#this probably has happened to taemin before

[brokebonewritings]

Thirsting

Matt Murdock x Reader

Tags/ Warnings: 18+, Smut, Fluff

Summary: After dating for six months, you and Matt spend a long romantic evening together. Song: Move by Taemin

Word Count: 3.5K

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“How about this one?” Karen says, holding a pastel yellow lace bralet.

Currently you and Karen were lingerie shopping after you had let slip how badly you wanted Matt to touch you.

“You know he’s not going to be able to see it right?” You say as you look through the stack in front of you.

“Right, but he can feel it.” She grins. 

Damn. She had a point, he could feel it. You watch as she continues to hold it up. It was cute, you thought. 

“Okay.” You say with a smile. She cheers and throws the set at you. 

This wasn’t something you had ever thought about doing. Sure you’ve been with others before but you felt that you had to make it special with Matt. He would disagree on the other hand.

“Helloooo?” Karen says with a grin. “What’s going on in that brain?”

“Oh nothing.” You blush. 

“You were thinking about tonight!” She squealed as she grabbed your arm. Your face gained a darker hue at the truth.

The both of you continue to look around before you both are satisfied. You bring your findings to the counter and pay before you second guess yourself. Karen took you to lunch after, gave you several pep talks before sending you on your way.

You had butterflies in the pit of your stomach. For a few reasons. One, You had no idea what Matt had been planning. Two, Matt has no idea what you have been planning. Three, You were going to have sex with your best friend turned lover. The list could go on forever.

Once you’re home, you do your usual routine. Clean the leftover dishes, finish some laundry, and take a shower. It’s only when you step out and wrap the towel around yourself you get nervous. Never had you bought lingerie to impress your partners. Just Matt.

You stare at yourself in the mirror, rotating around to get a full view. The pastel lingerie against your skin really did accentuate your features. Hopefully your advances would be noticed by Matt.

Putting on your dress, you finish getting ready and leave for his apartment. You both had planned to stay in and have dinner for the night. Maybe finally you would have the courage to tell him what you wanted.

Except it wasn’t a matter of want anymore. You needed him to touch you. Craving his fingers against your skin, his hand groping every ounce of your body.

It was busy on the streets for Thursday night. You walked in dead silence, thinking about all the things that would happen. 

Matt was probably setting up for the date. He was telling you earlier that he had a surprise in store. You could only imagine what it could be.

Finally reaching his building, you take the elevator up to his floor. Slowly the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. You jump as you realize he was standing outside of the lift.

Flowers were the first things you saw. The most beautiful daisies and tulips. As they lowered, you caught a glimpse of Matt’s smile. He looked incredibly handsome as always.

“Hi, baby.” He greets. You smile wide as you step out of the lift.

“Hey, Matty.” You reply. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Of course, I heard you come into the building.”

“Makes sense.” You step closer to him. “Are those for me?”

“Yeah.” He sighs.

You blush from how breathy his last response was. Did you truly take his breath away? It was a good sign after all. He holds out his arm, and you take it. Leading you back to his apartment, you notice the small candles lit on the floor as you enter.

After hanging your coat, you both walk further inside. You see his couch and coffee table have been pushed back and in place is a blanket with pillows. Just like a small picnic, it’s set up for dinner complete with roses and wine.

“Matty…” You say in awe. He did all of this for you? It truly made your eyes water. It was so sexy of him to do all of this. Plan the date, and decorate in this way.

“I love you, sweetheart.” He starts as he turns towards you. “I know it’s a sappy thing, but it’s been six months.” 

It was sappy, but you liked it. You wrap your arms around his neck and bring him in for a tight hug.

“I love it.” You say as you pull back. “And I love you too.”

He smiles and takes your hand. Leading you to the blanket, he helps you sit down and tells you to wait. You nod and watch as he walks to the kitchen. 

Once he disappears, you take a deep breath. The nerves were starting to get to you. He set up beautifully though. Rose petals scattered about, light incense filled the air. It was everything you could imagine and more.

Just as fast as he left, he came back carrying two plates. When he set yours before you all you could do was gape. He had made a beautiful looking chicken parm.

“Mr. Murdock, am I to assume you made this all yourself?”

He chuckles at your comment. Sitting down in front of you he situates himself before responding.

“Every little crumb, my dear.”

You giggle in return. Of course he had. Somedays you had to remind yourself that he really was capable of doing a lot. 

Dinner with Matt was incredible. He made the most delicious food, and he always kept the conversation interesting. Once you were both finished with dinner, he brought the plates back into the kitchen and settled back in front of you.

“I’ve been thinking about something.” You confess, and he tilts his head. “I think I’m ready.”

His eyebrows raise behind his glasses. Biting your lip, you wonder if now was the right time to do something like this.

“You’re sure?” He asks

“Yeah.” You say as you stand. “I actually have a surprise for you.”

Your face flushes a deep pink as your dress drops to the floor. Approaching him on the blanket, you stand awkwardly above him. He takes your hand into his own, and tugs so that you kneel in front of him. Your heart racing with anxiety.

“Oh, sweetheart.” He grins. “You don’t have to be nervous.”

His hand slides up your arm and stops once he feels the strap of your bralet. He hesitates before tilting his head. The look of confusion on his face.

“What are you wearing?”

“Lingerie.” You reply, feeling a little embarrassed. “I told Karen you wouldn’t be able to see it.”

“Karen helped you?”

Your bottom lip slips between your teeth. It wasn’t like you to be this nervous before sex. Your heart still pounded against your chest.

“She helped me pick it out, yeah.”

He lets out a sighed chuckle. “Then, sweetheart, describe what it looks like.”

“Why don’t you feel for yourself.” You say as you take his hand.

Gently, you move it just beneath your rib cage. His hand slides up to cup your breast lightly. You could tell that with each touch he was assessing the fabric.

“Lace. With a flower pattern.” He starts. “It’s a soft lace. Satin right underneath it.”

You nod your head to confirm. “Yeah, that’s right.”

He smiles at his little success. Though you know he didn’t need to take the victory. Matt squeezes your chest, and you let out a soft gasp.

“What color is it?” He asks, taking in a deep breath.

“Yellow. Pastel Yellow.”

“Perfect.” He squeezes a little harder. “Such a good girl, all dressed up for me.”

You groan out as he grins at you. The bastard knew what he was doing. Trying to get you to come undone in front of him. Looking down, you stare as his hands rub against your ribs. Maybe it was the wine but all you could think about was the way his hand would look wrapped around your neck. 

He must have heard your thoughts, because one of his hands reaches up and grabs your jaw. Pulling you in for a bruising kiss. 

His grip was strong but you wanted this. You wanted him to be rough. He was always so gentle with you. Treating you like glass in some instances. It never went further than making out on the couch. You needed this.

The kiss was intensified as he slid his tongue against your bottom lip. You open your mouth to grant him access. His thumb which was pressed against your chin moves to the corner of your mouth. As he pulls away from the kiss, he replaces his tongue with his thumb. 

Moaning loudly, he removes his thumb and inserts two of his fingers. You gag against them as he pushes them farther into your mouth.

“Breath, sweetheart.” He sighs. “Stick out your tongue.”

Obeying, you stick your tongue out allowing him to shove his fingers down your throat. He moans at the sensation of your whines. When he is satisfied, he removes them and grins at you deviously.

“What was the point of that?” You coughed out.

“So I could do this.”

He reaches down, moves your panties to the side and inserts his fingers into your cunt. You gasp loudly, hands flying to grip his shoulders. Every shock of his movements coursed through your body. 

Never before had a man taken care of you like this. Your body shudders as he pumps his fingers in and out of you.

You can feel the heat growing in your stomach as he continues to fuck you with his fingers. His thumb adds to the mix as he begins to circle your clit. 

Your moans and pants are a sure sign of your approaching orgasm. Just as you hit your climax, he removes his fingers. He moans as he listens to your racing heart.

Watching as he slips the fingers into his mouth and moans once more. His tongue swirling around his digit, tasting every bit of your slick. 

Your cheeks flush as he removes his glasses and sets them aside. His eyes fix onto you and you shiver in anticipation. It was something out of a book. The darkness of his eyes have you mesmerized.

“You taste so good, baby.” He says above a whisper. His other hand rests on your hip as he slips his fingers under the band of your panties. “Why don’t we take these off.”

You nod and help him remove the piece of fabric. Before you can rest on your knees again, he pushes you lightly onto your back.

Looking up at him, you watch as he begins to remove his shirt. The lights from outside illuminate his face just enough for you to see him lick his lips. 

He crawls over to you once he’s finished and pushes your legs open. The heat on your face burns as he looks up towards you. He smiles before licking his lips once more.

“I think I’ve earned dessert. What do you say, sweetheart?” He grins and you moan in response.

Wasting no time, he kisses his way up your thighs hovering just above your pussy. He takes a deep, before swiping his tongue against your length. The sensation is warm and shocking.

You could feel the way his tongue devours every inch of your core. Tongue slipping in and out of you, the obscene noises were all you heard.

Matt took his time. He needed to feel every jerk of your hip, needed to smell your arousal in full. Like he craved it more than anything in the world. Your loud breathy moans were like a symphony that only he could write. 

“Matt, oh God, I’m close.” You whined out, causing him to growl against you.

Each swipe of his tongue brought you close to the edge. Until finally he flicks your clit a certain way. You scream as you begin to orgasm. 

The sensation was maddening, you didn’t know if it was possible to continue after that. However, your boyfriend knew you absolutely could.

“Good girl.” He says, coming up to kiss you. “Such a good girl.”

You smile underneath his kiss. The praises alone started to another fire inside you.

“Please Matty, I need you.” 

“I know, baby. Help me with my pants.” 

Shakily, you climb to your knees and tug on his belt loop. You pull him close to you and pepper kisses on his jawline.

“I don’t know what you’re doing to me, Matthew Murdock, but I’m addicted to you.”

You unbutton his pants and help him out of them. His cock strained against his briefs. Sucking on your teeth, you grab the waistband and tug them down. 

The groan surfacing from the back of his throat was a sign of relief. His cock springing free from the compounds of his briefs. Now it was your turn to let out a long moan.

“I was gonna be rough with you,” He starts. “But no, no. You need to be loved, and I will make sure you feel just that.”

He grabbed onto his cock and gave a few slow pumps. You had already settled back into the soft pillows below. 

Eyeing him hungrily, you watched him shudder at the touch of his hand. What was he imagining at this moment?

It didn’t take long for his length to harden. It was painfully hard, and you could tell by the way he hissed at each stroke. Your heartbeat flutters as you watch the hair fall into his face. 

“Baby.” His gruff voice pulls you from your thoughts. 

“Hm?”

“Condoms.”

You process the word that left his mouth. Condoms? Fuck, condoms. Sitting up, you look around the space until you spot the small square package on the coffee table. 

Cheeky. Right out in the open. How did you not notice? Standing, you saunter over and grab the little packet. 

“Fire and Ice? That’s hot”

The chuckle you earn from him perks your ears. You walk back over to him, opening the packet and taking out the small rubber sleeve. 

“You know I just want to give you all the pleasure.”

“I get the feeling you asked the clerk for help on this.”

“Guilty as charged.”

You kneel in front of him, grabbing his hardened cock. He hisses and grips his thighs. Giving him a few pumps, you prep the condom and roll it onto his length. Once it's rolled on completely, you return to your position of laying back onto the pillows. 

Taking a deep breath, you wait as he crawls above you. Both of his elbows resting by your head. He leans down and kisses you with intense love. Something you have never felt before Matt. As he pulls away, he rests his forehead against yours. You both take a shaky breath before he speaks.

“Ready?”

“Always.”

As you gave him the consent he was waiting for, he lines himself against your entrance. He takes a shaky breath before pushing into you slowly. You both let out a long moan. 

If you had to be honest, it stung. It had been quite some time since you had sex, and you forgot about having to adjust. A few stray tears escape your eyes causing Matt to stop.

“Sweetheart, am I hurting you?” His voice was laced with concern.

You shake your head. “I just need to adjust. I’m okay. Promise.”

Bringing your legs a little higher, it relieved some of the burn. Kissing your face softly, he stops until you’re ready. You grab onto his shoulder and whisper a soft ‘okay’. He begins to push himself in just a little more. 

It’s tolerable, not stinging like before. When he finally bottoms out, you moan loudly. This causes goosebumps to spread over his skin. You made the most beautiful noises.

After a moment of letting you adjust, Matt pulls his hips back before slowly sliding back in. The grip you had on his shoulder begins to tight as he pumps himself into you. 

“Oh- Oh god, M-Matt.” You moan out, throwing your head back. His pace picks up and you can’t help but wonder how long he can last. He grabs onto one of your legs, putting it on his shoulder.

“Fuck- you’re so tight, sweetheart” Each pump was harder than the last and you could feel his hot breath in your ear. His hips slammed against yours, making a loud noise with each thrust.

Hooking your leg over his shoulder, you gripped onto his shoulders. His thrusts picked up and you couldn’t help but feel your walls tightening.

“M-Matt… I’m gonna come.” You say as you roll your hips against him, causing him to groan in pleasure. 

“Come for me. Please.” He begs. “Please, baby.”

His thrusts become more erratic before he stops and shuts his eyes. His cock pulsates as he struggles to hold his own release. You throw your head back as you ride out your orgasm. Matt goes still, letting out a deep groan. 

After feeling you tighten around him, he submits to his own orgasm. He pumps himself into you a few more times before pulling out completely. He falls onto his back beside you. You roll onto your side to face him.

“I love you.” He says, still breathing deeply.

“I love you too.” You say, leaning in to kiss him.

“You felt incredible.” He smiles. “Every moan was like a song.”

You feel the heat spread across your cheeks. You look away for a moment before meeting his gaze again.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," you say softly, your fingers tracing circles on his bare chest.

He reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, the touch sending shivers down your spine.

"You're amazing," he says, his voice husky. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you."

“You’ve had me since the moment we met.” You admit. “You couldn’t expect to get rid of me that fast, Murdock.”

He chuckles and you watch his eyes crinkle. It was the most beautiful thing about him. His smile. God, was he just beautiful in general. He leans in closer, his lips brushing against yours.

"I don't ever want to get rid of you. You're mine now."

Your heart flutters at his possessiveness, but you find yourself enjoying it. You wrap your arms around him, pulling him closer to you. He smells of sweat and sex, but there's something else there too, something uniquely Matt that you can't quite put your finger on.

As if reading your thoughts, he pulls away from you slightly, a curious expression on his face.

"What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?" he asks.

You bite your lip, unsure if you want to share your thoughts with him. But you trust him, more than anyone else you've ever been with.

"I was just thinking how...different this is from anything I've ever experienced before," you say, your voice barely above a whisper.

“A good different, I hope.” He chuckles. 

You smile in return. “Of course it's good! You’re one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”

He smiles, his eyes softening with emotion. "You're one of the best things that's ever happened to me too," he says, his words weighted with sincerity.

You feel a warm glow spread through your chest at his words. It was moments like these that made you fall in love with him a little more every day. As you lay there, wrapped in each other's arms, you feel a sense of contentment wash over you.

You scoot closer to him, feeling his warmth contrast with the chill of the room. It was moments like these where you wished to capture it in a still frame. You never thought you'd be lucky enough to find someone like him, someone who just gets you.

Matt sighs, before sitting up. You stare as he begins to roll the condom off and pick himself off the ground. He walks away for a moment before coming back with a washcloth.

“Matty?” You ask in confusion. 

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

He walks over, and gives you a lazy smile. “Someone has to clean you up, sweetheart. I don’t think your legs are going to work that well.”

You giggle before allowing him to wipe you down. Not feeling embarrassed, instead you feel gratitude. Finally finding someone who took care of you in all aspects. After he finishes, he puts the cloth on the table and returns to you. Gathering you in his arms, he walks you to the bedroom. 

Of course he hadn’t expected the both of you to sleep on the floor. You were grateful for that as well. You were grateful for the whole evening. As you both laid in bed, you thought of everything that brought you to this moment. 

Even after everything he wanted you. He wanted all of you, and that’s all you could have asked for.

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[shineelightss]

choi minho is lawful good because he has never skipped a workout, colored outside the lines, or missed a chance to scold taemin once in his life

kim jonghyun is chaotic good because he sure as hell is going to cause problems and chaos but he’s going to do it in the kindest, gentlest, loveliest, and caring way possible and also always wants to give forehead kisses probably

lee jinki is true neutral because he avoids every brain cell at his disposal and gets away with it 100% of the time

kim kibum is chaotic neutral because he’s not seen a rule in his life he doesn’t break just by existing and also he likes to cause problems on purpose and then just watch what happens before minho someone else cleans up after him

lee taemin is chaotic evil because he is the one, the only, maknae; to hell with consequences and rules

[hyunpic]

list of songs hyunjin has played on his lives/recommended:

note: im probably missing some & i couldn’t put links to all of them cause apparently tumblr has a link limit 🤨

lauv: julia, lonely eyes, invisible things, paris in the rain, never not, im so tired, the story never ends, i like me better

offonff: photograph, cigarette (ft. miso & tablo), dance, bath

beyoncé: crazy in love (remix)

billie eilish: i love you, &burn, idontwannabeyouanymore, ocean eyes, before i go, tv

honne: day1, la la la that’s how it goes

christina perri: a thousand years

shawn mendes: mercy, treat you better, in my blood

dvwn: phobia

dpr live: jam & butterfly

jehwi: dear moon

leehi: rose

bts: dna, waste it on me, make it right

colde: where love begins, string (ft. sunwoojunga), the museum, wa-r-r, your dog loves you (ft. crush), control me, a song nobody knows, im in love

got7: miracle, hard carry

justin bieber: lonely

josef salvat: call on me

taemin: criminal

night off: sleep

sam kim: make up (ft. crush), like a fool, sunny days summer nights

niki: lowkey

iu: the visitor, lullaby, knees, love poem, give you my heart, my sea

cha ni: starlight

sia: snowman

akmu: happening

sunwoojunga: run with me

the black skirts: everything

korea cracker: ocean (ft. hoyeon kim)

cosmic boy: can i love?

penomeco: no.5 (ft. crush)

yerin baek: blooming memories, limit

10cm: so…., however

day6: i’ll try, love me or leave me, when you love someone, you were beautiful, congratulations, zombie, days gone by, afraid

dean: d (half moon), instagram, what 2 do, bonnie & clyde

exo: first snow, the eve, love shot

sam fischer: this city

jukjae: do you want to walk with me?, lullaby

ph-1: nerdy love (ft. yerin baek), as i told you

baekhyun: love again, un village

amine: blackjack

young k: come as you are, guard you

flume: say it (ft. tove lo)

twice: dance the night away, fancy

ariana grande: thank u, next

hajin: we all lie

about: it has to be you

caroline says: winter is cold

h.e.r: u, wait for it

bol4: to my youth

monday kiz: winter is as i wished

paul kim: the road, additional

sweden laundry: the winter

jung seung hwan: in that winter

chungha: gotta go

zion.t: no make up, snow

airman: gloomy star, i’ll be your spring (ft. j_ust)

motte: dont run away

seventeen: a-teen, super

khalid: location

lukas graham: 7 years

imagine dragons: believer

bo kyung kim: dont think you are alone

jung ilhoon: spoiler (ft. babylon)

davichi: falling in love, 이 사랑

coldplay: everglow, viva la vida

lyn: my destiny

jus2: focus on me, long black, senses (jpn version)

crush: beautiful, you and i

ed sheeran: lego house, perfect, photograph, beautiful people

croosh: why

20 years of age: x

tori kelly: paper hearts

seulgi: always

luna: do you love me? (ft. george)

wisue: someone’s shining

epik high: eternal sunshine

jp saxe: if the world was ending

seori: fairy tale

bruno mars: marry you

the weeknd: earned it, die for you

jung seunghwan: its raining, an ordinary day, dear

sam tinnesz: play with fire

post malone: motley crew

jihyo: stardust love song

kim feel: your voice

sung sikyung: solar system, heejae

younha: stardust

wonpil: a journey

taeyeon: invu, some nights, toddler, drawing our moments

nct dream: boom

ha hyunsang: 3108

huhgak: memory of your scent

se so neon: nan chun, a long dream, midnight train, stranger

umi: remember me

tvxq!: mirotic

johnny balik: honey

red velvet: psycho

new jeans: hype boy

christian kuria: losing you

cigarettes after sex: k. , each time you fall in love, sunsetz, apocalypse

dpr ian: nerves, no blueberries, 1 shot

samm henshaw: broke

woodz: drowning

kelly clarkson: underneath the tree

kimmuseum: to you who cant sleep

taylor swift: betty

lana del rey: young and beautiful

harry styles: watermelon sugar, she

pink sweat$: honesty

masego: tadow

olivia rodrigo: vampire

troye sivan: youth, for him

kai: mmmh

2pm: my house

oasis: wonderwall, hey now

mac miller: that’s on me, everybody

nothing but thieves: amsterdam

bren joy: sweet

back number: i love you

mac ayres: next to you, roses

daniel caesar: blessed, ocho rios, get you (ft. kali uchis), take me away (ft. syd), do you like me?, disillusioned

green day: dilemma

puma blue: already falling

bruno major: nothing, easily, places we won’t walk, the most beautiful thing, old soul

[hils79]

Hils Watches Lovely Runner - Ep 15

Wait, what? She was totally fine at the end of the last episode

Ah, it's so he can be the hero and carry her to safety. Where did this crowd come from, though? The amusement park was deserted when they got on the ferris wheel

Of course he took her to his place instead of the hospital. Not sure where the IV came from though.

