#yukhei horror au

[whereisten]

I’ve talked to Krys about how I thought it was hard to write a FICTIONAL Lucas in a more sinister lighting. Lucas himself just radiates sunshine and laughter. Lucas in I Know What You Did Last Summer was flawed and quite naughty 😈.

BUT...I was very very wrong. Lucas in this story...I was both horny and horrified: I was hornified.

Krys, your story knocked my socks off. I absolutely loved it. I had no idea where this was going to go. When Lucas calls y/n Little Red Riding Hood, I had to know what kind of twist you would put on the fairytale. My jaw was on the floor at the ending. I want a back story, a sequel, and a movie.

Also...there are some keywords that will stick with me for the rest of my life. 😂 I hope you guys can figure out what I mean...🌚

Stranger Danger

A Lucas fic that’s part of our Halloween Series!

Summary: there’s a reason why we were always told to never trust strangers, even the ones with handsome faces and lovely voices. Yet, one night, you make a terrible decision to trust Lucas.

Pairing: Wealthy Bachelor!Lucas x female reader

Genre: smut, horror, some angst

Warning: alcohol use, brief cheating mention, blood and gore mention, death mention, smut: dry humping, car sex, fingering, oral sex (female receiving), dirty talk, penetration (protected sex), size kink, overstimulation, rough sex (hair pulling).

Work Count: 4.5K

(A/N: heyyyy you guys..this is mostly smut lmao but there’s a nice twist at the end so I hope you enjoy it!! ❤️)

———-

The bass vibrates through your veins in the club. Red lights illuminated and warmed your skin. You felt a buzz as the alcohol finally settled into your very being, making you smile and display a look of bliss across your face.

Lucas held you close, keeping his eyes on you the entire time. You felt his large hand on the small of your back.

You ran your hand down his chest and abs, gasping as you felt the bricks under his skin.

His broad chest nearly broke out of his button down shirt.

You thought to yourself. How lucky you are to be dancing with this unbelievably handsome man at this Halloween party?

Lucas, on the other hand, had spotted you since the moment you walked in with your friends. It was the red dress that caught his eyes. How it hugged your curves so nicely, the way it stopped mid thigh leaving much to the imagination. Oh, and the fishnet tights that were suspended to a garter belt he wanted to see so badly.

Keep reading

[jameui]

MASTERLIST

LEGEND:

🧁 Fluff

🌶️ Angst

🍋 Smut

💀 Horror

ANIME

[not available yet. please wait until further notice]

TV SHOWS

[not available yet. please wait until further notice]

VIDEO GAMES

TEKKEN

Violet/Lee Chaolan

Sergei Dragonuv

Lars Alexandersson

Hwoarang

Kazuya Mishima

Jin Kazama

Forest Law

Geese Howard

Eddy Gordo

Claudio Serafino

Shaheen

Steve Fox

ACTORS

Lee Jongsuk

CUPCAKE SERVING {🌶️ |🍋 |🧁}

Jung Haein

Yoo Jingoo

Lee Dohyeon

Song Kang

LOVE FUCKS LIFE (SFAH CENTER) {🌶️}

Kim Soohyun

Kim Seonho

Lee Dongwook

Ahn Hyoseop

Woo Dohwan

Hwang Inyeop

Lee Jaewook

Bae Hyunsung

IDOLS

ATEEZ

Kim Hongjoong

NUDES {🌶️|🧁|🥭} (2 Parts)

Park Seonghwa

Jeong Yunho

MY FAVORITE HYUNG {🌶️|🧁}

Kang Yeosang

GUILTY MISTAKE {🧁|🌶️}

CRUSH (SFH CENTER) {🧁|🌶️}

Choi San

HOUSE VISIT {🧁|🍋}

NIGHTMARE {🍋|🌶️}

Song Mingi

MY BELOVED ANGEL {🌶️|🧁} (2 Parts)

Jung Wooyoung

FAILED SURPRISE {🌶️|🧁}

Choi Jongho

HOUSE VISIT {🧁|🍋}

STRAY KIDS

Bang Chan

Lee Minho

MISCHIEVOUS {🧁|🌶️|🍋} (? parts)

Seo Changbin

Hwang Hyunjin

THINKING OF YOU {🌶️ }

MOVIE DATE {🌶️ |🧁}

Han Jisung

Lee Felix

MY POSSESSION (SFAH CENTER) {🍋|🌶️}

Kim Seungmin

Yang Jeongin

BTS

Kim Seokjin

Min Yoongi

Jung Hoseok

Kim Namjoon

Park Jimin

Kim Taehyung

UNFORTUNATE FATE {🌶️|🍋|🧁}

Jeon Jungkook

UNFORTUNATE FATE {🌶️|🧁|🍋}

NCT

Lee Taeyong

Jeong Yoonoh/Jaehyun

SPECIAL PRESENT {🧁|🍋} (3 Parts)

Dong Sicheng/Winwin

Kim Jungwoo

BEST HERO (SFAH CENTER) {💀|🌶️}

Wong Yukhei/Lucas

ANGEL [🌶️|🧁]

HAPPIER WITH YOU [🧁|🌶️|🍋]

Lee Min Hyung/Mark

Xiao Dejun/Xiaojun

Huang Guanheng/Hendery

Lee Jeno

Na Jaemin

THE OLD MAN (SFAH CENTER) {💀}

Liu Yangyang

TXT

Choi Yeonjun

HAVE FUN {💀}

THE SKIRT (SFAH CENTER) {🍋|🧁}

THE SKIRT (LONGER VERSION) {🍋|🌶️|🧁}

Choi Soobin

ONCE A SPACE FILLER {🌶️|🧁}

MY HAPPINESS {🧁|🍋|🌶️} (2 PARTS)

Choi Beomgyu

A START OF SOMETHING GOOD (SFAH CENTER) {🌶️|🧁}

Kang Taehyun

Huening Kai

ENHYPEN

Lee Heeseung

ALL NIGHTER {🍋|🌶️|🧁}

CORRUPTION {🌶️}

MA BOY {🌶️|🧁}

Park Jongseong/Jay

COOKIES {🧁|🌶️}

CLIFFHANGER {🧁|🌶️}

BEGIN AGAIN {🌶️|🧁|🍋}

Sim Jaeyun/Jake

BOYS, BOYS, BOYS {🧁|🌶️|💀}

HERO {🌶️|🧁|🍋}

CLIFFHANGER {🧁|🌶️}

WE, ROLEPLAY {🍋}

CELESTE {🌶️}

SCHOOL RIVAL {🍋|🌶️|🧁}

Park Sunghoon

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING {🧁} (2 Parts)

RUSTED NAILS (SFAH CENTER) {🌶️|🧁}

CLIFFHANGER {🧁|🌶️}

WE, ROLEPLAY {🍋}

I GUESS I'M IN LOVE {🌶️|🧁} (INSTAGRAM AU)

Kim Sunwoo/Sunoo

ANTI-HERO {🌶️}

Yang Jungwon

INTRUDER (SFAH CENTER) {💀}

Nishimura Riki/Niki

ALL ALONE (SFAH CENTER) {🌶️|🧁}

RIIZE

Osaki Shotaro

Song Eunseok

Jung Sungchan

A LOVE TEXT AWAY (SMAU)

Park Wonbin

Hong Seunghan

Lee Sohee

Lee Chanyoung/Anton Lee

A LOVE TEXT AWAY (SMAU)

OTHERS

THIS IS MY STORY ENDING (SFAH CENTER) {🌶️|🧁} [Thoma x Male Reader]

MY LITTLE SUNSHINE (SFAH CENTER) {🌶️|🧁} [Sundrop/Moondrop x Male Reader]

DISASTROUS {🌶️} [Multi Fanfiction]

* will be updated soon

[misojunnie]

THE ENEMY ZONE - lyy.

the second installment of the angst archive.

prompt 13. “did you just forget about me or something?”

⋰˚☆

inspired by @peakwak on tiktok (bicker pov series)

genre: childhood frenemies!yangyang x fem!reader, high school au (ft. xiaojun)

warnings: lots of bickering, substance use, insecurities, not much else, brief description of gore (from horror movie), universe era wayv, held back ten

featuring: nct chinaline + aespa’s karina

playlist: summer by the volunteers, as it was by harry styles, now or never by halsey

taglist: @msxflower @enhacolor @hiqhkey

network tags: @nctcreations​ @ficscafe​ @k-radio​ @kflixnet​

word count: 30.3k

yangyang lacks the courage to tell you he really wants to be with you.

[more below the cut!]

⋰˚☆

It all went back to that day in third grade. That fateful day when Liu Yangyang, the snotty idiot who lived a house over, smashed your face into your birthday cake just as you were finished blowing out the candles. Your brother laughed at you too, that asshole. With clumps of red velvet and cream cheese frosting stuck to your cheeks, you sobbed until his mother had to come pick him up and make him apologize the next day bearing a box of ferrero rochers as compensation for the emotional damage.

It was certainly the worst memory of your life. Ever since you could remember, Yangyang had always been the cause of your worst memories: when he beat you in the election for class president in eighth grade and put extremely sarcastic apology chocolates in your locker, when he found out you had a crush on his friend Yukhei and told the whole school the next day, or when he stole Chenle’s favorite set of crisp neon highlighters and put them in your desk. You got detention when the teacher found out.

Even last week, he snuck outside and dumped hot sauce into your morning coffee perched on the windowsill facing his house. You learned to never put your mug anywhere near the windows after that.

Liu Yangyang was the bane of your existence. And the worst part of it was that he was your neighbor. You could not escape him, quite literally, and he didn’t seem to want to leave your life anyways. In short, with him around, there was no peaceful way to live your life. It was almost as though he made it a daily goal to disturb you.

Of course, there were some days where he wasn’t so bad. Three years ago, he ordered you jjajangmyeon and had it delivered to your door when your parents weren’t home, and he knew you didn’t know how to cook. Albeit, that was the last time you could remember he was sweet to you.

Even now, TV blasting some obscene horror movie out his windows, he was an annoying presence in your life. Not enough to be a bully. Maybe just a mosquito.

You groaned in annoyance, slamming down your laptop on the cushion of the coach next to you as you stood up, stomping your way over to the window and leaning off the window sill. The night breeze was soft on your face, and you could see Yangyang sitting on his couch inside, curled into a little ball underneath a blanket as he watched the rapidly flashing TV with rapt attention.

“Turn down the fucking TV, nerd!” You yelled out the window, attempting to be heard over the loud screaming of the girl on the screen who appeared to be in agonizing pain as the antagonist ripped out her intestines. Yangyang slipped a piece of popcorn into his mouth, reaching for the remote and silently turning the volume up. You huffed, and  a satisfied expression passed over his face as he snuggled deeper into his blanket. His cozy position pissed you off. You reached your arms through the window frame, slowly climbing out, wearing only your thin pajamas that did nothing to protect against the cold wind. Upon seeing your exit, Yangyang paused the show and ran over, severely alarmed.

“The hell are you doing? Go back inside you little creep.”

“I’m the creep? I’m not the one who watches a girl get murdered every other night.” He rolled his eyes, leaning his elbows against the window frame while you dusted the dirt from your shorts, now safely on the ground.

“Maybe I’m imagining it’s you.” “You’re a very scary person.”

“I know.” He said with a little smile that made you want to slap him across his face. When neither of you moved, he flicked your forehead, making you gasp and grab the sore area with a scowl. “What’re you still doing outside?”

“I’m not going inside until you turn the volume down.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged. “If you wanna stay outside in the cold by yourself, that’s your problem, not mine.”

“I will talk over the entire movie.”

“I can always shut the window, dumbass.” He said, before slamming the glass in your face, going back to his nest of blankets and laying down comfortably. 

You supposed you could have gone inside at that point. After all, his window was shut and the sound of horrific murder wouldn’t be as loud, likely quiet enough for you to study in peace, maybe even read a bit after with the sweet, sweet sound of utter silence. But this was Yangyang you were talking about. Hell would freeze over before you let him live peacefully. Plus, you could still hear the screaming through the glass, and that was enough of a reason to keep bothering him.

Not a minute passed before you began to rap your knuckles on the window. He didn’t pay attention, and you sped up to double time, wrists beginning to hurt from flinging your fists back and forth for so long at a time, and after multiple minutes of glass rattling knocking, he sat up and opened the window again. 

“What. The fuck. Do you. Want?” He staggered his sentence exasperatedly, and you flicked your fingers towards the remote in his hand. 

“Turn down the TV.”

“You’re welcome to join me if you don’t like hearing it from across the street.”

“As if.” You scoffed. “I’m trying to study, so I’d appreciate it if you’d spare me some silence for a few minutes.” He pondered dramatically, hand on his chin before sighing and strumming the windowsill with his long fingers.

“Yeah, I suppose I could do that for you.” Your eyes widened in surprise. This had to be the first time in years that Yangyang actually agreed to do something for you, anything at all. It was nice. Suspiciously nice, and it made you admittedly uncomfortable.

“Are you serious?”

“I look serious, don’t I?” The answer was undoubtedly yes. You narrowed your eyes at him suspiciously, before making your way back to your window.

“Alright. Thanks then.” You said dubiously, and he gave you an angelic wave before disappearing into his living room, snuggling below the blankets once again.

Yangyang didn’t lie. Once you were safely through your window —you found that getting back inside was a much more complicated ordeal than getting out— you sat down with a warm cup of tea and your laptop, ready to crack down on your chemistry homework with some serious grit and determination.

A few minutes later, the screaming was back. You could hear laughing from the house over as you grit your teeth painfully tight. You leaned outside the window, but you saw he had beat you to it, head poking out the window with a shit eating smile.

“You said a few minutes.” And then he slammed the window shut.

You ended up calling the police. There was a mysterious screaming coming from the house over and it just wouldn’t stop, you told them, and a squad of policemen arrived at Yangyang’s door shortly after 11 pm, ready to catch a serial killer, not a 5’8 teenager in red sheep pajamas clutching a glass of milk in his right hand and a snickers bar in his left.

Did you almost get him arrested? Yes. But was it worth it to see the look on his face when the officers knocked him down and pinned his hands to his back? Also yes.

That’s what you get for not turning down the TV.

⋰˚☆

As usual, there was a knocking upon your front door at 7:30 am. No, it wasn’t Yangyang, but your best friend Karina swinging by the walk you to school like usual with a croissant in her hand and dark circles under her eyes. She didn’t bother to listen to your morning greeting, just stepping inside, seeming like she might nearly pass out with a mouthful of flaky pastry.

“Give me coffee.” She deadpanned. It wasn’t a question, but a demand, and one that you had gotten used to quite quickly. You reached for the steaming pot on the coffee maker and Karina’s favorite mug: with the blue hearts, of course.

“I assume you didn’t sleep well?” You chuckled, handing her the cup of steaming coffee, and she sipped it without a change of expression.

“When do I ever?” She asked rhetorically with a sigh, downing almost the entire cup in one go and slamming it down on the counter like a shot cup. “Hit me again.”

“You’re going to have a heart attack. C’mon you caffeine freak, let’s go.” You said, taking the mug from her painfully tight grip and setting it down on the table, before you looped your arm through hers and led the comatose girl out the door.

“I’m going to kill Hendery next time I see him.” She said suddenly, and you rolled your eyes at the familiar name. Hendery, Karina’s loving but very odd boyfriend, always seemed to cause problems one way or another.

“What’d he do this time?”

“He keeps taking shit from my closet, and he thinks I don’t notice. It’s so stupid, why does he think I don’t see him? He tried shoving my shirt under his hoodie, and when I asked him why he had a bulge under his shirt he said, get this, that he was pregnant. I’m breaking up with him.”

“Rin, I’m sure he just wants something to remember you by.” You said, rubbing her back and attempting to soothe the girl, who looked at you like you just told her the sky was purple.

“I’m not dead, y/n.” Before you had a chance to give her a proper snarky response like she deserved, a 5’8 thunderstorm of a boy ran out of his front door and headed for you like a missile, hands outstretched and ready to attack, maybe pull out a bit of your hair if things went his way.

“Y/n Qian!” He screeched, landing on you before you got a chance to try and run away. He lifted a fist, then realized he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do once he was on top of you, simply holding the fist in the air threateningly without much action behind it. “You called the fucking cops?!”

“You deserved it, you little freak!” You said, and clearly you had more inspiration to use your fists than he did, slapping him away and escaping from his grasp. “Next time, maybe pipe down the agonizing screaming when it’s almost midnight!” Karina helped brush the dust off your uniform, not even phased by the fighting.

“I almost got arrested.” He pouted, brushing off his own blazer with a petulant frown. “One big guy knocked me over and pinned my hands to my back. It was traumatizing. You’re lucky I’m not suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

“I know, I watched the whole thing.” You said smugly. “The sheep pajamas are adorable, by the way.” Yangyang’s eyes lit in flames, and he scrambled to grab you.

“You little-” You grabbed Karina’s hand and ran, laughing as the boy failed to try and keep up. “Y/n! When I get my hands on you-”

“What happened this time?” Karina asked flatly, Yangyang’s voice fading as he struggled to run after you, and you shrugged nonchalantly.

“He wouldn’t turn the TV down.”

“Of course he wouldn’t.” She exhaled exasperatedly, assisting you in running away, hands clasped together as the two of you flew down the street, hoping to reach the school before the fiery blond did.

It was safe to say that Karina was very used to your bickering.

⋰˚☆

“So, when you’re calculating the cosine of an angle, you have to remember that the cosine is equivalent to the ratio between the adjacent side to the hypotenuse-”

“Y/n.” A voice whispered from behind you, and you inhaled sharply at the interruption, trying to focus on teaching the confused boy in front of you.

“We can see that the hypotenuse is equal to 35.4 so-”

“Y/n” He whispered again.

“So if the adjacent is equal to 12-”

“Y/n!” He whispered more urgently this time, and you let out a slow exhale, attempting to ignore the hissing boy.

“Uh, I think someone’s trying to get your attention.” Xiaojun said quietly, pointing to Yangyang, hanging off the edge of his chair behind you and leaning as close as he could to your table without physically touching it. Upon Xiaojun’s comment, you reluctantly whipped around, tongue poking into the side of your cheek with annoyance.

“What do you want?”

“Can I borrow a penci-”

“No.” You cut him off immediately, tossing a crumpled paper at his face, which made him scrunch up his nose, picking it up off the floor and throwing it at the back of your head as he rolled his eyes.

“Please, I left my case at home.” He begged.

“Sounds like a you problem.”

“C’mon, you almost got me arrested this morning, you owe me.”

“I don’t owe you shit.” You said with finality, and he seemed to give up, sighing and turning around in his seat to bother one of his seatmates —you didn’t get why he didn’t ask them from the start— and in turn, you went back to your tutoring.

“You almost got him arrested?” Xiaojun asked with wide eyes, and you sighed.

“It’s a long story.”

“This is a long class.” You flicked him in the forehead, which dampered the anticipating grin on his face.

“Answer the problem, then I’ll tell you.”

“Yes ma’am.” Xiaojun said, pulling out the pencil from behind his ear as he gripped his note cards seriously. A few seconds into the problem, he paused, hand hovering over the paper and only a few marks on the page from the lead of the pencil. “I may need some help with that.” He scratched his head cluelessly.

“You definitely need some help.” You said, turning the page so it faced you both and pointing to a variable with your pencil, slowly teaching him the equation. 

A few minutes into your session, Xiaojun pressed a bit too hard on the page, the tip of his pencil snapping as the bits of lead scattered across the page, staining the white paper a dark gray. He sucked in a breath between his teeth.

“Fuck, I forgot my pencil sharpener.” He groaned, and you reached into your pencil case, removing a pencil and handing it to him like it was nothing.

“Here you go. I have a spare.” His eyes lit up gratefully.

“Thanks, y/n.” He said with a smile, getting back to the page, and you waved off his thanks casually. From the seat behind you, Yangyang tugged his lower lip between his teeth, bending his head down and attempting to focus on the page of problems before him, yet he found his mind wandering.

“So she did have another pencil…”

Lunch rolled around before you had time to properly finish working on your homework, and you and Xiaojun parted ways, the latter with somewhat of a more refined understanding of the material than he had when he first entered the classroom. Satisfied with your tutoring job, you exited the classroom ready to meet up with your friends for a peaceful lunch. Your mom had packed bibimbap for lunch today, your favorite, and you couldn’t wait to eat it.

The birds were chirping, the breeze was soft and gentle, and it felt nice on your face. Even your teachers had been more gracious than usual, sparing you from the daily 3 page trigonometry packet with the excuse that summer was coming soon, albeit it was likely just because they didn’t want to grade anything. Today was undoubtedly a nice day, and you couldn’t wait to sit at your favorite spot for lunch, under the biggest willow tree on the edge of the courtyard, with your friends and enjoy the winter day. Nothing could spoil your good mood today.

Except for maybe one person.

“Lend me the notes for Chemistry, will ya?” Yangyang yawned, his delicate hand hovering over his mouth, the corners of his eyes watering as he rested his elbow on your shoulder, following while you walked.

“Why should I?” You scoffed, and he did that stupid pouting face he always does whenever he wants something from you, bottom lip jutting out and eyes wide.

“C’mon, please? I slept through fourth period and nobody woke me up.”

“That’s your fault for watching horror movies until the ass crack of dawn.”

“Oh, so you were paying attention to me?” Yangyang wiggled his eyebrows, and you grit your teeth. “God, can you just leave me alone? I’ll never love you back. This is a romance destined to fail. I’m afraid I can’t reciprocate.” He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically, and you slapped him on the arm aggressively, making his skin prickled. “Ow!”

“In your dreams, idiot. Go find some other poor, unsuspecting victim to get your notes from. I’m not giving shit to you.”

“But I want your notes.” He said, continuing to follow you like a lost puppy, even when you got to your meeting spot under the willow tree. Your friends waved, having anticipated your arrival but rolling their eyes when they saw the boy trailing after you.

“Ay, scat, you twat.” Ten said, waving Yangyang off with one of his hands, nails painted a bright red and rings scattered across his fingers. “We want a peaceful lunch.”

“I’ll scat when I feel like it, Mr. Chittaphon.” The younger boy said, crossing his arms as Ten leaped up defensively, but Sicheng put a hand on his arm and pulled him back down. “I’ll talk to you later about the notes.” He turned his attention to you.

“Or you could not.” You groaned, sitting down, but Yangyang blew a sarcastic kiss and walked away, hands buried in his pockets as you skittered to the best spot under the shade, resting your head on Karina’s lap, despite the glare Hendery gave you.

“Jesus, he’s a bother.” Ten grumbled, now spread out on a gingham picnic blanket with a sandwich clutched in his hands, his grip on it so tight, it was obvious he was imagining the dusty blond’s face on the bread. “I don’t see why you put up with him.” “It’s not really like I have a choice.” You sighed, rolling off Karina’s lap and onto your stomach, kicking off your shoes and letting your feet rest on the dewy grass. “I live next to him, after all.”

“You live next to him?” Xiaojun piped up with wide eyes, and you suddenly became aware of his quiet presence, clearing your throat and suddenly wishing that your feet weren’t so bare and exposed.

“You must be new here.” Ten said nonchalantly. “That reminds me, who is the cutie with the blue hair?” At his comment, the cerulean haired boy stiffened up.

“This is Xiaojun.” Hendery said, pushing him from the back, making the awkward Xiaojun stumble forward slightly, and he seemed to retract like a crab out of its shell, legs tensing up and crossing. He had never seen so many eccentric people in one little space before. With the combination of Ten’s spiky turquoise hair and dog collar, plus Hendery's strange extrovertism and terrifying customer service smile, he was beginning to regret sitting with the group until you waved sweetly.

“Yeah, n-nice to meet you guys.” He said, waving back.

“Don’t ask him if he’s single.” Karina threatened Ten, who shrugged and went back to eating his sandwich. “He just transferred from China, so don’t try it.”

“Ah, so he’s fresh meat.” Ten said, rubbing his hands together. “Welcome to hell, buddy. You got lucky, you just found the most tolerable group of people in SM High.”

“Tolerable is one word.” Xiaojun laughed nervously, and Hendery pinched his cheek before laying down on Karina’s thighs happily.

It didn’t take long before everyone split off into their own conversations, Karina and Hendery bickering about whether a butt was one or two things —he said two and she said he was stupid—, and Ten seem preoccupied with trying to cling onto Sicheng, who harshly rejected him every single time. That left you and Xiaojun, sitting a few feet from each other awkwardly, not sure what to say.

“Sorry about them.” You laughed gracelessly. “Uh, you might be better off moving to a different friend group if you don’t want to be looked at sideways.”

“I don’t mind. I think I’ll get used to it.” Xiaojun said sweetly, and you swore your heart skipped a beat when he looked at you like that, eyes crinkled into crescents and a soft smile on his pink lips.

“I hope so.” You cleared your throat, looking away, and he looked down awkwardly at the broken contact. “Uh, did you finish the homework?”

“Thanks to you. I should really start paying for the tutoring.”

“No need. I’ll gladly do it for free.” You said, and his cheeks flushed red slightly, fingers twiddling with each other in his lap nervously.

“I appreciate that. Me being new and all, sometimes it’s a bit hard to adjust. Thanks for making that easier.” A smile broke out on your face before you could stop it, and your annoyance from the day dissipated in an instant at the sight of his soft grin.

“Anytime.” 

⋰˚☆

Jealous was a good word to describe Liu Yangyang. What’s his was his, what’s yours was his, everything was his, and he didn’t like to share. He may seem cute, but he guarded his belongings like a feral animal at the slightest threat that they might be taken away. You found this out in fifth grade when you threatened to steal his new air Jordans, and he grabbed a fistful of your hair and wrenched like his life depended on it.

Which is why he wasn’t very pleased to discover that you hadn’t had much time for him lately. Not that he wanted to hang out with you. He simply found that having less time to annoy you meant having less fun.

“Lemme get one of those.” You whispered quietly, pointing at the bag of fruit snacks in his hands silently to prevent your request from being detected by your drawling teacher. He held out the bag to you, but before you could get one out of the bag, he snatched it away with a smug look on his face, tossing another of the delectable fruit gummies in his mouth with a satisfied pop. “Asshole.”

“That’s what you get for not lending me your notes.”

“You’re still stuck on that?”

“When have you known me to let go of a grudge?” He had a point. You leaned back in your seat, arms crossed as you let out a frustrated little huff. He took notice of your pouting, rolling his eyes. “C’mon, you’re not actually annoyed, are you?”

“Who says I’m not?” Reluctantly, and after a bit of thought, he finally held out the bag to you with a serious look in his eyes, pressing his lips together. An excited look passed over your face, hand extending to reach for the bag.

“Thanks-” He snatched it away.

“When hell freezes over.” He munched. God knows how much you wanted to punch him sometimes.

Just as you raised your hand to give him a well deserved slap on the arm, a smooth voice interrupted from the seat over, quietly whispering as he leaned in.

“Hey, do you have the notes from last period? I missed the lecture because of orientation.” Xiaojun whispered, and you looked up mid-motion, slowly bringing your hand back to your side with a sheepish smile.

“Ah, yeah.” You reached into your bag, removing a firetruck red notebook filled with post its and doodles made with pen, flipping halfway through the pencil covered pages before handing it over. “The next four pages.”

“Thanks.” Xiaojun said with a smile. “We still on for tutoring today?”

“Always.” You gave him a thumbs up and he happily flipped through your notes, jotting them down in his own notebook silently.

“Hey.” Yangyang nudged you in the side, and you sighed at the sudden intrusion. Mood killing seemed to be Yangyang’s specialty as of late. “How come you tutor him but not me? I have worse grades.”

“Is that something to be proud of?” You raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. “He just transferred. He needs help adjusting to the curriculum.”

“But you do it for free.”

“Xiaojun doesn't need to pay. You, on the other hand, would have to lasso the moon for me to tutor you. Pay attention and you won't need my notes.” You said, flicking him on the forehead and pushing him away. 

Yangyang wasn’t jealous. Yangyang wasn’t jealous at all, at least that’s what he told himself whenever you didn’t have enough time for him.

⋰˚☆

“I’m not sure I understand this formula.” Xiaojun said, the tip of his pencil tucked between his lips in the corner of his mouth. “What’s this variable stand for?”

“The length of the horizontal major axis.”

“I thought that was b?” He said, visibly confused, and you chuckled under your breath, leaning a bit closer to the paper, and to the blue haired boy, to get a better view of the problem that was confusing him so badly.

“No. When you’re using the formula for an ellipse, you have to put x-h to the second power, over a squared.” You explained, hand on the paper as you demonstrated, your thighs touching lightly. You barely noticed that you were practically glued to each other’s sides until Yangyang cleared his voice loudly from behind you.

“If you could refrain from clinging onto him, he might understand the work better.” He said, dropping a ball of crumpled paper onto your hair, which you yanked off and tossed to the ground, rapidly pushing away from Xiaojun, the latter looking very surprised.

“Piss off. Like you’re one to be talking about understanding work.” You scoffed, tossing an eraser at him, but he caught it before it could make contact, curse his reflexes.

“Your loss of a perfectly good eraser.” He shrugged indifferently, turning the eraser over in his hands and giving you a smug smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome.” You simpered facetiously, and he turned back to his seat, but not before sticking his tongue out at you childishly. “Christ…” You groaned, rolling your eyes and turning back to your tutoring sessions.

“Why does Yangyang bother you so much anyway?” Xiaojun asked curiously, leaning it to prevent the younger boy from hearing his inquisition. You weren’t really sure you had an answer for him. Your bickering with Yangyang had gone on for as long as you could remember, ever since he was old enough to formulate proper insults and you were old enough to summon up a comeback. Neither of you questioned why you didn’t like each other, you just didn’t: simple as that. 

“Because he’s an asshole.” You said simply, which was essentially the short version of your internal monologue. “And he likes to make me mad.”

“You seem to like to get mad.” Xiaojun said, and you glared at him fiercely as he raised his hands in silent surrender. “I just mean- I don’t know what I mean.”

“He doesn’t like me.” You said, wielding your pen like a weapon as you shook it matter-of-factly. “So he decided to annoy me. There’s no reason.”

“It doesn’t seem like he doesn’t like you.” Xiaojun said, and you narrowed your eyes, raising your eyebrows like a challenge to his statement. “I think he rather likes you, in fact. What kind of person would spend all their time thinking about something if they didn’t like them?” His question made you wonder. Was he right? Did Yangyang really just annoy you because he liked seeing your reaction? Did he maybe not hate you as much as you think he does?

You shook your head, banishing all thoughts from your brain as you tapped on the paper with your pencil.

“I’d rather not think about Yangyang liking me. That’s a pretty scary thought, you know.” Xiaojun shrugged, his eyes lingering on you for a moment, even though you had already looked away, before he turned back to the assignment.

“Y/n!” Xiaojun yelled after you as you rushed out of class, not wanting to be caught by a particular dusty blond who would insist on your help. Xiaojun caught up to you, trying to match your quick pace. “Let’s have lunch.”

“I thought you didn’t want to sit with the others?” You laughed. Xiaojun hadn’t joined your lunch group after a particular incident with Hendery a few days previous. It wasn’t a great story, but let’s just say it involved a violation of the poor boy's backside. Seems Hendery found a new victim to his pranks once Sicheng got used to them.

“I’ll get over it soon.” He laughed nervously, subconsciously rubbing his ass. “But no, I meant just the two of us. There’s good hot pot down the street, I thought it might be nice to relive my time in China for a while.”

“I love hot pot!” You exclaimed excitedly, digging through your pockets for your wallet. “I'm happy to go, if I have the money.” Xiaojun waved you off.

“It’s on me. Consider it payment for the free tutoring.” He flashed a charming smile that made your heart speed up to double time.

“If you’re sure.” You said, slowly putting your almost empty wallet back into your pocket. Not that you’d admit it to anyone, but you were running short on funds recently. Maybe you’d think about taking up Yangyang’s offer to tutor him.

“Come on,” He said, gently taking your wrist and pulling you along. “I’ll show you where it is. It’s not far.” 

When he touched your skin, a tingling feeling went straight through your nerves and up your spine. You could smell his green tea hand lotion from a mile away and see every strand of cerulean hair poking out from his shaggy bangs. He smiled softly at you, pulling from the front, not paying attention to anyone that watched you exit. As you passed your typical eating place, you could’ve sworn you heard Ten wolf-whistle, but you walked past without paying any attention. All you could see was the boy before you, and how magnificent he was. Maybe you had spent so much time craning over your schoolwork that you became numb to how beautiful he was, because you were suddenly wondering how you had spent so many hours sitting within a one foot proximity from him when he had a gaze like that. In fact, you could begin to feel your palms get sweaty from the contact, and you lightly wrenched your hand from his. He didn’t seem to react very strongly.

It didn’t take much time before you were off campus and clear of the security guards, only the two of you to pay each other company on the short walk. There was a pleasant breeze, cold wind sweeping through your hair and clothes, leaving you a bit chilly and wishing you hadn’t worn a tee shirt in the middle of winter, silently cursing your brother from taking back his old jacket —and your current favorite one— the minute he got home from college. Xiaojun seemed to notice the way your teeth chattered, looking around for something to do. He himself was only wearing a thin button up, not much to offer unless he stripped, so he did the first thing he could think of. He took his hands in yours, cupping them together and breathing into them, the heat warming your palms and sending a shock up your spine. You sure didn’t feel cold anymore, your cheeks the temperature of Florida in summer.

“Are you cold?” He asked with concern, your chilled hands still grasped in his, and you shook your head feverishly.

“N-not at all.” You stuttered, and he nodded, letting your hands drop but not separating them, tucking both of your hands into the pocket of his baggy pants. Neither of you spoke about the arrangement, simply walking in silence. Suddenly your tongue felt a bit too awkward to sit comfortably in your mouth, and all the questions you wanted to ask were stuck in your throat, swallowed up before they could see the light of day. So you settled on silence, walking hand in hand and wishing that the shop would show up soon, because you didn’t want him to feel how clammy your hands were adn your speedy pulse pounding in your wrist.

“Ah, we’re here.” Xiaojun said with a smile, releasing your hand, and you let out a silent breath of relief at the lack of contact, although your hand felt significantly more lonely than it did a moment before. You mirrored his smile, setting your hands down on the back of a wooden chair and lowering yourself into the seat comfortably.

The restaurant was small, albeit comfortable. It was cozy and homey, the walls covered in movie posters and little vases of a single daisy on every table, the crystal reminding you of the vases your mother used to keep around the house.

“It’s nice.” You breathed, your breath no longer visible in the air. “And warm.”

