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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Meow (Chp-3)

Choi San x (f)Reader

Summary: He had spent an entire millennia in solitude, waiting for her to come back to him, bearing this curse that was a constant reminder of his ignorance, his mistake, and his guilt. He had forgotten how fate had always been cruel to him, punishing him for all he had done, and so be it, meeting her in the 21st century should have brought him joy- there was only one problem, his love for her may not have decreased a drop, but she may love Poofy more than she ever loved him.

Genre: Angst

Word Count: 4.3k

Est Read Time: 21 min

Warnings: death of a major character, war, PTSD.

Rating: nc-17

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels

Masterlist I Chp-2

"Bullshit"

Sighing for the nineteenth time, Wooyoung growled, glancing at Jongho who just shook his head letting out a dry chuckle, walking "Stubborn as ever."

"You really think I’d buy this crap?" Yunho sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, "Where the heck is he anyway? You guys give me poofy- I MEAN SAN and I'll let you all go."

"It's almost time." Wooyoung sighed, staring out the penthouse window, watching the sun sink over the horizon, its streaks of orange slowly fading, "Yunho, you may not believe us, but you need to understand that San doesn't mean to harm her. He didn't back then as well." Yunho stood up, walking over to the glass wall, amazed at the view, how exactly did a few hooligans like them afford a penthouse in one of the most expensive places in the city?

"How do you even afford this place" he turned to look at Wooyoung, though he saw nothing in his eye view, "Wooyoung?"

A little chirp caught his ears, eyes flickering down to spot a red fox staring up at him, its fluffy tail swishing side to side at the back, "What the -"

"He's growing weaker." Jongho interrupted him, walking into the room, Yunho turned to look at Jongho who threw something at him.

His muscle memory reacting, with quick reflexes he caught the item, before opening his palm and staring at the keys, the keychain in particular, the golden retriever shining in all its glory. A gift, more like his graduation gift, he remembers when she gave it to him, once he graduated from the police academy.

“Lock the door on your way out, I’m going to my room”, Jongho mumbled, eying the way he had been standing there, staring at the keychain, he could smell traces of her on him, hell, all of them could smell her scent on him, and even if Seonghwa was not going to admit it out loud, all of them could see why San had decided to trigger her memories without consulting with them first. He was scared, and unlike last time, he was not going to risk losing her, not again, but this rashness would bring nothing but the worst, and as much as Jongho loved his brother, he knew the others, nor him, could physically or mentally endure for any longer, and knowing San had been using magic almost every night just meant his condition was worse than theirs combined, which would explain the man’s calm behaviour when Yunho had socked him in the face- it wasn’t guilt the only factor that had forced him to accept the beating, but his depleting health as well.

“Wait!” Yunho called down, speeding walking after the man who went down the corridor, finally stopping at the door at the end of the hallway, he was about to close the door when Yunho stopped him with his foot, “Finish, the story, what happened next, I-

“I don’t have enough time Yunho, I- I don’t want you to see me like this… you need to remember, just think, it’ll come to you…hopefully.” With that, he closed the door before Yunho could even ask what he even meant by that, he was about to knock on the wood until he heard a low animalist growl, a cry if you could call it. Something at the back of his mind nagged him to open the door, to see what was on the other side, and perhaps he would have, but when he heard his phone’s ringtone, his body went on auto, moving towards the sound. Luckily he had found it at the console table, next to a sticky note and coupon, picking up the coupon he looked at the deal, ‘buy one kitty-kat cupcake and get a beverage of your choice for free’, he stared at the neon sticky note, the knot in his stomach tightening at the feeling of unease settling in,

‘A thank you gift, for letting Sannie go. PS- really missed you, Yuyu – Love Woo.’

“Where have you been?” Mingi asked, not looking away from his phone, “Captain almost lost a kidney when he found out you took a sick leave.”

Sighing as he got into the elevator the taller man glanced at his friend before shaking his head, “Yeah, I felt…under the weather.” He said before walking out onto their floor, Mingi followed after, noticing how Hongjoong’s door was closed, he must be having a meeting. He sat down at his desk, right across Yunho’s, usually his friend would be radiating the same energy as a golden retriever, hence the nickname, and the uncanny keychain of his, but tonight he just looked a bit too glum. Clearing his throat he eyed the man, who was busy cleaning out his desk drawer, slamming file upon file on the table.

“You okay there, buddy?” he asked, turning on his monitor, though his eyes never left the brunette’s mumbling form.

“No, Mingi, because I just realized I’m in love.” He sighed, stopping his little sissy fit as he looked at Mingi, who looked like he was about to implode at the revelation.

“What?”

“Never mind.” Huffing he got up, pulling on his jacket, “Don’t tell the captain I came, although knowing him he’s already seen me, if he asks, tell him I have diarrhea or something.” With that he walked away, not even waiting for Mingi when he pressed the elevator button, instead choosing to go down the emergency staircase, it was all getting a bit too loud, his thoughts, the people, the constant ringing of the phone, to top it all off, he had realized how he had not received a single text from her all day, not even a reply to his good morning, so what exactly was he chasing after- when did this become a chase anyway? Were they not just friends, best friends at max?

Slamming the car door shut he sighed, leaning back against the headrest, Yunho was not one to lose composure, in fact, he rarely lost his cool, but the thought of her- this pestering lingering thought of losing her was bothering him, on top of that today’s events had begun to haunt him, he had seen and gone through hell today; first, he encountered a naked man in her apartment, then he took said man to his place of work which was filled with creeps he called his brothers, a man spoke in his head, he got flung across the room by another man and finally he witnessed someone morph into an animal- the worst part of the situation was that no one was ever going to believe him. Not even her, in fact, she would just laugh at him and how on a normal day he would love to hear the sound of that, he would not appreciate it being directed at him when he was so overstimulated by his feelings and the situation at hand. Picking up his phone he stared at the time, 8.09 pm, she should’ve been home by now, yet, he had received not a text from her, nothing at all. What if something had happened to her? What if that man had done something to her? But they did keep on saying how they never wanted to hurt her, especially the man, San, he was persistent that his intentions with her were pure and- Officer Jeong, since when did we pay mind to emotions over rationality?

He was almost about to go into cop mode until his phone tinged, a familiar tune – a special tune- he had set only for her. Pulling out his phone he stared at the notification, tapping the screen for the message to open,

“Heyy, sorry I was busy today. How was your day? Mine was shit- I want a whole year off. We should definitely go on a vacation- like somewhere warm? Tropical? Though it should be somewhere we can take Poofy, I’d like my beloved boys to get along. Speaking of getting along, my poor baby has a swollen eye, idk, who hit him, or maybe it was another cat? Anyway, enough about us. I hope Gotham is a bit safer tonight thanks to you my knock-off Batman. Again, I’m sorry I couldn’t reply today. Stay safe, Yuyu.”

Sighing he locked the screen and tossed the phone to the passenger seat, of course, she’d apologise to him, of course, she’d take the blame and beat around the bush, of course, she’d make his heart clench, but what was worse that he may have not been losing his mind. Poofy and swollen eye, memories of today flashing before his eyes, how he had punched Poofy, knowing very well the man would have a black eye. Moreover, she had called him Yuyu, she was the only one to ever call him that, yet tonight, someone else had called him that too, the fox guy, and not once did he ever mention his name to anyone there, especially not his nickname. So, the real question is, if it were true, and the whole past life scenario was true then why couldn't he remember? Why couldn't she remember? He kept jumping from one train of thought to another, no longer driving home but to the only place that made him feel safe, he didn't care what time it was, or the gravity of the information that was brought down upon him today.

He wasn't even sure when he had reached the door, until his knuckles knocked on the wood, echoing in the quiet of the night. He knew everyone was asleep, he knew it was late, he knew she was asleep, but he couldn't wait, he couldn't think straight when something at the back of his mind kept bothering him, the question he was too afraid to find the answer of; am I... going to lose her in this life too?

The persistent knocking didn't stop until the door swung open, revealing a tired, dishevelled woman, staring up at him through sleep-deprived eyes, her bedhead hair just adding to her appeal, suddenly the dread that had been simmering within him began to settle down, replaced by a wave of admiration, wanting nothing more than to be surrounded by her.

“May I come in?” he whispered, watching her glare at him.

“It's midnight.”

The statement meant nothing, it held no malice or anger and wasn’t even a warning, but for him, he knew what it meant, she was upset and she wanted him to know, of course she was, he never responded to her goodnight note, for which he knew he was going to pay later, but perhaps he wanted to hear her yell at him too, just till it lasts.

“I know, I’m sorry…I- I’ll make us my midnight special dish?”

Reluctantly, she moved to let him in, locking the door once he was inside, sighing when he strolled inside like he owned the place, technically he did, he was often found here, if not at the precinct, which would explain why her neighbours assumed the two had something going on, until she had clarified to the old lady next door that the two were in fact just very good friends, though she chose not to truly believe her.

“Wake me up once your apology is ready.” Mumbling she stomped into her room, earning a sigh from him, as she slammed the door shut. Poofy snapped awake, his head snapping in every direction, eyes wide and glowing in the dark, looking for her, how did he not notice her leave? Were his senses getting duller or was he getting weaker? Was this because of the overuse of his powers or because he was injured? Truth be told he hadn’t even seen Yunho when he pounced on him, after deflecting the knife he almost lost all focus, the fatigue getting too much- that would explain how Yunho had found him in the first place. He had slipped away before she woke up,

“It’s okay baby, I’m here.” She whispered, fingers brushing over his fur causing him to purr, muzzling into her palm as she chuckled, leaning closer to peck the top of his head, scrunching her nose at the scent, “Did I give you a bath with my shampoo last time? You smell like my shampoo- damn I should be more careful, sorry baby.” Snuggling deeper inside her blanket she pulled him closer like a teddy bear, he let her do as she pleased, enjoying the attention. Truth be told he smelt like her shampoo because that’s what he used, Jongho had told him to change it but he didn’t follow, he wanted to be enveloped by her scent all the time, it helped calm down his nerves, relaxed him and considering how he was always on edge, he really needed the stimulant.

Yunho sighed, ripping open a packet of instant ramen, and placing it aside, watching the water boil. He had chopped all the vegetables and even fried the chicken tenders for her, sliced them up nicely to decorate her bowl later. They had invented this dish back in their fun days at college, way before Poofy had entered their lives, when he had her undivided attention and affection, though who was he to hold her accountable for playing with his feelings when it was him who had led her own then let go of her whenever things got a bit too serious for him, to afraid to ruin their friendship.

“And now you place the tenders like this,” she smiled in triumph, garnishing his bowl and hers, before coming over to the small table and placing the tray down. He sat there legs crossed on the heated floor, looking at her in the small open kitchen, smiling at the thought of what their domestic lives would comprise together. Turning back to stare at the table in front of him, she had called him over to her dorm at 2 am, their child psychology exam waiting for them at 7 am, yet, he was here, ready for a late-night snack with her, one she had just invented instead of studying.

“Hmm?” he looked down at the bowl she placed in front of him, smiling at how he had received the bigger one. ‘A big serving for the lanky growing boy.’ She’d always say, much to his pleasure.

“I’m telling you, once we have this and go to sleep, tomorrow will go great.”

“Oh?” he cocked a brow, before reaching for her glass, pouring her some soda, “Because we’ll remember everything for the exam?”

“Nah girl, that we might fail tomorrow, but we’ll have our tummies full of yummy food.” With that she began eating not even looking up at him when he choked on his spit, laughing louder than anyone would want at 2 am, sure, leave it up to Jeong Yunho to get you kicked out of the girl’s dorms for laughing too loud.

Indeed, the two did fail the exam the next morning, but the memories they had created were far better than any result.

Poofy was almost asleep, blinking slowly at her drowsy form, until they heard a pot fall in the kitchen, followed by a masculine apology- shit, who was that. He didn’t even wait for her to answer and ran out at full speed, making a sharp turn to the kitchen, bouncing off the wall, ready to pounce on the intruder, he couldn’t transform into his beast form, especially since that day, he couldn’t even morph back into a human till sunrise, but that wasn’t going to scare him. With a hiss the cat pounced into the kitchen, landing on the tiles right in front of the intruder- Yunho?

Yunho’s ears caught the bell chiming across the hall, he could hear the quick padding of the cat’s soft paws, and he prayed to God that it was just a normal cat and not who he feared, but once again fate was not on his side, for as soon as his eyes landed on the cat’s swollen eye, he knew for a fact this was his doing. Sighing he placed a bowl of milk in front of the cat, who looked at it then Yunho, only to smack it away and hiss at him.

“Look, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you last time buddy, but, I- I can’t just- I need some time okay?” he sighed before picking up the tray of food, turning to walking out the door but the cat stopped him, standing in front of him growling.

“You don’t understand San, I can’t let her go…I love her.” With that he walked over the frozen cat, who was staring blankly at nothing, too stunned by his words to even process what was happening, the only thing that had brought him back to reality was the sounds of her muffled laughter, causing him to turn and look down the hallway, noticing how her bedroom door was closed- she never closed the door, it was always left ajar so he could come and go as he pleased, yet here he was staring at her door with blurry eyes, feeling more nauseous than he did that day.

Yunho walked towards the main door, glancing at the ball of fur curled up on the far end of the couch, sighing to himself, a part of him telling him what he was doing was perfectly fine, he had no reason to believe or help out these people, but something deep down begged at him to stop, to not give into his ways and listen to the good that resided with him. With one more glance he closed the door, leaving both sleeping parties alone in the cold of the apartment, while he had tucked her in, he left the cat there, cold as ever, leaving at the early hours of the day.

His ear turned to the door once it closed, sitting up he stared at the turned-off TV, staring at his feline reflection, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath once he heard the subtle chirping of the birds from outside, waiting for the curse to lift, welcoming the gentle, warm light of the sun. At one point in his life, he loved the night, the way the stars would shine above him, watching him perform his duty wholeheartedly, keeping the valley safe and quiet. Moreover, he loved how the moon had witnessed the first time he declared his love for her, the moon had witnessed when she had shied away from the kiss, coyly mumbling how they were not wed, thus they could not perform such an act of intimacy. The moon had watched her favourite soldier proudly, watching him with great intent as he held himself back, trying not to fall onto his knees in front of her, to cry in joy at her innocence and pure heart, he truly wondered what he had done to deserve to call someone like her his own.

Unfortunately, as much as the moon had witnessed her favourite being an exemplary creature, she had also been there to bear the sight of her favourite turning into a beast, of him letting envy wrap him in her green cloak, watching him push away the one he claimed to love, the one who had given him her everything, body and soul, yet, the moon still gave him time to make amends, to try to heal the wounds he had caused, much to her displeasure, he had not, both pride and envy being his companions, letting him destroy the plan destiny had laid down for him, leading to an eventual demise of everything and everyone he had loved, holding onto her limp form as she stared up at him with a broken resolve, too afraid to ask for anything, too afraid to beg him, but not afraid of death that was awaiting her, even though he begged her to stay. The moon had witnessed how he broke down over her, watching how even after what he had done, she had saved him once more, only this time, it had cost her life, proving to the stars that their choice of candidate was not wrong, and it was not a human characteristic to deceive or lie, but a trait brought with pure love, one that he had felt for her, but accepted the little green dot that begun to spread upon the canvas of his heart. The moon had watched him cling onto her lifeless form before he lost all control, his brothers lost all control and did the one thing a guardian is not supposed to do, ‘harm a human’, for the moon had witnessed these fools let their emotions take over, watching them disobey her and end the fleets sent to fight them, watching them tear them down, her final straw perhaps was when her exemplary soldier’s claw’s dig into the neck of the emperor, his teeth bearing the blood of his four sons the beast had ripped apart before his eyes, eyes as black as the moonless sky, resembling the hole that lay in his chest, a cavity which was once occupied by his warm, romantic heart. The moon watched him snarl out in disgust, one last question before the head of the emperor was flung across the royal hall, his body falling limp on the ground,

‘Do you still think your daughter’s life was worth nothing?”

That was all it took for the moon to take back her blessing, perhaps the stars were on the same page, angered by this act of blasphemy, turning what was once a blessing into a curse, one that would shackle them down, bringing their egos and pride to its knees, watching them slowly succumb to their end, until they had not only made amends but had repented to fate itself, earning her favour.

He stared at the reflection, sighing as his feet pressed against the soft carpet, glad that the moon was no longer out to taunt him and mock him, but she was replaced by her brother, showing him some form of mercy for a few hours. He made his way to her bedroom, San stared at her, watching her sleep in bliss, her steady breathing almost lulling him to sleep as well, welcoming him. It had been so long since he had held her in his arms since he had laid next to her, felt her close to him- not like a feline, but all his manly glory. What if he just slipped in for a minute or two? Would she notice? Would she wake up?

Standing above her, he leaned closer, his knuckles caressing her warm cheek, watching as she nuzzled into her pillow, mumbling something about Poofy- ah yes, she still loved Poofy, this was another issue, only Yunho being in love with her just added more to his plate. How was he going to handle all of this? At this point, he knew that time was not on his side and even though he would willingly succumb to death, if it meant that she would remain happy and safe, even if it were with Yunho, he could not let his brothers suffer because of him- how were his actions justifiable, if they had partaken in the war, it was only because they had lost their brothers as well, which was only caused by the ripple effect of San’s own action’s, his prejudice and disdain. Leaning closer he pressed his lips to her forehead, whispering the usual spell, making sure the enchantment was well recited to keep her safe and out of harm’s way.

