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jinkoh · 1 year ago

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pentagon x gn!reader

summary: you unexpectedly fall into a strange world and quickly find yourself entangled with its peculiar people—as well as their problems.

tags: alice in wonderland au, multiple routes for several members, a little madness; warnings: non-graphic descriptions of violence, mentions of blood and weapons, cruel characters (but also very sweet and fun ones—this au is less dark than it sounds...probably)

wordcount: ~13,8k

a/n: okay so this kinda became a really really huge project that i've been working on for a while and that i am very attached to so ofc i'd be really excited if you gave it a try hehe i didn't stick very close to the original material so don't be too surprised. in case you want to know who is who from the get go you can check out the character introduction, but they also all get introduced bit by bit~ do heed the warnings before reading!

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

The weather had been weird for days now, heavy clouds hanging in the purplish sky and a constant drizzle making puddles form in the streets. The Uncle from the car shop on the first floor said it was an omen; that something bad was approaching. Your landlady called him crazy and said it just needed a proper thunderstorm and the sunny weather would be back. But she didn’t like him much to begin with and if he wasn’t such a good tenant, for whatever that meant, she would have thrown him out long ago. You didn’t really care much for her idle talk. You were somewhat fond of the Uncle, even more so since your cat Humpty Dumpty seemed to have taken a liking to him too, visiting him in his shop, whenever he managed to sneak out of your third floor apartment.

So, when the Uncle told you to be careful in this weird weather and to keep an extra watchful eye on Humpty for the time being, you’d meant to heed his advice.

You must have had a moment of inattention though, because when you came home after getting groceries you found your small flat to be empty. You’d forgotten to close the bathroom window and he must’ve snuck out from there. With a sigh you set the groceries down in the kitchen area before stepping out again, hoping that maybe he was just in the car shop downstairs.

You were lucky, finding the brown animal curled up on the roof of a beige vintage car, while the Uncle himself was working beneath the car, only his legs poking out.

“Here to pick up your cat?” He asked, without coming out.

“He slipped out again,” you replied while picking Humpty up from his spot that must have been incredibly comfortable if his unsatisfied meowing was anything to go by. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”

The man laughed. “Felt more like he was keeping an eye on me, honestly.”

You nodded even though he couldn’t see you, watching a little longer.

“That’s a nice car,” you commented, more to make polite conversation than anything else. You didn’t actually know anything about cars, but you did think it was a pretty one with the little hood ornament resembling the shape of an M.

“Yeah, it’s a nice one. A Ford Mercury Monarch, though I doubt you’ve suddenly taken a big interest in cars, have you?”

“Not really.” You chuckled, feeling caught. Of course he’d know that you were just being polite. “Still, it’s kinda pretty.”

“Mhm,” he hummed.

Humpty started to fidget in your arms and you knew it was time to head upstairs if you didn’t want him to scratch you.

“I better go back.”

“Mhm,” he hummed again and you were about to leave, when he pushed himself out from under the car and eyed you seriously.

“Remember to be careful, y/n,” he reminded you once more. “I think there’ll be a storm tonight.”

Somehow the way he said it felt insinuating and sent a weird shiver down your spine.

You swallowed around the lump in your throat.

“I’ll remember it.”

With a weary feeling in your stomach you left his shop, slipping back out into the rain. The building you lived in was an old factory that had been turned into several loft apartments and the commercial property downstairs. A bunch of the complexes in your neighborhood were like that which gave the area a certain charme when the sun was shining onto the red brickstones and reflecting from the big, old windows. When it rained like now though, the sky above dark and grey, the tall buildings almost looked intimidating.

Just when you wanted to turn towards the entrance door next to the shop to head upstairs, you saw a white shadow rushing through your peripheral vision. Your head instinctively snapped around, and you clearly hadn’t been the only one to notice. Humpty all but leaped out of your arms, chasing the white shadow down the street which seemed to be—a rabbit?

For a moment you were frozen in place, watching your beloved fur ball disappear down the street. But then you snapped out of it, running after him as fast as you could.

Sadly, it wasn’t fast enough to catch up to him and to make things worse the Uncle had been right about the storm. The rain was picking up and you heard thunder rumbling in the distance.

Eventually you found yourself in a side street, no trace of either the cat nor the rabbit. Humpty had never been one to come back when called, but you tried anyway, shouting out his name, the brick-lined house walls echoing it back to you.

You knew Humpty would be able to find his way back home, but you didn’t like the idea of him outside in this weather by himself. So, you kept going, even when the rain got so strong you could barely see what was in front of you.

Feeling somewhat resigned, you turned into another side street, just to be met with the rabbit sitting right in the middle of the road, his bright white fur standing out against the gray surroundings. Humpty on the other hand was nowhere to be seen. But something inside of you told you that if you caught the rabbit, you would surely find him too.

The white animal watched you with calm eyes as you approached, and you almost thought you’d be able to grab it, when it bolted, disappearing behind a corner. You rushed after it, turning into the dead end just to find it deserted and almost completely flooded. The giant puddle seemed to reflect the sky above impossibly sharp, despite the raindrops rippling the surface. In the reflection it didn’t even look all that dark and cloudy, but before you could wonder about it more or bemoan the water drenching your shoes, you suddenly felt yourself stepping into a void, the floor beneath your feet simply disappearing. In a weird epiphany you realized it must have been a missing duct cover, but it wasn’t like that would help you now. You were already falling, dark water swallowing you whole.

When you came to, the first thing you realized was that you were cold and wet. You blinked your eyes open and pushed your damp hair out of your face. It didn’t make sense, you were sure you’d fallen down into the sewer, but you found yourself in the same dead end again, sitting in the middle of the giant puddle, completely drenched. At least the rain had let off and the sky was dyed in shades of pink and purple.

You felt for the opening in the ground that you’d fallen into with your hand, but the duct cover was right there. Confused, you tried to squeeze some water out of your clothes which was only so effective considering that you were still sitting in the puddle.

Just then, your eyes fell onto the white rabbit at the street corner he’d come from, looking at you almost thoughtfully. But then, as if he snapped himself out of a trance, his eyes widened.

“Oh no, oh no,” he mumbled, or you would have thought he did if it wasn’t impossible for a rabbit to speak. “Go back, quickly!”

“What?” you asked anyway, but the rabbit just turned and bolted off again.

“Time is running out.”

For a brief second you stared at the spot where he’d still sat a moment ago, but then you quickly stumbled to your feet and ran after him. You turned the corner just in time to see a man, not a rabbit, scurrying down the street. He had snow white hair, just like the bright fur of the rabbit, and it felt a bit too odd to be a coincidence. Especially with the pair of rabbit ears sitting right there on his head.

“Oh no, oh no,” you heard him again from the distance and even though none of this made any sense, you kept going after him.

Despite running until your lungs burned, you couldn't catch up to him. Maybe that was your sign to call it a day, you thought. Surely, Humpty had already made his way back home to your apartment by himself to escape the bad weather.

When you looked around though, you noticed that something about your neighborhood felt off. On first glance it was the same, but on second glance everything was different. All kinds of weird plants were overgrowing the pavement and crawling up the brick walls. There were no lights on behind the windows, no matter where you looked, nor was there any other trace of people.

Overcome with an eerie feeling you slowly made your way down the street in the direction of your home. The light of the street lamps looked colder than usual and they flickered in irregular intervals.

“I think you’re going the wrong way,” a voice behind you suddenly said matter of factly.

Startled, you turned around, looking right into the face of a young man with bright blue hair. He smiled and it was undeniably pretty, but it didn’t look entirely genuine.

“What do you mean?”

Instead of a reply he just shrugged and then seemed to disappear into thin air. You looked around, trying to understand where he’d gone, but he was nowhere to be found.

“What do you mean?” you repeated, your voice a little shaky.

“That the direction you’re going in is wrong.” He suddenly replied from right next to you.

“But I’m going home.”

“If you say so.” He giggled and it almost sounded childlike.

You felt yourself growing a little annoyed. “Then where am I supposed to go if not this way?”

“I won’t tell you.” With that he disappeared into thin air once more and you didn’t have it in you to feel surprised about it again.

“Fine,” you snapped in no direction in particular. “Then don’t tell me.”

You continued your way, but from time to time you still heard his giggles and little comments.

“So wrong,” he would say with a chuckle, his voice coming from one direction first and then another next.

“If you’re not going to tell me, then at least leave me alone!”

“But it’s funny,” he argued, suddenly appearing right in front of you, a wide smile plastered on his face. “It’s funny to see you run right into their fangs.”

“Whose fangs?”

“The Queen’s servants,” he whispered right into your left ear, before reappearing on your other side. “The heartlings.”

You frowned in confusion, all of this giving you a headache. None of it made any sense. You just wanted to go home, curl up in your bed and cuddle your cat. But you couldn’t help the weary feeling in your guts, telling you that there was at least some truth to the weird guy’s words.

“So, where would you go?”

“Oh, I can go anywhere,” he replied with a giggle. “They can’t catch me if they can’t see me, right?”

“And if you couldn’t turn invisible?”

“Hm,” he seemed to think for a moment. “Maybe I’d get myself a snack from the gas station?”

You looked at his vanishing form in utter disbelief. “A snack?”

“Or a coke, maybe.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well, I’m not saying you should do that. But you asked me what I would do. And I gave you an answer.”

You felt so unbearably frustrated with whoever this guy was, and yet you still turned around and headed into the direction of the gas station. Maybe you’d get some answers there and if you didn’t you could at least buy a snack and a coke before going home.

When you reached the gas station it too wasn’t quite looking the way you remembered it to. Instead of the brand logo you were so familiar with, the pink neon sign showed an abstract symbol next to letters that you couldn’t read. Just like the rest of the neighborhood it seemed to be completely deserted, but at least the lights in the shop were on.

“Are you sure I can go in?” You asked, convinced the blue haired guy was still around.

“If the door isn’t locked you can,” he replied, his voice coming from further away than you’d expected.

You turned around to spot him sitting in the branches of a tree near the edge of the parking lot.

“Are you not coming along?”

“I doubt my presence would be appreciated.”

You frowned in confusion. “Why?”

“Because I don’t like to pick sides. Besides,” he hopped off the branches but disappeared before his feet hit the ground, just to stand in front of you a second later. “Cats aren’t welcome.”

He pointed towards a sticker on the glass door, a pictogram of a cat crossed out with a thick red line.

“But you’re not a cat,” you argued, following the gesture with your eyes before your gaze settled on him again.

“Am I not?” He tilted his head and a pair of grayish blue cat ears was sitting right there, poking out of his hair.

You stared at him flabbergasted. You knew for sure they hadn’t been there before. You would have noticed such a detail, wouldn’t you?

“Wha—how?”

“Because I’m a cat,” he replied as if it was common knowledge. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

With that, he vanished into thin air once more, the last thing you saw of him the bright white of his toothy smile.

“Wait! Am I supposed to go alone?”

“Weren’t you alone from the start?” sounded his reply, but he didn’t turn visible again.

“But what if I need help?”

“I’m sure you will.”

“So how will I know how to find you?”

He giggled. “Find me? You won’t. But should I ever be in the mood to help, I will certainly know how to find you.”

“Wait!” you tried to stop him once more, but it stayed quiet and you were sure he was gone for good this time.

You sighed, focusing your attention on the shop in front of you instead. Even on closer inspection you couldn’t spot anyone, but the staff door behind the cash desk was cracked open, so you assumed that someone was in the back.

With a deep breath you opened the glass door and stepped inside. It felt cramped with how closely the aisles stood together, maybe a little more so than usual. You looked around, hoping that the cashier would come out if you just waited a bit. You picked up a coke and a chocolate bar from the shelves, not because you were in the mood for either, but because the cat guy had mentioned it.

By the time you stepped to the counter and sat down the products on top there was still no sign of anyone coming out anytime soon, nor was there a bell to ring.

“Hello?” You timidly shouted in the direction of the door. “Hellooo?”

“Hello?” It suddenly echoed back from beyond. “Hellooo?”

You rolled your eyes at the staff’s humor. “I’d like to pay.”

“They’d like to pay,” it sounded back, but this time it didn’t seem to be addressed to you.

Before you could say anything else, the door opened and a guy with tousled red hair stepped out. For a moment he just eyed you thoughtfully but then he broke into a goofy smile that made a dimple form on his cheek.

“Welcome.”

“Uh, hi,” you replied awkwardly. “Do you work here?”

He wasn’t quite what you’d expected. Instead of the off-white t-shirts the staff here usually wore, he wore a sheer turtleneck in bright orange and a colorful silk shirt on top that he kept open. He absolutely didn’t look as if he was working here. Nevertheless, you couldn’t help but think that in some peculiar way, you found him attractive.

“Work here?” he repeated, sounding almost a little confused. “No, I don’t work.”

“Uh, then, is someone here who does?”

“Is anyone here who does?” he shouted towards the staff door, passing your question on.

“No, no one,” came the reply shortly after.

“The hare says no one is here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard.” You pinched the bridge of your nose slowly losing patience with whatever was going on today. “So, how do I pay?”

“Oh, with money.”

“With—forget it.”

“All forgotten.” He nodded with a bright smile. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I was just looking for my cat and then got into this whole,” you gestured vaguely at your surroundings, “mess.”

“A cat?” His face crinkled with disgust. “Not a blue one, is it? That scoundrel is not allowed in here.”

“Blue? No, Humpty Dumpty is brown.”

“Humpty Dumpty is an egg.”

“What?”

You shook your head in exasperation. “Anyway, so I was looking for my cat and then there was this rab—man?” It sounded more like a question.

“You’re looking for a man?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Hm,” he looked around the store as if he could find him between the aisles if he just searched hard enough. Then he turned to the door once more.

“Changgu, do we have a man?”

“A man? No, no, we don’t have that.”

“I’m afraid we don’t have any in store,” he said apologetically.

“I’m not—I don’t want to buy one. I’m—he was running away. He had white hair and—rabbit ears? And he seemed to be in a hurry. Have you seen him?”

“Ah, you met Hui. Terrible workaholic, really.”

“Do you know where to find him? I think he knows where my cat is….maybe?”

At the word cat his face scrunched up once more, but he didn’t comment on it this time.

“I might know.”

“So, will you show me?”

“Now? I can’t. It’s tea time. In fact, maybe you should come in and have tea with us.”

You frowned in confusion. “But you don’t even know me?”

“Right,” he nodded. “Who are you?”

“Y/n.”

“Y/n. That is certainly a name,” he nodded once more. “I’m Shinwon. The Hatter.”

“A hatter?” You weren’t aware that it was a job that still existed. You’d assumed that the fast fashion industry had more or less let that handicraft die out. Furthermore, “You’re not even wearing a hat.”

“Not a hatter. The Hatter. And my hat—” for a moment he stared into the distance, a deep sadness in his eyes but then he snapped out of it, smiling like nothing happened. “That’s a story for another day.”

The sudden change in mood had piqued your interest, but you decided to respect his privacy and not pry into it further.

“And what is the Hatter doing in a gas station?”

“A gas station? I’ve never been to one.” He didn’t give you the time to question his words, already turning towards the door. “Now, let’s have some tea.”

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea to follow this guy to the back. He didn’t seem to be right in the head, though to be fair, you weren’t sure about your own sanity either. After all, you’d chased down a talking rabbit and then shared a walk with a man who seemed to be able to vanish into thin air. Perhaps, a mad hatter in a gas station was on the normal side of things in comparison.

