me, a crooked grin spreading across his face. His bangs were shaggy, and moving down into his eyes, making him appear much younger than his actual age.

“What?” I asked, feeling increasingly uncomfortable under his puppy dog stare. He cocked his head, and the grin grew. “What are you looking at?”

Baekhyun didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned back in and placed a sloppy, unaimed kiss at the corner of my mouth, at the crook of my nose, and another on top of my eyelid. That was the thing about kissing Baekhyun; he was always too excited to actually kiss you proper. Instead, his kisses were random, full of too much energy. Like he couldn’t move on to the next bit of skin fast enough.

Which left it up to me to tangle my hands in his hair, pull his lips down on to mine, and slow him down. He let me, but I was sure by the way that his hands couldn’t stay on one spot of my body for longer than a second that he wanted to kiss elsewhere. But I kept my lips on his, tugging at the tufts of hair at the base of his neck and working my hands into his scalp.

When he gripped my lower thigh tightly under my dress, his slender fingers grabbing onto me in a viselike grip, I pulled him away slowly, my eyelids heavy and my lips sore. His grin was back, and he leaned down again to place a kiss on my nose, connecting our foreheads as he did so and holding that position.

“Baek?” I whispered. Far away, a dog barked. A murder of crows flew overheard, their wings flapping wildly. But here, on the sacred steps of this one old church out of many in France, it was peaceful.

“Hm,” he whispered against my skin, drawing me closer to him. The steps we were lounging on were extremely uncomfortable, and I wasn’t sure how he hadn’t shifted away from me once; I knew the concrete had to be digging into his palms the same way it was digging into my back.

“I lov…” I tried to begin speaking, but the flickering of a street lamp above us cut me off. With my hands still tangled in his hair, and our bodies still pressed together, we both glanced upwards sharply.

The light above us flickered slowly, bringing our faces in and out of the shadows. At first, it started slowly, and then gained speed, until finally it flickered with such a ferocity that it blew out. I gasped as the bulb busted, raining tiny shards around us. And just like before, all was still.

“The electricity in France sure is something,” Baekhyun laughed uneasily, turning back to look at me. I forced a smile back at him, but kept the busted lamppost in my peripheral. And then, the two beside it started flickering. It kept spreading, until every light around us was suddenly flickering on… off… gaining speed.

“Baekhyun…?” I whispered uneasily as his eyes travelled from each lamppost. I gasped as he pulled me off the stairs quickly and grabbed my hand.

“Run,” he snapped, tugging me along the underside of the church with him. We continued a light jog around its side and into the narrow streets that surrounded the place; tiny alleyways and cobblestones built for only a few people to walk down.

It wasn’t until I glanced backwards that I realized that the lights were continuing to flicker and burst behind us. I squeezed Baekhyun’s hand tighter in mine, and he seemed to get the message. He glanced behind us, realizing the darkness was slowing closing in, and pulled me faster along the streets.

I was out of breath in only a few short minutes; I’d never been very much of a runner, and this constant sprint was knocking the breath from my lungs faster than I could bring it in. But still, Baekhyun kept running, tugging my arm until it felt like the socket in my shoulder would come lose.

Everywhere, bulbs were bursting and darkness was swallowing up the light at our ankles. I glanced around every so often, catching glimpses of the city as it slowly went out, power and lights escaping it. Clouds rolled and tumbled overhead, removing anything the stars were willing to offer. Lyon seemed impossibly large once it was shrouded in the dark, once you couldn’t place one foot in front of the other without being sure where it was you were going.

“Baekhyun, please, what’s… what’s happening?” I gasped, tugging back on him to slow down. But he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t answer, wouldn’t let me keep up. He just kept running, and running, and running, until he wasn’t anymore.

We’d stopped at one of the large wrought iron gates the locked the church in safely at night, kept out unwanted youth and criminals. Like us. I could feel a lump welling up in the back of my throat, the unwanted hypervilinlation of too little air starting to set in. I was gasping through the little air and the panic as Baekhyun tugged desperately, uselessly at the gate.

“Baekhyun,” I gasped, feeling my head start to lose pressure and my heart thump against my ribs. But he didn’t hear me, couldn’t hear past his own shaky breath.

“Come on, come on, come on!” He shouted, pounding his fists against the gate.

“Baekhyun,” I cried, my knees hitting the uneven cobblestones with a hard crack. The pain in my knees suddenly brought my head back into focus, brought me back to the street and the growing darkness: the one street lamp left, flickering on and off.

Baekhyun pulled me up into his arms, caging me in against the gate, his back facing towards the darkness as three, two, one, we were surrounded completely in it.

"I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. They’re after me, they’ve found me,” he gasped above me, his arms trembling fiercely as he held me. I clung on to his shirt as he buried placed his forehead back against mine. Although this time, it wasn’t the sweet gesture it had been merely minutes before. Instead, now he was doing it out of protection, fear. Baek’s eyes were squeezed shut, his teeth clamped around his plump bottom lip.

I wrapped my arms around his waist through the leather jacket he was wearing, pulling myself into his chest. He kept murmuring as the buzzing of bursting lights kept up their high pitched symphony around us, in the city. And then, nothing. Everything was just as quiet as before, only this time, there was no light to see by in all of Lyon. It wasn’t so much that I could see that the whole city had succumbed to the dark, but yet I could feel it, like a coldness creeping into my muscles.

At this point he was visibly shaking. I tried placing a hand on his cheek to calm him, but I knew my efforts would be futile. Suddenly, as if by a sheer act of God, a door to a wine cellar rattled in the breeze beside the buildings, showing its lack of a lock. I tugged Baekhyun’s hand, pulling him towards the door and locking it tight behind us.

As soon as I sat on the ground, Baekhyun crumpled into my arms, his trembling slowly down to heavy breathing. I stroked his hair slowly, listening to the rhythm of his inhales. Baekhyun had always been scared of the dark, ever since he was little. I remembered him telling me about how his mother would turn out every light in the house, but he would sneak to the window and pull the curtains, just to let in the moonlight.

Baekhyun’s theory was that every member of his group had to have some kind of deep emotional tie to their skill, and his was his crushing, paralyzing fear of the dark as a kid.

But now, it wasn’t the dark that was scaring him. I knew it was the sound of voices outside, of trampling feet and yelling men. Of one lone gunshot, and how close they’d come to getting him tonight. Maybe the next night they would. Escaping was always a game of chance.

Eventually, Baekhyun and I traded places, so that I was wrapped in his arms and he was leaning against the wall, placing a kiss to the top of my head every so often. Even in the damp, cold cellar, I felt warm and safe next to him. I closed my eyes, lying my head against his chest. I knew the sun would be up soon, and we’d be able to make our way home in the dawn’s light.

But for now, Baekhyun made his own. With his scent of eucalyptus soap enveloping me, my eyes too heavy to open, I felt the twinkling in the air all around us. Fluttering, warming, and casting shadows and streaks across the backs of my eyelids. Here I was, cramped in a tiny cellar, and in Baekhyun’s arms I felt secure, pulled away from the darkness. Safe.

