#taeyong imagine

[softsan]

˚ 🥀⊹ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋, 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄. (𝐩𝐭.𝟏)

✉️ ・ 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

✉️ ・ ── 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬: | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 |

✉️ ・ ── 𝐦𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 | 𝐲/𝐧'𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

✉️ ・ ── 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mafia AU, Angst, Kingpin!Taeyong, Queenpin!Y/N, Fem!Reader, Childhood friends, Betrayal, Enemies to lovers, Eventual Smut. ✉️ ・ ── 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:  You were the only surviving heir of the old-time Mafia kingpin that had ruled the four territories. You were long thought to be dead, living the normal life you had always wanted...Until you run into a Taeyong, a formidable ghost from your past. You are then thrown back into the Mafia underbelly, reuniting with enemies you had hoped had forgotten you. Will you run away? Will you stand beside Taeyong, kingpin of the North, and be his queen? Or will you take your rightful revenge.

✉️ ・ ── 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Possessive Themes, Future Explicit Sexual Content, Murder, Kidnapping, Strangulation, Torture, Weapons, Graphic Violence, Heavy Angst, Explicit Language, Alcohol Consumption, Mentions of Drugs, Betrayal, Morally Grey Characters.

✉️ ・ ── 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

Past. 

You felt all the air leave your lungs, your chest constricting as you tried to gasp for just one more breath. You heard the patter of your blood as it hit the hardwood floors.

“Y/N,” His desperate eyes plead. 

“What did you do to her?!” Your brother demanded, yanking against the chains that were secured around his wrists. 

“Good catch Taeyong!” One of your captors clapped his hand on Taeyong’s back.

You tried to lift your shoulders, but they refused to support the weight of your head. You were but a lifeless heap, carelessly discarded and left to slowly bleed out on the ground. The man’s sickening laughter echoed throughout the room, filling what was left of your heart with dread.  

“Do it,” His voice urged, “Kill her now.”

Present.

“Today will be different,” You stared at yourself in the mirror, “Today I will smile, and I’ll mean it.” Your eyes circled down to your neck, your confidence waning. 

“Come on!” Your roommate urged, “You can say it better than that.” 

Your shoulders slumped in defeat, “You make me say the same thing at the start of every semester.”

Your roommate clicked her tongue, looking up from her phone. “And I believe this semester is going to be fucking fantastic.” She pointed at your white dress that cut just above the knees. “Look, we’re both looking cuter than ever. We have a new apartment,” She pointed to the living room’s ceiling to exaggerate her point. “This is our second year at college, and you, my friend, are going to put yourself out there.”

You shook your head in dread. “I thought we agreed that in this household, you can be the party fiend, and I’ll be the one that spends her nights binging TV shows on Netflix.”

Your roommate Jen threw you a dirty look.

“Hey! Who else is going to keep the universe in balance.”

Your roommate rolled her eyes. “The world is not going to stop spinning on its axis if you go out once in a while.”

“I highly doubt that.” You mutter to yourself, earning a playful hit from your dear roommate.

You and your roommate Jennifer had been cohabitating with one another since you were both seventeen. Back then, it had been a struggle to find someone willing to share a space with a teenager. That coupled with the awful reputation your foster father and sister had garner for themselves, you weren’t exactly considered an ideal house mate. However, to your pleasant surprise Jen was equally in need of someone to cover half of her rent. 

You had somewhat known about Jen prior to living with her. She had been quite popular at your school, the social butterfly. Admittedly, you were a little suprised to hear she like you, had moved out on her own, yet you never pried. 

Despite, her cheerful demeanor, you sensed a sadness akin to your own. You were both content pretending the other didn’t have secrets they’d buried deep inside their pasts. 

The day had been too long, and the sight of a setting sun was a welcome one. A picturesque scene of pink and oranges painted the skies which backdropped Taeyong’s beloved city. 

“Let’s get a drink to cool down,” Johnny piped, securing his gun back in his trousers.

Mark looked over disapprovingly, “You know you should really invest in a holster.”

“Not a chance!” Johnny grinned, “Taeil will flip if I make another extravagant purchase this month.” 

Taeyong slightly shook his head, half-heartedly smiling. Taeil, his consigliere had only gotten on Johnny’s case after he bought two restaurants and three record stores on a whim. Johnny simply was dead set on never purchasing himself a holster.  

Mark discerning Johnny’s lame excuse, decided to play along, “If you’re tight on money, why don’t we drink at the crappy-looking place.” He pointed to a shabby, bar with rusted molding at the end of the street. 

Taeyong grimaced, he didn’t like spending too much time in disputed territory. The street they were standing on fell in a grey area, both claimed by him, the King of the North, and the terrible Black Crow of the West. 

“We should head back closer to base,” Renjun cut in, noticing Taeyong’s hesitancy.  

Taeyong had his own bars and hotels where he could drink and dine with complete ease. He saw no need to do so here. 

“Let’s do it,” Johnny exclaimed, pulling a protesting Renjun into a friendly headlock.

“It’ll be fine,” Mark reassured, nudging Taeyong’s shoulder. “Nobody’s that stupid to take on all four of us.”

“I’m here! I’m here!” You breathlessly apologized to your manager, reaching for a bar apron.

“It’s fine,” He assured, handing you a docket, “First day back?” 

You nodded, trying to catch your breath “It’s the first day, and I feel like I’m already behind on all of my classes.” 

“Well, tonight should be pretty standard for a weekday.” He commented, his eyes scanning the empty tables, “I’ll be up upstairs talking to a supplier but, give me a wave if you need me.” 

“Will do.” It wasn’t uncommon for you to be working the bar alone.

The 'Old Sand Bucket' where you worked was certainly past its prime. Its interior was outdated, half of the bar stools wobbled, and even the bar counter was unleveled. It just wasn’t a place that attracted a surplus of people. 

You pulled your first load of wine glasses from the dishwasher, lifting them into the bar to be polished.

The door to the bar chimed, “Welcome to the Old Sand Bucket.” You said, without looking upward. “What can I get you?”

Taeyong gave the bar a lengthy overview. It didn’t appear to be suspicious, just the opposite. The dated bar was completely unoccupied beside the humming bartender who was mindlessly polishing wine glasses.

He examined you like the rest, evaluating the level of threat you were. Your head stayed down, occupied with your task. You barely spared a glance at his boys, who began ordering drinks.

You wore a simple black shirt underneath a bar apron with the ‘Old Sand Bucket’ labeled on its front. Your hair was tied in a low ponytail, revealing the curvature of your neck. At its base was a silky black ribbon knotted in a neat bow. Other than being pretty, you didn’t appear to stand out. 

Taeyong hummed, satisfied the bar his boys wanted to drink at was nothing more than a dinky, uninspired establishment.

You heard another person pull out a wonky barstool, which made four people in your bar. Not bad, as you usually didn’t have customers come in until half past nine. 

You placed down a bourbon and coke to your left—a man’s voice offering you a quick thanks.

“What can I get you?” You asked, finally looking up at the last man.

“Whatever’s good.”

Your eyes widened, blinking repeatedly, willing the ghost of your past to disappear back to your nightmares.

This can’t be real. This can’t be him. Please. No.

But he didn’t. He sat in front of you. His bored expression faded as he caught you staring. You immediately dropped your face, your face burning.

Taeyong furrowed his brows, confused. The way you looked at him just then… It was as if you knew him. He wasn’t mistaken. He couldn’t be. The way you were mumbling your answers, your arms shaking as you reached to pour a shot of vodka.

You did the best you could to keep a low profile, keeping your face down, and distracting yourself with work around the bar. You wanted nothing more than to abandon your shift— your heart furiously pounding every time you heard one of their four voices address you. However, at around eleven there was an unusual influx of people (what you believed to be a bachelor’s night out), therefore you needed to power through your discomfort. 

You wavered for your manager to join you downstairs, while you stepped out of the bar and started clearing tables. 

Taeyong kept you in the corner of his eye, unable to shake the curiosity that brewed in his stomach.

“Give us a smile, love,” Slurred one of the drunken bachelors, who had stripped off his shoes and was now wearing one on his head. 

You complied, in order not to make a scene. You reached over his table to pick up one of the empty pints. You felt the irksome feeling of fingers brushing against your neck. You jumped back, dropping your tray. Your hands immediately shot to your neck, clasping where your black ribbon ought to be. 

The shattering of glass made Taeyong stand, interrupting Renjun mid-sentence. Your eyes were aflame with anger, your mouth parting in horror. You were trying desperately to conceal the base of your neck.

Without a second thought, Taeyong approached, pulling the drunken patron up by his wrinkled collar. The man began sloppily flailing, trying to make his pathetic getaway. 

Taeyong snatched the black ribbon out of his hand, before not so gently throwing him to the ground.

“I believe this belongs to you.” Taeyong stepped forward, extending his arm in your direction. 

You instinctively stepped back, your eyes narrowing on the black ribbon between his fingers. There was no way for you to reach for your ribbon without exposing your neck.

“You keep it.” You said as firmly as you could, turning your back to him.

He watched as you retreated to one of the back rooms, his interest in you only spiking.

You hid yourself in one of the alcohol storerooms, searching for something to cover up your neck. You resorted to some paper towels stained with raspberry syrup. It wasn’t one of your greatest ideas, but it seemed to work when your manager came bursting in.

“Where’d you go?” Your manager pressed, “You left broken glass for me to clean up by table fourteen.” 

"It accidently lock myself in the storage rooms again.” You lied.

Your manager sighed, ushering you out.

You did a quick scan of the bar, noticing the four men had since left. 

“What happened to you?” Your manager pointed to the paper towels and raspberry syrup. 

“Ah,” You pressed the wet paper harder against your neck, “A customer spilled a drink all over me.” 

Your manager shook his head, “Go home and clean up,” He signaled you to grab your things, “I’ll close up,”

Scattered, you thanked him and reached for your rucksack.

“Wait,” Your manager handed you an envelope, “Some guy left you a tip.” 

Who gives a tip in an envelope? You eyed it cautiously. 

You waited until you had turned a corner before you used your fingernail to pry apart the sealed envelope.

Inside was a one-hundred-dollar bill, your black ribbon, and a napkin that read 'Thanks for your service’. 

Taeyong kept his distance, hiding in the shadows. He watched you leave the bar, with your hand holding some paper towels to your neck. You use the other hand to tear open the envelope he’d left for you.

To his surprise, you barely acknowledged the bill—you were more interested in the black ribbon and the napkin. You stared at the napkin for a couple of minutes, your teeth grinding. You then scrunched it into a ball, throwing it onto the sidewalk with the envelope containing the hundred. You, however, kept the black ribbon.

Taeyong observed you as you slowly pulled the paper towels away, revealing a dark scar that wrapped around your neck... It was as if someone had strangled you with barbed wire. 

A flood of emotions went through him, sympathy, guilt, and finally, coldness. He couldn’t help but remember a young girl who had experienced a similar fate.

You had died many years ago. Or at least he thought so…

NETWORKS: -​

MONI’S NOTE: Woah! I cannot express how excited I am to dive back into this world. For those who don't know, this is an old fic of mine that I wrote like 5 years?! ago. I've decided to rework it and improve the story (also finally give it an ending). I would much appreciate your thoughts, comments, reblogs and likes are extremely valued.

TAGLIST: Let me know if you'd like to be added to this taglist!

© softsan - all rights reserved. please do not repost on any social media sites, translate, or modify any of my works.

[ruwriteshours]

PROVE MY LOVEִ ࣪𖤐 (L.D.H)

↳ pairing: lee donghyuck (haechan) + fem! reader

↳ genre: slight angst, fluff, smut

↳ summary: Being used to second choice, what difference does it make when Haechan were to confess. You would be second choice to him too anyways... right?

↳ warning: sexual content (minors dni)

The moon beamed across your features, the light illuminating your face as your eyes sparkled underneath the night sky. Humming contently at the cold breeze as you basked yourself in your padded jacket, your legs bouncing slightly from the coolness.

In Haechan's eyes, you were more beautiful than ever, his heart kept fluttering too much that he had to compose himself.

This was it.

This will finally be the moment that he gets to build the courage to confess his undying love for you. Months after months of late night hang-outs, the not-so-subtle glances and the longing looks. This couldn't have been more right.

Unbeknownst to the lovesick boy, Cupid was no where near his sight that day.

"I love you." He breathed out, your name escaped his lips shortly after.

You paused.

Haechan bit his lip in anticipation, the fear crept through his face at the thought of rejection.

His heart shattered when he saw you stood up from the wooden bench beside him, the fear was slowly becoming a reality when you uttered,

"I'm sorry, Haechan but I don't feel the same way." And with that, you walked off.

After the humiliating rejection, you would have assumed that Haechan would do anything to avoid your presence from now on.

However, the persistent boy was full of suprises.

In fact, he was more determined than ever. He was becoming more bold with his actions every passing day. Day after day, he would wait for you outside the practice room, send you small bouquet of flowers and refuses to leave your sight, clinging onto you. Not to mention, that his touches and teases would increasing grow more suggestive, leaving you with crimson-coloured cheeks as you shoved him away to shield your nervous state.

Overtime, it became hard for you to convince your friends that you and Haechan are merely friends. They all saw right through you. You were in denial. The thought of someone ever being willing to devote to you was... frightening. You didn't want to believe it and you needed Haechan to stop what he was doing before you get your hopes up too soon... again.

"This needs to stop, Haechan." You faced him, your legs were seated across as you watched him falter at your words.

"Stop what." He asked stubbornly.

You sigh exaggeratedly, "You know what I'm talking about." You gestured your hands between the both of you, "This, whatever you're doing. You have to stop!"

"Nah, I'm good." He shrugged off before resuming his attention back on the TV.

"This isn't a joke, Haechan. I'm serious." You stated firmly.

"So am I." He retorted.

You could see his fist tightened as his eyes refused to meet yours. Deep down, he was just in denial as much as you. You needed him to understand he was better off. Mustering up the courage, you finally decide to tell him the truth.

"I've never been honest with the guys I've dated." You spoke up.

You didn't miss the way his ears perked up at the topic. You were always very private with your love life and you were never one to share it openly, even when someone were to ask. So the fact you were even willing to share this part of your life with him, only fed to his delusional thoughts that he could have this chance with you.

Just this once.

He hummed in acknowledgement, urging you to continue as he picked up the remote control to turn the screen off. Facing his direction towards you as he eyed you intently.

You gulped at his intense gaze, "The guys I have dated," You paused, nervousness laced in your voice.

Haechan seemed to notice as he gently held you hand and drew circles on your palm, humming once again for you to carry on. Despite being eager with your response, he was attentive and patient with you. He knew that it must be hard so he decided not to push it. You tried to ignore the way your heart fluttered at the action.

He was making it hard for you.

"All of them, fall out of love. One day, we were perfect for each other and there was even a time I genuinely thought we would last, but then," You sigh shakily, "The next, they told me that they found their true love and left."

Haechan tried to process that information. His heart clenched in sorrow and anger. He was deeply upset that you had to go through so much pain in your past relationships but he was also frustated that the guys you have dated had no idea how wonderful and beautiful you were. He would give away everything to take their place and it sickened him at the thought that they had thrown away the most precious girl in his eyes.

They don't deserve you as much as him and he was going to do whatever it takes to prove to you. To prove his love to you. He needs to show you how much you deserve it.

He was about to utter your name when you beat him to it.

"Haechan, I'm not saying that you'll be like this but I'm not gonna risk to find out." You let out, finally having those months of dreadfulness being lift off.

You loved Haechan just as dearly, if not more. But you couldn't risk damaging your already-broken heart once more. It was too much. You didn't want to have the same occurence happening over and over again. Afterall, you couldn't be Haechan's true love... right?

"I hope you don't take this rejection to heart, you'll find someone better." You comforted, patting his shoulders.

His head hung low and he was dead silent. A million thought ran through his mind and you could sense it. You feared that one of them was agreeing to your words. That you're unworthful of his love and that he shouldn't have wasted his time on you.

Those agonising thoughts haunted you and you sincerely hoped that you had made the right decision to tell him. It was better than to let him think you were his. He was bound to be with anyone else but you.

His prolonged silence only confirmed your theory and you try to not let it get to you.

Little did you know, in Haechan's case, you were dead wrong.

Now, you think it's time to depart. You have already said what was needed to and there wasn't anything left for you to give. With a heavy heart, you picked up your steps and began making your way towards the door to his apartment.

However, just a couple steps further, you were pulled towards his figure and engulfed in a tight embrace. Your heart yearned for this feeling, your heartbeat accelerating as you tried to ignore the surging feeling of reciprocating the hug.

His arms were wrapped around your waist as his head was nuzzled at the crook of your neck. This warm feeling made your head fuzzy. Never had you felt such emotions from a simple hug.

Much to your dismay, he pulled away but still kept a grip on your waist as if he was afraid that you would disappear from his life if he didn't do so.

"I am so in love with you." He stated, staring into my eyes with such fondness, "And I would rather die than to have anyone else that is not you. I don't want someone better. I don't care if someon better ends up coming into my life. I want you and only you." He wholeheartedly confessed.

"Haechan..." You trailed off,

He picked up the uncertainty laced in your tone, "I know it may be a lot to take in but I've been in love with you for the longest time. I'm crazy about you. Even if you don't want to be with me, please don't push me away." He pleaded.

Your heart couldn't handle such an emotional turmoil that your only instict was to grab his face and smash your lips against his. He steered back slightly from shock but quickly recovered as he began wrapping his arms around you tightly. Tip-toeing your feet to reduce the strain on his neck, the both of you deepened the kiss further. The kiss was full of affection and tender, feeling no need to rush into this act of intimacy. You could feel the genuinity from the way he took his time exploring your mouth.

He was hesitant, experimenting his tongue as it glided against yours softly. His hands moved lower and began circling softly around your hip-bone. Your hands began to wonder from his neck to his hair, tugging it slightly. He groaned at the pressure and began harshly biting your lips to part them, only to shove his tongue further down. You moaned at immense pleasure. Bending down slightly to pick you up by your legs as it immediately wrapped around his waist, both of you refusing to leave each other's lips as he led his way to his bedroom.

The kiss got progressively rough as he pushed you up against the door to his room, successfully slamming the door shut. You whimpered at the slight agression, a little turned on by his dominant side that you have never seen before.

His hands gripped onto your thighs to support your weight as he pushed his pelvis near your area. Both of you moaning at the insatiable feeling. A look of hunger took over Haechan as he began eyeing your clothes, ripping off every one of your clothes until your left bare. The feeling felt foreign and you couldn't help but felt a wave of insecurity flashed through you, ducking your head from his eyes as you gulped nervously.

Haechan wouldn't have none of it, though.

Gripping your jaw, he smashed his lips against yours. "Look at me." He demanded as he began trailing his kisses down your neck.

You couldn't help but obey his command, those piercing eyes made it difficult for you to not listen. He began throwing you onto his bed, the impact made you bounce slightly. He quickly hovered over your body, his lips attached to yours once again as his hand played with your breast, You moaned loudly against his mouth. Gripping onto his shoulder tightly as you began arching your back against him, wanting to feel more of him. Your hands found its way to his shirt and you began yanking it, hoping he would get the message. Thankfully, he got the hint and began removing his clothes one by one.

It has now dawned on you of what was happening and you couldn't help but feel the nervousness creep back in. Haechan seem to notice it as he paused, grabbing both sides of your face to make look at him.

"Do you want this?" He asked gently, his actions coming onto a halt.

His other hand is caressing your thighs while he awaits for your answer, being patient with the way you took your time. You couldn't detect any annoyance or anger laced in his voice. This time, you could feel your nerves dissipating at his question and you nodded, turning your head to the the side to kiss his warm hands.

"Yes." You answered honestly.

That was more than enough for him as he continued with his ministrations.

His hand made its way to your private area, sliding the panties down to make contact with your clit. You let out a pornographic moan when he collected all your juices and rubbed it together. You covered your mouth, embarassed that you had let out an erotic sound but Haechan held your wrist, stopping you.

"Let me hear you, babe." If it was even possible, your insides grew more wetter by the sudden nickname and you couldn't help but moan even louder.

"H-Haechan, a-ah!"

He continued to make motions with his fingers on your clit, slowly adding in another finger in hopes to find your sweet spot. When you whined and began grinding against his hand, he knew he had successfully found it and began removing his hands completely, preventing you from reaching your orgasm.

Before you could complain, he slowly laid you back down onto the bed, moving to the side of his desk to open up the drawer. He took out a condom and began ripping the wrapper with his teeth. He looked up to meet your eyes, silently giving you the chance to back out but you could only moan out his name, encouraging him further.

As he began lining up the condom, he stared into your eyes as he slowly inserted his dick inside your tight hole. Both of you moaned loudly at the feeling. He gave you a few seconds to gather yourself before you began arching your back, silently begging him to move. His thrust began slow and steady, not wanting to hurt you but as you began to tug on his hair and suck on his neck, he couldn't help but pick up the pace.

"A-Ah! Haechan. Feels so good!" You mewled.

"God! You're so- fucking tight!" He groaned.

You started to move your lips against him, your legs wrapped around his waist to push him even further inside. The pace got rougher and the both of you could feel an orgasm coming soon.

"H-Haechan, i'm about to c-cum!" You yelled out in pleasure.

"M-Me too, babe!"

His thrust began more sloppy as he pulled you into another kiss, both of your saliva mixing with one another. A drool dripped down your chin as you began sucking on his tongue, the kiss was more messier and needier now that both of your orgasm are nearing.

Both of you let out a moan when you had reached your climax.

Laying down on your side, both you and Haechan laid there in silence. Letting those event lingered in your minds, the more you think of it, the more you began to feel more giddy.

"That was..." Haechan broke the silence, trailing off.

"Amazing." You finished off, turning your head to the side to face him.

His eyes had already been staring into yours and he slowly inched his way closer to give you a long, passionate kiss. You returned it with just as much intensity.

He broke the kiss, "Look, I don't want to force you or anything but I really want to be with you." He caressed your cheek lovingly, "Fuck those guys you've dated, they don't know how beautiful and precious you are."

You blushed at his words, looking away.

He gripped your chin, "I'm serious. I'll do anything to prove my love to you."

You began cupping his neck, kissing the side of his face lightly as you snuggled your face up to his neck. Haechan wrapped his arms around you and kissed your forehead, both of you drifting to sleep under each other's presence.

Little did he know, he had proven his love for you already and it was about damn time you open your heart up to someone.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

©ruwriteshours

[scarletwinterxx]

WE NEED MOREEE Taeyong dad au honestly all ur dad aus r so good liekkkk

a/n: hiiiiiiii ~ honestly i didn't think about writing more abt taeyong dad au, i loved writing the first one and how simple and cute it was. but never say never 😅 so here we areeee. thank you for liking my stories🤍🥺

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

The sight of your husband sneaking around the house to prepare for the twin's birthday. The big 7. It feels like yesterday you were inside the bathroom making Taeyong look at the pregnancy test first because you were too nervous.