The backroom didn’t look the way you’d expected, though at this point you weren’t sure what you were expecting anymore. The space was completely cluttered with chests and boxes, and all kinds of fabrics and curtains were draped throughout the room. In the middle of it all was a long table which was decked out with way too much dinnerware. In fact, the tea cups were stacked up so high, you almost didn’t notice the guy sitting in one of the mismatched chairs near the end of the table.

“I brought a guest,” Shinwon declared, pointing at you.

“A guest!” The guy jumped up from his chair with a dazzling smile.

Only now did you see the floppy ears that sat on his head, reaching down all the way to his shoulders. They were a light brown, the same shade as his wavy hair, and they looked so soft and fuzzy you kinda wanted to try petting them.

“Hi,” you awkwardly greeted, raising your hand in a small wave. “I’m y/n.”

“That is certainly a name,” the man replied with a nod and Shinwon next to you clapped excitedly.

“Right? That’s what I said.”

You didn’t know what to make of the comment so you decided to just ignore it. “And you are Changgu I assume?”

“Ah, where are my manners?” He rushed over, accidentally knocking some cups off the table that shattered on the floor.

“Yes, Hare, where are your manners?” Shinwon echoed.

“I’m Changgu. The March Hare,” he introduced himself, reaching out his hand to you, that barely poked out from underneath the sleeves of his plaid coat.

“The March Hare?”

He nodded, before leaning in closer as if he was about to share a secret.

“It’s because I’m as mad as one,” he whispered. “I don’t have both ears in the water.”

As if to prove his point he raised one of his ears and let it flop down again.

“It’s oars, Hare. You don’t have both oars in the water,” Shinwon corrected, before ushering you further into the room. “Now, let’s have some tea?”

He pulled back one of the chairs for you while he took the seat at the head of the table. You sat down and stared at the mess before you, unsure how to behave. It didn’t exactly look as if it was set for a tea party (or set at all, for that matter). You felt out of place and it didn’t help that your clothes were still wet. It had almost slipped your mind, but now that you were sitting you felt the damp fabric sticking to your skin again, leaving you with an itchy feeling.

“Tea?” Changgu, who’d taken the seat across from you interrupted your thoughts. He pushed a cup he’d poured in your direction. The other porcelain on the table got shoved out of the way on his quest but he didn’t seem to mind, not even when one of the higher stacks started to sway dangerously.

Unable to watch what was clearly going to end in disaster, you quickly took the cup with a “Thank you” and promptly received a bright smile in return.

Before you could take a sip of the steaming liquid though, Shinwon held out a plate with muffins to you, each one decorated with a small candle.

“Dessert? We also have cake,” he pointed at a ring cake somewhere in the mess. “And biscuits.”

“Then, a biscuit, perhaps?” You agreed reluctantly.

“A biscuit, Hare, quick, a biscuit for the biscuit!”

Changgu nodded eagerly, holding out another plate to you, and you took one of the cookies from it.

But you didn’t get to try that either, because all of a sudden the door was pushed open with so much force, it made you flinch and drop the cookie into your tea cup.

“Ah, not in the middle of tea time,” Shinwon complained, clearly annoyed but not surprised. “What does the Queen want now, Paul?”

For a moment you weren’t sure who he was talking to, but then you spotted the frog that was standing upright in the doorway, dressed in an outfit that resembled a Victorian newspaper boy.

“An invitation,” he croaked, taking a big leap right onto the table, porcelain clinking at the sudden impact. He fished out a piece of paper and handed it to Changgu who took it from his green fingers.

“We got it. Now, shoo, we’re having tea.” Shinwon gestured for the frog to leave with a wave of his hand. “Unless you fancy to join us for a cup?”

“Not particularly,” the frog replied, hopping off the table and disappearing to where he’d come from.

Changgu passed the paper onto Shinwon who took it with the tips of his fingers as if it was something disgusting.

“What is it?” You’d managed to catch a glimpse of the writing and once again had to realize that whatever alphabet it was, you couldn’t read it.

“A party invitation,” Shinwon replied, almost spitting out the words.

"Do you not like parties?"

At your question he broke into a laughter so intense as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

“Do I not like parties?” He turned to his friend in amusement "Did you hear that, Changgu?"

“Do you not like parties?” Changgu repeated, shaking from laughter himself, his ears flopping up and down at the movement.

You felt awkward and maybe a little upset that you once again weren't in on whatever the joke was.

“Well, do you?” You interrupted their laughter, light annoyance in your voice.

Shinwon's eyes were gleaming when he replied. “I love parties, Biscuit. I love them so much I celebrate all my unbirthdays every year.”

Changgu nodded hastily to support his point. “Every single one!”

“We’re celebrating one right this second.”

You didn't bother asking what an unbirthday was. “Then what’s so bad about this?”

Immediately, Shinwon's face turned dark again. “It's the Queen's party.”

“Then don't go.”

“Don't go, you say,” he repeated with another giggle. “No, we have to go. It's the Queen's party."

After a brief glance at a clearly broken cuckoo clock on the wall he sprung up with so much vigor, his poor chair fell over backwards and clattered to the floor. “In fact, we should go right now!”

Then his eyes got stuck on you.

“You're wet,” he commented as if he only just now noticed the sorry state of your clothes.

“I fell into a puddle.”

“Why would you do that?”

You frowned. “It’s not like it was on purpose.”

The side eye he exchanged with Changgu told you that he still considered it to be weird, but he let it rest.

“Either way you can't wear that to the party. The Queen hates bad fashion.”

“Oh, I won't go to the party, I wasn’t invited.”

Another rush of laughter overcame the two of them.

“It's the Queen's party,” Shinwon repeated yet another time. “Everyone is invited. Hare, don't we have some clothes for the child?”

“I'm not a child,” you argued but neither of them minded you.

“Maybe we have some in the dairy section.”

“Mhm-mhm,” Shinwon nodded thoughtfully and then disappeared into the shop only to show up a minute later with an odd looking suit that he handed to you. The fabric felt cold, as if it'd just come out of the refrigerator and the combination of colors and patterns seemed a little random. But it was still better than the damp clothes that were sticking to your skin uncomfortably, so you took the suit and changed into it while Shinwon and Changgu waited outside.

When you came out again, the two of them seemed to have cleaned up for the occasion as well: Shinwon had buttoned up his shirt and tamed his red hair while Changgu had added a black tie with red dots to his outfit. He hadn’t bothered to tuck it under the collar of his shirt though so it made him look more disheveled than before, but you didn’t point that out.

Shinwon eyed you intently, his brows furrowed as he took in every inch of you. Then he broke into a happy smile. “Oh, it suits you! Isn’t that right, Hare?”

“Exquisitely so!”

You weren’t sure about their assessment but their compliments still made you feel a little better in your skin.

The three of you stepped outside and you would have thought the sky would be pitch black by now, but it still had the same purplish pink colors as before.

“So, where is this party?” You asked as you walked down the street.

“The Red Castle,” Changgu supplied an answer that made you none the smarter.

“Of course,” you mumbled. “Where else would it be?”

Even though Shinwon had been less than ecstatic to go to the Queen’s party, he didn’t dwell on the bad mood. Him and Changgu giggled and goofed around on the way, most of their jokes going past you.

“I’d much rather go home,” you let out a small sigh, barely even noticing that you’d said it out loud.

Shinwon interrupted his laughter to turn to you. “Oh, that’s just the right mindset for attending this party. I too would much rather go home. But,” he playfully nudged your shoulder with his own, “when we all want to go home, it’s almost the same as actually going home.”

You didn’t a hundred percent get the point he was trying to make there, but his words felt comforting nevertheless. Perhaps it wasn’t his words per se, but the consoling smile on his lips and the genuine expression in his eyes.

You shook your head in amusement. “Let’s go home then.”

“Let’s go home!” he repeated with a wide grin, raising his fist into the air and making you giggle.

As you kept walking, you slowly realized though, that maybe that was quite literally where you were headed. You were only a block away from your house now, and the closer you came, the more lively it got on the streets that had still been empty a few hours ago. Approaching your home should have filled you with a sense of relief, but instead it just made you feel queasy.

Your bad feeling about it all proved to be there for a reason. When you turned into your street, you could barely recognize what used to be so known to you. The streetlights were decorated with a weird assortment of red flowers and warning tape, and the whole area was jammed with people (though you weren’t sure if people was the right word for the diverse assembly of beings, some more human than others but none that were human through and through) and at the center of it all seemed to be the tall factory building with its brick walls and the car shop on the first floor. It looked vastly different, the entire front of the building covered by a huge mural painting depicting roses that crawled up the walls, their stems carrying sharp thorns. Still, there was no mistaking it:

“That’s—that’s my house.”

“Oh, how fortunate,” Shinwon exclaimed gleefully. “You wanted to go home!”

“No, but—,” you interrupted yourself, not even sure what to say. Maybe it’d been a little delusional to believe your home would still be your home if nothing else seemed to have remained the same.

“You didn’t want to go home after all?” Shinwon nodded understandingly. “Then this is indeed unfortunate.”

“Very unfortunate,” Changgu agreed.

“I’m just so confused. Why is nothing the same as before?”

“Maybe that’s a question for a caterpillar,” Changgu replied seriously. “They are experts on things that do not stay the same.”

Before you could inquire how you were supposed to discuss this with a caterpillar of all things, you spotted a familiar pair of snow white ears in the middle of the crowd that disappeared as suddenly as they’d shown up.

Without thinking you chased after the white rabbit. You weren’t sure why you were still so keen on catching him. It didn’t seem very likely anymore that he knew where Humpty was. But he was the only one who had already been there when the world was still normal, so maybe he’d also know how to turn it back.

“Why are we running?” Shinwon asked behind you, sounding out of breath. You hadn’t noticed he’d come along.

“The rabbit!” You explained. “I saw the rabbit.”

“Why are we running?” Changgu shouted from behind Shinwon, following as you rushed through the crowd.

“The rabbit, they saw the rabbit,” Shinwon explained in your stead.

You almost expected to lose the rabbit in question again, but then he was suddenly standing right there, throwing a worried glance onto his wrist watch. You abruptly stopped in order not to run him over, causing Shinwon to bump into you. In your relief to have finally caught on, you didn’t pay it any mind though.

“Thank God,” you pressed out, catching your breath.

The man with the white rabbit ears turned to you, seemingly only noticing you now.

“Oh. Oh, no,” he looked a little distressed at your presence before his eyes wandered to your company in surprise. “And the Hatter?”

“And the Hare,” Shinwon added, pointing at Changgu who’d come to a stop behind him.

“So, what do you want?” The man asked, his eyes darting to his watch once more. “I’m in a hurry.”

Shinwon chuckled. “It’s good to take a break from time to time, Hui.”

“Of course, you would say that.”

“My cat,” you interrupted before their discussion could drag on. “Did you see my cat?”

“A cat?” He sighed. “I don’t have time for Yanan’s shenanigans."

“No, no,” Shinwon chimed in. “This cat is brown.”

“I don’t have time for a brown cat either,” Hui shook his head. “In fact, I don’t even have time for this party.”

With that he took off, quickly disappearing into the crowd again.

“Wait,” you shouted after him. You still hadn’t asked him about whatever was going on with the world around you, and he was probably the only person who could know something (and also the most sane one you’d met so far, despite his constant haste and his rather cold demeanor).

“Don’t take it to heart,” Changgu reassured. “In fact, he already lingered longer than usual. Sometimes we don’t hear from him for months. And he doesn’t even spare the time to celebrate his unbirthdays.”

You sighed in resignation. “Still, I had so many questions.”

“Even if he knows the answers, I doubt he has the time to give them,” Shinwon replied comfortingly, though it didn’t feel very comforting at all. “Caterpillars on the other hand have a lot of time.”

You didn’t get why Shinwon too was bringing up caterpillars now, but the two of them had been talking nonsense from the moment you’d met them so it was a little late to start overthinking it now.

Suddenly, the sound of a fanfare cut through the noise of the crowd.

“Oh, it’s beginning,” Shinwon exclaimed, grabbing your hand and pulling you further towards the front, until you were standing in the second or third row with a direct view on what used to be your home and was now something else entirely. "From here you can take a good look so you know whom to avoid."

"The Queen?" you asked for clarification.

"That too. But the Heartlings and Knave as well."

You remembered the former from when the blue cat had mentioned it before, but the knave was new. You didn't get to ask though, because the fanfare sounded again.

A frog, just like the one that had brought the invitation, was standing on a stack of tires in front of the garage door, a scroll in his hands that he unrolled solemnly. He cleared his throat twice before finally addressing the crowd.

“Your Majesty, the Queen of Hearts,” he announced, his voice way louder than you would have expected from a frog of his size.

The crowd cheered more or less enthusiastically and he hopped from the stack of tires. A pack of ferrets came to the scene, quickly pushing the tires to the side. The last one had barely scurried away, when the roller shutter of the garage started to open, slowly disclosing the shop beyond. For a while, all you got to see was the car that was parked right in the center. You recognized the vintage car immediately with its beige finish and the M shaped hood ornament. As the shutter had almost rolled all the way up, it finally revealed a person sitting on top of the car, in just the same spot that Humpty had taken a nap in earlier today. (At least you thought it was still today—with the sky not changing color at all, you were a little confused about the passage of time.)

To your surprise though, it wasn’t a Queen at all. Instead it was a guy with choppy blonde hair wearing a velvet tracksuit. His gaze was fierce and there was something captivating albeit intimidating about his aura. Still—

“Where’s the Queen?”

Instantly, the whole crowd fell silent.

The man in the velvet suit cocked his head, his eyes narrowing in on the guests. “Who asked that?”

Everyone around you took a step away, trying to gain some distance from you. Solely Shinwon and Changgu stuck to your side, but even they seemed a little uneasy. From your peripheral vision you spotted a man with wavy hair next to the garage door straightening out his posture. You hadn’t noticed him before, but he must have been there all along. He pushed back the fabric of his jacket a bit to reveal the grip of a gun that was tucked into the waistband of his pants. You didn’t understand what was happening, but you were smart enough to realize it wasn’t anything good. Your stomach was filled with dread and you instinctively reached out to Shinwon, your fingers clasping onto the hem of his shirt.

“Uh, oh, Biscuit,” he whispered close to your ear. “You’ve really done it now.”

“I said,” the man in the velvet suit started again, this time with more emphasis, as he leaped off the car roof in one smooth movement. “Who. Asked. That?”

The crowd seemed to budge even further away from you, leaving you easily exposed to the man who approached with striding steps.

“You?” His gaze landed on you, making you feel small and helpless. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

He took another step closer, close enough for you to spot the beauty marks on his face, close enough to notice the glow of his skin. “Tell me your name, dear.”

“Y/n,” you pressed out, your voice barely hearable.

“Y/n,” he repeated with a hum, almost as if he was tasting the sound of it on his tongue. “So, y/n, what were you thinking? What made you believe that I’m not worthy of being the Queen?”

The thoughts started circling in your mind. It was clearly a trick question; no matter what reply you presented him with, it would be wrong.

Thankfully though, you didn’t have to give one at all. Before you could even think of saying anything, you felt Shinwon leaning in close to your ear again.