Lyon 07:03

<– pt 7     pt 9 –>

[dragonowl]

Pathcode: Light Through a Broken Lens

The Sky That Doesn't End: Part 2 Masterlist Genre: EXO AU, Mystery Rated: PG Summery: Exo has scattered. Now in hiding after the Red Force closed in on them and Luhan went missing. Baekhyun finds himself in a small town while he waits until they can reunite again. Guarded after everything that has taken place, he’s not looking for friendship, or anything else, until a light shines through, even as the darkness closes around them.

Prev, Next. AO3

Chapter 2: Tao: Barcelona, Spain, 10:09

Voices. Whispers and quiet conversations mixed easily with the sound of the buzzing machinery and soft piano music. The scent of roasting beans and brewing coffee was rich and wafted around Tao like a warm hug, reminding him of the early school mornings and Xiumin’s passion for fine coffee. He’d nearly chosen the traditional hot chocolate and churros for breakfast, but the homesickness that hit him after smelling the coffee had changed his mind. 

Bringing the warm glass to his lips, he paused and then quickly placed it down as he lifted up the morning’s paper. A small section near the base of the newspaper’s front page caught his attention and he quickly flipped through the pages to find the full article. 

His heart stuttered as he processed the words that made him feel sick. A light flickered and his eyes shot up just as a bulb shattered. He brought the newspaper up to protect himself from the flying debris as he flinched at the noise, but the debris never hit. The cafe went silent instead of beginning to clammer at the danger, and he looked around to find the cause.

His breath caught when he realized he’d frozen time without even realizing it. 

The hold he had was wavering though and he knew he needed to get out. The Red Force had found a way to track them down and using his powers would likely narrow down their search parameters if they had the right tech. Chen hadn’t been able to determine how they had been found, but he and Suho had cautioned against using their powers in case that had been the cause.

He rushed out of the cafe in a daze, trying to ground himself enough to find his way back to the small room he was staying in. After what felt like forever he made his way back and stumbled multiple times as he ran up the flight of stairs and through the door, gaze darting around to keep an eye on his surroundings. 

Once inside he rushed to grab his bags and throw in any essentials he had left lying around. He tried to make a mental list as he double and triple-checked everything. Unable to handle being there any longer, he prayed he had everything that couldn’t be replaced. He’d need to go by the public locker and grab a different ID and some money, and then maybe take a train to another city to fly out of. Deciding on his next location in the moment would hopefully throw off any tail he might have. Something completely random. 

Slinging his bags over his shoulders, he exited the small space and quickly made his way down the stairs and outside to the sidewalk.

Someone collided with him, his fast pace and height making him completely miss their presence.

“I’m sorry,” he stumbled, arm encircling the young woman to keep her from falling.

“It’s okay,” she said, her hands fully grabbing his arms to steady herself. “You should pay more attention to your surroundings though. You could get hurt.”

A chill washed over him at her words and he tried to see her face, but she had kept her head bowed. She let go of one of his arms and grabbed the other tightly before he could move and he winced when there was a sudden prick, immediately followed by what felt like fire in his veins. Stumbling back, he found a purchase against the brick wall and dropped his bags as his head erupted in pain, making him drop to his knees. He cradled his head in his hands as the pain drowned out his other senses and his breathing became labored. It ended as quickly as it started and he slumped against the wall, his arms falling to his sides in exhaustion. Tao blinked at the young woman standing over him, but his eyes were too blurry to make out her features and drooped closed as he fell into unconsciousness. 

Prev, Next

[tales-from-exo-planet]

ARIZONA | PATHCODES VOL. II

ACT II. - “circles of influence”

Length - 8, 875

Mood - palliated, lonesome

Pairing - Chanyeol x Reader

“Can we just talk? Can we just talk? Talk about where we're goin' Before we get lost, lend me your thoughts Can't get what we want without knowin' I've never felt like this before I apologize if I'm movin' too far Can we just talk? Can we just talk? Figure out where we're goin' Yeah, started off right I can see it in your eyes I can tell that you're wantin' more What's been on your mind? There's no reason we should hide Tell me somethin' I ain't heard before Oh, I've been dreamin' 'bout it And it's you I'm on So stop thinkin' 'bout it”

“Talk” by Khalid

________________

*Creak*

*THUNK*

*Knock Knock*

You looked up from your desk where you were jotting down notes from your previous appointment in your day planner to see the office mail clerk waiting just outside your door.

“Hi, are you _____?” He asked, breaking eye contact with you as he ruffled in his bag for the touchpad, gesturing to you with the stylus to sign, when you nodded yes.

He took a step inside your opened office door, reaching down to pick up the box and help it over the threshold before standing again to hand you the touchpad upon which you quickly signed your name. He bent again, after stowing the touchpad away in his satchel, to lift the wide set brown paper box up from the floor.

“Th-thank you,” you said, grunting slightly as you adjusted to the box’s weight as it transferred from his arms to yours.

He nodded, muttering a nonchalant “no problem” as he left, ambling down the hall the same way he had come to your office.

Please let this be it…

You glanced at the shipping label, and slowly smiled at the name you recognized.

“It’s here,” you exhaled, placing it on your desk gently.

Without bringing your eyes away from the name on the shipping label you reached for your drawer, quickly pulling it open to retrieve your scissors.

You carefully applied the blade to the packaging tape, taking care not to push down into the box for fear of scratching the contents within.

And as you peeled the packaging away, the brown paper box coming away cleanly as you easily sliced through it with your scissors, your heart swelled within your chest, tears blurring your vision.

“You’re here,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper, breaking eye contact with the box for a brief moment to return to your open office door and close it.

Inside was the leather bound hard case now embroidered with three sets of initials, your late father’s being first, yours being second, and your son’s being the last.

You fingered the embroidered letters, tracing them with the pads of your forefingers in an infinite loop, closing your eyes as you recalled their faces, and their voices.

Taking a steadying breath you reached for the latch, and lifted the top of the case, and gasped at the sight of the slate gray and white typewriter you had been longing to see.

“Pop,” you whispered, amazed that the typewriter could have been restored to this extent. It looked just like the photograph you remembered from the catalogue.

“It’s impossible. It’s like it’s brand new again. Just like Pop kept it,” you felt a giggle rising as you touched each key, remembering the way he used to sit at his desk on weeknights and you’d sit beside him watching his fingers fly, the swirl of the floral scent of Yaupon holly tea and crisp, warm paper luring you closer and closer to the desk.

“Pop, it’s happening now. We’re doing it Pop,” you took another breath and exhaled sharply, feeling the strength go out of your legs as you descended abruptly into your office chair.

The waves of grief washed over you again, and since you had practiced and were prepared for their onslaught, you held on, counting down the seconds you would allow yourself this morning with your hands over your face.

The sobs subsided as you counted down closer and closer to 10 to 9 to 8 to 7 to 6 to 5 to 4 to 3 to 2 to 1.

And then…

You let your hands fall to your lap where you brushed your open tear stained palms against your thighs and released an ever deeper exhale.

