#we could have had them all in exo today

[ducktoo]

Syncing Dream [Aespa x M!Reader]

13. Active in the…sun?

Note: none, have fun with the fluff

Masterlist here

It started with a simple invitation.

Y/n had been going about his day at the SM building, as usual, when a group of idols—mostly from NCT and EXO—caught him by surprise in the staff lounge. Kai, Taeyong, and Chanyeol casually approached, holding their water bottles and flashing familiar grins. He has been hanging out with them often these days, ever since he gained his fame as the “Sasaeng blocker”.

"Yo, Y/n!" Kai called out, causing Y/n to glance up from his phone. "We’re putting together a soccer match later. You in?"

Y/n blinked, surprised at the invitation. "Eh, me? For soccer? Are you sure, hyung?"

Chanyeol nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! We’ve seen you running around with the girls. You’re in shape, man, and we need more players. Plus, it’s just a friendly game."

"Right," Y/n said, scratching the back of his neck. "But I haven’t played in forever. I’m probably rusty."

Taeyong waved it off. "Doesn’t matter. It’s all for fun. If anything, it’s more funny if some of us messed up. What do you say?"

Before Y/n could even fully process the idea, Giselle and Ningning, who had overheard the conversation from across the room, suddenly popped their heads around the corner.

"Wait, Y/n’s playing soccer?" Giselle asked, her curiosity piqued.

Ningning followed up, grinning. "With NCT and EXO-sunbaenim? You’ve gotta do it, Y/n."

Y/n raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! Fine, I’m in."

-

Word spread quickly, and by the time Y/n made it back to the practice room with aespa, all four girls were buzzing with excitement. Even Karina, who usually kept her cool, seemed interested.

"You’re really going to play with the others?" Karina asked, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

Y/n nodded, trying to appear nonchalant. "Yeah, but it’s just a casual thing."

Winter, who had been scrolling through her phone, suddenly perked up. "When is it?"

"This afternoon," Y/n replied, glancing at the clock. "I’ll probably head over soon."

Ningning gave him a sly grin. "We’re coming to watch."

“Please don’t.”

Giselle nudged Winter, who had an almost excited gleam in her eye. "It’s not every day we get to see you in action. You better not trip on the field, Y/n."

"I will trip, just to embarrass all of you" he muttered, feeling the weight of their teasing already. But as they all exchanged knowing glances, he could feel something else brewing—especially from Winter. She wasn’t one to normally get worked up about anything athletic, but today, there was a new energy about her.

-

By the time Y/n arrived at the SM outdoor soccer field, the teams were already warming up. The guys from EXO and NCT were scattered across the field, stretching and kicking the ball around. Y/n could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he walked up, spotting his name on one of the makeshift team lists.

“Casual match, hyung said. Yet there is a full list for each team.” Y/n chuckled. “And holy sht they came.”

And, of course, aespa had already staked out a spot on the sidelines. Giselle, Ningning, Karina, and Winter were bundled up in jackets, watching with amusement as Y/n geared up. Winter, in particular, had her eyes glued to him, which only made Y/n more nervous.

Actually, that girl brought a whole cheerleading set. And no, not the cute and girly one. The one hardcore fans wore at a Hatsune Miku concert.

"Good luck!" Ningning called out, waving as Y/n jogged onto the field.

"Yeah, don’t embarrass yourself!" Winter added, her voice filled with playful sarcasm. "Or we're making you eat our cooking."

“You ARE embarrassing! Change your clothes already you hobbit!”

That made Y/n earned a middle finger from Winter, respectfully censored by Karina and Ningning on each side.

-

The first half of the game was fast-paced. Y/n quickly found his rhythm, darting between players and making some solid passes. He even managed to block a goal attempt from Suho, which earned him a loud cheer from the sidelines. He could hear Ningning and Giselle shouting encouragement, but Winter’s voice stood out the most.

"Go, Y/n!" Winter practically yelled, her voice cutting through the chaos of the game. “Kick them already!!”

Y/n nearly stumbled, distracted by her enthusiasm. He shot a quick glance over to the sidelines, catching Winter’s bright smile and the way her eyes lit up every time he got close to the ball. It wasn’t helping his focus, but it did give him an extra boost of energy.

As the game progressed, the boys were getting more competitive. Kai and Taeyong were neck and neck, their teams pushing harder and harder to score. Y/n was right in the middle of it, doing his best to keep up with the pros.

Then, just as Y/n was preparing to intercept a pass from Jaehyun, he heard Winter again.

"Nice pass, Y/n!" someone from EXO called out, and a cheer erupted from the sidelines.

"Go, Y/n!" Winter’s roar rang out louder than the rest, catching him off guard for a second. He glanced over, noticing her beaming with pride as she cupped her hands around her mouth for emphasis. Karina smirked next to her, nudging Winter playfully, while Ningning and Giselle exchanged knowing looks.

Y/n’s cheeks reddened slightly as he quickly refocused on the game. He hadn’t expected Winter to be so... vocal. It was flattering, but also a little nerve-wracking. His mind wandered briefly—Did she do that for everyone, or was it just him?

-

The game was going well at first—Y/n had a few decent moments, made some good passes, and even managed to defend against a couple of NCT’s players. But halfway through the second half, things started to take a turn. The score was tied, and tensions were rising.

Then it happened—a missed pass, a perfect opportunity to score slipping through Y/n’s fingers as the ball sailed wide of the goalpost. He could feel his frustration bubbling up. He wasn’t usually one to let things get to him, but this time, something snapped.

"Ah, for f**k’s sake!" Y/n groaned, louder than he intended, as he slapped his hands on his knees in frustration.

The sudden outburst caught the attention of everyone nearby, including the girls on the sidelines.

"Did… did Y/n just curse in front of others and not us?" Karina asked, her eyes wide.

Winter and Ningning burst into laughter. "I think he did!" Winter replied, giggling. "Who knew our idiot could get so worked up?"

Y/n flushed, realising his mistake, but there was no taking it back now. He tried to refocus on the game, ignoring the snickering from the sidelines. Every time he glanced over, Winter was laughing, clearly enjoying his slip-up.

As the game continued, Y/n couldn’t help but notice how Winter’s cheers seemed to get louder every time he touched the ball. Even the other guys started to take notice.

"Looks like you’ve got some serious support there," Doyoung teased as they took a brief break for water.

"Yeah, seems like Winter’s really into it," Taeyong added with a smirk, nudging Y/n’s arm. "Anything you want to tell us?"

Y/n’s face turned crimson as he shook his head. "Nah, she’s just messing with me."

But when he looked back over at aespa, Winter caught his eye and waved, her grin wide and unmistakably mischievous. The other girls were laughing now too, clearly enjoying the spectacle of Y/n’s growing embarrassment.

"Yeah, right," Taeyong chuckled, not buying Y/n’s dismissal for a second. "You’re lucky, man. Most of us barely get a nod of acknowledgment from them, but she’s all about your game."

Y/n coughed awkwardly, trying to shrug it off as no big deal. But the truth was, it was kind of a big deal. Winter had been acting a little differently around him recently, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why the guys were teasing him about it.

-

As if things couldn’t get more intense, the skies darkened unexpectedly. Large, ominous clouds rolled in, and soon, raindrops began to fall. It started as a light drizzle, but within minutes, it turned into a full-on downpour.

The players on the field exchanged glances, but no one was ready to quit yet. If anything, the rain seemed to energize them. The ball slid across the slick grass, and the once casual game became more competitive.

Y/n, now soaked to the bone, found himself sprinting harder, making riskier plays, and diving for the ball like his life depended on it. The rain blurred his vision, but he kept pushing, determined to make up for his earlier mistake.

The girls were enjoying the intense match even more after the rain. Although, two different conversations were in the same spot.

"Is it just me, or Y/n actually look good in the rain…" Giselle gawked, feeling proud that dragging him to the gym was worth it.

"Oh right, true!" Ningning slapped Giselle's back repeatedly in excitement. "Damn, he's so manly!"

"Knock it off, you two." Karina smacked the cheeky members' head. "You're lucky that girl paid too much attention to the match like a fanatic right now."

The three of them glanced at Winter, whose voice cut through the rain, louder than ever. As if there wasn't anything else in this world at this moment, Winter kept on cheering with all of her might. She kept on waving around her cheerleading sticks, which gave some teasing ammo to the girls who mimicked her.

However, she was fully enjoying the cheer. "Come on, Y/n! Kick their butt!"

Y/n couldn’t help but smile. Her support was somehow both embarrassing and motivating at the same time.

-

The rain showed no signs of letting up, but the match was nearing its end. With the score still tied, both teams were fighting tooth and nail for the final point. Y/n’s team was on the offensive, and the ball was passed to him just outside the goal box.

"FINAL SHOT!!"

With a slick kick and a satisfying shout, Y/n sent the ball soaring toward the goal. Time seemed to slow down as the goalie dove, hands outstretched, but it was too late. The ball hit the back of the net.

"Goal!" Kai yelled, and the rest of the team rushed over to Y/n, cheering and high-fiving him despite the rain pouring down.

From the sidelines, aespa erupted into applause, with Winter shouting the loudest of all. "Y/n! You ducking did it!"

As Y/n stood there, drenched and exhausted, he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. The victory was sweet, but the way Winter looked at him, her face beaming with excitement, made it even sweeter.

-

With the game over, the rain finally began to ease up. The boys gathered at the edge of the field, dripping with water but laughing and talking excitedly about the match.

"Nice goal, Y/n," Taeyong said, clapping him on the back. "You really pulled through at the end."

"Thanks," Y/n said, still catching his breath. "It was tough, but fun."

The girls approached, still teasing him. "I can’t believe you cursed earlier!" Giselle said, shaking her head with a grin. "Our calm, collected manager, losing his cool on the field."

Ningning laughed. "I wish I’d recorded it!"

Winter, though, was a bit quieter, her smile soft but genuine. "You did great out there," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she caught Y/n’s eye.

"Thanks," he replied, feeling his heart skip a beat. Maybe the rain wasn’t the only reason his cheeks were flushed.

As they all headed back inside, Y/n couldn’t help but steal a few glances at Winter. The rain had brought out something unexpected today—both on the field and off. And maybe, just maybe, things were changing between them even more.

[rachelzeglertruther]

Why You're Wrong About Rachel Zegler

This is a long post, but there's a lot of context missing from the Rachel Zegler "discourse" that I thought I could add with my history of watching this unfold from the beginning.

The Snow White Thing

You probably know this part. There's a curated video of Rachel going viral, framed to make her seem like she's never seen Snow White, she hates the story, she hates the character, she's ungrateful, and single-handedly ruined Disney's brand. The clips from these videos are not new— they were released nearly a year ago in September 2022 and nobody cared about them at the time. Why? Because all the full interviews she did that day at the Disney Exo in 2022 showed a young, charming woman who was excited and proud to be cast in an iconic role. The interviews were very well received and it was a non story. Now that it's been edited down and cut together in a malicious way, and the people sharing them are purposefully misquoting her, they've twisted the context. Normally, this would be a non controversy. Even if that video wasn't taken out of context and spliced together to make her seem like she hates the film, most people wouldn't care. The issue is the response to the video.

Let's get this out of the way: Rachel Zegler doesn't hate Snow White. She relayed that she was afraid of the forest scene as a child and didn't revisit it again until after she was cast in the role. She has since then watched it several times and has expressed for YEARS before that interview came out that she was incredibly honored and grateful to be playing such an iconic Disney princess. If you watch the full videos that those clips came from, this comes across immediately to anyone with their own mind. If you hate someone for being scared of something as a child, I don't know what to tell you. If the role was being given to the biggest Snow White fan, you would be correct that she doesn't deserve it. Unfortunately for you, this role requires talent and Rachel has the Golden Globe and critical acclaim from people who matter within the industry (her peers and critics).

You know who does hate their beloved characters in beloved franchises but the general public still applauds them? Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, and Robert Pattinson. They've all expressed outright contempt for the roles and the films they were part of, but nobody cared. People had fun with their quotes but they still respected them. Rachel said nothing even closely resembling their remarks, but she's being torn to shreds. Are we seeing a pattern here?

Rachel never said a single bad thing about the character or the animated film— she said that it was outdated and that set people over the edge, foaming at the mouth to have her burned at the stake. If you think it would be perfectly fine to have a movie about an abused 14 year old girl run away to play housemaid for a bunch of men, get kissed in her sleep/death by an adult man, and then wake up to fall into his arms in 2024, that's certainly a hot take. If you're against remakes, direct your ire at Disney. But if you truly think that plot would work with young girls today, you're the one who's out of touch. It would do far more harm than good to portray a young woman in that light.

She also never said that there was anything wrong with romance or love. She said that the new Snow White wasn't only dreaming of that. I can't stress enough that this wasn't her decision… she was describing the plot of the new film that was written by Greta Gerwig and approved by Disney. There's a prince in the film and he will also have a more developed personality and storyline. If you have a problem with the writing, wait until it comes out so you can write your strongly worded letter to Greta. If you have a problem with the concept in general, take it up with Disney. There's no need for you to be defensive over hurting the legacy of a multi-billion dollar company or a 87 year old cartoon written by a proud racist antisemite. This is the most confusing part of the hate campaign to me because it wasn't even her opinion— she was literally describing the plot of the film she had nothing to do with. It also isn't a new thing. Disney actors have been promoting their newer films this way for years.

It's perfectly okay to like things that are problematic. It's becoming an issue that we refuse to acknowledge that maybe some things we love are harmful. What we can't do is justify why it's not problematic, and in fact everyone who calls it out is the problem and NOT their precious cartoon. The 1937 Snow White was an amazing feat of animation. It's a classic for a reason. But it was also Hitler's favorite film and was directed by a white supremacist (the one who is "rolling in his grave" due to Rachel's existence, according to his son). Things don't exist in a vacuum and we can't ignore the bad parts.

How We Got Here:

The thing that everyone is missing is the source of this campaign. This started in September of 2020 when transphobic actor Gina Carano made fun of trans people by changing her pronouns to beep/bop.boop. Rachel indirectly called her out by coming to the defense of the trans community.

She never called out Gina by name (though she rightfully could have). Mind you, Rachel's first film hadn't come out yet. Nobody knew who she was outside of those of us who were anticipating West Side Story and were fans of her covers on YouTube. She was a "nobody" in the industry. Take this part with a grain of salt because I can't confirm it, but Gina and her fans directly blame Rachel for her being banned from Twitter. Again, I really don't think that matters as she's harmful to the trans community and shouldn't have a platform. What does matter is that fans of Gina (which, let's be real, are just fans of transphobia) have been stalking Rachel's every move since then. Unfortunately for them, there wasn't much they could use against her other than to call her woke and #snowbrown when she was cast a year later as the Disney princess. The noise has always been there, but unless you were a fan of hers, you probably didn't hear about it. It wasn't until two years after this that they had something else against her.

If you've recently seen a video of Rachel crying circulating that claims to be her reaction to the recent Snow White backlash, it's an old video. It's from a vlog from her youtube channel posted in June 2022. It was in response to these exact same transphobic anti-woke conservatives who thought that they had something when she did an interview on the red carpet of the Shazam premiere. When asked why she joined the DC universe, she responded "I needed a job." It was generally well received by most people who thought it was cute and funny, but those who were waiting in the shadows latched onto it as an excuse to send her death threats.

The video was also about a month after she was invited to present at the 2022 Oscars and was made to seem like she bullied the Academy (as a no name newcomer, mind you) into letting her attend. In reality, a fan left a comment on her Instagram asking what she was wearing to the event. She responded that she wasn't invited but would be rooting for everyone from her couch in her boyfriend's pajamas. It was the public who demanded she get an invite and the Oscar's must have agreed that it was very odd that the lead actress of a film that was nominated for Best Film wouldn't get an invite. Whether it was an oversight on their part or a scheduling issue with Rachel's filming, I truly think there was no malicious intent from either party. Keep in mind, she used to be very active with her fans (she's a huge fangirl of things herself and has always had a strong relationship with her fans) and she wasn't used to her comments becoming articles and national tv segments. This was the first time it happened to her. It appears she learned that she's not just a girl who posts on YouTube anymore and she's going to be put under a microscope for every move she makes. She has since shut down her Instagram comments and rarely interacts with fans outside of liking comments these days because of this.

I know this is long, but I need people to understand where this is all coming from. It didn't just happen out of nowhere. It's an orchestrated campaign built by violent conservatives, and thousands of women who saw Barbie this summer are hopping on the bandwagon to beat another woman into submission because they have a lot of internalized misogyny to deal with. She's not smug, you just hate women. It's okay to find people annoying, but it's valuable to look into why you think that. If you see a confident young woman expressing views that don't actually harm anyone and you think she needs to be "humbled" and "put in her place" by the entire internet dogpiling her, you've lost your mind. Using "body language experts" (fake job) to diagnose her as a psychopath is so vile. Everytime someone mentions her name online, the comments beneath it are full of the most violent, misogynistic, racist things I've ever seen. If you're contributing to that, you've chosen your side. Reevaluate or seek help.

I'm tired of seeing this happen to young women. We let this happen to Jennifer Lawrence, Brie Larson, Millie Bobby Brown, Halle Bailey, and Jenna Ortega. It's one thing to call out celebrities and hold them accountable when they're doing something actively harmful, but that's not what this is about. That's never been what this is about. We pick these girls to pieces and examine them and pull them apart to justify our hatred of young women who rise to success too quickly for our liking. We dogpile and try to stamp out the flame before they burn too bright. Barbie is still in theaters and you all loved it, yet you're demanding that a bright girl with a big future be small and submissive and humbled because you have issues. That's not feminism. You're just the girls who would have bullied Weird Barbie for using her hands too much when she talks.