Aww it's a reversal of the time he was passed out in her brother's bed and grabbed hold of her hand

Good old drama medicine. One IV and some sleep and you're totally fine the next day

See! She's asking the same questions as me. This is why I love her.

Oh well that explains the IV

Is he seriously going to suggest that to thank him for 'saving her life' she should let him be in her movie?

Wait, they didn't immediately claim their prize money???

Look at him sitting in his car rehearsing what to say like a nerd (affectionate)

How does an only child who has no kids of his own know so much about how to take care of a baby, but Im Sol who has multiple neices and nephews has no clue?

Ehehe! That's what you get for being so smug about your childcare abilities

Oh hello

Aww and this is like the time he made her hide in his closet. Everything is in reverse in this timeline.

I feel like I recognise those posters behind him but not sure what they are

Oh sweetie...

You know, 15 episodes in and he still really looks like someone I know but I can't put my finger on who. I think maybe it's an amalgam of a few different idols. Like a bit of Jin and a bit of Taemin

I love that the two of them are literally idols and Inhyuk is like 'remember that super hot and popular boy we went to school with'

Ooh he's having flashbacks again. I'm curious which version of events he's remembering. Because she travelled back 3 times and changed different things each time before the 4th time where she made it so that they never met

I mean I have no idea how much houses cost in Korea but even if you blow it all on a house you still have your incomes and no mortgage or rent to pay

LMAO the reason they got such a low prize (it's just over £200k for me) is because he got drunk and told everyone in line the numbers so 50 people won the jackpot

Dude as been begging to do this movie for ages and as soon as he signs on he immediately wants to change the ending. Like I know we, as the audience, understand why. But to anyone else this just makes him look like a diva

Oh no it's sad Jongho song time

Poor Im Sol. Two confessions in one day. One from a person she can't be with, and one from a person she doesn't want to be with

Ooh is he starting to remember the previous timelines too?

Okay, I love this idea. I'm getting all emotional.

Aww he wrote the song about her again even though he doesn't have the experience of meeting her in the rain. Because his memories are part of his soul.

6 years for attempted murder seems very low. Now I'm looking up the average sentence time for attempted murder and I'm probably on some sort of watch list now. Obv I don't know what it's like in Korea but in the UK you would only get 6 years if it was something like self-defence

Well that was very dramatic. I was so invested in what was happening I forgot to pause and liveblog

Ah, he does remember everything. All versions of events. Well, no wonder he fainted. That's a lot to take in.

[mrs-monaghan]

Hello,

I hope you are well.

I am a pretty new BTS fan and a much newer Jikooker. I suppose new as in I have been in the fandom for 9 months. I have watched a lot of their content and really delved into their stuff. They are such an interesting bunch of men, so bloody talented. I have however noticed something which hasn't made sense to me so I just wanted to clarify it. Before getting into BTS, I had heard about Jimin a lot. I am a Shinee stan so I had come across JM occasionally because of Taemin but also saw that Jimin trends a lot. I just assumed he was like the most loved member and all the jazz so imagine my confusion when I found out that wasn't the case. I am confused about the way the fandom seems to be treat him. Since I have watched a lot of their stuff but not all off of them, I wanted to make sure I understood this right before making assumption. I came across your blog because I am exploring Jikook, JM and JK tags on Tumblr. To be completely honest, I will probably post this same ask to a lot of other Jikookers because I like to get various opinions..it's nothing against you. I just like hearing multiple different sources. Anyways, I am struggling to fathom few things when it comes to the way this fandom is towards JM. As far as I know, the below things have happened.

JM travelled all the way to America to support JHopes first bug venture outside of BTS. As far as I can see, he was the only one physically present.

JM did the same for Suga and also attended the concert in Seoul. Once again, he is the only one that has physically flown to a different country to support Suga.

JM was present for RM when he recorded his ahowcase.

Jimin also flew to America to support JK. I am not talking about shipping here. Regardless of what the intention was, he was physically present for another member. Once again, he was the only member as long as I can.

So out of all the members some JM is essentially the only one that went out of his way to support them. As far as I could see, some of the BTS members were actually taking a break while JM was working but he still went to support all of them and this is the member that the ARMY and solo stans hate. The hatred also seems really rampant. Am I missing something or is this the most ludicrous thing to happen? How the fuck does any of this makes sense? I read somewhere that people felt that he took the attention away from the said member which is once again so Bizzare. Like this person went out of his way to be there for each and every single one of them but rather than going after the other members for their lack of support (which I am not saying there is anything wrong - I am sure all the others supported each other and they don't need to be with each other 24/7), these fans especially these so called OT7 ARMY lost their mind at JM for being a good friend. This is abnormal right because there is no way this behaviour makes any sense. How the fuck do you hate the person that is literally there to support your favourite.

Lastly, I also want to understand this clearly. I am being told that there are a lot of Taekookers which makes zero sense to me but each to their own. So these Taekookers think JK and V are dating but they attack JM. That doesn't make sense in anyway. Let's assume that Taekook are dating which I don't think they are but let's assume that they are dating, how are these so called fans not going after the member that shows lack of interest towards his supposed partner (V) but treats a third person (Jimin) like royalty. This is not me trying to bring hate to JK by the way but by their logic JK is either the cheater here or just a terrible boyfriend. He is dating V while clearly wanting to fuck JM and honestly seems to be really into him so the hatred towards JM makes zero sense..if there is a Taekook relationship, logically they should be reprimanding JK for his shitty boyfriend behaviour but once again JM is the one getting crucified. How does any of this makes any sense in this fandom? I have been in Kpop for a while but this is the one fandom that has baffled the fuck out of me. So they have this one guy that literally brings BTS so much prestige and attention and this is the guy that they hate on. This dude literally goes out of his way to support the members and rather than kissing the ground he walks on for being there for their favourite member, there is a hate campaign against this member. Like make it make sense. I am behind confused.

Going through a lot of blogs, I noticed that these things get pushed under the radar because they are focussing more on the shipping moments which I guess being a shipper, it makes sense but also how are so many people okay with one part of their ship getting death threats everyday while the other part of the ship enjoying support from both the big shippers. It makes zero sense to me. Once again, I am not saying people should hate on JK or not support him or it's JKs fault in anyway. I am just beyond confused about the state of this situation. How the fuck have ARMY messed this shit up so bad? Like none of this shit makes sense. How is this a thing lol?

Also what is how with all the hate train against JM? It's not only BTS stans but also Other Kpop stans? None of this makes sense to me. Honesly KPop has always been a fucking weird place but it keeps getting weirder and weirder.

That's is, my rant is over. I don't mean to offend in anyway. I think I am still trying to figure out a way to vocalise my thoughts especially BTS related stuff. I hope I am not coming across as somebody that hates any of the members because I don't. I love them all and find them so freaking charming. I am just confused about the whole situation.

For context, this is the dude everyone hates

Tweet

Anon,

From inside the fandom at least. From outside the fandom, they attack him coz he's the standard. Period. I mean, how many Kpop artists have u seen do this???

I got a similar question from a new stan and addressed it here. Then here and here i showed his impact. So basically everyone and their mama wishes their fav would be Jimin... do what he does... be what he is... achieve what he has. Jealousy. Point blank period. This applies to other members solo stans too. Jealousy.

As for the shippers who hate him I believe that's pretty obvious. But before I answer that I would like to correct u on this one thing;

but also how are so many people okay with one part of their ship getting death threats everyday while the other part of the ship enjoying support from both the big shippers.

Yeah...no

As a Jikooker who spends alot of time on twitter defending this man i can tell you right now this statement couldn't be further from the truth. We defend him every single fucking day. We are not okay with one half of our "ship" getting shut on. Nope. That is NOT true. All Jikookers go to bat for Jimin and that's the truth. That's why antis like to rope us in with nasty PJMs coz we defend Jimin so much. Thing is, we defend JK too but like you said, he ain't the fandom punching bag, Jimin is. So of course we mostly defend Jimin since the regular hate is on him. So please make no mistake, Jikookers have always defended Jimin.

Back to shippers. Thats easy. Tkkrs and Jinkookers see how JK treats Jimin. They may refuse to admit it to themselves but they see it too. They see the Jikook bond is special. They see how close Jimin and JK are. But they would rather write it off as fanservice because it makes them feel better. I can support Jikook just fine without calling tkk fanservice because their friendship doesn't negate Jikook. However, the Jikook "friendship" does put other ships into question so its easier to call their bond fake 🤷🏽‍♀️ and because they can't shit on JK they take it out on Jimin coz they wish JK would treat their fav the way he treats Jimin. And when that doesn't happen they take their frustration out on him....

TLDR: Jimin hate makes 0 sense and that's why in conclusion, I concur this dude

[xotaemintol]

2MIN x (fem) READER: Follow Our Body Rhythm PT1

“Get up, I don’t wanna fight your shadow”

TWS: mentioning of sex and mentions polyamorous relationships

PRONOUNS USED: She/Her

Word Count: 4168

Part: 1/5

Plot: After three long months of Minho avoiding you outside of sex, you are fed up and decide to make him realize just how badly he’s hurting you, and luckily Taemin who is unaware of your plan is right there to help you do it.

THIRD PERSON

As the morning sun peaks into the messy room you begin to stir in your sleep, you could smell Minho all around you, laced in his sheets and pillows his scent covering every inch of the bed and your body, it had been a while since you've gotten to wake up with him since he's been so busy lately, but after making time to see you he was adamant about you staying the night and eating breakfast with him, and you were happy to take the offer since it's been almost three whole months since the last time you stayed the night after sex. So as you smiled with your eyes still closed and started scooting backward, you expect to feel his body against yours, but as you continue to move back you only feel pillows. Immediately you open your eyes and look back.

"What the fuck..." You groan at the sight of a stack of pillows in the place of Minho's body with a note on top, realizing that once again he had left before you got the chance to see him and left only a note to explain what happened you slowly sit up and cover your naked body with the thin sheets, sighing as you snatch the note and reluctantly begin to read it.

"Sorry, had to step out for a few hours, a few friends asked me to see them and it's been a while."

You almost stop reading there as you become offended by his quick decision to leave you for his friends because it had 'been a while' You wanted to ball the note up, put on your clothes, and leave, but instead, you continue reading despite feeling that he doesn’t care.

"I know I promised that we'd have breakfast together but I really couldn't miss this, tomorrow morning I'll make sure we can have breakfast together."

You scoff and roll your eyes at this, he has been making that same promise for three months now, every time he would invite you over he'd ask you to stay the night so he could spoil you only to leave before you were able to wake up, he hasn't even had the courtesy to call or text, he just leaves a note and promises that next time he'll keep his promise. Instead of getting too upset to finish reading, you decide to read the very last part before leaving.

"I left my card for you, I was planning on taking you out today but unfortunately there was a change of plans, so feel free to spend till your heart's content, it's the least I can do after breaking my promise again, xoxo-CMH"

You exhale deeply and slouch back against the headboard, thinking about if you should just leave without taking his card, you consider that you could probably make him realize how much it hurt your feelings if you didn't even bother to eat and if you just went home and told him that you didn't want to see him tomorrow, but as you consider how careless he's been lately and recall the way he dodges even the slightest bit of affection, hardly texts back, and ignores your calls, you realize like that isn't enough. For a while you think about what would make him realize it, trying to figure out ways to make him see how even if you aren't dating, he can't just promise things and break them, nor should he prioritize something like meeting up with friends over keeping a promise. When you first started hooking up with Minho and learned about his lifestyle you thought that maybe he'd be putting going to the gym or work over you, but every time it's his friends and when it first started he said: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel that way, I promise that it won't happen again." And you believed it.

But now as you sit naked on his bed with another handwritten note on your lap you think about if he ever really meant anything he's said, you start to think about how when you met his SHINee members and how they jokingly said that he'd probably be spending more time with his friends than you, and now you wonder if it was ever a joke. Your mind swarms with thoughts as your eyes begin to water, what had you been doing the past seven months? You can't tell if you stay because you enjoy the sex or if you stay because you enjoy the lifestyle. You love being able to have expensive things, being able to sleep with someone so caring and sweet, someone who cares about making you feel good, you love being around his SHINee members, meeting Jinki, Jonghyun, Kibum, and Taemin was amazing and getting close to them was even better, but now it seems like you spend more time talking to them than him. Whatever it makes you start questioning if it was worth it, of course, you don't plan to cut ties with Minho, you've found yourself way too attached to him to do something like that. But you still want to do something, anything that would make him value you more, like the way he used to when things first started.

"Maybe I should just drop it, what was I expecting anyways?" You say to yourself, you sluggishly get out of bed and cover your body with the sheet "I mean, it's only been seven months, we aren't dating or anything, it's just sex." Just as you say this your phone goes off, you expect it to be an update from Minho about what he was doing or maybe just a random notification from Instagram or TikTok, but instead, as you grab your phone from the nightstand you're surprised to see that it's a text from Taemin, this makes you laugh a little despite your teary eyes, between the five of them Taemin has been the one who keeps up with you the most, he texts you almost every day, sends you pictures, and will even let you tell him about your problems, surprisingly you’ve found yourself talking to Taemin more often than Minho.

‘You’re still at Minho’s right? I’ll pick you up if you are, just wait for me.'

You look at your phone confused as you wonder how Taemin would know that you were at Minho’s house since you never told him that you were going, nor did Minho to your knowledge, you also wonder why he would want to pick you up, you consider that he may want to hang out with you but it's only 9 am and Taemin is usually busy early in the morning, not only that but when you used to hang out with Minho and Taemin he was more likely to want to hang out around noon instead of in the morning, so you wonder if he had maybe originally planned for the three of you to hang out. It wouldn't be weird if that were the case anyway, the three of you have hung out together plenty of times and it’s never been weird or awkward, especially since he seems to take a strong liking to you, he even flirts with you and buys you things just because. But you can't imagine that Taemin would have made plans without letting you or Minho know beforehand, you know that’s not like him to do so it just doesn’t fit, so you text him back and ask.

‘How did you know I was here?'

Almost immediately he views your message and responds with: 'I just got off the phone with him, you don’t mind hanging out right?' That's when the perfect idea to make Minho realize that he should value you more hits you, luckily for you since Minho is completely aware of the attraction between the two of you it wouldn't shock him or hurt him to see you with Taemin, but it would make him question what made you change your mind when you denied his offer to allow you to do whatever you please with all of them, in your mind you felt that he'd maybe consider that he was doing something to upset you, so you decided to quickly get dressed and text Taemin saying: 'Of course not, it would make me feel a lot better to see you actually.'

Luckily for you even without you and Taemin ever having sex, he's quick to tell you yes and spoil you rotten, so you weren't at all surprised to see a text from him saying 'Im already on my way', instead you just continued to quickly dress and strip Minho's bed from its dirty sheets, as you wait you put his sheets in the washer and replace them with fresh ones, you've gotten so used to doing this for him so you didn't mind it.

TAEMIN'S POV

"Hyung, I thought you said that you were going to spend time with her this morning, what happened?" I ask as I lean back against the seat, it’s been months and Minho is still neglecting to be honest with Y/N, maybe I’m wrong for getting so upset about it but she seems so sad lately, and knowing that it’s over something that could be solved with a conversation frustrates me, he said that he wanted to spend all day with her today and that he missed her so much, saying that he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible today as he smiled and texted her about staying the night, but now he's not even there. "I got nervous, I realized that I can’t keep doing this after last night," Minho says, "It’s not just about sex anymore, I want to be with her, but it’s not that easy." As he says this I sigh, I saw this coming after that first month of them seeing each other, he started to see Y/N as more than just a person he has sex with, it only took four months for him to admit to actually liking her even though it was obvious from the start, but after admitting how he felt he suddenly stopped treating her the way he did before, and now at the drop of a dime he leaves her before she's even able to wake up and see him, he'll even take days to respond to her and leave her wondering what happened.

"Hyung, are you gonna start dating Y/N?" I ask, "She obviously like she likes you too, so what’s stopping you? If you keep waiting and putting space between the two of you and making her feel like it’s just sex then you’ll only make it harder for yourself." As I say this he sighs, I can hear his frustration as he does so, I don't blame him for being frustrated since it's not as easy as it seems to have a fling. "You still like her right?" He asks, "I mean, she likes us both, so if I started dating her then it would make things too complicated" He explains, "I tried to talk to her about it, but she says that she is worried that if she does start dating me that she'll still want you and she doesn't even know that you like her." I sigh myself, he's right, the complicated love triangle between the three of us makes it hard for all of us to decide what to do, even though I've never had sex with her we both still very obviously like each other, I flirt with her openly and she reciprocates openly, so it would be conflicting if they started dating.