“Ok boys, let’s get to work,” you said, removing the envelope that had been carefully taped to the top of the box after wadding up the brown paper packaging and tossing it into your waste basket.

“May these items make their way to you safely and find you at peace. With these items now restored and delivered to you, may your journey to healing truly begin,” penned in elegant handwriting by someone who had chosen to remain anonymous. Though without a name written you knew already who had sent the package.

*Knock Knock*

“Yes?” You asked, approaching your office door again as the secretary, Margo, who had knocked entered, her heels scuffing the threshold of your door at her abrupt entry.

“Hi, just wanted to let you know that your 2:00pm is here. Should I send them down to the studio or were you starting in your office?” She asked, her eyes bright as she leaned in and waited for your response.

“If you don’t mind sending them in to my office here, I think we’ll start here today,” you said, coming from around your desk to approach your baby grand piano as you awaited your third client of the day, hearing the whoosh click as Margo ducked back into the hall.

To think back again on where you had been the past couple of years while standing in the freedom of the present was jarring every time you turned to see the photographs of your late son and father framed in black and white on your desk. From time to time as you worked with your clients you would look back at your desk, seeing their smiling faces encouraging you, and urging you forward. It was no different today as your newest client, Camila, entered, and the writing session immediately began.

Camila was newly signed to your company’s label, and as all the artists were who were signed, she was a promising singer-songwriter in the making. Your goal was to help her along in her songwriting process by providing advisement where needed until you created the lyrics she was looking for.  A role you relished more and more as the days wore on as you met each successive project and challenge.

You spent an hour together, chatting in between tea brought in by Margo and listening through samples from your previous recording sessions, and at the close of the session with three songs drafted, promised and planned to meet within the following week to close out the project.

“Wow! That’s a gorgeous typewriter, is it a family relic?” Camila asked, not failing to note the initials on the leather case.

You beamed at her, showing her your father’s picture on your desk.

“It was his, my father’s. He was a writer as well. Poetry and short stories mostly. He taught English at my high school and a couple of Early Native American literature courses at the community college in my hometown,” she smiled at you, holding the frame in her hands carefully before placing it back in your hands for you to reposition on the desk beside the others.

“That’s awesome that you had writing in common,” she said and you nodded, replying, “yea, I really treasured that. He’s definitely been my inspiration.”

As you led her down the hall you heard the jingle of your office phone.

“Ah, I know the way to the lobby if you have to take that. Thank you so much as always for your encouragement. See you next week!” She called, waving as she went ahead and you nodded to her graciously before ducking back into your office.

You caught it on the last ring.

“______ with Aspire Publishing, how may I help you?”

“__!!! Hi it’s Ophelia!”

“Oh wow hey! How are you?! I just heard the news about your album. That’s so incredible!”

“Thank you so much. It couldn’t have happened without you. Seriously! And also, I wanted to invite you to this festival I’m headlining this weekend in the area. I’ll be performing a couple songs from the album and I would just be over the moon if you could come!”

“Of course! I’m there. Just let me know the details and everything. My weekend is pretty clear,” you said, shifting from holding the phone against your ear to tucking it in between your ear and shoulder as you looked for your desk planner to pen the event.

After gathering the details you texted your best friend Awinita who had already planned to come into town.

“Hey so what about a music festival this weekend? Would Tobias be down for that?” You quickly texted as you packed up your desk as Margo knocked again at your door to deliver lunch, a large quinoa salad, chili cheese fries and sweet fry bread from a local food truck.

As you set up your lunch tray on your small coffee table behind the loveseat where you and Camila had just completed the day’s session, you felt a buzz in your pocket where you were sure Awinita was replying.

After sanitizing your hands with your pocket hand sanitizer, you poured yourself a glass of water from your pitcher where it rested on the dining tray along the wall and brought it to your place setting.

“Yea I was just about to ask you about that festival because I saw Ophelia’s name on a flyer when I was scrolling through Eventbrite earlier! Let’s do it!! Also...Tobias had a friend in the area who we planned to link up with if that’s ok with you? Maybe he could meet us out there?”

“Sounds good to me. Are y’all still going to be here on Friday then?” You texted back.

“Yea girl. Riding out on Thursday night and we should be in on Friday morning,” she replied with a kiss emoji.

You laughed happily and went back to finishing your lunch.

_________

“Hi Mr. Stone, I just wanted to let you know that I received the package,” you said into your phone, your purse on your lap.

“Greetings Ms. ______, I’m pleased to hear that,” he responded in the gravelly bass you had grown accustomed to following that fateful phone call at the beginning of this new year.

You remembered again the letter that had arrived on Christmas in the previous year when you were still living with Awinita before she had started dating Tobias.

“Who is that from? How can someone send something on Christmas? I thought everything was basically stopped,” she wondered aloud as you two sat together and opened the letter that arrived by a man who did not appear to work for USPS nor any of the other mail carriers you were familiar with. He didn’t wait for you to respond once he placed the letter in your hands and simply turned sharply on his heel to duck into the black Audi he had arrived in.

After tearing open the envelope with the letter opener Awinita offered you, your slipped your fingers inside to pull out the lone cream cardstock on which was penned a short note upon which five smaller envelopes were carefully pinned to its back.

You recognized the handwriting immediately, feeling a mixture of apprehension and hope churning within your stomach as you began to read the words written there.

“Though this can never replace what you have lost, in the new year please call these numbers in the following order.

I wish you well in the new year,

Chanyeol”

Perplexed but still hoping, you opened each of the envelopes where he had written legal, counseling, and employment option 1, employment option 2, and employment option 3.

He offered you a legal advisor, if given your approval and who if given time, would potentially review your case and provide counsel in your impending trial set to begin within the new year.

He suggested that the legal advisor could also be counted on to supply you advice in maneuvering legal and financial matters outside of court proceedings.

He offered you counseling resources for grief to help with any trauma inflicted during the proceedings, and in any personal matters which he oddly left unspecified.

He also offered employment opportunities in the realm of writing as a lyricist for multiple publishing companies you had only dreamed of. “These are companies I would recommend but I am not familiar with more than two of them through professional contact. Whichever you choose, if you so choose, please let the legal advisor know. They have been instructed to provide my recommendations to assist in your application process. However, a recommendation is not a guarantee for employment. I wish you the best in your future interviews if you accept these offers.”

“Take the deal,” Awinita stated after looking over the details.

She was still looking at the employment opportunities while you were looking at the notes you had brought from your bedroom to review.

“Take the deal _______. What he’s offering we can’t afford on our own. We just can’t. And things don’t look good with this case. You deserve this saving grace. You can finally have a life ______. After all of this that happened...and he’s right. It’s no guarantee but the legal advisor sounds promising,” she looked at you as if she hoped you already planned to take the deal but you couldn’t help the rising fear.

It felt strange to look at this handwritten letter that held none of his voice or his warmth.

It was clinical, sterile but still...him?

“I did ask him for help,” you confessed aloud again looking at the letters with her, pushing your stack of notes to the side away from your view.

“And he’s offering you help now,” she emphasized the ‘now’ as if meaning to say ‘forget what was before and move forward now.’