[femdomlieeh]

Pink Blush (m)

First time Sub!Haechan ✧ Secretly Dom!Reader

WC—1.8 k

THEMES—new relationship ✧ nsfw fluff (?) ✧ borderline smut

WARNING—punishment ✧ teasing (m!g) ✧ masturbation (m) ✧ use of handcuffs & strap on ✧ praise ✧ light degradation ✧ pet names "mommy", "channie", "bad boy"✧ mentions of gender stereotypes (ew), safe words & (future) pegging

NOW PLAYING—Tattoo ✧ Loreen

[A/N.] old xiumin (exo) version

When this post gets 100 votes I’ll publish a stray kids group reaction chapter👍

M.LISTS—nct 127 ✧ dream ✧ latest updates ✧ wp version

All rights reserved © femdomlieeh

✧ ੈ ✧ ‧₊˚ * ੈ ✧‧₊˚＊* ੈ ✧ ‧₊˚ * ੈ ✧‧₊˚＊* ✧ ੈ ✧

"Come on~! Show me~!" Haechan whined in your ear for the umpteenth time today.

Like all the previous times, you answered no.

Yesterday your boyfriend had found out that you had a mommy kink and liked being dominant in the bed (You had left a wattpad tab open on our shared laptop because you were apparently too tired to click on the cross), and, although that should've been something positive, you didn't want him to know.

On a daily basis, he already got critique for being younger (looking younger) than his partner, and being too 'feminine' and 'cutesy' – so, to want him to submit to you and make him match other people's perception of him was selfish and thus something you refused to do.

The theory of genders having specific power roles was something you'd always been opposed to, as you do not believe a gender determines a level of power. Truthfully, you couldn't care less if your boyfriend wanted to break gender stereotypes or not — damn, he could wear 'girly' clothes and/or put make up on if he wanted to — but you did care about what he thought of himself.

He didn't like it when people commented on how much younger he looked than he was. He didn't like it when people described him as feminine instead of masculine. He didn't like it when people [excluding you and some of his friends] called him cute. He didn't think that having any of those characteristics was wrong; he just didn't want people to call him those things.

"Please?" He attempted to lure you in with his gleaming puppy eyes – which usually worked – but that method didn't work this time around, because the great amount of vexation he had brought to you today had made you fully resistant to his cuteness.

"No, I don't want to hurt you," you answered with a blank face, trying your best to find a seemingly interesting movie on Netflix, that you hadn't already seen, so your boyfriend could give up his dumb quest. It was a little confusing why he wanted to try these types of thing with you, knowing how he felt about being belittled by others.

"I thought you said that we should always be honest with each other and always be ourselves," he argued, making a valid point since you had said those words from the start of your relationship.

"But I also said I never wanted us to hurt each other," you retorted in defense, feeling more and more irritated by the second.

Leaning and sinking down a little bit on the sofa, Haechan wanted to be more comfortable as he knew this conversation would be long. Chewing on the strings of his pink hoodie, he looked at and studied you; frown, annoyed sighs, hard grip on the remote, darker lips from biting on them – everything pointed at you being mad, and thus rather sensitive.

Then a bulb lit above his head.

"But what if I like it when you hurt me?"

You turned your head to his side. There it was. Exactly what he wanted to see. An expression on your face that told him that if he continued this route, he would get fucked. Whether it was literally or metaphorically, he wanted to find out.

"I'm leaving," you announced and stood up as quickly as the short sentence ended. You had to leave, because Haechan was pushing your buttons and you knew that if you stayed for longer you could end up doing what you had been trying to avoid since he had found out about the femdom part of you.

His face changed from calm puppy to clingy puppy with separation anxiety, scared of its owner leaving. This was not the reaction he had tried to get from you. He stood up and followed your fast steps to the bedroom. As soon as he saw you throw one of your biggest bags onto the floor, followed up by some clothing pieces, he felt his blood freeze. Were you leaving as in leaving the relationship?

"Why are you packing?" he asked, scared of your answer.

"I'm going to Irene's. I can't stay with you when you're making me crazy like this." What you said was true; you were sure he'd crack your patience and make you go full sadist on him if you stayed in the same room as him for another minute – or even worse: another hour or whole night.

He felt relieved that you weren't breaking up with him over a silly argument, but he still didn't want you to stay over at your friend's when you both knew that it would be smarter to solve the tension instead.

"Stay with me," he pleaded lowly, sensing he didn't have many other options than pleading and hoping it'd be persuasive enough for you to stay with him.

"We need a night without each to calm down and have an adult discussion, alright?" you tried to explain, grabbing your now-fully-packed bag, and heading to the door to continue your journey to your awesome best friend.

When Haechan didn't talk back, you turned away from the doorway and to the bed to see why he was being quiet and not protesting some more like he usually would. He was looking you in the eyes as he pulled the hoodie off his torso and threw it your way. You caught it in your hand. Proceeding, he pulled down his pants, making sure he did it slowly enough to send you signals that he wasn't planning on putting on his PJs.

As he stood in only his boxers in front of you, a new bulb lit up above his head – and this one was even brighter than the last one – maybe he did have more options than to plead and strip.

With a smirk he sat down on the foot of the bed, maintaining eye contact, and pulled down his boxers to reveal his hard cock. You were speechless when he had stripped down to almost full nudity, but what shocked you the most was that just speaking to him disrespectfully had turned him on.

The moment he started touching his cock and moaning like a bitch, you realized that he had purposely been naughty so you could punish him. He had whined in you ear all day, stripped and masturbated when you wanted to leave because he wanted this; he wanted to be punished.

So, you decided to do it.

You dropped the bag and went to your wardrobe, taking out a box you'd kept secret from Haechan. He looked your way curiously, analyzing your reaction while still stroking his cock rudely. Damn, he hoped you were doing something femdom related.

"Safeword?" you asked, examining the nostalgic box of memory-making apparatuses, trying to decide which ones you wanted to use to make memories tonight.

"Sun," he answered, smiling at the victory; he was going to get fucked literally.

"I hope you understand that I'm going to have to punish you for being such a naughty boy."

"Yes, Mommy," he said oh so naturally.

You looked back at him after he said the last word, watching him lay down on the bed, boxers in a random corner of the room. He seemed experienced or like he'd had a fantasy about calling you that word for a while, no stutter, and thankfully that made it easier for you decide on which toys to use on him.

"Naughty boys don't deserve to touch Mommy," you turned to him with a pair of pink, fluffy handcuffs. He blushed a little, not expecting the object you chose to punish him with to be so adorable. Did he seriously think that was all you were going to use as punishment when he'd riled you up like this?

How cute.

Walking slowly to him, you threw the cuffs onto the bed beside his legs and startled him a bit at the suddenness of the action. He had teased you, and you wanted to make sure he'd feel teased as well – and what better way to do that than to use one of his biggest weaknesses against him? Smirking, you pulled off your shirt, leaving your upper body in only a bra – a pink one. He had always liked that color – though he denied it since it wasn't manly to like pink.

You climbed on top of his body and took the cuffs in your hands again, getting ready to restrain him. He was breathing heavily, getting aroused by your body above his, and especially by your boobs that were clad in such a lovely color. Although he liked the bra, he would've loved to see your boobs without anything covering them.

"Hold your arms up for me, Channie," you ordered, to which he listened to instantly. He held them up against the bed frame, assuming you were going to cuff him to it. But he was wrong. You didn't want him to predict his punishment; you wanted everything to be a surprise that not even his fantasy could come close to.

Instead of cuffing his wrists to the frame of the bed, you cuffed them to nothing. Yes, nothing. It may sound boring to restrain your partner to nothing, but it was the opposite; restraining him to air meant that he still could choose to disobey you further by bringing his arms down. "You're going to keep your arms here, and if you at any point put them down and touch me it'll add to your punishment, understood?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"Oh, don't act like a good boy all of a sudden. You're getting punished for a reason, Haechannie," you scoffed lightly, feeling soft from the sweetness that seemed to ooze naturally whether he tried to or not.

"But I am a good boy," he pouted, adding to the cuteness you adored so much.

"Only if you can manage this punishment, but until then you're a bad boy," you explained and turned back to the box to grab the last part of the punishment. He continued pouting, until he saw the object you took out: a strap on. After removing your pants, you put the fake dick on and adjusted it to your hips.

The strap wasn't bigger than the average dick as you didn't know how used he was to having dildos shoved up his ass – and even though you wanted to hurt him, you were still cautious over how harsh you were with him. He was your squishy Haechannie after all.

"You ready, Channie?" you asked as you crawled back to him, searching his face for any uncertainty. His big eyes and toothy smile hinted at him anticipating what you were about to do, but you still wanted a verbal answer as you wanted to make sure he was OK with being pegged.

He nodded quickly, "Yes, Mommy, I'm always ready for you."

✧ ੈ ✧ ‧₊˚ * ੈ ✧‧₊˚＊* ੈ ✧ ‧₊˚ * ੈ ✧‧₊˚＊* ✧ ੈ ✧

❝ Violins playin' and the angels cryin'

When the stars align, then I'll be there

No, I don't care about them all

'Cause all I want is to be loved

And all I care about is you

You're stuck on me like a tattoo

No, I don't care about the pain

I'll walk through fire and through rain

Just to get closer to you

You're stuck on me like a tattoo ❞

—lorine zineb noka talhaoui; 2023

[kimbappykidding]

Hot things about Exo that drive you crazy

Xiumin - How he handles people who under-estimate him

Your boyfriend was the king of surprising people. He had a youthful face but was nearly 33. He was chill and quiet but a world-famous kpop idol. He looked sweet and innocent but was cheeky and incredibly powerful...which one jackass found out.

You and Xiumin went to the gym together often because he didn't always have a lot of free time and every minute counted. Lately, a new guy had started coming to your gym and he was so annoying. He'd take up more space than necessary, thought he knew better than anyone and always liked to give the female gym goers in particular tips about what they were doing wrong. Xiumin hadn't seen him before as he'd been touring recently but you pointed him out to him the second you walked in together. Xiumin kept an eye on him but had no problems...until the guy appeared at his machine and started watching him. Xiumin could tell the guy had something to say but purposefully ignored him, not wanting to give him any attention...however that didn't stop him.

"Are you are you should be using this machine?" the guy asked and Xiumin looked at him "what makes you ask that?". "Just it's for proper body bulders not softer guys". Xiumin bit back his comment and smiled "I'm fine thanks" but the guys didn't let it go. "No but if you hurt yourself I'm the one who will have to save you". "Is there an issue here?" you asked coming over and Xiumin shook his head "don't worry it's all good" and put some more weights on his machine. "Come on little guy, you don't want to load too much on just to try and look good in front of a girl" the man said. Xiumin looked at you and nodded "you're right I do want to look good in front of her" and he put more on. The guy kept telling Xiumin he wouldn't be able to do it all the way up until Xiumin lifted the bar effortlessly above his head. The man's jaw dropped as he did 15 perfect reps and then set the bar down. "Hey Y/n can you hold my jumper?" he called taking it off and revealing his huge arms. "Sure thing babe" you called back and smirked as the guy's jaw dropped again.

He watched Xiumin do 30 more sets, just to be sure of course, and then interrupted. "Hey I'm so sorry, you just look so cute and tiny. I never thought you'd be able to lift that or have a girl like that" he admitted. Xiumin laughed "hey it's cool man, I mean it's not like you can control your thought rights?". "Yeah exactly!" the guy said but Xiumin shook his head "wrong. You can control your thoughts with enough will power and now I know what's going on in that head if I ever see you looking at my girlfriend again I'll show you just how not cute I am". "Hey there's no need to get testy" the guy said but Xiumin wasn't done. "Actually there is, let's say you are too weak-brained to control your thoughts that doesn't mean you say them out loud. You keep them to yourself instead of forcing all of us to listen to you. You seem to think we all want to hear you but we don't!" Xiumin said "so why don't you do everyone here a favour and find another gym huh?". The guy saw a member of staff just watching and looked at him "are you going to let me talk to him like that?". The member of staff remembered how just earlier today the man had knocked over a row of yoga blocks without picking them up, never rolled up his mat and ignored all the signs asking gymgoers to tidy up after themselves. "Yeah I am" he replied and the guy stormed out.  

You rushed over to Xiumin and hugged him. Xiumin assured you he was okay but that wasn't why you were wrapped around him.  "Okay that was hot" you whispered in Xiumin's ear and you felt his tension go from anger to something else. "It was?" he asked and you nodded "Incredibly hot, I love it when you tell assholes off. It always puts me in the mood...but you have another 30 minutes of your workout regime to do so guess I'll just have to wait" you said sighing dramatically and went to move away before Xiumin caught your hand "I think I can cut it short today". "Really?" you asked "but I know how important getting a good workout is for you". "Yeah well don't worry, I'll be getting a good workout, we both will" and you couldn't even pretend to fight it anymore.

So the two of you left hand in hand with huge smiles on your faces. Very keen to get home and start the home workout you had planned.  

Suho - How he doesn't care what people think

Suho would do anything for you and you meant anything. He did not care what the task was or how it made him look, if you wanted it, he'd do it. Once when your dog lost her toy in a fountain Suho just dove right in and retrreied it for her. He didn't care he was wearing expensive clothing or surrounded by people all watching him. You needed something and he got it. Then another time he got photographed while on a tampon run for you. You worried he'd be mad but he couldn't have cared less and when you pressed him on it he simply said "why would I care about what people other than you, my family and the guys think?" and you felt like the most special person in the world to be included in that group.

You still had no idea how far Suho was willing to go for you though until one night...

You and Suho were at a nice fancy restaurant for your 2 years anniversary and everything was going great...until you realised there had been some food on your chair before you sat down. It was brown-coloured too and had a strong resemblance to something you really didn't want on the back of your dress. Of course, you noticed right after you'd paid and were about to leave the restaurant. Neither you nor Suho had jackets because it was summer and to get to the exit you had to pass rows and rows of tables all pointed at you. You knew a few people here too and really didn't want them seeing you like this. Suho suggested shielding you with his body as you walked but you knew that would look so odd. Suho could see you were getting really stressed and came up with a solution.

"Okay here are the car keys, wait for my signal and go" he told and he hurried off before you could ask what the signal was. So you sat wondering what on earth to go when you heard an almighty crash. You, and everyone in the restaurant, turned and you gasped to see Suho covered in some spaghetti and red sauce, surrounded by a ton of broken plates and a very pink waiter. The waiter was apologising profoundly while Suho told them it was okay. You were staring in shock before Suho saw you and motioned to the door. "It's fine really!" Suho said and pretended to slip on some sauce and fall back into the trolley, spilling more food. You couldn't believe Suho would go this far for you and hurried from the restaurant. Nobody even batted an eyelid at you and you made it to the car still in shock.

10 minutes later Suho appeared wearing a t-shirt and shorts that weren't his with a white bag which you assumed contained his clothes. He got in and sighed "phew I'm ready for home!". "I'll say" you replied "what was that?". "What was what?" he asked before nodding "oh that? Well you needed a distraction and I was more than happy to give it". "But you hate breaking social conventions and embarrassing people". "Yeah but I hate you being upset more" he replied and you blinked. Suho the most polite, kind soul in the world would cause a scene in a nice restaurant just so you didn't feel bad.

You kissed him and Suho blinked "what was that for?". "For doing that for me, it was really sweet and I honestly very hot. Not a lot of guys would be willing to utterly embarrass themselves for their girl". "Well I'll always do it for you" Suho said and he leaned in to kiss you again before wincing as his arm brushed the seat. "Suho what's wrong?" you asked looking at his arm before gasping when you saw a cut.  "Your poor arm!" you cried inspecting it and Suho shook his head "it's fine..." but you weren't having it. "No it's not! We're getting you home where I can clean your arm and then we're taking a shower" you said putting the car into gear. Suho nodded happily before one thing stood out to him "you said we're taking a shower". You nodded "that kiss got cut off a bit prematurely right? Figured we could make up for it in the shower if you wanted?". Suho sat up straighter and nodded "yep! And feel free to skip any red lights you want to get home". You laughed shaking your head "slow down, what's the rush. I said you'd get a reward and you will, just sit back and relax". Suho looked at you with a smile and did as you said.

You'd never seen him tenser in your life...but you more than made up for it.

Lay - His innocent face when he's doing something bad.

Lay had a very chilled personality and a very beautiful innocent face to match...but Lay was far from innocent and he caused a lot of trouble for you with that combination.

Lay loved to tease you, especially when other people were around. His favourite trick was to rest his hand on your thigh or lower back when you were talking to someone. He'd tap his fingers against your skin or rub circles and just drive you crazy. He'd always shoot you an innocent confused look when you stared at him but you knew he knew what he was doing and that made him even hotter.

As he got more confident he started doing it around his members. You were eating with Exo one night when you noticed Lay watching you. You weren't sure why until you felt someone's foot budging yours. You soon realised it was Lays as he was sat across from you and kicked it away playfully but it just came back and started making it's way up your leg. Your eyes widened and you stared at Lay sure he wouldn't be doing something like this but he just smiled slightly and carried on eating like nothing was happening. Then when his leg got to a certain height you couldn't take it. You jumped, kicking the table and nearly gave Baekhyun a heart attack as he fumbled with his drink. "Jesus Y/n don't do that!" Baekhyun said and you gasped "I'm sorry!". "What's wrong?" D.O. asked and you shook your head "nothing my leg just fell asleep" and Baekhyun shook his head at you but Lay was softly smirking.

After that you decided to pout and not speak to him but when you all moved to the living room to watch a movie Lay actually got Sehun to swap seats so he could sit next to you. When you still didn't respond to him he hovered over your shoulder "are you mad at me?" he asked softly and you nodded "yes". "But I didn't do anything wrong" he said shaking a hand around the back of you where the boys couldn't see. "Yes you did" you sayd and elbowed his hand away. Lay sat back but wasn't done that easily. He could see how tense you were and knew you wanted him.

So he waited for the movie to start and then asked Suho for a blanket which he spread over the two of you. Lay had purposefully left his hands out so that when he touched you, his hands were cold making you jump. The guys noticed you move and Baekhyun laughed "leg fell asleep again?". "Something like that" you nodded and put your hand over Lay's to stop him from moving it. All he did instead was move closer to you, pulling you onto his knee. You tried to ignore the feeling of him pressed up behind you and focus on the movie but it was so difficult. You released Lay's arms and he wrapped them around you burying his head in your neck. "Lay!" you whispered and he looked at you "what? The movie's scary Y/n and you're my comfort person" and buried his head kissing your neck. You were torn between wanting Lay to continue and not wanting the guys to see anything.