“How I wish I could hold you once more, my love.” He whispered, before pulling back and going across the room to open the window, staring up at the pastel colours of the sunrise, taking a deep breath he turned to glance at her one last time, “I beg you, do not forget me, for as much as I am in pain right now, the thought of my memories leaving your essence will rip me apart worse than death could possibly intend to, even at his peak.” With that he hopped out onto the emergency staircase, slowly making his way downstairs as he thought about doing that one thing he did not do the last time he was in trouble, ‘ask his brothers for help’.

Bonus:

‘In love?’ Seonghwa mumbled, staring at his phone, still trying to understand why Wooyoung was digitally poking him through this application. Yeosang hummed in agreement, still trying to understand what San had said, narrating the events of the previous night, this was worse than the mage could imagine, the time of the course now had to be altered, perhaps increased in terms of pace.

“Aww Sannie, don’t worry I’m sure Yuyu is just confused.” Wooyoung pouted, wrapping his arm around the taller man’s shoulders, trying to help him out, only noticing how his shoulders slumped even more at the mention of Yunho’s name, “I mean, he…this isn’t the same Yunho, he still has to come to terms with it and- I bet as soon as we revive the old Yunho he’ll come to his senses.”

“This isn’t about him though, and it’s not about us,” Jongho mumbled, placing a tray of coffee on the counter, and giving each one of them their mugs, only San didn’t get a coffee, he got Jongho’s special hot chocolate to make him feel better. San had been staring at the red napkin, thumb caressing the small sunflower stitched onto the corner fabric, its once bright colours now faded into a duller tone, much like the matted red of the cloth

“Then who is this about dear baby bear?” Wooyoung snorted, at the sight of San’s ceramic purple cat mug.

“I think Sannie has the answer for that.” He sighed, before taking a sip of his bitter beverage while the other turned to look at the man who was staring at a San who was still looking at his napkin, fingers gripping onto it tighter,

“It’s about her.”

Taglist: @edenesth @mlysalt @yessa-vie @spooo00oky @cereal-simp

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Pairing : idol!Choi Jongho x F!Reader TW : angst ; reader doubts about the relationship ; fluffy at the end ; Word Count : 2.4k

“I know that you’ve all seen the images online of me with the girl, and I don’t want anyone to speculate or make rumors…” You listened to the words that your boyfriend of 2 years was saying, your heart beating faster as you waited for him to finally drop the news. Hiding the relationship had taken a toll on not only you, but the relationship in general. It was hard to do anything when your boyfriend was under the watchful eye of the entire world, and it seemed like reporters were always waiting around the corner for new pictures to post of him. Maybe if he finally told everyone everything it would make things more simple for the both of you in the long run. “The girl that I was seen with…” Here it comes. Now’s the time. It was finally going to go public, you’d be able to take casual walks down the street without having to see your face trending on twitter as the mystery girl. “She’s an old friend from school. There’s nothing there. I promise. The reports and the pictures and everything can stop. Please.”

You stared blankly at your laptop screen, unable to even fully process what had happened just yet. He had the perfect opportunity, it was the opening that he’d need, but he blew it. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and now you realized, it surely wouldn’t be the last time. He was at the office, it’s not even like you could talk to him about it either. You’d have to wait for him to come home, and by then he was so tired that he usually just wanted to go to bed. He always got to ignore it or avoid it or deflect. It was what he did with every problem when it came to you and the relationship. He didn’t care enough about it, and maybe you shouldn’t either.

“I’ll be home in like… 20 minutes or so.” Jongho said, his voice coming in through your phone speaker as you sat at the table eating your dinner. “Do you want me to grab something on my way home when I’m done at the office?” He asked, and you could hear the voices of the other guys in the background. The guys that didn’t really know much of you or about you, only the same thing that the rest of the world knew. You were simply Jonghos friend that he occasionally hung out with. You definitely weren’t the girl that he claimed to be deeply in love with, definitely not the girl that he had moved in with after only 6 months of dating. Nope, that surely wasn’t you.

“Nah, I’m good.” You mumbled in between chewing, quickly dabbing your lips with the napkin beside you before grabbing your phone. “Take your time at work, I’ve got things to do.” You added, and the silence on his end almost made it seem like the call had ended, but you knew better. He was thinking, and he was thinking hard. You had never told him to take his time, you’d never want him to get home later than what he planned. You loved when he came home, and you’d usually run over to hug him or kiss him or both when he came through the door.

When the silence lasted longer than you were used to, you were about to hang up the phone, but then you heard him clear his throat, the sound of fabric rustling picking up through the speaker. “I talked to Hongjoong and the guys, I’m coming home now.” He sounded like he was on edge, and you were sure it was because of your strange responses, but then again, he was the reason you were acting like this in the first place.

The call ended quickly after your hum of disinterest, your thumb pressing the red button before you moved from the kitchen into the living room, dropping down onto the couch and flicking on the tv. It was just another thing that you normally wouldn’t do. Most of the time you’d stay on the phone with him until he walked through the door, only ending the call once you could hear your voice through his phone and your own.

It’s not that you hated him, and it’s not that you even wanted to break up. You loved him, but you were tired of being in the shadows. It’s not like the company wasn’t okay with the guys being in relationships, most of the others had already come out about their own. You didn’t know the reason behind him hiding the relationship, but if he wanted to keep saying that you were just a friend, then that’s exactly what you’d be.

He walked through the front door, pausing at the landing to look around for a second, and the sigh he let out sounded more like relief than anything else. You were sure that he probably thought you were cheating, and you would have probably thought the same thing if he had randomly changed the way he was acting. “Hey, babe…” He murmured, shimmying out of his coat and draping it over the back of the couch as he walked over to you.

“Sup.” You responded dryly, allowing yourself to sink further into the couch which was, once again, unlike you. Where was the hug? Where was the kiss? It was like he was in the twilight zone, and he moved in front of you, standing between your eyes and the tv screen. “Do you need something?”

The way his eyes blankly stared at you for a moment was almost comical, but then he started laughing, running his hand through his hair as he shook his head. “You’re funny. Come’ere.” He opened his arms for you, and you wanted so badly to jump off the couch and be embraced by him, but you knew that if you did, nothing would ever change. You quickly high fived both of his hands before leaning to the side to watch the tv around him, leaving him dumbstruck. “Hey… Come on, you can watch the tv after you give me my hug and my kiss.”

He grabbed the remote off the arm of the sofa and quickly turned it off, his arms crossed as he stared at you expectantly. Jongho wasn’t one to really pout at you like this, and he’d never pry for physical attention from you either. As long as you told him you loved him, that was what truly mattered… But you hadn’t even said that yet. “Awh, come on dude. The show was just getting good.” You groaned, rolling your eyes as you pushed yourself up off the couch.

Before you could even walk away though, his arms were wrapped around your waist, his face mere inches from your own. “It’s not funny anymore, Y/N.” His voice was stern and you hated the effect that it had on you right now, but you held your ground, your nose scrunching up as you leaned away from him when he tried to kiss you. “What are you… Is there someone here right now? Are you cheating on me?” He was furious, but through that anger was also sadness. You hated hurting him like this, but if this is what it took to get your point across, then this is what you had to do.

“No.” You said flatly, your expression one of fake disgust as you lightly pushed against his shoulders to make him back up. “You can’t actually cheat on a friend, that’s ridiculous.” His hands dropped to his sides as his head cocked, confusion written across his features as he looked you over. “And you can’t really go around trying to smooch up on all of your friends, kinda weird buddy. Your other friends might not handle it as well as I did.”

You sat back down on the couch, and he was still standing, frozen there in the middle of the floor. If you could see his brain, it was probably smoking, working hard to figure out what the hell was going on right now. “What!!?” He screeched, finally speaking the one single word as his body whipped in your direction. “You can’t just put me in the friendzone! We’re dating! You’re my girlfriend! Stop being silly.”

“Actually…” You started, folding your hands in your lap, finally being serious for the first time since he walked through the door. “According to you, and the rest of the world… I’m just an old friend from school. So… You put me in the friendzone. I’m just acting accordingly.”

His mouth opened momentarily, but it was like he didn’t know what to say. He knew exactly what you were talking about, he just didn’t know how to back out of it. He had dug the hole and put himself in it, and now he doesn’t know how to get out. “You watched the live stream?” He questioned, and you could only give him a look of disbelief.

“I watch all of your live streams. I guess you could say I’m a pretty good old friend.” You emphasized the words, pushing yourself up off the couch to stand in front of him. “Anyway, I’m gonna go to bed now. Goodnight buddy.” You patted his shoulder before walking off toward the guest bedroom, and he had been frozen in the middle of the room still until you reached the door of the guest room.

“What… What are you doing? Why are you going in there?” He hurried over to you, his hands wrapping around your wrists to pull you away from the room. “You know I love you, right? I might not be the best at showing it, but I do…”

You scoffed lightly, trying not to let your emotions get the best of you while standing in front of him. “Oh no, you’re wonderful at showing it inside the house. Outside though, you suck. Now I know why you don’t hold my hand in public and you don’t look at me the same. Are you embarrassed of me? Or do you just love the attention that you get from your fans so much that you don’t want to risk losing it by saying that you actually have someone?”

“What?!” He gasped, his hands moving up to cup your cheeks, forcing you to look at him. “Where did that… Babe, you know it’s not like that.” His thumbs brushed along your cheek bones, maybe he thought he’d catch some tears, but there was nothing. Obviously you were hurt, you wanted him to be proud to be with you, you wanted him to show you off, but it’s not like crying would make that happen. He needed to want to do it himself.

“Jongho, seriously…” You breathed out the words, your hands slowly moving up to grab his just to pull them away. “I’m not going to be exactly what you want me to be behind closed doors just so that you can treat me like nothing more than a friend outside. Maybe you’re not embarrassed or ashamed of me… But you’re not proud enough to put me before your fame. Clearly acceptance from the fans takes priority over loving me.”

Incoherent words flew through his lips in a rush, he was stumbling over them, unable to speak fast enough. “You are my friend though… You’re my best friend…” He shook his head, his fingers combing through his hair. “You’re also the love of my life, I want to spend my life with you. You mean so much to me, and I’m not prioritizing anything over you. The guys… when they came out about their relationships… they got so much backlash, their partners said they’d leave… some of them did leave for a bit. The fans get crazy and I didn’t want you to deal with that. I was just trying to protect you, to protect us. I don’t want you to be miserable or unhappy, I don’t want you to be stalked whenever you go to the store or even just leave the house… I love you and that’s why I hide you. I don’t want you to leave, I don’t want it to become too much for you.”

Damn if his reasoning didn’t make sense, but it did, he knew first hand through experience just how hard it was for the guys and their girlfriends to deal with the publicity. Most of them couldn’t even go out anymore, and if they did they were constantly surrounded by bodyguards. They had no privacy, they could never enjoy a normal relationship. “It wouldn’t become too much for me…” You whispered, your head lowering as you slumped against the doorframe. “I would never leave you for anything. I just… I want to be with you… I want to be able to be with you outside. I want to hold your hand, I want to be more than an old friend…”

His bottom lip jutted out slightly as he grabbed your hands, his thumb brushed along your knuckles sadly. “You are more than that… I just don’t want you to get hurt…” One small tug of your hands had you stumbling forward, falling against his chest, and it was only then that you allowed yourself to cry. “You’re my top priority, over everything else, you are the most important thing in my life. That’s why I need to protect you.” His hands slid up your arms and over your shoulders, his finger slipping under your chin to tilt your head up. “I promise that one day, the world will know how lucky I am, they’ll know that I’m in love with my best friend, and you love me…”

You swallowed thickly, your nose twitching as you sniffled softly. “Promise promise? Pinky promise?” You whispered, and a small smile tugged at his lips as his eyes glanced down at your hands, his free hand moving to latch his pinky around yours, bringing it up to his lips and pressing a kiss to your finger.

“I pinky promise.” He murmured, letting your hands drop and leaning in to kiss you, his lips lingering against your own, having awaited that feeling since he stepped foot through the front door. “Do you wanna join me for dinner? And then we can cuddle in bed for the rest of the night. Would you like that?” Your head nodded quickly as you pushed yourself up to kiss him once more, your hands moving up to tangle in his hair, need and desire filling you completely as your lips moved against his. He hummed softly, his own hands gripping your hips to hold you steady. “Babe…” He breathlessly said the pet name, his cheeks slightly flushed as he looked at you. “We can continue that after I’ve eaten too. Don’t forget where we left off.”

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Pathetically In Love

Idol Mingi x (f)Reader

Summary: Was he a bad boyfriend who was not picking up on the signs earlier? Or was he a bad boyfriend for almost letting her nightmare become reality? Maybe, he was a bad boyfriend because he was so pathetically in love with her that he couldn't see past the fluff of love he had for her to notice the claws of her insecurities tightening around her.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort Fluff (Mingi being Mingi <3)

Warnings: Panic Attacks (nocturnal panic attacks), mentions of death and Aquaphobia

Est. Read Time: 14 min

Word Count: 2.8k

Networks: @cromernet

A/N: Idk Mingi has me feeling things, I just can't. Please remember to show some love by 💗 and reblog

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

Perhaps she should've said no, perhaps she should've told him about the increasing number of panic attacks she had been having for the past few days. Perhaps she should've told him how she was at one of the lowest times of her life, blanketed by her insecurities and choked by her fears.

Perhaps if she had told him, she wouldn't have been drowning in her tub, trying to fight through another attack, gasping for air, only for the water to burn through her lungs. If this were how she was going to go so be it, but she didn't want him or anyone else to think she was a quitter, she wasn't, but how would anyone know if danced with death before succumbing to it? Would he even find her before someone else does? It was not like he'd drop by anytime soon, his comeback had kept him extremely busy, he was exhausted, tired, and pushed to a limit she had never seen before, which is why, when he had asked her about her condition, she had given him a cute smile followed by a "No, I swear I'm fine".

So, that's how it was all going to end, a life that had finally reached its climax, meeting him, him becoming the ray of hope she never knew she needed, him being the last person she met before her chapter came to an abrupt end- ripped out of the book of his life. Ripped, or rather torn, that's what she had felt like before leaving, a part of her wanting to bawl in his arms, while another part of her deemed her need for help as a pathetic form of weakness- one that he should not be burdened with. Thus, there she lay, slowly fading away, the cold creeping up from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, but her insides burned with sorrow and rage- or the water that was once supposed to drain her from the stress, now draining her of her life force, dulling her senses to a blur.

Her body jerked awake at the sharp sting, hand instinctively going to rest against her burning cheek, heart hammering against her ribcage as her lungs struggled to perform their biological task-

"Look at me!"

His voice echoed in her head, ears ringing at the loudness, matched with the warmth her cheek was emitting, making her feel nauseous.

He shook her harder, fingers digging into her shoulders, urging her to focus on him, only on him.

Panic attacks were not new for him, he had been suffering for a while, eventually getting better after Hongjoong had forced him to take a little break. What he was not prepared for was finding the person who had become his anchor to a world of happiness, tangled in his sheets, struggling through a panic attack- one of the worst and first he had ever seen her suffer through. From ripping the sheets off her to calling her a few times, rubbing her arms and even shaking her, he had tried all those things the members would do when he was going through one- leaving him with the last option, one San had once used to wake him up when he was going through a nocturnal panic attack. Slapped her- not with this same intensity his friend had used on him, but it was sharp enough to wake her up. Never in his life had he thought of hitting someone, let alone her, especially for something like this.

"Ow."

The very whimper that had left her lips turned into a sob as he pressed her flush into his chest, noticing the drenched spot on the bed where was previously. Mumbling what felt like a thousand apologies, kissing the top of her head he slowly peeled him off her, examining her face, eyes watering at the faded pink on her cheek. Her sobs turned into broken hiccups, flinching when his fingers brushed against her cheek, "I'm sorry. I- I tried everything to wake you up since when did you have panic attacks? Why did you tell me? What if you had gone home and this had happened? You were barely breathing!" a series of questions being thrown at her, as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to rearrange her thoughts.

"Mingi...slow down- did I not go home?" why wasn't she home? Was this a dream? Did she-

"By the time your cab came, you had dozed off and you looked so cute I didn't...wanna wake you up." pushing her hair off her forehead, his eyes scanned her face, why had he not noticed how tired she looked before? Was he a bad boyfriend for not doing so? She would notice the smallest of details about him, from how he'd chew on his lower lip when he was anxious to how his eyes would go blank in any situation that would make him feel uncomfortable.

"I'm...I was drowning."

Nodding at her statement he pushed up his glasses, letting her go to turn on the side lamp, returning to push the blanket off her completely, "How?" he asked, as she cleared her throat, weary eyes following his every move.

"I was in a tub- my bathtub."

"Mhmmm..." humming in response, he got off the bed, moving across the room to his closet, waiting for her to continue as he dug through his clothes.

"I was...I don't know, I was fine for a moment then but then," her words caught up in her throat, breath hitching as her arms wrapped around herself, trying to keep off the cold that had begun to creep up once more, "I got one in the water."