“It’s my cousin’s.” He said suddenly, and your eyes snapped to him in surprise. “I suppose I forgot to mention it. I came to live with him after I moved to Korea.”

“Why did you move to Korea after all?” You asked curiously, and he took a seat across from you, sitting down with a little sigh.

“I wanna be a singer.” He said nonchalantly, and your eyes lit up in excitement.

“You can sing?!”

“A-a little bit.” He stammered, clearly flustered by your enthusiasm. “Most of my family are singers. I’m actually the worst one.”

“Gosh, I’m sure that’s not true! I can already imagine you on a stage. You have to sing for me sometime.” You said with finality, extending a hand, and after an awkward moment of silence, he laughed. A tinkling laugh, probably the first genuine laugh you had ever heard from him. It sounded like bells from heaven.

“Sometime, I’ll sing for you.” He agreed, shaking your hand with a small smile.

“I look forward to it.” You grinned coyly, and he rubbed his lips together, subconsciously touching his cheeks to see if they were as warm as they felt. “I suppose there’s a lot I still don’t know about you, isn’t there?”

“I think you know more than most.” He chuckled. 

“Well, I want to know more.” You said, resting your chin on your hand. “I think you can make it big as a singer here. You’ve got the charm, the personality, and I’m sure you’ve got the skills.”  Heat rushed to his cheeks, and he rubbed his hands across them a second time self consciously.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” It felt like an eternity since you had sat down, and both of you were anxiously waiting for a waiter to come and break the awkward silence. When no such person came, Xiaojun clicked his tongue and turned his head towards the kitchen in the back of the restaurant.

“Xiao Zhan!” He practically screamed, and a crashing sound came from behind the scenes, making you giggle. Xiaojun cleared his throat, turning around with a flush on his cheeks, slightly embarrassed from his show. From the back came a quite tall man with sleep in his eyes, yawning and ruffling Xiaojun’s hair upon his arrival.

“What?” He asked, and Xiaojun smacked him on the arm.

“God, you do know you have a job, right?”

“And you don’t, so mind your own department.” The boy tutted, pulling a notepad out from the apron around his waist. Xiaojun seemed quite put out by his comment, and you laughed at the fluster on his face. “Whaddya want?”

“Sichuan hotpot, and daojiao meatballs.” Xiaojun said, and Xiao Zhan jotted down the order on the pad, tucking it back into his pocket thoughtlessly.

“For the girlfriend?” He asked before yelping, and you swore you saw Xiaojun swing his foot at him under the table, which made you snort.

“We’re sharing.” He said through gritted teeth, and Xiao Zhan gave him a dirty look before disappearing into the back. “Sorry about him.” He said apologetically, and you shook your head, biting back a laugh.

“It’s alright.” You fussed. “He seems like a nice guy.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you spent an hour with him.” Xiaojun joked, and you giggled lightly along with him. The tension had eased with the promise of food, and you found it a lot easier to get along with him when your homework wasn’t in front of you. He was sweet when you tutored him, but he became a different person when he was off campus, and you liked how much more free he seemed, released from the burden of social pressures and being the new kid. It made you wonder how much you didn’t know about him when he wasn’t trying to learn how to do math.

It also made you wonder how you didn’t notice how pretty he was until now.

“The service here is hella slow.” A voice yawned from a few tables away, and you startled, not sure how you didn’t realize the restaurant was occupied by customers other than yourselves, but when you saw the familiar face lounging at a table in the back, you felt your blood boil.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Yangyang?!” You yelled, standing up, your chair crashing to the ground from your abrupt movement. Xiaojun stood up with you, hands out as he attempted to sooth you, but he was rendered wordless, unsure of how to do so. “God, can’t I go anywhere without you following me?!”

“Jeez, not my fault you chose my favorite hotpot spot to eat at.” He shrugged, and Xiaojun noticed he was with two of his friends that you recognized from class. Jun something and Chen, but he didn’t have time to remember properly. You, on the other hand, had eyes clouded with red that could barely register the two sitting beside him, eyes trained and focused on the blond who seemed intent on ruining your life.

“God, you’re so annoying.” You grumbled, before sitting back down, frustration clear on your face, and what you thought would be a peaceful lunch was ruined. Xiaojun leaned in a little closer as he put his hand on your shoulder to soothe you.

“Don’t let him affect you.” He whispered furtively, blocking your conversation from the nosy boy a few tables over. “He wants to see you get mad. Just take some deep breaths and pretend he doesn’t exist.” A part of you wanted to tell him that you didn’t need to be coached and talked to like a toddler —you had been putting up with this for years and you knew how to handle it— but the other part of you knew he was right. So you listened, taking a deep breath or two before putting a relaxed smile on your face.

“I’m fine.” You said, and Xiaojun grinned along with you, leaning back into his seat and continuing your conversation as if nothing had happened.

You found that Yangyang, although he threw dirty looks at your table for the whole meal, didn’t bother you. Not once did he throw a deprecating comment your way or beg for help with school. He didn’t make fun of you from afar for being all over Xiaojun, he even hit Chenle’s shoulder when he tried to make fun of you for not having the money to pay for the meal, and that your boyfriend had to pay for you.

Maybe Xiaojun was right. Maybe all Yangyang wanted was to make you mad, and if you deprived him of that reaction, he would stop. Maybe it was exactly like your mother told you when she warned you not to let bullies know they upset you. None of it really mattered though. The only thing you could think of was how satisfying it was to frustrate him the way he frustrated you.

⋰˚☆

Wednesday night rolled around, and Yangyang was preparing for his habitual horror movie night, which seemed to be occurring much more than usual as of late. A bowl of popcorn the size of his head in his lap, and a full 7 liter of Coca Cola on the coffee table, he was fully prepared to cuddle into his couch and lose himself in the gory goodness of a proper horror film– at least until he heard a knock on his door. 

You didn’t want to knock on Yangyang’s door. In fact, despite living just across from him, you were hoping you could live the rest of your life without laying a finger on his snobby, two story house that he practically owned from how often he was home alone. But here you were, standing on his doorstep with a coat up to your chin, breath cold and wispy in the chilly night air, a plastic bag in your hand as you waited for the little brat to open the door so you could go home and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and a drama before bed.

The door creaked open slowly, his delicate hand gripping the handle, standing at the top of the stairs while you stood at the bottom. Decked out head to toe in fluffy blue cloud pajamas, it made you wonder how many matching sets of fuzzy pajamas he had stored in his closet. You held out the bag silently, and he stared at it like it was coated in acid, and might melt his hand off if he touched the surface of it.

“What’s that?” He said skeptically, taking the bag from your hand and peeking at its contents dubiously. You shoved your hands into your pockets immediately upon relinquishing the bag.

“Stir fry.” He looked at you with wide eyes, opening the tupperware inside the plastic and taking in the fresh aroma of the still-warm food. “My brother made it. He thought you might be hungry.”

“And you willingly delivered it?”

“Hell no. He made me.”

“And you didn’t spit in it?” You cocked your head, giving him a mysterious smile, and if he didn’t think you spit in it before, he definitely did now.

“Why don’t you find out?” He shut the lid of tupperware with a doubtful look on his face, slipping it back inside the bag and holding it behind his back like you might try and take it from him. He looked you up and down with narrowed eyes, halfway expecting you to start laughing and pull a cake out of your enormous jacket and smash it into his face: maybe with a camera filming. But you did no such thing, just silently waiting for a reaction at the bottom of the staircase with your hands in your pockets.

“Thanks.” He said after a moment of thought, and you shrugged.

“I didn’t make it.” As you prepared to take your exit, he took a few steps down the stairs, stopping you in your tracks. “What?” Even after coming after you, he didn’t say anything for a minute, mouth just opening and closing like a fish.

“Come inside.”

“What?” You scoffed. “No thanks, I’d rather go home.” His moment of indecision seemed to melt away, the good old Yangyang coming out to play as he pouted, leaning against the door with a shit eating grin on his face.

“Come on, we can study. Bring your notes and I’ll share my popcorn.” With that, he retreated inside and slammed the door. You sighed, shoving your hands into your pockets again and walking home. You would never understand him.

A few minutes passed after your return to home when the blond peeked his head out the window, watching you sit down on your couch and pull out your laptop.

“Y/n!” He screeched, and you rolled your eyes, standing up to shut the window with a sarcastic smile. He groaned in annoyance, making his way to the front door and approaching your window. He didn’t bother to rap on the window, taking advantage of his height to slide the window open from the outside and clamber inside, his upper half peeking into your living room by the time you reached him.

“Go away.” You hissed. “My brother just came back from college. He’s sleeping.”

“Fuck your brother.”

“That’s an odd command. You might want to get some of your kinks checked out.” He glared at you, his body from the torso up still through the window.

“Come on, I seriously will fail Chemistry.”

“Again, not my problem.”

“Please? I’ll pay you.” He begged, hands together and threatening to slip out once both hands left the windowsill.

“Y/n?” Your brother called sleepily from the staircase, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and you looked up in surprise, hands instinctively reaching to push Yangyang away from the scene, which conveniently meant pushing him out the window.

“Yes?” You asked innocently, a loud ‘oof!’ sound coming from behind you as Yangyang hit the ground roughly, and you slammed the window shut. Your brother rubbed his eyes again, staring at you questioningly and trying to peek over your shoulder to see what was happening outside.

“Everything okay?” He asked suspiciously, and you nodded with a very wide and very fake grin stretched across your face.

“Just peachy, Kun. Go to sleep.” You said, releasing your grip on the windowsill and hurrying over to him, ushering him back up the staircase as he tried to protest. Once he was safely shut in his room, although not willingly, you rushed downstairs and peeked out the window to see a heap of limbs collapsed on the floor. You bit back a snicker, not very well, and called out to the fallen boy. “You okay?”

“You bitch.” He spat from the floor, attempting to collect himself and stand up, grimacing at the feeling of his sore limbs. “I can’t believe you pushed me.”

“Relax, it was like five feet.” You snickered, and he glared up at you indignantly.

“I don’t even want the notes anymore.” He brushed himself off and got to his feet, striding back to his house —more like stomping petulantly. You rolled your eyes, knowing he was going to be in a horrible mood the next day if you didn’t chase after him. He truly knew how to get what he wanted.

“Wait,” You said, snatching your notebook off the table and climbing out the window after him, deftly landing on your feet. You figured it was faster than going out the front door, and the latter would surely arouse your brother a second time, which would also arouse many questions about why you’re trying to leave the house in pajamas and a coat at nearly midnight. “I’ll give you the stupid notes.” He turned slowly at your words, his fast pace coming to a stop as he stared at you, watching as you walked over with your hands in your pockets.

“This isn’t a prank, is it? I might not look it, but I’m actually quite sensitive.”

“You do look it, and no, it’s not a prank.” You rolled your eyes, climbing the steps to his front door and gesturing to the door. “Are you gonna let me in?”

“I guess I could.” He muttered, letting you through and into his living room.

It had been quite a long time since you were in Yangyang’s house. The last time you could remember was in 6th grade, when his mother invited your family over for their annual dinner party around Christmastime. Yangyang dumped pickled herring into your purse and you shoved his face into the platter of rosolli. Safe to say you were never invited over after that.

His house was still as nice as you remembered. Not enormous, but quite spacious, it was decorated with vases of flowers and pieces of artwork that looked like they cost more than your tuition. The couch was covered with fuzzy blankets and a bowl of popcorn, the coffee table holding a few remotes and a 7 liter of Coke that you assumed was for the boy’s movie night. He flopped down onto the cushions, the tupperware in his hands and sufficiently reheated, and when you stood frozen he motioned for you to follow him. You slowly sat on the couch, somewhat afraid that you might break something and his parents would never let you back inside. Although that would give you a nice excuse to avoid tutoring their son.

“It doesn’t matter if you break anything.” Yangyang derided, reading your mind. “We can get another one if we really need to. Mother won’t mind.”

Oh the life of the rich.

“Right.” You said awkwardly, attempting to get comfortable, pulling a blanket over your lap. “I brought my notes. I thought we could start with lesson four on-”

“Movie first.” Yangyang dismissed, picking up the remote and clicking a few buttons. You scoffed, leaning back into the couch silently and not trying to protest, which was a first. You tried to keep Xiaojun’s tactics in mind, to just take a breath and ignore him. You weren’t giving him what he wanted, no, you were just smarter than to fight with him.

The movie started up, a terrifying film called Midnight about a deaf girl who discovers a serial killer’s identity. This one was certainly going to give you nightmares: you could still see the smile on the killer’s face every time you closed your eyes. Luckily the actor was ridiculously hot, so that did well to dampen your fears, at least slightly.

You let out a gasp when the serial killer swung his ax mere centimeters from the girl’s head, and you swore you almost jumped up off the couch from the suspense. Yangyang watched you from a few feet over, amused at how seriously you were taking the movie and wondering how he didn’t know you were such a horror wimp.

“That’s so scary.” You whispered as the girl ran to hide in the bathroom, and he only decimated the door with his ax, leaving her no place to hide. “Imagine, being chased by someone with an ax. That’s terrifying.”

“It’s not real, y/n.”

“It could be, though.” You said, obviously frightened, and he chuckled under his breath. Something about the way you stared at the screen, enraptured with wide eyes, was somewhat… cute. It took him a moment to realize what he just thought, and he stuck his tongue out at his own gross actions. How could he think that? How could his brain actually form those thoughts, about you, no less? He wasn’t paying attention when the killer came on screen, joyfully chasing after the girl on the street, only seeing the way your eyes widened. When he brought out his ax again, you screamed, and before he knew what he was doing, he clapped a hand over your mouth. Both of you stared at each other in shock of his action, a foot or so apart. He cleared his throat, pulling his hand away and covering his own mouth sheepishly.

“It’s late. Try not to scream.” He muttered, and you nodded silently. You could still feel the print of where his hand was on your mouth, warm and burning.

The movie finished in silence. You were too petrified to speak —and too polite to scream— and Yangyang felt a bit too awkward to make conversation.

“It’s over.” He sighed, feeling as though the movie might never end, clicking the power button on the remote and powering down the TV. As the screen went blank, he suddenly noticed that you had been quiet for quite a time. “What’d you think-” He cut himself off, immediately quieting down when he noticed the way your mouth opened in deep breaths, eyes closed and leaning against the cushions with your head back. Soft snores escaped your mouth, and for a moment, Yangyang considered taking a photo, but he pushed away the mischievous part of him and left you be. Pulling a blanket over you and propping your head up on a pillow, he clicked off the light and retreated upstairs to get some sleep. He would need it.

The morning was going to be hectic.

⋰˚☆

You woke up in your bed, kicking the blankets off of you as you wiped the drool dripping from the right corner of your mouth. You had just had the worst nightmare. Yangyang, dressed in cloud pajamas and a balaclava, had chased you down the street with a scythe yelling out chemistry formulas. You shook off the odd feeling your dream had washed over you, looking around your bedroom. Your walls were a pale blue, a lamp almost the height of the ceiling towering over your figure, and vases of flowers were on the table in front of you. You didn’t have a coffee table by your bed. But you weren’t in your bed, you realized, sitting up ramrod straight on the couch in alarm. No way you had just spent the night at Liu Yangyang’s house.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Yangyang said, wandering into the living room with only a pair of plaid pajama pants and one sock on, a bowl of cereal in his right hand and a toothbrush in his left, making you wonder if he was attempting to eat and brush his teeth at the same time. “You looked dead when I woke up, but you were snoring so at least I knew you could breathe.” He said, and you tossed the remote at him, bruising his bare chest as he yelped and covered it protectively, dropping his toothbrush.

“Why didn’t you wake me up, stupid?!” You yelled, fretting and attempting to check the time on your phone, which you now realized you left at home. “Class is probably going to start in five minutes and I Kun doesn’t know where I am-”

“Y/n.” Yangyang interrupted with a skeptical look, picking up his toothbrush from the floor and looking at it sadly before continuing. “It’s 7:30 in the morning, and you are aware you live one house over, are you not?” Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and he smirked at the fluster in your expression.

“I-I know.” You said indignantly, trying to regain some of your pride. “Kun’s probably worried about me.”

“Well why don’t you scurry a few meters down the street and tell him not to get his knickers in a twist?” Yangyang rolled his eyes, dropping his now-empty bowl of cereal into the sink when a knock came from the door. He approached it, peering out the peephole and sighing. “Speak of the devil.” He unlocked the door, swinging it open to reveal a rather frantic boy in his early twenties with dark blue hair and a panicked expression.

“Where’s y/n?”

“Good morning to you too, Mr. Qian.” Yangyang said tiredly.

“Do you know where y/n is? Go ask your mom.”

“Your sister is right here, if that’s what you’re looking for.” Yangyang said, stepping aside to reveal you waiting in the back with a sheepish smile, waving slightly before tucking your hands behind your back.

“Y/n?” Kun asked, shock evident in his face as he took in the sight of you. “What the hell are you wearing?” You looked down, not quite sure why he was asking until you saw your thin tank top and lacy shorts, the pajamas you had worn under your coat before you came over, the coat you had worn all night. You glared at Yangyang, who just shrugged with a coy smile.

“You bastard. Where’s my coat?”

“In the closet, dork.” He sneered, and you pushed past him to the front closet, snatching your jacket and covering your body up insecurely.

“Y/n.” Kun said with a warning tone, motioning for you to follow him, and you obeyed, not wanting to upset him any further. He led you out the door and you meekly trailed after him down the steps, lips pressed together tightly. Yangyang leaned on the door frame, a smug smile on his face as he watched you go, one hand cupped around his mouth while he yelled out.

“You’re not staying for breakfast?” He called. You turned around to flip him off, to which he just blew a kiss, which you ignored. God, he knew how to drive you insane.

“Y/n, what the hell were you doing spending that night at Yangyang’s house?” Kun asked, shutting the door behind you and watching as you went to the kitchen immediately, pulling out a piece of bread to eat it untoasted. You were starving.

“I fell asleep while we were,” You hesitated to tell the truth. “Studying.”

“Is that what happened?” Kun asked skeptically, arms crossed over his chest. “And he didn’t fall out of the window last night?” Fuck. Yeah, he knew. “Y/n, I want you to be honest with me.” He leaned in, putting a hand on your shoulder and sighing. “Are you dating Yangyang?” You almost spat out the bread you were eating.

“What?! Of course not!”

“Well, what else am I supposed to think? He crawls through your window at midnight, and now you’re spending the night at his house? I mean, I thought you didn’t like each other but I guess anything can change-”

“This isn’t a romance novel, Kun.” You bit back. “I don’t like Yangyang, and I never will. We’re not dating, I just fell asleep after we watched a movie.”

“Oh.” Kun said, crossing his arms with a relieved expression. “Well, if that’s all, then go get dressed and I’ll drive you. We can’t have you going to school in a tank top and a thong.”

“They’re mini shorts, Kun.” You spat, wrapping the coat further around you and running up the stairs, hoping you had enough time to pick out a proper outfit before school started. As you disappeared up to the second floor, Kun stood by the base of the stairs, thinking hard before cupping his hands around his mouth.

“If you are having sex with him, use protection, okay?”

“Kun!”

Not thirty minutes passed before a knock came on your front door. Still in the middle of applying your mascara, you rushed downstairs to answer if before Kun could yell at you, and lo and behold, guess who was at the door?

“You take a long damn time to get ready.” Yangyang deadpanned, already dressed in a burgundy hoodie and baggy gray sweats, bangs fluffy and shaggy in his eyes.

“Nobody asked you to time me.” You said sarcastically, not inviting him in but not denying him when he stepped through the door frame, hands in his pockets and waiting on the doormat so as not to sully your hardwood floors with his shoes.

“I’ve been waiting on your doorstep for almost twenty minutes. Hurry up.”

“Why don’t you just go on without me.” You retorted, and he rolled his eyes, huffing in annoyance as he grabbed hold of your arm and pulled you through the door, barely giving you time to snatch your backpack and phone off the shelf by the exit. “Slow down, will you?!” After a moment of walking, he released your arm and walked by your side in silence.

It was uncharacteristic of Yangyang to ever be quiet, much less in your presence. He always had a witty remark, always had a one-liner or a gesture that would annoy you so he could keep your conversation going back and forth like pinball. But here he was, hands in his pockets, walking beside you like you hadn’t spent the past 9 or so years bickering with him nonstop. He seemed peaceful.

“You know, I’ve been thinking a bit about that boy in class,” He started, taking his hands out of his pockets to brush hair out of his eyes, breathing out wispy strands of white fog escaping his mouth as he looked up at the gray sky. “Xiaojun, is his name?”

“Yeah.” You answered suspiciously. “What about him?”

“I think his cousin’s hotpot is pretty good.” He said. Dead silence, at least until you laughed, the sound echoing through the empty street. “What?”

“That’s all you wanted to say?” You chuckled, your laugh visible in the air from the heat of your breath. “You sound so somber today.”

“I’m just thoughtful.” He pouted, shoving his hands back into his pockets. “Is it bad to be thoughtful?”

“I reckon it’s better than not.” You said, laughs beginning to fade as you walked, school in sight, both of your hands in your pockets. Silence washed over the two of you, and you suddenly found that Yangyang was a bit more bearable than you thought, albeit his silence was beginning to concern you. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

“Y/n?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I borrow your chemistry notes for fourth period?” There he was. You thought you might’ve broken him.

“There you are!” Xiaojun yelled, running over to the gate as you and Yangyang finally reached the school. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“What’s up?” You asked, taking a few steps ahead of the boy beside you. Xiaojun approached the two of you, slowing his pace and looking Yangyang up and down suspiciously, eyes narrowed.

“Not much,” He continued after a moment. “Mr. Choi is assigning a pop quiz in third period for our last unit. Don’t ask how I know.”

“You think you’re ready?”

“I could use a quick review.”

“Well,” You said, swinging your backpack around to the front and digging through it for your notebook. You pulled it out successfully, holding it up with a smile. “I think we have time to go over the text.” Yangyang watched the two of you chatter, watched as you slowly migrated closer to Xiaojun and split off from the blond haired boy, walking across campus like he had never been there in the first place.

And boom, just like that, your moment of closeness was over before it started.

⋰˚☆

Xiaojun had finally decided to return to your friend group, physically recovered and no longer emotionally traumatized. Under the willow tree, everything felt comfortable. It was your group’s little safe haven, a shady wonderland of tolerable people, good food, and good laughs: you found it was your favorite time of the school day, when you could go out and sit with your friends for lunch.

“Ah, the fresh meat is back!” Ten exclaimed, welcoming Xiaojun with a pat on the back that felt more like a slap, and made him lurch forward. “Got over the dong chim?”

“I don’t know what that is.” Xiaojun said, his hand instinctively moving to cover his backside, and you leaned in to whisper the answer. “Oh. Yes, I suppose so.” “You’re lucky I’m feeling gracious today.” Hendery said peacefully from his usual position, head on Karina’s lap and legs spread out across the grass serenely. You and Xiaojun sat down at the edge of the shade, dropping your things onto the dewy grass and kicking your shoes off. Xiaojun seemed to gravitate in your direction, and as far as possible away from Hendery’s fingers, which were laying on the grass.

“Thanks for that.” Xiaojun said sarcastically, but the slight smile on his face contrasted his facetious tone. At least he seemed back to enjoying himself. Karina leaned over to you, taking a roll of kimbap from her lunch and shoving it between your lips.

“Eat. You look like hell.”

“Thanks.” You scoffed between bites, mouth full and chomping on the bite of food, which was admittedly quite delicious. “Didn’t know I looked that bad.”

“You look fine.” Sicheng said, smacking Karina lightly on the back of the head and wincing when Hendery responded by tapping his shoe not-so-lightly against the space between his legs in warning. “Just like you’re lacking sleep, that’s all.”

“I stayed up watching Midnight last night.”

“You’re kidding.” Ten scoffed, taking another bite of his sandwich. “With who?”

“Who says I didn’t watch it alone?” You challenged, and almost everyone in the group gave you a knowing look, with the exception of Xiaojun who just looked confused by the entire conversation.

“C’mon y/n, we all know you’re a coward when it comes to horror. Watching that alone would be suicide for you.” Karina said matter of factly, popping her lips with satisfaction before chomping on a bite of kimbap. You rolled your eyes, still not answering and turning your focus onto your bag of lunch, still clutched in your hand.

“What are we eating?” A raspy voice said, one that sounded a bit too familiar for comfort. You tilted your head up to meet the eyes of Yangyang, who was holding a lunchbox in one hand, the other shoved deep in the pocket of his sweats.

“God, not you.” Ten sighed, eyes boring into Yangyang’s head, but he paid no mind, just looking at you expectantly and waiting for you to answer his question.

“Congee and chicken.” You said exasperatedly, tearing apart a piece of steamed bun to eat with your porridge and bracing yourself for the inevitable request or teasing remark he would have for you. But, to your surprise, he had none, simply making his way next to you and laying down on his stomach, letting out a satisfactory groan once he was comfortable. The rest of the group whispered to each other upon his entrance, but he only looked up at you to gauge your reaction.

You were staring at him like the gum on the bottom of your shoe began to talk.

“You look like shit.” He commented, noticing the dark circles under your eyes and turning to his lunch box, searching through what he had packed in the morning.

“Thanks. That’s the second time someone’s told me that today.” You said, glaring in Karina’s direction, and she only shrugged with a small smile. “I didn’t sleep well.”

“What, did the movie freak you out?” He snickered, but let out a loud ‘oof!’ sound when you smacked him on the back. “Coward.”

“Dude, shut the fuck up.” You hissed at him. The rest of the friend group looked between the two of you in shock, Hendery’s mouth gaped open like a fish and Karina looking at you like you just ran over her dog.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Ten laughed in disbelief, shaking his head like he didn’t understand what had just been said. “You guys watched Midnight, together?” Yangyang just scoffed, jabbing his thumb up at you as you stammered.

“As if y/n has the balls to watch it alone.” You hit him again.

“I don’t have balls, you overgrown zygote, and maybe if you used your brain once in a while you’d realize that not everyone likes watching people get massacred.”

“Lemme get some of that.” Yangyang ignored your comment, pointing to the bun in your hand, doused in congee and sesame oil.

“Fuck no. Get your own.”

“I only packed white bread, y/n. White bread. I have nothing in my fridge.”

“Sounds like that’s your problem.” You denied him, but when he gave you the stupid face he always did: eyes large and lower lip jutting out petulantly, you rolled your eyes and shoved a piece of bun in his mouth. He chewed with a smile, flashing a thumbs up before turning back to his lunch.

Ten looked horrified, pulling the rest of the group together while you weren’t paying attention, his voice lowering to a whisper.

“Is Liu Yangyang really eating lunch with us?” Karina asked in disgust, and the rest gulped, watching you two eat and bicker with bated breath. 

“I can’t believe he had the balls to come over here.” Sicheng spat. Xiaojun was quite confused. All he had seen Yangyang do so far was fuck with you once in a while during class or beg you for notes, nothing that bad, but he had never seen Sicheng spit before so he figured it must be a pretty serious situation.

“This is a code red.” Ten said gravely, using his lanky arms to pull the group into a huddle. “We can’t let Yangyang sit with us. Our reputation will be ruined!”

“I’m pretty sure our reputation is worse than his.” Hendery mused, but went silent when Karina pinched his thigh. “Right. Code red.”

“Yeah. Code red.” Xiaojun echoed, still not quite sure what was happening.

“I’ll talk to y/n about it another time.” Karina said, and the boys nodded, backing away before you could catch onto their plotting, but luckily you were too immersed in your bickering to take notice.

⋰˚☆

“You seem oddly cheery today.” Karina said suspiciously. A week flew by like nothing and she barely saw you with your nose out of your textbook, and eventually she had decided to drop by your house in the morning to see what was going on with you, only to find that you were in a better mood than she had seen you in years.

You tucked one hand into the pocket of your hoodie with a soft smile, staring up at the cloudy, gray sky and letting the breeze graze your face. You were always fond of cloudy days. They always seemed so serene, sunshine was overrated.

“I suppose I have been happy lately.” You pondered, taking a sip of your coffee, which you had decided to take a-la-carte that day. “Not sure why.”

“I could take a guess.” Karina said under her breath, but you didn’t catch her comment, just sipping on your hot drink with foggy eyes. “How’s Yangyang?”

“How the hell would I know?” You scoffed incredulously.

“You’ve been seeing him a lot lately.”

As much as you didn’t want to admit it, there was truth to her words. Not only was Yangyang beginning to lower his average bitchiness levels when you were around, he no longer had any teasing comments of immature pranks to throw at you. He had even begun joining your lunch group on a semi-weekly basis, and the group had adopted him more easily than you thought. Hendery was already preparing to toss his backpack into the river that runs through the courtyard, so you assumed they had taken a liking to him. Yangyang had changed, that was undeniable. You just weren’t sure exactly what changed him, and why.

“I still don’t like him, Rin.” You protested, and she gave you a knowing look.

“It’s okay to say you’re friends now. I don’t think anybody will believe you if you say you still hate him the way you used to.”

“Yangyang might be part of the group now, but I’ve hated him for years. That’s not going to go away in an instant.” You said, and she shrugged, figuring it was easier to agree now and argue later. Speak of the devil, a flurry of skinny limbs and denim came running down the concrete, coming to a screeching stop once it reached you.

“Ladies,” Yangyang said playfully, bowing and tipping the navy trucker hat on his head gracefully, a bag of fruit snacks in his hand. “What are we talking about?”

“None of your business.” You said, planting your palm on his face and pushing him back a significant amount. “Go away.”

“Aw, c'mon. You’re not still mad because I beat you at call of duty, are you? It’s not my fault you’re shit at games.”

“What’d you say?” You exclaimed, turning around to flick him in the forehead. “I’m not shit at games, you’re just a cheater. Literally everyone knows you cheat.”

“Your mom.” He tossed a fruit snack your way, which you caught with a scowl.

“What?” Yangyang laughed at your confusion as you reached for his face, attempting to flick his forehead a second time. Karina sighed, watching the two of you bicker like usual, although even she could tell there was something different about it now. Something in the way he laughed, no longer menacing but only amused, something in the way you chased after him with a smile instead of a scowl. 

Things were changing, and Karina knew you two would be the last to know.

Xiaojun looked exceptionally pretty that morning. I mean, Xiaojun always looked pretty, but something about the way the soft gray light hit his features, his hair shaggy in his face and his lips pursed in concentration made your heartbeat speed up irrationally. The library was practically empty, most of the students spending their free period messing around or being around their friends, but the two of you sat silently together to finish your homework, and what might be your last tutoring session in a while. It made you sad, the idea of not spending your usual hours with Xiaojun, and as far as you were concerned, you were going to drown yourself in his beauty for as long as possible before the two of you inevitably had to end your studying.

It took quite a while to realize, but you knew you were harboring feelings for the boy. And every day that passed, it became increasingly harder to pretend you didn’t, harder every day that you had to sit across from the beautiful boy for hours at a time and tutor him on things you could care less about. You gulped, hoping the saliva would satiate the fire inside your stomach, which it didn’t.

“I’m confused about this one,” Xiaojun started, the tip of his pencil, the one you lent him with pink hearts and a white sleeve, prodding between his lips. “‘Find the exact value of the expression sin (arccos ¼).” He read the question aloud, hands gripping the sheet of paper as he squinted to make out the words. “Wouldn’t it be the negative square root of 15 over 4?” You rested your head on your upturned palm, tongue poking in your right cheek as you watched him squint. Squinting wasn’t cute, it wasn’t cute at all, but for some reason the way he narrowed his eyes and peered at the paper in annoyance was so undeniably adorable. “Y/n, are you listening?”

“Huh?” You startled out of your reverie, lifting your head off of your hand and clearing your throat. “Uh, yeah. That’s the right answer.” Xiaojun pumped his fist in excitement, a smile on his pretty face, before he lifted his hand to you. Unable to suppress a matching smile, you high fived him, taking careful note of the way he intertwined your fingers and set your hands on the table instead of letting go. You had to tell him. “Um, Xiaojun?”

All the resolve you had melted away when he looked at you with questioning eyes, wide and wondering. You cleared your throat a second time, rubbing your lips together tensely and wondering how you could convey what you were thinking.

“I’ve wanted to tell you for a while, but,” You started, and you could see the cogs in his brain turning rapidly, his hand slowly pulling away from yours. Despite the slight heartbreak you felt when his hand left yours, you grit your resolve and gathered your courage for what you were about to say. “...I like you.” He bit his lower lip tightly. “I like you a lot, and I’m not sure when it started, but I had to tell you.” He didn’t say anything for what felt like an eternity, and you felt like the silence was killing you.

There weren’t many students in the library, but the few nearby were listening with just as much interest as you were, including a black haired girl one table over.

Finally, Xiaojun opened his mouth to give you a response, and you felt like your heart might burst from the suspense.

“I’m sorry y/n,” Your expectant expression came crashing down. “I just don’t feel about you that way. I’m really sorry.” You pushed back the feelings that wanted to erupt from your chest and spill out your mouth like a river, just gritting your teeth in a forced smile and nodding your head. “We can still be friends, right?”

“Of course we can.” You said nonchalantly, and luckily Xiaojun didn’t seem to see through your facade. “Really, don’t take anything I said seriously. I’m sure I just mistook friendship for something else.” Xiaojun had a tense expression, but he sighed and nodded anyway, a small smile on his pretty lips.

“I think I should get going.” He glanced at his phone. “Class is starting soon, and I promised Ms. Kwan I would get there early to review my trig packet.” He collected his supplies in one sweep and shoved them into his bag, eyes lingering on you when you didn’t follow. “You coming?” You shook your head, tugging your lip between your teeth.

“I think I’m gonna finish real quick. You go ahead, I’ll see you later.” He hesitated to leave, but when he saw the shining droplets threatening to fall in the corner of your eyes, he left, knowing the least he could do was spare you the embarrassment of seeing you cry. Once he was gone, the tears that were precariously perched in your eyes fell, streaming down your face like waterfalls as you sniffled. It was embarrassing, to be crying in the middle of the library over a boy who only thinks of you as a friend, especially when your best friend was sitting a table over, and she had definitely seen and heard everything.

Karina rushed over to you as soon as Xiaojun was out of sight, pulling you into a hug and wiping the stray tears from your cheeks, letting you sob into her sweater, mouth parted in silent cries.

“I’m sorry, y/n.” She whispered, using her back to shield you from the curious students sitting a few tables away, reaching her hand back to flip them off, which quickly convinced them to stop staring. “I’m sorry, he doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

“I-it’s not his fault.” You sniffled, but you knew it was Karina’s duty as your best friend to be pissed at anyone who breaks your heart, or at least that’s what she thought. “I guess I just misread things. I really thought he liked me.”