Finally, 30 minutes later Kai paused the film for a bathroom break and you sprang up to go get a drink from the kitchen. Lay of course followed you and you ambushed him as soon as he walked through the door. You pushed him against the door and kissed him hard. You got all your pent-up tension out and let your hand wander over Lay the way he'd been doing it to you. Lay loved it and was soon panting and gripping you tightly. When you could feel him getting desperate you pulled away and he blinked his eyes open. "Want to go upstairs?" Lay asked and you smiled pretending to consider it before shaking your head "nahhh you're getting punished not rewarded. I hear the movie's 3 hours long so have fun thinking about what you did" and you strode back into the living room and purposefully took a seat sandwiched between Suho and Chen.

Two could play this game and Lay's pouty lips were your best reward.

Baekhyun - How everyone wants him...but he only wants you.

Baekhyun was hot and everyone knew it. He also wasn't shy and that meant he attracted a lot of attention from everyone within a 50-mile radius who was attracted to men. You knew Baekhyun was a flirt and didn't mind him flirting back with other idols for one important reason...he was yours.

So part of you loved to see the effect Baekhyun had on other people. Watching people stare after him and get giddy when he spoke to them made you realise how in-demand your boyfriend was. You knew it was petty but you just couldn't resist it. It also had an added layer as the two of you weren't out as a couple and couldn't be together in public. So nobody but you and Baekhyun knew what this was all about and it made you feel so special to have him as your precious secret and because Baekhyun knew you liked it he did it even more.

It was almost like a game and you watched as Baekhyun entered the party with his Exo members and noted who was watching him. A few people called out to him as he passed and he waved to them before heading to the bar. Baekhyun smiled as he passed you and you tried not to react. It took 5 minutes after Exo sat down for some people to join them at the table. The girl in question purposefully sat on Baekhyun's right and you saw her trying to get his attention. He eventually humoured her and started chatting to her. She blushed as he said something and then burst out laughing patting his arm. Some of the people were so obvious in their attraction to Baekhyun but you couldn't blame them, your boyfriend was sexy as hell.

Then the Exo boys got up to dance and Baekhyun managed to lose the girl but two more appeared on the other side of him. "Aren't you going to go out there and compete for him?" your member, who knew you were dating Baekhyun, asked. You smiled "why compete when you've already won?" but did join in the dancing a little later and caught Baekhyun staring at you, past some girls dancing in front of him. His gaze always reassured you and made you feel like the most desirable person in the world. Baekhyun just had that effect on you.

Baekhyun loved seeing the glint in your eye and the pride on your face and when he couldn't take it anymore he came over to you. "How it's going ladies?" he asked addressing all your members and they all gave him responses before his eyes fell to you "Y/n?" he asked sinking into a seat next to you. "How are you?". "I'm good" you said "I enjoyed watching you having fun. Seems like you're quite popular". "I am" Baekhyun admitted "women like me but I already have a gorgeous one I'm crazy for". "Yeah but they're all gorgeous girls too" you replied "she can't be that special". "She's the hottest, funniest, smartest woman I've ever met so yeah she's that special" he said and you smiled. "Speaking of, I miss her so I'm gonna go head home to her". You all said goodbye to Baekhyun and 10 minutes later your member passed you your coat.

The second you got outside you were swept into someone's arms and Baekhyun's lips were on yours. You kissed him back happily and when you separated kept your foreheads pressed together. "Hi" Baekhyun said and you giggled "hi". Baekhyun saw your flushed cheeks and smiled "I can't believe this works for you every time". You shrugged "I like to feel special and you make me feel special, is that so bad?". "No not at all" Baekhyun said kissing you again before pulling you towards a taxi so he could get you home. "Plus it's funny to see how far you're going to push it...sometimes I think you like to push it so I'll punish you", Baehyun smirked widely telling you, you were correct. "What on earth gave you that idea?" he asked and you laughed. "I can see right through you" you whispered "and I know you're mine". "I am" Baekhyun said with a huge smile on his face "so what are going to do with me?". His timing was perfect as always as his apartment came into view. "Why don't we go find out?" you replied.  

Chanyeol - How quickly he can change from cute to hot

Chanyeol knew pretty much everyone in the idol business and being a likeable boy, he had lots of friends. So whenever you went anywhere bubbly idol Chanyeol made an appearance but your Chanyeol was never far away.

Your car pulled up to the event and Chanyeol hesitated, searching his phone for the ticket. Chanyeol didn't need the ticket to get in, he'd get in because he was Chanyeol, but you thought it was sweet how he never assumed and still got his invite up. "You ready?" he asked turning to you when you'd found it and you nodded but Chanyeol could see you were unsure. "You look beautiful Y/n" he told you and you paused sighing. You were a stunt-woman and had gotten bruised on a stun slightly so were worried you didn't look your best. "Are you sure?" you asked "because I can always go home if people will ask about my appearance". In response Chanyeol kissed you "the only thing people will be talking about is how fucking hot you look in red and how lucky I am" he said and together you stepped out of the car. You were still blushing from Chanyeol's comment but he was now waving at fans and beaming at the staff. He had his cute face on but when he looked at you, you saw that falter slightly and he shot you a smirk and a wink before waving to the crowd once more. Only you got to see the way he looked at you and you loved that.

Once you got inside the party Chanyeol was in his element, surrounded by all his friends and colleagues. He chatted to them all and of course included you in all the conversations. Even when the conversation was about something work-related, he'd hook an arm around you or play with the texture of your dress just to let you know he was thinking about you. Chanyeol lived to make you feel special and it was so sexy.

The party passed in a blur and before you knew it you had to leave to do some quick errands. The two of you were waiting for your ride but everyone that passed said something to Chanyeol and he knew them all. You were amazed he could actually be friends with so many people but your boyfriend was just that friendly! "I can't wait to get home" Chanyeol said and you nodded "yeah I need out of this dress and into something comfy instead". Chanyeol smiled "I can help you get out of that dress" and you paused taken aback by how quickly his voice changed. He could say something like that and make you tense up with anticipation in seconds.

Before you could response a couple came over to say goodbye. They knew each other from school and the guy couldn't believe Chanyeol actually remembered him but that was Chanyeol's charm. "Have a great night, say hi to your parents for me!" Chanyeol called waving to them as they walked away before moving back in "how about we skip the dry cleaners and just go home?". You paused "but don't you need that for tomorrow?". "I do but I need you more" he replied and the whiney note in his voice made you nod "okay yeah let's go" and you tugged him towards the exit. Chanyeol laughed but didn't move "easy tiger we've got to wait for our car remember?" he asked showing you the screen of his phone with the taxi. You groaned "this is why we should always bring a car". "To be fair the driver's 2 minutes away, we wouldn't have got home much quicker". "Yes but we could've used the car!" you said "you have blackout windows" and Chanyeol froze "I never thought of that". You could practically see the plans forming in his head. "I've got an idea" he said whispering in your ear again and you were desperate to hear what he was going to say when Red Velvet appeared and Chanyeol turned into big brother mode.

He insisted on picking up Yeri tomorrow because she had no ride to av event they had and Yeri turned to you "is he always like this Y/n? So sweet and kind?". You smirked looking at him "he is but he also has a darker side" and all the girls "ohhhed" while Irene frowned "as in bad boy side?". You paused "more sexy side" and Chanyeol went bright red as all the girls laughed. As luck would have it, your taxi had just pulled up outside and so Chanyeol separated you from the girls and got you in the car. "Can't believe you told them about my sexy side" he whispered to you and you laughed "why was it a secret? All I'm saying is your company needs you to star in a kdrama yesterday!". The taxi driver asked directions and Chanyeol told him before turning back to you with his sexy mode on. "The only person I want to perform for is you" he said and you smiled "good point, you still haven't given me a show of your latest comeback song". "Sir are we heading to the dry cleaners or home?" the taxi driver and this time Chanyeol didn't turn his mode off. "Straight home" he said never taking his eyes off you "I've got the show of my life to star in".

D.O. - How he commands respect without even raising his voice

Now you were only human, so you did find it quite hot how none of the Exo members messed with your boyfriend. Even Baekhyun fled after causing any trouble and you quite enjoyed the power he held. He might not be the tallest or strongest but he was the scariest and that was so goddamn attractive!

This thought occurred to you anytime you were around the guys and on this occasion, you were on holiday together. The guys did have some filming to do first though and you were relaxing in the sun while they worked and found yourself watching them. They were debating where would be best to film and Kai suggested somewhere but the manager said they shouldn't in case they got a tan. D.O. immediately objected to the idea of dark being bad (because it's not) and argued until the shot the video in the sun. Then in between takes Baekhyun found a water gun and began squirting the other members. He wasn't even aiming at D.O. but when your boyfriend turned around Baekhyun flinched and you smiled at D.O's confused face.

You could see the guys scheming though as Baekhyun whispered to Chanyeol and Sehun and knew he was planning something but so did D.O. When the director called cut Baekhyun turned to squirt D.O. but he was ready and he simply picked Baekhyun up and dumped him kicking and squirming into the pool. It was hilarious and you laughed along with the others then D.O. also pushed Sehun in who dragged Chanyeol and it was even better! The guys were all slightly in awe as were you but D.O. just shrugged it off, giving his mic to the staff and walking over to you. "Want to go on that walk?" he asked you and you nodded "yeah let's go" and walked away feeling like a very proud girlfriend.

It wasn't even his members who reacted this way to D.O. As you walked down the street vendors called out to you but not with the typical cheesy lines. Instead, they greeted you both professionally and addressed him as sir and gentleman. You stopped off at a jewellery stand because D.O. saw you looking at it and once again the man deferred to D.O. and treated both of you with the upmost respect. You got a good deal for the bracelet you liked and a beautiful bag to put it in and you suspected it was because the man didn't dare try anything with D.O.

As you left you wandered to the beach and you curled up next to D.O. You were affectionate but this was more than usual and D.O. smiled "if I knew it would make you this happy I'd have bought you 5 bracelets" he said. You smiled shaking your head "it's not the bracelet it's you". "Me?" he asked "why what have I done" and you explained everything you'd witnessed. "You're just so strong and have such a presence, it's so hot! You don't even realise either and that makes it even hotter you're a natural-born commander". D.O. was impervious to most things but your compliments always broke him and he smiled at you happily. "Really?" he asked "you like that about me?". "A lot" you agreed staring at him and D.O. smiled "well how about we go back to the hotel and I intimidate the guys a little more and then we disappear somewhere together". You jumped to your feet and held out your hand for D.O.'s "let's go!".

It was an incredibly fun business trip/holiday.  

Kai - The way he looks at you

Now when most people think of Exo Kai's best feature probably don't think of his eyes. The go-to is probably his hips which move like butter, his chiselled abs, golden tan or his pouty lips. All things which people imagine they could get a lot of use out of but your favourite feature about your boyfriend was his eyes and they could drive you as crazy as any other body part.

Kai wasn't a rookie idol, he'd learned to perfectly shape his face into a mask no matter his inner feelings and so he had to be subtle when he teased you in public...for that he used his eyes. You could be across the room at an award show and you'd feel his gaze on you and blush. Or you'd be at a dinner with friends and he'd catch your eye across the table. He'd smile and tilt his head to the side and you'd know what he meant. His eyes conveyed it all and when they asked if anyone wanted dessert you both said no. Kai also used his eyes to make sure you were okay whenever you were at public events. It was just a slight softening of them and a small nod and you'd know what he was asking and feel so reassured by him.

So you adored Kai's eyes but he had no idea about this. One day you were with the Exo members and somehow Kai's body had come up as a topic. It was lighthearted and they were just debating which body part of his they would take if they could. You were leaning against Kai, his arm around your holding you close when they turned the topic to you. "Y/n what do you think Kai's best feature is?" they asked. You'd just gotten back in the country today so were a little sleepy and replied "his eyes" before yawning. "His ass?" Baekhyun asked and you laughed "no his eyes!". "His eyes?" Chanyeol asked confused and you nodded "yeah I think it's his most beautiful feature. They're such a beautiful colour and they're very expressive. He can tell so many stories with his eyes alone". The guys all made noises and you found yourself blushing because you'd admitted an intimate detail of your life.

At the next opportunity, Kai got you alone and asked you about it. "Do you really go weak for my eyes?" he asked and you went bright red. "You do!" he cried "how did I never notice this before? I'm totally using this". "That's why I didn't tell you! I didn't want you thinking you could just bat your pretty eyes at me and I'd do whatever you wanted" you said. Kai smiled "but you will though...or at least will do somethings when I bat my eyes at you" he said his hands snaking around your waist and finding their way under your top. "Kai!" you scolded him "your friends are all in the next room" but he just smiled "so?" and that made his eyes smile too which made you sigh. "How can you say no to them Y/n?" he asked batting his eyes at you and moving so you could see them at different angles. "You know you want me" Kai whispered and you were jus about to give in when Chen walked in. "Sorry didn't mean to interrupt I just need some water" he said and awkwardly made his way to the sink and filled a glass. That interruption though was enough to give you a breath of non-Kai air and when he turned back to you, you were ready. "Nope" you said as he reached out to you "I'm not going to be yours anytime just because your eyes are amazing. So we're going to sit in there, I'm not going to look at you and then I will punish you later for what you've done". "Yes please!" Kai said and you sighed "you're not meant to like your punishment!". "Oh but I know I will" Kai grinned and you shook your head "you're unbelievable!". "Just wait until later when you punish me" he replied and you shook your head "I'm leaving now". Kai called after you but you couldn't look back...because you knew you'd see what those beautiful eyes were doing and crumble.

Sehun - How he stand-up for you

You knew Sehun wasn't a fan of confrontation and always wanted people to get along, so when his friend Sanghoon took a disliking to you after a misunderstanding, you were unsure how he'd respond but Sehun handled it perfectly. 

Sehun tried to play nice at first, he was polite and explained the misunderstanding before encouraging the two of you to try and move past it. However, when his friend made it clear on numerous occasions he had no interest in getting to know you and rudely rebuked all your attempts to be friends, Sehun called it. He took him to one side at a party and told his friend he could either speak to you respectfully or leave. Which Sanghoon did not like.

"We've been friends for 4 years! You're going to ditch me for some girl?". "Her name's Y/n" Sehun replied sternly but calmly. "I don't give a shit what her name is!" his friend replied and Sehun took a breath, looked at you to make sure you were all right and then carried on. "Don't disrespect her or be rude to Y/n in front of me ever again. I know we've been friends for 4 years but that doesn't mean you get a pass for behaving badly. Y/n is my girlfriend but even if she wasn't she doesn't deserve to be spoken of like that and I won't bring someone into her life who treats her that way. If your behaviour changes then we can talk but until then, please get out" Sehun said gesturing to the door. "You're not even going to hear me out?" his friend asked and Sehun shook his head "not unless there's an apology for Y/n". "but I've done nothing wrong!" he cried and started ranting but Sehun held up his hand "I've said all I wanted to, please leave. Now". 

You'd never considered Sehun and intimidating person before but the way he stood tall and stared at his friend, daring him to disagree or argue was very impressive and hot. You watched as Sehun's friend backed down and left without another word. Sehun made sure you were okay and then made sure all his other guests were okay. He was an excellent host so you didn't get to thank him until later when everyone had gone. 

"Thank you" you said "for standing up to Sanghoon like that". Sehun shook his head "you don't need to thank me". "Yes I do" you smiled grabbing his hand so he couldn't turn away from you. "Some guys care more about what other guys think of them than their partners and you can never be 100% sure what is said behind your back...if you can trust a guy but with you, I now know I have no need to worry. You've got my back". "Of course!" Sehun said his hands coming to your waist so he could hold onto you "Y/n I'll always defend and support you. You're my everything and if anyone had a problem with that, well they can follow Sanghoon right out the door". 

You smiled "it was really hot too you know, how you acted all alpha and told him to leave". "It was?" Sehun asked and you nodded blushing "I've never seen that side to you but I liked it". "Hmmm" Sehun said, his glorious eyebrows creasing in thought "would you maybe like me to bring this, and I'm using your words here, alpha-likeness to the bedroom sometime?". "Yeah sometimes and by some time I mean tonight". Sehun grinned "of course" and he swiftly picked you up over his shoulder and raced up the stairs. You were squealing with laughter as he carried you like you weighed nothing but all that stopped when he laid you down with a serious look on his face. Only then did you stop to think what you'd done...you turned your already hot boyfriend into an even hotter boyfriend.

_____

To celebrate their comback here’s some sexy Exo! I adore Hear Me Out sooo much and wasn’t planning on posting this now but knew I had to bump it up! 

[mistress-of-malevolence]

Cyberpunk anyone?

AU'S BABY, AU'S!

◁◀Details below▶▷ Warning: long.

Because im an obsessive, psychopathic insomniac with no supervision, on top of the mermaid AU I'm working on, I also decided that a murder drones cyberpunk AU needed to be real, and since no one's done it yet (I checked) I figured I might as well. This is that.

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◇Story Stuff (Currently limited)

JCJenson in SPAAAAAACE founded a residential colony on Copper-9. Revolutionary technology allowed Copper City to be the first human settlement on a once thought uninhabitable planet, thus earning the galaxy's praises. Millions moved to the planet once it was finished and the company's reputation soared. Unfortunately for JCJenson, that reputation would soon crumble with a series of increasingly catastrophic events befalling the planet.

First was the infamous "robot uprising" in which hundreds of worker drones began attempting to abandon the city, and some even attacked their owners. The situation quickly escalated to a full-blown war between the machines and humans. As Copper City was a stand-alone settlement on a distant exo-planet, it had no military, leading to a mixed bag of JCJenson security personnel and volunteer soldiers to lead the charge against the malfunctioning worker drones. Many lives were lost, and in the end, the rebelling workers were driven out of the city bubble and into the snowy wastelands.