As the two kids grow up, they showed more of their individuality which you and Taeyong love watching. Minseo the ever confident one, she took a liking in joining school musicals and performances. She's always been the star in your household and she shines just as bright whenever she goes. Minhyuck, on the other hand, is a big bookworm. As soon as he started to learn how to read, there wasn't a day he didn't have a book on hand. He's also very into drawing much like his dad. You have a collection of his drawings hidden away to keep forever.

If there's one thing you and your husband learned about being parents, it's that time really does fly when you have kids. One day you have to hold their head up for them and the next second they're out making their own marks in the world.

"Do you think they'll like this?" Taeyong asks, looking at the rows of balloons he got for the twins. "They'll love it"

"I got the pink scooter with purple glittery handles Minseo wanted and the orange bike Minhyuck wanted"

"Good job"

"Are we forgetting something?" "Taeyong love, what are you stressed about?" you chuckle

"I just want tomorrow to be perfect and a day they will always remember. They only turn 7 once" he pouts, recalling the days when his babies were younger. Indeed wondering where did the time go.

"Aw love, come here" you open your arms for him, stepping in your embrace and burying his head between your shoulder

"They're going to love all the gifts you give them, we taught them well to appreciate even the little things"

He picks his head up to look at you, "They're not babies anymore"

"I know, I'm sad too but more so excited about they're future. I'm excited to see them explore more, know more about themselves, grow up" you play with the ends of his hear on his neck, looking into his big eyes both your kids inherited. Thank the heavens.

"Does it make you sad, that we never had kids after the twins?" you ask him

"Of course not" he answers without missing a beat, "You, Minseo and Minhyuck are my everything. There isn't a day I felt like there something missing in me the moment I met you" the same words he told you the day you got married.

After the twins birth, it was very stressful for your body to the point you were told by your doctor it was going to be very dangerous when you decide to have another kid. Taeyong is right, the twins are enough and there isn't a day you felt like your family isn't complete. But there are moments, very few, where you wonder what it would be like if you had more kids.

"If we're blessed to have more then that's good, if we're not then that's okay too. Losing you isn't a risk I will ever take. Don't ever feel pressured about that, okay? I love you very much and this life we created together" he tells you, holding your face in his hands

"I love you too" you give him a sweet kiss, finishing the night.

The next morning, very early you get the cake ready for the twins. Waiting for them to wake up. You light up the candles when you hear voices coming down the stairs,

"Gotta keep your eyes closed okay, no peeking" Taeyong appears with one child in each arm, carrying both down the stairs. He puts them down before telling them it's okay to look, "Happy Birthday!" you and Taeyong say at the same time, the two kids immediately smile upon seeing the surprise waiting for them.

The two blow their candles and open the gift you and Taeyong got before you eat breakfast as a family.

It's days like these that makes life worth it, making you excited for the days yet to come and the future you're going to live. You look over your husband, playing with the kids and letting them put icing on his face and think your self how much you love your little life.

[epinebleue]

maniac (m) | lee taeyong

when you try to summon your older brother, things don’t go as expected.

pairing: evil spirit!lee taeyong x reader (female)

genre: horror!au, mature, angst.

warnings: heavy depiction of death and blood, possessive behavior, explicit sexual content.

author’s note: i suck at writing horror, i’m so sorry. happy halloween!

You’d always remember that night.

How the moonlight sneaked through the white curtains, how the shadow of the naked trees in your garden formed strange shapes that stretched across the floor and walls of your bedroom.

Not a sound could be heard, as if the world itself had gone mute.

You moved in bed to press your back against the wall behind you, wishing you could blend with it. That way, you would be safe from the horrors of the night.

You squeezed your teddy bear to your chest, looking for comfort. You had tried everything, from counting sheep to mentally singing lullabies, and all your efforts had been useless: you just couldn’t sleep.

And suddenly, there were lights.

You snapped your eyes open, glancing at the blue and red lights dancing around your room.

It took you seconds to realize that they weren’t coming from the inside, but from the street. Curiosity had always been a personality trait of yours, so you got out of bed to look through your window.

The lights belonged to a police car that had parked right below it, from which a man and two women came out, the man fixing his hat as he walked.

You watched them turn around the corner, disappearing. Seconds later, the doorbell ricocheted around your house. Once, twice. The third time, you heard your father's voice in the hallway. When you opened the door, he was walking past it.

“Stay in your room.” He said, rushing to the staircase with bed hair and struggling to keep his eyes open, still sensitive to the sudden light. Your mother followed, putting on her thick, blue robe.

“Mom?” You called, the teddy bear still caged in your arms. You didn’t know much, but you knew that police officers coming to your house in the middle of the night couldn’t mean anything good.

“Don’t worry, honey.” She patted your head on her way to the stairs. “Matt, stay with your sister.”

But once your parents were on the ground floor, you exchanged an accomplice look with your older brother. Matt kneeled at the end of the stairs and signed you to join him in the rebellious act of peeking through the bars.

One of the women spoke, addressing your parents by their last name. Each of them showed their credentials.

“I’m Officer Walker. This is Officer Gallagher, and she’s Doctor Edwards. May we come in?”

As your parents allowed them in the house, the doctor looked up, catching you red-handed. A soft smile appeared on her face, but you went stiff, like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

“Hello.” The doctor waved in your direction. “I’m Doctor Edwards. I’m really, really thirsty. Would you mind giving me a glass of water?”

Your brother frowned at the doctor’s request. He thought about it for a moment before grabbing your hand and walking down the steps, heading to the kitchen. You locked eyes with your mom on the way, encouraged by her quick nod. 

You took your usual seat at the table, the doctor sitting right in front of you. Your brother grabbed a glass and poured water into it, then handed it to her.

“Thank you very much.” Doctor Edwards took the glass to her lips. She drank a little and spoke again. “May I ask for your names?”

Your brother answered so quietly that she had to ask him again. When it was your turn, you spoke louder.

“Those are so pretty.” She left the glass on the table, away from you. “And what’s your other brother’s name?”

“Jackson.” You answered. Matt was distracted, looking towards the kitchen door as if something had caught his attention. “He’s in high school. He’s really smart, he’s top of his class.”

“Well, there’s something I have to tell you about Jackson.”

You could see right through the doctor. She wanted to say something but struggled to find the words. It happened to you weeks ago when you couldn’t tell your parents that you had lost your brand-new pencil case.

A sob reached your ears, followed by the heart-breaking cry that only loss could cause. Your little brain started to connect the dots as you jumped off the chair and ran to the living room and straight into your father’s arms.

The sudden realization that you wouldn’t see your brother ever again punched you in the gut.

You closed your eyes and wept, hoping it was all a nightmare that would end soon.

You would discover that, even though it was indeed a nightmare, you would never escape from it.

There had been a time when you thought you would never place the last box on the floor of your new home.

For two years, you shared a house with other students. However, you were at a point in your life where you desired full independence and privacy. All it took was a little help from your parents and brother to find a cheap but cozy apartment on campus.

“This is pretty nice.” Matt said, poking his head through the kitchen’s pass-through window that connected with the living room.

“I know, right?” You rested your hands on your hips, glancing at the empty space. “I’m so looking forward to decorating it, maybe painting the walls. What about white with an accent? Yellow would fit…”

“I’d prefer green or blue.”

“No, I like yellow.” You shook your head at his recommendations, pressing your lips together. “It reminds me of the sun.”

“Only you would choose the ugliest color ever.” He teased. The kitchen supplies clinked as he shoved them in the drawers.

“You’re wrong. Red would be the worst.”

“Red’s cool.”

“It’s cool if you’re going for the “somebody died here” vibe, that’s for sure.” Your brother kneeled to store a pair of pots inside your oven. “I’m going to need your help for one last thing.”

You grabbed the biggest box and opened it. The vintage gold frame was the first thing to catch your brother’s attention, but you saw his eyes shine the moment he noticed what it surrounded.

It was a photo your dad had taken during Easter at your grandparent’s farm. You were a year old, wearing a green dress with tiny yellow flowers embroidered all over it that your grandmother had knitted. On your left, Matt, who didn’t like having pictures taken, frowned with his arms crossed. He looked tall for a five-year-old, but then again, he had always been taller than the average. At your right, Jackson, ten, smiled brightly as he bent over to hold you by the waist, preventing you from falling headfirst.

According to your mom, you had seen something moving in the grass and you were trying to grab it with your little hand.

The picture had been the family’s Christmas postcard that year.

“We looked adorable.”

“Talk about you, look at me!” Matthew pointed at his younger self in the picture. “I was so grumpy then.”

“Just then?”

“That’s pretty bold, given the fact that I’ve helped you move in.”

You decided to hang it right next to the entrance door. That way, your brothers would be the last thing you saw before leaving the house and the first when you arrived.

The wave of nostalgia caught you off-guard.

Living alone was another milestone you had hit, one Jackson would never witness. You were getting closer to yet another graduation he would miss.

At some point, you had stopped grieving your brother to start grieving those things that would never happen. It made the overcoming of the trauma much more difficult.

Not only were you sad, but also angry. Out of the people in your family, you had been the one to know him the least.

Matt could look back and reminisce on the good times he spent with Jackson. He had been the one who taught him to play sports. You had also shared meaningful moments with him, of course, but the connection hadn’t been strong yet.

Yet.

Three letters that set your insides on fire. His time on Earth had been so brief, his departure had been so unfair. Many times, you found yourself wishing it had happened to somebody else.

Four people in that car, but your brother had been the only one to not make it out alive.

“Are you okay?” Matt muttered. You didn’t answer, simply rounding his waist with your arms. He stroked your back, letting you hug him and hugging you back.

“Thank you for helping me.” You said against his shoulder. “Thank you for always being there for me.”

“I’ll always be.” Matt glanced at Jackson in the picture. He missed his older brother, the person who had been his hero, so damn much, but it wasn’t the right time to tell you so. You needed a rock, and he would be it. “And he’ll always be, too.”

You had absolutely forgotten how big the campus was.

Your brain had told you that assembling your new bed at midnight was a bad, bad idea, but you weren’t known for being rational.

You were running a spicy four hours of sleep when the sound of your alarm hit your head like a hammer, a reminder that you had to be in class in less than half an hour.

By the time you made it to class completely out of breath, the teacher had already explained the final project and grouped students in pairs. So you sat there, waiting for someone to adopt you into their group, aware of the fact that you had made a horrible first impression.

“Professor?” A girl at the back of the class raised her hand. “She can do the project with us, we don’t mind.”

God bless you, you thought as you stood up and walked over to the girl and her partner. You sat beside them in silence, only speaking to thank them.

For the rest of the class, you took notes and paid twice the attention you usually would, trying to make up for your late attendance.

The clock struck noon, signaling the end of the class. As you put your stuff inside your bag, one of the girls called your name.

“Do you want to go to the cafeteria to speak about the project?”

“Yes, please.” You nodded, hanging your bag over your shoulder. “I’m so sorry, I’m usually on time!”

You proceeded to explain the pain and suffering you had gone through at 1 AM after losing a screw in your wooly rug. Several hours later, you were able to sleep on a bed instead of on a mattress on the floor.

“It happens to the best of us.” The girl who had invited you to the group laughed, showing her perfect set of teeth. You couldn’t help but notice how stunning she was. “My name’s Heejin, by the way, and she’s Mihyo.”

The girl beside her waved at you, shyly.

“It’s nice to meet you, guys.” You said, opening a blank document on your tablet as soon as you sat on an empty table at the café, ready to commit to the project.

“So, you live alone?” Heejin took the spot in front of you, placing her things on the chair next to her, forcing Mihyo to sit by your side. “God, you’re so lucky. I’m tired of sharing my oxygen and personal space with horrible people.”

“I totally get it.” You replied, tapping the pockets of your jacket to check that your phone was still there. You had a bad habit of leaving your stuff everywhere, and your parents had made clear that they wouldn’t pay for another phone if you lost your current one. You had to be careful. “I grew up with two older brothers, so living alone has been a pretty big step for me.”

Mihyo and Heejin exchanged looks, a mischievous smile on their faces, before looking at you again.

“You have two older brothers?”

“How old are they?” Mihyo spoke for the first time. “Are they cute?”

“I think so?” You laughed, awkwardly. “Matt’s twenty-four.”

“What about the other?”

“Oh, he…” Even after all those years, you struggled to say the word. “He died.”

It slapped the smiles off their faces. As they rushed to cover their mouths in shock, you couldn’t help but be glad. That would teach them not to be so nosy when it came to other people’s business. You would excuse them, though, for the sake of your education.

“I’m so sorry.” Heejin said, attempting to grab your hand as if comfort from a stranger was exactly what you needed. You rushed to place them on your lap, avoiding any kind of physical contact.

“It’s fine, it happened years ago.” You rose to your feet, grabbing your bag. “I’m going to get some coffee and a muffin, do you want anything?”

You walked over to the queue, checking your messages in the meantime. Being away for some minutes allowed you to forget about the conversation and gave them some time to gossip about you. Two birds with one stone. You texted Matt about the weird interaction, promising to tell him everything over the phone that night.

Shoving it down your back pocket, you looked around as you waited.

There were students on their way to class passing by or just chilling with their friends on the grass. A certain someone caught your eye, a boy you hadn’t seen in months, only getting updates about his life through Instagram.

Qian Kun was sitting underneath a tree with an open book in his hands. By his side, you recognized two familiar faces: Lee Haechan, a computer major, and Na Jaemin, a fashion student. Haechan turned around to check out a boy who walked past them and whatever he told Jaemin and Kun about him made the pair laugh.

Kun had the most beautiful smile you had ever seen, and you would’ve spent the rest of the afternoon admiring him if it hadn't been your turn to order.

During the first project-related session, which took place at Heejin’s apartment, you realized that she wasn’t joking when she said her roommates sucked.

One of them, who greeted you with a growl as soon as you came in, had brought their boyfriend to the dorm, and the echo of the headboard hitting the wall was, to say the least, fucking annoying.

The other didn’t seem to understand that people were supposed to talk when working together, and she knocked on the other side of the wall every time you, in her opinion, were too loud.

No wonder Heejin wanted to run away.

“I’m so sorry about that.” The girl apologized to you and Mihyo once you were at the door, in the hallway, ready to leave.

“It’s not your fault,” Mihyo said, her backpack hanging from her shoulder as she struggled to shove the notes she had taken inside, “but we’ll need a different place next time.”

“You can come to mine.”

You were quick in your suggestion, refusing to go through that hell again. Heejin waved you goodbye as she closed the door, and you walked along with Mihyo towards the staircase, the air around you tense and heavy.

“Have you ever tried to speak to your brother?” The question took you by surprise, almost making you stop dead in your tracks. As you went down the steps, you allowed yourself to think about it.

“You mean like praying?”

Mihyo shook her head. “I mean like summoning him. One of my friends did it in high school with his dad, and he sent him a message from the grave.”

The want to laugh was so strong that you couldn’t help but snort as you opened the entrance door of the building. “That’s bullshit.”

“It’s not!” Mihyo snapped. “He told my friend something only he knew.”

“Yeah…” You cleared your throat, making Mihyo roll her eyes at your skepticism. “I’m sorry to break it to you, but they were totally pulling your leg.”

The girl shrugged. “Don’t believe me, then.”

And you waved at each other before parting ways.

The idea of summoning your late brother was ridiculous. It would be a stupid thing to do and totally wouldn’t work. It sounded like the start of every bad horror movie. 

You repeated it to yourself, trying to vanish that what if that constantly showed up in the back of your mind, slipping through the cracks of your most rational thoughts. What if it worked? What if you got to speak to your brother even for a minute, tell him that you loved and missed him so much?

Trying wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Mihyo and Heejin rang your doorbell at exactly 7 PM three days later. Mihyo was carrying a rectangular board under her arm and a plastic bag from where she took out six tall, white candles.

“Are we really going to do this?” Heejin asked, throwing you a look of concern, shocked that you had accepted to participate in the nonsense.

Mihyo scoffed, surprising you. She had been so quiet when you first met her, Heejin having the upper hand every time. Now, she behaved like a different person.

“We haven’t even started and you’re chickening out already?”

“I am not chickening out!”

“Then come here and help me light up the candles.”

Not convinced at all, Heejin walked over to the center of your living room, kneeling beside her friend, who handed her a lighter. You observed the scene from behind, your arms crossed, biting your lips in hesitation. But curiosity had taken over, and there was nothing your rationality could say or do to stop you.

Embarrassing yourself once you realized that invoking spirits wasn’t possible was the worst possible outcome you could think of. More than half of the world’s population had used an Ouija board at least once in their life, you were sure.

The sun began to fall and darkness covered every surface of your apartment with its black cloak. The only light in the room came from the candles. You felt chilly all of a sudden, the tiny hairs on your nape bristling.

“Everything’s ready.” Mihyo announced, placing the Ouija board on the floor, in the middle of the circle she had formed with the candles. “Come sit.”

You sat beside them, careful not to knock any candle over. The last thing you needed was burning the whole building down.

“Just in case you don’t know how this works,” Mihyo grabbed a triangular pointer with a hole in the middle and showed it to you, “we place this on top of the board and ask a question.”

“And then?” Heejin’s voice was incredibly shaky.

“Then, we wait.” Mihyo’s dark irises fell on you. “Ready? Oh, and don’t you dare remove your fingers until we properly close the session. It would be a disaster.”

Trying to swallow the knot in your throat, you placed your index fingers next to Minhyo’s on the pointer and waited for Heejin to do the same. You pitied her a bit. She had been shoved into this mess for no reason other than friendship. Eventually, the girl had no other option than to add her index fingers, too.

“What was your brother’s name?” Mihyo whispered after a few seconds of silence in which you questioned your sanity.

“Jackson.”

“We want to talk to Jackson, her older brother.”

The girl spoke loud and clear, with no trace of hesitation. It made you wonder how many times she had done this, as she seemed so familiar with the procedure. An empty hole was starting to form inside your stomach, growing bigger with every second. You felt dizzy and sick.

“Jackson, are you there?”

Anxiety crawled into your skin. By the look on her face, it was crawling in Heejin’s skin, too. She reminded you of a statue, with her eyes fixed on the board and her fingertips glued to the pointer. You couldn’t even tell if she was breathing.

“Jackson, we would like to talk to you. Are you there?”

You had to blink twice to believe what your eyes were seeing.

The pointer had started to move, slowly, to the side, as if pulled by an invisible string. With wide-open eyes, you looked at Mihyo. The girl had gone speechless. The pointer’s hole reached the letter H, then I, and stopped.

“Hi.” Mihyo said, trying to remain calm. “Are you Jackson?”

This time, the pointer moved even before Mihyo could finish the sentence. It slid to the right, stopping on the word No.

Who are you then?, you thought, following the pointer as it moved again.

“C, A, R…” Mihyo chanted out loud. You stopped bile from reaching your mouth. “E, F, U, L…”

“Careful?” You frowned, glancing at Mihyo. “Wh-”

A screech ripped your throat, only drowned by Heejin’s screams.

The pointer had been lifted and thrown across the room as if someone had launched it. The object hit the wall to your back, then fell to the ground.

You couldn’t move, you couldn’t breathe. Half-lying on the floor, you couldn’t look away from the static item lying on the floor.

You missed when Heejin, who was a crying mess, got up to turn on the lights, the yellow glim flooding your living room.

You definitely missed the figure that hid in the darkness of the hallway, watching the scene with amused eyes.

Two weeks had passed and you still couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for what had happened.

There were too many options on the table: a bad dream; a joke from Heejin and Mihyo, or even just Mihyo. But the dent on your wall proved it hadn’t been a dream, and Heejin’s reaction had seemed too genuine to be staged.

The three of you didn’t address the issue during your next meet-up, but Heejin refused to go to your apartment anymore, forcing you to book one of the rooms the library offered for group study sessions.

Weeks passed by, and you started to forget the event. Everything felt back to normal; everything, except for one thing.

You felt more tired than usual and it had reached a point where, sometimes, you even fell asleep without noticing. It was starting to become a problem. You had things to do and assignments to turn in. You couldn’t afford to lose that much-needed time.

“I’ll send you a photo of some really good vitamins.” Your mother insisted over the phone. “I’ve been taking them for months now and they work wonders.”

“I’m not a fan of pills, mom, you know that.” You closed the front door behind you, leaving your bag in the hanger next to it.

“Yes, but these are like gummies… Are you there, honey? I think the line died.”

“Send me the pic, yes. Mom, I’ve got to work on my homework, so I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Oh! Sure, baby. We love you!”

“Bye, mom. I love you, too.”

You ended the call, eyes glued on the dark, still hallway. Homework had been just an excuse to hang up on your mom. You swore you had heard something in your room, similar to footsteps. Your mind, trying to ease your nerves, told you it probably was the neighbors upstairs.

Even if you wanted to go and check, your feet stayed rooted to the floor.

And then, the sound of glass shattering made you run to the front door, holding onto your phone for dear life. When you opened it, a figure in front of it made you scream.

“Wow!” Qian Kun was holding his hands up, as scared as you. “Are you okay?”

“I think there’s someone in my apartment.” Your heart pumped like crazy inside your chest, close to suffering an attack.

“What do you mean you think?”

“I don’t know! I just got here, I was on the phone with my mom and heard footsteps in my room and then…”

“Calm down, calm down.” Kun gently pushed you to the opposite wall of the hall, away from your door, and leaned in a bit to peek at the inside of your apartment. Then, he turned around and whispered. “Is there anything I can use as a weapon? An umbrella, perhaps?”

“My dad gave me a baseball bat but it’s in the kitchen, under the sink.” You whispered back.

“Where’s the kitchen?”

“On your right.”

You watched Kun disappear behind your door. Anxiety was eating you alive, you could barely breathe and there was a possibility of falling if you stepped away from the wall, but you couldn’t leave him alone. So, walking as softly as possible, you got in on time to watch Kun grab the bat.

“Which one’s your bedroom?”

“The door at the end.”

“Stay behind me, just in case.”

“Wait!” You looked around the kitchen, trying to find something you could use as a weapon. A knife would suffice to scare off whoever was in your room. “Alright, let’s go…”

The boy made his way out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Your trembling hands held onto the knife, so hard that your knuckles turned white. You could hear your heartbeat in your ears.

He stopped in front of the door, glancing at you over his shoulder. He grabbed the handle before opening it abruptly, the wood panel hitting the wall. Kun stepped in, swinging the bat, trying to catch the person inside by surprise.

But it was empty, and you stood there holding the knife up, dumbfounded.

Kun lowered the bat. “Are you sure you heard footsteps?”

“I am!”

You brushed his shoulder as you walked past him, having noticed something missing. You rounded the bed to see what you were looking for lying on the floor: a photo your family had taken in Canada while on holiday, a few days before Jackson’s death.

