cloudynames

[cloudynames]

Troublemaker

i promised i would be back!! please enjoy this yangyang post <3 also please keep hendery in your thoughts because he hurt his waist by falling :(( let’s thank winwin for taking care of him though!

Word Count: 1,838

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Swearing, suggestive thoughts

lets get it!!

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Living in a dusty desert with scorching weather all year round was definitely not the top of your desired places to live. The summers were like Hell on Earth with sticky thighs and peeling skin if you didn’t apply enough sunscreen. If you thought the winters were better, it was only a couple of degrees lower and instead you were left wishfully thinking of snowy mountains. However, your wonderful college just so happened to border the desert and because most people didn’t want to work in the sandy wasteland, finding a job within the college town was near impossible. Jobs like dog-walking were available but walking every day in the 100° Fahrenheit for three hours was something you would despise. With how much you go out with your friends or not realizing how expensive rent is, you needed to make money because even with your parents donating funds, it still wasn’t enough.

Thankfully, a Motel 6 opened up barely half an hour away from campus and your parents had blessed you with a car just before you left for college. It was awkward trying to become accustomed how proper and prim you had to act since you were just college kid working at the dingy motel for a couple of extra dollars. Even though it was only a part time job, you’ve learned much about the importance of appearances. Wearing a stuffy black, blazer and a white button down every other day has people glancing at you differently and even letting you have coffee on the house at your favorite cafe. Many people thought you were an important business person but in reality, it was a young adult playing dress up.

Another important value your job has taught you was the importance of not judging the guests that walk in during different times of the day, the exact opposite for yourself. You’ve seen truck drivers, couples, business people, and more walk into the small Motel 6. No matter what state they seem to be in, whether it be exhausted, giddy, or anguished, you always smiled politely and asked, “What kind of room would you like to rent and for how long?” The fewer questions asked, the better night it would be.

Working at the Motel 6 has never made you seriously question the safety of your surroundings but has definitely almost made you press the, ‘Call police,’ button under the receptionist’s desk. You’ve seen someone come in with shovel which made you question their intentions until you realized they were a construction worker. After that brief encounter, you’re not worried about the people who walk in.

Until a cool, May night presents you with a boy with ruffled, messy brown hair and a glimmer in his eyes which can only be described as dangerous. When he walked in, you couldn’t help but stare blankly at him. He stands in front of you, rocking back and forth and whistling mindlessly to some popular tune on the radio.

“How may I help you, sir?” You question, quirking an eyebrow at him. He was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt with dirty combat boots. He played with the leather jacket wrapped around his waist, also while displaying his spiky belt. If trouble had a name, it would be his.

“It’s Yangyang. I want your cheapest room for one night.” His accent rings out in the air and you stare at him quietly. There is only one conclusion you’ve come to: a one night stand.

“May I see some form of identification?”

He slides an international driver’s license onto the granite counter and you carefully examine the card. ‘Liu Yangyang’ is the same age as you and seems to be from Germany. You give his license back after typing in the required information within the computer. Asking minor questions, you notice how his eyes glimmer or how he nervously played with a tuft of his hair. Silently giggling to yourself, you acknowledged how adorable he was. He seemed like trouble but that didn’t mean you couldn’t think the bad boy was attractive.

After handing him a key card, you wished him a pleasant night as he went back out the entrance, probably to hit up the bars and bring someone back with him. That thought doesn’t settle well in your stomach and you find yourself pouting because of fate. You wouldn’t have normally cared but this was the first guy you’ve found cute in a while. Shrugging it off, you dismissed the thought. You were just deprived of any romance with juggling a job and school. All your heart and brain wanted was someone to kick back with and the first guy you thought was attractive walked into the motel lobby meant your heart had to jump at the thought.

Yangyang comes back quicker than expected without an escort. Instead, he carries a guitar case, an amp, and a backpack. Wordlessly, you send a prayer up to God and hope that Yangyang isn’t going to be the spawn of Satan and play his guitar at nearly ten o’clock. He waves you a goodbye as he ascends up the elevator, almost dropping the amp in the process. Shyly, you wave back and turn back to your homework that you’ve hidden under the receptionist desk.

An hour passes by and nobody has called the desk or came into the motel. Internally, you’re grateful but your gut tells you that your night isn’t going to be that uneventful. Just as you were finishing up your calculus work, the painful ringing of the desk phone disturbs your relaxed mind. Taking a deep breath, you pick up the phone and with a cheery voice, you speak, “Hello, this is Motel 6’s receptionist desk. How may I help you?” A gruff voice greets you, “Yeah, hello. There’s this annoying ass kid playing the guitar on my floor and I want him to shut the fuck up or I’ll request a refund!” He nearly screams into the phone, making you move the device away from your ear.

“Yes, I will talk to him immediately. Thank you for notifying the desk.” Without waiting for his response, you slam down the phone. You already know who’s causing trouble.

Liu Yangyang.

As you call one of the other receptionists in the break room to cover for you while you deliver a stern talking to the troublesome guest, you notice the phone ring again.

Bracing yourself mentally, you pick up the phone and are immediately greeted with, “Front desk? Yeah, deal with that kid! I can’t sleep and I have an important business meeting tomorrow. I’ll have this entire motel bulldozed before you can even blink!” And the line ends with a buzz.

The clacking of your shoes on the tiles reflect the beating in your heart as you go up to the floor above to encounter the hot topic of the night. As you stare at room ‘116,’ you feel anxiety build up and you realize you’re hyping yourself over nothing. Shaking all feelings away, you quickly rap your knuckles on the dark wooden door.

Yangyang opens the door soon after, sweat covering his forehead, making his hair stick to his neck and he smiles breathlessly at you.

“Hi, what's up?” He asks casually, holding his guitar in one hand and holding the door open with the other hand. With his whole room on display, you noticed how his room seems to be disheveled with garbage thrown everywhere. Pity fills in your chest for the maids tomorrow but you’ve come here with a mission.

“We’ve received a few calls for noise complaints. Would you care to explain the situation?”

Suddenly, it clicks in his head and he attempts to hide the guitar behind his body. “Uh, nope. No clue. I haven’t heard anything.”

Eyes narrowing, you step closer to him and get a whaff of his intoxicating cologne but it doesn’t stop your task at hand.

“Liar. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Keep making noise and we’ll be more than happy to kick you out.” With that, you whip your body around and start stomping off to the elevators once more. You didn’t fail to catch his whisper afterwards as well, “Woah, that was hot.”

Taking your seat at your desk once more, you fan your hands in front of your cheeks as an attempt to calm yourself down. Playing on your phone served as a good distraction as soon it was twelve and your other coworker has come in to take over your shift. “Hi Johnny,” you greet him, writing down notes of things that have happened throughout the night.

He replies back and before he can talk your ear off, you shove him into the breakroom so he can get settled and take over your shift. Just as he comes out of the breakroom, the phone rings once more, almost mocking you. Dread sets in your stomach and you hope it’s someone calling for an extra pillow. Slowly picking up the phone, you say, “Hello, front desk. How may we help you tonight?”

The same gruff voice from just an hour earlier assaults your ear with profanities and something along the lines of, “That stupid fucking boy is making more noise! I can’t stand it! Listen--”

“Yes sir--” You cut him off before abruptly continuing, “We’ll talk to him once more,” you end the call and sit back in your chair, groaning loudly.

Johnny affectionately pats your head. “Just threaten him and then you can go home.”

Home did sound nice after a night like this. Grumbling and hauling your backpack upstairs irritated you immensely. This time, you weren’t going to be so nice to this boy. You thought he got the message originally but clearly not. He wasn’t going to ruin your night anymore. You had no sleep yet and were looking forward to bingeing a new show since you had no class the next day.

Knocking on the door, you braced yourself for a long, insulting speech about his lack of manners and how he would be a lot cuter if he learned some.

The culprit opens the door and brightly grins.

“Oh good! My plan worked! Now you can talk to me but it looks like you’re reprimanding me so nobody will suspect anything!” With that, he grabs your arm and yanks you into the room. You’ll never admit to him once you’re in the room that you liked the feeling of his warmth on your arm.

What were you saying about a deprived love life again?

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“Liu Yangyang,” you state, licking the vanilla cone he bought you before it begins to drip all over your hand.

“Yes, baby?” He replies, brushing the hair out of your eyes and also taking a lick of his own cone.

“Why were you at the motel that day?”

“Oh, I left my dorm to practice because my roommates were complaining about the noise. The adorable receptionist was a bonus that night.” “You’re so irritating.”

“But you love it.”

[cloudynames]

Nothing

hello. im back for real this time. im sorry for the long wait. ill upload new content soon. dont forget to stream superhuman and take off :,) so glad to be back everyone.

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Word Count: 1,205

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Alludes to depression and suicide

lets get it

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What is your biggest secret? Maybe you once lied to your parents about where you were going or cheated on a test before. Perhaps you accidentally broke a piece of fine china or ate the leftovers in the fridge that you knew someone was saving. Nothing entirely big that will change the path of your future. These little choices are fruitless in the grand scheme of life. The day would be over and the mistake would be forgotten.

As Hendery stares at the back of your head, he holds in a sob. He’s a terrible, terrible person and he has done a horrible thing. This whole situation, the two of you, has been a lie this entire time. He strokes your hair, watching how you nuzzle yourself into his warmth and feels nothing from it. It’s painful for him. Hendery spent countless of nights trying to convince himself that he’s in love with you but always ends up with a bottomless pit of despair.

Why? Why can’t he call in love with you? He genuinely believes you have a beautiful smile and a wonderful personality. But he just can’t connect with you. Hendery has always thought you were too good for your own kind, giving out your heart for people to harm with no regard of yourself. Maybe he doesn’t want to be another person to harm your soul.

A few years ago, he saw how heartbroken you could get. He watched you throw up over a boy and how you would carelessly hang off the rooftop railings when you were at school. You were his friend and he had no clue what to do or how to help you. Hendery only realized how terrible your mental state was when you mindlessly held the bottle of pills in your hand during a party. With the flashing lights and hot bodies, it wasn’t difficult to notice the change in the air when you left the room suddenly. The room only became liver.

It didn’t matter what was in that bottle that night. What mattered was how Hendery smacked the bottle out of your hand, took your face in his hands, whispered ‘I love you,’ and kissed you. An impulsive decision but Hendery had to give you a reason to live.

Yeah, he definitely can imagine how heartbroken you would be. After being together for almost three years, it would absolutely obliterate you. He’s tried to break up with you numerous times with different excuses. ‘I’m moving to a new city’ would only make you respond with ‘Can I come too?’ Hendery has lied and said, ‘I’m going back to school. It’ll be too difficult,’ to which you replied, ‘I’ll wait for however long you need.’

He can’t escape. He can never escape you when he’s your everything. He’s your sun, moon, and stars. He’s your beginning, present, and end. He’s your number one supporter and your biggest motivator.

But it’s a mask. Is he truly all you say he is? It’s drowning him and he can’t breathe anymore, especially how you look at him with stars in your eyes.

Ah yes, the stars. The way your eyes glimmer as you look at him during the dawn of the day to the midnight blues of the sky. He swears he could pick out stars within your eyes. Hendery could pull out constellations and lay them out for you, just so you could gasp in amazement. The thoughts makes him sick. You look at him with absolute devotion but he can only stare at you for so long before he chokes under the pressure.

He can’t recall the last time he felt anything from you. Even at the beginning of your relationship, he only went on a date to see if he felt anything. That day, you wore a pink shirt with your favorite sneakers. You also asked him to write his name on your sneakers. He did without hesitation. If he didn’t, what would you have thought? He thought it would just be a silly, meaningless teenager moment. Yet, you still wear that pair of sneakers around, especially on dates with Hendery. This action should’ve made any guy fall in love, but Hendery was at a ceasefire.

Hendery feels a tear escape and he’s quick to wipe it, careful not to sniff or you would be stirring. He often cries at night, thinking about how he could’ve avoided this eternity of pain if he just spoke up and said he wasn’t ready. Now, with you being completely devoted to him, he has nowhere to go.

The two of you are already twenty five, the ripe age of marriage. He often hears you on the phone with your mother.

“No, I don’t know when he’s going to pop the question.”

“Well, it better be soon! I’m waiting for grandchildren.”

“Just give him the time he needs. It’ll come in due time.”

The words reverberate in his head and his head pounds violently from the memory. It’s not like his parents are better.

“When are you going to marry that (y/n)? You’ve been with her for so long?”

“I don’t know, mom. Whenever I feel it’s right.”

But will it ever feel right? Will there ever be a time where Hendery holds your hand and genuinely smiles, saying, “This is it. Nothing can be better than this.”

He grabs the hand of yours and gives it a gentle squeeze. Running his thumb over your knuckles and feeling every crack and patch of skin, he lets go.

Nothing.

He knows a lot of men feel satisfied in their relationship mostly because of the sex. But as he laid with you that first night, he felt nothing. It wasn’t forced upon him or anything at all. If anything, Hendery wanted to try having intimacy. He thought it would change his perspective on the relationship between the two of you. However, there was no fire, no grumble of desire, or any Arrows of Cupid shot that night.

He just wanted to get it over with.

Hendery reaches up to his face and wipes away the streams down his cheeks. He knows he shouldn’t be crying. It shouldn’t even hurt him. If anything, it should burn you. He has been putting up lies and fake masks this entire relationship.

For three years.

1,095 days.

26,280 hours.

1,576,800 minutes.

He knows he has to end this one sided relationship, but he can’t. Hendery knows he’s killing himself being with you, but he can’t stand to break your heart. After all, Hendery is a fool for having a golden heart.

With a deep sigh, he nudges closer to you and wraps his arms around your waist. He breathes in your vanilla scent and for almost a split second, he thinks he’ll miss this. The moment disappears as soon as the thought even pops up. He’ll miss the familiarity, not this.

Hendery knows he’s worked himself up too much. He shuts his eyes for the night and rests his head on your back. This thought was for another night and it’s time to place it on the back burner once more. Maybe, he’ll try again tomorrow and face his biggest fear.

[cloudynames]

hey

im back

for real

new post later tonight.

💚

[cloudynames]

Hey, I just found your blog through a fic rec. And I love your writing style! Your fics are really cute and wholesome. I can't wait to see what you create next😊😊😊

AHHHHHHH I LOVE YOU WHAT THE HECK 🥺🥺 you’re the cutest omg 😫 ill work hard for you!

[cloudynames]

Make Me Melt

hi everyone!! i dont have much to say other than i hope you enjoy this small fluff ;; it was inspired from that grade school visit with the nct members and,,, wooWEE jungwoo please work with babies challenge its for science i promise!! <3

Word Count: 2,400

Rating: E

Warnings: None

lets get it

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A thick silence encompasses the room as you stared at the black haired boy, flipping through papers dramatically while scribbling notes on the side. Your throat dries up when you see a red dash erase a sentence and you feel the desperation of wanting to leave the dimly lit room. Shouldn’t interviewers finalize notes at the end when you’re not there? After all, it is common practice.

With a shaky voice, “Ah, Mr. Kim, should I go?” Implying about the red thick line, tapping your fingers upon the table like a drum roll.

“It’s Doyoung. And you can stay.”

Halfway already out of you seat, you slump yourself against the chair once more, irritated. This interview is already past the end time and although you don’t have much to do, Doyoung has this intimidating presence surrounding him. He takes his job seriously and it’s inspiring but as a possible future employee, it scared the hell out of you.

Doyoung must’ve had a sixth sense (or he noticed you yawning louder than before) because he soon set down his pen and grabbed a black folder from below his seat. He slides you the folder and pen, quickly drilling through everything you need to sign for. With a spinning, discombobulated head, you marked everything you needed to, thankful to leave the tiny, claustrophobic room.

Who knew being interviewed at a daycare would be the most stressful moment of your life?

A whirlwind of emotions overtook you the next week, an hour before work started. Doyoung had you sit down with Jungwoo, the other owner of the small daycare. He left quickly, wanting to make some coffee for all three of you but leaving you with Jungwoo.

Jungwoo stared mindlessly, a smile adorned on his face. He was decorated in a pale baby pink long sleeve, a dark contrast from Doyoung’s black shirt.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t present at the interview last week. I had some private matters that needed to be taken care of.” He suddenly confesses, his tone soft, almost like he feared he would break you if he spoke even a decibel higher.

“It’s no problem.” You reply, the once awkward atmosphere melting with the small talk.

“Really? I’m surprised Doyoung didn’t tear you to bits. He tends to do that when I’m not around.” He chuckles lightly, rubbing the back of his neck.

‘Uh, yeah. He nearly did.’

You want to declare but you hold yourself back, wanting to make a good impression on your new employers. Instead, you give him a wide grin and continue, “No, he wasn’t that bad.”

Just as the two of you were starting to talk about where the other studied for university, Doyoung arrives carrying three hot cups of coffee which you hurriedly take two from his red hands.

“No need to rush to help Doyoung, he’s icy enough that he doesn’t feel anything.” Jungwoo teases and Doyoung clicks his tongue in annoyance. The two of them begin to tease each other merciless but with no ill intent at all.

Staring at the boys with a gaping mouth, you wonder how the two of them work so well together. Doyoung is definitely more stubborn and strict while Jungwoo seemed so carefree and playful. These two were the exact polar opposites yet they portrayed an attitude of getting along so well.

“Anyway, as we were going to continue, because you’re a newbie we won’t be piling as much work on you until you get the flow of things.”

