#scoups x female reader

[mirisss]

Monstrous Love

Werewolf! Choi Seungcheol x afab! human reader

Warnings: Obessession, possessiveness, some violence, biting, blood, Stockholm syndrome, mentioning suspicion of being r*ped (though not using that word), I think that’s it, let me know if I’ve missed anything. 

Wordcount ≈ 7.8k

Halloween special, thank you to everyone who voted for the Halloween specials, first place was Scoups so here you have his fic! I hope you all enjoy this! 

Please reblog! 

Third Person POV 

(Y/n) had always liked the woods, especially when the skies turned heavy with rain. Something about the quiet rustle of leaves, the distant call of birds, and the cool breeze always made her feel at peace. But today, the dark clouds above seemed more threatening than soothing. The air was thick with the promise of a storm, and the usually familiar path through the woods felt foreign, almost foreboding.

As she hurried along, clutching her cloak tighter around her, she noticed the wind picking up. The first droplets of rain splattered against her skin. She quickened her pace, her heart racing not just from the fear of the incoming storm but something else—a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach, as though she were being watched.

Suddenly, a branch snapped behind her. She froze.

The rain came down harder, her surroundings quickly being swallowed by the downpour. She spun on her heels, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes scanned the misty forest.

Nothing.

Just the trees and the rain.

With a shaky exhale, she turned to continue her path back to town, but in her haste, she collided into something solid. She stumbled back, her breath hitching as she looked up.

There he was.

The man from the woods.

His towering figure loomed over her, water dripping from his tousled dark hair. His eyes—those notorious red eyes that had haunted the stories whispered around town—pierced through her, sending a chill down her spine. He didn’t speak, and yet his presence screamed of danger, of something ancient and wild.

Scoups.

The name everyone feared. The man—the creature—who lived in the woods, shrouded in mystery. Most people avoided these parts in the hopes of never crossing paths with him, but now, here he was, mere inches from (Y/n).

Her legs felt like they might give way beneath her as she stared up at him. Fear clawed at her throat, yet she couldn’t look away. His features were sharp, rugged—beautiful, in a terrifying way. And though his face was cold, there was something else in his expression. Something she couldn’t quite place.

And then, before she could gather her wits to run or speak, he moved closer, his hand reaching toward her face, his fingers just barely brushing her cheek. The touch was surprisingly gentle, but his eyes remained fixed on hers, burning with an intensity that made her shiver.

“I’ve found you,” he whispered, his voice low and rough, as if it had been trapped inside him for far too long.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

“What do you mean?” (Y/n) stammered, her voice barely a whisper as the rain fell harder around them.

His lips curled into the faintest of smiles, though it held no warmth. “You’re mine.”

(Y/n)’s breath caught. “I-I don’t understand,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the storm.

“I’ve waited so long,” Scoups said, his voice almost a growl now, but his eyes softened just a little. “And now that I’ve found you… I’m never letting you go.”

(Y/n)’s heart raced in her chest, pounding so loudly she could barely hear the rain or the wind anymore. Fear surged through her veins as Scoups’ words echoed in her mind: “You’re mine.”

She couldn’t think—couldn’t breathe. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to get away from him, this creature who wasn’t fully human, whose presence made the hair on her arms stand on end. Stories of his monstrous nature, of his cruelty, flashed through her mind. Every ounce of her wanted to scream, but the terror strangled her voice.

Without another thought, (Y/n) turned on her heel and bolted. She didn’t know where she was running to—only that she needed to get as far from him as possible.

Her feet pounded against the muddy forest floor, the rain lashing against her face, blurring her vision. The wind whipped at her cloak as she pushed through the dense trees. She didn’t dare look back, but she could feel him. Every step she took, it felt as though he was there, just behind her, his presence as heavy as the storm clouds above.

How was he always so close?

Her chest burned from exertion, her legs growing weak with each step. Yet, no matter how fast she ran or which direction she turned, it was as though the woods were conspiring against her. Every path seemed to lead her back toward him, his red eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

Panic seized her heart. She was trapped.

She stumbled, her foot catching on an exposed root, and she went crashing to the ground. Her palms stung as they scraped against the wet earth, but she scrambled to her feet. Her body screamed for rest, but her mind knew she couldn’t stop. Not here. Not now. She had to keep running, but the world was spinning, her vision blurring as the storm worsened.

And then, as if the rain itself had swallowed her will to keep fighting, she felt her body give out. Her legs buckled beneath her, and everything went black.

~ Time Skip ~ 

Scoups stood by the window, his eyes locked on the unconscious figure sprawled on his bed. The rain still poured outside, drumming against the roof in a steady, relentless rhythm. But his mind was focused entirely on her—on the delicate girl who had collapsed in his arms, drenched and trembling.

(Y/n).

She looked fragile lying there, her face pale from exhaustion, her chest rising and falling in slow, shallow breaths. His sharp eyes traced the scratches and bruises marring her skin—marks she had earned trying to escape him. The guilt stirred in him, but it was nothing compared to the primal need coursing through his veins.

His mate. After years of searching, after endless nights of running through the woods, driven by the emptiness in his chest, he had finally found her.

She was beautiful, even now—especially now. The way the firelight danced across her face made his breath catch. Her wet hair clung to her skin, and her clothes, still damp from the storm, stuck to her body in a way that made it impossible for him to look away.

His instincts roared within him. The wolf inside him stirred, restless, urging him to claim what was his, to mark her and make sure no one could ever take her from him. The need to protect her, to possess her, surged with every breath. Her scent—a soft, intoxicating sweetness that seemed to wrap around his very soul—drove him mad.

His claws flexed at his sides as he fought against the surge of desire that threatened to consume him. His entire body ached for her, pulsed with a hunger he hadn’t felt in years. He wanted to pull her into his arms, bury his face in her neck, and let the world fade away. He wanted to feel her skin against his, to know that she was his, that she would never leave him.

But he couldn’t.

Not like this.

Scoups’ jaw tightened as he forced himself to take a step back from the bed, putting distance between them. He clenched his fists, trying to ground himself, trying to remember who he was—what he was. She didn’t know yet. She didn’t understand the bond, the connection that had been forged the moment they met.

She didn’t know how deeply tied to him she already was.

His eyes flickered to her scars, fresh and raw from her fall in the woods. He hadn’t meant to frighten her so badly, but the way she had looked at him—like he was some kind of monster—it had triggered something primal in him. His wolf had wanted to chase, to show her that no matter how fast she ran, he would always find her.

But seeing her now, so fragile and vulnerable, he felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t deserve this. He was a predator, a beast, and she… she was so delicate, like a flower he was afraid to crush with just a touch.

Still, even with the guilt gnawing at the edges of his conscience, he couldn’t deny the overwhelming pull he felt toward her. She was his mate. He had waited so long for this—for her. And now that she was here, the thought of letting her go, of letting anyone or anything take her from him, was unbearable.

I could lose control, he thought darkly, his eyes narrowing as he watched her. The wolf inside him was howling for release, clawing at his restraint. He could feel his pulse quicken, the veins in his neck tightening as he struggled to maintain his composure. Each second he inhaled her scent, his grip on his humanity slipped further.

She stirred slightly, her head moving against the pillow, and his heart raced. He took a sharp breath, watching her with rapt attention. Even unconscious, she had a power over him that no one else ever had. The firelight reflected off the delicate curve of her jaw, the soft rise and fall of her chest—she was beautiful, maddeningly so.

His hand twitched, aching to reach out, to trace his fingers over her skin, to claim what was his by right. But he held back, forcing himself to turn away, to focus on the storm outside instead of the storm brewing inside him.

He couldn’t lose control. Not yet.

She would wake soon, and when she did, she would be terrified again. He knew she didn’t understand the bond, didn’t feel the same pull he did—not yet, at least. She was human. Fragile. He needed to be patient, to give her time to come to terms with what they were.

But each second, each minute that passed with her lying there, vulnerable and unaware, made it harder and harder to hold back the beast within him.

She’s mine, he reminded himself, the thought both a comfort and a curse. He would protect her, care for her, but he couldn’t deny that his desire ran deeper than simple protection.

His wolf wanted more.

It wanted her—body, soul, everything.

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, trying to silence the growl building in his throat. He would wait. He would hold back. For her sake. For now.

But the moment she looked into his eyes again, the moment she finally understood that she belonged to him, there would be no holding back.

And no force on earth would keep him from claiming what was his.

When (Y/n) woke, the first thing she noticed was warmth.

Not the suffocating heat of the storm, but a gentle, comforting warmth, like being wrapped in a blanket near a fire. She stirred slightly, feeling something soft beneath her. She blinked, her vision hazy, as the memories of the rain, the chase, and—him—came rushing back.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she was greeted by the sight of a dimly lit room. The air smelled faintly of pine, woodsmoke, and something earthy. She was lying on a large, well-worn bed, covered in thick furs. The room around her was rustic—wooden walls lined with books and various trinkets that looked handmade. A fire crackled softly in a hearth across the room, casting a flickering glow on the walls.

Her pulse quickened as she tried to sit up, but her body felt heavy, exhausted from her ordeal. As she shifted, she realized she wasn’t alone.

He was there.

Seungcheol—Scoups—stood near the window, his back to her as he stared out into the dark woods beyond. His broad shoulders were tense, as though he was deep in thought, yet his aura filled the entire room with an intensity that made her feel small.

For a moment, she wondered if she should pretend to still be unconscious. But before she could even consider it, he turned, his piercing red eyes locking onto hers.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice low, a strange mix of relief and something darker.

(Y/n) recoiled slightly, her heart pounding once more. “Where… where am I?” she managed to ask, her voice small and shaky.

“My home,” he replied simply, moving closer with a fluid grace that reminded her all too much of a predator. “You collapsed in the woods. I brought you here.”

She shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze. “Why?” she whispered, still half-expecting him to lunge at her, to take whatever it was he wanted.

Scoups’ eyes softened, though only just. “Because,” he said slowly, as though weighing each word, “you’re my mate.”

The word sent a shiver down her spine. She had heard of such things in stories—creatures who bound themselves to another, a connection deeper than human understanding. But she never imagined it would happen to her, let alone with someone like him.

“I’m not… I’m not your mate,” (Y/n) stammered, pushing herself back against the headboard, her hands trembling. “I don’t even know you.”

A shadow passed over Scoups’ face, his expression hardening. “You will,” he said, his voice firm but not unkind. “Whether you realize it yet or not, you’re mine. You belong to me.”

(Y/n) shook her head, fear rising again. “I don’t belong to anyone.”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he stepped back, giving her space, though his eyes never left hers. “Rest,” he said. “You’re safe here. No one will harm you while you’re under my protection.”

But the way he said it made her realize one terrifying truth: the greatest danger in these woods might just be him.

(Y/n) stirred as the cold seeped into her bones, a shiver running down her spine despite the warmth of the fire nearby. Her clothes clung to her damp skin, her hair still wet from the storm. She curled into herself, trying to get warm, but it was no use. The icy chill seemed to creep deeper with every second. Her mind was groggy, her body exhausted, but slowly, the sounds around her became clearer—the crackle of the fire, the low howl of the storm outside.

Her pulse quickened as she tried to assess her situation. She was still in her clothes, which brought a strange sense of relief. He hadn’t… She swallowed, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Despite the fear gnawing at her, it didn’t seem like he had done anything to harm her while she was unconscious.

But the cold was unbearable, and her soaked clothes made it worse. She shivered again, her teeth nearly chattering as she pulled the blankets tighter around her.

That’s when she heard him.

Scoups moved before she could even register it, his form a blur of shadow in the corner of the room. His eyes, sharp and glowing red in the dim light, were immediately on her, taking in her discomfort. For a moment, she held her breath, too terrified to speak or move.

Without a word, he turned and left the room. The door closed softly behind him, leaving her in an eerie silence.

(Y/n) let out a shaky breath, her body trembling not only from the cold but from the tension that hung in the air. The sound of the storm outside only seemed to amplify her unease, but before she could try to gather her thoughts, the door creaked open again. Scoups returned, holding a bundle of clothes in his hands. His movements were fluid, almost too graceful, like a predator stalking its prey.

He crossed the room with a measured, deliberate pace, stopping in front of her. His face was unreadable, that same icy stare locked on her, but there was something softer about his demeanor now—something almost… concerned? She couldn’t tell, but the intensity of his presence still made her heart race.

“Get up,” he said, his voice deep and commanding.

(Y/n) froze, her fingers clenching the blankets around her as she met his gaze. She hesitated, unsure of what he wanted, unsure if she should trust him. The fear of what he could do—what he was—kept her rooted in place.

But there was no defying him. Not with those eyes, not with the raw power that radiated from him.

Still, her body screamed at her to move. To do as he said. Her fear was overwhelming, and in the silence that followed, she knew that resisting would be futile.

Slowly, she pushed herself up from the bed, her legs trembling as she stood. She could feel his gaze on her, watching her every movement, and it made her skin crawl with unease. The distance between them felt like a fragile thread, one that could snap at any moment.

He handed her the clothes—a set of soft, dry garments, likely his own, judging by their size. She stared at them, confused for a moment, unsure of why he was giving them to her.

“Your clothes are wet,” Scoups said simply, his voice still firm but lacking the harshness she had expected. “Take a shower. Change into these.”

She blinked, looking from the clothes to him, her mind racing. She didn’t want to make a mistake, didn’t want to provoke him, but this… was unexpected. It felt oddly kind, though his cold demeanor made it hard to decipher his true intentions.

Still, she nodded, too afraid to refuse. Without another word, he turned and led her down a narrow hallway. The walls were lined with rustic wood, and she noticed how quiet the house was despite the storm raging outside. He stopped in front of a door and pushed it open, revealing a small but cozy bathroom. Steam already lingered in the air, as though he had prepared it for her.

“Go,” he said, his tone flat, though his gaze lingered on her for just a moment longer than she was comfortable with. “Take your time.”

(Y/n) hesitated at the threshold of the bathroom, feeling the warmth of the room on her skin. She glanced up at him, her heart thudding in her chest. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something she couldn’t quite place. A strange softness hidden beneath the cold exterior.

She stepped inside, clutching the clothes close to her chest, and shut the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment. Her breath came out in shaky gasps as she tried to calm her nerves. The warm air from the shower beckoned her, and she could feel the tension begin to melt away as the thought of warmth enveloped her.

Turning toward the shower, she carefully peeled off her soaked clothes, shivering as the cold air hit her skin. She stepped under the hot spray, feeling the water wash over her, the warmth sinking deep into her bones. The tension in her muscles began to ease, though her mind was still racing, still haunted by the reality of where she was—and who was just outside.

But as the water cascaded over her, she allowed herself a moment to breathe. Just a moment to process everything.

Who was this man—this monster—that terrified her, yet showed her a kind of care she never expected? And why did his touch, his presence, evoke such confusing feelings in her?

I don’t belong here… she thought, but even as she said it, she couldn’t shake the strange pull that lingered in the air between them.

She knew she had to be careful. She couldn’t let herself be swayed by his momentary kindness. He was still dangerous, still the creature from the stories. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized… there was something else about him, something deeper.

Something that scared her more than the monster he was.

Scoups paced by the fire, his hands flexing and curling into fists as he waited for her to emerge. His mind raced, battling the primal instincts that surged within him. The wolf inside him had been restless for hours, growling and pacing within the confines of his mind, and the sound of the shower running only made it worse. The knowledge that she was just beyond the door—his mate, naked and vulnerable, surrounded by his scent—was driving him mad.

He closed his eyes, trying to focus on something else, anything else, but the pull was relentless. His beast stirred, clawing at his control, demanding more than just her presence. It wanted her body, her blood, her soul. It wanted to claim her in every possible way. But Scoups was stronger than that—he had to be.

When the sound of the water finally stopped, he held his breath, listening as she moved about in the bathroom. The seconds felt like hours, and his heart thudded in his chest as he waited. When the door creaked open and she stepped out, he turned to face her, his breath catching in his throat.

She was wearing his clothes.

The oversized shirt hung loosely on her small frame, the sleeves falling past her wrists, and the trousers bunched at her ankles. Yet despite how large the clothes were on her, she looked… perfect. His scent clung to her now, and that alone was enough to make his blood boil with possessiveness. The sight of her, wrapped in his scent, in his clothes, awakened something deep within him.

Mine.

His inner beast roared in approval, but it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough until his mark was permanently branded on her shoulder, until her skin bore the evidence of their bond. His wolf wanted to taste her blood, to feel her body beneath his, writhing in submission. The hunger burned deep, almost unbearable, and for a moment, he wondered if he could hold himself back much longer.

But he had to.

He had spent so long without her—waiting, searching—that he couldn’t risk scaring her away. Not when she was so close, not when she was finally within his grasp.

He clenched his jaw, trying to wrestle his emotions into submission, but the moment their eyes met, he knew it was a losing battle. She looked so small, so fragile in his clothes, her wet hair falling in soft strands around her face. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes wide and uncertain as she stared back at him. She was scared—he could see it in the way she trembled slightly, in the way her hands clutched the fabric of the shirt.

But she didn’t run.

And that was all the permission he needed.

Before he could think, before he could stop himself, he crossed the room in a few swift strides, his heart pounding in his chest. She took a small step back, her breath catching, but she didn’t move away fully. His hand reached out instinctively, his fingers brushing against her cheek, tracing the soft curve of her skin. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t pull away, even as his thumb stroked gently across her skin.

Her warmth—her softness—sent a shiver down his spine.

“Scoups…” she whispered, her voice barely audible, filled with fear, confusion, and something else—something she likely didn’t understand yet.

He leaned in, his eyes never leaving hers as he closed the distance between them. His beast stirred, impatient, demanding more, but he forced it back, knowing he couldn’t rush this. Not yet. Instead, he focused on her, on the way her breath quickened, the way her body tensed and relaxed under his touch.

His lips found hers in a slow, deliberate kiss.

The moment their lips met, the world seemed to shift around him. The kiss was gentle, almost hesitant, but the intensity of it overwhelmed him. Her lips were soft, warm, and he could feel her tremble beneath his touch. But it wasn’t fear this time—at least, not entirely. He could feel the way her body responded, the subtle tension in her muscles, the way her breath hitched as the kiss deepened, though he kept it restrained.

It was everything he had imagined, everything he had craved for so long, but at the same time, it was far more than that. It wasn’t just about satisfying the beast inside him—it was something more primal, something more intimate. His hand moved from her cheek to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her damp hair as he pulled her closer.

Her scent filled his senses, and he could taste the lingering sweetness of her skin. It was intoxicating, making it harder and harder to hold back. His wolf growled in approval, wanting to take more, wanting to mark her, to make her his in every way possible. But he couldn’t—he wouldn’t. Not yet.

He pulled back, though every fiber of his being screamed at him to continue. His eyes searched hers, seeing the way she was still reeling from the kiss. Her lips were slightly swollen, her cheeks flushed, and the way she looked at him made something inside him tighten. She had never experienced anything like this before—he could tell from the way she seemed overwhelmed, unsure of how to process the emotions coursing through her.

(Y/n) stared up at him, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to catch her breath. She looked confused, frightened, but there was also something else in her eyes—a spark of something that mirrored his own desire, though she likely didn’t understand it.

Scoups’ thumb grazed her lower lip, and he couldn’t resist leaning in again, his voice low and rough as he spoke. “You’re mine,” he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. “Whether you realize it or not, you belong to me.”

She shivered at his words, her eyes wide, but he could see the conflict in them—the way she was torn between fear and something deeper. Something that made her hesitate, that made her stay in his arms instead of running away.

For now, it was enough.

But the beast inside him growled, unsatisfied. The kiss had only stoked the fire within him, and it wouldn’t be truly sated until he had her, fully and completely. Until his mark was on her skin and until she bore the symbol of their bond.

But he would wait.

For her sake, he would wait. Or at least, he would try to. 

Scoups exhaled sharply as he finally forced himself to pull away from her. His breath was ragged, his heart pounding, and the beast inside him was still roaring, furious that he had denied it once again. His eyes glowed brighter than ever, their usual icy red hue flaring with intensity. It took every ounce of his willpower to step back, to regain some semblance of control over the monster that clawed within him.

But when he looked down at her, he froze.

(Y/n) stood there, her eyes wide, lips still parted from their kiss, her body trembling as if it couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. She was in a trance—bewildered, overwhelmed by the force of it all. He could see it in the way her chest heaved, the way her skin flushed, and for a moment, he wondered if he had gone too far. Had he pushed her beyond what she could handle?

Her gaze lifted to meet his, and as their eyes locked, Scoups felt a pull so strong it nearly dragged him under again. His beast growled possessively, wanting more, urging him to take her fully, to claim her now and forever. But something stopped him—the way she stared at him, fragile, vulnerable, as though she were seeing him for the first time.

And then, without warning, her legs gave out beneath her.

Scoups moved instantly, catching her before she could hit the ground. She collapsed into his arms, her body limp as if the weight of everything had become too much. His eyes widened in alarm, his previous resolve cracking as concern flooded his senses.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice no longer cold, no longer distant. His heart clenched painfully as he held her close, his glowing eyes fading back into their natural deep brown, softening with worry. He knelt beside her, one hand supporting her back while the other brushed her hair from her face. The sight of her, fragile and overwhelmed, pierced through his hardened exterior in a way nothing else ever had.

For the first time in longer than he could remember, he felt… human.

Her breathing was shallow, her lips slightly parted, but she didn’t seem to be in pain—just overwhelmed. The way she had collapsed, her body giving in after everything that had happened between them, sent a surge of guilt through him. He had scared her. He had pushed too hard, too fast, and now she was paying the price for it.

“Are you hurt?” he asked again, his voice deep but gentle, unlike the icy tone he usually carried. He could hear the worry in his own words, feel the unfamiliar sensation of it tightening in his chest. He wasn’t used to feeling this way, wasn’t used to caring about anyone—but she was different. She was his mate.

And he had almost forgotten that she was human.

His hand lingered on her cheek, stroking it softly as her eyes fluttered closed. For a moment, he just held her there, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what to do. He had never been in a situation like this before—his beast had never allowed anyone close enough for it to matter. But now, with her in his arms, all the ferocity inside him softened into something protective, something far more terrifying than his usual coldness.

He could hurt her so easily, with just one wrong move. His beast could break her without a second thought, and yet here she was, collapsing from the mere intensity of their connection.

She’s too delicate… too fragile for this world.

His fingers brushed along her neck, feeling the soft pulse beneath her skin. She was still conscious, but barely, and the thought of her vulnerability sent a strange kind of fear coursing through him. It wasn’t like the fear he instilled in others—it was something else entirely. It was fear of losing her. Fear of breaking her.

Scoups’ jaw clenched as he struggled to contain the warring emotions inside him. He wanted to claim her, to take her in every sense of the word, but he knew he had to wait. He had to be careful with her. She wasn’t like him—she wasn’t a monster, she wasn’t built for the dark, primal world he lived in.

But she was his.

“Talk to me,” he whispered, his thumb grazing her lower lip as he searched her face for any sign of consciousness. “Tell me what you’re feeling. I need to know if I’ve hurt you.”

Her eyes slowly opened, though they were still heavy with exhaustion and confusion. She blinked up at him, as though trying to make sense of what had just happened. Her breath hitched when she saw the change in his expression—the softness in his features, the warmth in his eyes. He wasn’t the terrifying creature she had feared. Not in this moment.

“I-I’m not hurt…” she mumbled weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just… overwhelmed.”

Scoups let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, relief washing over him like a wave. He shifted slightly, pulling her more securely into his arms, cradling her against his chest. Her head rested against him, and for the first time, he didn’t feel like a monster. He felt like something more—something better—because she was there, trusting him despite everything.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, his voice low and filled with a rare sincerity. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just…”

He trailed off, unsure of how to explain the storm of emotions raging inside him. How could he tell her that he had been waiting for her all his life? That the moment he had laid eyes on her, his entire world had shifted? That his beast, the creature he had lived with for so long, was clawing at him to claim her, to mark her, to make her his forever?

But he couldn’t say any of that. Not yet.

Instead, he gently lifted her in his arms and stood, carrying her back toward the bed. She didn’t resist, too weak and dazed to do anything but rest her head against his chest. He laid her down carefully, pulling the blankets over her before sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her closely.

“I’ll give you space,” he murmured, his voice hoarse as he stood up and backed away, his eyes never leaving hers. “But just know… you’re safe here. With me.”

He turned to leave, his heart heavy, but before he could take more than a step, her voice, small and uncertain, stopped him.

“Why?” she asked, her eyes fluttering open again. “Why are you doing this?”

Scoups froze, his back to her, his mind racing as he tried to come up with an answer. He didn’t know how to explain it—not in a way that wouldn’t scare her more. But he owed her the truth, even if it was a truth she wasn’t ready to hear.

“Because you’re mine,” he said, his voice low, filled with a possessiveness that he couldn’t fully mask. “And I don’t let go of what’s mine.”

“What if I don’t want to be yours?” 

The words hit him like a thunderclap, reverberating in his mind with a force so intense, he almost couldn’t process them.

What if I don’t want to be yours?

Her voice, soft and hesitant, carried a weight that shattered whatever fragile control he had left. Scoups froze, his back still turned to her, his mind spinning. For a split second, he thought he must have misheard, that her exhaustion had made her say something she didn’t mean.

But no. She had said it.

And the instant those words sank in, something inside him snapped.

His muscles tensed, his heartbeat quickened, and the beast he had been fighting back for so long surged forward with a ferocity he hadn’t felt in years. He didn’t want to be this way—he had tried to be gentle, to hold back, to give her time—but the thought of her rejecting him after the kiss they had just shared, after the connection they had just felt… it drove him mad.

The room suddenly felt too small, too suffocating, as his beast clawed its way to the surface, breaking through the control he had so desperately tried to maintain. His eyes glowed a furious red, brighter than ever before, and his fangs grew, sharp and menacing, protruding past his lips.

“You don’t want to be mine?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. The sound of it sent a shiver through the air, thick with a primal, animalistic rage. “You think you have a choice?”

The question wasn’t a real one. There was no choice. She had been his from the moment their paths had crossed, from the moment he had first laid eyes on her. His beast would never let her go, not now, not ever.

Scoups turned slowly, his predatory gaze locked onto her, the red glow of his eyes flickering like embers in the dark. He took a step toward her, then another, his movements slow, deliberate, like a predator stalking its prey. His muscles rippled beneath his skin, taut with tension, and his breaths came in ragged bursts as his wolf fully surfaced, taking control.

(Y/n)’s eyes widened in terror. She scrambled backward, her legs trembling as she tried to get away from him, her body reacting instinctively to the danger she sensed in him now. But she was no match for him, not in this state. The fear in her eyes only fueled his desire, only made the wolf within him more desperate to claim her, to show her that there was no escape.

She turned, bolting toward the door in a panic, but he was faster—so much faster.

In a flash, he was in front of her, blocking her path. His movements were a blur of speed and power, and before she could even register what was happening, she found herself pressed against the wall, trapped. Her breath came in frantic gasps, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried, futilely, to push him away.

“Running?” he snarled, his voice deeper, more primal now. His glowing eyes bore into hers, filled with a possessiveness that bordered on madness. “You think you can run from me? From this?”

Her body trembled under the weight of his presence, and though she struggled against him, her efforts were useless. His hand gripped her wrist, holding her in place, while his other hand pressed against the wall beside her, trapping her completely. His chest rose and fell with labored breaths, the tension between them crackling like the storm outside.

The scent of her fear filled the air, mixing with the rain-drenched scent of her skin, and it only drove him further into a frenzy. His fangs ached, his body yearned to claim her, and the wolf within him growled impatiently, demanding what was rightfully his.

“You’re mine,” he hissed, his voice barely above a whisper, but the intensity in it was unmistakable. His face was inches from hers now, his breath hot against her skin. “Whether you want it or not.”

Before she could utter another word, his fangs sank into the soft flesh of her neck.

The moment his teeth broke the surface of her skin, a surge of raw power coursed through him. Her blood—sweet, intoxicating—flooded his senses, and his grip on her tightened as he bit down harder, marking her as his. She gasped in pain, her body stiffening in his arms, but there was nothing she could do. She was his now.

Forever.

His bite was deep, primal, the mark of a mate claimed by a wolf. It wasn’t just physical—it was a bond that would tie them together for eternity, something far beyond anything she could understand. His beast reveled in it, finally sated by the act of claiming what was his. The taste of her blood on his tongue, the feel of her body trembling against him—it was everything he had needed, everything he had been denied for so long.

But as the heat of the moment began to subside, Scoups realized something was wrong.

Her body had gone limp in his arms, her head slumping against his chest as her consciousness began to fade. He had pushed too hard, too fast, and now she was slipping away. Panic surged through him as he pulled back, his glowing red eyes widening in alarm. Her skin was pale, her breath shallow, and the sight of her in this state—so fragile, so vulnerable—sent a wave of guilt crashing over him.

He had hurt her.

“Y/n…” His voice trembled, the harshness from moments ago gone, replaced by something far more desperate. He cradled her in his arms, his fangs retracting, his eyes dimming back to their natural brown as the beast retreated. He had claimed her, marked her as his, but in doing so, he had nearly destroyed her.

The guilt was overwhelming.

“Y/n…” he whispered again, his voice breaking as he gently brushed the hair from her face. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

Her eyes fluttered closed, her body limp and unresponsive in his arms. He could hear her heartbeat—faint, but steady—and it was the only thing that kept him from completely losing control again.

He carried her to the bed, laying her down gently, his hands trembling as he watched her sleep. She would heal—his mark would see to that—but the damage he had done was undeniable. She had feared him, and rightfully so.

But now, there was no going back.

She was his, bound to him by blood and soul, and nothing in this world could break that bond.

Not even her fear.

~ Time Skip ~ 

Years had passed, though (Y/n) had long since stopped counting the days. The life she had known before—her small town, her friends, the warm sunlight on her face as she wandered the familiar streets—had become nothing more than distant memories. Memories that felt like a different lifetime, like a dream she could no longer reach.

Now, her world was confined to the dark woods and the cabin that had become her prison.

She hadn’t seen the town in what felt like an eternity. She had never returned. After that night—after Scoups had claimed her as his mate—there had been no escape. No chance to run, no opportunity to return to the life she once knew. Not that it mattered anymore. Even if she had tried, the bond that tied her to him would have pulled her back. It wasn’t just physical—it was something deeper, something impossible to break.

Something that made her love him, despite everything.

(Y/n) sat by the window of the cabin, staring out at the rain-soaked woods as they blurred in her vision. The storm outside mirrored the constant turmoil in her heart. The cabin was quiet, save for the occasional crackling of the fire, but the silence weighed heavily on her. It had been like this for years now—a strange, suffocating stillness that seemed to wrap itself around her, as if even the forest knew she was trapped.

She should have hated him.

She had tried, at first. She had tried to cling to the anger, to the fear, to remind herself of what he had taken from her. But the bond between them—the bond that had been forged the moment his fangs pierced her skin—had twisted everything inside her. It had made it impossible to feel anything but a strange, overwhelming love for him, even when she didn’t want to.

Her heart had betrayed her.

He loved her, that much was undeniable. In his own possessive, obsessive way, he adored her. He had taken care of her, never allowing her to go hungry, never letting her feel unsafe, even though it was him she feared most. His affection for her was fierce, consuming, and the more time passed, the more she felt it suffocating her. He would hold her, whisper promises in her ear about how they were meant to be, how the moon had bound them together.

How she was his forever.

And despite every rational part of her mind screaming against it, she had grown to love him back. Not by choice, not willingly, but because the bond left her no other option. It was as if the universe itself had decided their fate, and she was powerless to resist.

(Y/n) reached up, absentmindedly tracing the mark on her neck—the mark that had sealed her fate. It had healed long ago, but the scar still remained, a reminder of the night her life had changed. Her fingers brushed against the raised skin, and she shivered, the memory of that night flooding back. She hadn’t been the same since.

The bond had changed her in more ways than one. She could feel it, even now, in the way her body responded to him, in the way her heart quickened whenever he was near. It was unnatural, twisted, but it was real.

And that was the cruelest part of it all.

She heard the familiar sound of the door creaking open behind her, followed by the heavy footsteps she had come to recognize instantly. Scoups was back. She didn’t need to turn around to know it was him—his presence was something she felt even before he entered the room. He was like the storm outside—an unstoppable force, powerful and commanding.

“Y/n.” His voice, deep and filled with a possessive tenderness, broke through the silence. “I’m home.”

She didn’t respond immediately, her eyes still fixed on the rain outside. She knew he would come to her, as he always did. He never could stay away from her for long, not with the bond pulling them together. Sure enough, a moment later, she felt his arms wrap around her from behind, pulling her against his chest. His warmth enveloped her, and despite herself, she leaned into him.

“I missed you,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her hair as he held her close. “Why do you always sit by the window when I’m gone?”

“I just like watching the rain,” she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She had learned long ago that resistance was futile. No matter how much she tried to keep him at a distance, the bond always drew them back together.

He hummed in response, his hand trailing down to her waist, pulling her even closer. “You should have come with me,” he said. “The woods are beautiful after the rain.”

She tensed slightly in his arms. He often spoke about her leaving the cabin with him, walking through the woods together, living as though they were a normal couple. But she couldn’t. The thought of venturing out, of seeing the outside world again, only made her feel more trapped. It reminded her of everything she had lost.

“I like it here,” she said, the lie slipping from her lips so easily now.

Scoups let out a soft, satisfied sound, seemingly content with her answer. He turned her in his arms so that she was facing him, his piercing eyes locking onto hers. The intensity in them hadn’t faded over the years—if anything, it had grown stronger. His love for her, his need for her, had only deepened with time.

He leaned down, his lips brushing against hers in a tender, possessive kiss. And just like every other time, she kissed him back, the bond between them compelling her to do so. The kiss was gentle, but she could feel the fire behind it, the raw desire that always simmered beneath the surface.

When he finally pulled away, his hand caressed her cheek, his eyes searching hers with a strange mix of adoration and hunger. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice laced with a dark kind of devotion. “You know that, don’t you?”

She nodded, her throat tight, the words she wanted to say stuck behind the weight of the bond. She knew he loved her, in his own twisted way. And despite everything, despite the years of feeling trapped, she loved him back.

Whether she wanted to or not.

But deep down, beneath the bond, beneath the love that wasn’t truly her own, there was a part of her that still longed for freedom. A part of her that wondered what her life could have been like if she had never met him. If she had never been claimed by the monster who loved her so much, he had stolen her away from the world.

She was his, forever.  

[kimbappykidding]

Imagine teasing Scoups for his crush on you but then one weekend away together you’re the one getting flustered

You realised Scoups had a thing for you pretty quickly mainly because Seventeen went out of their way to make you realise it. You were the leader of a group under the same label as Seventeen called Eos and actually debuted less than a year after Seventeen. So your groups interacted a lot and even trained together. A few weeks into training, you noticed how the Seventeen boys would all grab and nudge Scoups whenever you entered the room. If you had to partner up they'd shove Scoups towards you and stare whenever you talked or danced. So it was pretty easy to guess what was going on but you never said anything about it because you didn't want to embarrass Scoups. However after you debuted you stayed friends and that friendship grew...to the point where you were comfortable enough with Scoups to joke around with him. 

One week you were around at the Seventeen house and you were protecting the maknae as usual. You had a soft spot for Dino because you had a little brother the same age as him only born a few days earlier so he reminded you a lot of him. You always came to his defence and sided with him causing the guys to nickname you Dino's champion which Dino was fine with! When fighting 12 guys it helps to have a powerful woman in your corner.

The most recent pick-on-Dino topic was about a crush he had on one of the Stayc members. The boys and in particular Scoups were tormenting him for never saying anything to the girl about it. This has been going on for several minutes and Dino was bright pink. "Come on you've got to tell her how you feel!" Scoups said "how's she going to know if you never do anything?". You'd all had a little to drink and a comment slipped out before you could help it. "Funny for you to say that of all people Scoups" you called and everyone froze. "What?" he asked and deciding not to back down you smiled "you heard me" and stared at him until he got it. Scoups blushed and all the guys began to cheer as they got it. "She did not go there!" Seungkwan cried while Dk, Jeonghan, Joshua and Hoshi all started high-fiving you. You thought it was pretty funny when you said it but regretted it immediately after. When you stepped out of the room you began to panic. "Was that really mean?" you asked Joshua and Jeonghan "to tease him like that?". The guys, however, shook their heads "no Scoups laughed and he's a good sport, he won't be upset or offended" Joshua said and Jeonghan nodded "yeah and it's true! He was teasing Dino for doing the exact same thing he's doing". You blushed "I know but I just worried I'd gone too far?" when a voice asked "who's gone too far?". You turned to see Scoups standing there and froze but you couldn't lie so you admitted. "Me with my comment earlier. I was nervous I might've upset or offended you". Scoups shook his head "Nah not at all, it was funny and I actually enjoyed it". "You did?" you asked amazed and Scoups smiled "yeah...it was kinda hot" and walked away leaving you floored.

That comment stuck with you and the second you got home you had to share it. "He said it was hot" you said and your members all laughed before one of your members called B spoke, "well that makes sense". "It does?" you asked and she nodded "Jeonghan told me Scoups has a thing for being dominated, probably because he's the leader so he likes having someone else take the reigns and take control of him" she said. You did not know this and were shocked "oh..." you said and another member burst out laughing "she's blushing!" which made you blush even more and you all dissolved into laughter. The thing was everyone expected, sooner or later, something would happen with you and Scoups. You were both the same age, both leaders of your groups, clearly got on and had good chemistry so everyone thought it was straightforward but it wasn't to you. You were worried that a hook-up or anything like that would change your relationship for the worse. This was a tad irrational as your member Suki had been hooking up with Jeonghan for ages plus B and several other members had also slept with Seventeen guys over the years but you thought considering you and Scoups were the leaders it was different. You had more responsibility and actually really relied on each other when things were tough. When Scoups' mental health was bad he used to come to you because you'd had anxiety as a teenager and could help calm him down. When one of your members was forced to leave the group for false bullying allegations you were a wreck and didn't even know if you wanted to be an idol anymore but Scoups was there for you and drove you to practice every day. In a lot of ways you were already like the mom and dad of your groups and you worried that by making it more complicated you'd wreck that perfect balance you had. So you pretended your feelings for Scoups were just superficial and based on physical attraction when it actually went a lot deeper than that. In a Hybe Christmas raffle, Scoups won a voucher for a weekend spa trip and he and Jeonghan had been booked to go for ages but then the day before they were due to leave Jeonghan got ill and went to hospital. You rushed over the moment you heard and found Jeonghan assuring everyone he was okay. "I literally went to the hospital for a test that's it. I'm not that bad I just need sleep and rest" he explained while his members fussed over him. Seeing Jeonghan was getting annoyed Scoups called for everyone to leave the room when he spotted you. "Y/n...you came?" he said and Jeonghan spotted you. "Y/n!" he complained "I'm fine you didn't have to come all this way". You shot him a look "I heard you'd been to the hospital so there was no question of me coming, are you really okay?". "Yes it's just bad flu don't worry but actually I'm glad you're here". "You are?" you asked and Jeonghan nodded turning to Scoups. "So obviously I can't come to the spa with you" which you and Scoups protested. "But the treatments might help you!" Scoups said and you nodded "yes and I bet you can get treatments to improve congestion and sinuses". Jeonghan shook his head "I don't feel up to it and just want to sleep so it'd be a waste if I went but I know someone you can take instead" and he looked at you. It took you and Scoups a few seconds to get it and you immediately protested "Jeonghan I don't want to take your spot! You've been looking forward to it for ages". "I don't care about that" Jeonghan said "plus you've been so overworked lately haven't you Y/n?". "You have to be fair" Scoups nodded and Jeonghan continued "plus this is your first weekend off in weeks right?". This was all true and it was kind of making you wonder if Jeonghan had planned this somehow. "Plus how long has it been since you went to a spa?" Jeonghan asked and you shrugged "forever yes but aren't there any other members who deserve it more or who you'd rather take?" you asked Scoups. He shook his head "I can't think of anyone who deserves it more than you and I'd honestly prefer to be with you than any of the other guys". You blushed at how serious Scoups said that and paused "but don't we have to be there in like 2 hours?". "Yeah but it's only an hour drive!" Jeonghan cried "so Scoups drive Y/n to her house, she can pack, tell her members and then the two of you can go enjoy your weekend!". "You in?" Scoups asked you and you gave in "I'm in". So you both did as Jeonghan said and Scoups drove you to your house where you would rapidly pack. You brought Scoups in with you as he knew all your members and had been over tons of times. Everyone waved when they saw him and you explained the situation. "So I need to pack in like 10 minutes flat, B and Gia can you help me?" you asked and they jumped up ready to go. Scoups chuckled gently touching your arm "Y/n we have a little more time so don't rush yourself too much okay?". His eyes were so soft and caring that you struggled not to blush and nodded "okay". "I'll stay down here with your girls...oh are you watching Big Hero 6?" he asked and rushed to squeeze onto the sofa with them. You smiled as he stole some popcorn for the maknae making her whine and ruffled her hair before your members pulled you upstairs. "Okay so we're on a time limit so we've only got 1 minute for teasing" B said and they both launched into gushing over you. "Y/n this is so romantic" Gia said "a spa getaway together". "It's not romantic I'm just filling in for Jeonghan". "Yeah but out of 11 other guys he could've taken he took you" B said "because he lovesssss you" and you pushed her "isn't the minute up". "No that's just 30 seconds I'm timing on my watch" Gia replied and you rolled your eyes. "So with that in mind we have to pack accordingly" B said "there's a swimming pool right?". "Yes" you nodded and she smiled "so you have to wear that killer red suit! The bikini that makes your body look amazing!" she cried and you shook your head "no way! I'm not trying to seduce Scoups". "Ahh come on" Gia said and her and B began grabbing your sexiest clothes when you stopped them. "No I want to be conservative and friendly" so you selected some modest dresses and a swimsuit and placed them in your bag. "Can you guys grab my pyjamas and underwear while I go get my skincare stuff?". They nodded and rushed to help. When you returned your bag was all packed. "We even put your sleep pillow that you need to sleep in there too" Gia said and you smiled "thanks guy you're the best" and headed back downstairs. "Wow that was quick" Scoups said and B nodded "well she is the queen of organisation". Scoups smiled fondly "I know...so let's go. I figured he could grab a coffee for the drive and then head off". "Sounds great!" you smiled and said goodbye to all your members before getting into Scoups car. Once inside you sighed "I love your car" and Scoups laughed well aware of your obsession with it. "You're going to have to let me borrow it sometime" you said and Scoups smiled "hmmm maybe if you beg I'll give it you for an hour". "Only an hour!" you cried "what if I asked super nicely" and you turned towards him batting your eyes. Scoups looked at you and lasted 3 seconds before he had to turn away "yeah you can borrow it". You laughed "don't worry I'm only joking" and Scoups pretended he was too but he wasn't. He'd give you anything you wanted. The drive passed very quickly as it always did when you and Scoups were together. You arrived at the spa and got your bags out of the car. Scoups had two bags and was attempting to juggle both while he locked the car so you plucked one from his hands. "Hey..." he complained trying to carry it instead but you just started down the path leaving him with his bag. Scoups hurried after you and caught you in reception. He caught your arm and pulled you back around. "You don't have to carry my stuff!" he said and you shrugged "why not? I had a hand free and want to help you". Scoups smiled at you "you're too kind Y/n but it's okay give it" but you shook your head "everyone deserves someone to be kind to them". Scoups went to speak again when you both realised there was someone at the receptionist's desk and he was watching you both curiously. Scoups turned towards him and made for the desk. "Hello, we have a reservation at 1:00" and the man nodded "of course let me get you and your girlfriend all booked in". "Oh we're not together" Scoups said and you nodded "just friends". The man didn't look convinced by your words and glanced between you both "really?" he asked and Scoups laughed. You were amused by this guy's forwardness and nodded "yes we're just friends but really good friends". The man nodded but still seemed unconvinced "okay so here is your room key for you and your friend" he said handing them over "have a lovely stay". You and Scoups thanked him and then laughed together once you were out of sight. "What an odd person" Scoups commented and you nodded chuckling. You entered your room to see it was a beautiful suite. Everything smelled amazing and looked so clean. Scoups let out a sigh "this is the life, no boy smell or leftover socks on the floor". "Socks?" you asked and Scoups nodded "I live with 12 guys, there is always a pair of socks somewhere on the floor in the house". You nodded "makes sense, so our first treatment is in 30 minutes should we get ready and head down?". Scoups nodded "sounds good!" and took his bag heading into the bathroom "you get changed out here and tell me when you're done". You nodded and put your bag on the bed. You heard Scoups gasp and paused "Scoups? What's wrong?". "The bathroom is great too!" he called and you laughed...however you stopped smiling when you opened your bag. "Fuck!" you cried and you heard Scoups stop moving "You okay out there?". You nodded "yeah I just erm...I didn't check my bag before letting B and Gia pack it and they've chosen a kind of revealing swimsuit". "Oh?" Scoups asked and you nodded "and they've done the same for all my clothes...can you come out and tell me if you think they'll be okay?". "Sure give me one second" and you heard Scoups shuffling around. He appeared in a fluffy gown and nodded "show me". You held up the bikini and Scoups inspected it trying very hard not to picture you in it so he wouldn't blush. "It looks like a normal bikini. When you said revealing I thought it'd be worse". "Oh okay and the dress?" you asked holding that up and Scoups smiled "it's very pretty Y/n, you have nothing to worry about". You nodded "okay good I'll go get changed and took your bikini into the bathroom. You went straight down to the spa for your massages and weren't waiting long before you went into the room. The person said you could remove your gown and Scoups tried not to stare as you took yours off but you looked sensational. The red colour looked amazing on you and even the masseuses complimented you. You thanked her bashfully glancing at Scoups who was looking at his feet not trusting himself to raise his eyes any higher. As they were couples massages the masseuses interacted with the two of you. "So are you two..." the first one started and Scoups smiled "we're good friends who work together". "Ahhh" your masseuse said "how lovely for you to be here together then, it's nice you're so close. How long have you known one another?". You paused "is it four years or five?" you asked Scoups. "It will be five in May" he said and the masseuse smiled "that was pretty quick, I'm guessing you remember the first moment you met?". You honestly couldn't but Scoups nodded "I do actually. We're performers and I remember I was having a bad day because I woke up late and traffic was a nightmare. They told me I had a brand new dance partner who only just started today and I got annoyed because I figured I'd have to teach them everything but then you walked in and came right over to me when the staff pointed me out as your partner. You introduced yourself and began asking me all these technical questions, like did I want to stand beside you or behind you, could I hop over your leg or should I just to the side and tons of other minor modifications you could make to make it better for me. From your dedication and attention to detail, I knew right then that we'd get along". The masseuses told Scoups how sweet that was and you had to agree. You recalled meeting Scoups through being dance partners but couldn't remember that first interaction but it clearly had an impact on him. "Your friend is clearly very kind and sentimental" your masseuse said and you nodded "he is". After the massage you couldn't stop looking and Scoups and just feeling so grateful to be here with him. You had some time until your next treatment so explored the spa a little bit. Your first stop was the pool which was lovely and empty. You sat on the edge of the pool still wrapped in your robe and Scoups joined you. "That massage was so nice' you said and Scoups nodded "I feel so relaxed but I bet a week at work and my muscles will be all tense again". You laughed "yeah probably" and then paused as Scoups took off his robe and sunk into the water. You watched him for a smile thinking of how such a masculine-looking guy could be so sweet and soft with you. Your stomach fluttered as you began to wonder if he did have feelings for you and what that could mean. When you didn't join Scoups in the pool he looked up at you from the water "not getting in?". You hesitated and he smiled "it's nice a warm". The water glistened and his expression was very enticing so you agreed. You took your robe off and folded it up trying to hide behind it. You then tried to make your way into the pool as quickly as possible so it didn't seem like you were flaunting yourself. You rushed down the stairs into the pool and Scoups laughed "someone eager". You blushed "I just wanted to be covered". Scoups nodded "yeah I noticed that but for the record, you don't need to be self-conscious. I wasn't looking but from what I saw you're stunning". You blushed "thanks Scoups. You look good too". He blushed and changed the subject "wanna do some lengths?". You swam back and forth for a while before Scoups realised the small waterfall at the back of the pool has an alcove where you could sit behind the waterfall. "Wow, how many people do you reckon have made out back here?" you asked. Scoups laughed "hundreds, why are you offering?" he asked with a cheeky smile. "Maybe" you replied back staring at him with a serious expression. Scoups stared back at you, frozen by the situation before he shook his head and looked down "it's nice behind here" and he took a seat on the ledge. You joined him but could feel a slight tension in the air. You weren't sure why you'd said that to Scoups but hadn't been 100% joking. For a while now, you'd come to the realisation that if Scoups kissed you, you wouldn't push him away. Now more than ever you wanted him to kiss you and were done fearing what would happen if you became more. You just wanted Scoups. You eventually had to leave the pool for your manicure and pedicure treatments. Your hands and feets were pampered before being manicured and tidied. It felt like heaven and Scoups kept laughing at your expression. "Stop it!" you said but he couldn't stop laughing and that made you laugh. Scoups was obviously in a good mood because after that he kept making you and the staff working on you laugh 24/7. You loved when he acted playful and were both in fits of giggles. Your nails finished (and still giggling) you wandered into the sauna to calm down. Scoups let out a deep sigh as the heat hit him and you laughed. You had to remove your robe but it was so steamy you didn't mind. However, that did mean that when you turned to hang it up you lost Scoups. "Scoups?" you called and a hand appeared out of the fog. "I'm here" Scoups said catching your hand in his "the bench is this way" and he pulled you after him. He quickly came into view and you sat together. "This is so nice I could just fall asleep" you said and Scoups smiled "close your eyes, you can have a rest and I'll tell you when we should be heading off". So you did as Scoups aid and closed your eyes. You got more and more relaxed, your body loosening with each minute and eventually, you ended up leaning on Scoups. It took a few seconds for you to realise that it wasn't the bench but Scoups arm and you moved away "Sorry". "No don't move it's okay" Scoups said and you tentatively moved back resting against him. Scoups sat up taller so you could lean your head on his shoulder and it felt so natural and nice. You could feel Scoups pressed against you but didn't feel self-conscious or immodest. It just felt nice. However all things must come to an end and Scoups told you, the two of you should probably go get re-hydrated and get ready for your evening meal. You agreed with him and left together.