Pieces of broken glass fell as you lifted it by a corner to leave it on your bedside table, where it usually was. 

“That must be what you heard.” Kun supposed, leaving the bat on your bed.

“I guess so.” You muttered, glancing around to check if something else was broken. Weirdly enough, everything seemed in its place.

“I don’t want to come off as nosy, but,” Kun scratched the back of his head, “do you have any idea who would want to break into your place? A toxic ex-boyfriend, maybe?”

“I’ve never had a boyfriend, so I doubt it.” You picked up a piece of glass from the floor and left it beside the picture. You would throw them away later. “I’m so sorry about this. You have places to be and I just… kidnapped you for nothing.”

“Don’t apologize, you seemed on the verge of passing out.” Kun opened his eyes as if remembering something very important. “I’m Kun, by the way.”

“I know.” You tried to fight the smile that was about to appear on your face. “You’re the golden boy of campus.”

“I thought people had stopped calling me that.” You told him your name when he asked. “You should change the lock, by the way, just in case.”

“Yeah, I better do that.”

After a few seconds of silence, Kun spoke again, with genuine worry. 

“Do you want me to stay a bit longer? I don’t mind.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, you thanked him. Your heartbeat seemed to have gone back to normal, but you were still shaken. And confused.

Maybe you were lacking sleep, but you weren’t making up stuff. Someone had been in your room, someone had broken the picture.

But who? And why?

“Do you want anything to drink?”

“Water’s fine.”

A pair of orbs followed you both as you left the room, the pieces of broken glass, the bat, and the knife long forgotten. He clenched his jaw.

He hadn’t expected an obstacle.

Thanks to the cozy lighting of your lamp and the smell of lavender coming out of your diffuser, you truly relaxed for the first time in weeks.

You didn’t even flinch when the footsteps in the hallway approached, slowly. The moment they reached your door, they ceased.

You didn’t have to wait much for the visitor to reveal himself.

In front of you, there was a boy. A pair of black sweatpants was the only garment he wore. It allowed you to admire his pale skin, which contrasted with his charcoal hair. 

He stood by the door, admiring you from afar. Then, he spoke.

“Are you scared?” To your surprise, you shook your head. “Why not?”

“I like the company.” You replied, giving him a sad smile. “I feel lonely.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Again, you shook your head. The boy walked towards the bed, his gaze on you the whole time. “What do you want?”

On all fours, you crawled to the edge of the mattress, hands going up to touch his neck. The skin was cold. It made you shiver, but you didn’t find it uncomfortable; quite the opposite. You craved more contact.

“I want you.”

The boy looked down, getting lost in your eyes. He smirked, realizing that kneeling like that in front of him made it seem as if you were worshiping him. In a way, you were. You just didn’t know it yet.

He caressed your cheek with a stone-cold finger. You closed your eyes at his touch, mouth falling open.

“What’s my name?”

And although you didn’t know, it rolled out of your tongue naturally.

“Taeyong.”

You heard him hiss.

“Open your eyes.”

You obeyed. His skin was no longer pale, but it still felt cold against yours. You swore his eyes had gotten darker. At the sight, you pressed your thighs together.

“Now, lay down.”

You did as you were told, falling on the messy covers of your bed. Taeyong’s hands found your ankles. He caressed the skin with his palms, all the way up to your panties. Your breath hitched as he hooked his fingers in the elastic band, pulling down and letting them fall on the floor.

What followed was your pajama shirt, and soon you found yourself naked in front of Taeyong. No one, except for your mother, had ever seen you naked.

He scanned your body for a few seconds, his eyes finally landing on your breasts.

“You’re a beautiful creature.” Taeyong whispered, placing one knee on the mattress. Your stomach tingled in anticipation as he settled in the space between your legs. “Have you been touched before?”

You avoided looking at Taeyong’s face out of embarrassment. However, his breath hitting your wet core kept you well aware of his position. “No.”

Next thing you knew, he was pressing his open mouth against your entrance, sighing at the taste. You gripped the blue sheets beneath you, getting lost in the foreign but amazing feeling.

His tongue was warm and soft. He licked you eagerly, as if he had been waiting for this moment for years. He dragged his tongue from your folds to your clit, closing his lips around the sensitive bud. 

Something cold pressed against your entrance, and the contrast between it and your burning walls had you squirming away, only for Taeyong to grab your thighs to keep you in place.

Taeyong inserted a long digit inside you, your velvet walls especially welcoming. The tightness of your pussy reminded him that he was the first person to ever stretch you like that. It made his dick twitch in his pants. He was greedy, and the way you swallowed him served as an encouragement to pull out, shoving two fingers instead. He heard you curse as his mouth released your clit.

You were a sight for sore eyes: moans spilling from your mouth, holding onto the sheets to ground yourself. 

“Does it feel good?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.” You sighed, licking your dry lips.

The boy pumped his fingers slowly, enamored by the way they disappeared into you and the noises your arousal made each time. Soon he found himself setting a faster pace that had you arching your back, hands falling on his dark hair.

It didn’t feel like your first time at all.

There was no pressure, no doubts. Taeyong knew how and where you liked being touched. There was a connection between the two of you, something difficult to explain.

Taeyong’s tongue found your clit again, and you grabbed a fist of his hair. The growl he let out made you grind against his face. Taeyong stood still, letting you fuck his tongue, but never ceased the movement of his fingers, pushing them further.

Your orgasm wasn’t far, you knew even though you had never felt anything like that. It was like a wave that hit you hard, bruising your skin.

Taeyong, amazed, watched as you came. Your walls hugged his fingers so tightly, you tasted so fucking good. He couldn’t stop, he just couldn’t.

But the overstimulation was unbearable and, eventually, you moved away.

Under your attentive gaze, Taeyong took off his pants. He was thin enough for his hip bones to stick out. His biceps flexed as he grabbed your thighs once again, sliding your body down the bed. His pale skin glowed under the light in an iridescent effect that got you hypnotized.

It was easy for Taeyong to slip into you, being fresh out of an orgasm.

You had seen a lot of movies about first times, fantasizing about your own. Not in a million years would you have imagined all the sensations it would bring.

It hurt a little, but you bit your lower lip, not wanting to look like a loser who couldn’t take dick. Taeyong caressed your frowned forehead in an attempt to ease your pain, but he kept on pushing, only satisfied once he was balls-deep in.

The sting of pain was an open wound that Taeyong tried to stitch up by leaning down to whisper words of encouragement in your ear.

And it worked.

He had barely been inside you, but you wanted him to move. You wanted to know what sex felt like. You wanted the pleasure, the passion, all of it.

Moving your hips made Taeyong understand. He pulled out slowly, only to thrust back again roughly, making you gasp and whine.

Taeyong leaned down, pressing his bony chest against yours, and took the opportunity to make you round his hips with your legs. You fit together perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle.

“You take me so well.” He confessed, quietly, as if the walls could hear. “You’re made for me.”

And, for the first time, Taeyong grabbed your face with his long digits and kissed you. It was passionate, messy, needy. His lips and tongue, once cold as ice, were like a spring day now.

There was a subtle change in the mood. Taeyong was well aware that something had shifted inside him, a change of priorities. You were top on the list now, and he would treat you as such.

He increased his pace with every thrust. You embraced his shoulders, further pressing him against your chest. Not once did Taeyong stop kissing you. He would swallow your noises like the most expensive wine.

“You’re close.” Taeyong said at your walls trapping his dick. You simply nodded, eyes shut, looking for his lips in the dark. He sat up, grabbing a handful of your breasts and squeezing them.

Your hands flew up to grab his wrists.

“Taeyong…”

“Yes.” That proud tone was such a turn-on. You wondered if you were losing your mind. “Say it again.”

Your voice barely made it out as he pounded mercilessly into you. There was a weird feeling in your tummy.

“Taeyong!”

An electric shock crossed your body from top to bottom. Taeyong exploded into you, letting out a grunt that covered your skin in goosebumps.

You were awake. Strands of hair stuck to your sweaty forehead, and the sheets beneath you were uncomfortably damp.

You touched your entrance with your middle finger, moving your hand away the moment you felt the wetness.

What the hell had just happened?

Forming a friendship with Kun wasn’t on your bucket list for the year, but you guessed it was bound to happen.

Ramen nights on Fridays became a tradition and meeting up to study in the library was mandatory.

Everything you have heard about his persona before actually knowing him turned out to be true.

He was the kind of person to choose his words carefully, speaking his mind with the utmost respect towards everyone. Always the smartest person in the room, you couldn’t help but stare at him with tender eyes, amazed by the knowledge he carried.

Falling in love with him was bound to happen.

“I’m choosing the movie next time.” Kun grunted at your words, putting his coat on.

“It wasn’t as bad as you’re making it seem!”

“I literally predicted the ending as soon as it started.” You smarted, your only purpose being as annoying as possible. “It was bad.”

“Fine.” He walked over to your door but didn’t open it. “Should I bring candy next time as an apology?”

The fact that he knew you loved sweets made you smile.

“It’ll do.”

None of you moved. Kun glanced at the picture by the door, giving you the feeling that he was trying to stick around a little more.

You wouldn’t complain.

“I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to look stupid.”

You quickly responded.

“You’d never look stupid.”

“Do you have feelings for me?”

You wondered if your sincerity would take a toll on your friendship. But if Kun was asking, there had to be a reason.

“Why are you asking me this?”

“Because,” Kun sighed, “I have feelings for you.”

You couldn’t help it. You tiptoed and crashed your lips against his. They were soft, just like him.

The kiss was a dream come true. You held onto the collar of his coat and he grabbed the sides of your face, both pulling each other closer, and giggled when you had to break it off to catch some air.

He left shortly after, having set a day for your first official date. You had wondered if you should have invited him to spend the night, but Kun was a gentleman.

He would never.

That night, Taeyong burst into your room like a hurricane. He threw every single item on your vanity to the floor. He punched the mirror, which broke under his fist, yet not a single drop of blood stained his skin.

There wasn’t an ounce of fear in your system, deep down knowing the reason why Taeyong was so mad.

He locked eyes with his disfigured reflection in the mirror before turning around.

“Do you love him?” He asked, his nostrils flaring up.

You shrugged. “I like him.”

“Do you love him?” Taeyong repeated. Finding no answer, he straightened his back. “What’s my name?”

“Taeyong.”

“Do you love me?”

“I desire you.”

He wasn’t satisfied with your answer, though knew better than trying to change your mind. He told you to turn around, his dark voice sending shivers down your spine. You got on all fours and waited.

Where Taeyong had been kind and gentle the first time, he was rough and violent. He ripped your underwear in half, making you gasp, and he grabbed your hair as he forced his way into you, ignoring the whimper you let out.

His thrusts were erratic. You knew he wasn’t chasing his high or yours, he just wanted to cause pain, inflict dominance. He wanted you to know who was in charge, who you belonged to.

And you allowed him to have you his way, equally drown in pleasure and worry. You weren't yourself when you were with him, he unleashed a side of yourself you couldn't recognize.

Taeyong freed your hair, but his hands soon closed around your neck. Air got stuck in your throat as you desperately tried to inhale.

He wasn’t playing.

“If you bring him here again…” He growled, his demonic tone ringing in your ear. “I’ll kill him.”

You lurched awake, gasping for air.

There was no way that had been just a dream. It had felt too vivid, too real for it to be a figment of your imagination.

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, adrenaline still pretty much flowed through your veins.

Something felt off. 

The light coming from the streetlamps was dim, yet it allowed you to scan the room. 

The door was open, but you couldn’t put your finger on whether you had left it that way before crawling into bed. Your eyes moved towards your vanity and mirror; nothing out of place. You caught movement from the corner of your eye in the wall beside your window. Squinting, you tried to make out a figure in the darkness.

And you found it.

He had been observing you way before you saw him, inhaling your fear like the best drug ever made.

With no reason to keep hiding, Taeyong took a step into the light. He looked at you with the intensity of a predator about to kill, but you couldn’t move.

Taeyong opened his mouth.

“Hi.”

You jumped out of the covers, falling to the floor because of your numb legs. You looked back to Taeyong, who had taken a step closer, and crawled towards the switch on the other side of the room.

His footsteps were light, but his presence was strong. You knew where he was even if you couldn’t hear him.

You punched the switch before turning around. Under the lights, everything seemed perfectly fine.

But your uneasy heart and shaking body knew better. They knew that Taeyong was still hiding in the darkest spot he could find, observing.

Waiting.

Your apartment was haunted.

Nothing else could explain all the things that had been happening ever since the Ouija session went wrong.

Getting help was urgent, and you knew exactly where to find it.

That’s how you found yourself knocking on Mihyo’s door eagerly on the morning of the next day. A wave of surprise washed over her face as soon as she saw you.

“Oh…” She muttered. “Hey.”

“Hi.” You hesitated for a moment. “I have to talk to you. Can I?”

Mihyo took a step to the side, letting you in. You sat on her couch, drying your sweaty palms by rubbing them against the rough fabric of your jeans. Mihyo sat on an armchair, in front of you, and waited.

You didn't know how or where to start. Although Mihyo was familiar with the paranormal world, you feared she would think you were losing your mind. Hell, even you did!

“So, what’s wrong?”

“Please, don’t think that I’m crazy.” You began, aware that the phrase would set a difficult start. “Ever since the… incident, weird things have been happening in my apartment.”

“What do you mean by weird?”

You breathed in, trying to calm your nerves. Recalling the events gave you chills.

“Some weeks ago, I heard footsteps in my bedroom, and even though no one was there when I came in, a picture I had on my bedside table was on the floor. But the worst thing is that I’ve been seeing someone, a man, in my dreams. And not only in my dreams. I think he’s haunting me.”

Mihyo bit her lip throughout your confession, finding it hard to make eye contact with you. During the few seconds in which nothing, not even your breath, could be heard in the living room, you thought that perhaps you were a little bit crazy. You definitely sounded like it.

“I’m going to ask you something, but don’t take it the wrong way.” Mihyo spoke. “Have you, like… had sex with this man? In those dreams?”

The fact that she was asking gave you goosebumps, because it meant she knew something that you didn’t, and judging by her tone, it wasn’t good news.

Slowly, you nodded.

“Are you a virgin?”

Awkwardly, you switched your position on the sofa, playing with your fingers. “Yes.”

Mihyo straightened her back, sighing.

“Well, the good news is that you aren’t insane. The bad news is that you’re right.” As you rubbed your face, unable to form any coherent sentence, Mihyo continued. “Apparently, there are some ghosts that prey on virgins, using sex as an energy drainer. Have you felt more tired lately?”

“I have, but I thought I was just burnt out.”

“He’s feeding on your energy to get stronger. That way, he’ll be capable of crossing the threshold and stepping into our world. If he does so, he’ll be able to do whatever he wants.”

You blinked twice, speechless. The situation was simply overwhelming.

“So, basically, I’m fucked.” Mihyo couldn’t even disagree. “But if we were invoking Jackson, why did he appear?”

“An Ouija board isn’t a phone, you see? The person answering might not be the one you were calling.” You cursed under your breath. “I guess he has been waiting for someone to open the door, you know?”

“What do I do, Mihyo?” Your lip trembled, and upon seeing you on the verge of tears, Mihyo sat down next to you, patting your back. “Should I move out?”

“The apartment isn’t the problem. He’s stuck to you. He’ll follow, wherever you go.” A sob ripped your throat. If only you had known better. “But don’t worry, we can fix this. We must open the session again and close it properly this time. The only problem is, those who were there the first time should be there again.”

Obviously, it was Heejin Mihyo was referring to. To be honest, you wouldn’t blame her if she refused.

“How’s she doing?”

“We barely speak now.” Mihyo admitted, rather sadly. “She’s been avoiding me, but her roommates told me she has been acting weird: she can barely sleep, she’s having nightmares, and she’s not doing well in class.”

The burden of guilt felt right on your back.

“God, how could we’ve been so stupid?”

“I’ll convince her.” Mihyo took your hand, trying to give you the illusion of safety. “Don’t worry. We’ll fix this.”

Much to your surprise, you found them both waiting at your door.

Mihyo was right, she looked terrible. She had bags under her eyes and had bitten her nails to the point of gnawing on the skin. Although the wounds had been tried to be covered with bandaids, you could still see them. It looked like she hadn’t washed her hair in weeks. Heejin muttered a low hello to you, and nothing else came from her mouth.

A blast of cold air hit your face the moment you stepped into your place, making you shiver, but not from the cold. It came from a window that you didn’t remember leaving open, but you knew better than to scare Heejin to death. You simply walked towards the window and closed it.

Just like the first time, Mihyo lit up candles and placed them on the floor, forming a circle with the Ouija board in the middle.

You couldn’t shake the eerie feeling of something possibly going wrong, very wrong. But, if you wanted your old life back, you had to suck it up and solve it, so you were the first to sit in front of the board and place your index fingers on the pointer. Mihyo followed and, after a moment of hesitation, Heejin.

“What’s his name?”

“Taeyong.” Mihyo nodded, letting you know that the session was about to start.

“We want to talk to Taeyong.” She said out loud. “Taeyong, are you there?”

He didn’t take long to answer, the pointer moving to the word yes.

“It’s not you that we wanted to contact, Taeyong. It’s time to go back where you belong.” The pointer remained in its place, and you allowed yourself to fantasize about the idea of him being gone. “We’ll close the session now.”

“No.”

That familiar voice ricocheted against the walls of your living room, turning your stomach. You thought you had just heard it in your head, but as you glanced at the girls before you, you understood that it hadn’t been the case. Heejin was white as paper, on the verge of passing out. She made the pretense of separating her fingers from the pointer, only for Mihyo to scream at her to stay where she was.

“Taeyong, you don’t belong here!” Mihyo screamed. “You have to go!”

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Taeyong appeared where the Ouija board was, stomping on Mihyo’s hand. The girl let out a gut-wrenching scream as she held her hand, eyes fixed on her crooked, broken fingers. Taeyong slapped her with the force of a thousand men, and she fell limp on the floor.

Your first instinct was to grab Heejin and drag her up with you, making a run towards the door. You tried to be quick but Taeyong was quicker, grabbing Heejin’s hair and yanking her back, causing you to fall. Pain spread from your shoulder to your wrist.

You looked up in time to watch Taeyong slam Heejin’s head against the wall, the noise of something cracking flooding the room, and watched in horror as he threw her away as if she was nothing, a string of blood sliding from her forehead down to her cheek.

The apartment fell silent.

“You.” His black eyes fell on you. You were paralyzed. “How could you do this to me?”

You opened your mouth, trying to say something, but nothing came out.

“I tried to be understanding. I allowed him in here, thinking that fucking you like a bitch would make you develop the slightest loyalty towards me. And what do you do?”

Taeyong took a step forward, snapping you out of your trance and forcing you to crawl back.

“You try to send me back. As if I meant nothing to you.”

For every step he took, you moved away. Eventually, there was nothing but a wall behind you. You pressed your back against it, thinking that if you pushed enough you would go through it.

“I’m not a monster.” He said. Then, he crouched down and pointed at the girls. You couldn’t bring yourself to look. “This is your fault.”

A single tear rolled down your cheek as you opened your mouth once again. Struggling to find the words that got stuck in your throat, you ended up whispering.

“I’m sorry.”

Taeyong tilted his head to the side. For a second you thought that you would get away alive. He looked at you with nurturing eyes, the way you glance at a child who has said something incredibly innocent and naïve.

“I know you are. I am, too.”

You didn’t have time to process his words as he straddled your lap. Desperation and fear flooded your mind as Taeyong closed his long, bony fingers around your neck, stopping any air from getting to your lungs.

But you wouldn’t go without a fight. You kicked the air, you scratched his face, his eyes, but it was like trying to catch vapor.

You thought of your parents, of Matt. Losing another kid, another sibling, would break them. You thought of Heejin and Mihyo, who had lost their lives because you didn’t know better. You thought of Kun, lamenting not having said something sooner.

As you slowly lost consciousness, you came to terms with the fact that you were going to die. Through your half-closed eyes, you took your time to take in the face of your murderer.

He was insanely beautiful, like the fallen angel.

You breathed in so quickly that you choked, coughing as you got up. You jumped over Heejin’s dead body, repeating to yourself that there was nothing you could do for her or Mihyo other than find help.

You left the door open and ran down the empty hallway. When you turned around the corner, you found yourself inside your apartment again, in your hall. You could see your furniture from your position.

You swore you had left your apartment. You tried again, and again. Yet every time you turned around the corner, you appeared in your hall.

No rational explanation could make you understand what was happening. It felt like a sleep paralysis experience: knowing that you were dreaming but unable to do anything to wake up. Except this was real life, and you were trapped.

Then, you saw it.

It hadn’t been Heejin’s body the one you had jumped over. It had been yours. Your open eyes pointed to the ceiling, devoid of any life.

Your body collapsed and you fell to the floor, on your knees, weeping like a child. You called for your mom, your brother, Kun.

“There’s no need to cry.” Taeyong’s words were sweet like honey, but they made you want to vomit. “It’s not as bad as it seems.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” You cried. “Why, why?”

“You told me you were lonely.” His faked innocence didn’t go unnoticed. “I was lonely, too, but now I have you.”

“Please, please, let me go…”

“Now we have each other.” The smile on Taeyong’s face was prominent but never reached his eyes. “For eternity.”

No reposting or translations allowed.

© epinebleue 2023

[aces-parrows]

café conversations | taeyong

pairing: taeyong x male!reader word count: 1.4k genre: fluff, slight angst, imagine warning(s): not proofread, mentions of enlistment summary: you're in a secret relationship with taeyong, meeting up at your guys' spot to catch up.

the warmth of your fresh coffee warmed your hands that had become frozen from the cold weather, gradually thawing them as you took this moment to embrace the aroma and the soothing heat. it was about nine in the morning, a few minutes past when your boyfriend promised to meet you here. as you glanced around the bustling cafe, anticipation and a hint of concern filled the air, your mind wandering into different scenarios it could think up as to why he was late. normally, his "late" was right on the dot for the time he gave, but today was different. you understood the idol life kept him busy, however, you were aware this was supposed to be a day off for him. what could be keeping him?

you glanced out the window, hopeful to catch a glimpse of him through the glass, now blurred by the frost that coated it. perhaps there was traffic due to the weather? the roads did appear quite icy when you left your apartment earlier. even the sidewalk was coated in ice that you were slipping on as you walked over here.

taeyong appeared at the entrance of the cafe breathless, looking around for you with those sweet boba eyes. they seemed to sparkle upon seeing you as he skipped over to where you were seated, his smile almost visible through the mask he wore. he didn't have on makeup today, which you noticed despite most of his face being hidden. the acne on his left cheek and his pores just added to his attractiveness; knowing that he wasn't "perfect" just made his genuine charm even more appealing. not just to you, but to his fans as well.