“I’ve got this,” he whispered, stepping in front of you with confidence.

Anxiously, you glanced over to Changgu, who gently took your hand in his, mouthing a reassuring Don’t worry.

“Your Distinctiveness,” Shinwon greeted overly friendly, taking an exaggerated bow.

“Hatter,” the Queen replied, his face contorted in disgust.

“You see, my dear friend is new here,” he explained. “And to make matters worse, they have terrible vision, don’t you, Biscuit?”

You felt frozen, even more so now that the Queen's attention was back on you. It wasn’t until Changgu squeezed your hand, that you hurriedly nodded.

“Very terrible vision,” Shinwon repeated, his voice sounding pitying this time. “Can’t even tell right from wrong.”

“Is that so?”

The Queen didn’t seem convinced as he gave you another once over. You instinctively held your breath, as if that could protect you from his piercing gaze.

“Consider this a warning,” he eventually said, finally taking his eyes off you.

“And you, Hatter,” he turned to Shinwon, “educate your guests right. Wouldn’t want to lose any, hm?”

“Of course, your Noteworthiness; by no means, your Exquisiteness,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully.

“Good!” The Queen’s mood suddenly shifted. He clapped his hands and a grin spread on his lips. “Now, let’s celebrate, shall we?”

He strode back to the car, using stacked up tires to take a seat on the roof again like a Queen on her throne.

You let out the breath you’d been holding, relieved that you’d evaded whatever storm would have awaited you if Shinwon hadn’t been there. You gently tugged on his sleeve to get his attention.

“Thank you. You really saved me there.”

“Oh, yes, Biscuit, that would not have ended well,” he replied with a giggle before his expression grew more serious. “But I have your back.”

You weren’t sure why he’d helped you, after all he barely knew you at all. But you didn't dwell on it for too long. Of everyone you’d met today, if you had to choose just one person to trust, it would surely be him. In all his madness and with all his nonsense, you decided to trust him.

The party proceeded, though it hardly resembled your understanding of the term. There was music, sure, but the mood felt strained. The Queen however didn’t seem to notice or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

“It’s a party,” he drawled. “So, entertain me.”

“Of course, your Highness,” the frog from before hurried to assure. “The dancers, get the dancers!”

A group of dancers stepped forward, wiry figures with white wings on their backs just like those of a swan. Music started to play and they moved to the melody. It was a beautiful choreography but you couldn’t help but notice the way their arms seemed to tremble with nerves. And you weren’t the only one.

“What a pity for them,” Shinwon whispered next to you.

“A tragedy, even,” Changgu agreed.

“He won’t like that.”

“He’ll despise it.”

You looked between the two of them, before your gaze wandered back to the Queen. He looked onto the spectacle with contempt.

“Boring. Show something else.”

Immediately the music got interrupted and a different song played, the dancers changing position and starting anew. The Queen watched for a moment, his lips pursed thoughtfully.

“If only I could make this more fun,” he complained with a big sigh but then his eyes widened as if he’d had a brilliant idea. “Ah! I know! Jack! Get me some firecrackers!”

The frog nodded, relaying the task onto the ferrets who disappeared and showed up seconds later with a red box. The Queen clapped joyfully before he took the box and fished a lighter out of his pocket.

“What is he doing?” You asked Shinwon, your voice barely a whisper.

“Playing a game, it seems. He loves games.”

An uneasy feeling took root in your stomach. “What kind of game?”

“Dodge.”

The game was exactly what it sounded like. While the performance continued, the Queen lit up the firecrackers and threw them at the dancers’ feet, watching in delight as they tried to evade the small explosions.

You felt sick to your stomach and for the first time since you’d fallen into the sewer you truly wished to wake up from what clearly had to be a nightmare. With shaky fingers, you pinched the skin of your inner arm, hard enough to make tears spring to your eyes. But nothing happened. You didn’t wake up and this wasn’t a dream. The dancers were still hopping from one foot to the other, the Queen’s manic laughter drowning out the music they were dancing to. And you just stood there, frozen in place, averting your gaze instead of stepping in.

“That’s insane. How can he be so cruel?”

“He’s the Queen of Hearts, what did you expect?” Shinwon scoffed. “Of course, it was different when—no, I shouldn’t say. Not here.”

The rest of the party continued in the same vein. The Queen had a very different idea of how to stay entertained, it seemed. His games hardly qualified as games at all. If anything they were torture, for those who had to watch and even more so for those who had to play. But he was sitting on his makeshift throne enjoying the show.

“Oh, what a delight!” The Queen eventually addressed the crowd. “I had feared for this party to become a disaster. After all, it was off to a miserable start, isn’t that true?”

Maybe it was just your imagination, but you felt as if his eyes were looking right at you, giving you a warning glare as if to say I remember you. Don’t mess up again.

Panic rushed through your body and you were shaking like a leaf as you tried to withstand his gaze. When he looked away at last, announcing it was time for the grand finale, you felt all strength leaving your body and your knees would have given in if Shinwon hadn’t immediately reached out to steady you. Even when you’d found your balance again, he stayed closely behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“Are you okay, Biscuit?”

You didn’t even bother pretending and shook your head.

“When is this over? When is it finally over?”

“Soon. We only have to make it through the fireworks now. You can hold out, right?”

You nodded weakly and watched with something akin to relief as the ferrets set up fireworks that for once seemed to really be just that—fireworks.

“No one’s going to get hurt, right?” you asked, to be sure.

Shinwon gave your shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “No one’s going to get hurt.”

And his words proved true. The ferrets lit the fuse and you watched with tired eyes as the flame crawled over the bloodstained floor until it reached the fireworks. They shot up with a bang and exploded into sparkling pink hearts filling the sky above you that had at last started to darken. It was a beautiful spectacle and for a brief moment you could almost trick yourself into thinking that it’d been a regular party after all. Almost. While everyone’s eyes were glued to the sparkling sky, your own fell to the Queen again. He was watching the fireworks too, in awe of its beauty, while the traces of his cruel games were scattered all around him. It seemed he was the only winner today.

After a moment he lowered his head to look at you. It was a slow, deliberate shift as if he’d been aware of your gaze all along. His eyes briefly flicked over his surroundings before they landed on you again, a small smile on his lips. Despite the distance you knew exactly what he was mouthing at you.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

When it was finally over you couldn’t even manage to be relieved. You’d seen too much and you despised yourself for watching all of it in silence.

“Why is everyone just accepting this?” You asked, once the crowd had dissipated and you’d gained some distance to the Red Castle.

“Because there’s nothing else we can do,” Shinwon explained matter-of-factly. “Not yet.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that it’s not time yet.”

“Not yet,” Changgu echoed. “But soon.”

It wasn’t a very satisfactory reply, but who were you to talk? You’d only been here for a day and it wasn’t as if you’d been brave enough to say anything either. No, you’d looked away much the same as everyone else.

You sighed and followed behind them, slowly realizing that you had no idea where you were headed. It definitely wasn’t the way back to the gas station unless the streets had suddenly swapped places which wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen that day.

When you asked, Shinwon looked at you in confusion. “To the caterpillar, of course.”

“The caterpillar?”

“You want answers and he has a lot of them. And if you’re lucky a few of them might just match your questions.”

“Is it far?”

“Oh, very much,” Shinwon nodded but then he added, “we’re almost there.”

Eventually you turned into the street with the old theater and realized that that must be where you were headed. You’d always loved it there and had many fond memories of musicals and theater pieces you’d watched there. It was a charming building with a pretty front that you remembered to be adorned with big illuminated signs announcing the shows that were currently running. Now though, it looked sad and abandoned as it laid in complete darkness at the end of the street.

“What happened here?”

“The Queen doesn’t fancy theaters, I’m afraid. He’d rather the only shows that happen are the ones he holds in the castle. Of course it was different when—” Shinwon interrupted himself once more, but then he seemed to remember that you weren’t at the party anymore and that no one was around to hear. Still, he whispered when he continued, just to be safe. “It was different when Hongseok was still king.”

“Very different,” Changgu agreed. “Hongseok loved the theater.”

“He also loved cookies,” Shinwon added.

“And fun rides.”

“And coffee.”

Changgu nodded excitedly. “He handed out free coffee on all 23rd unbirthdays.”

“He did. Every 23rd.”

“The 23rd unbirthdays are always the best,” Changgu explained.

You looked at him in confusion. “Why?”

Now Changgu was the one looking confused. “Because they are the 23rd, of course.”

“Right,” you nodded slowly even though his explanation didn’t actually explain anything. Still, even if it didn’t make much sense, what you did understand was how fondly they thought of Hongseok. You didn’t know if he’d been a capable king, but he must have been a beloved one.

“Why isn’t he ruling anymore?”

Shinwon laughed, as if it’d been a particularly stupid question. “Because now we have the Queen, dummy. There can’t be a king and a queen.”

You wanted to argue that in fact there usually was both, but you doubted that anything would come of it.

The three of you walked towards the entrance of the dark building when Shinwon suddenly stopped in his tracks and swiveled around to Changgu.

“Do you have cash on you?”

“No, no,” Changgu shook his head, turning his pockets inside out as if to prove his point. A single button fell out and clattered to the floor.

“Oh, no. I am afraid they don't take credit card.” Shinwon sighed with a wistful glance at the dark and empty ticket booth before turning to you. “You don’t happen to have any?”

Your gaze wandered between him and the abandoned theater. “What do you need cash for?”

“To buy a ticket, dummy,” he said with a giggle. “Hare, she doesn’t know you need a ticket to go to a theater.”

“You can’t just go in without a ticket,” Changgu nodded.

"No, I—agh, nevermind."

“You’re so funny, Biscuit.”

You didn’t consider yourself a particularly humorous person, but as long as it made them laugh you supposed it was fine. Still, you didn’t get why you would have to pay to go into an abandoned building where there clearly were no shows running. You checked your pockets anyway, but you had nothing except for an old bubble gum wrapper.

“Hm,” Shinwon looked thoughtful. “Well, I guess it will have to do.”

He took the wrapper from your hand, picked up the button from the street and fished a safety pin out of his own pocket. The random assortment of things was then shoved through the hatch of the ticket booth that was meant for paying. Meanwhile Changgu opened the entrance door to the right of the booth which was barely hanging in its hinges.

“After you,” he said with a grin and an exaggerated bow.

“Very kind,” Shinwon replied with a nod and a tip of an invisible hat as he stepped past him into the dark lobby of the theater. You followed suit, giving Changgu a quick thanks.

Somehow the building made you feel weary. It was distressing how it looked as if it’d been abandoned from one second to another. There were coats hanging in the cloakroom and a half eaten bucket of popcorn was laying tipped over on the floor, popcorn scattered around it. The whole atmosphere gave you chills.

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem to have any such concerns though. The Hatter went straight for the snack counter, starting to rummage through the fridge that was clearly turned off.

“Coke anyone? Or a limo?” He asked, holding up glass bottles, that almost looked like the popular brands you knew, if it wasn’t for the unfamiliar writing.

He didn’t wait for a reply, already setting them onto the counter.

“Do you think we should bring something for Jinho too? You think he'd want a coke? Or something else?”

“Maybe something else.”

Shinwon nodded thoughtfully. “A water? But that's for boring people.”

“Maybe a water,” Changgu agreed anyway.

“Jinho? Are we—are we still talking about a worm here?”

Shinwon bursted into laughter. “A worm! Oh, he would hate that!”

“Wasn’t it a worm?”

He snorted before turning to Changgu. “A worm, Hare! A worm!” He repeated between chuckles, nudging his friend in the side who’d long joined his laughter.

“We shouldn’t ever tell him that.”

“We shouldn’t. He would hate it so much.”

“He would,” Changgu shook himself in delight. “Maybe we should tell him.”

“We should!”

“So, it wasn’t a worm?”

“A caterpillar, Biscuit. He is a caterpillar.”

Jinho was sitting on one of the balconies, watching the empty stage. His head was propped up on one of his hands as he leaned over the balustrade, sipping on a small pouch of red ginseng extract. The dim light in the auditorium gave his dark gray hair a blueish, almost iridescent shimmer that made you want to question if it was real. Still, he was most certainly not a caterpillar.

“A lovely theater, isn’t it?” He mumbled without looking up and you weren’t quite sure who he was talking to.

“Very lovely,” Shinwon was quick to agree but he didn’t sound serious.

“You should have seen it in its heydays,” Jinho continued, turning his head to look at you. “It was truly marvelous.”

He spoke slowly, as if his every word was well considered and it made you nervous.

You swallowed around the lump in your throat before you replied. “I’m sure it was.”

“Mhm,” he hummed approvingly, then he turned back to the stage. “I’ve been expecting you. You’re late.”

“Oh!” Shinwon chimed in. “Really? I was thinking we should have left a little earlier.”

“Not you, Hatter,” Jinho drawled in response. “Alice.”

“Alice? Which Alice?” Shinwon looked confused.

Jinho nodded in your direction. “That Alice.”

“I’m not Alice. My name is—”

“Y/n,” he interrupted you with an exasperated sigh. “I know. But you’re also Alice. One does not preclude the other, you foolish rat.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You couldn’t quite choose between feeling distraught by the fact that he knew your name or offended by his tone, so you settled for both.

“It means exactly what I said. You’re Alice.”

While you still didn’t get what he was trying to say, Shinwon and Changgu looked absolutely flabbergasted, their eyes flicking back and forth between you and Jinho.

“Our Biscuit… is Alice?”

“The Alice?”

“How many times do I need to say it?” Jinho shook his head. “Y/n is the new Alice. That’s how it’s written in the script.”

“It’s written in the script,” Shinwon repeated in disbelief.

Changgu nodded. “Y/n is Alice.”

“Would anyone please explain to me what’s going on? How can I be Alice if I’m me?”

“Because the script says you are.” Jinho squeezed out the last bits of ginseng extract, before shoving the empty package back into the box that was sitting on the seat next to him. “The script is never wrong.”

“What script?”

“The one,” Shinwon explained unhelpfully.

“The only,” Changgu added.

Jinho took out a new pouch of ginseng, his whole focus on the packaging as he slowly and carefully ripped it open. Your eyes automatically followed the movement.

“I can show you. If you wish to see,” he offered without looking up.

“I—I don’t know. I don’t know what any of this means so I don’t know if I want to see it or not.” You instinctively turned to Shinwon for help, searching his eyes for advice. “Do I?”

He didn’t immediately reply and when he did his voice was unusually calm and collected. “I think you should.”

“Okay,” you nodded slowly before turning to Jinho again. “I want to see.”

He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, calmly emptying the rest of his ginseng extract before getting up from the velvet seat.

“Let’s go to the prop room then.”

“Oh, the prop room!” Changgu looked excited, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I haven’t gone there since our last show. It’s been a while!”

Jinho led the way out of the auditorium to narrow stairs at the far back of the hallway. A chain with a handwritten sign was supposed to keep visitors out, but Jinho nonchalantly pulled it to the side.

“Careful,” he warned before going downstairs and not without reason. Fabrics, props and costumes were scattered all over the steps and the handrail, making it feel like an obstacle course. While you slowly followed Jinho, carefully not to trip on anything, Shinwon and Changgu seemed almost delighted, hopping down the steps as if it was a funny game. Though, after seeing the gas station’s backroom it wasn’t as surprising that they weren’t bothered by the mess, you supposed.