You went back to your room and drank the waters you'd brought back up from the cafe. Neither one of you wanted to move and sat on the bed beside one another chatting for half an hour before Scoups chuckled "okay if we want to make our dinner reservation we really should start moving, it's in 20 minutes". You smiled "I can easily get ready in 20 minutes, can you?". Scoups gasped "what? Of course I can!". "Are you sure because some of the guys have spoken about how you can take forever?". "This is slander!" Socups cried "I bet I'll be ready before you!". "You're on!" you grinned "bagsy the bathroom" and grabbed your stuff rushing into the room. 15 minutes later you stepped out expecting to find Scoups still doing his hair but he was sat on the bed patiently waiting dressed in a nice white shirt, trousers and fitted jacket. He was looking at his watch and smiled up at you "what a surprise, you took longer than me!". You playfully threw your bag at him and he caught it before setting it down and that was when he looked back up at you. There was no mistaking the look on his face and he gaped "wow" before he could even try and hide it. "I mean...wow you look really nice" he said and you went bright red. "Is it too revealing though?". Scoups quickly scanned you before shaking his head "not at all Y/n, you look amazing" and you blushed "so do you, that shirt really suits you" and you'd be lying if coming out to see him sat like that on the bed hadn't made your stomach do flips. Now it was Scolups turn to blush and he played with his hair nervously "thanks...should we get going?" and he held out his arm to you. You made your way down to the restaurant and noticed people looking as you walked in. You figured they were all appreciating Scoups and he assumed the same but with you. Scoups gave his name to the waiter and you were taken to a nice table in the back away from other tables. "Nice seats" you said going to sit down before realising Scoups was holding out the chair for you. You walked to him blushing slightly and couldn't see but he was blushing too. Everything on the menu sounded amazing so you ordered quickly and then were sat across from one another. "Thank you for bringing me today" you said "I've had a lovely time". "You're very welcome but it's not over yet" Scoups said popping the bottle you'd bought for the table. He poured you a glass and smiled "We should definitely do things like this more often". You agreed "definitely, to us" and clinked glasses in cheers. Your food came quickly and was so good. It was filling but not bloating and afterwards, you felt good. You were together finishing off your drinks when a waiter banged into the wall because he'd been staring at you. Scoups saw it happen but you just heard the noise and turned to see his scurrying away. "What happened?" you asked laughing and Scoups smiled "the waiter saw you and banged into a wall". You frowned "what? No...". "He did" Scoups said "he took one look at you and forgot what he was doing. You're dangerous Y/n". You blushed shaking your head but Scoups smiled "you're very beautiful Y/n I'm sure you're used to it". You pause "it's very kind of you to say" and Scoups shrugged "it's the truth". "It's just hard when you don't see yourself that way. I've noticed you don't like compliments". "I love them!" Scoups said and you laughed "so why every time I called you handsome today did you change the subject?". Scoups paused and shook his head "well I guess that's more to do with you". "With me?" you asked and he nodded "as in, sometimes when an insanely good-looking person compliments your looks it feels odd and is hard to believe". You'd learned Scoups would compliment you no matter your protests so just decided to address the latter. "Well believe it. I think you are incredibly attractive Scoups and I know lots of people do". "If you say so" he said as you shook your head "what's it going to take for you to believe people want you?". He shrugged "I don't know...I just never will I guess". You couldn't cope with that or this gorgeous man thinking nobody wanted him when that wasn't remotely true. "Scoups?". "Yeah?" he asked looking at you. "I want you" you said and his eyes widened slightly, his lips parting as your words sunk in. "You do?" he asked and you nodded "yes, I've always wanted you" and Scoups didn't have to ask what you meant. He could just  tell from your tone of voice and the way you were looking at him. "You can have me" he said and quickly put some money down on the table and took your hand leading you to your room. He unlocked the door easily and once inside there was a brief moment where you both stood staring at one another waiting to make the first move. "Y/n I just want you to know...you don't have to do anything with me, I like you no matter what happens". You smiled "I know and that's why I know this is the right thing to do. You're so kind it's so hot" and you kissed him. Scoups loved you making the first move and happily let you press him back against the door. He wrapped his hands around your waist pulling you in tighter and you just let your instincts take over. *** "I can't believe Jeonghan's plan worked" you said and Scoups looked at you laid next to him "you think he planned this?". You shrugged "maybe not getting ill but he definitely used it to his advantage...I just can't believe it worked out like they all said". Scoups smiled turning on his side so he was facing you. He traced your arm and stared at you "and how did they say it would end?". You laughed blushing "exactly like this, us getting together after just one night alone". Scoups smiled "well you are irresistible" and gently kissed you. "You're one to talk" you replied and Scoups beamed. He wrapped an arm around you and you came to lay on his chest. "You know...we don't have to tell them if you don't want" Scoups said. You paused "keep it a secret?". "Yeah but only if you want to, I'm more than happy to tell them or hide it. Whatever you want". You thought about it for a second before speaking "well if we keep it a secret then that means we have to hide it and I don't want that. I want to be able to hug and kiss you whenever I want...well within reason of course. I won't just march into practice and kiss you" you said but Scoups smirked "well you can if you want, I won't be mad" making you chuckled. "Yeah you'd love that wouldn't you?" you asked and Scoups smiled "just a little". You checked out of your room the next day and were both grinning from ear to ear. You had the same receptionist and he looked at your entwined hands and smiled "thought so" he said under his breath and you both laughed. "Yeah you must be psychic" Scoups said and the man shook his head "no, I just saw how you looked at each other" making you blush. The drive back passed so quickly because neither of you wanted to go back to real life. Scoups stopped at his place because that's where you'd left your car and he invited you in for a coffee and to tell the guys. You walked in hand in hand all ready...for nobody to be there. "Well this is anticlimactic" Scoups said and he walked into the kitchen but there was nobody there either. You heard someone in the dining room and went in to find Vernon there. "Oh hey Vernon" Scoups said taking your hand and Vernon nodded to you both "Hey did you have a nice time?". He didn't even look at your hands, he didn't notice. "Yeah we did...where is everyone?" Scoups asked and Vernon shrugged "outside maybe? I'm not sure". You headed into the living room and sure enough, everyone was outside. Scoups turned to you "you sure you're ready to tell them?". You were just thinking everything over when you heard a loud gasp and turned to see Dk and Seungkwan standing behind you. The two worst members to catch you. "Oh. My. God!" Seungkwan yelled looking at your hands and Dk screamed and ran outside "Y/n and Scoups are together!". All the guys turned and looked towards the doorway where you were now visible. "Scratch that" Scoups said and he led you outside. You reached the table and he smiled "hi everyone, I think you've met my girlfriend Y/n right?".   They all started going crazy cheering and celebrating. Money was exchanged between several people and Dk and Hoshi started bowing to Jeonghan. "So you two really couldn't go 24 hours alone together?" The8 asked and Scoups nodded. "Yeah, my girlfriend's hot and I'm proud of it" making you blush. You stayed with Scoups and his members all day before you had to go home. Scoups didn't want you to go and neither did you. You must've said goodbye 3 times before you finally made it to the front door. "Now this is goodbye for real this time" you told Scoups leaning in to kiss him and he agreed "okay" but the second you pulled away he set those beautiful eyes on you. "You sure you can't stay for one more drink?". "No!" you said laughing "I want to get home before it gets dark and we'll see each other tomorrow at work right?". Scoups nodded "right" and you smiled "so I'll see you then" and with a final kiss finally walked out of the door. You got in your car and only then did the situation hit you. You let out a happy squeal and relaxed back into your chair. This weekend couldn't have gone any better.

[nonuwhore]

Le, você pode fazer um com o Cheol+26+37

Parabéns pelos 1 ano de blog <3

GRANDE EVENTO DE 1 ANO DE ANIVERSÁRIO DO NONUWHORE!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

26. "Seja uma boa garota e abra bem as suas pernas pra mim." + 37. "Me ensina o que fazer." contém: prequel desse pedido feito pela @hyuckhoon; a leitora e seungcheol estão em um relacionamento; menção a crimes cometidos, morte e uso de armas de fogo; smut: oral (masculino); facefucking; oral fixation; masturbação (f); contagem de palavras: 2,3k nota da autora: a continuação do ladrão de carros!seungcheol está entre nós! muito obrigada pelo pedido e pela paciência pra entrega meu amor, espero que curta o resultado. 💖

A primeira vez que você engatilhou uma arma foi com Seungcheol. Você seguiu seu irmão para uma daquelas reuniões nas garagens velhas do subúrbio e ele foi obrigado a deixar você ficar. Ele e Seungcheol bebiam com outros caras da gangue enquanto tinham cada um uma garota no colo. Sua ideia era estar no lugar dela, mas ele mal tinha te olhando desde a sua chegada, então sentada do outro lado do cômodo feito de lata, velho e abafado, você esperou enquanto também bebia, tentando espantar o tédio.

Depois, você andou pelos cantos do lugar olhando as peças espalhadas no chão e nas bandeja perto dos capôs abertos dos carros, tentando lembrar o nome de cada uma desde a última vez que seu pai tinha te ensinado. Encontrou, entretanto, algo que era cotidiano, mas não era ferramenta ou componente de nenhum veículo. Segurou o metal entre os dedos deslizando as pontas pelas arestas frias de metal, seu dedo adentrou o círculo e você imaginou como seria apertar o botão.

"Tá tentando explodir a própria cabeça hoje?", sua primeira reação foi largar a arma. Seungcheol te leu de cima a baixo e a segurou nas mãos, conferindo se estava engatilhada ou não. "Você já usou uma dessas?"

"Não…", e um sentimento de inferioridade te preencheu. Essa informação só corroborava a imagem infantil que ele tinha de você, agora além de não te ver como nada além de uma menina, ele também não te respeitaria como aliada.

Suas mãos, que se seguravam uma as outras, foram tomadas por ele. Você o encarou automaticamente e percebeu enquanto você desfilava pela garagem procurando encrenca ele tinha tirado a regata suja de graxa e agora vestia apenas a calça jeans larga presa por um cinto velho, revelando uma boa parte da cueca branca. Você encarou o abdômen que transpirava enquanto vocês conversavam, a barriga traçando a linha até a virilha e o peito largo e de mamilos baixos, demorando mais do deveria, mas sem forças para se corrigir.

No final ele só tentava abrir espaço para encaixar a arma na sua mão da maneira adequada. "Segura direto. Com força, isso. Firme", ele te instruiu, deixando de te tocar. As mãos foram para a cintura fiscalizando o jeito que você se posicionava. Balançou a cabeça negativamente. "Se você não segurar com força antes de estourar sua cabeça ela vai estourar seu ombro. Tenta mirar. Não, não coloca na frente do seu olho, ‘tá maluca? Aponta e estica os braços pra frente!"

A cena era ridícula, porque em nenhum momento você teve a intenção de parecer boba ou indefesa, você queria mostrar que conseguia, sabia que ele te admiraria por isso, mas você simplesmente não tinha jeito. Abaixou a arma, a apontando para o chão, e respirou fundo. "Me ensina o que fazer."

Ele parecia irritado, mais que o normal. Seungcheol era emotivo, mesmo que isso fosse contraditório para a imagem dele e principalmente para o meio onde cresceu. Que ele tinha um temperamento difícil você já sabia, o humor dele ia de zero a cem muito rápido, mas geralmente ele não expressava esse lado perto de você, só ouviu falar sobre essa parte dele, na sua frente ele era sempre o mais despido de qualquer sentimento. Você gostava de imaginar que ele se escondia.

Puxando seu braço com uma força que talvez não tivesse notado, ele encostou suas costas no peito desnudo. Você sentiu o suor colando na sua pele e o cheiro másculo e agridoce que sempre imaginara que ele teria, obrigando-se a conter um sorriso mesmo que a vontade fosse quase insuportável. Agarrou suas mãos que seguravam a arma e apontou para o pôster na parede, encaixando a cabeça ao lado da sua, posicionando a boca tão próxima a sua orelha, mas sem tocá-la. O hálito quente quase derreteu seu corpo todo. 

“Você não pode ter medo dela nem de quem estiver na mira dela. Você não pode vacilar, entendeu?”, era primeira vez que você notava um tom hesitante na voz dele. Você finalmente estava conhecendo o Seungcheol emocional de quem todos falavam e estava amando cada segundo. “Espero que você nunca precise usar, mas se precisar… ” ele se separou de você, tirando a pistola da sua mão e jogando sem paciência na mesa de metal, chamando a atenção do grupo do outro lado do ambiente. 

Você pegou a arma no movimento seguinte, engatilhou a bala e fez menção em atirar na porta fechada da garagem, mas com a mesma agilidade Seungcheol segurou o cano e a atirou de você mais uma vez. “Para. Você não precisa me provar nada. Guarda essa bala pra quando precisar de verdade”, o olhar dele era tão sério quanto no dia que encontraram o corpo do irmão dele no cais. Os lábios colados um no outro indicava a falta de paciência e te dizia que ele queria continuar aquela conversa, que ele tinha mais a dizer e não era pouco.

“Desculpa”

“Não precisa, não precisa disso…”, ele balançou a mão e fechou os olhos por um segundo, como se quisesse apagar uma imagem da própria cabeça, “Só… Não se meta em uma situação onde você vai precisar usar essa arma, ‘tá bom? Se não eu vou ter que usar a minha”, disse te dando as costas e saindo pela porta, observado pelos amigos que chiaram em desaprovação e depois voltaram a beber como se nada tivesse acontecido. Você ficou ali, extasiada, desejando ler qual expressão o rosto dele estava escondendo naquele momento.

Você acordou do sonho que recuperou aquela memória. Seus músculos doloridos da noite anterior e da cama incrivelmente desconfortável te lembraram onde você estava e, mesmo com certo esforço, seus olhos não se abriram completamente, incomodados com os raios de sol. Você levantou a cabeça e viu Seungcheol abrir a porta com dois copos de café nas mãos. Ele usava exatamente a mesma roupa do seu sonho, nesse caso nenhuma roupa na parte acima da cintura, e você sorriu com a visão, escondendo o rosto quando ele te viu acordada. Sorriu de volta, um sorriso reservado, mas essencialmente satisfeito. 

Fechou os olhos de novo, se espreguiçando debaixo das cobertas e sentindo Seungcheol engatinhar em cima de você, alcançando seu rosto em um silêncio sereno. O nariz foi ao seu pescoço, inalando o cheiro devagar e estalando um beijo rápido, para logo em seguida levantar-se e sentar na beira da cama. 

“Onde você ‘tá indo?”, você reclamou, manhosa, tentando segurar o braço dele. 

“Tomar meu café, você devia fazer o mesmo”, te respondeu com o tom sério de sempre. Ele bebeu do copo olhando para janela extensa do loft mal cuidado, compenetrado, como se fizesse cálculos complicados enquanto aproveitava o gosto, e provavelmente estava. 

Você se levantou e se debruçou sobre as costas dele, circulando os braços pelo pescoço e dizendo um “bom dia” baixo no ouvido, que segurou sua mão e te respondeu no mesmo tom. Você distribuiu alguns beijos na pele da nuca e dos ombros, o ouvindo rir contido e soltar um “tsc”, sabendo onde aquilo levaria. Se levantou rápido da cama, animada, e ajoelhou-se na frente dele, a mão esperta desafivelando o cinto e abrindo o zíper. Seungcheol te deu espaço para fazer o trabalho, matando a bebida em um gole e se permitindo concentrar na imagem de você aos pés dele, puxando a calça e a cueca até os tornozelos. Respirou fundo quando sentiu sua mão envolver a extensão do membro já meio duro e com o dedão acariciou sua boca, passeando com a digital pelo lábio inferior, sentindo a maciez que logo o encontraria. Você abocanhou o dedo, chupando enquanto o encarava gemendo. Depois, segurou a mão e colocando a língua para fora, segurou o dedo indicador e do meio na boca, os babando propositalmente e permitindo que Seungcheol brincasse com a cavidade, indo até a garganta, como fazia quando os colocava dentro sua entrada apertada. 

Tomou a própria mão de volta e passou a bombear o pau quase completamente ereto, inspirado pela expressão mais devassa e faminta vinda de você. Trouxe seu rosto para mais perto e deixou você deslizar cada bochecha pela pele quente e veiuda.

“Você foi assim buscar café?”, perguntou antes de passar a selar beijos delicados na extensão, indo até a cabecinha inchada.

“Assim como?”

“Assim, pelado”

Ele riu, segurando os lábios gordinhos entre o dente, já embevecido pela luxúria, imaginando o que faria com sua boca. “Alguém roubou minha camiseta, não tive outra opção…”, ele apontou para o seu corpo com o queixo, mostrando que você vestia a regata dele.

Você sussurrou algo sobre não haver nenhuma outra peça de roupa na casa e continuou: “Elas ficaram te olhando, não ficaram?”, perguntou sabendo a resposta. Não poder contar as pessoas, pelo menos por enquanto, sobre o relacionamento de você era um porre, principalmente porque Seungcheol era Seungcheol e no lugar nas mulheres que frequentavam a vizinhança você também não pensaria duas vezes em se oferecer para ele, como já tinha feito muitas vezes. 

“Olharam”, respondeu, não te oferecendo mais nenhuma informação, dando espaço para sua imaginação trabalhar, sabendo que isso te deixaria mais acesa do que qualquer outra descrição. Segurou, então, a base do falo e deslizou pela boca babada, te assistindo chupar a ponta de leve e depois escorregar a língua por toda a dimensão. Ele sabia bem que você estava devolvendo a provocação e adorava quando você era tão filha da puta quanto ele. Os olhos se levantaram, desentendidos, e Seungcheol te encarava com toda a paciência do mundo. “Que isso, meu bem, tu sabe que pra mim só tem você…”, te explicou com o tom suave e ameno que esse sempre usava nesses momentos enquanto acariciava sua bochecha e prendia seu cabelo atrás da orelha. “Vai, coloca tudo…”, pede, franco, e você obedece, mesmo que um pouco relutante sobre as palavras dele. O membro toca o fundo da sua garganta, te fazendo sentir o gosto salgado e a mão dele se tornar mais firme na sua nunca. Você o olha de baixo, a cabeça jogada para trás e as íris reviradas de prazer. Empurra o rosto na direção da virilha, prendendo a cabecinha inchada e mostrando que ele poderia afundar-se mais, se quisesse. Seungcheol entende a mensagem, segurando sua cabeça com as duas mãos e movimentando a cintura para frente algumas vezes, grunhindo toda vez que sua língua e garganta se contraiam, o sufocando. 

Se retirou de você, com o rosto seguro pelas mãos e o filete de baba escorrendo pelos cantos da boca, e a beijou, os lábios e cada pedacinho do seu rosto, sussurrando desculpas e agradecimentos. Se afundou de novo, encontrando o fundo de novo e se sustentando ali, absorvendo as vibrações que seu gemido provocavam e te libertando em seguida. Os dedos limpam os líquidos que descem e o nariz afagava o seu. “Você é tão boa pra mim, do jeitinho que eu gosto”, e puxou para os braços dele, abraçando sua cintura, mordendo sua boca, misturando as salivas, apreciando cada um dos detalhes de olhos bem abertos enquanto te via transcender nas mãos dele.  

Te colocou de costas para ele, como naquele dia, anos atrás. "Seja uma boa garota e abra bem as suas pernas pra mim", pediu, separando as coxas e deslizando sua calçinha para o lado com os dedos que antes foram provados por você, tendo acesso as dobras da sua intimidade. A sensibilidade dessa parte, que já pulsava há um tempo, negligenciada, te fez perder o controle do próprio corpo, o deixando ser tomado por Seungcheol. Com um cotovelo ele te mantinha exposta e com a outra mão continuava a te estimular, brincando com o ponto delicado, desenhando círculos e mais círculos enquanto eventualmente usava as digitais para massagear também a sua entrada. 

Beijava seu pescoço e a região da sua orelha, beijos doces e de uma ternura que Seungcheol guardava quase sempre para quando vocês estavam assim, longe do mundo. “Minha princesa…”, sussurrou, olhando por cima do seu corpo os líquidos escorrendo por toda sua intimidade que pulsava de vez em quando, “Você só fica toda molinha assim pra mim, não é?”, perguntou e você balançou a cabeça prontamente, gemendo enquanto assistia os dedos grossos aumentarem a velocidade da fricção, “Logo todo mundo vai saber que você é minha… E eu sou só seu, te juro”, e mordeu sua orelha, a puxando demoradamente, juntando todos os dedos e os deslocando de um lado para outro, acelerado. A última ação que você conseguiu tomar antes de chegar a um orgasmo profundo e aflitivo, soltando um lamurio grave, foi segurar-se nos antebraços de Seungcheol. Ele te confortou e elogiou enquanto você atravessava a onde de prazer com mais beijos e murmúrios de voz baixa, garantindo que você era a coisa mais linda que ele já teve. 

Ameaçou tirar sua peça íntima quando ouviu alguém espancar a porta sem piedade. Mais murros foram desferidos seguidos de vozes que ambos escutaram. Seungcheol pulou da cama, fechando o cinto e tirando uma arma escondida no colchão. Engatilhou a bala e andou até o final do cômodo, confirmando pelo olho mágico que os caras de quem ele e seu irmão tinham roubado o comboio na semana passada estavam ali, armados e nem um pouco amistosos. “Caralho… Se esconde debaixo da cama, agora. E não fala nenhum-”, mas quando ele te olhou, você tinha a pistola que ele havia te presenteado anos antes carregada e apontada para a porta, esperando um sinal. “‘Tá maluca?! Vai pra debaixo da cama!”, te alertou, te ameaçando com a expressão mais assustadora e assustada que você já tinha visto.

Seu olhar, ao contrário, era seguro e calmo. Você tinha guardado esse tiro, como ele pediu, e estava pronta para usar. “Eu disse que eu ‘tô do seu lado, não disse? Agora abre essa porra.”

Seu namorado te conhecia o suficiente para saber que você tinha cruzado uma linha que nem mesmo ele conseguiria te fazer recuar. Respirou fundo, resignado, e cedeu, abrindo a porta de uma vez e atirando em direção ao chão para assustar os homens, te garantindo mais tempo. A primeira vez que você disparou uma arma foi com Seungcheol.

[asscoups17]

Some of my Favorite Seventeen Fics

s- smut a- angst f- fluff

One shots ~

Beautiful Liar ~ s a f @onlymingyus (Mingyu x f!Reader) (wc: 25.6k)

Crossroads ~ s a f @smileysuh (Kim Mingyu & Jeon Wonwoo x afab!Reader) (wc: 19.8k)

Anteric ~ s a f @smileysuh (Mingyu & Wonwoo x afab!Reader) (wc: 16.6k)

Too much of a good thing ~ s a f @lovelyhan (wonwoo x f!reader x mingyu) (wc: 15.6k)

Favourite ~ s f @simpxxstan (boss!wonwoo x model!mingyu x f.reader) (wc: 15k) (OMG DEF ONE OF MY FAVOURITES)

Always Only You ~ a s f @honeyhotteoks (brothers bestfriend! Cheol) (wc: 14.2k) (FAVORITE)

Good Luck, Fermata Tower ~ s a f @beefboyandbabygirl (fire-lookout!seungcheol x female!fire-lookout!reader) (wc: 13.9k)

Clowns ~ s a f @smileysuh (S.coups & Jeonghan & Joshua & Wonwoo & Mingyu x afab!Reader) (wc: 13.3k) (FAVORITE)

Too Many Beds ~ s @miabebe (Seungcheol x afab!reader) (wc: 13k)

Creep ~ s a f @smileysuh (Mingyu x afab!Reader) (wc: 9.1k) (FAVORITE)

it’s all fun and games ~ s a f @dontflailmenow (Mingyu x fem!Reader) (wc: 8.9k)

Dare You ~ s f @dontflailmenow (bf!Mingyu x fem!Reader) (wc: 6k)

Fuck, Marry, Kill ~ s @bitchlessdino (fem!reader x ex!mingyu x shitstirrer!seungcheol x innocentbystander!wonwoo) (wc: 5.6k) (FAVORITE)

Vices and Virtues ~ s a f @lovelyhan (bodyguard!mingyu x fem!reader) (wc: 5.4k)

Do I Want to Hit You or Do I Just Want You? ~ s a f @dontflailmenow (Mingyu x fem!Reader) (wc: 3.9k)

The cake in the back! ~ s @toruro (dilf! Cheol) (wc: 3.8k)

Baby Fever ~ s @cheolhub (pussy-drunk-bitch-in-heat cheol) (wc: 3.4k)

Control Me ~ s @duhnova (gamerbf! Wonwo) (wc: 3k) (FAVORITE)

rules! “do i make you horny, baby?” ~ s @teeskz (gamer!seungcheol x fem!reader) (wc: 2.7k)

Practice Makes Perfect ~ s f @wongyuseokie (c.s.cxf!reader, j.w.wxf!reader, k.m.gxf!reader) (wc: 2.6k)

In The Dark Corners ~ s @sanakiras (fem!reader x ex!mingyu x bf!seungcheol) (wc: 2.2k)

gamers do it better ~ s @sluttyminghao (c.s.cxf!reader, j.w.wxf!reader) (wc: 2k)

On My Worst Behavior ~ s @sluttywoozi (rough Vernon) (wc: 0.6k)

Popsicle ~ s @loupetlapinn (Mingyu x fem!reader (wc: ???)

𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐚̀ 𝐝𝐞𝐮𝐱 ~ s @loupetlapinn (Seungcheol & Wonwoo & Mingyu x fem!reader) (wc: ???)

Series ~

Challenge Me ~ s a @seokgyuu (Pairing: OT13 x afab!Reader) (All Separate) (Total wc: 94k) (10000/10) (FAVORITE) (Messy to say the least)

ice cold, cabin fever ~ s a f @smileysuh (Seungcheol & Mingyu x afab!Reader) (wc: 25.9k) (FAVORITE) (Part 2)

Hits Different (…’cause it’s you) ~ s a f @gyuswhore (brothers bestfriend! Mingyu x Fem!reader) (wc: 20.2k) (FAVORITE) (Emotional to say the least)

Bloodily Safe ~ s a @starlightxsvt (psychopath!wonwoo x fem!Reader) (wc: 18.5k) (Game On! pt2 : 6k)

Push It Down ~ s a f @dontflailmenow (ex bf’s bestfriend! Cheol) (pt 5(last part) (wc: 16.6k)

Getting Closer ~ s a f @milfgyuu (Wonwoo x Fem!reader x Mingyu) (pt 1: 10.8k)

Cat & Mouse ~ s f @wonusite (bad boy au; Wonwoo) (pt 2: 5.6k)

After Class ~ s f @rubyreduji (professor! Cheol) (pt 1: 1.6k) (4 parts in all)

⭐️Last Update: 08/21/2024⭐️

[dottieisdotting]

Winding down C.S.C

requested?: yes

pairing(s):husband!idol!SUB!seungcheol x AFAB!reader

Genre: smut,a whole bunch (MDNI)

warning(s): sub seungcheol, dom!reader (hardly), handjob, blowjob, squirting, face sitting, fingering, praise, p in v sex, unprotected sex (wrap your shit, no babies here), cheol being a whimpering, whiny mess for reader. Mutual masturbation. 69 position, orgasm denial (m!rec), blindfolded Seungcheol,riding, begging (m to f) pet names (baby boy, good boy), reader taunts cheol, mentions of overstim (only slightly), reader bites bottom lip many times (apologies in advance), messy makeouts, hair pulling, clit stimulation 

Summary: just sub cheol, that's it

word count: 2685

A/N: another request and an amazing one if that. I'm trying to write of course. Make sure you lovely souls are eating and drinking and keeping healthy. Enjoy and have a good night/day/evening or morning. Mwah! (not proofread, apologies for spelling mistakes) - Eva

Seungcheol was a hard worker as everyone knew. He loved his job and would do anything for the 12 men but he needed a wind down and that's when you helped him. It would often end up with Seungcheol pounding your perfect little pussy as you scream his name and squirt around his cock but in some instances Cheol didn't want to do anything but be a good boy for you.

You both were on the couch, your hands in his hair slightly tugging as you both kissed passionately, tongues dancing and little noises coming from both of your mouths. You move from next to him to on his lap, straddling him as the kiss gets more and more heated. Your hands slipped from his hair and under his shirt feeling his solid abs making him shiver.

He pulls away, chest heaving and a slowly growing boner in his jogging pants, he groans as you grind down and lets out a small plea. You get off his lap to stand up ”bedroom, Cheol” he follows without hesitance and stares at your ass walking there.

When you get there, Seungcheol sits on the end of the bed and watches you strip. Seungcheol bites his bottom lip and becomes impossibly hard just by your body and he's not afraid to show it. You sit at your vanity but turn yourself to face your husband and mumble ”strip” you watch as he rids himself from his shirt and sweats, no boxers because you two were just lazing around in the apartment.

You bite your lip to stop an involuntary whimper escaping from your husband's amazing toned body. You feel your arousal but ignore it once Cheol’s cock comes into your view. Long, thick a vein running on the underside of it and you wanted nothing more to get on your news and give him the well earned head he deserves but instead you tell him something he needed to double take on what you said ”touch yourself, but wait” 

You walk over to the bedside table,recovering a black silk blindfold that Seungcheol used for you. He bites his lip as you stand in front of him,tying it around his head,covering his eyes from you and his surroundings. Seungcheol couldn't lie and say that he didn't like it, he loved it when you made him feel small and had him to your will so that he could feel relieved.

He sucks in a breath and looks at you for confirmation, you nod and he shakily moves his hand to his cock hissing quietly as his hand wraps around it. His rough hand tightened around it as he moved it up and down at a moderate pace. 

You on the other hand, hiked your leg up onto your chair, arousal very clear to Seungcheol but he could not see due to his blindfold getting in the way of his view of your glistening pussy as he thinks about your body pretending it's your smaller hand. You take your ring finger and middle finger, teasing yourself on your clit, getting your fingers wet to slide right into your sopping hole. Although they were not nearly as thick and long as Seungcheols you still got some stimulation. 

You whine to Seungcheol as his fist tightens. He was desperate for you as he chased his very quick and shameless release. You quicken your fingers and use your other hand to find your clit as you rub on it. You knew you weren't going to come by doing this but it would help Cheol and make you more sensitive. You hear him whine and you look up and see he was on the brink of release 

”you're doing so well, baby. Keep moving your hand and come for me. You'll come for me, wont you, such a good boy for me, listening so well” you hear him whimper and it gets you going further. You pull your fingers away and walk over to him, you get on your knees in front of him and take over, jerking him as your lips wrap around his tip. 

His eyes close and his body tenses. Seungcheol reaches up and cups your cheek. He looked down at you and you knew he was looking at you with so much love and trust. Without no warning, Seungcheol comes down your throat and you welcome it. He groans as your hand keeps moving, helping him ride out his orgasm. 

You rub your thighs together for friction as you pull from his cock with a pop. you stand up and kiss his lips softly, praising him so well. ”baby, let me sit on your face, do a good job and make me come” 

He kisses you before laying down on the bed. You climb onto his face. His mouth is inches from your sex. He wraps his hands around your thighs pulling you closer so his lips suckle at your clit. You moan and fall forward, hands gripping his hair as you move your hips. You moan as he sucks and licks. Your earlier ministrations already making you sensitive. 

His tongue enters you and he eats away like a starved man. Ever since the first time Seungcheol ate you out, he’d always bring you the utmost pleasure. You looked down at him, although he had his blindfold on, you could tell he was blissed out as his tongue did not falter inside you. It was embarrassing how quickly he could bring you to your release.

Your eyes were tightly shut and your legs were squeezing his head ”please,please. Make me come, make me come like the good boy you are” he moans, sending shock waves through your body making you shudder. He shakes his head making you clench, you knew and he knew you were close. Your chest heaves and your legs tremble as your orgasm rakes through your body. 

You fall forwards practically suffocating Cheol, which he didn't mind one bit. He sucks on your clit as you ride through your orgasm and kisses it once more for good measure as he helps you off him. He lays you down and sits up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. You look at him with sharp eyes ”C’mere, baby” He navigates carefully where to go with your words and he settles. 

You lay your head on the pillow as he kisses down your body. Even with a blindfold on he still knew your body like the back of his hand so he was following what you said to make you come. You arch your back as he takes your nipple into his mouth. ”baby, lay down”. He lifts his head and stops,pulling away with a lewd ‘pop’. He lays down and you lay down on top of him, your mouth next to his cock and your pussy next to his face. 

You take his cock on your hand, spitting on the tip, and using your thumb to circle it before you take it in your mouth for the second time tonight. He whimpers before sliding 2 fingers through your folds, collecting your slick and pushing them inside you making you moan around his dick. You clench and close your eyes trying to take him as far down as you could in the angle you were.

Seungcheol holds no mercy as he moves his fingers faster. He was always whining and whimpering when you sucked his cock, enjoying your mouth and tongue and how your throat contracted around him. You bob your head as fast as you could without gagging, your hands jerking off the rest that didn't fit in your mouth and the other going down to his balls and fondling them. 

He moans out loud not caring as his fingers coax you closer yet again but you were determined to make Seungcheol come first. So you focus on his tip and squeeze his balls. He whimpers and whines, hips punching upwards to make you gag on his length. You pull away when he was ready to come but that doesn’t stop him from working you through yours. Your orgasm crashes through you and you shake as it overcomes you. 

You end up squirting all over Seungcheol's upper body and he thanks you for it as you roll off of him. He pants and stays laying down. ”sit up” and so he complies. You look at him and admire your husband. His torso wet with your cum and sweat. His wedding band sitting perfectly on his finger and his aching,leaking cock, still hard. 

You sit yourself on his lap and kiss him sweetly, he deserved it after being denied being able to come a couple times. He whimpers into the kiss and tries to rut up into your cunt, his cock sliding through your soaking folds giving him some satisfaction but not enough. he felt like he was going to explode if you didn't let him come soon or he’d flip the roles and pound your pussy till you couldn’t cum no more but he promised to be a good boy for you no matter what ‘torture’ you put him through.

You pull away and slide down onto Seungcheol’s cock, your warm walls finally eloping his cock and giving him what he needed. You bounce right away, quickly wanting Seungcheol to reach his peak just for you to break it. You knew you were being mean but you loved it, you loved getting him back from all the times he had denied you from your orgasm, call it pent up anger if you must but you both wanted it.

You allow Seungcheol to rut into you and meet your bounces. His hands were securely on your hips, his head tipped back and plump lips parted, god he was so sexy, and you thanked the lord every day for bringing you a sex god husband. He whines and moans about your name and how much of a good boy he had been for you. He was such a pouty,whiny sub and it made you ride him harder. You slowed your bounces and rocked against him instead waiting for him to tell you he was close

You continue to switch between rolling your hips and bouncing as Seungcheol’s whines got more and more louder, you slip off him,watching his orgasm fizzle out until he's begging for your pussy again ”please, ma'am I've been a good boy,I've been a really good bo-” 

You cut him off by sliding back down on his cock. You moan and let your head fall back against your shoulders. He was so big and girthy, he filled you ever so sweetly. Seungcheol on the other hand loved how your pussy was like a glove.

You move again and bounce chasing your release and ignoring Cheol’s although he was desperate. You could feel a tingle in your toes and a tightening stomach become more evident and the tingle spreading to the top of your head as you tighten around his cock. Your cunt was squeezing his cock making it very difficult for him to hold off his orgasm once again

 “Awe, you're so desperate to come aren't you? To fill me up?”  You taunt him as you rotate your hips slowing your bounces for the umpteenth time. Seungcheol groans at your teasing words. Your cunt was swallowing him and he was desperate to come but you taunt him by coming around him again. Your arousal drips down his balls and onto the bed below.

He whimpers and grips your hips tighter ”baby, please, i've been your good boy. I've listened to you and made you come so many times. Please,please I need to come so badly, please”  you listen to his plea to come but you move once more and deny him. Seungcheol thought he was gonna go crazy if you didn't let him soon but he also knew that if he came without your permission, you’d overstimulate him until he was experiencing dry orgasms.

He hated when you would do that to him so overtime he learned to control himself but even now it was wearing extremely thin ”one more f’me then you can come for being such a good boy”  you peck his lips, taking off the silk blindfold covering his eyes. You see his blown out pupils and lust filled eyes. He looked so fucking sexy and ALL yours, your husband.

He finally sees our face and nearly comes just from your expression. Little sweat beads, hair a mess, panting and a small bulge on your lower stomach from his cock. ”fucking hell” he groans and presses his hand to it making you whine and involuntarily clench around him as more of your slick drips from your soaking,used pussy onto the bed below and his balls.

You were gonna come but you try and hold off. ”Together baby, I'm letting you come with me because you've been such a good and obedient boy for me and I'm so proud of you”  it was as if Seungcheol had died and ascended to heaven hearing your praise. He needed to come so badly and now hearing you say he could, an imaginary boulder was lifted from his shoulders. ”After I come once more” you whisper in his ear. You completely stop moving just to make him suffer more. He groans and punches his hips up, not caring no more. He needed you to come so he could come. ”please, please, tell me you're close, honey, need you to come around me, squeeze me all nice and tight” 

You almost let out a whimper and fall into your submissive state as he begs but you bite your swollen bottom lip once more and let him rut against you. He moves one of his hands in between your bodies and presses his thumb to your clit, making your hands go to his red locks and tug his hair back, bringing him in for a searing kiss. Tongues and teeth clashing and saliva down chins but you didn't care any more. The sheets were already ruined because of you anyways.

The coil was tightening in your lower stomach, legs spasming and aching, you let go again, squirting as you felt Seungcheol’s seed fill you deep. He keeps his hips moving like they were on auto control to prolong his much needed orgasm. He felt overstimulated from his orgasm as his legs felt weak but he led you to your last orgasm of the night.

  You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him to your chest, both yours and Seungcheol’s heaving and sweaty from the intense session. He lifts his head and you lower yours kissing him so softly, treating him like a porcelain doll, just like he usually did to you which makes his smile and chuckle softly, his dimples showing.

His cock slowly softens as he pulls out, his come leaking from your hole but you were too tired to care. Seungcheol and you find your way to the ensuite bathroom to turn on the shower. The steam fills the air, as you both stand under the spray of water in each other's embrace. You slowly wash each other, making sure you are all nice and clean before getting out.

You dry yourself and leave your hair in the towel turban as you help Seungcheol dry his body and get him dressed. He sits on your vanity as you dry his hair and pamper him. Once finished he walks to the bed because there was no way you could carry your husband without breaking your back because he was buff 

He lays down and brings you down with him so you are laying on top of him. He kisses your forehead and cheeks and nose then finally your lips, savouring them for a while before pulling away and allowing you to get comfortable. ”Goodnight, my love” he whispers as he drifts off to sleep. You wait until he is asleep to allow yourself to rest. 

A/N: the ending is definitely rushed but I tried the best I could to do a sub idol. You are welcome to leave notes,comments and reblogs on this piece. Make sure you are eating drinking and having a good day wherever you are in the world

MY REQUESTS ARE OPEN

[svtcupid]

‘Your dimples are missing.’

Set in 2017: Seungcheol sighed in exhaustion. being a leader wasn’t easy he had to take care of his members he even took the extra mile and went to meetings that related to his members in any way form. Seungcheol brows furrowed as he closed his eyes wanting rest to only open his eyes feeling a finger a poke on his cheek causing the elder to meet a familiar brown orbs that lingered with mischief. Jieun sent her eye smile to the leader as she gently pressed a finger to the elders cheek again making her furrow her brows .

‘what are you doing?’ The elder asked in curious

‘something is weird with your face.’ Jieun analysed with hint of worry lacing her tone as she scanned the latters face.

‘with my face?’ Seungcheol asked as he instinctively touched his face to feel anything strange.

‘Your dimples.’ Jieun answered with an obvious tone

‘My dimples?’ This only confused the leader more.

‘hmm. Your dimples are missing.’ Jieun said causing seungcheol to laugh as his dimples formed allowing Jieun to poke her fingers on the leaders dimples with a smile,’ oh! There it is.’ Jieun discovered watching the leader laugh; his eye lighting up under the dance room lights.

Jieun had observed the leader for the past few days even though he would never complain she just wished he did but all she could do was wait and reassure the male, that he wasn’t alone in this journey.

[midnightstay-blog]

Forever without you

Angst 🌖| Space travel Au 🌕 | Female reader 🩵 | Fluff🌙 | Scenario✨

Tw: Implied death

An: I saw one of those TikToks where people ask couples scenario questions. One of them was if you and your partner were in space with a group of people and your pod malfunctioned and woke you up earlier than planned would you let them (your partner)sleep or would you wake them up? This is inspired by that and that one movie (it has Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in it). Disclaimer I’ve never seen that movie but I know their pods break while they are on their space journey. I wanted to write something semi-sad for a change of pace. I might turn this into a full fic later but I don’t know yet. Anyways, happy reading.

Genre: Seungcheol x female reader

Theme: Right person not enough time / Lost Love / established relationship

Summary: you and seungcheol are selected to be one of the many couples who get to go to a new planet to start over. However, the trip doesn’t go exactly as planned.

Word count: 1730

“I’m sorry but we don’t seem to have that name on file,” one of the workers tells you as they scroll through the list of names on their tablet.

“that’s impossible the email that I got specifically said to come here and ask for his file by name,” you say sadness and a bit of anger laced in your tone.

Feeling frustrated you let out a deep sigh before checking your phone. You noticed the date March 14th two years to the date since that day, the day your world changed forever. You fiddle with the ring on your left hand. Originally, he had given it to you as an anniversary present. It served as his promise to you.

“Wait here it is Mr. Choi, right? “She asked as she double-checked her screen.

Nodding you confirm and shortly after two men come out of the back with a large box full of his things. You had thanked them before signing for the box and taking it with you back to your apartment. A short cab ride later and you had arrived at the high-rise that you’ve called home since that day. It was supposed to be your new home with Cheol. after all, he had designed it along with the pods that brought you to this place. Stepping into the unit you are greeted by your cat as you remove your shoes and place the box on the table next to you. 

After getting settled you place the box on your work desk before switching on the lights and having a seat in front of it. For a while you just stare at the box until a brief, but small meow escapes your cat pulling you back to reality. “I know... I know but it’s been so long and I- I’m not sure if I’m ready.” You tell the furry animal. Soon she begins to paw at the wires under your desk before you take her and move her to her tower in the other room. Placing her on the tower you return back to your office before taking a deep breath and reaching into the box. Your heart begins to race as your hands find an envelope post marked to you. You run your fingers over the writing, His writing before setting it down and continuing.

The next item is an old picture of the two of you. It was of your first official date. You smile as you recall the memory. The two of you had met at a friend’s engagement party and had been inseparable ever since. When Coups had asked you on a date it had been about two weeks after that party, there was a carnival in town, and he couldn’t wait to take you. In fact, you made it a group trip with him and his friends. You guys ended up staying the whole weekend.  It was a little unconventional for a first real date, but you grew to cherish the time. Looking at the picture one last time you set it on your desk before reaching back in the box. This time you had come across a few of his hoodies and a few discs. You place the hoodies folded on the other chair next to you before grabbing the discs and setting them on your desk. It had been a long time since you were able to watch anything in disc form. Most forms of media had been preloaded onto a projector so now all you had to do was pick up your remote and press play. After looking at the discs you decide to start with the letter. Opening it you begin to read its contents. :  Love, if you’re reading this then that means that something went wrong concerning the pods and I’m not with you right now. Though I can’t be with you physically I want you to know that I’ll always be in your heart and that you’ll always have mine. I’m assuming you got the discs. There should be about 12 or so total depending on what time the malfunction happened that’s if it happened. Everything that you need is on them. Make sure you watch them in order it’s important. I know we had a lot planned together but I want you to know that you will get through this and that I will always be rooting for you. If you need anything the guys are always there so don’t be afraid to reach out to them. Also, don’t be afraid to start over I know it’s gonna be hard at first, but I believe in you. Yours always, Cheol.

Once you finish the letter you wipe your tears and pick up the first of many discs. However, before you can watch it you have to look for your old DVD player. Getting up you make your way into the hallway closet near your living room before digging through a few boxes. Eventually, you locate the DVD player and begin to make your way back to your office. However, before you do you take the chance to change into one of Cheol’s hoodies from the box and a pair of pajama pants before you eventually make your way to your office.  Setting the DVD player on the desk you plug it in before you turn off the lights and place the first disc next to it before turning it on. It takes a while to boot up before the familiar logo starts to dance across the screen. Placing the disc in the machine you wait for it to load and soon Coup’s face pops up on the screen. For a moment you contemplate turning it off not sure if you’re ready. Taking a deep breath, you press play, and the video begins. He’s sitting at his desk drawing up what looks like blueprints for something. Soon one of the boys calls his name pulling him from his work. Looking up he offers a small smile to the camera. “Why are you filming me I thought you were supposed to be documenting the project.” He questions amusement in his tone. “Well since you’re the lead engineer on the project and you’re currently working on what will become our beds for the next couple of lightyears. I figured they’d want to see the before stages too.” Vernon chimes.  

 “Plus, what if she sees this? “He inquires.

“If all goes well, she shouldn’t have to see it.” Coups says reminding his friend.  There is a brief moment of silence before another person pipes up.

“Oh, please by time this comes out I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you were probably be married with kids.” Mingyu half jokes. 

“we’ve only been on one date dude.” Coups reveals.

“Yeah, but we’ve all seen the way you two stare at each other. It’s as if one of you is gonna float away or something.”  Vernon teases as the two share a laugh. Cheol’s face begins to burn red from the teasing of the younger men. You smile to yourself seeing them all together again as the video continues. When you to met originally it was a Boo’s engagement party though Vernon had been the one to introduce you to Cheol.

Eventually, you two had started dating shortly after that and a few years later his project at work had been approved for launch. Initially, he was so excited about it but as time went on, he began to have a few worries but he tried not to let them show. Also as time went on you two grew closer and closer and eventually you were one of two couples to be chosen to go to this new planet. He explained it as his bosses wanting him to help out with some of the living arrangements and though you were skeptical about it at first eventually you came around. If only you knew then what you know now.  Hours passed as you watched all the other videos. In some, he talks about your time together and how nervous he was when you met his parents. In another about the time you were house-sitting for him and Kuma got out. He laughs at the memory now.

Soon, you make it to the last one. At this point, you get up to check on the time and it is well past midnight into the early morning of the next day.  As you return to your desk you press play for the finale time that night. This time coups is sitting at the front of the ship staring at the stars. For a while he just sits there in silence occasionally glancing between the sky and the camera.  His hair is longer almost past his shoulders but not quite. Turning towards the camera he takes a deep breath before he begins.

“This will be my last vlog.” He states letting the words hang in the air.

“I tried to fix the pod but without the right components it’s basically useless.”  He states while rubbing his face out of frustration.

“I know at some point you’ll see this, and I want you to know that I’ll always love you.” He exclaims looking directly into the camera.