You nod and your ears perk up at the ring of the bell above the door where a mother and her daughter come tumbling in. Mimicking Jungwoo and Doyoung’s actions, you bow respectfully and beam at pair.

“Mrs. Lee! So good to see you. How’s your husband by the way?” Jungwoo fires away into conversation while Doyoung kneels down and points at you to the young girl. She whispers something in Doyoung’s ear and soon she comes up and introduces herself.

“Hi, I’m Shin-Ae!” She holds out her hand and you giggle, shaking it.

“Hi, Shin-Ae. I’m (y/n)! You don’t have to use formalities with me.”

She giggles in response and reveals, “You’re really pretty, (y/n)!”

Flustered and nervously laughing, you shake your head no wildly. How embarrassing! Especially on the first day of work.

“She’s not wrong.” Jungwoo replies, smirking at how your face heats up even more.

Before you have a chance to question him, he dashes into the backroom to make a snack for Shin-Ae and the other children who would be arriving shortly. Biting your tongue, you roll your eyes. So Jungwoo is a flirt and he’s your employer? This first day would be just fantastic.

But thank god Jungwoo made all those snacks because you underestimated just how many children would show up at the daycare. With twelve energetic kids, each caretaker had to watch over four kids. Doyoung laid out this plan before the day had started but nobody had listened. Most of the children were fascinated with you, the newest addition to their familiar daycare.

“What’s your favorite color?” A tall boy asks, staying close to you while coloring in a book.

“I like blue a lot.” You reply sweetly, braiding the hair of the girl who was currently seated in your lap.

“What about your favorite animal?” Another boy questions, playing with dinosaur figures.

“Puppies are cutest!”

A few boys groan, expecting a cooler answer more suited to their tastes while the others squeal over the mention of a puppy.

Disrupted from the sudden noise, Jungwoo glances over to you and realizes just how many kids were surrounding you. He glimpses at his tiny group, only containing two others excluding himself while Doyoung was focusing all his attention on one of the quieter kids. Jungwoo excuses himself for a second but not forgetting to promise that he’ll be back.

He gently taps you on the shoulder and you twirl around, smiling brightly from hearing an amusing joke from one of the children.

“Do you need me to take a few?”

You shake your head and turn back around, returning to the comfortable debate between knights or soldiers.

Confused, Jungwoo walks back over to his table but pays more attention to your group than before. You were astonishing, attending to each kid no matter how quiet or loud they were being. Changing your voice to firm to dim in a split second, you addressed every problem presented to you. Whether a cut or a sour mood, you handled everything with grace and ease.

A natural with children.

And Jungwoo could swear he felt his heart do flips while watching you settle everyone down for nap time.

Yeah, he might’ve spent an inappropriate amount of time watching.

“(Y/N), huh?” Doyoung’s voice knocks Jungwoo out of his lovestruck state and Jungwoo almost drops his water bottle.

“W-What do you mean?”

“They’re amazing.”

A sigh escapes Jungwoo, longingly, “Yeah. They are.”

Doyoung stirs his coffee, the second one of the day. “They’re a natural, I won’t deny it. I get why you’re staring.”

Jungwoo blushes, a sweat breaking out on his skin. “I’m just a-assessing them!” He stutters, his tone accusing.

“Sure, Jungwoo. Anyone can tell when you’re head over heels dude.” With that, Doyoung exits and goes to take his shift and watch the children.

Jungwoo is totally smitten for you.

—————------------

Doyoung immediately hired you after that day without consulting Jungwoo. Jungwoo whined, saying that he is also apart of the hiring process but he would’ve said nothing different from what Doyoung concluded. The children (and Jungwoo) loved you immensely. It would break their hearts not to see you the next day.

You were an officially established daycare worker and every day made you enjoy your job even more. Rarely did it ever feel like a job which you were thankful for. You’re reminded it’s a job whenever you saw Jungwoo, however.

Romance in the workplace was strictly prohibited in companies but in a daycare? There are no such rules for that. Lingering glances and fleeting touches confirmed Jungwoo’s attraction to you. You weren’t bothered by it at all however. Jungwoo was sweet, consistently complimenting your appearance and helping you clean up after the day. Not to mention, he was very attractive. His hazelnut brown eyes and smooth skin had you feeling overheated at times like a popsicle on a summer day. He made you melt and you accepted every advance with open arms, hoping he’d stir up more mischief.

The troublemaker of the day wasn’t Jungwoo one autumn day but actually a young boy named Minhyuk. As curious as a cat, he would question everything in the great, big world but whine if he didn’t receive enough attention. His questions ranged from, “Why is the sky blue?” to even as daring as, “Who do you like more (y/n)? Mr. Jungwoo or Mr. Doyoung?”

Pausing and letting out a choked sound, you stop buttering the bread you were just holding to face the young boy when two just as shocked faces were staring as well. With Jungwoo and Doyoung involved now, there was no way to escape this situation. Minhyuk wasn’t quiet either and soon the other children were bouncing around you, asking who you liked better. Every time you would brush it off, laughing or asking the same question to the child. Yet Doyoung was getting annoyed quickly and as nap time was nearing soon, the children were more energetic than before.

“(Y/N)!” Doyoung harshly whispers into your ear, keeping an eye on a few of the kids who were playing with the kitchen set. “Please just answer their question! I’m sick of hearing the same question over and over.”

You chuckle anxiously and take a peek at Jungwoo who was reading a story, all while smiling and resembling a prince too much. If Jungwoo notices your true feelings, where would things go from there? You consider your options, ultimately deciding to bite the bullet.

“Everyone, come here!” You announce and soon the children come waddling over, similar to ducklings.

“Now, I know everyone has been asking me so politely about who I like better and I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I think I like Jungwoo over Doyoung because he’s much sweeter. He’s also very charming.” You say with a sing-song voice.

Jungwoo gapes at you from the corner he was situated in and could barely help both Doyoung and you settle the kids down for naptime. His heart was beating erratically, so confused but curious about why you picked him.

As soon as all the children were snoring quietly, Jungwoo rushed to the break room and told Doyoung he would take his break first. He almost bumped into you, blushing furiously from the hazardous circumstance. Jungwoo gazed down at your disheveled appearance and how your hands were shaking while carrying a mug full of coffee.

“Here, let me take it,” Jungwoo starts, attempting to grab the cup away from you but failing miserably as you jump back nearly five feet. He opens his mouth, startled from your actions. There were so many things he wanted to say to you but as his mouth remained open, nothing came out.

You laugh, your tone anxious and with a more steady hand, you place the mug on a table besides you. Turning to Jungwoo and taking a deep breath, “I’m sorry.”

With a raised eyebrow from Jungwoo, “What for?”

“I know I probably made you uncomfortable earlier with me choosing you over Doyoung and I swear I didn’t mean anything more from it! I needed to satisfy the children or they would’ve never let the subject drop.” You lie through your teeth and stare at the floor, heel digging into the carpet as a way to comfort yourself. Your heart definitely desired more, unfortunately. It didn’t feel right, especially with a coworker and boss of yours. This workplace romance has gotten out of hand and had you bargaining for more. All you wanted was to keep your emotions hidden and continue working with Jungwoo because that truly made you satisfied. Seeing Jungwoo everyday genuinely enjoying his job caused you greater contentment than anything ever before. But would your heart truly be fine if you pushed away this opportunity?

“Oh,” Jungwoo visibly bites his tongue before taking a deep inhale, “I’m sorry then. I guess I misunderstood the situation.”

He bids you a small goodbye and is already halfway out the door when you grab his hand, pulling him back into the break room. Swallowing your pride, “No, Jungwoo. You didn’t misread the situation at all. You were completely right, actually.”

Jungwoo’s face breaks out into a grin and he engulfs you into a hug, burying his head into your shoulder. Awkwardly placing your hands around him, you return the gesture with gratitude. Your body and mind are in complete shock but your heart immediately fills with delightment. You had never been so thankful for a rowdy boy named Minhyuk.

Jungwoo breaks away first and his face is simply radiating, his eyes twinkling. You resist the urge to plant a kiss on his lips in that moment and you’re thankful you did because Doyoung barges into the room not a second later.

“Hey! It’s been over twenty minutes and I want my break—“ Doyoung starts to complain but shuts up upon gazing at your flushed face and Jungwoo’s ecstatic expression.

“Ah, never mind. Just one of you come out within the next five minutes.” Doyoung mutters, closing the door and resuming to monitor the children.

“I’ll go first.” You state, snatching your cup of coffee from the table once more.

Jungwoo’s expression falters and he waves a small goodbye to you. He glances away momentarily, only for a soft kiss to be placed upon his pink cheek. Letting out a small gasp, he whirls around to find you, only to discover that you were long gone and Doyoung was entering the room once again, grumbling about how unfair the breaks were today.

Jungwoo reaches up and touches the place where you kissed him, smiling softly.

He was sure to repay the deed later.

(Later meant in the next fifteen minutes and a stolen kiss from your lips)

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

“Ew! I saw (Y/N) and Mr. Jungwoo hold hands under the desk!” “Minhyuk! Stop being so nosy!”

[cloudynames]

i usually don’t reblog but i feel like nobody saw this?? pls say smth if you saw this on your feed ;;

Locker Rooms

hello everyone!! how are you all doing?? im so glad to be updating after such a stressful week aha~ i hope i can get out another update quicker than this one. thank you all for waiting. this is my very very late present since it was johnny birthday a few days ago!! johnctzens how yall feelin?? hehe

Word Count: 6,492

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Swearing

lets get it

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—————————————–

N City High, one of the most respectable schools in all of Seoul, was adorned in the middle of the bustling city. With daughters and sons of millionaires attending the pristine, three story building, all eyes from every social media outlet were focused on the high school. The most brilliant and athletic prodigies were born from this school, some people even being scouted for colleges before eleventh grade. To attend this school meant your future was secured. Everyone was rich and fell on different ends of the spectrum. Either people cared way too much or didn’t give a shit. Of course, why worry during in school when you’ll inherit your father’s business?

Unlike your counterparts, you cared about the mark you would leave upon the school. Perhaps you cared a bit too much. A bit detrimental to your health even. Your grades were spectacular, a child genius. However, with one blessing means one affliction.

You were dirt poor.

Keep reading

[cloudynames]

Locker Rooms

hello everyone!! how are you all doing?? im so glad to be updating after such a stressful week aha~ i hope i can get out another update quicker than this one. thank you all for waiting. this is my very very late present since it was johnny birthday a few days ago!! johnctzens how yall feelin?? hehe

Word Count: 6,492

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Swearing

lets get it

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N City High, one of the most respectable schools in all of Seoul, was adorned in the middle of the bustling city. With daughters and sons of millionaires attending the pristine, three story building, all eyes from every social media outlet were focused on the high school. The most brilliant and athletic prodigies were born from this school, some people even being scouted for colleges before eleventh grade. To attend this school meant your future was secured. Everyone was rich and fell on different ends of the spectrum. Either people cared way too much or didn’t give a shit. Of course, why worry during in school when you’ll inherit your father’s business?

Unlike your counterparts, you cared about the mark you would leave upon the school. Perhaps you cared a bit too much. A bit detrimental to your health even. Your grades were spectacular, a child genius. However, with one blessing means one affliction.

You were dirt poor.

Yes, you were the poor kid at school and were the highlight of whispers. Tattered uniform and scuffed shoes screamed that you weren’t wealthy. People didn’t outwardly mock you but boy, did they stare. You could guess that you weren’t going to inherit your father’s business due to the fact that there was no business.

The principal noticed this with the unpaid bills and your parents rejecting each call from the security. He didn’t think you would become a problem child but as you didn’t turn in any checks to the front office, he become a bit troubled. With a bit of of devising, he formulated a plan to be replenished from all the missing dollars.

One rainy afternoon, a messenger knocked on the doorframe of your boisterous classroom, everyone watching as she handed the note to your teacher.

“(Y/N)! Main office, please.” Your teacher commanded without a second though, returning to play games on his laptop.

Dragging yourself up from your seat and making your way down to the front office, your mind scrambled for anything that could’ve happened. If they tell you one more time that you haven’t been paying the tuition, you were going to be pissed. It wasn’t news that you were struggling with tuition but the staff needed to bring that up to your parents, not yourself, a child. Hopefully they wouldn’t punish you like last time when they locked up your grades from being viewed and you had no clue as to what your grade was in each class. That would truly fuck up both your parents and yourself.

Plastering a fake smile on your face, you buzzed the front office to let your principal know you were waiting. A click sounds and the huge, wooden doors swing open.

“Hi, Mr. Kim.” You say sweetly, taking the seat with the least amount of rips from aggravated students beforehand. “What can I do for you?”

“Hello, (y/n)! I’m so glad you could come down right away. Let’s get straight down to business. Your tuition—“

Here we go.

Ears burning red, you glare into his eyes and reply in a snobby voice, “I cannot do anything about the tuition. I am a child who does not pay the bill. Please email or call my parents.” You’ve been preparing this response since you were called to the voice.

He returns the scowl with the same icy tone as yours. “Well, maybe if your parents would pick up the damn phone for once. Then, maybe we wouldn’t be having this conversation?”

Your hands gripped onto the chair handles tightly, knuckles turning white. How dare he offend your parents? This was escalating rapidly and you weren’t sure if you were going to leave the room still attending N City High.

“So what’s the point in requesting my presence? To mock me?” You bite back. There was no way you were going down without a fight. You’re not all bark.

His expression softens and he places a hand on his table, trying to give himself a calmer appearance. Having been in here so many times, by the furrow of his eyebrows showed his true emotions. He was furious.

“I have a compromise. We want to raise more school spirit and want a bigger crowd showing up at sporting events. The committee and I thought the best option would be a mascot. We would take off a large chunk of your tuition if you would accept this offer.”

Was he a fool? Sacrifice your integrity for a few dollars off of your tuition? Naive and stupid was this man. On the other hand, a few dollars off would make a grand difference to your family. Maybe your parents wouldn’t have to work overtime so often…

“How much is ‘a large chunk’?” If you play your cards right, you might be able to bargain off a larger amount. It was a dangerous game but a risk worth taking.

He rubs the back of his neck, not expecting this question. A pauses for a second then resumes, “All of it.”

Sacrificing your integrity was worth it.

Thus, you became the mascot for the school. Practice wasn’t surprisingly difficult. Working with the gymnastics coach soon got you to be pretty flexible and cheerful, even without showing your face to the crowd.

The mascot was an ugly, green monster looking-parrot. Being the first ever mascot of N City High meant it had only been used by you and you only, but it got disgusting real fast. Inside of the costume felt like it was a desert and you wouldn’t dare to take off the head during a game so instead you suffered immensely. From all the games built up, it soon smelled like sweat and a bad perfume you tried to use to mask the musk. Dreadful was the most appropriate word to describe your feelings but it was all to help your parents in the end.

Not exactly a perfect high school fairytale, huh? With grades and an abundant amount of time dedicated to cheering at sporting events, life became a drag and tiresome.

High school would be hell if it weren’t for Seo Johnny, a sweet, brown-eyed boy who was about as tall as a cyclops. He was the only thing you enjoyed about the hellhole. If he didn’t talk to you that day on a dare, who knows where either of you would be?

One afternoon during break during ninth year, a boy walked over to you and slammed a chocolate milk on your desk. Dazed, you looked up and saw Johnny glancing down at you, clearly embarrassed. Slowly, you grab the milk and puncturing a hole at the top, you ask, “Why did you give me a chocolate milk?”

He stares at you for for a few seconds and then whips his head around to the door. A group of boys were gathered, giggling and cracking jokes at seeing Johnny be so nervous. He glares daggers at them, making the group hide once more behind the wall. Sighing, he sits in the desk in front of you.

“My friends wanted me to talk to a girl on a dare. I’m sorry but I hope you take the chocolate milk as compensation. It’s really stupid, I know.” He confesses, playing with the ends of his blazer. Now that he’s up close, you notice more of his features. His hair was a deep, brown color but you could tell by scanning the roots that it was dyed. Johnny was the student who was always making jokes during class and him being so awkward had you giggling under your breath.

He raises his eyebrow, perplexed. Had he done something unintentionally funny?

“Well, I won’t take it as an insult since I know you’re a friendly guy. Just letting you know, I like strawberry milk better than chocolate.”

Once the next day rolled over, a strawberry milk was placed on your desk and from that moment, Johnny and you had been inseparable. History had been made and the future shined bright for the both of you.

You witnessed Johnny through all his trials in life. Dreadfully, you were there when he got his first girlfriend and comforted him throughout the night when she broke up with him. When Johnny had his first alcoholic drink ever, you drove him home while he threw up in your car. Cleaning up the mess was not how you wanted to spend your Friday night but since it was for Johnny, it had been worth it.

Flash forward to present time, you listened to Johnny whine while shoving the school’s newspaper in your face.

“(Y/N)! I’m just so curious. Who do you think they are?”

Rolling your eyes, you played with your pen, dissembling it and then fixing it. A downfall to being Johnny’s favorite friend was that you were the one taking the brunt force of his unhealthy obsession with the mascot. Johnny would spend more time creating theories for the mascot rather than study, much to your dismay. But, you didn’t mind too much. The way his eyes lit up while talking about something he liked ignited a flame of passion in your stomach. You would never tell him, but Johnny is really cute.

“Johnny, I really don’t know and I can’t force myself to care about.”