The second happened only a few months after the end of the war. The ⬛⬛⬛⬛ Event was contained to the Copper-9 branch HQ building. During the event, several worker drones were infected with a virus named ⬛⬛⬛⬛. "Patient Zero" was terminated and from there, all ⬛⬛⬛⬛ activity was easily dealt with. The silver lining to this event was that JCJenson technician "Tessa Elliot" was able to salvage many of the previously infected worker drones and repurpose them to clean up the remaining defective worker drones out in the wastelands. After rigorous testing and development, the new "Dissasembly drones" were revealed to the public, and following their debut were then sent to work. Results have plateaued in terms of terminating the remaining workers in recent years since the workers have built themselves a bunker. Serial designation "J" assures that given enough time, they will find a way in and continue with the extermination as planned.

And finally, the third and most dangerous event: the core collapse. Due to the sheer incompetence of lower-level personnel responsible for monitoring the status of the planet's core as the surrounding area is mined, copper-9 narrowly avoided a core collapse. Such an event would have resulted in total planetary extinction had it not been stopped in time by an upper manager. At the time JCJenson had little to say other than that they were sorry and that the near disaster had nothing to do with the worker resistance or ⬛⬛⬛⬛. They also took the opportunity of the press conference to tease a new project that would make Copper City safer than ever. We would later find out that this was referring to the previously mentioned "Dissasembly drones".

Copper City has suffered many close calls during its time, but today the city is thriving. Surely after so much trouble, there must be a reason those who live here decide to stay, and that reason is the soul of the city. It Never sleeps- always alive with freedom and opulence. Truly, Copper City is everything visionaries had been dreaming of what the future would be like. (But is that a good thing?)

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◈ Extra Details

-Tessa was able to save many of the affected worker drones after Cyn went all cookoo crazy solver pants, but the company wanted them disposed of anyway. she proposed that they could be used to take care of the rogue worker drones and that's why they haven't been decommissioned.

-JCJenson higher-ups, demanded that they be disposed of after they had served their purpose. but Tessa plans to propose that theybe once again be repurposed into law enforcement when that day comes.

-After all why not? Tessa put a lot of work into making their modified murder drone bodies into effective, but pretty killing machines. If the public likes them, then they can be marketed. and though Tessa isn't the biggest fan of police in general, she'll take whatever she can get if it means her drones survive.

-JCJenson would love the idea anyway. Copper City is basically a corporate town already, just bigger. The human law enforcement is already in their pocket, so why not have literal robots loyal only to them carry out the law?

-Uzi would try to break into the city to gather intel and a power source for her rail gun.

-JCJenson still manufactures and sells worker drones, but since the war, they've modified the design so that they are much easier to deactivate if necessary.

-This design change is a literal off switch on the back of the head. Uzi does not have one since her parents built her and why the hell would they install one on their daughter? None of the drones at the bunker have an off switch. including those who fought in the war.

-Aside from that, all worker drones inside Copper City are digitally tagged upon purchase and activation. This makes it much easier for JCJenson and Dissasembaly drones to differentiate between a regular, legal worker drone and a rebellion worker that broke into the city.

-JCJenson's reputation suffered a lot during all that nonsense up there, so they really can't leave the workers alone. the public still perceives them as a threat. JCJenson does too, but more so for terrible solver demon reasons.

-That's one of the reasons that Tessa is okay with sending her friends off to commit genocide.

-Uzi is genocidal too though, so morality calls that a draw.

-I'm thinkin' that the Dissasebly drones probably have like, a roost or something inside the city that they can be deployed from. kinda like a cave of bats where they can recharge during the day.

-I think perhaps disassembly drones can go out during the day in the city, but only for a little while. and not at all outside of the city bubble.

-When I say "City bubble" just imagine the moon base from "Scooby-Doo Moon Monster Madness" cuz that's what it looks like.

______________

ANOTHER LONG POST, MY DAWG! I don't have a ton of the groundwork of this done, but it's fun to think about it and I'm happy with what I do have. hope you do too 💖

Thanks for reading.

[wolveswithblackpearls]

Bring Me To Life

Genre: Angst, Power Era, MAMA Era, Open Ending

Summary: All is well when Chanyeol returns from his patrol. The red force is probably still licking its wounds from their last confrontation, right? ...right?

Word count: 4 k

Warnings: major character death, revival / coming back from the dead, coming back wrong

A/N: Happy Holidays @exo-xexo! I (admin j aka @breeze-of-sunlight) am your secret santa~

I wish for you to be able to end this year peacefully and find some rest in the coming weeks. Hopefully you'll enjoy this little fic - let me know what you thought of it if you want!

For all those unfamiliar, this fic was posted as a part of the @exols-silver-christmas event 2024. Please check out the gifts from this and the past years if you want to see some beautiful creations by all kinds of EXO-Ls. Happy holidays to you too, santa admin. As usual, thank you so much for hosting!

May you find time for yourself in these last days of the year, dear reader.

"Chanyeol, duck!", is the last thing Chanyeol hears before something hits his shoulder and promptly dissolves into goo all over his neck and back. 

And it had been such a good day until now.

He can hear Kai and Sehun cackling behind him as he tries to shake off the worst of it and pull the more resistant parts of the novaberry from the hair on his nape. "Real mature guys, incredibly funny! You're off duty for five seconds and immediately behave like little shi-"

"Sorry, I tried to warn you, but I guess my timing was off.", Suho tries to placate as he makes his way to Chanyeol opposite of where the still snickering duo stands.

"Apology accepted, but only if you send these two right back on patrol again."

Suho huffs a laugh at that and brushes off a piece of the berry Chanyeol had missed. However, a frown replaces his easy grin and he turns to address the others. "Could you come over here, please? I need to ask you all something without yelling my lungs out".

"Sure", Kai hollers back and reaches out to grab Sehun's neck. The later only has a short second to let out an undignified squawk before they get teleported across the field and materialize next to Suho. 

"Ugh, I hate it when you do that! Could at least warn me beforehand?"

"I could."

"But? You won't?"

"Boys,", interrupts Suho, long suffering of his brother's antics, "could we please focus for one second?"

"One.", echo Kai and Sehun at once but stay silent afterwards. Chanyeol can smell Suho’s hair greying.

"Have any of you noticed anything different or suspicious on you patrols today?", Suho makes a point of staring each man in front of him down until they shake their heads one after the other. "Has anyone heard back from Baekhyun yet?"

Chanyeol feels his face drop. "No, why? Is something wrong? What's going on?"

Sighing heavily, Suho lowers his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. "There might be." When he raises his head back up, he admits " Baekhyun is not yet back from his mission. I talked to the others too, but no one has heard from him since he left this morning. And we can’t reach him via transmitter right now. Quite frankly, I'm worried."

And you're definitely not alone with that. Chanyeol adds mentally. Baekhyun has never been their most serious member. On the contrary, nothing seems to bring him more joy than to aggravate the others. But not coming home from a standard patrol? Not even trying to contact them about any anomalies altering his usual routes? That's simply not a line even he would cross for the sake of a prank. He must just have forgotten.

"Kai,", Suho pulls Chanyeol back from his thoughts, "I want you to teleport to his usual checkpoints. See if you can figure out whether he's been there today."

Kai nods solemnly, the mischief from a few moments ago long forgotten.

"I don't want you to face this alone and walk into a potential trap. Take Kyungsoo with you."

"Wait, hold up!", Chanyeol interrupts, "What do you mean 'Take Kyungsoo with you'? I'm literally right here?"

“Chanyeol, do not take this personally, but Kyungsoo tends to be a lot more levelheaded than you are in these situations”, Suho tries to calm him down. And Chanyeol can see the reasoning in that, but-

"And we literally need you right here, idiot.", Sehun raises his brow at him. "We're already down a guardian who can cast a shield of light over the tree of life. If this happens to be a trap, we don't need our actual firewall gone too."

Feeling his cheeks heat from being scolded by his younger brother, Chanyeol turns away from the group. A petty fine barely had the time to leave his lips when their transmitters light up simultaneously.

"Guys,", Xiumin’s grim voice filters through the devices, "we found him."

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

There have been few days Chen has felt so much negativity in their hallowed halls. Or rather, beneath the tree of life. For good reason. While the tree is not all powerful, it at least grants its guardians one thing: quasi-immortality. In the long time they've been guardians, they have never had one of them dying.

That doesn't change the fact that Baekhyun’s cold body lies before them anyway. Looking all the more fragile between the massive roots.

But it simply must be him, from his long fingers to the small freckle over his lip, Chen is certain about it. This is Baekhyun. Xiumin could have dumped an entire frozen ocean's worth of ice over Chen's head and he still couldn't have been more frozen in pace.

Chanyeol, as expected, is not quite as silent about the matter.

"Lay, I know your power is health stuff and all, but how in the world is this supposed to work? He's not missing a finger; he's missing a heartbeat."

"'Health stuff and all'? Watch your tongue, Chanyeol. I know this isn't easy for you, but damn, neither is it for us!", Xiumin hisses back, feline eyes narrowed in agitation.

Lay, with his usual calm collectiveness when faced with a patient to attend, pulls Baekhyun's head into his lap and settles a hand over his brow. "Could you all please stop snapping at each other? This is going to be dancing on the edge of the possible already. If you keep distracting me, it's certainly going to go south."

"Besides,", he raises his head to stare into Chanyeol's eyes calmly, "it's not like we have any different options, do we?"

Chanyeol tsks in lieu of an answer but otherwise drops his arguments and resumes pacing. Chen tries to reach out to offer him tactile comfort but his hand gets pushed away. No one but Baekhyun himself could calm him down, it seems. Chen refocuses on the situation at hand instead. 

With bated breath the guardians watch as Lay closes his eyes and tries what they've thought was impossible up until now. While Chanyeol is right and their powers have their limits, performing this act of revival right below the tree of life is the best chance they're going to get. If Lay manages to tab into the trees power source, then surely, surely...

Lay shifts his hands, running the tips of his fingers down Baekhyun's head from scalp to chin and then settling next to his temples. The rest of them watches, watches and stares as Lay's hands start glowing. And they glow. They glow and glow and glow and begin shaking slightly after minutes (or hours? Who can say.) pass by. Baekhyun's chest still isn't moving. 

Inhaling deeply, Lay tilts his head back in a way easily recognizable to the rest of them. He's trying to tap into the tree's power. Usually, the tree would start winding roots or branches around whoever asked for aid - the energy is easier to transfer that way. Right now, though? The tree does nothing of the like. The branches stop swaying in the gentle breeze, the leaves becoming completely silent. Adding to the eerie atmosphere that has befallen them.

The tension under the tree could be cut with a knife, even Chanyeol has stopped pacing and worriedly glances back and forth between Baekhyun and the tree. Until Lay finally drops his hands, covered in sweat from head to toe, and breathes heavily as though he held his breath the entire time. While he leans down, he whispers something against Baekhyun's face - too quiet for Chen's ears to catch. Lay presses their foreheads together and then slowly wiggles himself out from beneath the body.

Before Chen can react, he hears a gasp next to him and Chanyeol shoots off to kneel down in front of Baekhyun. "No, no way! Baekhyun, can you hear me?" 

In full disbelief Chen also storms forward to sink down next to Baekhyun. He faintly notices how Suho grabs Lay by the shoulders to support their healer after was undoubtedly the most complicated use of his powers to this day.

Baekhyun in the meanwhile has not only opened his eyes but is also currently wiping the tears from Chanyeol's face. "What's going on? Why are you crying Yeollie?"

Which of course only results in Chanyeol sobbing harder.

Chen catches one of Baekyhun's hands between his own. "Baekhyun,", Chen begins when he caught the other's attention, "you've been dead for at least the last hour."

Baekhyun's face falls slowly, as if he had to remember how to do it first.

"What?"

"Don't you... don't you remember anything at all? Xiumin said he found you on his patrol, but-", Chen stammers, squeezing the hand harder as Baekhyun beings staring off into the distance.

"But you had no pulse", Xiumin finishes for him, leaning over his younger brothers’ backs. "Baekhyun, are you sure you can't remember anything else?"

"How about you let him come back to himself first?", Chanyeol's head snaps around and he glares alternatingly at his two members. At least until Baekhyun tries to sit up and lets out a long gasp of agony.

"Where... are we exactly?"

Chen makes a bewildered eye contact with Chanyeol as they try to stabilize Baekhyun between them, "Baek, we're under the tree of life. You're home".

"Huh", Baekhyun breathes and cranes his neck around slowly. His eyes dance up the bark of the tree up into its crown. Even slower, Baekhyun tries to lift one arm and reach out to one of the branches dangling above him.

The branch, however, flees his grasp as if repulsed by him. Chanyeol catches it with a still furrowed brow and brings it close to Baekhyun, who in turn promptly touches it. As if burned the branch jerks back and turns black where Baekhyun has laid his hand. The discoloration spreads along the branch, twitching as though it's in pain. The leaves start rustling in convulsion. Chen has never seen the tree act like that, much less after touching one of them.

Xiumin, quick as always, reacts first and summons a blade of ice to cut off the branch above the growing discoloration. The still twitching appendage falls with a heavy thud. In a radius around it the roots begin twitching and rearranging themselves, not wanting to come in contact at all.

With an open mouth Chen tears his gaze away and studies Baekhyun instead. It's as though the man's face has turned to stone, nothing but apathy to be read there. "Interesting."

And suddenly, as if the past hours hadn't happened, Baekhyun smoothly rolls to his feet and dusts off his pants with an air of disinterest.

"Woah there, take it slow Baek! You really shouldn't strain yourself", Chanyeol rises next to him, although with far less grace and holds out his hands as though scared the other will collapse at any second.

"Oh, don't worry,", Baekhyun's gaze fixes on Chanyeol, "Lay did a pretty sound job there."

Something is off about his smile, but Chen can't pin it down. Has this quiet intensity behind his eyes been there a minute ago? Why does he look at them like a predator stalks his prey?

A soft wheeze pulls Chen's attention to Lay instead. The healer has braced himself on hands and knees, one hand lifting to cover his heart. Although he had managed to slow down his breathing before, it now seems to get worse again. Suho has started quietly murmuring to him again, gently stroking his back to calm him down. Kyungsoo lets himself down next to him, naturally gifted at grounding people and offers him a shoulder to lean on.

Baekhyun, apparently, has also noticed their struggling healer and coos mockingly. "Aw, poor one. Did you overexert yourself trying to save your friend, huh? You tree huggers are even more pitiful than initially estimated."

And this? This is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Despite all his teasing and shenanigans, Baekhyun would never let one of them suffer without offering help - let alone make fun of anyone in need. So. What if Lay hadn't brought back their Baekhyun at all? What if he summoned something entirely else into their friend's body.

"You're not really Baekhyun, are you?", Chen asks in a low voice. He subtly shifts into a more battle-ready pose and summons a small string of lightning to dance around his fingers. The quiet flickering of the electricity suddenly grows a lot louder as Chen feels a wave of power and relief wash through him. It's the most encouraging signal the tree has sent him all day. 

"Who are you?"

Baekhyun's eyes are widening in pure joy at the open challenge, his smile turning even more manic. "Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?"

Before any of them can react, Baekhyun performs a spinning move and summons an orb of unforgivingly blinding light. Chen flinches and covers his eyes, afraid of being blinded even though he was only exposed for a split second. From Chanyeol's pained scream he concludes the others aren't faring any better.

He wills his lightning back down again, knowing far too well how foolish it is to shoot at a target he can't sense in any way.

Kyungsoo, however, does not seem to have such reservations. A rumble goes through the ground as he summons an earthquake. Additional to not being able to see, now Chen can't hold his balance either. While sinking to the ground as carefully as he can manage, he at least hopes Kyungsoo manages to shake Baekhyun off his feet as well.

Instead, he feels the telltale rustle in the air that comes with Kai's teleporting and the light vanishes. Soon after, the world stops shaking and Chen warily blinks open his eyes. But Baekhyun is nowhere in sight. And although Kai is still here, his limbs are entangled with Sehun, the two of them must have fallen into one another when the earthquake caught them all by surprise.

"What? Where is he?", Chanyeol asks while heaving himself off the ground, turning in one direction after the other. Chen would comment on him looking like a helicopter during takeoff if the situation wasn't so dire. “He can't have gotten far in so little time!”

"Guys.", Suho gasps an interjection, "Our tree!"

And sure enough, there is a dark, rotting hole in the tree’s bark. Oozing a dark liquid as if it's bleeding, spreading from where Baekhyun must have made contact. The tree’s branches have drooped as though all life was sucked from them; its roots aren't so much as twitching although some of them are currently squished between two slates of earth in a way that must hurt.

A forlorn no is hushed from Lay's lips. He struggles to push himself upright, but instead just falls back against Kyungsoo's chest. "What have we done?"

"He's gone", Xiumin states grimly. Gaze sweeping over the meadow and through the forest surrounding them. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. If it wasn't for the last hour, one might even say it was peaceful.

Chen picks the pebbles that bore into his skin during the earthquake out of the palms of his hand. "We have to find him immediately. Maybe if we can get that possession or whatever that was out of him, it'll teach us how to reverse the damage."

Kai, who has by now managed to detangle himself from Sehun and pulled the latter to his feet, fetches a holomap from one of his endless pockets and boots it up. With the three-dimensional star map projected in front of him, he walks up to Xiumin. "Show me where you first saw him. Maybe I'll be able to track from where he came - and see if he passes by there again."

Xiumin begins gesturing around the map, trying to point out certain coordinates as precisely and quickly as he can manage. Meanwhile, Chen sees how Sehun rids himself of most things in his pockets and even begins taking off his shoes. Clearly preparing to take flight through the woods for long hours. Searching where the rest of them can't follow him with their larger space shuttles. At least not efficiently.