“We all did.” Karina said sympathetically, patting your back gently and soothing you until your sobs began to quiet down. “It’s okay, love. It’s okay.”

“Y/n!” A voice yelled from the entrance, before being scolded by the librarian for being too loud. Karina cursed, using her sleeve to try and conceal your puffy face from the incoming boy, hands on his hips and a bag of fruit snacks in his hand. “Hey, did you know that Mr. Kang is dating one of the student teachers-” he cut himself short, freezing in his tracks when he spotted your puffy, red eyes, and the tear stains running through your makeup, mascara streaks going down your cheek. “Are you okay?” He asked urgently, pulling out a chair next to you, all intent of gossiping out of his mind the moment he saw your distressed face. He reached out a hand, which Karina slapped away quickly, contempt evident in her expression. “What happened?” He asked, and Karina looked at you for permission, which you granted with a nod.

“Her crush just rejected her.” Karina said quietly, giving you a gentle rub on the back when you choked up at her words, more tears spilling from your eyes.

Something in Yangyang’s eyes shifted, and he opened his mouth and closed it, not quite sure of what to say to make you feel better. Before his mind could think of what to do, his body made the decision for him, reaching out a hand to pat the top of your head. You looked at him with confused eyes, wiping your nose, but despite your questioning gaze, he just stroked your hair, before offering you the packet of gummies in his hand. You took the bag from him, staring at it blankly before a little chuckle escaped your mouth. You looked up at him gratefully, and he met you with a soft smile.

“Thanks.” You said softly, wiping the tears from your eyes as he watched awkwardly. After you had sufficiently collected yourself, he held out his hand for you to take, which after a moment of reluctance, you did.

“Class starts soon. We should go.” He said, testing the waters, and you nodded, standing up using his hand to assist you, and brushing the tears from your shirt. Karina stood with you, watching suspiciously as Yangyang helped you walk to class, hand still clasped with yours. You looked back to see if Karina would follow, and she wiped the frown from her face, replacing it with a grin.

“My class is on the other side of campus. I’ll see you at lunch!” She said cheerily, and you gave her a thumbs up and a small smile. When your head turned back around, she sighed and picked up her bag, readying to leave for class.

“Something about him is different now.” She murmured, pulling her backpack over her shoulder and exiting the library with a thoughtful frown.

⋰˚☆

Xiaojun didn’t come to sit with the group at lunch. Neither did Karina and Hendery, the latter of which had to drive his girlfriend to her dentist appointment while her parents were out of town, and once Ten and Sicheng realized they would have to eat lunch alone with you and Yangyang, they promptly split up to their respective other friend groups, leaving the two of you alone under the willow tree.

“Some friends.” You muttered under your breath, taking notice of Ten and Sicheng chatting up their friends Jaehyun and Jungwoo across the courtyard, and Yangyang chuckled at your bitter tone.

“What, you don’t wanna be left alone with me?” He asked, feigning offense, already flopped on his stomach and comfortably with his shoes off.

“Hm, not really.” You teased, lowering yourself onto your stomach with him before opening your lunchbox. In all honesty, you could care less about having to eat alone with the blond boy. You were just relieved that Xiaojun had decided to dine elsewhere, not sure if you could handle an entire hour of pretending that everything was okay. Your chest was aching like you hadn’t felt in an eternity, and it was a harsh reminder that high school romances aren’t always like the ones in the novels.

“You okay?” Yangyang asked, nudging you in the side, and you faked a smile.

“Just fine.” You lied through your teeth, peeking into your lunchbox to see what you had packed for today. You didn’t have time to make lunch that morning, leaving the task up to your brother, whom you weren’t sure if you trusted the task to.

And for good reason. Inside was a single tangerine and a bowl of rice. You were gonna kick his ass when you got home.

Yangyang noticed the way you shut your lunch with a sigh, taking a peek into your bag and furrowing his eyebrows when he saw your weak excuse of a lunch, but switching to a bright expression when he had an idea.

“You have a tangerine?” He asked with lit up eyes.

“...Yes?” You said skeptically, and he held out his hand for it, which you reluctantly handed over. He dug his fingers through the outer layer of vermillion, pulling off the peel bit by bit while he hummed.

“Mind if I take your tangerine? I’ll share.” He offered, still peeling, and you looked over to see what he had packed, expecting nothing better than your own lunch based on his reputation. But to your surprise, inside his bag was a full spread of rice, tangsuyuk, cauliflower stir fry, and even a container with two freshly made mooncakes and a steamed bun. It was stunning, and definitely past his cooking capabilities.

“Did you make that?” You asked in disbelief, and he scoffed.

“Me? C’mon.” He laughed and you pressed your lips together so as not to smile. “My mom came back from her business trip in Taiwan and made me lunch. She told me to share it with my friends. She’s getting used to cooking Korean food. No more schnitzel, I guess.” He joked, and you snorted. You noticed a small purple orchid tucked in the corner of the lunchbox and you cocked your head with curiosity.

“Orchid?”

“My mom’s favorite flower.” Yangyang shrugged, taking it into his hands. “She puts one in here when she gets a chance. To remind me of her, or something.”

“I love orchids. They’re my favorite flower.” You commented, watching fondly as he stared at the orchid as though it were his own mother in his hands.

“You can have it.” He said, passing it over to you tenderly, and you nodded in appreciation, tucking the fresh flower behind your ear delicately while he tried not to look at your face. With a pop, he opened the plastic container and ripped apart the bun, handing half of it over to you.

“Thanks.” You said appreciatively, taking the bread from his hands and swiping it through the sauce of the stir fry, tucking the bun into your mouth until your cheeks looked like that of a squirrel’s while you chomped. Yangyang bit back a giggle at the sight, finding it oddly adorable. “What’re you laughing at?”

“No, nothing.” He dismissed quickly, picking up a piece of tangsuyuk and tucking it into your mouth before you had even finished chewing your previous bite.

“I can feed myself, thank you very much.” You said defensively, wiping off a bit of sauce that was sticky on your lips, and he pouted, a coy grin evident under the sulking.

“Well, that’s no fun.”

Silence washed over the two of you as you chewed, the occasional mundane topic passed from mouth to mouth before fading to background noise, both of you seeming to be unable to hold a conversation. Something was heavy in the air, and the obvious elephant in the room was blocking up Yangyang’s throat, and he wanted nothing more than to just ask the obvious question, but he found himself unable to, not wanting to upset you. This upset him even further, because since when was he unwilling to upset you? For a moment, he tried to summon up the courage of a past him, clearing his throat to gather your attention.

“Y/n,” He started hesitantly. “Can I ask you a question?”

“If it’s about what I think it is, no.” You said immediately. He huffed, reachin for his last ditch effort, pulling out the last container from his lunch and offering you one of the two mooncakes. You watched him warily as he extended the treat towards you, and you shook your head, but he held out his hand, unwavering. As much as you wanted to resist, the mooncake looked delicious: a caramel brown color, the top intricately stamped and soft in his hands, surely stuffed with some kind of filling like lotus seed or salted egg yolk. The last time you had one of Ms. Liu’s mooncakes was fifth grade, when she brought a case over as an apology on Yangyang’s behalf after he poured neon green hair dye in Kun’s shampoo. Yes, Yangyang’s contempt sometimes even extended to your family. But his mother’s soft mooncakes were so delicious, they almost made you forget the horrid color of your brother’s hair.

You gave in, taking it out of his hand with a roll of your eyes, and he smirked at his triumph, resting his chin on his upturned palm, elbow buried in the dewy grass.

“What do you wanna know?”

“Karina said your crush rejected you…” He trailed off when he saw the way your jaw tensed. “Was that Xiaojun?” You didn’t answer, taking a bite from the mooncake and chewing silently for a moment, which he took as a yes. His suspicions were confirmed when you nodded, sighing quietly.

“It was nothing, really. I just… I misunderstood.” You mumbled, and strangely enough, something in the boy felt a bit of distaste for the blue haired guy who broke your heart, Yangyang reaching over instinctively to pat your head again.

“Hey, he’s missing out. Imagine how many free tutoring sessions he could’ve got.” Yangyang snickered, and you reached out to smack him, which made him wince. “Hey, that’s actually a good idea. Y/n, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Very funny.” You bit back, but you had to admit, his joke lifted your mood. Something about Yangyang, his bright smile that shone like a thousand suns, his eyes that shone when he got excited —or maybe the way he never took anything seriously— was somewhat refreshing. “Only if your mom makes me mooncakes.”

“Sounds like a deal.” Yangyang said with finality, extending his hand for a shake, which you blew off with a scoff, slapping his hand away while he pouted.

“Shameless.” Ten shook his head, watching from the picnic tables as you and Yangyang bickered, the proximity between the two of you slowly shrinking with every snarky remark and giggling session.

“I don’t think it’s like that.” Sicheng defended you, and Ten simply continued to wag his head, turquoise bangs flowing like waves in a teal sea. “You saw Karina’s text, didn’t you? She just got rejected, by Xiaojun of all people. She doesn’t like Yangyang.”

“No, but he might like her.” Ten said, resting his chin on his palm. “Just because she likes Xiaojun doesn’t mean something can’t happen.”

“Karina’ll beat the shit outta Xiaojun later. He better watch out.” Sicheng sighed, reaching into his bag for a bottle of water.

“Speaking of, I haven’t seen him at all today.” Ten mused, wondering when the last time he saw the cerulean haired boy was. “Have you?” Sicheng went over his schedule, usually seeing Xiaojun between periods or on his way to the bathroom, but Ten was right. He was nowhere to be seen. Sicheng screwed the top off of his bottle, taking a thoughtful sip before shaking his head in confirmation.

“No. Didn’t see him once.” Ten furrowed his brows.

“Where is Xiaojun?”

⋰˚☆

Winter was finally ending soon, the sun peeking from its shelter behind the clouds and warming your face. The seat by the window was always your favorite, ever since you were a kid, the bay seat covered in cushions and positioned so that the sunshine hit at just the right angle, reflecting into rainbows off of the dangling crystal your mother gifted you years ago. 

The only downside was it faced Yangyang’s house. As a child, you despised him even further every time he ruined a moment in your favorite seat, yelling profanities out the window, tossing mudpies through the sill, or shooting nerf bullets at the crystal like it was a hanging target. But as of late, the days by the window became more bearable until it was back to being your favorite spot —and that Saturday afternoon you felt as though it would be the perfect nook to read a book with a warm cup of tea.

You barely made it to page 16 when there was an interruption.

A loud banging sound came from somewhere in the vicinity, and you looked up in alarm. Kun wasn’t home, he hardly was on Saturday as it was his designated day to go out with his college friends for a drink and some board games. Your eyes narrowly scanned the room, only for the banging sound to come again, this time clearly from across the street, particularly the window that faced yours.

As suspected, Yangyang’s head poked up from under the windowsill, hair mussed and wide eyes, panic clear on his face.

“Y/n,” He mouthed quietly, and you attempted to ignore him, looking back down to the pages of your book. “Y/n!” He whisper-yelled it this time, and you shut the book with an annoyed snap, head turning in his direction.

“What?” You hissed.

“My sister’s home.” You didn’t remember much about Yangyang’s sister, other than her being a lot more tolerable than him. She was sweet, with dark hair and a kind disposition, always willing to talk shit about her little brother with you when he wasn’t around, sometimes even bringing white rabbit and tamarind candies over to your house when she brought them back from her trips. As far as you could recall, the last time you had seen her was when you were thirteen, as she spent most of her time away at college or on trips back and forth from Germany and Taiwan.

“So what?” You huffed, and he gave you an urgent look, jabbing his thumb to the background of his house, and you could see an unknown male figure striding through the living room, cracking open a can of Cola before disappearing.

“She brought her boyfriend back from Germany. Apparently she’s been hiding him for years.” He looked back at the man’s receding figure and scowled. “The fuck is she even doing with a German guy?”

“Aren’t you from Germany?” You snorted, opening your book again.

“Yes, but I’m not white.” He glared at you. 

“Leave the poor guy alone.” Yangyang clicked his tongue, reaching out his window to rap his knuckles on the outside of the wooden windowsill, pulling your attention away from your novel.

“He calls me squirt, y/n. Squirt. That word isn’t in the bible.” You just rolled your eyes and tried to focus on your novel, but the words just blended into one mess, and you found yourself unable to concentrate. “I need you to get me out of the house.”

“Can’t you do that yourself?”

“She wants me to help her unpack, and I’m not allowed to leave until I do.”

“So just help her unpack then.”

“C’mon, y/n.” He whined, hands gripping the bottom of the windowsill and his entire upper half already out the window. “You know I hate packing.” It was true. Just a year previous, he had practically manipulated your brother into packing for him when he needed to take a trip with his father back to Taiwan. Kun came back into the house quite put out, and with a permanent scowl on his face. “Help me out, please? Just once.”

You knew it wouldn’t be just once, but you caved anyway. You couldn’t say no to him when he made that stupid face and did his whiny voice. Without a word, you shut your book and moved from the window, and from the expression on your face, Yangyang immediately knew he succeeded, running back inside and waiting for you to rescue him from his sister’s condescending boyfriend.

You rapped your knuckles three times on Yangyang’s front door, the white wood almost shaking in its frame from how hard you hit it. It took over a minute for anyone to come to the door, and you were mere seconds away from barging in and slapping some sense into the blond when it creaked open, someone unexpected behind it, Yangyang’s sister opening it rather than him. She looked different, the tips of her dark hair bleached a dusty blond that almost matched her brother, and you noticed she had grown a bit taller than the last time you saw her, hand resting on the door as her eyes widened at the sight of you.

“Oh, y/n! Gosh, you look so much older than the last time I saw you, I almost didn’t recognize you.” She said cheerily, and you found it hard to frown when she smiled so widely.  She surely had her brother’s smile. She looked you up and down, taking in the height you had gained and the way your figure had filled out more, your features more mature. She reached into the pocket of her sweats, pulling out a few white rabbit candies and dropping them into your hand. “Remember when I used to bring these? It’s been a long time, huh?”

“It has.” You said fondly, tucking the candies into your jacket.

“So, what brings you all the way over here?” She joked. “Is Yangyang bothering you again?”

“Actually, I was wondering if he was home.” You said with a gritted smile. “We’re supposed to get ice cream and see a movie.” You said. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but nonetheless, she turned back to yell her brother’s name. Before the first syllable was even uttered, Yangyang came running from behind the couch to the door, a big smile on his face and his shoes already on and ready, a hoodie thrown over his head.

“I’m home.” He said breathlessly, extending his hand for you to take, which you subtly rejected. Despite the rejection, he reached down and took your hand, not asking this time, and you held back a snarky comment to keep up appearances.

“Wait,” His sister laughed, almost in disbelief. “You two are going to see a movie? Together?” When you both nodded in unison, she raised her eyebrows. “Are you serious? Are you dating each other?”

“No-”

“Yes-” You said at the same time, both of you glaring at the other at the contrasting answers. You shook your head in defiance, but he just raised your knuckles to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss on them before pulling you closer to his side, his hand releasing yours and instead snaking smoothly around your waist. “Yes. We’re dating.” You didn’t have the courage or mental clarity to protest, still focused on your racing heart and cursing at it for beating so damn fast. 

“Alright, well have fun.” Yangyang’s sister gave a look of disbelief, before shutting the door without another word. Once the aperture was closed, you swatted Yangyang’s arm, prying the other one off of your waist.

“What the hell was that?” You hissed quietly, so as not to alert his sister.

“You think I want my sister to think she’s the only one in this family that pulls?”

“Isn’t she?” You retorted, and he frowned petulantly, pulling you away from the door in fear his sister might hear. “When’s the last time you had a girlfriend?”

“Hey, I’ve dated around! Ask your little friend Winter.” He smirked, watching your face twist in disgust.

“You dated Winter?!” You gripped his collar, and he laughed, attempting to get you off as you made your way down the street in quite a disorderly manner, one of Yangyang’s knees extended to push you away and one of your hands on his chest, the other gripping the neck of his tee shirt.

“Y/n, let go of me!”

As promised, the two of you made your way to Yangyang’s favorite ice cream parlor, one where he apparently knew the workers and could get a good discount on the frozen treats. You never rejected a discount. You insisted he pay to compensate you for helping him get out of the house, and he insisted you tutor him in Chemistry in return. In the end, you got what you wanted after a few pulls of his hair.

The two of you stood on the black and white tile, Yangyang begrudgingly clutching his wallet and your eyes shining over all the flavors in the display case.

“One scoop of strawberry cheesecake and another of whatever she wants.” He grumbled, handing a few bills to the parlor employee, who you recognized to be his friend from class, one that always hung around him but seemed to have a bit more sense than the rest of his immature friends.

“So, this is how you’ve been spending your time avoiding us?” Renjun said skeptically, snatching the bills from Yangyang’s hand and shoving them into the register, not giving him any change although he owed him some. The brunette reached a hand equipped with a scooper into the case of ice cream, a cone in the other. “I thought you just had an STD or something, but turns out you were actually spending time with her. Who knew Chenle was a prophet?”

“Chenle can shove him and his stupid prophecies up his ass.” Yangyang said, snatching the scoop of strawberry ice cream from Renjun’s hand. “It’s not like that.”

“Yeah, sure.” Renjun rolled his eyes. You weren’t entirely sure what you were talking about, and why they thought Chenle was a prophet, but your current focus was choosing the right ice cream flavor to suit your fancy. Yangyang nudged you in the side, and you were brought back to reality, straightening up and pulling your face away from the ice-cold glass container.

“One scoop of mint chocolate.” You said meekly. Typically, you had no problem fucking with Yangyang’s friends, but something about Renjun’s ice cold glare and pursed lips made you shy away. The exasperated boy scooped out your order and handed it to you with a stony expression, and you took it out of his hands, careful not to make eye contact with him even though his gaze didn’t move from you, even when Yangyang pulled you through the door and into the cold air outside.

“Sorry about him.” Yangyang said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he tugged you down the street. “He can be a bit suspicious of others.”

“Well, you’ve probably complained about me quite a bit. I could see why he wouldn’t like me.” You laughed, and Yangyang raised his brows like you had just proposed a challenge.

“Oh yeah? You think you don’t do the same? I got glared at for weeks after I started sitting with you at lunch. Not to mention the bowl of soup Karina threw at me.”

“Touche.” You said, smiling from the mere memory of your best friend dousing the dusty blond in hot vegetable soup. He had peas in his hair for the rest of the day, and you didn’t know if you had ever felt more satisfied. “You deserved it, though.”

“I definitely didn’t.”

Ice cream dripping onto your sticky fingers and the air reddening your cheeks, you strolled through the city aimlessly, with no real destination and no goal along the way. Well, maybe you had no goal, but Yangyang had one in mind: get to know the girl he’s known for years but despised for just as long.

“So,” He began, licking the remnants of the ice cream from the bottom of his cone. “Have you ever considered tutoring officially? There’s a lot of desperate students who need help, you could make a lot of money that way.”

“I couldn’t keep up.” You shrugged. “I get good grades because I want to, but I don’t really enjoy school work. I don’t think anyone does. Especially chemistry.” You stuck out your tongue at the thought of your piles of Chem assignments just waiting at home to be completed before the school week started again.

“So what do you like?” You had to think for a moment to answer his question; what did you like, really? You had never really been asked the question before.

“I like modern art, I like to read but only period pieces. I like acting in plays sometimes, but only with other people. Sometimes I try to paint when I have free time.” You looked up at him, watching his attentive face with narrowed eyes. “Where is this coming from?”

“I can’t wonder?”

“You never have.” Your words were true, he had never really cared before. There was no reason why he should —and Yangyang himself didn’t quite know why he did— but he wanted to know. He wanted to make up for all those years of bickering and tension, and maybe a part of him wanted to be friends with you at the end of it.

“I’m sorry. For never caring.” He apologized, your eyes widening with every word. “I should’ve tried to treat you better, even when I was younger.”

“I’m sorry too.” You sighed. “We were just kids when we started fighting, and I should’ve realized that it was childish to hold a grudge. You might have started it, but I’ve continued it for years now.” You chuckled, and he joined you. “I’ve known you longer than most of my friends, actually all of them, but we never learned about each other. Isn’t that kind of fucked up?”

“Very fucked up.” He agreed. A moment of silence washed over you like a wave, but it wasn’t tense or painful like you thought it would be. It was sweet, and soft, and gentle like an ocean breeze, and something was different about the way Yangyang looked under the light of the afternoon sun, and you weren’t sure what.

“Well, better late than never, right?” He smiled, lips turning up in the corners until his teeth showed, and you grinned at the mere sight. Your hands were inches away, and you swore if they touched your heart might burst out of your chest.

“Yeah, better late than never.”

⋰˚☆

There were two reasons you were scared to enter school that day.

You might have to see Xiaojun

You might have to see Yangyang

Seeing the most wonderful boy who broke your heart a mere weekend after he rejected you would be humiliating, and you weren’t looking forward to inevitably running into him in the multiple classes you had together. Second of all, you weren’t sure how you were feeling about Yangyang. Something in your relationship had changed: you weren’t sure when, and you weren’t sure how, but your heart beat faster when he was around, and you no longer had distaste when you saw him. In fact, seeing him made you, although you would never admit it, happy. But it didn’t matter. You had to figure out how you felt about Xiaojun before you could worry about whatever you were feeling for your neighbor.

Which is why you were going to muster up your courage and find Xiaojun before he could find you.

He wasn’t anywhere, which was odd. Typically, you would see him on the way to class, or scrawling down some messy notes in fourth period, or eating lunch under the shade of the willow tree with his feet resting on Ten’s backpack despite the older boy’s protests. On a normal day, you couldn’t avoid Xiaojun, but today didn’t feel like a regular day. No, it felt odd, and maybe that was because Yangyang was following you around everywhere you went.

“Is there a reason you’re practically glued to me right now?” You sighed, and Yangyang dismissed your comment with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I’m wondering what you’re looking for.” You ignored him, hoping he wouldn’t catch on to your search as you peeked around the corner to check for a cerulean head. Yangyang leaned in close, hands on his pockets and resting on the tips of his toes until his nose was mere inches from the back of your head. “So, what are you looking for?” “Your mom.” He frowned.

“C’mon, let’s get lunch! I’m tired of walking around the hallways.” He yawned, a loud yawn that reverberated against the tile and bounced off the walls. “Hey, you want to get hotpot? That Xiao Zhan makes some mean meatballs.” Your eyes lit up as an idea passed through your head, and a sudden urge made you pat Yangyang on the head lightly, mussing up his messy locks of dusty blond while he watched you with surprise.

“That’s a brilliant idea.” And with that, you jetted off, attempting to remember the way to the hotpot restaurant while Yangyang hesitated to follow.

Did his heart always beat that fast when you touched him?

You burst into the shop like a hurricane, a very meek Yangyang following you with his hand clamped protectively against the left side of his chest. Xiao Zhan, who was previously peacefully working at the counter, looked up upon your entrance with recognition in his eyes, standing up to assist you in finding a table.

“Ah, Xiaojun’s girlfriend.” He said, nodding his head to a table in the back with two menus in his hand. “You’re back. I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“I’m not his girlfriend.” Your cheeks felt like summer, even in the cold, and you slid into the booth with Yangyang by your side.

“You wouldn’t think that if you lived with him.” Xiao Zhan said skeptically, pulling out a notepad to write down your order and assessing the boy beside you. You weren’t sure what to make out of his comment, but it had to be a good sign, right? “Is your new fling?”

“This is Yangyang. My neighbor.” You stressed the last word, but Xiao Zhan looked nothing but skeptical.

“Oh, that’s right. You’re the little brat that was yelling at Junnie the last time you came in.” Yangyang scowled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. It was safe to say he likely didn’t enjoy the nickname. “Whatever, I could care less. Just try not to break my cousin’s heart.” You could feel anger bubbling up in your chest, but before it could rise to your throat, a voice interrupted.

“You should tell him not to break hers.” Yangyang said defensively, and you looked at him with shock and pride. Xiao Zhan looked at both of you questioningly before blowing off your comment and walking to the back, not bothering to take your order. It didn’t matter. He already knew what you wanted, maybe more than just food.

“Thanks for that.” You said quietly, and Yangyang shrugged.

“It’s no big deal. But god, it just pisses me off to see him talk to you like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like Xiaojun wasn’t the one to hurt you.” His eyes pierced into you like a sharp knife, and you found yourself unable to look away, wrapped up in his intense gaze. You didn’t even have the strength to contradict, to tell him that Xiaojun didn’t mean to hurt you, something in his eyes telling you to be quiet. To stop apologizing.

“Yeah.” You said, snapping out of your reverie and giggling quietly. Upon your change of tone, Yangyang smiled, his arm slowly creeping around the back of your chair, your thighs centimeters from each other, threatening to touch with every screech of the chair and every minor shift you made.

“Your meatballs.” Xiao Zhan said tiredly, eyes lingering on Yangyang’s arm inches from being around you before sliding the plate of food onto the table and striding away without another word of greeting or parting, and you reached for your chopsticks, snipping the steaming meat with the utensils.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” Yangyang said suddenly, standing up and sending his chair scooting backward. “Be right back.” You nodded, surprised by his sudden declaration, taking a few bites once he was out of sight and unable to complain about you not waiting for him. You could sense a pair of eyes on you, a certain brown pair that belonged to Xiaojun’s cousin lingering at the edge of the kitchen, elbows on the counter and gaze unwavering. Once the lock of the bathroom door clicked with finality, he approached your table, sliding into the seat across from you. You tried to eat in silence, suppressing your curiosity, but you found yourself unable to appear unbothered.

“Where’s Xiaojun?” You asked, not looking up from your appetizer.

“Home.” Xiao Zhan said simply, and you glared at him, clearly seeking more. “What do you want to hear? He has a cold.”

“A cold.” You said skeptically, and he shrugged. “Is that what he told you?”

“Hey, if he doesn’t want to go to school, that’s none of my business.”

“It kinda is. You are his guardian, after all.”

“Look, Xiaojun’s having a hard time right now. Being sick in the head is just as concerning as being physically sick. Who am I to force him to go to school when he’s not ready, just because you want to see him?”

“I don’t want to see him.” You said stubbornly, and he raised an eyebrow. “W-well, I don’t mean it like that…”

“He’s homesick, and sick with a few other things.” Xiao Zhan sighed, picking up the half full platter of meatballs and standing from his seat. “Wait for him.” His last words seemed to hold more meaning than they appeared to, and you gulped upon his sudden order, poking the inside of your cheek with your tongue. He didn’t wait for a response, just disappearing into the kitchen, precisely in time to avoid Yangyang as the latter left the bathroom.

You didn’t know what to think. Wasn’t high school supposed to be full of teenage romance and comradery? So far, it had only caused you strife.

The blond boy stood stock still in front of the table, damp hands at his sides slightly outstretched as he stared at the blank surface.

“Where’s the meatballs?” 

⋰˚☆

“It’s fifty two.”

“It’s fifteen.”

“Yangyang, it’s fifty two.” You sighed, and the boy pouted stubbornly.

“It’s definitely fifteen. I double checked my math.”

“Double checking is useless if you're stupid.” You snapped, pulling the paper from his hands and going over his work. “You forgot to use the inverse function. How’d you forget to use the inverse function?” Yangyang grabbed the homework back from you and slammed his head down on the desk, letting out a low groan against the laminated wood, his cheeks flattened and deflated.

“This is absolute hell.”

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me to tutor you.” You snickered, easing the paper out of his hands and looking over it. “Hey, go get snacks from the vending machine. I don’t think we’re gonna get through this session without some fortification.” Yangyang sighed, lifting his head and digging through his pockets for his wallet.

“First ice cream, then this? You’re gonna run me dry.” “Hey, I’m tutoring you for no charge. Be grateful.” His eyes lit up, and he grabbed your hands immediately, holding them close as he stared at you with wide eyes.

“You mean it?”

“Yes, for free. Now go get snacks.”

“Yes ma’am!” He exclaimed, running down the hall to find the vending machine among the empty halls, night beginning to fall over the campus as students dissipated from the school. Once he was gone you shook your head with a fond smile, turning back to his assignment and attempting to figure out what he had done horribly wrong in his equation, waiting for the snacks that Yangyang was retrieving.

A minute went by. You figured it would take him a while to find the nearest machine, it was surely no problem. Three went by. You knew that it would take some considerable thought to choose which snacks to buy. Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen, and now you were starting to get concerned. It couldn’t possibly take that long, not when you knew for a fact that the nearest vending machine was one right turn away and Yangyang always bought chocolate chips and cheetos. You stood up from your seat, chair screeching back as you got to your feet, wrapping your jacket a bit tighter around your waist as you left the room.

“Fucking stupid thing-” You heard from down the hall, and you rolled your eyes. “Stupid ass vending machine-” A bang cut off the end of Yangyang’s angry sentence as he kicked the machine, then prompt gripped his foot in pain, folding in half and holding it to his chest in a position that looked both challenging and painful.

“Is there a problem?” You said in amusement from a few meters away, and he dropped his foot, eyes widening as he straightened up immediately.

“N-not a problem.” He stammered. “The stupid fucking machine just took my money.” You got closer, arms still wrapped around your waist, reaching down to the slot for the snacks and looking through the glass to see inside. A bag of cheetos, tteokbokki chips, chocolate turtle chips, and a can of coke were all crammed up, perched precariously against each other but somehow lodged firmly in the top of the opening.

“Did you try ordering something else?” You laughed, and he froze. You dropped a quarter into the opening, pressing down on the lit up buttons and ordering a bottle of water. It dropped, knocking all the snacks apart and the full order came crashing through the opening, dropping neatly into the slot, ready to consume. You leaned down at the same time Yangyang did, both of your hands reaching for the snacks inside.

Your nose was mere inches from his, and you could feel his breath on your face, the proximity between the two of you so small it made your heart feel like it would explode out of your chest. You thought he would back up, put some distance between the two of you and maybe give you his signature sneer, just to confirm that he didn’t give a shit about you, that he didn’t want to be close enough to touch you. But he didn’t.

Instead, he leaned in.

Your lips crashed, and soon the snacks were forgotten. You closed your eyes, his already clamped shut as he circled an arm around your waist, the both of you straightening up to a standing position. You snaked your arms around his neck, one of your hands playing with his shaggy hair as he smiled into the kiss, holding you like you would shatter if he released you. It was rushed, full of released tension and unspoken feelings, things you wanted to say but never could. He parted your lips for only a brief moment to whisper quietly,

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Then he dove back in, and that’s when you realized you might’ve liked him longer than you thought.

Neither of you gave a shit about Trigonometry anymore, or the abandoned snacks, only focusing on the way your lips fit like two puzzle pieces slamming into each other on the wrong side, until they finally turned a few degrees and fit. You and Yangyang fit, you finally fit, and you couldn’t be happier.

Your back hit the vending machine as Yangyang pressed a hand against the cold glass, forcing all the space between you out as he tangled his free fingers in your hair, lips tracing against your own before moving to kiss your jaw. You thought your heart might’ve stopped when he ran his lips down your jawline, peppering sloppy kisses across your skin. In all your years, you thought you had kissing experience, but now you were beginning to think you had never really been kissed at all.

“Yangyang,” You said out, a choked giggle escaping from between your swollen lips, and he released his other hand from the glass to caress your jaw lightly, touch soft and gentle with a smile equally fond on his face. “I cannot believe you just did that.”

“We, y/n. We’re in this together, right?” He asked softly, pressing his forehead to yours, and you pecked him on the lips. He looked more beautiful than you had ever seen him before, the washed out white light of the hallway illuminating his skin, eyes wide and glossy, his lips plump and swollen from all the contact. His hair was swept away from his forehead and jutting up sporadically, and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah. Of course we are.” You said before giggling uncontrollably, and he separated from you, giving you a questioning look. “I’m sorry. I’m just so surprised.”

“About what?” He said, a hand still hesitating on your waist like he didn’t want to truly let go of you, fingers fisting the fabric of your shirt tightly.

“Well, out of everyone,” You pressed a hand to his cheek, running down his jawline with a smile, and you swore you saw hearts in his eyes. “It ended up being you.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?” He asked, worry evident in his eyes, and you wanted nothing more than to confirm to him how much you liked him. You never thought you would like him this much.

“A happy ending for an ironic story.” You confirmed, and he beamed, kissing up and down your cheeks with excitement, in a way that made you uncontrollably grin.

“I never thought my first kiss with you would be against a vending machine.”

“Oh, so you imagined kissing me before?” His cheeks flamed as you simpered.

“Shut up.”

Yangyang took you home that night, or more precisely, drove you home, although not in a car. Nine years of knowing the boy, and you had no clue he could ride a motorcycle. When he reached your doorstep, you parted with a sweet kiss on the lips and a soft goodnight whispered under bated breath, and you found you didn’t mind getting along with Yangyang for the time being. 

Of course, Kun had his suspicions when he heard the roar of a motorcycle from outside his window at 9 pm, and that you coincidentally decided to suddenly arrive home at the same time Yangyang parked his Yamaha Vmax. But he let it go, assuming it would be best to wait ‘til the morning to interrogate you about your relationship.

Life was sweet. Maybe the bickering had stopped you from seeing that.

⋰˚☆

“Y/n.” Karina said, lounging on the couch with a glass of Sprite in her hand, head dangling off the edge of the cushions. “Why is Yangyang your lock screen?” You froze mid motion, about to pour yourself a bowl of jiujiang from your brother’s liquor cabinet. You continued, figuring you’d need the bit of alcohol to get yourself through this conversation. You usually had Yangyang as your lock screen when you were alone and with him, a photo you had taken when he was swinging at the park down the street, a bright smile on his face and his feet kicking in the air as he waved at the camera.

“I like that photo.” You said simply, hoping the lame explanation was enough.

“When’d you take this?” Karina asked suspiciously, sitting up and staring a bit closer at your phone until you reached over her shoulder and snatched it from her.

“None of your business.” You snapped, shoving the device into your pocket before she could inquire further, and realization flooded her eyes, mouth gaping open in shock.

“Y/n!” She screeched. “You’re not dating Liu Yangyang!” You clapped a hand over her mouth, pulling her head down and looking around in paranoia.

“He might hear you.” You hissed. “He’s right next door.”

“Y/n, please tell me you’re not dating Yangyang.” She said, voice muffled, and you looked away, releasing her mouth and taking a spoonful of rice porridge.