Once you’d reached the bottom of the stairs, Jinho pulled a small key out of his pocket and unlocked the wooden door to reveal a room, cramped with more odds and ends.

Changgu went right in, purposefully taking a handkerchief from one of the zillion shelves.

“Was wondering where I’d kept that,” he commented happily before stuffing it into his pocket.

Jinho pushed past him with a sigh. “We haven’t taken out the script in a while, and this is how you act? Some adequacy, if you please.”

“Don’t be such a killjoy, Worm.”

Jinho’s head snapped around to Shinwon, giving him a death glare. “Worm?”

Shinwon just shrugged lightheartedly. “Right, Caterpillar. My bad.”

“These kids,” Jinho shook his head before turning his attention back to you. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

He took your hand and pulled you along to the far back of the room, where a wooden chest was covered with a bunch of colorful fabrics. Jinho shoved them aside to reveal the little metal lock that he opened with another key from his pocket, before pushing up the lid of the chest. It was empty except for a stitched booklet that looked like a regular manuscript for a musical or a theater piece. Jinho took it out and thumbed through the pages until he abruptly stopped, his finger pointing to one of the lines.

“We’re here.”

You stared at the scripture written in the same unfamiliar letters as everything else in this world.

“I can’t read that.”

“Ah, right.”

Jinho closed the booklet briefly before opening it again, his fingers still marking the page. When you looked this time, you were surprised to find that it was written in letters you were able to read. Your eyes scanned the lines Jinho was pointing to, and you were overcome with a feeling of disbelief.

Caterpillar: We’re here. Alice: I can’t read that. Caterpillar: Ah, right.

Below that, the sentences seemed to be incomplete, only bits and pieces that were scattered on the paper.

“How is that possible?” you asked and right as you spoke the words started appearing in the script.

“It’s the script,” Jinho explained calmly. “That’s what it does. It documents and it predicts. It assigns roles and it decides the plot.”

“That’s right,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully but your eyes were still glued to the page, watching as everything they said formed on the paper.

“And as you can see, y/n, your role is Alice,” Jinho continued. “At least for now.”

“For now? What does that mean?”

“Well, you’re the replacement,” Changgu stared into the distance with a nostalgic shimmer in his eyes. “The old Alice is no more.”

“Did they…die?”

“Died? No, no, he is fine.” Shinwon pressed out between laughter so hard, he had to hold his stomach. “He would whine so much about this. I can practically hear his voice: ‘Don’t say something like that! Don’t jinx me!’ So funny.”

“Wooseok fulfilled his role,” Jinho explained calmly. “So now he is only Wooseok, in the same way you were only y/n before you became Alice.”

You sighed. “I don’t remember applying for the role, though.”

Jinho rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”

“So, what does it mean? Is me being Alice the reason that I’m stuck in this weird parallel universe?”

“What’s a parallel universe?” Changgu whispered, nudging Shinwon in the side.

“Surely the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Shinwon whispered back.

“Ah.”

Jinho didn’t pay them any attention. “Not exactly. You’re stuck in this weird parallel universe—”

“That’s the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Changgu interjected.

“—because you followed the rabbit through the Looking Glass. He was supposed to directly bring you here—but well, there’ve been some circumstances.”

“I didn’t follow anyone through a looking glass though.”

“Mhm, not purposely,” Jinho hummed. “You fell right in.”

“The sewer?”

Jinho scrunched his face in disgust. “Not the sewer. The reflection. The mirror image on the water surface.”

“So if I fell in—can I fall out again?”

“Oh, it doesn’t work like that, foolish Alice.”

“Foolish Biscuit,” Shinwon echoed, but his voice had a fond undertone to it.

“You have to fulfill your role first. Then you can go back.”

You nodded slowly. That at least meant there was a way back. “So, what do I have to do?”

“Right, that’s the tricky part, dear Alice. The script never reveals the full plot until it happens.”

“Are you saying I have to fulfill my part without even knowing what that is?!”

Jinho shook his head and skipped to a later page in the script. “We do know some things.”

The page was almost blank, only scraps of a conversation readable.

Queen of Hearts: Alice?! You betrayed me Queen of Hearts: What have you done to me? hurt so much Queen of Hearts: I'm dying

You stared at the words, an uncomfortable feeling spreading in your stomach. You had an inkling but you still asked anyway.

“What does this mean?”

“You will kill him,” Shinwon whispered. “You will end his reign.”

“No.” You shook your head. “I can’t—I can’t possibly kill anyone. Can’t someone else do it?”

Jinho shook his head. “It has to be you. He won’t die if it isn’t you.”

“But—how would I do it anyway?”

“I'm sure there are plenty of options. The King would know. Poison, maybe.”

Poison. You shuddered at the mere prospect of it; the body cramping up and lips turning purple—a gruesome thought.

“I can’t.”

“You’ve seen his cruelty. He doesn’t deserve any better,” Jinho said calmly. “And it will happen anyway. The plot may not be all written out yet, but that which is written will happen with certainty. Unless, of course, you die before that. Then a different Alice would have to take your place.”

“Unless I die?”

He shrugged. “If you’re careful that shouldn’t happen. So don’t worry about it too much, just follow along.”

Your head was spinning with all of this. Of course you wanted to go home, but could you really kill someone? But what if it was the only chance to go back? And if what Jinho said was true then was there even a use to think about what you wanted? It would happen, whether you resisted it or not. The only way out was dying, so there wasn’t even a decision for you to make, not really.

“Okay, fine,” you pressed out eventually. “I’ll fulfill my role. I’ll be Alice.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of Jinho’s lips. “I knew you would say that.”

“But how would I even get close enough to do it?” You asked Jinho while he locked the booklet in the chest again. “Does the script say anything about that too?”

“Not too much,” he admitted. “But I am convinced a chance will present itself. The Queen has his eyes on you.”

His words had you incredibly worried. You’d seen his cruel games and you’d felt his piercing gaze on you—just the prospect of having to be in his presence again terrified you.

No, the Queen didn’t seem like the type of person you’d want to have the attention of. You would much rather be invisible than to be seen by him. Yanan surely wouldn’t be afraid of him; he could just turn invisible if things got dicey. You still remembered the cat’s cheeky smile before he’d disappeared on you. In fact, it was ingrained so clearly in your brain, you almost thought you saw it in the corner of the room. But when you blinked nothing was there.

You shook yourself out of it, focusing back on the problem at hand.

“But he doesn’t know, right? That I’m Alice?”

“No one knows,” Jinho reassured. “Only a selected few. The Rabbit. And the people in this room. Though,” he threw a quick glance at Changgu who was playing around with some props on a shelf, “who knows how long the Hare will remember. He tends to be a bit scatter-brained.”

“So, what now?” You asked once the three of you were outside the theater building again.

“Hm, I guess we need to go see Hongseok. I’m sure he’ll have some poison for you,” Shinwon replied and you almost flinched at his words. How could he say it so casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal? As if you weren’t supposed to kill someone with it?

“Off to the White Castle we go,” Changgu agreed. “The King is the best address for anyone seeking leach or lotion or poison or potions.”

“Hare! You can’t call him that. Not here.” Shinwon reprimanded him, his eyes searching the streets around you cautiously.

“Right, right. The Un-King, the Used-To-Be-King, the No-More-King,” Changgu corrected. “Either way, chemistry has always been Hongseok’s strong suit.”

You weren’t sure if brewing lethal poison was really part of regular chemistry, but you’d been curious about Hongseok anyway after everything they’d said and it wasn’t like you had a better idea.

“Wooseok will be there too,” Shinwon looked at you with a small smile. “Maybe you’d feel better after talking to him.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

You walked through the city for a bit. It was deserted again, no traces of all the people who’d still been out a while ago to attend the Queen’s so-called party. As if the sky had decided to match your mood, it had turned all black by now, lit up only by the crescent moon that was hidden behind thin clouds. Time seemed to be a little off here, and you thought you could understand the Rabbit a bit. Who wouldn’t be in a constant hurry if time passed almost randomly?

“Where’s everyone?” You eventually asked when you turned into yet another street that was completely void of people.

“It’s after the curfew,” Shinwon explained.

“Yes, the curfew,” Changgu was quick to nod. “Once the sky turned fully black, it's for the best to hurry back.”

“If the sun has fully set, it is time to go to bed,” Shinwon added.

“If the sky is in the moon, the knave of hearts will get you soon.”

“But Hare, that’s not how it goes. The moon is in the sky.”

“Hm, hm, right, that’s not how it goes,” Changgu repeated thoughtfully before his eyes widened with an epiphany. “Ah! If the moon is in the sky, fear the red Knave’s dreadful eye. For if he spots you in the street, a dire fate is what you’ll meet.”

He looked at you with a proud smile after he was done reciting his little poem, but you couldn’t really share his enthusiasm.

“So, we’re not supposed to be outside right now?”

“You’re so smart, Biscuit!”

“Then shouldn’t we go inside? And who’s the Knave anyway?” you asked, the term feeling a little familiar.

“Of Hearts,” Shinwon replied. “The Knave, that is.”

“The Knave of Hearts?”

“Yes, that’s right. He’s the Queen’s right-hand man.”

“You might have seen him at the party,” Changgu chimed in. “He has a scary look. And his birthday is in January.”

“Why does that matter?” You asked in confusion.

“Oh, it doesn’t. But it means he has an unbirthday today and instead of celebrating he’s surely out on patrol.”

“You must know me very well,” a deep voice suddenly sounded from behind you, making Changgu’s ears perk up in interest.

A man stepped out of the darkness of a house entrance, and the moment the dim light of the street lantern fell onto him, you recognized him as the guy with the wavy hair from the party. You remembered him well—mostly because of the gun that was surely tucked into the waistband of his pants even now.

“If it isn’t the Knave of Hearts himself,” Shinwon exclaimed with a delighted tone. “It’s been so long, Yuto, the last time must have been when—right, you probably wouldn’t want to talk about that. It was a dark day for your Queen after all.”

“Hatter,” Yuto replied with a straight face, his tone void of any emotion. “Always a pleasure.”

Then his eyes fell onto you.

“I see you still have your visitor with you. I would say their little scene today wasn’t a source of amusement for the Queen, but that would be a lie. In fact, Hyunggu was very amused.”

His words made a cold shiver run down your spine and you automatically took a small step back.

“Oh, yes, our Biscuit is a very humorous person,” Shinwon replied, his voice still light but he held out his arm in front of you protectively.

Yuto huffed a laugh before glancing at the dark sky. “Still, violating the rules isn’t a funny matter. Why aren’t you in your cozy little hideout yet, Hatter?”

“We’re on our way!” Shinwon said.

Changgu nodded over-enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, on our way. Almost home!”

“Better hurry then. I won’t be as kind next time.” With that, Yuto turned around to go his way, leaving you with an anxious feeling in your stomach.

Shinwon let out a small sigh as soon as he was out of sight. “That was a close call. Now, let’s hurry, let’s hurry. I wouldn’t want to run into him twice. Not a very funny fellow.”

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem particularly shaken by the encounter. After a few steps they were back to their giddy selves. You on the other hand couldn’t stop yourself from checking each dark corner for a person hiding in the shadows.

When you spotted the ferris wheel towering above the surrounding buildings you started to suspect where you were headed: the amusement park. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been there, but just like the theater it was a place with fond memories to you.

Once you reached the entrance, Wonderland written on the archway in weathered letters, you had to find that there was none of the usual hustle and bustle. The park laid before you abandoned and still, solely the lights of the castle in the middle of the artificial lake flickered weakly in the distance. What used to be a vibrant, lively place looked washed out now, the fun rides and booths overgrown with patches of moss and their colors bleached out by the sun.

“Aaaand we made it,” Shinwon said as soon as he stepped through the entrance.

“But we’re still outside?”

“Outside but not really. The curfew isn’t in force here.”

You looked around in confusion. You didn’t really see a reason why anything would be different on the grounds of the amusement park. “Why not?”

“Because the White King’s protective spell takes effect here. It keeps heartlings from entering. Even the Queen can’t enter,” Shinwon explained.

“The Queen isn’t as powerful as he’d like to make everyone believe,” Changgu added with a nod, as he headed straight for the shabby pedal boats in the shape of swans that were floating on the calm surface of the lake.

He pulled one a little closer to the pier, gesturing for you to get in. When you set foot onto the boat it started to wobble dangerously and Changgu held out his hand to steady you, not letting go until you were safely sitting on the bench in the back. Shinwon got on next, taking one of the two front seats and Changgu hopped on last, after untying the rope from the metal loop on the pier. The two of them set to work, pedaling the little boat towards the small castle. As a child you had always dreamed of going there, but it hadn’t been open to the public, the pretty front just a means of decoration. Now though, there was no fence separating the little island from unwanted visitors, and the two of them easily steered the boat onto the narrow shore.

Changgu got off first, tying the rope around one of the two flagpoles that were positioned left and right of the castle. You remembered them to fly flags with the logo of the amusement park but now they were white, depicting a silver pentagon with a snowflake in the middle. The emblem of the White King, you supposed. The three of you walked the cobblestone path up to the entrance of the castle. Now that you were standing directly in front of it, it seemed way bigger than the decorative fake in your memory. It probably was bigger.

Shinwon didn’t bother knocking on the double wing door before pushing it open and stepping inside. The lobby was all white, from the marble floor to the chandelier and it almost felt blinding.

“Hello?” Shinwon yelled into the building with the same tone you’d had at the gas station earlier today and you wondered if it was on purpose. “Hellooo?”

“Eh?” A honey blond head of hair appeared on the second floor, leaning over the handrail. “Shinwon? Changgu?”

Changgu raised his hand in a tiny wave, a dorky smile on his lips. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” The guy asked as he walked towards the stairs and made his way down. “And who’s your friend?”

“Y/n,” you introduced yourself before anyone could beat you to it and say Alice or Biscuit.

The guy came to a halt in front of you and only now you realized how incredibly tall he was. There was nothing intimidating about him though as he looked at you through big doe eyes. His hair was combed back in neat waves and he was wearing a sweater vest that was loose even on his lanky frame.

“Wooseok,” he introduced himself and held out his hand in a greeting. In comparison to everyone else he seemed surprisingly normal.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“We’re looking for Hongseok,” Shinwon explained, slipping out of his shoes and leaving them by the entrance as if he was visiting someone else’s apartment and not the prop castle of an amusement park. Changgu did the same though and you realized Wooseok was wearing slippers as well, so you too toed out of your shoes. Surprisingly enough, the marble floor didn’t feel very cold beneath your feet at all.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Wooseok nodded towards a corridor to his right.

“Alright!”

Shinwon sauntered down the hall with the casualty of someone who’d been there a thousand times before and Changgu followed along just as naturally. You were a few steps behind them, Wooseok next to you. He kept glancing over to you curiously but didn’t say anything.

“Hongseok!” Shinwon greeted just a bit too loudly as he threw open a door to reveal a spacious kitchen.

A man with curly brown hair looked up in surprise, his hands covered in flour and a white apron tied around his waist.

“Oh, Hatter. And Hare.” He went over to the sink and rinsed his hands before his gaze fell on you. “And another guest?”

“Yes, this is—”

“Alice!” Changgu interrupted his friend, visibly excited about sharing the news.

“Alice?” Wooseok’s head snapped around to you and he stared at you with wide eyes. “So, you’re—you’re not from here?”