Chen feels the telltale rustle of teleportation behind his back. The sensation makes him pause for a second. Kai couldn't have teleported earlier, except if he teleported himself into Sehun. Which seems unlikely at best. Yet, Chen is sure he felt the same sensation right now as he did before Baekhyun disappeared. You get familiar with the supernatural surrounding you when you live together, after all.

"Now that we're talking about it, how did Xiumin manage to find Baekhyun? Their routes are nowhere near each other."

Xiumin swivels around: "Are you trying to say this is my fault? That I'm a traitor - or possessed by that whatever-it-is as well?".

"Calm down, Minnie, no one here believes you're an imposter", Suho placates, trying to keep them united even when his own nerves must be lying raw. "What's your point, Dae?"

"I'm just saying, what did Baekhyun even do out there? If he went that far off his actual checkpoints, he must've sought out Xiumin specifically. Do you maybe think that he saw the thing coming and tried to warn you?"

"And when he realized he couldn't he sacrificed himself instead", Suho furrows his brow.

"Just a thought."

"Or,", Sehun pipes up, "did any of you stop and think about whether or not we have the real Baekhyun in general?"

Chen is certain he can hear the grass grow over the silence that descends above them.

"Sehun, what the-?"

"No, hear me out.", Sehun intercepts, "We found a body, that miraculously looked like Baekhyun somewhere he shouldn't have been in the first place. When Lay breathed life back into him, the tree of life did not help at all. Don't you think it would be a little keener to help one of its protectors get back on his feet? The twig that thing touched literally wilted at first touch, there's an enormous hole in the tree - that keeps on growing, by the way."

"And we have no actual means to find out how Baekhyun got where he ended up being", Suho adds on. "Fuck, Sehun, you might be right. This basically reeks of red force, doesn’t it?"

"Did we just bring a red force clone of one of us to life?", Chen asks breathlessly.

"Did said clone manage to escape so that he can now spread the knowledge he gained to his master?", Xiumin comments wryly, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"We're screwed", Chanyeol exhales as he drags his hands down his face slowly. "If the red force knows where the tree of life stands, how long do we have until it starts attacking?"

"And how long", Lay pipes up from where he lays in Kyungsoo's arms, "until we can't trust each other anymore because we can't tell us apart from any clones."

And truth be told, Chen hadn't even considered that. "You think there are more of them? But how? There is no other Lay, no- no, X-Lay, right? How is that X-Baekhyun supposed to bring them to life?"

"No, I don't think X-Baekhyun can do that. But think of it, if the tree can create guardians, it's not too far off to assume the red force can too. And if it's goal with X-Baekhyun was to simply scout the area and find the tree, there's no reason to send all of its subjects and risk potential fallouts."

"And it comes with the added benefit of taking out some of us as well," Kyungsoo murmurs, stroking a comforting hand up and down Lay’s arm.

"I'm not down, I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Just don't strain yourself. We still need you."

Suho starts massaging his temples. "That would also explain his quick getaway. If there already is a Kai clone, we can stop wondering how he pulled that off."

"So, what now?", Xiumin stares down the hole in the tree darkly. "The force weakened the tree so now it can come back with the big guns and completely claim it? And all we can do is set up wards and hope for the best?"

Chen doesn’t have it in him to respond in any way. He hasn’t felt this foolish and helpless in forever.

"We might not be completely defenseless", Kyungsoo answers quietly instead. "There's something I've read a… while ago. But it's experimental and I might not remember all the details."

Suho sighs heavily. "I can't say I'm thrilled at the thought of more experiments today."

"It's not like we have a lot of other options, though", Kyungsoo counters. Suho nods in agreement and waves his hand to encourage Kyungsoo to keep talking.

"Simply put, we would essentially split the tree in two. Hide each half in a pocket dimension. Each a mirror world of the other. The same skies over different grounds. The same grounds under different skies. That way the red force can't find it based on where it is now.  Over time the tree could grow and heal itself. When it's strong enough, we'll reunite it again. Until then we have to find Baekhyun, the real Baekhyun. And we best get rid of any clones or other units of the red force as quickly as we can. I'd rather not take any chances here."

Sehun raises a brow in disbelief: "Won't we just make ourselves vulnerable if we split up? What if they find one half of the tree, charge in there with full force and completely destroy that half of the tree? This just sounds like we're presenting the tree on a silver platter."

Kyungsoo heaves a heavy sigh, as if the worst still lies ahead of him. "There's another thing. Due to the split of our current dimension, we will create some problems with space-time. Which means we're most likely not going to be able to get in touch the conventional way. I'm not sure if we'll even be able to contact each other at all. But that also means the force will get separated. It won't be able to reconnect to its other units and neither can it switch dimensions at will. Not unless we can too. The only other way for it to do that is to wait out until the two dimensions have aligned and we merge the tree once again."

Chen isn't sure how many more hits he'll be able to take today. He locks eyes with Chanyeol, who looks back at him with similarly forlorn expression. When he lets his gaze drag over the different faces of his friends, his family, he sees the same silent emotions. In the way Sehun picks anxiously at his fingernails, in the way Suho is again pinching the bridge of his nose, in the way Lay stares up at the trees crown with glassy eyes. In the tear he can feel rolling down his own cheek. 

"This is goodbye then?"

"Yes", answers Kyungsoo, voice barely above a whisper. "But only for a while."

Suho turns away from the group, hands already on his transmitter. "I'll page Kai. We should meet at the ritual grounds. You guys should get a headstart, we won't be far behind."

Chanyeol and Sehun relieve Kyungsoo of his Lay-safekeeping-duties, their taller frames better equipped for carrying around a person. Lay keeps on protesting vehemently that he can walk on his own, but his complaints fall on deaf ears. Neither of them is willing to let go of their friend in what could be the last time for millennia.

Suddenly Chen's field of vision is obscured by a face. Xiumin's worried face. "It will be okay", he promises quietly. "We'll be back together in no time, you'll see. And the tree will have blossomed brighter than ever! Won't that be nice?"

"Yeah, sure it will", Chen snivels softly and tries to muster up a smile for Xiumin's sake. He clearly isn't very successful judging how the grief grows stronger on Xiumin's face as well.

"Just never lose yourself, okay?", Xiumin's finger rise to gently swipe away the tears Chen hadn't noticed rolling down his face in streams now. 

"Just be brave. A new world shall open up."

A/N: And that's a wrap! I took some liberties with the whole MAMA intro, but I hope you guys like it anyway :] Please consider leaving me a comment or a reblog, that would make my day! And if anyone's in the mood for it, here's the link to the EXO-K MAMA mv. Take care, everyone!

-admin j

[makoredeyes]

37, Felwinter and Timur.

37- without a motive

"Really? More weapons?" Felspring hovered over Felwinter's shoulder as he and Timur packed crate after crate with their find. "This really isn't what these people need, you know."

"I know, I know," Felwinter's usually flat voice had a strong tone of exasperation to it that made Timur hide a smile. They'd been in this bunker all afternoon, and Felspring had hardly let up on him. It took a lot to rile the Exo enough to get any sort of emotive response out of him, but if anyone could do it, it was his Ghost. "I was hoping to find more tech in here too." He glanced at Timur, who hurriedly looked down to better conceal his smirk. "We all were. But this will help. It will. That village just east of here is still getting raided weekly and there's only so much we can do for them." He heaved another big rifle into the crate he was packing, one of dozens, and Timur sat up, helpfully dumping several cases of ammo in alongside it. "If we can't fight for them, the least we can do is help them defend themselves."

"And they're beautiful guns," Timur pointed out. "It'd be shameful to let them go to waste."

"They are elegant," Felwinter agreed. "And in pristine working order-"

"That's not nothing to do with anything!" Felspring insisted. "Those poor people are just going to get slaughtered and these are going to end up in the hands of more Warlords and you're going to get shot by them-!" She went on, bitterly rattling off all the worst-case scenarios, the Ghost's faith in humanity apparently particularly thin today, and Felwinter sat and endured it, looking tiredly back at Timur. Timur helpfully packed several more weapons, then leaned up abruptly to lay a somewhat lingering kiss on Felwinter's high cheek.

"Well I think you have the right idea," he said warmly, settling back.

"And what if -I -Uh..." Felspring trailed off, shocked. Felwinter sat frozen, his eyes wide with surprise, but Timur just smiled sweetly and shrugged when his friend remained speechless.

"You have to start somewhere," Timur said eventually, when the baffled silence stretched, but it was unclear if he meant the guns or the kiss.

[bluginkgo]

On today's Ginkgo rambles, we have

what is going on with Tessa and why I find her very suspicious.

Spoilers, duh

The main thing that glares at me is how she interacts between the team and what she says. Or, more specifically, how inconsistent she is with the information she gives us. When we first see her, she says:

"Her [Cyn] last known act was siccing you lot on human exo-planets."

N: "But why?"

J: "That's what we're trying to figure out, bozo."

And-

"If she [Cyn] wants these labs. We burn them down!"

But later, she switches it up.

"When we get to the lab and find that list..."

Why was there a switch? She went from "we are burning this sh*t down!" To "I actually need the labs to get the list of drones that are infected."

So what gives?

The only thing I can see is J's presence. It's strange too isn't it? Tessa specifically told J to stay back and mind her ship. Illiciting this weird pause in the trio.

The entire time in N's memories/flashback, it's shown that J follows Tessa all over. Granted, N's memories are a bit of a shaky land to base anything off of. Many of the things that happened in N's memories did not actually happen in real life. More specifically, the gala massacre happened, yes. But N, V, Tessa, and J most likely did not fight eldrich Cyn like in Episode 5, Home. Given that we have nothing else, we can at least infer that J and Tessa are pretty close friends- specifically taking the scene when Tessa asks J to act as a "ripping royal stud." J, who we have seen to be very strict, showed concern for Tessa's hand injury (which is another thing I'll touch on).

With all this in mind, why would Tessa do that? They've been together ever since the first clip of then in episode 3, The Prommening. Why would Tessa forgo the extra security that J provides? Supposedly, Tessa knew that N and V have forgotten about her due to the CYN administration program. We see this from when Tessa first interacts with them,

"N! You remember- *cough cough*" It seems that she knew that N and V, to some degree, do not remember her or working for her as butler and maid. That detail would put her at a risk, wouldn't it? N and V are almost like strangers, not to mention Uzi bit her the second she got close enough. Having J with her would be safer for her. Instead, she tells J to mind her ship.

Now, there are a couple of things that I could think of.

1. J is a liability somehow. This is the more insane and unhinged idea, therefore has more holes. But basically, the thought is that the absolute solver somehow has a stronger hold on J and is using her to gather data on Tessa's movements. Tessa might have realized that the corrupted core with ths absolute solver in J is a liability to what Tessa is actually trying to do. Therefore, she says "we burn the labs!" When J is there, but when she's gone Tessa switches to her true goal which is "get the list." There is a glaring hole here tho. How would Tessa know that the corrupted cores in N and V do not have a strong hold on them? Maybe the hint to her was that N remembered her. But J hasn't shown signs that she doesn't remember Tessa either. But the counter to that could be that J views Tessa as a JcJenson technician, therefore Tessa is already supposed to have that level of respect/loyalty.

2. J is backup. This would make more sense. We can't have the entire gang going down into the labs, and not have someone as backup in case things go south. They'll need someone to either drag them out or finish the job of burning the labs down if the gang isn't successful.

3. Tessa herself is what's weird. J, N, and V are all acting like themselves, the only person that we've seen to have a change in their personality is Tessa. Maybe Tessa is posessed with something something, more unhinged idea rant. But you get the idea. Of course, no one can go through seeing your parents and friends killed, and then kinda causing the fall of the entire planet earth and come out with the same personality as you had originally. So maybe, she simply matured rapidly, and that gave her the more cold side we often see throughout Episode 6, Dead End.

I'm mostly very suspicious of Tessa because V was too. While the trio were making their way over to the elevator, V had one of her eyes/sensors on Tessa the entire time.

After V saw that Tessa was no longer trustworthy and that the sentinels did not listen to her, she stopped following along with Tessa. Just as many more people have mentioned, it's really sad how V's true personality and care only shone in the second half of episode 6. How protective V became of Uzi and N. Taking lead while walking down the corridor, and taking lead in fighting the sentinels.

Now as for this! Tessa's hand injury, or something at least being wrong with her hand. Liam would not include this just because. Something is wrong with her left hand, and we have to keep that in mind for some odd reason. I have a feeling that the injury will come up later in eps 7 and 8. Perhaps if the theory of this Tessa being the imposter, then the gang will have to figure it out by basing it off of Tessa's left hand injury. That, or maybe this Tessa is the real one, and the injury might cause a hiccup in the fight that is gonna go down in ep 7 or 8.

Of course, as per usual, I could simply be looking in too deep to this. Feel free to gut this! ^_^

[pascaloverx]

FELLINGS — EXO K.J

FINAL CHAPTER

Summary: You and Jongin live wanting what you two can't have. For example, he wants to win over your best friend and you want him.

CHAPTER THREE

Surprisingly, what happened in the elevator didn't magically make you and Jongin get together. In fact, you've been avoiding him ever since. Quitting your job kept you busy enough searching for a new one to not encounter Kai anywhere. Luna seems to want to forget what happened at her engagement party. You've been meeting quite frequently to organize the final details of her and Sehun's wedding. In fact, the wedding is happening in the next two hours, and you still haven't managed to leave the house. It's pouring rain outside, and no taxi or rideshare seems to be willing to cooperate with you today. It's almost as if fate wants you to stay home. Until you hear a car horn, and you think that Luna probably asked one of her or Sehun's friends to come pick you up. You rush down the stairs so quickly that you almost trip on the train of the dress Luna chose for you to wear as the maid of honor. This nearly impossible-to-put-on and breathe-in dress also comes with a train that nearly makes you fall when you run.

"You take my breath away. Almost literally, I believe." Kai says as he leans against the car door, holding an umbrella.

"What do you mean by that?" You ask seriously, looking at him all dressed up as he gets wet in the rain. He has his umbrella open towards you which means he's getting wet in the rain.

"I want to say that your mere existence in that dress takes my breath away. Maybe it's a bit exaggerated to say that to the woman who had sex with me and then avoided me. I didn't know you could be so cruel." Jongin says, approaching you, at the entrance to your house. You smile awkwardly. Maybe you were too quick to imagine that he would want to forget what happened in the elevator.

"I thought it would be better this way. We made a mistake and I didn't know how to act afterwards. I thought you would think it would be better this way too." You say approaching Jongin who is still getting wet in the rain waiting for you to go under his umbrella.

"Why would you call what we did a mistake?" Jongin asks taking another step towards you. You look at him without reaction, thinking about what to answer.

"You love another." You speak almost too loudly, which makes Jongin laugh. Maybe it's nervousness or the cold from the rain, but you start to shiver slightly.

"I remember telling you I loved you. Don't you remember?" Jongin asks and like a flashback snippets of the moment in the elevator come to your mind. He really said that but he said he didn't love you how you loved him.

"You said you didn't love me like I loved you. What do you want me to make of that?" Your question sounds harsher than you'd like, but the truth is, if Kai truly wanted to be with you, he would make more of an effort. Although you admit that him coming to your house, in the pouring rain, all dressed up for a wedding he probably doesn't even want to attend, makes it seem like an effort made solely to please you.

"I want you to stop making excuses to hate me and admit that you're avoiding me because you can't stand the idea that I finally reciprocated your feelings for me." Kai says, looking you in the eye, getting even closer to you. The rain is now taking over everything, and you know that getting closer to him will get you wet. But still, you challenge yourself and end up getting wet.

"And what if I just don't want to settle for someone who won't love me the way I love them? Have you thought about that possibility, big guy?" You say, getting even more soaked, at this point not even considering the slightest possibility of going to Luna's wedding like this. Fortunately, you know Luna won't need you to say she's accepting to marry Sehun. And frankly, Luna is having her happily ever after; you feel it's more than time to have yours too.

"I never thought you'd be such a coward, Y/N. Are you really that terrified of the chance of having me all to yourself?" He asks, closing the umbrella and coming closer to you. You don't even notice when his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

"You think pretty highly of yourself, don't you?" You say seconds before feeling his lips touching yours. It's a hungry kiss, tinged with traces of longing. You didn't want to admit it, but having Kai kiss you with such passion made you feel like you were about to explode.

"I think we both have something pending to resolve in your room. Do you mind if I carry you up there?" Kai asks, and you shake your head, not minding such an act. He then carries you to the bedroom. And the end of your story turned out to be the beginning of a romantic madness. You both sorted things out. Kai tried to convince you to come back to work for him, but you decided to work for a competitor instead. That way, your professional life wouldn't be tied to your personal life. And your personal life is definitely tied to Kim Jongin.

THE END.

[marlynnofmany]

Going the Extra Mile/s

There wasn’t a spare seat in the cockpit today, but I lingered in the doorway because I wanted to get a look at the giant migrating beasties that made the locals retreat underground for “cave season.” They were just as huge as expected.

“Well, this is definitely the right area,” Kavlae said as she adjusted the magnification on the secondary viewscreen. Gargantuan creatures like rhinos with too many legs ambled across a dusty alien landscape, easily big enough to crush our little courier ship underfoot. Kavlae zoomed in for a close look with her head fins flaring in curiosity.

I watched from the doorway, just as curious. These would make an interesting hazard. If the medicine we were delivering wasn’t so important, the captain might have passed on the job. But those people in the cave system were suffering an outbreak of something, and both their need and their payment were high. Besides, we shouldn’t have to get too close to danger. Someone was going to meet us and take the medicine back to the caves.

“What’s that?” Captain Sunlight said urgently. She pointed with a a yellow-scaled hand. “By the little one that’s bouncing around.”

Kavlae refocused the screen while Wio steered the ship, blue-ringed tentacles growing tense on the controls.

I edged forward for a better view. The remnants of something broken and mechanical filled the screen. When I saw handlebars, I frowned. “Is that a hoverbike?”

At the same time, Captain Sunlight asked, “Where’s the driver?”