“Don’t tell anyone.” You ordered. “I’m not actually dating him. He never asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“But you go on dates?” You nodded. “You hold hands?” You nodded. “You kiss each other?” You hesitated this time, but eventually nodded, and Karina exhaled through her nose. “Then you’re dating. God, I knew this would happen.”

“We’re not dating.” You said stubbornly, putting the bowl to your mouth and abandoning the spoon, just slurping the rice porridge off the edge of the cup.

“Y/n, I’ve known you for years. I can tell when you like somebody, and you like Yangyang. Probably more than you know.” You scoffed skeptically at her statement, but she shrugged and leaned back. “Best friends see things you don’t, you know. I can tell.” She insisted, and you took another sip of the porridge indignantly. But her words got you thinking, maybe Karina was right. Yangyang hadn’t left your mind since that night two days previous when he kissed you, and the butterflies that filled your stomach when he entered your mind were anything but platonic,

Maybe you liked Yangyang a little more than you thought you did.

March was almost over, the last week of the winter ending and the new season approaching, something even more worrisome coming with it: prom. Weeks passed, the 31st creeping closer with every day, and yet, Yangyang never asked you to be his girlfriend. You never asked him what you were to him, what was happening between the two of you. You had seen that line, the “what are we?” spiel in an endless amount of movies, shows, and shitty romance novels, and you swore you wouldn’t open your heart to the boy before he opened his to you. 

 Maybe there was a part of you that was afraid he would abandon you after that night at the vending machine, that he would write it off as a mistake —or maybe, in a horrible twist of events, check something off his bucket list— but fortunately enough, the kiss seemed to be on his mind just as much as it was on yours, if not more. He never kissed you in front of your friends, he was waiting for approval on that front, which you weren’t sure if you were ready to give. The sight of you and him merely getting along was enough to make Ten heave up his lunch, so public displays of affection were almost entirely off boundaries. But the occasional moment when nobody was looking during a Chem lecture, when he had a chance to pull you into the corner of the cafeteria before the lunch rush, or when Ms. Choi forgot to lock the classroom door, he’d plant the biggest kiss on you and hold you like you were his world. It was nice. Maybe too nice, because you sure as hell weren’t used to it yet.

Going from tossing food during conversation and dumping chili paste in each other’s morning tea to kissing and holding hands between tutoring sessions was beginning to give you whiplash. He also hadn’t asked you to be his girlfriend yet. If you were being honest, you weren’t sure if you were happy about that or not.

It didn’t matter to you. It was only week 1 of kissing Liu Yangyang on the regular; you were sure you’d get used to it at some point, and who knows, maybe one day the two of you would be one of those couples that caused envy wherever they went, the type that did facemasks and went to movies just to ignore the screen and stare at each other until their eyes went dull. You had time, time to learn to love Liu Yangyang and time to wait patiently until he told you he wanted to be with you.

You thought you had time. Until Xiaojun came back to school.

“Can we talk?” There it was, the infamous line. Xiaojun had popped out of absolutely nowhere, backpack half across his shoulders, hair mussed and free from its usual neat style. His bangs were drooping slightly in  his face, the blue washed out to a lighter teal with a tinge of chlorine green, and he had dark circles under his eyes that looked like they carried the weight of all his thoughts. He looked like a mess, a beautiful mess, and you were absolutely not ready to talk to him.

The rest of your friends had their mouths agape at the sudden reappearance of what was now widely known as your “highschool sweetheart”. Ten had a look on his face like you had just slapped him across the cheek, and Karina seemed seconds away from murder, eyes dark and arms crossed, likely to hold back whatever violent move she was thinking of pulling. 

Yangyang looked upset. Very upset, flecks of white sparkling across his worried eyes, and you could feel his fingers begin to intertwine with yours where the others couldn’t see it, hidden under the fabric of his hoodie sleeve.

“I don’t really want to talk.” You laughed nervously, and Yangyang’s hand squeezed yours tightly for a brief moment. It was true, you didn’t want to talk. Not because you were angry, no, you weren’t so immature as to get mad at being rejected. You were scared. Scared of what he might say and what it might make you think.

“Please, y/n.” His voice dropped an octave and quieted just as much, low enough for only you and the person next to you to hear. “I need to tell you something.” Yangyang was a second away from interrupting. He didn’t want you to go, he didn’t want you to admit that he had someone in his life who would take his place, who could convince you that he wasn’t good enough and never would be. Yangyang had spent enough of his life being hated by you, and he couldn’t stand another year, another day, another second.

“Fine.” You said, and Yangyang’s breath hitched in his throat. Don’t go, he wanted to scream, but you gave his hand an affirming squeeze before standing, brushing off your shirt and following the blue haired boy who had already begun to walk, seeing where he would take you. Hendery cupped his mouth to cheer, but Sicheng tugged his arm down before he could utter a word. Yangyang bit his lip, cold and empty hand coming to his side and slipping into his pocket.

All he could do was wait.

Xiaojun walked for a few minutes in no particular direction, seeking anywhere secluded and private enough to have a proper conversation. You followed silently, afraid that if you spoke you might ruin whatever peacefulness was left between the two of you. Maybe, just maybe, you could be friends again. You just had to hear him out.

Xiaojun wrapped a delicate hand around the doorknob of any empty classroom, turning the knob and walking inside, waiting for you to enter before he shut the door behind you. He locked it, which was concerning, but you tried not to think much about it, watching from beside the door as he leaned against an empty desk. Silence passed between the two of you like waves washing over a worn out shore, before he cleared his throat and mustered up the strength to speak.

“I’m sorry.” He started, and you looked away. “I’m sorry for not considering how you were feeling, and I’m sorry for being so painfully oblivious. I’m sorry for embarrassing you, and I’m sorry for making you tutor me for free when you probably had better things to do. I’m sorry for making you spend time with me.”

“There’s really no need to apologize.” You said timidly. “I don’t care that you rejected me. I’d rather that you’re honest with me. It’ll hurt less in the end.” Xiaojun shook his head, and you thought you could see tears welling up in the corner of his eyes, although maybe that was just your imagination.

“I wasn’t honest with you.” He admitted hesitantly. “I didn’t take the time to think about it, because I was so confused. I was confused why you, such a wonderful, friendly, intelligent person, would give a shit about me.” You wanted to interrupt, but you could tell from the serious look in his eyes that he needed to finish saying his thoughts aloud. “When I came to Korea, I didn’t know anyone other than my cousin. I thought people wouldn’t like me, that I would stand out, or that maybe my dreams were stupid and I would never be good enough to make it here if I couldn’t make it in back in China.” He finally looked up from the floor, and you could feel his eyes on you even if you didn’t see it. “But you told me I could do it. You wanted to know about me, you tutored me when I was struggling because you understood me.” You moved from your place by the door to sit on a desk across from him, and he made eye contact, serious and full of drowned emotion. “You were the first person I met here that treated me so kindly. And I took advantage of that.”

“No, you didn’t.” You tried to defend him, but he shook his head yet again.

“I did. And those days I spent at home, trying to get you out of my head, made me realize something.” He put a hand on your arm softly, his eyes watering with shimmering tears in his ducts. “I really can’t live without you.” You stuttered, unsure of what response to give him, what to say to assure him that you felt the same way. Your heart was betraying your mind, and instead of telling him it would be okay and you could still be friends, you set your hand on top of his, eyes shining. That one movement triggered something, and Xiaojun leaned forward, putting one hand on your cheek and the other reaching for the table beside you.

You kissed before you could properly think about it. You didn’t want to, but you wanted nothing more, and as horrible as you felt, a weight had been lifted from your shoulders the moment his lips touched yours. He sighed into the kiss, pulling you closer, limbs entangling on top of the desk as he pulled you to his side. Maybe a minute passed, maybe two, but you finally summoned the will to pull away, panting and your lips swollen from his on top of your own.

“Is something wrong?” He asked with concern, putting his hand on top of yours, and you shook your head, unsure of what to say or do.

“Nothing wrong.” You stammered. “I-I just…” What were you supposed to say? Wasn’t this exactly what you were looking for those weeks ago, when you told him you liked him in the middle of the library for everyone to hear?

Xiaojun depended on you. You were his safety net, his escape hatch for when he needed a taste of home and someone to tell him everything would be okay. You were his home in a place far away from home.

“I’m glad you told me.” You said finally, and he grinned, a grin that knocked you off your feet. After so long, he was just as beautiful as he was when you first met him, and you found your heart speeding up the same way it did when you told him you liked him. You had hoped that maybe something would change, that after a week of not thinking about him, you would stop liking him, that these confusing feelings would go away and you could live your life as friends and nothing more. But when he smiled at you like you were his whole world, you came to a painful realization. 

You couldn’t just be friends with someone who smiled at you like that.

⋰˚☆

You tried your best to keep everything that had happened in the classroom a secret. You straightened out your hair and clothes in a hurry, attempting to look presentable, and applied lip plumper so you’d have an excuse to tell Ten when he would inevitably ask you why your lips looked so swollen. When Xiaojun tried to hold your hand on the way back, you politely told him you weren’t ready yet, and he gave you a confused look, yet respected your wishes and let go.

Turns out your efforts were all for naught, as Yangyang was nowhere to be seen when you exited. Karina, Hendery and Ten were the only ones left, laying on their stomachs as Karina painted Ten’s nails a fresh new shade of green, Hendery left to his own devices and one second from spilling purple nail polish all over his hands.

“Where’s Yangyang?” You asked immediately upon arriving to the spot under the willow tree, and the three looked up with surprise at your abrupt comment.

“He and Sicheng went to get snacks from Jaehyun’s table. You know Yuta will give Sicheng anything for a hug.” Ten said. You sighed in relief, dropping onto the picnic blanket spread across the grass. “What about you two?” He wiggled his eyebrows, and you glared at him fiercely. “Did you make out- make up?” You slapped his arm as punishment for his very obvious comment. “Freudian slip.” He shrugged, and Karina gave you a suspicious look. Xiaojun reached for your arm instinctively, but you nudged him with your foot, his hand slowly coming to rest on the blanket instead.

“Yeah. We made up.” Xiaojun said, clearing his throat, and the other three looked at you with some kind of disappointment, going back to painting their nails.

“Boring.” Ten yawned, and you rolled your eyes.

“Ignore him.” You said quietly to Xiaojun, and he nodded, hand sneaking to yours under the blanket in a place where nobody could see, and you felt nausea rush through your stomach at the deja vu.

You didn’t see Yangyang for the rest of the school day. Even when Sicheng returned to the group with an armful of snacks brought straight from Canada by Mark’s father, and the group ravenously destroyed them, he didn’t show up, not even when Sicheng brought out the cheetos. You thought for certain he had some kind of cheeto radar, and if the cheesy snacks couldn’t bring him back to the picnic, you figured something must have happened to keep him away. He didn’t offer to walk you home like usual, and you took the route back to your house alone, cardigan tightly wrapped around you to keep out the chilly wind, nose running from the sudden rush of cold. You were suddenly wishing you had brought a thicker jacket to school that day, as home was still almost a mile away and the sky was turning more and more gray by the minute.

Even a day later, he was still missing. Another day passed, and Yangyang still wasn’t in class. He wasn’t in class all day, and you beginning to wonder if he had somehow found out about your conversation with Xiaojun by some cruel twist of fate, and was skipping school to avoid you. But he didn’t come the next day, the next, the next, or the one after that, and you were no longer concerned about him avoiding you, you were wondering if he was still alive. Yangyang might not be the best student, but he never skipped class; his parents would kill him if he did. So for him to be missing from attendance for four days straight, it wasn’t a common occurrence.

Xiaojun still hadn’t taken a step back from the first time he kissed you, seemingly just taking more steps closer to you instead. What had started as innocent quality time and tutoring —which you had finally reinstated— ended up turning into make out sessions in the janitor’s closet and dates to wherever you could manage. One day, he took you to the ice cream parlor without you knowing, and you swore Renjun had murder in his eyes when he handed you a cone of mint choco. Since then, you tried to avoid the places Yangyang had taken you before.

You had to tell Yangyang now. As soon as you got back from class and your regular tutoring sessions, which took longer than expected, you were going to march straight over to his house to break up with him before your relationship even started, even as much as you didn’t want to. And so here you were, standing at his doorstep with your knuckles hovering over the hardwood, ready to tell the boy that you couldn’t be with him anymore, if you weren’t even together in the first place.

To your surprise, the one behind the door wasn’t Yangyang, but his female counterpart, standing in a fuzzy pajama set with a bottle of coke in one hand and her phone in the other. You figured that fluffy sleepwear must be a fondness that runs in the family.

“Oh, y/n!” Yangyang’s sister exclaimed, opening the door a bit wider after seeing your familiar face. “I would invite you in, but our house is a bit of a war zone right now.”

“Why is that?” You asked curiously, and the mere question seemed to tire her out as she rolled her eyes and jabbed her thumb at the background of the house.

“He’s got cholera, God knows how.” She said exasperatedly, folding her arms. “Me and Stefan are staying out of his bedroom for now, while he quarantines.” You assumed Stefan must be her new German boyfriend, and nodded, stomach sinking with every word she uttered. “Apparently cholera requires a week of quarantine, which seems excessive for a bad case of dehydration.” She rolled her eyes, and you felt your breath hitch. A week? That explained why he was missing for so long, but prom was in four days, and you barely had time to tell him before it came around, if he came back to school in time for the occasion. “He’s feeling a bit better, but he still can’t leave. I had to screw his windows shut after he tried to sneak out.” She shook her head, but seemed to realize she was babbling, clearing her throat in embarrassment and covering her mouth with her fist. “Um, is there a message you wanted me to give him?”

No way. You absolutely could not break up with Liu Yangyang through his sister.

“Nothing.” You lied. “Um, just let him know I hope he feels better soon. Can he still text or call?” She shook her head.

“No, and it’s driving him insane. He left his phone at school and none of us are allowed to get it.” You nodded. You supposed you would rather not talk to him over the phone regardless. Karina had been broken up with over text in 10th grade, and she tossed a porcelain vase out the window when she found out. You’d rather not have that happen, or worse, considering your house was within easy reach.

“Alright. Tell him I hope he gets healthy soon.” You said despondently.

“I’m sure that’ll make him feel better.” She said with a knowing look and a wink, disappearing back behind the door.

You supposed all you could do was wait.

⋰˚☆

“I’m breaking up with Yangyang.” Karina's eyes widened from the other side of the phone, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Are you sure?”

“Xiaojun and I,” You hesitated to finish your sentence. “When we made up, he kissed me.” Karina let out a squeal, and you clicked your tongue at her disapprovingly. “Rin, that’s not a good thing!”

“I think it is!” She defended. “You’ve liked Xiaojun since you first met him, I can tell. Forget Yangyang, that boy is golden. Sweet, caring, affectionate, and now he’s relatively smart now that you’ve tutored him. Not to mention he’s insanely hot.” You pinched the space between your eyebrows pensively. “Are you still meeting up?”

“Yes.” You said reluctantly. “I’m basically cheating on Yangyang.”

“Well, a bit. But you’re planning to break up with him, right? I mean, he hasn’t even asked you to be his girlfriend.”

“I just have to wait until he gets over his fucking cholera, then I’ll tell him.” You rubbed your temples. “This is stressing me out, Rin. I don’t know what to do.”

“Do you think Xiaojun will ask you to be his girlfriend?”

“I don’t know.”

“Prom?

“I don’t know.” You repeated through gritted teeth. “It’s four days away, and I have no idea what the fuck to do. What if Yangyang asks me to prom?”

“Tell him to fuck off.”

“That’s mean, Karina.”

“Isn’t it meaner to ignore him?” She had a point. Wasn’t it a bit more cruel to let him wonder, than to tell him you didn’t want to be with him? Was it true that you didn’t want to be with him? Everything was confusing, but you knew one thing: you didn’t want to hurt him. While it was inevitable, the least you could do was make it brief.

“I’m going to tell him as soon as I can see him again. Once his quarantine is over, I’ll do it. I’m going to end things with Yangyang.”

It had been seven days since Yangyang had abruptly gone into quarantine, and you had been rehearsing how to break the news to him.

You found that you no longer wanted to go out anymore. Every time Ten wanted to go to the ice cream parlor, you found yourself unable to face the server, when Sicheng suggested you take a trip to the mall, you couldn’t help but think of when Yangyang had taken you shopping to get a dress for your date on the weekend. And more often than not, you caught yourself thinking about him when you were home alone, sitting on the couch with nothing to do but stew in your thoughts, as you were now.

Your reverie was interrupted by a sudden ring of the doorbell, the reverberating chime startling you out of your thoughts and bringing you back to reality. Kun wasn’t here to open the door, so you mustered up the energy to stand up and do it yourself, desperately hoping it wasn’t Hendery asking to go on a double date for the fiftieth time. The door creaked open, revealing not Hendery, but the last person you wanted to see while in deep contemplation.

“Oh, Xiaojun.” You said in surprise, nervously smiling when you saw the giddy boy, who seemed to be holding something rather large behind his back.

“Hey.” Xiaojun said breathlessly, and he was panting like he had ran across town, a bead of sweat decorating the baby hairs on his forehead and matting them down to his skin. Your eyes drifted down to the large, white object concealed behind his back, which seemed to stretch almost as tall as him and was so wide it peeked a few inches out from behind his figure on both sides. He looked around your house, checking the background for something you weren’t sure of. “Is your brother home?”

“He’s out with some friends.” You said vaguely, the side of the door still clutched in your hand tightly like you were holding onto a life raft. You were afraid to let him, afraid of what might happen and the guilt you would feel when it was over. Luckily, he made no advances, just puffing out his chest and setting his jaw.

“Well, then I guess there’s no time like the present.” Xiaojun said, taking a deep breath to steady himself before pulling the object from behind his back, which you now realized was a sign, and you studied the text on it with wide eyes containing both utter horror and pure joy. “Y/n Qian, will you be my date to prom?” He asked with scrunched up eyes, a wide smile on his face as he presented his sign to you with one hand and a rose in the other, the sign handwritten and sloppy, with paper hearts pasted all across the border. ‘Y/n, will you accept this rose and go to prom with me?’, it said, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the bad Bachelorette reference, a hand over your mouth. It was ugly, it was the last thing you wanted, and it was the happiest you had ever been.

“Xiaojun,” You said in disbelief, taking the rose from his hand and holding it tightly to your chest, the damp, red petals leaving wet prints on your shirt. “Wow…”

“Is that a good wow, or a bad wow?” He asked hesitantly, and let out a breath of relief when you laughed loudly, a big smile on your face.

“A good wow.” You affirmed. He watched you expectantly, waiting for your answer, and you knew you couldn’t stall forever. You wanted to say yes, you really did, but some kind of guilt settled itself in the bottom of your stomach, pooling there comfortably, not seeming like it would leave any time soon. After everything that had happened between you and both boys, you weren’t sure where your heart belonged. But all you knew was Xiaojun was more than a friend, and the thought of him being any less was nothing but devastating. “O-of course I’ll go to prom with you.” At your words, his eyes widened in surprise, and it made you wonder if he thought you would say no. He dropped the sign, leaping forward to wrap his arms around you and plant a massive kiss on your cheek, making you giggle and pull him inside, hoping that nobody had seen.

“Would you be my girlfriend then?” He asked hesitantly, fearing a rejection, but you nodded softly, making him drop his head in relief. “God, that makes me so happy.” He said contentedly, face resting in the crook of your neck, his nose grazing against your skin as he spoke into your shoulder. You shut the door behind the two of you, making sure to bring the sign inside, and chuckled at his tight embrace, not daring to move him. You pressed a soft kiss to his temple, the most easily accessible body part, and smiled.

“I’m so happy that you asked me.” You confessed, and you could feel him grin against your skin. “One problem.” He stood straight immediately, head coming up from your shoulder with a concerned frown on his face.

“What?”

“I don’t have a dress.” He relaxed visibly upon your joking statement, a hand tracing your cheek as he pressed a kiss to your lips.

“We’ll fix that, baby. Don’t you worry.”

⋰˚☆

That morning, you slept straight through your alarm. The minute that Xiaojun parted from your house with a sweet kiss and a wave goodbye, you had called Karina to gush over the sudden proposal, and upon hearing the news, your best friend had screamed and insisted she come over for a celebratory sleepover. You woke up with a missing best friend —who had gone home to get a fresh pair of clothes and pick up Hendery in the morning— and a mere ten minutes before class started, with barely enough time to get ready, much less walk to school. You forced your exhausted and very hungover brother to drive you to school, making it there just in time to catch your friends at the gate, with only a few minutes before the morning bell would ring.

“Hey!” Hendery yelled when he saw you, the group lingering outside the front gate on one of the stone ledges in front of the entrance. “Where’ve you been?”

“Overslept.” You panted, having ran the last two blocks after you felt unsafe with Kun at the wheel, which wasn’t a very normal occurrence considering he was quite the driver. Karina and Xiaojun gave you a knowing look, the latter grabbing your hand and pecking a kiss onto your cheek. Ten watched the action with an expression like someone had just slapped him on the face, Sicheng looked rather unbothered, and Hendery immediately leaned in to get all the information from his girlfriend, who jabbed him in the side with her elbow.

“Well that’s new.” Sicheng said matter-0f-factly.

“I didn’t tell you?” You tittered, fidgeting with your free hand, the other still clasped in Xiaojun’s. “We’re dating.”

“I fucking knew it!” Ten exclaimed, slinging an arm each around your shoulders. “So, when did this happen?” “We talked last night.” Xiaojun clarified, and you squeezed his hand with a smile. “I think we figured a lot of things out, and I told her how I felt. I also asked her to prom.” He pressed a chaste kiss to your temple that made your heart burst out of your chest.

“Oh, did you?” Hendery asked with a smile, raising his brows. “I’m surprised Liu Yangyang didn’t beat you to it.” In a second, the mood changed, Xiaojun’s expression immediately turning stony as you looked down at your feet. Karina nudged the boy in the side again, a bit harder this time, and he looked around in confusion. “What?” “You dumbass.” Karina mumbled exasperatedly, clapping a hand over his mouth. “You wanna go inside, guys? Class is gonna start soon.” The others nodded, and you silently thanked Karina for saving you a very awkward conversation, grasping Xiaojun’s hand and walking with the group to your next period.

“I have to go.” Xiaojun said, his fingers releasing from yours, hands separating slightly. “My first period is across campus.” It was odd, that when you were seeing him before, the last thing you wanted was to hold hands. But the thought of letting go, letting him leave, made you scared. It was day eight of Yangyang’s absence, the day his quarantine was over and he could return to school as normal, and you were absolutely not prepared to face him. You kept a hold on his hand, still looking at the floor, and he sighed, pressing his hand softly to your cheek. “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll see you later. Maybe we can go shopping for matching prom outfits?” You smiled at the proposal, and he grinned. He caressed your skin soothingly, and you wondered how he was always capable of making you feel better when you needed it. “I’ll see you at lunch, baby.” And with that, he was gone, walking away with a soft smile on his face and a wave, which you returned. You were alone again, absolutely not ready to walk into the first period where Yangyang would undoubtedly be sitting in the middle of class with a bright smile and a kiss ready to be planted on your cheek.

And for the first time in weeks, you’d have to pretend you didn’t want to kiss him.

Maybe you had done something right in your past life, because Yangyang wasn’t in class. You weren’t sure if it was a blessing or curse, but out of sight, out of mind. Maybe it was a blessing that he had gone missing from prom, and you could enjoy the highlight of your senior year without him weighing on your mind, or the fear of running into him among the bustling crowd. You decided to focus on getting outfits for prom instead, a thought that made your heart race and your cheeks warm at the mere suggestion. Just the mental image of you and Xiaojun walking into prom with a matching suit and dress made you drop your head to your desk, trying to hide the fond smile that stretched out your cheeks. And so the day flew by, your head consumed with conversations with a blond and shopping with your boyfriend, whichever came first.

“You seem spaced out, baby.” Xiaojun said, waving his hand in front of your eyes, watching you with concern. You snapped out of your trance, blinking hard.

“Ah, sorry.” You stammered as you tried to process what he had just asked you. He seemed to read your mind, repeating his question again for you to hear.

“What do you think?” He asked, stepping back a few paces and doing a playful twirl. He had picked out a pretty dress, holding it up and showing it off, excited for your response. “Do you like it?” It was almost floor length, a lovely shade of emerald with a golden leaf design wrapping across and layers of tulle stretching from the midsection and reaching to the floor. It was pretty, but something about it wasn’t exactly what you had in mind. You pondered his choice, before shaking your head, and he pouted.

“Something isn’t right.” You mused, and he walked back to the racks of dresses petulantly, shoving the dress back on the hanger and onto the organizer. Your eyes searched the rows upon rows of fluffy fabric for something that caught your eye, anything, until you found it. The dress.

It was sitting at the end of the racks, shoved into the corner and partially hidden behind a poofy black number. You reached for it, taking it off the hanger with a smile. It reached the floor, pleated sheer fabric laying on top of a silky crimson red, a corset-like bodice on top with and off the shoulder neckline decorated with pearls and two thin bows. The color was like deep plum wine, and the sight of it was purely breathtaking. It was exactly what you were looking for.

“This one.” You said immediately, holding it up to your frame with an endeared grin. “I like this dress.” Xiaojun’s eyes raised, looking you up and down before pressing a kiss to your cheek softly.

“If you like it, I like it.” He said with a smile, taking it out of your hands. “I didn’t know you liked red.” He cleared his throat and jabbed his thumb to the other side of the store, containing masculine formal wear. “I’ll go find a matching suit.” He expected you to follow, but you stood stock still, deep in your thoughts, and so he left without you. Xiaojun was right. You didn’t like red, you didn’t like it all, so you hadn’t a clue why you chose the dress with the color you liked least.

How annoying. You just had to pick a dress in Yangyang’s favorite color.

⋰˚☆

Prom was upon you. Your nerves were shot, you could feel your hands trembling and you felt unsteady in your heels, like they didn’t fit your feet quite right and you might tip over if you took a step. You thought this must be the closest feeling to the few moments before your wedding, and you hoped you would have a bit more composure when that moment eventually came.

You thought you looked pretty good, if you did say so yourself. Karina certainly did, dressed up in a satiny light pink dress with a low neckline that was likely to make Hendery’s eyes pop out of his head. If you knew him, and you did, he would drop to his knees. You only hoped your boyfriend had as good of a reaction to yourself.

“You look fine.” Karina insisted, tugging you away from the mirror by the arm. “Better than fine, in fact. You look gorgeous.” She smoothed down a stray strand of your hair and tucked it behind your ear with a smile. “The boys will be here soon. We should get going, hm?” You nodded, intertwining your hand with hers as you made your way down the stairs to see your brother sobbing, a camera in his right hand.

“God, my little sister is all grown up.” He cried, throwing himself onto you, and you pushed him off, brushing off your dress.

“Don’t! You’ll get tear stains on my makeup.” You said, nudging him in the side and eventually pulling him into a hug when you saw the saddened look on his face. “I’m not that old, Kun. Just wait until I get to college.” That made him cry harder. 

You and Karina left your wailing older brother behind when you heard the doorbell ring, the both of you looking at each other in excitement before dashing to the door, both of you tussling over the doorknob. You got a hand on it first, swinging the door open to reveal the two men standing behind it, stunning smiles on both of their faces and neat suits on their bodies. Karina flew to her boyfriend, and he watched her with wide eyes, taking in her appearance in shock.

“Holy shit, you look incredible.” He said with a gaping mouth, and she tapped his chin with her manicured nail, a fond smile on her face.

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” The couple giggled, beginning to chat, but you and Xiaojun had yet to say a word to each other, still staring at the other from a few feet away, your hand clutching the door knob for dear life.

“Xiaojun.” You said breathlessly.

“Y/n.” He answered in response, seeming just as stunned.

He was the prettiest picture you had ever seen. Dressed in a blazer with black lapels and a deep crimson body, he looked like someone had dragged an angel down from heaven, hair styled neatly, a few stray strands of blue hair dropping onto his forehead adorably. You wanted to brush them away, but after a moment of thought, you decided you liked them better like that. “You look… beautiful.” He seemed to be at a loss for words, and your cheeks heated up at the way he shamelessly checked you out. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“You look amazing.” You said in response, leaning forward to peck his cheeks, and you were certain his face darkened a few shades of pink. “Ready to go?”

“Always, m’lady.” He offered his arm, and you took it, curtseying playfully, ready to go to the car and have the best time of your high school life.

“Alright,” Kun said, and you rolled your eyes, preparing yourself for the embarrassing lecture he was likely to give next. “I’m not gonna say don’t drink, because there’s no way in hell I’m going to stop you, so just don’t black out. I don’t even want to think about you having sex, but use protection, and if they start some orgy shit, y/n you  better call me-”

“Kun.” You said through gritted teeth, and he raised his hands in protest.

“I’ve barely started!”

“Can you please just drive?” He sighed, snatching the car keys from the shelf by the door, gesturing for you to exit the front door, and the four of you rushed outside, running in your heels and dress shoes, huge grins on your faces as the spring wind from outside rushed through your hair and clothes. “Get in. I know you like it when I drive fast, so I will. Just for tonight.” He warned, and you slapped him on the back gratefully with a grin. The group jumped into Kun’s Range Rover, and he stomped on the gas, speeding down the street and off into the night sky, the street stretching down like it would drive into the horizon and up to the moon.

A door opened with a creak, black and newly polished shoes clicking across the street with every step as they approached your doorstep. One knock, then a second, then a third, with no answer. A click of the stranger’s tongue sounded across the empty street.

“Where the hell is she?”

⋰˚☆

Prom was everything you expected. Bass boosted music that shook your heart inside your ribs, crowds of dancing students dressed to the nines, and the mix of perfume and alcohol all through the room, the parent chaperones hardly caring about the not-so-subtle alcohol consumption happening amongst the students. You were so excited and terrified you could barely breathe, but the gentle hold of Xiaojun’s hand on yours kept you grounded, and you took a deep breath to steady your racing heart.

“You okay?” Your date asked, leaning in to reach a bit closer to your ear, and you smiled, pecking him on the cheek with an assuring nod.

“Just excited.” He rubbed thumb over the front of your hand. “I can’t believe high school is almost over already. I feel like it went by in a flash.”

“Me too. I really didn’t get enough time to spend at this school. But at least I got to spend my first and last year here with you.” He whispered in your ear, and you couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth at his complimentative words. 

“I’m glad I got to spend it with you too. It’s just the beginning.” You pecked him on the cheek, and you saw his face warm up, a slight pink tinting his skin. Maybe the idea of spending the rest of your time together, maturing together, didn’t sound so bad. Just then, a flurrying presence and his very tired companion made their way over to you, the former wearing a loud embroidered blazer with nothing underneath and a pair of shorts that reminded you of a British schoolboy. “God, those two.” You tutted, but your smile betrayed you.

“What the fuck is up?!” Ten yelled over the music, and Sicheng shook his head disapprovingly. “You guys look ugly as hell.”

“Thanks, Ten.” Karina deadpanned, straightening out the skirt of her dress. 

“What’s with the hair?” You laughed, and he reached up to tousle the newly dyed locks on the top of his head, now closer to a buzz cut than ever, the roots still a light shade of turquoise and the tips a sulfurous color of vivid yellow.

“You like it? I got Yuta to bleach it last night.” He said, clearly proud and puffing out his chest. “I think yellow is my color.”

“You look stupid.” Hendery said, whacking the back of his head and upturning up his messy style, which Ten glared at him for.

“That’s what I said.” Sicheng sighed, pushing the older boy out of the way. “But he wanted to bleach it. Yuta is a horrible influence, so he was happy to do it for him.”

“Yuta is more fun than any of you guys.” Ten bit back, but you all knew he didn’t mean it. It was hard to get affection out of him sometimes.

“I’m surprised you came, Sicheng. I thought you’d want to stay home.” Xiaojun commented, and the others seemed to agree silently with nods.

“He’s my date tonight.” Ten said proudly.

“Only tonight.” Sicheng cursed at Ten with his eyes, and the senior finally shut his mouth with a roll of his eyes, gripping Sicheng’s wrist and pulling him onto the bustling dance floor, a look on the latter’s face like he wanted to throw him out the window. You were on the fourth floor, for perspective.

“C’mon losers! Let’s dance!” Ten yelled to the group, and with reluctance but a fond smile, the four of you followed, losing yourself in the crowd and intense beat of the music, your hand still firmly intertwined with your boyfriend’s.

After half an hour or so of dancing, you were fully tired out. The banquet hall your school had rented out was three times the size of the gymnasium that usually held all the school dances, but it could barely contain the population of your school. Finding it difficult to breathe in the crowds of teens in flowy dresses and sharp tuxedos, you pulled yourself to the side by the drinks, hoping to get a quick breather before you were undoubtedly pulled back to partake in a slow dance with Xiaojun.

Your heart had hardly beat this fast in your life. The idea that all your time in high school was ending in one mere night was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, and the energy radiating from the hall was enough to take your breath away. You walked off to the side, where couples were sitting at table and chatting —or alternatively, eating each other’s faces where the chaperones couldn’t see— and took a few deep breaths to regain your composure. From the crowds of students came an angelic face, hand outstretched and with a very concerned expression.

“You okay, baby?” Xiaojun asked soothingly, reaching for your hand, his fingers running over your own. “You seem a little stressed. You wanna go home?” You shook your head adamantly, lifting his hand and pressing a chaste kiss on his knuckles.

“I’m fine, just a little headache.” You assured him. “Keep dancing. I’m going to get some water, I’ll be right back.” He watched you with worry in his sparkling eyes.

“Are you sure?” He asked in disquietude, and you nodded. He pulled you into a soft kiss, his arm circling around your waist gently, the other free hand running up the side of your face to cradle your cheek, his thumb rubbing against your jawline. If you felt a bit dizzy before, the kizz made your head spin, and in a nice way. “Promise you’ll let me know if you need anything? The minute you want to go home, we can.”

“I promise.” You said with a gentle peck on his cheek, and he couldn’t hold back a smile. It was almost as if Xiaojun made it his goal to make you wonder how you got so lucky, every single day. “Go back and dance.”

It took a few minutes of insistence before your overly concerned boyfriend would leave your side, retreating to the dance floor with his eyes over his shoulder, finally turning back to your friend group when he realized you weren’t looking at him. You, meanwhile, just wanted to get some water and maybe an Advil if you got lucky and found someone with meds on them.

“Y/n?” A voice called from behind you, and you froze up at the familiar sound. It was too early, it was too soon, and it was altogether the wrong night. You prayed you heard the person wrong, and it wasn’t exactly who you predicted, but when you turned, your fears were confirmed by the blond standing six feet behind you.