Their eyes met for a split second, and at that very moment she realised how he was more than just her significant other, for her, he had turned into a part of her being. Her words caught up in her throat gazes locked, fingers itching for his warmth.

Walking over to her, he placed something beside her, "I'm glad I didn't let you go home." Her ears picked up the slight edge of his tone, tears threatening to spill any minute, but she wasn't going to give in, perhaps her guilt had forced her to believe that even now, she was at fault, coaxing her to apologise to him. Pulling at the hem of her shirt he gestured for her to raise her arms, "I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself knowing something happened to you-" pulling the shirt off he tossed it aside, hands resting on her bare shoulders, his gaze softer than his words, "I'd probably lose my mind." A whimper broke past her lips, staring up at him, his figure blurred by her tears, an apology forming in her jumbled, guilt-ridden brain, only for it to derail when he pressed his lips against her, the soft force tightening the knot in her stomach.

If it weren't for the need for air, he probably wouldn't have pulled away, wanting to pull away all the grotesque feelings and thoughts from her system. His hand trailed up to her face admiring her features, the way her wet lashes glimmered like stars under the warm light of the lamp to how at peace she looked right now, cupping it, as she nuzzled her cheek in his warm palm. His thumb ran over her tear-stained cheek, "Don't keep things like these a secret, not from me at least." He leaned down to kiss her forehead, "Sit up properly" instructing he pulled back and held up a sweatshirt, helping her put it on, before tapping her thigh, "Up." As if wired to respond only to she pressed her palm on the bed, putting all her body weight on her arms as she lifted her hips, letting him slip off her jeans only to pause at the sight of her leggings underneath, raising a brow in question then glancing at her.

"I was...it was cold today." with a sheepish chuckle she nodded as if permitting him to rid of the second garment as well, but he didn't, he stopped after the jeans and stared at her leggings, only her to look down at him in confusion, had she ruined the moment? Did he find it unattractive? Did he think she was weird?

"I-"

Her words came to a halt as he got up, her heart falling into the pit of her stomach, drowning in her self-induced anxiety. Reaching for his cupboard once more he turned to glance at her, clicking his tongue and exhaling, turning back around to rummage through his clothes.

"Mingi, I-"

"Screw you Yunho."

"What?"

"Oh" turning to face her with a snort, "I had these fluffy sweatpants, wanted you to wear them since the shorts won't work- that jerk must have borrowed them" he pointed beside her, causing her to glance down at the shorts he had placed beside her, must've brought them with his sweatshirt. Technically even these would suffice, Mingi's shorts would be an average person's pants.

"O-oh." stuttering out of her embarrassment she grabbed his shorts, "This will work too." Slowly standing up to take off her tights, she turned away from him and put on his shorts, "See." she turned to show him only to find him leaning against the cupboard with a smirk, arms crossed, his glasses standing proud at the tip of his nose.

"What?"

"Never took you for a Charmander girl" Snorting he walked closer, letting out a bubbly laugh when she whined, covering her face with her hands, "Thought you were a Pikachu one, since my blonde hair had you tripping."

Slender, long fingers wrapped around her wrists, slowly peeling them off her face, pausing when she whined, "It's not like I planned an attack."

His breath hitched at the statement, biting his lip in regret, before clearing his throat, his next set of words coming out softer, "I was only kidding... " finally pulling her hands away from her face, noting her flushed cheeks, did she perhaps have a fever? "I was only joking..." With a whisper he dipped down to press his lips against her warm forehead, "I'll get you some tea."

"I'm fine," mumbling she placed her forehead against his chest, hands limp by her side, just standing there, soaking in his presence, absorbing his being.

Pulling back he glanced around the room, deciding not to change the sheets, it was dry anyway, then eying the tablet, "Shall we watch something then?" gently pushing her back to sit down before crawling on the bed himself. She turned to look at him, watching him set the pillows, pressing them against the headboard and the wall beside the bed, before settling down next to the wall, pulling up the blanket he grabbed the tablet and smiled at her, letting loose a kaleidoscope of butterflies within her, fluttering against her ribs, encouraging her heart to do so too.

"You can pick~" he sang, smiling when she snuggled up closer to him, resting her head on his chest, wrapping an arm around her shoulder pulling her closer than possible. "No more secrets...okay?" he whispered, watching her swipe across the screen, reading the synopsis, before pausing at his statement.

"You aren't...mad?" she asked, too afraid to look at him, eyes still glued to the screen. He glanced at her face, the light of the screen illuminating her face with a bluish glow, enough for him to finally notice the dark circles and the worn-out look her gaze held. That's when he felt, the jab of being unaware of her situation turning into an open wound, a gash, taunting him, reminding him of his poor performance as her significant other, as her other half, as someone who swore to protect her. Yet, here he was, trying to pick up the pieces of what he let shatter to the ground, letting her implode with all the self-hate and guilt, of what, perhaps she did not know herself, but the thought itself should have been enough of a warning for the sweet boy, after all, Mingi was a sensitive fellow, one who was hyperaware of his feelings, hence, he should've been aware of her's as well. That would explain why she was scared of his anger, scared of upsetting him- was that something that bothered her too?

"No...are you...mad at me?" he shot back, causing her to tilt her head up, meeting his gaze, with a questioning look, brows furrowed as if she was thinking about it before letting out a small, "No...why would I ever be upset with you?"

"I don't know," mumbling he looked at the screen, trying to distract himself, not wanting to let the tears slip, this wasn't about him, this was about her, how he was unable to be there for her, especially after he witnessed something so horrific, something he'd blame himself for if something were to happen.

"Mingi-ya, what's the matter?" scooting closer, she placed her hand on his warm cheek, running her thumb across the apple of his cheek, feeling the warm wetness- he was crying?

Clearing his throat he gripped her wrist to stop her, tilting his head to press his lips against her warm palm then turning to look away, "Nothing."

"Are you crying?" gently pinching his chin she turned his head back towards her, frowning at him, "Mingi, don't cry..."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his lower lip trembling, as if distracting himself from breaking down in front of her, this wasn't about him- but the mere fact of her suffering in silence had him drowning in guilt, hitting him hard with judgement, with anger and frustration. Was this indirectly his fault- no it was his fault.

"Why are you sorry?!" she whined shifting to wrap her arms around his neck, slowly straddling him, her face pressing against his neck, pecking his pulse point, before mumbling, "It's not your fault Mingi, please don't cry." Her feathery touch caused him to shiver as he pulled her closer, arms squeezing her closer to him, pressing her into him so they could become one, "I'm sorry, you should be crying it out because of me."

With a sweet chuckle, one that rang in his ears like Church bells, she giggled, "What if we cried together?"

"I'd say we're pretty pathetic then."

"Pathetically in love?" pulling back she locked eyes with his glossy ones, glimmering with love and admiration, swirling with a tinge of guilt and a dash of unease, only she could push away, with words sweeter than honey, and truer than the promise of an angel.

"I'd...like that," he mumbled, averting his gaze, if he were to look at her gentle eyes any longer he'd fall apart, shattering into a million pieces, probably mingling with her shambles, the thought itself pathetic, yet so romantic, to be a mess with your lover, to be overcome with the same sense of misery as your other half, both sharing the being choked by their fears, yet, gripping onto each other's hand till the end of the ride.

He really didn't know how long his brain ran in overdrive because an unfamiliar scream caused him to jerk, the back of his head hitting the wall with a loud thud, a very vulgar curse escaping his lips, subconsciously squeezing her. Whining she snuggled closer to him, ignoring his Mingi-ness and choosing to embrace the peaceful slumber that had beckoned her closer.

"Shit, baby why did you put on a horror movie," he mumbled trying to reach for the tablet, whilst holding onto her, only for it to topple off the bed and land with a loud crack, a sound that finally woke her up.

"Shit."

"Mingi. What did you do?"

"That was Yunho's."

"That sounds like a "you" problem, Song Mingi." mumbling she slipped off him and laid down on her usual side, glancing up at him to do the same, "A "you" problem you should deal with later."

Shaking his head at her response, he peeked over the bed to check on the broken device before sighing, that truly was a problem for tomorrow. With that final thought, he slid down next to her, laying on his side, a long arm wrapping around her frame and pulling her flush against him, his leg draped over hers, caging her as if keeping her safe from all that could harm her.

"Mingi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For...what?" tilting his head down he glanced at her, only to sigh in defeat once his eyes settled on her sleeping form, well, at least she looked at peace now, looked somewhat happier. Perhaps tomorrow he'd have a full-blown talk about this issue with her, perhaps tomorrow he'd recommend and insist her getting professional help, perhaps tomorrow he'd use words to prove he's a better boyfriend- but for tonight, he would settle on just being next to her, being there for her, sharing his warmth and love with her, using it to lull her restless soul to get a good's night sleep. He may not be sure if he was a good enough boyfriend, but he was sure of one thing- that he was pathetically in love with her.

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Meow (Chp-1)

Choi San x (f)Reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort Fluff

Warnings: death of a major character, war, PTSD.

Word Count: 2.3K

Est. Read Time: 8 min

Networks: @cromernet

"So, you're either a hook-up who hasn't left yet, which is hella creepy dude, it's 10 am- a secret boyfriend I was never told about which proves I have been a horrible best friend or you're a freak who broke inside mind you, I am a cop."

He froze mid-walk, eyes wide and swirling with panic. His instincts were telling him to bolt out the door, but the tug in his chest followed by his heart dropping to his stomach had him frozen in spot, years- no millennia; he had kept safe, he had kept it a secret and to think he would be discovered not by the one destined to be with him, but this mutt- apologies, he used to be a mutt, centuries ago, the same time he had found his mate, ridding him of the curse. What stood before him now was a human, a reborn version of the hyperactive, clingy, filthy-

"I believe you're the creep who is my innocent Y/N's dream man?"

"I can explain."

"Oh?" quirking his head to the side, his eyes scanned the other man, who was dressed in nothing but a towel around his waist, droplets of his fresh shower hanging off the tips of his onyx locks and falling onto the carpet. Yunho’s hand was itching to reach his gun hooked to his belt, hidden with his jacket, he may have been a bit taller than the intruder, but the man looked well built, enough to put up a fight, so he may need to make this quick.

“I’m Poofy.”

“I- you’re what?”

“Poofy, the cat, Y/N’s cat, the one she saved.”

“I might need to call for backup.” He mumbled to himself, taking out his gun and aiming at the barely covered man.

His eyes widened at the statement, shaking his head as he raised his hands in the air, “Listen to me, I’m not lying, Yunho.”

His name caused him to pause, so the intruder knew his name, huh, “How long have you been stalking her?”

“I haven’t I- a millennia later and you’re still so annoying,” letting out a whine, the man stomped his foot against the carpet, the movement leading his towel to slip off, both men freezing as soon as the plush, wet material hit the ground, their eyes meeting for a split second before Yunho’s trailed down, pausing and taking in the sight.

“I don’t remember if she ever mentioned a big-

“I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING TO HER, YOU DAMN MUTT.”

“You know usually, protocol requires me to take you to my precinct, but I feel like I owe you one after that…sight.” He stated, taking a turn towards the café that Poofy had instructed him to go to, claiming that his innocence would be proven there.

“Can you at least uncuff me?” turning to him, San hissed, raising his hands he tugged at the cuffs, before huffing and sitting back against his seat, “Yunho, it pains me to inform you, that even rebirth has done nothing to help your low intelligence.”

“Buddy, insulting a cop isn’t a good thing.” With that he parked in front of a café, staring up at the name, “Hanna, why would you name your café, that?”

“None of your business, now, take me out of these, I’m not walking into my place of refreshments with handcuffs.” He mumbled, showing him the cuffs once more, somewhat melancholic, and exhausted with how he was going to handle all of this.

“Place of refreshments…. bloody psycho.” Yunho mumbled, unlocking his handcuffs, “I’ll shoot you if you try something funny.” With that he went out, going to the other side to open his door, pulling him out, “That’s an expensive jacket for a ‘refreshment shop’ owner.” He stated as a matter of fact, that he was a detective after all, and a good one, according to Captain Hongjoong.

“What can I say, I have expensive taste” Staring at him passively, he scoffed before walking away, leaving Yunho to stare at him, wondering where this sudden change of aura came from, the man really did remind him of Poofy- the cat that loved Y/N but hated him, especially when he’d be around her.

“YOU’RE LATE!”

A shrill boomed as they entered the empty café, Yunho hot on the other man’s heels, speaking of which, he didn’t even know the name of the culprit. Though that thought was short-lived, as soon as he saw the staff, eying them, trying to figure out who what who. Roles, ages, personalities, what had Y/N gotten herself into.

“Sorry,” he scoffed, grabbing the broom from the short man, “I was arrested.” Glancing in Yunho’s direction, his gaze followed by the rest of the mentioned, one of them scoffed and walked away, mumbling something Yunho couldn't pick up on.

"San, can you please tell Yeosang to not meddle with my puffs I- what's he doing here?" Seonghwa pointed at Yunho, who raised a brow in response, unsure why the other man held such bitterness, much like the other one who had walked away.

"He arrested me." San muttered casually, brooming around a table, "Wooyoung, didn't I tell you to not wait for me and open up on time?"

Said man, Wooyoung, snorted in response, shrugging as a reply as he continued to set the display chiller with random, pretty pastries, though all had one thing in common, a small sunflower on top of each, the entire rack looking like a field of sunflowers. Speaking of sunflowers, the surround had notes similar to the flower, even though the lights were off, sunlight seeping through the giant windows being the only source of lighting, he realised the entire place had a very, nature-oriented look, ceiling plants, plants on the walls, succulents on the window sills. Fake vines hanging from the ceiling lights, dainty crystal chimes around the place, glimmering under the sunlight, casting hues of various shades of pink, blue and yellow, the use of pastels adding a fairy-like flare to the cafe, how had he never heard of this place before? She would actually like this place- wait, what if she came here before? What if this is where this creep saw her and began stalking her and-

"She's never been here and he isn't stalking her." a deep voice echoed - in his head? Yunho's hand automatically reached for his ears to cover them, head snapping in every direction to look for the source.

"You still look like a lost puppy sometimes." the same voice chuckled, as a reflex Yunho took out his pistol, aiming at Wooyoung who squeaked, "WHAT! WHAT WAIT- SAN!"

"Put that down you moron", the man mumbled, finally putting the broom away, behind the counter, picking up a cup of tea and walking towards Yunho, who swiftly turned and aimed it at him, "Don't move."

"Yeosang, stop messing with him." he muttered as the voice repeated, "Sorry" only this time it came from behind Wooyoung, a man, much similar to one of the many princes he had seen in movies she would force them to watch when they were children.

"It's only tea." San muttered, placing the cup on the table beside Yunho who aimed at the 'prince-ly creature', "How did you do that?"

"Seriously, Yunho, put that away before someone gets hurt" Wooyoung called out, raising his hands, "We aren't going to hurt you or her, we could never hurt her." before turning his head to gesture at the man still staring at the cup, " San could never hurt her, but you need to put that away."

"Or what?" he spat, fed up with this nonsense.

"F*ck around and find out."

Was all he heard before a gust of wind knocked him out, his pistol being ripped out of his hand, and landing on his butt, he glared up at his assailant, Seonghwa he presumed, the man with features as gentle as the morning breeze, yet, his eyes bore the same intensity as of a thousand hurricanes. Staring at the gun he tsked, his other hand combing back his silky locks then turning to San who reached out to Yunho, offering his hand, "How the hell did you even get caught?"

"He came unannounced."

Slapping his hand away he stood up, "I came to check up on her apartment, her stories of his mystery man in her dreams were getting out of hand." with that he flung out a pocket knife, only for San to slap it out of his hand with one swift motion, "What the-"

"San, did you do what Yeosang specifically instructed you not to?" Seonghwa's tone held no emotion, no, it wasn't void of emotion, in fact, it clung onto the air with a certain authority, much like the brother of wrath and pride.

"I-" sighing the man glanced at Seonghwa, resembling but a wet, guilty kitten, "Yes- but I- she's been having nightmares and I, I mean they stopped when I...you know?"

"You said you didn't do anything to her!" Yunho barked lunging forward at San, tackling him to the ground, finally landing a good punch.

"For the love of mother nature." Jongho sighed, grabbing Yunho by his collar, regardless of their height difference, the little bear had always matched in strength with San, might one say he was stronger than the man underneath Yunho, who wasn't even trying to put up a fight, willing to get socked in the face. Unfortunately, his strength knew no bounds, for what was supposed to be a gentle tug, turned into a complete pull, propelling the man into the air, having him crash land on a table a few feet behind Jongho.

"Shit"

"Great, like my life wasn't already burdensome enough with the lot of you around."

"Seonghwa, ya really should stop speaking like that, it's outdated."

"Shut up Wooyoung." he hissed, a growl resonating in the quiet of the place, "Yeosang, heal him in case Jongho broke something, Jongho take him inside and you," He pointed the gun at San, "Get out of my sight."

Opening the door she sighed, slamming it shut behind her, tossing the keys god knows where, her heels being kicked off, sighing as her bare feet hit the cold tiles, "I need a whole year off." Padding across the apartment she waltzed into the kitchen, humming to herself, mood brightening a bit at the realisation that yesterday's take-out was still in the fridge. Fried Chicken, a woman's best friend.