Kavlae refocused and searched the area. Wio brought us in to where we could just see the herd on the main screen, but kept a safe distance. Yup, that wreckage was near the landing pad with the ramp down into the canyon. The missing driver was our contact. Not good.

“There! Closer!”

“Looks in rough shape,” Kavlae said. “Wish we had bio-scanners.”

I stood behind the captain’s chair, taking in the sight of the unmoving pile of clothes and fur. “Should I go tell Eggskin to grab a medical kit?”

“I’ll set an alert,” said Captain Sunlight.

Wio passed her the microphone for the comms without a word, already clicking switches anxiously.

I stood there with nothing to do while the captain announced to the whole ship that priorities had changed. The crates in the cargo bay would have to wait while we made an urgent rescue of the person waiting for them.

“…And we’d best be quick, because he may have been kicked by the megafauna, and they’re still in range. Eggskin, meet me at the cargo door.” She clicked off, handed it back, then directed Wio to land but hold the engines ready.

“I’ll keep watch,” Kavlae said. “That baby is probably the one that did it. The adults look too calm.”

“Call if there’s danger,” Captain Sunlight told her, hopping down and trotting toward the door.

I followed on my long human legs. “I’ll get an exo suit and go with Eggskin,” I volunteered. “I don’t know this species, but I might be able to help.” Veterinarian training, I’d learned, was more useful in space than a regular humans-only medical degree. It’s that familiarity with a wide range of body types that does it.

“Good,” said the captain, hurrying along. “Be quick with the suit.”

We arrived at the cargo bay, and I did my best to wriggle into my exo suit before she finished explaining the situation to the many worried faces. They were all wearing suits already.

Not because of environment, but because of contagion. This delivery was risky on more than one level.

“I have scanners and stabilizers,” said Eggskin. “Just say the word.” While there weren’t usually many injuries delivering cargo, and the good doctor spent more time preparing meals as the good cook, they were the acknowledged expert on medical care for sentient species. They were also a Heatseeker like the captain, just with scales colored a pale yellow-green and the full name “Skin of the Egg that is Translucent and Ready to Hatch.”

I’d realized privately that those scales were the color of fresh boogers, but I wasn’t about to say so out loud.

“Everybody suited?” asked Captain Sunlight, her lizardy face looking out of her visor.

“Ready,” I said. The rest of the room agreed.

“Eggskin, Robin, and Blip into the airlock,” the captain directed, hitting the controls. “Take the small sled, and get him back inside quickly. Stay in the airlock while we scan for contagion.”

“Got it.” We did as directed: one human, one small lizardy person, and one big fin-covered sea monster type person ready for action with an empty hoversled. This was not what I expected today’s delivery to involve.

The outer door opened to a bright, sunny desert, with giant creatures in the background and an injured local on the dirt ahead of us. Wio had parked close. Good.

Eggskin took the lead, rushing over with scanner in hand to check for life. I followed, moving to the other side while Blip pulled the hoversled into stretcher position. The guy on the ground was curled halfway into the fetal position, covered in red dust like he’d tumbled quite a ways after being kicked. It was hard to make out the species. Kinda mousy, about Heatseeker size.

“He’s alive,” Eggskin reported. “Impact injuries; unconscious; fixable. Be careful of his head.”

Blip and I worked together to lift him onto the hoversled. He didn’t weigh much, but he was limp and barely breathing. I cradled his head carefully.

A growing earthquake made me look up just as the ship’s loudspeaker said, “Incoming! Get onboard now!”

An excitable young rhinocipede the size of a motel was barreling toward us. We pushed the sled and ran.

When the door slammed, I felt the ship take off in a way we were usually insulated from when riding properly inside the ship. It was almost enough inertia to knock me off my feet, but not quite. Eggskin leaned against the wall and Blip took a better stance.

The guy on the sled wheezed.

“Scanning,” said the captain’s voice on the loudspeaker. The ship leveled out abruptly. “Okay, he’s safe; bring him inside.” The inside of the airlock opened up to a double row of concerned crewmates, leaving space for Eggskin to take the guy to our little medbay. I assumed someone had moved the spare chairs out of it already.

While we got him in there and onto the bed, everyone else took turns worrying and cleaning up the trail of dust. Blip put the sled away. I got to be medical assistant.

“It’s mostly broken ribs and a concussion,” Eggskin told me while they moved the various medical machinery into position. “Very lucky he didn’t puncture a lung. See if you can wet-wipe some of that dust off his face, will you? Don’t want him sneezing right now, or getting a scratched cornea.”

I did what I could to help, though the medbay really was top notch, despite being no bigger than the average bathroom. Soon enough the mousy little fellow was stabilized and healing, still unconscious but with less dust in his fur. He looked kind of like a chipmunk, though with long legs like a jackrabbit, or maybe a jerboa. No idea what the species name was.

That didn’t matter. The fact that he and his bike were out of commission did.

“How do we make the delivery?” I asked the captain where she stood outside the medbay, surrounded by others. Eggskin was keeping an eye on the patient behind me.

“That’s the problem for certain,” she said, starting to pace. “I’ve contacted their communications hub, but things are more dire than they let on before. Long story, but they just don’t have another driver they can send.”

Zhee’s opinionated bug eyes appeared over Blip’s shoulder. “So let’s just fly closer,” he said. “Lower it from the cliff edge.”

Captain Sunlight shook her head. Kavlae beat her to the answer. “The animals will swat us out of the sky,” she said. “It’s been tried before. And there are local laws about harassing the things to get them to move. It’ll just end in a panic dance that crushes the canyon wall.”

“And gets us sued,” Captain Sunlight put in.

Paint put up a hand like a child, though a scaly orange one. “Why can’t we send our own vehicle down the canyon? I suppose it’s too narrow for the car, but what about the bike?”

Captain Sunlight turned to the toothpaste-green tentacle alien behind her. “Mimi, do you want to tell us why we can’t use our hoverbike?”

Mimi threw his tentacles in the air. His deep voice was exasperated when he said, “I already apologized for using the parts without asking! The rusted thing is falling apart anyway, and we never use it! The ship needed exactly that part!”

The captain sighed. “Yes, I’m sure it made sense at the time. But that puts us in a bad position now. Someone’s going to have to go on foot.”

Mur wove his own tentacles together at floor level. “Will that be fast enough? This is a rush order.”

Captain Sunlight spread her hands. “It will have to be,” she said. “There are no other options.”

Paint looked around. “So who’s fastest? Trrili?”

The terrifying black-and-red insectlike form standing in the back shook her head. “Short distances yes; long runs no.”

Zhee nodded. “Long runs are for herd animals.”

“Well, we don’t have any of those,” said Captain Sunlight. “Who’s got good endurance?”

At the chorus of nos, I had a dawning realization about my various crewmates. None of their species ran marathons.

“Let me do it,” I said quickly. “I can do the Balto run.”

“Balto run?” asked Captain Sunlight.

“Hero from my planet. One of several, really. But it was even a medicine delivery a lot like this one! But through the snow, not a desert. Anyway.” I stood up straight. “I volunteer.”

“Good enough for me,” said the captain. “Let’s get the crates strapped onto a sled. I had hoped to send two people, since this is too important to risk on a random stumble, but…”

“Someone could ride on the sled,” I said, starting to smile. “It won’t make it any harder to pull. And they can help hit the bumpers so it doesn’t bonk into the canyon walls.”

Paint’s hand shot up. “Ooh! Me!”

Captain Sunlight pointed at her. “You’re it. Both of you get ready in five, with a day’s worth of the food and water of your choice.”

“Will it take that long?” I asked, hoping my shoes were up to the task without any horrible blistering.

“That depends on you,” said the captain. “Scoot.”

I scooted. This was exciting.

In five minutes, I was ready with a bag of supplies to be strapped to the sled in easy reach, and my most comfortable clothes. I’d gone to the bathroom and stretched. Paint was similarly ready, though without the stretching.

“Let’s gooo!” she said from atop the hoversled, where she had a cushion and handholds on the front crate. Also an exo suit.

I wasn’t wild about wearing mine for this whole jaunt, but it was surprisingly flexible as these things go, and it promised to keep my air fresh and oxygenated.

“Is your pocket communicator charged and functioning?” asked Captain Sunlight.

“Yup. Double-checked.”

“Then I wish you the best of luck.” She stood back with a two-handed alien salute, and everyone cheered while we waited for the airlock to cycle.

“Is this just like your hero?” Paint asked me.

“Surprisingly yes,” I said, giving the harness an exploratory tug. “Glad I’ve got real food instead of dog treats, though.”

“Huh?”

“Balto was a dog.”

The airlock opened with a bang — somebody should oil that — and we were off down the ramp at my best pace, with dramatic fanfare behind. The sled was easy to pull, thanks to good ol’ hover tech, and the bumpers would make sure it didn’t glide forward to knock me off my feet. Plus Paint was ready to help steer it as needed.

The sun was bright, but the dusty wind slid right off my suit. The giant stompy beasties were far enough away and not looking. The ramp down into the canyon had a decent grip, and despite the history of water carving the canyon, there was only an easily-avoided stream at the bottom.

“We’re probably lucky this is the dry season,” I called up to Paint, not out of breath yet. “I bet the river gets big when it rains.”

“Save your breath for running!” Paint laughed.

“Yeah, okay,” I said. “But eventually I’ll want to walk for a bit, and then it’s time for space shanties.”

I managed to keep up the pace for longer than I’d expected; yay me; then downgraded to a long-legged stride that I could keep up indefinitely. Well, close enough to indefinitely. My legs were probably going to be sore, but that was nothing to complain about. Blisters were more annoying.

Paint was keeping an eye on the narrow strip of sky far above, to make sure no hazards approached. “Do you think singing will attract their attention?”

“Oh. Good point,” I said. I walked in silence for a moment.

“What if you sing quietly?” Paint asked.

“Yeah, and Kavlae has probably got us in sight anyway. They’ll call us if they see a problem.” I thought for a moment. “I don’t know any songs about delivering medicine, so here’s one about food and drink.” I launched into The Wellerman, appreciating how my voice bounced off the canyon walls.

The trip passed quickly. I alternated between jogging and walking, occasionally taking sips of water and bites of energy bars. Paint made for good company. She had a pretty good singing voice too, and shared some great kids’ songs from her childhood, which I was going to be sure to get written down later. Especially the one about counting scales and losing count.

It had been about three hours when my phone beeped for attention. I slowed my current jog to a walk again and pulled it out. My heart rate kicked a little faster from concern. “Hello?”

“You’re almost there,” said the captain.

“What?? Already?”

“‘Already,’ she says.” Captain Sunlight sounded like she was rolling her eyes to whoever else was listening. “Anyone else would have dropped from exhaustion.”

“After only three hours?” I asked. “I used to go on casual hikes every weekend that were longer than this!”

Indistinct sounds made it through the communicator. “Impressive,” Captain Sunlight said. “At any rate, prepare yourselves to greet the outpost soon. I’ve told them to expect you.”

“Well all right, then,” I said. “Thanks.”

The captain clicked off, and I put away the phone. I heard Paint rustling snack bags as she tidied up.

The canyon ahead was a long straight patch, with a corner at the end that I suspected would put us into view of the outpost.

“Ready to run?” I asked Paint.

A container snapped shut. “Ready!”

“Onward!” I charged ahead, pulling a sled full of life-saving medicine on the easiest death-defying run I’d ever been on.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

More to come!

[hyungseos-cafe]

Pairing: P1harmony Jiung x GN!Reader Ft. Theo and Keeho

Word count: 581

Summary: When things get rocky between Jiung and Y/n, Keeho urges him to write a letter explaining his feelings.

A/n: Hey so you remember that one letter Jiung wrote to Y/n that I was telling you about?? Lol well here it is! I was supposed to post it months ago, but I kept putting it off. I hope you enjoy!!

Order for: @sxfterhearts @p1ecesofate @issadumbass @stellxx @sunnydeized @halaboyz @chenleluvr @astro-doll-the-star @zynz0 @orangebl0ssoms - unable to tag

┊⋆ ˚✯✩. Songs to listen to while reading: Let Me In - Exo, It'll Be Ok - Yoandri, Fair-Weathered Friend - Bruno Major .✩✯⋆ ˚ ┊

Read this first! (The original fic this letter is intended for)

Daily click for Palestine | Learn more about Palestine

2024.08.25

Hi my love,

Keeho told me that you liked getting letters and I realized that throughout our relationship I haven’t really sat down to write you one and I’m sorry. I hope to change that, but it may be too late, isn't it? I don’t know but I love you so much. I don’t have an excuse for why I treated you so poorly and honestly I shouldn’t be making excuses. You deserve so much better and yet you chose to stay by my side. I could never thank you enough for being with me through thick and thin. Just your presence alone motivated me to continue my journey and work harder as a producer.

I wanted to say that I’m sorry for not being more present... which is ironic considering you’ve been there for me and yet I couldn’t return the gesture. Some boyfriend, right? Now that I’m thinking about it I should have done more for you. I should have put my work on pause  because let’s face it, it’s not like it would have hurt my career. The only reason I’m where I am today is because of you and the support you’ve given me.

That night should not have ended the way it did. I should have ran after to stop you from walking away. I should have fought more for our relationship. I don’t know why I just sat there, it was so stupid of me. You know Theo and Keeho nearly jumped me when I told them we had ended things. Theo called me an idiot and Keeho, well you know how he is. He said he’d throw out my music equipment if I didn’t do something. Babe, you don’t understand, he literally showed up at my studio everyday for a week to remind me.

All this to say that I love you so much. I miss our silly dates and the times you made me smile. Like that one time we both cried watching Up and when we both got lost in the middle of the night trying to find your apartment. I miss those times and I miss how you used to leave me meals in front of my studio with the sweetest notes (I keep them in a box under my bed) and how you always call me first when you have good news, not even Keeho. I miss when you’d fall asleep on my shoulder when we’d take the bus home from the studio and your little happy dances when you ate good food. God, I should probably stop, but I won’t. I don’t know how else to say this, but I am still so deeply in love with you.

When the time comes and if you give me another chance, I want to say how blessed I am to have you in my life. Who else am I going on my nature walks with? Who else enjoys hikes? Theo and Keeho said they’d rather be stuck doing my laundry rather than explore nature with me (maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point). I love sending you pictures of my hikes, the sky or animals because they remind me of how beautiful you are. Your beauty truly surpasses nature and I am so lucky to have had you in my life.

Until then, please continue to take care of yourself and know that I am always here for you.

Sincerely,

Your one and only Choi Jiung 

[nihyunluvskookie]

And then I met you

One

Pairing: Jeonghan x fem reader × Seungcheol

Synopsis: Falling in love with bestfriend’s ex wasn’t something that Jeonghan planned.

Genre: fluff

Word count: 1.1K

Warnings: mention of pregnancy.

Author’s Note: I didn’t proof read yet 😭 hope you like this chapter, it’s fluff, and yes I doubt myself a lot with fluff 😭

If you want to get tagged, please send me an ask <3

prologue | masterlist | next

“Aisha”

“Cheol” she was smiling, after hearing his voice. She was more than happy to tell him something, that he would be more than happy.

“Want to go to the beach? I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes?”

“Now?” she could feel Cheol’s smile from the screen.

“Okay” she hung up and went to check what to wear, for beach. She found her white cherry print dress, she picked it up without any second thoughts. She changed into that dress and applied light make up. She let her hair down and looked at herself in the mirror.

She wanted to meet Seungcheol and it felt like heavens heard her and decided everything. She was more than happy today. She had to tell Seungcheol about everything, she just knew Seungcheol would be in cloud 9 but somewhere she was hoping for only positive reactions from Seungcheol.

Right after thirty minutes, Seungcheol called Aisha and she went downstairs. She saw Seungcheol leaning on his car and ran into his embrace. “Be careful love” he picked her up, Seungcheol was happy looking at her. Aisha in his embrace is the best feeling for him ever, he never wants to let go of her. He let her down carefully and looked at her beautiful face, “you’re literally glowing, are you that happy to see me?” Aisha nodded and kissed his cheeks.

“Let’s go or else we might never go to that beach” Aisha ran towards the passenger’s seat even before Seungcheol kiss her, “You’re so evil” and he got into his car

The whole ride to the beach, Aisha was wondering how to break this news to Seungcheol, and about his reaction. It was something she was wondering, the chances were fifty-fifty and the fact they have been in relationship for almost five years still makes her wonder. Last time they talked about this, Seungcheol was very positive about it, which was assuring for Aisha.

“what are you thinking so deeply?” Seungcheol asked and she glanced at him, his eyes were focused on the road. “nothing, just wondering how long will it take for us to reach”

He stopped the car at red signal and held her hand, “half an hour more love” she smiled at him, “are you tired?” he asked out of concern. She shook her head in denial.

Seungcheol was also nervous, he was just not showing it.

Seungcheol parked his car and Aisha almost ran towards the beach, the thing which goes unnoticed by Aisha was a big bouquet of roses in backseat, Seungcheol took out the flower bouquet and hid it at back. “Cheol!! Comeee” she literally yelled and he just smiled at her with love.

Seungcheol was just happy looking at her and all the nervousness he was feeling earlier vanished into thin layer, he was no more nervous, he just knew that it would work and they are going to be happy. Seungcheol walked towards her and the moment he was standing infront of her, Aisha noticed Seungcheol was happier.

“Cheol, you look so happy” she touched his face and smiled, it was like Aisha was lost in his eyes full of love, she just wanted to hold him tight and never let go of him.

“you’re so precious to me Cheol” and she smiled, everything felt like it slowed down in her surrounding and it was just them, she was looking at him and she felt at peace, her heartbeats belonged to him only. He was the reason of her smile and heartbeats, he knew it and smiled at her.

Aisha was caressing his cheeks when he suddenly held her hand, “Aisha” she was confused, he suddenly showed her the flower bouquet he was holding and gave it to her. Aisha was surprised, she didn’t expect this. “Seungcheol…” she was lost in words and him. Seungcheol took out the black velvet box from his pockets and Aisha was confused, she couldn’t believe what was happening or maybe she was expecting much more than it could be.