You just looked back at him. You’d already been told that Wooseok was the old Alice, but it hadn’t even occurred to you that maybe he too wasn’t from this universe.

“Now, now,” Hongseok walked over to you, wiping his wet hands on his apron. “We shouldn’t corner our new Alice like that. What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

“A pretty name,” he smiled and gently squeezed your hand. “I’m Hongseok, the White King, but you might have heard. Wooseok was our last Alice, but his part has already played out.”

“Yes, yes,” Shinwon interrupted. “Biscuit already knows all that. But what we don’t know yet is how to kill the Queen of Hearts.”

“Oh,” Hongseok’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that your part?”

“Seems like it,” you murmured, not withholding that you weren’t exactly fond of it all.

“Mhm, so it’s that time already. It’s really coming to this.” With a swift movement of his hand he motioned for the others to leave. “Give us a moment, will you?”

They did as they were told, though Wooseok lingered a moment longer before actually stepping out and closing the door behind him.

“Do you want to drink something? A coffee? A hot chocolate? I have cookies too.”

You were inclined to say no, but when you gave it another thought you realized you hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while and could also really use the comfort of a hot drink. Hongseok prepared a hot chocolate and a plate of cookies for you, while you sat down at the small table in the corner of the room. Once he was done he sat down across from you, his eyes calm and gentle. After how Shinwon and Changgu had talked about him, it shouldn’t have surprised you, but it still amazed you how different his whole aura was compared to the Queen of Hearts. Where the Queen had been intimidating and rash, Hongseok radiated kindness and patience.

“Here,” He mumbled after a moment, nudging the plate of cookies a bit in your direction to encourage you to try some. “They are good, I promise. I only just made them this morning.”

You hesitantly took one and started to nibble on it, only to find that Hongseok had been way too humble—it tasted amazing.

“See? They are good right?” He looked a little proud when you nodded. “So, do you want to tell me about it? About what’s written in the script?”

In all honesty, you didn’t. But it seemed like he wanted to help so you told him about everything that you’d found out at the theater. Through it all, Hongseok listened calmly.

“So now,” you concluded your story, “I have to find a way to actually do it.”

“Well,” Hongseok nodded slowly, “here’s the thing: the Queen of Hearts is not easily harmed. Not just anyone can—it has to be Alice. And even then, there’s only one weakness.”

“Which?”

“The heart.”

“The heart?” In a way it seemed plausible for that to be the weakness of someone called the Queen of Hearts, but at the same time it seemed a little too simple.

“Yes.”

“How do I do it then?”

“Mhm,” he got up from his chair and walked towards a glass cabinet with a zillion little bottles and jars inside.

“I know of two ways. One is this,” he held up a little test glass with a dark red liquid in it. You swallowed around the lump in your throat.

“Poison?”

“It's the blood of the Jabberwocky to be precise. But poison describes it just fine. Once it gets into your body it will pollute your blood and ultimately make your heart stop.”

Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard. You could just add some to his food. Still, the thought of being able to feel it invading your blood circulation made your skin crawl. “And the other way?”

“I doubt you’ll like it.”

“What is it?”

Hongseok sighed before opening the drawer beneath the glass cabinet. He pulled out a silver dagger so radiant it almost looked white. He held it out to you and you hesitated before you stood up and took it with trembling fingers. It was lighter than you’d expected and ice cold to the touch.

“If you stab him with that—but it needs to be right in the heart.”

That was definitely worse. You would never be able to actually go through with something like that.

“I couldn’t,” you pressed out, holding it out in your open palm for Hongseok to take it back.

But he gently closed your hand around the hilt again.

“You don’t have to use it. But keep it, just in case.”

“There won’t be a case.”

“All the better.”

Hongseok had invited all three of you to spend the night in the castle, so you wouldn’t have to go out during the curfew again. The room you’d gotten was fancy and as white and shiny as the rest of the castle’s interior. In the middle of it was a soft bed that smelled like vanilla and fresh snow and just waited for you to slip under the covers, but you felt restless. You paced the room, unable to tune out that there was a dagger and a little heart shaped pendant with poison laying on your nightstand. This definitely wasn’t how you’d expected your day to end. It seemed to have gone downhill from the moment you’d stepped foot to that cursed party, but when Shinwon had talked about the Caterpillar having answers, there’d been a sliver of hope flaring up inside of you. Now, there was nothing left of that.

Even though you’d gotten your answer on how to get back to your world, you didn’t feel relieved in the slightest. All you could think of was the horrifying things you’d have to go through before finally going back. And the worst part was that you didn’t seem to have a choice, not really. Even if you decided it wasn’t worth it and you’d just stay—what was written in the script would happen either way.

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

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smileysuh · 3 years ago

Text

Choices : Aqua Line

⇢ Synopsis: A night with your three best friends takes an unexpected turn when you admit you’ve been trying to decide which member of Pentagon’s ‘Aquarius Line’ you like most.

⇢ Warnings: Foursome, rough switch Kino, Simp Wooseok, exasperated Dom Yuto, oral (m/f receiving), Wooseok has a case of big cock syndrome, pwp, unprotected sex, size kink, ‘Pip Squeak’ pet name, spanking, choking, etc... ⇢ Pairing: Wooseok & Kino & Yuto (Pentagon’s Aqua line) x reader ⇢ Genre: smut. ⇢ Word count: 9.5k ⇢ Tropes/AU’s: Best friends to lovers, Long time Pining brought to the surface with a ripping of an emotional bandaid, polyamory, non-idol au.

“What are you thinking about?” Yuto asks, taking a seat. You make room for him by lifting your legs off the couch, allowing your friend to slip under them. His warm hands find your calves and he brings them to settle in his lap while you both get comfortable on the couch that Wooseok has been hauling around since his last year of high school, when he’d won it in a bet with Yeo One on whether or not their two friends were hooking up with the same girl at the same time.

You grin at the memory, pushing your body against the fuzzy blanket that covers the dark leather couch much of the time- Yeo One hadn’t bought the expensive sofa with the intention of it becoming a part time bed for teenage boys, too lazy to get up after playing video games at all hours.

Wooseok has made the stiff, leather couch comfortable with layers of blankets and pillows, and over the years it’s been worn down by countless people.

“This couch.” You breathe, leaning your head to the side, against the cushion.

“How high are you?” Yuto laughs, his hand moving to find your foot, where he runs a finger along your heel. The brief contact causes you to jolt yourself away from the mischievous Japanese boy, who had rolled into your life around the same time Wooseok and Kino had, in tenth grade.

The four of you had been put together in a group project, only to find out that all three of them had been born within the same ten days. The ‘Aquarius Line’ had bonded immediately, and the three were easy going enough to welcome you wholeheartedly into the festivities of newfound friendship.

What had started off as a ‘year abroad’ for Yuto, turned into him moving to Korea full time, and the four of you have been inseparable ever since.

“For real.” Yuto says gruffly, grabbing your foot to pull it back into his lap before running a ring clad hair through his tousled half mullet. “What are you thinking about?”

“Something stupid.” You sigh, cocking your head and studying him. “You?”

Your friend shrugs, flashing you that grin that you’ve come to love so much. “Something stupid.”

“You two really need to work on your social skills.” Wooseok sighs, having caught the tail end of your brief interaction.

He collapses on the couch and you quickly pull your legs to your chest in an effort not to get crushed during the big man’s process of forcing himself between you and Yuto.

Wooseok has a red cup in each hand, and he holds them out expectantly.

“Who needs social skills when we have you and Kino.” You smile, accepting one of the drinks and taking a sip- only to scrunch your face up in disgust. “What is in this?”

Wooseok shrugs, leaning back against the couch with a lazy grin. “I confiscated it from Hui.”

“No wonder it tastes so bad-” You hold the cup out to Wooseok and he reluctantly accepts it. “Hui drinks the strongest drinks of any of us.”

“He has to find the energy to deal with us crazies somehow.” Yuto chuckles, sniffing his own cup and swirling the contents inside before taking a test sip.

“Speaking of crazies,” you stretch your arms over your head, looking out at the room, “where’s Kino?”

“Haven’t seen him in a while.” Wooseok says, arms finding the back of the couch while he looks around, the cup held by long fingers now resting just by your shoulder.

“Didn’t he go off with that pretty girl in the glitter shirt?” Yuto asks.

“Maybe-” Wooseok cocks his head, eyes narrowing. “Was she his ‘go to’ tonight?”

“Must be.” Yuto responds quickly. “He didn’t invite the other one.”

You sigh, finding the whole thing to be a little crazy.

Being best friends with three dudes has a lot of positives- but listening to them detail their fuck schedules and fuck buddies is not one of them.

“Stop being so grumpy.” Wooseok shoves you, and you realize you’ve been wearing your feelings on your sleeve for everyone to see.

“I’m not.” You insist, but you can’t wipe the expression of distaste from your face.

“You are. You hate Kino and his fuck buddies.”

“I just- I just don’t get why the three of you are so into hookup culture.” You sigh. “I mean- what's the point?”

“The point is getting your dick wet, Squeak.” Yuto chuckles, and the nickname makes your skin heat.

They’ve tried a number of pet names for you over the years, but Pip Squeak has been the only one that’s truly stuck- and it’s no wonder. It’s completely fitting. You stick out like a tiny lil nugget next to your three massive besties, the youngest of whom towers over everyone you meet with his monstrous height of six foot three.

“She doesn’t need to get her dick wet.” Wooseok rolls his eyes, a mischievous grin breaking onto his face a moment later. “She’s already as wet as can be.”

“Wooseok!” You and Yuto both react at the same time, your foot kicking at Wooseok’s lap while Yuto shoves him, and the massive man simply giggles, taking the physical onslaught with a shit eating smile.

“Why are we fighting Wooseok?” Comes an excited voice, and Kino tosses his body onto the couch, landing half on top of all three of you with his head in your lap.

“He’s being a bad boy.” You respond, fingers finding Kino’s freshly dyed, soft pink hair immediately, a habit you’d picked up years ago.

“Am not!” Wooseok insists. “Tell me I'm wrong.”

You sigh loudly, rolling your eyes while Yuto chuckles.

“I’m missing something-” Kino says from your lap, looking up at you with massive eyes, “tell me?”

“All I said was that Y/N doesn't need to look for fuck buddies to get her dick wet because she’s already wet as shit.” Wooseok states factually, which, to be fair, is a complete recount of what he’d said.

“And you know this for a fact?” Kino teases, looking at his friend with a half shocked expression and widened eyes.

“Well-” Wooseok visibly shrinks, his shoulders slumping, his skin brightening with pretty pinks. “I mean-”

“For a moment there, I thought I'd missed a massive milestone in your guys' friendship.” Kino says, letting out a sigh of relief as he gets comfortable in your lap again, turning onto his side so he can nuzzle his face against your thighs, which he’s declared countless times to be the best pillows in the whole universe. “If the two of you started hooking up, I think the world would have to end.”

“It wouldn’t be that crazy.” Wooseok fires back immediately, and his ears turn bright red.

“It would be crazy that out of the three of us, she’d choose you.” Yuto says smoothly.

Wooseok holds up a hand as if he’s going to hit his friend, and Yuto stiffens in his seat, his carefree expression turning stern in an instant. “It’s my birthday we’re celebrating right now.” He reminds his younger friend. “Show some respect.”

Wooseok groans but lets his hand fall to his lap again. You’ve never met a trio of guys so centered around their birthdays.

Born within a ten day span, these three are constantly utilizing their positions, whether it’s by Yuto expecting respect as the ‘oldest’, or Wooseok playing baby.

“I think she’d choose me.” Kino says wistfully from your lap, turning to look up at you so he can reach a hand to play with your hair.

You think it’s interesting to be talking about this, especially since this very question has been on your mind so frequently as of late. It had been on your mind when Yuto sat down, and now here it is again.

“She’s not choosing you, Kino.” Yuto scoffs. “She hates your hookup culture.”

“My hookup culture?” Kino laughs, lifting his head so he’s able to look at Yuto by his feet. “Says you!”

“How did I ever become friends with three man sluts?” You sigh teasingly, shaking your head at your three constant companions, who erupt into chaos.

“You love us.” Yuto insists while Kino defends his behaviour, and Wooseok pretends to look scandalized at the notion of him being a ‘man slut’.

The bickering subsides when Hui’s voice bellows “Wooseok!” from somewhere else in the house, and your foursome dissipates quickly thereafter.

You find your way to Yanan, who is trying his best to be helpful in the kitchen as the festivities wind down.

It’s just the core group of friends left in the house now, and before you know it, everyone is in the kitchen. Conversation is easy, and another hour ticks by before Hui finally pushes off from where he’s standing by a wall to announce he’s heading home.

There’s a brief discussion over cars and who is sober enough to drive, and once his friends are accounted for, Hui turns to you. “Do you need a ride home?”

“She’s staying here.” Wooseok says before you can answer, his arms wrapping around you tightly. It’s not uncommon for you to sleep over at ‘Aqua House’, as Wooseok had dubbed it when they moved it. In fact, last year, you’d spent all of Birthday Week (10 days) here- your ‘mere presence being the gift we want most’.... or so they’d insisted.

“As always,” Hui sighs as he puts his shoes on by the door, eyes assessing you and your three monstrous best friends, who tower over you, “be careful with her.”

It’s a lasting joke in the friend group that everyone is waiting for Wooseok to accidentally sit on you and break you- or maybe for Yuto to hug you a little too hard one day-

“No promises.” Wooseok grins happily, tightening his embrace around you until it borders on being painful.

You can’t stand him sometimes.

You love him so much.

“Call me if they demand too much and you need an escape.” Hui warns you, earning some irritated sounds from the men behind you, who are eager to have you to themselves.

“She’s ours.” Kino insists, arms wrapping around you so you’re now sandwiched between him and Wooseok.

Hui rolls his eyes as the final person in your group slides up against your back, resting his chin on top of your head. “We’ll take care of her.” Yuto promises.

You’re truly trapped now.

The moment the door is closed behind Hui, sealing you in with your best friends, Kino and Wooseok jump into action. The larger of the two grabs your arm, dragging you towards the living room, while Kino mirrors the motion on your opposite side, in the direction of the kitchen.

Yuto tightens his grip on your waist, making it clear he’s not intent on moving.

“What’s the plan?” The man behind you asks.

“Movies.” Wooseok states.

“Drinks first.” Kino insists.

“What do you think, Squeak?” Yuto’s fingers press gently into your skin, and you can feel the warmth of him through your thin shirt, his heart beating steady at your back.

You hate it when he makes you choose between activities, why do you always have to be the Wooseok and Kino tie breaker?

“I don’t care.”

“Movies.” Wooseok states again, pulling on your arm.

Kino tugs your other side, “Drinks first.”

Yuto sighs. “I’ll go choose a movie with Wooseok, you two can make us drinks. But make it something good, okay?”

“No promises.” Kino grins, pulling you away from Wooseok successfully this time.

Yuto catches your eye and you laugh, a silent agreement to do your best to keep Kino under control in the booze department.

“You,” Kino grabs at your waist when you reach the kitchen, “go here.” He lifts you up and sets you onto the countertop. “And i’ll make the drinks.” He smiles up at you and you laugh.

“Did you really need me to come help you then?”

“It’s really helpful for you to sit there and tell me I'm the best bartender in the house.”