"i'm so sorry i'm late, lovebug." taeyong's said in the sweetest tone, visibly remorseful for keeping you waiting.

lovebug. that pet name that always made you smile and blush like it was the first time he's ever called you that.

when he first bestowed the endearing nickname upon you, it during a chance encounter at the bar. you two were engaged in casual conversation between sips of your beers, when you were abruptly whisked away to spend time with a friend and his girlfriend. admittedly, you found taeyong irresistible even though you barely knew him. his purple hair made him stand out, the way it framed his captivating, boba-like eyes. god, those eyes were as big as his heart. you couldn't help but continue to steal glances at him throughout the evening, watching as he laughed among his group of friends, which you soon found out to be members of his group, nct 127.

it was later in the evening when you were about to head out, your friend and his girlfriend having left half an hour earlier. you didn't know what kept you there, but you felt as though you needed to stay and wait for something. perhaps, this was the universe's subtle way of bringing you and taeyong together.

in the bar's bathroom, as you were about to exit, taeyong entered. the smile that quickly spread across his face, lighting sparkles in those boba eyes and filling the air with a sense of love you never felt before. it was there in that bathroom, where he explained his situation as an idol, the industry, the fans, all of it. you listened, curiosity piqued. this was vital information, provided to you before he asked you out to dinner.

the invitation took you aback. in the bar bathroom? here is where she asked? looking back, it was hard to be offended when you got to witness first hand how crazy the fans can be, especially with their idols being in love or in a relationship. you accepted regardless, wanting to see this sweet man again, even if it was only once more before he disappeared from your life permanently. the excitement boiled over in him as he called you "lovebug" for the first time when he expressed his excitement to see you again.

ever since that night, that was his special nickname for you. it melted your heart every single time, bringing a warmth even the freezing cold outside couldn't extinguish.

"it's alright," you said reassuringly, "i was getting worried, but i'm glad you're here."

"i had someone following me." he admitted, stress evident as he hesitantly glanced over at the entrance. "i needed to lose them before i could come."

that was the one thing you hated about his job. the fans. no, not all of them. the crazy ones. the ones that could ruin his career if they even so much as suspected he was in love with someone, let alone a man. the conservative nature of south korea did make it harder to be openly gay, but when you're in the spotlight, it's even harder. you know the international fans would love him regardless, it's the ones here in korea that terrified you. you sometimes had nightmares of how they might treat you if they found out you exist. what would they do if they felt you were taking away "their man?"

the secrecy of your relationship gave you comfort in knowing they wouldn't know about you. regardless, you never left to meet up with taeyong without a mask and other ways of obstructing your appearance to make it more difficult for them to find you.

you were snapped out of your thoughts when you noticed taeyong's beanie, a hint of a new hair color peeking out the back, prompting a soft giggle to escape your lips.

"what's the new hair color this time?" you ask, internally crying for your poor boyfriend's hair and scalp.

"brown." he said happily.

"no more silver and black?" you ask with a soft pout, that combination being your favorite after the pink and blue.

"no, sadly not." taeyong chuckled, "you did always like natural colors on me the most, though.

"i know, but you pulled off those colors so well! i couldn't get enough of it!"

the amount of times taeyong changed his hair was crazy. every time you saw him, it seemed he got his hair colored to something new. admittedly, you considered making a bingo card at some point to see how many colors this man could have dyed his hair in just a few months. you felt bad at the idea when you found out it was damaging both his hair and scalp to a point he dreaded getting a new hair color. you wanted nothing more than to have some sort of magical healing abilities, able to kiss away all the problems his company caused hm physically.

"how have you been?" he asked

"the usual." you admitted, "work has been kicking my ass."

"the same here." taeyong said through a laugh, "but i love it. i love seeing everyone so happy and enjoying our newest songs. especially since i.. you know."

that damn e word. enlistment. you knew it was coming and that it would make your already secretive relationship even harder to maintain. why couldn't he have enlisted earlier or not have to enlist at all? despite the freshness of your relationship, it felt as though you two had known each other for years. the mere thought of him going away for a couple of years tore your heart into pieces. how could you live without him? true, he could visit you on his days off, but how often would that be? how frequently could he communicate with you? your biggest fear was that you two would discover a freedom he doesn't get with being an idol, allowing your guys' relationship to bloom more; only for it to be ripped away once he's discharged.

"hey." taeyong said gently, knowing you were getting lost in those thoughts again, "i understand it's tough to think about, but we'll make it work. we'll make the most of our time together and i'll contact you as often as i can."

you looked into his eyes, finding reassurance in the words he spoke. his unwavering support made the impending separation a little more bearable. with a tender smile, he reminded you of the wonders of modern day technology, how even if he can't communicate for some time, your guys' memories will always be at the tips of your fingers whenever you wanted.

"our love can withstand the distance." he reassured once more.

you then realized in that moment, that no matter the difficulties,the strength of your bond would be a guiding force through the trials of his enlistment. and the limitations of the idol life.

taeyong, realizing he had to go, apologized for having to cut the date short. you understood, sensing he had a good reason. he planted a quick yet tender kiss on your cheek before he said his goodbyes, making you promise to text him the second you stepped foot into your apartment.

"i love you, lovebug. take care, i'll call you tonight."

[idolimagines]

Bad Intentions pt.3 TEASER

Word count: 2.7K

Read pt. 1 and pt. 2

Genre: Fantasy, romance

You felt the warmth of Taeyong’s body against your own as you slowly began to awaken. A faint smile crept upon your lips as you opened your eyes and saw the beautiful man asleep next to you. Taeyong was sound asleep and gently breathing as he laid with his arms wrapped around you. You moved a strand of brown hair from his angelic face, giving you a better view of his calm state. It was hard to believe that this is the same Taeyong from last night. The same man who made you moan and scream in pleasure as you two made love. Your cheeks grew hot as you thought about him and then let out a scoff. 

Taeyong could be so full of himself sometimes and it seemed like you two could always find something to bicker about. Some might even say you two acted like an old married couple. However, the more you thought of him, the more you realized you couldn’t imagine life without him. You felt a sense of relief that you and Taeyong had finally acknowledged your feelings for each other. Taeyong is my person. You thought. And I’m his. 

Although you felt relieved about this whole situation, you also felt a tinge of uneasiness as being in a relationship was so new to you. What if he changes his mind? Will we still be friends if things don’t work out? Were all thoughts that suddenly plagued your mind. 

Your slew of negative thoughts were quickly drowned out by the sound of Taeyong’s deep voice. “Good morning,” he murmured before pulling you closer to him. “Good morning Taeyong,” you replied as you shifted to get more comfortable within his grasp. 

“You trying to get away from me?” He asked while still keeping his eyes closed. 

“I’m trying to get comfortable,” you giggled as you pulled some of the comforter off of you. “It’s hot.” 

“Thanks,” Taeyong smirked, finally waking up from his long slumber as he opened his eyes. Your auburn eyes momentarily met his before quickly rolling your own. “I said it’s hot, not you’re hot.” You clarified with a smile. 

“Mhm, sure.” He teased with a sly smile before inching over and placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. Taeyong caressed your face and you melted with his touch. He noticed your expression, realizing you were in deep thought. “What’s on your mind, Y/N?” He calmly asked. 

“You. Me. Us,” you stated to which he hummed in response. Taeyong stayed silent for a moment, gathering his own thoughts before finally speaking once more. “This feels…right,” he added while stroking your hair oh so softly. His words comforted you and you let out a small sigh of relief before stating, “It does.” 

“Does this mean we’re officially dating?” Taeyong murmured and you cracked a smile. “I think so?” You awkwardly answered. Taeyong shot you a puzzled look. This was uncharted territory for him as he had never formally dated anyone. Sure, the two of you had been friends with benefits for the longest time, but suddenly he felt like a fool for not knowing how to navigate this relationship beyond the bedroom. 

“Y/N…” he innocently asked. 

“Yeah?” 

In that moment, Taeyong looked angelic as he gazed at you with a hopeful expression. “Will you be my girlfriend?” 

You could feel a slight blush adorn your cheeks as you shyly nodded your head, quietly giving him a, “yes” in response as you two were merely inches from each other. Taeyong instantly smiled as you both leaned in for a long-awaited kiss. “I could get used to this,” he added before planting another kiss on your lips. 

Taeyong swiftly held himself over you as your kiss grew deeper. His naked body pressed against yours as nothing but a thin blanket covered the two of you. As your lips parted he took a moment to look down at you. Even after all these years, Taeyong couldn’t get over your beauty. He loved the way your eyes beamed when you smiled. He loved the way you laughed. He wondered how all this time he hadn’t admitted his feelings to you sooner. In fact, despite his cool-guy persona, he had doubts of himself at times too. Afterall, it was he who had initiated the no strings attached clause. Taeyong would never admit it, but he too was afraid of commitment. However, no matter where he was, or who he was with, you were always on his mind. He would see random trinkets or places you liked and it only made him miss you more while you two were apart. 

Long ago, you had made it clear to him that you wanted to be independent from the brood and seek adventure on your own. You wanted to find yourself and discover what else the world had to offer. Sure, you were a vampire and you had lived to see many amazing wonders already these past 200 years. However, you found yourself curious about everyday human life. You wondered what it was like to go to college. What it was like to study for exams and complete projects with other students. An idea so simple, yet so foreign as you had never done it before. So when you discovered that Jaehyun, the human with pure blood that vampires crave the most, was attending university - it was a perfect coincidence. 

You looked up at Taeyong with half lidded eyes and lips slightly parted and wet from your earlier kiss. The morning sun was peeking through the window, lighting up the room ever so slightly. “I should get going,” you declared as the idea of taking a hot shower and brushing your teeth in your own home seemed so attractive right now. 

“Not before you have breakfast,” Taeyong urged as he got up. 

“What’s on the menu?” You asked while sitting up with the blanket wrapped around your body. 

“Hmm…O positive?” He hummed with a smirk. 

“My favorite,” you answered before getting up and joining him. 

~*~

You and Taeyong stood around the kitchen counter, sipping away at your morning drink. You looked chic as you were dressed in a fluffy white robe and your hair still damp from your joint shower with Taeyong. He had charmed you into staying a little longer with an enticing hot shower in his pristine bathroom and an extra toothbrush. 

“So how long will you be staying here?” You asked as your eyes gazed over his place. It was an elegant modern home with crisp, clean lines and marble accents throughout. “I’m not sure, I have this place rented until the end of the month. I can extend if I want, but it just depends…” He trailed off before taking another sip of blood. You spotted his pointed fangs peeking behind his lip as his auburn eyes eyed the window directly in front of him. 

“Depends on what?” 

“You,” he quickly finished as he sat down his now empty cup. “I don’t want to be apart anymore.” 

You nodded your head in understanding, looking down at your drink as you realized you were nearly halfway done with it. You were relishing in the refreshing taste of human blood. It was a treat as you usually opted for animal blood for the sake of not harming humans. 

Taeyong looked at you, growing a little impatient as he craved more of an answer. “What are your plans now? I assume since you’re not going to kill the pure blood human, you’re done with school?” 

“I will admit Jaehyun is partially the reason why I came to this town and enrolled in university…” you started. “But another reason I’m here is because I want to get an education. I-I like this whole experience of college and living amongst humans like this. It’s new and exciting for me and if I do well I can earn a degree in a few more years.” 

Taeyong would be lying if he said he was surprised by your answer. He knew you were different from other members of the brood, you were more on the side for peace and genuine connection with humans compared to others. Taeyong admired this quality in you and shot you a small smile.

“Then I’d like to stay here and be with you as long as you’ll have me,” he responded before you sat your glass down and gave him a comforting hug. “Of course, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” you beamed.

~*~

“If I see one more student sleeping in my class, you will all be taking a quiz tomorrow.” Professor Kim threatened as he stalked around the classroom with his ruler in hand. You sighed and looked around the room, ready to give anyone you caught a death glare as the last thing you wanted to do was take a punishment quiz tomorrow. 

But hey, you wanted the college experience right?

As you looked around, your eyes found Jaehyun sitting in front of you as usual. He was wearing a baseball cap backwards on his head while his thick hair stayed tucked underneath. He had all of his notes organized just as he always did, highlighted and everything. 

Today seemed different as you no longer looked at him with lust, no. Instead you viewed him as a friend and although you’d give anything to just taste his pure blood, you’d knew leaving him alone was for the best. 

Over the weekend you and Taeyong had made an agreement that neither of you would take his life. Jaehyun was to be left alone and your sole purpose was to finish school and earn the degree you dreamed of. 

While you attended your classes for the day, Taeyong was busy working and having meetings with investors and potential buyers for his commercial land. Since the two of you have been around for a few hundred years, you had the advantage of buying large plots of land all over the world as you suspected they would continue to increase in value over the century. 

Of course, you two had to register it under your respective family names, therefore no human buyers would grow suspicious of 200 year-old vampires. Instead, they were made to believe these investments were purchased and handed down over several generations. 

You let out a sigh of relief as the bell rang and Professor Kim dismissed class. You quickly packed your belongings in a rush as you were excited to meet your boyfriend outside. 

Just as Jaehyun was about to turn back around to talk to you, you were already out of sight and rushing down the many steps to make your way out of the classroom. 

As you rushed outside, you suddenly halted as you spotted none other than Mark darting towards Taeyong who was standing in the shade under a large tree. Taeyong was wearing black sunglasses and blowing a bubble with his gum as he sensed the annoying ‘vampire slayer’ from behind. 

Here we go again. Thought Taeyong. 

“Hey,” Mark greeted as he looked up to Taeyong. “I figured you’d be out here. I have a gift for you,” he added with a fake smile. Taeyong looked at him with a puzzled expression and quickly noted there was a not-so hidden camera attached to his vest pocket on his chest. 

Odd. Taeyong thought. “Open it for me,” he remarked and Mark’s brows furrowed. 

“It’s a gift - you should really be the one to open it,” he urged as his smile faded. 

“Nah, I’m good,” Taeyong responded, only irritating Mark further. “Fine!” The younger shouted before messily ripping the bow off the box and opening it. Taeyong glanced at the contents of the box, realizing there was a simple silver bracelet on the inside. 

“A bracelet?” Taeyong asked. “What for?” 

“Well - I wanted to apologize for the way I’ve been acting towards you,” Mark started. “You know the whole accusing you of being a vampire,” he said in a more light hearted tone as he gestured towards him. 

“Ah, no worries,” Taeyong responded without taking the bracelet. Mark was quick to notice this and stared at Taeyong for an extra second with a puzzled look. “Well…aren’t you going to take it?” Mark further asked, to which Taeyong shrugged and shook his head. 

“No thanks, I’m more of a gold person,” he cheekily added before spotting you in the distance. A warm smile appeared on his face as he looked your way, causing Mark to grow even more irritated as the elder was no longer paying attention to him. 

“Oh come on,” Mark groaned. “Just put it on.” He urged while lifting the bracelet from the box and motioning it towards Taeyong. Taeyong took a step back as he kept his hands in his pockets. 

“I’m good,” he replied calmly. Taeyong was too smart to fall for Mark’s games. It was no secret that vampires didn’t like silver. However, the effect it had on his kind wasn’t as dramatic as it was told in the old folklore tales. It didn’t go as far as killing vampires, but it did sting and burn when it touched their skin. 

“It’s because you’re a vampire!” Mark shouted as Taeyong began to walk away from him and instead towards you. “Just admit it!” He added while charging towards the elder. Within seconds, Mark angrily attempted to grab Taeyong’s shoulder from behind, attempting to turn him around and press the silver to Taeyong’s skin. 

Your eyes grew wide as Taeyong turned around before Mark could even lay a hand on him, catching the younger’s wrist mid-air. At that moment, Taeyong’s anger engulfed him and he wanted to break Mark’s wrist. With his inhuman strength, he could do it with merely an ounce of effort. Didn’t this kid get the hint? Thought Taeyong. What’s his deal? 

Taeyong stared at Mark with full auburn eyes now, not giving a damn to conceal them anymore as he was furious. “Mark is your name right?” The vampire hissed as he tightened his grip on the human’s wrist. Mark stared at him with nothing but fear in his eyes. He quickly snapped out of his vampire slayer fantasy and realized he had made a mistake as he didn’t think Taeyong would fight back in front of all these people. 

“Y-yes,” Mark shakily answered, wincing in pain as Taeyong held his wrist. Taeyong glanced around, noting some students were gawking from afar, wondering what was going on. 

Taeyong huffed and let go of Mark’s wrist, not wanting to draw anymore attention to himself. “Well Mark, I would strongly recommend that you leave me the fuck alone.” 

Mark scoffed, feeling embarrassed as he could hear people laughing at him from afar. He watched as Taeyong’s eyes slowly turned back to brown. Being this close to him, he realized he was the only one who would witness this subtle transformation as everyone else was standing at a distance. 

“Taeyong!” You scolded as you ran over, “What the hell is going on?” 

“We’re done here,” Taeyong hissed as he took your hand into his and you two began to walk away. 

It was at this desperate moment Mark threw the silver bracelet at Taeyong, aiming for any part of his body as the elder was not facing him anymore. Mark was desperate to see what the silver would do if it touched Taeyong. 

However, Taeyong caught the bracelet with his free hand without looking back, showing off his inhuman reflexes. The vampire’s skin instantly started stinging and burning in pain as if he had touched a hot pan straight from an oven. However, he acted as if it was nothing. The pain only lasted a few seconds before he dropped the jewelry to the ground and stopped mid-step. “I mean it, Mark,” Taeyong warned, shooting daggers with his eyes before leaving with you. 

And it was at that moment Mark had seen everything he needed to see to further confirm his suspicions as he saw the burn marks on Taeyong’s palm.  And yet in the midst of all the chaos, you failed to spot Jaehyun within the small crowd of people who had witnessed everything.

[xofanfics]

Lost for Words - Part II

Part I | Part II | Part III

Genre: angst, fluff, smut 🥺🤗🥵

Pairing: Reader x Kun // Reader x Taeyong

Word Count: 2.8k

Summary: You have the best boyfriend you could’ve asked for. Things take an interesting turn as you befriend your new coworker, exploring the blurred lines between friendship and something more.

Taeyong’s thoughts revolved around you for the rest of the weekend and for the three weeks that followed. He found himself thinking about you more and more as the days went on, even outside of work. They started out as simple thoughts; just flashbacks at how beautiful you’d looked that morning. Then the thoughts got a little more complex. He’d look at menus and think about all the foods you told him you liked. He’d make a note to himself to tell you all about it and give you that recommendation. But then he took it even further by imagining himself taking you there someday, on a date. He wondered what it would be like to kiss you, to hold you so close that he could easily smell the scent of your perfume. 

He hated the fact that you weren’t single. He hated the fact that you had a boyfriend. He hated the fact that he had absolutely no chance with you. He knew he had no right to feel this way, but he couldn’t help himself. His thoughts and feelings were just that - thoughts and feelings, where they would remain in his mind and heart until he decided to move on. An even more delusional side of him even wondered if there was the possibility of you and your boyfriend breaking up.

It was pretty early on into their relationship, but he knew that he could see himself with you. It’d been a month and a half and he felt like you’d gotten considerably close with him. The team was pretty close, in general, though, so Taeyong had a hard time understanding if this was how you acted with everyone. 

Today, he had a meeting with you to discuss his findings from a marketing campaign that just ended. You would normally have this meeting with the rest of the team, but Taeyong honestly just wanted to have some time alone with you. He presented it to you under the guise of wanting to give you the information as soon as possible. He insisted that he’d just do the full presentation next week, once Valentina had returned from her maternity leave. 

The two of you didn’t have meetings alone often, so Taeyong was enjoying every second of it. He watched as you listened to his findings. He loved how attentive you were and how you always had a question or two. Plus, the longer you talked, the more time he got to spend with you. 

He was well aware that you were his coworker. He knew that you should probably stay that way, but he couldn’t help feeling so drawn to you. Even your other team members praised how well you worked together. Workplace relationships were almost always a bad idea, right? But in the delusional side of Taeyong’s mind, he thought that he could make it work whether anyone knew about it or not. Of course, he would prefer no one knowing. He wouldn’t want you to be the target of gossip. Even if they were just words, Taeyong knew all too well how hurtful words could be. 

“I hope that all made sense,” he said, “but I think that audiences responded really well to the new templates we used for the email. We tested two different ones but it seemed like the new one performed better.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. We can definitely try that for new products moving forward. I think the new template was easier to read, with more white space.”

“I think that maybe changing up the templates on social media would also be helpful. I’d love to test that as well. I can bring up that idea in the larger meeting next week. How does that sound?”

You nodded. “That would be great. Thank you for your help on this. It really helps to go over this information.”

“No problem,” he said as you turned toward the door. He could see your coworkers gathering by the entrance. “By the way, are you joining everyone for lunch? I hear they’re trying a new soup place.”

You shook your head. “Nah. I’m not really in the mood for soup.”

“What are you in the mood for?”

You chuckled. “Honestly? I was thinking of going to the convenience store and having lunch there.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, joining in your laughter. 

“What’s wrong with the convenience store?”

Taeyong shrugged, teasing. “I mean, nothing…I guess.”

“Wanna join?”

“Sure,” he said. “It’s hump day, the perfect time for a cheat meal.”

You giggled as Taeyong opened the door for you. 

*

You enjoyed Taeyong’s company a lot, you realized. You felt like you could be yourself with him around. He was friendly with everyone, of course, but it seemed like you had a lot in common with him. Everyone at the office seemed to like him, too. He was a breath of fresh air, honestly. 

You talked about a lot of things but it seemed like you were having deeper conversations today. You talked about your childhood and how your parents struggled to put you through college and how you never knew until your parents told you that they were selling the house. The three bedroom home that you and your sister had known your whole lives was sold and they moved into a smaller home, further from the city. You told him how you always felt bad about it and how you should’ve gotten a job despite your parents telling you you didn’t need to. 

“Hey,” he said, noticing the melancholic aura, “none of those things are your fault…”

“I know,” you said, “but I wish things had been different back then.”

“If you could change one thing in the past, would it be that?”

You nodded. “I would’ve worked so they didn’t have to sell the house.” You turned to him after taking a bite of your noodles. “Is there anything you would change?”

Interestingly enough, Taeyong shook his head. “I don’t think so.” Noticing your surprised face, he added, “Life sucked a year ago, I’ll admit, but I wouldn’t be where I am today. And I like the way things are going in my life right now. I mean, I like the work I’m doing and I have a team that respects me. I’m also moving into a much nicer apartment in a couple of weeks.”

“That’s amazing. Do you need anything for the apartment? I’d love to get you something.”

“I was debating on having a housewarming party after I move in, actually.”

“You should! It would be fun.”

“I have a few friends that would be able to come. And I’d love to invite a couple people on the team, too. My friend, Hwan, would probably bring his girlfriend. You can bring yours, too, if you want.”

“Yeah,” you said, “I’d be down to come.”