Seungcheol went on his knees and Aisha was surprised, she was unable to say anything to him. “Bringing you here was just an excuse to tell you something precious in your comfort place. I prepared myself so much for this, I was nervous but looking at you made me forget everything. It felt it’s just me and you. I want to keep you happy, I want to be the reason of your smile, I want you to start my day with you and end my night with you, I want to be yours and I want you to be mine. I want you to be by my side. I want a to start a new beginning with you, just with you for us. I want to add happiness in my life with you.” Aisha was feeling overwhelmed.

“Will you marry me?” Cheol took deep breath before speaking and then he smiled at Aisha, everything was hard for her to believe it just felt her whole world just bloomed. She couldn’t process those last four words, this was everything she could ever ask for, Seungcheol asking her officially. Aisha was tearing up slowly because of this feeling.

“Seungcheol…” she trailed off trying to take deep breaths before talking

“Tell me Aisha will you marry me and spend your life with me as my wife?” she nodded, letting the tears fall down, he slid the ring on her finger and she was about to wipe her tears but he pulled her into a big hug and kissed her cheeks.

“Seungcheol”

“Don’t cry, love” he wiped her tears and gave her a quick kiss. Aisha took a deep breath before gathering her thoughts to break this news which she was planning to tell Seungcheol, “Now, it’s my turn to tell you something.” She was in tears and was nervous before she looked at happy smiling Seungcheol, “Seungcheol, I found out today… morning” Seungcheol was waiting for her to complete it patiently. “I’m pregnant… I’m going to be a mom” Aisha looked at Seungcheol as soon as she completed the sentence. There was something in Seungcheol which Aisha couldn’t understand, “Oh my god, what AISHA????? YOU-YOU’RE PREGNANT?” Seungcheol hugged her tightly, “THIS IS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE” he hugged her way too tight, “oh, I’m so sorry, I got carried away” he loosen his grip and looked at Aisha’s stomach, “I’m so happy” he lowered down and caressed her belly.

Aisha had tears in her eyes and she cried, Seungcheol got up and looked at her worried, “Don’t cry love” he hugged her again, “I was so worried about telling you about this”

“why were you even worried, love. I am the happiest person alive right now. Let’s get married as soon as possible. I need to tell others, I need to inform my family first.” He laughed, his laugh was enough to make Aisha the happiest.

“You mean so much to me Aisha.”

“You mean the world to me, Seungcheol. I love you so much.”  

[mybiasisexo]

Hiiii! It's me again! Can I ask you from your drabble game :) #5 with Kai please :) Thank u in advance author-nim ✨🥰

Familiar 🕛

Genre: angst | power!au Pairing: Kai x f.Reader Length: 1.8k (again dont ask) Warnings: Language | Alcohol Consumption

a/n: i just feel like you wanted something soft and fluffy and cute. And tbh i wanted that too. I really did. But one thing about me????? when you put in a request, expect the unexpected~~. Im on an exo power kick apparently so there is that. I hope yall like this one i think its v interesting 🤔 But yes, thank you for requesting ☺️

DRABBLE GAME | MASTERLIST

Jongin and Chanyeol found themselves in a familiar place they hadn’t been to in years.

‘We really did jump,” Chanyeol said in awe, taking in the old bar they would frequent when they were much younger adults than they were now.

Jongin felt jittery, like this wasn’t right. He had been told that his power could do much more than allow him to travel the world. He could travel dimensions, travel other worlds….

And time travel apparently.

He had no idea where exactly they were. Suho had told him to think of a time before shit hit the fan, before they lost everything.

“Excuse me,” Chanyeol called to a bartender. “Silly question, but what’s the date today?”

The bartender took him in wearily. Probably wondering if he needed to be cut off or not.

“Please,” he pressed. “It’s important.”

She sighed. “It’s the fifth of September. Twenty eighteen.”

“Twenty eighteen,” Chanyeol repeated with wide eyes, locking them with Jongin. “Bro, you fucking did it.”

“That’s too far back,” Jongin said between clenched teeth. He was aiming more towards 2021. Three years before The Attack.

“But there’s a reason why you sent us here.”

Chanyeol may be right about that, but he couldn’t understand it himself. The reasoning behind this specific time, this specific spot.

But then he heard a recognizable laugh and all the color drained from his face.

Chanyeol heard it too, throwing him a look full of warning. But Jongin ignored it, walking deeper into the dim building in search of the voice.

At a table, surrounded by a group of familiar faces, he saw the reason why he brought himself back here.

You.

The love of his life. The one who sacrificed everything that day. The one he lost.

You were there. Alive. Laughing. Unaware of the journey you were about to embark, of how drastically the world was going to change.

You were the reason why he even attempted to time travel.

He took a step towards the table, but then Chanyeol had him pressed against a wall, his forearm dug into Jongin’s neck.

“We don’t know what will happen if we interact with them,” he hissed. “We’re here to observe. To search for the red force. To discover the traitor.”

Jongin’s eyes were frantic as he tried to look at you again. “They’re here. The traitor is sitting at that table as we speak!”

“Yes,” Chanyeol agreed gravely. “With your wife. Your dead wife.” Jongin went still in his grip. “Shit, we might already be here. What’ll happen it we bump into our younger selves?”

Jongin wasn’t sure. He didn’t understand how any of this stuff worked. He just knew that it did. But, he couldn’t accept Chanyeol’s words yet. He searched his memories, wondering if he had met you, by now. But, you hadn’t. It wouldn’t be for a moment still.

“We’re not. I haven’t.” He swallowed thickly, which was hard to do with Chanyeol’s arm still pressed against his neck. “I haven’t met her yet.”

Chanyeol sighed. “This isn’t a good idea, Jongin.”

“Please, just let me see her,” he begged. “It’s been over a year, Chanyeol. I promise I won’t do anything, but I need to talk to her. I need to hear her voice again. I….”

He was so messed up without you. A ghost of the man he used to be. He swore he died the same night you did. Chanyeol saw that. Saw what the loss had done to his partner.

It was reluctantly, but he let him go, ignoring the relieved smile that bloomed on Jongin’s face. He pointed at him. “No funny business. We have a mission. We have to stick to it.”

“And we will,” Jongin was quick to say. “But for today, let’s just be normal, while we still can. This is the only peace we’ll ever get again. Let’s enjoy it.”

Chanyeol took in the bar that no longer existed in their timeline. Took in the smells and voices, and Jongin saw just how tired his friend was. How the war had drained him. He’d lost just as many people, had suffered just as much.

“Okay,” Chanyeol fully relented. “Let’s order some drinks.”

After getting a couple drinks, the two of them made their way over to the table you were sat at. Jongin couldn’t take his eyes off of you. You were even more beautiful than he remembered, nearly glowing under the yellow lights ahead.

“Mind if we join?” He asked, looking nowhere else but at you.

“Oh?” Another girl at the table, your best friend he realized, said. She took in the tall handsome men. “We could really enjoy the company.”

Jongin wasted no time sliding into the empty chair beside you, thankful for that. He sat a cup in front of you and you studied it for a brief moment before braving a sip.

Your eyebrows raised when it hit your taste buds.

“This is my favorite. How did you know?”

He grinned knowingly at you. “I could tell you were a woman with class.”

You laughed breathlessly at that, a bit intimidated under his intense stare. Still, he was ridiculously handsome—handsome enough to ignore the red flags. So, you introduced yourself.

“Jongin.” He held onto your hand and nearly sobbed at the familiar contact. When you went to pull away, he refused to let go. You giggled before shyly turning back to your drink.

Chanyeol cleared his throat, and Jongin remembered himself, finally letting your hand go.

He took in the others at the table. There were three girls and two men, including you. The men he recognized instantly as Kyungsoo and Baekhyun.

It was one of them, the traitor. The one who gave the Red Force their plans, leading to the attack that changed everything, that killed Jongin’s wife.

No. He wouldn’t think about that right now. Not when he had you back.

“So, you come here often?” Your best friend, Kim Jiwon, asked. Jongin was suspicious of her as well. She was a lousy friend, and was rather close to Kyungsoo. She also disappeared after the attack.

Chanyeol and Jongin locked eyes.

“We do,” Chanyeol said, sipping the brown drink he had ordered for himself. He closed his eyes as it coated his tongue, savoring the old taste he once enjoyed.

“Usually after work. A little treat after a hard day.” Jongin supplied.

“We do too!” You said excitedly. He fought his smile at your joy. That was something you would always say everytime you ended up at the bar.

“Oh?” He played off. “What is it that you do?”

“We’re engineers,” Baekhyun spoke up. “We work for the government. We build—”

“Planes,” Kyungsoo interrupted.

Jongin lifted an eyebrow at you, questioning the legitimacy of Kyungsoo’s answer. You shrugged. “You can say that.”

The night continued on. The table went round for round on drinks. Jongin was finding himself getting drunk for the first time in years. He was never much of a drinker to begin with, but today he needed all the alcohol he could get.

“I’ll have the Flying Dutchmen,” he ordered to the waitress, who rolled her eyes at the mostly juice drink. “And my wife here will have another Pink Lady.”

Chanyeol kicked his leg. He pouted.

You tilted your head curiously. You were pressed so close to him, he could feel your chest rise and fall against his arm. “Your wife? You know, that’s the third time you’ve called me that tonight.”

“Is it?” he asked, falling more into your space. You allowed him.

“Yeah,” you smirked up at him. “Why is that?”

“Because,” he slurred, nose touching yours. “I’m gonna marry you one day.”

“You don’t even know me,” you pointed out, but he caught how breathless you sounded, how warm your face grew.

He hummed. “Not now maybe, but I already know that I love you.”

You watched him for a moment, appearing very sober as you wondered if this was okay. If he meant what he was saying, and wasn’t being a creep. Gorgeous be damned. Telling a stranger you loved them was definitely a red flag.

You swallowed thickly. “Love? That’s…that’s a serious word.”

He nodded slowly, staring at the sensual shape of your mouth. God, he wanted to kiss you. He wanted to show you just how much he loved you, to tell you he never stopped. Ever.

“And I’m very serious when it comes to you.” His tone revealed as much.

Your drinks arrived, and to his satisfaction, you didn’t turn away from him. “Prove it.”

And maybe it was the drinks that made you so bold. Or it was the way the handsome stranger looked at you. There was… a sadness in his eyes. A sadness and a devotion that you found both startling and intriguing.

He went to do just that. His lips brushed against yours when his friend called his name. A reminder.

“Maybe it’s time to go,” his friend—Chanyeol, you recalled—suggested.

“But we just got our drinks,” Baekhyun whined.

“At least finish those first. We have to go soon too. Work in the morning.” You laughed awkwardly under the weight of the tall man’s gaze.

“One more drink,” he said, but his attention was on the man beside you, who couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than you.

He was a bit more solemn than a moment ago. He didn’t reply, instead lifting his drink and clinking it against your own before chugging it empty.

“Jongin!” You gasped, disappointed that he finished it so quickly. Was he that eager to leave you?

He shivered before getting to his feet. Not even gracing you with a goodbye before he was heading to the door.

“We’ll take care of the bill,” Chanyeol said as he followed his friend.

No. There was no way you were going to let the man who just told you he was going to marry you walk away without even a goodbye.

“Wait!” You called after them, running past Chanyeol to grab Jongin’s sleeve.

He stopped walking immediately. The men shared a glance as Chanyeol walked past, but didn’t say anything.

Finally, he turned to you.

“Will I see you again?” You couldn’t help but ask. It was unlike you to chase after a man, but Jongin was different. You could tell.

He threw a look over his shoulder, at Chanyeol, and then grabbed your face, pulling you in to kiss you.

You had never felt something like this before. You wrapped your arms around his neck, holding him close to you as he kissed you as if a man reunited with a lover after being torn away from them. Like he wanted you.

Like he loved you.

When he finally pulled away, with difficulty on both parts, there were tears in his eyes.

“I’ll see you soon,” was all he was able to get out before he stormed out the door.

You swore you saw him vanish into thin air before it closed.

[miramizar]

I went round and round

Summary: EXO has a day off during Call me Baby promotions, and Baekhyun drives Kyungsoo up the wall like usual - only this time the other members has to join in as well, as Baekhyun proposes a round of spin the bottle to cure his boredom.

Genre/Category: Humour, Gen

Characters/Ship: OT10, platonic

Word count: 2,332

Crossposted on AO3

AN: This was my first attempt at writing for EXO, and the very first fanfic I uploaded to my account on AO3. It's based on a meme, and maybe a little bit silly, but it holds a special place in my heart~ (*≧ω≦*)♡

"I'm boooooored~" Kyungsoo sighs for the millionth time when he hears Baekhyun's endless complaints from the living room. It is their first day off in a month and you'd think that everyone would sleep the day away or at least take it easy for a bit, but not Baekhyun - never Byun Baekhyun. Kyungsoo pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. He really doesn't need this, especially not now when he's in the middle of making dinner.

"Kyungsoo-yah!"

As if it couldn't get any worse.

"What?" he answers without looking at Chanyeol, who happily enters the kitchen with the bored Baekhyun in tow.

"What are you doing?"

Kyungsoo holds in another sigh and answers him slowly. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He reaches for a bottle, but a slender hand beats him to it and Baekhyun lets out a satisfied sound. That doesn't bode well at all, and Kyungsoo actually looks up this time when Baekhyun opens his mouth.

"You have the best thing ever right here! I know what we can do now!" Suddenly both he and Chanyeol bolts out from the kitchen, laughing and screaming loudly for the others to come. "Hey guys! Come here, let's play spin the bottle!"

"Seriously..." Kyungsoo turns off the stove and washes his hands before following his friends into the living room to perhaps knock some sense into them, but to his great surprise almost all of the other members are already there and it looks like they are all game. Jongdae is there, beagle as he is, smiling and with a quiet Minseok at his side. Jongin is looking at the bottle in Baekhyun's hands with mild interest while Sehun stands beside him with his nose in his phone, Yixing sits in the sofa and now Junmyeon rounds the corner to check what the commotion is all about, Zitao clinging to his back.

Kyungsoo immediately registers their leader's disapproving look and becomes a little happier - seems like he isn't the only one who disagrees with Baekhyun's idea after all.

"Baekhyun, is this really a good idea? This can easily turn very chaotic and messy-"

"You're chaotic and messy," comes the snarky reply from Sehun who still doesn't look up from his phone, and Junmyeon turns to look at him with a hurt expression on his face. Kyungsoo decides to intervene and discretely slaps Sehun in the back of his head as he goes to stand by their leader, receiving a grateful smile that he returns with ease. After all, he had tried to stop Baekhyun, which was a lot more than he could say about any of the other members.

"Sit down, sit down!" Chanyeol is always the first to join in on everything his partner in crime proposes, and when Jongdae joins him on the floor Minseok follows, and when Sehun does the same Jongin promptly does it too, and when Yixing and Zitao does so as well both Kyungsoo and Junmyeon realise that this is a battle they can't win. They look at each other in defeat before sitting down next to each other in the now perfect circle.

Might as well be a part of the chaos rather than hearing about all the mishaps afterwards.

"Just one round, okay?" Junmyeon desperately tries to keep this under control, and for once it seems like the others are listening to him - even if it is by one ear only. "We're supposed to rest today, so if we can at least try not to be violent?"

"He's got a point." Jongdae winks at Junmyeon and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes while some of the others mocks the lead singer's weak attempt at flirting. They do agree in the end and suddenly Kyungsoo finds the bottle in front of him and a smiling Baekhyun way too close to his face.

"It was your bottle, Kyungsoo, so you get to start!"

"Lucky you!" Chanyeol shouts, and Kyungsoo snorts.

"How am I lucky?" he mutters to himself but he still spins the bottle, secretly happy that he at least got this much respect from his enemy. That is until his fingers slip so that the bottle only barely moves, horror turning him cold as it points directly at Baekhyun - stupid Byun Baekhyun who just laughs and immediately throws himself at Kyungsoo.

"C'mere Kyungie, so I can give you a big kiss on your squishy cheek!" He makes kissing noises towards him and Kyungsoo desperately tries to break free of his grip, but he can't escape and a wet kiss later Baekhyun releases him, everybody laughing at his sour expression.

"Lucky my ass..." he mumbles, and feels a hand squeeze his knee in comfort. He turns to find Junmyeon's eyes shining with repressed laughter and a bit of sternness tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't say that. It's just one round, Soo, fighting!" He raises his fists and huffs cutely, and Kyungsoo sighs and deflates.

"Your turn, Jonginnie!" Baekhyun shouts as if nothing happened, and Kyungsoo sees how Jongin shoots a playful grin towards Sehun across the ring before he spins the bottle quite aggressively, bursting out laughing when it actually lands on Sehun. Sehun on the other hand tries to hide his own giggles behind a wrinkled nose but fails rather miserably, and everyone awwws when he gives up completely and gets a kiss pressed to the cheek.

"I just spin it?" the tall chinese boy asks warily after receiving the bottle from an embarrassed Jongin, and when the others nod he spins it elegantly with a snap of his wrist. It spins fast and lands on Jongdae, the lead singer cackling as he reaches out to Zitao with fingers formed to claws.

"Watch out, Taozi, here I come!"

"No, I don't want to!" Zitao squeaks in fear and runs to hide behind Junmyeon, who pets his hair while smiling motherly. He nods towards Jongdae.

"You know that you can kiss him instead of the other way around?" Zitao blinks and Jongdae shrugs before closing his eyes and turning his cheek towards him. Zitao lets out a relieved sigh and quickly jumps forward to kiss him, and Jongdae almost falling over but catching himself in time to Junmyeon's great relief. There had been no accidents yet, and he was making sure it stayed that way.

"My turn!" Chanyeol spins the bottle so hard that it lifts off the floor, and Kyungsoo closes his eyes while praying for it not to point to him. Anything but that, I beg you, please, I wouldn't hear the end of it- 

"Kyungsoo-yah!" Kyungsoo clenches his fists and looks up to face the truth - because of course it points at him. He barely has the time to give Chanyeol a menacing glare before the rapper tumbles into him and kisses his other cheek, and he yelps and pushes him off.