Popping the plate in the microwave, she mentally counted down the seconds with the machine, her hair already untied and ruffled - destressing. "Come on- oh" she paused thinking of how fried chicken is also her baby's favourite. Speaking of her baby, he didn't come to greet her today.

With the warm plate in hand, she marched to her room, "Poofy~ baby where oh- you're sleeping?" placing the plate on the nightstand she crawled onto the bed, going to her pillow where Poofy was curled up.

"Is my baby tired? Did you have fun outside today?" she whispered, running her fingers through his soft, black fur, stopping to give him a good scratch behind his ear, which finally stirred Poofy awake, as he began to purr.

"Wakey wakey~" cooing she picked him up, sitting on her knees, cradling him. Cracking open an eye he stared at her, his green eye shimmering under the fairy lights hanging from the ceiling, "Did you miss- what's wrong with your other eye? Did you get into a fight?" frowning she pulled him away, holding him like a doll, hands pressed against his under his furry limbs, lower half dangling in the air. "What the hell Poofy! Why is your eye swollen???" her voice raised in pitch as his ears instinctively flattened against his head, tail swishing in disapproval.

"My poor baby!" giving him a death-inviting hug, she pressed him closer, "You must be in so much pain" she wailed, before standing up, "Let's go to the vet!" she placed him on the bed, looking at him and receiving a loud hiss in return before the cat paused, sniffing the air and catwalking towards the chicken, his tail swaying like a snake.

"But...fine." Sighing she reached over to scratch his head, "Fine, but no more fighting or I won't let you go out, okay?"

Almost an hour later she lay in bed, snuggled under the heavy blankets after she made herself instant ramen since her little injured baby ate all the chicken- not that she had any issues, he needed to rebuild his strength. Mindlessly scrolling through her phone, she hummed in response to the little meow, the creature padding up her blankets and squirming under them, crawling up to her, taking a good ten minutes to find a good spot, testing her patience. Finally, he placed his head on her chest, the rest of his soft purring form curled up on her belly, both under the blankets. She had no issues, he was like her personal heating pad, one that was soft as well.

"Goodnight Poofy."

Letting out what she assumed was a sigh, he snuggled closer to her, enjoying the softness and warmth, no longer plagued by the worries of Yunho or Seonghwa or anything else. At the moment he was more focused on her, spending time with her, even if it was like this.

Bonus:

"Yeo?" Seonghwa looked up from his book, earning a hum from the man who was staring at the brewing pot on the stove.

"Did you heal San?"

"What? No...no" he paused his stare session, glancing at Seonghwa who sat cross-legged on a barstool at the other end, the two could finally have peace since Jongho and Wooyoung were with a sleeping (healing Yunho), "He...left after you told him off."

"So he...just went like that?"

"I mean," reaching for a wooden spoon, the healer began to mix the concoction, "Extra attention from her makes him feel better...always been a little greedy for attention, hasn't he?"

Chuckling at the thought the older man nodded, "Greedy and perverse."

Taglist: @edenesth @mlysalt @yessa-vie

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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No More Dreams (A)

Word count: 3.5K

This is the story I wrote for the Ateez writing competition and I based some aspects on what I have seen in dramas/films and documentaries but this is just a fiction; I’m not trying to create a stereotype of what all people who are struggling financially go through - this is just what my character’s life is like.

If you are kind enough - or think this is good enough - to like and comment on for the competition I would be so grateful. The link is below and I used Veilduck VPN to get on the website.

Posted: 9th July 2020

http://ateez.kqent.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=gevent&wr_id=3280

The familiar pain stabbed at Mingi’s stomach again as he groaned and rolled over, trying to get some sleep. Hunger was something he was very used to by now but that didn’t mean it got any easier with time. It still hurt just as much.

To say that Mingi was poor was an understatement, rather he survived each day not knowing if he would be as lucky the next. Today he’d had some cup noodles from a convenience store but that was it; he was out of money until he could get paid again but at least he had a roof over his head…for now.

Czytaj dalej

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Let Me Down Part 3 (A, F)

Synopsis: CollegeStudent!Mingi x CollegeStudent!FemaleReader, BestFriend!Yunho. You’re still struggling without Mingi but circumstances lead you to get closer to Yunho.

Song inspiration: “From the Heart” Another Level (Not related but I would kill to hear Jongho sing this song)

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Warnings: None really, just a suggestive line towards the end.

Word count: 10.5K (I’m so sorry)

Posted: 6th July 2020

Note: I just got this photo off Google but I think it must have been made by someone going by the name ‘Fix On’ because the tag is on there - so just making it clear it is not my photo.

Part 1 Part 2

“Can we have more water for our table, please?”

“Sure, I’ll just get that for you.” You said politely as you went to get the water for Table 7.

“Y/N, Table 10 are ready for their mains now and Table 5 want their bill.” Your supervisor, Max, told you as you headed back with the water.

“Sure thing.” You said, wishing your shift was already over but you were only an hour into it. It was lunchtime on a Saturday so the restaurant you worked at part-time was rammed, as usual. You had graduated but still hadn’t found a permanent job yet.

“Y/N, you look exhausted - are you ok?” One of your colleagues, Tiffany, asked you as you took a few seconds to breathe at the till station as you printed out Table 5’s bill.

“I don’t know…I’ve felt tired for the last couple of weeks now. I’m probably just low on iron, I haven’t had much appetite lately.” You admitted, “I’ll get some supplements after work.”

Since you last saw Mingi you hadn’t been eating properly again. Impossibly, saying ‘goodbye’ to him for a second time had caused you much more pain than the first one. You should never have given in to your emotions and slept with him that night. You gave in because you weren’t strong enough to say 'no’ when he was right there looking at you like he used to - like he still loved you - but you didn’t have the courage to take him back and risk being hurt again. Now, it had become clear that your heart also wasn’t strong enough to deal with the fall out from that decision. You’d fallen into the same cycle you had the first time; not eating, not sleeping, trying to ignore the aching in your chest but while you were trying your best to carry on with your life without him, you were really just walking around like a zombie. Just existing while all the life had been drained out of you.

Czytaj dalej

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Let Me Down Part 2 (A, S)

Synopsis: CollegeStudent!Mingi x CollegeStudent!Reader, Friend!Yunho. After you left Mingi due to his neglect of you, you’re both finding it tough to move on

Song inspiration: ‘Need You Now’ Lady A

Genre: Angst, smut and eventual fluff (but not yet)

Warnings: Drunk unprotected sex, fingering, oral (m and f receiving), mentions of using alcohol to cope with the pain, threat of sexual assault (by random character, of course not any of the boys), physical violence (towards same random character).

Word count: 9K (sorry)

Posted: 27th June 2020

Part 1 Part 3

It was the third time you’d heard the gentle knock on your bedroom door and for the third time you ignored it.

“Y/N….” Jina’s worried voice filtered through, “…please come out and eat something.”

You buried your head further under the covers.

“You haven’t eaten properly in days. Not since -”

“Jina…let her be. She just needs some time.” Suzy interjected before Jina could mention him. Both your roomates had been tip-toeing around what happened three days ago. The day you finally broke up with Mingi. They’d both been waiting for you to see sense and dump your selfish, unreliable boyfriend of five years but hadn’t forseen the fallout from that decision. Now they were both worried for you.

When they came home from their lectures that day to find you lying on your bed, red-eyed from crying all afternoon. They had thought that as you were the one who broke it off, you’d cry it out and then get over it - after all, it wasn’t like you were the one who’d been dumped…you’d chosen to end it. They had got it very wrong, though, because you still loved Mingi, despite leaving him and you felt like your world had caved in on you. You left him because you couldn’t stand knowing he didn’t love you the same way anymore, knowing you just weren’t that important to him. You had to leave because you knew the way he was treating you was wrong. It didn’t mean you didn’t love him anymore, though, and right now you were starting to question whether this pain you were feeling was worse than the hurt you felt while you were with him.

Czytaj dalej

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Let Me Down Part 1(A,S)

Synopsis: College au, Sudent!Mingi x Student!Reader, Friend!Yunho. You love Mingi but he keeps prioritising his friends over you so you decide you’ve had enough.

Song inspiration: “The Moment I Knew’ Taylor Swift

Genre: Angst, smut and eventual fluff

Warnings: First time sex (protected), brief mention of WooSan

Word count: 6K

Posted: 22nd June 2020

Part 2 Part 3

“Y/N! Hold up!” You turned around in the packed school corridor to see a large form bounding through the other students trying to reach you, fluffy, black hair bouncing as he did - he was always loud and hyper and he brought a smile to your face every time you saw him. Song Mingi, the love of your life, the centre of your world, reached you and enveloped you in a big hug, “I missed you, Y/N.” You looked up at your giant of a boyfriend and shook your head affectionately, “Mingi, we were only separated for one class.” “Yeah…and I missed you the entire time. I hate being away from you - even just for an hour.” You laughed, not being able to resist the huge grin he gave you, and leaned up to kiss him on his soft, plump lips.

“Ugh! Keep it for the bedroom, Lovebirds.” Jongho said, tired of your constant PDAs.

“Shut up, Jongho. You’re just jealous you don’t have a beautiful girfriend like me.” Mingi shot back.

“Whatever. I’m getting lunch.” Jongho moved towards the school cafeteria followed by Mingi’s six other best friends. “Come on, Babe, let’s eat.”

Czytaj dalej

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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One Shot/One Song #2 -Choi Jongho

Perfect Imperfections

Choi Jongho x Reader

Inspired By: All of Me – John Legend

Summary: You first meet Jongho at a coffee shop near your apartment. He’s a soccer player who falls in love with you at first sight. His shyness complicates the situation though, leading to a drunk confession.

Word Count: 5,484

Genre: fluff

Warnings/Contains: body insecurities

Perfect Imperfections

The first time you walk into the coffee shop near your apartment, you fall in love.

It’s a small shop, so there aren’t many customers. After spending all day surrounded by noisy elementary schoolers, you crave the peace and quiet the coffee shop offers. You order and choose a seat by the window. You pull out the novel you’ve been reading and settle in for some much-needed decompression. Your coffee is just cooling off enough to drink when the door of the shop opens and a group of noisy young men enter, spoiling your tranquility.

They’re dressed for sports, laughing and high-fiving each other. The tallest of the group shouts to the barista to bring “the usual,” and the others begin making their way to a table across from you. As they walk by where you’re sitting, you make eye contact with one of the men. He stops in his tracks, and one of his companions bumps into him, knocking him slightly off balance.

“Ay! Jongho! Watch out!” his companion bellows.

He blinks as if coming back to reality and turns his gaze to his friend. Nodding, he follows the group to the table. By the time he reaches it, the only open seat is facing away from you. He pauses, then walks around to the other side.

“Mingi, let me sit here,” he commands, smacking the tallest man on the back. His buddy grumbles but gets up and moves to the open seat.

You try to go back to your reading but end up watching him and his companions over the top edge of your book. They seem to be celebrating; they must have won some sort of sports thingy. You have absolutely no interest in athletics, so you have no idea what they’re talking about. They’re noisy, but the manly voices are pleasantly soothing.

When the barista brings over their drinks, the man they called Jongho looks in your direction. You meet his eyes again and this time he smiles. The adorable way his nose scrunches makes you grin. You quickly look away, blushing. You sit for a while longer, stealing glances in their direction, and when you finish the last of your coffee, you decide to leave.

As you pass their table, you hear one of the men say “Choi Jongho! Where’s your head?”

“I think he’s a little distracted by the scenery,” another one of them laughs.

“Shut up Woo,” he grumbles. You walk out the door beaming.

The next Saturday, you decide to spend your morning reading at the coffee shop. After ordering your coffee, you’re distracted digging through your bag and you run straight into the person behind you.

You stumble backward but a firm grip steadies you. Looking up you lock eyes with the same man you met here before. Jongho. There’s no way you could forget that name. Or those eyes. You pull away in embarrassment and apologize. He grins sweetly and you turn to flee.

“I’m Jongho,” he calls after you.

You turn back around. “Y/N,” you reply, stretching out your hand.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he responds. You stand there staring at him, feeling like a complete idiot.

“You too,” you finally mumble. His gaze is unnerving, and you turn away to escape your awkwardness.

A few moments later, you’re staring out the window admonishing yourself for being so ridiculous, and he walks by. He smiles at you, the same adorable nose scrunch making your heart thump. You wave clumsily and your eyes follow him down the sidewalk. When he’s out of sight, you roll your eyes. No wonder you never go on any dates.

Several days pass before you’re brave enough to go near the coffee shop again. You’ve had enough embarrassing encounters to last you for a while. Walking past the window, you glance inside and see Jongho sitting at a table with some of his friends. He’s laughing with them, a look of pure happiness on his face. You can’t help but watch him; it melts your heart.

He happens to glance in your direction and his eyes widen. His friends all turn to see what’s caught his attention. When they see you standing there, one of them looks back at Jongho. He must be teasing him; Jongho punches him in the arm. Before you can embarrass yourself anymore, you turn around and run back down the street, away from the coffee shop.

It’s a month before you can bring yourself to go back. It has to be their regular hangout, as many times as you’ve run into him. You can’t bring yourself to show your face there. He has to be as embarrassed as you are.

You’ve thought about him every day since you ran away from the coffee shop. His piercing eyes have haunted your dreams. You desperately want to see him again, but you don’t want to keep looking like a fool. You finally decide to suck it up and go back to the coffee shop.

When you step inside, you’re relieved that neither Jongho nor his friends are there. You order your coffee and take your regular seat by the window. Maybe you’ll be able to read your book in peace. But about ten minutes later, you realize that you spoke too soon. The door opens and in walks what you’ve most dreaded, Jongho and his entire group of friends. You sink down in your chair, covering your face with your book. Maybe they won’t stay. If they do, maybe no one will notice.

You can hear their voices getting closer, but you don’t dare look up. By now, any of them would recognize you, as many times as you’ve embarrassed yourself in front of them. You can tell that they’re sitting near you. Their voices are loud, and you can hear nearly every word.

“Jongho, isn’t that her?” one of them asks quietly.

“What? Where?” he asks.

“By the window.”

Your entire body flushes with embarrassment. Of course, they’re all looking at you now, there’s no way you can escape their stares. You’re mortified.

Another one of his friends speaks up. “Go ask her to come over!”

“No way!” Jongho squeaks. “I can’t.”

An authoritative voice responds. “Leave him alone guys.”

“If he won’t ask,” a mischievous voice speaks up. “Then I will.”

“Woo, no!” You hear Jongho protest.

You freeze. Was he really coming over to you? You swallow hard and your heart thumps in your chest.

“Excuse me, Y/N?”

You slowly lower your book. A pair of smiling eyes greets you. You stare back, not saying anything.

“I’m Wooyoung.” Pointing to the table, he asks, “Would you like to come join us?”

“Ummm…” You don’t know what to say.

Another man approaches you. He only says one word.

“Wooyoung.”

It’s the authoritative one. The other man steps back, but he’s still smiling as he walks back to the table.

“I apologize,” he says quietly.

“It’s okay.” You try to smile as normally as possible.

“If you would like to join us, it would be our pleasure.”

You look past him towards the table where the rest of them are sitting. Jongho is looking expectantly in your direction. Everything inside your brain is screaming to run away before you make a fool of yourself. And everything inside your heart is screaming for you to just take one step out of your comfort zone.

You take a deep breath and say okay.

He leads you back to their table. Wooyoung jumps up and offers you his seat, directly across from Jongho. Looking between you and Jongho, Wooyoung won’t stop smiling.

“I’m Hongjoong,” the man with the authoritative voice says. He introduces the rest of the men at the table. They’re all friendly, smiling at you and saying hello. You chance a look at Jongho. He’s sitting stoically, trying to look unbothered. But the tips of his ears are red, and it makes you smile to know he’s as timid as you are.

You spend the next half hour chatting. It’s an easy-going group of friends and you quickly feel at ease. Jongho is mostly quiet, but you can sense him smiling at you. You glance at the clock, and reluctantly say goodbye; you have somewhere to be. They say goodbye and as you walk away from the table, Wooyoung calls your name. You look back.

“We have a soccer game on Saturday. It’d be nice for Jongho, I mean, it’d be nice for all of us, if you could come.” Jongho cringes and turns away from your view. You giggle at Wooyoung’s boldness.

“Okay,” you agree.

Wooyoung’s face lights up. “1 pm. Let’s meet here!”

As you walk out the door, you can hear Jongho say “Wooyoung, I’m gonna kill you!”

Your heart is pounding, but there’s a smile on your face.

When Saturday comes, you go to the coffee shop early. You’re drinking your coffee when you hear Wooyoung call your name. He greets you with a warm hug. You look around and see he’s alone and you can’t help but be disappointed. He notices you searching.

“Jongho’s already at the field. He’s the captain,” Wooyoung says proudly. He throws his arm around your shoulder. “Ready?”

You nod. You’re excited to see Jongho again, and also nervous. You went through at least ten outfits this morning; you have no clue what someone is supposed to wear to a soccer game. Wooyoung doesn’t give your outfit any strange looks, so the baggy t-shirt and jeans you finally decided on must be acceptable attire.