He pouts and huffs dramatically, wishing to receive a different answer from you. “Well, I think it’s Lucas. That kid has so much energy so embodying the mascot would fit him!”

Laughing nervously, you reply, “Have you seen how tall Lucas is? Definitely not. Our mascot is shorter.”

He smirks and teases lightly, “Oh, so now you want to contribute to the conversation?”

“Theory-crafting, actually. A conversation has more meat to it.” You fire back, pointing the pen at Johnny.

Johnny sighs, a sign of him giving up. “Hey, are you gonna go to the first volleyball game? I’ll be playing!”

You shoot him a sad grin and lie through your teeth, “I’m sorry, you know I need to study. And you know how strict my parents are.”

As a matter of fact, you needed to be at their first game tonight. The latter, however, was a lie. It was rare if you could catch any game without being in that stupid costume. Johnny would have to choke it out of you for a confession about your double identity. Seeing Johnny’s sorrowful expression, however, rips apart your heart. It sucked. You never had time off from being the mascot and never have time to cheer on Johnny as yourself, not the mascot.

“You never even study though!” He complains, flailing his hands and legs around dangerously. Johnny seriously has to consider how big he is in retrospect of the world. He might hit you one of these days and he would have to experience true pain from you.

“Oh yeah? Who set up the principle foundation of atoms in Ancient Greek?”

Johnny remains silent until he finally answers, “Hades?”

“Oh my god.” You mutter, rubbing your temples. “You’re mixing up physics and literature!”

Johnny laughs and soon has you laughing as well.

As long as Johnny never finds out your dirty, this friendship will last even with all the tribulations.

Later that night, you hyped yourself up behind the bleachers while avoiding the moldy food and pair of panties the janitor hasn’t cleaned up yet. Despite cheering for three years, every game worried you. People paid attention, too much attention, to you. It’ll be plastered all over social media if it seemed like everyone’s favorite, lovable mascot was feeling less energetic than usual. Anything could happen, even if you’re one of the best schools. A reverse sweep might ensure and you’ll need to be ready to boost the crowd’s morality. To be prepared for anything gives your school the upperhand. Keeping a steady flow of your tuition being paid was also a plus.

The obnoxious buzzer rings and you take one final, deep breath before running onto the court. You waved wildly at your school’s crowd, sending kisses and hearts to everyone. A few of the girls mocked you, fanning themselves off. You shrugged off the mockery, not insulted at all. As long as they were enjoying the show then they’ll be cheering the entire night. Getting into position, you started your signature dance. Rallies grew in volume as you ended perfectly and skipped back to the sidelines, watching the volleyball game start. Huffing laboriously in your suit, your eyes scanned for Johnny.

Adorned in his neon green jersey and shorts, he displayed his number to the referee. While turned around, he glanced at you, giving you a quick wink before groaning loudly. Seems like they lost the coin flip.

Still, that little shit winked at you!

The referee blows the whistle and the opposing team lobs over the volleyball, a float serve. Fortunately, your setter dives just in time to launch the ball into the air..

“Setter out!” He yells, backing away to let his team handle the ball.

Their middle back steps to the ball and numerous voices yell out different numbers. He ends up setting the ball to the middle of the net, position four. Johnny, their ace and middle blocker, starts his approach and slams the ball, a loud smack following the ball as it slammed onto the floor.

From the sidelines, you jump up and rile the crowd. If Johnny can keep this up, the team would win in no time.

The opposing team never got past ten points causing your team’s supporters to mock and provoke their supporters. Crowd control was enforced, but nobody listened. The night ended in a victory, everyone rushing out of the bleachers to fire up the volleyball team on their first win. Silently, you snuck out and made your way to the locker room.

Locking the room behind you, you removed yourself from the suit. Sweat stuck to your skin as you gazed at your reflection. Another mindless, boring night. At least Johnny was entrilled about their first win. Whenever you saw his delighted face, it seemed like you could breathe a little easier and could keep cheering for a while longer, even if it tired you out greatly.

Slipping on your casual clothes, you escaped through the back and drove home, never thinking about the game.

If only you could support Johnny in public, you wishfully thought. It would help your situation immensely. You would shower him in heartfelt compliments, praising him on how well he did during the game. Due to your own pride, you could never tell him. Maybe one day if you get over yourself but you didn’t feel like making yourself both the poor kid and the weirdo of the school. Especially being the best friend of one of the most popular guys at the school. You would be destroying yourself and him.

‘Sorry, Johnny.’ You think while adjusting the mirror. ‘I’ll cheer you on proudly in the future. I promise.’

Some promises were never made to be kept. Some promises are created just for the moment.

To make up for missing Johnny’s first game, you showed up to his practice the next day. There were no scheduled games you had to cheer for so everything was working out well.

For now.

Johnny kept staring at you throughout the practice, waving at you or making a fool of himself with silly faces. Giggling to yourself, you worked on some homework and studied a bit as well. Might as well get something out of this practice while waiting for Johnny to finish up.

The slam of the gym doors disturbs you, promptly shutting your book in shock. Two boys stumble in, laughing boisterously and greeting everyone on the volleyball team. Clearly this was a daily occurrence as you take notice how their coach doesn’t even move to repremiend the boys. Speaking of the boys, they head over exactly to where you were seated on the bleachers and panic builds up within you. There wasn’t anywhere to go especially since it’ll look rude if you fled the situation. You really didn’t feel like interacting with anyone though. Time to suck it up.

“Hey, (y/n)! That’s your name, right?” One of them greets, a boy with neat light-caramel hair greets.

Shyly smiling, “Yes, that’s my name. And you might be…?”

“Yuta! And this is Taeyong, we’re friends with Johnny.”

With Johnny’s name reverberating in the air, your anxiety subsides. If they’re close friends with Johnny, close enough to come to his practice, then they’re most likely decent people. Johnny wasn’t one to make terrible friends.  

“Ah, that’s great!” You genuinely exclaim.

“We told Johnny we would be here to support him but honestly we’re both here for Winwin.” Yuta confesses, setting his lacrosse gear sprawled out along the bleachers. You nervously chuckled in response. Who the hell was Winwin?

“I’m only here because Winwin promised to help quiz me on World History.” Taeyong grumbled, watching the fake match intently.

Slowly, the three of you slipped into a comfortable conversation. It was relaxing and refreshing. Usually, Johnny would make conversation with you but the two boys were great fillers. They listened carefully as you told them stories and understood your humor as well. Occasionally, you threw a glance to Johnny and he caught your eye every time but quickly turning his head away every time. What got into him? Soon the practice was over and after their final cheer, Johnny ran up to you, sweatier than a sumo wrestler. His hands tried to grab you in an embrace while you squealed.

“Don’t touch me!” You yelp, running behind Taeyong. Taeyong groans as he attempts to push you towards Johnny, not willing to deal with your shenanigans.

Johnny chuckles. “Well, all three of you got pretty friendly, huh?”

Yuta strolls up to you and throws an arm around your shoulder, smirking and with a teasing tone, “Yes, we did actually. (Y/N) should just confess her undying love to me already.” At this point, Winwin also arrived to the scene, stifling a giggle behind his hand. Turns out Winwin was their setter.

You fake gag, not missing a beat when you notice how Johnny’s cheeks flare up. Either in jealousy or embarrassment, you couldn’t tell. Johnny was a master when it came to hiding his feelings.

“Well, why don’t we all go get some boba to celebrate this friendship?” Johnny says, giving a bright grin to everyone. Yuta whoops in delight while Taeyong and Winwin are already halfway out the door.

Now, this would be exciting.

A few weeks into spring had you doubled over in laughter and a constant heat left on your cheeks. Taeyong and Yuta were hilarious to say the least. Surprisingly, they weren’t snobby jerks like most the people at your school. Both of them had a heart of gold towards anyone. They helped cured that springtime sadness that came around every year due to Johnny being at practice more often. Without thinking of Johnny much, there was no room to feel blue. You occasionally missed his presence but Taeyong, Yuta, and Winwin made sure you weren’t too down.

It soon become routine that if you didn’t have to cheer that day, the three of you would head down to the gym and watch volleyball practice. Yuta and Taeyong didn’t know your secret and every time you would be questioned about why you couldn’t join them, you would shrug in response and respond with, ‘my parents don’t want me going out every day!’ They immediately shut up every time.

Today the boys were especially talkative, topics ranging from school to hobbies to love like rapidfire. Barely being able to hang onto the conversation, your mind drifted to the volleyball court. Johnny was breathing heavily, wiping away the sweat on his forehead. He glances at you and turns away, talking to a team member.

Frowning, you look down. Johnny never gapes at you and doesn’t wave immediately afterwards. Maybe you were reading too much into it, but your heart still spiderwebbed into tiny cracks. Johnny, the sweetest boy you knew, was ignoring you. The more time spent into analyzing his recent actions, the more you became worried. Johnny has been acting strangely around you recently.

During class you would slide notes to him and he would just leave them upon his desk, focused on copying the notes that had been left up previously for the past ten minutes. Johnny was anything but slow. You tried texting him later that day, the only response being left was a ‘Read at 4:57 P.M.’

Throwing your head back, you inaudibly groan. How could you be so stupid? Johnny hasn’t been himself for a while. Perhaps the title of best friend should be ripped from you since you can’t even recognize when Johnny was acting strangely. What could it be? Did someone hurt him? Was he sad? Your thoughts were slowly spiralling out of control, not realizing that practice was officially over.

“(Y/N), you good?” Johnny asks, carrying his schoolbag and his volleyball bag.

Knocked out of your haze, you nod, laughing awkwardly. When was the last time you felt awkward around Johnny?

He nods as well, halfway out the gym doors when you yell.

“Johnny! Let’s go get some ice cream. Without the boys.”

Johnny and you were close. There has never been a dull, awkward moment between the two of you. Sharing the sidewalk and quietly eating your ice cream has never made you want to crawl into a hole and die until now. Johnny barely spoke on your walk, only commenting on how he got extra sprinkles than usual. Silence suffocated the air and the smell of Johnny’s fading cologne has your chest tightening uncomfortably. Every other time you had been with Johnny, this scent has comforted you. But at this current moment, you wanted nothing more than to push him away.

“(Y/N)?” He asks, cutting the silence like a knife. “A-Ah, yeah Johnny?”

“Do you like Yuta or Taeyong?”

Your heart drops. Is this was he was so dejected over? If so, it was a foolish reason. As best friends, you made sure to tell each other everything, no matter how small. The two of you shared what you had for breakfast or the latest gossip you overheard your mom explaining so for him to accuse you of breaking such a precious promise hurt. It was childish, but it was your thing. Johnny and you both owned it. It was nobody else’s except yours. That’s what being best friends meant.

Your feet stopped and your chest filled with sick, dense, air as your teeth grit together tightly. How uncalled for.

“Really Johnny?”

His brows furrowed and he says accusingly, “What?”

You laugh mockingly, shaking your head and staring into Johnny’s brown eyes, “You really don’t know.”

With a flushed face, Johnny raises his voice. “What do you mean?”

This was an ugly site. On the sidewalk in the middle of the evening were two teenagers yelling at each other. Neither would give in and forget what had happened. If a passerby witnessed this, they probably would walk hurriedly along, not wanting to see the outcome.

“I’ve been your best friend since ninth year. I would never hide something like that!” You yell, frustrated. Johnny was an idiot at times, especially when it came to people. He could never recognize the emotions of others and how his words may possibly hurt them. Anger erupts in your chest, leaving you with hot insults dancing on your tongue. For him to think that you would betray him so easily cut you and left you with a nasty scar.

“You say that when you lie about how you always need to study and that your parents aren’t strict. I’ve met them, (y/n). They let you practically do whatever the hell you want!” He accuses, any regard for causing a public commotion vanishing.

He was right. You were lying about your situation. Why? Johnny would accept you either way, mascot or not. Is it because it’s embarrassing? A friendship built upon lies and lies? Would he stop being your friend?

Yes, that’s what scared you the most. Would Johnny, the popular, beloved Johnny, still want to be friends with the dirt poor (y/n)? Foolish was Johnny’s middle name. He would sacrifice his good name and reputation for you. You couldn’t stand to see him fall from such grace to land where you remain. Selfless, a cruel form of selfless, was your middle name.

“You know what? Forget it.”

Johnny’s sharp voice snapped you out of his trance and he turned sharply, walking away from you. His shoulders shook and his head was down. You knew he was crying. He is such a crybaby.

No tears stained your face that walk home or that night. The only stain that remained was the sticky, vanilla bean ice cream left on your hand when you crushed it out of despair.

Oh, how it resembled your heart all too well.  

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“Why are you so mopey?” Yuta voices, sitting down at your desk as Winwin sits adjacent to you, pretending to read his textbook but is really engrossed within your conversation.  

“Don’t want to talk about it.” You mumble, hiding your face in your desk and rubbing at your eyes relentlessly. Although you didn’t cry, you stayed up all night regretting your fight with Johnny.

A hand taps you on your shoulder and you see Taeyong with a chocolate milk. Your heart hammers within your chest and you think back to Johnny and how you would share a milk almost every day.

He would know to get you strawberry milk.

Tears welled up in your eyes and your lip quivered seeing the carton. This scene was all too familiar. Yuta quickly rushed to shush you as Winwin waved his hands in front of your eyes to keep tears from falling.

After calming you down promptly, Taeyong begins, “Why don’t you just talk to him?”

It was dangerous threading these waters. How could you work your way around it without saying, ‘by the way, I’m the mascot, the embarrassment to our school!’ If it were that simple, you wouldn’t have almost cried in front of the boys!

“I can’t…” You whisper, dejected and wishing to drift to a different plane of existence. “It’s too difficult to explain what’s going on.” You trail off, hoping they wouldn’t push the subject but understand your point.

They seemed to understand, nodding pitfully as Taeyong rubbed your back. What you didn’t realize was Johnny saw you when he peeped his head in your classroom. Biting his tongue harshly, he almost ran to his classroom and sat down in a huff, face flushed red with rage. He knew his outburst yesterday was uncalled for but seeing you so close to your recent found friends made his blood boil.

It was no secret that Johnny had a huge crush on you. Anyone with eyes and a brain could tell. How could anyone not be in love with you? A distant night in freshman year confirmed his undying passion for you. There was nothing special about that night but your smile and laugh had his temperature rising and his hands shaking. It certainly didn’t go unnoticed by others either. So why were those three boys acting so close to you? It provoked Johnny deeply and his emotions haven’t been in check because of lingering touches between you and everyone else. Being a teenager is hard, especially when you can’t recognize the line between friend and lover.

Johnny desperately wanted to cross that line and for everyone else to stay far away from that line.

A hand clamped down on Johnny’s broad shoulder and he jolted straight up, ready to yell at whoever disturbed him. An ugly scowl was plastered onto his face.

“Johnny!” The boy was from his volleyball team, smiling brightly but soon fading into a straight line. “What’s wrong?”

Johnny fakes a grin, “Nothing! What do you need?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Ah, well now that you ask, I forgot.”

Is he lying because he saw Johnny pissed? Can Johnny even be that scary?

“It’s okay! Just tell me when you remember.” Johnny reassures, turning back to his desk.

“W-Wait!” the boy stumbles, looking for the right words, “the volleyball team created a plan recently for the last volleyball game of the season to celebrate…”

This peaked Johnny’s interest. “What’s your plan?”

Mark was sweating buckets, tense that Johnny might reject the team’s plan. Everyone was going to be pissed at him if Johnny rejects the plan. Plus, he would have to buy dinner for the week for everyone.

“We wanted to reveal who our school mascot might be…”

Johnny quirked his eyebrow up, interested. A small grin broke on his face and his little obsession with the mascot was fully on display. Two of his desires would be fulfilled. One, he would finally know who the mascot was, something that has been irking him since ninth year. Next, he might get new recruitments for next year’s team! Nothing negative could come from this.

“Let’s do it!” He confirms and Mark lets out a long-held breath. Mark bids goodbye and dashes out of the classroom, glad to be out of such a tricky situation.

For a short moment, Johnny forgot about how upset he was about you. Looking outside, he analyzed how the flowers bloomed slowly. He would love to show you right now.

Unfortunately, it appeared that both of you were on different sides of a flower. Not everything in life is supposed to be easy.

——————-------------------

Huffing and puffing behind the bleachers, you sat down for a moment to catch your breath. Usually you wouldn’t be so out of shape but due to emotional eating and lack of sleep because of Johnny, your physical state was lacking. It was the last game of the season and it had to be your best game yet. You couldn’t bare to let Johnny down again, even if he doesn’t know it’s you. As it was the last home game as well, you needed to make the night special.

The buzzer, loud and alarming, warns the teams that it’s soon time to play. You come jogging out onto the court, waving at the huge crowd. With the last home game of the volleyball season, a majority of the school showed up. Waiting for the cue of music, you got into position. After a few tricks and turns, the crowd erupts into joyful yelling as each team runs onto the court, wishing the other good luck.

You sat by the bleachers and distinctly you could hear the whispers of your classmates around you. Jerking your head around, all you see is the crowd smiling at you and praising you. Jumping around as a way to say, ‘thanks!,’ you turn back to the game. People were definitely plotting something, but what? Is there going to be a huge prom proposal tonight? Or maybe another party? Whatever the reason may be, it caught your attention greatly. You didn’t even realize when the opposing team called a timeout.

Starting the cheer to mock the opposing team, your school stomps on the bleachers and yells, “TO!”