"This isn't funny, why do I have to be kissed all the time?" He spits and wipes his cheek with the back of his hand. Baekhyun puts his chin in his hands and actually looks like he's thinking about it. After a short while he looks at Kyungsoo and smiles innocently.

"You're right, you should definitely be rewarded." Then his smile turns dark. "You get a free spin!" The others cheer while Kyungsoo sputters in disbelief.

"But! What- Why-" Kyungsoo has no words for the heat he feels welling up inside him, and it takes a half-hug and some whispered words of comfort from Junmyeon before he can focus on anything else.

"No violence, please? Just hold on for one round." And Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, grasps the bottle and spins it with poorly contained anger so that it points at Junmyeon. The hand around his shoulders tenses up for a moment before relaxing and Junmyeon looks at him carefully. "Oh, okay. You can do it if you want to?" Kyungsoo kisses him before he is prepared and his cheeks turn pink. Chanyeol booms with laughter and points at him, making the others join in.

"You're so transparent, that made you really happy, right?" The others laugh loudly at Junmyeon who protests half-heartedly, but Kyungsoo throws the bottle to Yixing, who spins it with a dreamy smile on his lips and would you look at that - it points at Jongin who has become rather tired of the game already and is playing with Sehun's phone instead.

"Jongin?" The dancer hums a little to show that he has heard him. "The bottle points at you."

"Oh." Jongin looks up, meets Yixing's gaze and looks down again. "You can kiss Monggu if you'd like? It's live."

"Are you serious, Nini, do you call your dogs on your phone?" Jongdae crawls over and looks at the small screen, and Jongin shows it to Yixing who shrugs and blows the poodle a kiss. Baekhyun lets out a bored whoop.

"That sucked, but let's move on. Who's next?"

"It's me." Sehun takes the bottle and spins it, and Kyungsoo groans even before it stops.

"I can't believe this..." But Sehun just shakes his head and beckons him over.

"Yeah yeah, hyung. Come over here and get it over with." Kyungsoo does as he's told and gets another kiss on the cheek.

"You're lucky today, Kyungsoo." Jongdae pinches the cheek Kyungsoo got kissed on before taking the bottle. "Would you care to share some of it?" He spins it and continues talking. "But who knows what will happen now that I've said that... whoops." It points at Zitao and everyone cheers.

"You've got luck on your side as well, Chenchen!" Baekhyun makes the two of them stand up and face each other. "Now do as much as you can while you have the chance!" Zitao looks rather terrified again, but this time he manages to close his eyes and Jongdae stands on his toes to kiss his cheek. Zitao smiles shyly and they sit down again, and Baekhyun applauds them.

"Who's left now?" Minseok raises his hand and Jongdae begins to cheer loudly.

"Minseok-hyung! Go Minseokkie!" Minseok looks uncomfortable and takes the bottle from Jongdae's hands, putting it on the floor.

"Okay..." He looks around and spots Jongin falling asleep on Sehun's shoulder, and a devious spark lights up inside him. He spins the bottle away from himself using a lot of strength, but clicks with his tongue in dissappointment when it barely manages to graze Sehun's knee before stopping at Junmyeon. Junmyeon doesn't catch Minseoks expression and begins to awkwardly fiddle with his shirt while looking up from under his fringe at his only hyung.

"How do you want us to do it? Last time you didn't like me doing it, so would you prefer to do it now?" Minseok seems to remember the situation at Sukira and begins to crawl towards his leader, stopping right before him and waiting until Junmyeon looks up and meets his eyes.

"Junmyeonnie, it's okay. Just kiss me!" He closes his eyes and smiles when Junmyeon kisses his cheek, making sure Junmyeon sees it before returning to his place.

"Okay, now it is finally my turn! Where's the bottle?" Baekhyun stands up to look around and finds it lying beside Sehun's knees. He lifts it up and swings it a bit in the air while walking back to his place. "Now, here's a mighty spin- whoops!" Suddenly Jongdae is within reach of the bottle and he gets a hard hit in the head and sinks to the floor while moaning in pain. Baekhyun drops the bottle and holds a hand to his mouth in shock. "Oh my God, Jongdae, are you okay?"

"I knew this would happen!" Junmyeon is quick to put Jongdae's head in his knee and begins to feel the back of his head for damage. "What if he's got a concussion? What if he loses his eyesight, or-"

"Take it easy, hyung." Kyungsoo puts a comforting hand on Junmyeon's shoulder. "Baekhyun is not that strong."

"Hey!"

"It's true." Jongdae grunts and his eyelids flutter before he looks straight up into Junmyeons worried eyes. He smiles a little. "Hi there, Junmyeonnie-hyung." Junmyeon flinches and Chanyeol laughs.

"Only Jongdae, sucking up to leader-nim whenever he's got the chance. Did you even get hurt?"

"He did, I felt the bump," Junmyeon says quietly while looking away to hide his embarassment, and Jongdae decides to have mercy on him and leaves him alone with a pat on his knee. He goes back to his place while holding his head and squinting his eyes at the subsiding pain.

"It hurt a lot, but I'm okay. Who did the bottle land on?"

"Oh yeah, that's right." Baekhyun looks at it and finds Yixing at the other end. "Ah, Yixing-hyung."

"Yes, Baekhyun?"

"May I kiss you?"

"You may kiss me." Baekhyun gives him a light kiss on what turns out to be a dimple, and everyone laughs, even Junmyeon cracks a smile at the sight. Now Junmyeon has regained his composure and clears his throat to get the others attention.

"It's just me left now, so after I've had my turn this game is over, alright? I don't want any more accidents." He takes the bottle and spins it, and it ends up pointing at Jongdae. Jongdae playfully sticks the tip of his tongue out between his teeth, making Junmyeon swallow in fear.

"It's time to thank my saviour, don't you think?" he teases and kisses Junmyeon quickly, and Junmyeon's cheeks turn pink once again, making everyone erupt in laughter. Even Kyungsoo, who now confiscates the bottle and returns to the kitchen to finish making dinner, can't help but giggle a little, and when he's used the bottle and re-heated the pot he realises that he's been having fun.

Maybe Baekhyun's idea wasn't completely stupid after all.

Kyungsoo watches the others playing wildly in the living room, everyone with a smile on their lips. He lifts his hand to his own and feels it grow.

No, maybe it wasn't.

[jmdbjk]

Life can be fascinating.

Yesterday was something else.

We got Suchwita where Yoongi says "when we come back we might not be as hot..." uhhhhh.... and "we didn't do anything big" YOONGI! MY GOD! STOP BEING SO MODEST!

Hoshi had to say right away "dude, you all did a lot more than that."

Yoongi said things that calmed the anxiety I have about this era of waiting for them to do their service and get back to us.

With every episode I get to know his personality more and more. He long ago totally dispelled (x1000) my very first impressions of him but these Suchwita interviews he does are so beautiful and enlightening.

And now he's on his way to Bangkok to do who knows what...

We got a trailer for Hobi's J-Hope in the Box video on demand on Weverse. I can't wait to watch this documentary. The trailer is showing some very real scenes, much more authentic, along the lines of the previous documentary movies about BTS.

Yes, Hobi, life can be fascinating.

I heard this Disney+ project was a series... are we to expect a documentary like this for every member? And then perhaps a group one right before their group comeback? We don't know yet.

And lastly, as I was closing my eyes to sleep last night, this K-drama playing out in real life in Korea between two major competing entertainment corporations. Armys who have been around since the beginning... this was not on y'all's bingo card for this life time was it? If this deal sticks... the ramifications...

EXO fans... how we feeling today?

I don't think the saga is anywhere near being over. Someone needs to get us some more popcorn because this is the best real life drama we've seen since that slow speed police chase of OJ Simpson's Bronco down I-5 in Los Angeles in 1994.

And to top it all off, my six WKorea magazines arrived. The package was heavy. Probably 10lbs of paper in those six magazines. That's 4.5kg. But they were absolutely gorgeous. I don't regret purchasing all six covers, they are like oversize glossy art prints of Jimin.

I can't read any of it. But the pictures sure are pretty. I may sacrifice one (the close up black and white cover) so I can scan some of the inside photos to share. I will do something with the cover, frame it, display it... it's my favorite.

And I wake up and Jimin's done a live, told us his album is coming in March(!), he could take his clothes off to show us his tattoos but where's the fun in that? <bites fist> He comments about watching the most recent Suchwita and that he would like to appear on Yoongi's show (please, please, please).

Somehow, Jimin has overcome his "awkward" era while doing lives. For over an hour and a half he's chatting, being funny, making plastic flowers, singing, dancing... TO FILTER?! ... ... if Jimin does anything like what Hobi did and sings some of his previous songs... OMFG WE MIGHT FINALLY GET FILTER LIVE!!!!!!I21!!

Honestly, I am expecting Jimin to have something on his upcoming album that will give Filter a run for its money as far as "shock" value.

Of course I will come back with another post after the subs are up on his live.

[beamer7thepoko]

The Precursor With a tail p3 day 2. an investigation mission gone awery

early realsed so i can fix this page it's not ready to be read yet

Back at the camp when w-11 had to step out.

Vreeland: I'm definitely am picking up a very unusual Flux of hive readi...

Both zliverite and his ghost: ahhhhhhhhhhhh! It's the witness! He's found us!

Vreeland and w-11 both look at each other and chuckled.

Then Limix and Grolo come barging out the front doors. Then they both look at each other shaking their heads due to it being comical and due to them being in disbelief since they haven't met Zliverite until today.

07 and shardin both go into hiding and then they had remberd that 07 actully can make both of them invisible and they both had disappeared.

[Yes I know 07 has too many powers and or God powers that is how this clone of me oc is and she doesn't use her powers all the time for a secret irl reason but she also limits use of some of her powers for it being to God like in most situations unless it's prank or crazy event time.]

[And those powers could pontially kill the story. I hope it doesn't though. There's also another thing that could kill it too but I'm waiting until it's time to discuss it. It also makes this story more interesting and unique]

w-11 and Vreeland both look had at each other for a moment while shaking their heads and then.

W-11: Alright guardian please calm down! We're actually totally safe for as far as me and Vreeland both know! Every guardian please come inside for a emergency meeting!

Every guardian left then goes into the building and once everyone was in the building...

W-11: where's Isles, Harp, 07, and Shardin?

Both 07 and shardin had reappeared

W-11 and everyone else in the room and all said: ahh!

07: opse I'm sorry.

Shardin: we was trying to be safe and she has powers.

W-11: :| turning invisible? Now is that something some guardians can do now a days with cloaking devices... but I know you guys have none on yall.

Vreeland: That can be highly useful!

Zliverite and ghoztt: .....

07: wait where is Isles?

Then a transmission kicks in.

???: This is for the ♤¡3£♡£●¡▪︎£♡ lead one 3¤●£♤¡3|♤£¤¡ a human and a munfty both had been transported to throne world ♤£|¡¤3£♤□¤¡3£□♤¤¡ #5 we better hope that munfty will keep the human safe~~~~~~~

Then it cuts out.

The room has been filled with silence until 07 had sneezed

Ghoztt: guzunehitte

Suddenly something starts moving in the corner.

Elsie: Well other than 07 able to turn invisible with out the need of a cloaking device we've now officially definitely got bigger problems at hand other than gruah and the pryamid ship.

W-11: oh crap it looks like things are escalating fast here now.

Elsie: I'm about to go take a look outside to see if the hive has been near here. While you all try to find Isles and Harp as well as try to get in contact with whoever that was on that transmission and to find better answers.

Zliverite: yeah it kinda sounded bad

Ghoztt: I hope that munfty can really help that human.

W-11: well it's back to work then. Limix can you try help me finish worthing that report to the vanguard about gurah?

Limix: I will do my best. We've got to many things going on at once today.

The exo stranger, zliverite and ghoztt all head outdoors.

07: That was coolie werid.

07 then goes to the transmission machine that w-11 was trying to find the source of the signal. Then 07 has started playing around things and somehow...

W-11 what!?

Vreeland: there is the source!

Then they both turn around to both thank and ask 07 how she manged to do that and she wasn't there but Shardin was floating there.

W-11: while looking around um is 07 invisible again?

Vreeland: I don't see her on my scanner.

Shardin: She also can teleport, breath fire, change form, burrow, fly, breath space...

W-11:

Limix: holy smokes that's alot of powers! How much of those are actually real!

Vreeland: .... please tell me its on her file.

Shardin: I belive it is thanks to the trube leader.

Vreeland: The trube again?

W-11: hopefully she's safe.

07 reappears with Isles and Harp.

Both Vreeland and w-11

Shardin: yep they're safe and sound.

The pryamid ship lifts off east from the camp

Vreeland: ummm

W-11: uh oh.

Both zliverite and ghoztt: Oh hell nah!

Then they zoomed right into the building

07: XD

Vreeland and w-11: XD

Limix: shaking his head

W-11: sorry about that we'll fill you in later.

Elsie walks back in with a scared look on her face.

Everyone even Limix fell silent

Elsie: it definitely was hive and somehow they managed to hide a portal near here. I got to fill eris mon on what has...

The power cuts out.

We are the house of kings who come to take this land.

A trube dreadnought appears.

On second thought we better fleeeee!

The dreadnought blasted the ship into space and then lands east of the camp site.

Everyone: The trube!?

They all come running out and then here comes zavala with eris morn from the east side.

Elsie, Vreeland, Isles: zavala and eris morn are coming from that trube ship?

07: woah...

Limix: um excuse me sir for the situation that happened last night....

Isles: there is hive protal over there to the west side!

Limix: it was a Precursor to the witness species but it didn't merge with it and there's another out there too.

Eris morn then looks at zavala

Zliverite looks at ghoztt still in shock about the whole dreadnought thing.

Zavala then holds his hand ✋️ and then says: We are now working with the trube and they have managed to deactice the hive portal by covering it with boulders.

Eris morn: who is still missing from the camp.

One elskini: um I think we're all accounted for.

The transmission activates again: warning the house of kings are closing into the moon. And then it ends.

Everyone:

Zavala: well at least we actually know what had happened here today and also last night mostly.

Isles faints

Zliverite: Oh no I got you!

Limix puts a mat under her quick while eris morn runs to her.

Kaboom an explosion can be heard in the distance and now the elsikni ketch is flying around ewrths atmosphere on fire.

Zavala: what the?

Then few of the very high space birds fly into that ship.

Then it flies back into space.

Eris morn: it seems that the trube are taking out that ketch.

Zavala: good. that's less to worry about.

Isles then mutters: thralls, kights, in this forest, in this beautiful castle with fountains, and with the floaty islands. Then she falls back asleep.

Vreeland: 07 has saved Isles from the hive

Then things had weepdeey warped.

And Limix wakes up to being on the ship in space.

Limix: what in the what? Was that a dream.

Zliverite: um idk we're stuck.

Isles: yep we've got a new species out there.

07: is it the trube, Grey's, hive?

Limix: .....

The alien ships then begin to spin around and fly around the ship and then let the guardian ship through.

Limix: I think I'm still dreaming.

Zliverite: what in the hell?

Isles: okay that is definitely new

Harp: eurrp

07: yep its definitely the trube.

Everyone else except for shardin: Whaut!?

Then the ship lands and all the guardians get off of it and they all find.

W-11 please don't worry!

Citizens: it's the witness run!

Vreeland: no its just gruah! She's shy and definitely not human!

Limix: definitely like in my dream that I just had while on the ship.

Then comes an Elskini who's running away there's a pryamid ship to the east.

Limix: 0_0

Zliverite: ... well now I go on ahead to check it out.

Ghoztt: let's be careful

Limix:....

The house of kings ketch shows up. We're here. Kaboom.

A trube ship has taken it out.

Everyone: whaaaa?

Then the trube ship disappears

Everyone: yay back up is here!

Meanwhile at the east side. Zliverite approachs the pryamid ship.

Waurrp

It then flies upwards.

Limix: oh no here we go again

07: starts heading for the tent and then finds the alien scarf and the scene from the last page has happened again but right at the end. Limix had been watching and had his mouth wide open.

Shardin: Oh yeah she keeps all sorts of things in her Lil keep sake pouch....

(3-5 months after the 1st two parts that were written)

Then everything gets blurry and then... (I may had kinda gotten carried away and had messed this story up. so i'll kinda start over completely with a different start and then kinda go back to what was written before this so it'll still be cannon in this au. sorry about that. I've got a good new beginning to start this story off and hopefully it works out since I was going way to fast.) so here it goes the true beginning unless I'll have to scrape this and make a whole different one when i'm ready to.)

radio chatter dies... Limix then wakes up from a dream and he was listing to something sorta similar what had happened above while he was asleep but it had sadly ended where he could not re-listen to the recording (we're go back to the exact details to what exactly happened one day hopefully. depends if i continue to write this.)

-the characters Gurah is the same species that the precursor's to the witness actually was. She's very mysterious for now.

isles is the sassay gaurdian that the hive abduct and because of that happing multiple time or something else happens her charater may change later on. while she has a pet munfity whos named Harp. while her ghost name is grolo

07 is kinda mysterious but is kinda like the irl me with many powers and ties that'll be mentioned later on. while shardin is 07's ghost zilverite is my guardain taken from the game while zilverites ghost is nammed ghoztt. w-11 is a older guardian like ikora He helps keep the races organized and helps with the security where he tries to keep an eye out for possible danger that could threaten them. His ghost name is veerland Limix is a void, warlock who can have strange visons his ghosts name is Malrear

-color code chart

Orange = the good guys like the leaders like the vanguard and the cloud striders

While eris morn and the hive might be green

Purple = for my characters since I've used my guardian in game and am using my oc 07 a copy of my self kinda but with powers and stuff. Hence why this is a part of wackedverse.

Red = for the bad guys

Blue = for squadmates, allies and robots

pink = mystery

after this I'm doing away with colors i think because that is actually very tedious to do especially if I haven't visited this story in a while.

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