“I don’t really know anything about soccer,” you confess as you walk from the coffee shop.

“That’s okay,” Wooyoung replies. “I can teach you everything you need to know.”

He prattles on about goals and fouls and a bunch of other things that you don’t really care about. He’s absorbed in his own explanation, so he doesn’t notice you zoning out. You’re thinking about Jongho. You wonder what he really thinks of you. The times that you’ve been around each other, he’s been practically silent. He might be interested but you aren’t sure. You think about what he could possibly like about you, and your mind automatically wanders to your biggest insecurity.

Your size.

You’re not fat by any means, but you definitely don’t conform to society’s beauty standards. Your tummy is soft, and your curves are womanly, not girlish like the ideal. Probably another reason why you never go on any dates. Wooyoung snaps you out of your thoughts.

“We’re here! You’ll sit with Yeosang. He hurt his knee at practice, and he isn’t playing today. See you after!”

Yeosang has sidled up beside you and is smiling. “Hello Y/N. It’s nice to see you again.”

He walks you to the bleachers near where the players are warming up. You try to not be obvious while you’re looking for Jongho. You see the other guys, but not him. Finally, you spot him. He’s talking to a player on the sidelines, showing him some soccer move. He pats the other player on the back and walks away. When he looks up and sees you, he smiles his nose scrunching smile. Then, he looks away, quickly returning to serious mode before anyone can see him.

You chat with Yeosang throughout the match. He asks questions about your life, what you do and what your hobbies are. He’s easy to talk to and you feel comfortable with him. In fact, all of Jongho’s friends seem wonderfully kind. He must be the same way.

You assume from the cheers of the spectators that his team is playing well. Yeosang cheers loudly for all the team members even though he looks disappointed to not be playing. Jongho’s team wins, and after the match is finished, everyone goes over to him to celebrate. They all pat him on the back, commenting on how well he played. You follow suit and tell him congratulations.

“Thank you,” he replies shyly.

“Y/N!” Wooyoung runs to where you’re standing with Jongho, throwing his arm around your shoulder again. “How did you like the game? Our captain played great, huh?”

“He did.” You look at Jongho and smile. He blushes, pleased with your praise.

“We’re going to the coffee shop to celebrate,” Wooyoung continues. “Come with us?”

You nod in agreement, and Wooyoung leads you away. When you look back at Jongho, he’s still smiling.

This scenario becomes your regular Saturday routine for the rest of the soccer season. You become close with all the guys; they readily welcome you into their ranks. But you still aren’t as close with Jongho as you’d like. He enjoys your company, you’re certain, but you don’t think it will go any further and you’re disappointed.

One evening, after the season is over, you’re with Wooyoung at the table by the window, waiting for Jongho to bring the coffee. Seemingly out of the blue, Wooyoung turns to you and whispers.

“If Jongho doesn’t hurry up and ask you out, one of us is going to steal you away from him.”

You snicker at his words. “I don’t think he’s interested, Woo.”

“Of course, he is Y/N,” Wooyoung replies. “He’s crazy about you.”

You stare at him in disbelief. “Stop teasing,” you pout.

He covers your hand with his. “I’m not teasing, Y/N. He’s just shy.”

At that moment, Jongho approaches the table, coffee in hand. He sits down yours first, then beside it, he sits a plate with fresh coffee cake. You look at him and he’s smiling. Coffee cake is your favorite, but how did he know? You didn’t order anything to eat.

As he sits down, you look at Wooyoung. “See?” he mouths to you.

You roll your eyes. There’s no way Wooyoung can be right. Jongho thinks of you as a friend. He’s just being kind. You don’t want to get your hopes up by seeing it as anything more.

A few weeks later you’re reading again at the coffee shop when Jongho and Hongjoong come in. Hongjoong waves at you and you smile. Jongho seems distracted and unhappy. While they wait for their coffee, Hongjoong does most of the talking, rubbing Jongho’s shoulder as if he’s comforting him.

After getting their coffee, they approach your table. They’ve only been sitting for a minute when Hongjoong suddenly announces that he just remembered something he needed to do. He stands up to excuse himself.

“I’ll go with you,” Jongho offers.

“No,” he says firmly. “Stay here with Y/N and relax.”

When he says goodbye, you realize that this is the first time you’ve ever been alone with Jongho. Your heart is pounding as you try to think of something to say.

“Is everything okay?” you finally ask.

“No. I mean, yes,” he replies nervously. He sips his coffee and stares out the window.

“If there’s anything you want to talk about,” you offer. “I’d be more than happy to listen.”

His look softens as he meets your eyes. “Thank you, Y/N,” he replies sincerely.

You smile at him warmly. For quite a while, the two of you sit together in a comfortable silence. His demeanor is calming, and you feel consoled by just his presence.

To your surprise, he starts talking. “I have a try out for a minor league soccer team next month.”

“Jongho, that’s amazing!”

“Is it?” he asks solemnly.

“Of course, it is! You’re an amazing soccer player. Isn’t it what you want?”

He doesn’t respond immediately. You take a chance and reach for his hand. He looks at your hand, then looks at you and smiles. You can’t help but smile back. He doesn’t pull away.

“I thought it was what I wanted, but sometimes, I’m not sure. I want to make a difference, and I’m not sure how playing soccer does that.”

You’ve never seen this side of Jongho before and it pulls at your heart. He looks at his watch, then turns to you.

“Would you go somewhere with me?”

You happily agree. You’ve been waiting for months to spend time alone with him, to talk to him and get to know him better.

He holds the door for you, walking beside you as he leads you down the street. You’re heading toward the soccer field. You wonder if maybe he left something there, but when you arrive, the field is full of children. One of them spots Jongho and comes running toward him.

“Look Coach! I’ve been practicing!”

The boy kicks the ball back and forth between his feet and Jongho beams. He ruffles the boy’s hair and says, “Great job buddy!”

The boy runs back to the field with his ball. As you walk with Jongho, several other children call to him and wave. They’re all excited to see him. You look at him, puzzled.

“I coach here sometimes, after school,” he explains. “It’s nothing serious. Just when I have time.” His face flushes and he looks away from you.

“This is incredible, Jongho. These kids love you.”

“It’s nice to be able to help them,” he mumbles.

“To make a difference?” you ask, referring to his earlier comment at the coffee shop. You playfully thump him on the arm.

He laughs, a grin spreading across his face. “I guess so.”

Another boy runs up to where you’re standing. “Is this your girlfriend, Coach?” he asks.

“No!” Jongho cries. “Uh, this is Y/N. She’s just a friend.”

“Oh. Well, she’s pretty!” the boy shouts and runs back to the field.

Jongho shoves his hands in his pockets and hangs his head. “Sorry,” he apologizes. “I’m just gonna run some drill with the kids. Do you want to wait here?”

You agree and sit down on the bench to watch. He’s amazing as he works with the kids. He’s patient and caring, the hallmark of an excellent teacher. You feel touched that he would share this part of his life with you. Every new thing you learn about him draws you deeper into your crush. You’ve got to get a hold of it before it gets out of control. Because like he said, you’re only a friend.

His practice lasts about an hour. After, he offers to walk you home. You tell him it’s not necessary, but he insists. “It’s almost dark outside,” he observes.

Your heart is turning backflips at his kindness, but your head is replaying the same sentence over and over. She’s just a friend. She’s just a friend. The walk to your apartment is short and you’re frustrated that it’s over. You know he’s unlikely to say yes, but you invite him inside. You’re pleasantly surprised, and extremely nervous, when he agrees.

Inside your apartment, you ask if he’d like anything to eat or drink. You put your things away and then head to the kitchen. When you come back about ten minutes later, Jongho is curled up on the couch, sound asleep. The heart-warming way his lips pout while he sleeps makes you giggle. He’s too precious to disturb, so you reach for the blanket at the foot of the couch and cover him gently.

When you wake up the next morning, he's still asleep on the couch. You go about your morning routine, and while you’re in the kitchen waiting for your coffee to perk, you hear his footsteps approaching. He's standing in the doorway running his hands through his disheveled hair and looking embarrassed.

“I’m really sorry Y/N.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” you laugh. “You looked peaceful and I didn’t want to disturb you. Do you want some coffee?”

He nods his head, and you motion for him to sit down at the table. You place the coffee on the table in front of him and sit down.

“You know, Jongho, you already are making a difference in the lives of those kids. While you were sleeping, I looked into it and that’s not just any after school program. Those kids are at risk. They don’t have anyone in their lives to depend on. Except you.”

“It’s really not that big of a deal,” he mumbles. You smile at him. He’s absolutely amazing.

His phone rings from the living room. You can hear him talking from the kitchen.

“No, I didn’t come home last night.” It must be Hongjoong; he’s like a father to those guys. “Uh, I stayed with a friend.” He pauses. “Just a friend, don’t worry about it.”

There’s that phrase again. Just a friend. Jongho’s made it pretty clear that he doesn’t think about you in the same way that you do about him. Your heart sinks.

When he comes back to the kitchen a few minutes later, he tells you that he has to go. You walk him to the door and say goodbye, then head for the bathroom to get ready for work.

Before you get in the shower, you stand in front of the full-length mirror, naked. You look at yourself critically. Your tummy is squishy, a few too many pieces of coffee cake. There’s no gap between your thighs and your hips are wide set and voluptuous. Your breasts aren’t small and perky like a young woman. No wonder Jongho isn’t interested in you. If you were more attractive, he might notice you. Maybe if you can change yourself, then he might want to be more than friends. You're going to start seriously dieting and going to the gym every day. You’re disgusted with how you look and you have to change. Because if you were skinnier, you wouldn’t be alone right now.

When you get out of the shower you have a message waiting from him. Thank you for listening yesterday. Your pulse thumps in your throat. You want more than anything to be the one who listens to him every day, the one who is there for him when he’s vulnerable, the one he shares his secrets with.

A few days later, you’re at the coffee shop with some of the guys when Wooyoung turns to you. “Y/N, you look exhausted. What have you been doing?”

“I guess I am a little tired,” you reply. “I’ve been getting up earlier than usual.”

“For what?” he asks, nonchalantly.

“Uh…I’ve been going to the gym.”

Jongho snaps his head up to look at you. “Why?” he demands.

You hate being the center of everyone’s attention and you hang your head to hide. “I guess I just wasn’t very happy with my looks,” you whisper.

“What are you talking about Y/N?” Wooyoung laughs. “You’re beautiful. Right, Jongho?”

Jongho freezes when Wooyoung calls him out.

“Right?” he repeats.

“She is beautiful,” he murmurs, turning his head away from the table.

You blush at his words. You would die to hear him say you were beautiful and really mean it.

“If you get any more beautiful," Wooyoung says, "one of us might sweep you off your feet.” He looks pointedly at Jongho, emphasizing his meaning with his eyes.

Before you leave, Wooyoung pulls you aside and invites you to a party they’re having at Yunho and Seonghwa’s apartment on the weekend. They’re celebrating Jongho. His soccer tryout was successful, and he was offered a spot on the team. They want to surprise him, and Wooyoung assures you that Jongho would want you to be there.

He assigns you the job of getting Jongho to the party without telling him about the surprise. You use the guise of asking for help. You tell him that Seonghwa is giving you a piece of artwork and you need help moving it to your apartment. He quickly agrees and you make plans to meet him on Saturday evening.

Saturday comes and the doorbell rings. It’s Jongho to help you with your imaginary artwork. You invite him in, telling him you’ll be just a few more minutes.

“Aren’t we moving a piece of artwork, Y/N?” he asks.

You nod.

“Then why are you dressed so…uh…like that?”

He gestures to the short red dress that you’re wearing for the party. You didn’t think that far ahead in your plan.

“Uh…I have a date after,” you blurt out. It’s the first thing that pops into your head, and you instantly regret saying it. There’s no way he’s going to believe that.

“Oh,” he says quietly. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and stares down at the floor.

“Um…yeah, I am.”

“Well, we better hurry then. You don’t want to be late.”

You nod your head and go to the bedroom to get your heels. When you come back out, Jongho is standing by the door, looking like he’s about to run out.

“Ready,” you announce.

The two of you walk in silence to Seonghwa and Yunho’s apartment. Jongho looks like he’s a million miles away and you don’t think he’d hear anything you said if you did speak. You ring the doorbell and when it opens, Yunho ushers both of you inside. Jongho lets you go first, and when he enters, everyone jumps from their hiding places. He’s definitely surprised, you must have done your job of deceiving him well.

Wooyoung approaches and congratulates Jongho on his job offer. There’s a bottle of soju in his hand which Jongho promptly takes and downs.

“Thanks,” he says as he walks away.

“Wow,” comments Wooyoung when Jongho’s out of sight. “I thought he’d be happy.”

You did too. But he doesn’t seem to be at all.

“You look beautiful, Y/N,” Wooyoung compliments you. “Jongho’s a lucky man.”

You snicker. “I told you; he doesn’t see me that way. But it’s not for lack of trying on my part.” Your shoulders slump in disappointment. Wooyoung throws his arm around you.

“Don’t worry about him, Y/N. It’s his loss.”

You force a smile and let him lead you away. As you walk by Jongho, he eyes you intensely and downs another shot of alcohol. In the kitchen, Seonghwa offers you a drink. Some of the guys are gathered there, while others are dancing in the living room.

“What’s wrong with Jongho?” Seonghwa asks in Hongjoong’s direction. “I’ve never seen him drink like that.”

“I’m not sure,” Hongjoong replies. “But I’m going to find out.”

He walks toward the living room where Jongho’s standing. He’s staring out the sliding glass doors onto the patio that overlooks the skyline. Hongjoong must have startled him because he jumps at his approach. You watch them talking and you can tell that Jongho is upset. He looks in your direction, gesturing, and you quickly look away.

“Uh oh,” Seonghwa whispers in your ear. “Looks like someone’s in trouble.”

“What?!” you cry, jerking your head in his direction.

“You’re in trouble, Y/N. I’ve only seen Jongho with that look when someone’s betrayed him.”

“How could I have betrayed him?” you ask, completely baffled. Seonghwa shrugs his shoulders and walks away laughing. You don't see how you could have betrayed Jongho. You only told a little white lie to get him to the party. That's not a betrayal. He certainly wouldn't be that angry about it.

You watch Hongjoong and Jongho talking for a while longer. The older man seems to be trying to encourage Jongho. But you can't understand why he would need encouragement to begin with. The situation is too bizarre.

You head for the patio to get some fresh air. When you walk past where Hongjoong and Jongho are talking, you overhear Jongho say “It’s too late Joong. I’ve missed my chance.”

You take a deep breath once you're outside. You walk to the railing and look out over the city. The lights are twinkling beautifully, and it makes you laugh. How ironic it is that something so plain and simple can be so gorgeous, but you’re just completely blah and unattractive.

You stand there for a while, looking at the lights. Finally, you decide it would be best for you to just go home. You did your part and got Jongho here, but it’s obvious that he doesn’t care if you stay or not. You might as well leave. It’s not worth stumbling around in these heels.

When you turn to leave, Jongho is standing behind you. You gasp. “God, Jongho! You scared me!”

You smack his shoulder, and he wobbles. How much liquor has he drank already?

“I thought that you liked me, Y/N?” he whines.

“Of course, I like you, Jongho. We’re friends.”

“As more than a friend.” He wobbles again. You’re worried he’s going to fall over, so you grab his arm and sit him down in one of the chairs on the patio.

“Don’t you like me?” he pouts as he flops down.

“Jongho, I think you’ve had too much to drink. I’ll get you some water.”

“Wait Y/N.” He grabs your wrist. You wince; he doesn’t realize how tightly he’s gripping you.

“That hurts, Jongho.”

He lets go and buries his head in his hands. “Why can’t I do anything right when it comes to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t talk to you because being around you makes my mind go blank. And I can’t spend time alone with you because I’m too nervous to screw something up. And now, I hurt you because I can’t control my own strength. God! I can’t even confess to you without screwing that up too!”

“What are you talking about, Jongho?”

“Tonight. When you asked me to help you, I told myself I was going to confess to you no matter what. But now it’s too late...because you’re seeing someone.”

“What?”

“You said you had a date.”

“I only said that because I didn’t want to give away the surprise party. I didn’t think about what I would be wearing and when you asked me, I panicked. It was the first thing that came to my mind.”

“I panicked too,” he mumbles. “Because you look amazing in that dress. So…you don’t have a date?”

“No, I don’t have a date. No one wants to date me,” you grumble under your breath.

“That’s not true, Y/N. I want to date you.”

“Don’t tease me, Jongho. It’s a sensitive topic for me.”

He grabs your hand. “I’m not teasing you, Y/N. I’m telling you the truth.”

“I don’t understand. You said that we were just friends.”

“I want us to be more than friends.”

He’s drunk and he’s taking his joke too far. “That’s enough, Jongho. I know you’re making fun of me and it’s not amusing anymore. You know that I’m insecure...”

"Insecure about what?" he asks.

"About my looks. That's why I haven't dated." You hang your head. You had no idea that the evening would go this far south. You need to get out of here and you stand up to go.

Jongho grabs you and forces you to face him. His hands rest heavily on your shoulders. “Don’t ever say something like that, Y/N! How many times do I have to tell you? You’re beautiful.”