In that moment you take in a breath wiping the stray tear that began to fall from your eye with his sleeve. He continues saying his goodbyes to all of his friends and family members leaving instructions for how you are to be taken care of etc. Eventually, you watch as he walks over to the suites and begins to put one on. Making his way to the airlock he gives the camera one last smile before the screen goes black.  Once the video ends you sit there soaking in his final words for what feels like forever. Eventually, you manage to pull yourself from your desk and try to get some form of sleep. However, just as you are about to place the discs back into the box your computer dings from the corner of your desk catching your attention. Walking over to it you click on the notification revealing an email. Shocked by its contents you back away from your desk in disbelief before you drop your computer and sit on the floor staring at it. The email reads: Don’t give up on me yet. -Coups

Request are open

[everlyn63]

mingyu would literally be the typical golden retriever boyfriend I swear😭

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

he would try all possible ways to make you smile and laugh when you are having a bad day or any other days, just to see your smile. and one important thing, HE LOVES FEEDING YOU!

feeding you has become his major goal whenever you're alone or with friends and family. once the food arrives and before you could grab a spoon, mingyu would be quick to take a spoon of the dish and direct it towards your mouth. he starts whining with his lips pouted and looks at you with his puppy like eyes if you reject this action out of embarrassment and whatever mingyu wants mingyu gets so in the end you surrender and let him feed you throughout the meal, getting teasing looks from your family and friends.

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

☆ my first time so please excuse if there are any mistakes here and there

☆please like, comment,and share......

[proudahgase-exol]

Seventeen masterlist

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ: 10/14/24

𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥

𝙎 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙨:

𝘈 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳

𝙅𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙖𝙣:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵…..

𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙝𝙪𝙖:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙅𝙪𝙣:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙃𝙤𝙨𝙝𝙞:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙒𝙤𝙣𝙬𝙤𝙤:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙯𝙞:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝘿𝙆:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙮𝙪:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙖𝙤:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙎𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙠𝙬𝙖𝙣:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙣:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

𝘿𝙞𝙣𝙤:

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵……

You will see post here once I make anything for any of the members. Feel free to request :)

[misotsukiiyeooo]

Just rewrote the whole thing! hopefully, it's more enjoyable!

hopefully this is your first req! but I was wondering if you could do a Seungcheol!smut! where he like see's you having fun at a party with his members then fucks you in one of the members room during the party? I'm not sure this makes sense but...thank you!

Party girl

Pairing:Bf! Choi Seungcheol x F!Reader

WARNINGS: Name-calling (slut+ whore) degradation oral(f receiving) fingering, edging and non-protective sex (be safe out there guys/girls!)

A/N: Hey anon! I understand wym don’t worry😘 I hope you enjoy !!🤍😉 (Rewrite)

Genre: Smut(hint of fluff + crack)

Word count: 11.3k

Synopsis: Seungcheol takes you to his and your friend Hoshi’s party and sees you enjoying yourself a bit too much.

“Princess, are you finished yet?” While fixing your makeup and applying red lipstick, you hear Seungcheol complain that you’re taking 'too long.'

“Hold on, Cheollie!” You adjust your tight black dress and step out of the room, immediately catching Seungcheol's attention as you enter the living room. Although not much was said verbally, the tension was palpable as his hooded eyes scanned you. Practically eye-fucking you as approached you from a distance, slowly closing the gap as he walked toward you.

“You look so gorgeous and sexy in this dress, Princess.” He holds onto your waist looking at your lips or breast that’s very much open for him to see given his height.

“Thank you, Cheol. You’re not so bad yourself.” You sense his smirk as you check him out. Wearing a plain black shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket has never looked this good until now. “Shall we go?” he asked. You nod and take his arm, resting your head against him. He opens the passenger car door for you. “Thanks,” you say as you enter, and he closes the door before getting into the driver's seat.

“Is this Jeonghan's party or Soonyoung's?” you inquire.

“Soonyoung's. You know how much of a party animal he is.” As he starts driving, he can't help but glance at your thighs as your tight dress rides up a bit. He reaches for your thigh, caressing it. He tries to stay calm, but it’s becoming difficult.

“We’re here,” Seungcheol tells you as your excitement about the party grows. He opens your door and takes your hand. “Don’t misbehave,” he warns with a smile. You wink at him as you both enter the loud, booze-smelling party and notice some familiar faces.

“Y/N! MY GIRL!” You recognize the voice immediately, but before you can see the face, someone hugs you tightly. “Soonyoung, you’re hugging me too tightly,” you manage to say as he pulls away, already practically drunk. “I’m sorry, Y/N!” he slurs, grabbing your wrist. “Good to know you could make it, Cheol!” Soonyoung smiles at Seungcheol as he pulls your wrist into the crowd.

You glance at Seungcheol until he nods in approval and mouths that he’s going to be in the kitchen. “Y/N!” Jeonghan and Seungkwan rush over to hug you as you attempt to sit on the couch. “Hi, guys!” you say excitedly, returning their hugs. You then greet Wonwoo and Minghao, who are talking to each other on the couch next to you.

“Y/N, you have to take some shots if we’re going to party!” Jeonghan exclaims, handing you some shots, which you gladly accept, taking four in a row as your friends cheer you on. “Y/N never lets the party get dull,” Minghao notes, and others nod in agreement. You just laugh it off. “Let’s get some more shots!” you scream over the loud music, already feeling the buzz kick in.

“THAT’S MY GIRL!” Soonyoung cheers as he leads you to the kitchen. Upon arriving, both of you drunk and looking for more booze, Joshua comes over from the other side of the island. “Soonyoung, Y/N, the party just started, and you’re both already so drunk…”

“We’re not drunk!” Soonyoung slurs, earning a laugh from Joshua. “It’s nice to see you here, Y/N.” You smile and hug Joshua back, noticing Seungcheol glancing at you while Mingyu talks to him. You brush it off and focus on Joshua.

“You know they mean no harm; they just love Y/N the same way everyone does,” Mingyu tells Seungcheol. He raises an eyebrow at him. “Don’t give that confused look. I know you're annoyed at seeing Y/N talking, hugging, and laughing with—”

“Alright, I get it. No, I’m not annoyed. She’s just excited to see her friends, that’s all,” Seungcheol replies, trying to end the conversation while still glancing at you, laughing with Joshua and now Chan as well.

I’m looking for Y/N now, and I find you dancing away, completely drunk with Chan, in the big crowd of people. I weave my way through the crowd, and when you notice me, you hug me tightly. “Baby, Cheollie, I missed you!” you scream as if I’m not right in front of you. I wrap my arms around your waist as she continues dancing. Chan takes the hint and walks away.

“Oh no… Chan left with the others. Let’s go to them—” I hear you whine, wanting to go with him. I pull you closer to my chest and whisper in your ear, “You think I’m going to let go of you that easily?” I chuckle at your big, innocent eyes and take your hand, guiding you upstairs to the closest room, which turns out to be Soonyoung's.

I lock the door behind us and throw you over my shoulder. You let out a whine as I playfully spank your ass and then set you down on the bed, climbing on top of you. “You think I didn’t notice the way you were laughing with Joshua?” I say, looking down at you. You look up at me, confused. “We were just making jokes and having small talk,” you defend yourself, but I cut you off.

“Could’ve fooled me with the way you were giving him those googly eyes.”

“I wasn’t-” I shut you up by slamming my lips onto yours earning a soft moan to escape your lips.

You hold onto my shirt tightly, begging for more and I pull back. “Nope, not right now Princess, you’re not getting what you want that easily.” I pull her dress off, revealing her breasts.

“I see you didn’t wear a bra..you wanted me to do this huh? You little slut.” You moan as he takes one of your breasts into his mouth. His hand presses again your clothed clit. “Look at how wet you are and I barely even did anything.” Your cheeks tint pink as you moan under his touch.

“More, please, Cheollie.” You arch your back to feel friction. He slaps your clothed clit earning a whine. “Be a good whore and stop acting up.” He hisses.

He slides your panties down, and you whine as the cold air hits your wetness. “Look at how much of a mess you are for me.” He smirks at you placing his fingers on your clit and rubbing it ever so slowly, teasing you further.

Continuing to tease you, tears well up. “Faster..” You barely let out. Seungcheol kept the same slow pace then quickened it just to slow down again.

More whines escape your lips as Seungcheol just watches you lose your shit. He finally decides you’ve been edged enough and places a finger in, then two having you moan loudly holding onto the sheets.

“Cheol!” You scream as he picks up the paste curling his fingers in you. “What is it, princess? Tell me what you want.” Seungcheol looks at you.

“You…” You let out.

“I don’t understand princess, I need you to be more specific.” You feel overwhelmed with all this pleasure. “I need you to…fuck me.” As the words escape your lips, you feel him pull his fingers away.

You now feel empty, and you see him lowering his head, oh god. He licks your clit, then licks your entrance until his tongue enters you. He works his tongue ever so skillfully.

You can’t help but moan loudly and grab his hair, pulling it for more. He understood what you wanted and played with your clit with his fingers while eating you out.

“You like that?” He smirks as he continues, all you can do is moan. Feeling a tightness in your stomach, you know you’re close.

“Seungcheol I’m-”

“Come for me, pretty. Let me taste how good you are.” With that, you release in an instant, legs shaking, breathing heavy. He makes sure there’s no mess licking you clean.

“So good princess.” He pulls down his pants, getting completely undressed and before you’re able to catch your breath he pushes himself in your now swollen cunt.

He grunts, “You’re so tight for me, I can’t get enough of you.” He fastens his pace leaning down and kissing you, leaving dark hickeys around your neck and chest as you scratch his back.

You're both so close, Seungcheol notices as you tighten around him. “You feel so good in me.” You stutter your words and that was all it took for him to shoot his warm liquid into you.

A few seconds afterward, you come while he rides out his high slowing the pace a bit. He falls onto you, hair sweaty after all he’s done. He doesn’t pull out yet; still catching your breaths.

Finally pulling out he kisses your lips. “I love you, Pretty.” Returning the words weakly. He comes back from Soonyoung’s bathroom with a towel, cleaning you up then laying down next to you.

The music is still playing downstairs, but both of you are too tired to go down and join the party again. “Do you think Soonyoung would mind if we slept in his bed?” you ask, feeling exhausted. “No, he’s probably too drunk to even notice.” He hugs you as you lay down on him and drifts off to sleep.

The following morning, I woke up and glanced over at Y/N, who was still asleep. I put on my clothes and opened the door to exit, only to find someone waiting outside. Soonyoung was leaning against the door and fell back when I opened it. “Holy shit! Why the hell were you leaning on the door?” I laughed as he rubbed his head.

“Why am I leaning on my door? WHY AM I LEANING ON MY DOOR?! WHY WERE YOU IN MY ROOM?!” Soonyoung looked furious, mostly because he had hit his head.

“Well, Y/N and I were tired, so we fell asleep on your bed,” I shrugged, walking away while making sure to lock the door behind me with Soonyoung following closely.

“You could’ve given me a heads-up! I already gave my other rooms to the boys!” he complained as I walked down the stairs, ignoring him and greeting the others who had spent the night.

“Don’t ignore me!” he shouted.

“Alright, Soonyoung, I’m sorry,” I replied, not wanting to deal with his temper, which could change in an instant.

“Come eat breakfast, Soonyoung,” Mingyu called him over, and just like that, his annoyance vanished as he happily walked away. I chuckled at how quickly his mood had shifted.

You wake up to find that no one is in the room. You head to Soonyoung's bathroom and grab the toothbrush he keeps for you during your sleepovers. After freshening up, you make your way downstairs. The noise is lively; you see Jeonghan teasing Seungcheol, Chan laughing with Vernon, Jun talking with Joshua and Minghao, and Mingyu cooking breakfast. Soonyoung is eating, while Wonwoo sits in the corner reading. Just then, Seungkwan approaches you.

"Y/N, you won't believe what happened last night! Soonyoung got so drunk that he ripped off his shirt and started growling at girls, claiming he was a tiger until Mingyu threw him into the pool to sober him up a bit!" Seungkwan shows you the video as you laugh hysterically. Mingyu joins in while Soonyoung pouts.

"That's not nice… You all know how I get when I'm drunk, and you didn't even try to stop me."

"Well, I did try to stop you, which is why I threw you in the water," Mingyu replies. The rest of the group laughs along with you.

Soonyoung hugs you tightly. "They’re being so mean to me, Y/N!" you rub his back, struggling to contain your laughter. "You're laughing too?!? JIHOON, THEY'RE BEING MEAN AGAIN!" He jumps onto Jihoon, who is sitting on the couch. "You're older than me, you know," Jihoon rolls his eyes at Soonyoung's antics.

You laugh even harder and then notice Seungcheol glancing at you with a smile. You smile back and walk over to him, sitting on his lap. "Good morning," you say, and he replies with the same greeting. "You guys are so weird but cute at the same time," Jeonghan comments, and both of you giggle.

"Should we get going?" Seungcheol asks. "Yeah, we don’t want to stay too long or we won’t be able to leave," you reply. "I heard that!" Soonyoung exclaims, and everyone bursts into laughter.

Req are always open!

Join my tag list!

@jjunie-0 @minminghao @allieyaaa @bath1lda @honglynights @black-swan-blog27 @cherrylvrr

[starlightxsvt]

Sentinel's Serenade | c.sc

pairing ➳ bodyguard!Scoups x heiress!reader

genre ➳ drama, angst, romance, smut.

word count ➳ 29.5k (i'm sorry)

warnings ➳ car crash, ptsd, flashbacks of war, panic attack, murder, violence, guns, blood, death, fingering, unprotected sex, edging, female oral, arguments, coups is an a-hole but he has reasons, he was also in the military, Jun is a bad guy here(im sorry), jihoon blesses us with his special appearance.

synopsis ➳ As you start digging up an accident that has been brushed under the rug, you make an enemy who is out to get you no matter what. Amidst all the chaos you develop feelings for your bodyguard who has built walls of steel around him.

"This is your new bodyguard, Seungcheol." 

Your head tilts upward, as you scan the man standing in front of you with careful eyes. He's tall and broad; exactly how you'd imagine a bodyguard to be, along with an emptiness in his eyes, so cold and robotic that would only be achievable after being through some heavy shit, you assume. Your father continues listing off his certifications and qualities but your brain doesn't capture much after hearing that he can speak sign language and is an ex navy SEAL; too busy getting distracted with his handsome features and dissecting him as much as you can just from looking.

The man isn't handsome in the typical sense, definitely not the handsome you're used to seeing in magazine covers and charity galas. No, he's ruggedly handsome, shielding himself with a tough exterior, his thick brows knotted in a frown and his full, red lips set in a grim line, blond hair brushed back neatly. 

With the way he looks in that expensive suit hugging his body, he could pass as a business tycoon but his aura is completely different; alert, strict, impenetrable.

His hand reaches out for yours to meet in a handshake after your father is done introducing him. You watch his extended hand for a while, observing little scratches and cuts that seem to still be healing on his knuckles before meeting his hand. As expected, his palms are calloused but cool. His grip is firm, just like the look in his dark eyes and for some unknown reason tingles shoot down your spine.

"Choi Seungcheol, ma'am." His voice has a deep timbre to it. It'd be perfect for audiobooks, you muse idly.  "He is to be with you whenever you are going outside till the foreseeable future." Your father states. There isn't much room for arguments here and you aren't too bothered having a shadow because this isn't the first time. 

You had a personal bodyguard six months ago and the man sustained a serious hip injury due to...circumstances involving you. Now that you are back and ready to face the world, you know that keeping a personal bodyguard is a wise decision, even if your father may have assigned him with ulterior motives. 

It's okay, the games are just beginning and you are playing for the long haul.

—

"Met your new guard on the way. Guy's a robot." Chan says as he strolls into the library with his hands in his pockets. You assume he's talking about Seungcheol, who is currently stationed outside the library room even though you told him to take a break.

A copy of Jane Eyre sits open on your lap as you look up to meet Chan's eyes. Offering him a small smile, you motion him to sit next to you. Your younger brother had been out of the country due to business for the past few weeks so it has been a while since you last saw him.

"So you are really going back to work?" He asks, a soft, concerning note to his voice as he sits down next to you on the divan. You sigh and give him an exasperated look. 

"I'm more than ready. Sitting idle hasn't done me much good." You sign. 

His eyes watch the movements of your hands before he murmurs, "It will be tough, you know... without your... voice. I don't want you to get into any trouble, especially after everything."

"I'll manage." You sign. You will. 

It has been six long months since the accident. Six months since you lost your mother. Six months since you have last uttered a word. Six months since you have been at work.

Six months since your life has completely been turned upside down. 

You have been thrown entirely off track, the reigns of your horse being snatched away by a dark force plotting far worse things.  But you will uncover them. No matter how long or what it takes. 

"Dad thinks you're not ready yet," Chan comments, breaking your train of thought. 

You huff out an annoyed breath. 

"I don't really care what he thinks you know," you sign and your brother snorts, looking at you with a fond, amused expression. "It will be hard." He says absent-mindedly. "To adjust back to everything."

You nod because you know it will be. You have already heard the board members express their dissatisfaction over you returning as the CEO. Lee publishing has been in its prime since last year and they're afraid it's gonna lose its position with a mute CEO. Funny how they forget you are the one who brought it to where it is today. Lee Publishings, your family's publishing company was handed over to you by your  grandfather. He started it from scratch and it became the first successful family business before he decided to hand it over to you when you became twenty. 

Your bond with your grandfather was always special, maybe because you both shared the same love for books and sense of humour. You grew up watching him read and collect books and naturally you picked up on that habit. As you grew up you watched him work closely, helping him wherever you could with the company which led him to hand it over to you. 

Not your father, your brother or any of your cousins but you.

He was lucky enough to watch you take on the role and make the company flourish for all three months before he passed away peacefully one night in his sleep. 

The feud began after that as your uncle, Jin Lee and your father started expressing their concerns, saying that you wouldn't be able to rule over the company well now that your grandfather wasn't here to guide you. While your uncle wanted the publishing house for himself and his useless son, Jun, your father wanted to hand the company over to Chan, believing that your brother would be a better president, and offering you the role of the vice president instead. It came to you without any surprise because your brother was always your father's favourite child.

You, however, had stood your ground and promptly refused, challenging them to try and take it from you. Thankfully, your brother was on your side, saying that it rightfully belonged to you and you were more than eligible to rule over it. Chan's disinterest may have backed off your father temporarily, you can tell, but your uncle is still desperate, now more than ever.

"You are going to move back to your place soon as well," Chan complains with a pout, breaking your train of thought. Giving him a sad smile you open your arms, inviting him for a hug which he gladly accepts. After one week of staying at the hospital and your mother's burial, you decided that you would stay at the mansion you grew up in, essentially your father's house, instead of your own apartment in the city, for the foreseeable future. This mansion held a lot of memories for you, especially with your mother. Breakfast in the garden, late night talks in the huge library and sipping on tea while watching the sunset together through the large window in the west wing.

You could never imagine a life without your mother yet here you are, living one. But it is time you slowly start going back to where you belong.

"It will be lonely here without you…and mom," Chan whispers.

You can only blink back your tears and hug him tighter.

—

Just on your fifth day back, you realise that things are not going to be anywhere near easy for you, not that you expected, but still.

The moment you get to work on Wednesday morning, there is a commotion outside the main entrance of the building which leads your driver to drop you and Seungcheol at the underground entrance. You are greeted by the bleak face of your secretary as you walk to your office, who announces that the vice president is there to see you. Once you enter your office, you indeed find vice president Jun, your dear cousin, sitting on your seat with the face of a cat who ate the canary.

Seungcheol, who is always trailing behind you like a shadow, moves— to drag him out of your seat no doubt, but you raise your hand as a gesture to tell him to stop.

"Good morning, Miss Lee. Though it doesn't look like a good morning for you," He grins, standing up and rounding the desk lazily while tilting his chin at the coffee table where the morning paper is lying. You pick it up and in bold letters on the front page, the headline greets you with: "President of Lee Publishings Accused of Employee Mistreatment."

It goes on and on about some bullshit of how you have been treating employees badly and holding their salary because you have apparently returned with a nasty temper as you can't speak anymore. You can't help but scoff, because the reality is far, far from what the paper says. 

Ever since you've been back at work, all you've ever done is stay inside your office and go through all the pending documents and close deals that were hanging. Your only human contact has been your secretary Hansol and your bodyguard, both of whom have more similarities to a wall than a human. Your previously bubbly secretary has turned awkward now, probably because you have lost your voice and holding a conversation with you proves to be hard. Seungcheol, on the other hand, is like a robot who stands by your door all day and only answers your questions as briefly as possible, most of the time with a yes or no.

Your hands form fists at your sides as you glare at Jun, who stands there, pridefully evil, watching you with a satisfied grin on his face. "Things are looking rather bleak for you," He tuts in mock sympathy as he strolls towards you, hands in his pockets. As he comes to stand right next to you, his hand reaches out for your shoulder to pat you but Seungcheol grabs his wrist and twists it, making him shriek in pain. 

"Fuck! Let go, you asshole!"

"You do not have permission to touch her," Seungcheol calmly states, still not letting go. You sigh and sign Seungcheol to kick him out, which he does immediately while your cousin screams in protest as you walk to your desk and sit down, rubbing your temples in frustration.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Seungcheol asks after closing the door behind him.

You watch him for a while, your mind running a mile a minute as you think of a thousand ways of payback. But then you remind yourself that you have to approach this calmly.  So you force a smile and sign. 

"Send my secretary in. —

A couple of days later, you are not pleasantly surprised to see your father waiting to greet you at the front of the house when you return from work.

Just as Seungcheol opens the car door for you to get out, your father marches towards you.

"What did you do, girl? I told you to stay put! Your uncle Jin is here to see you!" His tone is not friendly. In fact, you pick up heavy disappointment, which you expected. This was bound to happen after you fired your cousin Jun from his position today. 

You smile calmly at him before turning to Seungcheol and signalling to him that he is relieved of his duties. He looks at you warily and you have a feeling he wants to say no but he ultimately just nods and takes his leave, driving away the car to park.

"He's waiting for you in the backyard." Your father announces. As you start walking away he yells, "You better fix what you have done today! The company won't last if you keep on making hasty decisions like these!"

Deciding to ignore him you walk to the backyard with unfaltering steps and find your uncle standing there with arms crossed, feet tapping furiously. You approach him with a smile, not a friendly one but the subtle smile of challenge as he takes furious steps towards you when he sees you coming.

"You! What have you done, _____? You fired my son from his position!" He hollers, marching to stand in front of you, fury blazing vividly in his eyes. 

Silently, you hold eye contact with him.

"You think you can do as you please after you get into an accident and we'll just let you? Who do you think you are to fire my son?"

You smirk before producing your notepad from your bag and start scribbling.

"I'm the president of the company and based on our investigation your son was found guilty of spreading fake news about me mistreating my employees. The reporter who got paid to write it confessed himself."

You hold out the notepad for him to read.

"How dare you believe a lowly reporter over my son? Over your own cousin?" Your uncle is livid. "If you keep behaving like this then I'll retract all my assets shared with your father. You know I can take over the Lee Enterprises anytime if I want."

You roll your eyes. Yeah, do whatever you want.

You start writing down. "If you have nothing productive to say I suggest you leave now and have a chat with your precious son. I have had a long day."

As soon as he reads the words written on the paper he bats the notebook away from your hand, making you gasp. The look in his eyes is akin to a madman's as he takes a threatening step towards you and leans in to whisper in your ear. 

"If you don't want to end up like your mother I suggest you start behaving, ______." He sneers.

Your whole body freezes up like a block of ice as your breath catches in your lungs. Your uncle's eyes are cruel, threating, filled with a layer of secrets that you're desperate to uncover as he takes a step back. The look of panic on your face brings satisfaction to him as watches you for a few moments, letting his words sink in and challenging you to do something about it before he smirks and walks out of the backyard.

Your legs, which have been shaky until now finally give up and you fall on the perfectly trimmed grass, your breaths coming out in the form of pants. 

The horrible realisation sinks into you. 

Your suspicions were true. 

His words just confirmed that which means you need to up your game. Immediately.

You're surprised at how quickly, how easily you think of one person when you need someone to help you. 

Hands shaky, you type a message to Seungcheol.

— There's something different about Seungcheol the moment he arrives at your front gate in his BMW. As you watch him get out of the car and jog towards you, you realise it's his fit; he's not wearing his typical two piece suit. 

No, he's dressed in a fitted white polo and black slacks, the polo so tight that you can see the bulging outline of his chest and arms. Despite the negative thoughts brewing in your head you get distracted for a second as you ogle him unashamedly and take longer than you should to respond to his question. "Are you alright, ma'am? I wasn't expecting you to call so late."

You roll your eyes. It's only like eight in the evening. Though you can see why it was unexpected for him because he is relieved from duty as you get off work in the evening. Not replying to him, you tilt your head towards his car, indicating to him to open the passenger side door. He looks doubtful for a second before following your instructions.

"Where would you like me to take you?" Seungcheol asks once you're both inside the car and he has started the engine. You sigh and sign, "Somewhere far and quiet."

His thick brows knot into a frown as he thinks for a few seconds before simply nodding. Then, surprising you, he reaches over and pulls your seatbelt across your chest, which you just realised you forgot to put on. His being so close lets you get a really good sniff of his cologne and once again you get heavily distracted as you start wondering what he'd do if you leaned into his neck and wrapped your arms around him.

Where are these thoughts coming from? 

You have no idea. This is not the first time you've had them, though.

It is like this new disease you have caught. Your mind goes haywire whenever you look at Seungcheol for a second too long. The first time it happened was right after the rumour of employee mistreatment broke out and you were leaving from work. Even though you took the back exit through the underground parking, the press mobbed you, throwing a string of questions at you while their cameras kept flashing repeatedly.

Seungcheol, of course, managed everything very efficiently and got you away safely. The way his hand squeezed your shoulder, his face hovering near yours while he asked if you were okay was a feeling that has managed to stay with you very vividly even now. You were a bit spaced out but not for the reasons he was thinking; it was just that he looked too attractive and his touch felt too comforting, even though he was merely doing his job.

You are a tiny bit ashamed to admit that he has made your heart flutter since then, with every little thing he did. 

You don't get to dwell on your day dreams for too long because he's leaning back in his seat and pressing the accelerator, making you jerk softly.

A quiet thirty minutes of drive later you discover that Seungcheol has taken you to the beach right on the outskirts of the city. It isn't something you were expecting but you realise it is something you definitely need. 

As he parks the car on a small cliff overlooking the entire beach, you hear the soothing sounds of the wave crashing into the shore clearly. 

And it brings back vague memories of your childhood, when your mother took you to this beach because she loved the air here so much. As if in a trance, you get out of the car and stand by the cliff, letting the cool sea breeze wash over you as the salty smell in the air invades your nose. Your bodyguard stands by you silently for a while and without looking, you can tell that his eyes are on you, watching you carefully.

Sometime later, he breaks the peaceful silence, "Would like to eat something? There are a few food trucks nearby." He moves his head to motion at the food trucks parked far away, their lights blinking. Shaking your head no, you fill your lungs with the cool night air by taking one more deep breath before moving to the back of the car and leaning against the trunk. Seungcheol follows you as you pat the space next to you for him to come and stand. 

He does so and you let out a heavy breath before signing. "I need you to do something for me. Something that has to remain a secret."

Seungcheol raises his brows slightly before frowning. He doesn't reply immediately and you stand upright, holding eye contact with him. "It is very important to me, Seungcheol. I need to know if I can trust you to keep it a secret from everyone," you sign.

"Okay, ma'am." He finally responds. 

"Even from my father," you sign. "I know you're working for him but for this task, I will pay you separately so you will only answer to me about this, okay?"

"Okay ma'am."

"Good." You huff out a breath. "You are from a prominent security company, right? I need you to look into a man for me. Jin Lee."

"Your uncle?" He looks bewildered. "Yes. I need his whereabouts on 23rd March of this year. And I need to know who he contacted before this accident. Any call or bank transfer that seems remotely out of place, you look into it for me, okay?" He pauses for a breath before replying. "Okay, ma'am."

"Just call me ____, Seungcheol."

— On the weekend, you have lunch with Chan in the garden of the mansion, the place where you two had lunch with your mother, as he eagerly asks you about how you have been doing and assures you that he is here if you need anything. After lunch, you see him off for a meeting before aimlessly strolling through the hallways of your house by yourself.

The cleanup at your place has been completed so you are planning on moving back tomorrow and you realise it will be a while before you come back here. Through your walk, you come across a painting hanging on the large hallway towards your father's office that makes you stop to stare. 

It is a picture of your mother with you and Chan, taken when you were about twelve years old. It is your favourite picture in the entire house, maybe because you have a memory attached to it or maybe because it's simply magnificent, the three of your smiles shining so brightly.

It was a gift from your grandfather to your mother on her thirty seventh birthday and she had it hung here, right in front of a large set of windows that overlooks the garden. The afternoon sun falls right on the picture, casting it in an ethereal glow and it is almost like your mom is here, cheering you on with her beautiful smile.

With a soft sigh and tears withheld, you say goodbye to the picture and walk away. You are aiming to go straight to your room but the loud voices coming from your father's office makes you stop.

You realise the door is just slightly opened and you walk over to shut it but stop in your tracks when you hear your uncle's voice.

"You better get your daughter under control or it will not be good for you!" He is shouting.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I am warning you, brother."

"Jin, please, just let her be for a while. She has lost her voice. I am sure she will not be able to perform like before. Then you and the board can fire her."

You are somewhat hurt by your father's words but once again, they do not come to you as a surprise. "Exactly! Why should I let the company go to waste because of her poor performance? You tell her to fuck off or I will remove her myself!"

"Jin, please. You already got rid of Aileen. You do not have to go any further.

Your world has come to a stop.

You forget to breath, as you simply stand there, stunned, convinced that you heard wrong.

You had to have heard wrong.

"I got rid of her and I'll get rid of you too, if you don't listen to me! Don't forget I own the shares of the family hotel just as much as you do. It will not be a challenge to turn the board of directors against you. Imagine what will happen after that? Your most lucrative business will be completely mine and your dear son will become penniless."

There is no reply from your father. Or maybe there is but you do not hear it.

There is a deafening ring in yours ears as you muffle your sobs by clutching your mouth tightly and making a beeline for your room.

You cannot believe this. You absolutely can not. It is something you could not have imagined even in your wildest nightmare. Your father knows your uncle killed your mom, yet he is staying silent. Why? Why!

Granted, your parents were never happily married and growing up you have heard that your father has mistresses. It never bothered your mother because their marriage was only a business agreement in the very first place and she had all her attention focused on you and Chan. But to think that he is letting her killer walk free is unbelievable.

After all he lived with her, his wife, the mother of his children for so many goddamn years!

By the time you have entered your room, you are full on crying, ugly and loud. Tears are blurring your vision as you flail around the room, helplessly, aimlessly, devastatedly. 

And before you know it, you are throwing the thousand dollar porcelain vase by your bedside to the ground.

The piece shatters into bits and the sound oddly satisfies you, prompting you to throw another one. And for the next few minutes you throw anything you can find in your room, not caring how valuable they are, not caring that a shard of glass has ripped the skin below your left thumb, making you bleed.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" You yell at the top of your lungs, not caring to keep up the facade anymore.

Once you have run out of energy, you stop to look at the mess you made, glad that the messy room and the pain from the cut on your hand makes your mind go blank for a while.

But you do not miss the small, almost inaudible creak of the door to your room. Your head whips into the direction to see none other than Seungcheol, standing right out front, his eyes wide and his lips parted in a small gasp of surprise. 

You forget to breathe as you realise he might have been standing there for a while and he witnessed everything. 

Everything.

He knows your secret.  He knows that you are not mute. Before you know it, your feet are moving as you push open the door and yank your bodyguard into your room, not before glancing left and right down the hallway to check anyone's presence.

As soon as you lock the door, you press him against it and lean on your tiptoes, inching your face closer to him as you whisper, "Keep. This. A. Secret."

You had meant for the words to come out threatening but your tear stained eyes and cracking voice doesn't help establish that image.

Seungcheol stares at you with a gaze you are quite unable to decipher. His eyes are soft, full of wonder and you think you can almost spot admiration and something more in them and for a moment, you find yourself lost in the sea of his gaze. 

"______". He calls your name softly. His hands come to your upper arms to hold you gently as he puts some distance between the two of you before ushering you towards your bed and making you sit down. "Your secret is safe with me," he confirms as he sits next to you. "But I am glad you can speak again." He murmurs, giving your shoulder a soft squeeze as he looks around the room you just trashed.

You let out half a sigh of relief, knowing that your secret is safe and you find yourself speaking before you can even think. "I got my voice back quite a while ago. Two months after the accident, actually." Seungcheol's head whips towards you, his eyes widening in surprise.

"My uncle seemed very happy when I lost my voice and he was being weirdly nice to me. I already had my suspicions that the accident was an inside job so I pretended to act mute." You whisper, eyes trained on the floor.

How right you were!

It was an inside job but it had its roots spread out much farther than you thought. Your uncle killed your mother while your father sits there in silence despite knowing that!

The thought makes you shake your head as a dry, mirthless laughter wrings out of your throat. Your head falls back as you laugh like a mad woman as Seungcheol watches you, absolutely perplexed.

He gently tries calling your name. "______—"

"My father knew!" You are yelling between laughter. "He fucking knew!"

The poor man only looks more confused.

"He knew— he… he knows my uncle killed my mom but he is staying silent! He said it himself! I heard him! Do you understand, Seungcheol, my father is turning a blind eye! He is choosing to save his fucking business over me, over his children!"

Seungcheol looks absolutely baffled upon hearing your words as he falls silent with a bleak expression. He does not have the adequate words to respond to that and he simply does not know what he can do at this point to make you feel better.  However, he takes notice of the cut below your thumb and reaches for your hand, setting it down on his thigh while he takes out a handkerchief and gently ties it around the injury. "You hurt yourself," he states quietly, almost to himself before meeting your eyes. "I know what you heard was painful but you need to take care of yourself. For your mother, at least."

And the damn breaks.

You break into a full on sob as you wrap your hands around his large shoulders, molding yourself against him as you cry unceremoniously in his chest. Seungcheol's arms wrap around your body in an effortless blanket of security as he rests his chin on top of your head and strokes your head while you try to burrow yourself deeper into his chest. 

It takes a while for the messy array of tears to subside and once you have calmed down a little, you take notice of his white shirt which is now completely wet where you rested your face. "I'm sorry," you croak weakly, trying to pull away but he holds you by the arms and makes you face him by tilting your chin with his finger.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, okay? Now tell me what I can do to make this a little better. Just so you know, my team is almost done digging up about your uncle. We should have a solid update tomorrow."

A small sob of gratitude and relief escapes your throat and Seungcheol immediately shushes you, his eyes helplessly searching for yours. "C-can you please ask them to look into my dad as well," you hiccup, saying the words you never imagined would come out of your mouth. "I need to know his whereabouts before the accident."

Seungcheol assures you with a nod while his hand strokes your back soothingly. Exhaling a loud, defeated sigh, you wipe your tears and mutter. "Please help me pack my bags, Seungcheol. I am moving back to my place. Tonight. I cannot stay here a second longer."

The man looks like he wants to protest but goes against it and simply nods, getting up to retrieve your bags from your closet.

After hastily packing your belongings you waste no time to march out of the house with Seungcheol trailing behind you. You leave a note on the kitchen, simply saying something came up and you had to leave early.

You are extremely grateful that you do not come across your father because one look at him and the ticking time bomb inside you would explode and you definitely cause a scene.

As the night grows deeper slowly, you isolate yourself in your room once you come back to your apartment. Despite Seungcheol's insistence, you tell him to call it a day and lock yourself up in your room, throwing yourself a pity party. It has been a while since you had such a restless night— the last one being after the accident, and it takes a long long time for sleep to come.

When your eyes finally fall shut, hues of orange and blue have already grazed the sky. 

—

You do not feel like your best self in the morning but the news Seungcheol brings is enough to get you back on track. 

The manila file sitting on your desk is a gold mine, it's contents spread throughout the surface as you sit in silence, hands linked together under your chin, your brain finally connecting the pieces together.

Seungcheol's friends found a shady bank transfer made by your uncle, two weeks before the accident. The tip led them to an old gang who, after applying some tactics, admitted to taking money from Jin Lee in order to commit a hit and run. After digging around some more they found papers that now lie on your table, a clear proof of your uncle's deal with the gang, which they kept as insurance. Among the documents, one particularly catches your eye.

It is the information of the driver of the truck that hit your car. 

The picture is like a jolt of electricity through your system as you are immediately taken back to the scene of the crash, the moments after where you were hovering over the brink of consciousness. You remember seeing a man peeking into your wrecked car, a man with a scar on his left cheek and all this time you could not fully believe that to be real.

But it was.  You did not imagine it. The picture on the document is that of the driver you saw that morning, the man with a scar on his left cheek, his eyes dark and blank, his lips twisted in a line of malice.

"_____?" Seungcheol's gentle voice guides you out of your head. "My friend had his confession recorded. Would you like to hear it?"

"Of course."

"I need to warn you…it is pretty detailed. About the accident, you know." He looks guilty, even though he has no reason to be.

You swallow a lump in your throat as your heart beat picks up. Are you really ready to revisit that morning? Relive all those feelings?

You have to.

Seungcheol pushes a voice recorder towards you on the table, pressing a button to turn it on.

"I was told that there would be only a girl and her bodyguard in the car! I swear I didn't know her mother would be there as well! I did not mean to kill the woman! After I hit the car, I went to check and…and the older woman was dead! The girl looked barely alive and I didn't think she would survive…."

There is a buzzing sound in your ears. It is deafening.

You are transported to a void where these words keep repeating and repeating, pulling you down, sucking you deeper into a pit of despair.  It hurts so much you are sure death would be easier.

Your head hangs low, silent tears trailing down your cheek as you stare at your lap. Seungcheol calls your name multiple times, asking if you are okay but you cannot bring yourself to form a reply.

The pain, the guilt, the shame, the anger— everything is overwhelming. These feelings consume you whole and dry you out until you are left with an unbelievable urge to scream and holler and cry. 

"______, please, can you hear me?" Seungcheol's touch on your shoulder makes you jolt. You look up to find him standing next to you, eyes glazed with concern as he peers down at you.

"I am fine," you reply after taking a shaky breath.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should call it day—"

"Seungcheol?" You interrupt him. You wipe the tears clean and sit up straight. "Can you call my lawyer? I need him here as soon as possible."

—

Bad news awaits you the next day when you return home from work. 

As usual Seungcheol walks you to the door of your apartment but you realise something is up when he abruptly stops after stepping out of the elevator and turning towards the door to your place. Following his line of sight you realise he has taken notice of the slightly open front door to your house. 

Your heart drops as a small gasp leaves your lips.

Someone broke into your place. And it does not take a genius to guess who Plus it also confirms that your uncle has found out you have been snooping around. A calm man like him does not make a move unless things are really dire and this proves that he is desperate to get that evidence out of your hands.

Seungcheol tenses up beside you and uses a hand to push you behind his body in a protective manner as he steps closer to the door. With the other hand he pulls out his revolver, holding it out and pointing it straight.

"S-Seungcheol—" You start panicking.

He shushes you before you can say much, eyes trained forward as he takes measured steps. Swallowing the bubble of fear, you hold his back as you follow him into your apartment. 

The storeroom which is right on the left after entering is the first place Seungcheol checks, and when he finds it clear he pushes you inside haphazardly.

"Don't come out until I get you." He commands, shutting the door on your face and clicking the lock before you can even process anything. Baffled, you stand still inside the dimly lit room, carefully listening for any sounds, while a thousand different thoughts run through your head.  This building is one of the most secure residential buildings in the city and breaking in here is quite literally impossible. Which means it is clear your uncle bribed someone on the inside and the realisation of how scary things are getting dawns on you, making you chew nervously on your lower lip as you start to grow restless.

Thankfully, a quick while later Seungcheol opens the door, a wary look on his face and you can immediately tell something is wrong. As soon as the door opens, you push past him and head for your bedroom, only to find the place absolutely trashed. Everything is a mess; from your bed to your closet to your dresser and it is evident that someone took their sweet time to comb through every one of your possessions and as you take in the havoc, the last of your doubts go away.

They were undoubtedly looking for the documents and the recorder. 

Your hands fist at your sides as tears of anger and frustration gather at the corners of your eyes. It only amplifies when you see one of your most precious belongings lying face down on the floor— a picture of you and your mother taken on your eighteenth birthday. 

Immediately you kneel and pick the frame up only to find it broken, making you heave out a helpless cry of anger. As you clutch it to your chest, your eyes scan the mess around you and a sense of doom settles in your gut. So this is what your life has come to now.

"Come. You're not staying here." Seungcheol's quiet command disrupts your thoughts.

"W-what? What do you mean? Where am I gonna go?" You scramble to stand up.

"At my place. This place isn't safe, _____." He pins you down with a serious look. "Pack your essentials and I mean absolute essentials. Your passport and any important papers."

"Wait, I—"

"Now." He commands. "I am gonna make some calls to find out who did this. Be ready in ten." He is walking out of the room while dialling a number, leaving you flabbergasted.

A while later you sit on the passenger's seat next to Seungcheol as he pulls the car out of your underground parking and onto the busy street, eyes focused on the road in silence. The only sound surrounding you is the sound of the bustling city and it isn't enough to ease the thick tension in the car. Seungcheol's jaw is clenched and his lips are pressed into a thin line as you observe him while he stares straight ahead. "What do we do after going to your place? I can't just hide forever." You break the silence with your words, your eyes trained out the window. It looks like it's going to rain.

"You'll stay in my place until the threat is removed. I'll soon receive the CCTV footage and from there on we can track down who ordered to invade your home." He declares.

"It was my uncle." You say without much thought.

Seungcheol turns to look at you for a beat before focusing on the road again. "You sound sure." He murmurs.

"Who else would it be then? He is after the evidence." You reply. Seungcheol remains silent for a beat before agreeing with a hum. Another silence follows after that. You take occasional, shy glances at him while he drives and when the car stops at a red light in an intersection, you call for him, making him turn his head to look at you. "Seungcheol?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For today."

He stares at you quietly, not blinking. "I just did my job."

"No, you are doing a lot more. You are helping me out in so many ways and I can only keep myself together thanks to you."

He only stares more at you. His gaze is intense and his eyes are hypnotic; if you stare too long it unnerves you, dissects you open. "You will be fine, _____." He replies after a long pause. "With or without me."

His words trigger you. 

With or without me?

You want to yell that he has to stick around however long you want him to but his cold demeanour makes your thoughts appear silly, even to yourself.  You are clearly looking for something more, much more than he wants to give you.  You know he would probably burn the world for you, not because he loves you but because he is a loyal person and probably because he pities you. 

Just a little bit. And you accept that. — Seungcheol's place is a canvas of grey and black and white. It is minimalistic and clean, a one bedroom apartment on the tenth floor in a quieter part of the city. As he walks you through his humble abode, he gives directions on where everything is and finally opens the door to his bedroom, leading you in before announcing. "You take the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa."

You do not protest because you know he would never listen. Instead, you almost ask him to share the bed with you but prevent going with it because you cannot trust yourself to remain professional while he sleeps so close to you with that tempting body of his.

"I'll leave you to rest. I'm going for a grocery run. Do not open the door for anyone but me. If there is any problem, call me." He uses his no nonsense tone and you fight the urge to roll your eyes. 

"Okay, okay." You watch him leave before shutting the bedroom door and sitting down on the floor, letting out a deep breath, one you've been unconsciously holding for a while.

As you watch the orange sky from the large window of Seungcheol's bedroom, the events of the last forty eight hours wash over you. You can't help but admire yourself at how calm you are. You woke up feeling numb today and you've been functioning on autopilot the whole day. Seeing your place ransacked did evoke some emotion within you but then again, deep down you were expecting something like this to happen once you had the evidence. 

You're running on pure adrenaline and you know you cannot stop until you have put your dear uncle behind bars. 

And maybe, even your father. 

He's an accomplice, no? He knows very well who killed his wife yet he decides to keep quiet, which makes him more vile to you. You find more hatred towards your father brimming within you, than towards your uncle. Yes, you expected him to play unfair but your own father knowing the culprit of your mother's death and simply burying it under the rug?  That, you absolutely cannot tolerate. 

A number of different scenarios run through your head on how you can bring them down. Despite having this irresistible urge to just run to the police with the recorder, you remember your lawyer's words.

It won't be enough. 

A few documents and a tape of confession are not enough to bring a man like Jin down. He has very strong connections with law enforcement and an even stronger set of lawyers. You need a solid witness. You need to catch him red handed. You need to create a scandal he can't recover from. You need to gather more proof. Proof so irrefutable, that his entire empire comes crashing down. 

And good for you, your uncle has already started setting up his doom. Trashing your place was his first mistake, the first piece of the domino. Now, it is a matter of time until everything collapses. You pray he will keep on making more mistakes. 

In fact, you know he will. He will do anything to get his hands on the evidence and you will stack all his actions against him at court. And when the time comes for the nail to hit the head…

You're going to be the bait. —

Somewhere in the middle of the night, you wake up from your sleep. Falling asleep came to you easily after eating the dinner Seungcheol cooked and then curling up in his bed where the sheets smelled subtly like him. It led you to have the best sleep you had in a while but now that you are awake, there is an itch in your throat, making it dry. 

So, quietly, you get up from bed and walk to the kitchen, a small light in the hallway guiding you to find a glass and pour yourself some water. 

As you sit on one of the breakfast stools and gulp it down, you watch Seungcheol sleeping on the sofa. The blanket that was probably on top of him once has fallen on the floor, the small space clearly not sufficient for his large frame as almost half of his body hangs out of the sofa. You almost feel bad for him and wonder how he can sleep in such a tiny space but it is pointless to feel guilty. He would never take the bed, no matter how much you offered.

As you take the last few sips of your water, you catch the moonlight draping over half of his face, casting it in an ethereal glow. It's stunning how beautiful he is. His usual stoic face is now relaxed, his full brows not knotted in a frown, his long eyelashes resting against his cheek, his plump full lips parted just a tiny bit. 

Unashamedly, for the nth time, you find yourself wondering how it'd be like to kiss him. You can't remember the last time a man made you feel like this, if ever. Your relationship with him should be strictly professional yet as you spend more time with him your mind keeps on entering forbidden territories.  Which is sad because you know he feels nowhere near that for you. Maybe he even has a girlfriend, or a wife— though you see no ring in his finger. Maybe a divorced wife with whom he parted ways begrudgingly, someone who still haunts his dreams. 

As you conjure up various scenarios of his relationship status, Seungcheol stirs in his sleep before a quiet groan escapes his lips.

You crane your head to take a better look at him, to see if he's awake but you soon realise he isn't as another pained groan leaves his lips, his large body shuffling in the congested space.

Is he having a nightmare?

You immediately get up and dash towards him, turning a light on the way and kneeling right beside the sofa. There's a light sheen of sweat coating his face and his eyebrows are marred in a frown as his eyes remain squeezed shut, his body writhing desperately "Seungcheol? Seungcheol!" You yell, grabbing his shoulders and trying your best to shake him out of whatever that's haunting him.

"No! No! Please, no!" The pain and helplessness in his voice halts your breath as you continue to shake him awake while his hands come to grab your arms in a tight hold, almost like an anchor. His grip only grows stronger as he yells in protest and you try your very best to wake him up once more. "Seungcheol! Please! Wake up! It's a nightmare!"

A set of blown out pupils look at you the next moment, and in a moment of silence a small shaky breath leaving his lips before they part slightly in shock. Then, before you know it, you are falling on your ass as Seungcheol shoves you away and scrambles to the farthest corner of the sofa. 

Even though your ass hurts, you know it was an unintended reaction. You whisper in a voice so soft as if you're talking to a wounded animal, "Seungcheol, it's okay. You're safe. You were having a nightmare."

The man sits still, hugging his knees as he still tries to catch his breath, a horrified look on his face. Not being able to bear it anymore, you immediately move to him and even though he flinches and tries to move away at first, he gives in when you wrap your arms around his shoulders. 

Soon he's burying his face on your neck as his large body curls around you, his hands gripping your night shirt tightly as if he's trying to mould himself into you. You feel his harsh pants on your shoulder so you try your best to soothe him, rubbing his back in repeated motions while whispering words of solace.

"It's alright, Seungcheol. I'm here. I have got you. It was just a bad dream."

You don't know how long you hold him like that but it seems to be a while, which feels too soon to you because Seungcheol pulls away from your arms before scooting away, putting a little distance between the two of you. He doesn't meet your eyes as he sighs, annoyed and dejected, while rubbing his temples.  "Are you okay? Would you like some water?" You offer. He shakes his head, looking down, his usual stoic mask settling back onto his face. 

"Why are you up?" He asks, his tone somewhat snappy. You frown. "I got out of bed to get a glass of water. You were having a nightmare, Seungcheol. Are you sure—"

"It's fine. It happens."

You are stunned at his lack of care. Is this a daily occurrence? Does he wake up every night, alone and screaming from his nightmares? Why is he allowing this to happen? Does he have someone to talk to? You want to ask all these questions but then decide against it due to the situation. Instead, you shuffle a little closer to him and start fixing his messy hair with a soft touch.

Seungcheol completely freezes at first and you expect him to bat your hand away but he doesn't. So you bite your lip to hide your smile as you finish fixing his hair before wiping the sweat off his brow. 

But you don't get to go far with that because Seungcheol grabs your wrist in a gentle hold, stopping you. His eyes scan over the length of your arms before he meets your eye. "Are you okay? I hurt you, didn't I?"