You spent that Christmas and New Years holiday wondering if you should call him but thought better of that when you remembered again that encounter you’d had at Metaphysics Records, and the faces who stumbled in upon you broken and pleading upon his conference room floor. The way they had looked over your head at Chanyeol as if to spare you any embarrassment when he failed to answer your request, and you excused yourself out the door.

You wondered often how you had looked to them and to him. You wondered if that’s why, after weeks of silence, that he sent you these offers and didn’t follow up with a phone call to make sure that you received the message.

Had he meant to send it or was he advised to sent it?

Does it matter?

You need the help.

You can’t afford to hire the legal help you need to fight this.

You are grieving.

You are...lost.

You waited until the evening of the 2nd once alone again in jittery anxiety when Awinita had gone to visit her parents, and dialed the number Chanyeol had written in compacted script, and heard the voice you had come to find such solace and comfort in.

“Hello, I...my name is _____ and I am calling to speak with Mr. Stone about legal advice,” you heard your voice wavering as you held the phone to your ear, trying to keep your hands from trembling.

“Ah yes, Ms. ______. Thank you so much for calling. I am happy to be of assistance to you in your legal needs. If you could put me in touch with your current attorney so that I can discuss with him further what assistance I can provide, then I would also like to meet with you both in order to plan our approach. With your permission of course, Ms. _____,” his voice was calm as he spoke to you in unhurried tones, and all at once you felt thankful and reassured that things really could get better.

You did as he asked and within a week you assembled your legal team to discuss your counter defense to what the defense had alluded to. What anxiety you felt about entering the courtroom in opposition to your sister had dissipated as the promises made by your legal team were carried out in the manner of requesting that your sister agreed to a plea deal in exchange for a dismissal of certain grievous charges and commitment to receive necessary treatment in a secure and holistic mental health care facility.

“We recommend that this unfortunate encounter is settled quietly within the family. These are sisters who have been dealt a truly horrendous hand. We believe that in a moment of sincere distress due to the workload, and responsibilities shouldered considerably by both sisters and undoubtedly more so by the elder sister, caused the accusations heard during previous meetings to be made. My client does not hold any animosity towards her sister nor her dearly departed parents. My client remained within the family home and strived to contribute to the family home to the best of her ability. My client offered her assistance at any and every opportunity to her late mother, and worked together with her sister to also provide safe care for her late son. While the defendant is being penalized as appropriate for inflicting harm that resulted in the unfortunate death of my client’s late son, my client does not wish any ill will or disadvantageous situation to happen upon the defendant. Instead we would request, despite the degree of the crime, that mercy is granted upon the defendant who is a first time offender and that the defendant is evaluated by a licensed mental health clinician, and is able to consider long term mental health services within a safe, affirming environment.

In addition to these requests your honor we would like to move for a strict restraining order to be placed upon the other party identified in the serious allegations made by the defendant. While we would request mercy in the consideration of the familial relationship between my client and the defendant, we would alternatively request strict and harsh punishment to the other party who has repeatedly battered and aggravated my client. We can provide documentation in a later proceeding that will substantiate our request and prove that the other party is truly a danger to not only my client but to the defendant as well. The other party has brutally taken advantage of both of these young women under the premise of providing financial assistance and support of which they so sorely needed as their parents were struggling to return to healthy functioning. If so granted, we would request that the other party is strictly prevented from residing within the same state of which my client is a resident. We would request that the other party is not allowed to call, text, or communicate in any way through any alternate means, such as by way of a proxy, to deliver harmful, insidious violence or intimidation upon my client. We thank you for hearing our requests and recommendations at this time.”

And as you requested through your legal team the judge so granted. Within a month’s time you began counseling services with a licensed mental health counselor, and following that also sought out the employment opportunities with the listed publishing companies Chanyeol provided.

While all of the interviews went well, you decided to accept the offer from a company Chanyeol was not affiliated with and whose location was in Southern Arizona far from your childhood home.

Mr. Stone put you in touch with a realtor who quickly sold your home to an interested young family with infant children. In addition he also advised you on how to save the money you received from both the sale of your parent’s house, and your late mother’s life insurance policy.

The months spent moving in, training, and jump starting your client base blurred by with not a word from nor even a sudden appearance by Chanyeol and day by day as the winter warmed to spring you began to let go and make peace with his absence because of how much he had blessed you. Even the letters written in good faith to your sister all returned in a bundle unopened with a new searing red stamp of “return to sender.”

To be severed from these two people, one who had been in your life since your childhood and one who had changed your life forever, left you confused most days. Reconciliation not only seemed impossible but felt ludicrous to hope for.

Move on ________.

Move on.

“Really Mr. Stone, I couldn’t say thank you enough for everything you have done to help me. I’m really thankful that this could be restored,” you said to the legal advisor now.

“Absolutely. It was my absolute pleasure. All of the other items have also been restored and are now in storage as you requested. Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with. Anytime day or night, know that you can call on me,” he insisted once again as he had since the day you first spoke.

Now you said goodbye to Mr. Stone, the man who had become somewhat of a surrogate uncle to you, and your week went on.

——————

“Hi I’m _______, and you must be Hugh?” You asked over the din in the dimly lit brewery’s lounge where the weekend r&b soul festival had begun.

Awinita and her boyfriend Tobias had arrived just as they planned, and had stayed with you from Friday night into this Sunday evening. After spending the weekend together enjoying the good weather hiking, you had ridden together and entered the Soul Festival to wait for the date Awinita had arranged for you.

“I mean...is it cool if we see it as a double date? He’s one of Tobias’ really good friends and he’s a really nice guy you know? I’ve told him a little about you and he’s excited to meet you this weekend, if you’re cool with that. If not we could always just meet up with him later of course and we three can go out,” she said as she helped you fix your hair Saturday night in preparation for Sunday evening.

Tobias, a mutual friend from high school who had grown into something more for Awinita after reuniting at your class reunion, had cooked you both dinner, a childhood favorite of pine nut catfish and corn salad.

“I’m open to that yea,” you agreed and the following night rode up to the venue with Awinita and Tobias to meet Hugh, who was tall with a loose-limbed athletic build. His dark ebony hair dusted his shoulders in full bodied waves, and his almond emerald green eyes were mesmerizing.

“Yea, it’s nice to meet you, ______,” he drawled, his accent catching you off guard, as his eyes took you in. You resisted the urge to look at Awinita though you were sure she was gauging your reaction from beside Tobias.

Together the four of you entered the venue, you beside Hugh with Awinita and Tobias following, and found an open table to sit at.

“I’ll get the first round,” Tobias immediately offered upon you all getting settled and you accepted, thanking him as Hugh turned to you.

“So are you excited to hear Ophelia tonight? Awinita told me that she was a client of yours,” he asked, reaching to comb his locks back from his eyes with his fingers as he waited for you to answer, a whiff of his heady scent escaping at the movement.

Mmm…

“Definitely. Actually I should probably see if I can let her know that I’m here,” you said, pulling on the strap of your satchel to untwist the purse from the opposite side of your waist so that you could reach for your cell.