His hair was styled neatly, half brushed back and the other half lifted a bit more and draping onto his forehead, a red suit made of a shiny fabric adorning his body, along with a corsage of orchids in his hand.

He remembered your favorite flower.

But that wasn’t what stood out. Despite how ethereal he looked in the moonlight that peeked through the skylights of the hall, his face lit by a pool of silver light, all you could see were the growing tears in his eyes.

“Yangyang-” You started to begin, but he cut you off without saying a word, simply shaking his head as tears began to fall from his eyes, despite how much he wanted to hold them back. He didn’t want you to see him cry: he didn’t want you to see how much you meant to him and how much he didn’t want to lose you. Maybe the past few months had made him soft, but he didn’t want you to see him vulnerable anymore.

“Did you just forget about me or something?” He asked, and his voice cracked at the same time that your heart did, and you felt a pang of guilt and sadness go through your chest at the sight of his teary face. “I… I guess I was wrong to try and start over.” He tossed the corsage to the ground before you could muster the strength to respond, turning on his heel and storming out of the hall, pushing past the hoards of students in the way to get to the exit and barging through the main doors. It took you a moment to regain your composure, and your sense, and before you knew it, you had picked up the edges of your skirt and dashed outside, your friends watching with concern and confusion from the dance floor as you burst through the doors with your skirt flying around you like a thunderstorm.

You had to catch him before he got too far, and you didn’t know why.

“Yangyang!” You screamed after him. He was still in your sight, storming off but only a few paces ahead of you. He was walking fast, but not fast enough, and maybe something in him was hoping if he walked slow enough, you’d be able to catch up with him and throw some excuse at him, telling him how you needed him back and you were sorry. But you didn’t get the chance, your red shoes tripped you up, the blade-thin heels tilting to the side, one snapping off as you dropped to the ground, tripping over your own feet and slamming into the concrete, the gravel scratching up your knees and surely your dress as well.

You groaned, getting to your knees and pushing your face off the concrete, hairs flying out of your neat do and matting to your forehead. You held back your tears, concentrated on catching up to the boy currently attempting to escape you. Brushing off your clothes, you winced when the time came to sit up, but you were startled by a pair of arms hooking around your waist and pulling you to your feet. Yangyang stared at you for a moment after helping you up, before breaking eye contact and pushing you away roughly with a stream of curses.

“I can’t believe this.” He muttered angrily. “I want to help you. I want to be with you, and I don’t want you to be alone, even after what you did to me. Why? Why do you do this to me?” He yelled, grasping your shoulders in his hands and shaking you. “Can’t you just leave me the fuck alone?! Can’t you get out of my head and out of my life?!” Tears streamed freely down your face as he jolted you aggressively, a whimper coming from between your lips. “I won’t let you run back to me, you know? When he breaks your heart! And he will, because he doesn’t know you like I do! Why wasn’t I enough for you? Did you just think you could move on without me?!” He let out a huff, before letting you go and you stumbled a few steps backward, fearful he might try to get ahold of you if you said anything in response. He waited silently, not breaking eye contact this time, and you shied away from his gaze shamefully. “Do you have anything to say?”

“I was going to tell you…” You mumbled, wiping the tears from your eyes, and he let out a scoff, anger and disbelief mixed in his tone.

“I never should’ve gotten close to you.” He stormed away, and this time, you didn’t have the strength to chase after him

And that's how your love story with Yangyang was over before it started.

⋰˚☆

The worst part was that he was right all along.

Five months after prom, Xiaojun broke up with you. It was nothing personal, he simply needed to focus on his career and his college was almost on the other side of Gyeonggi-do. He didn’t want to be that far away from you, especially when you were the longest relationship he had ever been in. He decided in the end it would be best for him to break up with you before either of you could hurt each other. It was selfish, but sometimes you wished he had asked what was best for you before he decided.

It didn’t matter. He always bought the wrong brands of body wash, never remembered your coffee order, and got roses for your anniversary instead of orchids like you kept hinting. He tried his hardest, but he didn’t know you. Just like Yangyang said.

He still texts you every day without fail. He always told you he never wanted to drift away from you. Once a month, you tried to meet up for coffee and a quick chat, and you found that after a few months, he ended up remembering your coffee order after all.

It took you a long time to get over him. Xiaojun was your first love, your first real one anyway, and every time you thought about his face, you got a sick nostalgic feeling in your stomach, like listening to a song with good memories but missing the times you used to listen to it freely. He was a song you wouldn’t forget, but a part of you wanted to. It took Kun months to get you to go out with friends for the first time, and after two years, you still remembered his face every time you entered the ice cream parlor on the corner of your street, or when you spotted a red suit in the display window at a boutique, or when you started tutoring your college classmates.

A few years passed, and you finally began to see him as a friend instead of an ex lover. Karina told you that was a good thing, but a part of you missed the comfort of regret and sadness. But eventually, your heart no longer ached when a notification popped up on your screen with his name across the bubble, or when he greeted you with a smile and an iced americano in his hand ready to catch up on each other’s lives.

“The peaches are great this season.” The old woman at the weighing station assured you as she handed you back your bag of produce, weighed and ready to purchase. You nodded politely, bowing shallowly before tucking the fruits into your basket and moving on to the bakery section of the grocery store.

A wide selection of food greeted you upon your arrival. Flaky pastries, honeyed confections and mousse covered cakes with strawberries and chunks of chocolate. You grabbed a green tea bolo from the back of the rack, remembering how much Xiaojun liked them and hoping it would still be good by the time you saw him later in the week. Out of the corner of your eye, hidden in the back and concealed behind all the delectable treats was a stack of mooncakes, small and golden brown with a pattern stamped onto the top. A flood of memories entered your mind, and your hand reached for one, when someone’s arm slammed into you from the side, seemingly trying to reach across you.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” they apologized, but froze when they caught sight of your face. You were equally shocked, arm still frozen in place and outstretched over the racks of pastries, your limb started to tremble from the tension. “Y/n?”

“Yangyang?” You asked in wonder, finally resting your arm at one side and tucking your basket behind your back, suddenly a bit embarrassed of the simple outfit you had worn, not thinking you needed anything more than pajama pants and a cropped tee to run a quick errand. “Hendery told me you went back to Germany.”

“I did.” Yangyang said. He looked just as he did back in high school, his hair still the same bleached dusty blond, this time a few shades closer to platinum. His style still hadn’t changed. He was wearing the same old hoodie he had back in 12th grade, gray with fading text, a flannel on top and headphones dangling from around his neck. You could faintly hear the bass coming from them as he stared you down. “I decided I wanted to come back. Thought I might see some old friends.” The comment felt oddly aimed at you, and you nodded with your jaw set and tense. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“With your family?” You shook your head, reaching for a mooncake and dropping it into your basket. You had figured he would have left the conversation by now.

“I moved out. Thought college life might be better if I didn’t live with my parents. I’m roommates with Sicheng now.”

“Karina?”

“She’s in Seoul studying for her masters.” You said, looking down. 

“Uh, how are the others anyway?”

“Hendery’s studying mechanical engineering in Seoul. Ten went to a liberal arts school in Gangwon, and Sicheng goes to my college. We try to meet up every once in a while, but they’re pretty busy. Other than Sicheng, I don’t get to see them very often.”

“Oh.” He sounded rather disappointed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, not sure of what to say to soothe you, and if you needed soothing or not. “Well, let them know I send my regards when you see them again. It’s been a long time since I saw them last.” You nodded.

“I’ll tell them.”

 There was an elephant in the room that neither of you necessarily wanted to address, but you could tell the blond boy before you clearly wanted an answer. He cleared his throat, hand over his mouth to muffle the sound.

“Are you and Xiaojun-”

“We broke up.” You said quickly, and he nodded awkwardly. Oddly enough, he didn’t seem smug, or angry. He just seemed a bit uncomfortable, even a little bit relieved to hear you were no longer seeing your highschool sweetheart. Maybe because he was the other one.

“It’s alright. I’m not seeing anyone either. College is easier without relationships.” He said gracelessly, and you found he was still as bad at comforting as he was years ago, and the thought made you chuckle.

“I suppose so.” You said, and he turned away, dropping a few mooncakes into his pocket before tapping his foot against the tiled floor.

“Uhm, goodbye then.” He bowed his head slightly, before jetting off to the cashier, dropping his things onto the conveyor belt, eyes lingering on you to see if you would follow. With a sigh, you moved on to the condiment section of the store, plugging in a pair of headphones and tucking your free hand into your pocket. Who knows, maybe you’d see him another day, walking to campus, getting ice cream with friends, or grocery shopping like he was today, but you’d let fate decide that for you.

You were tired of chasing after him. Plus, you were out of soy sauce.

⋰˚☆

─ back to the archive.

[taem-min-archived]

μετενσάρκωση series

And if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I will smile at you with joy.

μετενσάρκωση, pronounced metensárkosi is reincarnation in the Greek language. In each life, we meet a different love, and suffer through different pain.

This series is based on reincarnation AU revolving around the SuperM members. All the eight stories are going to be a series, but they can be read as oneshots too. 

The series revolves around the same character, who is reincarnated eight times, each time in a different universe and with a different lover.

The eight story, is going to be a chosen member, based on voting, whom the readers feel like Y/N should end up with. Please don’t let this flop.

Stories will be updated according to my queueing schedule.

↬ The First Love

Pairing : Lucas x female reader

Genres : Fluff, Angst, Reincarnation AU

Summary : Wong Yukhei, a beautiful young man who worked beside you, but sadly as a make up artist. And yet, you saw potential in him. Deciding to take him under your wing, you train him for your path of career: acting. But will the fates let you both be together? Or will the string be cut short?​

Playlist : Never Gonna Dance Again Act 1 by TAEMIN

Warnings : TBA

WC : TBA

↬ Reborn

Pairing : Taeyong x female reader

Genres : Angst, Fluff, Reincarnation AU

Summary : ​Lee Taeyong, the man of your dreams was finally yours. Oh how much you had wanted to be in his arms, and yet when your lips brushed each others for the first time, you remembered your first love. Will Taeyong help you heal? Or will you be stuck in that phase of grief of not being able to find Lucas in Taeyong.

Playlist : Sayonara Hitori by TAEMIN

Warnings : TBA

WC : TBA

↬ Ma Chérie

Pairing : Kai x female reader

Genres :  Angst, Fluff, Reincarnation AU

Summary : ​ As the city of romance bustled with love, you decided to pursue a different kind of love: art. Art was the most expressive form of romance, and everyone always seemed to be enthralled by your emotional display of unrequited love. Until you fell for your professor, Mr. Kim. And as the horror cycle begins repeating itself, will you be able to find comfort in the things and people you treasure?

Playlist : Press It by TAEMIN

Warnings : TBA

WC : TBA

↬ Promise

Pairing : Ten x female reader

Genres :  Angst, Fluff, Reincarnation AU

Summary : ​Promises can be broken as easily as they can be made. You fall in love with the wrong man, knowing he is bad news for you. Yet, there is something about him that attracts him to you. Is it the fact that you’ve got used to heartbreaks? Or is it for the fact that for once, this romance looks like it will work out.

Playlist : MOVE-ing by TAEMIN

Warnings : TBA

WC : TBA

↬ Big Chance

Pairing : Mark x female reader

Genres :  Angst, Fluff, Reincarnation AU

Summary : ​Love gave you wings, or so everyone said. And meeting with Mark Lee was like a big chance to forget your old lovers. But sometimes, flying too close to the sun could burn down your wings too.

Playlist : Want by TAEMIN

Warnings : TBA

WC : TBA

↬ Diamonds and Pearls

Pairing : Baekhyun x female reader

Genres : Angst, Fluff, Reincarnation AU

Summary : ​Diamond studded necklaces, pearl laced gloves, this new elite life was making you giddy as you got married to mafia leader Byun Baekhyun. But as things start getting bloodier, you start remembering your past sins. Will you be able to wash them away? Or will Baekhyun make everything worse for you?

Playlist : Advice by TAEMIN

Warnings : TBA

WC : TBA

↬ Eros 

Pairing : Taemin x female reader

Genres :  Angst, Fluff, Reincarnation AU

Summary : ​All you wanted was a calm life, away from the horrors you’ve witnessed. And who should walk into your life but Lee Taemin. In your eyes, he was Eros. And for him, you were Psyche. But Aphrodite had made sure from the very beginning that you won’t be having it easy ever.

Playlist : TAEMIN by TAEMIN

Warnings : TBA

WC : TBA

8th story coming up.

If you want to be added to the taglist of any story, either comment or send an ask.

[wincore]

sweet tooth | dong sicheng

pairing: vampire!sicheng x reader

words: 2.8k

summary: out of all the inconveniences a vampire boyfriend could pose, there’s about two tonight: a) him losing it at the next person who compliments his fangs, or b) you losing it at sicheng’s 100% blood alcohol content

genre: vampire!au, boyfriend!au, college!au, (tooth-rotting) fluff, comfort, humour

warning(s): mentions of blood, alcohol consumption, college halloween parties

song rec(s): candy - baekhyun // wish you were sober - conan gray

a/n: let’s pretend it’s halloween pls <3 also im sorry it’s so short and more drabble-ish but i wanted to write something gentle and comforting so!!! yeah ^^ also there is no plot. eep.

It’s two in the morning.

Or rather, it feels like two in the morning. 

A frat party is a horrible substitute for an actual Halloween party. The alcohol content is through the roof and the number of pairs making out is enough to make you feel queasy. You never knew horror themes had the innate ability to make people so flagrantly horny—you’re half glad you’re not, god forbid, single. Most of your friends were too busy, however, to organize the close-knit party you usually have each year—so here you are, with an invitation from a friend of a friend (of a friend). Your boyfriend might be the only one feeling more out of place than you are.

You glance at Sicheng from the pool table, the cup frozen against his lips while his eyes scan the room from corner to corner. You don’t do crowds and neither does he; though he does have the unwitting ability to charm any crowd he’s in. You’re not quite sure if he’s still unaware of that.

You watch as a girl you can easily recognize from your campus approach him, all smiles and giggles. She says something and you scoff, almost completely certain about what it is she said.

Sicheng might be unaware of it—but you are, and painfully so.

She looks at him starry-eyed and the scent of rum wafting around her. A part of her jacket is off her shoulder, a faint blush covering her cheeks that you can spot even under the dim lights. She’s definitely flirting—you know that because rumours go around faster than assignments in this university. Choi Joohee has a very public, very open crush on your boyfriend.

It’s not like it bothers you. Not at all.

Just a little bit.

Jealousy has never been your thing and you’re half certain what you’re feeling isn’t even jealousy—just a taste of alcohol and the proximity of a Halloween house party.

Speaking of which, the only thing harrowing about this place is the amount of alcohol everyone seems to be consuming—including your boyfriend. Ten dragged Yukhei home a while ago and a part of you is still not confident enough to handle a boyfriend with very pointy fangs and midnight cravings for blood (or juice, as Ten disgustingly phrases it). 

Sicheng nods along to something Joohee asks, an eyebrow raised quizzically on her and you assume he’s been zoning out the whole time. The urge to laugh surfaces and you swallow it whole. He’s so cute, even in this state. The lights dance across his face; candy blue, rich purple, saccharine red. The colours don’t help him stand any straighter, or slur his words any less.

You think it’s time to help your boyfriend out. However, the moment you walk through the swarms over to them, Joohee’s face sours. Of course, as the only competition (is it a competition if you’ve already won?) to the object of her affections, you don’t rank too high in her books. It made you a little upset at first, but you got used to it. (“She’ll get over it,” Sicheng had reassured several times. “Don’t worry.”)

People grow, and with that thought, you let it be.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Joohee tells Sicheng and walks away, like he’s supposed to follow her.

You roll your eyes and turn to Sicheng, who’s had a very delayed response to Joohee’s departure. His head is tilted to the side, eyes half-lidded and you’re almost afraid he’s going to drop to the floor right there and then. This is bad. The thing about vampires is that they absolutely should not, under any circumstance, have alcohol. Calling your boyfriend a lightweight is beyond an understatement.

“Sicheng,” you call softly. 

He turns to you, taking a moment to process, before pulling his lips into a wide smile. His fangs poke out even when he presses his lips back together, a contemplatory look over him.

“I thought you left me here.” He forces a sardonic smile.

Drunk off his ass and Sicheng still manages to be annoyingly sarcastic.

You open your mouth and close it again. It’s not like you can chide him without letting your fondness show. The Adonis features that grace his face don’t help. Flushed all the way to the neck, a drunk Dong Sicheng is very rare. The last time this happened must have been at least two years ago (and though you weren’t there then, the way Ten and Kun freeze up at the slightest mention, you decided to not ask).

“Why did you drink?” you ask, huffing. “You can’t even smell alcohol.”

There’s a short pause.

“Because you were ignoring me,” he replies, leaning in.

Heat washes into your cheeks. You forgot how unrestrained he gets with alcohol in his system.

Sicheng seems to have enough consciousness left in him to feel somewhat embarrassed, standing up straight and fiddling with his thumbs. You slip your hand into his without delay and pull, trying your best to navigate through the crowd. Is an ordinary Halloween party too much to ask for? Just when you can finally spot the front door, Sicheng stops abruptly, making you stumble backwards into his chest. He smells like the old deodorant he’s been using for a year underneath the smell of beer and… is that blood?

“Where are we going?” he asks sharply.

“Home, Sicheng,” you whine. “You can stay in my bed.”

He stays rooted in place stubbornly, and you wonder what it is now. This is the time you have to wonder if you’re dating a (potentially) immortal creature or a recently birthed baby.

“We should enjoy more. You’ve hardly smiled the past few weeks,” he mutters.

Your heartbeat spikes for a moment, when he brushes the hair from your face. All this time and he hasn’t changed the words he offers to you in private, the care on his lips and fingertips. A room full of people who aren’t listening is the best place to talk.

The first time you saw Sicheng was in the middle of the night, in the dark hallway of your shared apartment building, blood staining his jaw from a bag he’d acquired from med student Wong Kunhang. (You’re very sure that’s illegal.)

Needless to say, you’d fainted immediately after. When you came to, you were met with a man with pretty eyes and fangs poking out his mouth and in a bed that wasn’t yours. There was no blood this time but you screamed anyway, cut off by the man’s hand over your mouth.

“Calm down,” he said, voice surprisingly deep. “It’s not like I’m going to kill you.”

“You were planning to kill me?” you asked, panicking.

“I just said I wouldn’t,” he replied quietly, eyes wide and almost as stressed as you are.

Sicheng heaves a sigh, massaging his forehead. You shake yourself off the memories, tugging at his shirt so you can sit somewhere at least. The alcohol must have numbed his ears too. The low R&B tunes make no sense on Halloween night; even less when they’re played a few bars above the acceptable volume. If you’re not out of here soon, you might lose your hearing altogether.

The couch is slightly less stinky than you would have expected. (You grimace as you think to the last time you were at a frat party and in particular, the vomit.) Beside you, Sicheng mumbles about something you’re not quite sure of, a quiet rant with one-track emotions. It makes you giggle and for a moment, you forget the predicament of being stuck with a drunk vampire boyfriend who has just finished teething.

“Hey, guys.”

You look up to see Jihoon, the very friend of a friend (of a friend) who had invited you to this mess. It’s not like you harbour ill feelings towards him; but the guy has approximately zero ability to read the room. It’s mostly funny.

Sicheng makes a vague gesture that you assume means ‘hello’, sitting up straight so he doesn't look noticeably tipsy. You make light conversation with Jihoon, Sicheng’s arm around your waist tightening reflexively. You don’t plan on party-hopping, no matter how much Jihoon urges the two of you—seriously, does he not see the look on Sicheng’s face? He looks more zombie than vampire.

“You know, you don’t actually have to wear costumes for this, right? We didn’t set a theme,” Jihoon remarks, tilting his head to face your boyfriend. “The fangs are really cool, though. Holy shit. Dude, they look so real.”

Sicheng’s lips twitch but he forces them into a smile, trying to move as far away from Jihoon as possible. The fangs are usually not out and about in the open, slightly retracted during the day. The night, however, keeps him on edge. Sicheng hates the spotlight that only ever shows up for the wrong reasons, and he’d much rather graduate without having to deal with horny vampire-lovers. (It’s not that sexy; and you know from experience.) 

The way Sicheng looks makes you wonder how many people have pointed out the fangs tonight. You purse your lips to keep yourself from laughing.

“Thanks,” he responds, voice his usual deep baritone. 

Jihoon leaves after being unable to draw any more conversation out of Sicheng, some peace gracing you despite everything.

If you ever write a book on how to deal with vampire boyfriends, the first rule would be to never kiss him at night. The fangs are not as withdrawn then and they hurt. (The second is, of course, to never let them get a whiff of alcohol.)

When Sicheng first kissed you, it was midnight and you were at the convenience store to buy a few lunchboxes and instant coffee mix. You’d yelped when his fang had pricked your lower lip, alarming the worker and around fifteen minutes of (dishonest) explanation later, the two of you had left without buying what you came for.

After fretting for a while, Sicheng had kissed you once more with careful consideration—till the damn fangs got in the way again. It was sweet for a moment—like candy—though, the metallic taste of blood had invaded it afterwards. No matter how awkward or painful it was, your elation outweighed the rest. 

Kisses weren’t the only thing interrupted by fangs.

The turtlenecks and scarves certainly raised an eyebrow in your circle of friends. There was concern at first, then teasing and then a whole lot of inside jokes which made you want to smack each and every one of them. (“They’re hickeys, I swear, not vampire bites,” you had informed Ten. “Ew. I did not need to know that.” “Shut up.”)

Even so, Sicheng is warm—always has been, and not on the skin.  

You feel pressure on your shoulder, his hair tickling your neck and you adjust yourself so it’s more comfortable. 

“Tired?” you ask.

“Not at all.”

You shake your head at his lie. Gently pushing his head away, you get up from your seat and pull him up with all of your strength. Linking your arm through his, you smile at him when he raises an eyebrow. It’s time to get home, you’ve decided and these are times when one vote is enough. 

When you reach the front door, stumbling out with your suddenly talkative boyfriend, the autumn breeze hits you. Under the moonlight, the rosy hue over his cheeks is clearer and even more so when he smiles.

“It’s like our first date,” he says. 

You smile back at him.

“You were so embarrassing,” he adds.

Your smile drops and you smack his arm, eliciting a soft complaint from him.

Your first date was the only normal thing in this relationship—a date at the amusement park on Halloween, a bunch of kids mistaking your now boyfriend for Count Dracula and caramel popcorn smeared over your fingers. 

Sicheng sighs, lowering his head to rest his forehead against your shoulder. The two of you stay like that for a moment or two, the party music finally fading and Sicheng’s warmth seeping into you. You fix the lapels of his jacket absentmindedly, fingers tracing over the material. His hands rest lightly against your back yet still secure. 

A kitten lick at your neck jolts you back to reality. You gently push him by the shoulders, finding his fangs bared already. He stays unmoving for a few seconds before closing his mouth and going back to leaning against you, breath falling in waves against your neck.

“I’m not your juicebox, Sicheng,” you snap, frown deepening.

“But you have so much blood,” he mumbles, his forehead hot against your shoulder.

“Sicheng.”

He sobers up a little, pulling back with a stream of pouting apologies. You bite your lip to keep yourself from smiling. Despite everything, your boyfriend is such a child sometimes. There’s a short pause.

“But wait, don’t go biting someone else’s neck,” you quickly add, flustered.

Sicheng suppresses a smile.  

“So I can have a little—”

“No.”

Sicheng pouts but agrees enough to follow you, the two of you moving soundlessly over the sidewalk. Being alone with him has always been easing; you don’t need a crowd for comfort. 

With fingers interlaced, you walk alone with him as the orange street lights cast shadows on the buildings lined up. A few more blocks and you’ll reach your apartment, get to push Sicheng into bed and pray he doesn’t throw up at your front door—and yet still, you walk as slow as you can as if the autumn wind will be gone as quick as it arrived.

The number of people shrink the further you get from the party, and you heave a sigh of relief, glad to be away from, what you and your friends call, the rich neighbourhood. The familiar path to your apartment, no matter the pricing, has much better air to breathe in. It’s past midnight and yet, you can see the city lights in the distance, the ones that never sleep—for the living or the dead.

Something runs into your legs and you jump onto Sicheng, who in turn flinches away with a strangled yelp. 

You look down to see a giant golden retriever in a white blanket which you assume is meant to be a ghost outfit. It wags its tail, sniffing around your boyfriend’s legs, making him giggle as he crouches down to pet the creature.

“I’m so sorry!” 

You look up to find a young girl holding a pumpkin almost as large as her head, an apologetic look over her head. Some part of you is happy to see a costume, considering you were robbed of yours. (Sometimes you dream of matching costumes but again, the damn fangs.)

“Piri loves people, I’m so sorry if he bothered—oh hey dude, cool fangs.”

Sicheng offers the fakest smile ever, accompanied with a thumbs up gesture. You sigh, apologizing to the girl before parting ways. 

“That’s the eighth time tonight,” Sicheng says, scowling almost. “I counted.”

You laugh, squeezing his hand. Calm, relaxed Dong Sicheng tends to lose it at repetitive comments with only three sips of beer.

When you reach the apartment building, clouds cover the moon and you draw your jacket closer to yourself. You think for a moment about the inevitability of time and whether you’re even allowed to fall in love this way. You push the thoughts aside almost inevitably. When the time comes, you will have a decision to make—and after everything, it is love which turns people. 

For now, you can enjoy this Halloween night with your (literally) one-of-a-kind boyfriend.

You fumble around with the keys, Sicheng looking at you with sleepy eyes as he leans against the wall. He must be worn out from the alcohol by now.

“Hey,” he calls, the words more muffled than usual. 

You raise an eyebrow, tugging him inside all the while maintaining your balance.

“You know my favourite blood type?” he continues.

You shake your head. “If you’re thinking of feeding, I’ll get some blood bags from Kunhang.”

Sicheng pouts. “You ruined the line.”

“Huh?”

“Yours. Yours is my favourite blood type.”

Despite the terrible execution of his so-called pick-up line, you find yourself shaking with laughter. You’re not sure if it’s the late night or the October air—the two of you share the silliest of laughter at the doorway to your apartment.

Within the moment itself, Sicheng leans in to kiss you and your hands move to run through his hair out of habit. The taste of beer and the prick of his fangs makes you pull away. You look at each other for a moment before you give in anyway and kiss him against the doorframe.

October ends with memories—your first date, Sicheng’s cooking disaster, and now this. It’s blissful for the few moments the two of you let it be. That is, until Sicheng opens his mouth.

“Oh, by the way, can you apologize to Ten for me? I think I bit him thinking it was you.”

“Sicheng, what the fuck?”

October ends with proximity, sweet as candy and warm as toast—stumbling into bed with all that and more.

[k-llama-llama]

Crazy About You

SuperM/WayV AU: 8th member

YinYin x SuperM/WayV/NCT

Yinnie and Jungkook’s first date.

A/N:ALSO FYI check out my patreon (patreon.com/kllamallama for exclusive posts!)

Requests are Open…and your feedback is still super important to me.

Masterlist and other Follow Me links in bio!

“Okay, how do I look?” YinYin spun away from the mirror.

Hendery gave her a thumbs up. “You look gorgeous.”

“Yeah?” She smoothed out her skirt, checking the time again. She still had five minutes before Jungkook would be here. “It’s not too much?”

“It’s perfect.” Kun reassured her. “Hendery’s right, you look amazing?”

YinYin smiled at her reflection. “I do, don’t I?”

After Jungkook had asked her out earlier in the day, she’d returned home and decided that instead of coming up with an excuse, she should come clean to the boys. She hadn’t told them who it was, but if it went anywhere, she would. They’d taken it remarkably well, and had helped her pick out her dress and do her hair for the date.

“Lucas, stop glaring at me.” She didn’t even have to look to know it was true.

The boy frowned and crossed his arms. “I just don’t like that we’re just hearing about this.”

“I told you as soon as he asked me out, what more do you want?” She scoffed at him. “But I look cute, right?”

He shrugged. “Cute enough.”

“Good. I think I should still-” Her phone buzzed.

She glanced down at it. “He’s here.” She quickly grabbed her jacket, purse and mask, pulling them on quickly.

“Yin.” WinWin cautioned. “Slow down. He’s not going to drive off.”

“Besides, you shouldn’t look to eager.” YangYang advised. “Play hard to get.”

“Right.” She took a deep breath. “Hard to get.” She reached for the door knob.

“And remember-” Ten told her. “You’re out of his league.”

She gave him a small smile. “Thanks.” She took another deep breath and smiled brightly. “Okay, that’s it then. Don’t wait up.”

“Don’t stay out too late!” Lucas countered, but she was already hurrying out of the apartment and down the stairs.

She pulled her jacket over her shoulders, slowing her pace as she stepped out onto the street. It was easy to spot Jungkook’s car, as it was easily the nicest car on the street. His door opened as she walked over, and he stepped out.

“You should stay in the car.” She hissed. “What if someone sees you?”

“Hat and mask.” He winked. “I have to get the door for you.”

YinYin wished she was wearing her own mask, because she was certain a blush stained her cheeks as Jungkook walked around the car and held open the passenger door for her. She slid onto the leather seat, adjusting her skirt around her legs. Jungkook sat back in the driver’s seat, pulling off his mask and hat. The windows were tinted, so they didn’t have anything to worry about.

“Hi.” He breathed, a dorky grin on his face.

“Hi yourself.” YinYin smiled. “Long time no see.”

“It felt like a long time.” He laughed, starting the car and pulling away from the curb. “You look....you look really pretty.”

YinYin glanced down at her outfit. She was wearing a simple maroon skater dress, with black heels and white socks. Her hair was down, curled slightly with some of it pulled away from her face and tied in the back. “Better than the sweat from this morning?”

“I liked that too.” He blinked. “I didn’t...I mean....”

“It’s fine.” YinYin laughed. “So...where are we going?”

“The movies.” He answered. “We’ll eat there, if that’s okay?”

“Of course it is.” YinYin nodded. “What movie will we-”

Her phone buzzed and she checked it quickly.

Yukhei: Who the hell are you dating that car was amazing??????

Yinnie: None of your business, now buzz off.

Jungkook glanced at her. “You told them?”

“Not who, just that I was dating.” She answered. “And you? You told them?”

“Well, the boys all know.” He swallowed. “They know who you are too.”

“And Sumi?” YinYin asked.

Jungkook’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I’m just....waiting for the right moment.”

YinYin glanced at his hands, at the tiny hanja character and flower near the pinky finger of his right hand, spelling out Sumi’s name, and decided not to argue. She didn’t know Sumi that well, and she wasn’t involved enough with Jungkook to butt in on their personal issues.

“What movie are we going to see?” She asked finally.

“Um...we can pick....there’s a Japanese horror movie and then there’s a rom com that I-”

“I like horror movies.” Yinnie grinned. “Is it the one with the key that they find in the cremation urn? I saw the trailer for that and it looked amazing.”

“Yeah, it is.” Jungkook smiled. “Good, I’m glad you’ll like it. And...we’re here.”

He pulled into a parking garage, and YinYin pulled on her mask, adjusting it to be sure her face was covered. As excited as she was for a movie, she wasn’t really looking forward to wearing her mask for the next few hours. If it was just her, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but there was no one in the city who wouldn’t recognize Jungkook’s face.

Jungkook pulled up in front of a booth, and someone opened YinYin’s door.

“Thanks.” She muttered, stepping out and past the valet. Turning to wait for Jungkook. He tossed the keys to the vallet, grabbing his own jacket and pulling his own mask and hat back on.

“Right this way, sir.” Another employee, who YinYin hadn’t seen, motioned towards a door.

Jungkook grabbed YinYin’s hand, pulling her along with him as they followed the employee through the door and up some stairs.

“They knew we were coming?” She whispered.

“I called ahead.” He answered. “I thought it would be easier.”

“Don’t we need to buy tickets?” YinYin asked. “And pick up some food?”

“Um...after we get in there.” He squeezed her hand.

YinYin was very thankful she was wearing a mask.

The employee led them out into what YinYin recognized  as the back corner of the movie theatre. He led them towards a theatre door, which had a red rope strung across it. It was unclipped and held out of the way for them.

“Isn’t there a movie in progress?” YinYin pointed towards the rope. “Should we-”

“It’s alright, ma’am.” The employee told her, before turning his attention to Jungkook. “I’ll let you two get settled.”

“Thanks.” Jungkook led her into the theatre.

“What is going on?” YinYin asked. “Aren’t there people who are -” She stopped in her tracks as they turned the corner and she took in the theatre.

It was one of the nice ones, which couches and cushy chairs instead of standard theatre chairs. And it was completely empty, except for one couch set up with a bucket of ice right in the middle.

“Is this okay?” Jungkook asked nervously. “I thought it would be a lot but Jimin said you’d like it if we didn’t have to wear masks but this is probably really weird and I-”

“It’s amazing.” YinYin grinned, yanking down her mask so he could see how happy she was. “How did you do this?”

“I just...called.” He blinked, pulling his own mask down. “You really like it?”

“I love it.” YinYin promised, dropping his hand so she could hurry up the stairs to their couch. It looked comfortable as heck and had footrests, and she leaned to inspect the bucket of ice, pulling out a bottle.

“Huh?” She examined it.”This is full of juice.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook came up behind her, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I didn’t know if you drank alcohol and you didn’t seem like a sugary drinks type of person, so I thought I’d get this.”

“Wow,” YinYin breathed. “BTS really is on a different level.”

Jungkook scoffed, dropping onto the couch. “You like it then?”

Yinnie shook a bottle of kiwi spinach juice. “This one’s my favourite.”

“Good.” He patted the seat next to him, and she sat down, shrugging off her coat and placing her purse on the floor. “And food is coming soon.”

“Amazing. I love food.” She grinned, kicking off her shoes and pulling her feet up onto the couch. “This is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Jungkook’s mouth dropped open. “How many dates have you been on?”

“That’s for me to know, and you to find out.” At his shocked expression, she laughed. “I’m kidding. This is the first. And you’re setting a very high bar.”

“I’ll just have to keep raising it then.” He smiled.

YinYin leaned her head against the couch, but so it was close to his shoulder. She thought she saw him shake a little bit. “Are you implying there are going to be more dates?”

“Don’t get cocky, it depends how this one goes.” He smirked.

YinYin pouted. “I don’t think I like it when you tease me back.”