“I’m not, Jongho!” Tears threaten your eyes and you pull away. “I’m not beautiful. I’m not thin. I don’t look like those beautiful women that…”

“Y/N, stop!" he interrupts. "You’re the most beautiful woman in the world. I love your curves and all your edges. All your perfect imperfections. Everything that you see as ugly, I see as beautiful. You’re my worst distraction, Y/N. I can’t focus on anything because of you. You’ve got my head spinning. I feel like I’m out of my mind.”

“You’re…you’re serious?”

“Of course, I’m serious!” He turns away. “From the moment I saw you, I wanted you. Every time I'm around you, it feels like my head’s underwater. I can’t think straight.”

He turns back to you. “I want you to be mine, Y/N. I thought it was too late, but it’s not, is it?"

He waits for you to respond, but you're too scared to respond.

"What’s going on in that beautiful mind?" he asks you. "You’re driving me crazy not saying anything."

You finally shake your head. “No, it’s not too late, Jongho.”

“All of me loves all of you, Y/N. Please, say you’ll be mine?”

“Choi Jongho, I thought you’d never ask.”

It takes a second for your words to sink in. When he realizes that you’ve said yes, his nose scrunches in the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. He wraps his arms around your waist and lifts you from the ground, spinning you in a circle.

You lean in to kiss him and applause and cheers erupt from behind you. Turning, you see that all the guys have gathered at the door and are watching the two of you.

“Took you long enough!” Wooyoung shouts from the doorway.

You look back at Jongho and he laughs. He pulls you back to his lips. Cheers erupt again as you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer.

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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*SCREAMS INTO THE PILLOW*

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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One More Hour

Idol San x (f)Reader

Summary: If Choi San was sure about one thing, it was the love that occupied his heart, his love for her. She had become everything he needed, everything he believed in and everything he worshipped, not a thought that went by that wasn't followed by a thought about her. The only problem was, his undying love for her, was a secret known only to her, not the people he had been living with since his teens.

Genre: Fluff (a tinge of angst) (simp San, technically they're both hopelessly, dramatically inlove- i do not regret this)

Warnings: None

A/N: Choi San's got me whipped, I just can't. Please remember to show some love by 💗 and reblogs

With her cheek squished against his cotton-clad chest, she felt his warmth slowly lull her to a state of blissful sleep, their heartbeat synchronized as he hummed a familiar, yet random tune, perhaps it wasn't the tune that was familiar but his melodic voice that could compete with angels.

She had long forgotten the plot of the movie, too engrossed by his presence, arms squeezing his waist, pressing herself closer into his side, his hand reaching to rest on top of her head, fingers caressing through her hair. It had been long since the two had spent time together like this, just enjoying each other's presence, basking in each other's warmth. So, when given the opportunity to take a day off, when everyone else had other things to do, he chose to stay at home alone, unknown to the rest of the members that instead of sleeping in, he had decided to spend the evening with his significant angel. Calling her over with a well-formulated plan, since everyone was leaving and coming in late, he had told her to drop by earlier and he'd drop her off before they arrived back home, meaning the two could spend some time together- both knowing even an eternity spent together wasn't enough.

It's not that he didn't want to tell them or that they wanted to keep it a secret, it's just that company at the dorm was… something noone preferred, possibly due to this being the only place of privacy they had. More importantly, he didn't want to introduce her as just her girlfriend, his brain had been buzzing with a certain idea he wasn't sure if she was comfortable with, which is why he had been waiting for the perfect opportunity.

"Sannie…" her hushed voice rang in his ears, earning a hum in return she paused, eyes darting to the wall clock as a sigh escaped her lips, finally causing him to look away from the screen to scan her face, eyes tracing the subtle frown of her brows and pouted lips- "What's wrong-hey" he called out, trying to hold her still as she slipped away, sitting up straight, "Where are you going?" his own pout making its way to his face, mirroring the sad look in her eyes.

"It's six, Sannie, I need to get going before it gets too late," she mumbled, trying to make her way over his sprawled-out legs to the other side of the bed, only for him to gently push her down, ignoring her high pitched, over-dramatic squeak, climbing over her form as her head hit the soft mattress pinning her down, glaring up at him, his grip on her wrists tightened, pushing them down next to head. "Don't go." his whine not even remotely representing the death grip he had on her, his whole body engaging her, face pressed into the skin of her neck, lips pressing against her pulse, stretching into a smirk at the feeling of her breath hitching.

"One more hour," mumbling against her skin he traced his lips up the column of her neck to her jaw, trailing soft kisses to her ear, "I'll drop you home myself, just…one more hour."

"But Sannie- uff" her whine was cut off as the air was pushed out of her lungs, thanks to him putting his entire body weight on top of hers, rubbing his nose against her cheek, "You have been detained, due to the horrendous crime of breaking your boyfriend's heart."

"I'm about to die." wheezing out she tried to pull her hands out of his death grip or at least shove him off, only to fail and whine in defeat. His chest vibrated as a chuckle broke past his lips, proud at how all that time at the gym had paid off, before pulling himself off her, only to hover over her, his hands letting go of her wrists, to cup her face, thumbs brushing over her warm cheeks.

"Just one more hour," he whispered before placing a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose, smiling at how she scrunched her nose in response.

"Tempt me to stay."

Words that had no malice or implications, in truth she just meant food or a tasty treat, nothing else of any sort but a fact that slipped her mind. A thought and a fact about how the big, shy, feline-eyed man of hers was a pervert. A sinister smirk replaced his easy smile, eyes gleaming at the way her smile had faltered upon the realisation of the innuendo that could have been behind those words- mind you she had not intended for there to be any.

"You perv." was all she could manage to huff out, chest heaving after the tedious, tiring yet exhilarating session, staring up at the false ceiling in post haze. His pillow felt cold under her head, her body shivering, more from the buzz of the aftermath than the cold. Laying on his side he watched her features, the way her gaze seemed to be unfocused, lips slightly parted, cheeks puffed out and pink, propping himself up on his elbow, he reached over to caress her cheek, neither concerned about the time anymore.

"Shower?"

"Yes please."

With a quick shower, the two had returned to their usual spot on the bed, after San had oh so kindly changed the sheets. He had forced her to wear his hoodie, only for her to insist he give her something to wear underneath too because it was cold and much to his displeasure he had to give his gym shorts, even after he had explained how he'd keep her legs warm even without anything, only to receive an "I've had enough of your nonsense for one day, Choi."

"What are you doing?" her words broke the comfortable silence, catching him in the act, and stopping him from pulling the covers over the two. She had allowed a cuddling session to commence but never approved of anything more, it was almost nine and she had to go- no, he said he'd drop her off- no, she'd rather go alone to avoid anything else.

"I thought we could rest…for a bit…you know…" clearing his throat he looked around, "After all that fun."

"And who decided to have that 'fun', huh?"

"You. It was actually you." with that he pulled her closer, holding her close as she struggled against him, "Don't worry, I set the alarm, just one more hour." she paused looking up at him, as he leaned down to press a sloppy kiss on her forehead, "Just one more hour, I promise."

"That was by far the worst film you could have ever forced us to watch." Mingi sighed, opening the door and entering the passageway, kicking his shoes off, followed by the others.

"It was an art film," Hongjoong argued, locking the door behind him, noting how Seonghwa had been neatly stacking everyone's shoes, in order only to pause at a pair of Converse, one that looked too small for any of them.

"It was SHIT, that's what it WAS." Wooyoung called out as he headed towards his room, "A bloody day off and we decide to let him plan it- SAN WAS SO SMART FOR NOT COMING." he stopped by the kitchen, before swinging open the fridge, "I mean I get it, it can be in French or whatever language, but why did the dude become a slug and- this bastard…"

"What's up?" Yunho asked, ripping open a packet of instant ramen, midnight snacks are important. Motioning to Yeosang who nodded, signaling for a serving as well.

Slamming the door closed Wooyoung turned around and glared at them, "The asshole ate my cakeslice!"

"You mean the toothpaste one?"

"Not funny Yunho.Not.F*cking.Funny!"With that he stomped out of the kitchen, probably to confront the criminal.

"What's his deal?" Mingi, who Wooyoung slammed his shoulder into, stumbled into the kitchen, earning an eye-roll from Yuho and a quiet "He's insane" from Yeosang.

"Not mine," Jongho mumbled, staring at the shoes, both his hyungs humming in agreement. Hongjoong looked at the two, "Did San have company over? He never said he would- is he seeing someone?"

"Not that I know of?" Seonghwa mumbled, glancing at Jongho who looked up at the door when they heard the familiar keypad beep. All three stared at the door as the person of conversation walked in, the cap of his hoodie covering most of his beanie-covered head, his bangs peeking out from beneath. Pulling his mask down he placed the plastic bag on the floor to kneel and untie his shoes, only to freeze at the sight of the many shoes before him, slowly glancing up to meet the gaze of the three most judgmental members.

"I can explain." he began only for Seonghwa to snort, "We didn't ask anything yet."

"Listen, she was meant to leave- I- we thought you'd come later-"

"Please tell me, she is not a professional." Hongjoong cut him off, rubbing his temples, they could not and did not, need a scandal of sorts.

"Of course not!" he snapped, before biting back his tongue at the way Hongjoong stared at him, correcting himself, "No… she’s not a fling or a hookup, I swear she's special and I-"

A shriek cut him off, alarming everyone else too, "Shit!" Bolting past them he ran to his room, noting the door was open and from inside he heard, none other than Wooyoung, "I AM SO SORRY! I SWEAR I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING!"

"Yah! What did you do??" He growled, stomping in to find his girlfriend crouched on the ground next to the bed and Wooyoung with his eyes covered by the doorframe.

"I CAME HERE TO BEAT YOUR ASS AND THEN I SAW- "He paused at the whimper, "I MEAN I SAW YOU MISS- NOTHING ELSE I SWEAR!"

San crouched down beside her trying to pry her hands away from her face, only for her to glare at him with teary eyes and hiss, "You asshole." Trying to shove him away but he pulled her into his chest, eyeing his shorts that she was wearing on the ground, oh, so she was trying to change her clothes- honestly, he had only gone for 40 minutes. He had woken up as soon as the alarm rang but with his quick reflexes, he turned it off, wanting to spend a few more minutes with her, call him selfish, clingy or obsessed, none of them was wrong. After a few minutes, an idea popped up in his head, which is why he had decided to make a little trip to the bakery nearby, to bring her something.

"So, this is why you didn't come with us today?" Wooyoung finally looked at the two, her face still hidden in his chest, San's hoodie covering her form, her grip on his sweater tightening at the question. This was it, it was all over, she would either be asked to leave or forced to leave his life, they’d take away the only reason why she woke up in the morning, the only reason she still had hope in the future of humanity- call her over dramatic but that was just how much he meant to her. His scent, his body, his soul, if she could she would keep begging the stars to make sure they are bound together for an eternity, surrounded by him, to keep her grounded. Though that was a distant dream now, one that was going to be snatched out of her hands, the very hands that were pulling him even closer, in fear, if he were to be pulled away from her so be it, but she would savour the few seconds she had left with him, to imprint his being in her soul, a memory she could turn to on rainy days. She had hopped he had not picked up on this little anxious act, but how could San be San if he hadn’t, the moment the question had left Wooyoung’s lips, he had felt her grip on him tighten, his heart growing three sizes bigger at this very act of love and want. He had noticed how she was clinging onto him, no longer out of embarrassment or anger, but fear- fear of uncertainty, the fear he knew had accompanied him the first time he had asked her out, the first time he had kissed her, the first time he asked her to become an official couple- that very day he had promised himself to never put her in a position where this fear would become a reality, yet here they were, about to face this demon, together for the last time.

"Good choice. The film was shit."

Her head snapped up to meet Wooyoung’s casual gaze, who shrugged, “Seriously, certain art films should be banned, and I’d rather choose to stay at home with a lady than go out with Hongjoong any day.”

San smiled at his best friend, eyes watering at the note of acceptance and approval, delivered in the most Wooyoung manner, but words of affirmation that both needed to hear. Slowly standing up he pulled her up with him, letting her adjust the oversized hoodie, “Thanks man, I appreciate-”

His words were cut short as Wooyoung raised his hand, “Not you, bastard, I still want to stab you, not only for eating my slice of cake but also for not telling us beforehand you had a guest, now she’ll think I’m a creep.”

“I’m sure she already thinks so.” Yunho peered in from the doorway, smiling at the girl who shied away, moving behind her boyfriend, who glanced up at Yunho, “Also, Hongjoong called for a group meeting and you’re invited too!”

With her clothes changed, she sat a good distance from her boyfriend, hands in her lap, the same lap that seemed oh so interesting that she had been staring at it silently while San was trying to explain how they met.

“So, let me get this straight, you have been together for four years and you thought not telling us, your ‘brothers’, would be a good idea?” Hongjoong asked, staring- no- glaring at San.

“Four years, three months and 23 days actually…” he mumbled, before noticing the way she was staring at him, with the most, ‘what the f*ck, dude’ expression she could muster.

“Is he a good boyfriend?”

“Does he treat you well?”

“Are you into dumb dudes?”

“Have your parents met him?”

“Are they scared of his face?”

It was the last question that had her choking on her spit, trying to conceal the laughter, that increased in volume after his whines became more apparent, he knew what they were doing, they were embarrassing him on purpose- a form of payback.

“Yes, yes, I uh…guess so and yes they have met him and no they find him to be very good-looking.” Finally looking up at them she smiled gently, the nervous atmosphere around them, maybe this wasn’t so bad. At his point she was glad that they had accepted her, or rather had approved of their relationship, it was as if a giant boulder had been lifted off her shoulders, and she was free to love him with the certainty of them being together.

He was thrilled to see how everyone had absorbed this, he knew they’d give him hell once she left, but it wasn’t because they disliked her, no, it was due because of his cowardice. It was he who made all of them promise to be transparent, yet here he was keeping one of the most important people in his life a secret, putting strain on the relationship with his lover and his members. The issue was no longer whether they would accept her he had found a loophole for that, he wanted to introduce her to them, really did, but he wasn’t going to introduce her as ‘just his girlfriend’. San slowly moved closer, hands reaching out for hers only to pause and stare at her, “Wait, did you just say I’m dumb?”

“I uh-

“So, did you wait this long to tell us because you were going to propose first and then tell us?” Wooyoung cut her off as she choked on air, her boyfriend too busy trying to pat her back, his face dusted with pink, the tips of his ears burning at the embarrassment of being caught. Whispering to her, “You okay?”

She glanced up at him through her lashes, whispering back coyly, “Were you going to propose?”

“Yeah,” he gave her that million-dollar dimpled smile, eyes turning into crescents, only to turn into cat-like slits with the most serious and judgemental expression, one that sent shivers down her spine. His head whipped in Wooyoung’s direction, “How did you know- oh you bastard.”

Holding the crumb-covered ring in his hand, showing it to everyone, his eyes met his best friend's glare, the plate of a half-eaten cake slice on his lap, an easy smirk making its way to his face, “That’s what you get for eating my slice.”

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Trial of Fate. || Choi Jongho. [Prologue]

Summary: As a soul neither dead nor alive, you are merely there to guide those awaiting their trial of fate at the other side of the holy river. But one day, a God descended from heaven. His name was Jongho, and he was fascinated by your unique soul. Consequently, in defiance of all expectations, you now found yourself awaiting your own trial, and the dashing God of War decided to help you navigate it all. Could these two spirits, so different yet so similar, triumph against their destiny together?

Pairing: God!Choi Jongho x Reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut, Fantasy!Au, God!Au, Greek & Chinese mythology inspired

Wordcount: 2k

Warnings: None

A/N: This is the start of my first ever series. How long it will be is unknown yet, even for me, but it will have 3 essential parts called Trial of Love, Trial of Life and Trial of Death. I'm so excited yet nervous to post this, please tell me what you think! I will also open a taglist exclusively for this series, just comment or send an ask if you want to be added. Big thanks to @yunho-mp3 who proofread this and @nebulousbrainsoup who helped me brainstorm! Divider credits to @firefly-graphics!

Taglist: @yunho-mp3, @kyukyustar, @hwapetals, @foxinnie8, @preciouswoozi

Available here on AO3.

Ever since the beginning of time, the river parting the underworld and human realm has maintained its steady flow, guiding the new souls free from their mortal life to the other side.

But after over 1000 years, the river began to weaken. Eventually, the holy water formed a soul amidst all wonder, and that soul was you.

As you slowly unfolded, the lower souls began to call you Seongsu*¹.

Thereafter, as the once human souls entered your realm, you were their only hope. Some lovers came hand-in-hand and told you their romances from several lifetimes, and there were even those lost and desperate who stood bawling in front of you.

And yet, you were just the river flowing steady from one side to the other. You neither felt joy nor sorrow.

Once again, another millennium came and went, and as your soul became stronger, you even formed an appearance those dead souls were most familiar with; the form of a human, or at least something close to that.

As the souls crossed the river, the trial of fate awaited them in the underworld; some returned to you, now new souls ready for another lifetime, some ascended and entered heaven and some were never seen again.

It was a steady circle of life and death, and you were only a witness of it. Sometimes, you thought you formed a feeling the humans called jealousy. You thought about life itself and what it would feel like to experience it yourself, but ultimately found the thought both boring and useless.