“Wait isn’t that her?” Awinita asked suddenly, pointing towards the stage where you could clearly see her speaking with her band.

“Yea, I’ll just go say hi quickly and I’ll be right back. Excuse me for just a second,” you said to Hugh, who nodded as he watched you stand to leave, tucking away the conversation he wanted to have until you returned.

You moved through the crowd carefully, edging closer to the stage where they all stood on the floor in front of the mics until you finally reached Ophelia and her live band.

“Ophelia, hi,” you exclaimed seeing her turn just as you approached, her eyes full as saucers at your appearance.

“__!!! Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for coming! Guys this is ______, da best,” she winked at you as she brought you closer to the band for introductions. You waved at the members who would each play keyboard, synth, drum kit, saxophone, and bass assembled on the stage.

“Thank you so much for inviting me, Ophelia. Can’t wait to hear you,” you said, turning to hug her again after greeting the members.

“Of course, __! Couldn’t imagine doing this without you being here. Hope you enjoy the show!” She called as you turned to head back to your seat, waving at some of your fellow team that you spotted in the seats closer to the stage as you made your way through the crowded tables filled with patrons dining on tapas, beer, and cocktails.

Awinita waved you back over, an event flyer in her hand. Hugh offered you a drink as you came to sit beside him, which you took while looking at the flyer.

“So these are all the labels and companies represented here tonight by artists who are performing...isn't Metaphysics…,” Awinita looked up at you, her eyes wide with realization.

“Oh...I...well yea that’s that label but of course they would be here. That’s cool,” you said, finally sitting in your chair as the house lights came down, and Ophelia took the stage.

Just because his label is here does not mean he is here though, you shrugged turning to whisper something to Hugh when a face caught your eye.

Hugh, who had been intently bobbing along to the beat of Ophelia’s drummer, snapped to attention at your sudden leaning in towards him.

“Yea?” He asked huskily, his dark hair falling into his eyes again.

“Um, I...sorry. I forgot what I was going to say,” you blushed, fiddling with a non existent loose strand of hair as you turned away.

“Oh,” he whispered under his breath, leaning back in his chair.

But you turned again, sipping your glass of wine.

I was sure that I had seen…

The crowd around you erupted in applause at the close of Ophelia’s number, and she bowed neatly before the next number began.

“Ah, dry again,” Tobias sighed as he finished off his glass.

“You really like that one huh? We should buy some when we get back,” Awinita whispered against his cheek, his arm curled around her shoulders.

He nodded against her lips, a small smile on his lips at the intimate way she kissed his ear before turning her attention back to Ophelia.

“I’ve got the next round,” you announced, standing to make your way to the bar.

Hugh jumped at the announcement. It seemed like you had beat him to it.

“Sure? I could get this round this time. In fact I think this one was on me,” he insisted, standing to go ahead of you to the bar but you held up your hands to him shaking your head.

“No worries. I’ll be right back.”

His mouth opened and closed quickly as if he meant to try to gently convince you but seeing that you were already determined to go, he swallowed his statement and took his seat.

You milled again through the crowd to the bar off to the left side of the stage, nudging past patrons who stood swaying in small groups as they listened along.

“Two orange peels, and two glasses of rosado,” you told the bartender once you’d gotten her attention.

While waiting for your orders you fiddled with your purse, shaking off a slight shudder down your spine.

Why do I feel so nervous about this?

Hugh seems nice.

I’m just out of practice.

I’m just…

“__-____?” A raspy baritone voice called out to you.

You turned, wide eyed as you saw the face you knew you’d seen.

You knew those eyes anywhere.

“Chanyeol…” you breathed, suddenly parched at the gleam of his smile.

“I...I thought I saw you for just a moment in the crowd headed towards the stage but it’s really you,” he said when you said nothing more.

“I...yea. Yea I’m here to see my...Ophelia is one of the artists I’ve worked with,” you said nodding to where Ophelia waved to the crowd after closing the number.

“Really? She’s great. I like her vibe,” he said looking from you to her and then turning again to the bar where you both stood quiet for a moment.

“Yea she’s awesome. I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to work with her. I...I well I didn’t know when I could call just with everything happening. But I...thank you Chanyeol. I just. I was hoping I could tell you thank you at some point but-“

He shrugged, leaning against the bar which brought his posture lower and closer to you.

“I’m glad everything is ok. That you’re doing ok. How’s work? You loving it?” He asked and you nodded emphatically, refraining from spilling everything that you truly loved about your work. Would he really hear everything you had to say over the music, the conversation, the ambiance?

“So you’re here with Metaphysics? How is everything going? From the flyer it looks like you have a couple of artists performing tonight,” you said and smiled proudly at your mentioning of it.

“Yea things are going well there for me also,” he replied, the proud smile still on his lips as he watched you.

“That’s great. I’m so glad to hear that. I-”

“Ma’am your drinks,” the bartender interrupted, taping you lightly on the arm.

“Oh yes. Thank you,” you said turning back to the bar to finish out the transaction.

You looked back at Chanyeol who looked down at the tray she offered you, and thought you could see him counting the drinks.

“I’m here with Awinita and her boyfriend and a friend,” you blurted to which he raised his eyebrows.

“Oh? I wasn’t sure if you were here in a work capacity or…” he shrugged nonchalantly though his eyes roved from your face to something behind you. The open sun of his smile had dipped behind the shadow of an uncertain look.

You turned to see Hugh behind you, an unsuspecting smile on his face.

“Hey I thought you may need help carrying the drinks since you were taking awhile. You missed a lot of Ophelia’s set,” he chuckled in a friendly tone as he picked up the tray.

You turned again to see Chanyeol watching you, his expression closed.

And cold like that letter.

“I...Hugh this is Chanyeol. Chanyeol this is Hugh,” you didn’t understand why you didn’t introduce them both to one another as friends of yours. Hugh placed the tray back on the bar and reached a hand out to Chanyeol which Chanyeol received, his smile clipped.

“Hi I guess you also work for Aspire?” Hugh asked to which Chanyeol shook his head.

“No actually, I’m from Metaphysics. ______ and I know each other from another event,” Chanyeol stated simply, his eyes never leaving Hugh as he spoke to him.

Hugh nodded , unassuming and sweet.

“Well I’ll grab these then. You coming?” He asked you as he held the tray of drinks once more, his head tilted back towards the table where Awinita waited.

“Yea I…” you turned back to Chanyeol and saw the tempered heat in his eyes as he watched you.

“It was nice seeing you again. Enjoy the show,” you said, backing away to follow Hugh back to your table, noting that Chanyeol’s eyes did not leave yours until you turned away.

_______

“So what did you think of Hugh,” Awinita asked you on the phone as you drove back to your house.

You all had parted ways at the venue doors following the end of the festival performance. Hugh asked you out on a date for the following weekend to which you immediately said yes. Tobias and Awinita had waited until you parted ways and gotten safely into your cars before asking what you thought of the night’s events.

“He’s really sweet. Kind of a music nerd like me which is cool. He’s also beautiful. His hair, oh my god,” you gushed to Awinita who laughed aloud at your confessions.