“Like that’s a hard title to win.” You roll your eyes.

Wooseok can’t cook (or do anything of the sorts) to save his life, and Yuto- well, Yuto has a taste for cheap beer, which disqualifies him immediately from the race.

You have to admit, Kino moves like a professional. He glides from cupboard to counter, grabbing glasses and setting them up next to you. You watch the way his body moves, muscle visible with each motion, and when he shakes one of the drinks, you have to tear your eyes from his biceps.

He might be the smallest of your three friends, but he’s still much taller than you, and most women for that matter.

You’re so busy watching Kino’s back that you don’t realize he’s paused his fluid motions. He turns, and you see he’s put an apron on- the one that says ‘kiss the chef’. Hui had bought it for Yuto for secret Santa one year in an effort to get the young frat boy to cook more often-

You cock a brow at your best friend as he slips between your legs, hands finding the counter on either side of your hips. “So?” He grins. “You gonna kiss the chef or what?”

You laugh. “Not sure you even qualify as a chef when you just said you’re a bartender.” But you grab his chin all the same, forcing Kino to the side so you can plant your lips on his cheek.

Kino’s smiling when you let him go, appearing satisfied, and he returns to his drink making.

Within minutes, he has all four orders ready to go, and he carries a tray to the living room with you in tow.

As Kino sets the tray down, Wooseok stands and sighs. “Well, if you insist.” He grabs Kino and presses his lips to his cheek, much like you had.

Kino recoils with disgust, shoving Wooseok- only to be attacked on the other side by Yuto, who manages to get a kiss placed right below Kino’s ear that has him shivering and jumping back, hiding behind you. “Save me Squeak!”

“You wore the apron!” Wooseok laughs, and you know he jumps at any opportunity to terrorize his friend.

“Just drink your drinks.” Kino groans, taking off the piece of fabric that had just cost him another 2 of his 9 Kino Cat Lives- you’ve seen him receive a sneak attack kiss from at least Hui, and you’re pretty sure Yeo One as well, so you wonder how many Kino Cat Lives are even left.

“Remember when I sat next to you tonight?” Yuto says in your ear, arms wrapping around you as he pulls you down onto the couch. “And asked you what you were thinking?”

“Something stupid.”

“Yeah.” Yuto lets you get seated next to him but he keeps an arm around you, eyes briefly moving to Kino and Wooseok who are bickering about the movie on the other side of the couch. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

You laugh.

The man from Japan grins, but there’s something serious in his eyes. “I’ll go first if you want.”

“Yuto-”

“I was thinking about how good you look tonight.”

“Yuto-” Your voice is something near a whimper, shocked and left speechless at the turn of events that has just been orchestrated by your best friend. He’s told you how pretty you are before, but there’s something about the way he’s saying it now- it’s different.

“Your turn.” He says, one large hand finding your thigh, smoothing up and down the denim that covers you from him. “What were you thinking about?”

You can’t tell him that you were thinking about him, Wooseok and Kino- that you were trying, for the billionth time, to decide which of the three you prefer the most- because if you were going to potentially ruin things with the other two, you want to know you are doing it with the right one-

But no matter how many times you’ve run it through your brain, you’ve come up empty handed. Unable to choose.

How do you say that to him?

“What are you two talking about?” Kino’s voice is your saving grace, and he puts the drink he’d made for you into your hands. “She looks like she’s seen a ghost.”

“I just told her what we were all thinking.” Yuto shrugs.

“Liar. I was not thinking.” Wooseok states, turning to look at you as he takes a deep breath. “What wasn’t I thinking?”

“That she looks good tonight.” Yuto says.

However, when Yuto says it, he says it in a tone that’s friendly.

He doesn’t say it as he had a few seconds ago, with a voice that was low and seductive.

You can’t believe him.

“It is a nice outfit.” Kino agrees lightheartedly, leaning into the couch and propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of you.

“Okay, but hear me out.” Wooseok sits up in his seat, his massive hands hovering as if he’s going to say something profound- “I always thought-” a pause, taken to ponder, big eyes blinking, “outfits like that are meant to be ripped off in like, an hour? two hours- tops. How are you still wearing that?”

You all groan, but Yuto’s grip around you tightens. “He does have a point.” Yuto says. “Do you want to change into a hoodie and some sweatpants?”

“Are we all going to ignore the fact that he practically said I look like-”

“A pretty little whore.” Kino interrupts you. “It’s okay, you look like that a lot of the time.”

You stare at Kino with shock for a moment, and then you look at Yuto, confidence flooding through your body. If they’re going to call you a pretty little whore, and touch your thighs, and be like this- well, you can play too.

“The stupid thing I was thinking about earlier was who out of the three of you I want to fuck the most, or at least, who I’d risk it all for.”

Yuto meets your gaze with an intense look of his own, and he licks his lips. “Go on.” He prompts, voice hoarse and sexy. “Who’d you pick?”

“I wasn’t able to pick. I never am.” You respond, turning sideways, facing your body towards the three insanely handsome men you call best friends. Wooseok is looking at you with wide eyes, jaw dropped, and Kino is sitting perfectly still, something that is very out of the ordinary. “Do you guys want to hear a dirty little secret?”

Yuto’s hand squeezes your thigh and it’s Wooseok who mumbles a whiney; “Yes.”

“Since I’m never able to pick-” you reach out, tracing a finger across Yuto’s collarbone, still hidden by his shirt, “I usually just end up imagining all three of you, and end up even more confused than when I started.”

“Well,” Yuto grabs you by the waist and easily pulls you to be straddling his lap. Dark eyes gaze up into yours. “I think we can help you figure it out.”

He leans in, and just as he’s about to kiss you, you tilt your head, his lips making contact with your cheek.

Yuto groans, fingers digging into your waist, and you laugh. “Come on, you know I can’t just risk all our friendships like this-”

“Why not?” Kino moves closer, a hand reaching up to grab the back of your head, forcing you to look at him.

“Because what if I like all three of you the same?” You ask, looking past Kino’s shoulder at Wooseok, who is seated farthest from you on the couch, and is now being all but blocked out.

“Then you like all three of us.” Yuto says, his hands applying pressure to your hips, forcing you down so you can feel how hard he is against your core, even with both your pants in the way. You stop a groan just as it’s about to escape your lips.

“I told you,” You breathe as Kino releases his hold on your neck so you can look at the man under you again, “I’m not into your hook up culture.”

“This isn’t just going to be a hookup, and we all know it.” Yuto tells you, leaning up to have access to you again, only for you to turn your cheek at the last moment, repeating your behaviour from before.

“Have any of you even had a foursome?” You question, and you’re pretty sure the answer is no. If they had, you’re sure you would have heard about it.

“No, but it won’t be much different from a threesome.” Kino insists, his fingers dancing up and down your arm, eyes taking in your form with a glimmer of darkness in their iris’s: lust.

That’s never been there before... at least, not that you’ve noticed.

“Says the guy literally excluding dude number three.” You laugh, meeting Wooseok’s dumbstruck gaze again. “What do you think, Woo?”

“I think-” He coughs, clearing his throat. “I think we should take this to the bedroom where there’s more space.”

“Good idea.” Yuto stands abruptly, and you grab his shoulders to steady yourself, his hands slipping down to your ass, effectively holding you up while you cling to his front like a koala bear.

“Hey!” You turn to nip at Yuto’s ear gently with your teeth, the biggest scolding you can do in this position. “I haven’t even said yes yet.”

“Sure you haven't.” Yuto breathes, continuing through the house towards the bedrooms.

Kino and Wooseok are following close behind, and they walk shoulder to shoulder. You let your eyes take in their differences, from Wooseok’s more relaxed, grunge, all dark look, with his longish hair length, and massive, beautiful eyes- then there’s Kino, looking substantially smaller than his six foot three counterpart, and just as different in colour scheme, all pink hair and pops of colour in his outfit-

“You guys really think this won’t ruin anything?” You ask, letting your anxieties truly show as Yuto steps over the threshold into his room.

“How could it ruin anything?” Yuto retorts, placing you onto his bed before straightening to look down at you.

“It could ruin everything.” You frown. “What if one of you gets jealous-”

“Kino?”

“Yes, Yuto?”

“Are you going to get jealous if I fuck her brains out?”

“No.” A pause, then; “Hey, Wooseok, are you going to get jealous?”

“Nope.”

“See?” Yuto grins down at you and you groan, grabbing one of his pillows and covering your face with it.

“You’re not getting it-” You whine, removing the pillow after a moment.

“Then explain why you’re so worried.” Yuto reaches down and grabs one of your socks, pulling it off your foot even as you try to kick him away- he’s always going after your ticklish spots and you are not interested in him being a freaking tickle sadist.

“I’m worried, because you say it’s not going to be a hookup, but then you also say that you can all apparently promise not to catch feels and get jealous-”

“Who promised not to catch feels?” Now it’s Kino snatching at your foot to remove your second sock, and you’re left kicking at the three men at the end of the bed with bare feet.

“Our little kitten doesn’t get it.” Yuto tuts. “Wooseok, explain things to her.”

Your gaze moves to the tallest, youngest man in the room. He’s off center, on Kino’s right side, and he’s watching you with those big doe eyes of his.

Wooseok rubs the back of his neck, cocking his head at you. “You’re not the only one who’s thought about all this stuff.” He says. “The three of us- we’ve talked about this sort of thing happening-”

“You have?” You ask in shock, this being the first time you’ve ever heard of this.

“Of course we have Squeak.” Kino says, using your distracted state to grab at you, striking faster than a snake, and getting your ankle in a harsh grip that he uses to drag you down the bed towards them.

“And we all agreed,” Yuto explains, “that whoever you choose, the other two wont get upset.”

“And now that we know you want all of us-” Kino has dragged you all the way to the foot of the bed, and he releases your ankle in favour of latching onto the rolled cuff of your jeans, tugging gently.

“Besides,” Yuto lets out a small chuckle, “Wooseok’s already been telling girls who hit on him at bars that he’s dating you so they back off. He’s a little more committed to you than Kino or I can afford to be without knowing you return the feelings.”

Your eyes shift to Wooseok again, and you notice how the redness has returned to his ears. He’s looking down at the floor, and your heart swells with emotion.

You look between your best friends, “So you three-”

“Have been hopelessly in love with you for years, Squeak.” Yuto finishes for you. “So let us take care of you. And don't be worried about consequences. There are none.”

“Are you sure about that?” You cock a brow. “I think if Hui finds out about this, he might have a heart attack.”

“Like I said, only good outcomes.” Yuto chuckles, then he holds out a hand for you. “Come here.” You reach for him ,and Yuto easily pulls you to your feet, bringing you close until you’re chest to chest. “Let us help you learn not to worry so much, hmm?”

One of his hands comes to cup your face, thumb brushing across your cheek bone lovingly. Yuto looks down at you with dark eyes that have stars in them, and you let out a breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding.

You trust Yuto- and you trust Kino, and Wooseok.

With one final ‘please, Lord Jesus or whoever is up in the sky- please let this not end badly’ you feel a surge of adrenaline run through you, and it gives you the courage to lurch onto your tiptoes, throw your arms around the back of Yuto’s neck, and press your lips to his for the very first time.

His hands immediately slip down to your waist, and he tugs you closer, kissing you back. He captures your lower lip between his own, suckling on it for a moment before letting his teeth drag against you, earning a small sound that rises out of your chest before you can even stop it.

Yuto grins against your lips briefly before kissing you harder, prompting you to open your mouth and allow his tongue to glide across your teeth. His hand slips down from your waist to your ass, giving you a delicious squeeze-

And then two new hands are grabbing your hips, forcibly making you turn, taking Yuto with you. Someone presses against your back, and it’s easy for you to guess who it is.

Kino’s fingers dig into your hips, pulling your lower body away from Yuto and back towards the new man behind you. Your pink haired friend grinds against you, his lips finding your neck and sending a shiver through your body at the new, unexpected contact.

You find yourself reaching behind you, finding Kino’s hair and lacing your fingers through it, tugging gently and earning a groan that reverberates against your throat. Kino’s teeth graze your jugular and Yuto breaks your kiss in favour of going at the other side of your neck, one of his hands grabbing at your jaw and pushing up, giving both men more space as they suck little love bites into your skin.

Now that your mouth isn’t covered with Yuto’s, your sounds slip out unhindered, little whimpers of delight that earn growls of interest from the men all but claiming your throat - your very breath - as theirs.

Then you remember the soft man missing from this equation, and his name tumbles from your lips. “Wooseok-”

Yuto chuckles darkly against your throat, and then he adjusts the grip still pushing at your chin, so he can insert two fingers into your mouth. “You think you’re funny don’t you?” Yuto asks, nipping at your earlobe. “Saying Wooseok’s name while Kino and I worship you like this.”

You moan around his fingers, blindly grabbing at Yuto’s belt to drag him closer.

“You want him first, don’t you, Squeak?” Kino hisses against your neck. “You always care about your baby boy first, isn’t that right?” He pulls his face away from your skin, and a moment later, his fingers are wrapping around your throat, squeezing.

You moan around Yuto’s fingers and he removes them from your mouth, both men giving you enough space to answer them.

“Yes,” you gasp, pushing your ass back against Kino, “Wooseok deserves it.”

Fingers squeeze your neck again, and Kino’s lips brush by your ear when he asks; “and we don’t?”

You let out a groan when Yuto pushes his leg between your thighs, and it’s the first real contact on your core, sending shivers of pleasure through your body. “You two stole my socks.”

The men caging you in begin to laugh, and if you weren’t so distracted by their hands on you- their massive bodies locking you in between them- you might have laughed as well, but the most you can do is latch onto Yuto’s shoulders when he pushes his thigh up against you harder.

“Fine.” Yuto says, voice low. His hand comes to cup your face, and you open your eyes to look up at him. “You can have Wooseok first. But if you were anyone else- I’d make him wait.”

“Let's make him wait.” Kino pouts behind you, and a moment later he’s latching his lips onto your neck again, finding your sweet spot and exploiting it for the pretty gasps that immediately leave you.

“So you’re going to say no to her?” Yuto laughs, rubbing his nose against yours gently before kissing you with the same softness.

Behind you, Kino groans, and you know he’s been defeated.

“How are we going to do this?” Kino asks, and you realize nearly immediately that he’s not talking to you.

Yuto stops kissing you to consider it for a moment, even turning to look at the bed. Then he says, “Wooseok sitting against the headboard, Squeak on his lap, you can be behind.”

“And you?” You grab the front of Yuto’s shirt, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“I’ll wait.” He assures you. “Someone has to tell these two which positions are going to work.”

“I know positions.” Kino mutters behind you, making both you and Yuto laugh.

Kino must not like being laughed at, because his hands grab your hips and he roughly turns you to face him, looking down at you with a dark gaze. “You think this is funny?” He grabs your face, nearly shaking with what looks to be repressed emotion, and all your laughter dies in your throat. “You have no idea-” He groans, unable to finish his sentence.

“Then show me.”

He grabs your face with both hands, smashing his lips to yours.

If Yuto had been eager but collected, Kino is the opposite side of the same coin, eager and extremely enthusiastic, his tongue clashing against yours immediately. His thumb presses against your cheekbone as he kisses you- and then his hands disappear- only for your shirt to be torn off your body.