"Then what are you going to do? You can't keep dodging her and spending less time with her because you're confused, you'll only hurt her more" I respond, "What if she gets so hurt that she doesn't even want to see you again?" Minho's silence tells me enough, I can tell that it's genuinely difficult for him to decide what to do and even what to say, we haven't felt like this over anything or anyone in years, but as soon as she came along it was like falling into a Venus trap, not only is she beautiful, but she's so kind and caring, she's honest, she's easy to talk to, and understanding. Of course, it's a minor issue that she's attracted to both me and Minho, but how could we blame her for that when we both tried to pursue her at the same time? If she's wrong then so are we. "You're on your way to see her right?" He asks, "Ask her how she feels about you and tell me how it goes, even though I already know the answer I think we should just make sure, so from there we can make a decision."

After saying this Minho ends the call leaving me with a mess of thoughts, I've never been the best at things like this so I don't know how exactly to even ask something like this, should I just outright ask and tell her that we're struggling to decide what to do? Should I admit that I know exactly why he's been so strange lately? Should I cut straight to the chase and ask her if she wants to date us both? What if she gets mad at me for not telling her sooner? What if she rejects the idea and stops seeing us both? I sigh and look out the window trying to clear my mind before we arrived, but as I do I see the outside of Minho's house.

THIRD PERSON

As your phone rings you smile seeing Taemins name flash across your screen, you pick up right away.

"Should I come up to get you? We're outside," He says, the smile you had on your face slowly fades as you notice from his tone that something is off, usually Taemin sounds excited to see you, usually it feels like you can hear the smile in his voice whenever he speaks but now it feels like something was wrong. "No, it's fine," You respond as you make your way downstairs, "I'm coming out now..." After saying this you hang up and make sure to lock up before stepping outside, the feeling of the fresh breeze against your legs makes you shiver despite its warmth, you hadn't even thought about how little you were wearing until now. Your short, low-cut dress hardly covered your thighs and breasts but it was what Minho said he wanted to see you in, and you hadn't left clothes at his house for a while now, so it was all you had.

As you open the door you smile a little seeing Taemin sitting there and his manager in the front seat driving, you expect him to smile back but instead, he just looks at you as you close the door behind yourself and put on your seatbelt.

"Good morning," You say hoping that it'll break the slightly awkward tension in the car, it's never felt so strange to be alone with Taemin, but now it feels like it's your first time meeting him all over again. "Good morning, how'd you sleep?" Taemin asks, you shrug and sigh as you cross your legs, you feel so exposed in front of him which is new, considering that he's seen you naked before it's weird that you feel exposed in front of him while fully dressed. "It could've been better," You respond, knowing that for your plan to work that you'll have to fight any awkwardness, you look at him with a soft smile and say: "I had a dream about you."

MINHO'S POV

After hanging up the phone with Taemin I sigh and lean back against Kibums couch while flipping through channels mindlessly, I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore, it's like every time I see her it gets worse and worse. I have the urge to call it off and tell her that I don't want to see her anymore, but it's only because I want to be with her so badly and the sex isn't enough to hold me off anymore, of course, it's amazing but I don't just want to have sex with her. I want to go on dates, I want to talk about our future, I want to meet her friends and be introduced as her boyfriend, not just a guy she's sleeping with. But I know that she likes Taemin too and I know that Taemin likes her, so I don't want to make things official and then risk one of us being hurt when it could easily be solved by just something as simple as both of us dating her or both of us stepping back.

"Hey! Could you stop doing that?! It's been an hour, either watch something or turn it off, you're driving me crazy," Kibum says as he comes out of his

kitchen with two bowls, "Why are you this upset anyways? I thought you said you were going to just ignore things and let fate decide." As he sits down next to me he hands me a bowl of fresh fruit and spinach, I almost forgot that I even told him I hadn't eaten yet when I got here, he even went outside to pick all of this for us and I was so wrapped up in my mind that I didn't even notice him doing any of this. "Thank you," I say as I sigh, it's been like this every day now, I'm always too distracted by the thought of her to even notice what's going on around me. "If it's bothering you that much why don't you talk to her?" Kibum asks, "I mean, don't you think it's ridiculous to run here every time you sleep with her so you avoid possibly falling in love?"

I shrug and take a bite of the salad, "You know how I am, I mean, I like her but what if things get weird between me and Taemin? She'd be fine since she'd get to have us both, but what if Taemin feels unhappy?" I ask, my concern for his view of a polyamorous relationship isn't just overthinking, Taemin has constantly said that he'd want a girlfriend who only looks at him, although he jokes with fans about getting jealous he does seriously prefer a person who's only going to think of him. "Well, if he's already aware that you like her and that she also likes you, but he's still deciding to see her today then he must not be too upset about it," Kibum explains, "You know Taemin wouldn't do anything like this if he wasn't sure, and he'd be quick to say that he was unhappy or upset if he changed his mind." I nod, he's right, Taemin would speak up if he felt negative about it... "But how do you feel about it? Do you want to try something like that with both of them?"

TAEMIN'S POV

As the shower water starts to run I sigh and sit down on the couch, before she went to shower I wanted to talk to her and ask how she felt but it didn't feel right, how am I even supposed to ask anyways? What should I ask specifically? I huff and pout my lips as I begin to scroll through Instagram again, maybe it's not too bad if I don't ask at all, I could always find out another way since I have a whole day alone with her, even though I don't exactly know what we'll do I can figure out how to find out without asking.

"What should we do anyways?" I ask myself aloud, I look up as I start to think of places that she might want to go, luckily from all of the time spent with her and Minho, I've learned her favorite foods, stores, and spots so it would be easy to just choose from those. But I feel like doing something different would help me get an answer a lot better than just doing things that I know she likes, if it goes well then not only would I have an answer but I would also learn more about her which would be helpful since I only know a select few things that she likes. I smile a little at the thought of finally getting time to figure out how she really feels and it going well, with newfound confidence I decided to start looking for places in the area she hasn’t been to so that everything will go smoothly.

THIRD PERSON

As you step out of the shower you wrap the soft white towel around your wet body you feel like you can hardly relax, and as you walk yourself through your plan to seduce Taemin without making things awkward you only tense up more. In your head it sounds simple to just walk out into the living room and drop your towel, you could easily tell him that you’ve wanted him for a while now, and sit on his then and there without having to put in any effort. But you want to be able to maintain your relationship with both Taemin and Minho and throwing yourself at Taemin right after sleeping with Minho, to you it will just come off as you using Taemin to feel better, which at all what you want to do. So instead you spent your time in the shower thinking of how you'll slowly lure him in, you don't want to make things too complicated but you want to make a point to Minho that if he's going to treat you like you're only here for sex then you'll treat him as if you feel the same way.

As you step onto the mat on the floor you look in the mirror, your reflection blurred by the fog as you sigh and try to calm your nerves while whispering to yourself: "Taemin is attracted to me...he wants to have sex with me, so at least it won't fail..." As you say this though you start to feel a slight sense of disappointment but with no exact reason as to why, you ignore it and try your best not to upset yourself and throw yourself off, so before you can start to overthink anymore you open the door to leave but stop seeing him standing right outside the door with your clothes.

"Sorry, I just wanted to give you your clothes," He says, as you look up at him you fail to keep your cool and become awkward again. Despite the confidence that you have in him wanting to have sex with you it's hard to ignore how intimidatingly attractive he is, not to mention that you have feelings for him, it would be easier to just pull him into the bathroom and sit him down so you could ride him if you didn't have feelings for him, then you wouldn't have to worry about being in the same position you are with Minho with Taemin too, but since you know that you have genuine feelings for him you don't want to make things worse for yourself so you just smile at him and take the clothes. "Thank you..." You say trying to hide the shyness that begins to creep up on you, "I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't decide what to do so we'll just go to a few different places if that’s okay with you." As he says this you smile even more, this is why you love spending time with Taemin, he always surprises you by being spontaneous with his planning but keeping it simple enough for it to be relaxing.

You wish that Minho could be here too since Minho always adds a flare that makes things feel so exciting, while Taemin is more spontaneous and will let fate decide where you go, Minho will plan out multiple different places, and you love both of those things but they are even better when paired together since Taemins spontaneous ideas work perfectly for the hour-long stops that Minho plans. If Minho planned to go bowling and Taemin notices a place to eat that you've never tried before then you get to do both, you love the way they work together and while they are both enough alone, you can't help but become saddened by the thought of Minho becoming less attracted to you which in your mind explains why he won't spend time with you outside of sex.

"That's fine," You respond with a half-hearted smile at the sudden thought, while it saddens you to think of you still want to make him realize how you feel, so instead you tell Taemin that you'll be out soon and close the door so you can get dressed.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP

Apologies in advance if this ask is haphazard. I am not as deep in the kpop world as I’d like to be. I think I actually only know about Hybe groups and maybe a few songs from other groups due to Instagram and kdramas.

In the 1.5 years I’ve followed BTS, I’ve been absolutely wowed by them and their performances. I’ve not felt the need to check out other group performances as much.

Being on tumblr, naturally, one comes across discourse or opinions on other groups. And I’ve seen some people comment about BTS fans being entitled or harsh towards other groups. This was most apparent when Taemin came out with Guilty. Now, I’m not going to take away from his artistry but guilty is not my type of music. The only reason why I even know of Taemin is because of the dance challenge he did with Jimin. And to be honest, I find Jimin a better dancer. For all the videos I’ve seen with the two of them dancing togerher, Jimin always comes out top.

I know Jimin has said before that Taemin inspires him a lot. And it probably is very true. From what I’ve read, Taemin debuted at a very young age and was the stand out performer in Shinee. I will give credit where due - the concept for his Guilty music video is very boundary pushing and speaks of an artist who isn’t afraid to experiment his/other darker sides, afraid of pushing the envelope. But that doesn’t make him the most amazing dancer or performer?

But it also doesn’t mean that BTS fans should call him a cheap Jimin copy. Whilst I do think Jimin is a superior artist, I think the fact that he respects Taemin and has been inspired by him should be enough of a reason for his/BTS fans accord the same to Taemin.

In your opinion, BPP, do you think Taemin is a better dancer, performer, artist than Jimin and are his fans right when they scoff at comparisons with Jimin (whom they may or may not love but consider an inferior performer)?

***

Lol fun fact: I’d seen SHINee in concert a couple times before BTS debuted.

Also, I find your ask interesting because reading it, you seem like a fan of Taemin and his music despite you saying “guilty is not my type of music.” Or at least, more accommodating of the ideas you’ve picked up about him.

That said, yeah I agree with you that some ARMYs view BTS (and Jimin) as being the best there is when it comes to performing, and they are critical of other performers in comparison. On one hand, it’s understandable given BTS are the best performers around. That was literally BTS’s claim to fame and they outshot every group while they were active, including SHINee that’s also a very good group when it comes to performing.

A second reason you see this dynamic is because it’s constant across all fandoms in k-pop. Every fandom has a superiority complex on account of their favourite groups/idols. Shawols and SM stans will tell you SHINee/Taemin is better; Stays will tell you Stray Kids is the better group; YG stans will tell you Big Bang/GDragon is the better performer. Most stans have this weird chip on their shoulders on account of the groups they stan. ARMYs just happen to be the fandom that has the results and critical acclaim to actually back it up.

Taemin is a remarkable artist and he’s improved a huge lot since debut, especially in terms of performing. It’s also true that his friendship with Jimin is enduring and they’ve both shared that they inspire each other. In a perfect world, stans would consider these facts when they discuss the idols and hopefully, they’d do so with respect. In reality, people like what they like and hate what they hate regardless of anything else. Why do you expect people who like Jimin to view Taemin positively when those same people don’t even view Namjoon positively, Namjoon who is closer to Jimin, Namjoon who Jimin has repeatedly said has inspired him over the last 10 years, Namjoon who is in the literal same team with Jimin.

Regardless of what Jimin has said about Namjoon’s character, skill and artistry, many of his stans don’t care, so why should Jimin’s connection to Taemin have any bearing on whether they like him if they genuinely think Jimin is better anyway? This whole space would be better if people were marginally respectful when discussing idols they might not like, but that’s not what happens - whether Shawols discussing Jimin or ARMYs discussing Taemin, and so we get the dynamic you’ve observed.

Personally, while I can appreciate Taemin’s dancing skillset, Jimin for me is the more dynamic dancer. I also prefer Jimin’s vocals the best as I’ve said several times before. SHINee’s choreographies in general have limited appeal for my tastes for several reasons, but Taemin’s individual stuff is really good even though over the years I’ve been watching him, I’ve noticed a pattern in the sorts of routines he gravitates towards and as I’ve said before, my tastes for choreo are… less refined. For better or worse. It’s hard to explain but Taemin is viewed as the more explicit performer, often leaning into themes exploring sexuality and sensuality, but it’s actually Jimin whose performances feel more raw, and give me more of an edge, regardless of the theme.

Anyway, I’m team Jimin if that’s what you’re asking. If seeing k-pop stans and/or ARMYs peacocking on account of either Jimin or Taemin bothers you, then I suggest curating your timeline. It’s likely not ever going to change in wider k-pop fandom lol.

[solarwynd]

Re: shinee anon Actually, everything this anon mentioned happened after Taemin, who was the last one to enlist, returned from MS. So yeah, they all completed the enlistment, and then last year Key confirmed they renewed the group contract. When Taemin came back, they had a comeback and did some concerts mainly in Korea and Japan. Then Onew took a couple of months off due to health reasons, but since we had the confirmation that the group contract had been renewed, everyone was expecting a new comeback this year and a world tour (doesn't this sound familiar) but this year Taemin and Onew left SM, and while I think most people expected this to only affect their individual careers, it has taken a toll on the group activities. If my memory serves me correctly, when Taemin was on Suchwita he spoke about wanting Shinee to have longevity as a group, so as much as we know the decision they made was for the best, it's a bit sad to witness how things have been unrolling this year. As this anon mentioned, they still talk about and see each other constantly, you can see there's actual affection in their relationship, but Shinee the group will probably never be what it was. The "group" activities now only include Minho and Key, the only members still under SM. And I have to disagree with anon here, seeing what Shinee has come down to doesn't really give me hope for BTS future. Even though I no longer care about them as a group and I think they would be better off taking separate paths, at least temporarily, I just know that seeing some members carry on with the group activities, acting like everything's fine and normal would leave such a bitter taste in my mouth. I hope they can figure things out differently.

I think what that anon was saying when they were talking about having hope for BTS future is because they’d take the same path as Shinee with having a “final comeback” and then go back to doing individual work. (I’m just asumming they’re a pjm though)

I feel like the fallout of BTS doing as much promising as they have been would be bigger cause armys have really taken it to heart like it’s just set in stone and there’s no reality where BTS not actively being a group would exist beyond 2025. Cause there’s only so many times you can try to console yourselves with “trust BTS.” before reality starts sinking in.

BTS potentially acting like it’s still pre 2021 would also not sit right with me either because for one thing, it would just feel entirely too forced. And like they’re doing it to placate armys so they wouldn’t feel like something is off. But something also tells me they won’t. They were upfront about being stretched too thin/hitting a creative block and needing a break. I think it’ll be the same case when they come to the conclusion that they might be prioritizing their individual careers for the foreseeable future as well.

[katrinawritesthings]

Jonghyun/Taemin; cookie : ); PG

Sometimes it's the quiet little things uwu

Jonghyun wakes up pretty confused because he doesn't remember falling asleep in the first place. He remembers slapping his Rise of the Guardians DVD into his old PS2 and starting the movie. He remembers lying down on the floor in the living room with a pillow pulled off of the couch and a blankie pulled off of his bed. He remembers getting nice and comfy and enjoying the first... half? Maybe third? Of the movie. He guesses that's when he fell asleep because now the TV is playing the DVD title screen on a loop.

Another thing he doesn't remember is Taemin coming home from work but that must have happened at some point too, because he's here on the floor with Jonghyun, head on Jonghyun’s right arm, eyes closed, drool puddling and dripping down his bicep into the carpet.

Jonghyun smiles to see him. He's so cute. He leans over to press a tiny kiss to Taemin's hair, then relaxes back into his pillow and blinks at the ceiling.

He could start the movie again. Or–his tummy rumbles under the blanket. He doesn't know how long he was asleep but it's probably been too long since he last ate. He should probably get up and go make food.

He doesn't know how to do that without waking Taemin up, though. He doesn't want to interrupt him if work tired him out so much today that he wanted to nap. Taemin is a heavy sleeper, true, but this has to be just a little catnap or something. He can't be completely out. Jonghyun isn't entirely sure that he can ease his arm out from under Taemin's head without disturbing him. 

After a few minutes of deliberation, his tummy growls at him again and he decides that he's just going to have to go for it. He props his free left hand on the ground, ready to push himself up, but his fingers brush against something on the way. A paper bag; he grabs it and looks at the logo on the front. A paper bag from Taemin's favorite little cafe by his work.

Looking closer, Jonghyun bites his lip against a rush of giddy emotions when he sees what's scrawled on the bag in orange sharpie. It's just three things: his initials, a scribbled out heart, and then another heart next to that. Jonghyun glances at Taemin as he picks the bag up and holds it in his lap. The little gay baby probably drew the heart the first time and then got embarrassed about it and scratched it out and then got embarrassed about that and drew another one.

Opening the bag as quietly as a paper bag can be opened, he peeps curiously inside to see what Taemin got for him. There's a big cookie frosted with white chocolate and sugar sprinkles to look like a bunny, a blueberry muffin, and a cinnamon roll oozing with so much glaze that it smears all over the inside of its wrapper.

“Score," he whispers to himself. His three favorites.

He pulls the cookie out first. He bites off its round little tail before placing it, crumbs and sprinkles and all, onto his blanket. Then he reaches for the controller by his hip, starts the movie again, and fast forwards to the last scene that he remembers. It's a little loud, so he grabs the TV remote and turns down the volume down next so it doesn't wake Taemin.

Finally, for good measure, he leans over to smooch Taemin's sweet little head again. He feels too loved to not love Taemin back right this second, even if he is sleeping. He'll tell Taemin again when he wakes up. He has a feeling that Taemin will say the same thing. 

[peppertaemint]

Here's my take on the recent news at SM.

I'm not surprised that Taemin didn't resign his solo contract. And, given Onew's recent success and stature (Billboard's # 1 album of 2023), I'm not surprised about that either. They should both be shopping around for better representation and investment.

The news about MinKey is the same PR stuff that was said when BP were in talks. I'll wait until the news is actually confirmed. "Positive talks" is PR speak for we're trying to negotiate and we don't know what will happen.

The reason I'm not surprised about Taemin is that too much has gone down over a long period of time, and I think this last year, and seeing what Baekhyun and Blackpink have done probably helped him make a decision. Small issues over time can lead someone to lose faith. They botched Criminal's comeback by releasing the song as background music on some content BEFORE it even came out. The mismanagement and lack of administrative oversight happening for that type of mistake is unimaginable. The Guilty album grew Taemin's sales, but the promotion didn't last long enough and he missed out on year end performances. He isn't some random soloist--he has stature in the industry and given how grand his 2020 year end performances were, that fumble was again, pretty hard to fathom. Seeing as none of the others got year end solo performances, but Minho and Key got MC duties, it's somewhat plain to see where their focus is. If MinKey do stay it will be somewhat understandable because they're getting what they need (or so it seems).