“So you like him enough to see him for another date without all of us?” Tobias asked, and you heard a muffled “ouch” and figured that Awinita elbowed him.

“Yea I have to admit that I was a little nervous going out tonight. It’s just been awhile since I’ve been out. I just work each day and head home and don’t really go out to meet people. So tonight was just nice to meet people and-”

“Dance! Girl! I saw you and Hugh getting down out there. He thought he was moving but girl you were serving,” you both laughed aloud at that.

“Yea he was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to seeing him again,” you said as you pulled up to your house and turned off the ignition.

“Sounds good hun. Have you made it home?” Awinita asked, a pop and crackling of a soda can sounding in the background.

“Yea I am. You guys drive safely. Are you really far out of the city now? If you want you can always stay the night and just drive out in the morning,” you offered but knew that Tobias had to be to work in the morning.

“Next time love. We’ll see you next time,” Awinita promised.

“Ok. Well I love you both! Please call me when you make it in!” You asked and heard them return the sentiment before you hung up, hopped out of your car and froze at the sight of a hooded figure on your doorstep.

The shadowed person turned at the sound of the slam of your car door.

You felt a feverish chill break over your body as you stood.

Go, you have to go, go now! Now! Now! Your body screamed.

As quickly as you could, you ripped open your car’s door and slammed it shut just as the shadowed person raced towards your car, slapping the trunk as you sped away.

You drove blindly for an hour before stopping at a nearby elementary school to call your legal advisor.

“There was someone at my house. I couldn’t see their face or hair or hear their voice but I think they were about 5’8” to 5’9”. Very athletic build. They were dressed all in black and wore a hood. I drove closer to the downtown area and am at this elementary school,” you informed him, turning over your shoulder to look at the name of the school so you could share your location with him.  

“Ok. Please lock your door. Call the police. I will be there shortly,” he brusquely ended the call and you followed through on his instructions informing the police with as much information as you could possibly give them.

After calling you closed your eyes and pressed your phone to your chest, willing yourself to be calm and not to cry.

You can’t call Awinita to come back and stay with you.

Knowing Tobias they’re probably already there by now and he has to work in the morning.

Definitely cannot call Hugh.

Let the police clear the house first and then you can stay there tonight.

Don’t be afraid.

You repeated those instructions to yourself over and over and over until you heard a voice outside your car door.

“_____? ______ are you ok?”

“Chanyeol?” You gasped at his sudden appearance at your driver’s side window, breaking you of your calm concentration.

After opening the door, you stood in front of him, trembling.

“How-”

“I told Mr. Stone that if anything ever happened to you that he should call me immediately. I was just finishing up at the venue and he told me where you were. Are you ok?” He asked again, his eyes looking over you in a way that you felt a doctor would, checking for any signs of pain or trauma.

“I’m alright really. I got away and they weren’t following me. The police should be here shortly and then I’ll head back. Th-Thank you for coming,” you felt the quaking of your limbs increasing as the police arrived followed by Mr. Stone just as Chanyeol stepped closer. You were grateful for the distraction however.

They escorted you back to your home where you waited outside with Mr. Stone and Chanyeol both of whom stood before you as dragons, emitting gusts of hot air at the surrounding air as it blew around you.

After a fifteen minute walk through the police joined you where you waited on the opposite side of the street further down.

“Well ma’am we cannot find anyone source of entry or disturbance within the home. However what we can do is put a patrol on the house. Is there someone you can stay with-”

“Honestly I would prefer to stay at home. If it’s not too much to ask for a patrol for tonight, I would appreciate it,” you said dismissing the idea that you would go elsewhere.

No one if going to chase me away from here.

“Absolutely ma’am. If that’s your request. At the first sign of anything please give us a call,” he shook your hand as well as Mr. Stone and Chanyeol’s hands before walking back to his squad car parked in front of your house and radioed in the request.

Chanyeol’s familiar black Jeep was parked just behind his patrol car and Mr. Stone’s sleek BMW was parked behind your car on the opposite side of the street.

“I can stay with you if you want,” Mr. Stone offered and you took his hand gratefully in yours.

“I’ll be alright really. Thank you so much for coming. I’ll feel even more afraid if I stay somewhere else and then I won’t want to come back here. The patrol should be here any moment,” you said as Mr. Stone reached to hug you into his chest.

“If that is your will. As always I’m not too far away. I will call every hour until you retire to make sure that you are safe,” he departed with that statement after nodding to Chanyeol  and climbed into his BMW.

“Are you sure you don’t want someone to stay with you? I’ll sit outside for a little while if that’s ok too,” Chanyeol asked, pulling his keys from his jeans pocket as he moved towards his Jeep.

But you lifted a shaking hand, regretting that you had done so when you saw the way Chanyeol looked at you trembling there before him.

“I’m ok,” you insisted turning to head inside the house, hearing Chanyeol behind you.

“I’ll stay right out here in the car ok? Lock the door,” he said as you entered through the front door.

He closed the door behind you and you locked the door, crossing the floor to sit on your couch.

The quaking of your knees increased the longer you sat in silence, watching the clock on your kitchen wall ticking away the hour you spent frozen in place.

You are safe.

It’s ok.

It’s ok.

It’s-

*RIIIIING*

“H-hello?” You scrambled to pick up your cell phone you dropped at its sudden brash ringing and heard Chanyeol ask, “you doing ok? You haven’t moved from the living room. None of the other lights in the house are on.”

You cupped the phone to your ear, swallowing audibly.

“______?”

You swallowed past another dry patch in your throat.

“______?”

“I think Mr. Stone is calling,” you said as your other line beeped and you clicked over to hear Mr. Stone asking how you were.

“If you feel comfortable allowing Mr. Park into your home to sit with you, that may help you to move throughout the home and ready yourself to retire. If not, I can come by to stay with you,” his tone was doting in a way that made your quivering turn into inaudible sniffling.

“I may ask him inside. I thought I could go into the house and just get on with the night but it’s hard. I don’t want to call you back after you just drove home. I will ask Chanyeol inside. Good night Mr. Stone,” you said ending the call once he had said goodbye.

You clicked back over, shakily bringing the phone back to your ear.

“_______?”

“Chanyeol, please come inside,” you said, hearing how small your voice was in the echo of your dimly lit stucco home.

“Can you make it to the door to unlock it?” He seemed to be genuinely concerned or maybe you hoped he was. There wasn’t a hint of teasing in his voice or malice.

“Yes,” you stood and made it to the door, feeling your knees knocking as you heard his car door slam outside.

He met you at the door as you opened it, his phone still to his ear as you also held yours there, frozen.

The patrol car slowly cruised by on the street just beyond your door and Chanyeol turned to wave to them as they continued on their way.

“You ok?” He asked as you stepped back to allow him in and he closed the door behind you both.

“Yes. I’m...if you could just. I am going to walk through and take a shower. Please make yourself comfortable,” you said gesturing shakily to the couch as you walked back to your bedroom.

You knew the police had already walked through and that there was no one else there but the surreal quiet of your home that had always been filled with music at this hour of night was solidifying you in a petrified state.