You simply shake your head and offer him a small smile which doesn't seem to convince him. His brows frown once again as you see him start overthinking so you put a stop to them. "I'm fine, Seungcheol, really. If you should be worried about anything, it is yourself. You're not on duty right now, you know. You can relax. I'm not a priority now." His eyes bore into yours and for a moment you see something foreign in his eyes. Something akin to vulnerability, longing, maybe even desperation.

"Go back to sleep, ____." His voice is gruff. "You've had a long day."

You want to protest but decided not to as huff out a breath and cast one more longing glance at him, hoping that maybe he would change his mind, before retreating to your room.

— It's ten o'clock when you wake up. 

Your first thought is that you are late for work, which makes you sit right up, ready to bolt out of bed but the next moment you realise it's a Saturday.  And you are not at home. You are at Seungcheol's place.

So you take your sweet time leaving the bed and freshening up, shuffling through Seungcheol's products in the bathroom. You also sneak in a sniff of his aftershave and cologne, smiling at yourself at your perverseness.

When you step out of your room, you find Seungcheol sitting on one of the breakfast stools, going through some documents with rapt attention. You stand by your door frame for a while, admiring his built frame from behind, his large back muscles and shoulders stretched beneath a white tee but you don't get to stare at him too long because his head turns around and catches you in the act.

"Good morning, _____." He greets.

You clear your throat, shuffling to the kitchen counter and pour yourself a glass of water, pretending as if he didn't just catch you eye fucking him. "Good morning, Seungcheol." Your voice is soft.

"Would you like to have breakfast now? I can make you some toast and omelette." He kindly offers. "There's also cereal if you want."

"I think I'll go with the cereal," You murmur, taking a seat opposite to him. You haven't had much of an appetite for the past few days which isn't really a surprise considering the situation.  Seungcheol goes back to scanning the documents in front of him while you sit in silence, sipping your water. You wonder wether you should bring up last night, maybe ask him if he's okay now but you have a suspicion it won't be received well by him. As you chew on your lip and debate the idea, Seungcheol looks up to meet your eyes, his face ever so serious.

"You have to take a break from work for a few days." He announces.

"What? Why?"

Probably for the first time, you see him hesitate which stresses you out. "What's wrong, Seungcheol? Tell me."

"You have received a few death threats, _____. I found them in your mail. For the time being, you need to lay low, appearing in public puts you at risk. In fact, we're leaving for a safe house today."

"Wait- what?" Your brain is trying hard to catch up. "Safe house? What are you talking about? I'm not safe here?"

"They know your address, _____. It won't take them long to get mine. I need to get you to an untraceable place."

You don't know what to feel or even how to react. You're at a loss as you try to figure out your next move. "What do those threats say exactly? Can I see them?"

Seungcheol's face hardens. "No. They're not pretty to look at." His voice brings shivers down your spine as a wave of nausea hits you. You had no idea your uncle could stoop so low. But then again, he's a murderer so you shouldn't have underestimated him. 

Seungcheol must have seen your face pale because he calls your name firmly, grounding your attention to him. "You are safe with me, _____. You just have to trust me, okay?" You find comfort in his eyes so you find yourself nodding immediately which satisfies him. "Get ready. We'll leave in two hours."

"Where are we going?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Does my father know?"

"About the death threats? Yes. He didn't seem too concerned about it though. Said it might be a prank."

Somehow, you're not surprised.

"But not about moving you to a safe location," Seungcheol adds. "No one needs to know about that. It's safer that way."

"Even my brother?"

"Yes. I suggest you call him and tell him you'll be out of reach for a while."

You deflate at that. Chan is going to be worried. And how on earth are you going to explain everything to him when all of this eventually unveils?

Seungcheol gets up, gathering all the papers and just as he turns to leave, he stops. "Oh, and ____? Don't come near me when I'm having a nightmare next time."

What?

"But Seungcheol—"

"For your own safety, _____. Don't. This is not a request." He doesn't wait for your reply but marches away as you silently watch his retreating form, lips pursed in annoyance.

The little appetite you had for breakfast is ruined as you go back to your room, cursing his stubbornness. As you pick up your phone to check for any important messages, a text from your dear father greets you. Your bodyguard told me you received death threats. Maybe it is better for you to stay at home and not work. For your own good, you should seriously consider giving your position to someone else. His flagrant attitude makes your blood boil as you fist your hands around your phone in a death grip before tossing it onto the bed in a fit of rage.

This day has not started off well.

— Two hours later you are well on your way to the safe house with a bag packed containing your absolute necessities. Your bodyguard has confiscated your real phone and gave you a burner instead just to be cautious.

Seungcheol, as always, drives the car in silence, the features of his face set to a grim expression. The air is thick with tension and you debate putting the radio on but even doing that feels too awkward.

"How long is the drive?" You finally ask, desperate to lessen this weird tension.

"We're taking a train from the station."

"Wait, what?"

"It is quite far. Driving there is going to take way too long." He calmly replies, eyes focused on the road. Sighing, you lean back and rest your head against the headrest. You let your eyes wander outside the window, watching the people, the view passing by while your mind runs rampant with all kinds of thoughts; anxious, restless.

A while later, you take notice of something in the rearview mirror and finally voice out the concern that has been bugging you for a while. "Seungcheol?" There's a touch of panic in your voice.

"Yes?"

"See that black Mercedes? It has been following us for a while…I think." You stare eagerly at Seungcheol waiting for his reply, waiting to be told that you are wrong but instead, a small, amused smile graces his lips.

"So you noticed, huh?"

It feels like your heart is going to drop out of your ass.

"What do we do?" You whisper, sitting up straight and craning your head back to take a proper look at the car. Sure enough, the SUV is right behind you, not even trying to be discreet anymore.

Fuck this crap, seriously.

"Trust me, I have got a plan. You just need to do as I tell you, okay?" He assures, his voice composed unlike yours.

"O-okay."

He turns to face you for a beat, giving you a reassuring look before continuing to drive in silence for a couple more minutes while the Mercedes stays on your tail. "Hold tight. I'm going to speed up. There's a parking lot about a mile from here. We're going to stop there."

"WHAT!"

You don't get your reply because the next second, the car is zooming forward as Seungcheol steps on the accelerator. You are gripping the dashboard and your seatbelt with your dear life as Seungcheol speeds through the lane like a madman, swerving every now and then. The Mercedes chasing you has a hard time keeping up with Seungcheol's viciously smooth driving because in a moment's time you are in the parking lot where Seungcheol parks the car in the corner farthest from the entry.

"Listen to me very carefully, ____." Seungcheol says as he turns the engine off and removes his seatbelt. "Crawl to the back and lay low, okay? No matter what happens, what you see, you do not make a move until I come get you, do you hear me?"

Your throat feels like sandpaper as you whisper. "Y-yes. Yes I do."

"Good." He squeezes your hand. "Now crawl into the back."

You do as you are told, moving into the backseat and crouching down as Seungcheol exits the car before locking it. You peek through the tinted window, watching with bated breath as the black SUV pulls up and two bald headed men exit the vehicle which parks right by the entry. They walk to Seungcheol, their stances predatory as they talk about something you cannot hear.

Next thing you know, one of the men is throwing an uppercut towards Seungcheol which fails to land because your bodyguard steps back, avoiding it easily.

Then, a full on fight ensues as the two men attack Seungcheol unsparingly. Seungcheol does not fail to keep up as he easily avoids them and counterattacks. Very soon, he is landing a kick on one of the men that throws him down to the ground with a harsh blow before grabbing the other guy and holding him in a chokehold. Soon, his body slumps to the ground.

Is he dead?

The other guy, meanwhile, recovers and charges for Seungcheol and you notice a bit too late that he has a knife because he manages to land a slash on Seungcheol's chest, making him stumble back. "Seungcheol!" Your hand unconsciously reaches for the door handle, tugging it to get out and help him. Alas, you can't do that. Fortunately, though, Seungcheol seems to not require any help as in the very next moment Seungcheol attacks the man, snatches the knife from him and bashes his head against the trunk of a car once, twice, thrice, making him fall into the ground, unconscious.

The breath you were holding finally escapes your lungs. Seungcheol dashes to the car the next moment, opening the back door and dragging you out by the arm before you can even say something.

"Come on. We don't have time."

"Wait, where are we going?" 

"There's a five minute shortcut to the station from here," he says, leading you by holding your hand as his legs pick up speed. "We have to run because they are expecting us to move by car. Come on!"

And so, you let him guide the way, his hand holding yours tightly, as you take the underground exit of the lot. You run for your life, your legs going sore but you manage to keep going just because of the adrenaline.  Soon enough, the station comes into view and Seungcheol picks up speed as the whistle of the train echoes through the air, informing its departure.

"Oh crap, we're not gonna make it!" You yell. "We will. Just keep running," Seungcheol hollers back as you both run parallel to the train that is slowly picking up speed. Suddenly Seungcheol lets go of your hand which throws you into a moment of panic but you keep running as you start to guess his plan.

You watch as he bolts for the entrance of the last carriage and in the blink of an eye, jumps inside.

"Holy shit." You curse. The next moment, he turns around and leans out the door, holding out one of his hands for you to grab onto while the other grips the handle by the door.  "Come on! Grab my hand!"

Your legs are so tired they feel shaky, ready to collapse any moment. Still, you run with all your might, holding out your hand, reaching for his. 

"Just a little bit! You can do it!" He encourages as the rhythm of the wheels intensifies, letting you know you do not have much time.

Oh shit.

Grunting in frustration, you put all the bridling remnants of your energy and dart forward which seems to be just enough, as your hand touches Seungcheol's. The next moment he grabs onto your hand and in the blink of an eye he is tugging your full weight and pulling you inside the carriage.

Upon entering, you collapse on the floor, panting loudly as Seungcheol lets go of your hand and cranes his neck out the door as if looking for something. Even though you are wheezing for air, you follow his line of sight and see two men running after the train as if they were chasing you. By now the train is moving at full speed, crossing the end of the platform, making them slow down and watch helplessly. "Who…are…they?" You choke between breaths.

"Your uncle's men." Seungcheol replies nonchalantly as he shuts the door and kneels next to you.

"How long have they been following us?"

"After we got to the station."

"Why didn't you say anything!"

"I didn't want to scare you." He replies, his hand wrapping around your shoulder. "Don't talk, just breathe. You did well."

You don't know if it is the intensity of the situation or the adrenaline crash or his words that make you slump in his arms, your body resting against his as you catch your breath. The feeling of his warmth against your body is something you are extremely grateful for at the moment.

"Please tell me you have tickets." You pant, resting your head against his shoulder.

"Of course. First class." _____ Five hours later, you are at your destination.

It is a cabin in a small town full of greenery and old architecture.  It is very picturesque, located in between a vast area of mountains, somewhere you'd come to spend the summer with your family maybe. Even though your situation is the farthest thing from a vacation, it doesn't stop you from admiring the beauty before your eyes.

"The place is very beautiful, Seungcheol." You admire the surroundings as well as the cabin.

It's somewhat isolated from the town, shrouded by the forest, as the nearest market from here is about ten minutes drive.

"Thank you, my grandfather made it. He left it for me." He provides as he carries your small bag from the car he borrowed from a friend here and unlocks the door with a key.

"We should do something about your cut." You mention worriedly, crossing the threshold as you see him slightly wince while moving. The bleeding seems to have stopped after he put some pressure in the wound but it still needs to be cleaned.

Hearing your words, he looks down to see the wound before shrugging, "It's fine. The bleeding has stopped."

You expected him to say something like that so you take matters in your own hands. "Is there a first aid kit here?" You ask as you pad to the bathroom, looking around carefully and sure enough, inside the cabinets under the sink, there's a first aid box.  Seungcheol murmurs grumbles of protest as you come back to the living area and ask for him to sit on the spot next to you on the couch.  Thankfully he listens to you. As he unbuttons his shirt, you disinfect your hands while trying your best not to peek at the delicious row of abs that comes into display. As his wound comes into view you cannot help but wince at the sight, which doesn't go unnoticed by your bodyguard. His hand immediately reaches to take the cotton swab from your hand, murmuring. "I can do it myself."

You tsk in disapproval, sending him your best scolding glare before resting one of your hands on his shoulder for support and gently swiping on the wound with the swab dipped in antiseptic with your dominant hand. Seungcheol sits still all through it while you hold your breath, channelling all your focus on the task at hand. 

It is scary; being this close to him and for some reason the act of cleaning up a cut is turned into something way too intimate by your brain. So, you don't dare to look in his eyes, afraid of what you'll see in them but terrified of what they will make you feel; something you can not resist or put a lid on, like the urge to cup his cheeks and kiss those irresistible lips.

You must be swiping at his wound with your face mere inches away from touching his chest for way too long because one of Seungcheol's hands comes to grab your wrist, stopping your movements.  "I think that's enough," His voice holds the aloofness that you are used to which makes you sigh.

"Does it hurt? Do you want a painkiller?" You still find yourself asking.

Seungcheol frowns. "No, ____. I'm fine. It's just a cut, I won't die."

"Still—"

"Maybe you should focus on yourself. You have had a long day—"

"Why do you always do this!" It takes a few moments for you to realise you are yelling. You stand on your feet, hands fisted at your sides as the first aid kit falls on the floor from your lap, spilling its contents all over.

"What do you mean?" He asks and you absolutely loathe how his voice never changes, laced with that touch of monotony and indifference.

"Ugh, Seungcheol! Why do you always push me away! I want to help you! I'm just trying to take care of you!" This, however, seems to evoke an emotion from him because he is immediately on his feet, glaring at you, his large body towering over you.

"It is not your job to take care of me! If anyone here is going to take care of someone, it will be me making sure you are alive, is that clear?"

"I'm just trying to help you yet you keep pushing me away—"

"I do not need your help!" His voice is a roar of thunder, making you gasp as you take a step back. You've never seen him like this nor did you imagine someone so unbothered and composed had a side like this. "Who are you, huh? Why do you keep stepping over the line? Did I ask for your fucking help? I'm the last person you should be worried about, Ms Lee, you understand that?"

By now, angry tears have gathered in your eyes. Not wanting to cry in front of him you bite your lips and push past him as you run towards your room. "Fuck you, Choi Seungcheol!" —

You spend a long time in your room, crying and cursing him out before eventually falling asleep out of exhaustion. 

When you are awake from your slumber, the clock reads 2 in the morning. Disoriented and irritated and hungry, the first thing you do after emptying your bladder is go hunt for something to eat. Even though you intended to avoid Seungcheol, it is impossible not to come across him as he sleeps on the couch in the living room, this one thankfully big enough for him to comfortably lie. 

There's a small lamp in the corner of the room and the light from there is falling on one side of his face, highlighting his cheekbones. 

You stand still for a moment to make sure that he's actually asleep, before tiptoeing to the kitchen. Pouring yourself a glass of water and you think of something easy to make that will not wake up the moody bastard in the next room. 

However, you don't get too far with that thought because a moment later, you hear an all familiar groan float through the quiet air of the night. It is Seungcheol. And he's having a nightmare. Once again. It's like deja vu.

All his commands of not helping him fly out the window as you run to the living room. Before you can reach there, however, you hear a crash and upon entering you see Seungcheol, wide awake and sitting on the floor on his hands and knees, his entire frame shaking violently as he keeps uttering something under his breath, still stuck in his nightmare. 

Your heart drops when you see the glass showpiece on the centre table shattered on the floor, along with the pillows and blanket that were previously on the couch. "Seungcheol!" You yell as you rush to him, carefully avoiding the broken shards of glass and sitting on your knees next to him as you try to get him out of his head and focus on you. His blown out pupils meet yours as his hands shake and his breath comes out in struggling pants. 

He's having a panic attack.

"Seungcheol!" you call for him, trying your best to keep your voice stable which proves to be hard as your heart breaks for the man, hating seeing him in this state. 

"Look at me. Listen to my voice. Breathe. Breathe with me. Look at me. Breathe, just breathe, you're going to be fine."

And so for the next few minutes, you try your best to calm the agitated man down, holding his body next to yours as you run your hands along his back, up and down, up and down.

You realise he's back to normal when the shuddering stops and his body remains immoblie next to you, as if he has fallen asleep.  You know otherwise because when you pull back to take a look at his face, you find his eyes open, that familiar, empty and aloof gaze replacing the panicked ones. His lips are set to a thin line and you feel his whole body stiffen next to yours and just like you know he is back to normal.

This time, you do not ask him if he's okay or if he wants anything. Instead you get up from the floor quietly and go to the kitchen where you quickly make him a warm cup of tea.

When you return, he's still on the floor, sitting with his back against the sofa, hands resting on his knees as his head hangs low. Silently, you walk over and sit next to him before extending the steaming mug towards him.

You hold your breath, waiting for him to reject it and start spewing mean words at you but you are to be amazed. 

Surprising you, he does none of those things but accepts the mug and takes a small sip. A tiny smile of victory graces your lips as you settle your gaze forward to the empty wall and sit in silence next to him. 

As the steam gradually disappears from the mug and his dejected posture becomes tense and uptight, you know he's about to tell you off.  Your guess turns out to be correct because just a moment later, he sets his mug down on the floor and turns to face you. His voice is stoic when he speaks, "I clearly told you not to—"

"Do you want to talk about it?" You interrupt him with a soft voice. He appears stunned as his mouth opens to say something but closes back to a tight line.

"I used to have nightmares as well, after the accident." You whisper, leaning back to the sofa, your unfocused gaze settled on the  walls of the cabin as your mind disappears in the depths of the memories of those gruesome nights.

"I'd wake up screaming and crying. Every damn time I'd see the crash so vividly and the moments before it, my mom's desperate eyes at mine, her fading words, telling me to hold on, telling me that she loves me..." You lose your voice with a choke as tears blind your vision. A hand comes to rest on your shoulder gently and gives you a reassuring squeeze. It takes a few moments for your brain to process that it's Seungcheol and you are pleasantly surprised. 

Your eyes search for him, and his face is solemn, his eyes showing just a reflection of kindness and sympathy. With a sad smile, you wipe the tears threatening to fall from your eyes. "It was horrible at the beginning when I couldn't speak. I'd wake up distressed and not finding my voice would make it even worse. For the first two months, Chan stayed with me every night. He'd try his best to calm me down but every night I'd be just as scared to go to bed."

"Eventually, the nightmares didn't come as often. Especially after I realised I could speak again and I was remembering bits and pieces of the accident and my suspicion was growing. I haven't had any nightmares for a while now but I remember how they made me feel. How awfully...real they felt." You sigh, shuddering at the thought.

A few moments of silence pass by as Seungcheol's hand drops from your shoulder. You don't expect him to spill his heart out but you are grateful that he didn't push you away and listened to you and comforted you. It is more than you ever thought you could get from him. Having this simple, somewhat bitter moment of intimacy is enough to soothe your love starved heart.  However, you realise it's a night full of surprises when Seungcheol starts speaking. "I was in the military, as you know. I joined when I was eighteen. I lost my parents the year before so it was just me and my grandfather." His voice is quiet as he fixes his eyes out the window, looking at the dark night sky.

You follow his gaze and make a quick observation that there are no stars tonight, just an empty, dark sky, before setting your gaze on Seungcheol's face. 

"My grandfather served in the military during the early years of his life and I wanted to follow his footsteps. The first few years were tough but good. I enjoyed them as they kept me busy and focused. During my fifth year in the military, my grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep. I was on break at that time so I was there with him in his last moments. However, it still broke me. Sending him off was one of the hardest things I had ever done."

He pauses, making you hold your breath and anticipate his next words. His expression is unreadable, his sharp gaze focused outside when he continues.  "I returned to the military a different man. My life as a soldier became everything to me. I worked ten times harder than anyone else as the military turned into my entire life. I jumped through the ranks very quickly and went on various missions as a SEAL. All of them were dangerous but successful as I led my teams out safely each time. Until Sudan."

There is another heavy pause as you feel the air thicken with tension. You know the worst part is about to begin and as you observe his gaze become more and more unfocused, you can't help but dread whatever is coming next. "It was a humanitarian mission. Me and my team were tasked to rescue some families from a group of local terrorists. They were held inside a camp in the middle of the desert. The infiltration was successful. But, just as we were escaping, the terrorists found out and came at us with double manpower. They had a couple of high powered explosives which we were unprepared for because they were not supposed to have such weapons."

"As my team and I were exchanging fire against them, a bomb went off right next to me. It is the last thing I remember before waking up in a hospital bed a week later."

"The explosion fucked up left leg. I needed three surgeries and months of rehabilitation. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part is that it cost three of my teammates their lives."

Oh Seungcheol. Tears are beading down your eyes as you let his words soak into you.

"It happened almost six years ago but it still haunts me. How I fucked up. How I killed them." "Seungcheol, no!" You scold, your voice not as powerful as you'd like it to be as it breaks mid way. "You did not kill them, you hear me? It was an accident. A horrible one but it was not your fault in any way. They died honourably and think of all the others you saved, all the times you led your team out of harm successfully. Think about all the lives you have saved, all the people you have helped." Your grip is strong on his forearms as you turn him to face you fully. His eyes meet you; bleak and hopeless and the urge to wipe away all his pain soars within you. It's a shame you can't do that so you do the next best thing you can think of.

You pull him in a tight hug. You wrap yourself around him, resting your chin over his shoulder as you close your eyes and hold him tight, the act a bit hard due his huge build. For several long moments he doesn't hug you back until you finally feel his warm hands creep on your back as he rests his face against your neck, cocooning your body with his.

You swallow a sob and blink furiously to drive away the tears, your hands stroking his hair in gentle motions. "It's alright, Cheol. You are going to be just fine. It is all going to be okay."

His response is to hold you tighter and you welcome his vulnerability, his pain and agony with open arms, breathing it in as if it is your own. Long moments are spent as you two remain in each other's embrace until you finally sit back to take a look at him.

"Maybe you should talk to a therapist?"

"I did," he sighs, running a hand through his soft locks. "After the accident, I saw one for almost a year. I was prescribed so many medicines and I almost got addicted to them even though they weren't doing much to help. So I decided to quit altogether and moved here, in his cabin. I stayed here for about six months, trying to pull myself together before an old friend of mine called, asking if I wanted to join his private security company. I agreed because I couldn't live in solitude any longer without killing myself and now, I'm here." You nod, watching him intently as you two sit with mere inches of space between each other's faces. In the back of your mind, you realize that this is the most intimate you have been with Seungcheol and probably you will ever get to be so you can't help but speak the next words. "You are so beautiful, Seungcheol. Inside and out. You are such an amazing person.I only wish you would know that." Your words can barely be heard because you speak so softly but it contains emotions from the deepest, rawest part of your heart. Sitting with him on the floor, in the middle of the night at a cabin in the woods, talking about your deepest traumas and secrets is something you never thought you would experience but now you realise, it is a treasure, a moment of profoundness that you will carry close to your heart for the rest of your life.

Seungcheol's eyes widen for a fraction upon hearing your words before he shifts, trying to pull away from you but your strong grip on his hands stops him. Once again, you find yourself confessing. "Ever since you've come to my life, I feel hopeful, even though we are going through so much trouble. I want to live again and I feel happy and hopeful when I look at you. And I can never thank you enough for that."

Seungcheol's Adams apple bobs as he swallows and the expression on his face is so vivid you realize you have left him speechless. A small, shy smile sets on your lips as you squeeze his hands softly, your thumb stroking over his bruised knuckles.  While your mind swoons over how tender this moment is and how beautiful he looks and how soft his lips appear, he inches his face closer to you before pressing his lips against yours.

At first, you believe it's a dream.

It is bound to be, no?

Blinking multiple times, you make sure that it in fact is not a dream but it seems to take too long because Seungcheol is pulling away from you, the apology right there at the tip of his tongue. However, you do not let him speak the words he doesn't mean. Instead, you do what you have only done in your late night fantasies, you cup his cheeks and pull his face down to yours, meeting his lips in a fierce kiss. You do not even think of holding back, pouring every bit of passion and need and admiration for him into it. 

Thankfully, he reciprocates, cupping your neck and jaw, tilting your face for better access. 

And it's wonderland. It is everything you imagined and more, everything you want and need, everything that can heal you.

In the rosy haze of desire and desperation, your hungry hands travel down to the hem of his white t-shirt, tugging on it in a futile attempt to get it off. The action gets the attention of Seungcheol as he dettaches his lips from yours, taking a look at your face.

"_____—" he makes a weak attempt to stop you but his words die on his tongue as you hastily stand up, dragging him with him. Pressing a soft finger on his lips, you shush him as you bring your face closer to him and whisper in his ear. "Don't push me away Seungcheol, please. I need you. And you need me too."

There is a battle in his gaze as he stares at your longing visage for a moment with a clenched jaw before muttering a curse underneath his breath. The next moment, you are being carried to your bedroom and in the blink of an eye, you are standing in front of your bed with his frame towering over you.

"You wanted this?" He teases but his eyes are lit with a fire that is inextinguishable as he takes off his shirt and even in the dimly lit room, you do not miss the carved perfection of his body, littered with scars here and there. In vain hope, you pray that your face isn't visible as you ogle him but you know it is because his unrelenting stare breaks your skin into goosebumps. 

As you are stuck in a trance of lust, he takes a step closer to you before his breath grazes your ear. "Lift your hands, angel."

The next moment, he pulls your nightshirt off your body, leaving you only in your sleeping shorts. He wastes no time, attacking them right next as they come off with a tug and you fall into your bed. You have no time to overthink or feel shy because Seungcheol cages your body underneath his as he crawls to you, a dark look of hunger on his face. 

"You are a fucking temptress, you know that?" He grunts, a calloused thumb reaching out to stroke your cheek. You lean into his touch, eyes falling closed at the contact as a soft sigh escapes your lips but the next moment Seungcheol is grabbing the back of your neck and pulling you in for a heated kiss. 

It's all teeth and tongue as he devours your mouth, two tongues entangled in a fierce rhythm of tango before finally letting you gasp for air.  "Crawl up," his voice is that of a quiet command which you follow instantly, letting him sit comfortably on his knees as he spreads your legs wide.

The very next moment a squeak leaves your mouth as Seungcheol pushes his index finger inside you, your wetness granting easy access. He makes a noise, something akin to an animalistic groan as his digit easily slips inside. 

"Fuck, you're so wet for me," he murmurs as he inserts another finger and then another before curling them inside you.

"Seungcheol!" You yell, grabbing the sheets as your hips lift off the mattress due to the electrifying jolt of pleasure. Your reaction makes him grunt as he fastens his face and you feel your legs tremble, making you think that you are going to come already. 

Your core tightens around his fingers as more wetness leaks from you, only amplified when he brushes his thumb against your clit. Another gasp and a shudder of your body makes Seungcheol smirk as he whispers, "Gonna come, angel?"

You nod your head aggressively, your hips chasing his fingers in their own rhythm and just as the tingles of your release soars in your body, Seungcheol removes his fingers.

"No!" Your protest is immediate but the man only gives you a cruel smile as he makes a show of licking his fingers clean. The act itself is extremely hot and you cannot help but release another groan of frustration. 

"Seungcheol! Please let me—"

"You are gonna lie back and let me eat your pussy now, hmm? After I'm satisfied, I will let you come." He announces, lips hovering over your thighs, the touch of his warm breath giving your goosebumps. The low gravel of his voice paired with the way he keeps looking at you from between your thighs makes you swallow thickly before lying your head back into the pillow, a shuddering breath leaving your lips.

"Good girl."

Good girl.

Your core clenches deliciously.  However, you do not get to soak in the warmth of his praise because the next moment he flicks your clit with his tongue and your scream pierces the night air. Your body writhes while he holds your thighs open in a strong grip, incoherent gasps and curses of pleasure falling from your lips. Seungcheol is like a man starved, as he eats you out mercilessly, his tongue going deep inside your most intimate parts. You can't remain still, tears of pleasure stinging your eyes as your body shakes and pleas fall from your lips.

"Oh f-fuck! Seungcheol! Please!" 

You yourself do not know what you are begging for. It's the sweetest torture, one you want to end but also continue forever.

Your release has wet your inner thighs and paired with Seungcheol's saliva they drip down to your asshole but Seungcheol doesn't stop. He brings his attention to your hard, swollen clit now which he flicks repeatedly with his tongue.

"Fuck! I can't! Please let me come!" You are convinced your voice can be heard from miles away. "You wanna come?" He grunts between breaths, voice muffled.

"Yes, yes! Please!"

"Then come. Come for me, my angel." The command has your toes curling as he gives a harsh suck to your clit and in an instant, you go off like a firework. The heated coil in your belly snaps as your body twitches, sending you headfirst into an orgasm so good, so deep, tears drip down your eyes. All through it, Seungcheol keeps sucking your pussy, almost making you numb before stopping with a final, sloppy kiss on your clit and sitting back.

Even in the darkness, you see his lips shine with your release.

"You are an aphrodisiac, angel." His words caress your skin as he leans forward and presses soft, tantalising kisses on your jaw and down your throat. 

"Please, fuck me now," your voice is a cry of plea as you chase his lips for a kiss. He entertains you, tangling your mouths in an embrace of passion as you taste yourself on his tongue. One of his hands moves down amidst the kiss and your foggy brain registers that he's taking off his sweatpants. 

With a soft groan he takes off his lips from yours and frees himself from your entangled limbs, standing up to kick his boxers and sweatpants down his legs. 

And oh dear lord is he a view. You admire him in his nakedness in the half lit room, drinking every inch of him. You can't stray your eyes from his cock, hard and leaking as you gulp and send a prayer to the sky, marvelling at his size.

Seungcheol crawls back into the bed, his movements akin to the grace of a panther, his eyes lit with ferocity and huger as he pins both your wrists over your head with one hand.

"I'm going to fuck you so good you will be ruined for any other man." He promises, giving you a delicious shiver on your spine. You want to scream that you don't need any other man, you never will but the thought dies in your mind when you feel his tip prodding at your core.  He slides in easily, almost embarrassingly easy as your sopping cunt welcomes him with wide open arms. A guttural groan escapes from his throat as he buries his head in the crook of your neck, spewing curses. The sound makes you clench around him which makes him curse again.

"You are so fucking tight, fuck!"

You can only respond in an incoherent hum as he starts moving inside you, making you throw your head back and let out a loud moan. He raises his head to look at you and your eyes contact and in a second, everything becomes more intense. The look in his eyes is ever captivating and ruthless while he pistons in and out of you tirelessly, hitting that sensitive spot inside you perfectly each time.

"You're going to be the death of me." He whispers, almost as if he's talking to himself. His mouth works on your jaw, moving down to your throat and sucking harshly on the soft flesh, making you shudder in pleasure. "Seungcheol!" You cry. "Harder! Please!"

"Any harder and I'll come right now."

"Do it! Come inside me!" All other thoughts and worries have left your mind and beg him for more, already cock drunk.

"Fuck, you sure?"

"I'm on pills, Cheol. I'm sure," you pant, clutching onto his back as he increases his pace, leaning back to sit on his knees as his hands move to your waist, holding you in a bruising grip.

"Gonna fill you up then, angel. Make this pussy bleed my come." He promises with a snark, his eyes trained on your face as he delivers one particular thrust that has you arching off the bed and seeing stars.

Then there is a brush of touch on your hard clit and a quiet command of coming which has fireworks exploding all throughout your body. You cry out, from pleasure and pain so addictive that white spots dance in your vision, hands twisting the fabric of the bedsheet so hard it would be no surprise if they tore.  The next moment you feel Seungcheol release inside you and the feeling of his warm cum coating your insides gives your body another round of shivers as you completely blank out. You are transported to a hazy place where you feel like you are floating through the air as you lose all sense of connection from this world.

It takes a while for you to recover and once you do, you realise Seungcheol has slumped over next to you as his breathing gradually returns to normal. You turn your head slightly to look at him and just as your eyes meet, he makes a move to get up.  Your hand immediately latches onto his arm. "Don't go." You croak.

"I need to clean you up." His voice is quiet.

"Later." You whisper, begging with your eyes. "Just lay with me for a while." He remains still for a moment, probably battling with himself before lying back next to you. He stretches one of his arms and you quickly use it as a pillow, shuffling closer to his body and resting your palm on his chest. Seungcheol tenses next to you but you don't let it get to you as your hand gently strokes an old scar right beneath his chest. Just as you are almost falling asleep, you feel his hand wrap around your waist, holding you softly and a smile graces your lips.

I love you, Choi Seungcheol.

— The next morning, Seungcheol starts avoiding you like you are the plague. As soon as you step out of your bedroom, Seungcheol, who was sitting in the living area quite literally bolts outside with his laptop and everything, throwing a curt good morning to you and not even sparing a glance.

You are hurt, to say the least. While a silly part of you expected that maybe you would wake up with him in the same bed and have breakfast together before some more lovemaking, the realistic part of you did not expect him to act like this. 

Like nothing happened.

Or worse, acting like what happened was a mistake.

Does he really think that last night was a mistake? 

It hurts to even think that he might believe that so you push that thought away with all your might. Instead, you focus on making yourself a nice breakfast before soaking in the tub for a while as you try to focus all your attention on plotting your uncles demise.

Once you are nice and clean after the soak, you find Seungcheol in the kitchen, drinking something from his mug as he talks over the phone with someone. You wait for him to finish, using the spare time to admire how good he looks— slightly messy hair, an old grey t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Once again, your mind travels to how good he railed you last night but before it can travel too far, you shake yourself back to the present.

"I need to talk to you." You announce as soon as he sets his phone down. Seungcheol's head snaps up to your voice and a grim expression settles on his face before he murmurs. 

"There's nothing to talk about. Last night was an accident. We were both vulnerable and it just... happened." It's like someone ripped your beating heart off of your chest or dumped you into a bucket of ice or better yet, did that together. Yet it still wouldn't hurt as much as his words pierce through you right now, leaving you utterly speechless as you just blink repeatedly, trying to make sure you heard that right. "It was not an accident, Seungcheol. You know it." Your voice is deathly quiet and you can feel yourself on the precipice of snapping.

"The hell it wasn't, _____." He snaps. "I am your fucking bodyguard and you are my client. I am not getting paid to take advantage of you!"

"Take advantage of me?" You seethe as an overwhelming urge to punch something, like his face, overcomes you. You have to take a deep breath in to form the next words. "I am not some helpless, pathetic girl that you can take advantage of. Whatever happened last night was real and with our consent. The man last night was the real you, the one you keep hiding, not this!" Seungcheol clenches his jaw, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "Either way, it should not have happened. We, you and me—" he points between the two of you. "It does not work. It won't."

"Seungcheol— "

"That's enough _______."

"No, tell me. Enlighten me, please," Your voice drips with sarcasm as you take a step towards him, crossing your hands in front of your chest. "Why do we not work? What delightful, eye opening information has been revealed upon you which led you to this wise conclusion?" The twitch in his jaw clearly tells you that he does not appreciate your sarcasm but you've had enough of his stubbornness, especially when it is clear that he wants you as well.

"So far, I'll I've heard is that I can't have you not, I don't want you. Quit playing games with yourself Seungcheol!"

"I am a fucking loose grenade!" His scream is abrupt, making you jolt. The veins in his neck pop out as he steps back, his frantic eyes glaring at you. "I cannot keep you safe! Not from myself. I am a man whose past haunts him. I can't fucking sleep at night without getting nightmares and smashing things! I cannot pass a day without the guilt of my past following me! I am headed towards hell and I cannot drag you down with me. I am not the man for you, _____, try to understand!"

"I think that's for me to decide, no?" You take another step towards him, trying to calm him down.

"No!" He yells, stepping back. "Enough! Just— enough. This conversation is over. I'm going out and when I return, we will pretend that none of this ever happened."

"You fucking asshole!"  You normally do not curse.  Out loud at least. Your mother had a strict rule of no bad language and you and your brother followed that rule to a t. No matter what you have encountered so far in your life, nothing gave you the urge to curse half as much as you want to right now.

"That's right. I am an asshole." He states calmly, sparing you a blank look before turning and heading for the main door.

"You fucking son of a bitch! I did not want to talk about this in the first place! When I said I need to talk with you, I meant about my uncle, you idiot!"

He stops in his tracks before slowly turning his head to look at you. "What about him?" His calmness makes you absolutely livid and even though you try your hardest to form words, the only thing your tongue seems to want to utter are curse words.

"It doesn't concern you anymore, asswipe." Seungcheol's lips form a thin line as he watches you quietly for a few moments.

"Do not do anything stupid,_____." He has the nerve to order you before marching out of the house, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"Go to hell, dickhead!" —

The rest of the day is uneventful as you two mind your own business, avidly avoiding each other. After Seungcheol leaves and blesses you with solitude you pace around the house angrily before going for a walk in the forest behind the cabin.

It is not dense or uncomfortable as a walking trek has been premade and you take a long walk which helps you clear your head just a bit. It takes your mind off of your stubborn bodyguard and back onto your uncle as you think of ways to trap him in a position he cannot easily get out of, as early as possible. With the plan you have in mind, it proves to be a bit hard, because you are staying in the middle of nowhere and your uncle has no clue where you are.

You walk home an hour later with a less obscure mind and send Chan a text through the burner phone, letting him know that you are alive and well. 

Your brother video calls you soon after and you almost forget that you are supposed to be mute at the joy of seeing your brother. It kills you that you have to lie to him but you bite your teeth and do it, telling him that work got too overwhelming and you are taking some days off and promise him of your quick return. You know your brother is not stupid and he has started doubting you but he is kind enough not to push you for more, which you are grateful for.

Seungcheol returns home a little after noon with more supplies. You act like he does not exist as you finish your lunch and retire to your room where you spend the rest of the day, lying in your bed and staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything and nothing. As the skies bleed to dark, dinner time rolls around and you two eat separately. Once again, Seungcheol makes no attempt to talk to you or acknowledge you just like you are doing but it still infuriates you, which you try to control by doing copious amounts of yoga in your room, before finally falling asleep quite late.

However, disaster strikes with the arrival of dawn, as the first rays of sun kiss the sky. 

You are snapped out of sleep as you open your eyes and find Seungcheol hovering over you, shaking you awake.

"Wake up, _____! Your uncle is here. He found us!"

Immediately you bolt upright, half thinking that all this is a vivid dream. As your panicked eyes meet his, your shaky hands clutching his biceps and you whisper. "W-what? How? I- I don't understand."

"I don't know either." Seungcheol grunts, craning his neck to look out the window. "There are two jeeps heading towards us. You need to get out."

As if on cue, you hear the loud roar of the engines as they come to a stop right in front of the cabin. Seungcheol helps your shaky form out of bed and ushers you down the stairs. 

"Take the back exit. Hide in the forest until I come for you. If I don't, call Jihoon for help. His number is here. And take this." he explains, handing his burner phone and a gun to you but your brain is stuck in a loop, not processing that there is a fucking gun in your hand.

"What do you mean if I don't? You are coming with me—"

"No. I will hold them off while you escape. Go, now." He orders, pushing you towards the back door of the kitchen. 

"_____! I know you're in there! Come out while I am being nice and maybe we can come to an agreement! You do not want to end up like your mother, do you now?" Your body freezes as you hear your uncle yell from the front door. The anger evoked from his words makes you want to stay and confront him but Seungcheol keeps pushing you, telling you to run.

And so, sparing one last longing look at Seungcheol, you tuck your weapon in your waist and run. You have not gotten even fifty feet away from the cabin when the first round of shots echo through the air. Your blood freezes as you come to a halt, turning your head around to look at the cabin as gunshots echo through the air.

You have to swallow a lump in your throat as tears gather in your eyes, the temptation to go back increasing. But you know going back is not a good idea because it will put Seungcheol's life at risk, more than it already is. So you keep moving deeper into the forest, the treks familiar because you have been here before and you make your way through very easily. When you come across a small cliff shrouded by thick bushes you decide to hide there, waiting to see if your uncle's men come around here. Confirming your guess, they do, after a while as they jog through, looking around for you. However, they fail to estimate your hiding place and continue deeper into the forest down the trek and just then, an idea forms in your head.

You have to go back.

The universe is on your side because you realise after some peeking around and shuffling through trees that there is another road that you can use to go back to the cabin. This one is definitely unused and riskier but you are determined to make this work. So, with a deep breath you jog through the narrow, muddy lane and soon enough, you find your way back.

The cabin is now quiet, eerily so.

The back door remains open, granting you access and you carefully step one foot in, holding your breath. 

It is a mess; bullet holes scattered around, a few bodies slumped on the ground, specks of blood all over the floor. The scene is bone chilling and you have to take several deep breaths to calm down. You can hear noises coming from somewhere in the house, grunts and yells, as if people are fighting, which is what is undoubtedly happening. No matter how severe your urge is to follow the sound and make sure Seungcheol is okay, you decide against it, putting faith in his capabilities instead and sending a prayer out to heaven. Careful not to step on any blood, you make your way through the mess and gingerly climb up the stairs, pausing to make sure no one is around. The coast is clear, thankfully, as no one is upstairs and you head straight for the little storeroom next to the bedroom, where you kept the very little belongings you brought with you.

You took special care to hide your prized possession, the evidence file. It stays secure inside a special compartment Seungcheol showed you that is situated under the wooden floor. Quickly removing the carpet, you open the hatch and look inside to make sure the files are there.

And they are, thankfully. Picking them up, you hold them to your chest and close the hatch, putting everything in its place while holding your breath through all of it. In the next second, the voice you dreaded echoes through the air.

"I believe I am going to need that, _____." 

You whip your head back to see your dear uncle standing at the door frame, lips twisted in a diabolic smirk like he got you just where he wanted to.  "I knew you would lead me to the evidence, niece. I just had to wait. And I knew you would contact your dear little brother no matter what so I put a little tracker on his phone and it led me here. Easy, no?" He shakes his head,  laughing cockily at his plan.

Your blood runs cold as your fingers grip the envelope tightly.

"Over my dead body." You hiss.

"Oh yeah, and my men told me you could speak?" He taunts, shaking his head some more. "Can you imagine my surprise when I heard that? Tell me, were you faking it all along? To what, get some pity points?"

"You will rot in jail, asshole. I will personally see to it." You seethe, clutching the folder tighter against your chest.  Your uncle's face loses its amusement as he stares at you for a while, cold and unblinking before reaching back and pulling out a gun. Your heart skips a beat as he points it right at you.

"The file, ______. I am not here to play games."

"Never." There is an immediate deafening noise of gunfire, making you squeeze your eyes shut and for a horrible moment, you think he has shot you. Opening your eyes, you see there's a hole in the roof where he has aimed his gun before pointing it back at you.

"Don't make me kill you like your mother. I need you alive for all the other plans I have."

"She was your sister in law!" You cry.

"She was a thorn in my way!" He seethes. "A conniving bitch trying to take the company from me and my son! Always challenging me! Always speaking against me!"

"It was never yours to begin with, you ugly old man! She knew you would steal it from us!"

"I dare you to speak one more word and the next bullet will be in your hand and the one after that will be in your leg. I won't do the mercy of killing you, _____. I will put you through hell on earth before I grant you the freedom of death." He sneers, eyes fueled with hatred. You swallow, your breath coming out in heavy pants as you decide on what to do next. 

Finally, with a defeated sigh you raise your arms in surrender and take a small, tiny step towards him, trying to appear as meek and harmless as possible. "You could have not killed her. You could have sent her away if she was a problem." You whisper, voice cracking. "Huh," he scoffs. "As if that bitch would listen. The only way was to get rid of her. For good. I knew she would be in the car with you that day and I planned to kill two birds with one stone but alas, that didn't happen" He shrugs, pouting. "It's alright, though. I know how to use it in my favour. I have so many plans for you. You're gonna come with me and sign off—"

"Drop the gun, Jin."

Seungcheol!

It is Seungcheol, pointing his Glock at the back of Jin's head as he appears behind him all of a sudden. You are flooded with gratitude so big tears come to your eyes and hope flares in your chest seeing him alive, hurt and dishevelled but alive. However, your hope is quick to die down when Jin speaks the next words.

"You sure you wanna do that, son?" Your uncle remains unaffected as he slightly turns his head, his words directed to Seungcheol. "You pull the trigger and by the time it has hit me I can pull the trigger as well and her brains will be splattered all over these walls. You don't want that, do you? Besides, I know as a matter of fact your boss here wants me alive. She has grand plans for me, is that not right, _____?"

His eyes pan back to you, the evilest of smiles on his face as you grit your teeth, trying to keep yourself from doing anything rash.

You underestimated your uncle for sure.

"Drop the gun, son. I won't say it again." He orders, taking a menacing step towards you. "You drop it and nobody gets hurt. I need this bitch alive for everything I have planned." Seungcheol's eyes meet yours and the helplessness and frustration is visible in them. You watch with bated breath as he slowly points the gun away from Jin's head and sets it down on the ground, raising his hands in surrender. A satisfied smile sets on your uncle's face and he lets his guard down for a moment, a fraction of a second, which Seungcheol takes advantage of.  In the blink of an eye, Seungcheol jumps on him, grabbing his legs and dragging him down onto the floor. His grip on the gun falters, letting it fall on the floor and as he makes a move to reach for it, Seungcheol kicks it to the farthest corner of the room.

A scuffle between them ensues and Seungcheol tries to overpower Jin and pin him down onto the floor. However, your uncle, the master of playing dirty, manages to pull a switchblade from his pocket and slashes Seungcheol on the arm, making him fall off of him. "I'm gonna fucking gut you, you son of a bitch!" He yells, charging for Seungcheol as he pins him down, aiming the blade towards his throat but Seungcheol stops him with a practised move. An intense battle of power ensues but you've had enough as you reach  for the gun Seungcheol gave you, tucked at your waistband.

Pointing it straight at Jin's head, you yell. "Drop the knife, Jin! I really don't want to kill you!"

"You don't have the balls to shoot me, bitch!" He yells back, not even glancing at you, busy subduing Seungcheol as he stabs him in the shoulder. That motherfucker!

He underestimated you greatly.

Furious, you pull the trigger and the bullet lands right where you aimed it, Jin's knee. With a howl of pain, he falls off of Seungcheol who quickly gets back up and wraps an arm around his throat in a chokehold.

"You filthy little bitch! You fucking —"

Seungcheol tightens the grip on his neck and after struggling for a few moments, Jin passes out, making you sigh in relief as you step back and lean against the wall. "You shot him." Seungcheol's voice is laced with bewilderment as he watches you with a look of surprise and admiration. "Self defence," you shrug, closing your eyes and inhaling a deep breath. "Tie him up. I'll call the police."

— Fifteen minutes later the cops arrive with blaring sirens followed by an ambulance. 

As soon as the ambulance comes to a stop, you are dragging Seungcheol towards it, yelling at the staff to get a look at his shoulder, around which you have wrapped a cloth to lessen the bleeding. As a responder attends to Seungcheol's injury, two policemen rush into the house when you tell them that the culprit is tied up inside. 

You stand out front with your arms crossed, the morning sun now high in the sky, the warm rays caressing your face as you watch your uncle being dragged out of the house and into one of the police cars. He is yelling and cursing his complaints, his eyes filled with hatred as they come in contact with yours. 

Your body goes rigid, the revelation coming upon you that he is done for and he knows it. You know he is definitely going to deny everything but he has another surprise coming his way.

An officer comes to you, talking about the next procedures and asking basic questions but you cannot quite register his words as your body finally gets off the high of adrenaline and realisation hits you like a bulldozer, it's over.

It is over. You got him. 

I got him, Mom. I will make him pay.

Seungcheol, who sits at the back of the ambulance while a nurse gives his shoulder a temporary fix, listens to the officer carefully, answering his questions in your place before thanking him as he takes his leave. 

"Are you okay?" Seungcheol's uninjured hand comes up to gently touch your arm, making you jump as you are snapped out of your reverie.

"Would you like me to look at you, ma'am? The responder offers as she takes off her gloves. "You look pale." You shake your head, swallowing as you wrap your arms around yourself. Seungcheol gives your hand a tug, making you sit next to him.  "Please take a look at her." He says to the nurse, who nods while he shrugs off the blanket sitting on his shoulder and wraps it around yours with his free hand. 

"Breathe, _____." He speaks softly, his hand holding yours. You nod, focusing on your breath for the next few minutes as the nurse does a quick check up on you. There are a lot of unshed tears within you and a lot of emotions you need to let out but you just cannot bring yourself to do that right now. There is this numb feeling all over you accompanied by an overwhelmingness.

And you know very well the war isn't over just yet. You have to make sure your uncle ends up behind bars. Even though you have some control over your emotions right now, you remember that you have to explain every hideous detail to Chan and you know will break down then. You know you will break down again when you visit your mother's grave but you know this time, you will feel less guilty of being the only one surviving, less in agony because you have avenged her.

"I have called my lawyer. He's preparing all the documents. We should head home now." You speak, eyes staring at the sun shining over the hills and the lush greenery.

This place is magical. You want to come here again, someday.