Someone suggested it's spiteful timing for this to be released the week of Taemin's shows in Japan. It does seem like terrible timing, whatever or whoever is behind it. As a fan, it was very surprising to land in Seoul to that news. But it's not earth-shattering. The concerts are this weekend; he'll be there. It's not like he's going into hiding or disappearing.

And that brings me to my complaint portion of this post. The amount of "it's over" and "they're being separated" posts are driving me nuts. The group is still signed to SM and performing in 2 week's time. Minho keeps saying "this is the beginning of SHINee" at every single SWVI. It's been obvious to me that change is afoot given the statements continually made. And Taemin just asked, "You'll wait for us to return with Onew, right?" He is coming back. I think the group has been giving lots of hints to just hold on. The sky isn't falling. 🤷‍♀️

The shift of artists being able to take their solo work elsewhere is still a relatively new change in the industry. Blackpink are rumored to be coming back soon, though. My take is that they will set the trend because they're the artists with the highest profile and largest earnings to be doing this. So, let's see what happens!

[dearweirdme]

Hi I’ve just become an army last year and a tkkr about half a year ago.

I wouldn’t want to argue on something if I actually believe it so strongly so jikookers(??) don’t really bother me. And if someone asks about the so obvious pillars..? GCF japan trip and now enlistment

I want to talk about enlistment because I feel you’ve explained enough about the other 2 on your blog.

Enlistment for Jungkook seemed like something he wanted to just be done with. It still seems that way and the reason for that is that if he had truly adjusted to the lifestyle there he would still be in contact with us. Rn it’s like radio silence between army and jk. And that just resonates to me with the fact that he may not be at ease completely. Why did jk enlistment with Jm and not others

Well maybe because Jimin was afraid of joining the services after what happened to taemin, could also be that since jm has suffered near clinical depression earlier and jk was the one who was the “listener” during that period if time it made more sense.

Why was it jk with jm and not v with jm? That’s because v was actually in someway excited for his service. He wanted to experience ms. He knew for a long time he wanted to join sdt. He looked forward to it. Those 7 guys are brothers before anything else, they would never do anything hinder the choices for another so v was out of picture for a partner.

Hi anon!

With the last 4 of the members enlisting in essentially one go, I’m fairly sure that time was of the essence here. Namjoon for instance seemed hardly done with his last project, so I feel if enlistment could have been postponed it would have. Since it was not, I think it was decided (amongst themselves or with BH as well) that they had to go when they went.. making them return in time for a reunion in 2025. Because of that, I also feel that Jm and Jk enlisting together was for a great part because of that (as I understood it, this was a way to ensure an early date rather than to wait for the army to send for them). Them being together is a lucky side effect of that. Jk and Jm both have tattoos, which limited their options. Tae did have more options, and he seems to have had a plan for himself (probably inspired by his friend).

People all deal with tough situations in their own way. I think Tae tries to make the best of it (though I also think he might’ve been putting on a braver face to not front of army) and he made this an opportunity for himself instead of something that stands in his way. I think we have no clue about how Jk is doing and feeling right now, simply because we don’t hear from him. He might’ve settled in and be actually enjoying parts of it for all we know.

I think Jk was never going to show us this part of his live. Even though he has been with us many many times… his music and his career have always been the things he wanted to share with us most… and perhaps his cooking skills. I don’t feel he wants us to know too much about his life aside from his music career. So him not showing his time in the military doesn’t really surprise me much. From the way Jm lets us know how he is doing, I think it is clear that we are not to expect much from Jk for the upcoming time 😢. As much as I personally miss seeing him, I also respect him a lot for having such boundaries.

[deepbutdazzlingdarkness]

I think @kennyomegasweave tagged me in this OTP meme like...months ago? And I just found it half-finished in my drafts and decided to actually get it done.

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore? 20s, not my teens, but I used to be utterly obsessed with Jack/Kent from Check Please and now, IDEK what happened. I still love them, but I have old fic I saved and never read and can't bring myself to care anymore. IDK it makes me sad.

2. Which ship would you consider your first one? Hmm probably Betsy/Joe from the Betsy Tacy series or Anne/Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables? My first ships when I actually got into fandom were Sawyer/Kate and Sara/Grissom from CSI.

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple? Magnus/Alec!!! I never thought I would write fic and then I watched season 1 of Shadowhunters and banged out (lol) 7 fics and almost 30k of porn in less than 2 months in 2016. They all have an insane number of hits (like. the highest has 54,878 hits and the lowest has 15,836 hits.........) and I still get kudos on them almost every day, it's wild.

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over? Genuinely no idea, but the first one in my fan art tag is Katniss/Peeta from 2012 <3

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse? My first instinct whenever I see someone talk about something I don't like is to mute/block, so perhaps not actively, but I'm sure I have at some point.

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently? LOL. Yes. I still fucking HATE Jack/Kate from Lost and always will. Also Dan/Blair from Gossip Girl. Lately...I'm such a multi-shipper but I gotta say Kate/Anthony from Bridgerton bc I've genuinely had to restrain myself from bitching about how much I hate them SO many times since s3 came out lol.

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read? I finished a rewatch of Beyond Evil last night so I've been rereading some of my old bookmarks bc I've read almost everything that's out there 😔. Shout out to the masterpiece simple & clean by whir.

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs? So many!!! Taemin/Kai is still my #1, but also Juwon/Dongsik from Beyond Evil, PatPran from Bad Buddy (it took me several episodes to actually get into the show but once I did I cried...so much over them and how much they love each other LOL), KunTen from WayV, Louis/Lestat...I feel kinda bad that I don't have a major current f/f OTP but I'm literally checking my kpop tags multiple times a week for rule 63 fic and most of my current WIPs are rule 63 f/f so there's that. (Two KunTen including what hopefully is gonna be a long one, plus a Jigyu I started yesterday for a fest that I'm hoping I'll be able to get done - not because of the length, but because I've never written Seventeen before)

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together? So many??? I feel like I have to say Dean/Cas.......Lee/Kara never really got together so them for sure. Sawyer/Kate from Lost even though I 100% choose to believe they got together post-canon pre-flash-sideways. Oh my god I'm looking through my "forever bitter" tag and it's a lot of Cooper/Audrey from Twin Peaks as I expected, but I forgot about Mini/Franky from Skins. and ABSOLUTELY THEM. Everything about series 5 was terrible but that especially.

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting? IDK I feel like I don't usually change my mind like that. I wouldn't go as far as saying "kind of interesting" but I guess I don't hate Bree/Roger from Outlander AS much on the show as I did in the books lol.

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be cancelled over? Hmm...Cesare/Lucrezia maybe? If not them almost definitely Norma/Dylan from Bates Motel LOL.

12. What was your favorite crack ship? I was gonna say I couldn't remember any that truly fit this definition, but then I remembered the Kent Parson/Claude Giroux series #dirtbags and that was great. Actually no my real answer is Syd/Richie from The Bear. Now *I* don't think it's a crackship but they have that vibe.

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics of? Here's a side by side view of my most bookmarked ships vs the tags I have saved rn on my front page. Unfortunately you can only have 20 but I think it's a pretty good representation. (Other than the ENHA ship, where I legit don't know anything about them or frankly even what they look like, but that tag produces so much incredible unhinged porn that I read canon-blind.)

14. What most of your ships usually have in common? I feel like I have several different ~types, but: friends to lovers, I LOVE bicker-y couples, age gap relationships, especially when one of them is a mentor-ish figure, and power dynamics in general.

15. What do you absolutely hate in a ship? Nice Guy characters, whether they're a guy or a girl. The OG example is Xander (duh) and Chloe from Smallville but you also see it with characters like Sol on My Stand In...there's def more things I hate but that's one of most major ones for me.

[astroyongie]

Shinee February Reading

Note: pelas take with a grain of salt and enjoy ! 

Onew

Love: My gosh his reading was a huge reading there was so many cards coming from everywhere and Onew is probably one of the idols that gave me such a precise and well develop spread. So for his current love life, eh was dating someone that he broke up with 12 days ago (they were 7 months together). However hurry not because, although this was his ex decision to leave him (they both broke up after talking to one another and it was something peaceful), well someone else came to him. He isn’t dating but they are going out together (this is someone that works with him, coworker so probably someone of the company). They are learning to know one another before engaging to something serious, but it seems like Onew is reading for that

Career:  Everything is going very well, he is having full support from his members and the company. I see that Onew is probably going to participate in something that envolves acting (probable starting or coming out in June).

Health:

Physical: He doesn’t have the best health tho, his blood pressure is always very high, his headaches should be looked out for and he needs to be careful with his sexual activities

Emotional: He has a strong soul however careful with his life habits that can be novice to his mental health

Key

Love: Another member whom reading was amazingly detailed. So Key is in a relationship, although I see some cheating on his part, he still has a lot of feelings for his partner and still is planing to have a family with them. This person is a long time friend as well, and he is trying to work on his toxic traits and to adapt himself to what his partner needs before developing their engagement

Career:  Things seem to go very well too, Key is actually okay with whatever the company is giving him and he works very hard to make things productive. I see that this year will be more benefice for him than last year

Health:

Physical: Some chest pains and heart issues he needs to solve

Emotional: His mental health isn’t that good and also a lot of abandonment issues

Minho

Love: His situation is slightly more complicated. Minho is also in a relationship, however it seems like he suspects his partner to have cheated on him, however he doesn’t really have proofs that they did so. This is causing the couple to be on a current shaky moment of the relationship. Minho had plans to move in together, but the fact that is partner doesn’t want that, made him feel suspicious of them

Career:  I didn’t got much info, other than Minho is working on a lot of projects and actually investing his money currently to assure himself a good future for when music will be past for him

Health:

Physical: Urinary system, sexual organs, pancreas need to be looked for

Emotional: He thinks a lot about his past and his childhood but he doesn’t seek her for that. He is very agitated internally

Taemin

Love: Taemin’s reading was very small, I didn’t got much info about everything that is happening around him. At least for his love life he is single and hasn’t been in contact with a lot of people, there only one person with dark hair that has been on his mind

Career:  Things are complicated for Taemin, because he keeps receiving money from his company right, however the company also cut out his expenses and he doesn’t found fair not to be payed totally only because he is on military. He also didn’t like the fact that the company made plans on his backs without talking to him first

Health:

Physical: X

Emotional: Taemin has a very fragile mental health that is surrounded with depressive episodes and a high anxiety. He is working on his self esteem and being accompanied by professionals

[here4theheartbreak]

Heaven Sent, Hell Bound (2Min)

AO3 | AsianFanFics

Relationships: Minho x Taemin Genre: smut | fluff | angel/demon AU Rating: Explicit Word Count: ~15.7k

Tags: Smut, Fluff, Angel/Demon AU, Corruption AU, Alcohol, Angel Choi Minho, Demon Lee Taemin, Getting Together, Dirty Talk, Rough, Bottom Lee Taemin, Top Choi Minho

Summary: Taemin has one final assignment to complete before he can move up in the ranks of Hell's Army. A trifle really, easy. Seduce and corrupt an angel. And he just so happens to know where one is on earth.

Square: Lee Taemin; inspired by tear Of gOd by OnlyOneOf ( @kpopwritingbingo​ )

The first thing that Taemin learned when he stepped foot on earth was that it stunk. Not in the amazing, eye watering way that his level of hell did, no. This place smelled like rot and despicability that even a demon would grimace at.

The second thing he learned was that angels smell amazing. He should have found it repulsive. The sickly-sweet purity, cutting through all of the decay and depravity. As a self-respecting demon – anything that pure should have made him want to vomit in the most Exorcist manner possible – ideally all over the nearest unsuspecting nun or expectant mother. But not Taemin. As soon as he neared the location of the angel he was hunting, the most delightful, overwhelming joy came over him. He had to physically stop walking to calm his racing heart and keep from rushing toward the source of that delectable scent.

Taemin was a young demon, working his way up through the ranks of their militia. This would be his final promotion, into the ranks of King Asmodeus’ legions – if he could pass this one final test. While most demons in his position waited generations for the opportunity to advance, Taemin’s promotion came with a stroke of celestial luck. In order to advance his rank, Taemin would need to corrupt the incorruptible – a pure blood angel. Of course, with the inability to enter the realm of said angels, it often took years to obtain one to complete the task. Taemin, however, was given the task just as a recently promoted angel was given his own task; to spend a month on earth without the use of his powers, in order to experience the “beauty of humanity”. Taemin knew nothing about his mark, aside from the fact that he would likely be beautiful and smell awful. He was excited about the work ahead, however. Seduction had always been his strong suit and the challenge of a supposedly chaste and perfect angel was exactly what he craved.

 Before leaving hell, Taemin had asked some of his friends where they thought an angel on earth might hang out. The answers ranged from churches (duh) to gardens, to Kibum’s droll response of “probably screwing a nun”. None of them had gotten it correct, however.

Bartending, apparently, was where an angel sent to earth chose to spend their time. Specifically, bartending at a tiny little hole in the wall bar, where Taemin was pretty sure he’d seen a rat in the bathroom having dinner with the roaches.

The angel was just as beautiful as Taemin had been led to believe. He had a small, neatly semi-symmetrical face, with dark, emotional eyes. His hair was styled in a simple, unassuming way. His shoulders were broad, and Taemin could see his muscles under the tight black t-shirt he wore, flexing as he cleaned glasses. Though he was quiet for the hour that Taemin observed him from his corner table in the bar, he drew humans to him like moths to a flame. Taemin listened to at least fifteen people spill their woes over a few drinks, all while the handsome man nodded sympathetically.

How he wasn’t losing his mind was beyond Taemin. Didn’t this angel know that this stuff meant nothing in the long run? These humans would live an insect’s span of existence in the greater scheme of things, then die and be judged accordingly. Their tears were wasted over the random men and women they were in “love” with.

Halfway through the second hour, Taemin was ready to out himself as a demon just to give the poor handsome angel a break. Instead, a far more brilliant plan emerged in his mind. He rose slowly, walking carefully toward the bar to avoid drawing too much attention from the humans. He was created as an incubus, which meant that even when he didn’t want it, he tended to draw people’s interest.

Taemin made it to the bar without incident and settled onto a stool a fair distance from the other patron, a young woman who’d been flirting with the angel to no avail for the past twenty minutes.

The angel approached Taemin, his easy smile wavering when he made eye contact. “H—Hi,” he said after a minute. “Need a refill?” He jutted his chin toward the beer bottle in Taemin’s hand.

“No… I actually have a question.”

“Shoot.” The angel leaned down, fixing something under the bar near Taemin’s seat.

“What’s your name?”

The angel glanced up. He smiled brightly, his teeth perfect and straight. No wonder the woman had been flirting with him; that smile alone was to die for. Taemin swallowed hard, mentally scolding his heart for picking up speed.

“Minho. Yours? I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Taemin. I’m new in town. Which was actually what I wanted to ask. How long have you been around? The bar patrons seem friendly with you.”

“A few weeks,” Minho said. He leaned on the counter and faced Taemin. “I’ve just got a way with people. Good listener.”

“I guess that’s important for this job.” Taemin took a sip of his beer. “Do you know if there might be any openings in the bar?” He asked as casually as he could.

“You looking for work?”

Taemin nodded. “Yeah. I’m sort of moving around right now, but this town seems nice. I wouldn’t mind staying here for a bit, so long as I found a place.”

Minho nodded. His gaze lingered on Taemin’s a little too long, brows furrowing for a moment. “Yeah,” he said, a bit distracted. He blinked and shook his head. “Sorry, um… I don’t mean to stare, but you look… Really familiar. Are you sure you’ve never been around?”

Taemin shook his head, shifting his features just enough to give himself an innocent, youthful expression. “Never. I guess I just have one of those faces.” He smiled brightly then and leaned more over the bar. “Is it a pleasant familiarity at least?”

“Oh—” Minho hesitated, confusion crossing his features. Taemin locked gazes with him, letting a whisper of his magic creep out and surround Minho. Minho reacted instantly, straightening up with a grimace. “What?” He asked, a little more sharply.

Taemin withdrew his magic, pouting softly. Well that wouldn’t work. “Sorry, I asked if I was familiar to you, to a good person you knew.”

“Oh.” Minho nodded after a second, seeming to shake off the fog that covered him due to Taemin’s magic. “Yeah, I’d guess so. Most people are pretty good.”

“You have an optimism about yourself,” Taemin said. “Doesn’t it get hard to keep that, working in a bar?”

“Nah.” Minho shrugged. He nodded to a man who entered before looking back to Taemin. “People are inherently pretty great. They just struggle sometimes. Place like this… I see everything.”

Taemin bit his tongue, struggling not to argue about humanities flaws with Minho. That would be the last thing that would make the angel interested in him. He nodded instead, smiling in a way he hoped was understanding and pleasant. He watched Minho walk over to the other end of the bar, leaning forward to chat with the new man that had entered.

Taemin finished his drink and quietly slipped from the bar. The sun was shining warm on his skin, not nearly warm enough to feel comfortable, despite the lack of clothing worn by all the humans around him. He wandered down the sidewalk, doing his best to blend in as he considered his next move.

Minho’s time on earth was meant to be spent living as a human, learning about them and taking those lessons back to heaven. Taemin had misunderstood this as having no powers, but Minho still had some residual celestial power, as evidenced by their conversation. He was able to sense – and reacted negatively – to Taemin’s own seduction power. He likely had some form of angelic charm, drawing the humans to him to spill their guts – though this may have been the alcohol consumption. Not being able to use his power made Taemin’s work in seducing him more of a challenge, but not one he wasn’t happy to take on.

The first thing he needed to do was establish himself as a presence in the handsome angel’s life. Which meant being around him, and being human – at least in appearance. Taemin followed the lingering traces of Minho’s scent to various locations around the small town.

First, a café that stunk of coffee beans and sweat amid the sugar and chemically altered flavorings. Minho must drink this stuff. Taemin made a mental note to determine which flavor he liked.

Next, a small grocery store. Taemin grabbed a basket absentmindedly, following the scent around the aisles and pausing where it seemed stronger, trying to determine what Minho may have grabbed. Did he need to eat? Was his power that removed? Or was it all for show? Another question that Taemin would need an answer to. He purchased a small bag of cinnamon candy, absently chewing it as he wandered to the next location.

This one was a small apartment building. Where Minho lived, possibly? Taemin touched the knob, reaching out with his magic to unlock the main door and slip inside. He traced the scent up to the second floor, lingering at a door emblazoned with a bronze 12 on it. Taemin touched the knob once more, unlocking it and pushing it open carefully. The apartment was sparsely furnished and obviously empty. A chair and table and a small rug were present in the front area. Taemin could see a kitchen, just as sparse – the counters were entirely empty. He crept into the kitchen and opened the fridge, surprised to see it properly filled with food enough for one person. A quick peek through the rest of the cupboards revealed that the kitchen was far less sparsely stocked than the empty counters implied; the angel was apparently just a neat freak.