Kino’s lips move to your neck and you let out a gasp, fingers threading in his hair while his mouth begins it’s descent. His lips press sloppy kisses to your collarbones and then the swell of your breasts, one of his large hands splaying across the small of your back-

He grabs at the latch of your bra and you whimper, body tingling with anticipation-

While Kino undoes the clasp, the largest set of hands yet finds your shoulders, pushing the straps of your bra down gently. Lips press butterfly kisses against the nape of your neck and your shoulders, a stark contrast to Kino, who successfully gets your bra off and moves his attention to your breasts.

“Fuck-” Kino groans, cupping your left boob in his hand and kneading it while his tongue darts out to tease your other nipple- then he’s grabbing at your legs, lifting you up while the man behind you gets out of the way, allowing Kino to toss you onto the bed, his body landing on top of yours.

Kino’s mouth continues its downward, and then his fingers are finding the waistband of your jeans, tugging roughly- only to allow the denim to fall back to your skin. Kino looks up at you and you gnaw at your lower lip, your own hands moving to undo the button, then the zipper- and when you lift your hips, Kino immediately follows through and helps you pull your jeans off.

“You’re in for it now.” Yuto chuckles darkly, and your gaze shifts to the man from Japan, who has moved to sit in his gaming chair, and is facing the bed with an amused expression on his face.

You don’t have to ask what Yuto is talking about.

It’s a running joke amongst your male friends that Kino loves giving oral- it’s one of the things you’ve spent a lot of time fantasizing about, and now that he’s between your legs- he definitely delivers.

The pink haired man pushes your thighs up to your chest, letting out a soft groan when he brings his mouth to your panty covered core. He places an open mouthed kiss on your entrance, tongue pressing against the fabric of your underwear and making your legs twitch.

“Are you seriously going to tease her while we’re standing here waiting?” Wooseok groans next to you, and you have to admit, you agree with his exasperated tone.

“I'm not forcing you to stand there and watch.” Kino responds quickly, fingers hooking in your panties. When he pulls the fabric to the side, his breath fanning over your heated core, a shiver runs across your body, and your hands instinctively reach for his hair.

“Kino-” You whimper, voice betraying your need.

Your friend looks up at you with mischievous eyes and a grin, then he brings his face to your heat, dragging his tongue across your entrance teasingly. His hands adjust your legs, pushing them up against your chest harder, spreading you open as he places his entire mouth onto you, tongue pushing into your wet hole.

Your fingers tug at his hair and you gasp, back arching. It feels like little shocks of happiness are scattering across your skin.

The bed dips next to you, and then a large hand covers your breast, thumb brushing over your pebbled nipple, earning another sound of pleasure from deep within you.

Wooseok looks down at you, eyes full of wonder, and your heart lurches in your chest. You grab your youngest lover boy, pulling him to your lips.

He’s surprised at first, but it only takes a moment for Wooseok to start kissing you back, his body shifting as he shuffles closer, leaning half over you so he can kiss you harder while his fingers pinch at your nipple.

Kino sucks at your clit, and you shiver, legs closing around his head as a sudden orgasm erupts through your body. You grab at Wooseok’s shoulders, moaning desperately into his mouth while Kino continues to lick and slurp at your entrance- a moment later two of his fingers push into you, and you think this must be the most wonderful feeling your body has ever felt.

The pink haired man’s digits curl up, and you can hear your pussy squelching even over the gasps and whimpers that are escaping you.

Wooseok’s moved his kisses to your neck, and your noises of pleasure fill the space, but you can’t bring yourself to care.

Kino lets up when your legs truly begin to shake, and when he pulls away, your feet fall flat on the mattress, knees closing.

Wooseok’s still working on your neck, one hand worshiping your breast, but after a moment, the hand begins to move downward. He drags his palm along the outside of your leg, up to your knee, then he applies a bit of pressure, prompting your thighs to open.

He moves between your legs slowly, giving you time to push him away, but the moment he’s pressing down against your core, your thighs tighten around his waist.

“Wooseok?” You blink up at him.

“Yeah?” His voice is shaky.

You push at his shoulders, and Wooseok lets up, allowing you to roll, switching positions so you’re now on top of him. Your friend’s hands find your hips, and you grab at his shirt, prompting him to sit up so he can remove it easily.

His lips find your breasts the moment he discards the fabric, and his fingers splay across your back, keeping you close while he moves his kisses up to your neck. He reaches your lips moments later, and you push on his shoulders, causing you both to fall back onto the bed, your hands pressed to his chest, which flexes beneath you.

You roll your hips, and you can feel Wooseok’s cock pressing up against his jeans. You avoid the obnoxious buckle on the belt that he’d found thrifting last December, you’d always known there was a reason you hated it, but have never been able to put your finger on it- now, you realize it’s because it makes Wooseok’s crotch about as inviting as a chastity belt.

“Off.” You mumble against your friend’s lips, reaching a hand between your bodies to tug at the belt buckle before releasing it. Wooseok had had the audacity to put the damned thing on, he can remove it too.

Large hands fumble, metal brushes your exposed abdomen and makes you shiver, Wooseok kisses you deeper in response, managing to get the belt off with one hand while the other returns to cup your face. He’s pulling the leather band completely out of the rings of his pants and throwing it to the side a moment later, and as soon as it’s gone, your hands return to the waistband of his jeans.

The two of you make quick work of undressing him, and before you know it, he’s bare in front of you, and you’re practically drooling at how big he is.

You lick your lips, kissing Wooseok quickly, then beginning your descent. He shivers when you kiss his abdomen, and your fingers wrap around his cock a moment later, earning another hiss, as well as a hand in your hair.

Wooseok looks down at you and you meet his eyes, bringing your mouth to the head of his cock and kitten licking. The gorgeous man lets out a strangled gasp, throwing his head back into the pillows, hips lifting off the bed, and he releases his hold on your hair to grip at the bed sheets. You humour the needy man, sinking your mouth onto his length, taking as much of him as you can.

A hand lands on your ass, surprising you and making you jolt, which sends Wooseok into the back of your throat. You gag, pulling away from Wooseok while your hand continues to pump him, and you look over your shoulder at Kino.

“I know you said you wanted him first-” The mischievous man grabs a fistful of your hair, pulling you up and away from Wooseok so your back is now to Kino’s chest. He runs his tongue from your collarbone up to your ear, and you shiver at the cool stripe it leaves in it’s wake. “But what if I fuck you while you suck him off? There’s no reason you can’t take us both, hmm?”

You gnaw on your lower lip, nodding eagerly, and Kino laughs. He lets you go, shoving your back roughly, and you eagerly return to your task, mouth wrapping around Wooseok once more.

You feel Kino rip your panties at the waist, and you can’t bring yourself to care, taking them off completely would have required you to adjust positions, and it would have taken much too long.

One of Kino’s hands lands on the small of your back, and it glides down your spine while you feel him lining up with your entrance. He coats himself in your slick first, rutting against you but not pushing inside, and you groan around Wooseok, toes curling with anticipation.

Kino chuckles behind you, and then he thrusts into you all at once, both hands moving to grip your hips. “Try not to choke, sweetheart.” Kino warns, and you just know he’s grinning like the complete asshole that he is-

His first thrust sends you forward suddenly, and you nearly gag, groaning at how quickly he’d almost made you fail his warning. You pull your mouth off of Wooseok, fist pumping up and down his length while you suckle on the head, finding this less risky with Kino behind you and at full energy.

Wooseok doesn’t seem to mind the change, and one of his large hands comes down to cover yours, applying pressure that tells you to squeeze him harder. You follow through, and the man below you lets out a groan.

The sound of praise goes straight to your core, and you feel yourself tighten around Kino, who reacts with a laugh, then smacks you across your ass just enough to sting.

You whimper, a little shocked at just how much you’re enjoying Kino being rough with you. An orgasm is building in the pit of your stomach, and you rest your head on Wooseok’s thigh, eyes closing, allowing yourself to enjoy the feeling of Kino fucking you silly with even more intensity.

“She feels so good.” Kino groans, and you whimper in response, adoring how he’s ignoring you and talking about you to the others like this.

“Don’t rub it in.” Yuto’s deep voice sends a tingle rushing through your entire being, you’d almost forgotten he was there-

Kino simply laughs, and his hips rut into you faster and harder- you’d thought he’d be losing energy by now, not fucking you even better-

“Gonna cum for me, Squeak?” Kino grabs at your hair, and he hauls you up to his chest for the second time tonight. His hand moves to your throat to keep you where he wants you, and his strong forearm is like a security bar holding you up where it presses across your chest, allowing his other hand to grasp your breast roughly.

You can’t respond, but you manage a nod, and Kino’s condescending laugh at the motion sends you over the edge. You throw your head back onto Kino’s shoulder, pulse thumping loudly in your head from the way he’s cutting off your oxygen with the hand still on your throat.

You can feel him everywhere.

Your fingers latch onto his wrist, not to pull him away, but to anchor yourself as waves of pleasure wash over your entire body. Kino is steady behind you, and he works you through your orgasm with a pace that turns erratic as his own high becomes nearly too much for him to bear.

When he finally slows down, releasing your neck, you take a strangled breath. You feel a soft kiss to your shoulder, and then the roughness returns, with Kino pushing you onto Wooseok’s chest.

The maknae catches you, holding you close while you catch your breath. But when you shift, and feel Wooseok’s cock twitch with interest where it’s pressed between your bodies, you’re determined to pull yourself together and fuck all three of your friends. You can’t stop now.

Your hand forms a fist, and you push yourself up, looking down at Wooseok. Then you lift your hips, grabbing your friend’s cock to guide him to your entrance. You sit down just as Wooseok’s hands find your waist, a wide eyed look on his face.

He's big.

So, so big.

And with you sitting on top, he fills you completely

Your wet core flutters around the new intrusion, and you curse yourself for ever having thought prep with Kino - who to be fair, had felt to be quite well endowed himself - would prepare you for your six foot three bestie with hands larger than your entire head.

You press your palms flat to Wooseok’s chest, and you lift yourself a few inches before sinking back onto his length, a whimper leaving your lips as your body adjusts. He feels so good splitting you open like this-

Wooseok’s fingers press into your hips, lifting you slightly, only to slam you back down onto his cock, and you nearly wail from pleasure. He adjusts his feet on the bed behind you so he can thrust up into you better, and you find yourself becoming practically a rag doll for the large maknae below you, who man handles you despite your top position.

You don’t care that Wooseok’s taken the power from you. Your mind going blank, unable to think about anything other than how good he feels-

“Sit up and move to the headboard so you can lean against it.” Yuto’s voice interrupts your pleasure haze, and your eyes open when Wooseok moves, following through with the instruction and dragging you with him.

“Now you kitten,” a hand brushes by your shoulders, and you shiver, “turn around. Face away from Wooseok for me.”

You do as you’re told, and two pairs of hands help you. They even ensure you sit back on Wooseok’s cock, and he groans. You feel him press against your back, his hand snaking around your front to play with your clit, lips finding your shoulder.

Wooseok’s legs are spread ever so slightly, and Yuto is kneeling there in front of you.

In this position, it’s almost hard to look up at Yuto, and your hands press down into the bed, arms straight and holding you above Wooseok’s knees while you grind back against him in a mock reverse cowgirl position.

The good thing is, you don’t have to look up at him, and your eyes immediately lock on your target. Your hands move to undo Yuto’s pants- only for Wooseok to push into you, making your balance falter, almost causing you to fall flat on your face- but you catch yourself at the last moment.

Yuto laughs above you. “Our little chew toy.” He says fondly, beginning to undo his belt. “I'd love to hear you squeak, but I need your mouth for other things.”

Yuto even guides himself to your lips, and you eagerly accept him, whimpering with delight when his hand finds your hair, and you realize he’s going to facefuck you while Wooseok thrusts into you from behind in the reverse cowgirl Eiffel Tower hybrid position you’ve found yourself in.

You give yourself up completely to Yuto and Wooseok, their little chew toy, and your whole being floods with pleasure from them using you.

You hollow your cheeks around Yuto, and he fucks your mouth harder, cock hitting the back of your throat.

“Fuck!” Wooseok groans loudly behind you. “She gets to fucking tight when you do that-”

“Then I'll do it again.” Yuto says simply from above you, and he continues to fuck your face, making sure to press into your throat a second time.

Wooseok moans even louder, fingers digging into your waist, confirmation that making you choke on Yuto’s cock makes your pussy squeeze like a vice grip-

“Can you just cum already?!” Yuto says, and you know by his tone that he’s speaking to the man behind you.

“No, you cum! I’m not cumming in this position!” Wooseok argues back.

“The fuck you aren't!”

“I’m not.” Wooseok says, voice something near a growl.

Yuto groans a moment later. “Guess it’s my turn.” He mutters, pulling out of your mouth suddenly.

You look up at him with teary eyes as he pumps his cock-

“Don’t cum on her, or in her mouth!” Wooseok commands from behind you.

Three “what!?”’s ring through the room, but with another massive groan, Yuto follows through with even this ridiculous command, and Kino tosses him a shirt in record time to use in lieu of your body. You all look at the fabric, realizing it’s Wooseok’s- and Yuto explodes into his friend’s shirt with a manic laugh.

Wooseok groans loudly, lifting you off of his cock and tossing you onto the bed next to him. He’s between your legs an instant later, pushing back into you as he captures your mouth with his own.

He fucks you fluidly, with a rhythm that’s just the right speed, and he fills you so perfectly-

You dig your fingers into Wooseok’s shoulders, your orgasm washing over you like waves of warm sunshine. You bury your face in Wooseok’s neck, whimpering while Wooseok echoes your sounds with groans of his own.

One of his hands is on your hip, and he squeezes you gently there, rhythm faltering, thrusts becoming slower but harder, more intimate.

You find yourself lacing your fingers in his silky hair, dragging his face from your shoulder so you can kiss him, losing yourself in his lips as your orgasm subsides and Wooseok slows down to a stand still.

Neither of you move for a few seconds, simply breathing together, feeling each other’s hearts racing through your compressed chests. Then Wooseok takes a deep breath and pushes himself off of you.

“I’m going to the shower.” He announces.

Yuto groans, following the younger man a moment later, and you’re left with Kino.

The pink haired man has his sweat pants on, and he comes to sit on the end of the bed, fingers brushing against your ankle. You pull your leg away, looking down at him suspiciously. You definitely can’t go another round-

“Relax.” Kino says, shifting closer, and he shows you a wet cloth in his hand. “With Wooseok in the shower, there’s no way you’d get any water.” He tells you, bringing the warm fabric to the soft flesh of your inner thigh. “Let me take care of you.”

You take a deep breath and rest against the pillows, closing your eyes and spreading your legs for Kino. You let out a whimper when he brushes by your clit, and then his lips press a gentle kiss to your inner knee as if to say ‘sorry’, and he proceeds with more caution.

“Kino?”

“Hmm?” He nuzzles his cheek against your knee, finishing his work.

“What you guys said earlier, about being in love with me-”

“You think we didn’t mean it?” He pulls away from you, hands closing your knees.

You open your eyes, worried you’ve upset him, but then Kino is laying down next to you, covering you both in a blanket and adjusting your body to turn you into his little spoon.

He curls around you, pressing a kiss to your shoulder.

Your heart melts for him, especially when his hand slips over your waist, sneaking down to the bed in search of your fingers, which he promptly finds and captures between his own.