"Okay," Seungcheol agrees as his hand comes to rest over yours and he gives you a reassuring squeeze. Your eyes pan back to his face, littered with cuts before settling on his shoulder.  You open your mouth to scold him for getting hurt when he sighs. "What were you thinking, _____? I told you not to come back to the cabin. Your uncle had you just where he wanted. You could have been seriously hu—

"I had a plan, Seungcheol."

"What plan?" He looks annoyed. A soft smile graces your lips as your hand travels to the front pocket of your shirt. You pick the pen sitting there and hand it to Seungcheol with a mischievous smile. Frowning, he examines the item carefully until it dawns on him as his eyes widen. "This has a camera!"

"Yep! It can record audio and video very clearly. I had it on me for a while and as I was hiding in the forest I suddenly realised that I couldn't get better proof against my uncle than right then. So I went back to be the bait."

"Still, you don't realise how risky—"

"Trust me, I do. But I had no option. Besides, my gut told me that my uncle really didn't want to kill me unless he had to because after everything that happened, I was more valuable to him alive than dead." Seungcheol stares at you, all a loss for words before shaking his head in disbelief. 

"Wanna know something more fun?"

"What?" He is wary. "The documents I hid? They are not the real ones!" You cannot hold back a laugh as Seungcheol looks as you, more perplexed than before.

"I mean, come on! I'm not that stupid! I wouldn't carry them with me knowing my uncle is looking for them! I hid the original files in Chan's safe after I had him promise me not to touch them."

"Wow…" Seungcheol shakes his head in utter disbelief as he tries to wrap his head around everything. "Still, if I hadn't come for you on time…"

"I knew you would, Seungcheol. I believed that deep in my heart." You whisper, fingers lacing with his as your eyes meet. Seungcheol swallows and looks away, blinking. With a soft sigh, you stand up. "Are you sure you can travel this long in the car? Should I call in a helicopter for you?" Seungcheol rolls his eyes, standing up as well. "It's a fucking graze, _____. I have had way worse and I survived. I will be fine. I already feel fine." Your eyes narrow at him and you want to reprimand him but you cannot find it in your heart to do so. With a sigh, you usher him towards the car. "Let's go then. I'll drive."

— The next 48 hours pass by in the blink of an eye as you go through the most hectic time of your life. 

The first thing you do upon entering the city is sit down with your lawyer for a detailed discussion on the next steps you are going to take and hand the video recording to him. After that you ask Chan to come over to your place where you explain everything to him from a to z. It proves to be one of the worst moments of your life as you watch your brother's face pale with every word you utter and by the time you finish explaining everything he goes as still as a statue before abruptly taking his leave.

The next day you are asked to give a statement to the police along with Seungcheol which takes quite a while as you explain everything in detail. During that time the news breaks about your uncle getting arrested and charged for both murder and attempted murder leading to a flock of reporters chasing you down wherever you go. 

The stocks of the company are also affected as a side effect of the scandal and you have to spend a good amount of time in the office as you try to reassure everyone and get everything under control with your business partners.

On the third day after Jin's arrest, the police officially read out all the charges against him and announce the dates of the trials which sends the press into a second round of frenzy as they try to get your opinion on it, mobbing you whenever you step outside.

Your father is also taken in for questioning where he, thankfully, admits to his crimes and then he is also arrested with the charge of withholding information. He claims that his brother was blackmailing him so he had to keep the murder a secret. Whatever his reason was, you do not care anymore.

You refrain from engaging with the press as much as possible, other than the press conference arranged by your company that you had to attend but you do not make any comments about your uncle or father, just announcing that they will be punished accordingly and you and your brother will do your utmost best to protect the company. 

Amid all of this, Seungcheol refuses to leave your side, even with his injured shoulder. 

The wound was not deep but he was advised not to move the shoulder too much, an instruction he didn't pay any heed to when he was protecting you from the fleet of reporters. Taking it a step further than that, he called his friend over from the agency, the man called Jihoon, to be your second bodyguard because he believed that he was not functioning at his best.

Overall, it turns out to be a crazy, sleep deprived but exciting few days as you see all the pieces of the puzzle fall into its rightful place.

What is not exciting, however, is the straining relationship between you and your brother. After your confession to everything, he grows quieter and avoids talking with you unless it's absolutely necessary, which you understand and respect. He is processing the murder of his mother and his family members' participation in it and you also understand he feels betrayed because you kept so much information from him.

Still, it hurts.

This is why it is a surprise when you see him walk through the double doors to your office on a weekday morning as you were going through the legal statements of the company. "Chan!" You gasp, rising from your chair, eyes wide open in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

He gives a half hearted shrug before sitting down on the couch by the floor to ceiling windows, his gaze focused on the skyline.  "I had some things to tell you." Okay... You chew on your lip as you walk over to him and take a seat in front of him. You watch your brother stare off into the distance out the window before he finally heaves a long sigh and looks at you. The sadness and exhaustion are clear in his eyes and it breaks your heart. This whole media circus has not been easy for him either, especially because he knew nothing of what was going on and the press attacked him like a bunch of piranhas.

"The week has been crazy for you." He states, matter of factly. 

You give him a small, sad smile. "Same goes for you."

"Yes. I am feeling a lot of emotions together however..." he stops for a second before boring his gaze at your eyes. "I cannot help but feel betrayed."

"Oh Chan—"

"No, it's okay." He holds up his hand, stopping you. "I know that was not your intention and it is not your fault. It is none of our fault. I feel betrayed by this... family, this situation. I feel so angry that all of this happened right under my nose and I—" he huffs, dragging a hand through his hair as his voice fades. "I knew nothing about it."

"It is not your fault."

"It kind of is." He grunts. "I...I should have been more careful, more aware—"

"You couldn't have prevented it, Chan. It would only get you hurt in the process."

"Exactly! It would and that's how it should be. We're a team, you and I. So I should be equally responsible but only you got hurt in this process. You have been carrying all this burden with you since the accident. Not to mention the crazy stunt at the cabin. Are you insane, _____? I saw the video and he had a gun for fucks sake!"

"So did I!" You admonish. "Besides, he wasn't going to shoot me."

"You couldn't be sure!"

You drag out a sigh in surrender as you admire your brother for a silent moment as he suddenly reminds you of Seungcheol. "Whatever it was, it's in the past and I am safe now. However, I am sorry. For lying to you, for keeping you in the dark."

"Yes, I am actually quite mad at you for acting mute in front of me." He narrows his gaze at your face. 

"Well at least you learned sign language because of it!"

He snorts and you chuckle, a more comfortable silence falling between the two of you as you stare at each other for a while with melancholic smile on your faces. After a while, he announces, "I am going away for a while."

"What? Where?" You gasp.

"I don't know where, actually. Somewhere with a beach and lots of sunshine maybe. Away from…here." He smiles faintly. "I just...I need to be away for a while and process everything and simply be in my own company. I just need some time, sis." Tears shine in your eyes. "I understand." You whisper.  You really do but it still pains you because you feel responsible for breaking his heart.

"Take all the time you need. I'll handle the business while you are gone."

"Good. I know you will manage it well, maybe even better than me," he gives you a smile, a real one that reflects the shine in his eyes and you mirror it back. He stands up, buttoning his suit jacket. "Oh, by the way, what is going on between you and your hunk of a bodyguard?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" You feign innocence, avoiding his gaze, surprised at his observation. "Oh please." He gives you an it-is-very-obvious look. "The chemistry between you two has been explosive from day one. You always have that dreamy look in your eyes when you look at him."

"I do not!" You gasp. "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." He shakes his head in mirth. You huff out a dejected breath of surrender. "It doesn't matter anyway. He doesn't want me."

"Should I beat him up?" He asks casually, making you snort.

"You would lose, you know." You roll your eyes. That makes him laugh before he takes a step towards you. "I would deprive you of a hug but since you are already heartbroken, come here." 

You immediately get up and wrap your arms around your brother in a tight hug. You sniff, holding back tears as he pats you in the back, and you whisper. "I will miss you. Text me every now and then."

"Will do," he promises with a smile, pulling back and squeezing your shoulder. As he starts walking, he yells over his shoulder, "Do not think of getting married to that hunk while I'm not here though!"

"Yes, sir!" Rolling your eyes, you yell back and watch him walk out the double doors before plopping back on the couch, an eerie feeling of emptiness settling in your chest.

It takes a while for you to realise that tears are streaming down your face. Upon realisation, you simply hang your head low, letting them flow and stare at the floor, vision blurry as you play back the events of the last 6 months in your head. 

A soft knock at the door makes you snap your head up, breaking your trance as you quickly swipe your fingers below your eyes, head turning to see who enters. 

It's Seungcheol, composed in poise and grace as he steps inside before coming to a stand beside you. Silently, he asks for permission to sit, something you have told him multiple times not to do and when you give him a nod he takes a seat opposite to you. "You have been crying," he states quietly as he regards you with a knotted brow. You sigh and blink a couple of times before asking. "I'm fine now. What's the update? Any problems?"

He shakes his head. "Things are under good so far. You still need to give a formal statement at the fundraisers event next week, so you have to prepare for that."

"Hmm," you nod. "What brings you here, then? Are you feeling okay? I told you to take a day..." Your voice fades as you watch him produce a white rectangular envelope from his pocket and push it towards you on the table.

You have a sinking feeling in your chest that it is a resignation letter. 

"I am submitting my letter of resignation." He says, as calmly as ever, his eyes straight on yours. Your mouth opens but fails to deliver the words as you tilt your head to the side, processing this action. 

You have no problem with him resigning. In fact, you had planned to fire him after this hellish week ends so that you two could have a discussion about where your relationship stands, without all these professional restrictions limiting you. However, knowing Seungcheol, you have a sinking suspicion that he isn't quitting so that he can address his feelings for you but so that he can escape. 

Still, you decide to feign ignorance.

"Good. I was planning on firing you anyway. Not that you were bad at your job, you were the best but you need to rest, Seungcheol. And I have Jihoon now so I'll be fine." You nod as you pretend to go through his letter but inside, your hearts thuds so loudly you are afraid it will burst. 

"As of today, I am relieving you of your duties, Choi Seungcheol." You offer him a shaky smile. Seungcheol nods, his face as impassive as ever and you just cannot tell if he is heartbroken or relieved. His body language tells you that he is ready to get up and leave but you do not let that happen so easily.

"Now we can finally talk about our relationship." You speak, trying to keep your voice as stable as possible. Seungcheol visibly tenses as his face loses some of its colour and immediately you know this is not going to end well. 

But you are adamant on seeing this through.

"There is nothing to talk about." His voice is quiet, almost inaudible as he sits there looking like a petulant child lying to his parents. You have to take a deep breath to compose yourself. 

"You can do many things, Seungcheol but you cannot lie to me." You keep your voice as gentle as you can.

Your ex bodyguard seems to agree as he lets out a dejected sigh and stares at the floor very attentively. You watch him with intent for a few long moments, giving him time but ultimately when he remains as stubborn and unmoving as a mule, you break the silence. 

"I will lay all my cards on the table, Seungcheol, since you can't seem to do that. I have feelings for you, Seungcheol. Feelings that are very, very deep and real and I'm willing to act on them. Do what is necessary to make this work— make us work." 

He is quick to disagree. "Those feelings that you talk about, they are not love, ____. It is temporary. The last few weeks have been intense and it's just your body's natural reaction —"

"Do you love me, Choi Seungcheol?" You interrupt him, looking him straight in the eye.  The man looks like he swallowed a sock and you would feel bad for him, maybe even laugh at his reaction if the situation was not so dire.

"It does not matter." He looks away. You have the urge to hurl something at his head; the lamp next to you seems very tempting, but you fight it by clenching your fists a few times, trying to put yourself in his shoes.

"Seungcheol, I heard you that day in the cabin. I hear you now and I completely understand your fears. But I am here and we will work through them. It will take time but I'm ready, no matter how long it takes. I just want you, Seungcheol, and it kills me because I know you want me too yet you keep punishing yourself."

By now you have learned to read the man well and what might be easily overlooked by others comes into your notice; like how he clenches his fists and how his Adams apple bobs as he heavily swallows. The look in his eyes is that of a pure battle, one that he is fighting against himself and it's hard to watch. You are about to stand up and hold his hand when he suddenly moves onto his feet, his posture rigid as he glares down at you.

"I do not want you. What happened at the cabin was a mere moment of weakness. And you don't want me either, ______. You will soon realize it."

This gaslighting asshole!

"So you are going to lie to yourself till the very end?" You hiss, standing up and stepping closer to him, meeting his eyes with an equal glare.  "If anyone is lying to themselves here, it is you." He spits. "Our relationship was supposed to be professional from the start. I am a bodyguard and you are merely one of my protectees. Let us end it that way." He takes a step back while you watch him with a flabbergasted expression at his audacity. He uses your moment of weakness to say. "It was nice working with you. Hopefully, you won't need me again. Goodbye, Ms. Lee." The next moment he is pushing past you as his footsteps echo on the cold marble floor, the sound similar to that of your heart as it cracks.

"If you walk away now, I will never forgive you, Seungcheol!" You yell, voice cracking as tears gather in your eyes, your gaze focused outside the window, your back facing him. No reaction comes from behind you except for the footsteps which come to a halt. 

"Do you really want to end it like this?" Your whisper is followed by silence but through the eerie quietness in the room, you know the words reach him well.

His reply comes a few seconds later, in the form of footsteps that echo farther and farther away from you followed by the sound of the door opening and then closing and then utter silence. —

The fundraiser's event is going in full swing, bustling with people when you arrive. Draped in a red silk dress and diamond jewellery you look like a million bucks but in reality you feel nothing like that and you have no desire to be here whatsoever. But you know it is necessary to make an appearance as the host because it is extremely important to show up after the scandal to assure everyone that things are going well. Except they are not. While your professional life has slowly started getting back to its normal place your personal life has plummeted because all that you have done in the past week is mope around and curse your ex bodyguard and bitch about him to your current one, Jihoon.

The best way you can describe Jihoon is a grumpy cat. He talks very little but whenever he does, he's always huffing and complaining. But you see his softer side peek through from the little acts he does for you like making sure you eat your meals properly, checking up on you after your crying session and preparing all your documents and briefing you every morning. His tsundere antics and his silent company have probably been the only driving force that has kept you sane after Seungcheol dumped you.

The event is taking place in a banquet hall in the city centre and once inside, Jihoon guides you to a private resting room where you get ready for the opening speech. "I don't think I will stay till dinner. It is okay I leave after the speech, no?" You ask Jihoon as you finish revising the script. "Maybe mingle with people a little bit. Behave like a human instead of a broken hearted ghost" he offers, his tone dry as usual. You sigh and shake your head at his reply as you smooth your dress and step forward, waiting for the emcee to call you on stage.

Once on stage, you stand behind the podium, the tireless flashes from the cameras giving you a headache and you have to try your very best to plaster a smile on your face as you greet the guests and start your speech. Jihoon stands a few feet away from you on the stage, his eyes scanning the crowd carefully as he receives constant updates in his Bluetooth. However, not even two minutes into your speech, a man causes commotion as he tries to get on the stage, yelling some nonsense about how you are a fraud and a money launderer. You are baffled as you watch the security planted at the perimeter of the stage get a hold of him and drag him out while whispers and murmurs echo among the guests.

"He looks drunk," Jihoon says as he steps close to you to make sure you are alright. "Ignore him. He shouldn't have been allowed inside. I will have a talk with—" He pauses midway in his sentence as his eyes focus on something behind you, on the other side of the stage, his pupils widening. You can barely process the change in his expression before he tugs you away and shields you with his body as you two roll off the stage.

The next moment, an explosion echoes through the air. There is a ringing in your ears as Jihoon covers you, the echoes of the blast intensifying the headache you already had. You feel disoriented as Jihoon helps you to stand up and ushers you towards the resting room backstage while you hear screams echoing from the guests, their heavy footsteps scattering all over. "Wha- what is going on?" You cry, confused as Jihoon shoves you inside the room. "It is your cousin, Jun."  What!

"Lock the door. His men have blocked the exits. I need to clear them before I come get you. Do not open this door, is that clear?" He orders you and before you can form a reply, he is gone. Confused, scared and exhausted, you fall onto the ground, head in your hands as you fail to wrap your head around the situation. Of course, you knew your cousin was sour after his father's arrest but you never thought he would go this far. What is he thinking? What does he want?

You hear commotion spread outside, things crashing and even a few gunshots. As you step closer to the door to get a better listen there is a loud bang, as if someone is trying to break in.

Absolutely terrified, you step back, frantic eyes looking around the small space for a weapon.

If you knew the night would end up like this you would have brought a fucking gun with you.

Speaking of guns, a gunshot echoes through the air, making you duck your head as you scream. Another gunshot rings through the air and you realise whoever is on the other side is trying to come inside.

You can only pray it is not your fucking cousin, who is a maniac, apparently.

A broad, mean looking thug bursts through the door just as it opens and when his eyes land on you, he points his gun at your head. "Do not think of doing anything smart, woman. If you don't want me to blow your face off, you do as I fucking tell you to." Swallowing, you nod, holding your hands up in surrender.

So this is how it goes down, huh.

The man produces a handcuff from his pocket and tosses it towards you. "Put it on your hands! Now!" With shaky hands, you pick it up and just as you are about to fasten it around one of your wrists, there is a gunshot. You are sure you have been shot as you shut your eyes tight but start to think otherwise when seconds pass and you still feel your heartbeat.

Peeking open one eye you see the thug slumped over on the floor, a clean bullet hole on the back of his head. And in the doorframe, stands Seungcheol, a gun in his hand.

Choi Seungcheol.

Wait, what? How?

Your brain is struggling to catch up as you blink again and again to make sure of his presence. Indeed, he stands there, dressed in a black suit and tie, specks of red on his white shirt as he pants heavily.

What on god's green earth—

"Come on, you need to get out!" He yells, stepping inside the room, reaching for your hand and dragging you outside with him.  You cannot get a word out as you let him lead you, absolutely thunderstruck because of his sudden presence.

What the fuck is he doing here? How did he even know what was going on?

You are so baffled that you cannot speak these thoughts out, simply following him as he carefully guides you towards the exit, his gun drawn in alertness. Just as the backyard of the venue comes into view and Seungcheol is about to usher you outside, you hear a voice yelling from the other side of the hall.

It is your cousin's voice. "Let me go you fucking assholes! I am gonna blow that bitch myself! I am gonna tear her up into fucking pieces! How dare she take what is mine! That's slut! I am gonna…" 

Seungcheol almost pushes you to move as you get stuck in a trance of his mean words. "It is okay, Jihoon has him. Come on."

As if you are functioning on autopilot, you let him guide you outside into the open field and underneath a small sitting area where fresh air finally hits you, letting you breathe in a lungful. Seungcheol informs the other security about the update over his comms as you watch him in silence. When he is done, his eyes finally meet yours and in an instant everything that had gone down in the last month flashes through your head, giving you goosebumps. 

There is a moment of silence as you watch him with a blank expression while he looks around uncomfortably. Finally, he decides to break the silence with a chuckle. "I leave you for a few days and this is what happens?" 

His tone is full of amusement. The nerve of this man. You, however, find none of this amusing. It gets your blood boiling as you hear him say the words, your brain finally registering everything and you simply cannot hold yourself back anymore. The next thing you do is strike a clean, sharp slap on his cheek which catches him off guard as he stumbles a few steps back. His eyes widen in shock, his hand moving to cup the cheek which is turning bright red, like your palm.

You poured your heart and soul and all your pent up emotions into that slap so you pray it stings like a bitch.

Your hand does for sure.

"I deserved that-" Seungcheol starts to speak, holding up his hands but the moment he opens his mouth you are on him again as you grab him by the collars, triggered, "How dare you come here, you scum!" You hiss, tugging at the fabric of his collars while a bewildered Seungcheol tries to gently pry you off of him. "How dare you have the audacity to show up after everything you said?"

"_____, you are gonna hurt yourself—"

"You quit! You made it clear that you had no interest in me, Seungcheol! So what gives you the right to come here and save me, huh?" You are seething, emotions so strong you feel like choking and if you were a cartoon character, visible steam would be coming out of your ears.

"_____, please—"

"Who gave you the right to be a hero, huh? What made you come here? Tell me! Talk, you asshole!" You yell, shaking him, tugging on his collars repeatedly as a wild rage takes over you.

You are going to murder him.

"Because I am in love with you!" He yells back, making your grip falter for a second which he uses to quickly free himself, taking a few steps back as you stare wide eyed at him, panting.

When you finally get enough air in your lungs and process his words, really process them, your wry laugh echoes through the cold night air like mockery. "Fuck you, Seungcheol. I have had enough of your bullshit." You spit, pushed to your limits.

God, give me patience.

"I know," he whispers, taking a step closer while you take one back. "I understand what I have done and I do not expect you to forgive me at all. I just need you to know that I fucking love you and I am so fucking sorry. I know I am late but I am here to stay—"

"No you are not," You snap. "Get the hell away from me before I take a gun and fucking shoot you." 

"If that's what will make you happy..." Seungcheol calmly reaches for his gun as you watch him, alarmed. He takes it off of the holster and holds it out towards you. "Shoot me as many times as you want. I deserve it.

This fucking man—

"Guys, can we do this weird foreplay somewhere else," Jihoon yells from behind you as you spin to see him jogging towards you two. "You need to get out of here, _____. He's saying that there are still explosives in this compound."

"What!" You shriek but before you can get another word out, Seungcheol is grabbing your hand and dragging you with him as he starts sprinting. "Keep me updated," he addresses Jihoon who nods, talking into the comm to get a car at the rear entrance for you.

"Let go, you asshole!" You hiss, trying to pry his fingers off your wrist which proves to be a challenge while running full speed in high heels. "God damn it, Seungcheol, I will fall!" And you almost do so, as you misstep and stumble but the man is quick to catch you and before you can even think, he is throwing you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  "Put me down, you pig!"

"As soon as we get to the car, angel."

Which is quick, thankfully, because the next moment he is putting you down and holding the passenger side door open for you and despite wanting to resist him, you know the wise idea is to leave right now.  As soon as you are inside the car, he shuts the door before running to the other side and before you can even put your seatbelt on, the car is moving.

"Jihoon will be fine, right?" You ask half mindedly as you turn your head back to look at the venue which gets smaller every passing second. "He will be fine," Seungcheol grunts. "The police have been informed as well as the bomb disposal team." "What about my cousin?" Seungcheol remains quiet for a moment, only staring ahead on the road. "Him? He's  alive, unfortunately."

"What do you mean?" You ask warily.

"I shot him. The bullet hit his abdomen. He won't die, don't worry. That depraved asshole doesn't deserve that mercy." You sigh, rubbing your temples as you lean back into your seat. "What the hell was he thinking?"

"He wanted to hurt you, humiliate you, _____. He had plans to hurt you horribly." Seungcheol huffs out a breath, shaking his head and clenching his jaw. "He has gone insane." That is all he provides, making you fall silent for a moment. "When will this stop." You whisper to yourself. "I never considered him to be a threat."

"I should have. You locked up his father and made sure he could never take over the company. He was a huge threat that I failed to notice." He murmurs.

"Don't start, Seungcheol," you snap at him, irritated. "I'm still tempted to shoot you. Your duty was over the moment you handed in the resignation letter and walked out of my life."

"My biggest mistake." He whispers to himself but you hear it. 

Tired, frustrated, scared and angry, you decide not to engage in this conversation further as you look out the window and wonder what is coming next.  Another media storm for sure.  More interrogations, more meetings with your lawyer.  At the same time, however, the edge that you have been feeling for the last week is gone. The fact that your cousin never came up to you or tried to retaliate his father's arrest in any way made you wonder but it never occurred to you that he could turn violent, insane. 

Jun was after all a puppet, who only did things after his father made the way for him his whole life.

Today was a different case, it looks like. Anyhow, it is somewhat of a win for you because you miraculously got out unscathed and the threat has been neutralised. However, you are sure many have been injured and your reputation has taken a severe hit today. The upcoming months will be very hard, harder than before…

The next coherent thought that comes upon you is that you fell asleep. You open your eyes realising that the car has stopped and the time on the dashboard says about thirty minutes have passed. Blinking, you shift in your seat and find Seungcheol, sitting next to you, watching you with a look that is foreign on his face, something close to adoration. Clearing your throat, you remove your seatbelt and sit up straight.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Not long enough. We just got here." He announces as he moves to open his door. "Come on, let's go inside."

Once you are out of the car, you realise Seungcheol has taken you to a five star hotel and seeing the confusion on your face, he explains. "It's safer here. Can't take any more risks tonight."

He casually slips his hand into yours, making you frown and drags you towards the hotel. Your tired body cannot put up much of a fight so you follow him begrudgingly and you are quickly escorted to the penthouse suite thanks to his prior booking.

Upon entering the suite you walk straight to the master bedroom where the king sized bed calls for your tired self as you sit down and take off your heels, throwing them away on the carpet over the floor with a soft thud, exhaling a loud sigh. Seungcheol follows you and remains quiet as you sit in silence at the edge of the bed, too wired, too disoriented to do anything. Normally, after everything that happened with your uncle your decision making skills have significantly sharpened but having Seungcheol near you, his stupid confession ringing in your head is fucking with your brain. And as if that goddamn man can read your mind, he kneels in front of you on the floor, one of his hands softly touching your knees as he utters. "You need to rest, ______. I will handle everything else. It is all under control now, trust me."

"Why do you do this?" You croak, pushed to the limits of exhaustion, your eyes trained somewhere in an unfocused gaze as you fidget with your hands. "Why do you push me away and then come back running at a time like this?"

He is silent for a long time while you fight to keep your tears at bay.

You will not cry in front of him.

"I am sorry." He only whispers, his fingers softly stroking your knee as his head lowers and his gaze falls down on the floor. "I was foolish and...scared. That night after we slept together you…you said out loud you loved me and I panicked. I was— I am a danger to you. But being away from you for a week was a pain unlike anything else. I went back to that cabin and I slept in your bed and the sheets had the faintest of your smell. Weirdly, your scent and everything you left behind soothed me and I didn't have any nightmares in the past week. But every morning I woke up and there was a sinking feeling in my stomach that only grew each day until I couldn't bear it. I realised that you really were an angel who saved me, brought lightness back into my life, and gave me a new purpose, a new dream. I realised what an idiot I was and I came to the city on Wednesday night. Believe me when I tell you that my intention was to just stay away and make sure you are okay. I knew what I had done and I was in no way worthy of showing up in front of you but I had to intervene tonight, _____. Your life was in danger."

The air conditioner in your room suddenly feels chillier as goosebumps prickle your skin, making you shiver. Seungcheol takes notice of it and stands up quickly to take off his jacket before draping it over your shoulders. He stands in front of you in silence, fingers hovering over your now covered shoulders while you stare at his shoes, your head going blank but also running a mile a minute. The frustration and overwhelmingness bleed together until you can't tell one emotion separate from another.

All of a sudden, Seungcheol's thumbs caress your cheeks while the rest of his fingers softly cup your jaw and it is only then that you realise you have been silently crying. He oh so gently wipes your cheek dry while uttering, "Please don't cry. I know I hurt you. I promise I will leave as soon as I make sure you are going to be okay." Instantly, a part inside your brain is flooded with panic as it screams no. You don't want him to leave when you remember how hard the past week was on you and how many times a day you would revisit that night in the cabin, the moment you two shared and how it proved to be the anchor for you throughout everything that happened after.

You were— are mad at him but you still want him near, crazy is it not?

You keep thinking of how safe you felt the moment Seungcheol found you in tonight's chaos, how just his presence made you fall asleep so easily when for the last week you could not fall asleep without the fear of nightmares.

Yes, they have returned. But you don't see the accident anymore, you see your uncle chasing you around the cabin while you call for Seungcheol but he doesn't come, no matter how much you beg.

And after tonight, you wonder what more nightmares await you. So when you utter the one, very powerful word, you tell yourself that you are doing this for yourself, to be selfish and not for him, which is not a lie entirely. 

"No."

Your left hand reaches to grab the fabric of his shirt and you fist it tightly in your hand. "Don't leave."  You don't dare to look at him, scared you will break once you do and instead focus your gaze on the patterns of the carpet while holding onto his shirt. The next moment Seungcheol is sitting next to you and in the moment after he gently wraps his arms around you, your head falling perfectly against his shoulder while your arms snake around his waist after a moment's hesitation. 

His warm touch soothes your back as his other hand cups the back of your head, softly stroking it with his thumb. A small whimper comes from your mouth as quiet sobs escape from you and you hide your face and weep, trying to stifle the sounds.

"I am so sorry, _____. I am sorry for everything." Seungcheol whispers, voice thick with emotion. "I will make everything better, I promise. I will stay as long as you need me and then… " There is a moment of heavy pause. "When you don't, I will follow you around like a lost puppy for the rest of my life." Thinking about the rest of your life and not having Seungcheol in it makes you sob harder and if you had energy you would scream at him and tell him to just shut up. Instead, you cry, cry your heart out, promising yourself that from tomorrow you won't. 

Tomorrow another battle begins. 

As the night grows deeper, Seungcheol holds you tighter and your sobs gradually fade and before you know it you fall asleep on his shoulder. Seungcheol stays still for a while longer to make sure you don't wake up before gently picking up your sleeping form and setting you down on the bed, fixing the pillow underneath your head and covering you with a blanket. Despite his desire to crawl into bed and sleep next to you, he resists it and instead takes the loveseat in front of the window, where he sits and watches your peacefully sleeping form, before falling asleep himself with a heart full of gratitude.

— You watch the steam from the mug evaporate into the air before taking a small sip. The tea is slightly bitter and hot, just as you need it.

After waking up and taking a quick shower, here you sit, by the window of your penthouse suite, sipping tea, treating yourself to a quiet peaceful moment before your hectic day, which you are frankly not prepared for, begins. 

You woke up to an empty suite, with no sign of Seungcheol and it almost made you wonder if last night was an entire elaborate dream. But then you found his tie lying on the loveseat which acted as a reassurance of his presence, weirdly bringing solace to you. 

After waking up, you realised your phone's battery is dead, which became another source of peace for you, because you know otherwise, it would have been blowing up with calls and you wouldn't have gotten the good night's sleep that you got. 

There's a sudden sound of the door opening that alerts you, making you crane your neck to see the visitor. Seungcheol walks in, dressed completely differently from last night, looking delicious in a light blue polo and white pants. On his hands are two shopping bags and behind him is a hotel staff member who pushes in a huge breakfast trolley. "Good morning, _____." Seungcheol meets your eye as he sets down the shopping bags on the edge of the bed and thanks the staff as he takes his leave.  You watch Seungcheol take off the lids covering the food while speaking, "Breakfast is here. I have asked for a bit of everything you like. And I have got new clothes and some necessities for you. They are in the bag," He points to the general direction as he starts stacking pancakes on a plate for you. You are quite surprised and flattered and you cannot come up with anything else to say but, "Thank you."

For some weird reason, you feel shy and awkward around him as if you are a newborn fawn. Maybe it is because none of you are addressing the elephant in the room; last night's conversation and instead acting like you have known each other for years. "It's my pleasure," he smiles at you, a genuine smile that shows his dimples and makes your heart gallop like a horse. Handing you the plate, he takes a comfortable seat in the chair in front of you and watches you dig in, a look you can only describe as fondness sitting on his face. Feeling shy, you cover your mouth as you chew. "Stop looking at me." 

"You look a bit tired. Did you not sleep well?" He asks suddenly.  "I had a good sleep, thank you." You inform, surprised how he noticed.  You have been feeling a little sick after you woke up despite having a very good night's rest. A headache has been creeping up on your temples but you are trying hard to ignore it because this is not the time to get sick.

You have a long day ahead of you.

Making you jerk, Seungcheol places his palm on your forehead out of the blue as he checks your temperature and an unpleasant look settles on his face. "You are getting a fever." "No, I'm not." You direct your focus on cutting your pancakes, using too much pressure. Ignoring you, the man dials a number on his phone and asks for some cold medicine to be brought to the hotel room to whoever is on the other side. "I just told you, I am fine." You frown, annoyed. He hangs up and stares at you as if you are speaking a different language. "You are not. You need to take the medicine and get some rest."

"Now is not the time for me to sleep! Do not play doctor!" You snap, setting the plate down with a loud bang as you clutch the fork and knife tightly in your hand. Seungcheol does not react to your outburst but simply changes position as he comes to sit next to you.

"Your cousin is in custody. I talked with your lawyer this morning, he is preparing everything well. There is no way he is getting off. Jihoon and his men already testified to the police so you do not have to meet with them unless you want to add something. If you do, I will arrange a phone call with the station. The legal department is working on a statement and it will be released today in a press conference. The CFO will read it out." He informs, casually. 

"You are sick, _____. And it's okay .You went through a lot. It is okay if you take a break today. No one is asking you to go out there and face the demons. You need to rest. Your body is asking for it." 

His voice softens as one of his hands comes to rest on your thigh gently. The assurance in his voice paired with the tenderness in his eyes makes you swallow a lump in your throat and blink back tears. "Still..."

"Finish your breakfast." He says as he reaches for the plate while taking the fork and knife out of your hand and cutting it into bite sized pieces. "And you should probably call your brother today, by the way. The news of last night's events will reach him sooner or later and I think it would be best if he heard it from you."

You nod, feeling sad. Chan just left for a vacation one week ago. When he hears about this, he will definitely catch the next flight home.

"If you do not want to call him, I can do it for you." Seungcheol offers as he finishes his task and hands the plate and cutlery back to you.

"No, I will do it." You murmur and silently go back to eating. Seungcheol watches you in silence for the rest of the meal and after you are done, the staff returns to clean up and drops your medicines. You take them and then sit in your bed idly, watching the city skyline through your window, trying not to overthink anything. You can hear Seungcheol talk over the phone in the other room before he steps back into the master bedroom to check up on you.

"If you feel too sick, let me know. I will take you to the hospital." 

You softly nod and turn your head to look at him. He appears worried, his eyes glazed with concern, his brows forming a knot as if he's trying to read you. After a moment, you silently motion him to come sit by you on the bed which he diligently follows. 

His hands reach out to hold yours, his thumb gently stroking your skin as he gazes into your eyes, leaning closer to you, his eyes searching for something in yours. His bangs fall forward, cupping his temples and you itch to brush them away.  "Tell me what you are thinking." He whispers.

"You have pretty hair." You reply honestly and he chuckles, shaking his head before his face becomes serious.  "I missed you." His voice is low, almost inaudible as his gaze falls down to your linked hands, as if he is ashamed to meet your eyes when saying that. "I missed you too." You reply honestly, once again. Seungcheol seems surprised to hear that and you cannot help but roll your eyes.

"Oh please, Choi Seungcheol. Don't act like you had no idea." Your head rests against the headboard as you make yourself comfortable and scowl at him. "You knew very well how much effect you had on me and you knew damn well how much I loved you."

"Loved me?"

"Okay, love you—"

"Wait, no— you...love me? Really? You didn't say it that night in the heat of the moment?" You only realise then how you just casually spat it out, again, and immediately, heat blooms on your face. You avoid his gaze, snatching your hands from his grip while he looks absolutely stunned.

"Whatever." You mutter, scooting down on the bed, reaching to grab the sheets and hide yourself in them but Seungcheol stops you as he cages you between his arms, his face hovering dangerously close to yours, his perfume and aftershave blending into an addictive scent that makes your brain hazy with need.

Control yourself, woman! "Answer me. You love me?" "Ugh, you heard me the first time," you groan, trying to twist away from him but he stops you by cupping your chin and making you face him. 

"Wanna know something?" He whispers, inching his face closer.

"What?" You are breathless.

"I love you too, ____." He replies, his lips ghosting over yours. You anticipate a kiss but he doesn't, instead tucks your hair behind your ear as he whispers in your ear. "I am so deeply, madly in love with you it is embarrassing."

The words are music to your ears and your insides swoon as you close your eyes and relish them, pressing your lips tight to prevent yourself from breaking into a maniacal grin. Seungcheol shifts his weight back and rests himself on his one palm as his other hand softly cups your face. "And I am sorry, once again, for what I did to you."

"Good but I am still mad." You try your best to appear stern.

"I know." His expression is solemn. "I plan on making it up to you until my dying breath."

When did he become so romantic?

"You may start by cuddling me," you whisper, almost shy, carefully watching his reaction. He immediately proceeds to get under the sheets with you and carefully engulfs you into his large arms, your face resting against his solid chest as his hand strokes your hair soothingly. Your arms move to snake around his waist as you feel yourself relax, his arms feeling like the safest, most comfortable place in the entire universe and you never, ever want to leave.

"I love you, Seungcheol." Your voice is muffled against his chest.

"I love you more, angel. So much more."

1 month later 

The view around the cabin is just as pretty as you remember it. The setting sun of dusk casts it in a beautiful glow which you stop and stand to admire. 

Beside you, Seungcheol finishes parking the jeep and unloads the overnight bags from the trunk. 

"What are you looking at?" He asks when he comes to stand next to you, fishing for keys from his pocket in one hand.

"It's very beautiful." You murmur, eyes glancing over the view before settling down on the man next to you. He is dressed in a grey t-shirt, his blond hair looking as gorgeous as ever, if not more in the golden hour and you know, he is undoubtedly the epitome of beauty. 

Seungcheol meets your stare with equal sincerity as he reaches to hold your hand, whispering. "Yes, it is." You know he is talking about you.

A light, gleeful laugh escapes your lips as you playfully push him with your shoulder. He grins and drags you with him inside the cabin.

It is hard to believe that this place was a crime scene about a month ago. Seungcheol did some thorough renovations and now the place looks more beautiful, cozier than ever.

As much as your heart wishes to stay in this little piece of green heaven forever, this is a small weekend getaway that Seungcheol organised and initiated by picking you up early from work today. You did not complain because the past few weeks were tough.

Getting your company back together after the fundraiser's incident and making sure you are still in the market is taking a lot of well thought plans and manpower and instructions. You have help, of course, from Chan who immediately rushed home from his vacation when he heard about Jun's attack on you. Seungcheol also has been helping you a lot, though you officially denied him the position of your bodyguard. 

He then started working as a security consultant at his friend's company and has been assisting you however he could throughout the past month. He also started therapy again and so far his progress is remarkable. He is a lot less self sabotaging and he has not had a nightmare ever since you got back together, much like you. Not to mention he has been working extra hard to make it up to you, always catering to your every little need and never asking for anything in return or initiating anything, even though you have noticed multiple times how his eyes trail you around hungrily. 

So far, you have only rewarded him with kisses because it was too much fun to watch him silently suffer.  However, you plan to change that this weekend.

"Let's watch the sunset together," you propose as Seungcheol drops your bags in the bedroom. He agrees and you two walk back outside to the patio, hands linked where you stand and gaze at the setting sun. Seungcheol's arms wrap around you protectively from behind and his chin comes to rest on your shoulder.

"We need to get groceries." He murmurs absentmindedly as he presses a soft kiss on your neck that makes you sigh in pleasure. You hum, offering that you could just order takeout. As the sun dips beneath the horizon, Seungcheol takes occasional peeks at your face, admiring the mesmerised look in your eyes. His heart beats loudly, wild in love as he imagines the rest of his life with you and how it would be to watch you watch the sunset.

Delightful. Like the delightful secret he is hiding. A huge secret that has been burning holes in his pocket for a month.  After the night of the attack, the next morning when he went to shop for your clothes at the mall, a ring caught his eye in a jewellery store and he purchased it right there, intent on putting it on your finger someday.

He has been carrying it ever since, waiting for the perfect moment to get down on one knee.  Maybe this weekend will carry that moment, maybe not.

Either way, it is fine. He is not in a rush. He knows he will get down on one knee when he deems himself worthy enough of you. Though, logically it might never happen because no one is worthy of a person as beautiful, as amazing as you. But he will work very hard to be worthy of you, now and every day that he has on this planet. Seungcheol smiles to himself, agreeing that he's a very lucky bastard. "Cheol?" You call him by his nickname, breaking his train of thought. "Hm?" "I love you." You whisper. His next words are the sweetest serenade. "I love you more, angel."

A/N: If you have made it this far, congratulations and a huge thank you for taking the time to read this mammoth of a fic! I genuinely put my blood, sweat and tears into this and believe me when I tell you that my wrists hurt like hell. Still, I am glad I could share this with the world and I'm very proud of myself for successfully putting the conjectural idea from my head to the paper. It took a lot of time to come up with the idea, finalize it and stitch the pieces together so please leave a review and reblog! Your thoughts and comments really make my day. Wishing you a happy October! As a side note, I am swearing off of writing fics over 20k words. When I tell you that this app whopped my ass while posting this! My god! I was seriously considering breaking it into two parts. If you are reading this now that means I have hopefully posted it without trouble. Anyway, toodles!

© startlightxsvt 2023 | All rights reserved. Do not copy, repost, translate, adapt, or repurpose any of my works.

[kimbappykidding]

Imagine your brother Jeonghan trying to set you and Scoups up but you refuse claiming Scoups is too goody-goody, which drives the leader of Seventeen crazy

It took 2 weeks after you moved to the same city as your brother for him to start trying to set you up with his friends. To be fair Jeonghan had been saying you'd really get along with Scoups for a while now but you'd managed to dodge any awkward dates or outings...until now. Your brother had invited you over to his place for dinner. He'd told you none of the guys would be there but when you showed up guess who happened to be joining you? 

The leader of Seventeen was a lovely guy and you didn't mind his company. It was your brother's prying that put you off the whole thing. You had a habit of doing the opposite of whatever someone wanted you to do and blamed your rebellious brother for teaching it to you. Usually it only annoyed other people but tonight Jeonghan got to experience it first hand. After dinner, Scoups left the table to go to rehearsal leaving you and Jeonghan alone. You'd had a nice meal and the conversation had been good. You and Scoups had joked around all night and found a lot of common ground, so your brother assumed you were in love. "So..." Jeonghan said after Scoups left the room and you smiled back pretending to be oblivious "so...". "Don't you agree Scoups is so great?" he asked. You smiled "yeah he's really nice and funny, I'm sure it drives some girls crazy". Jeonghan knew from the way you said some, you weren't talking about yourself and he couldn't believe it. "Don't tell me you're not including yourself? The two of you were so hitting it off!". You laughed "we were chatting Jeonghan that's all". "You weren't chatting you were connecting and I know it! I could see you liked talking to him so why are you denying it?". You shook your head "I'm not denying anything. Sure he's nice and handsome and cool but he's not my type". "Cool, handsome and nice aren't your thing?" Jeonghan asked. You shook your head "honestly it's the leader thing. It's a huge turn off and that's why I can't find him attractive".  

Jeonghan's jaw dropped "you're serious?" he asked you nodded "yes! You know I don't like rules and he's the leader! He's automatically more responsible and abiding". Jeonghan frowned "kinda but also not. He actually challenges our company and managers all the time. He's a good guy". "I don't doubt it but I don't want a boyfriend whose favourite roleplay is teacher and student". Jeonghan went to argue "but if you just gave him a chance...". "I said no Jeonghan" you said standing up "sometimes you're just not as smart as you think you are" and walked out of the room.