“Yeah, well get used to it.” He laughed. “And for the record, I think the food is some sort of chicken thing. Probably fried. I know it isn’t the most healthy, but it was the best they had.”

“Even I don’t turn my nose up at fried chicken.” She looked around, taking in all of the abandoned couches, and then glanced up at the projection booth, which was dark. “We have this whole place to ourselves, huh?”

“Yeah. I hope it doesn’t make you uncomfortable because I’m not trying to-”

Yinnie leaned across the couch and pressed her lips to his. He leaned in instantly, his lips moving against hers. She lifted a hand to his hair, and felt his arms travel down her waist. When she finally pulled back, he looked out of breath.

“What....what was that about?” Jungkook said. 

Yinnie tilted her head, suddenly aware that his arm was around her shoulder. “Make you uncomfortable?”

“Not at all.” He rubbed her shoulder. “But seriously....you do that on all your dates?”

“I told you, first one.” YinYin smiled, leaning back into his arm. “And since you’ve done such a stellar job so far, I thought you deserved that.”

“The date isn’t even over yet, what’ll I get at the end.” His eyes widened. “I didn’t mean for that to sound so bad.”

“It’s fine.” YinYin laughed. “And I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

He looked to the ceiling, like he was hoping it would tell him what to say next.

“Guanyin....” He shook his head. “If this date goes well, do you think we could....”

“What, go on another date?”

“I was going to say be official.” He smiled. “Because I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m crazy about you.”

“You did make that pretty obvious.” She smiled back at him. “But that’s okay, because I’m crazy about you too.”

“Thank god, because that would’ve been really embarrassing.” He grinned at her. 

“Your food.” The employee appeared with a tray.

YinYin’s instinct was to jump away from Jungkook. They were recognizable, and if someone realized that he was dating who knew what would happen. He was one of the biggest-

Jungkook just squeezed her shoulder. “See, I told you food was coming.”

Yinnie shook her head and scoffed. “This is like a drama, or something.”

“The good kind, I hope.”

“Ma’am, would you like to see a dessert menu so we can have it ready for you?” The employee held out a menu card.

YinYin took it with two fingers. “Don’t mind if I do.”

“I thought you ate healthy.” Jungkook poked her in the side teasingly.

She stuck her tongue at him. “Best date ever, remember? I’m treating myself.”

[chittapornswife]

- works in progress ✎

 separated by ongoing fics (aka series), collabs and works in progress that have no set posting date! pls msg if you’d like to be on the tag-list! :)

- Ongoing

progress: ongoing! chp. 12!

update: TBA

masterlist!

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ★ ﾟ･:*:･｡,☆ ﾟ･:*:･｡

Collabs

A/N: part of the 90’s love collab by @ethereal-eirene ! also based off the song “fool for you” by snoh aalegra.

progress: 50% done / deadline: july 30, 2021

genre: college!au, 90’s!au, angst, fluff, suggestive, radio host!reader, radio host!taeil

pairing: Taeil x gn!reader

synopsis: you’ve been left in a dilemma after your best-friend and cohost of your campus college radio, johnny, is out for 8 weeks due to surgery. in a state of desperateness, you agree right away to his suggestion of sending one of his class-mates that he thinks could help you out for the next two months. however, what you’re not expecting is the calm, quiet and slightly reserved moon taeil to show up at your steps and to cause you even more worries.

A/N:��part of my neo summer love collab !!!!!

progress: not started / deadline: Aug 31, 2021

genre: fluff, N/A

pairing: yangyang x gn!reader

temporary synopsis: “under the tuscan sun” inspired. you help a stranger write postcards for his family and friends while on vacation. and on a whim, you hang out for the whole day, both of you unaware of the budding romance that begins.

A/N: part of the be your enemy collab by @treasurehobi !!

progress: 7k+ / deadline: november 30, 2021

genre: enemies-to-lovers!au, angst, slow burn, medieval!au, knight!au, royalty!au

pairing: lucas x fem!reader

temporary synopsis: you are the soon to be crowned queen of your country after your father’s suspicious death. hidden for so many years, not many know of your existence nor your role as the singular heir to the throne. mysteriously before his death, your father had appointed you to be under the care of his most trusted knight and the man you have loathed for as long as you can remember, wong yukhei.  

A/N: part of the soulmates collab by @ethereal-eirene !

progress: not started / deadline: TBA 

genre: fluff, angst, ???

pairing: ten lee x gn!reader

temporary synopsis: N/A

A/N: part of the Neo CreaTures collab by @raibebe !

progress: not started / deadline: october 31, 2021

genre: dark, horror, thriller, mythology!au, creature!au, halloween!au, angst,

pairing: osaki shotaro x reader

temporary synopsis: based of the indian folklores of nale ba/nishi dak. you move into a town for your new job and find out the scary story of the creature/spirit who roams the nights banging on doors, imitating loved one’s voices in order to kill and feed on people. with the help of your new friend shotaro, you aim to find the source and end the fear once and for all.

A/N: part of the time after time collab by @treasurehobi 

progress: not started / deadline: dec. 31, 2021

genre: fluff, 60s/70s!au, perhaps suggestive?, pending...

pairing: moon taeil x reader

temporary synopsis: N/A

A/N: part of the let’s fake it collab by @127-mile !

progress: not started / deadline: 2022

genre: fluff, strangers-to-lovers?, enemies-to-lovers?? pending....

pairing: na jaemin x gn!reader

temporary synopsis: N/A

A/N: part of the 23 ways to fall in love collab by @dreamyyang

progress: not started / deadline: 2022

genre: N/A 

pairing: qian kun x fem!reader

synopsis: N/A

A/N: part of the traepmora academy collab by @127-mile

progress: not started / deadline: feb. 2022

genre: N/A

pairing: ten lee x gn!reader

synopsis: N/A

A/N: part of the aether collab by @treasurehobi

progress: not started / deadline: may 2022

genre: N/A

pairing: moon taeil x gn!reader

synopsis: N/A

A/N: part of the second star collab by @hachanbaecon

progress: not started / deadline: sept. 2022

genre: N/A

pairing: moon taeil x gn!reader

synopsis: N/A

A/N: part of “the story of us” collab by @treasurehobi

progress: not started / deadline: dec. 2022

genre: fluff, willy wonka factory!au

pairing: jung sungchan x gn!reader

synopsis: N/A

Undecided

A/N: not part of a collab now but an honorary mention to the lovesick collab, missed but never forgotten <3 also, this work DOES NOT ROMANTICIZE STALKING OR OBSESSION. It is fictional and meant to shed light on the horrors of those topics and why it is unhealthy to feel this way about idols. If you have issues with these topics there is no need to read/interact. Warnings will be up.

progress: not started 

genre: dark, gore, horror, obsession, stalking, one-sided feelings, very very creepy

synopsis: He was beautiful. So pure and so breathtaking, down from the little hairs stuck to the nape of his neck to the slope of his nose. He was perfect. Keyword: was. For he had found himself a partner, a significant other that wasn’t you. But it was okay, you would let it slide this time. After all, he was just confused and lacking a sense of direction. The direction to you. You would show him that you were everything he needed and that the both of you were each other’s perfect partners. Ten Lee was yours and you were his and absolutely nothing could come between you two. Absolutely nothing. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ★ ﾟ･:*:･｡,☆ ﾟ･:*:･｡

In The Works

progress: not started

genre: (differs in the drabbles) pretty suggestive, fluff, heavy angst, disco!au, night-club!au, maybe 90’s!au?

tracklist: moment, big boss (interlude), dive, we might even be falling in love (interlude), jaguar, experience, ass like that, go there with you, touch me

synopsis: short drabbles based off victoria monet’s songs from her album “jaguar” !

progress: prolly 35% done

genre: fluff, slight smut, renaissance!au, slight angst, mythology!au

pairing: donghyuck x fem!reader

temporary synopsis: set in probably the late 1700’s early 1800’s. all of the women in town fawn over the attractive and well-spoken bachelor who has moved into the abandoned castle. suspiciously, every woman he takes into the castle is never seen again and rumours are that he disposes of them. as much as you try to stay away, you can’t help but be enamoured with his perfect appearance and manners. You find yourself attending his midwinter ball, in hopes of finally meeting your newfound obsession and discovering the truth behind the rumours. But you find much more than what you can take on.

progress: not started

genre: heavy angst, fluff, bffs-to-lovers!au,

pairing: yukhei x gn!reader

note: inspired by a scene in ep. 6 of the jdrama “uchi no musume wa, kareshi ga dekinai!!”

temporary synopsis: where u were bffs with yukhei during high school and you made a pact that whenever one calls, the other must pick up by at least the third ring. fast forward, you’ve drifted apart after going to different uni’s in diff countries and pursuing different careers. he’s never left your mind but you’re too nervous to reach out and call because what do you say?

during the summer you take a spontaneous short vacation to the country he’s currently in, hoping to cross paths knowing it‘ll never happen. to your amazement you randomly get a call from him late at night. the question is, will you pick up by the third ring?

progress: not started

genre: angst, fluff, crime!au, gang!au, badboy!au

pairing: johnny x gn!reader

note: inspired by this tiktok (and just the whole account lol)

temporary synopsis: at your lowest point, you get robbed by three guys dressed in very odd clothes: multi coloured tank tops, gray sweats and matching colourful ski masks. ultimately, you break down in front of them, pleading for them to just leave a gift you had gotten many years ago at a time you were happy.

they look at you like your crazy and you understand that they’re armed and that you’re outnumbered but really you have nothing else in the world left besides that gift to keep hope. the one in all pink seems to sympathize you as he attempts to offer you a deal for the gift, your life.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ★ ﾟ･:*:･｡,☆ ﾟ･:*:･｡

*(title name/untitled) = a temporary title or simply no idea for a title name at all and open to suggestions!

[wonderlustlucas]

one shot / series masterlist

「 lee taeyong 」

eggs: breakfast does not go to the stomach, it goes to the heart. → [ fluff , second person female reader , friends to lovers!au ]

「 wong yukhei 」

warmth: it’s like a breath of fresh air on the first day of spring, filling you to the brim with new life and you can’t get enough. → [ fluff , slight smut , second person female reader , dancer!au ]

「 lee donghyuck 」

saccharine: “this is the only special part so far.” → [ fluff , second person female reader , highschool!au ]

「 na jaemin 」

honey: mara dyer and noah shaw kind of love. → [ fluff , second person female reader , friends to lovers , highschool!au ]

「 lee minho 」

soonie, doongie, dori, & john: “why did you steal a fish? you don’t even take care of yourself let alone a fish.” → [ fluff , second person female reader , friends to lovers!au ]

「 hwang hyunjin 」

calefaction: “you make my heart go boom boom.” → [ fluff , smut , third person female reader , friends to lovers!au ]

four: they say good things come in fours. who? couldn’t tell you, but they especially do during christmas. maybe that’s just saint nick. → [ fluff , second person female reader , friends to lovers , christmas!au ]

jack pot: you know it’s bad when you’re high as a kite and he’s still on your mind. → [ fluff , smut , angst? , second person female reader , friends to lovers , college!au , stoner!au ] → parts: one | two | three | epilogue

「 byun baekhyun 」

i hemoglobin you: “yeah, but baekhyun doesn’t really talk romantics with me.” [ fluff , second person gender neutral reader , friends to lovers , college blood drive!au ]

「 park chanyeol 」

greatest gift: i cannot form an answer with my lips because i am so focused on yours. [ smut , fluff , second person female reader , friends to lovers , christmas party!au ]

satori: let’s make it forever. [ smut , fluff , second person female reader , established relationship!au , sequel to greatest gift ]

「 im jaebeom 」

mistletoe? oh no!: why do we kiss under a mistletoe when it’s a parasitic plant that steals nutrients from its host tree? → [ fluff , suggestive but no smut , second person female reader , friends to lovers , christmas/nye!au]

「 kim yugyeom 」

dancing through our house: feet don’t dance like they used to with you. → [ heavy angst , some fluff ]

joie de vivre: “what an odd individual. what an odd joy.” → [ fluff , second person female reader , beach!au , strangers to lovers!au , on hold ] → parts: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven

「 jeon jeongguk 」

what a game: “same team? automatically mutual feelings.” → [ fluff , second person female reader , basketball game!au ]

other

pandora’s box [ no pairing , horror!au , named first person oc ]

[therealmintedmango]

NCT MASTERLIST

Key: ☁️ = Fluff //  ☔ = Angst // ⚡ = Supernatural/ Fantasy //  💕 = Smut // 💀 = Potentially Scary Themes/ Horror Elements // E = Explicit // / 🐲 = Mythical Creature/ Hybrid // 🖤 = Zodiac Series 

Status/ Type: ✎ = Drabble //  🌀 = Ongoing // ✅ Complete // 1️⃣ = Oneshot // 💫 = Series // ©️ Commission // ®️ = Request

BOSS

➢ Mafia AU  // ☔️ 💕 💀 🌀 💫 E

IKEA AND PIZZA?

➢ Slice of life Johnny/Jaehyun x Reader ☁️ ☔️ ✎ ✅ 1️⃣®️

THE BUNNY PRINCE 

➢ Rabbit! Hybrid/ Prince! Doyoung x Human Reader  ☁️ ☔️ ⚡️ 💀 🖤 🐲  1️⃣ ✅

ENTER THE DRAGON

➢ Hybrid/ Mafia AU ☔️ ⚡️ 💀 🐲 🌀 💫 E

IKEA AND PIZZA?

➢ Slice of life Johnny/Jaehyun x Reader ☁️ ☔️ ✎ ✅ 1️⃣®️

RHAPSODY IN BLUE 

➢ Grim Reaper! Reader x Serial Killer! Winwin // ☔️ ⚡️ 💀 ✎ 1️⃣ ✅®️ 

HIDDEN

➢ Idol! Jungwoo x Reader // ☁️ ☔️ ✎ 1️⃣ ✅®️

BAD 

➢ Greaser (1950′s) AU// Greaser!Haechan x Reader// Classmate! Yukhei x Reader // ☁️ ☔️ 💀 1️⃣ ✅

BAD 

➢ Greaser (1950′s) AU// Greaser!Haechan x Reader// Classmate! Yukhei x Reader // ☁️ ☔️ 💀 1️⃣ ✅

SOLAR POWERED

➢ Sun Prince! Haechan x Moon Princess! Reader ☁️ ☔️✎ 1️⃣ ✅

MASTERLIST DIRECTORY 

[badwithten]

quatervois |  (n.) a crossroads; a critical decision or turning point in one’s life

lucas x reader part 10

gang au

this story will contain, major character death, depression (?), violence, drug use, swearing, angst and possibly suggestive scenes

a/n - sorry that this being the last part is so disappointing lmao, i really just didn't know what else to write baha. i hope the outro is a bit more fulfilling when it comes out ad the after that i’ll make a proper post giving updates about the series :) thank you for the support

masterlist | prev | outro

The warehouse looked different in the daylight, you thought it was this almighty thing, something that needed to be protected at all cost, that's the impression Taeyong gave off when he wouldn't allow you in any further than the fire escape. But now that you can see it clearly, it's disappointing. You were scared of it for the wrong reason. It looked like it was straight out a horror movie, somewhere a psycho would take his victims to dismember them. A mostly empty area at the bottom, a concrete floor with cracks breaking up and decorating the area, rusty chains and hooks hanging off of the high ceiling. The windows that wrapped around the top were dirty and broken, this place clearly wasn't important or else it would have been cared for. Maybe it really was Taeyongs killing ground, is that what he was doing when you ran into him for the first time? The air is dirty, you feel wrong for being there, the smell of death suddenly fills your nose and for a moment you forget how to breathe altogether.

But how could you? When Lucas was about to die. This was your last chance to do anything. Make a move. Save him. But your body was stiff. Your mind was fuzzy. And you felt numb. All you could do is pray that things would be ok. Deep down you know that they won't. That only happened in movies. Although this was set out like a movie scene, almost too perfect. The light shining through the glass up above, the light breeze coming through the exposed doors, with Taeyong and Lucas in the middle of it all. If this was a movie, it would be the closing scene, the beautifully cinematic one that stuck in the mind of those who watched it. But it wasn't, this was real life.

Kun is in the same position as you. He's watching his friend, no, his family, about to lose his life. He's frozen. But Kun is stronger than you. He's known Lucas for longer. He saved him, raised him, and made him into who he is. Maybe he was harsh on him, but he cared about him. He hoped Lucas knew that. Before it was too late. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Lucas died thinking Kun didn't care. Kun only had one option. To make a move. He willed his body to run forward.

“Yukhei!”

Yukhei? Yukhei! Lucas is Yukhei? You were even more stunned than before, at what Kun just said. You thought Yukhei had died, but if Lucas is still here what had he meant? All the pain Yukhei went through, all the struggles, the dying. It was all Lucas. You knew there was more to him. You knew he didn't just get involved with Wayv for no reason. He was broken. He is broken. He lost Yukhei but gained Lucas. Kun saved him from himself. And now Kun is saving him again.

Things suddenly fall into place as Kun runs towards Lucas and Taeyong screaming out his name. He only moves a few metres before Taeyong takes action. But a few metres wasn't enough, or maybe it was too much. Either way, a few metres was his difference between life and death. You're not sure what his plan is, but it worked. Maybe not in the way he intended. The gun moves towards Kun. Taeyong pulls the trigger. And in a few seconds, it's all over. The force that was keeping you in place leaves, as if everything got taken off of pause. 

A sound leaves your mouth, you're sure it's loud, you're certain it's a scream. But you can't hear it, you can't hear anything apart from ringing. Kun falls to the ground, hand attached to his side. You still feel frozen but this time it's different, it's as if you're watching yourself from an outside perspective. You're feeling yourself move, but you're not the one making it go. Some outside force is in control and you're simply here to watch. You're glad because you know you're not strong enough to do so on your own. Everything stops happening in a haze and suddenly you're crouching by Kun. Your knees burning from sliding on the ground. You press down onto where the bullet hit him. The atmosphere of the building got heavier once it stopped looking so pretty. The light no longer made everything seem like you are in a holy place, instead, it burned your eyes, the wind only disrupted the dirt on the floor, with Taeyong and Lucas no longer being the main attraction. At least the red added a splash of colour to your world that was currently falling to bits. 

“Oh my god,” It becomes so much real when you feel the warmth of his blood seeping out between your fingers. The smell of iron is thick and it makes you gag, but throwing up is the least of your worries right now. “Kun, I'm so sorry.”

Sobs escape your mouth as you try your best to stop the bleeding, to help him through the pain. Tears flowing down your face with a mixture of snot, you can no longer see him clearly anymore, despite the fact he's lying beneath you. His eyes are glossy and cold, there is no longer life left in them, his skin becomes paler by the second and soon enough you feel his arm flop away from where it sat by his wound. Leaving just your hand trying to stop the bleeding. But it wasn't enough. It would have never been enough. But you can't help but think... what if? What if you ran forward instead of him? What if it was you who was shot? What if it was Lucas?

It's Lucas’ scream that brings you out of your trance. Lucas is a fighter. He takes the chance when the attention is off of him to bring Taeyong to the ground. At first, it's just to get him down but once he notices what's happened it turns violent. Screams leave his throat as he throws punches down into his face, no mercy as he continuously pounds his fists. 

“Lucas, stop it!” You scream at him as you pull his body away from Taeyong. You fall onto your back with Lucas on top of you. It's a wrestle of power, with you trying to secure him into your arms. And he's winning, pulling himself away from you anyway he can, even if it meant hurting you. The force of his punch in your stomach is enough for you to drop him. He scrambles back towards Taeyong but Hendery is there to try to stop him. He has more of a fighting chance against Lucas and is able to stop him until the anger fades and it's just loss that he’s feeling. The boys must have heard the commotion as they burst through the door. Most of them are heading towards Kuns body. You can't bear to focus on that. The pain in your stomach rings through your ears. But you have to get up. You move towards Lucas and pull him into your arms. His tears soaking your shirt, as well as the blood of Taeyong and Kun mixing in your arms. Funny how they both end up in the same place. You try your best to comfort him, rubbing circles onto his back to get him to stop shaking. You're on the verge of breaking yourself. But right now you need to stay strong. Because it isn't Lucas anymore. Yukhei is back. 

“Y/N.” You look up to see Yangyang standing over you, his eyes empty, shirt covered in blood. “What happened?”

Soft steam from the rain meant you were sweaty and uncomfortable throughout the whole service, even more, uncomfortable than you would have been. When planning the funeral you tried to talk about the boys about what Kun wanted but it dawned on you no one really knew Kun. It's not that they didn't care, but he shut himself off. He wanted to serve and provide from them but not let the boys repay the favour. It came over you the dynamic they had and why Lucas was so scared of him. No one here knew who he was, what he wanted or what he was doing hanging out with a bunch of misfits. He died being alone, empty without a purpose. That realization hurt you more than his actual death. Maybe you shouldn't have gone over to him after he had been shot. It should have been one of the boys, not you. But it was too late now, because either way, he would have died in the arms of a stranger. 

The funeral was small, Kun knew a lot of people, and had a lot of people in his life. But out of those who were in his life through it all. There were only six. You felt out of place there, but the boys insisted that you were now a part of them. You weren't sure if that was a good thing or not. On one hand, it was a found family with a stronger bond than you could ever imagine. But on the other hand, they were a gang and you were a city girl who had no business being with them. You were mainly there to be a pillar of support. Your own mourning would have to wait, as right now, you needed to be there for Yukhei. 

Things wrapped up for Taeyong, getting arrested and treated for his wounds thanks to Lucas. His trial wouldn't be for a long time, and by then you would be gone. It was no longer your stress. And for the first time in a long time, you felt like you could breathe. His weight was off of your back, you could no longer feel the metal against your head, holding you hostage. Maybe that's what scared you so much. His pressure was gone so why were you still here? Well for Yukhei. He was still distraught about the whole thing weeks later, for him it wasn't right to return as if everything was normal. Although he understood why the others could. Kuns death wasn't on their shoulders. It was on him. If he had just listened to you none of this would have happened. The guilt ate him alive each day he had to stay around everyone, seeing the pain of losing Kun in their eyes and thick on their tongues. He thought he was going insane with all that was happening in his mind. The sleepless nights and his empty stomach all distractions from the pain in his heart. He just wanted the aching feeling that was eating him up from the inside out to go away. But it wouldn't. No matter how much he cried or smoked or ran or fought. Nothing would work. Nothing was enough of a distraction to get rid of this horrible feeling. He was left to rot away in bed with you begging at his side. 

Despite all of this, all of his pain. NCT was still around. And now that Kun is gone. it means the stress on Wayv would be even higher. Yet they would still continue on as six, with Ten as leader. Out of all of them, he was the one. Everyone knew he was the right one. Apart from Yukhei who was still in his state.

“How can they continue as normal?” You and he sat outside the house, he had only gotten out of bed for a smoke but you were just glad to see him up. The fresh air would do him good. As the moon reflected onto his skin you were able to see the effects this was taking on him. His cheeks sunken, pale skin, eyes heavy with despair, and worst of all. His smile was gone. The one that was contagious, the one that would light up whatever room he was in and bring you joy, the one you never saw fade. It was no longer there. That was the last straw, you knew you had to get him out of here

“I don't know” You sigh and move into his side. He lifts his arm and brings you in close, scared he might lose you as well. “But you don't have to, you know? Go back to being normal I mean”

“What?” You sigh, you're not sure if it was the fog in his head or he truly just didn't hear you but you had no other choice. He needed saving.

“Come back home with me, Yukhei.” 

[kjmsupremacist]

thorns just for spite (johnny/taeyong)

Taeyong had watched others around him come down with hanahaki disease his whole life; some came out of it just fine, and others didn’t come out of it at all. He never thought it would touch his life quite so closely, though. But then, his childhood best friend Johnny comes back from a year abroad, and everything changes.

Chapter 17 - tsuga chinensis   |   Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5   Chapter 6   Chapter 7   Chapter 8   Chapter 9   Chapter 10   Chapter 11   Chapter 12   Chapter 13   Chapter 14   Chapter 15   Chapter 16   Chapter 18   Masterlist

Characters: Taeyong, Johnny; the rest nct

Genre: angst, hurt/comfort; flower shop au, bakery au, hanahaki disease au, pining, slow burn

Warnings: death mention, cursing, vomit mention

Rating: Teen & Up

Length: 2.7k

Taeyong spins his wedding band around on his finger, absent, as he waits for the water to boil. Gyunghui is coming to visit later today, so his parents are minding the shop. Taeyong would’ve slept in, but his brain woke him early, as it seems to like to do these days, so here he is, making coffee at 6:18am in the weak morning light.

Johnny is still asleep in their bed upstairs; they moved in together shortly before Johnny proposed last winter, just about a year ago. They had their wedding in the late spring, early summer, right around three years after Johnny had first come home from that year he spent abroad.

Some of their friends had moved away—Sicheng had eventually taken off overseas to pursue acting; he still writes frequently, and promises once he has the time and the money, he’ll visit whenever his schedule allows. Kunhang, Yukhei and Mark all graduated this past spring, just a few short days before the wedding. Yuta and Mark had moved in together, and Taeyong is honestly surprised they haven’t gotten engaged yet. Jeno and Jaemin are still dating, and Donghyuck had found a boyfriend at his college. Jaehyun is dating a girl from the next town over—tall, athletic, and pretty. They are all settling into adulthood, and things are peaceful.

There hasn’t been a hanahaki case in their circle of friends since Taeyong and Johnny. There’s been a few within their little town, but no one they knew well. In any case, there haven’t been any deaths. Still, once the horror had faded, and once Taeyong had settled into his new life, he couldn’t shake the thought of a cure. It’s been busy, with buying a house, and the wedding, and everything, but now, he actually wants to try.

So, Gyunghui is coming over for a visit, and Taeyong’s brain is constantly tripping over itself thinking of possibilities, waking him up at odd hours with ideas or just nervous energy.

Well, ideas, nervous energy, and nightmares. Taeyong doesn’t really know what’s triggered it—maybe he’s just been thinking too much—but he keeps dreaming that somehow, he has it again. Or he dreams that the past three years have been a dream, and he’s back in his stifling loft bedroom, Eunyong tearfully pressing a fresh towel to his forehead. 

He hasn’t shared this with Johnny, though he knows he probably should. He just doesn’t want the same thing to start happening to him—one breakdown is fine; two under the same roof is a bit extreme. Johnny knows that he’s hell-bent on finding a cure, and whenever he asks, Taeyong says that he just doesn’t want anyone else to deal with what they had to deal with, and throws in something about how if they have kids one day, he doesn’t want to worry that it’ll be a problem for them.

Taeyong sips at his coffee, swirling the foam around in his mouth as he contemplates breakfast. Normally, Johnny’s in charge of cooking, but Taeyong’s already up, so he pulls out some bacon and eggs and sets to work on the stove.

Johnny comes down the stairs around seven; his parents are opening today, so he could afford to sleep in a little bit. He makes a happy noise when he sees the food Taeyong’s set aside for him.

“Why are you up so early?” Johnny asks, settling next to Taeyong at their little breakfast bar. “This looks really good, by the way.”

“Thanks. And, um, I don’t know, I just couldn’t go back to sleep,” Taeyong says, shrugging.

“I was gonna say, I thought Gyunghui wasn’t going to be here until, like, lunch.” Johnny accepts the mug of coffee that Taeyong slides over to him. “I wish I could stick around to say hi.”

Taeyong smiles. “I’ll send her your regards,” he says, doing a little dramatic hand movement, making Johnny laugh. “She’ll probably be gone before you’re home.”

“Mm, probably.”

“Anything in particular you want for dinner?” Taeyong asks, taking Johnny’s now-clear plate and running it under some water in the sink.

“Something with pasta? Cream-base sauce, if you would.” Johnny stands and crosses the kitchen to Taeyong to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Gotta run, I’m sure my parents are swamped.”

“Have a good day,” Taeyong says, watching fondly as he digs around the cabinet by the door for his wallet and his keys. “Tell your parents hey.”

Johnny salutes wordlessly, his keys jingling in his hand as he slips on his shoes and steps out the door.

Taeyong cleans up the house a little, starting a load of laundry and then heading to the market to pick up some meat. Jaehyun has opened a stall today; he’s hired a couple of local kids as farm hands so he can afford to come into town more often. Taeyong stops by even though he doesn’t need anything from him.

“Morning,” Jaehyun greets him with his characteristic dimpled smile. “How are you?”

“A bit tired, but I’m okay,” Taeyong replies. “How’s the farm?”

“Shotaro and Sungchan are managing it well,” he says, grinning. “I’m glad they’re still able to come back from school on the weekends to help out.”

“Why don’t more of our kids do that?” Taeyong asks.

“Good question.” Jaehyun rolls his eyes. “Something about the full college experience? So, bullshit.”

Taeyong laughs, and they chat a little more before he heads on his way. He picks up some steak and herbs and heads home to get it marinating before Gyunghui arrives.

He’s just finished cooking some lunch—just some soup and bread with warm apple cider—when the doorbell rings.

“Taeyong,” she says warmly when he opens the door. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You, too,” he says, inviting her in and letting her engulf him in a hug when the door is shut. “I made some lunch, if you’re interested.”

“You’re too sweet,” she says. “Please, that sounds lovely.”

Taeyong sets the table and they sit down to eat, catching up a little. Gyunghui says her small yield of pumpkins and other crops were successful this year, and Taeyong tells her about business at the shop and the bakery.

There’s a lull in the conversation, and then Gyunghui gives him a sort of knowing look, and says, “You haven’t been sleeping well, have you?”

“No, not really,” Taeyong admits with a laugh. “I just keep dreaming that I have it again. I don’t know why—why now, after all this time. But it won’t leave me alone, so…”

Gyunghui nods. “You want to try to find a cure.”

“Or, if not a cure, at least something to help?” Taeyong sighs. “I don’t know if it’s possible to unroot the flowers completely without all the adverse side effects. But… I don’t know. But would it be possible to wilt them, sort of—keep them weak, so that they can’t kill the host? It would at least buy them some time to think about it, or get over it. Hanahaki is a fast killer; if victims had more time, maybe they could get over the love. No one’s lived long enough for us to find out.”

“I think my grandmother had the same hypothesis.” Gyunghui pulls a notebook out from her bag. “It didn’t work with you, because no matter how we tried to cut your ties, the longing you felt wouldn’t go away. This sort of ritual would be more helpful for someone who was in earlier stages of the disease, I think, but you came to me rather late.”

“You think it’s possible, though?”

Gyunghui nods. “I’d given up trying to figure it out, but I think with you… maybe we could do something.” She points to a page in the notebook; there’s water damage over a large portion of it. “She had an ingredient list here for some kind of elixir or potion—I think it’s to weaken the flowers. It doesn’t mean they won’t come back; in fact, from what I can gather, it’s designed to ensure they do come back. That way, the treatment remains effective, because the flowers never feel threatened enough to adapt against it, but it also never allows the flowers to grow to full strength and kill the host. And yes, you’re right—the thought is, over time, the love the victim has will fade on its own, and treatment will no longer be necessary.”

“Did she have any successful cases documented?” Taeyong asks, leaning over to scan the pages.

“A couple, from what I can tell,” Gyunghui says. “Some just ended up choosing the surgery; others found out their love loved them back. There was only ever one death, but that was early on. I just wish…” She runs the pad of her thumb over the splotch. “My grandma died in a flood. I’m lucky this notebook survived at all. A lot of her work was lost then. It’s such a shame; if only the flood came later, she would’ve had the chance to share her remedy with others, and then maybe we wouldn’t be sitting here.”

“I’m sure she’d be proud to know you’re continuing her work,” Taeyong says, and Gyunghui smiles faintly, nodding. “Let’s just do our best. I think we can start with listing herbs that might be useful? The first one that comes to mind for me is lavender.”

Gyunghui pulls out her own grimoire, and starts making a list on a fresh page. “Yes, lavender would be good,” she says, “for its cleansing properties. I was thinking goldenrod as well. And dandelion leaf.”

“What about parsley?” Taeyong suggests. Gyunghui makes a noise of recognition, and writes it down as well. “Looks like we might be here awhile. Can I interest you in some tea?”

“That would be wonderful,” Gyunghui accepts with a smile, and Taeyong goes to heat the water.

= = =

Gyunghui stays later than they originally intended, and it’s already getting dark when she finally insists she has to head home.

“You’ll be okay getting back by yourself?” Taeyong asks.

“I’m the most powerful witch in this town,” she says with a little grin. “I’ll be just fine.”

Taeyong sighs, trying to brush thoughts of hanahaki from his mind and lose himself in his cooking. He doesn’t really succeed, but at least dinner is made—a salad, and steak and fettuccine alfredo, which sounds odd but Taeyong has found is actually really nice—and Johnny’s unlocking the front door.

Taeyong finishes plating their dinner, and turns to see Johnny, multiple loaves of bread in hand, kicking off his shoes.

“Hi, baby,” he says when he realizes Taeyong’s eyes are on him.

“Hi,” Taeyong says, a little breathlessly. He didn’t realize how long a day it was until right now, but now all he wants to do is curl into his husband’s (husband! He has one of those! What the fuck!) side until he falls asleep.

Johnny sets the bread down on the counter and engulfs Taeyong in a warm hug. “How was your visit with Gyunghui?”

“Good,” Taeyong says. “Productive. How was the bakery?”

“Busy,” Johnny replies proudly. “Did you make all this?” He notices the spread on the table. “You aren’t even the one with culinary school training.”

“Guess I learned from the best.” Taeyong tugs him to the table. “C’mon, sit.”

They laugh and chat through dinner; Johnny tells him about the tourists who absolutely lost their minds over his “flour bouquets” and bought, like, seven; Taeyong says he and Gyunghui might actually be getting somewhere with this cure. When they’re done eating, they do the dishes side by side. Johnny asks if Taeyong wants to watch something, but Taeyong shakes his head. 

“I’m kind of tired,” he says softly. “And I just—I just want to lie with you for a while, if that’s okay.”

“Sure,” Johnny says softly. “How about we run a bath?”

They use a pretty pink bath bomb, the big, hollow kind that has dried roses inside. Taeyong’s glad even suffering from hanahaki the way they did can’t turn them away from the beauty of flowers, and he swishes a loose petal back and forth between his palms while Johnny lights some candles. They just sort of lean against each other, talking softly. If this was another day, Taeyong has the feeling the night would lead elsewhere, but they both seem a bit tired tonight, so Taeyong is happy when the bath ends with a chaste kiss as Johnny hands him his towel. They cuddle up under the blankets together, lights off and shades drawn. Johnny presses soft kisses to the top of Taeyong’s head, hands running up and down his back, and Taeyong finds himself lulled to sleep.