A flash of a figure makes you step back and you see a mop of brown hair flying and a boy excitedly jumping up and down. Johnny urges the crowd to scream louder and louder as one of the teachers supervising the game shouted for them to shut up. Obviously no one paid attention as both Johnny and you were riling up the crowd. You didn’t dare miss the glint in Johnny’s eye in that moment you saw him staring.

With the timeout finished, Johnny runs back to his team and resumes the game. You watched intently as a rally began, neither side giving up. This game was surprisingly close and N City High looked as fierce than ever. The opposing team has been rivals with your school for years in athletics. If they didn’t win tonight, the entire volleyball team would be the joke of the school until another team loses in some sport. Quietly praying to any gods above, you hoped that wouldn’t happen to them. Johnny had worked so hard to build up his team; you couldn’t bear to see it all come crashing down.

Finally the score was 24-24. The game was neck-to-neck and people looked more stressed than usually. A surprise tip came from Winwin and had the crowd soaring and roaring out of their seats. The ball was rolled under the net to a giant, confident boy who strode up to the line with confidence. His arm extended fully and whacked the ball hard, barely passing the net and almost being out of boundaries. Luck was on his side as the score changed from 25-24 to 26-24.

N City High has done it.

The band breaks out into a cheery tune as the fight song echoes throughout the gym. You merrily clap your hands along and head to the center of the floor, giggling inside the big, mascot head. It was infectious seeing everyone so joyous.

Suddenly, you’re lifted up into the air and multiple hands are on the outside of the bodysuit. Panic sets in your stomach and you thrash around, trying to shake off whoever has grabbed you. A few yelps of pain were expressed and soon you were set back on the ground roughly, falling to your knees. Crawling away shakily, you’re jerked back by the hands of someone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, to celebrate our win, we will show everyone who our esteemed mascot may be!”

A sharp light fills your view and the mesh that surrounded your eyes from the mascot head disappears. Your eyes take a moment to adjust but soon you see the gasping faces of your classmates around you along with the horrified face of Johnny, holding the head of the stupid, ugly parrot. Its face was mocking you silently with uplifted eyebrows and knitted pink patches of blush.

Not even giving yourself a second to think, you bolt out of the gym, charging straight to the locker room. With choked sobs, you slammed the door and ripped off the rest of the outfit.

How fucking humiliating.

You have embarrassed yourself more times than you would like to admit but never on a level as extreme as this. Slipping on the black hoodie you arrived in, you caught a glimpse of your distraught face in the grimy mirror and immediately let out a whimper, sliding down to the floor and taking a moment to yourself.

You couldn’t leave. There was no way anyone would let you leave without questioning you. A cry escapes your lips and you slam your hand to your mouth, biting on the flesh until the taste of blood coats your mouth. It was embarrassing for your identity to be exposed. But by your best friend? That’s on a whole new level.

The door swings open abruptly and your head is filled with flight instincts. You rush over to the bathroom, locking the stall and listening to the loud footsteps.

“(Y/N)?” A sugary, honey voice presses, footsteps becoming closer.

“What are you doing in here, this is a girl’s bathroom!” You spit out, outraged at the offender.

Johnny sighs and you hear and feel a small ‘thump’ on the door of the stall.

“Can we talk?”

“We are.” You promptly respond.

“I meant face to face…” Johnny corrects.

You soundlessly unlocked the door and swung it open, not caring if you hit Johnny or not. Dejected, you stare at the floor in silence, waiting for him to start the conversation.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You laugh, not sure if it’s a taunt or out of pure shock. “Why? Because it's embarrassing as hell. Nobody wants to be friends with the fucking school mascot.”

“Are you stupid?” Johnny replies and you feel the space around you grow a million times hotter. He steps closer to you and with a firm hand grabs your chin, forcing you to look at him. “Do you know how much I don’t care? I’ve been obsessed with that mascot for so long because I wanted to befriend them. To think you thought of me so lowly hurts.” Tears well up in your eyes and you tear your gaze from him, stepping back. “Obviously. So what do you want? To make fun of me? Say your goodbyes?”

He scoffs and engulfs you in a hug, his cologne invading your senses. You instantly relax and wrap your own arms around his waist. After such a terrible week, having Johnny all to yourself comforted you immensely.

“You know I don’t care about reputation.” “I know.” You sob, hiding your face in his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” You were a fool. Johnny was one of the most kind, careless people in your life. If anyone wasn’t going to judge you, it would be him. Johnny sighs, “I should be saying that. I’m sorry I was so stubborn and thought you were hiding secrets about your love interests. And that I also accidently revealed who you were to the entire school. I’ll beat up anyone who bullies you.” He jokes. Your heart was finally mending after all these troublesome days. A small smile graced your face as your tore yourself away from Johnny’s shoulder. “I’m glad I finally have my best friend back.”

With a sharp inhale, that mischievous glint reappears once more. “Can I change that?” Your confused look was wiped off instantly as Johnny smashed his lips against yours, his hands trailing to the small of your back. A gasp escapes your lips and Johnny sees it as an invitation to explore your mouth. Your hands make their way up to his neck and arms, not sure where to place themselves. You’ve fantasized over making out with Johnny hundreds of times but now that it’s happening, where did you put your hands all those times?

He pulls away slowly, nibbling on your bottom lip as he does. Your hair is all tousled and eyes wide as Johnny takes in your appearance. He chuckles and leans down again, stealing another kiss but putting more passion than lust into it.

“Sorry,” he whispers, kissing at your neck. “I didn’t mean for our first kiss to be in the locker room.”

“It’s fine. It’s pretty hot if you ask me.”

Laughter ruins the once serious atmosphere as Johnny and you were both cackling at the hilarious situation.

Becoming the school’s mascot was the worst deal you’ve ever made with that scoundrel of a principal.

However, earning Johnny and a few new friends for a lifetime was something you would never trade back in, no matter what reputation you held.

[cloudynames]

The Earth Fell in Love with the Moon

okay the long awaited story is finally here!! jesus christ it took so long i am s o r r y. all that matters is that its finally here and i hope you all enjoy <33 this is one of my favorite pieces ive written in a long time so i hope itll satisfy everyone

Word Count: 6,468

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Sensual themes, swearing

lets get it

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If there were two things you were good at, it would be creating new gadgets and rejecting opportunities. Every step of your life, carefully crafted, led you to achieve your dream job at NASA. Out of the ordinary, you weren’t actually all too interested in space. You fell in love with rockets and mechanics. The sound of metal clashing and seeing your creation come to life fascinated and drew you in, trapping you within the life of a mechanic. However, you preferred to use your proper title of ‘Head of Maintenance and Mechanics.’ Life was extraordinary with a powerful position, having seen things no ordinary person would. Coming home covered in soot and sweat was fulfilling and you wouldn’t want it any other way nor felt the need to make additions.

As a result, rejecting the continuous romantic advances from a new trainee named Kun forced you to become abnormally professional when it came to denying someone of any desires, work or romance related. He arrived in the spring with an abundance of other rookies and as spring faded into summer, many of his comrades dropped like flies soon realizing the commitment it took to become a master of space.

Everyone left except a few, one of them being Qian Kun. Kun was a flame. No, not like a bonfire flame, ready to devour whoever got in his way of his dreams. Much to his dismay, he resembled a candle, barely burning and a threat to none.

Well, maybe a threat to you.

With a flat screwdriver in one hand and the other in a bag of screws, you started repairing the outside of the newest spacecraft, ready to be launched next season with high hopes for technological advances. You didn’t spend much time working on the rocket yourself due to your position but it seemed like everyone decided to take the day off in your department. Left mostly alone, you were running around to complete daily tasks while putting your foot forward for NCT 2XXX, also known as the pride and joy of your life.

Working with multiple people within the industry, you were one of the lead designers of NCT 2XXX, a marvelous spaceship with an exterior as strong as diamonds and interior just as remarkable. You have been with NASA for over five years and with NCT 2XXX for three. To say you were loyal to both projects was an understatement, you were unbelievably devoted. With a project as spectacular as this under your belt, you were bound to become one of the most famous engineers of all time. Perhaps in the future, historians would print the name with such care and remember the time from when they were a child, seeing the ship shoot off into sky for the first time.

Once the final screw for the plate was tightened into place, you sighed and peeped back at the row. It had only been a few minutes but it felt like forever, hunched over repeating the boring hand movements. Guilt exploded in your stomach. You’ve been assigning newbies to do this for months on end? A mental note was formed in your head, remembering to make sure they have some diversity.

A hand clamping down on your shoulder disturbed you greatly, almost spilling out bolts and screws from your pocket. Without turning around, you yelled, “Qian Kun! How many times must I tell you to leave me alone when I’m working!”

Giggles spill out of the offender as he shuffled closer to you. “Wow, this is what Head of Maintenance does all day? How come you never have time to talk me since you can multitask perfectly fine?”

Starting on a new row, you rolled your eyes dramatically, “Maybe it’s because I don’t want to talk to you?”

“Why are you so mean?!” Kun whines, pathetically stomping in place.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” You snap, turning around and giving yourself a serious case of whiplash.

“I’m on break but I can leave if you really want me to!” He tempts, a mischievous glint lingering in his eyes.

“What’s the condition?” You exhaled heavily, mentally preparing yourself for whatever he decides to shock you with today.

“Go on a date with me!” He pleads, sticking out his bottom lip and giving you puppy eyes. Sweat drops smeared his forehead and his hair was messy from his training. Dark spots soaked through his training uniform and his glowing, honey skin was covered in bruises and scars. As pitiful as he appeared, you clicked your tongue in annoyance and turned around.

“I’m not interested, space boy.”

“But I’m interested.” He counters, frowning and nearly throwing a temper tantrum. Was this man really an adult or a man-baby?

Your mother had taught you that patience would be the greatest virtue in life. She had made sure you expressed it every day, having you write down one thing each day that you had to wait for and the relief following. With a hushed voice, she told you that good things came to those who were patience--especially to those patient with people. Kun was putting this theory to the test today.

“Ah yes, because bothering me every minute of the day will make me fancy a date with your lame ass!”

Before he can respond, his training coach blows a whistle, signalling breaktime was over. He burns holes into the back of your head, observing intently as you rummaged through the wool bag for a knot.

“I’ll be back.”

With that, he left in a flash and leaving you to nearly scream his name.

If Kun said he was going to be back, he was going to be back.

Five hours later and a provided lunch break from a local mom and pop place, you were seated in the meeting room with a water bottle and notepad. Tapping incessantly, you wondered why the higher-ups called you in for today. They never ringed for you, only when they needed to figure out why a rookie was causing trouble.

Suddenly, a click was heard and the shuffling of men and women came herding in, murmurs spreading across the room. Once comfortable in their respective seats, the woman at the head of the table opened, “Ah, (y/n), our most important piece to NASA!”

Rolling your eyes subtly, you give a sickly, sweet grin, “Yes, yes. How may I be of assistance today?”

The projector snapped to life and the lights dimmed. You turned to the screen, waiting for further information.

“Well,” a man with glasses and slicked back hair states, “We have all seen you work on NCT 2XXX and do believe us when we say that it is beyond terrific! That being said, one of our previous correspondences had recently left us due to seeking more and become greedy in his work. We need someone to finish WayV, another rocket for a specialised group of astronauts.”

Biting your tongue, you stared at everyone in amazement. “So I’m supposed to work on two projects?”

“Precisely.”

They left, shaking your hand and thanking you profusely for being so corresponding and helpful. The entire time, your mind was in overdrive. How were you supposed to finish two projects near the same launch date? It was near damn impossible! Of course they were sure to pay you more to compensate, but in such a short amount of time, maybe it was better to reject their advances. NASA had hired more engineers for this exact reason; why did it have to be you?

Staring at the blueprint on top of your wooden, almost broken desk, you reached over for your phone and checked the time. Midnight was plastered on your screen and you groan, extremely close to slamming your head on said desk. Your head was aching and your heart was pounding abnormally. Stress is an important part of life but after living life so plain and planned out, unforeseen problems caused you to lash out in your thoughts.

Marks began to appear on the sheet of paper as you sketched out a very, very rough version of the final product. With a haze clouding your mind and your eyes too focused on the design in front of you, Kun quietly snuck by and leaned down to your ear.

“Boo.”

Nearly falling back in your chair, you pushed yourself backwards with a hand on your chest. Kun, knelt over while dying of laughter exclaimed, “Oh my god! You should’ve seen your reaction!”

A rosy hue graces your cheeks, making you scrunch up your nose and return to your work. Mindlessly drawing hearts and stars and swirls in the corner of the paper, you mutter, “Why are you still here?”

“Aw, are you embarrassed? You never just ask me a question without calling me a name!” He teases, ruffling your hair and using a pointer finger to press deeply into your cheek.

Groaning, you push him away and huff, blowing the hair in front of your face to flip messily to the back. Kun wasn’t going to leave any time soon, especially if he was here already after his training period. You grab the stool which you were using to prop up your feet and slide it to the side of you, patting lightly on the top. He stares and points a finger at himself, asking ‘me?’ within his head. Adding an overdone nod finally connected the dots in his head, placing himself to the right of you.

“Are you going to ask my question or do I have to choke it out of you?” You threaten, playing with the lead in the pencil a little too much for his liking.

“Ah, well to be quite honest, I’m not sure. I guess I didn’t want to go back to the dorms just yet.” He reasons, avoiding your judgemental gaze.

Kun was a man of many talents. On his first day, officially hired as an astronaut, he entertained the conference room with a deck of cards, magically shaking one and flipping it over to reveal a heart. Your superiors were impressed, slowly falling in love with his charisma from day one. Then, a few days after while carrying in a shipment of new parts, you overheard a sugary voice singing in a tongue unfamiliar to you. Perhaps you lingered around the area longer than needed only for Kun to walk out with wet hair and still buttoning up a shirt. He flashed a smirk to you and strolled the opposite way, leaving you to slump against a wall, desperately trying to fan yourself off. From that day forward, his furrowed eyebrows and pushed back hazel locks had you stealing glances at the boy. One would be a fool to reject the attractiveness of Qian Kun. He was charismatic, talented, and handsome.

Although he was practically a Greek man, he was a terrible liar.

Humming in response and letting it pass by you for now, Kun broke the silence, “Why are you here though?”

“Well, I’ve been assigned a new project and unfortunately it won’t be completed during regular work hours, hence why I’m staying here at,” you took a swift glimpse at your phone, “12:17.”

“Do you at least get paid extra?” He asks, stealing a pencil from your desk and twirling it between his fingers.

Rolling your eyes woefully, “Nope.”

“So why do you do it?’ He questions, throwing a fit and muttering about how he’ll take it up to the higher-ups for you not receiving adequate pay.

With an exasperated yawn, you stare with him with stars within your eyes and a drowsy smile painted on your lips, “Because I love my job.”

Kun gawked at you, mouth slightly parted open. A lot of the time, you pushed him away yet here he was, sitting so close to you and conversing with you like close friends would do. With your tousled hair, falling upon your face and framing you beautifully, he gulped. Your doe eyes seemed to look into his soul and he was afraid you might find all his secrets he has casted away. The bags under your eyes and puffy, red cheeks displayed off the delicate side of you that he wasn’t sure you even possessed until tonight. At work, you were always headstrong and devoted. Seeing you in such a way had his heart pumping wildly, so much so that he almost led one of his hands to hold his chest for he felt that his heart was going to burst. You were hardworking, intelligent, and beautiful.

Qian Kun was simply smitten for you.

Increasingly, Kun had started to stay behind longer with you, assisting you as you worked late until dawn. He barely had any time to sleep but sharing secrets and giggling in the dusty work closet made up for all the time lost. Both of you would make fun of your superiors or play silly computer games in one of the research rooms while eating whatever Kun decided to cook that night. It wasn’t all fun however, you made sure of it. He would help you lift objects and hammer out sheets, bringing you closer to completing both WayV and NCT 2XXX.

Even though he stayed with you until ungodly hours almost every day, you questioned his true intentions. Every time you asked him why he stays late, he simply shrugs and answers with a joke. Deep down, you wished for there to be a hidden reason. Spending more time with the Chinese boy had you falling for him harder than before. Your hateful scowls turned into fluttering adorations and fluttering touches. A friendship was developing before your eyes and as you began to know more about Kun, you started to become dependent on the extra company.

For the past two days, you waited patiently near your desk for the boy to come bouncing to your side. Unfortunately, you would receive no call and were left to work in utter silence except for the melodic piano arrangements lulling softly in the background. As a result, this led you to believe Kun was upset at you. Flashbacks occurred in your head as you thought back to what could’ve frustrated the joyful boy. You did spill a sticky, dark soda on his white shirt just a few days before he disappeared. But was Kun one to hold grudges?

On the third night of listening to the same piano arrangement, footsteps emerged from behind you and you shut off your phone, turning your head before facing a sleep-deprived Kun. His face was adorned with purplish undereyes and stress written all over. He moved sluggishly, grabbing his usual stool before slowly setting himself on top. Kun watched with tired eyes, no life found within them at all.

“Are you okay?” You ask, concerned, and place a hand on his shoulder. Rubbing small circles in his back, you hope to comfort him in such a time of distress.

“Yeah, training has just been really… rough.” He trails off, eyes falling to his lap and moving further away from your touch.

Nodding, you resume to your work. You wanted Kun to be here for the past few days, but why is it that when he appears, you wish to be alone? His cold presence disturbed you and your wish to disappear grew. An irritated Kun was not someone anyone would want to spend time with.