Stepping deeper into the apartment, Taemin peeked into a clean bathroom, glancing in the medicine cabinet. Basic skincare, toothbrush, things that one would expect to find in the bathroom of a human man equal to the age Minho appeared. Taemin nodded in approval. The angel had done his homework, apparently; he wondered how many humans Minho anticipated coming over to see this façade. Not many, if the lack of a couch was any indication.

The bedroom was the final room Taemin entered. The bed was large and the blanket was white and soft looking. There were a row of pillows in soft blues and purples along the headboard, and a nightstand, empty save for a lamp and a notebook stood at the right. The closet was neatly organized, with an array of shirts and jeans hanging, and a small dresser that was filled with socks and underwear. A few pairs of sneakers and a pair of snowboots were present as well. The boots made Taemin scowl; how long did Minho intend to stay on earth? He pulled open the drawer of the nightstand, unsurprised to find a Bible tucked into it. He was far more surprised, however, to find a bottle of lubricant and a small pile of condoms next to said holy book. Taemin grabbed one of the condoms, smirking at the size; he’d assumed Minho was well endowed – it was nice to have confirmation. However, he’d been under the impression that angels on these sabbaticals couldn’t partake in human acts of sin. Unless he was intending on marrying a human in order to experience sex… Taemin’s scowl deepened. He dropped the condom back into the drawer and shut it with his hip. He crept out of the apartment and locked it back up, sneaking down to the front and exiting once more.

Once outside, he looked over the buzzer box, spotting the one marked ‘Office’. He pressed it and waited. There was an uncomfortable crackle before a tinny woman’s voice answered.

“Yes?”

“Hi, I’m wondering if you guys have any available apartments?”

“How many bedrooms?”

“Just one. Single person.”

“Come in, follow the first floor signs for office, we can talk.” A louder buzz sounded, and Taemin smirked, pulling open the door. He walked into the office, allowing his powers to envelop him as he smiled softly at the woman sitting behind the desk. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at him.

“Oh—Good morning,” she said, rising.

“Morning, ma’am. My name’s Taemin. I’m new in town. I heard from a friend that you might have an open apartment?”

She rose, nodding. It took her a few seconds to make noise despite her mouth moving, her eyes never leaving Taemin’s.

“Yes, of course,” she said in a rush of breath.

Taemin could smell her arousal from where he stood, thick and pungent as she undressed him with her eyes. Humans. So easy to manipulate. He stepped forward, hiding his laugh behind a cough when she moved backwards in surprise, falling ungracefully into her chair. Taking a seat, he leaned forward and smiled again. “What do I need to do to rent one?”

The woman rattled off a list of requirements, fidgeting with papers in front of her as she did. He could see her squirming in her seat as Taemin pulled the required documents from his pocket for her inspection. He knew he could have just as easily presented her with a piece of paper torn from a year-old newspaper from another country and still gotten the apartment – but why risk it? Minho had done well, presenting as a human; the least Taemin could do was match that energy for his own assignment.

“We have an opening down here,” she said, finally gathering her bearings enough to flirt back. “Right next to my door.”

Taemin smiled, leaning a little closer to her. “Lovely… But I prefer the second floor. Apartments near the number twelve, actually… Old suspicion of mine. Anything there?”

She hesitated a moment before nodding. “Twelve is taken, but thirteen is available. Next to it. An unlucky number, but…”

“It’s perfect,” Taemin said quickly, flashing a bright grin and watching the woman’s eyelids flutter as her arousal spiked.

“H—Here. Just need the deposit.” She placed the keys in front of him, her hand shaking visibly.

Taemin pulled his wallet from his pocket, withdrawing a handful of paper money and sliding it across to her. Her eyes widened. “Oh—”

“I prefer cash. Old soul, I think,” he lied easily. “That’s okay, I hope?”

“Of course, let me write you a receipt. This is well over three months of rent…”

“That’s good. I would like to keep myself advanced on bills.” He grabbed the key and tucked it into his pocket.

When she held out the receipt Taemin took it, sliding his hand over hers. When he did she shuddered, unable to suppress the moan that slipped out as came instantly. Taemin smiled, letting her hand slip from his grip when she slumped back in the chair, barely able to keep her eyes open. A little surge of power spiked his pulse, the energy from her pleasure a delightful treat. Though he didn’t need sexual energy to survive, it was absolutely delicious when he was able to pull it. He wondered how Minho’s energy would taste. Would it have that same floral, delightful pureness? Or would his sinning sour it to something rich and dark? Taemin could barely wait to find out.

 Taemin stepped out of the apartment building, taking a moment to gather his bearings. The sky had turned a lovely, fiery orange as the sun began to set. He headed back toward the bar, allowing his magic to extend back to furnish the apartment that he’d rented next to Minho’s place. No reason he couldn’t be comfortable while he completed his assignment, he figured.

The atmosphere around the bar was far livelier than when Taemin had left it earlier in the day. Though he wouldn’t call it exciting, it was far louder and more boisterous, both outside and inside. Minho was still at the bar, his bright grin contagious as he laughed over something a baby faced young man said to him.

Taemin stepped up to them, catching Minho’s eyes. He nodded. “Be with you in just a sec,” he called before stepping down the bar to pass a drink to another customer.

Taemin’s brows rose, surprise cutting through him. He’d never been told to wait before. He pouted a little, leaning on the bar. The boy that had been talking to Minho touched his arm.

“I’m Sungho. I’ve never seen you around before.”

Taemin hesitated, biting back a snide comment. He smiled instead, relaxing the hold he had on his magic instinctively. Sungho’s shoulders slumped a little, his gaze going a bit unfocused as it affected him.

“Taemin,” Taemin took the hand Sungho held out, pressing a kiss boldly to the back of his hand. Despite the spark of energy he gained from the easy seduction, something troubled him. Sure, he could seduce anyone with his magic. Even the most pious of nuns and priests were no match for his power. But that was all it was. Magic. Magic that he couldn’t use to seduce Minho, who had instinctual barriers against it. Even letting it free here, in Minho’s presence, ran the risk of him being outed as demon before he managed to even get a kiss out of the pretty angel. But what was Taemin without that magic? Could he seduce a human – let alone an angel – without the use of his power? The question made Taemin uneasy. He pulled back on his magic, quickly clamping it deep inside of himself, and settled onto the stool next to Sungho.

“I’m new in town,” he said, keeping his voice gentle enough that Sungho had to lean forward to hear him.

“What brings you here?”

“Work. As in, I’m looking for a job. My last one fell through.”

“What do you do?”

“Singer,” Taemin said after a barely noticeable pause. He wasn’t – really – but when it came to human jobs, it was one of the few he knew he could do without problems or excess magic use.

“You’re a singer?” Minho’s voice cut through their conversation. Both Sungho and Taemin looked at him.

Minho smiled sheepishly, taking a step back from the bar. “Sorry, that was very rude. I didn’t mean to listen in.”

“It’s quite alright,” Taemin said smoothly, smiling gently. “I am a singer. Sometimes, when I’m needed as one.”

“You should’ve said that earlier,” Minho said. “We just lost our last performer.” He motioned with his head to the back, where a small stage sat empty. “I bet my boss would be more than happy to talk to you about a job.”

“Yeah? I’d love that. When is he in?”

Minho glanced at his watch. “She usually comes in around ten, so if you’re willing to wait around for an hour?”

“That’s fine. I was gonna have a drink anyways.”

Minho nodded. “What can I get you?”

“You pick.” Taemin grinned brightly. “I trust you.”

Minho’s gaze narrowed a little, his mouth curling up into a smile of his own. “We just met, how am I so trustworthy?”

He shrugged, putting his chin on his hand. “Just a vibe I get. Am I wrong?” He looked at Sungho for confirmation, who smiled and shook his head no.

“Minho’s the best bartender we’ve had in a long time. Very trustworthy guy.”

“Now you’re just flirting,” Minho teased, tossing a cardboard coaster on the counter and setting a glass on it. He grabbed a few bottles and a shaker, setting to work. Taemin watched him for a few moments, drawn in by the way he worked, his movements fluid and precise despite his size.

Their gazes met when Minho poured the vibrant red drink into the glass. He slid it over to Taemin by the coaster, smiling. “Here you go.”

“What is it?” Taemin asked, picking it up.

“A red devil.” Minho said. He tapped the bar. “Lemme know how you like it.” He said before heading down to where an older woman called his name.

Taemin’s brows furrowed. Did Minho know? There was no way. He wouldn’t be relaxing and chatting with him like this if he did. Especially not flirting. Was that flirting? Taemin’s scowl deepened for a moment. Did he even know what human flirting was these days? He’d relied on his magic for so long…

Sungho nudged him. “How is it?” He asked.

“Hm? Oh.” Taemin took a sip, surprised at the fruity flavor with the level of alcohol he’d watched Minho pour into the shaker. “It’s really good,” he said, grinning. “Wanna try?” He offered the glass over.

“Sure.” Sungho took a sip, his eyes widening. He licked his lips. “Oh wow, that is good! I’ll have to order one when he gets back. What’d he call it?”

“A red devil.”

Sungho snorted. “Cute name.”

“How long has he been around here?” Taemin asked, watching Minho move.

“About a month. Feels like he’s been here forever honestly, he’s really fit in fast.”

“Do you know much about him?”

“Not really.” Sungho shrugged. “He rolled into town about a month ago, ended up coming into the bar and talking to the boss. She loved him right away and gave him a job. He said he was looking for a quiet place to settle down for a while, didn’t specify why. Of course, it’s a small town, there were rumors. He was some insane serial killer, he was a government agent, you know.” Sungho snorted. “But he’s just a sweet guy. I know it’s his job to listen to bar patrons complain, but everyone I’ve talked to that’s spoken with him – myself included – he makes you feel really important. He’s very good at his job, I guess, or he just… Loves everyone.”

Taemin smiled softly at Sungho’s description. “He sounds amazing. Are you and he a thing?”

Sungho laughed brightly. “Oh God no, I wish. Me and half the people in this place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone not flirt with him, even our local pastor makes excuses to come in and flirt.”

“Does he have a partner yet?”

Sungho shook his head. “Not that we know of. Always goes home alone too, sadly. Guy like that…” He slumped his cheek into his hand and sighed heavily. Taemin chuckled into his glass. He knew the feeling.

 Taemin nursed his drink for the next hour. Though he wouldn’t get drunk from something as simple as a human alcohol, it was good to keep up appearances. While he did, he watched Minho work, listening into his conversations with various patrons to try and learn anything he could that would help him in his seduction.

Sungho had been correct; everyone flirted with Minho, and while he remained polite about it, he never played into their flirtation, seemingly unaffected. Even the most intense flirting from some of the more beautiful humans, Taemin couldn’t sense a whisper of arousal from him.

Minho’s boss was a handsome older woman that Taemin immediately liked. If this were any other visit to earth, Taemin would have sought her as a bed partner immediately. She sized him up across the table they chose in a quieter corner of the bar.

“Do you have a resume?” She asked.

“No.” Taemin did his best to look chided. “Most of my jobs have been kinda as needed.”

“What have you done in the past?”

“In other towns I’ve worked as singer in bars, kinda like this. I’ve done some maintenance work, some sales work.”

She nodded. “What do you sing?”

“Pop, usually. But I’ll try whatever’s put in front of me.” He grinned at that, relieved when she cracked a small smile at his joke.

“You have confidence for sure, which can be good. Or horrible.” She smirked. “But you’re charming too. You’ve certainly charmed our new bartender, he seemed pretty eager to have me talk to you.”

Taemin smiled brightly at that, glancing at Minho across the bar. “He’s a sweet guy.”

“Do you two know each other?”

Taemin shook his head. “Met today. I came in earlier to ask for work and then later tonight. He overheard me talking to one of the other patrons about singing.”

“So that is impressive. He’s nice, but hard to please. I guess I should give you a shot on that alone.”

“I’ll try not to disappoint.”

She nodded. “I am sure you won’t. Would it be too forward to ask you to start us off on karaoke tonight?” I can bring in a musician if you need one next week, but just to see how you do?”

Taemin nodded. “Of course, I’m up for that.” He grinned. “Anything you want me to sing in particular?”

“Something that will impress me.”

Taemin’s grin shifted into a playful smirk. He turned his head a bit, narrowing his eyes. “You’re setting me up to fail with that,” he said, leaning forward conspiratorially. “I feel like you are one tough woman to please. For good reason.”

“Oh?” She put her chin on her hand and tapped her nails against her cheekbone gently. “And why do you think that?”

“You have high standards,” Taemin said. He leaned back, waving his hand absently around the bar. “It’s obvious to see. You run a good place. You’re clean and you make sure your servers aren’t slobs. You’re a person of class and you know it, you expect the best from people because you only hire the best.”

She smiled at that and nodded. “Astute assessment from someone so young. Mostly accurate as well. Do you have a psychology degree?”

“I just like watching people. You learn a lot from just listening.”

“My thoughts exactly. And you are right. I am very tough to please. But I feel like you’re up for the challenge.”

Taemin rose and bowed, smiling coyly. “I’ll do my best.”

He stepped up onto the stage, hesitating a moment to let his eyes adjust to the lights angled toward it. It only took a few more seconds to scroll through the song options on the small screen nearby and select a song that he knew well. The music began almost immediately and he grabbed the mic smoothly, smirking at the nearest bar patron. He began to sing, letting his eyes roam over the small group that began to form. He didn’t need his magic for this, and it felt good; despite not being human, he had been blessed with a number of human talents; music was something he’d always had an affinity for. It was an easy way to draw in his victims – willing participants in this case – and it soothed him deep down.

As he sang, the bar quieted, everyone listening to him. Taemin chose a second song quickly, riding the high of adrenaline and joy that being the focus of attention in this way brought him. He could feel eyes on him, and hear murmurs from the various people as he hit each note with ease.

As the song finished, Taemin spotted the young man he’d first smiled at taking a few tentative steps toward the stage. He crouched to be eye level with the man. “Wanna have a go?”

“I’ve never done that before.”

“It’s easy. And if you’re bad, who cares? You still got to try, right?” He grinned warmly and pulled the man up, helping him figure out the karaoke machine before hopping off the stage. He was immediately approached by a handful of people, asking if he was a professional singer, who he was, where he was from, the voices overlapped to the point even Taemin struggled to understand.

“Hey! Let him breathe!” Came a stern voice from behind them. The group separated immediately, revealing Minho, his arms crossed over his broad chest. The boy on stage began to sing, giving the patrons something else to focus on while Taemin made his escape with Minho.

“That was great,” Minho said as they approached the bar. The owner was behind it, tapping various bottles with the back of a pen as she took notes on a small pad in her hand.

“I told you I can do that,” Minho said, his voice taking on a note of anxiety as he circled around the bar.

“Nonsense, I own this place. If you keep doing everything for me, what should I do? Put on a dress and look pretty? Serve drinks?” She slapped Minho playfully on the chest and turned to face Taemin, who’d stopped in front of the bar.

“Plus, you were rescuing our new resident celebrity. You said you could sing – not that you were that good at it.”

“I’m okay,” Taemin said, smiling softly. It was a strange feeling, Minho’s gaze on him. It made him feel almost modest.

She snorted. “Understatement of the century, kid. You have the job, if you want it.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Sing. Just like that. Starting off karaoke like that at night would be great. The more they sing, the more they drink. But I want some real performances from you too… Once a week to start. If you’re willing to come in at least three other nights to work karaoke and…” She drifted off. “I think he could be behind the bar a bit. Not serving drinks, but he could help you take orders when it gets busy. Keep the customers happy and talking… Would that work for you?” She asked, looking at Minho.

He nodded. “I think that would work. Minho met Taemin’s gaze, smirking softly. “He certainly has a fanbase already.” He nodded behind Taemin. Taemin glanced back, spotting a few of the people that had come up to him after he left the stage. They were watching him closely, talking in one another’s ears. He flashed a bright grin and shook his head, turning back to the two.

“I’d be happy to come in, that all sounds great. Do you want me to give you a list of songs I’m good at singing? For a DJ or someone?”

“Yeah. You can write it out and bring it to Minho tomorrow. For now, come to the back with me. Contracts, legal stuff, gotta work it out with you.”

Taemin followed her to the back room, listening politely as she explained the legal aspects of the job. It didn’t really matter to Taemin; he wasn’t going to be staying long enough for any of this to be relevant, and he didn’t need money when he could just conjure it, but making a good impression was everything – especially since this woman had just given him his in to getting that handsome angel in his bed.

After everything was signed and agreed on, the boss offered her hand. “I’m so rude. I never introduced myself. I’m Jian.”

“Nice to meet you.” Taemin shook her hand firmly. “Can I ask you something that might be entirely out of line?”

“Shoot. Now’s the time to ask, you’re not officially my employee until tomorrow.”

He chuckled. “I suppose not. Um… Minho.”

She smirked. “What about him?”

“Is he… Um… You know. Are you and he…”

She laughed brightly then and shook her head quickly. “Oh God, no. No, he’s available for you.”

“F—For me?” Taemin did his best to look bewildered. She smiled, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh, as if I didn’t notice the way you two were looking at each other. He is far too young for me, plus I don’t date employees. He is a handsome man though. You could do worse.”

Taemin smiled sheepishly, lowering his gaze to the desk.

“I don’t have a ban on employees dating, by the way… If it comes to that. Just don’t let it affect work if you do, okay?”

“I doubt it’ll… You know.” Taemin rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he was doing a convincing job of looking shy. “Sungho said he was kinda distant in that way, not really into dating.”

“Not into dating customers. Which is a damn good mindset. One I hope you take to heart. But I’ve never seen him act like he did tonight.”

“How so?” Taemin asked softly.

“That boy nearly ran around the bar to save you from your gaggle of new fans. You’d think you were some idol and he was your body guard with the way he protected you. It’s cute.”

Taemin’s smile grew then, and his heart gave a little flutter. Strange – he didn’t recall it ever doing that before. “Yeah?” He asked, realizing it was far easier to sound hopeful.

She nodded. “Yeah. Trust me. I’ve got a good eye for these things.” She patted Taemin’s wrist. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Remember to bring Minho that list so I can get it looked over. I have a few different musicians that like playing, but they prefer playing for a singer, so, a list will help me figure out who can come in and when, that’ll help us narrow down your schedule too.”

“Of course, I’ll bring it tomorrow afternoon, so he can give it to you right away.”

She nodded again. “Good boy. Come on. Things will be busy for the rest of the night, I’ve gotta help out Minho. You’re welcome to stay, watch how we do it. It’d be great if you could pick up a few things yourself, start helping him with basic drinks.”

“I’m happy to learn.”

Taemin walked back out with her, surprised to see that the bar had filled far more in the thirty minutes they’d spent in the back. He circled around, spotting a seat at the bar that he could slip onto and watch Minho work. There was little time to talk through the remainder of the night, as Jian had implied; they seemed to draw a lot of business for being in such a small town.