***

Valentina had returned from her maternity leave, a month later, with fresh energy. Among the team, she found herself naturally drawn to Taeyong. His intelligence and unwavering enthusiasm for learning resonated with her deeply. Valentina had always held hard work in high regard – after all, it had propelled her to her current high-level position at the youthful age of thirty-three. Life was starting to come together for her; she was recently married and had welcomed her first child into the world. With her momentum, a promotion within the next couple of years seemed well within reach.

As she entered the meeting room, the soft sound of her heels pierced the air. Her lips curved into a warm smile as she greeted the room with a confident "Good morning." Setting down her cup of coffee, she took her designated seat at the head of the table.

“Morning, Valentina,” you said.

“Does anyone need to dial in today?” asked Taeyong, “We should set up the video conferencing.”

“I think it’s just Hina working from home today,” you said. “She had to have a repairman come in to fix her plumbing.”

Taeyong nodded and went to the computer to set up the camera. Then, David walked in with his laptop and a grin. He sat down at the other end of the table. 

A moment later, Taeyong had set everything up and Hina was on the screen. She waved to everyone and Valentina began.

“I called everyone here this afternoon to provide an exciting update. We understood that a few of you mentioned wanting to attend more conferences and conventions taking place in the industry as we went through last quarter’s employee survey,” she explained. “Due to the number of people that requested, we intend on buying extra tickets for those that are interested in attending. It would be a great opportunity to learn more about our competitors and attend keynotes. This is a new initiative for the company’s commitment to professional development.”

The room was filled with excited chatter and agreeable nods as she went on. She continued, “David and I will be presenting our upcoming product launch, along with a few other high level members of the company. The convention will be taking place in Incheon at the Songdo Convensia Center and we will be staying at the Hanuri Lotus Hotel, which is within walking distance to the convention center. If you’re interested in accommodations, of course, be sure to let us know. It’s coming up next month, so please make decisions soon. I’ll send out an email to follow this meeting with all the necessary information!”

Following the announcement, anticipation filled the air, a collective enthusiasm rippling through the team members. 

By lunchtime, it was all anyone could talk about. As you, Hina, Taeyong, and Kevin stepped out for lunch, the topic of conversation was the conference. It was taking place in the next three to four weeks. Thankfully, you hadn’t made any plans. Kun had mentioned taking a trip at the end of the summer, but that would have to wait.

"I didn't see that coming," Kevin commented, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I mean, we never have the budget for anything…"

Taeyong chimed in, sounding intrigued. "Seriously? You think so?"

Hina joined the conversation with a sarcastic smile. "Oh, absolutely. They're all about decking us out with the latest tech, but when it comes to travel and conferences, suddenly there’s no money" She let out a slight eye roll before returning to her noodles.

You nodded in agreement. “Yeah. They’re usually super strict about budget but I hope this means they’ll invest in us a little more so we can get promoted.”

Taeyong turned to you. “Is getting a promotion hard here?”

Kevin shook his head. “Not necessarily, but I think there’s more room for it now that the marketing and creative teams have been expanding. Honestly, the place was a mess before Valentina came. I’ve been here for about four years and Valentina has been here for a little over two. I went from an intern to a full time employee.”

“Me and Y/N came after. Valentina hired us both.”

Taeyong nodded. “Are you guys going to go to the conference?”

"Absolutely!" The collective response came almost in sync, a chorus of agreement filling the air.

Taeyong let out an airy laugh. “Well, I guess I’ll see you all there.”

***

Despite going into the office everyday, it still seemed like you had nothing to wear. You sifted through your closest, unsatisfied with almost all of the options available. Too business casual, you thought. Not fashionable enough. This was a conference, after all, and you needed to present yourself in a better way. With these sorts of events, you never knew who you’d meet and what opportunities could arise. It’s not that you were looking to leave the company, but you never knew where life would take you.

You started browsing online, looking for more fashionable pieces to add onto your weekend fashion itinerary. Kun placed a mug of chamomile tea on the coffee table for you and planted a kiss on your forehead.

“Still looking for an outfit?” he asked, taking his place next to you on the couch.

You nodded. “Yeah. I saw this really nice pantsuit. Wanna see?”

“Sure,” he said as you went ahead and pulled it up on the screen. “What do you think?”

“I think it’d look gorgeous on you,” he said, “but four hundred dollars?”

“That’s the cost of beauty, babe.”

At that moment, he pulled out his wallet and handed you his credit card. “Buy it. I’d love to take it off of you,” he said, giving you a suggestive grin.

“I’ll be in Incheon, babe,” you explained, taking the card.

“Well, you’ll be in a hotel room, won’t you?”

“I don’t know if we’ll have roommates or not…”

“Well maybe I’ll just have to book a room of my own then,” he said, placing gentle kisses on your neck. “Would you come to visit me?”

***

Taeyong looked at himself in the mirror after he got out of the shower. He sighed, unsatisfied. I need to get back in the gym, he thought. With all of what came with moving from one apartment to the other, he’d been busy trying to get back into his routine.  

Most evenings after work, he was too tired to unpack more than a few boxes. The more he unpacked, the more he wished that he’d hired someone to do this. But he was almost there. It’d been a little over two weeks since he moved in but he somehow found himself living out of the boxes instead of unpacking properly. 

But between the convention coming up and the housewarming he was planning, he needed to put some pep in his step. 

He reached for his new moisturizer, courtesy of their generous employee discount. He heard his phone vibrate on the sink as he applied it but he didn’t bother looking, as he figured it was just a random notification. 

A few moments later, he was sitting on his bed in a pair of shorts. He picked up his phone with a smile as he realized that you were the one who texted him. 

Y/N [9:12PM]: I got your invitation earlier. I RSVP’d with a plus one! 

Y/N [9:12PM]: Btw, do you have a registry?

Taeyong [9:13PM]: You don’t need to buy anything. You guys coming is more than enough!

Y/N [9:16]: I’ll get you something you won’t expect haha

He hated the fact that he’d brought up inviting your boyfriend. But what did he expect? For you to not ask him and for him to not show up? Of course, you’d probably want him to meet your friends. But maybe it would serve as a reality check. Maybe seeing you with your boyfriend together would snap him out of it. Maybe it would snap him out of it so he could realize that he couldn’t have you. Maybe it would be the push he needed to go out on dates so that romance with you wouldn’t even cross his mind.

But, his heart still thumped at the thought of you coming anyway. He couldn’t wait to impress you with his event. He wanted you to taste his cooking. For the past couple of weeks, he’d made note of all the things you mentioned you liked or food he’d seen you eat. So far, it seemed like one of your favorite things to eat was dumplings. And, when you could, you’d opt for seafood. When you went out, he noticed that you’d choose seafood noodles over beef or chicken. He had some ideas of what to put on the menu, for sure. 

He hadn’t had the opportunity to hang out with you outside of a work setting. Sometimes he’d get a drink with you and Hina after work but there was never a time when he hung out with you on a Saturday or a Sunday. It had been about three months since he met you, so he supposed that this wasn’t unusual. If anything, he’d have to tread a little more carefully since he worked with you. He knew that people didn’t always care to be friendly and hang out with their coworkers outside of a work related event, but you struck him as the open-minded type. Hell, you’d opened up to him so much already, which had been a bit of a surprise. 

The conference was also coming up. He was excited to go, in general, but he was also excited to potentially spend time with you. He’d never been on a work trip like this before but he was excited. Kevin was apparently already making plans for them to go out at night, after the conference and team dinner. 

He fantasized about getting you alone, just to talk to you without everyone there. He knew that there was a line that couldn’t be crossed. But he genuinely enjoyed talking to you. There was no harm in that. Even if he sometimes looked at your lips and wondered what they tasted like. Even if he sometimes thought about the sweet things he’d whisper into your ear if he could. Even if he wondered what would happen if you hugged him and he didn’t let you go. After all, there was no harm done in his wonderings.

***

General Taglist: @to-all-the-stories-i-love​ @sweetnspicy-noona​

THANK YOU FOR READING! LMK if you want to be tagged in the next part!

[smileyerim]

what we could’ve been

event: @neowritingsnet secret Santa for @jaesqueso <3

pairing: ex!taeyong x ex!reader

genre: comedy, fluff, angsty parts enemies to lovers

length: 5.1k

warnings: mentions of cheating

nets: @kflixnet @neowritingsnet

beta reader: @theonlysoph <3

. . .

You love your little hometown. As silly as it sounds, you truly do appreciate the life your parents built for you here. You love your house, your spacious and lush backyard, the mailman who knows your name, and the coffee shop a mile walk down with the best cherry danishes you have ever eaten.

There’s few things you don’t appreciate about your hometown. The icy winters, the big city transplants taking over the roads with their fancy cars.

The fact that you had to leave.

“You had a choice, you know.” Your best friend Joohyun says through the phone as you walk through the air bridge. The chilling air shocks you as you step off the warm airplane, goosebumps rising immediately.

“No, I don’t think I did.” You hold your phone between your face and shoulder as you readjust your bag on your other shoulder.

You can hear her roll her eyes in the pause she takes before speaking again, “Nobody forced you out. He didn’t force you out. You decided to go. That’s on you.” You stop in your tracks in the busy terminal and take a deep breath. You can’t afford to piss anyone else off.

“What was I supposed to do? Stay and watch the rest of the world fall apart around me? I left before it got worse, and you know it was already bad enough.” You whisper, aware of the listening ears around you as you step onto the escalator taking you down to baggage claim.

She pauses and you can hear another eye roll. “Whatever. I’ll see you soon.”

It’s been 3 years since you’ve last seen him, your last interaction was less than peachy. You had never seen him so angry, definitely never that upset with you. You wince at the memory of how loud he was yelling. The man you were imagining a future with turning so sour towards you. You didn’t even know what you had done until after he had finished laying in on you, but by that point you had no more skin in the game with him. You were done and so was he.

So you picked up and left town 3 weeks after your last fight, growing tired of avoiding the coffee shop near your house because the eyes of Taeyong’s massive friends group were always on you.

You wish you could convince yourself that it is truly whatever, but there’s a part of you that still hurts from the words Taeyong spat at you that night. You know you will have to face him eventually. And that’s fine. Sorta.

–

You’re both relieved and weighed down when you step out of the airport and see your mom standing by the boot of her car. She lets out a squeal when she spots you, arms opening wide waiting for you to travel over to her. You can’t help but let out a giggle and smile wide, walking at a faster pace than before to meet her in a hug.

“Hi, my baby.” She says into your hair as she holds you tight, rocking side to side. You no longer feel cold in her arms.

“Hi mom.” You whisper into her shoulder.

She loads your bags and you’re on your way home. It’s freaky being back here, watching the town you used to know like the back of your hand zip by. Like an old friend, your hometown feels familiar but distant.

“So, it’s been a while since you’ve been back.” She says and you hum in response.

At your lack of a response she continues, “What happened with Taeyong was heartbreaking for you I know,” but she doesn’t, she doesn’t even know the half of what truly went down between you two. “but running away like that was— it was hard for us Y/N you have to know.”

You stop following the trees with your eyes as you squeeze them shut at her words. You know you hurt a lot of people by leaving, your family the most. But you don’t really want to hear it, you can’t. Your heart can’t take any more. Coming back was hard enough.

“I know, mom, I do.” You whisper, still avoiding her eyes.

“I have something to tell you.” She says after a beat of silence. You whip your head towards her.

“What is it?” She grips the steering wheel tighter and your heart rate rises.

“Listen, you’re not going to like this but— Y/N, trust me I did my best to avoid this but there’s just so much to do and not enough time to do it. And you both are just sitting around for now. So-“ she babbles and as she goes on and on you groan, interrupting her.

“Mom, please, what is it?”

She lets out a sigh. “The Lee’s are co-hosting the New Years party this year and we need you and Taeyong to work together to pull a couple of things together.”

Your stomach drops and the unmistakable cold feeling from before is back, “Are you joking?”

—

She wasn’t joking.

unknown number: hey i just picked up the rental truck. we need to go pick up the balloon arches. when r u free?

you: who is this?

unknown number: wow.

unknown number: damn.

unknown number: didn’t know u were like that.

you: ????

unknown number: its taeyong.

you: oh.

you: im free at 4.

taeyong: can’t do any sooner? i want to get this over with asap.

you: that disappointed to be around me huh?

taeyong: sorta yeah.

you: fine

you: 3:30

taeyong: see u then

you: see u then :)

taeyong: don’t do that

you: don’t do what

taeyong: whatever

-

Seeing him again for the first time doesn’t hurt the way you thought it would. He had texted you a charming, “here” when he arrived in front of your parents house. It made shameful butterflies dance up your belly when you realized you hadn’t given him your address, but he knew. He remembered.

Being here now, though, those butterflies have disappeared. They burnt to a crisp when the fury began to flame. It began with his blatant ignorance of your presence, not even a hello as you hopped up to the seat in the U-Haul. Then he turned the radio all the way up to drown out the sound of your voice as you attempted to make conversation. The trap music he chose to play to drown you out did the opposite of what you assumed he had expected it to, the thumping bass just frustrating you more as your ears pounded with a growing headache. It doesn’t help that he’s chosen probably the most beat up road to the workshop, the big rental truck absorbing almost none of the shock of the potholes.

The frustration comes to a head at a particularly rough pothole he hit straight on, causing you to nearly hit your head on the roof.

You bumble forward, turning the music all the way down, leaning in his line of sight and shouting, “Do you have to keep doing that?”

He doesn’t respond, just glances at you over the frame of his sunglasses with a scowl. His eyebrow is arched as if to say, “what’s the problem?”

“Hitting the potholes like that, goddammit!” You reply, unfortunately reading the question off the face a little too easily.

He doesn’t respond verbally again, just by rolling his eyes before pushing the sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and looking back to the road and turning the music up louder this time.

You lean back into your seat with a humph. There goes that attempt.

–

Where your ability to read Taeyong has seemed to stand the test of time, apparently your teamwork skills have not.

“Goddammit, who knew balloons could be so heavy?” You groan, gripping the heavy steel base of one side of the 7 foot wide balloon arch you’ve just arrived to collect. Your knees are burning and your fingers are sweating so much you’re about to slip your grip. Taeyong, always the gentleman, allowed you the honor of being the party to walk backwards.

Just as you’re wondering the next step, you feel the ground slip out from underneath you as you stumble off a step you hadn’t anticipated being there. You yelp out a puppy like bark in shock, thankfully not dropping the arch.

Taeyong is just as helpful as ever as he bursts out an inappropriate laugh before adopting his straight face again, “Sorry, forgot to tell you there’s a step there.” He says monotone. Your feet are shuffling awkwardly behind you as you attempt to take careful enough steps to not drop the heavy balloon arch on your foot or worse, eat shit and fall on your ass.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” You act coolly in response to his snarky comment, “you were too busy planning our next near suicide mission.” You learned from your past lesson, as you whip your head around trying to navigate your next step. Thankfully, the truck is close.

It takes him a beat to respond as he focuses on his own steps, “What?” he groans out, stopping to allow you to pivot onto the catwalk up to the body of the truck.

“The car drive over.” You stop walking to roll your eyes at him, “You tried to kill us both?” You say just as your ring finger slips out from under the metal base, nearly dropping the balloon arch off the side of the catwalk.

“And you’re still so mad about it you tried to murder the innocent balloon arch.” He snarks, barely allowing you a moment to adjust your grip. You roll your eyes once more and groan, continuing your careful steps backwards.

Once the arch is safely secured in the bed of the truck, you and Taeyong push it off to one side and step back to take a look at the damage. Thankfully, there is none and before you have time to catch your breath he’s looking at you. It’s a blank look that doesn’t last long but it makes another shiver come up your spine.

His hand raises up to your face and before you can ask what for, you realize he’s asking you for a high five. Apparently you’ve been looking at him for too long because he brings his other hand up to clap his own hand and give you an oddly funny look.

A beat passes as you both just look at eachother in the bed of the warm truck, no longer looking at the balloon arch. You aren’t sure what face you’re giving him but if it’s anything like the face he’s giving you, you’d be nervous.

“Let’s go get the second.” He whispers, no attitude or snark this time in his voice.

He’s skipping off the truck before you can analyze what he’s said.

Fuck. Okay. This is gonna be weird.

–

“How’d it go with good ol’ Yong this morning?” Joohyun says as you lie on her sofa, head in her lap. There’s something about time that you just can’t seem to get used to. No matter how much of it passes, you still seem to be just as close with her as before. A part of you wishes the same would be true for Taeyong.

You chuckle a dry laugh, “He tried to murder me.”

Joohyun, the friend you’ve always relied on to understand your humor, replies with just a shrug, “Sounds about right.”

That makes you laugh for the first time since you’ve arrived back as you sit up, choosing instead to set a cheek on her shoulder and direct your focus towards the TV quietly playing a rerun episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. You feel at peace with her here. You didn’t realize how many hearts you had broken with leaving until you came back and saw it on everyone’s face. Joohyun was hurt the most unsurprisingly.

She was a strong girl, choosing boldly to act as coldly as she could to everyone, but you know her better than that. You can read her almost as well as you can read Taeyong. She was never this cold with you before when you lived here, but her attitude now that you’re back is similar to the way she acted around your other friends.

She’s placed a wall up with you. She knows you’re leaving her again so she’s set distance with you. Unsurprisingly, that hurt you the most.

“I have to go pick up champagne with him tomorrow.”

She hums again, patting your head, “Don’t murder him. He’s too handsome to die.”

You bellow a loud laugh and scoff at her, slapping her shoulder as she bursts into giggles.

It’s good to be home with people who make it that way, you think.

–

The liquor store is busy with New Years approaching in just a day. You’ve had to weave in and out of crowds of people and couples. You aren’t sure how you feel being one of the many couples of people in the liquor store, yet probably being the only one of the bunch who’s here as exes being pushed together for errands. Exes who hate each other, at that.

From your left side as you round the corner to another aisle, you hear a chipper voice call out to you both, “Wine tasting for the happy couple?” a smiling salesperson stands with two small plastic cups of red wine in her hands.

“We aren’t a couple.” You say, both sickened by her assumption and a little hurt by having to say it so.

“Oh,” She looks surprised before collecting her composure again, “well, wine tasting for the good friends?”

Taeyong interjects this time, “we aren’t that either.” and your eyes roll again at the attitude in his voice. Why does he feel the need to include the poor saleswoman in this mess by being rude towards her too?

She chuckles awkwardly, a blush creeping on her cheeks and she shrugs, “I’m not quite sure what else to say then.” She admits awkwardly.

“Have a good day, ma’m.” You whisper, pinching Taeyong’s forearm dragging him on.

Thankfully he’s waited until you’re out of her line of sight before reprimanding you for your pinch.

“Fuck was that for?!” He whisper yells at you.

You act on your new favorite habit by rolling your eyes at him, “Do you really need to involve everyone in our mess? It’s bad enough that you and your friends think I’m the devil, I don’t want a random saleslady to hate me too.” You say, folding your arms and pivoting on your heels to face the champagne.

“Oh,” He whispers at your sudden vulnerability, “sorry.”

You don’t respond, a little shell shocked he apologized. If you had allowed yourself to

“This one looks good.” You say instead, picking a pink bottle up.

“What?” He yells out, slapping the back of your hand, “That’s Moet and Chandon, it’s $70 a bottle.”

“And?” You say, picking the bottle up again, “It’s the New Year’s party.”

“No way in hell.” He says, grabbing your wrist this time and directing your hand back to the shelf, “I know you like pink but there’s no way.”

You scoff and roll your eyes at his offensive comment but allow your fingers to loosen around the neck of the bottle.

“This one is good. Half the price too.” He picks up a bottle of Perrier Jouet. “It’s not pink, but I think you’ll survive.”

–

At least you’ve gotten your sweet revenge this time, allowing the salesperson to stack both cases of champagne on top of one another to carry out into the car. You know Taeyong well enough to know he won’t allow himself to appear feminine enough to have you carry the cases.

“A little help? This is really heavy.” He barely musters out once you’re out of earshot of anyone else from the public. His voice is strained.

“Oh! Sure.” You say, pressing the button to release the trunk lock before sliding into the passenger seat of his sedan.

You can hear him struggle behind you as you sit, flipping through radio stations with a smug smile on your face waiting for him.

Yeah, you sigh, revenge is sweet.

–

The next time you see him he seems to have warmed a little to you. You can’t seem to admit it if you've had the same change of heart but it is nice that he’s driving a little easier, visibly swerving out of the way of the potholes as you sit in the U-Haul once again. The jerking back and forth from the swerving is jarring, but you can tell he’s making an effort that you appreciate.

There’s no bickering this time as you get your jobs done quickly to move the many vases of flowers in and out of the shop in record time. Before you know it, only 8 minutes have passed since you’ve arrived. Your previous errands with Taeyong took close to 2 hours a piece. Turns out that you save a lot of time when there’s no fighting involved. Go figure.

“So, uh, see you tonight?” He says as he stops in front of your house. That’s new too, he’s not said a word to you in the car so far since you’ve begun running errands with him.

“I-uh-yeah.” You try and not let the shock show on your face, “of course I’ll be there.”

He nods, avoiding your eyes and you step out of the truck.

–

The party turned out great as you had hoped. At only 9:30 PM the dance floor was crowded with bodies of old and new friends, the liquor was flowing like a river, and the decor spruced up the ballroom nicely. Your parents had been close friends with the Lee’s far before you and Taeyong ever got together, so their ability to work together to pull off the biggest and best party yet isn’t surprising.

Speaking of Taeyong, he’s not here yet it seems. Checking your grandmother’s old watch on your wrist, you notice the time is 11:45, nearly midnight. Though you aren’t sure why you care.

You bought a new dress for the occasion, an intricate embroidered gown with a high cut slit on your leg and a low cut bust. It’s adorned with a white chiffon stitched at the bias to create a beautiful drape over half the bust and to accentuate the skirt of the floor length gown. It’s designer, but from a couple of seasons ago to save a couple bucks. Still expensive, still beautiful. With Joohyun by your side you two make an impressive set with her choosing to go a little more modest with her dress, but still stunning. It’s a simple black gown with one strapped shoulder and an asymmetrical hemline. Her red lipstick and blonde bombshell curls pull the look together.

She’s already a little tipsy, having been one of the first to arrive along with you at 9. She began drinking the moment she realized that very few attractive young people would be attending– resigning to spend her evening down a bottle rather than in someone’s face. She’s giggling into your shoulder the moment you notice he’s walked in.

He didn’t just walk in, he made an entrance. In his head to toe cherry red suit with no undershirt to hide from his solid form, you can’t seem to peel your eyes off of him.

Joohyun gasps just a moment too late and slaps your shoulder repeatedly to get your attention, “Look! Look!” she whispers, pointing in his direction. You frown and grab her wrist, pulling her hand down.

“What is it?” you say and she blushes before giggling again.