When he dreams, though, it’s like it’s been these last few nights. Taeyong finds himself coughing up flowers again, and when he presents the marigolds to Johnny in confusion, Johnny just looks away and mutters an apology. Taeyong is alone once again, with only his parents to care for him. The fevers are back, and with it, terrible visions, and Taeyong wakes up gasping, near tears.

The dreams are getting worse and worse. He slips from the bed and pads into the bathroom, chest still heaving, cold sweat on his back. He splashes a little water on his face, tries to steady his breathing, but nothing works. He watches his eyes in the mirror—wide, terrified, and so sad. And then Johnny is there beside him, sleepy and worried, and Taeyong gives in to sobs, pressing his face into Johnny’s chest.

Johnny guides him down the stairs and into the kitchen, wrapping a robe around him as they go. He lights a fire under the kettle and then sits down beside him, taking his hands in his. “Taeyong, baby,” he says softly. “What’s wrong?”

It takes another couple moments for Taeyong to calm down enough to respond. “I’ve been having nightmares lately,” he whispers finally. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay,” Johnny says. “It’s not your fault. I figured, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been getting up at odd hours for the past couple weeks,” Johnny says.

“Oh, god, I’m sorry,” Taeyong repeats. “I didn’t mean to wake you, I always try to be quiet.”

“I know,” Johnny soothes, running his fingers over Taeyong’s knuckles. “I just always feel it when you leave.” He leans in and kisses Taeyong’s forehead. “Will you tell me about your dreams?”

Taeyong sighs shakily. “I dream… I dream that I have hanahaki again. That you don’t love me anymore. That I—that I die, alone.”

“Oh, baby.” Johnny folds Taeyong into his chest, rubbing his back. “I promise that’s not going to happen. I love you so much.”

“I know,” Taeyong says miserably. “I love you too. I know. It’s just—I don’t know. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Johnny releases him; the kettle is boiling. “Is this why you’ve been so interested in a cure?”

Taeyong nods. “Partially. Just—just in case. Regardless, I think if I do it, I’ll be able to sleep at night.”

Johnny chuckles softly, placing a steaming mug of chamomile tea in front of Taeyong. “Drink it,” he says softly, taking his seat again. “If that’s what you need, then I’ll support it. But Taeyong, I’m not going to let that happen to you. I meant what I said. I’ve loved you my whole life, more or less. It would be silly to stop now.”

Taeyong takes a sip of the tea. It does its job; he feels warmed, and calmed. “I know,” he says again. “I just—I need to, I think.”

“That’s okay.” Johnny finds his eyes; his gaze is kind and loving. “You’ll be able to. But right now, why don’t you finish your tea so we can get a little more sleep? Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Taeyong says. He sets his mug down and leans in to kiss Johnny; slow and sweet and soft. “Thank you,” he says quietly.

“For what?” Johnny sounds amused.

“For—all this,” Taeyong mutters, not really sure what he’s trying to say. “Putting up with me.”

“It’s not putting up with you, dumbass,” Johnny says. “Loving you is not a chore.”

Taeyong’s heart is full; he has no idea how to respond to that. But Johnny just squeezes his hand and gives him a smile, and it’s all he needs. He drains the rest of the tea from the mug and stands. “Let’s go back to bed,” he says, and Johnny follows him back upstairs.

[kpop---scenarios]

The Right One

Genre: Frat/College AU! Bestfriends brother! Enemies to lovers!

Warning: Smut, Cheating, Violence, Drinking 

Pairing: Wong Yukhei x Reader

Word Count:  7.6k Moodboard by the lovely: @lovely-kpopp-blog

You had only ever met one man truly worth loving. Who would have ever thought it would be your best friends brother?

Starting high school is hard for anyone, but it’s even harder when you know absolutely no one there, due to being new. Majority of these kids grew up together, they’ve been friends for year and here you are, coming in, trying to be friends with people. The first few months were horrible. You sat alone at lunch time, when the teacher would announce a project that you had to pair up with someone for, you were left to do everything by yourself. You were always left to defend yourself from the typical high school means girls too. They spread rumors about you, locked you in the bathroom stalls, pushed you around during breaks from class.

Finally, the day you felt like you couldn’t take it any longer, they had smacked the books from your hands before kicking them down the hall and pushing you to the ground. The girls stood there, laughing and pointing at you as you fought to keep your tears at bay. You were angry, no not angry, you were furious. Just as you were about to stand up, and stand up for yourself you heard a loud voice from down the hall.

“Hey!” the voice yelled. “I’m so sick of you stupid cunts always picking on people. She hasn’t done anything to you, so back the fuck off" the girl snarls, offering you a hand to help you up.

The girls who had been bullying you, walked away looking rather offended. You were thankful she stood up for you, but now you felt like thing were going to be much worse for you. It was almost like she had read your mind.

“Don’t worry about them. I’ve got your back, and I’m going to teach you how to throw a mean left hook for next time" she laughs, dragging you down the hall to pick up your books.

“I’m Mina" she says, handing you your books.

“Y/N" you reply with a smile.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends, y/n. But you gotta toughen up" she says, nudging your shoulder as the two of you walked down the hall.

And she wasn’t wrong.

From that moment, the two of you had become inseparable. She also hadn’t been wrong about the group of girls coming back for revenge on you, and she had kept her word about having your back. The girls had tried to corner you in the lunch room as few weeks after the last incident. You smiled and laughed at the names they called you, not letting it bother you anymore. That just seemed to have pissed them off even more. When you shrugged your shoulders at the last insult, the main girl pushed you back into the wall. You had never wanted to truly fight someone, but Mina had been right. You needed to toughen up and now defend yourself.

Raising your fist, you swung before she had even realized what happened. You connected dead on with her jaw, sending her to the ground. She looked up at you with tears welling in her eyes as she ordered the two other girls to hit you. And that’s when Mina had come into the room. Even with all the kids in the lunchroom, surrounding the four of you, she managed to get through everyone and take one of the girls from you. Before the two if you had a chance to really do any damage to them, they both ran off with tears in their eyes. Their leader was still on the floor, holding their jaw. Squatting down, you look her in the eyes.

“Bully me again, and it’ll be worse next time. Understand?” you asked.

She scoffed before scrambling to get up and scurrying away. You and Mina quickly left the scene as well before any teachers came into the room and you got in trouble. Mina made the rest of the school year, and the years after that more than bearable. You didn’t know what you would do without her. The first time you had ever been to Mina’s house, you were quite shocked to know she had an older brother.

She had told you practically everything else about her life, but she failed to mention him. When you had asked her about him, she told you her friends usually became a disgusting boy-crazed mess when they were in his presence, so she tried to avoid having friends meet him or see him if she could. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have to worry about that with you.

You honestly found Yukhei Wong to be the most insufferable human on the planet. His lack of care for anyone besides himself made you want to vomit, really. He was moody, only wanted to party, drink and do whatever he did with girls who just fell into his lap. You honestly were surprised at the amount of girls who just stopped by Mina’s house asking for ‘Lucas’. She had explained to you that Lucas was her preferred name. You made a point to call him Yukhei whenever you had no choice but to interact with him. Although, you would have to admit that the glares he gave you when you used his real name rather than his preferred gave you a small amount of pleasure.

**

As the years went on, your distaste for Yukhei grew the more you saw him around school, the more you saw him around Mina’s, and he clearly felt the same. You were always catching him staring at you, leaving a room if you entered it, but basically just ignoring your general presence. It was fine with you, you weren’t there for him.

One night, you had decided to spend the night at Mina’s, since her parents had practically unofficially adopted you, and the two of you were watching a few horror movies in the living room. You could hear her parents harshly whispering in the kitchen, or trying to whisper about how Yukhei had been behaving lately. Things had turned for the worst with him. He wasn’t really drinking or partying any longer, but his attitude towards his parents horrible, he didn’t listen, his respect for anyone was nonexistent. Your eyes, along with Mina’s had widened at hearing the words “boarding school" come out of her father’s mouth.

The two of you had heard them discuss it before, off and on but this time it sounded as if they had been serious. You didn’t know if they would actually go through with it, so you went to sleep that night thinking nothing would happen. You were woken up in the morning by a few loud crashes, yelling and some crying.

“Mom! You can’t do this. You can’t just ship me off! I’m your son!” Yukhei yelled, as he tries to fight his father off of him. His dad was dragging him to the car as his mom just stood there crying, mumbling that she was sorry and it needed to be done.

You would always remember the look on Yukhei’s face as their dad drove away to the train station. The look of utter betrayal would forever be etched in your mind. That was last time you had seen Yukhei Wong. Mina never really spoke to you about him, and frankly you didn’t care enough to ask her. After the two of you had graduated, she had been accepted into a prestigious school in America, while you had been accepted into the University of Seoul. You two still spoke everyday, face timed often and she was back in Seoul to see her family and you as much as she could be. She had always been the one to tell you whether or not a guy was going to be right for you or not. Usually when she met them in person she was able to tell if you two were going to click or not and you always trusted her opinion on someone. You had never been good a figuring out if someone was good for you or not.

But now that she was thousands of miles away, you were left by yourself. Which is how you ended up in some less than ideal situations. In your first year of University, you had the misfortune of catching well known bad boy, Im Jaebum’s attention.

The two of you only lasted maybe 4 months. Jaebum seemed to have thought he was far too good for you. He was so attractive, girls always wanted him, blah blah. You knew things wouldn’t work out very well with him anyways. He really only talked about 3 things; girls, his frat and drinking. You needed someone who could hold a conversation for longer than 30 seconds before getting distracted by a pretty girl with a big ass.

You stayed single the rest of the year. You were in your second year currently, and you were still single but living with a couple of girlfriends off campus in a nice little apartment. The three of you got along great, and all respected eachothers privacy. Especially when someone would bring a guy home. You either locked yourself away in your room or went to the library by yourself to study.

**

It was Saturday, and you had picked up a shift at the local café for the afternoon. Your shift was almost done and you were ready to head home, change into some pyjamas and binge watch a new drama that had just come out. Unfortunately for you, your roommates had other plans for you, and bum rushed you before you even got through the door.

“Hurry up and get ready" Soomi told you, excitedly.

“Why?” you groaned.

“We were invited to the NCT frat party!” Jisoo exclaimed.

You groaned. You didn’t really feel like partying tonight. Although, it had been a while since you had gone out and let loose. So maybe it wouldn’t actually be too bad?

“Fine. Let me get changed" you sigh, making your way to your room.

“Don’t be dressing all frumpy either!” Soomi yelled. You groaned again. There went your plans of being comfy. Thirty minutes later you emerge from your room wearing a tight pair of black leather high-waisted shorts with a cute white bralette. You had touched up your makeup, going for a more simpler look and tossing your hair into a cute messy bun.

“Girl, you look good" Jisoo smiles, grabbing your wrist to drag you out the door.

The three of you arrive, standing outside the NCT fraternity house. The music so loud in the house, you could feel the thumping of the bass all the way on the front lawn. People were littered outside the house, practically pouring out from the inside. A part of you was getting a little excited to go in now, wanting to enjoy the night. The three of you walk into the crowded house, smoke filling your lungs almost immediately. Jisoo is taken right away by a guy you’d never seen. Before you could turn to ask Soomi about it, she was whisked away by another unknown male, leaving you to fend for yourself. You needed to get drunk. You navigated your way to the kitchen with ease, pouring yourself a cup of whatever you could find, while also taking a couple shots. You were way too sober to be in a house full of extremely intoxicated people.

“Move" you hear from behind you, a vaguely familiar voice.

Spinning around, you’re met face to face with an older, surprisingly more attractive Wong Yukhei.

“Yukhei?” you ask, squinting your eyes to make sure it really is him.

“How do you know my name?” he growls, looking you in the eyes. After a second you can see his expression change from confused, to even more confused.

“Y/N?” he asks.

“It’s me.” You say, partially laughing.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, coldly. You can see his body tensed up immensely after he realized it was you.

“I was invited with my friends" you say, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you go to school here?” you ask.

“I run this frat, so yeah I do. I don’t really want to be wasting my night talking to my little sisters friend, so enjoy your night.” Yukhei says before walking away without another word. Still as big an asshole as ever.

Letting out a scoff,  you grab yourself another drink before moving yourself to the living room where majority of the people were. You scanned the room, trying to find one of your friends. They were no where to be found, you assumed they would be busy for a little bit longer. You tried to not be annoyed at your encounter with Yukhei, but you couldn’t help it.

Why had Mina never told you he went to your school? Why was he still such an asshole? You had never done anything to him, yet he hated you. Granted you weren’t a fan of his either, but at least you had a valid reason for your distaste for him. Yukhei on the other hand, did not, at least not that you knew of.

Standing in the living room, you begin to sway to the beat of the music. Letting his words slowly fade from your mind, you look around the room again but this time you locked eyes with someone unfamiliar. Messy dark brown hair, plump lips and beautiful eyes. You had no idea who this man was, but you were instantly attracted to him. He smiled at you, and you smiled back. He stood up, walking towards you but before he could reach you, you were basically tackled by your two giggling friends who dragged you away before you had the chance of meeting the handsome stranger.

You strained your neck trying to get one last glimpse of him before the two girls demanded your full attention while they explained their hookups for the night. You really did try your best to keep focus on what they were telling you, but unfortunately you were lost in your own thoughts about the handsome stranger. You thought about him off and on for the next few days. A memory of him would randomly pop up in your mind as you were trying to focus on the Literature lecture that was happening in front of you at the moment. You thought about his lips on yours.

How would he taste? You smiled as you dreamed, trying your best to keep his face in your mind always. You had yet to see the mystery man on campus that week, and so you did something that was rather unusual for you. You asked your roommates to attend another NCT frat party for the second weekend in a row.

“What happened that you’re not telling us?” Soomi asked.

“Nothing happened. You guys grabbed me before anything could really happen.” You sighed.

“I just like.. had very intense eye contact with a guy" you admit, groaning and shoving your hands in your head. That sounded completely ridiculous to you. The two girls looked at eachothers before bursting into laughter at your lame confession.

“Be ready to go in an hour” Jisoo said, still laughing as you walked away. As you entered your room, your phone began ringing. You pick it up, noticing that Mina was face timing you. Happily you answer and get her help on an outfit for tonight.

“Where are you going?” she asks, excitedly.

“NCT frat party” you hesitantly admit. “Like.. Lucas’s frat?” she asks.

“Yeah. I didn’t know he went here until I bumped into him last weekend. Why didn’t you tell me?” you question.

“Never thought about it to be honest. I didn’t think you were into frat parties.” She says, shrugging her shoulders.

“Normally I’m not. But I need to find someone I partially met last time.” You say. She begs you to tell her everything, and you happily oblige.

“Before I go. I’m going to tell Lucas to just kind of keep an eye on you, okay? I just want to make sure you’re safe"

“You know he hates me. He won’t care if anything happens to me" you say with a scoff. “But you do what you want. If it’ll make you feel better" you sigh. Immediately she perks up.

“Thank you. I’ll call you tomorrow” she smiles before hanging up. Once you’re off the phone, you quickly get dressed into the outfit the two of you had decided on. A pair of leggings with a tight black leather crop top that accentuated your breasts perfectly. Once again, arriving at the party, there was people everywhere. Maybe a few less than last time but who could really tell.

This time your friends hadn’t ditched you immediately, so you all went to grab a drink and a few shots from the kitchen before heading to the dance floor. It was more of a giant circle in the middle of the living room, but it was what it was. The moment you had started drinking, all reminders of the boy you had wanted to find faded away. You were instead enjoying your time with your friends, dancing to every song that played. Finally you had gotten a little to hot, and headed back into the kitchen to grab another drink. You weren’t paying attention and accidently bumped into someone upon turning the corner.

“Oh I’m so sorry" you say, looking up at the man you had seen last weekend.

“No worries” he smiles down at you. Your heart begins to flutter as you stare at his handsome face.

“Did you need a drink?” he asks, stepping to the side to let you through.

“I do. Thank you" you shyly smile, walking past him to grab a drink and a shot.

“My name is Johnny by the way" he tells you, leaning against the door frame.

“I’m Y/N" you respond.

“Beautiful name for a beautiful girl" he says, moving closer to you. “I saw you last weekend. And to be completely honest, I’ve wanted nothing more than to kiss you since I saw you that night.” He whispers, still moving in closer as you back up until you’re against the counter. Johnny grabs your waist before hoisting you up to sit on the counter as he moves in between your legs.

“So y/n, what do you say?” he whispers, leaning in closer now. “Can I kiss you?” In that moment your breath hitches as you stare at those beautiful lips of his as they approached yours.

“Yes" you whisper. You had barely gotten the words out before his lips were gently pressed against yours. Johnny pushes himself against you a little harder, wanting you to open your mouth to deepen the kiss. You do so without hesitation. As Johnny slips his tounge into your mouth, you wrap your arms around his neck, trying to be as close to him as possible.

“Jesus Christ Johnny. Get a fucking room” you hear from a disapproving voice. It startles you, and your only reaction is to push Johnny away from you which startles him.

The man turns around, and of course standing there is Yukhei, looking even more unimpressed that you’re the one who was being felt up by Johnny in the kitchen. Yukhei lets out a small sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose. You look between the two men as you slide yourself off the counter, while Johnny looks confused.

“Let’s go" Yukhei says to you, grabbing your wrist to pull you out of the kitchen.

“What? What are you doing?” you ask, tearing your wrist away from his hand.

“I told Mina I would keep an eye on you. And he is not someone you want to be fucking around with" Yukhei says coldly.

“You don’t even like me. So why would you keep an eye on me?” you ask.

“Who said I don’t like you? Maybe I like you too a little too much” he says, whispering in your ear. You can feel your heart beginning to pound.

“What?”

“Just stay away from Johnny” he whispers before walking away. Before you had a chance to catch your breath, Johnny rounds the corner, sliding his hand around your waist.

“Would you like to dance?” he whispers. With a smile, you nod your head. Johnny grabs your hand and pulls you towards the dance floor. He has his hands on your hips as you move your body to the beat of the music. You’re in your own zone before you look around and only see one pair of eyes glaring at you. Yukhei.

You did your best to try and ignore the glares of Yukhei as you and Johnny were dancing. You were trying to enjoy the night but he was making it extremely difficult. The rest of your night, your eyes always seemed to manage to lock with Yukhei’s no matter how hard you tried to not look at him. As the night ended, Johnny asked to see you again. You said yes before giving him your number. Excitedly, you lay in your bed with hope’s of a message from him before you fell asleep. When your phone dinged, a smile spread across your face as you saw it was from an unknown number. It simply said ‘I can’t wait to see you again’. You fell asleep that night, with butterflies in your stomach and a smile on your face.

**

It had been a few months of you and Johnny together, and everything was going perfectly. Except when you were anywhere near the frat house or at school. You had gone all this time without seeing Yukhei anywhere but now he was everywhere. He was always glaring at you and shaking his head disapproving.

One night you and Johnny had gone back to the frat house after a date. You had left your phone in the car, so you told Johnny you would meet him in his room after you grabbed it. You walked into the house, only to be pulled to a dark corner by someone. Of course that someone was Yukhei.

“What the hell are you doing?” he snaps.

“Going to Johnny’s room?” you say confused.

“Why?  I told you to stay away from him.” He growls.

“Why do you care so much? You’re not my boyfriend. I’m just your sisters friend.” You spit back at him.

“You’re going to get hurt" he whispers.

“Just stop Yukhei.” You sigh before leaving him standing by himself. Your mood had immediately gone from happy to sour after being stopped by Yukhei. You were a big girl. Why did he feel the need to butt in with your relationship? Johnny made sure to take extra care of you that night. When you left in the morning, everything that Yukhei had said to you was no longer a thought. As you walked through the frat house your mind was only in one place, and that was thinking about your night with Johnny. The way his hands caressed your body. The way he used to tounge to make you cum multiple times. The way he slowly fucked you. You were finally happy. Finally with someone who was treating you right and making you happy.

**

The next week, school dragged on and on. You ran into Yukhei more than you liked, and he would always smile at you, which was odd. On Monday he ran into you in the café and offered to buy you a coffee.

Tuesday he was outside your last class, holding an iced coffee for you.

Wednesday he had texted you to see if you were doing okay. Mina had given him your number. She told you he asked her and said if she wanted him to keep an eye on you then he needed it. It was all very confusing. Out of no where he became a different man then the one you ran into in the beginning of the year. When you saw him your heart fluttered. When he texted you, you got butterflies in your stomach. When he said your name, all you wanted to do was blush. You couldn’t have feelings for him. You were with Johnny, and Yukhei was still the man who hated you, but maybe just less now. He was only doing these things because Mina asked him too.

There was nothing more too it. On Thursday you had gone over to the frat house, luckily you didn’t see Yukhei on your way in, only Johnny sitting on the couch, watching TV. You sat beside him and he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, bringing you in close to cuddle. Not even 10 minutes later, Yukhei strolled into the house, sitting down on the chair. Every few seconds he would turn his head and stare at the two of you, sitting there together. Finally Johnny had enough.

“Dude. What the fuck? Why do you keep looking at us?” he asks, pausing the TV.

“I’m not looking at you" Yukhei says, glancing at you one more time before getting up and leaving the room.

“Is there something going on between the two of you?” Johnny asks, pulling away from you. You pull back too, shocked that he would even suggest something like that. Yukhei barely tolerates you, there’s no way the two of you would be fucking. Although you wouldn’t mind.

“What? No? Why would you even think that?” you ask, clearly upset.

“He’s always around you lately. Always staring at you. Seemed like there was" he says, shrugging his shoulders.

“Wow. Thanks for thinking so fucking highly of me Johnny" you snap getting off the couch.

“Babe. Wait.” He yells, still sitting on the couch. You left the house, and Johnny still remained on the couch. You didn’t see the figure standing in the kitchen window, wishing he could stop you to make it better. By the time Saturday had rolled around, you and Johnny had spoken since your small fight on Thursday. You weren’t going to let that stop you from having some fun, and you figured it would be best to talk to Johnny face to face to work it out.

You and the girls all finished getting ready and go to head out. You were wearing your deep red strapless dress, that just covered your ass. Your hair was tied up in a loose bun and you had on your black pumps. There was no way that Johnny could resist you tonight. There was no hesitation with the three of you arriving at the frat house anymore. You all had been there so often that it was practically like a second home for you. Walking in, your eyes immediately look in the living room for Johnny, where he usually is, but he isn’t tonight. You look in the kitchen, and he is no where to be found. A little worried you walk up to one of Johnny’s friends, Yuta.

“Hey Yuta, have you seen Johnny anywhere?” you ask.

“Yeahhhhhh" he laughs not looking at you. “He’s in his room, but he’s not alone” he half laughs, half hiccups. The moment those words came out of his mouth, your stomach and your heart sank.

“He’s what?” You ask, trying to hold back your tears.

“Not alone" he says again, finally looking up to see who he’s talking too. “Oh shit. Y/N.. I’m..” he begins to say, his face dropping. You rush up the stairs, your heart feels like its going to beat right our of your chest. He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t cheat on you. Taking a deep breath, you swing Johnny’s bedroom door open and are met with him on top of some girl.

“Are you fucking serious" you say, your voice cracking. You can no longer hold your tears back, you let them all spill as Johnny scrambles off the girl, trying to put some pants on. Your legs start moving before you even think of doing it. Your tears clouding your vision as you race down the stairs, you can hear Johnny’s voice calling out to you. You didn’t see the man at the bottom of the stairs, until you had already collided with him.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” you hear. Looking up you see the concerned face of Yukhei. Before you can answer, Johnny is at the top of the stairs calling for you. He races down, only to see Yukhei standing with you, his hands holding your crying frame. By now all the music had stopped, everyone focusing on the tension between the three of you.

“What the hell happened?” Yukhei snapped, his hands never leaving you. “It’s none of your damn business Wong. This is between me and my girl" Johnny snaps, coming down the stairs.

“I’m not your fucking girl Johnny. We had a small fight a few days ago and I came to make up with him, but he was too busy sticking his dick in some whore" you spit, the tears gone, now anger just coursed through your body.

“Seriously Johnny?” Yukhei scoffed.

“Stay the fuck out of this" Johnny snaps, looking at Yukhei.

“Baby please. Can we talk about this" he begs, reaching out to grab you. Yukhei tries to move you from in front of him, to behind him, unfortunately Johnny is quicker than he thought and grabs onto your wrist yanking you towards him.

“I’m going to talk this out, with my girl, without your presence Lucas. She isn’t your girlfriend” Johnny yells as you try to fight to get him off of you.

“Let me go Johnny" you cry, struggling to get out of his grip.

“Johnny, I will knock you the fuck out if you don’t get your fucking hands off of her" Yukhei snarls. Johnny stands there staring at Yukhei, he let’s your wrist go, never breaking eye contact with Yukhei.

“There" Johnny says, rolling his eyes. “The only reason we had problems is because of YOU" Johnny yells, pointing at Yukhei.

“You can’t stand that she’s with me and not with YOU" “I’m gunna to do it anyways" Yukhei says before clocking Johnny in the face, knocking him out cold.

“Are you okay?” Yukhei asks you. You’re embarrassed and hurt. He warned you that you would get hurt, but you didn’t listen.

“Is that all you want to say? You don’t want to say told you so?” You asked.

“No I don’t” he said, still looking concerned.

“Just let me go. This is humiliating” you whisper. You look behind you one last time before walking out the front door, and all you see is Yukhei watching you leave.

**

You lay in your bed for a few hours feeling hurt, betrayed and humiliated. Why didn’t you listen when Yukhei had told you to stay away from Johnny? There was no changing it now. You sighed as your phone buzzed for the thousandth time. Looking at it, they’re all from Johnny. Begging you to talk to him, pleading with you and then becoming mean and blaming you for his actions. If you had talked to him after the fight he wouldn’t have done that. You weren’t supposed to be there tonight. You weren’t supposed to find out. All you sent him was a nice fuck you. You opened up a new message, and typed in Yukhei’s name.

[1:04am] You: Thank you.

[1:06am] Yukhei: For what?

[1:07am] You: For standing up for me.

[1:10am] Yukhei: Anytime, Y/N.

You wanted so badly to ask him about what Johnny said. Did he really want you or was Johnny just overly paranoid? You decided to leave it alone, dreaming about literally anything else you could. The next morning you woke up to a text from Johnny, apologizing for his behaviour the night before. He asked you to meet for coffee and as much as you didn’t want to go, you decided to just to hear him out.

**

A few hours later you were sitting at a table with a remorseful looking Johnny with a black eye. The two of you has been sitting there for over 10 minutes without saying a word to eachothers. You were not going to talk first.

“Listen y/n..” he begins. “I’m an asshole. I know that. My behavior last night was unacceptable and I shouldn’t have acted like that" he says with his head down. “You shouldn’t have. I agree" you say. Johnny nods his head.

“Anything else you want to say?” you ask, waiting for an apology for the cheating. Not that it would make anything better but you still wanted to hear it.

“I was hoping you would give me a second chance?” he asked, looking at you hopeful. You couldn’t help but to let out a loud laugh.

“Are you serious?” you asked, still laughing.

“Well yes?” he replies.

“Johnny you CHEATED on me" you partially yell. “There’s no forgiving that" Johnny scoffs.

“Don’t be like that y/n. If you want, I’ll try not to do it again" he says.

“You’ll.. try to not cheat on me.. again? Wow Johnny, thanks so much. A true gentleman you are" you say, rolling your eyes.

“It’s because of him isn’t it?” he asks, looking like he’s just had a revelation.

“Who?” you ask.

“Lucas. It’s because of him.” He says.

“This is nothing to do with Yukhei, Johnny. It has to do with the fact that I don’t tolerate cheaters.” You spit.

“Yeah sure.” He scoffs.

“And even if I did get together with Yukhei, that would be none of your business. I’m sure he would treat me a hell of a lot better than you did" you say, grabbing your things and leaving him sitting there shocked.

On your walk home, you cannot believe the audacity of Johnny. How dare he think that was acceptable in any form? You pull out your phone on your walk home, seeing a text from Yukhei, asking if you were okay and if you needed anything. Your heart began to flutter, but you were still confused on why he was being so nice to you. He always hated you and now he didn’t? Things don’t just change that easily. And after the morning you already had, whatever he answer was couldn’t hurt you too badly.

[11:13am] You: Can we talk?

[11:16am] Yukhei: Sure. Come on over.

After you read that message, you changed your route, making your way to the frat house. Walking in the front door, you immediately see Yukhei in the living room. He stands up when he sees you, telling you to follow him as the two of you make your way to his room. You walk in, looking around his room as he shuts the door. Yukhei sits on the edge of his bed, staring at you, waiting for you to talk.

“So what’s up?” he asks.

“What changed?” You asked. Yukhei looks at you confused.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“You hated me for so long and the last few months have been so different. What changed?” you asked. “I’ve never hated you” he whispers.

“I always have liked you, but you always seemed to not like me so I just went along with it.” He shrugs his shoulders. “When I saw you the first night, I acted cold towards you because it seemed like what I should do. And then the next time I saw you with Johnny and I wanted to bash his face in. Feeling that haven’t felt in a long time cane rushing back. I wanted to protect you and have you be happy but you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“That’s not true. I don’t hate you anymore, Yukhei. You seemed to have changed.” You say. “I would like to be friends"

Yukhei let’s out a loud groan. “I don’t want to be friends, y/n" he says, standing up. He starts walking towards you, until you’re backed against the wall.

“What do you want?” you ask, looking him in the eyes

“I want you.” He whispers.

“You’re Mina’s brother. We can’t do this" you breathe, staring at his plump lips.

“Tell me to stop" he says, leaning closer into you. “Tell me you don’t want this" he says.

“I want this" you say, closing the gap between you two. Yukhei’s hands are at your waist in a second, pulling you closer to him. You wrap your arms around his neck as he deepens the kiss, slipping his tounge into your mouth. As your phone rings, you hear it’s Mina’s ringtone. You break the kiss by pushing Yukhei away, catching your breath before answering.

“Heyyyy Mina" you say, trying to act casual.

“What are you doing?” she laughs.

“I was just hanging out with Yukhei" you say.

“Oh. That’s weird" she giggles. “You better not be fucking my brother" she laughs.

“What? No, I would never do that to you" you say, as nerves float through your body. “I’m just kidding. I’d support you two if you decided to do whatever. Anyways, I was just calling to let you know I’m coming back in a few weeks and I can’t wait to see you!” she yells.

“Oh my god. I’m so excited" you exclaim.

“Okay, I have to go. I’ll call you later. Love you! Bye Lucas" she giggles through the phone. You hang up and put your phone away. You and Yukhei stand there, staring at each other, not saying a word.

“I better go" you say, quickly scurrying from his room. That entire week the two of you didn’t talk. Until Friday, when Yukhei had texted you to invite you to a party that night, as his date. He apologized for being MIA for the week, he had a few papers he needed to reach, and he figured you needed some time to think. You happily accepted the invitation, with the understanding that Johnny was not going to be around. The day dragged on, and you kept yourself as busy as you possibly could until it was finally time for you to get ready. You put on a cute and tight, yes casual dress and a pair of sneakers. You wanted to look good but also keep it casual tonight.

Your friends had dates so tonight you were on your own with the hopes that they might swing by later. Walking into the house you first spot Yukhei, leaning against a door frame, talking to some friends. He was wearing semi tight black Jean’s with a black shirt and a chain. His hair was slicked back and did he ever look good. Yukhei turned his head, spotting you almost immediately with a giant smile. You walked over to him as he wrapped his arms around you, giving you a tight hug.

“I missed you” he whispered.

“I missed you too" you said back. Grabbing your hand, Yukhei lead you to the kitchen, getting you both a drink. A few drinks and some dancing later, you had been feeling extra needy. You could feel Yukhei’s erection as you grinded your ass into him and it made you very wet. He spun you around to face him before planting a small kiss on your lips. When he pulled away, he looked down at your face, noticing a small pout.

“What’s wrong baby?” he asked.

“I need you" you whisper.

“What do you need from me?” He asks.

“I need your cock" you whine. In that moment Yukhei’s eyes went dark, his face serious. He grabbed your hand, leading you out of the living room, up the stairs and into his room where he locked the door. Yukhei walked towards you, licking his lips in anticipation. You had assumed he was going in for a kiss but instead he told you to raise your arms. You do as your asked as Yukhei reaches for the hem of your dress before pulling it over your head. Looking down he notices your lace bra and lack of panties.

“No panties baby? Naughty girl" he groans, reaching his fingers down, sliding them through your soaked pussy. Your knees almost give out in that moment Yukhei pulls away from you and you moan as he walks away from you. Yukhei gets on his bed, laying down.

“Ride my face baby” he says, licking his lips. You strut yourself over to the bed, climbing on before lift your leg over to straddle him, getting comfortable on his face. Yukhei pokes his tounge through his lips, placing it right on your clit. You grab your breasts as you start to move your hips, grinding yourself on his face.

“Fuck" you cry out, your hands moving from your breasts to your hair. You lean your body slightly forward, gripping Yukhei’s hair instead, as his lips now suction around your clit causing you moan even louder.

“You’re going to make me cum" you cry out, Yukhei rotates from using his tounge and his lips as you thrust your hips faster, needing this release.

“Don’t stop. Fuck" you cry out. Your movements slow down as your orgasm hits, tingling through your body, as you cum all over his face. Once you’ve ridden your high out, you get off of his face, laying down on his bed, feeling extremely sensitive. Yukhei looks at you while licking up your juices from his face. He stands up, undressing as quickly as he can before getting back on the bed, hovering over you and leaning down for a kiss. He slides his tounge into your mouth, allowing you to taste yourself on him.

“I’m going to fuck you” he growls after breaking the kiss.

“Please do" you beg, needing to feel him inside you. Yukhei lines himself up with you before slowly pushing his thick, large cock into your pussy. You grip the bed sheets tightly as you try to adjust to his size. He gives you a few seconds to get used to the stretching, never having been with someone as big before.

“Move" you whine.

“Are you sure?“ he asks.

“Please move. Fuck me” you moan. With that Yukhei slowly begins to thrust in and out of you. You’re unable to keep your moans quiet and he picks up the pace eventually ramming himself into you harshly.

“Oh my god, your pussy feels so good baby" he moans, his fingers grip your hips tightly, sure enough to leave bruises.

“You take my cock so well baby" he purrs, moving his hand away from your hip and to in-between your lips, rubbing your clit.

“Fuck. You fill me up so well with your huge cock" you moan as he continues to play with your pussy.