Insulting your brother's intelligence was the best way to drive him crazy and so when Scoups got home many hours later he found Jeonghan up waiting for him. "Jeonghan? What are you doing up?" Scoups asked and he sighed "my sister is driving me insane". Scoups laughed and came to sit beside him. Jeonghan had prepped Scoups beforehand and told him of his plan to set the two of you up. Scoups wasn't keen on dating a member's sister but thought you were pretty and funny so he agreed to give it a shot. When Jeonghan explained your feedback he was shocked and a little hurt. "So what does she like bad boys?" Scoups asked. Jeonghan shrugged "I guess? She's just never been one for conventional authority or tradition so it makes sense". Scoups frowned "but I'm not exactly a good boy" and Jeonghan laughed "I think she just sees you as our leader and not as you. Don't take offence". "Ow no I'm taking offence and making it my mission to prove her wrong". The more Scoups thought about your view of him the more it bothered him. He'd never ever been told he was too goody-goody. Sure he was a respectful citizen but all his life he'd been known for standing up to people and demanding what was right. So to hear you had this completely backwards idea of him made him want to show you the true him. That and the fact he was pretty strongly attracted to you and loved proving people wrong. Scoups had liked you since he first saw you and would've asked you out if hadn't been around so fleetingly. But now you were here, in all your glory, challenging him it seemed like the perfect opportunity. He figured the least goody-goody thing to do would be to confront you. So when you arrived at the house the next morning to go out with Jeonghan he walked up to you and asked you "do you really think I'm a pushover?". You looked up from your phone and shook your head "not a pushover per se but someone who follows the rules? Yep". Scoups laughed "y/n that's the furthest thing from me. I'm always saying stuff I shouldn't and standing up for the members...I even got us banned from isac for picking a fight with the referee!". You nodded "really?" not looking impressed and Scoups nodded "yes...why don't you believe me?". "Because you have such an innocent face there's no hiding it Scoups" you smiled "you're a good boy and that's fine. Geat even, so many people would love that so own it". Scoups pouted "but I'm not and I'll prove it to you!". "How?” you asked and Scoups paused "I'm not sure how but I will". In response you just raised your eyebrow and went back to your phone. You were so infuriating and that was kind of attractive to Scoups which was driving him crazy, so he started forming a plan. You lived close by so were at the house a lot which Scoups was banking on. He walked into the living room to see you sat there and made a show of sitting down on the sofa and taking his coat off. "I thought you had rehearsal?" you asked and Scoups nodded "I do". "Then what are you doing here?" you asked. He smiled "the benefit of being the leader is I get certain perks. If I want to skip a session I can. I just assign another member to do my work. Being on the top means you get to call the shots". "Is that so?" you asked and Scoups nodded "yep". "And you do this often? Making the other members pick up your slack?". "Whenever I want to" Scoups shrugged and you nodded "so what happened to always standing up for your members to management? Aren't you just as bad as them if you're doing this to your members?". Scoups paused unsure how to answer your question and still remain a bad-boy. "Well I'm not really palming my work off on them more...not doing it". You nodded "funny how the story keeps changing" and Scoups blushed. "Look my point is I do what I want when I want. I tell the management when something isn't right. I take a day off work when I want it. I have all the power. If I don't want them to find me then they don't" putting his feet up on the sofa for a bit of added effect. Then as if by magic his phone rang in his coat pocket. You both paused but neither of you moved. "You gonna get that?" you asked. Scoups always answered his phone and tensed as it kept ringing. He wanted to get it, but you were watching him so he shook his head "nope" and you smiled seeing him struggle. "Don't you wanna know who it is?" you asked, and he shook his head again. Your smile grew and you reached into his coat pocket to fish it out. "It says manager...sure you don't wanna get it?" you asked waving it in front of him. Scoups twitched and then sighed "I really should we're changing Dino's schedule and I need to know so I can tell him" taking the phone. You smirked and walked out of the room. "I am in control though" he called after you but you were long gone. The next time Scoups tried to show he was physically capable. Jeonghan told him you used the gym around the corner and although the company had a gym Scoups decided to go there too. He walked inside to see you doing some weights and smiled. He purposefully chose a machine near you and was going to pretend to have been here a while when you suddenly finished. He rushed to get on the machine as you came closer and started pulling the metal bars. "19...20" he said pretending to count as you appeared in front of him "hey y/n". He sighed like he'd just done a really difficult set and wiped his forehead "you working out too?". You nodded "yeah I am, I didn't know you worked out here". Scoups nodded "yeah all the time". "Why don't you use the company gym? Jeonghan said it's free". Scoups smiled "you think the money worries me? Money hasn't bothered me for years y/n". You raised an eyebrow and Scoups realised that sounded snobbish so hurried on "plus the gym at the company isn't very good". "It's not?" you asked and Scoups shook his head "see because we're all idols they don't want us to get injured or to get too big in case it doesn't fit our image". You nodded "right...so why are you only lifting 2kg?". Scoups went to laugh at your joke when he looked down and saw his machine, which he had been pretending to do many reps on, was set at the lowest weight. "Oh that I...well funny story it sometimes accidentally changes your weight". You nodded "wow how strange" and walked away. Scoups hung his head in his hands. When it was clear his attempts weren't working Scoups decided to call in some help aka the maknaes who still thought he was kind of scary. You were going out to dinner with Jeonghan one day and just as you were leaving Dino and Seungkwan asked if they could come. Jeonghan looked to you and you nodded "of course!". Jeonghan smirked "they're only coming because they know I'll pay for them" but there was actually another reason. Once you'd ordered your food Dino turned to you "y/n did you really say Scoups is a goody-goody?". "Yeah did you actually?" Seungkwan asked and you smiled "who told you him or Jeonghan?". "I heard it from Vernon" Seungkwan said rather quickly and Dino nodded "yep me too". You didn't believe either of them and smelled something fishy but smiled. "Yes I said that and I stand by it". "Seriously?" Dino asked laughing "he's our toughest member and not even just physically he's so brave and outspoken". He can be really scary too" Seungkwan said. You smiled "Scoups? Scary?". "Ow yeah Scoups is terrifying" Seungkwan said. You nodded "and what makes him so scary those cute cheeks and long eyelashes?". "His personality" Dino said "and he's very strong". Seungkwan nodded "and he just has this aura about him. When his tone lowers you get scared automatically". "Yeah one day I walked into the dorms to find him attacking Mingyu" Dino said "I was so scared I avoided him for like a month after". The guys all laughed and Jeonghan smiled "it's all true y/n". You nodded "I don't doubt it but when was this?". Dino paused "erm that doesn't matter". "No I want to know when it was" you said smiling sweetly and Dino sighed "when we were trainees but just because he doesn't do it anymore doesn't mean he's not scary!". "Yeah we're better behaved now!" Seungkwan agreed. You smiled "so when was the last time you avoided him for a month?". Dino looked down "since that day...never". You smiled satisfied "oh look our food is here" and the boys knew they'd lost. When the guys returned home Scoups was waiting. The minute they walked through the door he jumped up "so how did it go?". They all looked down and Scoups' smile faded "not well huh?". "She just...didn't really care" Dino said and the others nodded "yeah she knew the stories we were telling were from ages ago and she just shut us down straight away" Seungkwan explained. Scoups sighed "no problem thanks for trying". "We can try again if you want?" Dino asked but Scoups shook his head "no it's fine..." and walked away. Jeonghan followed Scoups and sighed "I have to get back to the company building but I don't want you to be upset". "I'm fine" Scoups said but Jeonghan could tell he wasn't. "You know this probably isn't even anything to do with you...when y/n gets an idea in her head it can't be shaken and that's just how she is". Scoups nodded "yeah I get it don't worry it's fine". Jeonghan sighed but stood up "okay well you can call me if you need me, yeah?". Scoups nodded and waved as he left. The door closed and Scoups sighed. He didn't know why you were so against him but he was done trying to convince you otherwise. He thought the two of you would've gotten along well but it clearly just wasn't meant to be. The doorbell went and Scoups figured Jeonghan must've forgotten his key or something. He opened up the door to find you stood there of all people. He blinked when he saw you and even you seemed surprised he was the one who opened the door. "Hey, Jeonghan forgot his wallet. He asked me to put it in my bag for safekeeping and forgot to take it back". Scoups nodded taking it "thanks for bringing it back". "No problem" you said and looked down "so...goodnight" and went to walk away. "Wait y/n...I have something to say to you" Scoups said. You paused and turned back around "okay". Scoups' heart was hammering in his chest but he took a deep breath and began to speak. "Look I'm not covered in tattoos and piercings. I don't drive a motorcycle and I've never gotten in trouble with the law but that doesn't make me soft. I'd fight anyone for my members because they're my family and I'd do anything for the people I love. I'm strong physically, mentally and sometimes there's more to be said for the man who sticks around and supports people than the ones raising hell and setting fire to things but if that's not your thing then that's totally fine. I just wanted to say that to you". You nodded "are you done?". Scoups nodded swallowing and you sighed before smiling. Scoups frowned and you began laughed. You let him sweat for a few seconds before coming clean. "Scoups I never thought you were soft and I'm not into bad boys". "You're not? But Jeonghan said...". You chuckled "my big brother is great but he's never met a single one of my boyfriends in person before. He has no idea what my type is and yes it's true I don't like followers but as a leader I'd say you're the opposite of that, right?". Scoups heart was beating rapidly and as you said those words he felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "Right" he nodded and you smiled "i like guys who know what they want and go for it. Ones who stand up for what is right. Ones who speak their mind" you said "I was waiting for this the whole time". Scoups laughed "so for once all I had to do was open my big mouth?". You nodded "yep but you did it now". Scoups nodded and spurred on by how you were looking at him he smiled "and what's my prize for that?". You smirked "well I have some ideas but is there anything you want?" you asked flicking your hair back. "You" Scoups admitted and he kissed you. Scoups pulled you into the house and closed the door behind you. He melted into the kiss and was encouraged by how eagerly you kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around you pulling you even closer and he backed you up against a wall. Just as Scoups was beginning to think you weren't as confident as you claimed, you bit his lip which made Scoups gasp and pull back. You laughed at the look on his face and smiled "you're so cute". Scoups shook his head and in one smooth motion picked you up "I'm a lot of things but cute isn't one...allow me to show you". You just smiled "can't wait" and he carried you upstairs. The next morning When Scoups stumbled into the kitchen the next morning looking dazed it didn't take the members long to realise what had happened. "Y/n?" Joshua asked and Scoups smiled widely making them all laugh. "So is she everything you ever dreamt of?" The8 asked and Scoups laughed "she's amazing. I've never met a more confident person. She knows what she wants and knows she can get it which I find so attractive. She challenged me more than anyone I've ever been with and it's a constant power change". The members laughed at Scoups's very happy but tired face. "To be fair hyung this might be a power struggle you're happy to lose" Jun said and Scoups smirked "yeah you're probably right. I feel like already I'm weakening". The door opened suddenly and Jeonghan walked into the room. Everyone went silent and not so subtly looked to Scoups. Jeonghan took in his messy hair and expression, and sighed "you slept with y/n didn't you?". Scoups eyes widened "what! How did you guess that?". "Because that's the face you always have the morning after and judging by how happy you look it must've been my sister". Scoups nodded "okay yeah you're right but it was totally safe and consensual". Jeonghan nodded "I know". "So you're not mad?" Scoups asked. Jeonghan shook his head "I learned ages ago I can't control my sister. Also you remember I was trying to set you both up, right? I wish it had been a little more old-fashioned but this works too". Scoups nodded "just to warn you we haven't labelled anything". Jeonghan smiled "I know but if y/n let this happen she must like you and you're clearly enamoured with her so I'm not worried about that" Jeonghan smirked making the other members laugh. "Seriously what is your bloodline made of?" Mingyu asked and Jeonghan just grinned. Scoups came back upstairs to find you towel drying your wet hair after a shower. You were wearing one of his t-shirts that you must've found and he paused in the doorway admiring you. He didn't think you'd seen him when you suddenly spoke "I borrowed one of your t-shirts". Scoups nodded coming inside "I saw...it suits you". "I was hoping you'd say that because I like it" you said shooting him a smile. "I could be convinced to let you keep it" Scoups said and you turned around fully. You shot the wet towel at a clothes basket nearby and it went in effortlessly. "I'm pretty sure if I just bat my eyelashes at you and asked nicely you'd agree" you said walking closer. You put your arms around his neck and smiled "don't you think?". Scoups stared back at you and with effort didn't back down "hmm I might need a little more than that". You smiled "you're already getting better, I like that" and kissed him. Every time he kissed you all his thoughts went out of his head and all he wanted was you. This effect seemed to get stronger with each kiss and he once again got caught up in you when he remembered his conversation with Jeonghan this morning. You'd already progressed back to the bed but Scoups pulled back. "Wait before we...go any further I need to know, what is this? Is it something casual and open or more regular and exclusive? Just I will have to tell Jeonghan and it helps to know what I'm telling him". You nodded and got off Scoups, moving to sit down on his bed. "Well which one would you prefer?". Scoups shook his head "I'm fine with whatever you want". "So you have no opinion yourself?". Scoups came to sit beside you and recalled you liked people speaking their minds "well of course i'd prefer to be exclusive and have you all to myself. But if that's not possible then I'll happily agree to a casual thing. I want whatever makes you comfortable". You smiled "I don't give my time to just anyone". "So I've heard" Scoups smiled "and I think you like me". You nodded "I do, enough to give the exclusive thing a shot if you're game". "Of course" Scoups smiled feeling like he'd won the lottery "now where were we?". You smiled "I believe you were here” you said pushing him back down onto his back and Scoups smiled “so I was” and kissed you again. 

[nonuwhore]

Para o evento do seu 1 ano(🥺)

Eu vejo MUITO o Cheol numa mistura BRABA do 14 e do 40. Esse homem me deixa fraquinha, fico até triste -🍒

(obrigada desde já💕

GRANDE EVENTO DE 1 ANO DE ANIVERSÁRIO DO NONUWHORE!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

14. "Não me importo, você continua gostoso/gostosa pra caralho e eu tô me controlando pra não te foder aqui e agora." + 40. "Mais forte." "Mais forte?" contém:  fluff; marido!seungcheol; discussões sobre gravidez e maternidade; smut: baby fever porque choi seungcheol desperta isso na gente; breeding e consequentemente sexo sem uso de preservativo; spit; muito dirty talk; menção a superestimulação; fingering; apelido (amor); contagem de palavras: 2k nota da autora: atenção!!!! chamando todas as minhas amigas com breeding kink e daddy issues!!!!! sim, estou ovulando, como você descobriu????? dito isso, obrigada pelo seu pedido e por participar do evento, espero que curta o resultado &lt;;3 

“Que foi, hein?”, o olhou rapidamente com uma careta e voltou a sorrir para os parentes de Seungcheol que eventualmente encontravam o seu olhar.

“Por que…?”, ele mal conseguia formular uma pergunta, tamanho era o choque.

“Por que o quê, Seungcheol?”, você já estava irritada com as encaradas nada sutis do seu marido desde o momento que saíram de casa.

“Por que você tá tão linda?”, não parecia um elogio, soava mais como se você tivesse mentido para ele uma vida toda.

“Eu só botei um vestido, pelo amor de Deus!”, você o censurou, sentindo vontade de xingá-lo em voz alta por estar te fazendo se sentir envergonhada, mas a tia dele passou na hora e você a cumprimentou com carinho.

No momento que você colocou o pé pra fora do quarto, na madrugada daquele dia, com sua mala cheia de coisas que você provavelmente não usaria no final de semana e um vestido florido acompanhado de uma maquiagem delicada e um salto ponta quadrada que nunca mais sairia do seu armário, você já estava arrependida. Seungcheol te olhou como se a esposa dele tivesse sido substituída durante a noite, mas ao mesmo tempo não conseguia expressar exatamente o que estava sentido. Vocês fizeram o trajeto até a fazenda em que o aniversário da sobrinha dele aconteceria em silêncio, você fingindo que ele não te observava como se fosse um animal silvestre enquanto olhava seu celular e ele tentando processar o que diabos estava acontecendo.

Em defesa de Seungcheol, você não era a esposa mais feminina do mundo. Ele te conheceu em uma oficina de grafite e seu estilo sempre foi mais ligado ao streetwear com cores escuras e estampadas de hip hop, nenhuma maquiagem e zero esforço para fazer o seu cabelo obedecer, e se apaixonou tão rapidamente pela sua risada estranha e seu ímpeto revolucionário que te pediu em casamento em cinco meses de namoro. Você recusou, educadamente, mas aceitou na décima vez que ele propôs, um ano depois. 

E ele te amava tanto, não importava se você usasse um saco de lixo preto, mas naquele vestido com decote “v” profundo nas costas, dando uma visão paradisíaca da pele que era a perdição dele, e com a saia em formato de “A”, que fazia parecer que seu corpo flutuava toda vez que suas pernas se colocavam uma na frente da outra, você não estava colaborando para o bom funcionamento do cérebro dele. Enquanto você brincava com a aniversariante, e parecia se divertir muito mais que ela enquanto modulava a massinha em formato de patinhos, e se sentiu tão sortudo por te ter e principalmente por você ter aceitado ser a mãe dos filhos dele. 

“Sua sobrinha é uma gracinha! A gente acertou muito escolhendo esse kit, ano que vem acho que já rola um kit de laboratório, ela vai ficar maluca misturando os vidrinhos e-”, você parou quando viu ele te assistir tagarelar, tirando o cabelo do seu ombro com cuidado e te dando aquela expressão enamorada de quem está a um passo de te jogar no ombro e sair correndo. “Você tá muito estranho hoje, sério…”, você o acusou, como se não tivesse feito uma mudança assombrosa na própria aparência. 

“Você parece que saiu de um conto de fadas e eu sou o errado?!”

“Você tá dizendo que em outros dias eu não pareço que sai de um conto de fadas?”, você jogou para ele de novo, sabendo muito bem que não era isso que ele queria dizer.

Seungcheol riu, ofendido e preocupado. “Não se faz de idiota, eu não preciso dizer que qualquer roupa que você use é sempre um obstaculo, e não um estimulo”, se aproximou do seu rosto, beijando a pele perto da sua orelha e deslizando o nariz vagarosamente em toda a região. Você sentiu sua nuca reagir automaticamente e o empurrou.

“Eu sou uma adulta, não posso ficar me vestido como uma adolescente nesse tipo de evento. Suas tias já não me levam a sério…”, você comeu um salgadinho olhando uma fila de crianças correrem em direção a cama elástica que estava sendo montada.

“Quando a opinião de um monte de velha começou a ser importante pra você?”, ele pousou a mão na sua cintura, te trazendo para mais perto, e te escutando.

“Se eu vou ser mãe, preciso começar a agir como uma, não? Isso inclui me deixar influenciar pela vontade de gente mais velha e fingir que tudo isso é o normal”, ele riu do seu tom de ironia, mas não deixou de notar a sua referência a maternidade. 

“Mãe? E quando eu vou ter autorização pra fazer um filho em você?”, a mão da cintura deslizou para o quadril e deslizaria mais se não o beslicasse antes.

“Não faz isso… Seu pai tá olhando pra cá”, você tomou um gole de refrigerante, tentando disfarçar o quanto a expressão fazer um filho em você tinha mexido com a sua cabeça.

"Não me importo, você continua gostosa pra caralho e eu tô me controlando pra não te foder aqui e agora."

“Choi Seungcheol!”, você disse depois de se desengasgar com o líquido e o olhou, exasperada. Ele, por sua vez, nunca esteve tão relaxado e te encarava como, se na cabeça dele, já estivesse te engravidando nesse mesmo momento. “Só… Tenta se controlar na frente da sua família, ok?”

“Me controlar? Com você linda desse jeito? Agradeça que eu ainda não te arrastei pro banheiro e-”

“Fica longe de mim, ok?”, você disse colocando um braço esticado entre vocês, se separando fisicamente dele antes que você mesma implorasse pra ser arrastada para o banheiro. 

Durante o jantar você percebeu que seu marido tomava mais vinho que o normal e torceu para que isso significasse que ele ia se acalmar, mesmo que há cada cinco minutos ele te lançasse um olhar de predador do outro lado da mesa e um “eu vou acabar com você” silencioso quando ninguém estava olhando. E você sabia que aquilo não era uma ameaça, e sim um aviso, um aviso que você começava a desejar ser verdade, porque os cabelos caindo em camadas no rosto, as bochechas e os lábios rosados pelo álcool e o olhar embevecido pela bebida e pelo desejo dele estavam te influenciando. 

Mas quando finalmente vocês chegaram no quarto e, se jogando na cama ele simplesmente desligou, você ficou triste. Foi em direção ao banheiro e tomou um longo banho, tirando a fantasia de princesa e voltando para a camiseta de rock roubada do seu marido. Enquanto se lavava refletia sobre como seu plano inicial não era causar esse efeito nele, mas como você tinha gostado da atenção que recebeu e principalmente como ele parecia faminto por você. Você tinha criado algumas expectativas, mas parecia que vocês tinha perdido o timing. 

Ouviu a porta do banheiro se abrir lentamente e puxando a cortina, Seungcheol te encarava sem camisa enquanto retirava a calça, te mostrando a ereção preponderante. “Tá fugindo de mim?”

Sua risada foi a mais genuína antecipando os movimentos do seu marido. “Você que desmaiou lá no quarto” apontou, enquanto o via entrar debaixo do chuveiro com você. Molhou o cabelo, os penteado para trás, e te prendeu contra a parede. 

“Foi só um pitstop, já tô novinho em folha”, e levantando seu corpo, enlaçou suas pernas na cintura enquanto apoiava seu peso na cerâmica fria. Você soltou um gemido baixo pelo contato com o material gelado, mas principalmente pela força que Seungcheol fazia para segurar seu corpo, apertando a pele na sua bunda. “Você não ficou brava sobre como eu me comportei hoje, né?”, perguntou, analisando sua expressão.

“Por que eu ficaria brava com meu marido cheio de tesão por mim?”, você riu da insegurança boba dele e prendeu os dedos nos fios longos lavados pela água. “Você curtiu tanto assim?” 

“Porra, você não tem noção do que você naquele vestido fez comigo. Eu te amo de qualquer jeito e não preciso de muito pra querer te foder, mas hoje… Eu nunca senti tanta vontade de te ver afundar no meu pau”, os dentes dele prenderam seus lábios te assistindo soltar um lamurio baixo. Seus braços se penduraram nos ombros dele e sua cintura se movimentou para cima e para baixo, sentido o membro cumprido por toda a extensão da sua intimidade.

“Então me fode logo, por favor”, você implorou e ele gemeu contra a sua boca, sentido ficar ainda mais duro com o timbre da sua voz.

Desligando o registro de água, Seungcheol te carregou em direção ao quarto e te jogou na cama, subindo em cima de você, ofegante, enquanto suas mãos passeavam pelo corpo do homem, a boca mordendo a pele firme e o fazendo rosnar. Cuspindo na sua intimidade e espalhando o líquido usando o próprio pau, sabendo bem que nem você nem ele teriam paciência para preliminares naquele momento, se inseriu dentro de você. Seus olhos se reviraram com tanta força enquanto ele fazia isso que ele sentiu a necessidade de segurar seu rosto na direção dele, te fazendo o encarar, mas principalmente olhar para como sua entrada se alargava para ele. Você soltou um gemido longo com a visão e jogou a cabeça novamente para atrás, se sentido tão cheia de Seungcheol e querendo que a sensação durasse para sempre.  

O quadril passou a se mover lentamente, atingindo o lugar certo dentro de você sem dificuldade. “Caralho, você é tão grande… Mais forte." 

"Mais forte?", ele riu e sentiu o pau vibrar dentro de você, “Amor, cuidado com o que você pede…”

“Cumpre sua promessa. Acaba comigo”, sua voz instável e a cintura indo contra a dele era tudo que ele precisava para deixar que os instintos mais íntimos tomassem o controle. Colocando suas pernas nos ombros, ele se apoiou na cama usando os braços e te fodeu com tanta força que uma veia saltou na testa. Seu corpo se contorcia com quão fundo e com quão rápido ele se metia dentro de você, fazendo a cama toda acompanhar os movimentos. Você agradeceu por vocês terem ficado com o quarto da casa de visitas, porque sua única reação ao rosnados e as palavras desconexas que ele te dava era gemer o nome dele, em um pedido reprimido de que ele não parasse.

“Você vai me encher de porra, não vai? Vai me dar um filho seu?”, você segurava o rosto dentre entre as mãos, apreciando cada ruguinha que surgia no rosto dele toda vez que ele te estocava. Ele abriu os olhos, até agora fechados de tanto prazer, e te encarou cheio de luxuria.

“É sério? Você ‘tá falando sério?”, disse diminuindo os movimentos e sentindo que gozaria ali mesmo.

 Você riu da cara de surpreso, como se ele não tivesse te provocado exatamente sobre isso algumas horas atrás. “Você não disse que queria minha autorização? Eu ‘tô te dando, faz um filho em mim. Porra, quero ficar cheia de você pra sempre…” sua voz falhou, sentindo o propro orgasmo crescer toda vez que ele te acertava fundo. Fechou os olhos e ouviu Seungcheol gemer, alto e em bom som, enquanto dentro de si um, dois, três jatos quentes te preenchiam. Você gemeu de volta, ainda não chegando no próprio climax, mas adorando a sensação do homem em cima de você tremer e choramingar enquanto ejaculava dentro de você, alongado e dolorosamente. 

Ele te encontrou sorrindo, encantada com como o assistia entregar tudo que tinha. Se retirou se você, vendo um pouco do líquido branco deslizar para fora e rapidamente, com três dedos, o empurro para dentro. “Não vamos desperdiçar, tá bom? Quero que você guarde tudinho aí”, disse com a boca na sua orelha e segurando seu corpo com um braço, te fodeu com as digitais, usando a mesma força e velocidade de antes, e não parou mesmo quando você já tinha atravessado seu orgasmo e se retorcia com a sensibilidade.

   “Isso foi golpe baixo”, disse rindo, depois que vocês recuperaram parcialmente o fôlego.

“O que foi golpe baixo?”

“Me dizer pra te encher, quando você sabia que eu ‘tava muito perto”, ele te puxou pelo pulso, trazendo você pra mais junto dele.

Você riu de volta, não se dando conta do que tinha feito. “Não foi de propósito… Eu só ‘tava com muito tesão”, você o beijou, subindo no colo dele e sentido ele pressionar seu quadril para baixo. Você choramingou, dolorida pela quantidade de impacto, mas sentido sua entrada, que estava em contato com o membro dele, pulsar de novo.

“Você sempre sabe o que dizer e quando dizer… Droga, acho que tô ficando duro de novo”, disse quando sentiu sua boca morder o pescoço e o peito rigido, o provocando com sexo ainda ensopado.

“Ótimo, porque acho que uma tentativa só não foi suficiente.”

[edenesth]

TWTHH Spinoff: Love to Hate You [Teaser]

Pairing: royal secretary!San x female scholar!reader

AU: historical au (Joseon era)

Summary: San prided himself on his knack for building easy connections with women, viewing himself as a trusted ally for the opposite gender. Thanks to his deep bonds with his mother and sister, he possessed keen insights into the female mindset. Never did he imagine facing the ire of a woman, until he encountered a resolute female scholar with a strong dislike towards men.

A/N: Once again, special thanks to my one and only, my pookie, @itstheghostofmypast, for coming up with the main concept of San's spinoff.

Main Story | Spinoff Masterlist | Part 1

"I'm just trying to help, Scholar Moon," the royal secretary insisted, his arms emptying as the stack of books he was previously carrying was abruptly snatched away by the newly acquainted female scholar.

You scoffed in response, "I don't remember asking for your help, sir. I understand it must be quite intriguing to meet a female scholar for the first time. However, there's a reason I'm the first. I'm not your typical damsel in distress. I don't need saving. While you may be used to women swooning at your feet, rest assured, I won't be one of them."

San stood in stunned silence as he watched you storming off in a fit of anger, completely taken aback by your hostile response to his well-intentioned gesture.

He had stumbled upon you as you exited the royal library burdened with a stack of borrowed books, his innate helpfulness and gentlemanly nature immediately prompted him to offer assistance without hesitation. But rather than the customary grateful smile and expression of thanks he anticipated, he couldn't believe he was met with such an unexpected and vehement reaction.

Did I... do something wrong?

A court lady standing nearby widened her eyes in disbelief. "Did you seriously just say that? Do you even know who he is?"

You rolled your eyes dismissively. "Probably just a eunuch, why?" you retorted, waving off her concern. "I doubt any high-ranking officials would pay me any mind."

"Well, you're correct about that. He's not a high-ranking official, but he is someone close to the King. He's the royal secretary," she disclosed, causing your heart to nearly stop as you gaped at her.

He's the what?!

I'll do my best to get the first part out as soon as I can! Hope you're excited about Sannie's spinoff hehe as always, let me know your thoughts on the concept! <3

Tag list (1/9): Tumblr is a bitch and won't let me mention more than 5 users in a single sentence, so now my tag list looks like a complete joke🤡

@itstheghostofmypast @huachengsbestie01 @minghaoslatina @weedforthoughtz @minkiflwr |

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@scuzmunkie @satsuri3su @mismatchfluffysocks @borntoshineateez @st4rhwa |

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

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

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

[tusswrites]

The Scarlet Dress Debacle

Pairing: Seungcheol (Scoups) x Female Reader (Established Relationship) Genre: Angsty Fluff. Purely Domestic. Dad Cheol. SFW. Borderline suggestive so MDNI

Warnings: Slight description of breastfeeding. If you are uncomfortable, please don't read it.

Word Count: 3.4k (Drabble go awimbawe)

Master List is here

Part 1 is heeeere Part 3 here

Summary: In which you brought a scarlet dress without Cheol's knowledge, causing a dip in your savings but a leap in your heart. This is slightly heavy ngl. There were many moments I had to stop writing just to take a breather. There were many scenes I cut out cause of how raw it was. Please be mindful in the comments. What inspired me for this fic

"Ma-maaa " Your baby was squealing, shrieking all in one. Her grubby eyes kept reaching out for you, wanting to be carried. Although your heart ached to just stoop down and carry her and receive some 'Hana cuddles', you couldn't just leave your task at hand. You were rolling dough to make bread. The stove had bulgogi on it, a luxury in your house and you found yourself  pacing back and forth between the grinder, the stove and the island trying to multitask.

You bent down to give her a small spoon and bowl, to appease her whines. Thankfully, she was satisfied for now, choosing to play with her toys. She was a Seungcheol carbon copy, pouty lips and a sulky nature when she wasn't given enough attention.

You had  protested at the uncanny resemblance too, nine months in your belly and the audacity to come out looking like her dad?

However they died down when she ended up being a 'mama's girl' to Cheol's chagrin. She needed your attention on her at all times, happy even just to be in your presence.

You had tied the end of her ankle to the table leg. For a baby, she sure was a rapid crawler. In the blink of an eye she could be seen yeeting herself out of the room in the most hilarious ways. Not able to catch up with her, you had come up with a scheme to let her crawl away as long as she remained within eye range. She didn't mind it anymore, you were at peace now. A win-win situation.

The timer beeped. You put down your dough and went to the corner of the room where Sollie was in timeout. 

"Sollie, time out's done bub, can you turn around for Eomma?."

No sooner were you finished speaking than you had an armful of a teary eyed Hansol in your arms. You cradled his head and scooped him up, trying to reassure his whines.

Although you didn't pick him up till you were done asking him some questions, you supposed today you could let it pass. After the customary five minute walk around the kitchen, holding a now sniffling Hansol, you turned off the two burners, transferring Hana's lunch from the grinder to a bowl and set Sollie  on the island.

Although he kept shaking his head, still wanting to be carried, you knew he needed this.

"Hansol, can you tell eomma what you did wrong?"

His eyes looked at everything except for you, opting to avoid your stern eyes. When you still didn't relent, be brought out that pouty lip.

"I push Hana eomma ."

"And?"

"And an- I hit her."

"And what do we say about pushing and hitting in this house Hansollie?"

He was beginning to get distracted, choosing to fiddle with dough you were rolling a minute ago.

"Hansol, please look at eomma ."

He turned back at you, bottom lip still not set back.

"What did we say about pushing a baby? We use our...?

"Hands!"

You had to maintain your giggle else you'd break character. Kids came up with the  darndest things.

"No bub, we don't use our hands we use our ..?

" Words eomma "

"Good job baby! Did you learn your lesson baby?"

A nod.

"Sorry eomma."

"You are okay baby. You should be apologizing to Hana baby. She could have gotten an owie. Do you wanna give Hana a hug too?"

Another nod.

"Ppo ppo?"

Giving him a long kiss, one he was beginning to wriggle away from, you set him down, sending him away to Hana. 

You watched as he ran to Hana, who was ignoring the both of you happily slobbering away licking her toys. How babies got happy licking things was a mystery to you.

You sighed as he engulfed Hana in a hug, one she was not too happy to receive beginning to push back. You chuckled and went back to your work, choosing to avoid the heaviness in your stomach.

Today was just not your day. Hansol getting a timeout was the final straw before he got punished.

It seems his terrible two's had descended into terrible threes too. Ever since you had joined work after your maternity leave was up, you had to send him and Hana to daycare, not able to juggle both at the same time.

The other alternative was for you and Cheol to take shifts around the clock but he had put a foot down, pouting his way out. "I married you to see you too, you know. What's the point of having kids if they only see one parent at a time, shifting shifts?"

You had dug into your savings and invested in day care, it's a small bump in the road.

Today was your team outing, a two day trip to go on a tour with your colleagues. However you took these two days to spend some extra time with the kids, the mom guilt eating you up. Hansol basked in your attention, choosing to whir out all his personalities today.

You loved your little boy but he was Jekyll and Hyde personified. 

Sometimes, he was the best boy, always giving out hugs and kisses, to anyone who needed it (his parents all the time) and dancing around the house singing the odd rhyme and limerick.

Other times, like today, everything triggered his temper. He refused to go for naps, wanting you to keep carrying him everywhere, and this led to his crankiness, destroying everything in his path.

He broke a plate when you didn't give him attention fast enough and although you did excuse him because his sorry eyes resembled his father's and had you melting, this led up to even more chaos, pulling out Hana's hair and even slapping her head, causing him to be sent to time out.

You knew he was jealous of Hana and you were trying your hardest to pay him extra attention because you never wanted him to experience middle child syndrome. But sometimes he took that attention for granted.

Arin was reading her book in the bedroom. "Bless the child" you thought.

Arin was just like her dad, a quiet soul who never took her nose out of her books, never the one to fight over toys while her younger siblings fought tooth and nail over toys. she was your little helper. But everyone has days, you suppose. She was an extremely picky eater and had refused to eat anything except for bread, choosing to spit out everything else.

You had to inevitably force feed her leading to her break out and call you an 'idjit and ninny' (you had to admit it was hard to maintain a straight face after being called that by a seven year old but you knew one slip up and she would continue using that up, ultimately leading to her time out too.

After her time was up, she had refused to play with Hansol, choosing instead to read her books, and you didn't want to argue. Though you had a sneaking suspicion she was learning more words to store in her memory and call you when the best of her temper arrives.

Hana was at her teething stage, fussy and irritable over anything.

Battling between three kids fighting for attention from you and throwing tantrums, you wonder 'did I give birth to monsters?'

It was evening, and you were longing to have Cheol home to take some load off your shoulders.

You finally did end up putting Hana and Hansol for a nap, choosing to spend some time with your eldest child, reading 'Heidi' for the seventh time this week. 

Taking a small break to check on the Sundubu Jjigae, you walked your way to the kitchen when the doorbell rang.

Your heart was in your throat, tiptoeing your way to the front door. Peeping through the soul, you were met with the delivery man. Ahh crap the dress you had ordered online was coming today.  Just your luck.

Thanking the man, you lay your body on the door holding the box to your chest. Cheol hadn't known you went behind his back to buy this.

You and Cheol had made a vow three years back that you wouldn't buy gifts for each other except for necessities, choosing instead to save up that money and buy something nice for your children. After all, didn't they deserve some happiness? 

However your team was hosting its annual dinner and you were out of nice things. None of your old dresses fit you anymore, your body had changed after Hana and you wanted to wear something nice. Something that wasn't your typical office wear, something that made you look pretty.

You were embarrassed to tell your husband any of this which was why you had made your purchase from the work computer, using your salary account to pay.

Donning on the scarlet dress you gasped at your reflection. It fit you like a glove, choosing to highlight your curves, curves that you had begun to start loving thanks to your husband who found every part of you sexy.

Your boobs didn't look droopy in this, choosing to stay perky and well snug under the fabric. And your tummy? The soft pooch you had grown just gave an extra dimension adding on to the character. You did a small twirl, appreciating yourself in the mirror, loving every moment in the dress.

Now the guilt began. You knew the choice to buy this dress came in a haste decision, wishing for something pretty. Although you and Cheol had made that decision to be rid of nice things at the choice of sacrificing for your kids, a selfish part of you had rationalized that he was never without gifts.

He still had his rich friends who showered him with luxurious gifts.

Despite having been kicked out by his 'parents', his mom would come to see him on the rare occasion that his dad was out of town. After all, she couldn't bear not seeing her baby for too long. He was indeed a 'mama's boy'.

Your mother in law was a kind and generous lady to those who she loved and despite making it very obvious she did not like you, she loves her son and grandkids. You had learned to cope with it. She would always come packed with gifts, showering them with everything they wanted. 

Outfits for years to come: iPads, a whole kitchen set for Hana, a race car collection for Hansol, a library of books for Anna, a whole wardrobe of clothes for Hana (a pity, she outgrew most of them)  and a drum set for Hansol. And she never forgot her son, making sure to gift him his favorite branded shirts and pants and an endless supply of wallets now.

Initially your mother in law had opted to forget about Arin, not wanting to buy anything for a child that was not biologically her sons but your husband had put his foot down, gifts for all three children equally or no visitation rights. You suppose she loves her son too much to lose him to a seven year old's gifting choices which was why she had begun to start gifting Arin too.

You were happy for your husband and children. You were. But sometimes you crave nice things too.

At her son's warning she had begun to buy you kitchen sets - ceramic pans and copper pots- but you knew they were more to make sure her son was well fed than for you. You never protested. You were happy. But going online and coming to work, seeing all these beautiful dresses and gorgeous women made you feel self conscious of your drab wardrobe and out of season fits .

You didn't want to tell Cheol about your worries. Didn't want him to fight with his mom and cause more tension between the two of them, didn't want to feel silly for wanting such trivial things and most importantly didn't want to hurt his pride that he couldn't afford whatever you wanted. 

This dress seemed to be the perfect outfit that you could wear for dinner next week. It'd been almost a year since you last ventured into  a gown and put on extra makeup. But with the kids asleep, Arin mesmerized in her book and still some time left before Cheol came home, you had gotten bold.

Letting down your hair, you applied some makeup and before you could look at your reflection, you heard a cry.

"Hana."

You had to get to her before she woke Hansol up too. Running to the kids room still in your dress you were met with a mess. Hansol had woken up too crying louder than his sister, who seeing competition had resorted to shrieking out. 

Lifting up both your crying children, you carried them to the living room where Arin sat, still unbothered and buried in her book. You started pacing around the room, humming every lullaby you could think of, hoping to pacify your children. The microwave was beeping incessantly adding to the mix of loud sounds and you needed Arin's help.

"Arin baby could you please switch off the microwave? Just click on the "Stop' button once." Ever the obliging child, Arin walked over to the microwave.

It all happened so fast.

One minute she was walking back, the next moment her eyes- still fixed on the book , glanced away from her surroundings slipping on the fabric you had tied to the leg of the table causing the table to jerk and you watched in slow motion as the candle you lit a few moments ago, to celebrate a good day, tumbled down.

With Godspeed, you ran to Arin, pushing her away milliseconds before the flames could touch her. Not expecting the push, the book went flying right into the candle, effectively burning up a page. Not so gently you placed your still crying babies down, rushing to stop the flames before they got big. Not able to locate anything in the near vicinity, you began to fan it down with your bare hands effectively adding more fuel to the fire. Just as you began to panic, a stream of water was thrown at the candle killing the fire.

You watched in amazement as Cheol's stricken face came into your view. When did he arrive?

Right. The now three screaming children and smoke alarm blaring in the background had probably silenced his coming in.

How had a small candle caused the smoke alarm to roar? A burning smell infiltrated your senses. Oh. There goes your welcome meal you had planned to surprise your husband with, the evidence of which was burning on the stove.

You wanted to put everything down and just walk away from the utter chaos that was your house and three screaming kids racing to be the loudest.

But you couldn't. You couldn't even give him a welcome kiss. Divide and conquer was the only way to diffuse the situation.

Cheol hoisted up Arin and Hansol who were now much calmer after having seen their Appa comforting hem and you picked up Hana who was now gnawing at your boob.

Ahh, she was probably hungry. Unzipping your side zipper, you placed her under, quietening her cries. Running to the kitchen to switch off the stove which you see has already been switched off. Ahh he must have been quicker than you thought.

"Ahh eomma was playing dress up I see? Is that why she couldn't play tag with you?"

You froze in place.

You knew he didn't mean anything by that, even going so far as to send you a flirty wink after having given you a once over when picking up the kids.

But in this expensive dress you had brought without consulting him, adorning yourself in makeup on your day off and inadvertently setting Arin up by leaving that cloth on the corner, the guilt eating you alive, his offhand comment seemed to be the icing on the bitter cake. 

Cheol was in bed, fully showered, having eaten his dinner and ensured that all three kids had been tucked tight.

But you were distant. He didn't know what caused that. He had made sure not to feed your guilt by commenting on the fire. He was in the right place at the right time and being a father to toddlers, he knew accidents were prone to happen anytime. He didn't blame you at all.

So why were you upset?. Thinking hard, the only probable explanation came to mind.

Ahh. He hadn't commented enough on your outfit. He didn't have it in him to spare more than a second glance, you had run into change back to pajamas while feeding Hana.

He placed a kiss on your shoulder, turning you toward him. You were not asleep , he knew that. On tiring days like this you snored. Not that he would ever admit that to you for fear of losing his family jewels.

"You looked gorgeous in that dress babe. Stunning. Should have clicked a picture with you on it ."

A rather long pause. In hindsight, he should have dwelled on that pause.

"Really?"

"Really darling. Red is totally your color."

You might have trained your husband to compliment you beyond the usual "sexy' and classic "ooh lala ' with a sleazy wink. Not that they never made you week in the knees.

"Sorry I didn't come with you to the store to choose for Nana."

Silence. What?

"Nana?"

"Yeah, it's her birthday next week right, didn't you buy this dress for her? It's alright I won't tell her you tried it out. Your secret's safe with me baby. The kids are not coming so you are extra safe. No snitches" Another soft kiss.

You didn't buy this dress for Nana. You brought this for you. But Nana's birthday was coming up next week and you had forgotten to get her a gift. Not this dress though. But he didn't know that.

"Wouldn't it be too loose on her?"

"Nah she will alter it. She can afford that. It's fine babe."

He didn't get your hesitance.

"It's just that-"

A snore startled you. You felt terrible, wanting to argue with him over a dress when he was bone tired after a long day at work.

But you couldn't sleep. The dress kept popping off in your head. It had felt right on you, just you. You missed the feel of it, soft on your skin and the hue matching your complexion. Red really was your color.

Monday, after work you walk over to the study he had set up for himself in your bedroom. A pair of glasses perched on his nose, the table lamp casting a warm glow on his shiny lip, he looked extremely hot for lack of a better word. Oh. What a man. All he was doing was licking his lip poring over a stack of papers and yet you were weak in the knees.

Feeling an extra presence, he turned to catch you ogling at him shamelessly. Smirking, he beckoned you over.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, you sauntered over to him and sat in your destined seat- his thighs. Picking you up and placing you in a position more comfortable to him he kissed the top of your head returning to his task at hand. You didn't mind the silence. You needed peace and quiet to continue drooling over your husband.

You never bothered with the finances anymore. Your whole life you had burdened yourself with financial choices for your family and after months of training Cheol how to file taxes, he had eased that burden from you. He was good with numbers after all. 

"Come back to me baby".

You were drawn away from your admiration for your man by a rude nudge.

"Hmm?"

"Now you choose to respond? I have been calling you for some time now."

Oh you hadn't noticed that. Time flies slowly in dream land.

As if to prove a point, his thumb came to wipe out the bottom corner of your chin, wiping your drool condescendingly. 

You turned to glare at him, his comical eyebrow wag making you giggle.

"I wasn't even-"

"Sure you were not drooling over me baby. Flattery's nice and all but not today horn dog." A long kiss on your lips leaving you breathless

How you quickly changed from that couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other to the ones who needed to schedule their sexy times was truly comical.

He kissed your droopy shoulders and resumed writing down the expenditure for the month. For a man who resented his father, he did carry an uncanny resemblance to him.

Perhaps now was the best time to approach your topic. The one you had been pushing away for far too long. 

"Cheollie?"

"Yes jagi?"

"I want to talk to you about something."

Instantly he placed his pen down and lifted you up, maneuvering you to turn and meet his gaze. He never declined the opportunity to give you attention, when the topic was serious. Knowing you, you must have killed yourself by overthinking before making the move to approach him.

Now that you had his full attention you were blushing under his scrutinizing gaze feeling rather stupid for having this conversation in the first place. But you were in too deep and your husband wouldn't leave you till you told him so tell him you will.

After a quick change in the topic that is.

"Arin is pretty upset that a page got flamed, we need to buy a new book for her."

"You are doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"That thing where you change the topic, according to how you fit the mix. Like right now, you were not coming over here to talk about Arin."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Is he implying you never talk about your children unless you need something from him?

"Oh my Y/n! I meant nothing wrong, please . stop . overthinking. love."

To prove his point he kissed your forehead with every word. Well, too late for that.

Shaking you to get you out of your downward spiral, he- "look it's late and I am hammered. I can't go to sleep without you next to me asleep. Please tell me love. No judgments."

Right.

"It's just that-"

"Mhmm? "

He gestured for you to continue talking , his full focused attention on you.

"The dress? The scarlet one?"

A small nod.

"I want that. "

Furrowed eyebrow.

"-please."

" Didn't you buy this for Nana though?"

"I lied. I brought it for myself." There was an angry tick on his face. He abhorred being lied to.

"I--." Fuck your palms were sweating. Why was this harder than you thought?

"I wanted to buy something for my office dinner this weekend."

"I thought you were not going for that."

Now when did you say that?

"I was called in for work, remember? I have to take over Soonyoung's shift."

Oh yeah. You had completely forgotten about that.

"Can we send them to daycare though? I already missed out on the team retreat, Juria keeps insisting that I make it for this at least and I- I just want to go , client relations and what not."

You both knew you were lying. You just wanted one night from the kids and husband all dolled up, in a nice hotel eating good food for free. That's all you wanted.

He couldn't figure that out. 

"Well if that's what you want to do, go for it love. We'll call in Nana to watch the kids."  It was that easy?

He continued, "She'll be happy with the dress you bought for her. Works just as well, for both of us." Or not.

You took a deep breath. " I want to wear the dress Cheol."

He stared at you puzzled. "What's so special about this dress, love?"

"It's beautiful and you told me too."

You had resorted to stare at him petulantly. He was very confused now. Was he not giving you enough attention?

"You have all these outfits- it's all branded and in excellent quality."

He began to laugh sardonically.

"They were all gifts, baby. I didn't buy any of them."

"I know, that's the point Cheolie, you have all this nice selection and I have nothing nice to wear to a party."

"That's not true. Remember the dress Eomma bought for you? You never wore it once, it's still brand new"

How could you ever forget. The infamous red and green outfit your mother in law had 'gifted' you after many not so subtle insisting from her son. It was shimmery, extremely ill fitting around your boobs and overly tight around the stomach.

The sleeves had flairs on them and worst of all, the dress was mix patterned- polka dots on top and stripes at the hem. It was hideous. For a woman as well put together as she was in terms of fashion, you knew this was a choice. 

But you didn't want to complain about that to her son. You couldn't add more grievances and create more fissure between the one parent who still reaches out. 

"But this looks better on me and I want to wear this." You were not above acting out like a child. You had plenty of inspiration to draw from.

Cheol was laughing but you knew this was a way to mask his irritation at your behavior. 

"Don't you think you are being a little greedy?"

No sooner had the word escaped his mouth than he regretted it. Your rigid stance on his lap proved that was quite the triggering word. You folded like you had been slapped, staring at him with huge eyes.

'Greedy?' One night away from kids and a husband for a team dinner that was mandated by the office, in a dress that you wished to have and now you were suddenly greedy?

Before he could redeem himself, you were out of his lap, patting down your cramped up legs agreeing to it all.

"You are right, I am being greedy. I'll just call off the whole thing. I'll stay home with the kids. Hansol has been acting out recently, he does need me, I can tell and Arin- she keeps asking me for a Roald Dahl book, I could just buy that for her instead of whatever this is. How greedy of me indeed."

"Oh come on Y/n that's not what I meant. Please let's talk about this through love."

"Y/nie."

"Y/n"?"

But you had  already settled down in bed storming off, not giving him the satisfaction to see your teary eyes. Swallowing down the weight in your throat, you stared at the wall in defiance. One more  sleepless night. Still dreaming about the dress. You decided it's time to let it go now. After all, you could agree that it was indeed greed.

Park Juria was a woman of little words and several actions. A whirlwind to those around her, she kept up her facade of a ferocious young lady, choosing to revel in that reputation so as not let anyone walk all over her and the business she's built up from scratch.

But some people did get in, choosing to bring down those walls and penetrating those defenses. You were one such person. Extremely soft spoken, like a little lamb not given to any one's business but your own. 

She had taken you under her wing after seeing her team taking advantage of your kindness and your inability to say no. Had whisked you away from under all those papers weighing you down and forced you to a cafe. Your eyes had skittishly darted around the place, feeling out of place, eyes bulging out at the atrocious prices for a small latte. Not wanting to make you even more uncomfortable, she had brought you what she assumed would be a good enough order. 

Your cute smile and enlightened eyes after the first sip proved her theory right. Wanting to see more of that smile, she had ordered in two extra cheesecakes, a parfait and five more of their couture doughnuts.

You looked pleadingly at her and asked if she would think less of her if she could pack all these treats for her children at home.

Her heart squeezed at your softness. always thinking about your children and made up her mind that as long as she was physically able to, no one was going to take advantage of you and your warmheartedness ever again. Not on her watch.

Which explained why bile rose in her throat seeing you wipe your tears furiously instead of finishing the day's work. She was going to get to the bottom of this. Employee Harassment was a real offense, you had risen up in your ranks, you couldn't be taking in others shit again. Who'd be so dehumanizing to add more extra work to a mother of three kids?

"Choi Y/n, the boss wants to see you in her office right now please."

Shit, was your unproductivity that obvious? It was just a bad day all in all.

"I-I can explain."

"Sit down Choi."

Before you  began your string of apologies, she gave you a tissue to blow out your nose and thrusted a glass of water your way to hydrate you. Your red nose was a giveaway you had cried for far too long.

It's not everyday Choi Seungcheol gets called to the reception lounge  and it's hell as not everyday, he gets to see Park Juria, or someone who he could assume was Park Juria, your boss looking down at him with absolute spite. If he was in her company, he'd know for sure that he was getting fired with all the daggers he was throwing his way.

"Choi Seungcheol you fucker."

Needless to say he left the office room with his tail between his legs looking like a scolded puppy.

Despite multiple protests, your boss, worming her way to be your best friend, had dropped you home and you were eternally grateful for that. You hadn't felt like using the public transport anyway.

Torn between using beef or chicken as the protein for dinner, you had failed to notice the silence upon entering the door. There was no usual shove of hands reaching out to you. No book thrusted into your face and no winded Cheollie behind it all.

"Welcome home, my love."

You were instead greeted by a  small flicker of light from the passage. An array of candle lights, and a Choi Seungcheol standing there with a single rose, taking your breath away with a heart stopping smile.

"D-did I forget something? Was it our anniversary? I am so sorry bab-"

"No no, you forgot nothing love" in saying so, he pulled you closer to him wrapping his arm around the small of your back kissing your questions away.

One single kiss left you out of breath as you blinked up at him, your mind blank. Chuckling, he removed the bag from around your shoulder and chose the exact moment to hoist you up, wrapping your legs around him. He set you down after a long make-out session. No words were exchanged, but you both needed air.

Unlike you, he didn't look so disheveled, still looking dapper in the red suit his Eomma had gotten him for Christmas last year. There was a twinkle in his eyes, his pearly whites shining down at you.

"W-what's happening?"

"Remember that scarlet dress?"

"Oh here we go again! Cheol I am giving that outfit to Nana, period. you were right."

"Hear me out love, I wasn't done." He was pouting at you, a finger around your lips.

"Well you said you didn't get to take any pictures of you in that, and I was thinking, let's have an indoor date. Just you and me. The kids are at Hannie's for the day and before you start, Mingyu is there watching Hannie. 

Alright Minseo is there, keeping an eye out on Mingyu. Let's have dinner in our best outfits and take some photos. We deserve to make some  memories too. And no, you don't have to worry about Nana wearing what you already wore for a few hours, trial rooms exist and people wear what's already worn before."

You suppose you could get behind that. You were also looking forward to wearing that dress again, if just for a few minutes. You loved it too much to let it go.

But also-

"I gave Gyu a rundown of everything the kids would need- Ari's eye drops, the part of Heidi's story they should avoid telling Sollie, all of your milk supplies for Hana and the recording of you singing their favorite lullaby in case they need you.

Ari has 'Elsa' , Sollie has his 'Anna' and Hana has her caterpillar plushie.  Arin has promised to eat dinner, Sollie has promised to give no fuss to his uncles, and I could swear Hana swore to never cry more than once. Point is, kids are safe." 

Everything was said in one breath leaving you no room for interruptions. As if you could say any. 

You were in awe of the man who knew you more than you knew him.

Still looking down at you with a fond expression, he tucked your hair behind your ears, using the other hand to undress you.

He loved you when you were like this, pliant beneath his hands, just blinking at him with your starry eyes letting him have his way with you. After having undressed you down to just your chemise, he brought out that dress from behind him.

"Where-?"

"Shh love, no thoughts." Hushing you again with kisses.

"Step in."

Tentatively you lifted your legs and stepped into the dress, watching him clad it around you. Goosebumps were rising along your body at his tenderness lifting your arms to fit around the sleeve.

Zipping you close , he took a step back and admired your form.

You had never felt more beautiful than right now. His eyes swept over every part of you admiring you in all fullness. 

"Gorgeous. my beautiful wife"

"Says you, my handsome husband."

He preened under your compliment.

"Why don't you fix your hair, and I will set the camera up?

"What's there on the menu?"

"Uhh ramen?"

Fair enough. You can't have it all.

You realize you hadn't seen a camera anywhere in the room , not that you could see much. 

Moving into the room you quickly fixed your hair, all disheveled and frayed apart. He had seen you like this and called you sexy? Blinded by love are we Choi?