“They told me I would never be an astronaut.”

You nearly drop the circuit board as his voice falters, hoarse and defeated. Setting down the piece of technology, you scoot closer to him.

“Don’t listen to them.”

He laughs mockingly, shoving his head in his hands. “I have to. Our test results and training progress came out. My test results are fine; I’m average. Yet, my training scores are the lowest in the group of all the rookies combined. I got yelled at by my teachers and one of them said, very distastefully might I add, that I would never make it to the sky. He mocked me, saying I might have the confidence and cool factor but I would never accomplish anything or become anyone.”

When he lifts his head, his cheeks are stained with waterfalls and his lip quivers for relief. Out of character, you grasp him and pull him into your chest, hugging tightly. Tentatively, he wraps his arms around you and bursts into tears once more. Your skin feels hot and sticky from his hold and your lab coat rapidly becoming soaked from his cries. A hand drifts up to his hair as you curl his locks between your fingers, shushing him as his sobs grow in volume. The once joyful boy was now wailing in your arms about how he’ll never be good enough for anything. Heartache hurts, especially because Kun is so cheerful all the time. Never in a million years you would’ve thought that a day might come where he shows his piled up hidden feelings of stress.

His body gradually stops shaking and he removes himself from you, rubbing his cheeks and eyes. You pass him your water bottle and he laughs, taking a sip. Although he appears better, sorrow hides in his iries and your own tears well up. It’s time to repay Kun for all his charity.

“Kun, you’ve helped me throughout this entire project for Wayv. I think it’s time for me to help you.” You state, flashing him a wide smile.

“No! I’m okay! You don’t need to.” He argues, sulking.

Ah, there it was. His fiery personality made a come back from his recent gloomy demeanor.

“I want to and I will. That is final.”

His pout expands and your grin only grows as you return to the circuit board, knowing you won against Kun.

The next night, with two energy drinks and a haul of textbooks, the two of you laid down in one of the break rooms with the comfiest couches and softest blankets.

You examine one of his test scores, curled up in a blue comforter.

“Hm, your mathematics skills are off the charts good. Did you major in math?”

He nods, looking over terms in his notebook. Kun flips through the words too briskly for your liking. How did he even retain any of that information?

Scrunching your nose distastefully, you start, “You’ll never learn terms with definitions like that. Use flashcards or use an app that’ll repeat the answer and definition multiple times.”

His mouth hangs open, shocked at your abrupt reprimand. “I never had to do that! Math is so easy. You barely have to memorize anything! Only a few theorems but you could practically bullshit that.”

“Well, now you have to. Your biology is good but your physical science and engineering has work to be done.”

He lets out an obnoxious groan, snuggling deeper within the blanket wrapped around him. After a few moments of him complaining, he grabs a pen and a few flashcards, diligently writing down terms to definitions. You scoot closer to him, your head so close to leaning on his shoulder.

“Thank you.” A quiet voice whispers and he turns his head to you, a small smile graced upon his face.

“Of course. If you told me you were struggling earlier, I could’ve helped you more.”

A groan falls out of his mouth, “No, (y/n). You’re too busy with your projects anyway. I don’t want to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me at all!” You grumble, bumping into him and having his pen spill from a perfect line to a crooked mess. He glares, relining his design.

“I felt like I was though at one point.” He confesses, tapping his pen repeatedly against his book, eyes piercing into yours like daggers. “Why did you try to push me away so much?”

Ah, you should have foreseen this. Kun was a curious man, hence the reason for striving to become an astronaut. He asks questions until he makes you beg to just shut up. All his teachers probably wanted to kill him by now due to his incessant whining. His goal, clear in mind, was to find out the reason behind your fake distaste for the cadet. Red as a ruby, you lifted your head and gazed back, faked your innocence, “What do you mean?”

He shoves his work aside and adjusts his entire body, muscles flaunting off. Has Kun always been so lean?

“Obviously I’m talking about a month ago where you wanted to punt me into space if you ever got the chance.”

“Haha, very funny.” You mock, truly laughing afterwards. “To answer your question, I don’t know what changed.” To take the leap of faith or not might’ve been the hardest decision in your life. Nothing in your life could’ve prepared you for this exact moment in life. Comparing this dangerous moment to everything in college, you rather take every course all over again. If he rejects you, you’re back to the mundane life you’ve always known. Although in the slightest chance he might accept you, life would be a fairytale.

Fuck it.

“Maybe it’s how your eyelashes flutter when you’re almost asleep or how you push your hair back just the way I like it. I don’t know when everything changed. To put it simply, I started noticing things about you that nobody else would ever notice. You like black coffee but if you didn’t have to restrain your calorie intake, you would order the sweetest thing on the menu. Whenever you laugh at something stupid, you throw your head back and hide yourself, embarrassed to be in the moment. But no, it could’ve been when you mumbled translations under your breath as you read instructions or how your fingers ghosted upon my skin late at night. I think I really am whipped for you--”

Kun gently grabs your face and closes the long gap between you two, his tongue licking your bottom one and exploring your mouth. Still focused on you, he unwraps himself from his cocoon and climbs on top of you, hands running through your hair, desperate and longing. He made you experience all this pent up emotion he had towards you and it felt as if you were floating on a cloud. It was dirty. Lying in one of the breakrooms with a boy, who you weren’t even dating, and having his hands roam all over your body.

His hips rolled against yours, making you gasp at the sudden contact. Whether it had been accidental or on purpose, you craved for the motion to happen once more. Kun smelled like vanilla and left your head hazy and light. Hands disappeared from your hair and moved under your shirt, his thumb playing with your waistband. His breath was sweet and tasted like the chocolate shared between the two of you just a few hours ago. He pulls away suddenly, a string of saliva forming and the sight has you heavily breathing. Kun leans down once more and leaves a kiss on your forehead and you reach for one of his hands, intertwining your fingers.

“So, you’re clearly experienced. Have you been kissing any other engineers other than me?”

“Shut up!” He yells, tickling you relentlessly for a minute before brushing your disheveled hair out of your eyes.

“Only you, baby. It’s only ever been you”

Midnight blue nights with Kun was the highlight of your life. Working all night till dawn seeped into Kun’s dorm fulfilled you and you wouldn’t have it any other way. It might’ve been harder to focus due to calculated distractions conducted by the mischievous boy but when it came down to crunch time, both you and Kun worked in perfect harmization. The beginning of summer morphed into a deep heat of August before you even had a chance to blink and walks to the convenience store to buy ice cream became a must to combat the humid heat.

Glancing at your phone, you inwardly groaned seeing the time was only five. It would be so long until you could see Kun again. With your brain being fried from all the hard work from the day, you took a break. Mindlessly, you scrolled through social media and caught up with the recent drama. Your break was cut short as a squeal was shouted directly into your ear and arms wrapped around you.

“What the hell--”

“Baby! I got in! They accepted me for Project WayV! I’m so excited!”

Your boyfriend’s eyes were gleaming with pure, unsaturated happiness. A smile melts onto your face and you envelope him in a embrace just as emotional as his. You had seen how hard Kun had been working for his goal. He would stay up nights on end studying and if he wasn’t studying, he would be assisting you in your projects. Sometimes he would stay at your house and you would do laundry, not forgetting to notice how the size of his uniform changed from an extra small, gradually transforming into a small and finally to a medium. If he wasn’t studying or helping you, he was training. Love filled you and contentment hugged every curve of your body. To say you were proud was an understatement. This had been everything Kun had craved for.

Would it be selfish, however, to hate the future? Yes, Kun had been working hard to become an astronaut but once summer becomes cool and sweltering, fiery red days fade, where would Kun stand? In the sky trapped in a box, gathering research for greedy scientists on the small earth below? Would you be alone once more as you were just a few months ago? Would you despise the blue, crystal region for stealing the one you loved the most?

Mustering all your strength possible into faking a grin, you exclaim, “I’m so proud of you dear, you deserve it!”

A piece of your soul chipped away from that moment and it became difficult to face the future. Kun would be gone. For a long time. The worst case scenario might arise and he might never come back.

You were never the villain in the story. Trying to delay Kun’s dream would make you the monster. No, you’re not the monster. Minoring in theatre in college helped you after all. Fake it till you make it, right?

If it meant you had to lose everything for Qian Kun, you would give everything in a flash.

Motivated, you labored away more than ever. Rarely ever leaving the station, you were hunched over and slaving over numerous tasks every day. A fool you would’ve been if you didn’t think Kun would notice. One thing could contest his love for the mystery of space and that thing was you. If his dear was feeling slowed down, he would pick you up and aid you.

“Let’s go get slushies.” He offered a hand out to you one late night, forehead covered in sweat from being stuck in a poorly air-conditioned room. You accepted his hand, letting him drag you on another summer adventure. Evil thoughts plagued your mind. Surely, this wouldn’t be the last trip?

The walk was mostly quiet, the only noise being made was when Kun nearly tripped over the curb.

(“How was I supposed to know that the curb was there!”

“By looking, sweetheart.”)

He bought you a cherry slushie, leaving him with a blueberry one. With syrupy hands, he grabbed yours and swang them between the two of you.

“Baby, can you enlighten me?”

Confused, “What’s up?”

Ah, Kun never fails to amaze you. He is simply too intelligent and observant for his own good.

“Are… you okay?”

“Nothing, precious.” A lie escapes you before you realize what you’re saying. Had you been so accustomed to lying that it slips out at this point?

Kun drags you to slow down, having you turn around and look at him. In the late summer evening with pink and orange mixing in the azure reflecting off his skin had your heart stop beating for a second. His plump pink lips were stained with blue and the sides of his hair were still wet from sweat. This picture perfect sight had you falling in love all over again. You wouldn’t see this scene again in an undetermined amount of time. If he went up to the beautiful atmosphere, how would you be able to hear his luscious voice? Could you bear to wake up every morning to a cold bed?

“Stop lying, (y/n).”

Another jump of faith this time more daring.

“I’m petrified.” You admit.

“Of what?” His voice is soft and gentle, so familiar and so heart-warming.  

“The future.” A tear falls from your eye and you feebly laugh. Where had it come from? Soon, you were full-on bawling. Kun rushes to your side in an instant, shushing you and hugging you.

Moments in life make us want to pause, rewind, fast forward, and record. In one instant, you wanted to complete all four. You would pause to savor this exact act and scene in life. If you were ever feeling down, you could rewind and relive this moment over again. To fast forward was dangerous, but it would need to be done to see the future for the two of you, something to look forward to. Finally, recording every single happening in this one frame to remember one of the last moments before the sky took away Qian Kun, your space boy.

“Baby, I’m scared too.” He reveals, shakily and nervously. “I don’t want to lose you, dear god I would collapse if I lost you.”

You nod, not able to respond or form a corrhent sentence. He speaks for you.

“You’re my first and last. Without you in my life, I would be so lost. I wouldn’t even be on the project for WayV! You’re my beginning and my end and everything in between. If you say no, I won’t do it. I will deny the project. Of course, NASA will be pissed at me,” he laughs, trembling upon your skin, “but if it’s to make you smile once more, even if it was one last time, I’ll do it.”

Rejection dances on the tip of your tongue. To say yes and have Kun next to you every day and night sounded like a fairytale. Your dream would truly come alive, yet where would Kun’s dream fall? With a heart begging no, ‘please don’t leave me,’ your mind wins once more against a terrible, cruel decision.

“My space boy, you’re so foolish. You have to go up there. No if, ands, or buts. That is final.”

With tears streaming down both of your faces, he tilts your head up and kisses you with more passion than the first night he confessed. It was a battle of love and bitterness. Your tongues fought over dominance, wanting to show the other their passionate feelings.

With blue and red tongues mixing and leaving each other’s lips with purple, bruised lips, you two took the longer route home. You might’ve minored in theatre, but you weren’t sure if majoring would’ve helped you from seeing Kun’s sparkling, chocolate-colored eyes. The entire time felt like you were under a lie detector. Perhaps in some alternate universe, the two of you would’ve never expressed your doubts..

Fall knocked at your door quicker than you had anticipated. Trips to the convenience store dwindled and stops at either Kun’s dorm or your apartment became more popular. Time was ticking away slowly and the two of you tried to spend as much time together. With each fun, spectacular day came with a night full of depression. Kun’s time was slowly draining and his launch date snuck up on you. He would be in space for nine months, one of the longest trips done in recent years. It terrified you but it motivated you to work harder than before. For him.

So that he can come back safe.

October 15, the day that was another page to mark in history and another date to burn in your mind. Waking up in your cold, sad apartment had you crying before you had even stepped into the bathroom. Traces of Kun were left all around. His hoodies, draped over chairs, left a cut in your heart, piercing every vein in your body. Fate was cruel. What was more cruel than fate was free will. If you said pleaded to him to not leave you, he would be next to you right now in the scalding, hot shower, leaving butterfly kisses across your nape.

Today would be another performance; a test of your acting abilities. To fool everyone and make them believe that you were the happy, supportive partner. Your mind drifted away at your workstation, not paying much attention to the world around you. People noticed and caught on fast, offering a hand when you needed an errand run down to Mission Control or a speedy calculation.

Never did anyone say you were good at acting.

Dreadfully, you glanced at the clock and gulped. Take-off is in less than two hours and Kun wouldn’t be able to see anyone in due time. You rush around the building, asking superiors and juniors if they had seen the boy. Following directions from Head of Security, you rapped your fist against the waiting room door.

“Come in.” A soft, possibly tearful, voice whispered, just loud enough to hear on the other side of the door.

Opening the door and closing it gently, a hug greeted you from inside the room. Vanilla overwhelmed your sense and you melted in Kun’s arms, gripping onto him with a strong force.

“Love--” You begin but are cut off abruptly by Kun’s lips crashing into yours. A pattern forms and you both fall into the rhythm, quiet moans slipping from the sinful mouths of both. Kun had this amazing power to make you lose all train of thought when with him and you forgot every dreadful moment leading up to this point until he broke away.

“Where do I start?” He laughs anxiously, a hand pushing away the hair in his face. “God, I’ll miss you so fucking much. It hurts so much thinking about it.” Kun takes your hand, dragging it to his chest and letting you feel his heartbeat. His heart beats rapidly and you clench the protective suit.

“I’ll miss you more.” You murmur, planting kisses upon his neck. He pulls away and chuckles at your sour expression.

“Let me talk for once. Doll, I truly will miss you. I ran to the convenience store to print out every photo I had of you in my phone so I would have it on the trip.” He snickers, a tear falling from his eye and you reach out to wipe it away. If only you could erase every tear he’ll have after he’s gone.“It’ll be hard, but I’ll try to record every day without you so you can watch it once I’m back. You know I don’t like talking about myself, but I’m so afraid of this trip. It’s dangerous as hell and there might be so many complications. Believe me, this world will not take me away without seeing you one last time. Don’t worry, baby. I will be okay.”

You were whimpering at this point and huffed stiffly with each passing second. Everything you wanted to hear was coming out of Kun’s mouth, but knowing that he’ll be gone in just a few hours stings at your skin. He recognizes this and rubs your back, letting you live in this scene. After your weeping slowed down, he requested a wish, something so personal and hopeful.

“You’ll wait for me?”

With a pathetic giggle, “If you bring me back a star.” He bursts out in laughter, doubling over. Always so lighthearted.

“I love you.” He confesses, a sorrowful expression painting his face.

“I love you more, space boy.”

Words left unspoken stopped at your tongue. Kun wouldn’t know that he was your star that night.

And the nights before.

He was the star of your life.

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

A cloud of white exhaust spreads over the sandy field and the whole of NASA erupts into joy. Many are hugging their friends, some are with their lovers. The cameras pan back to the crowd, bouncing around and cheering as the gigantic, white spacecraft launches itself into the sky. The launch was successful, no failures or any worries. You checked every single valve and bolt yourself, of course it would be perfect.

Watching through a glossy window, your hand touched where the earth met the sky. The more you stared into the abyss, the more you appreciated the beauty. It wasn’t a single shade of blue, no. The sky, your sky, mixed with all shades of baby blue and flecks of gold and white shimmered brightly. It was like if someone took a paintbrush and went over the canvas repeatedly until they ran out of paint. If this glistening azure sky was so gorgeous, how did the deep blues of space match up to this competitor?

The clouds earn the sky extra points but with images of stars from past years makes your heart flutter in amazement. Humankind has accomplished so much in such little time and you, scientists and creatives, are leading the battle for improvement. Kun is a pioneer to this philosophy. One of the most brilliant leaders.

All the pieces locked into place as you observed the last gusts of white sputter and disperse. The moon and its gravitational pull kept the earth from getting out of hand and too far away to connect. Kun was the moon and you were earth, constantly being pulled to Kun whenever you wanted to shut down and hide from everyone. The simile makes you smile and you peer up, a tear escaping your duct. Hopefully Kun is viewing you from the oh, so tiny aircraft.

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

Kun eyes the tiny earth, still strapped in his seat but able to obtain a view. He wishfully sighs, a smile breaking out onto his face.

He prays that you know he’s looking down at you, dreaming of a time where you could see something just as beautiful as right now.

Ah, maybe not as beautiful as he thought. He still has you, waiting patiently for his return. Now, you are the most ethereal sight he has ever had the chance to look at.

As soon as he receives the green from Mission Control, he unbuckles himself and moves to the supply room, reaching for one of the cameras and moving to a relatively quiet spot. With a deep breath, Kun turns on the camera.

“Hi baby, it’s your favorite space boy. Welcome to space, day 0!”