“You going to cum again baby? Clench your tight pussy around my cock?” he growls.

“Yes yes I will" you cry out. Bucking your hips, you allow Yukhei to push his cock in deeper, causing you to slightly roll your eyes to the back of your head.

“Oh god" you cry out, your orgasm quickly approaching.

“Cum for me baby" he says, pounding himself into you. Before you know it, your orgasm hits you, coating your entire body, making your quiver beneath Yukhei.

“That’s a good girl" he grins, fucking you harder, chasing his own high.

‘I’m gonna cum" he whines, thrusting into you one more time before pulling himself out, coating your stomach with his juices. His head is thrown back as he pumps himself with his hand, milking every last drop. Yukhei takes a deep breath before looking at you with a smile. You smile back at him as you take your fingers to scoop up his cum, and put them in your mouth, swallowing everything. Yours eyes don’t leave his the entire time.

“Fuck you’re incredible” he smiles, leaning in for a kiss.

“Should we go get a drink?” he asks. Happily, you nod your head, slipping your dress back on while he gets himself dressed as well. The two of you leave his room, hand in hand as you walk down the stairs to rejoin the party. Upon entering the kitchen, you’re both met with an extremely intoxicated Johnny.

“Fucking slut" he spits, staring at your hand in Yukhei’s.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Yukhei growled, his body almost vibrating with anger.

“I called her a SLUT" Johnny yelled. Yukhei let go of your hand before pushing Johnny, causing him to fall over.

“Don’t be mad because she’s mine now. It should have always been me, anyways. You’re the one who fucked things up with her by being a piece of shit. But I should thank you for that because if you hadn’t, we wouldn’t be together.” Yukhei yells.

“But if you come near MY girl again or say anything negative about her, I will fucking end you" Yukhei threatens before taking your hand again and walking away.

**

It had been a few months since you and Yukhei had finally gotten together. Your visit with Mina went better than expected and she was extremely happy for the two of you, although she asked that PDA between the two of you was kept at a minimum in front of her. She had already started planning your wedding. Johnny apologized after a while, realizing he was in the wrong for everything. Now whenever he saw you two he nodded his head before walking away.

It took a while and few mistakes, but you finally had found the right one.

[nctyping]

nctyping’s masterlist

last updated: 4/15/20

♡ fluff | ☆ angst | ♢ steamy

taeil

8:36 pm | Christmas lights ♡

johnny 

12:11 am | sleeping alone ☆ 

8:33 am | meeting an old friend ♡ 

4:03 pm | wearing his sweatshirt ♡ 

4:33 pm | badboy!johnny hits the books and you watch him like a weirdo ♡ 

4:33 pm moodboard 

4:52 pm | your netflix binge gets interrupted ♡ 

5:43 pm | Christmas music ♡ 

6:02 pm | making decisions ♡ 

7:13 pm | height difference ♡ 

10:26 pm | sleepy kisses ♡ 

10:58 pm | sloppy kisses ♢

[drabble] ‘on the loose’ - criminal au ♡ 

taeyong 

11:56 pm | the louvre ♡ 

[moodboard] mafia au 

yuta

9:44 am | skipping with paranoid badboy!yuta ♡ 

9:23 pm | whipped cream ?? ♡

kun

8:23 am | asking to do your hair ♡ 

3:22 pm | holding hands ♡ 

4:32 pm | you cant cook ♡ 

11:44 pm | you fall asleep studying ♡ 

[moodboard] the rain is gentle, and it sounds like you 

doyoung 

8:47 am | sunscreen ♡ 

ten

1:37 pm | artist!ten ♡ 

4:56 pm | giving ten his first tattoo ♡ 

jaehyun

12:07 pm | coworker!jaehyun ♡ 

7:24 pm | prince!jaehyun ☆ 

7:24 pm moodboard

8:56 pm | horror movies ♡ 

winwin

12:36 am | nightmares ♡ 

12:59 am | fallen angel!sicheng ☆ ♡ 

2:06 am | roommate!sicheng ♡ 

9:02 am | fallen angel!sicheng… again ☆ 

10:33 am | roses ♡ 

2:14 pm | pushing flowers into his hair ♡ 

4:46 pm | karaoke ♡ 

7:29 pm | surprising you w sweets ♡ 

10:38 pm | literally me just missing winwin ♡

jungwoo

6:22 pm | you rescue him ♡☆

9:39 pm | asleep in your lap ♡ 

lucas

2:04 am | night swimming ♢ 

12:51 am | rick astley ♡

8:04 am | yukhei’s birthday !! ♡ 

11:46 am | soulmate au ♡

[moodboard] twin flames au 

mark

11:54 am | best friend!mark ♡☆

1:33 pm | listening to the song he wrote ♡ 

1:33 pm moodboard 

5:13 pm | settling idol!reader’s nerves ♡

6:03 pm | Spiderman!mark ♡ ☆

11:21 pm | comforting you during a storm ♡

xiaojun

1:44 am | he comes to you for help ☆

4:30 pm | study date ♡

hendery

12:03 pm | crush!hendery ♡

11:58 pm | empty words ☆

renjun

12:21 am | talking in his sleep ♡ 

12:42 am | late night calls ♡ 

2:55 am | homework answers ♡ 

5:22 pm | adrenaline ♢ 

11:36 pm | alien!renjun ☆

jeno

12:00 am | things left unsaid ☆

2:02 am | soulmate!jeno comforts you after a nightmare ♡ 

1:33 pm | “darling”♡ 

2:10 pm | ‘I missed you’ kisses ♡ 

2:16 pm | flowershop au ♡ 

3:46 pm | missing the bus ♡ 

3:53 pm | he sneaks a peek at his birthday card ♡ 

5:02 pm | he gets a lil jealous ♡ 

5:22 pm | he gives you his hoodie ♡ 

8:22 pm | kissing badboy!jeno ☆♢ 

8:32 pm | basketball player!jeno ♡ 

[drabble] ‘orange chocolate kisses’ - childhood friends to lovers

[drabble] ‘twilight casts no shadows’ - ghost au

haechan

1:02 pm | cowboy!hyuck… ♡ 

5:28 pm | merman!haechan ♡ 

5:28 pm moodboard 

7:13 pm | wearing prince!haechan’s crown ♡ 

7:22 pm | first kiss w best friend!hyuck ♡ 

11:26 pm | sweaty summer cuddles ♡ 

11:45 pm | dropping popcorn kernels in your hair ♡

jaemin

00:00 | the end of the world ☆

12:33 am | soulmate!jaemin dreams of you ☆

9:22 am | neighbor!jaemin ♡ 

9:32 am | holding hands in the hall ♡ 

12:44 pm | ‘conversations’ w/ soulmate!jaemin ♡ 

1:12 pm | kissing in the snow ♡ 

2:03 pm | one date w na jaemin ♡ 

4:32 pm | badboy!jaemin, puppies, and coffee♡ 

5:21 pm | studying- or trying to study- w/ best friend!jaemin ♡ 

6:58 pm | monotone ☆

[drabble] ‘reckless youth’ - highschool au (jock x nerd) 

[drabble] ‘strawberry lipbalm’ - tutor au

[drabble] ‘hands off’ - fratboy!jaemin

yangyang

[drabble] ‘the fog’ - horror au (? its supposed to be spooky) ☆

12:18 pm | hopeless crush ☆

chenle

5:03 pm | café study date♡ 

6:26 pm | video calling ♡ 

9:57 pm | stargazing ♡ 

[moodboard] modern cupid 

jisung 

11:36 am | making him blush ♡ 

12:34 pm | you’re limiting his education ♡ 

12:55 pm | merman!jisung ♡ 

3:09 pm | he misses the bus? ☆

HERES A HRVY BLURB I WROTE AFTER DNYL FOR CLOWNERY PURPOSES EVEN THO HARVEY IS A LAD N I RLLY ENJOY HIM NOW 

[danishmiilk]

hide and seek 🙈🌱

pairings || none, unless you count jeno x his cat

warnings || swearing i think

genre || crack (did you think it was horror? ah ah.

au || idolverse

word count || 761

summary || just wayv playing hide and seek in nct 127′s dorm - i made it up during spanish class and anyway it’s slightly crazy // don’t really know what i’m doing part one and many more to come yall see all my crackfics? that’s my brain dying.

“Yeah so let’s play hide and seek.” Believe Yukhei when he says he has no idea WHY he suggested to play this stupid, childish game. (Though, if we were to be honest, Yukhei’s mental age is 5.) Sadly, or thankfully, whichever you choose to believe, WayV decided it’d be a great idea to up the stakes. Whoever got caught first by the seeker would have to be the seeker’s slave for one day. (The rule was later, upon Ten smiling happily, amended to “nothing life-threatening or paralysing”). Interestingly enough, the seeker was chosen to be Xiaojun after a very passionate rock-paper-scissors session. Perfect, Yukhei thought, just perfect. The person who was caught by Dejun would be broke within an HOUR of the day. 

Seriously, the 127 dorm had been JUST FINE before WayV decided it was the optimal location for their games. “YANGYANG I’M HIDING HERE” “闭嘴,会被抓到的“ “IF WE GET CAUGHT WE DIE PLEASE GET YOUR ASS OUT OF HERE” “YEAH SO LIKE I DON’T CARE WONG KUNHANG FIND ANOTHER SPOT”. The screaming only stopped (with much difficulty, may I add), when Doyoung yelled at them that if there was any more screaming, there would be NO DINNER tonight, bringing up another very important point that the members conveniently overlooked: screaming alerts Dejun to their position. 

With all the chaos going on in the background, Yukhei was panicking like armies of hell were behind him, because what was the point of the VAST EXPANSES OF LAND nct 127’s dorm held when everything (in line of sight) had been tidied and cleaned no more than five seconds ago by Lee Taeyong. Yes, with Febreze. No, there was nowhere to hide. 

And then he caught sight of the washing machines. To give you a mental image of this corner of the dorm, there was a low wall separating the washing machines and the rest of the dorm and a gap between the wall and the wall like the structural wall of the dorm. There was a gate in the gap and it was normally left closed, nobody went there except to do laundry for them and occasionally whoever won rock-paper-scissors against them.  (Taeyong was still the only one who actually knew how to use the machines though, and maybe Taeil or Doyoung) Well, it WAS a perfect hiding spot. 

Seeing as the time left was about two seconds and he didn’t really have another option, he ran over and crammed himself in between two washing machines, only to let out a hiss of pain when he felt a claw come into contact with his skin. That spawn of the devil, Jeno’s cat. IT ONLY SHOWED KINDNESS TO JENO GOSH THE WHOLE GROUP HATED IT OKAY. Without thinking about it, Yukhei picked up the godforsaken meower and chucked it into the nearest washing machine, slamming the door behind it, before pulling a laundry basket in front of him to hide himself. “O, I’M COMING FOR YOU, FUTURE SLAVE,” Dejun yelled out, signalling the end of their hiding time. As Doyoung later quipped, it was the “quietest time in the history of 127’s dorm”, especially because the dreamies were all out. Yukhei’s heart didn’t calm for a long, long, LONG, time. Dejun hadn’t caught anyone, endangering the life of Yukhei’s wallet and bank account for the time being. Inevitably, when he heard approaching footsteps, his blood ran COLD and he felt his heart popping out of his CHEST into his THROAT- but it didn’t sound like Dejun? Ah, Yukhei thought, feeling himself relax, it’s Taeyong hyung. The leader’s soft footsteps echoed around the laundromat before he ripped open the door of a nearby washing machine, dumping a bunch of white shirts into it and turning it on. Yukhei laughed to himself, wondering who the shirt he got would smell like this time -- nct shared their white shirts because nobody could tell which was theirs, causing the shirts to retain the scent of whoever used it before it was washed. Yukhei looked at the basket that normally sat at the corner of the laundry room, holding the communal white shirts -- oh, it was running low. No wonder Taeyong had to wash some. He just sat there thinking all these random thoughts before something hit him as hard as Chenle rushing up and jumping onto him last time WayV returned from their China schedules. 

Jeno’s cat was in the washing machine. 

And Taeyong had turned it on.

Oh, holy mother of god, Jeno LOVED that cat more than he loved Jaemin. Yukhei was officially and royally screwed.

©danishmiilk, 2020.

[babykyunbun]

Behind closed doors||Wong Yukhei+Dong Sicheng

🌜pairing🌛: Wong Yukhei+Dong Sicheng and f-reader.

🌜summery🌛: horror au!, ghost au!,house share,LOtS of angst, fluff, smut, please, please don’t read if you are easily tiggered, held hostage, murder, abuse, making someone believe they are ill,in the end it basically all goes down hill. I love horror and I just had tooooo yikes.

these will be short chapters in a quite long series, I’ll see where it takes me. I’ve had this idea for a very, very long time and I’ve thought about it and planned it. So I really hope you like it:))

Also let’s say they both speak fluent English okay hehe

BUT PLEASE DONT READ IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED AND I AM IN NO WAY SAYING THIS IS HOW LUCAS OR WINWIN ACT, ITS FICTION.

I will put warnings in the chapters which will be triggering, the first few chapters will have nothing triggering at all so you can read if you want:)

||CHAPTER 1||~

~~~_~~~~

A new country, a new neighbourhood,new people, a new life. It all excited you, but you also feared it. You were all by yourself, you left your family behind, your friends, everyone you cared about because you wanted a change. I guess you could call it selfish, leaving everyone behind just because you wasn’t satisfied with how you lived. But there was no turning back now, you needed this, you wanted this.

You sat in your car, drumming your fingers against the wheel as you stared at the house infront of you. The white walls cracked and chipped, the bricks peeking through the paint. You kept rehearsing your lines, still not familiar on the Chinese language but you were getting there slowly.

“Maybe, hopefully they speak little English. Please god I beg you, I cannot handl-” your words were cut off as a shriek left your lips, your hands clutching tightly at the wheel as you feel your heart racing. You quickly swung your head to look out of your window, trying to find the source that made the loud tapping.

There stood two tall, thin boys. One taller than the other. large smiles gracing both of their faces, it made you feel calm, your heart beat suddenly slowing down. You quickly pressed the button to roll down the window, quickly the cold air hitting your bare skin making a shiver roll up your spine.

“Y/n? It’s nice to meet you finally, you should come in and get out of the cold. You look freezing sweetie.We will discuss everything as soon as we get in” one of the boys who you presumed to be lucas said with a sweet nod, opening your car door. You were surprised to hear him speak English, very good English, maybe even better than yours. You let out a giggle as you slowly pushed yourself from out of your car, grabbing his hand.

“Yeah I’m y/n, nice to meet you both. I’m very thankful that you rented me a room, I know it must be scary letting a complete stranger into your home” you say with a chuckle, pulling your jacket around you tighter as you walked closer to the door with them. Small flowers and weeds grew around the steps, a lamp that hanged from the wall lit up the dark driveway.

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart,we like helping. Don’t we Sicheng?” So that’s Sicheng, the shorter boy with the cute smile. You giggled at his short but rushed “yes”. You stared at him , watching the way he nervously looked around, his hair bouncing with every step. After a second He looked across straight at you, catching your eyes, a small smirk forming on his lips. You felt your whole soul leave you, literally.

Lucas caught onto both of you, letting out a small cough before opening the door. As soon as it opened you felt the heat of the house hit you, a satisfied feeling washing over you. The smell of mint filled the air as you step in out of the cold, it smelt like home in a weird way. The walls painted a calming cream colour, lamp light filled the room making it lighter but not too light. It felt comforting, the whole aroma of the house.

“This is nice wow, It feels just like home” you say, sitting on one of the couches, feeling your body sink into the cushions. You close your eyes, letting your head rest back. You hear a clink, like glass meeting glass, you glance up. Noticing Lucas place a cup into the table in front of you.

“Here’s some tea, cherry by the way, I understands flights drain you and make you feel ewie. If you get what I mean but anyway this might refresh you” he giggles, sitting down next to you as he sips his. You nod you head, sending him a smile before whispering “thank you”.

You pick the dainty cup up, taking a sip of the reddish liquid. A hum leaving you as you took a bigger sip. “So I guess you like it” you hear Sicheng say, knowing it definitely wasn’t lucas’ voice. You quickly take another sip, before placing it back down onto the table. You nod before lying back against the couch, a smile on your face.

“Why don’t you have a sleep, I can see you’re really tired sweetheart. If you don’t mind I will get your luggage out of your car and put in into your room. I’ll order something for dinner and wake you up when it’s here. Then we will explain everything and we will show you around” lucas says before tapping your knee and getting up, grabbing you a blanket from the other chair.

“I would like that, thank you. Yeah that’s absolutely fine, but you don’t have to I can do it” you go to stand up but he politely pushes you back down, sending you a smile which made you heart do a flip again. You sit back, pulling the blanket over you, letting yourself fall into the comfort. You hear your keys jingle, you move your hand up your pocket but feel nothing, you remember putting your car keys in your pocket before locking up.

“I have them don’t worry” Sicheng says jingling your keys again, you feel relief wash over you but also confusion. You shake the thoughts out of your head, closing your eyes again, feeling tiredness fill your body. You hear them share words before the front door opens then closes.

The last thing you hear are faint whispers,different voices, some louder then others, some deeper than others,before you succumbed to sleep. The one that stood out to you was the voice of a girl, her single word running through your sleep deprived Brain.

“Escape”

[wincore]

main actor | wong yukhei

pairing: yukhei x reader

words: 3.6k

genre: best friends to lovers!au, college!au, reader and yukhei are pretty much cat and dog, fluff

warnings: yukhei’s wildin, language

a/n: warmup-ish fic? guess i just wanted to see how many cheesy fanfiction tropes i can fit in. vaguely inspired by this

gif credit

There are times when merely existing feels too wearisome, and there are times when you can’t be happier to be alive.

Wong Yukhei makes you feel both of these emotions simultaneously.

If someone were to ask what Yukhei’s really like (and you’ve been asked that a lot by curious crowds who’ve only ever seen him smile from afar and deduced he can’t be that nice) you’d say he’s an idiot. He’s not stupid, but he’s an idiot. Yukhei is a bunch of contradictions, but he’s your best friend and you’ll reluctantly admit, probably the best thing that’s ever happened to you. (Under no circumstances would you be caught dead saying that to him, even though you’re sure he’d just respond with a bone-crushing hug, grinning from ear to ear.) Obviously, you’ve got a lot of mixed emotions involved here.

The first time you met Yukhei, you were four. He had skipped over to you from another corner of the room, with wide eyes and a soft toy puppy in hand.

“You’re pretty. Do you want to go on a date?” he asked with a wide smile.

“No,” you responded, your attention still on your toy train. You glanced at him once and that was it.

“Okay,” he said, still grinning. Rejection wasn’t that big of a deal to four-year-old Yukhei.

Instead of leaving, he sat down beside you and watched you play. Eventually, you started talking to him about your fantasy land of trains and he, about his imaginary life as a firefighter. And after a few days, you and Yukhei were inseparable.

It’s quite the story for him to tell people, even if you never understood why he likes talking about it so much. It wasn’t very dramatic, or memorable like all the first meetings in books. But it’s always been a unique ability of Yukhei’s to make things sound a little more interesting as he animatedly told everyone at school how you were a cold, dark victim trapped in your lonely bubble and how he, your shining hero, warmed you up. You just make a face every time he forcibly brings you into the conversation.

Unlike elementary school Yukhei, middle school Yukhei was a little meaner, rougher at the edges. He never had any harmful intentions (you wondered if he had any intentions at all) but you always seemed to land the shorter end of the stick when it came to his shenanigans. A rapidly growing boy, he had difficulty getting his limbs in order and more often than not, he’d underestimate his own strength. Whether it was shoving you too hard or the one time he accidentally broke your toy train, those years had quite the horrors you’ve faced in life.

You’re lucky to have survived near him during his awkward teenage phase, full of hormones and messy feelings and Axe body spray. Yukhei’s never been good at telling people no and combined with adolescent curiosity, he’s been in quite a few choppy relationships.

But in the end, Yukhei still has the colour of a comic book hero. He’s always been the main actor of every play, whereas you doubt you’d get the role of villager C. Star athlete and the pride of your school, he’s never wasted an opportunity to enjoy the attention. You, on the other hand, prefer a little alone time. You’re different, immensely different, but you admire him for all that he is. He’s strong in a way you can’t quite describe, only appreciate in subtle ways. You’ve seen Yukhei grow from a boy who refused to admit he wasn’t happy, that he’s not always the smiling hero, to a man who learned to respect all emotions. He still hates to cry, sure, but he doesn’t do it in shadows anymore, pretending to be strong.

dumbass, 01:06 AM

[Attachment: 1 Image]

you, 01:07 AM

wtf yukhei

you, 01:07 AM

why are you awake

dumbass, 01:07 AM

i cant stop :(

dumbass, 01:08 AM

i think im addicted

you, 1:08 AM

to puppy pictures??????

you, 1:08 AM

you know what im not even gonna ask

you, 1:08 AM

go the fuck to sleep you big baby

dumbass, 01:10 AM

but look :(

dumbass, 01:10 AM

[Attachment: 26 Images]

you, 01:11 AM

tf im not looking at all of that

dumbass, 01:11 AM

:(((

dumbass, 01:11 AM

:( but :( puppies :(

you, 01:12 AM

good night dork

Yukhei’s a whirlwind of life, bringing energy wherever he goes. That’s the first thing anyone notices about him. The way his face stands out in almost any crowd, and not because he’s built like a giant teddy bear. The way he can find friends in almost anyone, and all he has to do is flash that grin.

Growing up, everyone could tell he’s a little off-beat, but it only made people want to be near him. The more he stood out, the more he fit in. It’s no wonder you see hordes of people around him, smiling back at his own friendly, dorky gestures.

“You get a walk-in closet and I don’t even get a washing machine?!” Yukhei complains, plopping down on your bed.

You’re certainly lucky to get the biggest dorm room, even if the closet occupies half of it. Now, if your roommate wasn’t such a dick, the beginning of your college life would be perfect.

“Wha- how are those two related?” you ask, leaning back on the wall as you sit beside him.

“I have to go all the way downstairs to wash my clothes,” he replies, “Henceforth, I am upset.”

“When did you learn such big words, Yukhei?” you tease.

“I’m not stupid,” he defends, “Surprising, I know. Considering I got my hand stuck in a Pringles can last week. Again.”

You laugh as he shoots you a grin and sits up, tugging up his red jacket on his shoulder.

“At least you like your roommate,” you grumble, before lowering your voice. “I don’t know which supernatural being up there I crossed to get mine.”

Yukhei laughs. “It can’t be that bad!”

You roll your eyes and smack the back of your head against the wall. Of course, he wouldn’t get it. Yukhei gets along with just about anyone.

“So, we’re starting college, huh?” he shifts to sit beside you.

“We really are,” you breathe.

And so when college began, you couldn’t even feel homesick because Yukhei brought home with him.

College somehow manages to amplify Yukhei’s tendencies to fuck shit up. Bad decisions and good intentions—whether it’s getting drunk at parties, or getting a secret tattoo, or going for midnight drives in the brightest part of the city, he certainly is living his life to the fullest. And he gets new friends to do that with—boys with similar interests and trouble in their presence (except Mark, he’s the sweetest and is only dragged to places like you are). Kunhang is a babbling mess when it comes to drinking, Dejun has strange food choices and Jungwoo isn’t as naïve as he looks (but that’s on you, you could never blame Jungwoo for anything). Mark might just be the sanest, and even he has his quirks. You’re glad, though, for Yukhei to have found them and for them to have found Yukhei.  

Despite all changes in Yukhei’s expenditure of time, he still finds a way to sneak into your spare moments.

“Tell me that story you were talking about,” he says, falling backwards onto your bed.

“Now?” you ask, still groggy after waking up from your unforeseen nap. Finals are not treating you well.

“Yeah,” he says, “You look like you could do with a break.”  

Of course, there are times when you hate Yukhei. Times when he’s reckless, pulls you into messes you know you can’t sort, times when you just feel so fucking annoyed by your best friend.

“You did what?!” you yell.

“It’s not that bad!” Yukhei explains, waving his arms around wildly.

“I am not going on a date with a stranger!” you yell, your voice coarser than usual as you search for something to fling at him.

“It could be fun!” he replies, ducking to avoid the slipper you threw at him. “You could be meeting the love of your life—all thanks to me!”

You throw the other slipper at him, and he narrowly dodges it. “No way is that happening.”

It’s not like it took you that long to realize your feelings, after the beginning of college. It happened slowly at first, barely a meandering stream of water, till the waves suddenly came crashing and you were drowning in your epiphany. Suddenly, you can’t not think of Yukhei’s large hand over yours or his bashful smile directed at you or even the way his lips look plump and kissable in the morning, despite the rest of his face all puffed up. There’s often stardust on his cheeks, you notice.

Suddenly, you know why Yukhei has always been the main actor in your life.

But you can’t be as open about it. If it’s not the idea of your longest and closest friendship falling apart that blows up your fears, it’s the image of Yukhei’s smile falling as he tries to tell his best friend no, and having to pretend everything’s okay. If the void in your stomach is good for anything, it knows when to tell you the jump is too difficult to take.

If anything, you don’t even know what you mean to Yukhei, but that’s coming from the negativity you hoarded. You have your fears and your questions. If you cross his mind as often as he crosses yours. If you take even a square inch of his heart, if he’ll ever see you that way. You’re not sure what it’d feel like to be the most important person to someone. If you go as far as to call this love, why are you so reluctant?

“And?” you egg him on, crossing your arms.

Yukhei going to frat parties was a horrible decision, really.

“I got drunk and started doing body rolls in front of everyone?” Yukhei shifts uncomfortably on your bed. He’s probably spent at least half of his days here in your dorm room, only leaving when your roommate started complaining about how loud he is. To be fair, he does sound like baby Godzilla at times, worse when more of your friends are over.

“Yukhei, you’d do that sober,” you grimace.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” he says, pretending to think.

“Are you going to tell me what got you so uncomfortable?” you ask.

“I mean…it’s not that bad,” he begins, eyes glued to a corner of the floor to avoid your gaze.

“You made out with someone, didn’t you?” you sigh. It hurts a little.

Yukhei scratches the back of his head as he breaks into nervous laughter. “Yeah, and now she kinda thinks we’re a thing, and I don’t know what to tell her.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose. You wish you could yell at him, let him know in any way how awful you feel.

“Yukhei, you have to stop leading them on! Every party you kiss someone new. Any more, and you’ll get a bad reputation!”

“I know!” he responds quickly. “But I was so drunk last night I couldn’t remember my name.”

“But you remembered to dial my number?”

“Well…yeah.”

Yukhei fidgets with the hem of his sweatshirt. “I’d call Mark, but he was at his part-time.”

You groan, sinking onto the floor. “I feel like a parent with a stupid son.”

“Hey! Now that’s exactly what my mom would say,” he chuckles, scooting to sit beside you.

There’s a heavy silence between the two of you for a few moments. You gulp down any reproachful words you might have left and stare at your fingers instead. You can’t tell him how upset you really are, can you? You’d have to explain the why then.

“Are you…are you just scared my reputation will be ruined?”

You turn to look at him, but he’s staring straight ahead. “Huh?”

“I mean, is that…what’s making you upset? Just that?”

“Yeah,” you answer, and mentally curse your voice for cracking like that. “I don’t want people thinking you’re some sort of an asshole.”

“Me neither,” he says, looking back at you with wider eyes than usual. “I mean- yeah, that’s- obviously.”

You shake your head at him, but you wonder how long it’ll be till you break. You’ve never kept something so serious from him before. It’s human nature to want more than you already have; Yukhei loves chasing after things he can’t have, but you’re not him. You’ve never been him.

Only a few days later, you see your roommate fuming as she leads a rather flushed Yukhei into your room.

“Next time he comes here, I’m calling the RA,” she threatens with a glare before walking away.

You roll your eyes at her back before grabbing Yukhei by the waist lest he falls and smacks his head against your furniture. Your action, however, proves to be miscalculated (you always forget how heavy he is) as the two of you stumble to the floor, barely avoiding the edge of the bed. You stand up again; Yukhei seems to be half asleep with the way he’s struggling to move around.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t drink,” you grumble.

“I said I wouldn’t go to parties,” he struggles to form the syllables. “I went to a really cool bar…it had funky lights and stuff. And I was dancing…and it was so much fun! Except I underestimated how strong that drink was.”

You sigh heavily. “That’s all you talk about. Fun, fun, fun!”

Yukhei grins as he rises to his full height and wraps his arms around your waist. You’d chide him for the reek of alcohol from him if he didn’t look so vulnerable, dormant like this. His eyes are half-lidded with sleep and when he rests his forehead against yours, you swear your heart has skipped several beats in a row. It’s not fair how peaceful he looks with his eyes closed when he’s sent you into internal turmoil. The warmth of his body seeps through the thick hoodie, and you almost find yourself unable to move.

You swallow the feeling rising in your throat and pull apart.

“Come on, Yukhei,” you tug at his hands to remove them from your waist. “Let’s get to bed.”

“We’re going to bed!” he rejoices gleefully. You’re glad he’s complying at least.

Now if he would just let go, you could prepare a blanket to sleep on the floor.

Yukhei doesn’t remove his arms from around your waist, though. Instead, he pulls you into bed with him, and under the covers. This is nice, the stupid voice in your head pipes up again.

“We’re friends,” he mumbles, “friends do this all the time.”

Not when one of them has more than friendly feelings, you think bitterly. Struggling is futile against Yukhei’s iron grip, and you let yourself feel what you were trying so hard not to. When you look at him under the dim lights coming from your window, he’s already out for the count. You brush the hair away from his face and slowly drift off. It feels safe like this.

Of course, you pretend your heart didn’t jump at the sight of his face too close to yours. You’ve shared a bed when you were kids before Yukhei grew too large to fit the two of you and developed a tendency to drool. He has broader shoulders now, longer legs and he engulfs you when he wraps himself around you. In the morning, your body aches after being wound up so tightly on a small bed but you ignore it best as you can. You ignore the rising warmth in your face too when Yukhei departs with a secure hug and his wide grin.

You wonder what it’d be like to be Yukhei—ruin it all and hope it works out. You wonder what it’d be like to see his idiot grin every night, after a kiss against your lips. You scoff at yourself, face a brilliant red, whenever these thoughts walk in unannounced. It’s getting harder to pretend you don’t stop breathing every time he wraps an arm around you or lays his head on your stomach.

“So let me get this straight,” you say, “you can’t get a job at the diner because you’re too tall to fit into the mascot uniform?”

“Yeah,” Yukhei replies, clearly despondent. Usually, he’d be beaming about his height. You can’t figure out why the job means so much to him, but you get your answer soon enough just to greet it with a click of your tongue.

“The free pancakes,” he wails, “They give free pancakes and fries to their workers. I can’t believe I’m missing out on that.”

Yukhei suddenly sits up straight with wide eyes. “You can fit into the suit though!”

You smack your palm against your forehead while he laughs at his genius.

“You practically live in the gym and talk my ear off about being healthy,” you huff, “And now you just want to hog junk food?”

“I’m just good at being healthy,” he grins. “So I can eat unhealthily. You could do with some work, though.”

You raise your leg to kick him in the side but he catches your foot, laughing loudly at your resentful expression.

You’re about to throw the pillow at him when a click comes from the main door unlocking. The two of you freeze and look at each other. You know for sure this will be the last straw if your roommate finds Yukhei again, and you’ll be reported for good. Yukhei and you jump up in a panic and look around for any way to evade impending doom. The few seconds have you frantically searching for an explanation in case she does find him, and you swear at yourself for forgetting about her warnings. (In your defence, most of the things she says are meaningless and you have no reason to remember them.)

Yukhei points to the giant walk-in closet and sneaks towards it, careful not to make a noise. You tiptoe in before your roommate can enter the shared room, and hide behind a rack just in case she decides to come in. Yukhei isn’t small enough to be entirely covered, so you just pray your roommate has no intention of fetching a pair of shorts.  

You hold your breath at the shuffling outside the door and move backwards carefully, only for your back to press against Yukhei’s torso. He stiffens at the touch but continues the needed silence. You end up squeezed in one corner of the closet, little ways from the mirror.

You sigh in relief once you hear the click of the door again. She must’ve come in to get notebooks for her next class, you guess. You turn to Yukhei but your breath hitches when you see him like that in the half-lit closet, his figure leaning towards you. It’s not very comfortable to have your body close against him, half twisted.

Yukhei’s gaze sends your heart into a pitfall. He takes a step towards you just as you take a step back and you end up pressed against the wall with Yukhei’s arms on either side of you.

“You’re still so pretty,” he says, his voice low.

A pause ensues before he speaks again, his voice barely above a whisper. “Can I kiss you?”

The touch of his lips against yours has you seeing colours you never knew existed. One of his hands still rests against the wall while the other is placed gently around your waist. You can’t quite remember the details except Yukhei’s lips are as soft as silk and you resent the separation when he pulls apart.

“I’ve wanted to do that,” Yukhei looks down as he speaks, his cheeks tinted a darker shade of pink, “for a really long time.”

“You’re so stupid,” you huff, “Or maybe I’m the one who’s stupid.”

He responds with a wide-eyed smile when you cup his cheeks and pull him in again, your fingers skimming over his lower jaw. This time you feel every touch of the kiss, your fingers tingling and your lips tasting his. The feelings you’ve been struggling to tie up and toss away come pouring out of you as you try to keep them orderly.

It’s different splashes of colour with each kiss and the two of you can’t help the laughter tumbling out of your mouths.

“I love you,” Yukhei murmurs, his mouth against your jaw. “I’ve loved you all my life.”

He places a chaste kiss against your lips before looking at you with an adoring smile. Yukhei’s never been good at using words to express his feelings, but he’s never really had trouble expressing them either.

“I’m sorry I took so long to realize,” you whisper, before pulling him by the neck of his sweatshirt and into another kiss.

“I’m letting you go just this once,” you roommate calls when you step out of your room in the evening. “Congratulations on getting a boyfriend.”

You blush deep red and look anywhere else to avoid her sly grin. So she did figure it out. You owe her one, or more for not telling on you all the times Yukhei and the others have been over. Perhaps you had got off on the wrong foot. You should start listening to Yukhei’s advice on how to make friends. You should start listening to Yukhei for a lot of things.

Maybe Yukhei has always meant to talk about your colours but never found words good enough. Maybe he loves the way you laugh and finds himself doing more and more ridiculous things just for you. Maybe he’s told you that he loves you a lot of times but you weren’t listening. Maybe, just maybe, you too have always been the main actor in Yukhei’s life.