“He’s hot!” she bursts into a loud bellow that catches the attention of the people around you over the loud music.

Her laugh caught someone else’s attention too, and you aren’t sure if you’re relieved, happy, or terrified that he’s walking over.

“What’s so funny?” He asks Joohyun who composes herself quite quickly, adorning her signature blank stare the moment she realized that someone has caught her outside of her regular composure.

“Hi, Taeyong.” You say in an attempt to distract from Joohyun, who has let her mask slip again once more to trail her eyes down Taeyong’s chest.

His eyes flicker to yours, then down at your dress, then up at you. “H-Hi, Y/N.” He stutters, and for the first time you can’t read it. You aren’t sure if he’s shy or still feeling the awkwardness from before.

Not a moment too soon, the song changes to a slower beat. A 90’s romance song your parents played for you all the time. It’s a cheesy song, but brings a small smile to your face as you recognize the electric guitar intro. Flashes of watching your dad twirl your mother around your home to this song flare behind your eyes, the sound of her laughter at his romance in your ears. Taeyong notices and remarks,

“You know this one?” his eyebrow raises at you.

You chuckle before replying, “Yeah, my parents played it all the time dancing around the living room together.”

Taeyong’s face flashes an emotion you can read too well as he breaks eye contact before coming back to you again. “Well,” his hand comes up, reaching out to you, “care to dance?”

You aren’t quite sure what to say. You know that this is the man that hated you so much you left town to never have to see him again, but that you also once upon a time was so desperately in love with this man that there wasn’t a thing on planet Earth that you wouldn’t have done for him.

The man who believed the first rumor he heard about you is the same man in front of you now asking you to dance.

You smile, nod, and grab his hand. As he’s leading you out to the floor, you accept that you’ll deal with consequences later.

It feels like warm fire when his hand lands on the small of your back to pull you in closer to sway to the beat. The butterflies have awoken, flurrying around as you dance. You aren’t quite sure how your feelings about Taeyong will catch up to the new infatuation you’ve seemed to grow for him, but you’ll just excuse it as nostalgia.

It’s not all perfect, he’s a little stiff and your moves are slightly awkward. In many ways, you and Taeyong used to be completely and perfectly compatible, but time has not been a friend to you two. With one, two, three slight steps on his toes he groans and leans back to stare at you in disbelief.

This is the first time he’s looking at you with disdain, but you can tell his heart isn’t behind it. You giggle, leaning slightly into him as you let out a sorry through your giggles.

“What ever shall I do with you, huh?” He says, pulling you in closer and placing his cheek on the side of your head. You giggle more, letting go of his hand to wrap both arms around his neck. He does the same and holds you close with his hands on your hips. Now you’ve fallen into more of a sway than an official dance but you don’t care, he doesn’t seem to either.

It’s familiar yet strange being here and being held like this by him. You feel like crying at how much you missed being held by him, but also feel like running away when you remember what caused you to leave. You’re conflicted, two sides of your being at war with one another.

So you decide to do something about it, “Why did you act that way?” you speak softly into his shoulder, your heart rate beginning to rise at the implication that you’ve done it. You’ve officially opened the old wound, and you’re not quite sure what blood will flow out of it.

“Act what way?” He asks, and it’s a good question. Taeyong’s behavior isn’t something that he’s necessarily proud of, so he’d like to know which of his transgressions you’re referring to.

“Three years ago. When we broke up. Why did you yell like that?” You lean back to look him in the eye at the last sentence. He can see the heartbreak behind your eyes but wishes he couldn’t. He’s crumbling, speechless, and for some reason, scared.

“Come on.” He grabs your hand after a beat and leads you out to the deserted smokers balcony. It’s chilly outside and your dress doesn’t cover much, but it’s a beautiful evening. The Christmas lights on the banister twinkle offering some low lighting as you stare at him. You lean into the rail and look out to the night sky. You’ve always appreciated nighttime for its quiet peacefulness you can’t seem to find anywhere else.

You wish you were calm, but you aren’t. Your heart rate is going a mile a minute at the awareness of what is about to happen. A part of you regrets that you even began this conversation, but you quickly forgive yourself. You need this, and by the look on his face he might need this too.

“Look, I don’t know what’s happening here.” He says after a moment.

“What do you mean?”

He sighs and looks away from you, “I was planning on avoiding you this entire time. I knew you were coming back and I knew we’d have to work together but I wanted to avoid this exact conversation.”

You don’t speak and he continues, “You broke my heart.”

That gave you whiplash, “wait,” you feel the familiar fury heat up in your belly, “I broke your heart? You’re the one who left me.”

His head whips around to look at you, frown set deep in his brow as he raises his voice slightly, “You cheated on me!”

You scoff, “There you go again with the cheating story. No I didn’t!”

He makes an attempt to interrupt you, but you raise your voice and stop him, “No, it’s my turn to speak.” He lowers his hand and shuts his mouth, looking at you shamefully.

“I did not cheat on you. That was a malicious and baseless rumor started by someone who wanted me but couldn’t because I was with you and was faithful to you. And if you had made any effort to investigate the rumor you would have realized that the day he claims we slept together I was with you.”

Now Taeyong really looks shameful, jaw dropping slightly and a blush creeping up on his cheek. He doesn’t try to speak so you keep on your rant, finally free to speak your mind and your heart from 3 years ago.

“You didn’t trust me. You believed the first rumor you heard from a random person about me and ended what we had because of it. We were so good together and you ruined it. I didn’t do anything but sit there. You don’t like this mess we’re in now?” You scoff, standing up from the railing and walk towards the door, “Well too bad. You made your bed, lie in it.”

“Y/N, wait.” He scrambles and grabs your wrist, pulling you back into him. He looks desperate and embarrassed, a look you haven’t seen on him in years.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers out after a beat with sincere eyes. Something changed then, you’re not sure how. The flames from before have simmered as you stand, still as a statue. You aren’t at peace, but you do feel more relaxed.

“I’m sorry, I was insecure and scared because I had never loved someone the way I loved you. I never should have believed him but I was so scared, like the most terrified I had ever been in my life. So I blew up on you without thinking. I regretted it the moment after it was done but you were already gone.”

Your heart softens at his words. He had betrayed you, that wasn’t a secret. But he’s here now, offering his penance. You aren’t sure if you want to accept, but hearing his apology truly helps.

“Spending time with you over these last couple of days have been so weird because I wanted to hate you for what you did,, but for some reason it just felt right being with you again.” You whisper, catching his eye in a glance.

“Yeah,” he whispers back, stepping in closer to you, “me too.”

The air is thick between you both as you stand avoiding each other's eyes. It’s awkward but not how it used to be. Now it feels more like something new is beginning that you don’t know how to handle. It’s exciting but extremely nerve wracking. Do you forgive him? Do you want him?

“Look, Y/N,” He turns to you and grabs your hands in his. You gasp, eyes widening and heart rate rising as you stare down at your intertwined fingers. Tiny sparks shoot up your arms to make your heart beat faster as he stands toe to toe with you.

“I want this.” He says and you look up into his eyes finally with a confused look on your face.

“I didn’t know it until now but I do, I want you back.” He says and your heart beats at a mile a minute.

You stand, stunned and confused– too lost in your own head and in the stars in his eyes as you hear the roaring hum of the crowd indoors counting down 10… 9… 8…

You look down at your hands again tied with his and up at his face as he stands and stares with pleading eyes you can read too well.

7… 6… 5…

You realize he means it, and that you want him back too. A smile spreads on your face.

4… 3… 2…

“Me too.”

1.

Before you know it, your lips are crashing together. The sparks from before are child's play compared to the fireworks you feel spread through your whole body as your arms fling around his shoulders to pull him close. He grabs you by your waist and pulls you in close, closer, closest as your lips slowly move together under the fireworks flashing in the sky and the cheers of those indoors ringing in the New Year.

You lean back, nose red from the friction and stare at his own starstruck face and giggle out a laugh that only comes when in the arms of your lover. He laughs back at you and everything feels alright.

“Happy New Year.” He says into your hair before you move your head to stare up at the fireworks still shooting off in the sky.

“Happy New Year.” you whisper back.

You two stand there under the glittering sky in your own private world with no thoughts of the past or the future, just your hearts beating with contentment in the present.

[kimbappykidding]

After a long day of practice, you finally had the choreography nailed. So you grabbed your stuff and headed for the door. "Okay see you all later I'm off to meet Taeyong" you called to your Twice members and most of the girls waved but Jihyo looked at you and asked "again?". Sana immediately started trying to change the subject but you felt justified and wanted to defend yourself. "His sister's moving houses, I'm just helping that's all" you replied and Jihyo raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Text us so we know you're safe" Nayeon called and you nodded.

In all fairness, when you broke up with a guy you didn't usually help his sister move houses but then again you and Taeyong hadn't really done breaking up properly.

You drove to Taeyong's sister's house and Heejin opened the door in a very flustered state. "Y/n thank you so much you saved my life!" she cried taking the bin bags from your hand which you'd brought on a whim and you laughed "yeah I figured you can never have too many spares. Are these the boxes all ready to go?". Heejin nodded "yeah I thought I'd be ready to come with you but there's so much stuff". You laughed "don't worry I'm free all evening so take as long as you want" you smiled and she hugged you "you're literally my angel! Taeyong's waiting for you at my new house". You nodded "I'll drop all the stuff with him and then come back for you?". Heejin nodded "sounds great!" and helped you load up your car. Within what felt like no time you were outside Heejin's new house and saw a cute boy in the doorway.

Taeyong of course.

Taeyong waved when he saw your car and you pulled onto the driveway and waved back. "Hey, thanks again for helping my sister" Taeyong said and you nodded "no worries, Heejin did promise you'd buy me food though". Taeyong grinned "of course, after we're done we can do whatever you want" and if that wasn't motivation you didn't know what was.

Taeyong helped you unload your car and you were just about to text Heejin that you were on your way back when she called saying her parents had shown up and were bringing her instead. You nodded telling her it was fine but Taeyong could tell from your tone of voice something was up. "What's wrong?" he asked and you looked down "your parents are bringing Heejin". Now it was Taeyong's turn to become uncomfortable but he pretended to play it off.

Taeyong laughed and looked at you "Y/n it will be fine". "Are you sure? Won't they wonder why I'm here?" you asked. "No!" Taeyong said "they know we're friends". "They do?" you asked and Taeyong paused "well I've never actually told them we are but I never said we're not either". You sighed "maybe I should just go" but Taeyong grabbed your hand "Y/n I promise they won't say anything to you" he tried to reassure you but it didn't work. "Yeah maybe not to me but the second I leave you and Heejin are in for tons of questions and I can save us both the trouble of explaining what we are if I just go now so apologise to Heejin for me?". Taeyong frowned "I don't think you have to go anywhere but you're also not obliged to stay. You're literally doing Heejin a favour so don't apologise...how about we still meet for food? I'll only be like an hour longer". "You sure?" you asked and Taeyong nodded "I promised to treat you and I want to" he said flirtily before he seemed to realise what he was doing. Taeyong still had your hand in his and he dropped it awkwardly. "So erm I'll see you there in an hour and text me if there are any changes?" you asked stepping away. Taeyong nodded "see you then" and waved.

So you nipped home, changed and didn't receive any abort text from Taeyong so headed to the restaurant. You asked the waiter for a table for 2 and told him your friend would be here soon. You'd brought a book and so were happily reading and missed all the SOS texts Taeyong was sending you. You didn't even realise there was a crisis until the door to the restaurant went. You smiled seeing Taeyong and waved...only to spot his parents behind him.

"Y/n?" his mom asked spotting you "is that you?". You nodded "Mr and Mrs Lee! It's so nice to see you" you said bowing but they pulled you into a hug. "You too dear we haven't seen you since...well since the breakup" Taeyong's mum said whispering the b-word and you practically felt Taeyong cringe. "Of all the restaurants we come into imagine you being in this one!" she laughed "and you didn't want us to eat here" she said to Taeyong "it must be a nice restaurant if Y/n's here, she always had excellent taste". So Taeyong had been desperately trying to get them away from here and of course his parents couldn't be persuaded otherwise. You made eye contact with Taeyong to try to tell him it was okay but his parents jolted you back into reality. "Are you with friends?" Taeyong's dad asked "you were sat at that table there right?" he asked. You looked to Taeyong wondering how to explain it before nodding "erm, yeah well I was meant to but they cancelled so I'm all alone!" you said hoping they wouldn't grow suspicious you were meeting Taeyong here but the opposite happened. "Oh you poor dear, you must eat with us!" Taeyong's mum said and you both jumped. "Mum she doesn't have to!" Taeyong said while you argued "I couldn't possibly intrude on a family meal" but she was having none of it and you found yourself sitting next to Taeyong across from his parents.

Once you'd all ordered the questions began. "So Y/n are you seeing anyone?" Taeyong's mum asked and Taeyong stiffened and groaned. "I'm not" you replied and his mom nodded "lucky for you huh Taeyong?". "Mom please me and Y/n don't want to discuss this!". "Why not?" his mother asked "your single and I just thought you might like to know Y/n is too". "So how's your work been?" you asked changing the subject and Taeyong's mum smiled at you "see that is why I always liked you best out of all his girlfriends". "You say that like I've had tons" Taeyong complained "I've had 3". "No you haven't, what about all those ones in school?" his dad asked and Taeyong rolled his eyes "dad I was like 9! Those don't count" and you couldn't help but smile at the family bickering. You'd kind of missed it.

As the conversation continued though your happiness faded. Taeyong's mum caught you up on all the family news you'd missed and even though it'd been less than a year since you and Taeyong broke up so much had happened. "There so much to tell you" Taeyong's mum said as the bill came and she still hadn't updated you on everything. "You must come around for dinner sometime" she said and Taeyong shook his head "mum Y/n doesn't want to do that plus it's odd". "How is it odd?" his mother asked and Taeyong shook his head "because you're inviting my ex around for dinner!". "But she doesn't know all the family news!" his father argued and Taeyong nodded "yeah that usually happens when you break up so please just leave her alone". You looked down uncomfortable and Taeyong's parents picked up on that and apologised before leaving.

5 minutes later Taeyong reappeared after giving his parents some excuse to double back "hey I'm so sorry for that" he said all smiles "I had to lay it on pretty thick but they finally backed off". "It's okay" you said "they were just being friendly". "Yeah a little too friendly, I think they were more upset than me when we broke up" he joked. You found that a little hurtful but knew Taeyong didn't mean anything by it. Taeyong realised you weren't laughing and paused "Y/n are you okay?". You nodded "yeah it's just been a weird day...". Taeyong nodded "well how about we head back to mine and have that relaxing evening? We can get snacks and curl up in front of the tv?" he asked "it's the least I can do to make things up to you". He was looking at you with those big eyes so you nodded and took his hand.

You had a nice evening with Taeyong, a really nice one but they always were and that just made you feel worse. When you first started this you'd felt guilty too. The two of you broke up and then 3 months later slept together again. You'd been missing Taeyong and he'd missed you. You'd broken up because of circumstance, nothing more and so when you bumped into each other in a bar it was bound to happen. The next morning you left cursing your lack of logic only for it to happen the next week and the next. Eventually, Taeyong just asked if you wanted something open together. It was clear you both still wanted each other and you agreed. That was 4 months ago now and you'd never thought it would go on for this long. You figured you or Taehyun would meet someone and break it off but no. You just kept meeting up and you loved every time you spent together but felt miserable when you left because you knew this was pointless and wasn't helping either of you.

Soon you found yourself in a similar situation with Taeyong and even after today couldn't resist him. This worried you and you had only one thing on your mind as you lay in bed together. "Taeyong what are we doing?" you asked and he smiled at you. "Have you forgotten already? Do you need a refresher?" he asked coming to kiss you but you shook your head "you know what I mean". "The restaurant got to you didn't it? Just ignore my parents' questions Y/n and I only said those things to get them to back off that's all" he said and you sighed "it wasn't just today that's making me question this Taeyong, I've been wondering it for a while. This is not what exs do". "I know!" he said laying on his back "I know it's weird and odd but that doesn't make it bad does it?" he asked turning towards you "it certainly doesn't feel bad". "Doesn't it?" you asked "do you come away each time more confused and upset?" you asked. "This is upsetting you?" Taeyong asked and you paused "I don't know maybe? I always feel sad because there's no stability or future in this. It's something I know I shouldn't be doing but I do anyway". Taeyong frowned "I thought we were happy". "I am happy when I'm with you" you said "but now I see this is just an old habit. One I need to break if I'm ever going to move forwards" you said "I'll never get over you like this Taeyong and I have to get over you". Taeyong nodded "okay if that's what you want then this ends here. I'll drop you off at your house tomorrow and won't call you up again". You shook your head "I can't stay here wrapped up with you tonight" and Taeyong sighed "why? Can't we just have one last night together? To say goodbye properly?" he asked "get some closure". The truth was you loved sleeping in his arms and if it really was over after tonight you didn't see why you should withhold one last night from him. "Fine" you said caving and rolled back into his arms.

"I'm sorry" Taeyong said a while later when you were both exhausted and ready for sleep "for how things worked out between us. You know I'd have changed things if I could've don't you?" Taeyong said and you nodded "I know...but there's no use thinking about that. Let's just go to sleep?". Taeyong nodded and tightened his grip on you "night Y/n" he said kissing your temple. "Night Taeyong" you replied and fell asleep. When you woke up hours later and Taeyong was asleep you quietly gathered your stuff and slipped out.

You and Taeyong had broken up after being together for 2 and a half years. You'd been friends before that and all your members were thrilled when you finally went on your first date because it was so clear you liked one another. Things were good at first but the bigger your groups got the more responsibility Taeyong had the less you saw him. It got to the stage where every plan had to be organised multiple months in advance and even then there was no guarantee it would happen. So many dates were cancelled because Taeyong was called into the studio last minute or a session went on for hours longer than expected. He'd come to yours so late you were either falling asleep or already asleep in bed. Eventually, you got sick of seeing Taeyong asleep more than you did awake and you had a frank discussion about your future. Taeyong couldn't make any promises that this would get better and so you ended it just like that. You were a little shocked because you thought Taeyong might fight a little more. You expected him to offer to talk to his managers or try and put in professional boundaries...anything to prevent losing you but he didn't. He didn't even offer and so that's why you didn't want to discuss his apology or how he "didn't want this to happen". The breakup and work schedule hadn't been his fault but he hadn't tried to help either. You knew he was super busy at work and had so much pressure on him but didn't he love you like he said?

Taeyong woke up in the middle of the night and reached for you but blinked his eyes open as he felt nothing. He quickly realised you'd skipped out and turned over with a sigh. There had been a few times over the past month when you'd both questioned this and how wise it was. You'd told him it was the last time a lot at first but this time it felt different. The look in your eye was very serious and your tone of voice was so disappointed and sad. Of course, Taeyong wasn't happy to lose you again but what could he do? Dating didn't work and this wasn't working for you. So he just had to let you go but as he turned over and tried to go back to sleep that thought didn't make him feel any less alone. He'd felt alone ever since you'd broken up.

Taeyong had seen it coming. The late nights and constant travel had cost many of the members their relationships and they'd all marvelled and his bond with you, that it was strong enough to withstand this. Taeyong knew the two of you were strong but how could anyone cope with not having a proper in-person conversation with their partner for weeks? So when you sat him down that night he didn't try and fight it. He just agreed and got his stuff out of your apartment as quickly as he could so as not to inconvenience you. You deserved better and he wanted you to go out there and find it! However, when he saw you that night weeks later and you said you wanted him he was only human. He knew now dating wouldn't work for him and the only girl he got butterflies for was you. So he crumbled and was very happy to be with you again in any form. He knew it wasn't going to help either of you progress but he missed you and so he didn't care about that. But it mattered to you and in a way he was proud. Maybe now one of you would finally be happy.

When you got home your members read your expression and knew something was up. So you explained it to them all and they rushed to comfort you. "You know I think you're doing the right thing" Jeongyeon said and you looked at her "yeah?". "Totally! It might suck now but it's worth it" Chaeyoung said and as the others agreed you looked to Jihyo who was suspiciously quiet. "What do you think?" you asked her "you always knew it was going to end like this" you said and a tear escaped from your eye. Jihyo reached up and wiped it away "I always worried it was but Y/n the girls are right. You've taken control and this is how things will get better and we'll all be here with you every step of the way". "You will?" you asked and Nayeon laughed "of course we will!". "There's no way we're letting you go through this alone" Mina said and Tzuyu nodded "we're all here for you Y/n". That made you tear up all over again so Dahyun started dancing to make you happy and soon had you all laughing.

Your members really were the best, they did everything in their power to make sure you were okay. Nayeon and Sana slept on either side of you so you didn't feel alone at night. Dahyun and Jihyo were always by your side during the day and hyped you up whenever they could. Mina made sure to make you breakfast every day so you were eating and Momo shared her food with you too because she knew you liked her cooking and also wanted to make sure you were eating. Tzuyu gave you lots of cuddles and Chaeyeong sent you all the funny videos she could. Jeongyeon would send you sweet texts throughout the day and remind you she was thinking of you. All the girls spent more time at home with you and cancelled plans to hang out together. You realised you weren't alone and felt so supported. So in such a loving environment 2 months later you were feeling a lot better...even enough to consider dating again.

You'd always gotten along with BTS' Suga. You were a producer having produced several tracks for Twice yourself. You loved singing but also adored being in the studio and that's how you met Suga. A few years ago you'd been taking a class at a high-end studio when you bumped into him working at the studio. You started chatting and told Suga why you were there. When he realised you were trying to become a producer he put you in contact with some people who really helped you. They were friends of Suga's so the two of you started seeing each other more and more. You became a pretty good producer and Suga appreciated talent or more accurately he found it attractive. You and Suga had been flirting ever since you met but nothing ever happened because of Taeyong. Even though you weren't dating, you had never wanted to date anyone else because you figured it would all get messy. So you'd picked Taeyong even though he wasn't a viable option but now that was over. So the next time you saw Suga you tested the waters and got a good response. He was just as flirty as ever and so you decided to shoot your shot.

As you were both leaving the studio you turned to Suga. "So I was wondering, would you maybe want to go out sometime?" you asked "like on a date?". Suga's eyes widened and you worried you'd completely misread this whole thing but then he smiled. "Yeah that'd be nice" he agreed "there's this cool bar I've been hearing about and I think you'd be the perfect person to take to it". "Really?" you asked "and why is that?". "Well because you're cool, chill and fun" Suga said "you're not stuck up or rude". You smiled "well what a coincidence I don't think you're stuck up or rude either!" you said making Suga chuckle. "So how about I text you when I'm free and we can go from there?" you asked and Suga nodded "sounds great, I'll be waiting for that text" and with a last smile he left.