[cloudynames]

Pillow Talk

gamers!! we’re back!! living our best lives!! i hope everyone is having a fantastic day or night~ this piece was actually one of my more difficult pieces to write and i dont know it was just hard ;; i hope everyone enjoys this and i will make sure to work harder for the next story!

Word Count: 5,609

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, sexual themes (no actual smut)

lets get it

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“Oh my god, you’re going on a date with him? He’s so cute!” One of your friends giggled, scrolling through an Instagram that you could really care less about. Mindlessly, you stirred your coffee with a straw and reflected on your complicated relationship with love.

It wasn’t that you hated men or whatever. You would’ve loved to hold someone’s hand or to go on cute dates during those four years of suffering to ease your pain. In high school, boys would be drooling over the numerous, gorgeous transfer students while you were just… there.

In your baggy uniform with a head in a book and an awfully little amount of sleep due to studying until ungodly hours of the night.

You didn’t think it was a bad thing at all. Because of this, you had so much more time to study and hang out with friends. There was definitely an unhealthy amount of mocking from your family and friends but it all paid off in the end because you ended up going to a fantastic college with exam results better than any alumni previously. However, like anyone at your age, you still had a pit of desire in your stomach.

“What about you, (y/n)? Any boys hit you up recently?” A voice interrogated, snapping you instantly back to reality.

Rolling your eyes, you slide your phone over to show your most recent text messages.

“The last guy you talked to was your teacher who you asked about the project due in a few weeks.”

With a loud groan, you stole your phone back from nosey eyes and selfish hands. A few moans of complainant lingered the air as they wanted to delve more into your messages.

“I’ll never find a boyfriend,” You whine, fake crying into your arms.

Laughs fill the small part of the cafe you sat at and you felt your face burn up with embarrassment. As much as it was hilarious how you couldn’t get a boy to save your life, it also dug into you, knowing you would probably end up alone for a large majority of your life.

One of your friends patted your back and with an encouraging smile stated, “Maybe you should try sticking your head somewhere else other than a book.”

The crowd exploded in amusement once more and by this point, you were fuming. Yes, the situation was hilarious about how you couldn’t even get a glance from a dog. The fact that they mocked you for it annoyed you to the end of hell. Just because you weren’t actively searching for a boyfriend didn’t mean boys avoided you like the plague.

‘It might’ve been easier for them to get a boyfriend but look who's struggling in creative writing just to earn a C on every paper.’

Similar cruel thoughts invaded your head and you desperately tried to get them out. It took a few minutes but your bubbly smile was back on your face and a newfound inspiration was beating in your heart. You were sick of the laughter and pity. Above all, you were tired of not having someone to call your own. To kill two birds with one stone would be exceedingly pleasing.

Determination filled you and once you were motivated, you were going to meet your end goal.

That end goal?

A boyfriend.

For the plan of attack, you would need to think of boys that you’ve talked to before. There was Jaehyun from biology but you were unbelievably positive that he was eating someone’s face off at the most recent frat party. Yuta, from your economics class, would be a fantastic person to go on a date due to his infectious smile and sweet crescent eyes if you didn’t hear the most recent rumors of him breaking girls’ hearts for money.

Lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, you pondered if there were any boys willing enough to take you on a date. Doubt clouded your train of thoughts and you seriously considered the fact that nobody would ever like you enough to initiate something. As you were about to drift off to sleep, your brain lingered to a boy in your math class. Everyone could see him with hearts in his eyes for you. He would be perfect.  

You sat closer to the boy named Mark in your math theory class. He was cute from a distance and especially upclose. If you went on one date with him, all the mockery would stop for good.

And if you’re lucky, maybe the loneliness would go away as well.

A few days later, Mark finally asked you on a date. With nervous, shaky hands, he gave you his phone asking for your number. You cocked your eyebrow in confusion since the two of you haven’t exchanged more words than a quick ‘hello’ and asking each other for the answers on numerous equations.  

“M-May I please ask you on a date?”

You stood in front of the movie theater, holding his too sweaty hand as the both of you walked forward in line. For someone that appeared so mysterious and cool, he was really like a tense, little boy. All you could think about was how it felt like you were taking your little brother to a movie.

“Two tickets for Spider-Man.” Mark asked, squeezing your hand. Giving him a small smile, you reached in your bag to pull out your share of price.

Mark’s eyebrows furrow as his hands scramble around in his wallet, looking for his debt card. He shuts it with a sigh and looks at you pleadingly.

“Could… you please…”

You had already given the cashier enough money for the both of you.

This would be fine if Mark didn’t insist on buying snacks at the movie theater.

“Please, (y/n)! How can we watch a movie without food.” He whines, throwing a playful (and hopefully fake) tantrum.

With a long, drawn out exhale, you bought a large popcorn and two waters. Throughout the week, you would definitely need to eat the complementary ramen they stored within the dorm kitchens since you had blown half your weekly allowance on mediocre popcorn and tiny waters.

By the time both of you had been settled down within the theater, you were embarrassed to the extent where you might’ve screamed. Mark had lifted the armrests and comfortably placed his legs on the next three seats. Seeing this site, your throat dried up and you tried to scoot further away so people wouldn’t associate you with someone displaying such poor manners.

If that wasn’t the tip of the iceberg, Mark hogged all the popcorn and took both the water bottles after he had choked on a kernel. With the little side remarks he commented during the movie and his loud chewing, your brain was begging to put it out of misery.

He dropped you off at your house and awkwardly waited for you to deliver a kiss upon his cheek as the night came to an end. Patting his shoulder, you thanked him for the night. Once you escaped to your warm, cozy bed, you blocked his number.

Never again.

As a result, your friends hunched over their respective seats, dying with laughter after you told them about your horrible date.

“It’s not funny!” You yell, gripping onto your fork too tight for anyone’s liking.

The laughter calmed down once everyone found a new topic to dicuss. A normal conversation arises and you soon lose yourself in your thoughts.

So what? Maybe Mark wasn’t your guy but you weren’t upset. There was someone out in this world for you and you just needed to be patient. But as the conversation slowly shifts back to romance, you feel dread creeping up in your soul. Staring at the couples entering and exiting your cafe made you more self-conscious. If everyone was able to find someone, how come your time hasn’t come yet? You weren’t getting any younger and you would be an adult soon.

“And I heard from Eunwoo that she bought a callboy! I don’t even want to repeat the things she did… It was so intimate.”

Ears perking up, their voices drew you into the conversation. What is a callboy? More importantly, they got intimate with someone like holding hands?

Quieter than the rest, you inquired, “What’s a callboy?”

All eyes were on you and heat rose to your face instantly. It was such a stupid question, but excuse you for being so naive! Not everyone has knowledge on everything in the world.

“Oh, well it’s a boy you rent to do... stuff with.”

“Like cuddle?” You asked innocently, excitement showing on your face.

“Yeah! Sure!” They smiled and one of them gave a weak thumbs up.

From that point, you were sold on the idea.  

With a budding interest, you researched how to rent one of these perplexing ‘callboys.’ Tapping quickly on your phone, you clicked on the first link presented to you. Under the explicit pictures (probably due to ads and viruses), you touched the phone number and waited for someone to pick up. A minute had passed and you began to grow weary. Perhaps you had called the wrong number. As you were about to hit ‘end call,’ a voice emerges from the speakers.

“Hello, name?”

Almost dropping the phone in your hand, you spoke softly, “(Y/N).”

“What time would you like?”

It hadn’t occurred to you that he would be coming to your house! Your mind was in shambles as you thought about a time where you were in the dorms but none of your roommates would be home. All four of you would go out drinking on Friday’s but maybe you could make an excuse to stay home…

“Ah! Anytime tomorrow after eight at night.”

“Who would you like to escort you?”

Confusion was evident in your voice as you utter, “Escort is a strange word to use. I didn’t even know I had options.”

“So you’re a first time? Well, there’s Taeil, one of the more experienced workers. We’ve only heard good things from Kun as well. Jungwoo is also available around the same time.”

You placed yourself on mute and your tongue played with the names given to you. Taeil rolled off your tongue kindly and left a warm feeling in your stomach.

“May I have Taeil?” You requested, nervousness building up in your body. You couldn’t believe you were actually renting a boy to talk to and cuddle.

“Of course. Payment will be taken after the visit. Please do not hesitate to contact us if something goes wrong. Thank you for your business. We hope to see you again.” And with that, the line was clicked off and you were left in the darkness of your lonely room.

Plugging in your phone, you rolled over in bed and shoved your head in a fluffy pillow.

What have you done?

Finally, seven o’clock had come and you watched your roommates rush around the room looking for a setting spray or a comfortable pair of heels. Wrapped up in a big comforter, you helped one of the girls pick between two lipsticks.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to pick you up some food afterwards? What if you get hungry?” Hani questioned, putting her hair in a low ponytail.

Using your decent acting skills, you nodded without much interest, conflicting from your inner thoughts. You were beyond excited for tonight but you had to hide it from everyone.

“Yeah, I’m okay. If I get hungry, I’ll just eat a few crackers. I don’t have much of an appetite.” You breathed off, clearing your throat after for dramatic effect.

With enough pestering, Hani and the girls left the apartment in a rush. They would forget you were sick by the time they arrived at the club.

Knowing you would be having company over, you skipped over to the bathroom and started to apply natural makeup and changed into one of your more fancier pairs of pyjamas. Sitting on the couch, you waited restlessly. With hands growing sweaty, you wiped them desperately on your clothed thigh. What if he denied service to you since you were presumably so ugly? Or even worse, what if he knew one of your roommates and commented on one of the numerous photo frames?

Your thoughts halted as the ring of the doorbell filled the room. For a few seconds, your mind was completely stilled with every doubt. Rising to your feet, uneasiness set back in and you question your most recent actions. Regret pooled within your stomach. Maybe you should’ve just gone clubbing with your friends. It’s beyond embarrassing how lonely you are to needing a callboy.

Straightening out your shirt, you open the door and with your best smile, you begin the conversation with a simple, “Hello.”

A man with brown, tousled hair stood outside your door, adjusting his watch. Raising his head, he flashed a smirk with a gaze that was too sharp for your liking. It seemed like he was analyzing you already although the two of you haven’t even exchanged greetings yet.

“Are you going to invite me in or what?” He teased, biting his bottom lip right afterwards.

Blushing, you scooted away from the door to make room. He stepped inside your dorm and whistled. “We don’t get a lot of students. Are your roommates gone?”

Nodding your head furiously, “Yes. I made sure that they would be gone.”

Suddenly, Taeil’s gaze darkened and the entire mood of the room seemed to shift. He approached you and took one of his hands, grazing your cheek. Leaning close to your ear, he muttered, “Oh? So you came prepared?”

His hands started to drift to your shirt, rubbing the soft fabric between his hands. Indeed, the man was right when he said Taeil was experienced. He was flirting with you like no tomorrow and it clouded your judgement. A heated, muddled feeling encroached you. You had never been so intimate with a man, especially with someone as good-looking as Taeil. It was so innocent too until Taeil asked, “You look so good in his shirt, mind if I take it off?”

Immediately, his hands slid up your shirt, eliciting a squeak from your parted lips. They roamed over your stomach and back, having you shiver in delight. As his hands trailed nearer to your chest, you came back to reality. What the hell was happening? All you wanted was for someone to hold you, not this. Pushing him away, you tried hiding yourself and making yourself as small as possible. How does one disappear from such a precarious situation?

“What the hell?! I thought we were just supposed to do cuddly things!”

Bewilderment spread across Taeil’s face as he instantly retracted his hands to his side. “You called for a callboy.”

Rolling your eyes, “As a matter of fact, yes. I did call for a callboy! I know what I’m doing. Isn’t a callboy supposed to do boyfriend things with you?”

Annoyance became more evident in his voice, “Clearly not. A callboy is supposed to fulfill your sexual desires.”

Oh.

Sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in both of your hands made the situation all the more uncomfortable. Consequently, it’s hard to talk to someone as you just rejected their sexual advances.

“What do you like to watch?” You questioned, grabbing the remote and flipping through some channels. An icebreaker might destroy all the tension once previously held.

Taeil wasn’t expecting a sudden question and his head snapped up in a second. “W-Well, I like watching action films.”

For someone who was so confident just a few moments ago, he was a stuttering mess now. The duality of this man was absurd.   

Clicking on Black Panther, your body soon sank into the velvety couch. This was a strange Friday night but you couldn’t say you hated it. Taeil has given you more action than all your years previously.

“So… Why did you call a callboy? I mean, if you’re not using me for sex or whatever.” Taeil inquired, avoiding your gaze. He seemed to be so focused on your boring, wooden flooring.

“Well,” you start, stretching out your limbs, “it’s a long story.”

Pausing for a reaction, he sat there with a curious look on his face. Moving closer to you and tilting his head back, he replied, “I got all night, baby.”

Damn, he really was experienced.

A blush dusted your face and continuing, “My friends always mock me about not having a boyfriend. It drives me insane and I tried going on a date with this guy but it just didn’t work out. They were talking about callboys and I guess they lied to me about the truth… I seriously just thought it was a service to cuddle and hold hands with someone. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m lonely.”

Taeil chuckled and tapped your arm. Puzzled, you lend him your attention and in response, he opens his arms to you. Tentatively, you climb over and settle yourself in his snug hold. He lets out a deep breath and plays with your hair, curling a strand once he reaches the end.

“Although I am a callboy, I’ll be your rent-a-boyfriend just for tonight.” He winks, stealing a quick kiss on your forehead.

Your heart was beating out of your chest from this unfamiliar interaction. It felt so hot in his arms, almost sinful. The devil would scoff at this proclamation of ‘lechery,’ and you soon start to believe you wouldn’t mind if it got a little bit more risqué. Now, that was something the devil could compliment.

Brushing up against your reddened ear, he whispered, “I can feel your heartbeat going a thousand miles per hour.”

You almost pushed him off the couch for such a statement.

Once calmed down and being cuddled again, Taeil opened up the conversation surprisingly.

“This is nice.”

Humming in response, you push yourself lightly into his chest. Fingers graze near his abdomen, barely applying any pressure.

“I agree. Do… You do stuff like this offen?”

Taeil shakes his head, ruffling your hair. “No. Usually it comes with the pillow-talk after post-sex but I’ve never had a client who just wanted to cuddle.”

You smack his chest instead of replying, earning a laugh a bit too sweet for your liking. Someone as gentle and affectionate doesn’t seem like one to take a job as a callboy. Of course, this probably makes him better at his job than others but it doesn’t suit him. Honestly, it’s rude that you’re judging his profession. For all you know, Taeil could be a real demon under the sheets but chooses to show you the sweet, sickly, intoxicating side of him.

“Can I ask you something that might be inappropriate?”

“I work as a callboy. There isn’t anything more inappropriate than that.”

“That’s exactly my question. Why? Why do you work as a callboy?” You escape his grasp and he whines, turning to face you better. He ponders the question, seeming to be tying up loose ends before he sends his answer into the world.

Nibbling on his bottom lip and smacking his lips, “I don’t know honestly. I was a good fuck in college so why not make a job out of it?”

Furrowing your eyebrows, “How come you haven’t left your job yet?”

Dumbfound, he shrugged his shoulders. A gleam of pain reflected against his eyes as he stared up to the ceiling. He didn’t make any further comment on that topic. Questions were burning inside you due to such an interesting man. Perhaps he was one of those sugar babies who fell in love with the luxurious lifestyle and couldn’t dare to leave.

He spoke up after a horrible attempt at hiding his discomfort, “I guess when you’ve done something for so long, there isn’t a different way to do it.”

Biting your tongue from saying something foolish once again, you set yourself between the arms of Taeil again. If you could make him forget whatever tragedies he has to face in his life just for tonight, you’ll do it. Both of you needed this time to just be held and told that the other was appreciated.

Around eight in the morning, he left. The two of you fell asleep on the couch and thankfully all your roomates crashed at someone’s house. As you were about to open up your paypal to transfer money to his account, he stopped you.

“No need for paying tonight. I enjoyed it.” He flashes you a bright smile and shoving his hands in his pocket.

“Yeah, me too.” You mutter, placing a loose strand of hair behind your ear. A rule for all workspaces, sexual or not, is to not become involved with a client. It was irritating how you couldn’t be friends with Taeil. You sincerely thought he was a wonderful person. All you could hope for now is for him to find someone that night who’ll treat him with love and respect.

He ruffles your hair fondly like he did previously. Seeing your miserable expression tore him apart and he pulled you into a hug. If he could, he would transfer all his adornment to you, just because of the night before. Never in all his years as working as a callboy had someone treat him with such regard. Leaning down to your ear, he whispered a ten digit code.

Before you could respond, he stole a kiss from your cheek and removed himself from your dorm. Slamming open the door, you yell, “Taeil!”

Loud, boisterous laughs fill the air and you sigh happily.

He was pulling all your heartstrings in the right ways.

That night with Taeil helped you realize a lot about your relationships with others. Most importantly, your friends were real jackasses. Secondly, whining over boys isn’t going to attract them to you. When you applied for the job at a local diner, you could say this was an attempt to eradicate both of your biggest problems. With unsystematic shifts, you barely had time to see your friends or cry over the lack of a relationship.

Taeil had steadily risen on your list of importance, consuming a majority of your time as well. If you weren’t working or studying, you were found texting him or going out with him. It was a different pace from your old routine and there was no need for wanting the old one back. Contentment filled you, especially with a weekly paycheck.