Even a brisk warm shower didn’t ease your nerves.

You returned to your bedroom to change, hearing Chanyeol in the kitchen on the phone with someone.

“Yes we’re still not sure how this happened. How in the hell does someone randomly show up in the middle of the night and just disappear? There’s a patrol yea.”

You wondered for a brief insane moment if he had had anything to do with it and felt guilty for second guessing him.

But how could Chanyeol have appeared so suddenly?

This whole time he had known where you were but just hours ago he had acted like he didn’t know anything…

Was he in regular contact with Mr. Stone about your whereabouts  or did he really give you your space unless something bad happened to you?

You worried all the way out into the hall back to your kitchen where Chanyeol was seated on your living room sofa, the call finished, his head in his hands.

He looked up at the sound of your slippered feet trudging along the floor.

And the look in his eyes, the return of that bright sunny smile, stilled the tremors wracking your body.

“It’s ok, _______. We’ll figure this out,” he said, his tone steady as he looked at you.

Your cell phone that you had left on the coffee table chimed suddenly and Chanyeol reached for it, standing to bringing the phone to you.

You brought it to your ear as you asked, “hello?”

“Seems like you’re still breathing huh bitch?”

“Excuse me?” You asked, the feverish chill resurfacing.

“I am going to fucking kill you!” The garbled voice shouted and you pulled the phone from your ear, your stomach churning.

Chanyeol’s eyebrows were furrowed in concern at the way you shook but you brought the phone to your ear again.

“You cannot call me. You cannot be in touch with me,” you answered Liam, your ex boyfriend.

He chortled at the way you answered, as if he was glad that you knew exactly who it was without him identifying himself.

“Nah bitch how did you get that money?! Who the fuck are you fucking now?! Huh?! That was my fucking money bitch. You owe me! THAT WAS MINE!!” he continued to yell into the phone and as you lowered it Chanyeol reached for it but you snatched it from his grasp putting a finger to your lips.

You placed Liam on muted speaker phone, bringing his tirade to its climax.

Chanyeol frowned at the words he used and seemed furious with the idea that he had to remain quiet while he listened to Liam insult you over and over and over again. But you placed the phone down on the kitchen counter and walked around the counter to find the only house phone that you kept in the kitchen.

You dialed Mr. Stone and told him what you had rehearsed, “I have him on speaker phone. Are you available to record?”

You heard the snap of a button and Mr. Stone stonily replied, “we are recording. Once he finishes the call, allow him to hang up.”

You placed the phone on the counter alongside your cell where Liam continued to hurl obscenities at you and your family.

You stood looking at the phone now counting 10 minutes that had gone past of his ruthless anger.

You felt Chanyeol suddenly beside you and looked up to see him watching you as he had done all evening. His gaze was open and thoughtful as he suddenly asked, “do you want to sit down? I...can I get you anything?”

Hardly the questions you thought you would hear.

You sat on the sofa opposite him, exhausted.

He was quiet for a while as if he was waiting for you but you ignored the urge you had to say something.

It had been months since he had seen you and all this time that you spent hoping for reconciliation, thinking you had been parted with for your benefit, doing your best in attending your counseling services despite your inability to reasonably achieve closure without being able to see the two people left in your world who you needed closure from.

As you sat in silence, gradually descending into yourself, you felt in the midst of your exhaustion a stirring anger at the realization that he hadn’t been far from you at all. He had hidden himself from you in the familiarity of Mr. Stone who had seemed someone safe and removed. He had robbed you even of that.

“________…”

“Why do you keep messing with me, Chanyeol? Why are you here?” You heard yourself saying, despite the way your body had sunken into a fetal curve in the seat of your couch.

You saw him turn to look at you, his smile quivering in shock.

“I’m not here to mess with you ______. I’m here to-”

“Why are you here? Why did you help me?” You asked, seeing him turn so that he was facing you.

He watched you for a moment.

“Now you’re angry at me because I helped you when months ago you were asking me for help? I just wanted to make things right between us-”

“You don’t think that was weird? Acting like you didn’t know where I was and what my life has been like...have you known about Liam too? Have you been listening to these threats for months?” You heard the erratic trembling of your voice but at this moment, you would not stop yourself until you finished.

He took a breath to say something but you rose from the sofa.

“Is this some sick game to you? Do you make a habit of saving women so that you can swoop in and reap the benefits? I just...something about you and this whole thing isn’t right. I have no idea where you have been or how you have been. You just showed up. I have appreciated your help but I’m not going to sit here and have you judge me and my situation tonight. I am not going to entertain you anymore with my trauma,” you turned to walk towards the door to let him out and all at once he was standing to take your hand.

“________, wait. Please. I’m sorry...I-”

“I don’t want you here. I don’t want to do this again. Please leave me alone-”

Tears overcame you as you pulled yourself away from him.

“I’m tired of this. I’m so tired of this. All of you just leave me alone,” you hiccuped between unsteady breaths.

His expression was openly pained and sorry, his large brown eyes misting at the look of fear and indignation you gave him.

“_______. I’m sorry-” his voice cracked as you stepped away from him.

“I’ll go. If you want me to go I’ll go. I just wanted to make sure that you were ok. Really I promise you. I stayed away because I just...I’m not sure what I want. When we were trying to figure things out you weren’t ready and now...when I saw you tonight with that guy I thought-”

“But what does that have to do with anything? You didn’t ask me. You just assumed. You’ve been watching from the shadows like some creep and then suddenly when I’m doing better here you come to try again? Do you understand how fucking sick that is?” A scream was rising in you as he grabbed his phone from the coffee table and made to move past you.

“So you’re just going to walk away now? So that’s it? You have absolutely nothing to say?” You followed him to the door.

He stopped, his back tensing as he held the door knob in his hand.

You heard a “click crunch” of the handle as it turned in his hand.

You both took rasping inhales and exhales in turn, waiting the other out.

“I don’t want to fight-”

“Then what do you want?”

He turned to face you, his eyes red and his nostrils flared.

“I...I want you _____ but then…” he choked out his answer, his hands in fists at his sides.

“But then what? Why leave me in silence for months? Why did you help me? Why didn’t you just walk away?” You went on, though you knew it would have been better to be patient and wait for his response you didn’t give a damn at this point.

“I have been living in this false bubble for months. Months. My sister won’t speak to me. She won’t even let them update me about her progress. I moved away from my childhood home. I sold almost everything I could take pay back our debts. I lost...i lost my son-” you didn’t bite back the sobs that threatened to unsettle your grounded stance.

“I cannot do this anymore. This back and forth. I need the truth. I need peace. And if you’re not going to be part of that peace then just let me go Chanyeol. Please let me go-” you sobbed into your hands as you sunk to the floor.

You weren’t expecting him to catch you.

You hoped he would walk out the door and leave you to grieve alone.

You hoped he would allow you your space, finally.

But he moved swiftly to catch you where you fell, taking you into his arms.

It had been forever since you had been cradled against someone’s chest where you rested fully in their arms.

You remembered your father holding you and carrying you home after you fell from your bike in grade school.