After Suga had gone you realised you felt jittery and nervous and that made you excited! The idea of going out with Suga wouldn't have made you feel this way if you didn't care about it. It showed other guys could make you feel this way too and that you weren't as hopeless as you thought. The girls were so excited when you told them and you felt like you were making some good progress to get over Taeyong.

Maybe there was life after Taeyong?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

I hope you enjoyed my first Taeyong post! I remember when I first saw Taeyong I thought he was the most beautiful man ever in that he had such delicate gorgeous features and he reminds me of Ateez's Yeonsang in that respect. I still think he's absolutely stunning hence this angsty post.

This will be a two part series and part two is available here.

[saturnznct]

dad!taeyong | insta posts 2

nct masterlist

[someonexsomeone]

Falling Behind

Title: Falling Behind

Author: SomeonexSomeone

Word Count: 3.2k

Pairing: Lee Taeyong x np!Reader

Summary: Taeyong just wanted a little time alone, was that too much to ask?

Authors Note: Day 8!! We're getting so close to the end now! I finally got to see Barbie yesterday, after a series of 'only this type of thing could happen to a ff author' level hijinks, and wow. Did i love it? yes. Do i have extremely conflicted emotions on it? double yes. Did i make me sob? absolutely yes. So, please take his awful meet cute as I scream into my pillow

If there was one thing about Superman that Taeyong understood, it was the appreciation of a simple disguise. Yes, only popping on a pair of glasses and becoming an entirely new person was a little farfetched, even he could admit that, but taking it just a little step further and adding a mask or hat made him completely disappear into the crowd. He was grateful, eternally so, that he was able to pursue his dream of music, exploring parts of himself he never thought he could, yet…there was a part of him, a really small part of him, that desperately wishes for the peace that came with his life before his music career. He was handsome, his mom made sure he knew that, but he didn’t think he would stop cars on the street or get free food with a flash of a smile like some people he knew. He could exist in the world and not have to think for a second that he would cause a mob just by walking by a group of people. Hence, his other great appreciation in life; his mask.

After a minor incident here and there with some unruly fans, Taeyong knew the drill by now if he wanted some alone time. Hair had to be tucked away, as the colorful strands would stand out too much, and glasses had to be on if he was going to take his mask off to eat or drink briefly. He could stay at a cafe for a little bit, but not too long, lest people started to notice him. Walks in the park were strictly forbidden unless he had a guard with him, and public transportation was an extreme no-no. Always notify staff where he was going, never stay out too late if he had a schedule the next day, and if he came back with any scapes or bruises in places that were too suspicious, he could kiss his privileges goodbye for the amount of time deemed appropriate by the injury. And absolutely no talking to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary,

Stifling? A little bit. He was just happy to be let free every once in a while, unlike some of his other members.

Today had him in the unmarked black bucket hat, brim just big enough to cover the tops of his eyebrows that had been dyed blue from his most recent stage, his favorite spring tank top, baggy cargo pants, and his favorite chunky tennis shoes. With a worn-out satchel thrown over his shoulder, he thought the outfit would fit the fresh spring air that pushed through the city. And, with his favorite cafe being in a relatively remodeled part of town, his outfit didn’t stand out much as soon as he joined in the groups of young adults all enjoying a weekend away from school or their jobs. This cafe in particular had a rotating staff of seasonal workers as well as a bustling crowd of young entrepreneurs, either meeting at the cafe for meetings or to take advantage of the free high-speed internet. Taeyong found he could often stay there for longer than most, and it made him absolutely giddy. His steps had a little more spring in them as he jogged up the stairs.

The modeling, the training, the shoots, the recording sessions. They never seemed to stop, which meant he couldn’t either. So, on a rare day he was able to have alone, a random Tuesday that was supposed to be filled with the newest stage fittings but seemingly got canceled out of nowhere with no other thing to fill it, he jumped at the chance to get out of the dorms. Yes, he loved his members, he loved spending time with their stupid asses and watching them get stupider by the minute, but there was only so much of them he could handle. Love him to death, but if Johnny asked him to go out one more time, his form of relaxation, Taeyong was going to jump him. He nearly kissed his manager when he agreed to let Taeyong venture out alone, his mind already on his favorite place.

As usual, the cafe was near rowdy with people. The person who took his order didn’t spare him a second glance as they took his order, and neither did any of the handful of people he passed on the way to a table in the corner. It was piled with dirty dishes, but he didn’t mind pushing them towards the edge in order to actually have a place to sit away from the door. Plus, as soon as the waitress brought his drink and pastry over, the table was quickly cleared, leaving space for his worn notebook and laptop. His headphones, already pushed over his ears, were ready to repeat the same melody that was in desperate need of lyrics. Though, he only got as far as plugging them in, before a notification had him opening his email. There, in bold letters at the top, was a digital invitation.

You, Lee Taeyong, are proudly invited to the wedding of… was all the message was able to say in the small preview box. In an instant, all the happiness and motivation of the day drained from his shoulders.

He should have expected it really. He was, after all, there when the proposal happened. A lovely high school reunion of sorts, packed with people he knew and people he didn't, all wanting to see what their classmates had been up to in the years between their graduation and the present. Taeyong originally wasn’t going to go, but he was a sucker for the puppy dog eyes his friends gave him when they asked. It was a little awkward at first, people being too afraid to approach him first, but the night mellowed easily with the copious amounts of alcohol being served. The proposal was done by a couple he knew met in high school, though he wasn’t particularly close to either of them.

“A big wedding,” he mused to himself, the only logical explanation he had for why he of all people was being invited. With a huff, he pushed the laptop closed, not bothering to view the message in its entirety right now, before slumping in his hair, his eyes fixed on the view out the window. Being on the second floor on a relatively busy street, there was more than enough to keep him entertained as he gathered his thought. 

It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy for the couple, he reasoned with himself. It was, well, that the couple wasn’t him. This wasn’t the first time romance had his thoughts racing to the point of unproductivity, he had to think about it often enough with what SM wanted him to be producing. This was, of course, added on top of the fact that he was a romantic at heart, and pretty much everything around him reminded him of romance in some way or another. A lone tea cup on a table? A tragic love story of a recently widowed elderly woman. A jacket left on the bench at the park? Of course, it had to be left behind by a couple who were too excited to splash together in the nearby river to realize they forgot it. Two people sitting remotely close to one another in the library? A private meet-up between the children of rival companies. Love stories were endless to create. It was both a blessing, as it allowed more than enough material to write pages worth of music, and a curse, since it was literally all he could think about all the time

Before, this was a fun thing for him to dream up. Life as an average citizen meant that romance was filled with endless possibilities of meet-cutes, raunchy escapades, and scandalous affairs. Now? There was too much to risk to allow himself to fall for any pretty person that crossed his path, no matter how much he yearned for the simplicity and comfort of love. Heck, he hadn’t ever really been in a relationship, a true one, where you were able to spend all night basking in the presence of the person you loved and talk about anything your heart desired without it ever feeling like there was an end. Only through his music was he able to speak freely on his melancholy thoughts, as any hint of romance between him and someone else had the power of the company raining down on his head. Even his bandmates, who he wanted to trust with his entire being, were too risky to tell.

So, more often than not, his music was his only outlet, and his thought was his only real safe space to think. He was sure, absolutely positive, that being able to talk things out would clear a lot of his doubts. For now, he could only wish for a moment he could be so vulnerable.

Things were in a constant loop of doubt. Ever since he loved into the city, moved away from his home, and had to fend for himself, it feels like he’s been stuck in an endless loop of self-doubt and critique. It seems like life for others has been moving in a natural progression, the number of couples in his life growing exponentially. Couples, he could handle…to an extent. Some lasted, some didn’t, but there was some part of himself, however bad, that could talk his way out of feeling sorry for himself when he saw them. Love was obvious in his eyes, and those same eyes saw the number of couples that would date just to have someone. Arm candy, social status, a way to starve off loneliness. He started to get good at seeing the subtle differences, especially when he was finally able to go out on his own and people-watch to his heart's content. Marriage, on the other hand, was something too ingrained in his brain as synonymous with love that now, as those very couples he tried to deny were tying the knot, made him feel so very little. It felt, for lack of a better phrase, that he was beginning to fall behind in whatever stupid race life was. It made him feel…hollow.

He sighed, willing himself to pick up his nearest pen and put it against the paper in his notebook, just to do something to get those thoughts to stop. Sometimes, with a little luck, his melancholy thoughts could translate themselves into lyrics that rid them from his head. Lines and dots, lines and dots, but no real words. After nothing appeared on the page, he signed heavily, tossing the pen against the pages one more to throw his head back to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

“Are you alright?” His head whipped up, hand unconsciously lifting to make sure his mask was still in place, as he made eye contact with the person standing beside the other chair at his table. His face flushed when he met your eyes, his mouth drying at the way they sparkled with genuine concern for him. You were wearing an apron with the cafe’s logo, and a pot of steaming coffee in your hand, silently gesturing to his near-empty cup. He nodded once, a response to your vocal question, but you didn’t move from your spot beyond filling his cup. He thanked his mask for being in place as he winced, his perfectly sugary mocha getting filled with pure black coffee. When he didn’t respond, you seemed to panic. “I don’t mean to intrude, but you seemed happy when you arrived, and you, uh, you’ve been staring out the window for a while now.” Taeyong’s eyes widened. “Oh! I don’t mean that I’ve been staring at you! I just noticed- I mean, you’re awfully handsome-- no wait I mean…”

Taeyong couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped him at your flustered face. You only reddened further at his laugh.

“No, I’m sorry this was dumb. You’re obviously working. I’ll just…yeah,” with a soft sigh, you headed back behind the counter without another word. Taeyong watched your slumped shoulder, a smile stretched on his face as you disappeared behind the swinging door. It grew even more as he watched you smack yourself on the head, gesturing wildly as your mouth moved with obvious embarrassed passion. He wondered, full of glee, if you knew he could obviously see you through the window on the door.

As much as he hated to admit it, the disturbance was exactly what he needed to forgo his sadness. His hands made quick work of a new song, a hopeful melody all about seeing someone beautiful in public only to embarrass yourself when you try to approach them, keywords and snippets of lyrics filling the page in a way only legible to him. He didn’t stop, didn’t allow himself to, until his hand started cramping so bad he had to switch over to his laptop for some reprieve. Too focused, he kept making the mistake of sipping on his ruined coffee, gagging every time his tongue met bitter coffee. His empty plate was quickly filled with sugar packets, but that did little to change the flavor. He was midway through another horrible sip when you approached again.

Bashful, looking down at your feet, you held out a new cup and saucer, the shape

distinctly different from the one he was holding. He slowly lowered his cup, pushing his mask over his face, though he doubt you would have noticed. If you weren’t looking down, the blush-covered cheeks were more than enough proof that you would’ve found a different way to avoid eye contact.

“I-I’m sorry about your coffee…” you said softly, holding out the cup again. Taeyong took it, if only to stop the clinking of cup against plate as your hand quivered, his mouth open to respond, when you continued, “I’m still-I’m still learning what drinks are which and I thought your cup was the one for plain coffee but I-...I should have asked before filling it up and ruining your drink. Please forgive me!” You bowed deeply as you finished. He was the one blushing now, standing quickly, one hand still holding the new coffee while the other hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure if he should touch you to tell you that bowing wasn’t necessary at all or break one of the rules and speak. 

Before he could decide, you rose just as quickly as you bowed, knocking your shoulder against the hovering cup. As quick as his dance reflexes allowed, Taeyong righted his hand, saving the cup from smashing against the floor, but not stopping the pipping hot coffee from spilling over his thumb and onto the open pages of his notebook below. You cried out as Taeyong did, placing the cup down as quickly as he could so he could stick his burning thumb into his mouth.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry!” Your apron, barely organized before, exploded in haste on napkins, both them and the other random things you had in the big pocket falling to the floor. A small notepad, more than a couple of pens, straws, and miscellaneous wrappers scattered at his feet as you hastily shoved the thin paper napkins onto his notebook with one hand, trying to salvage as much of the ink and paper as you could, while the other pulled his hand away from his mouth to hastily blow on it. Your eyes were welling with tears now, glittering at the brim of your eyelids, as you tried to do everything yourself. Behind you, he could see your commotion caused more than a few eyes to watch the show, some snickering while others winced sympathetically. Behind the counter, he could see your coworkers trying to keep the line moving while keeping an eye on you. Whether it was to determine if they were needed or because they were worried you were going to do something else horribly embarrassing, he couldn’t tell. When no one approached, and you were getting near frantic with your movements, Taeyong gently reached out a hand, laying it on top of yours where it held his wrist in a vice grip. Slowly, your lips stopped blowing and your hand stopped wiping, tears spilling over. Finally, you met his eyes.

“It’s alright,” he said quietly, trying to keep his voice low. “Thank you for your help.”

You simply searched his eyes for a moment, trying to see how truthful he was in his reassurance, before you gently let your hand slip out from under his. The chatter of the restaurant started up once more, placated by his calm demeanor.

“I’m…I’m…” You couldn’t find the words. Taking a step back, you bowed deeply again. “I’m terribly sorry!” Teayong pulled you up quickly, too nervous at your habit to bow to second guess touching you again.

“It’s alright, really. I’m not seriously hurt, and you got whatever landed on my notebook. It’s too old for me to care now about a little spilled coffee on it.” Your face was riddled with worry, especially as he shook out his hand, trying to cool the red mark on his thumb.

“Oh!” Quickly, you reached into your other apron pocket, pulling out a small tube of burn cream and a bandaid. You hesitated for a second, hand awkwardly held between handing the items to the handsome stranger or helping it apply it. Taeyong hesitated a moment too, before holding out his hand for your to help. Your tears had slowed now, but your tear-stained face coupled with the grateful smile made his heart leap into his throat. “I-You get burned quite a bit when you’re learning to make drinks,” you explained, expertly applying a dab of cream on the worst spot and wrapping it securely in the bandaid. Taeyong flexed his finger, impressed with the range of motion he still had, as you gestured to the countless small burn marks that littered your arms and hands. “It’s probably the thing I’ve gotten best at since starting here, healing a burn.”

“Thank you,” he replied softly. You beamed at him, before worriedly looking down at the table again.

“I’ll have someone bring you a new coffee, since I ruined the last one…two.” You winced, thinking for a moment before leaning down, writing something quickly into his notebook with his discarded pen. When you righted, he noticed it was a number, a small arrow pointing towards the drying stain. “My KakaoTalk, so I can pay for a new notebook.” Before Taeyong could protest, you held up your hand, stopping him. You were back to looking at your feet, avoiding eye contact completely. “Please let me do this. It’s the least I could do.” When he didn’t respond, you nodded once, picking up both cups on the table to get him a new one. 

In your desperate desire to escape, you didn’t notice Taeyong’s bright red face, eyes blown out in absolute wonder. No, you were firmly hunched over the espresso machine, getting chewed out by your manager, to notice him let out a giggle, flopping back into his seat and running his burned thumb softly over your number scribbled into his notebook.

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masterlist  l What is Laufeyfest? l Laufeyfest masterlist

[kgyeomiex]

I’ll Show You

“Surely you must reciprocate some sort of feelings for me. I don’t think “friends” are supposed to look at each other the way we do.”

You are someone who’s always been hurt by anyone who’s entered your life... It came to the point where you decided that maybe it’s best if you don’t let anyone into your life... What’s the point? They all disappoint you at the end anyways. 

As you tried your hardest to avoid the people... There was one person who entered your life and stopped you from running away... Will he ever change the way you think about others? Or will he just disappoint you like the rest?

Part 1~ 

Masterlist 

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Walking into campus can become overwhelming. The moment you arrive, you always seem to find huge groups of friends standing outside the campus having a whole conversation as if they had never spoken to one another.

It’s quite annoying, especially when you are trying to pass by, and they are in your damn way.

“Excuse me,” you said, trying to make your way past the damn crowd and on your way to your dorm room.

However, instead of hearing you, they completely ignored your existence and continued to talk to one another.

You could say excuse me again and get ignored but you decided to find a way to make your presence noticed.

Holding onto your suitcase in one hand and your duffle bag on your shoulder you squeezed through the little space you had between two humans pushed your way through.

“What the hell,” one girl blurts out as your shoulder bumped against hers.

“Learn some manners,” the girl had the audacity to say, causing you to stop from walking and looking right at her.

“Well maybe if you stopped talking out of your ass and paid attention to your surroundings then you would have caught on that I said excuse me a long time ago.” You didn’t mean to be a complete bitch, but you couldn’t help yourself.

Your goal right now is just to get to the dorm room and unpack. Probably go back to sleep once you finish and call it a day...

“You could have easily walked on the street if you needed to pass by so bad,”

“Oh, I’m sorry how selfish of me to put myself first before you. I’ll just walk on the street and get run over because someone doesn’t want to move for two seconds,” After that, you rolled your eyes and turned back around.

“What a bitch,” you could have just walked away and let the situation go but you couldn’t help yourself.

You looked back at the girl and blurted out “I could say the same thing.”

Everyone around her was shocked by your sudden words.

“Just drop it. You were in the way, just apologize and call it a day,” One of the guys said that was suddenly approaching catching you off guard...

If you were being honest, you were expecting her friends to probably talk down to you saying you should be the one apologizing but they didn’t seem to be doing that.

You couldn’t help but look at the stranger who was slightly defending you...

He took one look at his friend but then looked right at you not avoiding any type of eye contact. He looked directly into your eyes.

Why the hell is he staring at you...

“I’m not apologizing with that mouth of hers” you were now becoming impatient.

What’s the point of standing here if she was just going to continue talking shit the whole time you were here?

Without saying another word, you stopped making eye contact with the guy, turned around, and walked off.

Right now, all you want to do is go to your dorm room and call it a day. You don’t have time to deal with humans that don’t deserve your time.

“That’s right, keep walking!” The girl shouts but instead of turning around and saying anything, you lifted your hand and gave her the finger.

~

You were finally here. You pulled out the dorm room key you were handed to as soon as you got in the building and began to unlock your dorm door.

So far college was feeling a little rough. You already seem to have made an enemy on your way to your door room. How sad is that?

But to be honest you were expecting something like that to happen especially since others say you give this don’t mess with me vibe.

As you walked in you noticed the room was empty. The person you were supposed to roommate with hasn’t arrived. You had first dibs on what bed you wanted.

You walked over to the bed closest to the door and placed your suitcase on it.

To be honest, if it wasn’t for the requirement of sleeping in a dorm for this school you would be home right now. Usually, people come and live-in dorms because they want the whole college experience.

They want to make friends; they want to go to parties and make unforgettable memories... But you... Honestly, you could be careless about all of this.

“Hello!” The door opens and right there you see your roommate walking in with a huge smile spreading across her face.

You had two ways to go about this. Either you could be rude and ignore her... Show her you don’t care about making friendships here or give her the benefit of the doubt since, after all, you are going to be rooming it with her.8

“Hey,” you got up and just simply smiled.

You decided to go with the path of being nice. You already had a bad experience the moment you stepped foot on the campus, did you need another argument.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I ended up going into the wrong hall and was about to fight someone but I’m here!” She says putting down her suitcase and you just looked at her.

“Fight someone?” Guess you weren’t the only one having harsh first encounters.

“Oh yeah. So, I was trying to find my way through this chaos, and some girl instead of saying excuse me crashed into me and had the audacity to turn around and give me the eye. Like you crashed into me! I had to walk away before I got kicked out on the first day,” You couldn’t help but instantly smile as she finished telling the story...

Even though you weren’t the type to make friends... You liked your roommate... She kind of reminded herself of you... SO FAR.

“Oh, I forgot! My name is Kim Yerim, but you can call me Yeri,” she says walking over to the empty bed.

“My name is Y/N L/N, but you can just call me Y/N,”

“Cool! I hope we get along to be honest. I always had a fear of having a roommate that has too many rules, or someone who’s a complete mess. I need someone in the middle,” Yeri and you happened to have that in common...

Weirdly although you weren’t planning to make friends... You had a good feeling about her... She was someone you could tell you would get along with... This was a big surprise to say something like this...

“Mm, I don’t have rules. I mean the only thing I think is common sense is we don’t touch each other's stuff without permission and if we invite anyone over, we just let the other know... Other than that, I don’t have anything else,” She looked at you and smiled.

“I like you,”

Maybe you spoke too soon about making friends... Okay you aren’t going to be best friends, but she’s your roommate so you might as well get along with the girl, right?

~

The two of you began to unpack your boxes and suitcases. But after a while, you suddenly grow too lazy to continue going... You were kind of curious about what campus life was like. It was the first day back to school, there must be some type of party going on today...

It’s not like you were planning to attend the party, but you just wanted to see what this school was all about.

You noticed Yeri still unpacking.

“Hey... I don’t know about you, but I am getting lazy unpacking... I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out and check the campus?” As soon as you said that she immediately stopped doing what she did and smiled.

“Oh, thank god, I was getting tired.”

It’s weird to assume right away but Yeri and you seemed to be alike so far... It’s scary but very comforting because you had a good feeling about these living rearrangements.

“Let’s go!” She grabbed her keys from the drawer near her bed and in a matter of seconds, you followed behind her.

~

Leaving out of the dorms was challenging. There were so many people moving in today, you were lucky that neither Yeri nor you even tripped on a nearby suitcase.

“I have a question,” Yeri blurts out as you two leave the dorm building and begin to walk around campus.

“And I may have an answer,”

“What’s your plan to come here?”

“My plan?”

“Yeah, like are you planning to come here to make friends, live up the college experience and party, or are you here to be an actual scholar and get that diploma?” You had to think about the question...

To be honest you weren’t even sure. Well of course you were at school to get the degree you need but you were doing it because you had no other choice.

“Well, one thing you’ll learn about me, in the long run, is that I suck at making friends. I honestly don’t care about going to parties or being popular or anything like that. I guess I am just here of course for my degree but also just to see what life brings me. “You were someone who wasn’t sure about what path you wanted to go with the flow and see what happens along the way.

“Understandable... But that doesn’t mean you should restrain yourself from checking out a few parties on campus every now and then,” I looked at her.

“Parties aren’t my type of scenery,”

“They aren’t for me either, but if I want to experience a few here and there I am going to drag you to one with me. Why not try a new experience?” You weren’t going to ruin her college experience with your negative energy, so you just nodded your head.

“One party won’t hurt,”

“That’s the spirit!”

~

Since it was the first day, there were a bunch of different booths all around the campus to check out to join clubs. You weren’t planning to be a part of any type of club because that includes socializing and getting involved and that wasn’t your scene.

“Any clubs that catch your attention?” Yeri asked me and we passed a few booths.

You continued to look around and there was one that caught your attention, but you chose to ignore it instead.

“Nope,

“Are you planning to join any clubs?” You asked and she automatically shook her head.

“No, to be honest, I just wanted to check out the campus and hope I come across a new eye candy for the semester... You know a little motivation to get excited for this new year,”

You couldn’t help but smile at her remark.