Taemin could feel the energy drifting through the bar in waves – all of the emotions clashing together in a loud orchestra that made every nerve ending light up. He wondered if Minho felt the same way; if angels could pick up on the little energy changes the way demons were taught to. It would make sense, he supposed. But he knew very little about angels, on purpose; they guarded their secrets closely lest they be found out and brought down by some hellspawn. Taemin smirked into his glass at the thought. Demons hadn’t given any serious thought to angels in many millennia. They’d moved onto bigger and better things; it was angels that were stuck in the past. Aside from these occasional silly tests, demons could care less about angels and their comings and goings.

 Taemin slipped out of the bar before closing and headed back toward his apartment. He didn’t want to have Minho find out about his living situation quite yet – let them develop a friendship first, then have it be a lovely coincidence. He grinned when he entered his now furnished apartment. While the angel’s next door was minimalist and white, Taemin had gone with a far more drastic pattern. A large black and red rug filled the living room, with a comfortable black leather couch and a large television, as well as a dark cherry wood coffee table. The curtains were heavy and crimson, blocking out all light when closed. His bedroom was similar, the king-sized bed covered with black silk sheets and a deep red comforter.

Taemin stripped nude and slipped under the cover, sighing contentedly. Sleep was voluntary as a demon, but he’d never turn down the excuse for rest. It was one of those human things that he simply couldn’t get enough of. His dreams that night were filled with an entirely different view of the world than he was used to. Instead of death, sex, and flames, Taemin found himself walking through a meadow with Minho, his wings vibrant white to Taemin’s sleek black feathers. Their fingers were laced together as they walked, settling down to rest near a babbling stream.

Taemin could hear Minho’s heart pounding as he rested his head on his chest, and his own matched the rapid beat. Contentment, Taemin realized in his dream. That was what he felt here. Contentment and peace… And something entirely new. A strange feeling that made his heart patter against his ribs and his stomach flutter like a thousand flies were trapped in it. A feeling he didn’t quite have a name for, though it was on the tip of his tongue. A feeling that he finally named, waking with a jolt as the sun rose in the sky.

Love.

 Despite the uncomfortable wake up call, Taemin brushed it off as he got ready for his day. Eating was voluntary – but Taemin couldn’t resist the allure of an aggressively sweet bowl of sugary cereal as he researched common flirting practices of humans – through some popular television programs, of course. Afterward, he took a moment to write out some songs that he wouldn’t mind performing to give to Minho. Though this was all a part of his ultimate task, he found himself somewhat excited about the prospect of performing like this. He’d never been on earth this long before; normally he only came to visit to seduce his quota of innocent souls before slinking back to his home in hell. He hadn’t realized just how much there was to do up here.

 When Taemin had determined he’d wasted enough of the day on research (and binge watched that particular program because he needed to see if they ended up together), he changed into a pair of form fitting jeans a black t-shirt and boots before heading down to the bar once again.

Despite it being a Sunday afternoon, the bar was just as busy as it had been the day before. Taemin recognized many of the faces, though there were a number of new ones as he made his way to the bar. Minho smiled when he entered, jutting his chin toward Taemin in greeting as he listened to the customer in front of him. Taemin approached quietly, taking a seat at the bar.

Minho nodded to the customer, making a quick excuse about having another patron, and hurried over to Taemin.

“You’re welcome for the escape,” Taemin teased softly. Minho smiled gratefully.

“He’s nice. Just talkative. Want a drink?”

“Sure. The one you made last night was great.”

“I’m surprised it didn’t knock you on your butt; that drink is strong.”

Taemin shrugged. “I’ve got a high tolerance.”

Minho snorted. He pulled out the bottles, beginning to make the drink. “I’d say. You sounded really good last night by the way. I was impressed.”

“Thank you.” Taemin smiled softly. “Oh, I brought the list.” He pulled out the paper and slid it across the bar. Minho took it, his eyes moving back and forth as he skimmed the songs. He nodded and tucked it into his pocket. “I’ll get it to Jian when she comes in. Are you gonna be here tonight? We could use another karaoke starter,” he teased. He slid the vibrant drink over to Taemin.

“I’d be glad to. Any requests?” Taemin leaned over the bar a little, putting his chin on his hand.

Minho’s gaze narrowed, his mouth thinning. He tapped his chin in thought. “Something sweet. I like happy songs.”

“Songs about falling in love?” Taemin asked,

Minho smiled softly and nodded. “Yeah, those ones are good.”

Taemin nodded in agreement. “I’ll sing one just for you tonight then.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Minho said, holding up a finger as he walked toward the other end of the bar.

Taemin finished his drink and paid before stepping outside. Having nowhere in particular to go, but not wanting to linger around the bar for longer than necessary, lest Minho find something suspicious, Taemin wandered down the sidewalk, following traces of Minho’s angelic scent as he did. This trail led him to a beautiful park, tucked away behind an office building. The center was filled with a lush garden of flowers, and around it was a beautifully kept meadow. Taemin’s heart skipped a beat, his skin tingling with déjà vu as he walked through the meadow. It ended at a small stream, winding lazily around and disappearing under a bridge. Recognition hit Taemin like a brick. His dream; he’d seen this exact meadow in his dream. He spun around, half expecting to find Minho – or some other angelic presence – watching him, outing him as a demon. But the park was empty, save for an elderly man walking along the trail surrounding the meadow.

The uneasy feeling of being watched didn’t stop even when Taemin left the field and headed back toward his apartment. His skin tingled, nerves further fraying whenever someone glanced at him, no matter how innocently. He hurried back toward his apartment, this new feeling of insecurity one he didn’t relish. A part of him wanted nothing more than to disappear, fly back into hell and curl up in his warm home, forget about the angel and earth and the promotion. But something held him back, kept him from turning tail and running. A part that kept thinking of the promise he made to Minho, to sing a love song, and the remembering the way Minho’s hand felt in his in the dream, how the new fluttering sensation in his tummy and heart tickled like nothing he’d ever felt before. Maybe it was the thrill of a new experience, maybe it was something wholly different, but whatever it was, it made Taemin want to see this through.

 He returned to the bar that evening, his motivation renewed. As he’d assumed it would be, the bar was far busier, and he barely had a moment to say hello to Minho before the other was stepping away to take another order. Jian was behind the bar as well, serving drinks and chatting with patrons. She waved Taemin over when she spotted him.

“I got your list, I sent it out to the musicians I know, they should be getting back to me throughout the week. I’m pretty confident that we’ll have you sing a formal set, about an hour or so, this upcoming Friday, but I don’t know who will be playing with you. Is that okay?”

Taemin nodded. “I’m easygoing with it. Just let me know whenever you find out.”

“Would you be willing to do a little tonight? We have an older crowd on Sunday nights, so we likely won’t get much, but a few might want to sing after you.”

“I can give it a shot. Should I go now, or wait?”

“Give it about an hour. Wanna come back behind the bar and let me show you some of the basics?”

Taemin nodded. He rose and circled around the bar, easily dodging Minho’s arm by ducking under him. Jian chuckled. “A natural. Those fast reflexes will come in handy back here.”

 The evening passed quickly while Taemin worked to learn the ropes of the bar. Though it would have been just as easy to pull from the infinite knowledge his magic could give him, there was a fun little thrill he felt in learning and succeeding in these new things. They were simple, he knew, given what he was, but it brought a feeling of joy he’d not felt in many years.

As the night drew on, Taemin climbed onto the stage once more, choosing a few older songs to appeal to the crowd that filled the seats that night. A few individuals came up after him, but more asked him to sing another song, even requesting he sing this or that that they liked. He humored a few requests, singing every little while between bursts of heavy business at the bar.

Though he hadn’t intended to, Taemin stayed until close, helping Jian and Minho clean up the tables and close down the bar. She clapped her hand on his shoulder as they stepped out into the early morning air, cooled off with the lack of sun.

“Thank you for your hard work tonight, Taemin. You did so much more than was expected.”

“Honestly,” Minho agreed, locking up the back door of the bar. “You were a massive help; I don’t think we’ve ever gotten orders out so fast.”

“He picked it up so quickly too. You’re sure you’ve not bartended before?”

Taemin smiled sheepishly, his stomach fluttering with excitement over their praise. “No, I haven’t. I’m a quick study though. I’m glad I could help.”

“Do you need a ride home?” Jian asked, motioning to her car in the parking lot.

“No, I live walking distance,” Taemin said. He bit his tongue. “Just up a few blocks.”

Minho cocked his head to the side. “What building?”

Taemin told him, trying to sound casual as he spoke.

“Hey, no kidding? That’s where I live.”

“Really?” Taemin grinned. “What a crazy coincidence. Wanna walk home with me?”

Minho nodded. He gave Jian a quick hug. “See you on Tuesday?”

“Of course. Night.” She squeezed Taemin’s shoulder again before walking to her car and getting in. Minho and he waited until she drove off before heading down the street toward the apartment building.

Taemin had about a hundred things he wanted to say to Minho while they walked, but for the first time in his very long life, he found himself entirely unable to speak. Nothing his mind helpfully supplied sounded right or good to start with, and nothing he wanted to ask seemed appropriate as they walked in the quiet early morning. It was ultimately Minho that broke the silence first.

“Your singing tonight was really something. Some of the folks that were there until we closed usually don’t stay for more than a drink or two.”

“Thank you,” Taemin said, smiling softly. “I don’t know if it was entirely my singing that caused them to stay though.”

“Oh, it was, trust me. I’ve been working there long enough to know some of these folks very well.”

“How long have you been there? Everyone seems to know you and be comfortable with you.”

Minho shrugged. “I’ve just got that way with people; can make them open up and relax.”

“That’s a good quality. Have you always been able to do that? Little boy Minho talking to the grown-ups like he was a psychologist?”

Minho’s smile softened a little. He shrugged. “It’s an inborn gift. Same as you seem to have a way with your own gifts. You’re very charismatic. Even when you messed up tonight, nobody seemed to mind. I’ve watched some of those patrons rip our waitresses a new one just for looking at them wrong.”

“People are complex,” Taemin said. “Sometimes they react without thinking.”

“And sometimes certain types just… Work for them.” Minho agreed. He unlocked the door to the building and let Taemin step in. “I’m on the second floor. You?”

“Me too. Apartment thirteen.”

Minho’s brows furrowed. “Thirteen?”

“Yeah? What… Did you know someone who lived there before?”

“No, it’s… Always been empty since I’ve been here. It’s weird, actually. I’m twelve.”

“Really?” Taemin feigned what he hoped was an appropriate level of pleasant surprise. “What a crazy coincidence! I should’ve stuck around last night, we could’ve walked back together like this.”

Minho nodded, still watching Taemin. He turned away only once they ascended the stairs. Taemin tried to remain relaxed in his posture, keeping a gentle smile on his face. Minho’s expression was unsettling; like he knew more than he was letting on.

“I’ll see you later,” Minho said when they reached their doors.”

“Jian said the bar isn’t open tomorrow?”

“No she’s closed on Mondays.”

Taemin leaned against his door, facing Minho. “What do you plan on doing tomorrow?”

Minho inhaled deeply, glancing down the hall. He shrugged. “I usually just walk around town. There’s a church I visit, volunteer a little time there. Wanna come with me?”

Taemin hesitated. Though there would be no actual physical harm in him going into a church – they made him distinctly uncomfortable for very obvious reasons. He pursed his mouth in thought.

“What time?” He asked finally. Minho smirked. He leaned back a bit, his gaze nearly sizing Taemin up as they stood.

“I’ll come get you around eleven.”

“Sounds good. Should I dress in any certain way?”

“No, it’s usually not too bad of work, helping out sorting papers or cleaning up the parish.”

Taemin nodded. “Sure, I’ll be up.” He unlocked his door and opened it. “Thanks for walking me home.”

“No problem.” Minho hesitated for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something further. Instead he nodded once, entering his own apartment and shutting the door softly. Taemin heard the lock click before entering his own apartment, barely able to hide the smile that appeared on his face as he got ready for bed.

 Though Taemin was anticipating hours of discomfort the next day at the church, it was far calmer than he expected. The pastor was a young man with a warm smile. Taemin would have gladly seduced him at another time, but his focus was solely on capturing Minho’s affections in the far slower human manner.

They spent four hours at the church, working with a few other people that Taemin recognized from the bar, including Sungho, to clear out the basement for an upcoming charity sale. Taemin found himself relaxing as he worked, chatting with the humans and forgetting for periods of time that he was there for only one purpose. This was actually nice, he realized; and humans weren’t as boring or awful as his schooling in hell would have led him to believe.

After finishing at the church, Minho left, stating that he needed to help someone with some indistinct chore. Though Taemin was ready to offer his assistance, Sungho grabbed his shoulder. “You wanna come to the diner with us? Our treat. Welcoming you to town, and a thanks for helping us today.”

Taemin agreed easily, waving goodbye to Minho without a second thought until he’d already sat down at the table with the humans. He was here for Minho… Yet he was not only willing – but even happy – to socialize with humans that did not influence his job at all. It was nearly as unsettling as the field the day before had been. What was happening to him?

The answer to that question became clear as days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. Humanity, friendship, and a newfound understanding of mortal life – Taemin was experiencing a new side of existence, one he’d so long overlooked. He tried to keep his mission in mind, seduction, moving up the ranks, the power he would receive after sleeping with this angel, ruining him… But as the days passed, the assignment drifted further to the back of his thoughts until, after a few months, Taemin only thought of it late at night, when he wasn’t so tired from his work or hanging out with Minho, Jian, Sungho, or any of the other friends he’d made in the town that he went to sleep right away.

He hadn’t forgotten that he was a demon – nothing could make him lose that part of himself – but he no longer required his powers to live. He’d been spending money that he earned through the bar work, rather than conjuring it. The week prior, he and Sungho had gone shopping a town over, and he purchased some antique statues to put on shelves he’d bought and Minho had helped him set up. His kitchen remained stocked through shopping trips, and he often replenished drinks and food after nights with friends coming over to watch a human sport, play cards, or just to chat. As demonic as the blood was that ran through Taemin’s veins – he had never felt more human.

Minho was still a very present force in his life, but it was easier to see him as a human that Taemin was interested in, rather than an angel. That interest had changed as well, Taemin knew. While he started the assignment seeing Minho as a means to an end, an experiment, a tool, now he saw him as a friend. A dear friend that he wanted so desperately to be more. Not just sleeping with him either – though the thought of that sent a delightful thrill down Taemin’s belly, stirring up the butterflies that had taken up permanent residence there, it seemed. No, he wanted the dream he’d had his first night on earth. Holding hands, affection… Love.

But he knew he couldn’t. As human as he felt, he wasn’t one, and neither was Minho. A relationship like what Taemin craved would ruin Minho, and while that was, ultimately, Taemin’s original goal, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Part of him knew he’d failed in his mission. He should have gone back to hell the moment he realized, without a doubt, that he would never corrupt Minho in such a way. But going back to hell meant leaving the friends he’d made, his job, Minho. And that was almost worse than having to report his failure. So he stayed, promising just another week, another month, and then he’d go back.

Seven months after Taemin had stepped foot on earth, he and Minho were sharing a table at the bar, having a few drinks on a night that they weren’t working. Jian had recently hired a third bartender, giving Minho more days off, despite his unwillingness to take them at first.

“Will you sing tonight?” Minho asked, motioning to the stage where a couple of college age girls were crooning off key to some popular song. Taemin shook his head.

“Not tonight. Just wanna chat with you.”

“Just chat?”

Taemin’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?” He asked after a moment when he was unable to process the implication. Minho smiled softly.

“It’s been seven months since we met.”

“Has it been so long?” Taemin smiled in return. “Feels a lot longer in a good way – and not that long at all.”

“I know. We had a pretty quick friendship, didn’t we? Especially for what we are.”

“What we are?”

Minho’s smile returned. He rested his chin on one hand. I know, Taemin. What you are. Where you’re from.”

Taemin’s heart clenched in a vise of panic. He smiled despite the sudden urge to run from the bar. “What are you talking about? You know where I lived last or something? Little creep. Stalking me?”

Minho’s patient smile remained. “Taemin. Drop the act. You’re a demon.”

Taemin pouted full force. “That’s not a very nice thing to say.”

Minho sighed. He waved the hand his chin wasn’t on, and the entire bar stilled.

Taemin whipped his head around, surprised at the rush of energy he felt. Every human sat frozen, mid-drink, laugh, even the beer being poured at the bar was locked in time.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to use your powers while you were on this sabbatical,” Taemin said softly. He looked back at Minho, his throat clenching. The burst of energy had revealed Minho’s truer form, beautiful wings emerging from his back, and a glowing pale blue aura that matched the natural color of his eyes. He smiled. “We’re not. But you were being stubborn.”

“I hoped you were joking.” Taemin sighed softly, disappointment creeping into his voice as he spoke. “When did you realize it?”

“The first time I saw you.”

“What?”

Minho shrugged. “I was informed that there might be demons out. Trying to make me break my vows. That it’s a special thing, an angel like me. I was taught what to look for. And when I smelled you in my apartment that night, it confirmed it.”

“Ah – I thought I covered my tracks better.”

“You did. But I was already on high alert.”

“Why didn’t ranks of your superiors come to throw me back into the pits of hell?”

Minho remained silent for a moment. “Because I didn’t tell them. I still haven’t.”

“What?” Taemin shouted, surprised. “Minho—You have to.”

“Says who? Demons roam among humanity constantly. How was I to know you were after me and not just out to corrupt humans? As an angel meant to learn how humans live, wouldn’t it make sense to study the demons who influence them?”

“But I was in your place.”

“You were.”

“And constantly around you.”

“You have been,” Minho agreed, his lips curling up into a smile.

“So… It’s pretty obvious what my intentions were.”

Minho leaned forward, cupping his chin in both hands this time. “What are your intentions then, Taemin?”

“To…” Taemin’s cheeks warmed. He looked away, shame eating a hole in his stomach. “To corrupt you. Make you fall.”

“And how is it that you do that?”

“You know how.”

“Mm. I do.” Minho leaned back in his seat again and took a sip of his drink. “I also know you’ve had more than enough time to do the job. You’re stalling. Why?”

“I’m not stalling,” Taemin mumbled. “I’m waiting for the right time. Plus, you already knew what I was supposed to do, you’d never let me succeed.”

��True. But you didn’t know that. So what’s been stopping you? You’re a sex demon, I can tell that much. But you haven’t used your powers. On me or anyone else, since you’ve been here.”

“I didn’t want you to smell it.”

“Fair. But after this long. Taemin… I have given you plenty of opportunities to try.”

Taemin swallowed hard. Minho wasn’t wrong. Especially in the past few months, lingering touches, glances, even a few close, slow dances – he had had more than enough time to steal a kiss, begin the seduction process properly. He hung his head.

“I can’t do it. I’m a failure, is that what you wanted to hear?” He snorted. “Spent years trying to work my way up the ranks, and at the last step I fell down. Because I let myself feel something for the one thing I couldn’t.” He shook his head, meeting Minho’s gentle gaze. “I’m sure that’s a story your superiors will love to hear. A demon who fell for an angel.”