You remembered crying into his shoulder as he told you, “you fell the first time so that you could learn how to stand up on your own next time. You’re my strong girl, you just don’t know it yet.”

Chanyeol carried you effortlessly down the hall and looked into each door until he found your bedroom.

He sat down with you still in his arms, letting out a deep breath as he turned to lay you down to rest on top of your sheets.

“Here. Just rest here,” he said, his eyes beginning to puff up no doubt from the tears in his eyes.

As you laid there, the height of your anger and the fevered race of your anxiety depleting you of the strength and the will to resist.

“I’ll just wait outside like I said. I’ll-” he began not looking at you as he awkwardly tried to help you tuck yourself into your bed though you were not turning your body to allow him to help you in.

You placed a hand on his arm, noting the depth of the tan that had settled in.

You remembered the tautness of his forearms, and the ripple of his veins.

He looked up at you as you placed your hand there.

And you saw the invitation.

You felt the fire of desire rising in the way he somehow leaned closer to you.

“Chanyeol…” you whimpered as he leaned closer and kissed your forehead.

He murmured your name like an incantation against the bridge of your nose.

His lips against yours sealed your fate.

[tsukiwrite]

☆ tsuki's writing corner

i am a writer! i write! i don't procrastinate at all and absolutely do all my wips!!!

feel free to request under 1k fics!

ao3 / aff / twitter

EXO

༺ Still Into You chanyeol / jongin 【 M 】

In which Jongin and Chanyeol have been dating for a really long time.

# fem!jongin # established relationship # fluff # non-graphic smut

༺ You're Just Like Christmas Day baekhyun & chen 【 T 】

Jongdae schemes a plan to get back at Baekhyun after he pulled a prank, but the prank Jongdae comes up with isn't only internationally embarrassing, but a test.

# canon # idols # christmas

༺ Stupid Cupid baekhyun / chen 【 T 】 ( DISCONTINUED )

Baekhyun and Jongdae wake up one day to find they are descendants of Cupid, and to go along with Cupid's wishes, they must have their friends fall in love, and in the process, they fall in love with each other.

# university au # cupid au # matchmaking # friends to lovers

༺ Arizona 17:12 chanyeol / jongin 【 G 】

Chanyeol finds himself lost in Arizona, though he doesn't know why, and doesn't know how he got here...

# exodus / pathcode # mythology undertones # tw: fire

༺ didn't expect our first time to be during an apocalypse baekhyun / kyungsoo 【 G 】

Sure, a fantasy of Kyungsoo's was to have his crush Byun Baekhyun in his room and in his bed but the only problem here is his there is an apocalypse going on outside. What fun.

# paranorman au # ghosts / poltergeists # zombie apocalypse

༺ tales of the greenhouse luhan / jongdae 【 G 】

Being the town's apothecary, Luhan was expected to keep up the garden. With orders flowing in every day, he had been agonizing over the very messy notes Minseok had left him. But try as he might, the plants were slowly but surely dying, and it was only May.

One of his regulars, Baekhyun, with his beautiful elven mind, had remembered that Luhan's neighbour is a garden fae. Luhan was desperate at this point, so talking to his gorgeous and very intimidating neighbour was something he was just going to have to do.

# elves & fae # magic # fantasy

༺ lunch for the soft heart chanyeol / jongin 【 T 】

Perhaps Jongin's new and temporary job as a secretary is too good to be true, so when he gets free lunches everyday from an anonymous "Chanyeol", Jongin is almost 100% sure he is being slowly poisoned.

# office au # single dad chanyeol # comedy

༺ blood soup for the vampire soul yixing / sehun 【 M 】

Something stirred in Yixing, and he woke up, practically hissing at the sunlight that came in through the curtains.

Sehun was almost definitely sure he's a vampire.

Or, Sehun is an idiot who watches too much Twilight and Yixing has bad drinking habits.

# vampires (kinda) # comedy # drunkeness # crack-ish

LOONA

༺ divine jungeun / heejin 【 G 】

An upcoming war is looming over Anool’s head and Princess Heejin is given the duty to seal the evil. She is struggling with unlocking her power and feeling inferior is a given. What doesn’t help is that she is given a personal knight, who is too caring for Heejin’s liking.

# botw/legend of zelda au # royalty au

OTHER

༺ the heir jongin / soojung & seulgi / sehun 【 T 】

Following an alternate version of what we know and love to be Hogwarts, Kim Jongin, Kang Seulgi, Jung Soojung, and Oh Sehun are faced with the everlasting classism and prejudice against each house. The Gryffindor, the mighty and the annoying within the castle create conflict and take advantage of their long-winning House and Quidditch Cup. The other houses are not as rambunctious and hearty, though when a surprising attack on the Gryffindor that point fingers all towards the Slytherin house, it is up to the Head Boy Jongin and Head Girl Soojung, as well as the house representatives, Seulgi and Sehun, to figure out who attacked Gryffindor and why.

# hogwarts / hp!au # school # magic

~ and more to be added ~

[lufancy]

Old masterlist

Author’s note: This is a masterlist for my old (and cringeworthy) scenarios, I don’t like any of these anymore (most of these I wrote yeaaars ago) but I won’t delete them in case there are people who really want to re-read them (you really shouldn’t though). 

New masterlist

Luhan Notebooks // (1) / (2) / (3) // High School!AU The Confession (M) Longing // Wolf!AU Fight me ft. Jongin // High School!AU

Baekhyun Pups // ft. Chanyeol Sehun Hazardous // Mafia!AU Smile Come On.. Give Into Me // Bodyguard!AU Psychosis //  Psycho!AU  

Jongin King’s Cross // Pathcode!AU Fight me ft. Luhan // High School!AU  

Yixing Vodka & Roses

Chanyeol No More & (Sequel)   The Job // Assasin!AU Regret // Rocker!AU Impulsive

Optional bias Baby Baby (Sequel)

Exo drabbles

[fuckyeahexofics]

Are there any fics that are in a modern setting with their mama superpowers please?

181109Hi anon! Have you checked out our mama!au tag? Most of them are in modern settings.. here are some taken from the tag.. 

burning for you (Minseok/ Chanyeol, PG)  Catch Me (Baekhyun/ Jongin, R)Conductive (Junmyeon/ Jongdae, NC-17)currents (Junmyeon/ Jongdae, PG)Like Boom Boom (Jongin/ Sehun, PG)Lowlights (Baekhyun/ Jongin, NC-17)Modern Flame (Baekhyun/ Chanyeol, NC-17)Revolution > Retribution (Luhan/ Sehun, NC-17, trigger warnings)taken by the storm (Kyungsoo/ Sehun, PG)the stars in your eyes(Baekhyun/ Jongin, PG)Used To Light Up The Dark (Baekhyun/ Jongin, R)Warmth (Minseok/ Chanyeol, PG)Where there is Light, the Warmth will Follow(Baekhyun/ Chanyeol, PG)YOU GET ME (ALL HOT AND ELECTRIC) (Jongdae/ Chanyeol, NC-17)You Make Me Hot (Chanyeol/ Kyungsoo, NC-17)

- cat