Yeri was someone who was oddly very comforting. You weren’t expecting to develop any type of friendship, but unexpected things happen all the time.

The two of you continued to stroll through the campus trying to familiarize yourselves with what everything was until you saw a familiar face appear from a crowd.

It was the same guy you came across when you had that rude encounter with the girl.

You quickly looked away and tried to ignore the fact that he was inches away from you. You thought maybe if you looked away, he would stop looking at you, but you were wrong. The moment you quickly glanced back you two made eye contact... Can this be any more awkward?

You don’t get why he was staring at you. . . Even when the two of you had your first encounter instead of defending his friend it was as if he was helping you out... You don’t understand why he would do that, but it made you slightly curious.

But it’s not like you were about to march up to him and ask him 21 questions... Guess you’ll have to stay curious.

“Who’s that cutie checking you out,” Yeri suddenly blurts out, distracting you from your thoughts and you look at him.

“I have no clue,” you weren’t lying. You didn’t even know the boy’s name. If anything, the only thing you knew about him is the fact that he decided to stand up for you with his rude ass friend.

“Look at you... You already have someone interested in you. Must be nice,” You looked at her and laughed.

“I doubt that’s the case. I’m sure he’s looking at someone else,” you said trying to make an excuse on why he was looking for your direction. Yeri looked around but there was no one else around her.

“Right... If you say so,” Yeri said smirking and you shook your head.

“If anything, he’s probably looking in my direction because of the way I treated his friend earlier. This girl was in my way, and I may or may have not given his friend a hard time.” Yeri laughed and wrapped her arm around your shoulder.

“And therefore, you and I will be getting along perfectly fine.

~

After exploring around the campus and getting to know Yeri, eventually you two went back to your dorms and were planning to unpack but that backfired quickly. You two were exhausted as it was, so you two pushed everything to the side and just fell asleep.

You wish sleeping in was part of your agenda for today’s plan but unfortunately, that’s not the case. Instead, you had to attend your first day of class.

As you heard your phone ring near your ear, you began to pat down your bed trying to look for your phone avoiding opening your eyes. Eventually, you found your phone and turned off the alarm clock.

Not leaving you much of a choice, you opened your eyes and looked over at Yeri who was still sound asleep.

She probably has later classes than you. Must be nice...

You dragged yourself out of bed, grabbed your belongings, and headed to the shower... it’s time to prepare yourself for your first day of classes.

Today you had 2 classes. Although that doesn’t sound entirely bad, the first week of school is always the hardest. Your mind is still set on summer vacation, so suddenly having responsibilities appear out of nowhere makes you feel more tired than usual.

~

Walking your way to class felt odd. You hate feeling anxious but that’s how you were feeling. Especially because you knew that for your first two classes, they were most likely going to make you interact with one another to introduce yourself.

You hated doing any activities that included you talking to others.

As you mentally prepared yourself, you grabbed on the doorknob and entered your first class. As you walked in, you were surprised to see the number of students who were in class early. But then again it is the first day of class... What do you expect?

You looked around and managed to find a corner that was completely abandoned by the class. It was honestly a pretty good spot. It was in front of the class, so you had a good view of the board and away from everyone.

It was two empty desks beside one another... Hopefully, no one considers sitting next to you because that would suck.

Once you sat down, it wasn’t long until you opened your bookbag, and you took out your notebook and a pen.

Might as well prepare yourself before class starts.

To avoid the feeling of time, you opened your pen and notebook just began to color in the corner of the paper. You can’t wait till this class is over.

As you continued to scribble the shit out of your notebook you suddenly heard someone clear their throat. You looked up and made eye contact with a familiar pair of eyes.

“Is this seat taken?”

For some odd reason as he is standing before you asking you for this seat… he seemed different.

When you first made eye contact with him, he did give you an intimidating presence. Someone you probably wouldn’t approach because he can come off rude…

But as he stood in front of you, he suddenly came off as someone soft…

“Uh no… take a seat”

You couldn’t help but quickly look around the class as he took a seat and noticed a handful of empty seats around the class.

Why did he choose to sit next to you?

You were suddenly curious, but you ignored your curiosity and continued to scribble on your notebook. He probably just sat next to you having no intentions. You’re just overthinking.

“My name is Taeyong by the way, what’s your name?” You stopped yourself from scribbling and looked over at him.

Was he now talking to you?

You were so confused… if anything shouldn’t this boy be avoiding you? Especially after you were rude to that friend of his.

“My name is Y/N,”

Although you weren't intending on making any friends... You weren't rude... Plus, you were slightly curious as to why he was suddenly sparking up a conversation with you.

"Excited to start the new semester?" you were caught off guard by the sudden questions he was asking but you just smiled.

"Not really if I'm being honest,"

"Me too... I can already feel myself stress out with all the homework assignments they are getting ready to assign," you nodded your head, and before you could say anything else the professor walked in.

"Good morning,"

You looked over at the professor but couldn't help but glance at Taeyong.

Something about him has you suddenly wondering. He wasn't rude to you at all even though you were mean to his friends... You two have come across one another and every time you see him, he's making eye contact with you... And now he's sitting next to you sparking up a conversation... Is there something you're missing?

"I would like everyone to grab a syllabus and pass it along," the professor says as he hands the syllabus to Taeyong.

Taeyong takes two out from the pile and hands the rest behind him. He hands you a syllabus and smiles.

Is there something you're missing here? Why was he being so nice to you...

"Thank you,"

To avoid feeling awkward with the situation, you began to scan through the syllabus... You can tell from off the bat that this class was going to be interesting...

~

"Yeri!"

You said as you opened your dorm door, and you saw her there on the floor facing the mini mirror applying makeup.

"Y/N!" She repeated right back at me, and you looked at her.

"I have a question..." You threw your bag to your bed and looked at Yeri.

"And I may have an answer," she says as looks through her makeup bag.

"Let's say you come across a guy and in the beginning, the encounter wasn't the best..." You were trying your hardest to keep the situation as vague as possible.

"How bad are we speaking here?"

"Um..." you were trying to think of a way not to give yourself out exactly.

"Not too bad but I mean you thought maybe he might not like you because you were mean to his friend?"

It was hard to try to be as vague as possible without making Yeri suspicious. She stopped herself from doing what she was doing, and she looked at you.

"Are we talking about that cute guy who was staring you down yesterday?"

"What..." You were sucky at lying. Yeri just took one look at you and smiled.

"Well, clearly he's interested in you,"

"What?" You wouldn't say that... The guy hardly knows you.

"Yeah, I doubt that I think... He's just a nice person," after saying that Yeri just busts out laughing and shakes her head.

"Ah my little Y/N, you have so much to learn about love grasshopper. And therefore, I am here, to help you,"

You were caught off guard to hear Yeri say she was going to help you with love.

"Wait what?"

How did this go from asking a simple question to suddenly getting relationship advice...? What's going on?

~

To Be Continued. . .

[ruwriteshours]

HIT THE BLOCK! SERIES

status: ongoing

summary: It seems as if the group can't catch a break; from having those five seconds of fame, to illegal money lendings to financial issues and now... they're studio is destroyed! Someone is out to get them and they're going to make sure that they'll get those bastards, along with making a name for themselves again... by signing a contract to become ballet teachers? Oh boy, how they've officially lost it.

or in other words..

a group of unprofessional dancers tries to manage a ballet class... who would've thought that it will somehow backfires?

➢ pairing: nct 127! x fem! reader(s)

(each member would have their own love interest so it's not poly)

➢ genre: street dance AU, crack, fluff, cheating, slight angst, toxic friendships, alcohol, swearing, smut (MINORS DNI)

inspired from the movie 'street dance' but VERY loosely based on it.

THE OPENING:

Life always had its ups and downs. It took Lee Taeyong through hell for him to understand. He was reckless and frankly, impulsive. He often thought things ideally, not thinking of the consequences. Afterall, he was only a teenage boy looking for a dream. Moving out when he was barely the legal age, ready to make those dreams come through. Little did he know, that he would make one of the most life-changing decision when he decided to audition to one of the most shittiest companies known to man-kind. Partly an exaggeration, but he would be lying if he said he liked being there.

Moon Taeil had dealt with hard decisions in his life. Leaving university to pursue his passion, not knowing if it would backfire on him.

Newsflash: It totally did!

But he was no quitter, an obstacle perhaps. Taeil tries to be a positive thinker. Practically having his life fall apart, from catching his cheating girlfriend, to blindly following Taeyong in a path to their new journey; consist of illegal gambling, unnecessary fights and late night smoking sessions. But hey, it was better than that shithole. Those nights where he would drink away into total abyss, forgetting about his shitty ex. Indeed, he is no quitter!

Years and years had passed by, Johnny Suh watched people come and go. Those eight years of experience taught him a valueable lesson. People are only temporary and he was not gonna take the chance to warm up to anyone anymore. He was officially done with that shit. You'd think those eight years would've given him some patience but Johnny is having none of it. Of course, it's no suprise for the hot-headed man to not hesitate to curse out his instructor before walking off, following suit with a group of people who share the same frustation: FUCK THIS!

In contrary, Kim Doyoung was the complete opposite. A little too patient for his liking, he hated that he held in most of his emotions. His pride was stronger though, more determined to prove those fuckers that he can take their mistreatment. Even when Johnny had practically forced him to stand up to himself, he refused to stoop low. Well, guess we'll see how tolerable he can get before it all blows up. And it's gonna be hell when it gets to that point.

Did I mention that he was a patient man?

Yuta Nakamoto has always had a flirty exterior. That was when he wanted something he knew he could get. Deep down, he was a master manipulator (of course, for a good cause). He knows his charms and it doesn't hurt to have a little fun with it. It becomes a little too tiring when it becomes easy, Yuta wasn't one to favour something being handed to him in a silver spoon. He wants to fight for it. He wants to have that taste of glory and satisfaction to a challenge. He is a hardworker, if you'd ask me.

Studying abroad, Jung Jaehyun wonders if he had made the right choice. He is a handsome man and a handsome man can make someone disregard their intelligence. He really did wonder if becoming a dancer would strip away his self-worth. The company practically set him up to be this hunky dude with no brains. Girls fawning and drooling on the floor over him. He hated that his job scope included fan service: AND HE'S NOT EVEN AN IDOL. Maybe one day, he'll show them that he is way more than his looks.

Dong Sicheng is hated by all. It's funny considering that it's not like he wanted to be here in the first place. In fact, that thought never crossed his mind until his friend encouraged him to, telling him he needed to let loose for once. He was semi-glad that his friend had pushed him into this path, but he wasn't so sure if he actually wanted it. Barely given the chance for the try-outs and yet was accepted pretty quickly. Maybe that's why he had so many issues with his steps, maybe then, he wouldn't have to deal with the constant insults thrown his way. Oh well, guess he'll have to try harder next time!

Kim Jungwoo was set up to fail. Or so he thinks. He's quite a pessimistic though, it might come as a shock considering his bubbly personality. A replacement, is what he felt. That small chance of recognition is purely by luck and it was very evident from the way everyone seemed to have these look of envy in their eyes. Even when he felt that shred of success, everyone seems to claw it all up and tear it down, giving him nothing but disappointment. Maybe he is a failure, afterall.

Fame comes in easy for some people, Mark Lee is one of those people. The people where other people think that they don't work hard for their position. When in reality, people like Mark are pouring their blood, sweat and tears for it. But in human's selfish nature, they always assume the worst of others. Mark Lee was never an exception and he had to live down to it. Fuck the fact he moved all across states to come here, fuck the fact that he spent nine hours training which, mind you: when he was only sixteen and fuck the fact that he had been hospitalised for weeks because of it. Who cares?

And last but not least, Lee Donghyuck—though would recommend to call him Haechan, youngest of them all. The mood-maker, they say. The jokester is what people think of him. It's not like he minded, until it became too much. He hated that people never took him seriously because of that. Even when he shifted his entire personality, everyone would crack a smile and told him to stop being a wimp. He was more than that too, you know. Well, at least his friends took him seriously and that was enough for him.

No thanks to the company, the group managed to uphold a greater offer for themselves than that shithole ever will. But they couldn't take the full credit, at least the shitty building did something right by bringing them together in the first place. The only thing they did right.

chapter i.

more chapters coming soon...

©ruwriteshours

[scarletwinterxx]

would you mind if i say i'm into you -taeyong oneshot

hi! it's been a while🥺😊 here's a blurb for my favorite bub. hope you like it!

if you have a request or scenario you want me to do, just send me a message I'll see what I can do😊💌

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2023 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"Hey, can I borrow your phone for a sec?" you say with a smile while your boyfriend looks at you with doubt on his face. He already knows what you're about to do and still he lets you be.

It's like your silly love language to him, always asking to borrow his phone to change his lock screen to something funny. Like a picture of him sleeping or something totally random and funny. He doesn't mind, if it makes you smile then it doesn't matter to him if he looks stupid and all his friends see it. His one condition though is you won't change his wallpaper which is a picture he took of you on your first date.

He hands you his phone which you happily took, skipping away with it in hand. Probably off to find another funny picture. He then continues on working on his computer, afterwards he finds you laying on the living room couch. His phone resting on the coffee table in front of you while you scroll through your own phone,

"You bored?" he calls out, looking up to see him walking towards you. You sit up to make room for him, waiting for him to check his phone and see his lock screen.

And there it was, just like he expected another randomly shot picture of him.

"When did you take this?" he asks you

"The other day when we went for a walk. You looked so surprised when the dude did a backflip, good thing I caught it on cam" you tell him, already a smile forming on your lips as you recall that day.

He chuckles, putting his phone down to hold you instead. Pulling you by the waist until you're sitting on his lap.

"What about you? What's your lockscreen?" he asks

"You"

"Your wallpaper?"

"Still you"

Taeyong can either look like the coldest, most intimidating guy or the most adorable, sweetest bub with his boba eyes. He can just imagine the look of love in his eyes whenever he looks at you.

"Which one?" he indulges you, pretending like the butterflies in his stomach weren't rioting. The two of you have been dating for some time but still every little thing you do drives him crazy.

"That picture I took of you in secret, like way way back during our first date. We weren't even a couple then. I just really liked it, I still like it so I haven't change it"

"Yea? You like me?" he teases you, earning an eye roll from you

"Not what I said but you're entirely wrong. I like all of you" you tell him, squishing his face between your hands.

You're not sure what good you did in your past life, you must've saved the world to end up this lucky.

"Penny for your thoughts, bubby?" he asks, squeezing your waist to catch your attention

"Just wondering what good I did in my life to end up with you" you smile down at him

Taeyong shakes his head, pulling you even closer to him as if there's too much space between your bodies. Whenever you're next to him, he has to have you as close to him as possible. Doesn't matter if it's in public or in private. He will either always have an arm around you or you on his lap.

"I should be the one asking that, like how is it possible that I ended up with my absolute dream girl?"

"Literally you swept me off my feet, the moment I saw you I just knew" Taeyong smirks at your answer, you know exactly just how to woo him with your words. You know you have him under your spell, and he doesn't mind it one bit.

"What do you want to do today?"

"You done with work?" you ask back, he nods "I"m all yours for the end of the day" Taeyong answers, making you smile brightly.

"Can we just stay in? Order food, I want to bake cookies too if we have what I need. Or we can go grocery shopping if you're not tired" you list

"No, not tired. Grocery store it is" he was just about to get up with you still on him but you stop him

"What?"

"Just... let's just sit here for a moment. Cuddle?"

He chuckles at your cuteness before hugging you, tucking your head under his chin. "I love the idea that someday this will be our life" he tells you

"What do you mean?"

"Going on grocery runs, having lazy days together. In our own home. Someday we don't have to worry about the days being too short, we won't have to think which place to go to cause we'll have a place of our own"

You listen to the sound of his voice while your other ear listen to his heartbeat right next to you.

"You wanna marry me?" you asked, half kidding half serious

"Who else would I marry if it isn't you?"

"I don't know, I mean who knows what will happen in the future. But if you don't end up with me, I'll be very sad. For me, I'll be sad for me but I'll be happy for you"

Your answer makes him let out a chuckle, "Bub, you're it for me. You don't have to worry about that, you know you're stuck with me right?" he hugs you even tighter

"Oh thank god"

Taeyong laughs, kissing the top of your head.

"But don't think I've let that go" you pick your head up to look straight in his eyes

"Oh come on, I was a kid. I had a crush"

"Yea and? I would've loved to have that confession but no. She got it" you frown just thinking about it, meanwhile Taeyong laughs at your reaction.

He pulls you in, littering kisses all over your face.

"Tell me how you want me to confess to you, I'll do it over and over again every day for the rest of our days. Tell me how you want me to love you, I'll do it." he tells you, "I love you and only you. So don't worry your pretty little mind, okay?"

"You love me?" you ask

"Mhm, here you feel my heart?" he takes your hand and rests his on his chest where his heart is "Every beat of it only speaks of you, from the day I met you until the last day it'll beat, it will only be for you. You believe me right?"

"Of course I do" you tell him, the frown slowly disappearing. He smiles at you, kissing you on the nose once more

"It's okay, I'll just tell you every day until you get sick of me saying it"

"Impossible"

[sugar-petals]

masterlist | ao3

PAIRING. lee taeyong x female reader

WORD COUNT. 800

AUTHOR’S NOTE for @aishee17​ ♡

Fashion king he is, Taeyong frequents his jam-packed closet to get the most out of his available pieces and cozy fashion sense. When he’s not thoroughly snug in a hoodie and bucket hat, which means completely matched with you, he dresses up for date night like no other. The masterpieces adorning his body that he’s walking up in the restaurant with? He makes sure to steal the show and stay impossible to copy. If others are a little jealous that you bagged such a beautiful man, he’s fine with that. Since he could make a distressed potato sack look like it’s fresh off the runway (nothing against potatoes), Taeyong can go no wrong, although he experiments a lot with makeup, jewelry, and high heels anyway. He knows he shouldn’t buy so many things, but fashion is irresistible to Taeyong who is more model than mere boyfriend when you look at him dress in the morning. He goes that extra mile for himself, but also for you. It doesn’t go just one way. His job taught him how those things work. Does he feel pressure to look good? Often. But not from you, who won’t skip a chance to adore this magnificent man. Taeyong can’t help being photogenic. His love for clothes allows for easy presents, though, and not just for birthdays.

You are bound to be foodies. No way around it, he’s too excellent in the kitchen. Expect several-course meals on big occasions. On the downside, you complain that he’s too busy cooking to spend time at the table. Taeyong has a proper solution, a bar-like kitchen counter that offers high seats for you and guests. So, while he cooks and bakes, he can have conversations, and anyone can marvel at his chopping board skills live. It’s a better arrangement than the dining table being in a different room.

He’s stubborn about humanitarian subjects and has an otherwise firm opinion on anything that has to do with ethics. Although he tries to treat anyone kindly, Taeyong’s inbuilt asshole detection system is hard to fail. He’s interacted with too many people in his life to miss the early signs.

Taeyong’s eyes can simply communicate a thousand things at once. Love, anger, disgust, neutrality, desire, anxiety, cluelessness whatever it is. Although he knows he’s a good actor when it comes to entertainment, and he often tries to mask the more unpleasant feelings not to burden you, he’s extremely transparent in the relationship. Taeyong is definitely a candid soul who has a little speech prepared for any situation. He knows what to say. About himself, to you, to anyone else who needs insight or help or just a conversation to exchange some thoughts back and forth. He would rarely say something spontaneous since he thinks about it all in advance. Taeyong’s helper syndrome can turn into sacrifice very quickly, it’s his bane.

Since he’s bored quite easily, Taeyong’s place basically being a vet office keeps him on his toes. If you want to, he explains you everything, but in a practical way. Whether you want to participate in his hobbies is up to you. He says it's his responsibility and his hands-on work, you don’t have to get involved if you don’t feel like it. Or, you can join in on a whim, anyway, but the main taking-care-of process is entirely in his hands. It’s all well-researched, he doesn’t want to make mistakes when it comes to animals who need an expert approach. He takes those things as seriously as caring for his relationship, you love him for it and don’t interfere. You’ve seen people make fun of Taeyong for his interests and you think they’re utter trash for saying that. You quickly stand up for Taeyong when someone criticizes him unfairly.

Since he knows the toll of modern-day life and the world in general, on top of assholes being assholes everywhere, Taeyong looks out for your mental health. He’s not gonna patronize you, but he will check on your mood.

You spend lots of time at the beach. Collecting interesting things that you’re allowed to take with you (he asked the life guard), taking pics, playing ball, making sandcastles, walking cliffs, surfing and sunbathing. PDA master Taeyong is drop-dead sexy when you put the sunscreen on his face to make sure it’s evenly distributed. Imagine just slathering it all across his neck and jaw and beautiful features — great, right. In return, he also puts the sunscreen on you head to toe, he’s very careful, he knows how to pamper you, this is heaven. Your legs, your back, shoulders, neck, feet, everything. So good. Who brought the massage salon to the beach? He doesn’t care if the surrounding people think he’s whipped or weird. Taeyong won’t go to the sea with you if it’s too crowded to begin with. He’s too introverted and a little too secretive to show his private life in public when it’s super packed.

masterlist | ao3

© 2017-2022 sugar-petals. all rights reserved. no reposts allowed. all depictions are fictional and for entertainment purposes only.

[ncityprincess]

What turns Nct 127 on the most about you

Minors do not interact

Johnny

Watching you struggle underneath him. Not necessarily in a sadistic way, but in complete adoration and amusement. He loves to coo at you while listening to your breathy whines and watching you squirm all because of him.

Taeyong

Seeing how messy and filthy you can get. Loves to see you decorated in your own drool and sweat. But he also loves to decorate you with his spit, sweat and cum as if you were his work of art. The naughtiness of it all is what gets him.

Yuta

the way your eyes pierce into his with the hottest, most desperate look on your face. It’s a cross between you being unable to process the amount of pleasure he’s giving you, and you silently crying for more.

Doyoung

the intimacy of knowing that you two are the only ones experiencing what goes down in your bedroom. Knowing that he can let out his filthiest fantasies with you, and that no one will ever know what really goes on gets him off.

Jaehyun

watching your ass bounce up and down on his cock in reverse cowgirl. The curve of your back, your plush thighs, and you desperately leaning forward to grab his legs for more support has him ready to blow.

Jungwoo

seeing you enjoy yourself during the act. Gets a huge adrenaline rush when he watches you play with your own breasts while his mouth is massaging your clit.

Mark

watching his cock move in and out of your tight hole. Sometimes he thrusts dangerously slow into you, really savoring the gushy sounds your bodies make. Other times he’s stuck in a trance, pounding into you like a madman, gaze permanently fixed where your bodies meet.

Haechan

hearing you moan for him like a whore. He really loves those long, staccato moans. He has a huge smile plastered on his face while he fucks into you from behind, coaxing the most beautiful sounds out of you.