“I’m sure they would, if I spoke to them still.”

“What do you mean?”

“When’s the last time you checked in with your superiors?”

“You know I can’t divulge that—”

“I don’t need details.” Minho sipped his drink again and waved his hand. His wings disappeared, his form shifting ever so slightly back into the human looks as the bar burst with life and energy once more. He sipped his drink. “Just a vague time.”

“About three months ago,” Taemin said.

“It’s been two months for me.”

Taemin scowled at him. “Why?”

Minho hesitated. He spun the now empty bottle in his hand, thumb picking at the label. “Finish your drink, then come take a walk with me. We’ll be able to talk better if we’re alone, I think.”

Taemin did as he was told, swallowing the last mouthful of his drink before rising. They tossed the bottles away and waved to Jian as they walked out into the cold night. Snow had begun falling months ago, and was now starting to melt away with the impending spring.

The two walked in silence for some time, heading in the vague direction of their apartment building, but taking a meandering path through the streets. Finally, Minho spoke.

“I haven’t spoken to them because I don’t want to go back.”

“To heaven? Why not?”

“How much do you know about it? Heaven?”

“Not much. Honestly, we don’t really care.” Taemin chuckled. “Angels love to think we’re trying to get some secrets or something. Take over heaven or ruin earth, I don’t know. Really we’re just… Doing our own thing. We know about you, and when rare things like this assignment come up, we know more, but… The details don’t matter.”

“Well, it sucks.” Minho said simply enough that Taemin stopped walking, his eyes widening. “You—But you’re an angel.”

“Yeah? And you’re a demon. How’s hell? Honestly.”

“Hot,” Taemin admitted, smiling sheepishly.

“Do you love it? Can you wait to get back there, go hang out with your demon buddies and torture souls?”

“That’s… Not true, we don’t… Actually do much torturing,” Taemin mumbled. “But I’m in no rush to get back, you’re right.”

“We’ll go back to the torture thing, but, right? It’s fine where we’re from, but here is so much richer. It’s not so black and white.”

“People don’t expect things from you just because you’re this or that,” Taemin agreed.

“Exactly. So yeah, compared to earth, heaven is boring. And I’m sure hell is too. I don’t want to stop my sabbatical yet, because I don’t want to go back up there. Same reason you haven’t told your superiors that your assignment failed. And why I don’t think you will any time soon.”

They reached their apartment building and Minho grabbed Taemin’s wrist. “And what’s more… I don’t think you’re used to feeling this way in hell. About someone else.”

Taemin looked down. Those now familiar butterflies scattered in his belly again. He nodded. “I know what it is. But we don’t… Really discuss or admit to it in hell.”

“It’s a nice feeling, isn’t it?”

“Once you get used to the butterflies, yeah.” Taemin looked up, letting his gaze linger a moment on Minho’s soft lips, curled up into a soft smile, before meeting his gaze.

“Come up to my apartment,” Minho offered. “We can talk some more. Better than standing in the cold.”

“Have you redecorated? Last time I was in there you had zero places to sit.”

Minho laughed softly. “Fair enough. I still really don’t. Yours then.”

Taemin nodded. They walked up in silence, stripping out of their winter damp clothes by the door before Minho entered the living room and settled onto the couch. Taemin lingered in the kitchen, instinctively beginning to pull out food before hesitating.

“I really have gone native,” he commenting.

“How so?”

“I was about to offer you food and drink.”

“I will take a drink, actually. Might not need it, but humanity got it right when they started making these consumable items.”

“Right?” Taemin laughed a bit. He grabbed two fruity drinks and a box of cookies before entering the living room. He sat down next to Minho. “Honestly, their idea of sweets and their use of sugar is the best thing I’ve experienced.”

Minho laughed and nodded. They sat in silence for a moment, sipping their drinks. It was Taemin that spoke first.

“So if you know what I am, and that I like you… What about you? I mean, we’re friends, I think, but I don’t know anything more. I can’t get a sense of what you feel. Can you feel anything? Do you?”

Minho cleared his throat. He picked at the label on the bottle in his hands, bottom lip moving slightly as he chewed the inside of it. “I do feel things for you. Things that my superiors would have my wings for. I didn’t mean to start liking you. I knew what you were, at first I kept you close just to make sure you didn’t hurt someone but… Then I realized you’re not a bad person. Or… Demon, I guess. And then I really started liking your friendship and that turned into something else. At first I worried I was being seduced by your magic, but I know you haven’t been using it.”

“Not for seven months, honestly,” Taemin admitted. “I knew it wouldn’t work on you, so I had to practice not using it. Then it just became easier to do things the human way.”

“And you made friends. Real human friends.”

“I did. Our friends are important to me. I know a big reason why I’m sticking around still is because of those friendships. So, you actually like me? Even though you know what I am?”

Minho nodded. “I do.”

“What do we do about it?” Taemin asked.

Minho sighed. “I don’t know. It’s a catch-22. As much as I don’t want to go back to heaven… I don’t want to fall.”

“And intimacy with a demon is grounds for falling.”

Minho nodded, his face twisted up in discomfort. “So I mean, we could date in the human sense – going out together for dinners and stuff like that but… Any real intimacy…”

“Would be off limits.”

“Yeah, for the most part. There are a few loopholes.”

“Like what?” Taemin tilted his head.

Minho smirked. “You’re the demon, you don’t know?”

“No, and I’m both offended that you think I should just because I’m a demon… And concerned and surprised that I don’t.” Taemin said, grinning as he spoke to let Minho know he was joking.

Minho leaned back on the couch, his smirk shifting into a more relaxed, albeit just as smug, grin. “Apparently, I learned… I can touch myself, even to the point of orgasm… Without falling. No matter who I’m thinking about.”

“Really? I thought good God-fearing people weren’t supposed to spill their seed.”

Minho shrugged. “Some of that book is… Wildly misinterpreted. Biologically, these bodies just… Ejaculate. It’s nobody’s doing, not a demon or an angel. It’s science. So pleasuring yourself isn’t some big sin. Now… What you think about does matter. I have a few feathers that have… Darkened in the past few months.”

Taemin leaned forward. “You’ve jerked off? Thinking about me?”

Minho squirmed, and Taemin watched his cheeks redden.

“Don’t try to lie, I can smell that you know. I’m a demon. How much?”

“You’re telling me you haven’t?” He mumbled.

“I have. More than a few times. But I’m a demon. It’s kinda my thing. What were you imagining?” He pressed.

Minho squirmed again, looking anywhere but at Taemin.

Taemin sighed. “Fine, keep it a secret. But I expect details at some point. So, okay, you can touch yourself.”

“And I can touch myself thinking of you. Which would imply that as long as you aren’t touching me sexually, we’d be okay.”

“I suppose that makes sense. So that gives us a few avenues.”

“And hanging out together obviously doesn’t do any damage. We’ve slow danced together before and it was fine too. I think that it’s limited to actual sexually intimate things.”

“What about… Kissing?” Taemin asked softly.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to risk it. Since it is a more intimate thing.”

Taemin nodded. “I understand. So we could date, sort of.”

“It doesn’t feel fair to you.”

“You aren’t getting a much better side of the deal though, it’s not like it’d be easy for either one of us. I think we just need to decide if it’s worth it.”

“I stayed on earth for you. Partly for you, I mean. It’s worth it for me.”

Taemin smiled softly at that. “And I guess I stayed for you too, partly so… It’s worth it for me too.”

Minho set his bottle down and took Taemin’s, setting it on the coffee table. He took Taemin’s hands in his own, making the other meet his gaze. “I just have one thing that you need to promise me.”

“Of course.”

“You won’t use your powers. Those ones, you know. On anyone. If we date…”

“I won’t. I’ve been the most celibate sex demon in existence lately, I’m sure. I have no problem keeping it that way.”

Minho smiled at that, his entire face brightening. “I wish I could kiss you,” he whispered.

Taemin leaned forward, moving his head to the side and placing a kiss on Minho’s cheek. “There. It’s better than nothing, right?”

Minho closed his eyes and nodded. He placed a kiss on Taemin’s cheek as well. “So I think this means you deserve a real date from me, right?”

“I would think so. If we wanna do things like the humans do.”

“Next week, when we’re off work. We’ll go to the next town. There’s that restaurant Sungho mentioned he took Junhyung to. We should go there.”

Taemin nodded, grinning at the thought. “Yes. Good, that sounds like a great first date.”

“But until then… I should get back to my place,” Minho said softly.

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow at work?”

“Of course.” Minho finished off his drink and rose. Taemin followed, walking with him to the door.

“I’m glad we talked. But you could have told me earlier you knew what I was. I wouldn’t have fought so hard to hide it.”

Minho smirked. “What would the fun be then?”

“You’re conniving for an angel.”

Minho’s grin grew wider. He leaned closer to Taemin, their noses nearly brushing. “You have no idea.” With that he walked out, leaving Taemin gaping at the spot he vacated. He heard Minho’s door close before he snapped out of it, laughing softly in surprise.

Dating an angel was surprisingly easy, at least for the first few months. They went out on dates at least weekly – sometimes doubling with the other couples in their friend group, sometimes alone. They maintained a polite distance at work, despite Jian’s constant teasing about their affectionate looks across the bar, and Taemin’s sudden uptick in love songs during performances.

But as spring turned to summer and the weather warmed, so did their needs. Taemin found himself having to actively resist kissing Minho far more often than usual, and even Minho’s touches became more lingering and heavier with implication than they had before. Once they’d attempted to stay in the same room while masturbating, testing the theory that it was only touches from Taemin that would corrupt Minho, but both realized it was far too much temptation to cross the room and help each other that they never tried it again.

Even sexting was off the table, as their proximity in living spaces was just too risky. They prided themselves on their ability to keep calm heads regarding intimacy, but it was a visible struggle on both sides.

 The two went out on the one-year anniversary of the day that they met, going into the next town for dinner and a concert that they were both interested in. As the night passed, that ache in Taemin’s chest seemed to grow so much larger. He desperately wanted Minho in every way, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to resist. But he knew why Minho was reluctant, and he respected that.

When the two arrived back at their apartment building, Minho lingered by his door.

“Wanna come in for a while?” Taemin offered.

“I do,” Minho whispered, but made no move to approach. Taemin waited, smiling gently. He pushed his door opened, beckoning Minho forward. Minho hesitated further. He wet his lips, looking down at the ground a moment.

“What’s the matter?” Taemin asked. He reached out, touching Minho’s cheek. Minho leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. He set his hand over Taemin’s, lacing their fingers together. The familiar tingle of his magic ignited the nerves down Taemin’s arm, drawing goosebumps to his flesh as his own magic rushed back toward Minho; a gentle intimacy that they were allowed despite their forced distance.

Minho opened his eyes suddenly, his pupils wide and dark. He went forward suddenly, pushing Taemin into the apartment as he did. The door slammed behind him as he turned them, pressing Taemin to the wall with his body.

Taemin gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs. “Minho—”

“I can’t do this anymore,” Minho whispered, leaning closer to him. Taemin gasped again, realizing what he was about to do. He braced his hands against Minho’s shoulders and shoved, using just enough of his powers to force the angel backwards.

“We can’t.”

Minho gritted his teeth, baring them for a second. “Please, Taemin – I know you want it to.”

“I do.” Taemin said softly. He relaxed, stepping forward and setting his hands on Minho’s broad shoulders. “I do, you know I do. Take your shoes off, I’ll get us something to drink, and we can talk. I think it’s time for us to do that anyways.”

Minho nodded, closing his eyes. He took a second to compose himself before leaning down to remove his shoes. Taemin stepped back, doing the same before heading into the kitchen. He heard Minho shuffling through the apartment, and the soft whoosh of the couch as he sat. Taemin tried to keep his actions slow and even, not wanting to rush back into the room. He wanted to give Minho a second to gather himself, recover from what had nearly happened, before they approached it. Things could only go one of two ways tonight, Taemin figured, and he wasn’t sure which would make Minho the happiest.

He settled onto the couch next to Minho, remaining quiet as he set two glasses of wine in front of them. Minho was leaning forward, his eyes closed and his hands clasped into a fist over his mouth, as if he were praying.

Taemin leaned back, folding one leg under him and raising the other onto the couch. He clasped his hands around his knee, watching Minho patiently.

After what felt like hours, Minho sighed heavily and opened his eyes. He looked at Taemin, his expression stoic.

“I poured the wine you like,” Taemin said carefully.

“Thank you.” Minho took a sip, staring into the dark red liquid.

“Were you praying?” Taemin asked.

“Yes.”

Taemin nodded. He brought his leg down, crossing them and leaning forward. “Did your God offer any advice?”

“No. He’s been quiet for quite some time. I think they’ve given up on me up there by now.”

“That doesn’t sound much like the religion I know of.”

Minho smiled briefly. “No, it doesn’t, but… It feels that way. I understand now why humans can be so easily swayed away from it. His silence is… Unnerving.”

“If you had kissed me tonight, Minho… You would have fallen.”

“I know.”

“There’s no coming back from that.”

Minho nodded. “I know,” he said again. “You pushed me away.”

“Not because I don’t want to kiss you,” Taemin assured him. He smiled when Minho looked over at him. He shrugged. “I pushed you away because you didn’t look like you were thinking right. I wanted us to talk before we made a decision like that one, so we both knew we were… Ready.”

Minho chuckled. “Ready. As if we’re school age humans instead of centuries old celestial beings.”

Taemin laughed once and nodded. “In a way we are. When it comes to this sort of thing, right?” “I suppose.”

“If you fall… You’ll never be able to go home. Four months ago, you weren’t ready to accept that. What’s changed?”

“Do you still consider hell your home, Taemin?” Minho asked instead of answering the question. “I—I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

“Please do. I’ll wait… This is important. When you sit and think about what home is to you, what it means, how it feels, how you feel about it. Where is home for you right now?”

Taemin remained quiet as he mulled over Minho’s question. It was a valid question, and his gut told him an answer he wasn’t sure he was comfortable with. But the longer he considered it, the more he realized it was indeed the correct answer.

“No,” he finally whispered, shame coloring his cheeks a deep red.

“No?”

“No, you’re right. Hell isn’t my home anymore. It hasn’t been for a while, I don’t think.”

Minho nodded. “I thought so. Where is?”

“Right here.” Taemin said. This apartment, maybe. Earth. My friends, you. My job… I’m happy here, where I am.”

“If someone told you that you’d never be able to go back to hell…. You’d lose your connection to it. What would you say?”

“I’d be a little sad but… Right now the thought of going back there makes me nervous. I don’t want to face them, the demons I mean. Not because they’ll be upset. They will, but I’ve handled demonic wrath before. I don’t want to hear them tell me I’m wrong to enjoy this life.”

Minho smiled softly. “You answered your question. What changed from when we started dating. My fear about not being able to go home. I realized I am home. And if I have to fall to be happy with you, then I’m ready to accept that.”

“But falling won’t just mean leaving heaven… You’ll become a fallen angel. You’ll be a destined for hell if you ever want to leave earth.”

“Good thing I know someone from there. And I heard that he’s about to get a pretty big promotion too.”

Taemin’s heart skipped a beat. “We don’t have to.”

“No, we don’t. You’d never force me to. But I want to. If you do.”

He laughed. “Of course I do. God, I want to so badly.”

Minho grabbed Taemin’s wine and set it on the table. He leaned forward. “Then what’s stopping you?” He murmured.

“Just one thing,” Taemin whispered, setting one hand on the side of Minho’s neck, the other on his shoulder.

“What’s that?”

Taemin smiled softly, their lips nearly touching. He pulled back, laughing when Minho nearly fell into his lap. “We need to move to the bedroom.”

“Why?” Minho asked breathlessly.

“Because I have wanted to take you apart for months, angel. I’m not going to stop once we start, especially not for something as simple as a location change.”

He stood up quickly and grabbed Minho’s hand, nearly dragging him toward his bedroom. Minho laughed brightly, rushing to follow. When they hit the bedroom, Taemin felt strong arms wrap around his middle, and Minho’s lips hit the back of his neck, pressing kisses along to the side of it. “I’ve never been in your bedroom before,” he murmured between kisses. “That bed looks so soft.”

“It’s amazing,” Taemin agreed. He pulled from Minho’s grip and threw the covers back, turning and stripping out of his shirt.

“Let me.” Minho stepped up, pushing his hands away and beginning to undo the buttons. Their foreheads pressed together, and Taemin could feel Minho shaking. He set his hands lightly on his wrists.

“We don’t have to do this right now. Even though we decided, we can take our time.”

“That’s not why I’m shaking,” Minho admitted.

“Then why?”

“Because it’s taking every ounce of my power not to just rip this shirt off you and steal our first kiss this very second.”

Taemin laughed softly at that. “Rip away. I don’t mind.”

Minho groaned. He gripped the fabric and tugged. They both laughed when the buttons popped off easily, and Minho shoved the shirt down past Taemin’s shoulders. He yanked at the button on his pants while Taemin treated his clothes with the same aggression, tearing the shirt open and sliding his hands over Minho’s broad, bare chest. The stepped apart to finish undressing, both climbing into bed and immediately grabbing ahold of one another, drawn by invisible magnets.

“Are you sure?” Taemin asked one final time, brushing his nose over Minho’s.

“Yes.”

Their lips met with a surprising gentleness, and Taemin felt a bright spark. Minho’s magic, he was sure. It increased quickly in aggression and intensity, their bodies reacting to the touch of their mouths. Taemin rolled them over, straddling Minho’s hips and gently grinding their hardening cocks together. He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into Minho’s mouth. Minho’s fingers tangled in his shaggy hair, a soft moan slipping from his lips.

 They kissed until Taemin’s lips were numb and his body ached desperately for more. He pulled back, leaning up and splaying his fingers over Minho’s chest.

“Do you want me to use my magic to get ready for you? Or the human way?”

Minho’s eyes fluttered shut. He wet his kiss swollen lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing rapidly. “I’d say human - but I don’t think I can wait,” he admitted. Taemin smirked. He slid his hands down Minho’s chest slowly, curling his fingers to let his short nails scrape the skin as he did.

“I’m so glad you said that,” he admitted. “But you still need some lube.” He leaned forward, ghosting his mouth over Minho’s as he dug in the nightstand, pulling out a bottle of lubricant. He dropped it onto the bed before moving down his body, folding his own body over to kiss along his chest and stomach.

Minho’s cock was thick, curving ever so slightly upward, a perfect example of male anatomy. Taemin lifted it, running his tongue along the underside before wrapping his lips around the tip. Minho shouted, covering his mouth with his hands.

Taemin pulled back, stroking gently. “Go ahead and make noise. My room is soundproof. That was a necessity for me when I moved in.” He sank back down on Minho’s cock, easily taking it into his throat with minimal effort. Minho moaned openly, burying his fingers in Taemin’s hair and thrusting up toward his face.

He swore softly when Taemin pulled back, licking his lips. Taemin grinned. “Don’t wanna get you too worked up.” He teased.

“As if I wouldn’t be able to come more than once,” Minho complained.