But against all odds, as you awaited souls to come and cross the river once again, an old, wise soul appeared before you. Reading your fortune was a white-bearded priest passing, prophesying your coming trial to the knowing nodding of his head.

You protested: “Only those living beings experience the trial of fate. I am neither dead nor alive, Sir, I am here to guide all those awaiting their trial on the other side.”

But the old soul didn't answer you, crossing the river in silence and leaving both you and his past life behind.

You thought he was merely telling you nonsense.

You were a spirit formed from the flowing river of death and life; your soul was that of the river and your heart was that of a river.

There was no pain where there was no love. All living things had emotions, be it happiness or pain, and if your heart hadn't ever been stirred, how could there ever await you the trial of fate?

How could you, Seongsu, experience even the first phase of the trial?

The trial of love was the start of all life; in the human world, when two people fall in love, a new human is born. The new life therefore already completed the first challenge, that of birth.

Someone like you who was created by time itself had no chance of ever completing even its first stage.

Or so you thought.

But the flow of time was always full of surprises.

On a particular afternoon, you returned to the ever unchanging river after a walk as piercing sunlight suddenly burst through the quilt of clouds.

A man gracefully came from the heavenly realm.

You suddenly recalled the words of a young female human soul many, many years ago. She said: “A good looking man is a sight worthy of a 1000 lifetimes, may you encounter such a thing one day, Miss.”

You think you did just that.

After a thousand years, your stony heart made a rare subtle tremble.

He slowly approached you with a calm and collected expression on his face. It wasn’t easy to run into such a beautiful person, so you thought you should have a meeting worth his appearance with him.

“Sir”, you stepped forward and softly called out to him. You thought to curtly him like those pretty human women you've heard stories about, but didn't know how. You pondered for a moment, then mimicked the souls bowing to the god of death and dropped to your knees with a thud, banged your head on the ground and said to him, “May I inquire your name, Sir?”

Some lower stone and leaf souls gasped, but you paid them no mind. He stood there blankly with some surprise in his eyes. For a few moments, he only had his gaze on you.

Hearing no response from him, you briefly wondered that perhaps you hadn’t honored this man enough, meaning you didn't knock your head loudly enough and therefore hadn’t shown enough sincerity. You crawled forward on your knees and, not sparing any effort this time, fiercely knocked your head onto the ground once again.

“May I inquire your name, Sir?”, you repeated your earlier question.

Perhaps the antics of your behavior shocked him. He remained silent.

Hesitantly, you got up and wiped your face; it was only then you discovered how bloody you truly were, and while trying to clean yourself, you accidentally made it worse.

You panicked. With a look of helplessness in your eyes, you gazed up at the stranger.

In his eyes you saw your own reflection. Then, his mouth curled into an amused smile.

He seemed delighted, so you too offered him a smile of your own - well, you tried, because in those two millennia you existed, you never smiled before.

A lowly leaf soul came to your aid and helped you up. You wouldn't rise. Nervously, it whispered: “My dear Madam, you shall not do that! Don't you know who he is?”

Even if in status, all souls here were below you, they would only respect you due to your age. Your magic wasn't particularly strong.

“I don't know this man. I wouldn't ask for his name if I would, wouldn't I?”

“Miss, this man is a heavenly-”

A low voice interrupted the lowly soul.

“My name is Jongho.”

He extended his hand and you shook it carefully. Then, he flipped your hands and exposed your wrist.

Your vital, most vulnerable spot. He now had the perfect opportunity to wipe out your entire existence in a mere second, and from the look in his eyes, you saw he knew that too.

The lower leaf soul gasped and exclaimed nervously: “M’lord! M’lord! Miss Seongsu has lived here all her life. The underworld is but a humble place; the young lady does not know her etiquettes. I beg you to forgive her.”

The stranger, whom you now knew was named Jongho, looked at you again. “Seongsu? What a strange, interesting name.”

You shook your head. “It is not a name, Sir. It is merely a title”, you explained. He only hummed in understanding.

Jongho studied you for a while and then carefully pulled you up by your arm. Standing at your own two feet, you realized how broad and tall he truly was. “I have never seen a soul this old. Remarkable. You do not know who I am, yet greeted me with such great obeisance. Why?”

You suddenly understood. It turned out it wasn’t that your sincerity was lacking, but that it was too profuse. You honestly told him, “You’re so handsome that I wanted to… I wanted to…” Untimely, your vocabulary failed you. In your panic, you randomly grasped for a word you didn't even know where you got it from: “I wanted to seduce you.”

And with that, not just the lower leaf soul beside you, but all souls near gave you a ‘you're hopeless’ look.

He chuckled. “What a straightforward thing you are.”

You did not understand what it meant, but thought of it as a compliment. “Then, can I seduce you Sir?”

“I won't be staying long. I've only come to witness the trial of the souls I sent here*².”

What he meant was ‘no’. You lowered your gaze, a little disappointed.

“You've only ever stayed here, right?”, he suddenly asked. Hesitantly, you nodded.

Jongho seemed lost in thought for a moment. “And yet, I can see it.”

“See what, Sir?”, you asked.

“Your beginning trial of fate.”

“My beginning trial of fate? You must be joking, Sir, I cannot-” You suddenly recalled the old, wise soul you encountered years earlier. He said the same, but you didn't believe him.

Could you believe Jongho now?

“Do you want to leave this realm?”

You never thought of that before. Yet, for whatever reason, your lips formed the word ‘yes’.

“You are something special. A special soul like you… doesn't follow an ordinary trial like other souls. I will take you with me and make sure all will go well, but I must enter the underworld first.”

Your eyes widened. A soul like you, bound to this place, had the opportunity to leave? As if you'd say no to that.

He cast a golden seal on your wrist. “As a spiritual being, you need to learn to be smarter. Hereafter, take care to protect your vital portal.” He added, “Those who are stronger won’t always be as kind as I am. I will give you this to protect you. All beings will know you belong with me.”

Jongho looked you in the eyes again, before going and crossing the river.

“Jongho”, you called out to him, “once we are out of here, can I seduce you?”

He stopped, his figure floating above the water and laughed amused, “if you can manage to, go ahead.”

You took that as a challenge. Without turning around, he entered deep into the underworld and you remained, waiting eagerly for his return.

A stone soul appeared before you.

“Miss”, it called out to you.

“Hm?”

“Could it be that you developed some feelings for him?”

You turned to the soul and asked in all seriousness: “What does it mean to develop feelings?”

“However the lovers act in those books human souls bring to you is however developing feelings should be.”

You thought about it for a moment. In those books you frequently read, the gentleman would meet the lady, the lady then curtsied, the two next conversed in a word or two, and then they would begin to do a number of ooh ooh ah ah actions they couldn’t help themselves from. You never thought to ooh ooh ah ah with Jongho, so you really didn’t think you were developing feelings for him.

“No”, you answered honestly.

The soul sighed. “That's right, I thought too much. A soul like you should never develop feelings for someone in such a way. I am not saying you should never like someone once you leave this place, Miss, but that gentleman is not that someone.”

“What do you mean?”, you asked.

“Why is that? He’s the best-looking and gentlemanly person I’ve ever met.” You paused, then added, “And he has the most pleasing voice to the ears.”

“Miss, that gentleman is the God of War! The reason he is here to witness the trial of fate is because he sent them all to their death! The only thing that matters to him is chaos and violence. He has no time for feelings.”

You did not care about the fact he had no love in his heart, but the first part irritated you. “Jongho is the God of War? But he is such a kind man.”

The soul gasped. “Kind? But you don't really believe that, right?”

When he saw your nod, the stone soul shook its head and said in helplessness, “When the Demon clan attacked Heaven with an army as strong as never seen before, Lord Jongho led thousands heavenly soldiers and wiped them clean. Afterward, he led his army down to the Demon capital and massacred the entire Demon clan; blood flowed like water then. In the past decade, there has been no sound uttered by the demons. That’s because any demon three years and older has been exterminated.”

You remembered that event. During that time, the underworld became incredibly overcrowded. Although you now knew these demons were killed by Jongho, it did not change your opinion of him. War was in fact a matter of killing and surviving. As the God of War, he had the duty to do what others were too shy to do in order to protect the heavenly realm. You were impressed.

“Thank you for telling me these things. I will continue to wait for Lord Jongho here.”

“Miss, do you still want to go with him?”

You grinned. “Yes. I’m going to the heavenly realm to seduce him.”

(*¹Korean for holy water)

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averageficenjoyer · 1 year ago

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Summary: Just as you get back on your feet after a nasty breakup, you see your ex out in public with his new girlfriend. What will you do to avoid an awkward encounter? Pairing: Jongho x fem!reader Tropes: strangers to lovers, fake dating au, Genre: fluff, angst Rating: PG Warnings: mentions of breakups, mentions of cheating, language, a brief moment of nudity (for changing), kissing Word Count: 5,496 Note: for @cultofdionysusnet Mocha Madness event! Thank you to @anyamaris and @sanjoongie for beta reading this and listening to my panic!! This has been a WIP for over 2 years now so FINALLY it's released!

Before You Interact

Prompt: You sit at the table with a random boy you see sitting at a cafe or something alone and say, “Kiss me,” and he replies, “Hi, nice to meet you too. My name is ___,” and then you explain that your ex is right there with the side piece he cheated on you with and this boy agrees ‘cause you to seem really serious about this. Ex approaches and starts questioning you, but somehow, this random guy gets him off your back. You start hanging out, faking a relationship in front of your ex whenever you see him, but the actual feelings develop. - given by @jaehunnyy

You had finally gotten back to going out after your ex left you. It had been a few months, but it took a while to get back in the swing of things with how that breakup went. You had gone to your boyfriend’s apartment to surprise him and found another girl in his lap kissing him. He was so shameless about it, too. He tried to introduce you to her and have you be friends. You push the memory out of your head as you walk down the sidewalk, it’s a beautiful day, and you were going to take advantage of it. You were walking along one of your town’s major routes lined with little cafes, restaurants, and stores. You enjoy the spring breeze and sunshine on your skin, breathing in the sweet smell of blooming flowers. You finally felt ready to face the world head-on and return to a routine. That’s when you saw them: your ex and his new girlfriend. You feel your heart race and suddenly sit in front of a random young man in one of the cafe’s outdoor seating areas.

“Kiss me.” you tell him.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you too! My name is Jongho.” he says with a sarcastic smile.

You sigh, “Please, my ex is walking this way. He’s with his new girlfriend, the side piece he cheated on me with. I don’t want to deal with the confrontation. I’ll pay for your food. Please kiss me, and I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

He gives you a confused look at first, then leans forward, inches from your lips, “That all depends on how good of a kisser you are.” he whispers.

Suddenly, his lips are on yours, and you nearly melt onto the cement beneath you. You had no idea what to expect from him, so when you feel his soft, pillowy lips against yours, you can’t help but lose your breath. His right hand holds your face gently. They’re slightly calloused but not enough to annoy you. When you pull back, you hear your name called by the last person you want to hear say it.

“Just follow my lead,” you whisper to Jongho, “Hi, Wooyoung!” you fake a smile, “How have you been?” “Pretty good. It’s been a few months now, hasn’t it?”

“Mhm.” you reply with a tight-lipped smile, “Oh, this is Jongho, my boyfriend.”

He holds one of your hands across the table, seeing as how you introduced him. His other hand reached out to shake Wooyoung’s hand. Then, releasing his new girlfriend’s hand, he shakes hands with who he assumes is your new boyfriend.

“It’s nice to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Miyeon.” he smiles brightly, looking back at her.

“It’s nice to meet you.” she sweetly greets you, “Wooyoung has told me a lot about you.”

You cannot help but feel slightly attacked by how she makes her latter comment. She knew much more about you than she would admit in front of your “boyfriend”. She had been a side piece for six months before you found out. She was lying through her teeth, and she and Wooyoung knew it. You subconsciously squeeze Jongho’s hand, and he immediately notices your slight discomfort. He squeezes your hand back, and only then do you notice that you’re squeezing his. He gives you a reassuring smile, and you suddenly feel comfortable with him, as if you’ve known each other for years.

“I hate to cut this short, but we’re in the middle of a date here.” Jongho smiles fakely.

Wooyoung looks taken aback a bit but smiles back, fakely, “Sorry, how about a double date sometime though? You comfortable with that, Miyeon?” she smiles and nods at him, “You too?” he questions you.

When you don’t respond, Jongho tries to gain your attention, “Sweetheart, you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” you stutter, “Sounds lovely. When were you thinking?”

“We were going to have an at-home date later this week. You two want to crash that?” “You okay with that, baby?” Jongho questions you this time, and you nearly melt hearing his low voice calling you that. “Yeah, same address?” “Same address. I’ll text you the details. You have the same number, right?” Wooyoung confirms, with Miyeon clung to his arm much tighter than before.

“Same number… I’ll just have to unblock you first.” you say with a subtle bite.

“See you later then.” he smiles awkwardly.

The moment they walk far enough away, you let go of a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Then, hearing Jongho call your name throws you off. You look back at him and see his worried look. His thumb runs over the back of your hand across your knuckles, letting you take your time to process what just happened. Then, when you fully come back to your senses, you nearly panic.

“Oh my god, Jongho, I’m so sorry! I was just trying to get him to leave me alone, but now you got dragged into another thing with me, a complete stranger.” you ramble.

“Hey hey hey, it’s okay, let’s just take this time now to get to know each other, and then I don’t mind being your fake boyfriend around them. You seem fun.” he smiles softly.

“What’s in it for you?” you ask skeptically.

“I could use some excitement in my life.” He shrugs, “My friend has been trying to get me to go on blind dates nonstop for like a month, too.”

You end up agreeing to his deal. You two stay there and get to know each other for a few hours. You find out he’s currently in university, majoring in early childhood education and minoring in music. He also works part-time at the little hole-in-the-wall book store downtown when he doesn’t have classes. As you continue to talk, you forget about the passing of time. You’re genuinely having a good time with him. It isn’t until a random storm comes rolling that you process how long you’ve been sitting at the cafe. You sit there in shock for a few seconds, just looking at each other until the rain gets heavier. You have a silent conversation then, running into the building, you find yourself at the front counter.

“Oh, let me pay for your food and coffee. I owe you at least that.” you offer.

He smiles at you, and you nearly melt with his gorgeous looks. You knew he was attractive when you sat down in front of him for the first time (you lucked out there), but now, seeing him with a bright smile and hair wet from the rain, your breath gets stolen from your lungs. Your mind returns to just how nice his kiss felt. You can’t help but wish you could feel it again. Of course, it likely won’t happen again, but you can dream.

“Don’t worry about it. I enjoyed spending time with you.” he smiles softly.

“Jongho, I roped you in pretending to be my boyfriend, lying to my ex and his new girlfriend, and kissing a stranger-”

He interrupted you, “And I don’t mind paying for my food. You made up for all that and more by spending time with me.”

You huff, slightly annoyed he wouldn’t let you at least pay for the items as an apology. He chuckles at your reaction before walking to the counter to pay. While you wait, you notice how the rain only got heavier. You had walked here. There was no way it would ease up anytime soon. You seemed to be stuck here for a while now. Finally, you’re dragged out of your thoughts when someone nudges you. Looking over, you see Jongho. He looks at you, out the door at the rain, and back to you again.

“Do you live far away?”

“No, but I walked here, and it takes about 20 minutes to walk here on a light foot traffic day.”

“Do you want to stay at mine for a little bit?” he offers.

“What?”

“Just until the rain stops. I can drive you home after, too. I just live down the street.”

You think for a minute, just looking at him, “How do I know you’re not a creep or murderer?” you say, teasing slightly.

He just chuckles and comments how you were the one who kissed him first. Ultimately, you end up nodding, accepting his offer. You both look outside at the rain and then at each other. There were no words exchanged between you, but somehow you both knew. He took your hand and pulled you out of the cafe into the heavy rain outside. You don’t stop to think or let go of his hand. If anything, you’re enjoying the spontaneity of it all. You feel relatively safe with him despite only meeting a few hours ago. The rain beats down on your skin, and your hair sticks to your body, but you couldn’t care less. Before you realize it, you’re being pulled into an apartment complex. Running inside and upstairs, you laugh in the hallway, dripping wet.

“Oh? Who’s this Jongho?” You hear an elderly woman’s voice.

“Hello, Mrs. Kang, just a guest.” He says offhandedly, smiling at her.

She lets out a slight hum, noticing how Jongho is fumbling with his keys, “Just keep it down.” She teases.

“Mrs. Kang,” he awkwardly chuckles, “it’s not like that. I’m just being kind and letting her stay out of the rain until it settles down.”

The older woman hums as if to suggest something else. Jongho shakes his head, looking down at his feet. Unlocking his front door, he allows you to walk in before him. You feel homey and comfortable in the atmosphere when you step in. The second thing you note is that a large Saint Bernard is fast asleep on the couch. You don’t dare take another step in due to how soaking wet you still are. Jongho steps in just behind you, pulling the door shut. He softly chuckles, seeing the dog and how he snores, still deep in sleep.

“Bear,” he calls sweetly.