Coming back out, you see Cheol wearing your purse around his shoulder? 

The man in question was stunned to silence looking at you.

Accentuated by your curves, highlighted by the rosiness that brought out the best in you , you were definitely the focal point of his vision. Shaking his head as if to get him out of his reverie, he takes your hands and pulls you to the front door kneeling down and tapping against your shin. 

Confusedly you move your leg and he brings out a pair of red heels.

Ohhh they were beautiful! What was going on?

"Shh, love just enjoy the moment."

He strapped on a pair of heels to your feet, giving your knee one fleeting kiss before standing up and taking your right hand, ushering you out the door.  

You had no idea what was going on but you were not complaining. Obviously. You loved dolling up and feeling beautiful.

Whisking you away to a car, he opens the door and pushes you in gently, strapping you in with the seat belt and giving you one more kiss.

Walking back to the other door, he sat in the driver's seat turning to you. 

"Ready, love?"

You had way too many questions but you suppose he will answer them later. For now, you nod.

And into the night you both race.

Through a fancy dinner that had you panicking at the prices but reassured by Cheol, he let you in on the secret. 

The past three weeks of grueling overtime had finally paid off, and he decided to use his extra finances to fund this special date night, even borrowing Hannie’s car. Any protest from you was swiftly silenced by his promise of 'three harsh kisses until you were soft again,' which was enough to make you concede. Never one to argue with a skilled kisser like him, you were eager to enjoy the evening, savoring a dinner and enjoying a moment with your beloved, not worried about fingers grabbing every bite or glass tumblers being toppled down by clumsy hands.

He apologized earnestly for his offhand remarks, and you quickly forgave him--his sorrowful bambi eyes always made you melt. He admitted that the whole thing was a ploy to get you to keep the dress; he loved how it looked on you, and more importantly, you loved it on yourself. Nana could wait for a better dress.

Despite the rule to never talk about the kids, you understood it was nearly impossible to avoid the topic when raising three rambunctious little ones. You hurried through dinner and rushed home to Hannie's, eager to reclaim your gremlins and prevent them from causing any more chaos for your poor friends.

With a haggard Sollie, a sleeping Arin cradled in his arms and a cross eyed Hana who was babbling non stop, possibly scolding you both for leaving her in ''Devil incarnates hands (Cheol's words), you walked hand in hand to the home you had built together.

Five years back, he had vowed that he will never make you unhappy again, and although you had told him it was easier said than done, he relinquished the love and affection you wavered upon him, choosing to never take your love for granted.

Although he was a prodigal son to the nation, fallen from grace, leaning in your arms kept him afloat always.

Big shoutout to @svtiddiess for helping me get my facts straight with this one, thanks love!

Part 3 here Author's Note

A lot of this is puuuure indulgence, a lot of the scenes were cut out because it was too emotional for me to continue lol. Which explains the lack of cohesiveness. I made it slightly fluff. Please don't hate on any of these characters. This is what raw marriage looks like.

My next work I will be exploring the relationship between Cheol and Aria, if you hadn't picked up- he is not her father, if you are coming from the first fic, I have made the changes. Sliiide into my dm's or asks, I'd looove to chat Please read, comment and reblog! They help more than you think. TAGLIST

Tag yourself in the comments for the next work.

@skzbangchanniee I beat you again!

@ateez-atiny380 , @minhui896

[kwanisms]

» stray kids masterlist | collab masterlist «

➮ hyunjin x f!reader

wc: 20.1k

summary: Y/N never expected to run into her ex again, especially not at a holiday party of all places. Nor did she expect for him to offer to drive her home when her ride bails on her. She definitely did not expect Hyunjin’s car to get stuck in the snow and for them to have to spend the night at an elderly couple’s house where they, unsurprisingly, have to share a room and even more unsurprisingly, there’s only one bed.

genres/themes/au: angst, smut; holiday themes, rekindled relationship, exes to lovers, one bed; non idol au

warnings: adult dialogue, female reader, alcohol consumption, mention of previous alcohol abuse, flashbacks of toxic relationship, mentions of arguing and fighting (nothing physical except pushing and MC hitting Hyunjin's chest), sexual content (18+ mdni), see smut warnings under the cut!

special tags: @millennial-fangirl @twisted-tales-of-all @staytinyville @skyechild

permanent taglist: @yoonguurt @wonderfulshinee @candidupped @dejavernon @violagoth @tigermoonbiss @katsukis1wife @luvsooby @surveilenceysystem @salty-for-suga @devilsmatches @dmnspiit @simeonswhore @yangracha @atinypurr @aikyubi @labyrinthonmymind @bintificreads @toxic-babexe @plutoneu @prestineaugstine @sunwoosbaby @lilramennoodle @deadgirlwalking3 @tigerhoshi25 @chocolate-scoups @spilled-coffee-cup @aaniag @ayoo-bangtan @walkingtravesty97 @yevene @certifiedmoa @nottkwiwin

stray kids taglist: @cixrosie @hoeforcheol @smhlino @cutiespaghetti @peterparkoure @chubbyanarkiss @anyamaris @nattisbored @mlysalt @cinnamoon-belle @briannabk22 @vampiirose @plants-w0rld @0325tiny @justiny @lacie220900 @dementedaly to be contin.

join my taglists!

Strikethrough means I cannot tag you.

MINORS WILL BE BLACKLISTED & BLOCKED.

AGELESS BLOGS WILL ALSO BE BLOCKED.

a/n: my first piece was nothing but tooth rotting sweet fluff but I knew from the get go when I picked Hyune for this collab that I wanted to write angst for him. That being said, NO. I WILL NOT BE WRITING A SEQUEL TO THIS TO GIVE THEM A PROPER HAPPY ENDING. The ending is up to reader interpretation. So please do not ask for a part 2 because there will not be one. Thank you so much for reading and joining us on this collab! The Tales from Camp Holiday Special begins now and once that’s over, I will be focusing on Under Your Skin. If you are a SVT fan, you can read the OG Tales from Camp here and the Holiday Special here. And for those of you who are SKZ fans, consider checking out Under Your Skin here. As always, this is a work of fiction and all characters are not reflective of their respective irl counterparts. for entertainment purposes only.

smut warnings: unprotected sex (wrap it up), dirty talk, slight voice kink, use of pet names (baby, angel, sweetheart, etc.), oral (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), handjob (m receiving), lowkey lovemaking, biting (f receiving), slight possessive sex, soft dom!Hyunjin, sub!Reader, it’s hot and heavy and Hyunjin is clearly very much in love still. If I missed any, pls let me know!

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

“Promise me you won’t ditch me the moment the doors open,” you whined, looking at your friend who gave you a blank look. “You know I can’t promise you that!” Kaia said as she raised her fist to knock on the door. It opened a moment later, warmth reaching out to pull you both into the house. You clung to your friend as you removed your coats and they were hung up and put in a room off the foyer.

The house was a typical suburban American home. The walls were an off white color, decorations like something out of a Christmas catalog. The partygoers were dressed in varying shades of red, green, white, gold, and the like.

The white vaulted ceilings reflected light to make the rooms appear even larger and brighter than they already were. A massive fifteen foot pine tree dominated the far corner of the living room, professionally decorated with gold and red baubles, strings of white lights sweeping across the branches and small faux icicles hung from the tips of the branches. Under the tree lay a red tree skirt with gold embroidery, perfectly wrapped gifts lying atop the red fabric.

You followed Kaia further, not wanting to lose sight of her as you made your way to the kitchen.

The open concept floor plan into the kitchen made the already large space seem just even larger. The white quartz counters contrasted with the dark gray shaker cabinets with golden hardware. A massive kitchen island separated the spaces, decorated with an assortment of snacks.

Along the wall leading into a breakfast nook was a table with even more food and at the back of the breakfast nook room was an actual bar set up where a young woman with blonde hair curled and neatly tied back was making drinks for patrons.

In the kitchen Kaia dragged you over to the bar and ordered drinks. Once your drink was in your hand, Kaia pulled you aside and scanned the room. She waved at a few people, sipping on her drink as you eyed the food, wanting to eat something so you weren’t drinking on an empty stomach.

Before you could say anything, Kaia was downing the rest of her drink, ordering another before she looked at you. “You’re on your own,” she simply said before leaving your side and making her way across the room where she introduced herself to someone you didn’t recognize.

‘Bitch,’ you thought to yourself as you rolled your eyes. You made your way over to the table to grab a small plate, adding an assortment of hors d'oeuvres to it before sneaking off to the side and out of the way. You nibbled at your food, sipping your drink intermittently as you watched the party unfold around you.

It hadn’t even been your idea to come here. Kaia had begged you to come with her for a week straight until you caved and agreed but on the condition she didn’t ditch you once here.

She clearly didn’t hold up her end of the bargain.

As you ate, a couple people you did recognize came up and chatted with you politely and you felt a little better, knowing more than just your awful so-called friend. You saw a couple of people from your previous workplace as well as some old college acquaintances.

About an hour into your arrival and three White Russians later, you were exiting the bathroom when you bumped into something hard and stumbled slightly. Kaia had insisted you wore these heels and you were starting to regret letting her talk you into it. You were regretting a lot of things regarding Kaia truthfully but it wasn’t the night to get into it.

Looking up as you smoothed your dress out, you started to apologize until you saw the face of the person you’d just run into.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

The look on your ex’s face was one of pure shock. He clearly wasn’t expecting to see you either.

You turned away from him, intent on finding Kaia and leaving. This was a mistake. You never should have come here tonight. “Y/N, wait.” you heard him say, feeling his hand gently grab your arm. You pulled sharply from his grip and glared at him.

Hyunjin fell silent, holding his hand up in surrender before you stormed away to find your friend.

It didn’t take long to find her, perched on the lap of the guy she’d ditched you for as he sat on one of the pristine white couches in the living room. You weaved through the crowd, stopping by her to glare down at her. “Y/N!” she said excitedly. “I was just coming to find you! We’re about to play a game!”

You grabbed Kaia by the wrist, dragging her up and off the guy’s lap, leading her away from the group.

“Y/N, what the hell?” Kaia hissed as you pulled her to a spot near the wall. “I’m going to ask you something and I want the truth,” you started as Kaia inspected her wrist before looking up at you. “What?” she grumbled. “Did you know Hyunjin was going to be here?” you demanded.

Kaia stared blankly at you for a couple moments before speaking. “Theoretically? I knew there was a chance.” Your mild annoyance turned into blind rage. She knew he might be here and yet she still insisted you come anyway? What was her problem? 

“I want to leave,” you snapped. “Now.” 

Kaia scoffed, rolling her eyes and gested at the door. “Go ahead. Leave,” she replied. Your lips parted in shock. “You’re my ride, Kaia,” you reminded her. “Then I guess if you want me to drive you home, you’re gonna have to stay until I’m ready to leave.”

You glared at her. Ditching you was one thing but knowingly stranding you here was another.

“And what about him?” you hissed, throwing a dirty glance towards Hyunjin who was now nursing a drink. As if sensing you were talking about him, he looked over, meeting your gaze but only for a moment before you looked away. Kaia shrugged. “That’s your problem, babe,” she replied.

Before you could answer, she walked away, taking her previous perch and leaving you to seethe alone.

“Un-fucking-believable!” you hissed as you stormed off, making a path to the bar. If you were going to be forced to be here, might as well make the best of it and get as many free drinks as you could stomach.

You were grumbling to yourself as you waited in line, the guy in front of you kept turning to look at you though it wasn’t annoyance on his face. More like concern. “Are you okay?” he finally asked, having turned back to you. His accent caught you off guard but you nodded all the same. “Rough night?” he asked and you scoffed. “You have no idea.”

He offered a warm smile, holding his hand out for you to shake. “Felix,” he introduced himself. “Y/N,” you replied, shaking his hand. “Want to tell me about it over drinks?” he asked, gesturing to the bar. You couldn’t help but chuckle and nod. Once the two of you got your drinks, you stood off to the side, talking about your lives. What you did for work, how you ended up at this party.

Felix was exceedingly easy to talk to and he kept a smile on your face. He was also a pretty good dancer. You almost couldn’t find a fault with him until he tried to beat you at darts in the rec room downstairs. It’s not like you were a champion when it came to darts but he just really sucked at it.

“So tell me about Straya,” you said in a half convincing Australian accent as the two of you sat on one of the couches in the rec room, taking the place of a couple who got up to get more drinks upstairs. Felix let his arm rest on the back of the couch behind you.

“It’s hot,” Felix answered. “Really hot,” he added. “And there are spiders everywhere.” You shuddered. You hated spiders. “And they’re the really big ones,” he continued. “They’re known to catch lizards and even mice if they’re hungry and fast enough. And boy are they fucking fast,” he added with a laugh.

“Okay, enough with the spiders,” you said with a shiver. “Don’t like them?” Felix asked and you shook your head. “Absolutely not!” Felix chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. “What about the roos?” you asked suddenly, making him give you a peculiar look. “The roos?” he asked.

“Yeah. The kangaroos,” you clarified. Felix let out a chuckle. “Oh, those roos!” he replied.

“Big and mean,” he answered. “The males are super territorial and they’re buff. They’re majorly jacked. They look like bodybuilders.” You covered your mouth as you let out a laugh. “What?” you asked incredulously as Felix nodded.

“They’re mean,” he replied. “They’re not cute and cuddly. They can kill. Those claws on their hands aren’t just for show. And they can kick like a kickboxer.” Your eyes widened. “Wait, really?” you asked. Felix nodded. “You don’t fuck with kangaroos. Same with koalas. They look cute and furry but they also have gnarly claws and they’ll take a swipe at you if given the chance.”

Your perception of Felix’s home continent was changing by the minute as he talked. As your cups emptied, you made your way back upstairs to get more drinks, opting to find a seat in the four seasons room off the living room where it was a little quieter.

“So,” Felix said, taking a sip of his drink and looking up at you.

“What had you so upset earlier?”

Your smile dropped a little as you let out a deep, heavy sigh.

“My friend I came with is being a real bitch right now,” you admitted. “She begged me to come to this party when I didn’t really want to in the first place. She promised if I came with her, she wouldn’t leave my side,” you continued.

“But she ditched you anyway?” Felix asked, prompting you to nod in response. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he raised his cup to his lips. “That’s a pretty shitty thing to do,” he agreed. You nodded slowly. “And that’s not all,” you added. Felix glanced up as you settled back against the cushions.

“My ex is here tonight.”

“And that’s bad, I take it?” Felix asked. You nodded.

“We broke up a couple years ago,” you started. “The relationship was… not good. We fought a lot. Constant arguing. We kept accusing the other of cheating. We were constantly at each other’s throats.” Felix nodded slowly. “Who ended it?” he asked before backtracking.

“Sorry,” he stuttered. “That’s really none of my business.” You shook your head, dismissing his apology with your hand. “It’s okay,” you replied. “I broke up with him. I knew if I didn’t do it, it would never happen so I bit the bullet and pulled the trigger.”

Felix let out a sigh. “Man,” he said softly. “That’s rough.” 

“Yeah,” you nodded. “And when I asked my friend that I came with to take me home because I wanted to leave, she basically said to find my own way home.”

“Did she know he was going to be here?” Felix asked, raising his cup to his lips. “She said she knew there was a possibility,” you replied.

Felix’s jaw dropped. “What the fu- look, I’m sorry,” he started. “But you need to find better mates,” he said, shaking his head, baffled by the audacity. “Do you still want to leave?” he asked softly. You nodded. “Yeah,” you replied. “Parties just really aren’t my scene., and seeing my ex really just ruined my entire night.” Felix nodded. “No, I get it,” he replied. “I’m here cause this is actually my cousin’s place and I’m crashing here for the holidays,” he explained.

“But I think I actually might know someone who’s planning to leave soon and he lives in the same direction you’re going so maybe he can give you a ride?” Felix offered. You gave him a smile. “Really?” you asked excitedly. “That would be so amazing!”

Felix smiled at your reaction and got to his feet, holding out his free hand. “Let’s go ask him,” he said, smiling wider as you grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull you up.

“Yes,” you answered. “Let’s ask!”

‘Twice in one night is enough,’ you told yourself as you stared back at Hyunjin while Felix spoke to your ex. Granted, he didn’t know the guy he was trying to ask to give you a ride was your ex-boyfriend. Felix smiled as he turned to you. “It was great meeting you,” he said, holding his hand out for you to shake again. “Hyunjin’s a great guy. He’ll make sure you get home safe!” he added before bidding the two of you goodnight and moving into the next room to rejoin the party.

You crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at him. Hyunjin downed the rest of his soda, tossing the can and turning to you. “Did you bring a coat?” he asked nonchalantly. “I’m not leaving with you.” He ignored your words, instead getting up and fishing his phone out of his pocket.

You watched as he typed across the screen quickly and pocket the device again. “Go get your coat,” Hyunjin said softly. You narrowed your eyes at him. “I’m not leaving with--”

He looked at you, looking slightly annoyed. “Look, either I take you home or you’re stuck at this party. It’s your choice,” he explained. “But I am leaving.” You stared at one another, both unmoving, unblinking until you sighed and rolled your eyes. “Fine,” you snapped. “But I need to get my stuff out of Kaia’s car.”

Hyunjin nodded and gestured forward. “After you.”

You managed to get Kaia’s attention, asking for her keys so you could get your bag out of her car. She gave it up without question as you headed for the front door and got your coat from the coat room. Hyunjin was waiting on the porch for you when you exited the house and walked with you to Kaia’s car, waiting patiently while you got your bag from the back.

He took the bag from you while you ran back in to return Kaia’s keys to her and headed back out. He’d already turned on his car and backed up as close to the door as he could get without going onto the grass. He waited at the base of the steps for you, making sure you didn’t fall and helped you traverse the snow in your boots, even going so far as to open your door for you.

Once inside he returned to his side and got in, clicking his seatbelt in place as he fiddled with the temperature controls. You shivered, holding your hands in front of the heater. Hyunjin put the car in drive and slowly pulled away from the house, following the long driveway back out to the street.

It was snowing when you first arrived at the party with Kaia but more snow had accumulated, covering the roads and was starting to come down heavier as Hyunjin pulled onto the road and started driving in the direction of the city.

“Picked a hell of a day to have the party, didn’t they?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood. You hummed in response, looking out the window at the scenery as Hyunjin crept along. Silence fell over you both again. “Did you want to listen to music?” Hyunjin asked softly. “Oh my god, Hyunjin, I don’t care!” you snapped.

Silence fell once more. 

“Sorry,” you finally said softly. “I’m just really frustrated.”

Hyunjin nodded silently, opting not to turn the radio on.

He continued to drive carefully, remembering the last time he’d driven in snow like this. He’d managed to wreck his first car during a snowstorm and his mother had scolded him to the moon and back about how he needed to be careful. Since then, he’d been overly cautious when it came to driving in the snow.

The car reached a curve in the road and Hyunjin followed it, hands gripping the steering wheel as the back end of his car started to fishtail. “Whoa,” he mumbled. “Hyunjin!” you said, panic in your voice as the car quickly veered out of his control and slid over the edge of the road and down into a ditch.

The impact wasn’t as bad as Hyunjin expected but he was still jerked forward as the car came to an abrupt halt, nose pointing down toward the ditch. The car slowly slid sideways down the steep embankment until it finally stopped moving.

Immediately, Hyunjin put the car in park and looked around seeing nothing but white.

He turned to look at you. “Holy shit, Y/N, are you okay?” he asked, placing a hand on your shoulder. You nodded, looking around and checking yourself over. “Y-yeah,” you stammered. “I’m alright. What about you?” Hyunjin exhaled in relief. “I’m fine,” he answered.

“What about the car?” Hyunjin glanced out his window. “Well, I don’t think we hit anything,” he explained as he looked around, checking his mirrors.

“I’m gonna get out and make sure,” he added. 

Before you could stop him, he opened his door and got out, shutting the door behind him and walked around the car, trudging through the snow as he inspected the outside. He returned moments later, getting back into the car.

“There are no marks outside but it looks pretty stuck,” he said as he shivered, shaking the cold off.

You pulled your phone out and groaned at the no service symbol at the top of the screen. ‘Fuck.’ Hyunjin pulled his phone out and saw he also had no signal. “Shit!” he cursed. “What do we do?” you asked softly, looking up at him. Hyunjin looked around before looking in his rearview mirror.

“Hey, we passed a house, right?” he asked, turning to look out the back windshield. “Uh, I think so?” you replied. “Maybe like a mile back?” Hyunjin nodded, looking at your face. “Okay,” he said softly and turned in his seat.

You watched as he reached into the back seat, digging around for something. He produced a hat and scarf, wrapping the scarf around his neck and pulling the beanie on. He then reached behind your seat and pulled out a blanket. “I’m going to walk to the house to see if anyone is home,” he said as he threw the blanket over your lap.

“You stay here and keep warm,” he added. “I’ll be back with help or good news,” he added as he opened his door and got out, shutting the door behind him. You watched as he climbed up the embankment and started to walk down the street in the direction of the house you’d both seen.

You sighed, pulling the blanket closer around you, a shiver running up your spine as you looked outside the car. Snow was still coming down, joining the blanket already on the ground. You curled further into yourself, trying to preserve whatever warmth you could manage.

You heard the doors lock and readjusted the blanket to cover your legs and looked around his car. It was the same car you remembered him having just before the break up. The one he’d been so excited and proud of because it was the first car he bought when he started his job.

Another shiver went up your spine and you hoped Hyunjin would find help, even shocked that he offered to go find it. In the past, he never would have done so, a memory surfacing of your attempt to go to the beach on a road trip. You managed to get lost on back roads as Hyunjin refused to ask for directions.

[flashback - four years ago]

“Babe, why don’t we just stop and ask for directions?” you asked, looking up from the map. You glanced out the windshield at the rolling farmland surrounding you which was certainly not the beach which you should have been at by that point.

“No,” Hyunjin said flatly, gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles had turned white. He was leaning forward, chest almost pressing against the steering wheel as he tried to get a glance at any sign possible.

You glanced back down at the map, squinting as you tried to figure out where you’d gone wrong. Where had you made the wrong turn? Where were you headed now? You looked back up, turning to look at Hyunjin. “I really think we need to stop and ask for directions,” you started.

“Goddamn it, Y/N, will you just shut the hell up and let me drive?!”

You flinched at the volume of his voice and fell silent. You folded up the map and placed it on the dashboard, leaning back in your seat and looking out the window to keep your boyfriend from seeing the tears that threatened to spill.

Minutes passed in silence as Hyunjin continued to drive, turning down random roads, only to hit a dead end and have to turn around, growing increasingly more and more frustrated. You said nothing, instead indulging in your own sadness as you let the tears flow silently.

“Can you look at the map and see where we are?” Hyunjin asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

You didn’t move. You heard his request but you chose to ignore it, knowing nothing you did would figure out where the hell you were. “Y/N?” Hyunjin asked, slowing to look over at you. He saw the way your arms were crossed over your chest and how you refused to look at him.

“Did you hear me?” he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He really didn’t like it when you ignored him.

“Yes,” you replied softly. “But what difference would it make?” you asked, still not turning to look at him.

“We haven’t seen any signs in hours so I can’t even pinpoint those on the map. We’re lost, Hyunjin.”

You heard him inhale sharply. “So it’s my fault, right?” he snapped and you finally turned to look at him, giving him a glance at your tear stained cheeks. “Yes, Hyunjin,” you retorted. “It is your fault. I told you we should have stopped and asked for directions when we first got off the main road but you refused to listen to me. You just kept going, insisting we didn’t need help. You aren’t a road map. You don’t have a GPS built into your head!”

Hyunjin let out a groan, rolling his eyes. “Well, will you check your phone, then?” he asked.

You grabbed it from the console and unlocked the screen, holding it up for him to see. “No service. How the fuck am I supposed to look it up when I have no service?” Hyunjin turned to glare at you. “Have you never heard of offline maps?” he snapped. “Yeah, you have to download them before you lose signal!”

“Well excuse me for not knowing that! I’m not some know-it-all bitch like you!”

Silence fell over the both of you as your stomach sank. “Stop the car,” you muttered.

Hyunjin looked back at you. “What?” he asked softly. “Stop the car,” you said a little louder. Hyunjin glanced out the windows before looking back over at you. 

“You can’t be serious--”

“Stop the fucking car, Hyunjin!”

[end flashback - the present]

Hyunjin kept his head down, the flurries of snow hitting his hat instead of his face. He reached up to readjust the scarf around his neck to cover the lower half of his face. The cold air was sharp, biting and stinging his skin as he walked, the wind blowing through him despite his heavy coat.

“Fucking hell,” he cursed. “It’s freezing!”

As he walked, he was reminded of the time the two of you had taken a road trip to the beach and gotten lost. After an argument outside the car, he finally managed to get you back into the car and start heading back the way you’d come only to run out of gas just before you got onto the main road. He snorted as he remembered his ignorance and refusal to listen to reason.

He was young, dumb, and thought he knew everything.

He thought he was above asking for directions but he knew better now. He knew it was okay to ask for help. In that, he knew he had grown as a person at least.

[flashback - four years ago]

“Now what,” you sighed exasperatedly as the car started to sputter, slowing as Hyunjin looked down at the dashboard. His eyes scanned for an engine light or something similar but felt his heart sink as he noticed the gas gauge was sitting on the little white E.

“Shit,” he hissed. You looked up at him. “What?” you asked as the car rolled to a stop. Hyunjin cut the engine and leaned back in his seat, letting out an annoyed huff. “We’re out of gas.”

You stared at him, stunned. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He shook his head. “I wish I were.”

You hesitated before finally moving. Hyunjin watched as you grabbed your purse and phone, hastily unbuckling your seatbelt before yanking open the car door and getting out. Hyunjin opened his door and stood up, one foot still in the car as you started walking.

“Y/N, where are you going?” he called. 

“I’m going to find a gas station!” 

Hyunjin sighed, shutting his door and starting after you. “Not by yourself, you’re not!” he called as he jogged to catch up to you. “You can’t just walk out here in the middle of nowhere by yourself, Y/N.” You ignored him and kept walking. 

He knew you were still reeling from the earlier fight.

Hyunjin caught up to you rather easily, grabbing your arm only for you to pull from his grip. “Don’t touch me!” you shouted. Hyunjin grabbed your arm again, pulling you back and turning you to face him. “Y/N,” he started as you struggled to pull out of his grip. “Don’t touch me!”

“Y/N, stop,” Hyunjin said calmly, trying to hold you in place. “Stop, stop it,” he continued.

“Y/N, stop it!” he finally shouted as he gently shook you. You stared up at him in shock before you hit his chest with your fist. “Don’t fucking yell at me!” you shouted back, hitting his chest again, albeit not very hard. Hyunjin took your face in his hands.

“Get your hands off me,” you growled, fighting back tears. “I’m sorry,” he said firmly. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” he continued as you looked up at him. “And I’m sorry for not listening to you.” The tears you’d been holding back finally spilled and a sob escaped you.

Hyunjin pulled you into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispered into your hair. “I shouldn’t have said that and I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” You cried softly into his chest. “I’m just frustrated,” he continued. “I know that’s no excuse. But I am sorry.”

“I got us into this mess and I’m sorry.”

He continued to hold you tightly, swaying the both of you back and forth until your sobs subsided. Hyunjin pulled back, taking your face in his hands, thumbs wiping your tears away. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go find a gas station,” he said softly, leaning in to press a kiss to your forehead.

[end flashback - the present]

Hyunjin lifted his head, relief flooding his body as he caught sight of the driveway he’d driven past earlier. He continued down the drive, leaving deep footprints as he trudged through the deep snowfall.

As he continued, trees lining the driveway, lights from the house came into view. He continued to amble through the snow, making his way to the front porch. He hoped it wasn’t too late as he carefully climbed the steps. Hyunjin raised his fist and knocked loudly, quickly tucking his hands into his pockets.

It took a couple moments but through the frosted glass, Hyunjin could see shadows moving towards the door, the sound of the lock clicking before the door cracked open. “Yes?” a voice asked. Hyunjin pulled his scarf down, offering an awkward smile. “Hi,” he said breathlessly. “I’m so sorry to disturb you so late but my car’s slid off the road and into a ditch just down the road from your driveway,” he explained.

“My friend and I don’t have service on our phones and I was wondering if I could perhaps use a phone or if you might know someone who could help us get the car unstuck?”

The door opened a bit more to reveal an older gentleman. He had gray hair, wore round spectacles and had light blue eyes. He wore a simple gray plaid button up tucked into black pants, a dark blue cardigan over the shirt. “Your friend?” he asked, looking around for a second person.

“Yeah, she’s wearing a dress and heels,” Hyunjin explained. “We’ve just come from a party down the road,” he added, anxiety starting to build. ‘What if this man just told him to leave and slammed the door in his face?’ Hyunjin was very much aware of how suspicious this sounded.

Another figure appeared, an older woman Hyunjin assumed was the man’s wife. “Oh Larry,” she said softly. She wore a white and black floral button down blouse, a khaki maxi skirt and a light pink knit cardigan over her shirt. Her silvery hair was curled and styled. Gold wire framed glasses hung around her neck.

“They need help,” she added as she joined her husband. “Where’s the car?” the man, Larry, asked. Hyunjin pointed over his shoulder. “Just a mile down from the end of your driveway,” he answered. The man nodded and moved from the door.

“Are you hurt at all?” the woman asked and Hyunjin shook his head. “No, we’re okay. Mostly just shaken up. The car seems to be fine, too,” he added. “It’s just stuck in the ditch.” The woman offered a warm smile, putting Hyunjin’s nerves at ease.

The man returned moments later, dressed for the weather and sat on a bench to put on his boots. “Be careful,” his wife said as he got up, pulling on a thermal hood before putting on his gloves. He grabbed a shovel and stepped out onto the porch to join Hyunjin. “I’ll be back in a bit, Edi,” he said, pulling the bottom of his cowl up to cover his mouth and nose.

The door shut and Hyunjin led the way down the porch, the man, Larry following him. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this,” Hyunjin said as they walked side by side. “What’s your name, son?” the man asked him. “Hyunjin,” he answered. “Hwang Hyunjin. My friend is Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

“I’m Lawrence,” the man introduced himself. “That was my wife Edith.”

They reached the end of the driveway and started down the road to where the car sat. Hyunjin hoped that they’d be able to get the car out of the ditch so he could get you home. He didn’t want to force you to spend more time with him than necessary as it seemed you already didn’t want to be around him.

“Where did you say you were coming from, again?” Lawrence asked. “A party down the road. About ten miles. It’s my friend’s cousin’s house,” Hyunjin explained as they neared the car. Snow had begun to collect on the surface, covering the windows. “Boy, it’s really coming down,” Lawrence noted.

“You really managed to dig yourselves in here,” he added as he looked at the car. Hyunjin nodded slowly. “Yeah, honestly, we just slid right off the road and I tried to back out a few times but the back wheels couldn’t catch on anything. Too much snow.” Lawrence nodded as he walked over to the back of the car, carefully dragging his feet through the snow.

“Snow’s too powdery,” he added as he kicked at the snow. “And it’s not packed down, so you would get any traction.” Hyunjin nodded as he spoke before he remembered you sitting in the car. “I’m gonna check on Y/N,” he announced and walked over to the driver’s side door, wiping the snow away with a gloved hand. “He peered in before opening the door and looking in.

“I brought someone who might be able to help,” he explained. You nodded. Hyunjin could tell you looked cold. He kneeled onto his seat and looked behind his seat into the back of the car. He removed his glove, grabbing another blanket and tugged it out from under a duffle bag.

“Here,” he said, handing it to you. “We’re gonna try and dig the car out or pack some snow under the wheel and see if we can’t get the wheels to get any traction.” You took the second blanket and immediately spread it out over you. “What if you can’t get the car out?” you asked, your voice soft.

Hyunjin pulled his hat off and scratched the back of his head before running his fingers through his hair a couple times. “I don’t know,” he finally said, putting his hat back on. “I’ll keep you updated,” he added before getting out and shutting the door again. Hyunjin moved back around to the back of the car with Lawrence who was bent over, peering at the back wheels.

“Well,” he started as he stood up straight. “We could pack snow under these tires for hours and you probably still won’t get enough traction to get out. This embankment is too steep. You’re gonna need someone to pull her out,” he explained. Hyunjin’s heart sank as Lawrence spoke. He’d feared as much.

“What are we supposed to do?” Hyunjin asked softly. “I suppose I could call my road-side assistance,” he continued. “But they may not be able to get out here until after the snow lets up.” Lawrence nodded. “And they run the risk of getting stuck themselves.”

Hyunjin sighed, looking up and down the deserted road. “I’m sure Edi wouldn’t mind if you came and stayed with us for the night. Hopefully in the morning, the snow will have let up and the crews are out clearing the roads so you can be on your way,” Lawrence explained.

Hyunjin turned to look at him. “Wait, really?” he asked. Lawrence nodded. “Seems like your only option at this point. Otherwise you’d be forced to stay out here and that could kill you.” Hyunjin nodded and moved to the door, pulling it open and ducking down to peer in.

You looked up at him with hopeful eyes. “We won’t be able to get the car out tonight,” he started and your stomach immediately sank. “But this guy I brought said we can stay the night with him and his wife.” You perked up at the thought of a warm bed and perhaps a hot shower. “Really?” you asked and Hyunjin nodded. “You got any boots in that bag of yours?”

You nodded quickly. “I got boots and some clothes.”

Hyunjin closed the door so you could change, pulling on a pair of pants and socks, slipping on the boots you thankfully brought along before stuffing your shoes into your bag. Once you were dressed, you tried to open your door but found it was stuck. You leaned over the center console and knocked on the window.

Hyunjin turned, opening the door and peering in at you. “I can’t open my door. Something’s blocking it.” Hyunjin cursed under his breath. “Probably the snow,” he murmured. “Give me your bag,” he said, holding out a hand. You handed it to him and he set it on top of the car before leaning back in. “Hand me my duffle bag,” he instructed. 

You grabbed it from behind his seat and pulled it to the front. Hyunjin opened it, pulling out his gym gear he wouldn’t need and tossed it into the back before taking one of the blankets, folding it and stuffing it into the bag. He then set the bag with yours and leaned down one last time.

“Come on,” he said, holding his hand out. “You’re gonna have to climb out this way.”

You threw the other blanket into the backseat and started to climb, cursing under your breath as you struggled. You took his hand as you climbed into the driver’s seat and scrambled out into the snow, Hyunjin steadying you with his hands.

You murmured a thank you and looked up. “Don’t mention it,” he replied before grabbing yours and his bags. You noticed an older man standing on the road. He took the bags from Hyunjin so the two of you could focus on climbing up the embankment, Hyunjin helping pull you up onto the road.

“This is Lawrence,” Hyunjin introduced the older man standing there with a snow shovel in one hand and both of your bags in the other. “Hello,” you said breathlessly, your breath coming out in puffs. Lawrence nodded in response.

Once on level ground, you took your bag and followed them as they headed back down the road. Hyunjin made sure to lock the doors and looked sadly at his car before jogging to catch up with you and Lawrence. “My poor car,” he mumbled. You looked up at him, the cold stinging your skin and biting at the tip of your nose. “It could have been worse,” you commented.

The walk back to the house wasn’t long and soon you were walking up the steps to the porch. Lawrence let you two in first, making sure you kicked any snow off your shoes before stepping inside with him bringing up the rear. Hyunjin started to remove his coat and you followed as Lawrence hung up the shovel and also started to shed his winter gear.

An older woman came around the corner dressed in floral, khaki, and pink. She reminded you of a sweet grandmother who baked pies and knitted her grandchildren hats and scarves. “This is my wife, Edith,” Lawrence explained. You nodded at her politely. “This is Y/N,” Hyunjin introduced you and you smiled at the woman, Edith. “You look frozen,” she commented. “Come in and warm up.”

You followed Edith, leaving your cold weather gear behind as you walked into the living area.

The room was a modest size, the living room separated from the kitchen by a large kitchen island. Along the back wall was a large fireplace with a fire already going. The kitchen was a galley style, taking up the side wall of the house, a door leading to the back of the house at the other end.

“Come, come in,” Edith said, guiding you over to sit in front of the fireplace. You glanced up at Hyunjin who nodded and followed you. “Are you hungry?” Edith asked as you took a seat on the couch nearest the fireplace, letting your bag fall to your feet. Hyunjin took a seat beside and looked up at your hosts.

“I could eat,” he answered. “Y/N?” he asked. You looked up at the mention of your name. “You hungry?” Hyunjin asked. You shook your head. “Actually,” you said, looking past him at the couple. “I could really use a shower.” Edith smiled and nodded. “You get some food heated up for our guest,” she said, patting her husband’s arm.

“I’ll show you to the upstairs bathroom,” she added, turning to you. You grabbed your bag and got up, following her through the house and towards the front door. She guided you up a set of stairs, into a hallway where there were three doors. 

“This is the bathroom,” Edith said, opening a door and turning on the light. “This room next door is the office and the extra bedroom is that room there,” she continued, pointing out the different doors. “Are you sure you aren’t hungry, dear?” Edith asked as you moved to enter the bathroom.

“I’m sure,” you replied. “I ate at the party we were at earlier. I think I just need a shower and some sleep.” Edith hummed and moved into the bathroom, where she opened a small door to show you the contents. “The towels are in here,” she said softly before shutting the door.

“Just make sure to clean up any water,” she said with a smile and moved to the door. “If you change your mind after your shower, just let me know and I’ll whip something up for you.” You smiled as she exited, thanking her once again before closing the door.

You turned to the shower and pulled back the curtain, turning on the water and letting it heat up. Stepping under the stream, you sighed, letting the hot water run down your body before scrubbing away the events of the night. Once you felt you were sufficiently clean, you turned the water off and got out of the shower, grabbing a towel and starting to dry yourself off.

You chose to change into your pajamas you’d packed before stepping out of the bathroom and making your way to the bedroom. Upon opening the door, your eyes landed on the bed and sighed. ‘I can’t wait to get some sleep,’ you thought to yourself as you stepped into the room, setting your bag in a cream colored armchair near the door. In the middle of the room against the wall was a queen sized bed, cream colored linens covered the bed.

You moved over to the mattress and sat on the edge, letting out an exhausted sigh. As you were about to start getting under the covers, you heard the doorknob turn and looked up in time to see the door open and Hyunjin appear. ‘Oh no. no way.’

Hyunjin sighed, entering the door and shutting it behind him. “One bed,” he murmured, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. Judging by the damp locks, you assumed he’d just taken a shower as well. “Yep,” you said, looking down at the mattress. Hyunjin shook his head before letting out a huff.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” he said suddenly.

You looked up at him in shock as he moved to drop his bag in the opposite corner of yours. “Hand me those extra pillows,” he continued. You started handing them to him, watching as he made himself a small, measly bed on the floor with pillows and moved to grab the blanket he’d brought from his car.

“Goodnight,” Hyunjin said as he laid down, covering himself with the blanket. You hesitated, staring down at him before finally turning off the lamp and throwing the room in darkness. The only light source coming from the flood light reflecting off the snow outside.

You turned over, your back to Hyunjin on the floor, and tried to fall asleep but you kept opening your eyes. Minutes felt like they were ticking by, the only sound being the house creaking occasionally and Hyunjin’s steady breathing.

You finally couldn’t take it anymore. You sat up, reaching over to turn on the light. “Get up,” you said.

Hyunjin sighed and lifted his head to look at you. “What?” he asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

“I said get up,” you replied. Hyunjin grumbled as he sat up, pushing himself up to his feet. 

“What?” he asked, turning to face you. “Am I breathing too loud? Do you want me to leave?”

You hit the bed beside you. “The floor can’t be comfortable. Just get in the bed.”

Hyunjin froze, staring at you with a mixture of shock and confusion.

“What?” he whispered. You looked up at him. “Just get in the bed.”

Hyunjin shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I said I’d sleep on the floor. It’s f-”

“It’s not fine and I won’t ask you again, Hyun,” you cut him off, his heart skipping a beat at the nickname he hadn’t heard in years. “Just get in the bed, please.”

He hesitated for a moment more before bending over to grab the pillows and blanket, moving around to the other side of the bed and sitting down. He replaced the pillows and pulled the blankets back, settling under them before throwing the extra blanket on top.

“And you’re sure about this?” he asked softly as you laid back down.

“Yes!” you replied, turning your head to look at him. “I’m sure.”

Hyunjin nodded, saying nothing as he turned onto his side. “Thanks,” he muttered. You reached for the light, your heart pounding at being this close in such an intimate setting after two years. “Don’t mention it,” you replied, turning off the light and throwing the room back into darkness once more.

——————————————————————————————————————————

You awoke the next morning to find the room was bright from the light reflecting off the snow and in through the windows. Blinking the sleep away, you started to sit up when you were aware of a weight across your midsection. You glanced down, lifting the blanket to find Hyunjin’s arm wrapped around you, his chest pressed into your back.

Your stomach leapt as you tried to remain calm. You carefully removed his arm and sat up, making sure to try and not disturb him. Getting up, you walked over to one of the windows and looked out to find a thick blanket of snow had fallen during the night, covering everything in white.

You briefly wondered if the car was covered as well before you heard Hyunjin groan, starting to rouse.

You quickly moved to grab your toiletry bag and headed out of the room, down the hall into the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash the remnants of sleep away.

Once you were done, you returned to the room where Hyunjin was sitting up, phone in his hands as he scrolled through his notifications. He looked up as you entered and you internally chuckled at his mess of black hair. He’d always woken up with the messiest hair.

“Morning,” he grumbled, returning his gaze to his phone.

“Morning,” you replied as you put your toiletry bag away and searched through it for something to wear.

You heard the mattress creak as Hyunjin got up and heard his feet shuffle over to the corner where his bag was. You kept your eyes down as he made his way past you and into the hall, letting the door shut behind him. You let out a breath of relief before launching into hyper speed, stripping your pajamas off and redressing.

You zipped your bag, remembering how he used to see your open bag as an invitation to root around. ‘Surely he wouldn’t…’ you thought but decided not to take the chance. You opened the bedroom door and headed out and down the stairs where the smell of coffee and food greeted you.

Walking into the kitchen, you found your hosts already up and dressed. Lawrence had donned a dark blue sweater with a white collar peeking out from the neck and a pair of thick boot cut jeans. He was sitting at the dining table, a plate of breakfast in front of him and a mug of coffee in his hand as he read the paper.

Edith turned to look at you, offering a warm smile as she cooked at the kitchen island. She’d put on a pair of khaki slacks with a white and pink heart polka dot print top, a red cardigan draped around her slender frame. 

“Morning!” she chirped and you couldn’t help but smile as you entered the kitchen. “You hungry?” she asked, to which you nodded. “Starving, actually,” you replied as the stairs creaked. “There’s coffee,” Edith said as she stirred the contents of the skillet. “Help yourself. Creamer is in the fridge and sugar is on the counter.” You moved towards the coffee pot, noticing two mugs sitting on the counter for you and Hyunjin to use.

You grabbed the red one with the words “world’s best grandma” on them. You busied yourself with fixing a cup of coffee as Hyunjin entered the kitchen, greeting Edith when she spoke. “Coffee’s over there. I’ll have your food ready soon,” Edith said as she flipped the eggs over, cutting them with the tip of the spatula.

Hyunjin moved to stand next to you, reaching for the mug but you stopped him, handing him the mug in your hands. “Cream and extra sugar, right?” you asked, making him look up from the mug at you. He nodded, taking the mug with a murmured thanks. You smiled to yourself, content with the knowledge that he was going to be drinking from a mug that said “World’s Best Grandma” as you made your own cup of coffee.

Once you’d taken a seat, Edith plated the food in the skillet and brought them over, setting both down in front of you. “I wasn’t sure what you liked,” she started. “So there’s a bit of everything.”

You smiled at her, thanking her before turning your attention back to the plate. There was an assortment of breakfast food from eggs to sausage to bacon. There was even a biscuit, already buttered and sitting open on the plate. You dug in, relishing the flavors and having a hot meal in your stomach.

“Over a foot of snow fell last night,” Lawrence said, drawing your attention as you glanced up at him. “It’s still snow,” he continued, folding the newspaper and looking up at you and Hyunjin. “There’s more on the way, according to the weather forecast. A blizzard is supposed to blow through the area.”

You swallowed thickly at this news, glancing quickly at Hyunjin to your right. His eyes were on Lawrence, looking as if he was trying to process what to say next only Lawrence beat him to it.

“Edith and I think it would be best if you two stayed another night. Just until the blizzard blows through. I’ve already called a neighbor who has agreed to help tow your car out of the ditch after the blizzard. He’s gone to uncover and dig out the car so when the blizzard arrives, we’ll have less to dig out afterwards.”

Hyunjin nodded, you could see relief wash over him. “Thank you so much,” Hyunjin finally said. Lawrence nodded, giving him a smile. “That does mean, of course,” Lawrence continued. “That we’ll need your help to prepare for the blizzard.”

You nodded, thankful they were allowing you to stay another night. “Just tell us what we need to do,” you said with a firm nod. “We’re happy to help since you’re letting us stay.” Edith interrupted with her soft voice. “Finish your breakfast first and then we’ll go over what needs to be done.”

After eating and downing another cup of coffee, Lawrence and Edith explained everything that needed to be done before the blizzard arrived. They needed more firewood chopped and brought in from the cellar. Edith needed to restock the pantry and fridge and Lawrence wanted to get up on the roof and knock down most of the snow that was up there to keep the roof from potentially buckling under the weight.

Hyunjin offered to climb the ladder so Lawrence didn’t have to. Edith voluntold you that you’d stay inside with her and help with the household chores while Lawrence and Hyunjin handled all the outdoor and heavy lifting.

After divvying up the tasks, Hyunjin and Lawrence pulled on their snow gear and headed out into the frigid white wasteland while you and Edith started cleaning up the kitchen and getting a load of laundry going. You made sure to follow her instructions carefully before setting the timer on the washer and joined her back in the kitchen.

“I’ve asked Larry to send Hyunjin up with some stuff from the cellar. It might take him a few trips,” she explained as she opened the pantry door and you peered in. You noticed that it was modestly stocked, the shelves not as full as they could have been. “We buy in bulk,” Edith continued. “And keep the majority of it down in the cellar. We’re able to buy enough groceries to keep us going for a few months.”

You said nothing as you watched her, jumping slightly when you heard a knock at the back door.

Edith walked over and opened it. Hyunjin was carrying a massive box. “Where do you want it?” he asked, his voice strained. “Set it on this,” Edith said, pulling out a small rug and setting it on the floor. Hyunjin did so and Edith thanked him. “We can just slide this over,” she added. Hyunjin nodded and turned to leave but not before stopping to look at you, catching your gaze.

You turned away wordlessly and helped Edith push the box across the wood floors to the kitchen. 

Inside the box was an assortment of refrigerated and frozen goods. You sat on a stool, pulling contents from the box to hand to Edith while she arranged them neatly in the fridge. Once you were finished, she took the box and walked over to the door just as a figure appeared behind the glass.

Hyunjin had returned with more food from the cellar. “He said this should be everything for the pantry,” Hyunjin said as he looked into the box and then up at Edith. You got up and hurried over, taking the box so the older woman wouldn’t have to. “Oh, thank you Y/N,” she said with a smile. You nodded as you shifted the box in your arms. “You got it?” Hyunjin asked softly and you looked up at him.

Your eyes met and you felt a warmth spread throughout you, something you hadn’t felt while looking at him in a long time. There was a look on his face. Part of it was concern, but the rest of it was nothing but compassion. “I can carry it if it’s too heavy,” he added.

You shook your head. “It’s okay,” you replied. “I got it, Hyun.”

He nodded, glancing at Edith as she watched the exchange with something akin to adoration in her eyes. “Okay,” he replied. “Well, I’ll just go help Lawrence chop wood or something,” he murmured, cheeks turning a shade of pink. Whether it was from your exchange or the cold you couldn’t tell.

Hyunjin left, allowing Edith to close the door and lead you over to the kitchen where you set the box on the floor and moved the stool so you could start to pull cans out of the box and set them on the counter while Edith took note of everything, checking it off her list. Once you emptied the box, Edith took it back over to the door, setting it to the side.

You said nothing as she started grabbing the cans from the counter and putting them in the pantry, arranging them on the shelves the way she liked them. While she worked, you continued to pull cans out of the box, your mind wandering.

Ever since you’d run into Hyunjin again, something has been different. The usual tension you felt in his presence seemed to be missing. It was like after two years apart, you were strangers again. Strangers who had grown apart but also grown up and changed, possibly for the better?

You couldn’t be sure but something was definitely different about Hyunjin, that much you were sure of.

“So,” Edith’s voice brought you from your thoughts. You turned to look at her. “How long have you two kids been together?” You stared at her in stunned silence. ’What?’ You shook your head slowly.

“We’re not together,” you answered. Edith gave you a surprised wide-eyed look. “Oh, I’m sorry dear,” she replied. “I thought you were together. My mistake for assuming.” You stared at her as she turned away, putting the items from the cellar into the cabinets. “We used to be,” you finally admitted.