“Oh… Well it’s funny that you think I’m going to just make you come once tonight.” He moved back up to sit on Minho’s hips again, gently sliding his ass along his spit slicked cock. “Did you forget you’re about to fuck a sex demon? I can go all night, angel.”

He grabbed the lube and opened it, leaning forward and catching Minho’s mouth in a kiss as he reached back to slick his hole up. Minho’s hand caught his wrist.

“Let me,” Minho murmured against his lips. He scraped the lube from Taemin’s fingers with his own, bringing them to his ass.

Taemin gasped when Minho slipped two fingers in. Even with his own magical preparation, he hadn’t been expecting the thickness of Minho’s digits, or the graceful finesse he used to spread the lube inside him. His cock twitched between their bellies, and Taemin moaned softly, feeling Minho smirk.

“You gonna fuck me, angel?” Taemin teased, beginning to grind against Minho’s fingers. “Make those dirty dreams come true?”

“Taemin—“ Minho gritted through his teeth.

“Oh, we both know it’s true,” Taemin whispered. He whined when Minho pulled his fingers out, but relaxed at the sound of the lube bottle again, and the wet sound of Minho stroking his own cock. “You’ve dreamed of it, haven’t you? Fucking me, making me moan. Taking me just like this I bet. Have you woken up covered in come from a dream, Minho? Or do you just wake up with an aching cock, desperately wishing you could come over and sink into my ass like you want to?”

Minho growled. He grabbed Taemin’s head with his free hand and dragged him into a rough kiss that made Taemin giggle. The energy in the room was positively electric, and his body was drinking it in eagerly. He felt the blunt tip of Minho’s cock nudge against his hole, and pushed toward it.

“That’s it,” he whispered against Minho’s lips, “take me. Make us feel so good.”

Minho pushed his hips up, guiding his cock into Taemin for the first time. Taemin lowered his body at the same time, sinking onto it with a gasp.

He pulled back as soon as Minho was nestled inside him and sank down again, throwing his head back in a delighted moan.

Minho cried out as Taemin began to ride him, his grip tight on Taemin’s hips.

Taemin leaned down, kissing him gently. “Is it good?” He panted.

Minho moaned, grabbing Taemin’s ass with one hand. He wrapped the other around his shoulders, dragging him into another deep kiss. “Amazing,” he panted against his lips. “You’re so fucking tight.”

Taemin giggled. “It’s cute when angels swear. Do it again.”

Minho smirked. He leaned up, nipping his earlobe. “I wanna fuck you so hard you scream,” he whispered.

Taemin shivered. “That’s sinful, angel. Do it.” He pulled off Minho suddenly, his body aching at the loss. He moved to the side and laid on his back, stuffing a pillow under his hips. It only took Minho a second to catch up. He rolled over and pushed Taemin’s legs open before bringing them up to his shoulders. Lining up his cock, he sank to the root, tilting his head back as he moaned Taemin’s name.

Taemin shouted happily, his back arching as Minho began to thrust, hard enough that it would have hurt a human. It was exactly what Taemin craved. He screamed happily, holding onto Minho’s arms as his body was forced open again and again on the thick cock.

“Yes! More! Oh fuck, it’s perfect!” He sobbed. “Keep going, I’m so close, oh!”

He clenched around Minho’s shaft as his cock throbbed, semen spurting onto his belly and chest.

Minho moaned, thrusting harder into him. The rough strokes against his prostate drew his orgasm out, milking his body until his stomach ached.

They kissed again, and Minho grabbed his shoulders, dragging him down against his cock even as he thrust into him.

“I’m gonna come,” he gasped. “Oh God, Taemin—“

“Come for me,” Taemin whispered. “Give it all to me.”

Minho moaned low in his throat. He continued to rut into Taemin, stealing his moans with soft gasps. His cock throbbed deep inside Taemin, and a delightful bloom of energy filled his body, a sure sign that Minho was spilling inside him. He closed his eyes, gasping and sighing as it washed over him, dragging him to a second orgasm with the intensity of it.

Minho whined softly, shuddering. “I can’t—“ He whispered as his cock throbbed once more. Taemin dropped his legs from his shoulders and wrapped them around his waist as a second orgasm washed over Minho, immediately following his first. Minho shouted brokenly, overstimulated. Taemin milked his cock, stroking his back and ass as purple sparks bloomed behind his closed lids. The energy shifted around them, the sweet purity of Minho’s light fading, darkening into a rich, deep velvety feeling. He was falling. He was falling fast and hard and every drop of his release was pushing him further, held securely in Taemin’s arms.

Taemin rolled them over and gently pulled off Minho’s softening cock, giggling at the rush of come that dribbled down his thighs. He moved forward, gently rubbing his cock over Minho’s lips.

“Open.”

Minho obeyed, his eyes rolling up to look at Taemin as he took his cock into his mouth. Taemin caressed his cheek, gently thrusting into his warm mouth. “Swallow when I come,” he said, his voice soft but demanding. Minho nodded as well as he could, hollowing his cheeks and sucking. He swirled his tongue around Taemin’s cock; delightfully talented at this despite Taemin knowing he likely wasn’t experienced. He sighed happily as his orgasm neared, burying his fingers in Minho’s hair. “Deeper.”

Minho lifted his head, letting Taemin push deeper, until the tip of his cock bumped his throat. Taemin shivered, moaning. “Perfect, take it… Doing so good,” he murmured. He began to move quicker, nudging Minho’s throat on each thrust. Minho moaned, his throat clicking as he struggled to stave off his gag reflex. Taemin whined softly.

“Here, Minho - Oh fuck, swallow it for me.”

He thrust twice more and stilled, shivering as his cock spurted into Minho’s awaiting mouth. He gulped quickly, his eyes slipping shut. He reached around, sliding two fingers easily into Taemin’s hole. He fingered him hard as Taemin groaned.

“That’s it,” he whispered, pulling his cock free. He squeezed himself, working one last dribble out and onto Minho’s lips. Before Minho could lick it up, he leaned down, kissing him hard and driving his tongue into Minho’s mouth. They shared his come as they kissed, their bodies sticking together with sweat and semen.

Taemin pulled away and rolled off Minho, flopping next to him on the bed. He reached down, finding Minho’s hand and lacing their fingers together as they laid in the suddenly oppressive silence of the room.

“Wow,” Minho whispered, breaking the silence first. Taemin’s breath escaped in a rush; he hadn’t realized he’d been holding it. “You okay?” Minho asked.

“I’m great, I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Minho drew in a deep breath. “I’m sore. And I definitely… Feel different. Magic wise. But I’m okay. I’m good.” They looked one another in the low light.

“We should shower,” Taemin said. “Then we can talk.”

Minho nodded. The two rose quietly and made their way to Taemin’s bathroom, stepping into the shower. Though it wasn’t a necessity; he could have easily cleaned them up with his power, it gave him – and Minho – some time to process what they’d just done. Thankfully, if Minho’s gentle touches were any indication, he didn’t regret it.

The two stood under the hot water for a while after they cleaned one another, Taemin’s face buried in Minho’s neck as they embraced.

“I’ve fallen,” Minho whispered.

“You did. I’m right here thought. I won’t let you be alone in this. I don’t know a lot of fallen angels… But I know their powers are similar to a demon’s. I’ll help you learn, if you get confused or don’t know what to do.”

“I know you will. I’m not upset.”

Taemin pulled back, meeting Minho’s gaze. “You’re not?”

“No. It’s overwhelming. I feel so different… Free, somehow. But not bad. I’m happy, actually. What we did was amazing, and I never would have been able to experience that if I wasn’t willing to take that leap.”

Taemin smiled softly. He kissed Minho’s mouth gently, sighing. “I’ll never get sick of doing that.”

“Me neither. Hey… You completed your assignment. Doesn’t that mean you get to move up in your rank now?”

Taemin nodded after a moment. “I do. When I go back. If. If I go back.”

“You aren’t planning to?”

“Not any time soon. I meant it when I said I was happy here, this was home. Unless you want to go see what hell looks like, I… Don’t think I’ll go back any time soon.”

“I’m perfectly fine waiting until these bodies waste away to go visit. I’d like to experience growing old like a human.”

“Yeah?” Taemin grinned brightly. “With me?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They stepped out of the shower and went back to the bedroom. Taemin dressed first, slipping out of the main door to Minho’s apartment. He grabbed a pair of sweats for him, knowing none of his would fit Minho. When he returned, Minho was standing in the bedroom, his wings out on display. Instead of the bright white that Taemin was used to seeing, they were now a rich, velvety black, intermixed with purplish hued ones.

“I’m beautiful,” Minho said, turning to face him. His eyes had changed as well; instead of a vibrant, sky blue, they were now dark brown, tinged with red. They were similar to Taemin’s, but just a bit lighter, a sign of his fading purity.

“You are,” Taemin agreed. He stepped up, stroking one of Minho’s wings. “This looks lovely.”

“Thank you. I wanted to see… If I’d like it. I do.”

“They suit you.” He handed Minho his sweats, looking around the messy bedroom. “Why don’t you try out your powers. See if you can clean up the bedroom. A good practice.”

Minho nodded once. He chewed his bottom lip, and Taemin could tell he was trying to figure out how to draw from the new power budding deep inside him. He went around behind him, wrapping his arms around his middle.

“Relax,” he whispered. “This power is different. It’s a part of you. Just let it come out, you know what you want done.”

Minho took a deep breath and released it, nodding once. He raised his hand and flicked his wrist. With a rush of energy, the bedroom shifted. Taemin laughed softly when he realized what Minho had done. He succeeded, mostly; the sheets were clean and the piles of ripped clothes were gone. Except, instead of the sleek black silk that normally adorned Taemin’s bed, it was now the same baby blues and soft white cottons of Minho’s room.

Minho made a small noise. “Sorry. I can fix it…”

“No.” Taemin pushed his hand down. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind, really.” He went around and kissed Minho’s mouth. “If we’re going to end up living together at some point, we’ll need to figure out how to make our design ideas work anyways so. This is good practice. Come to bed with me.”

The two curled up together under the blankets, their arms and legs twisted together as one. Minho sighed after a few minutes of silence. “I can’t fall sleep.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, not really. I can feel the last bits of my angelic purity. Deep down, they’re fading but holding on. It’s like I can feel the angels I left. I know they know what happened, we can feel it when one of ours dies or changes like this. I know they’re crying over it, even though I’ve been away so long.”

“Are you upset?”

“No. I’m sad that they don’t understand it. That they’re shedding their tears when they don’t have to. They can’t understand how happy I am. How this… This loss gave me paradise in so many ways. But I still don’t regret it. I don’t think I ever will.”

“Hopefully they’ll understand someday,” Taemin said, holding Minho’s hand over his chest. “We’ll just need to work on it here, showing our paradise, how nice it can be. Why tears don’t need to be shed.”

Minho nodded in silent agreement. Their lips met once more, and Taemin felt that blossom of energy deep inside him. It was a unique feeling – so different from the butterflies he felt, or Minho’s purity. This was something entirely new, a dizzying sensation that he couldn’t wait to explore hand in hand with his fallen angel.

[rathma]

ok so. kaine has obviously existed longer than bg3 and gale have, so with that in mind i have two questions

first of all, who was kaine before bg3 and gale? did kaine have a different partner? did kaine as a character change at all when you put him in bg3? is bg3 canon now?

and secondly, what made kaine x gale make sense? what made it happen? what made it grow to this immense size?

one of these days i could probably sit down and share all of kaine's history + lore but that would require my brain to work in some organized way so likely it won't happen</3 but this i can do

[deep inhale]

the first thing to know about kaine is that they were born entirely of whatever the fuck happened to my brain the first time i watched the music video for move by taemin. they were an idea way before this, but literally within 24 hours of this album drop they became a fully realized creation.

in their very earliest iteration, kaine was the only child to a minor noble family in an unnamed nation somewhere in faerun, and they were born very sick and as such grew up intensely sheltered. prior to their first campaign (hoard of the dragon queen lmao) they ran away from home in an attempt to prove to themself that they were strong enough to... well, to live.

eventually, they became the central part of an original setting, which i then created a homebrew dnd campaign centered around. the first time i ran a game in their setting circa 2018 they did have a bit of a fling with another npc, but it was more or less a tactic to tie their two parts of the story together. that game fell apart and when i began it again, rewritten (more than a year and a half ago!) that npc was no longer a part of it. they're still the main driving force behind the campaign - it was their prophecy that brought the party together, and they're using the party as their ticket to the outside world.

kaine didn't necessarily change much when they were stuck in bg3. i changed their lore a little bit, of course - the crux of my homebrew setting (osoa) is that it's a small place inside what is essentially a demiplane snowglobe, and what the people there perceive as the "spiritual plane" is the layer of the cosmos that separates them from faerun. in that version of events, kaine learns the truth through an arcane connection across the planes with another character (we don't have to get into his crazy ass rn) and kaine's efforts (along with the efforts of a cult of fanatics) end up shattering the glass and reconnecting their demiplane with faerun.

for bg3, all i did was push that story up, and made kaine more passive in it - osoa was reconnected with faerun when they were young, partially as a result of the ritual that imprisoned their magic, and by the time they grew up, it was old news.

so no, bg3 isn't their "canon" - although it's not any less canon than their original story, i think. there's the kaine that exists in their og story, the kaine that exists in my dnd campaign, and the kaine that exists in bg3 - all loosely related but equal in the end. i use them for basically anything i get the excuse to, anyway.

now. kainegale. [grabs you]

i hadn't actually intended to romance gale when i started playing bg3! i didn't play early access and my first campaign was a different character altogether, who i abandoned about 12 hours in because i fucked up a bunch of shit and also because gale had grabbed me by the dick.

i made kaine for gale early on because i saw him as a good foil for them. kaine is a sorcerer, but they spent their whole life studying magic theory. they weren't allowed to use their magic to their full potential because of its volatility and the nature of its imprisonment, so they were made to study everything they could in an attempt to ensure their safety. this, of course, built up resentment for magical theory and school and lessons and whatnot. gale, of course, is a wizard, and loves to read, but more importantly he loves to teach.

it is vital to understand this in the context of their relationship - gale changes everything kaine thinks they know about what magic is. not only is he a practitioner of a different type of magic altogether, but when he speaks, kaine wants to listen. they can hear the value in it. he makes it matter to them. and if there's more than a little bit of a professor/student complex in there, well. that's just the effect a little bit of positive reinforcement has on a motherfucker innit

and the more i got to know gale, the more i really felt that he and kaine were made for each other dkjsdfkjksd that sounds so corny but it's true.... there's just so much about them that i didn't do intentionally that makes me absolutely insane.

the symbolism. his name is gale for fuck's sake - the storm imagery is built in to his character. kaine is a blue draconic sorcerer - they're lightning, they're thunder, they're a raging windstorm.

as if this wasn't enough, they really are two sides of the same coin. they've both been dehumanized without realizing it, in totally opposite ways. gale by his relationship with mystra - she built him into something she could use, she made him think he was nothing without her, and then ripped everything away from him when he acted of his own will, effectively proving it. when we meet him, he thinks he's nothing. even in act three, at the carnival - "gale thinks that he, and the world, would be better off if he were dead."

compare this to kaine. they've grown up being told over and over that they are the strongest mage their bloodline has produced in generations, that they are the scion of house silva that is going to lead valais into a new era of prosperity, that they deserve all this and more - but they're not allowed to feel it. they're not allowed to leave the palace, they haven't been named or coronated to their people, their existence has been all but kept secret outside of their country, and they're not allowed to use their power. they've been magically shackled for as long as they can remember. their power is nothing but a tool, and it's not a tool that's at their disposal.

kaine teaches gale how to choose himself. gale teaches kaine how to be themself.

and their personalities, too. idk. i have these Thoughts and Theories about gale's time as mystra's chosen, and how he essentially has to adjust to being mortal again, and how kaine is all new to the world and experiencing everything for the first time, and just. im fucking holding them so tightly in my hands

of course all of this just exacerbates the most harmful parts of themselves, and everything gets worse before it gets better, but they are so. they just get each other. idk. it was like i didn't even try - they just became this thing that i am merely a conduit for. my muse, as it were

thank you so much for asking<33 there's so much more i could say about all of this i'm sure. i'm just so crazy about them both

[what-if-nct]

hellooo today's reminder is one: key and renjun hiking together what is this friendship I'm obsessed i need to see so much more of it and two: hosh and taemin doing the god of music challenge which. whom should I be jealous of, my husband or my son? I'm gonna go with husband because they probably filmed him doing taemin's challenge on the same day and that means he's heard the song already and i NEED it to come out asap because the teasers look SO good. also i was thinking about it and i realised this will be taemin's first solo album since he was discharged, which is i think nearly two years ago now. I'd expected they'd have him on his insane promo schedules instantly, but it looks like they've given him time to prepare, and i know there's a lot of his own input in his music and i absolutely can't wait because i feel like this will be the spiritual successor to criminal and idea in a way that advice just wasn't

also re: k pop fans being annoying. i saw a reel that explained it perfectly yesterday. i can't find it anymore but it was basically this girl saying k pop is so fun if you ignore all the 14-year-olds who think it's a lifestyle. like i have silly little photocards in my phone and i giggle about grown men cheating in games and when I see my bias with my friend's bias, I'll send it to said friend saying "us". and honestly she's so right, k pop is super fun if that's as much as you immerse yourself. I've been very careful to avoid any and all drama for a while and I'm having a blast

I really wanna know more about Key and Renjun's friendship it feels so random like key being friends with Ten, of course that makes sense they're the same person. But I need key and Renjun to have a cute little show together I need to see their full dynamic. Aww, your family has come together, and Taemin was so cute and looked so happy. Oh wow yeah he's had a pretty long break before any solo activities of course the shinee comeback had to come first. But I'm glad he had such a long time to prepare and I am so excited to see and hear everything it's going to be amazing. Also wayv's newest track video is sooooo good, like Wayv has never disappointed they just give us hit after hit and I can't wait for the main track mv. And Riize!! I knew I'd love it but I really love it and Taro clearly already my son, Anton my new son. But Sohee, like it's hypocritical of me to say he's too young when I've dated someone his age, it was horrible and I'd never do again, younger is not safer learned that the hard way I still can't accept what happened but none the less Sohee, all I can say is he has my undivided attention. Someone said he looks so 2nd gen and he really does.

Yes! Like I was a 16\17 year old kpop fan but I don't remember us being this horrible. And they're so puritanical it's ridiculous. There was a video and it was saying all the things that were apparently banned as a kpop fan, being over 25, being delusional for fun and saying an adult idol is sexy while said adult idol is being sexy. Cause you're sexualizing them. I want all kpop fans to remove sexualize from their vocabulary cause they don't know how to use it properly. It's wild an adult can't find another adult sexy. Also pretty sure most of bts is 30 or will be 30 soon. Jin and Yoongi are actually older than me. Hell Taemin is older than me by a few weeks. Like kpop isn't even a hobby, it's genuinely just an interest it's not serious at all. Just silly fun. Ignoring everyone under 22 is the best bet and won't lead to a headache.