The dog slowly blinks awake, its tail flopping loudly and happily against the cushion. It stands up on the couch and stretches before hopping down and trotting over to you both. The dog takes his time but sits down directly on Jongho’s feet when he gets to where you are.

“Hi, boy, you do okay with this rain?” he asks the large canine, petting him, “This is Bear. I know not everyone is a dog fan, but he’s a sweet baby who just wants love.” he explains to you.

You nod and let the large dog sniff your hand and get to know you. Almost immediately, he lowers his head as if asking to be petted. You hear Jongho hum again a split second later, almost in surprise.

“He’s normally timid. I’m surprised he’s already letting you pet him.” he explains, “Oh, um, do you want something else to wear? I’m sure soaking wet clothing can’t be comfortable.”

“I don’t want to impose.” You shyly respond.

He shakes his head at you, “It’s no big deal. Come with me. I’ll show you where the bathroom is and get something for you to wear instead.”

You nod, accepting his kind gesture. He motions for you to follow him down the hallway. Bear following not far behind him, happily trotting. You take note of the various pictures hanging on the wall. One, in particular, catches your eye: a group of guys around your age. All of them are smiling brightly, sitting in an outdoor seeing area. You quickly pick out the man, slowly becoming less of a stranger. The others, though, you make a mental note to ask about later.

“Bathroom’s right there,” his deep voice pulls you from your thoughts, “I’ll be right back with some clothes. I hope you don’t mind me giving you some of mine. I don’t have anything else.”

“T-that’s fine,” you offer with a slight smile, “I’ll need to get used to it eventually if Wooyoung keeps insisting that we do double dates with him.” you add as he starts walking further down the hall.

“You think he’ll do that?” he calls back.

“I dated him for three years. He likes double or group dates much better than one-on-one dates.”

You hear his footsteps grow closer again (and Bear’s nails clicking against the hardwood with him), and not much longer, he’s standing right in front of you. His wet, tussled hair makes you gulp and finally process just how stunning the man in front of you is. Then, you just look at him for a few moments, neither of you saying a thing.

“Um, I put a pair of boxers in there, just in case you wanted something under the sweats.” he notes, avoiding eye contact, “You don’t have to take them. Just leave them in here. I can wash your rained-on clothes, though. It would be rude of me not to offer that.”

“Oh, thank you.” you respond, an awkward chuckle raising your tone.

You close the door, clothes, and towel in hand. At the bottom, there lay the aforementioned black sweatpants and boxers; on the top was an oversized graphic t-shirt. You smile contently without realizing it. It was a kind gesture for him to offer you clothing. For him to provide clothes that you would be comfortable in was even more caring. Perhaps fake dating this man wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

As you slowly peel off your sopping-wet clothing, your mind wanders. At first, it was just about how things between you and Wooyoung went and what you wanted to do differently about the entire encounter. Then, your brain wholly shifted tracks. Jongho was at the forefront of your mind about making up this elaborate scheme to convince your ex and his girlfriend. He vaguely mentioned stopping his friend from trying to get him to go on blind dates, too. That could add a whole new layer of complexity. When you step back and actually think about it, it sounds a little insane. You just kissed a man you didn’t even know, and now he’s pretending to be your boyfriend willingly. Your mind continues wandering down that path as you dry off your body and hair with the towel he provided you.

Then you freeze, looking over at the pile of clothing, and see the boxers he had referenced. Now, the internal debate starts. It would be weird to wear his boxers for multiple reasons, but at the same time, wearing his sweatpants without them would also be weird in various ways. In this case, you had to decide which was the lesser of the two evils. After a few minutes of standing there, fully nude, in a stranger’s bathroom, you finally decided to wear and deal with the item. After fully dressing, you look at yourself in the mirror momentarily. It’s odd; you haven’t worn anyone else’s clothing since your breakup with Wooyoung. Your hair is still damp from the rain; a towel can only do so much. You lack a bra, but at the moment, you couldn’t really be bothered with that. The shirt he gave you was large enough to conceal everything for the most part. Just as you open the door, you find Jongho standing directly before you, also now in dry clothing. Of course, Bear was by his side, happily panting and wanting attention.

“Oh, sorry,” he speaks choppily, “you were just in there for a little while. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

You smile gently, “Yeah, I’m good. Where do you want me to put the wet clothes?”

“Follow me. You can give me the clothes. I’ll put them in the washer for you.” he offers.

You hand him the pile of clothes you had just picked up and follow him as he travels further down the hallway. Finally, he stops in front of a small closet and reveals the washer and dryer stacked inside it. He double-checks with you to ensure that nothing needs to be washed a certain way before he promptly starts the load of laundry and turns to face you again.

For the second time today, you’re absolutely amazed by this man slowly becoming less of a stranger. His hair is still slightly damp and hangs in his face. He looks comfortable in casual house clothing. Seeing him more in his element than at the cafe is nice. It feels like an eternity that you’re just standing there taking in his beauty. In reality, though, you know it’s a mere few moments. You don’t get broken from your gaze until a large dog jumps on you, demanding to be petted. He nearly tackles you to the ground before you can process what’s happening. You hear Jongho make a panicked noise before lifting Bear off you.

“Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into him today. He’s never clingy with anyone but me.” he sighs before reaching a hand out to help you up.

“It’s okay,” you smile, taking his hand, “I’m happy to know he’s friendly.”

“He definitely is,” he chuckles, “did you want a blanket? We can warm up in the living room and figure out everything regarding our story.”

You hum in response, just realizing that you are actually quite chilly. Jongho disappears into what you quickly notice to be his room and grabs a few throw blankets he had tucked into an armoire. The moment he steps out, he hands you one of the blankets and guides the way back to the couches in the living room. He lets you have the first choice of seating with a quick apology about the dog hair. Once you’re both comfortable, Jongho lets out a light sigh. You give him a puzzled look, and he’s ready to explain once he catches your drift.

“It’s nice to have someone other than Yunho, Mingi, or Yeosang here.” he explains, “It’s been a while since I’ve had someone over that’s not them. This wasn’t by choice, but I wanted to say it is nice to have your company.”

“Thank you,” you mutter out, “Are they the other three guys in those pictures?”

“The ones in the hallway? Yeah, we’ve all been friends since we were young. All of my life, essentially. They’ve gotten me through some really rough times.” He cleared his throat, realizing he was getting too deep too quick, “I guess it would be smart to figure out our story now.”

“Well,” you start, “Wooyoung and I didn’t break up long ago. It was only in February that I found out about Miyeon. So, do you wanna say we started dating in April? Like two months ago?”

“Damn, two months, and you’re already stealing all my clothes.” he jokes lightly, “Yeah, that sounds good to me. How about where and when we met?” “The bookstore you work at?” “Nah, Mingi would flip and blow our cover if we claimed that. He works there too.” he glances over and notices you’re still shivering slightly in your blanket, “Here,” he offers, opening up the blanket around him, “Come sit with me. You’ll warm up quicker.”

At first, you think about declining his offer, but the chills that run through your body urge you to accept. You nod, sliding across the couch to get wrapped up in his arms. You haven’t cuddled with anyone for any reason since before your breakup with Wooyoung. Feeling the warmth of his body against yours underneath this fluffy throw blanket sends butterflies through your stomach that you will away.

“I guess we’ll have to adjust to physical affection, too. I mean, only if you want that, though. I know Wooyoung wasn’t really big on PDA. I guess he is with Miyeon, but with me-”

“Hey, hey, you’re rambling,” he teases, “we can go over all those details as they come up in conversation. Now, about where we met.”

“The cafe we met at today? It’s the truth, just bent a little.”

“I like that idea.” he hums, “Blind date?”

“Seems boring,” you joke, “let’s at least make it interesting if we’re gonna make it up.”

“Hmm,” he ponders, “how about we meet at that cafe? I just saw a pretty girl and decided to pay for her coffee. That’s overly sweet, of course.”

You can’t tell if he’s flirting or just making up the story, but how he said it made your heart flip in your chest. Only now do you realize just how intimate this situation really is. You don’t know what cologne he uses, but the scent entirely surrounds you. Not only are you wearing his clothes, but you’re using his blankets and cuddling up against his chest. You’re wholly engulfed in the scent. The overall atmosphere is so comforting and calm. You absolutely love it. The heavy rainfall mixed with your relatively quiet conversation adds to the ambiance. It’s something you could never quite describe.

“Hey,” he pulls you from your thoughts with a shrug of his shoulder you were leaning against, “You zoned out there. What do you think about that idea?”

“I like it.” you hum back, “I guess we should get to know each other better than just our first names and jobs.”

He chuckles and tells you anything you want to know. Things that were as simple as his favorite color (it’s white) or as complex as his family dynamic. You laugh all throughout your time, cuddled up together, learning all you can. Bear had joined you at one point, resting his head against your thigh. His body flopped across the empty space on the couch you had once occupied. You hadn’t even noticed the passage of time, just happy sitting here and telling him about yourself and learning about him. The rain never let up, though. It remained a constant heavy downpour the entire time. At some point, you both become even more comfortable. His head rested on top of yours, and his arm wrapped ever so slightly tighter around your shoulder. It felt so right despite having just met a few hours ago.

Suddenly, he lifts his head, “How late is it? It’s hard to tell with how rainy it is.”

“It’s,” you start, pulling your phone out of the sweatpants’ pocket, “almost 10 pm. Oh shit, almost 10… I should probably go. It would be rude of me to overstay my welcome.”

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s still raining hard outside. I don’t want to send you home in this storm.”

“Jongho,” you sigh, “it’s fine. You said you’d be able to drive me home.” you remind him.

Just as he goes to answer you, a loud crack of thunder sounds through the sky outside. The rain begins beating down harder, the sound almost deafening against the windowpanes. It’s almost as if the weather itself is telling you to stay, too. He lets out a sigh instead of the words he was about to say.

“I doubt either of us wants to go out in that rain… and honestly, I don’t want to drive in that kind of storm either.”

“I wouldn’t make you do that.”

An awkward silence fills the space between you. You both know what needs to be addressed, but neither of you wants to say it. You hear Bear panting quietly from his bed near Jongho’s houseplant. It’s the only sound besides the rain filling the apartment. Fiddling with the hem of the shirt he lent you, you aren’t sure how to approach the elephant in the room. He doesn’t seem to either. Jongho is busying himself, looking around his living room, trying to find anything to look at.

“Well-” your voice comes out slightly shaky, “I’ll just sleep on your couch until the storm passes. I can walk home after-”

“No,” the brunette cuts you off, “I won’t let you go home by yourself in the middle of the night. I’ll sleep on the couch. You should sleep in a bed.”

“Jongho I-”

“Unless you’d rather share it with me.” he states plainly.

You’re taken back for a moment, having not expected the comment, “Um, I guess I’ll sleep in your bed then…” your voice comes out shaky again.

“Bear likes to sleep at the foot of the bed.” he chuckles, “Just a warning.”

A part of you feels bad for taking the bed. It is his apartment, after all. Another part of you is grateful he gave you the bed. You know sleeping on a stranger’s couch wouldn’t be the most comfortable, and his gentlemanly gesture makes you feel just a bit more comfortable. The greater part of you feels bad that he’s sleeping on the couch in his home.

You try for a while to fall asleep, but you just can’t. Even with Bear eventually coming to lay at the end of the bed, you can’t seem to fall asleep. Your tossing and turning eventually annoys the Saint Bernard, who huffs at you before walking up to lay against your body. You welcome the warmth, but sleep doesn’t come your way. Sitting up, you look at the half-asleep dog beside you. Bear just gives you a look and huffs again. After debating mentally for about another ten minutes, you wrap a throw blanket around yourself and walk out to the living room again.

Jongho is seemingly fast asleep on the couch. One of his arms is over his head while the other is resting against his chest. Yet again, he steals your breath for simply existing. When you step closer, you start to debate with yourself again. You should probably just go back to his room and succumb to tossing and turning all night.

“If you’re gonna stare, at least be subtle about it.” Jongho teases, eyes still shut.

“I couldn’t sleep.” You reply, “I didn’t want to disturb you, but-”

“I can’t sleep either.” He admits, “Come here.”

“What?” You’re confused, to say the least.

“Normally, Bear cuddles with me, but he’s already opted for his dog bed. Come here, we need to get used to physical contact, right?”

You nibble on your lower lip as you think. Earlier, you really did feel comfortable in his arms. His is right, too. If you’re going to be meeting Wooyoung later in the week for a double date, you know he’d be suspicious if you two weren’t physically affectionate. Finally giving in, you climb onto the couch and lay your head against his chest. The arm that was previously resting there moves to be splayed across your shoulders. Suddenly, you feel exhaustion overtake you. Mere moments ago, you were the furthest you could be from getting rest. Now, you can barely keep your eyes open.

You don’t expect to have a dog licking your face when you wake up. You blink slowly, seeing the sun beaming through the window. Then, when you see the pup sitting in front of the couch, you notice that he’s picked up his leash and wants to go for a walk. Jongho is still asleep underneath you. You opt to get up and get your clothing out of the dryer before you head out. On your way to the laundry closet, you grab your phone. You do your best not to let out an annoyed groan when you see a text from Wooyoung.

Do Not Answer ❌ Hey Miyeon and I are heading to the festival that’s in the park right now. You and your boyfriend down to move out double date today?

You leave him on ‘read’ for now. Eventually, you reach the laundry closet and grab all your clothing. Suddenly, Jongho appears in front of you. He’s clearly still half asleep as he shuffles down the hallway.

“Let me walk you back to your place if you’re going to leave so soon.” He offers, his voice still gravelly from sleep.

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Let me. It’s not a bother to me at all. Bear wants his morning walk as it is.”

You nod, “I’ll get changed back into my own clothes real quick, then we can go.”

Jongho nods back at you and lets you walk past to change in the bathroom. Everything is fine, peaceful even. You don’t think about Wooyoung’s rather irritating request to change plans. That is, until, he sends you yet another text.

Do Not Answer ❌ Hey… if you would rather come to our place and have the date there we can…

Didn’t think you wanted to be back in our apartment after you stormed out on me like that

If you do though I don’t mind that one bit… hope your boy doesn’t mind though

His comments make your skin crawl. Referring to his apartment as your shared home was already bad; also, saying you stormed out on him only made the bitter taste in your mouth worse. Still, you swallow your irritation and respond.

Do Not Answer ❌

My boyfriend has a name. Be fucking respectful Wooyoung.

My bad… So are you and whatever his name is coming or should I tell Miyeon you backed out?

You talked with him yesterday. His name is Jongho. We didn’t back out of anything… We literally just woke up. I’ll talk to him about it in a second

You don’t check whether he responds once you pocket your phone. When you pop the door open again, Bear is waiting for you. His tail is swishing against the hall rug excitedly. You watch as he trots down the hall when you step closer. You follow after him and see that he stops right at the door where Jongho is ready and waiting for you while looking at his phone.

“I need to ask you something.”

“Hmm?” He asks, putting his phone in his jacket pocket.

“Wooyoung…” you trail off, trying your best not to be annoyed with your ex.

Jongho’s face hardens, “Did he do something?”

For a moment, you feel butterflies coursing through your body. The way he’s asking is as if he’s your actual boyfriend and is showing concern for your well-being. You shake your head to snap yourself out of it.

“He wants to change plans last minute. He always did this shit when we were together too… If you aren’t up for going on a double date right now, I’ll just take the fall of ‘backing out’ like he’s claiming.”

“Where are they? If I can bring Bear with us, we’ll be good.”

“The park near his apartment that has some sort of festival.”

“Perfect! Do you want something else to wear since you wore that yesterday? I know it’s clean, but I’m sure he would say something even though I only met him yesterday. He seems like that kind of person.”

You nod shyly, “A sweater would be nice. I don’t mind wearing the rest of my clothes still.”

Bear walks over and nudges you with his head. He’s already very attached to you it seems. You squat down and pet him for a few moments. Despite his size, the large dog melts into you and lets out a satisfied groan when you scratch his ears.

“What kind of sweater?” You hear Jongho call, “I have plenty.”

“Something comfy! I don’t want to be too cold while we’re out.” You call back, very much still preoccupied with Bear.

You hear Jongho walk back up to you. You look up and see a thicker black sweater with thin grey and white stripes across it in his hands. He’s giving you a gentle smile.

“Here you go, clothing thief.” He smirks at you.

You take the sweater from him, “You offered.” You grumble back playfully before walking back to the bathroom to change again.

The sweater is far more comfortable than you expected. It’s long enough that your hands disappear beneath the sleeves, and the bottom hem hangs low enough to cover your entire butt. When you return, Jongho has Bear harnessed up and ready to go. Something about the entire scene makes you feel warmly domestic with a man you met less than 24 hours ago.

The walk to the park isn’t very eventful, in complete honesty. Most pauses you take are to let Bear sniff something or do his business. Of course, you and Jongho make small conversation about nothing particularly important. You don’t even physically interact with each other. That is, until, you approach the start of the park. You feel Jongho’s strong arm wrap around you while the other still holds onto Bear’s leash. You look at him with a slightly perplexed look; you expect him to hold you, but his grip is rather tight on your hip. It’s almost protective in a way.

“I see them.” he whispers against your hair as if he’s whispering a sweet nothing. “Just play along, okay?”

You nod, “Let the show begin.”

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