Edith turned to look at you. “Hyunjin and I used to be together.”

She offered a kind smile. “I thought there was something there,” she said softly, moving to grab more cans. “What ended it?” You glanced up, watching as she neatly stacked the cans in the cabinet. “We weren’t exactly good for each other,” you admitted. “We fought a lot.”

Edith nodded wordlessly before turning one last time to look at you as she gathered the last of the cans.

“Fights happen, dear,” she replied. “It’s normal to fight from time to time.”

You shook your head, playing with your fingers as you avoided her gaze.

“It wasn’t just every once in a while,” you explained. “It was almost every other day until it became everyday. We were both insecure, accusing the other of cheating. I would demand to know where he was every minute and he retaliated by demanding to go through my phone. We had a lot of issues and our break up was inevitable and honestly, we’re better off.”

Edith pursed her lips as she finished gathering the cans, turning to the pantry to finish stocking it.

“Sometimes insecurities can drive a wedge between one another,” she started. “But there had to be a reason you stayed together,” she added, turning back around as she closed the pantry door. Your cheeks burned. “I’m not sure why we stayed together so long,” you admitted.

It was the truth. You couldn’t recall why you and Hyunjin stayed together for so long. Without the fights, you couldn’t recall many positive memories. You were both young, working and finishing college. You shared an apartment for convenience and for costs as well but you hardly spent time there.

You were mostly at school, work, or the library studying. The apartment was for food and sleeping. You only ever saw Hyunjin in passing or on the rare occasion you both had time off from work. At first, those sparse moments of time together were spent enjoying some time to relax from your exhaustive lifestyles. You weren’t exactly sure when things got bad just that one day, the fights started and didn’t stop.

The makeup sex was always fantastic but the moments of peace didn’t last long and soon you were at each other’s throats again. It was a vicious cycle that continued until you inevitably ended things.

[flashback - two years ago]

The apartment was cold and empty when you returned from work. ‘Hyunjin must not be home,’ you told yourself as you slipped your shoes off and set your bag on the kitchen counter. You moved towards the bedroom, entering and starting to strip as you felt like you were pulling off the weight of the day.

It had been a rough few days at work and it was starting to wear you down. Not to mention you had been doing the bulk of the housework as your boyfriend was never home anymore, always working or not being around you. It didn’t bother you like it used to. You were used to this by now.

Once you were in some clean clothes, you headed back to the kitchen to make yourself something to eat, noticing the dirty pot Hyunjin no doubt used to make ramyeon earlier. You weren’t sure why but seeing that small piece of cookware just sitting on the counter made your blood boil.

‘So he can cook and eat here but he can’t clean up after himself?’

You scoffed as you moved to the sink, picking up the pot and starting to wash it, scrubbing it with a sponge. You finished rinsing it and set it to dry as the front door opened, Hyunjin entered with a heavy sigh as he shut the door and kicked his shoes off by the door.

He started to pass the kitchen and caught sight of you standing by the sink.

“Oh, you’re home,” he said and you could detect a bite of animosity to his tone. How dare he.

You whipped around, anger taking over your form as you unloaded on him.

“Of course I’m here,” you snapped. “Where else would I be?”

Hyunjin’s brows rose for a moment before a frown appeared on his face. “I never know where you are anymore,” he snapped back. “Working, Hyunjin! I’m working! That’s all I ever do!” you shouted, throwing your hands up in frustration.

“I go to work, I bust my ass and then I come back here and I still have to work because you can’t seem to clean up after yourself!”

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?” he asked as he let his own bag fall to the ground with a thump. “I’m hardly ever here. What is there to clean up?”

“Dishes! You make yourself food and then leave the dishes sitting on the counter and I have to clean them up otherwise they will pile up!” you shouted. Hyunjin rolled his eyes, setting you off further. “I was going to clean that up,” he started. “I was just in a rush to get out of the house for a meeting. I work, too, you know.”

You could feel your blood boiling. “Oh, is that what you call it?” you asked sarcastically. “Meeting with your boss’ secretary again?” you snapped. Hyunjin groaned, rolling his eyes again. “She’s my coworker! How many times do I have to tell you, there’s nothing going on there!”

You ignored him, moving to the fridge, yanking the door open to hide him from your line of sight. You stared into the fridge at the contents, trying to figure out what to make yourself for dinner. Silence fell over the two of you before Hyunjin spoke.

“So, what’s for dinner?”

You slammed the door shut, rounding on him. “Nothing!” you spat. “You can make yourself something. I’m going to bed.”

You stormed past him, not noticing the way he turned to look at you in shock.

“But you haven’t eaten!” he called as you reached the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Hyunjin sighed and turned back to the kitchen, moving to open the door and inspect the fridge contents. He grabbed several of the items and moved to the stove, grabbing the now clean pot. He’d just make something simple and split it with you.

You laid on your side, knees curled up as silent tears flowed. You couldn’t keep doing this. It wasn’t working. You’d done nothing but fight with Hyunjin for as long as you could remember. You couldn’t remember the last time the two of you had a civil conversation.

As you laid there, a soft knock sounded on the wood of the door. You quickly wiped your eyes but remained silent. You heard the click of the latch as Hyunjin turned the knob and pushed the door open with a quiet creak.

“Y/N?” he called in a whisper. You ignored him, keeping your back turned. “I made some food. I brought yours.” You heard him enter the room fully now and move to your side of the bed. There was a gentle thud as he set presumably a bowl on the bedside table before a light clicked on.

You felt the bed dip as he sat on the edge of the mattress behind you.

“Babe,” he said softly, placing his hand gently on your arm. “You sleeping?”

You shook your head wordlessly. You felt his thumb trace soft circles against your sleeve.

“Baby,” he started, leaning over slightly. “You need to eat something.”

“M’not hungry,” you croaked. Your voice sounded awful from the silent sobbing you’d been doing since you slammed the door earlier. Hyunjin tugged you onto your back, looking down at you with concern. “Are you sick?” he asked, moving his hand to feel your forehead. You pushed his hand away.

“No,” you replied and tried to turn back over but he stopped you.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, preventing you from rolling away from him. 

“Talk to me.”

You let out a weak laugh. “Talk. Yeah, we haven’t talked in ages, Hyun.” His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” he asked, moving his hand to cup your cheek. You pushed his hand away again. “We don’t talk, Hyunjin,” you replied. “We fight. That’s all we ever do when we’re together. I can’t remember the last time we had an actual conversation that didn’t result in one of us coming in here and slamming the door.”

A look of hurt flashed over Hyunjin’s face. “It’s just a rough spot,” he murmured. “We’re both swamped with work. It’ll work itself out,” he continued. You shook your head. “No it won’t,” you replied. Hyunjin watched as you sat up before moving to take your face in his hands. “Let’s just forget it. I’m sorry,” he said softly, thumbs caressing your cheeks. “I shouldn’t have left my mess for you to clean up. I should have managed my time better.”

Your eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in, pressing a tender kiss against your lips. Normally, you would have melted into his kisses but you were too numb now, having spent the last hour in a dark room making up your mind to do what you’d been dreading to do.

But knowing it was what you needed to do.

Hyunjin pulled back to look at you. “Y/N?” he asked softly. You took a deep breath and looked up to meet his curious gaze. “Hyunjin,” you started, your heart hammering in your chest, stomach churning at what you were about to say.

“We need to break up.”

[end flashback - the present]

You blinked as the memory leading up to your break up with Hyunjin dissipated into the background as you returned to the reality in front of you. Edith was looking at you with the expression you imagined a wise old sage would give before giving some kind of ancient wisdom.

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “The way he looks at you says another story.”

Your eyes widened slightly. ‘The way he looks at me?’ you wondered. ‘What does she mean by that?’

“I don’t know what you mean,” you replied, shaking your head. Edith chuckled softly. “It just means that maybe there’s still something there, on his end.” You fell silent, thinking back to your recent interactions with Hyunjin but not finding anything that would even remotely paint the picture Edith was imagining.

That was it, she had to be imagining. Projecting hers and Lawrence’s happiness onto you and Hyunjin. There was no other explanation.

You forced a smile. “I highly doubt that,” you replied quietly, still grateful all the same. Edith sighed and shook her head. “You never know if you don’t ask,” she started. “But what do I know? I’m just an outsider, dear,” she added, moving to pat your hand before she moved to start dinner.

“Be a dear, and give me a hand,” she half asked. You nodded, standing up and moving to her side. 

“How can I help?”

“How much more wood do we need?” Hyunjin asked as he loaded another armful of firewood in his arms. “Just a few more bundles,” Lawrence answered as he started to grab pieces as well. They’d spent part of the afternoon salting the pathway from the doors to the cellar to make sure they could get down there if needed. Hyunjin had cleared the snow away with a shovel for Lawrence to follow.

They’d then spent some time chopping wood for the fireplaces just in case the power went out. Hyunjin learned a lot from Lawrence including how he and Edith met, how long they’d been married, and how long they’d lived in this house.

“Take those to the back door and come back to get one more bundle,” Lawrence instructed as Hyunjin headed towards the steps leading out of the cellar. He nodded and climbed the steps, following the shoveled path to deposit the wood by the back door.

He stopped as he stood up straight, catching a glimpse of you through the glass as you helped Edith in the kitchen, chatting away as you cooked. He watched as you threw your head back, a laugh escaping you. It was a sound he hadn’t heard in years. A sound he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss it.

He could recall plenty of times you’d both been happy in your relationship but he couldn’t seem to pinpoint the last time you’d been happy together. When you suggested breaking up, he panicked. He threw out promises to do better, to be better. He reiterated how much he loved you.

He didn’t want to lose you but ultimately he did. You offered to leave the apartment but he refused, telling you to stay and he could move in with a friend. It was a last minute situation, crashing on his friend’s couch. He stayed there until he was able to find a place of his own and came back to get his things.

[flashback - two years ago]

Hyunjin looked up at the building, letting out a sigh as he tried to calm his nerves.

He really didn’t want to do this but he had no choice. He didn’t have the money to replace his things and he was sure you were sick of having his shit in the apartment.

He finally willed himself to move, putting one foot in front of the other and entering the building. As he waited for the elevator, he contemplated chickening out and asking you to send him his stuff instead but he knew you’d be angrier than if he just showed up.

The ride up to your floor was shorter than he remembered and soon he was standing in front of your door. He raised his fist to knock but hesitated when he heard laughter coming from behind the door. It was your laughter but there was another voice as well.

His heart sank as it dawned on him that another man might be in the apartment with you. Suddenly chickening out and facing your wrath seemed like an easier option than facing whatever was waiting for him behind the door. Seeing as he’d already made the trip here, he knocked three times, his knuckles feeling sore at the force he put behind it.

There was a moment of silence before he heard the familiar click of the lock turning before the door opened and your face appeared. Each time Hyunjin saw you, it took his breath away. You were still just as beautiful as the day he left, even more so because you looked healthier.

Happier.

“I uh, came to get the rest of my stuff,” he murmured softly. You nodded, taking a step back and pulling the door open for him. Inside the apartment was unrecognizable. What was once your shared space had changed. The furniture was gone, boxes taped shut and labeled stacked neatly against the wall.

The cabinets had been emptied and cleaned. Standing in the kitchen was a man Hyunjin had never seen before. He stared at the man as he cleaned the stove, making sure to scrub the surface well. He turned and met Hyunjin’s gaze. You must have noticed Hyunjin’s reluctance to move because you moved to introduce the man.

“This is my coworker, Minho,” you explained. ‘Coworker?’ Panic spread throughout his body. Had he been correct in assuming you were sleeping around behind his back? Footsteps pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to find yet another man entering the living room, carrying another box.

“That’s everything from the bedroom,” he announced as he carried the box over to the others along the wall and set it down. Hyunjin eyed the second man before glancing at you for confirmation. “And this is Minho’s partner, Jisung,” you added, gesturing to the second man who smiled warmly.

‘Partner? So you hadn’t been sleeping with your coworker?’

“Uh, hi,” Hyunjin answered meekly. When did he become so soft-spoken? Especially around you? The break up had really done a number on him. His confidence had dropped drastically and he’d been a mess. He spent a lot of the first week crying himself to sleep on his friend’s couch. He couldn’t even find it in him to be angry. He just wanted you back.

“Your boxes are over here,” you said, beckoning to follow you and leading him to the corner of the living room opposite the door. “I made sure to keep them separate from mine and I went ahead and labeled them so you’d know what’s in them,” you explained. Hyunjin’s heart skipped a beat. Even now, you were still looking out for him. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble,” Hyunjin said softly.

You shook your head, dismissing his concern with your hand. “I had to label mine anyway, so it wasn’t any trouble. Do you need help carrying them down to your car?” you asked, looking up at him. He almost shook his head but was interrupted by the man in your kitchen, Minho. “Ji’s done bringing the boxes from the kitchen, he can help you carry your stuff down,” he offered, looking at Jisung who smiled and nodded. “Yeah,” Jisung replied, walking over to where the two of you stood.

“Then we can load your stuff up,” Jisung added, turning to look at you. “We still have to set up your room,” he added with a nudge. Hyunjin looked between the two of you, a brow raised. “Her room?” he asked subtly. Jisung nodded. “Y/N’s moving into our spare bedroom and helping with rent!”

You smiled sheepishly at Jisung, turning to catch the look on Hyunjin’s face. He looked confused. “I tried to find an apartment,” you explained. “But nothing was in my price range.”

Hyunjin felt guilty even though he knew it wasn’t his fault. He hadn’t expected you to leave the apartment but then again, he should have guessed it would happen as it was far out of your range alone. “I see,” he said softly. “Let’s get these down to your car,” Jisung said, breaking the awkward tension and picking up a couple boxes.

Hyunjin moved to grab one as Minho finished cleaning the stove. “There,” he said with a smug smile. “There’s no way you aren’t getting back that deposit,” he continued, sending a wink your way. Hyunjin continued walking, following Jisung to the elevator which was thankfully still on the floor.

The ride down was silent as neither wanted to be the one to speak first. Silently, the two carried the boxes out to Hyunjin’s car that was waiting by the curb. “Where d’you want these?” Jisung asked as Hyunjin unlocked the car, balancing the box in his arms against his chest. “Just in the backseat,” Hyunjin replied.

The two silently loaded the car and went back for more.

On the ride up in the elevator, Hyunjin finally spoke. “Make sure she eats,” he said softly, not looking at Jisung. From his periphery, he could tell the man had turned his head to look at him. “Sometimes she gets so engrossed in her work she forgets to eat. And make sure she takes her medicine. She forgets that sometimes, too.” Jisung said nothing, nodding instead wordlessly.

Upon entering the apartment, Hyunjin found you standing alone by the window, looking out over the city.

He walked over silently, grabbing a box as Jisung grabbed the last box and headed out into the hall. Hyunjin stared at you, the realization that this would be the last time he ever saw you dawning on him. He needed to say something. Say anything. He just needed you to look at him one last time.

“Y/N,” he said suddenly. You turned to look at him, tearing your gaze away from the window.

The two of you stood there, unmoving as you stared at one another, silence falling over you.

This was it. Hyunjin needed to say something. To tell you one last time how much he loved you.

His voice faltered and the words slipped from his grasp. You offered him a kind smile.

“Good luck, Hyunjin,” you said softly. “Live a good life.”

Hyunjin hesitated, his words failing him yet again before he uttered a simple “you, too.”

He turned away, forcing himself to head for the door despite his heart telling him to go back. Go back to you and bed for your forgiveness. To beg for a second chance. To pull you into a hug, hold you in his arms one last time. Kiss you and tell you he loved you and always would.

But instead of doing any of that, he went down to his car, throwing the last of the boxes with his shit in them, thanking Jisung, and getting into the driver’s seat. He drove straight to his apartment and sat in the quiet car as he fought the urge to cry. To sob. To scream. To do anything.

Just like that, you were gone from his life and he would never see you again.

[end flashback - the present]

Hyunjin forced himself to turn away from the door and head back down into the cellar. Lawrence had finished collecting a pile of wood and smiled as Hyunjin started to collect more. “Once you’re done, meet me inside and we’ll put the firewood in the holder and I can show you how to light one.”

Hyunjin nodded wordlessly as he gathered wood, listening to the sound of Lawrence retreating. He was trying to make sense of everything. Meeting you again like this two years after your break up. It had to mean something but Hyunjin wasn’t sure what it meant.

Was it pure coincidence? Was the universe giving him a second chance? Did it mean nothing and just that the two of you were sharing the same group of friends? He had too many questions and none of the answers.

Hyunjin climbed the stairs out of the cellar one last time, using his foot to close the door before heading to the backdoor and climbing onto the stoop where he kicked off the snow on his boots. He struggled to open the door and felt relieved when it opened for him, bringing him face to face with you.

You smiled warmly at him. “Saw you struggling out here,” you explained as you stepped back, holding the door open for him to enter. Hyunjin thanked you, making sure to wipe his feet and moving over to where Lawrence was ready to take the wood.

With his hands free, Hyunjin was able to remove his shoes and cold weather gear before walking over to where Lawrence was crouched by the fire. Hyunjin joined him, glancing back over his shoulder at you as you helped Edith in the kitchen.

“She seems like a lovely young lady,” Lawrence said softly, drawing Hyunjin’s focus away from you. He met the older man’s eyes and cleared his throat. “Yeah,” Hyunjin replied. “She is,” he added. “I sense some hesitation?” Lawrence asked, Hyunjin nodding silently.

“She’s my ex-girlfriend,” Hyunjin said softly, a sadness falling over him like the flurries of snow outside. Lawrence was silent for a moment before speaking. “How long ago did it end?” he asked as he grabbed a few logs of firewood and placed them in the hearth.

“Two years,” Hyunjin replied, not daring to look back at you for fear that you were watching them.

“How long were you together?”

“Six years,” Hyunjin answered. He heard Lawrence click his tongue as he grabbed a canister of fuel. “Two years isn’t a long time,” he muttered as he flipped the cap and poured a generous amount of the fuel onto the logs and set it aside. “Not nearly enough time to undo everything that happens in six.”

Hyunjin let out a sigh. “We fought a lot,” he explained. “Too much if I’m honest.” Lawrence nodded as he pulled out a box of matches and handed them to Hyunjin. “Fights happen,” he replied. “Lord knows Edith and I have had our fair share over the course of our relationship. There were times I was sure we wouldn’t last.” Hyunjin looked at him with wide eyes.

“All I’m saying is that it seems like the universe has given you a second chance. You just have to make sure you strike hard and true,” he added, tapping on the box of matches. Hyunjin glanced down at the box and opened it quickly, pulling out a match. He scraped the end against the side of the box, lighting the match easily. 

Lawrence nodded at the hearth and Hyunjin tossed the match into the fuel soaked firewood which caught quickly. Lawrence used a poker to push the logs around to make sure the fire spread evenly before grabbing the cover and placing it in front of the open hearth.

“Let’s see if they need a hand in the kitchen,” Lawrence said with a smile, gesturing towards the kitchen where you and Edith were still cooking away. Hyunjin hesitated, looking at you as you tested a sauce you were making. You let Edith try some and he couldn’t help the smile that started to spread when Edith nodded and smiled, turning back to her project.

Hyunjin walked over behind Lawrence who stopped at the kitchen island. “You two look like you’re having way too much fun,” he stated sternly. “We’re just cooking,” Edith replied as she turned over the food in the skillet. “Y/N here has a talent for it.”

Hyunjin nodded, leaning against the counter. “Yeah, she does,” he said softly. Your eyes lifted to meet his and he could have sworn time stood still. The two of you staring at one another as if nothing else in the world existed. His heart hammered in his chest and just as quickly as it started, you looked away and time started up again, the sounds of cooking returning.

“Well,” Lawrence asked, leaning over to see into the skillet his wife was using. “Need a hand?”

After Edith effectively kicked her husband out of the kitchen, Hyunjin in tow, the two worked to make sure all the windows were locked and shutters shut for the incoming storm. The last thing the couple needed was a broken window from wind.

Once Hyunjin was certain the windows in the spare bedroom were shut tight and locked, he started for the door, stopping to look at your bag lying innocently in the chair in the corner of the room. The urge to look through it crossed his mind but as he moved over, he simply closed it and headed back to the door, turning off the light and heading for the stairs.

Downstairs, Lawrence was helping transfer the prepared food over to the table as you filled water glasses. Lawrence sat in his usual spot with Edith to his left. Hyunjin took a seat across from Lawrence, thanking you as you set a glass of water in front of him. You smiled at him before pouring another glass and setting it down in front of your place.

You turned away and Hyunjin forced himself to look away and not follow your movements.

Once you took your seat, Lawrence said grace and you started to help Edith serve the food. Hyunjin couldn’t help but feel like his life could have been like this had your relationship gone in a different direction. “Thanks,” he murmured as you handed him his plate, loaded with food.

Edith made you sit so she could serve you, which you protested against but eventually gave in, taking your seat and thanking her when your plate was also full. The four of you ate mostly in silence, only answering questions when asked. “Did you get a lot of firewood chopped?” Edith asked her husband.

Lawrence nodded, swallowing his bite. “We did. Hyunjin is a natural at chopping,” he added, giving Hyunjin a smile. “Oh no,” Hyunjin said with a shake of his head. “I was struggling a lot,” he added with a chuckle. “Nonsense,” Lawrence replied. “You did a lot better than most.”

Hyunjin thanked Lawrence for his compliment, returning his focus to his food.

The rest of dinner followed in mostly silence until no one else could anymore. “We’ll do the dishes,” Lawrence announced. “You ladies relax.” Edith lightly hit Lawrence with her napkin. “Sit,” she said in faux sternness. “Could you clean up the leftovers, Y/N?” she asked and you nodded, getting to your feet quickly. Edith cleared the plates as you packed away the leftovers and put them in the fridge before grabbing the rest of the dishes and moving to help her.

Hyunjin stared at you from his seat, watching you with a fond expression as you took the rinsed dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. Once this task was complete, you returned to the table with two small plates each with a slice of pie. You set one down in front of Lawrence who chuckled. “When did you make this?” he asked his wife. “I didn’t,” she replied.

“Y/N did.”

You smiled as you moved around to set the other plate in front of Hyunjin. “Cherry cobbler pie?” he asked, looking up to meet your gaze. You nodded slowly. “You remember?” you asked him softly and he nodded. “Of course. It was my favorite.”

Your cheeks burned as you turned away.

You knew Hyunjin had always loved the pies you liked to experiment with and bake but you never expected him to remember the Cherry Cobbler Pie. You returned to grab the other two slices, setting one down for Edith before taking your seat and setting your plate down.

Edith joined the table moments later and the four of you dug in. Edith smiled after the first bite. “So it’s a cherry pie?” she asked. You shook your head, your mouth still full. “It’s a mix between a cobbler and a pie,” Hyunjin explained. “She makes the bottom a pie crust but the top is a streusel.”

You looked up at him, eyes wide. He gave you a smile before taking another bite.

“You’ve had this before?” Edith asked with a knowing smile. Hyunjin nodded, swallowing. “I was the first to try it,” he replied. “I was there the day she made it.” You looked down at your slice, a lump forming in your throat. Just how much of these little things did he remember? You were certain he didn’t remember any of it. After the day he left and the way he left the apartment the day he picked up his stuff.

After dessert, you offered to do the rest of the dishes alone to let Edith rest. Hyunjin was quick to join you, getting up and offering a helping hand. You stood in the kitchen, side by side as you rinsed the dishes and handed them to him to put in the dishwasher.

Hyunjin glanced back at the living room where Edith and Lawrence were sitting together on the sofa, the tv playing quietly in the background. He turned back, catching sight of you as you rinsed the dishes silently and handed them to him. It wasn’t awkward or hostile. It was a comfortable silence.

The snow outside had started to pick up more and the sun had completely set by the time dinner was ready. “Are you tired?” Hyunjin asked you suddenly, breaking the silence but only enough for you to hear him. You looked up to meet his gaze. You nodded. “Today was exhausting,” you replied, turning your attention back to the dishes. “I can’t even imagine how tired you are from chopping firewood and hauling it in here,” you continued.

Hyunjin shrugged. “It’s not that bad,” he replied.

You shut off the water as you handed him the last of the dishes and removed the gloves, setting them aside to dry as Hyunjin finished filling the dishwasher and shut it. He turned to look at you. “Do you want to go to bed?” he asked. “It’s okay,” you shook your head. “I can tough it out.”

Hyunjin chuckled at your determination. “You can go to bed,” he said softly. His hand twitched as he resisted the urge to reach up and caress your cheek as he would have done in the past. Before the break up. Before the fights. Back to a time when you were both happy.

“Would you like to watch a movie?” Edith’s voice called and you staved off a yawn. “Sure!” you called back and turned away from Hyunjin, walking over to the living room. You took a seat on the other sofa, Hyunjin occupying the space beside you.

Lawrence started the movie and you tried to focus on it instead of Hyunjin’s body next to yours. A cold chill ran up your spine and Hyunjin quickly grabbed a blanket, pulling it over your laps as he settled back beside you.

About halfway through the movie, your eyes fluttered shut as sleep overtook you.

Hyunjin noticed you were sleeping when you gently slumped over against him. He moved his arm around your shoulders, allowing you to sleep as he kept his eyes on the TV screen but he couldn’t help glancing down, admiring your peaceful expression as you slept.

When the movie ended, Edith and Lawrence chuckled softly at the sight of you fast asleep against Hyunjin. “I’ll take her upstairs,” he said softly, pulling the blanket gently from your laps. “Y/N,” he said softly, giving you a gentle shake until you started to rouse.

“The movie’s over,” Hyunjin said softly. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs.”

Once he finally got you on your feet, Hyunjin guided you to the stairs, calling goodnight to your hosts before he started the arduous task of helping you climb the stairs in your half-asleep state. Once at the top of the stairs, he guided you to the bedroom and shut the door.

He dug out your pajamas from your bag and set them on the bed. “I’ll give you some privacy,” he announced, moving to the door. He went to the bathroom to do his business and when he returned, he was relieved that you managed to change your clothes. He quickly changed his pants when your back was turned, pulling his shirt off as his mind wandered.

“They really love each other,” Hyunjin said as he pulled his sleeping shirt over his head. You glanced up at him from your spot on the bed. “Yeah,” you murmured, looking away as Hyunjin turned, making his way to his side of the bed. “They really do.”

You felt the mattress dip behind you as Hyunjin sat down, pulling the covers over as he laid down. You hesitated. Could you share a bed with him after the thoughts and memories you did earlier? You shook your head, mentally willing the thoughts away and laid down, your back to your ex.

You murmured a goodnight, reaching up and turning the bedside lamp off, plunging the room into darkness. Silence fell over the two of you as you tried to force yourself to fall asleep. 

“Y/N?” Hyunjin’s voice broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. “Hmm?” you hummed.

“...do you miss it?” Your eyes popped open and you rolled over onto your back to look back at Hyunjin. “Miss what?” you asked, though you had a sinking suspicion what he was going to say.

“Us.” ‘There it is.’

You hesitated, taking a deep breath before answering him. “Hyunjin,” you started.

“We broke up for a reason.” He fell silent, letting your words sink in before he spoke.

“I know,” he answered. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss things.”

“Miss what? The arguments? The constant fighting?”

Hyunjin turned his head to look at you. “Is that all you remember?” he asked softly, looking mildly surprised. You shrugged. “It’s hard to remember anything else,” you admitted. Hyunjin turned onto his side to face you. “You want to know what I remember?” he asked, his voice still just above a whisper.

“What?” you asked, wondering what he could possibly remember from your relationship.

“I remember that old run down truck you used to have and how we used to go ‘camping’ where we’d throw an inflatable mattress in the bed and take blankets and pillows. Then we’d drive out to an old abandoned field and watch the stars.”

Your heart skipped a beat as the memory came to the forefront of your mind.

Your old black beat up pickup truck. The paint was peeling in places and part of the bed was rusted but you refused to get rid of it until the engine eventually quit. The camping had been Hyunjin’s idea. You’d had a bad day at work and managed to score the next two days off and Hyunjin decided to go to the store, making you drive. He grabbed the mattress and some other essentials.

He instructed you where to drive and where to park before getting out and setting up the mattress in the bed and grabbing the pillows and blankets he dragged from your apartment. He then made you get into the back with him. That night, you lay under the blanket of darkness, looking up at the sparkling stars and just existed. No worries, no talking.

It was one of the few times you and Hyunjin hadn’t fought.

“That was also the first night I said I loved you,” Hyunjin added softly, pulling you from your thoughts. You stared at him in silence, too shocked to say anything. “I also remember the time you tried to make french toast,” he continued, a chuckle slipping out. “And you burnt everything to a crisp!”

He was laughing now and you lightly slapped his shoulder. “Lawrence and Edith are sleeping!” you hissed but couldn’t stop the smile that started to spread across your face. You remembered that moment, too. “It tasted awful!” Hyunjin added. You rolled your eyes.

“I told you that you didn’t have to eat it!” you reminded him. “My girlfriend went out of her way to make me breakfast in bed. How could I not eat it?” The mention of the word girlfriend made your heart jump again. You stared at him, the only light being from the flood light outside reflecting off the snow.

Hyunjin pushed himself up onto his elbow to see your face better. “I miss that,” he replied. “Miss what? My cooking mishaps?” you asked with a scoff. Hyunjin chuckled but shook his head, reaching a hand out to cup your cheek. “Calling you my girlfriend,” he replied softly. You stared up at him, heat radiating from his palm against your cheek. “Hyun,” you whisper.

You needed to stop him. ‘This is dangerous territory. You’re sharing a bed in an elderly couple’s home in the middle of a snowstorm.’ “What?” he asked softly, leaning closer, hovering over you now. ‘We shouldn’t,’ part of you wanted to say. ‘We can’t.’ You had to stop him but part of you didn’t want to.

So instead, you said nothing, instead staring up at him silently. Hyunjin’s eyes dipped down to look at your lips once before he leaned in, closing the distance and pressing his lips against yours. You accepted the gesture, arms snaking around his neck and pulling him closer.

You knew this shouldn’t happen but what was one last time?

Hyunjin pulled back, lips just inches from yours. “Y/N,” he murmured, his hand moving to your waist. “Maybe we shouldn’t--”

You cut him off with another kiss, this time pulling him over you. Hyunjin followed your movements, careful not to put his weight on you as he settled between your thighs. “Fuck,” Hyunjin groaned, rolling his hips against yours, eliciting a moan from you.

His lips left a trail of kisses down the side of your neck, stopping to nip at the spot where your shoulder met your neck. Your thighs tightened around his waist, another mewl leaving your lips. You felt his hand push your shirt up, immediately taking one of your nipples into his mouth, tongue circling it as he sucked. “H-Hyunjin,” you whispered. He pulled back, looking at you with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. “Nothing,” you breathed, moving a hand up to grip his hair, guiding his head back down to your chest. “Just feels good.” Hyunjin wasted no time, taking your nipple back on his mouth, one of his hands tucked under your back against the mattress while the other trailed down your body, sneaking between your bodies as he fumbled to push your shorts and underwear aside.

You let out another moan as his fingers found your slick entrance, tracing it before spreading your lips and finding your clit. “I forgot how wet you get,” Hyunjin groaned. “I could just slide right in.”

As if to demonstrate his point, he eased one of his fingers into you, almost with a sigh as if it brought him some sort of relief. “Fuck, baby,” he hissed, slowly pumping his finger in and out of you, adding a second slowly and marveling at the way your walls sucked him in.

“Fuck, I’ve missed this,” he murmured, lips leaving your chest to meet yours in a sloppy kiss. You moaned into his lips as his fingers continued to move, scissoring you open. It had been so long since you’d had sex with anyone that you were sure the last time you did was with Hyunjin before your inevitable break up.

But now, it was like no time had passed. Hyunjin still knew your body just like he did before. He knew what you liked and didn’t like as it hadn’t had time to change. It wasn’t like the first time you ever had sex with him. He wasn’t a nervous wreck, murmuring a sorry every five minutes.

He was a practiced lover, having had years to get accustomed to your body and you to his.

You let out a whine as Hyunjin pulled his fingers from your cunt, pressing a tender kiss against your collar before bringing his fingers to his mouth, cleaning them of your arousal. “Hyun,” you started but he cut you off with another kiss, groaning as you tasted yourself on his tongue.

He started to kiss his way down your neck again, down your chest and stomach as he reached the waistband of your shorts. He pulled them down, pulling your panties along with them and discarding them on the floor. He continued to kiss down your exposed skin until his head was between your thighs.

He pressed a quick kiss to your thigh before diving into you, spreading your folds and giving your sex a slow lick, almost groaning at the taste. You felt his lips wrap around your clit and you gasped out a moan, louder than you had intended.

“Shh,” Hyunjin whispered, lifting his head to look at you. “We have to keep it down,” he added. You nodded, murmuring out an apology. Hyunjin’s head dipped down, tongue flattening against your clit once more. Your hands snaked down, fingers curling in his hair as his tongue teased you closer and closer to the edge.

You warned him you were close and regretted it immediately as he pulled back. “Not yet,” he growled as you whined, trying to push his head back down. “Wanna cum together.” You sat up and pushed him down onto the bed, ignoring the squeaking of the frame as you struggled to pull his pants down.

Hyunjin fought the urge to laugh at your impatience as you managed to pull his pants and underwear down just enough to free his cock from its confines. The laughter died before he could even let it out when he felt your fingers wrap around his cock. He shuddered as you spit on the tip, using it to lubricate your movements, stroking him quickly.

“Shit, baby,” Hyunjin hissed. “Slow down.”

You hummed in response but didn’t listen to his request. You added more spit and continued to pump your hand, looking up to meet his heated gaze. Your lips curled into a smirk and he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare,” he hissed, knowing the look in your eye.

“Then fuck me already.”

Hyunjin grabbed your wrist, pulled your hand off him and pushed you onto your back, settling between your thighs as he took his length in his own hand, guiding the tip to your slit. “Only because you asked so nicely,” he murmured as he rubbed against you before pushing into you.

“Oh, shit!” you gasped as he slid into you. You glanced up at him, taking in his messy hair and flushed cheeks. His lips were swollen from your kisses, still glistening from tasting you earlier. You tugged at the base of his shirt, drawing his attention as he bottomed out.

“Off,” you whined. Hyunjin chuckled, grabbing his shirt and pulling it off, tossing it aside before he leaned over, placing his hands on either side of your head on the mattress. His hips pulled back only slightly before giving you a measure thrusts, making sure there wasn’t any restriction or discomfort.

“I’m fine,” you gasped, grabbing his bicep and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Just move, please.”

Hyunjin took your pleas to heart, snapping his hips and driving his cock into you. You moaned as softly as you could manage. Hyunjin set a firm but steady pace, losing himself in the feeling of your warm walls enveloping him, fluttering as each thrust pushed you towards the edge.

“Slowly,” he reminded himself verbally. “Wanna cum together.”

You whined as he slowed to a roll, the head of his cock brushing against the spongy soft spot inside you. “Oh fuck, Hyunjin!” 

Hyunjin gave you a lopsided grin as he aimed for the same spot. “Right there, yeah?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

“Feels good when I fuck you, doesn’t it?” he asked, keeping his eyes on your face as he watched it contort in pleasure. “Only I know how to properly fuck you, isn’t that right?” You nodded, letting out a mewl as he slammed into you, punctuating his words.

“Say it, baby. I need to hear it.”

“Only you can fuck me right, Hyun.”

You heard him groan as his hips stuttered. “Only you,” you added for good measure.

“Shit, that’s right,” Hyunjin whispered, his voice barely audible of the sound of his cock pistoning in and out of you, a thin layer of sweat starting to collect on his skin from exertion. “Remember how you used to beg me for audio of me getting myself off?” he asked suddenly.

You did remember. You had told him early on in your sex life that you loved it when your partners moaned so Hyunjin would send you audio of him moaning as he touched himself. You saved almost all of them but deleted them after the break up.

“Used to love listening to me, didn’t you?”

You nodded, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth. Hyunjin let out a moan, slowing his hips to a roll again, making you feel almost every inch of his cock. “God, you’re squeezing me so tight, baby,” he said as his head dropped into the crook of your neck, punctuating his next sentence with thrusts. 

“So,” thrust. “Fucking,” thrust. “Tight,” thrust.

Your walls clenched around him, making him slow in an attempt to prolong his own orgasm. He wanted to indulge in you a little longer because he knew at some point this would end and you would eventually go your own ways but he wasn’t ready for that just yet. He needed to make this last as long as he could.

“Hyunnie,” you whined, hips moving to meet his, desperate for more friction. Hyunjin lifted his head, reaching a hand up to cup your cheek as he took your lips in a passionate kiss. “Faster, please,” you begged against his lips. Hyunjin couldn’t resist when you begged him, your voice breathless as he filled you with his cock over and over.

But he needed to. “Shhh,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against yours, eyes fluttering shut as he rolled his hips again. “Just enjoy it,” he added, pressing a quick kiss to your lips, chuckling when you chased him for more.

“I promise I’ll fuck you real good, sweetheart,” he continued. “Just let me enjoy this.”

You fell silent, looking up at his face, eyes shut as he focused. “Hyun,” you whined, trying to get him to look at you. “Please baby,” you cooed. You knew he normally couldn’t resist the plea in the past, not when you called him baby. His lips twitched as he fought off a smile.

“Not going to work, angel,” he replied softly, slowing his hips entirely and stilling inside you. You whined in protest, trying to move your hips but strong hands held you in place. “If you don’t stop that, I won’t let you cum at all,” Hyunjin warned. Your brows rose as you contemplated fighting him.

Finally, you huffed and admitted defeat. “Fine.”

Hyunjin leaned in, pressing his lips to your forehead. “Good girl,” he murmured, not missing the way you clenched around him. “Such a good girl for me,” he continued, taking full advantage of your weakness. “Doing so good and taking me so well.”

You whined again. “Hyunjin!” you whimpered. He leaned in, pressing his lips to yours again, one hand finding one of yours and lacing his fingers with yours. He pinned your hand against the pillows, lifting his hips and uttered a single warning in your ear.

“Don’t scream,” he whispered.

You didn’t have the chance to ask what he was talking about when the first thrust knocked the air out of your lungs. He’d held back earlier and you knew he did but now he wasn’t going to. Your moans turned into cries, rising in volume and pitch. Hyunjin hissed, moving his free hand to cover your mouth as he pounded into you.

“I told you not to scream,” he muttered as he muffled your screams, his hips slamming against yours. “Fuck,” Hyunjin groaned. “M’gonna cum. You close, baby?” You nodded, moaning loudly against his hand. “That’s it, baby,” Hyunjin said breathlessly. “Let go and cum for me.”

Your walls contracted around his cock, your toes curling as stars exploded in your vision, a searing white hot feeling spread throughout your body from your fingertips to your toes. At the same moment, you felt Hyunjin’s cock twitch inside you, signifying his own orgasm. His teeth sank into your shoulder as he came with a groan, spilling his hot load into you as his hips continued to move, fucking it further into you.

“Oh shit,” he gasped as he fucked the last of his release into you before his hips finally stilled and he let out a heavy sigh. You pushed his hand off your mouth, breaths coming out in pants as you tried to come down from your high. You felt Hyunjin pull out of you carefully, his seed starting to spill out onto the sheets.

“Ah, shit,” he cursed, rolling out of bed and hurrying to pull his pants back on. He disappeared and returned a moment later with a towel and started to wipe your thighs and clean the cum off the bed sheets. “I think I was quick enough,” he murmured.

Once he was certain he’d gotten it all, he helped you back into your panties and shorts, pulling the blankets back over the two of you as you settled against the mattress, him beside you. “Y/N?” you heard him ask softly and opened your eyes, rolling back to look at him. “Hmm?” you replied.

Hyunjin turned his head to look at you. “Can I hold you?”

Your heart skipped a beat and you nodded, turning back over as Hyunjin scooted into position behind you, one arm snaking under your head beneath the pillow and the other going around your waist. You felt his chest press against your back and felt a warmth envelop you.

The two of you were silent for a moment before Hyunjin spoke. “I miss you,” he muttered into your hair, almost too quiet for you to hear but you did hear it. “Hyunjin,” you started but he tightened his arm around your waist. “Please, let me finish,” he begged. You fell silent and nodded.

“I miss you so much, Y/N. Ever since that last day in the apartment. The day I came to get my stuff. I had the opportunity to tell you how much I loved you. And I messed up,” he fell silent and you waited, hearing him swallow the lump in his throat.

“I messed up so bad, baby. I know that. Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve done. I loved you so much that not being with you nearly killed me. I stopped leaving my apartment, I stopped going to work, I stopped eating. The only thing that numbed the pain was drinking and it only worked for so long.”

Your breath caught as you listened to Hyunjin. “Please believe when I say that I’m not blaming you. Everything that happened to me was my own fault. I guess I just didn’t want to live without you. When I lost my job and then my apartment and was back on my friend’s couch, it finally hit me that I couldn’t wallow in my misery. I had to go on. You had told me to live a good life and I wasn’t doing that. So I sought help,” he continued.

“I got clean, found a better job, moved into my own place, and started living that life you told me to live. Because you told me to live a good life, I got to meet you again.” You blinked away tears as Hyunjin spoke, not wanting to give into the emotions you’d been trying to suppress.

“The universe brought us together again and I feel like it was for a reason,” he continued to speak softly. “I believe in second chances. I know you do, too. I want us to try again. We’re not the same people we were eight years ago,” he hesitated and you took this as a moment for you to speak.

“I don’t know what to say, Hyunjin,” you whispered. “This is a lot of information to throw at me at once.”

Hyunjin nodded, pressing a kiss to the back of your head. “I know,” he murmured. “But I loved you, Y/N. I still love you. I regret everyday I didn’t spend reminding you of that.” You took a deep breath and turned over to look up at him. “Can we talk about this another time?” you asked, blinking away the burning in the corners of your eyes. Hyunjin moved his hand to cup your cheek and nodded.

“Of course,” he replied. “Whatever you want.” Your eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in to press a kiss to your lips. He pulled back and you turned back to face forward as he wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you snug against him.

You closed your eyes and sighed, hoping sleep would come sooner rather than later.

The next morning Hyunjin awoke to find light filtering into the bedroom. He groggily opened his eyes and looked around the room. Your side of the bed was empty and he sat up, checking the time on his watch. He dressed in silence. He headed down the stairs, looking for any sign of life.

Upon entering the kitchen he found Edith sitting at the table with a mug of coffee. She looked up and smiled as Hyunjin looked around. “There’s breakfast in the microwave for you,” she said, getting up and walking over to open the door on the appliance, pulling out a plate and guiding him to sit at the table.

Hyunjin’s heart started to pound as he looked around but saw no sight of you anywhere. “Where’s Y/N?” he asked, looking up at Edith who patted him on the back, gesturing for him to eat. “She caught a cab early this morning,” Edith said softly. “Said she had important business to attend to.”

Hyunjin’s stomach sank. ‘You left? After last night? After everything? You just…left?’ He looked down at the plate, the corners of his eyes burning, Blinking the urge to cry away he composed himself and looked up. “Where’s Lawrence?” he asked suddenly. “Oh, he went to dig your car out of the snow! A neighbor came to help him pull the car out of the ditch but they needed to dig it out first.”

Hyunjin nodded wordlessly and ate in silence while Edith read something on her tablet.

Once he was finished, Edith took his plate and started rinsing it off. As she was putting it in the dishwasher, the front door opened and moments later, Lawrence appeared, dressed in a thick winter coat, coveralls, and boots.

He had a black wool hat jammed onto his head and smiled at Hyunjin as he pulled his mask down.

“Good news!” he said excitedly. Hyunjin perked up immediately, the irrational side of his brain hoping you had returned. Instead he was greeted with news that his car was now dug out and waiting in the driveway for him. Hyunjin forced a smile, thanking Lawrence.

“And they’ve been by to clear the roads,” Edith added, turning to Hyunjin with a smile. Hyunjin thanked them both and headed up to gather his things. As he moved around the room, he noticed the towel he’d used the night prior to clean up the mess you’d both made in the bed.

Hyunjin grimaced and decided to pull the sheets and tuck them up in a wad to carry down to put in the wash himself so he didn’t have to explain to Edith what it was staining her nice floral sheets. Once he was certain he had all his things, Hyunjin headed downstairs, dropping his bag by the front door before walking into the living room where Lawrence was warming up by the fire and Edith working on some form of needle work, possibly crochet, Hyunjin wasn’t sure.

She looked up as he walked over. “I wanted to get these in the laundry for you,” Hyunjin explained. “Oh that’s okay, dear,” she said as she set her work aside and got up. “I can do it,” she added, reaching for the bundle. Hyunjin internally cringed and pulled back slightly. “It’s okay. I’ve already got it in my hands. Just point me in the right direction,” he replied.

Edith gave him a knowing smile and pointed to the laundry room off the kitchen. Hyunjin thanked her and moved to open the door, opening the washing machine and dumping the sheets and blankets and towel into the drum. He added some soap and fabric softener before setting the timer and starting the machine.

Back in the living room, he found Edith back in her spot and Lawrence now sitting in his armchair with a newspaper. Hyunjin cleared his throat, catching both their attention and they looked up at him.

“Well,” he started awkwardly. “I think I’ll head out,” he continued. “We’ll walk you out,” Lawrence said, setting his newspaper aside and getting to his feet as Edith set her project aside and got up as well. Hyunjin walked towards the door with the couple following. He pulled on his coat, wrapping his scarf around his neck before tugging his beanie on.

“Walk him to his car,” Edith whispered, lightly hitting her husband’s chest. He moved to get his coat but Hyunjin stopped him. “Really, it’s okay,” Hyunjin reassured them. “You’ve done so much for Y/N and I.” Hyunjin pulled on his shoes and grabbed his bag.

“You’ve gone above and beyond what anyone else would do,” he continued. “Even though Y/N isn’t here to thank you, I’m thanking you for her.”

Edith smiled at him. “She already thanked us,” she explained. “Oh, she left a note!” she added when she noticed the confused expression on Hyunjin’s face and moved into the kitchen before returning with a paper note and handing it to Hyunjin. He read the writing on the sheet which he recognized as yours.

‘So she left a note,’ he told himself, forcing a smile as he handed it back. “That was nice of her,” he said shortly. Edith smiled, producing an envelope. “She also left this and asked me to give it to you,” she added, holding out the envelope. Hyunjin took it curiously and thanked her.

“Drive carefully!” Edith said as Hyunjin opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, his bag slung over his shoulder. “And no more driving into ditches,” Lawrence joked. Hyunjin laughed and nodded. “I’ll do my best. Thank you so much for everything,” Hyunjin said again and with a wave, he carefully made his way down the steps and started the trek back towards the road.

He was halfway down the driveway when his black sedan came into view and he smiled, picking up the pace as he hurried to his car. He unlocked the door and after tugging a couple times, managed to break the ice and pull the door open. He got in, kicking the snow off his shoes and dumping his bag onto the front seat. He shut the door and looked around.

Everything seemed in order. He said a little prayer before turning the engine over and the car surprisingly roared to life, Hyunjin cheering with an excited laugh. He immediately turned the dials and got the defroster and heater working. He pulled his hat off and threw it into the passenger seat. As he shed more layers, he caught sight of the envelope and stared at it for a few moments.

What could you have possibly needed to say that you could haven’t waited to tell him?

Hyunjin fought with himself on whether or not to read it, going back and forth until he finally grabbed the letter with a groan and opened it. At least he’d have something to do while he waited for his car to warm up. He pulled the letter out and unfolded it, eyes scanning the sheet before him.

Hyunjin, I’m sorry for leaving like this. I know it’s wrong and makes it seem like I’m running from my problems and maybe I am but I can’t give you an answer. I know it’s not what you want to hear but I’m just not sure.  I’m not sure of anything anymore. I thought I was okay and that I was over you but seeing you at the party and then getting stranded and having to share a bed and then what happened last night. It feels like things happened so fast and I didn’t have time to catch up. I couldn’t process it all in a few hours.  I need more time.  I need to think about everything you said and what’s going on in my own mind. There’s a lot for both of us to think about although you made it pretty clear where your mind is last night. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still feel something for you because I do. I do feel something for you and it scares me. I didn’t want to make a decision in the heat of the moment and come to regret it so instead I’m going to take some time to think.  I also want to thank you. For offering to give me a ride home, even if we did get stranded. It wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened. And thank you for opening up to me and being honest with me. I’ve seen a much different side of you. One that reminds me of the man you were when we first met. I don’t want to use up all of Edith’s letter paper so I’ll end with this: Don’t hesitate to reach out and when I’m ready, I’ll contact you. xxx-xxx-xxxx

Hyunjin’s vision blurred and he hastily wiped the tears from his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips.

For the first time since the car slid off the road the other night, he felt something he hadn’t felt in years.

He felt hopeful.

ⓘ Graphics made by me. Content and support banners made using a template by cafekitsune. I do allow reposts, translations, or continuations of my works. All writing and graphics are ©️ kwanisms.