One night while cleaning tables from sticky soda spills, the familiar flop of tousled, brown hair caught your eye. Taeil was perched at a booth, tapping his fingers against the fake marble. Casually hustling over with a notepad and pen, you whispered in an excited voice, “Hi.”

His mouth formed a wide grin but as soon as the bell rang, notifying everyone that someone new had arrived, it disappeared. With every small noise, he seemed to jump and be on alert.

“I would love to talk to you dear, but I’m on a job right now.” The corners of his lips soon turned into a frown, seeing your crestfallen look. “After your shift and this job, I’ll visit you, okay?”

“It’s a deal. I’ll be expecting you.” Leaving with a wink, you go back to scrubbing dried soda. Washing tables wasn’t the worst job but it definitely wasn’t your preferred task. If you were taking orders and running the cashier, this night would be perfect.

Apparently the gods took pity on you as your manager yelled for you to switch jobs with Jaemin, a new trainee similar to you. Despite the numerous reminders that you’re in college, he tries to get you to accept his phone number. As you take off your gloves, he attempts to give you a kiss on the cheek which has you yelling from the breakroom.

The fun stopped as the bell rang and the tapping of the manager’s hurried steps has him cut his fun short. Putting on a different apron, you examine what tables haven’t been served yet. Seeing as it was only Taeil’s table, you approach him and the new body at his table.

The new, mysterious man has Taeil’s hand in his and he coos softly, “Yes baby. Anything for you.”

Trying to hide your distaste, you muster the fakest smile. “Hi. May I start both of you off with something to drink?”

The man instantly replies, “A water.”

Taeil hums, flipping over the menu and seemingly less interested in the hand that appears to be gripping onto his too tightly.

“I would like a sprite.” Taeil answers and a groan spouts in the air.

“Really? You’re going to get a sprite? You’ve been looking so bloated recently! No, he’s going to have a water.” The man rolls his eyes, grumbling about how Taeil’s demeanor makes him look like a fatass.

Taeil stares down at his lap, biting his tongue from saying something he’ll regret. You leave in a moment, dispensing a sprite and water from the machine. What the hell was up with that douchebag? Clicking your tongue in annoyance, you walk back over to the table, only dropping a straw for Taeil.

A few minutes later, you took their orders and nearly punched the man when you saw Taeil’s straw in his drink. You made sure to drop off another straw. Pathetic attempts to get back at this asshole won’t work, unfortunately.

The entire night, you observed the two. Subconsciously, you would squeeze your pen every time the man raised his voice at Taeil, screaming profanities about something or the other. Your heart begged you to go up to the manager and ask her to throw both of them out. However, what would happen to Taeil if the two got kicked out? You wouldn’t want to find out the hard way.  

It was indeed a grim situation with losing being the only result.

Soon the two left and before Taeil left, you flashed him a wave.

He didn’t wave back.

Tonight would be fun with the amount of interrogation you would pit against Taeil.

“So what the hell was that at the diner?” You fumed, stirring the pot of tomato soup harshly, the contents hitting the sides, almost dripping into the burner. Taeil shrugged his shoulders, buttering the pan graciously. You huffed and turned off the left stovetop, grabbed a bar stool, and scowled at him.

“I don’t know. What do you mean?” He responds, flipping a slice of bread and your eyes drift to the very noticeable purple mark on the inside of his wrist.

“You looked so uncomfortable with that guy!” You whined, eyes narrowing at the boy in front of you. “Are you hiding secrets from me?”

Whipping around, “No! Never!”

“Then what’s the deal with that dude? And more importantly, your wrist!”

The room was stiff and if you could see Taeil’s face, he would most definitely be rolling his eyes. Although you had known Taeil for a short time, his expressions were never hidden. Was he red in the face or was his throat beginning to dry and his eyes begin to water? To enclose Taeil in a cosy embrace was all you wished for.

“Nothing. Now, eat up.”

Sitting in the midnight gleam and quietly munching on grilled sandwiches was definitely a new take on life. As much as your brain told you to stay away from Taeil, you kept giving into him. Taeil was a dangerous man, especially with the way he flirted with you so casually. It was like he wanted you to fall in love with him.

And as much as you try to deny it, you fell hard. His eyes and lips were hypnotizing with how they flicker and create sweet concoctions just for you and hopefully with meaning for only you. He appears so stunning even after a harsh day at work, making you fantasize over what could never be yours. In other words, you were whipped for Icarus.

In addition to being desperately in love with him, you had found yourself being torn apart as he stumbled into your apartment with too many bruises and cuts at an ungodly hour.

Although Taeil wasn’t the biggest man, he was leaning a lot of dead weight on to you due to being incredibly tired, physically and emotionally. With one heavy grunt and a meaningful shove, you forced him to sit on the brown loveseat. He smeared away the blood forming on his upper lip, giving you a melancholic twinkle. As you start to assess his wounds, he voices his thoughts.

“Sorry.”

Your quiet voice speaks up, so different from what you’re used to with Taeil, “For what?”

“Hiding things.”

You catch a glimpse at him rubbing at his watery eyes and try to ignore his insistent tapping on the fake wooden boards. Clear as day, Taeil had most likely never confided to someone about the abuse he suffers within his industry. Before you came along, had he just went home mishandled and barely alive? Did he tend his injuries before going to his next client?

Or would it not matter because each person was the same as the last?

“It’s okay.” Truthfully, you wanted to reject his apology. If you two were friends, he shouldn’t have to keep secrets from you. A deep thought irks you to the bone. What would happen if your positions were switched? How would you even mention to your dearest friend, ‘Oh yeah, by the way the men and women I sleep with exploit me every night.’

A choked cry bursts from Taeil’s esophagus, immediate your eyes were on him. “It’s not okay. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He slides from the loveseat and into your arms, knocking the bandages out of your hand and fills them with his body instead. His entire body shakes, chest heaving up and down abruptly as he attempts to calm himself down, only to make himself weep more.

With a puffy face and eyes red as rubies, he whisper-yells, “And you know what’s the worst part? I’m in love with you and I’m terrified you think that I’m revolting. Every time I’m with a client, all I can think about is you. You’re the one who gets me through the night but you’re also the one who makes me run away to terrible people in fear of not being loved back!”

Hugging him back, squeezing tightly, and sighing, “Taeil,” water pools at your eyes and you stuff your head into his shoulder, damping his jacket within one small patch. “I could never think of you as revolting. I’ve been so obsessed with you but you hadn’t even noticed.”

The whimpering dies down and Taeil pulls away, grabbing your hand in the process. “Really?”

A giggle erupts and you rub the wet streaks across Taeil’s face, hand still in his. “Yes, really.”

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

Taeil was like ice cream and you were like a warm, summer day. He seemed mischievous and cold on the outside, frightening those who had never come in contact with him before. Inside, he was sweet and irresistible. His touch was addicting, begging you for more and more. You were the summer that engulfed Taeil, melting away his fronts and revealing who he truly was. Summer, a short synonym for home. A time to relax and focus on yourself and your ambitions, something familiar and safe. You were Taeil’s summer, his home.

Lying there on the too small twin bed in the sticky heat in the middle of the night with Taeil made you realize there was nowhere you rather be than here next to his glistening body, watching him breathe softly after another day of work.

“Love,” you break the silence and Taeil shifts over, purring in response, “can we have pillow talk?”

Instantly, Taeil was up and had you against his chest, playing with the loose strands of hair from you moving around in bed so much. “What is it?”

“When will you leave your job?”

“Ah, my dear (y/n), if only I knew.” He blows into your ear, making you scrunch up your face in shock. He wasn’t getting out of this one, however.

“Taeil, you have a degree in Sports Medicine. I’m sure that someone out there is getting their ACL torn and needs you to help them probably take care of it.” You argue, tapping your fingers against his chest.

“I’m scared.”

He begins to melt, gripping onto you significantly firmer than before.

“I know but think about our future. It’s hard seeing you with others, especially when you tell me I’m all yours. What happens in the future if we have kids and they ask where their father is?” You confess, an astounding amount of thought put into each sentence. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t been so worried about him.

He stays silent for a moment before grabbing his phone on the table beside him. Curiously, you stretch your neck to see what he’s doing--or who he is dialing rather.

“It’s me,” he breathes into the phone, “I’m done. I quit. If you have any problems with it, you can contact my partner who is a lawyer.” His voice was dripping with threat before hanging up and cuddling into you.

“You’re right.”

You scoff playful, flicking his forehead. “I’m a lawyer. I’m always right.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” He laughs, pecking you on the lips with a stolen kiss. “Good pillow talk?”

“Very good pillow talk.”

[cloudynames]

tangerines was soooo good! I loved it so so much!

oh my god this was the first ask I ever got ;;; im literally about to cry this is so sweet thank you!!

[cloudynames]

Tangerines

hello everyone!! im so excited for this story im releasing hehe~ i hope you all enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it. happy new years as well!! i hope 2019 brings you all good health and fortune

Word Count: 3,965

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Suicide, mental health issues

lets get it

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

“T-Taeyong! I’m sorry to bother you but I couldn’t help it seeing you here! I’ve loved you for a long time even before we were friends. I would be honored if you accepted my confession…”

Taeyong nervously rubbed the nape of his neck and shook his head side to side, giving a pitiful smile to the girl in front of him, “Sorry, I’m not interested in relationships...”

That was an awkward trip to the grocery store.

When Taeyong arrived home that night, he cracked open a can of beer, almost downing the whole drink in one go. It was the same thing as the day before. Taeyong probably even couldn’t count how many times he’s been confessed to this month. Quite honestly, he was tired of it.

He always lived a lonely life, having only a few friends. Taeyong couldn’t even imagine the burden of having a relationship. Commitment and someone depending on him? He would never be cut out for it. It’s fine though.

The voice in his head tells him he doesn’t need anyone.

He snaps out of his daydream of him reflecting on his incredibly boring life and stares at the clock hanging in his living room. Eyes widening, he rushes to his work table and begins to work on his newest project. This customer wanted her piece done in three days. Although it was quite small, he wanted to perfect it. Just like how everything should be, perfect.

Taeyong found his love for sculpture while he was taking the class as an elective in college. His teacher captivated him with her expressive phrases and terms as she described how it wasn’t as simple as molding a few blocks together. She explained that with a single tap of a hammer or pushing down one's finger to hard, a whole project can go to waste. He loved the risk of failure, the complexity, and especially the feeling of perfection in one of his artworks.

Halfway through his semester, he changed his major to sculpture from financing. His parents were more than supportive when they realized how passionate their son was about his newfound passion. Taeyong made sure he paid them back with the first few paychecks he received from his pieces. Soon enough, he became very popular for his works and people were begging for him to take commissions from the famous Taeyong of Seoul.

He leaned back in chair and placed the clay robin in the mini tabletop oven. Setting it on the lowest setting, he contacted the buyer, telling her that the piece was done and she could pick it up the next day.

In the hot, early morning, a rapid tapping comes from Taeyong’s front door. Still buttoning his clean, baby blue shirt, he opens the door and gives a kind smile to the woman.

She moves over to the display table Taeyong had displayed previously and she examines the sculpture. Not receiving a response immediately, Taeyong grew nervous. Does she hate it?

Suddenly, she glances up and grins. “It’s perfect for our anniversary. Thank you.”

Soon she was on her way and Taeyong had an envelope filled with his pay. It was quite a lot for such a small project, so much that he could live a few days just on that one check. He was feeling bored nearing the afternoon of that day so he strolled over to his computer and waited for it to stir and flicker with life.

His eyes scroll over numerous emails and requests, typing out responses to those he can’t take. Either he didn’t liked the idea or feel motivated but it was most latter. One email stood out in particular and he cocks his eyebrow in surprise. Had he already found something that had interested him with only a few minutes of searching?

Two things jumped out at him: the email was sent by Seo Johnny, CEO of a technology company, and that it was very, very open ended.

The requirements were simply as followed: ‘I desire a sculpture of a beautiful lover. However, I want it to be in the beautiful in the eye of the artist. Please have it done by the end of next month. Thank you.’

Taeyong swiftly typed out a response and he wearily sighed. What did a beautiful lover look to him?

Never being in love before, his head searched for answers but ultimately ended up frustrated. He doesn’t know what beauty looks like! As he thought more and more about his most recent project, the answer became clear.

He found sculpture beautiful.

Drawing up a quick diagram of what the sculpture would look like, he stopped once he needed to draw the face. Pursing his lips, he drew two dots for eyes and a line for the mouth. He would worry about that later.

Grabbing some wire, he started to shape the body of his sculpture. He knew this project would take more time than the rest of his pieces since it would come directly from his heart.

Watching the inner cask dry, he rolled over to his computer and very pathetically typed in, ‘beautiful people.’

Faces of men and women appeared of all different races. Bored, he scrolled in that google search bar for what seemed like forever. Nothing interested him and he supposes nothing will ever. Taeyong didn’t want to live life alone for he would be an outcast in society. However, he didn’t want to marry whoever had a decent enough face.

In the back of his mind, something screams at him that it’s better to be alone.

Taeyong agrees.

The next day, Taeyong stares at his creation, wondering how to fulfill the wishes of the customer. He sighs and grabs a handful of clay, almost slapping it harshly onto the cask. Covering the cask to create bumpy shapes, he bites his lip in contemplation.

He hates going for it without a definite plan, but he’s going for it.

After five harsh hours of cutting, shaping, and smoothing, he had formed the base of the body. Taeyong begin to detail the head, forming hair from his wire end tool. He tried to imagine the sculpture in motion, someone joyful and engaging.

Someone incredibly different to him.

His nimble fingers worked tirelessly as they became numb to the pain of being in such awkward positions. Shaking the cramps out from his hand, he formed lines for a mouth and nose. He continued to work that night.

And the next.

Soon enough, he had finished the curves and perfections within his project and his taste had been satisfied. Taeyong genuinely thought what he created was beautiful, more graceful than any woman or man could be. His fingers grazed the surface of the clay shoulder and he shuddered at the warm feeling that flowed from his head to his toes. Taking a thumb, he brushed over the plump, luscious lips. It was simply perfection.

A small crack destroyed that image of quality just after he removed his thumb and saw a small crack had surfaced. Gasping loudly, he worked hurriedly to fill the crack before any more damage had been done.

Maybe perfection wasn’t achievable. He was a fool for thinking so.

With the notion of a deep, lulling sadness in his chest, he fell on his bed. The voices in his head tell at him that nothing would be perfect ever and that he should accept that his life was lonely. For the first time in the entire twenty-three years of misery, he longed for someone to touch.

The sense of loneliness did not leave the next morning but amplified. Rolling over and reaching out for something to grab but ending up with nothing tore him apart.

Grumbling, he rose from his bed and patted over to his statue. A shriek left his throat as he hyper-analyzed the small cracks scattered upon the figure. He tapped them lightly, lighter than a feather hitting the ground, and almost fainted when the cracks began to grow bigger. With blurry eyes, he shakily grasped onto a scraper and embarked on his journey to repair his model. His calloused fingers treated the imperfections with the filling clay to cover his mistakes. Taeyong was on the brink of a mental breakdown with silent tears streaming down his face, watching his most wonderful work slowly come apart.

His chest heaved heavily with pain and anxiety even after he had fixed everything. He suspected something was wrong with his mixture and he threw out every ingredient he owned that went into making the concoction. Shopping would be joyful the next day.

He went to go make himself a small breakfast after the traumatic experience. Coming back with a plate of toast and a tangerine, he nearly dropped his food when he saw the hand of his statue slowly stretch and move its hand. Taeyong blinked once, twice—even three times as he tried to comprehend what was happening. The plate was left on the table and he was tucked right back into bed. This entire situation was happening because he was tired, right? There was no way that a statue can come alive and wiggle its fingers like a toddler.

Taeyong nearly forgot the incident as he stretched and looked over at his clock which read, ‘1:27.’

Slowly and carefully, he approached his workspace, not looking in front of him. Opening his eyes, he fell onto the ground harshly and scooted back to the nearest wall in distress.

In front of him was a gorgeous and very human person, blinking and showing off their body to the whole world.

“Oh my god!” Taeyong screamed while the beautiful person in front of him blinked, confusion spreading upon their face.

Taeyong could barely think but he connected his thoughts together to make some sort of plan. He grabbed an old shirt and sweatpants, blushing profusely as he handed them to the person in front of them. They stared at it and before Taeyong could leave, they latched onto his arm. He had never shaken so much as he clothed them, sliding the baggy shirt over their head.

He wondered how he was a known artist but most recently became a babysitter for someone definitely not a child. Watching them as they played with their soup, he sighed.

What had he gotten himself into? More importantly, how did his carving become a human when yesterday you were a pile of clay?

Taeyong would find out throughout the night that they couldn’t form coherent sentences so he gave them a crash course on language. To be fair, you didn’t have comprehension of anything. He was just glad you were a quick learner. Supernatural could explain your abilities. You grasped onto concepts better than a baby even though you had never been exposed to such things. Peeping at the clock while the two of you were studying, he decided to call it for the night. He had shoved you into his room that night and you sat there pouting with big eyes.

Taeyong closed the door quietly and laid on his uncomfortable couch. At least he had some time before the statue was due or he would’ve been screwed. Not noticing when he drifted off to sleep, he was startled when he heard the creaking of his familiar bedroom door. He shut his eyes tightly until he heard the light breath of another’s presence.