“This just feels like a dream.” You sigh, closing your eyes, trying to enjoy being with Kino in this way without overthinking it.

Kino laughs against your shoulder, pressing more kisses onto your skin. “Well, i promise to be here in the morning when you wake up, and the morning after that, and the morning after that-”

You laugh, rolling your eyes at your friend, who nips at your ear lobe. You shiver at the contact of his lips on the sensitive shell of your ear. “Where did you learn to be so rough like this?” You ask. “I knew you have a reputation in bed, but that was-”

“Did you like it rough, Squeak?” He squeezes you tightly, lips trailing along your neck.

“Yeah-” You let out a breathy sound, toes curling when he focuses on the sweet spot below your ear, and you can feel Kino smiling against it a moment later.

“I’ve noticed you have a thing for pain.” Kino says. “Sometimes, when I hug you too tight, you let out these little sounds-” You feel your skin heating, knowing exactly what he’s talking about, and Kino chuckles, squeezing your hand. “And what can I say?” Kino’s teeth graze your shoulder. “I'm nothing if not a giver in bed.”

Your pussy throbs at his words, and you push your ass back against him.

Kino lets go of your fingers, and then his hand finds your thigh, moving from the outside in, and gliding up to your core. “Let me give you another one?” He asks, kissing your shoulder.

“I can’t believe you two.” Yuto’s voice always seems to shock you, and you think you’ll have to get used to being intimate with one person while two others watch and can jump in at any moment-

“How was your shower?” Kino asks, his warm body leaving yours in favour of sitting up to stare at the man standing in the doorway. You mirror the motion, pulling Kino’s blanket with you.

“Wooseok’s been in there the whole time. He just finished,” Yuto’s eyes move to you. “Come on, Squeak.”

“I’ll come when Yuto’s done.” Kino tells you, turning and grabbing your jaw to keep you still while he presses a kiss to your lips. He’s gone much too fast for your liking, letting you go with a mischievous grin before collapsing back into the pillows. “Oh-” He says as you crawl from the bed, his hand grabbing the fabric that’s still wrapped around you, “and leave the blanket.”

Yuto laughs, grabbing your hands and pulling you to your feet. The air is cold against your exposed skin, but Yuto is quick to pull you to his warm chest. He turns you so you’re facing away from the door, and then he steps forward, forcing you to move back, step by step, all the way to the bathroom. He does this sort of thing with you frequently, usually when you’re clothed, so you’re used to this wordless behaviour.

You bump into Wooseok, literally, as he’s exiting the bathroom, and suddenly it’s two warm bodies pressed against your own.

Wooseok is so tall. When he towers over you, you notice his hair is still wet from the droplets that land on you.

You giggle, pressing up to Yuto in an effort to escape Wooseok from dripping onto you, and your best friend - like the dog he is - deliberately shakes his head out.

Yuto shoves at Wooseok before he can get too much splattered on the two of you, and pushes past the younger man. He helps you to the shower first, then kicks off his sweatpants, joining you under the warm water.

Neither of you say anything, but you’ve been at this comfort level in your friendship for years now, and have often shared pleasant silences in each other’s company.

Kino keeps his promise and shows up when Yuto leaves. He holds you close to his chest, sharing the warm water with you.

When you exit the shower, Kino hands you a shirt and some boxers, an outfit you’ve worn on many impromptu sleep overs here.

“My bed is biggest.” Kino says as you exit the bathroom, and you laugh, knowing full well that all three men all have queen mattresses because they’d got them in some weird three for one closing sale in your first year of university-

“Kino-” You turn to argue but your best friend bends down, lifts you up by your thighs, and tosses you over his shoulder. When you say his name this time, it’s a scream, and it makes him laugh.

It also earns a groan from Yuto’s room, and a moment later he appears, following the pink haired thief.

Kino tosses you onto his bed, getting under the covers with you and regaining his spot as the big spoon. He tucks you close to his chest, letting out a contented sigh.

Yuto claims your other side soon after, laying on his back, allowing you to tangle your legs with one of his.

Wooseok is last in the room.

He takes one look at you, sees you’re all but monopolized on either side, and in one motion, he flops his body over all three of your tired, and completely unexpecting, forms.

There’s an immediate commotion and struggle, and you’re too tired to do anything but laugh, closing your eyes and knowing that you’re safe with your three best friends in the entire world.

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international-kpopfan · 3 years ago

Text

It's always been you - Ko Shinwon (F)

Summary | Your friendship with Shinwon is something that you would never change for a thing in the world, but what if feelings are getting involved?.

Genre | fluff, high school, non-idol boyfriend.

Warnings | none.

Pairing | femxreader x Ko Shinwon

WC | around 2.4k

Note | Requested by anon.

Note | I will be on holiday from the 12th of January till the 1st of February. I won't post anything during these days, but I will of course try to write as much as possible for you guys in my notebook. Please be patient if you have any requests.

Note | thinking about a part two?. Let me know if you want a part two (this will probably contain smut)

Original request | hi! could i request something with shinwon of pentagon? something fluffy, like a slowburn friends-lovers? if theres smut at the end its ok too but i'm not picky :o

Masterlist / Request Rules / Upcoming

Requests open!

Shinwon will do anything for you, whether it's 3 AM or 4 PM when you need him, he's there. You met him when your parents decided to move to South Korea and enroll you in a Korean high school. There was only one problem, you didn't speak a word of Korean. The first days were hell, nobody spoke to you, partly because the language was a problem, but also because you looked different from others. You didn't belong to the Korean stereotype. For a few days, you were mostly on your own, trying to understand every word that the teachers said and find yourself a place in Korean society. A new house, a new city, new culture. Everything was different from home.

The moment Shinwon walked into class after a few days off due to a death in his family, his eyes were on you. The young lady at the back of the class, sitting quietly leafing through her book with an annoyed expression on her face. His best friend slapped him on the shoulder and gave him an update on who the new student was.

Shinwon had his full attention on you. You on the other hand were too focused to understand a single symbol written on the board. Your eyebrows furrowed, eyes fixed on the board and your tongue sticking out beyond your lips. Shinwon had to and would talk to you no matter what.

Most students thought it was weird. One of the hottest guys in school who took an interest in just one of the least popular ladies, as if they'd landed in fanfiction on Wattpad. Shinwon was careful on his first attempt to talk to you. His English was not at all what it should have been, if only he had paid more attention in class instead of making paper airplanes and then tossing them at his best friend. It could have helped him so much right now.

Sitting on one of the picnic benches outside in the square you scribbled something in your notebook, sometimes they were drawings, and sometimes you wrote a simple story about a bird that just flew over. Suddenly the book was snatched from your hands, your hands actively trying to get the book back from whoever had the guts to pull it out of your hands, but as soon as you saw his face you lowered your hands.

Shinwon flipped through the booklet, the occasional nod, and an approving hum as if it were a project for an exam. In his best English, he commented that he liked it. A smile appeared on your face, the first in a few days and you slowly took the book back from his hands.

''I'm Shinwon, nice to meet you''.

''I'm Y/N, nice to meet you too''.

"Where the hell are you with your thoughts?". Shinwon throws his bag down on one of the tables in the room and then takes a seat in the chair in front of you. His English has improved and, to your surprise, your Korean has gone faster than you expected. Those three evenings a week have paid off.

"Zac Efron," you mutter and Shinwon rolls his eyes. "Sure, like you're ever going to meet that guy." Meanwhile, several students enter the room. Over the past few years, as your Korean got better, more and more social contacts came. Likewise at school. Not everyone was talking to you, but no one was ignoring you either. Shinwon turns leans over the back of the chair and prepares to speak as the teacher slams the door shut. A wink is all you need to know that he has plans.

The friendship between you and Shinwon has grown in recent years, from not being able to communicate with each other to learn each other's language by studying to completely trusting each other about two years later.

A lot has happened in those two years. Shinwon is still the popular dude, you the less popular lady. You often got the idea that when you hang out with Shinwon, you are automatically popular, and often it is. Shinwon on the other hand is the most chill guy you can have in your group of friends. He doesn't care if he's seen as popular, because popularity doesn't define you as a person.

"Psst..." You are startled by Shinwon tapping your arm. "Lesson is over." Surprised but still deep in thought, you grab your things and put them in your bag.

"Let me guess, Zac Efron?". Woo, one of Shinwon's best friends, yells from the doorway, laughing.

"Shut up," you mutter as you pass him into the hallway. Shinwon follows but stops when Woo grabs him by the arm.

"You better get that Zac dude out of her head."

Shinwon chuckles as he wraps an arm around his best friend. "Don't worry, I can handle Zac."

''How many pizzas did you order?''. With some great surprise, you drop the five pizza boxes on the table. Shinwon gets up from the couch with a grin on his face. "What, I'm hungry." You open the boxes of pizza while Shinwon stands behind you. He leans over your shoulder, one arm close to your lower back as he takes a slice from the box. The way he grabs a simple pizza slice is new. Normally he takes one of the boxes from your hands before you close the door at all.

"Yummy," he mumbles with a mouth full and leans against the table, his eyes on you. A smile appears on your face when you see how much he enjoys food.

''Better for your life that it's nice because I don't like to spend money on your addictions''.

You are both sitting on the couch in the meantime, each with a box on your lap. Shinwon's is almost empty, yours is still half full with delicious pizza slices.

Shinwon casts his gaze on you. The past few years have been nothing but great for him. He got to know you, improved his English, you became best friends and graduated together and then both went on to study different directions. He the entertainment, you in law enforcement.

Many things have changed, but there is one thing that will never change until he has the guts to do something about it himself. He's seen plenty of guys hanging around you over the years, but none came close enough to the ideal son-in-law to come home with.

Despite being the popular guy, his attention has always been on you. From the moment he stepped into the room and set his eyes on you, it was clear to him. The butterflies that happily fluttered around again after a few months of being single, said enough.

Shinwon's behavior has changed, that's for sure. The moment he's alone with you, it's like a completely different Shinwon is there. Shy, observant, careful in his actions, and above all, he withheld from touch. Hugs were shorter. And the usual kiss on your forehead when he said goodbye he completely dropped.

It makes you insecure somehow. Why?. No idea. You're his best friend, yet the actions that seemed so normal in years past now seem abnormal.

You drop onto the bed, legs and arms spread like a starfish while closing your eyes. Lots of thoughts running through your head. You turn on your side, facing the wall of polaroid photos from past years. Parties, graduations, dinners, and much more. Shinwon is in almost every photo, even the one from Valentine's Day. A smile appears on your face when you think back to the last school year. Shinwon arrived at school with a balloon, you thinking he had his attention on another lady but no, the balloon came your way. Several students watched the whole view with their mouths open, while you took the balloon uncertainly with a feeling of nervousness. Shinwon assured everyone that it was purely amicable, that best friends can love each other even though there is no intimate relationship. Hearing those words made your heart clench. It hurt to hear, but you didn't know any better. You were best friends and that was it. You don't remember when the butterflies started fooling around in your stomach, you don't even remember the moment you fell in love with him. Maybe it gradually changed from friendship feelings to actual feelings, without even noticing it. What you do know is that you don't want to lose him, even it means that you need to push those feelings away.

A tear slips from the corner of your eye, leaving a wet spot on your pillow. Why does it hurt so much?.

Shinwon parks his car in the university parking lot, he sends you a quick message that he's there and waits patiently until he hears the door open.

"Hey, thanks for picking me up." Shinwon winks and starts the engine as soon as you are safe and sound in the seat.

His behavior, according to you, is still the same. He does the things he's always done, but a little differently. Still no forehead kiss, he will hug you but it feels very distant and he has been very distant the last few days?.

"I have a date tonight," Shinwon says, keeping his eyes on the road. His voice is flat. There is no emotion in it at all and thinking about him being with another woman tonight brings the same feeling again. A stab in your heart.

"Oh, great!. What are you going to do?". You ask with fake enthusiasm. Shinwon runs a hand through his hair as you stop at the traffic light.

"Eating out, she can choose the restaurant. I'll pick her up at 7 o'clock." The same voice again, flat as can be. You lean your head against the car window and sigh. Your gaze falls on his clothes, a small chuckle escapes your lips.

"I hope you're going to wear something different than this." Shinwon quickly glances at his clothes. What's wrong with jeans, a shirt, and sneakers?. "She'll just have to accept me as I am," he mumbles, a little irritation audible in his voice.

"Okay okay, clear. It's your date." Even though you try to be there for him, be happy for him and support him in everything he does, it changes your mood.

"I hope she's the one you're looking for, if not?. You know where to find me'', you blurted out as you get out of the car, with a light blush on your cheeks. You never expected that you would dare to say this. A smile appears on Shinwon's face, the first in the entire car ride. A smile you've never seen from him before.

"You'll hear from me," he calls after you and he quickly drives off, on his way to his date.

Shinwon knew the moment he saw his date walk through the door that he had made a big mistake. This was not what he wanted. His date was a beautiful woman, nothing could be further from the truth. But not the woman he expected. Woo, his best friend, thought it was about time Shinwon started dating. With the reason to get you out of his mind as long as he was too scared to do anything. One of Woo's colleagues thought Shinwon was a handsome man, and Woo didn't have to think twice about pairing the two together. Shinwon didn't know anything, not what she looked like, what she was like, and who she was.

It didn't sit well with him. It's not easy for him either. Having feelings for your best friend is often the worst thing that can happen to a friendship. At least that's what he read on the internet after he researched on google. He wants so badly to be more than that, but he knows full well that it is one-sided. You see him as your best friend, and nothing more. He should have known. A blind date would help him to change his mind, but this doesn't help either.

"Sorry, I have to go," he mumbles and puts some money down for the bill, grabs his coat, and storms out of the restaurant. He can't take it anymore.

Several loud bangs startle you from the series that has been watching for the past few hours, to avoid being busy with Shinwon as much as possible. You rush towards the hall where you take the door off the lock and open it. The very man you tried to fight out of your mind is breathless with one hand leaning against the door frame. "What the hell happened?".

Without saying a word he walks into your apartment, you close the door behind you and follow him. He stands with both hands on his sides in the middle of the living room, shaking his head and turning around.

"Sorry, I have to do this."

He walks up to you, takes your face in both hands, and presses his lips to yours. Eyes as big as the china saucers in your grandmother's closet, hands clenched in fists and your body that can't move in any way, that's how you react to the man who, after all these years, finally kisses you.

Shinwon lets go, a little unsure of how you're going to react, but the frozen attitude your body had taken doesn't give him a straight answer.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles and prepares to disappear from your apartment as quickly as possible.

''For what?. For the fact that it took you years?. Or for the fact that you seriously think I'll agree to just one kiss?".

You are amazed that you can speak at all, your body is slowly thawing from shock, your heart is pumping like crazy and a small blush forms on your cheeks. And you wonder where the confidence comes from. Maybe you are just sick and tired of not being honest about your feelings.

Shinwon chuckles uncertainly, not knowing what to do in this situation.

"So this means that..."

You don't let him finish, you wrap your arms around his neck and kiss his lips.

"It means we were both wimps." Shinwon smiles and without any warning, he grabs your body and lifts you up. Automatically you close your legs around his waist, his hands move from your lower back to your butt.

"Then these wimps should make sure that doesn't happen again," he jokes as he presses a kiss to your lips and makes his way to your bedroom.

Don’t repost without permission.

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