Carefully, he peeked open his eyes and saw you kneeling on the ground, staring at him with a deep look.

“Y-Yes?”

“I want Taeyong.”

His face was definitely on fire by now.

“What do you want me to do?”

A pout was still graced on your lips, “Sleep.”

He let you grab his large hand in your small one, dragging you to the bed. You laid down stiffly, looking at the ceiling. He chuckled and snaked his arm under you, forcing you to curl into his side. Taeyong didn’t know he could be so suave.

“Better?”

“Better.”

The little quirks that Taeyong discovered made him slowly forget the fact that you were clay and that you were more human than a masterpiece. Yes, you might have incredibly hard skin and for that reason Taeyong was extra careful to not possibly cause a crack. It was your personality and emotions that caused you to be a completely different essence.

He noticed how you would pout whenever he left him for too long but that smile instantly returns once he comes back. You loved the taste of tangerines but you hated peeling them. Sometimes you would blow at your hair to get it out of your eyes and every single time Taeyong saw this, his heart leapt a little.

Taeyong was slowly falling for you. He wasn’t stupid though. Conversations between himself and his head made sure that he knew he was to be shunned from society if anyone knew his dirty secret for he was cruelly in love with a creation of his perfection. No matter how loud the voices got, he ignored them and continued to fall for you. Never did he want his feelings to slip towards you, especially since he knows you’ve been watching dramas.

He observed you play with your dinner, something you haven’t done since the first night you transformed.

“What’s wrong?” He softly asked, putting down his chopsticks. You bit your lip, opening your mouth then closing tightly.

“Why does everyone have a name? Do I have a name?” You quietly questioned and Taeyong could hear the quick scrapes against the floor while you kicked nervously. He made sure to add that onto his list of ever growing affections.

“Well... No. You don’t have a name.” Taeyong chose his words carefully and the voices in his head keep screaming ‘danger’ at him for making such a silly mistake.

Tears welled up in your eyes and you breathed out, “I want a name.”

Taeyong rushed to your side and wiped away the tears, staining your ceramic face. He coos and brings your head to his chest, fingers finding their way through your hair.

“Don’t cry, we can still give you a name.” He smiles, gazing down at you. Sniffling, you gawk at him, eyes twinkling with happiness.

“R-Really?”

He chuckled, rubbing your backside. “Of course. I think {y/n} would be a perfect fit, do you?”

A wide grin spreads on your face and you hug Taeyong tighter than ever before. “I love it!”

Taeyong wishes he could be the one you love.

His daily routine had been morphed and suddenly you were included in everything. He taught you how to do simple clay models, helping when you couldn’t mold it correctly to your liking. You learned little things Taeyong loved as well like how he needed to have a cup of green tea with every meal. You definitely felt something in your chest whenever he smiled and excusing yourself, you head to the bathroom to soothe your aching chest.  Nothing could explain the feeling except what those dramas told you which was love.

It made you feel hot and sweaty yet high all at the same time. The feeling made you want to grab onto Taeyong’s hand and hold it longer than usual or to feel his kisses planted everywhere on your body. You wanted a declaration of love. The girls on the television would have their cheeks painted pink as the boy shouted his feelings towards them, infuriating you because that’s all you could ever desire with Taeyong.

Taeyong knew he couldn’t hide his unproclaimed love for you. He knew it was wrong, but it felt so sinful and right to innocently hold you. The aspiration of wanting more sat in his stomach ever since he started to fall for you and he wasn’t planning on pushing you away anytime soon.

Later on an unknown date while working on a small piece, he heard the oh-so familiar patting of feet moving towards him. He grinned to himself, wiping his hands with a hand towel before turning around and seeing your surprisingly energetic face.

“I can’t sleep.”

Taeyong snickered and knocked on the seat next to him. “How come I knew you were going to say that?”

You giggled and took a seat next to him, analyzing his newest piece. “What is it?”

“Ah, this is a turtle.” Taeyong remarks, pushing two tiny dots on the surface to make beady eyes.

You hum in response and tap your fingers on the table. You open your mouth, “Can I help?”

Taeyong nods and rises from his seat, letting you take his. Nervously, you waited for further instruction.

“Let’s mold the legs. Turtles have four so we’ll need to make four that seem similar enough to each other.”

He showed you how to make the first one, trying to use words you’ve come across and not including difficult technical words.

Your hands weren’t used to shaping the clay so naturally you became more frustrated as yours didn’t look similar to Taeyong’s. You tried making the base wider like his but it seemed like the clay disappeared in your hands.

“Let me help you.”

His hands covered yours instantly and you could feel every vein in your body pounding. He was so close to the point where you could smell his cologne and feel his wet breaths coating the back of your neck. Goosebumps covered your entire body since nothing like this has ever happened before.

You didn’t even noticed when he finished helping you create the leg until he patted you on the shoulder. Gaping up at him, you feel your eyes being absorbed into his. The way his hair was messy from hands running through it and a tiny scar near his right eye captivated you. He was truly perfection. If there was a god in this world, he spent all his time working on Taeyong, his greatest masterpiece.

Taeyong blushed as he looked into your eyes. They were sparkling with adoration. He has seen this scene countless of times with numerous men and women who confessed to him. However, a new question arises. Would he accept you?

He was the one who came crashing down on your face. Taking your smooth face into his hands and tilting your chin up, he kissed you. It was so soft and delicate that one would’ve not even noticed they were getting kissed. You tasted like the tangerines you had for a snack and him like his daily cup of coffee. The surface of his lips were hard and chapped from the continuous biting while yours were as smooth as hardened clay (which you were). Desperately, your lips wanted more. Yet as quickly as Taeyong let you in, he backed out, giving you a shy smile.

“Sorry, you looked too cute not to kiss.”

His days were now complete as he found himself adapting to be your lover. He kissed you, hugged you, and made you feel like the most expensive frame in any museum. The budding seed of a romantic relationship had formed and Taeyong couldn’t help but water it.

Deep, evil voices in his head told him it wouldn’t last for long.

Oh, how they were right.

Giggling, Taeyong placed you on the kitchen counter, lips attacking every inch of your neck.

“Baby… You’re so cute.” He murmured, nibbling on your tough ear and immediately receiving a toothache from it. Taeyong ignores the pain and presses himself closer to you, forehead against yours.

“Can we watch a movie today?” You request, hands brushing his cheekbones.

Taeyong nods and straightens. “I’ll go pick out a movie.” He turns, already moving to grab a DVD from his collection.

“Can I join?”

Your hand had already latched out to grab his and you weren’t ready for his sudden, sharp movements. Slipping, you crash into the ground.

A shatter fills the room and Taeyong twists around, horrified. Once was his lover was now a mess of clay and dust, coating every inch of the floorboards.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Taeyong wails, falling to the ground urgently and pulls every piece he could grab together. Cuts broke his skin and his blood mixed with the remains of once a magnificent masterpiece. The voices become mocking as they laugh at his anguish. His head, dizzy with desperation, falls against the ground. A howl forms within his throat and he pushes it back down. He makes fists with his hand, digging into the cuts and he punches his thighs.

“Don’t worry baby, don’t worry. I can fix this! Yeah, I can!” Taeyong scrambles to his workstation and grabs whatever supplies he can find. He molds uneven shapes, hands stuttering with every move. His mind is filled with worry and pain, not being able to remember which steps he took to design you, his love and the only love he’ll ever want. After not being able to recreate your eye shape, he moans and throws the wad of clay, splattering it all over the cabinets. He rocks himself back and forth on the cold ground, banging on the floor repeatedly.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do it.” He bawls, wiping at his face.

The one person he ever loved was gone, all because of a mistake. Broken was the only word that could describe how his emotions were. The whispering became louder and soon it was the only thing he could listen to. Nothing mattered anymore. He was bound to be lonely forever. What was the point? To continue to live life lonely and to spend the rest of his days thinking about the one who got away?

Grabbing a bottle of pills, he empties the contents down his throat. For a minute, nothing happened. He was simply just waiting for his suffering to come. It hit him as a shortness of breath and his head being foggy. He couldn’t remember what he was doing or what was happening. Laying his head on the floor and his body following, he stared at the ceiling. An abdominal pain struck him at the side, crunching his body. He closes his eyes and hoped this nightmare would end.

And so it did.

———————-

Taeil looked at the police report again, hands brushing through his hair as he stretched out his back. His eyes widened at the name, recognizing it instantly. The victim’s name was Lee Taeyong, the man who created something for his sister-in-law for her wedding gift.

His eyes scanned through the paper until he reached what he wanted to know. Had he been suffering with mental health this entire time?

‘Cause of death: Suicide

Found by: CEO of Seo Enterprises, Seo Johnny. He had requested to see how far his commission had come along when he found Lee Taeyong on the floor with no pulse and broken clay surrounding his body. This was about two days after this death.

Mental state: Lee Taeyong has been struggling with mental health all throughout his life. His parents have notified the police that he did, in fact, have severe depression. His mother was worried as well that he might have inherited psychosis from his father’s side as it was genetic. This would explain the background check with his parents when they told investigative forces about how he would hear people in his head. Friends of Lee Taeyong could also testify of him hearing these voices’

Taeil looked out the rainy window and closed the case file. How cruel the world was that it would take away such a young, inspiring person.

He checked the time and saw it was time for his snack. Pulling out a bag, he grabbed a tangerine and continued to work on case files, writing up reports.

Biting into a slice, he groaned, “Aw, this one is bitter!”

[cloudynames]

Point and Flex

hi everyone!! happy holidays!! i hope you’re all spending time with your family or friends~ i wanted to get this up before christmas but i was caught up with too much aha please accept this as a late christmas present <3

Word Count: 3,654

Rating: PG-13

Warning: one (1) swear word [shocking i know]

lets winwin!

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

A white letter with gorgeous red lettering and a prestigious gold stamp changes your life.

Coming home that Thursday afternoon from school and holding your acceptance letter made you anticipate your graduation. Things were coming along so quickly you hadn’t even noticed how summer flew by and you were on your way to Seoul, dancing for The Korean National Ballet.

Sitting in your small dorm, you unpacked quickly and ran to the window, peering out at the city around you. Excitement filled up in your stomach, only to disintegrate when your calendar clearly marks that your evaluation day was tomorrow. Huffing and flopping on your bed, you started to realize how intense of a situation you’re in.

You’re overseas in a country you’ve never been to before! Barely being able to speak the language, the only thing you have is your dancing abilities. You would have to work as hard—no, even harder than the other students to qualify and dance for the theatre. The gravity of your situation slowly sets in while your anxieties rise and you groan.

“This sucks!” You yell into your room, directing it to no one.

The next morning you, suffering from jet lag, hurriedly burst into the studio, still arranging your hair and not even having properly stuffing your bag with everything you need for dance.

Multiple dancers turn their head to you, some scoffing and some smirking. Either they saw you as pathetic already or someone to mock. .

Placing down your backpack, you grab your pointe shoes and toe cap. Fear for your feet creeps into your body as you dig through your bag, checking every pocket.

“No, no, no… Where’s my toe spacer?!”

“Do you need one?” A voice quips and you whip your head to them. A boy with brown short hair and a slight accent stands above you, holding out a new toe spacer.

“Thank you so much! I really do appreciate it.” You grin and he sits down besides you.

As you prepare your feet, Ten questions you, “We don’t get many foreigners. Are you new?”

Nodding and standing up, testing your pointe shoes, you respond, “Yes. I’m a first year.”

“I’m Ten! I’m a second year. Last year, I was The Beast from Beauty and the Beast!”

You awe in amazement and respond back with your name. The two of you chat for a while until everyone is called into the huge, modern dance room. You nervously shift around until the wooden door opens with a man holding the door. Your shoulders tighten at the sudden sound and you keep your best posture, wanting to make a good impression on your new instructor.

A creaking sound gradually grows louder and louder. People seem to be startled and they whisper in a tongue you don’t understand. Turning to Ten for assistance, he keeps his eyes front to the mirror.

First, you see legs and then wheels. A man with dark muddy brown hair and sharp eyes arrives in the room, and he slowly moves himself over to the center of the room. Adjusting himself accordingly, he booms with a loud voice.

“Welcome.”

A wave of relief washes over the students but you wonder who this instructor is.

And not to be noisy, but what happened to his legs?

He looks incredibly intimidating and with a huge figure, it drives anxiety up to your throat. Aren’t wheelchairs supposed to make you look small?

“Let’s take thirty minutes to stretch. You may talk quietly among yourselves.”

With that, you immediately rush to Ten’s side and while in a lunging position, you ask, “Who is he?”

“Dong Sicheng. We call him Winwin.”

“Is he nice?” You whisper, falling into the splits and remembering to point your toes.

“Nah. He’s kind of a prick but he has the right to be. He’s a good instructor and he pushes you to your limit. He truly makes you a better ballet dancer.” Ten admits, going into a backbend.

“So what happened to him? I mean his legs of course.”

Ten sputters and collapses into the ground, clearly shocked by the audacity of your question. “How am I supposed to know?”

Soon your time to stretch was over and the terrifying instructor thought it would be best to go across the floor to evaluate where some people are at.

“Let’s do a pirouette, no—make it five pirouettes. I want a grand jeté and finally a glissade.”

A slow melody of piano music fills your ears and the taps of pointe shoes hitting the floor have your head spin in anxiety.

Soon enough it was your turn and you listen carefully for the counts to start.

“5, 6, 7, 8–“

Your body tenses and relaxes all at the same moment as you become one with the music. Coming all the way from your home is scary, especially since there’s a chance that you might not end up achieving your goals. Yet, you’re here for a reason. They accepted you and you were going to shock everyone.

At the end of your glissade, you turn to go to the end of the line. Suddenly, a loud voice barks up, “Point your toes on that jeté or I’ll make you do fifty more.”

Turning your head around from hearing the sudden English, you meet eyes with Winwin and you swear you could see the flash of a smirk. Feeling your face flush red, you hide your face by staring at the wall. Ten gives you a small pat on the back while you hear snickers fill the room.

You were the first one to be called out that day.

After class, you had to go to your mandatory core classes and you were completely swamped with work.

“I can’t believe I have to write an essay already!” You exclaim, falling back into your bed and pushing your laptop aside.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s college for you.” Ten mutters, slurping loudly as he finishes his ramen. “Can you buy me another one of these?”

“Hell no.” You respond, not even glancing at him until he shrieks.

“Oh my god! The ballet this semester was announced! We’re doing Cinderella!”

Pushing yourself off your bed and rushing over to Ten’s side, you steal his phone and scroll a bit until you see the English text.

‘We are proud to announce this semester’s ballet, Cinderella! With the success of Beauty and the Beast, we knew we had to perform another Disney ballet. More information will be coming soon. Thank you.’

Ten grabs his phone back and rolls his eyes about how rude you are.

“Ten, I have to audition! I mean, it’s Cinderella! My dream was to be her while I was growing up.” You sigh happily, flopping back into your bed.

Ten shoots you a grin, “Go for it. I’m cheering you on!”

If you weren’t determined before, you were definitely more determined now. You arrived an hour early to class and after your core classes, you would go back for another two hours to practice. It was tiring, especially trying to keep your grades up, but you loved every second of it. It was lonely at times but with the support of Ten and Taeyong (a third year and a new friend!), you felt like anything was possible.

“I’ve spent at least fifty dollars on ice this month. Most of my money goes to my ballet supplies!”

Ten nods, understanding your situation completely and Taeyong laughs.

“Are you auditioning for Cinderella? Auditions are in a month.” Taeyong asks as he points and flexes his toes.

Sighing loudly and fiddling with your ribbons, you reply, “I would love to. I don’t think I’m in condition to though.”

Taeyong pats your back as an attempt to comfort you but immediately removes his hand as Winwin announces class will begin. Taking a gulp, you mentally prepare yourself for hell.

A rough four hours later, class finally was coming to an end. You were huffing and panting loudly as Winwin finishes his notes for the class. Not paying attention and playing with your hair, the sound of your name scares you and perks your head to turn to your instructor.

“{Y/N}, I want to speak to you after class.”

You could practically feel the mockery drifting in the air from your peers. Nodding a quick ‘yes,’ you grab your bag and slip off your shoes in the locker room. Outside, Ten and Taeyong were waiting for you and offered small smiles of condolence.

“Sorry, but you’re dead.”

Taeyong punches Ten in the arm and pushes him aside.

“Don’t listen to him. I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe it’s about you playing with your hair!”

Weakly smiling back and waving at them, you watch their figures slowly disappear and you mentally hype yourself up to face the one and only, Winwin.

The door creaks open just like how it did on your first day and you find Winwin on his phone.

“Pardon me…” You excuse yourself in Korean but cringe afterwords at your poor pronunciation.

“Don’t try speaking Korean. I can speak English just fine.”

You gulp and feel your body heat up instantly. A few minutes ago you were just dancing in this room and it has never felt this hot until right now. Quietly praying to whoever is out there, you ask that this session of reprimands will end soon.

Winwin finally looks up from his phone and stares at you. “I overheard you talking to your friends about the Cinderella audition. It’s true you want to audition, right?”

“Yes, it’s always been my dream.” You chose your words carefully. Obviously you were treading in deep water, you didn’t want to say something that might offend him.

“Listen, don’t take this personally, but I can help you with auditioning. However, that means more practices and I suppose you can call ‘brutal’ with my methods. Yet this is all up to you. I don’t make final decisions for anyone.”

A blank stare set upon your face and all your brain could think about is shock. Is he really offering this proposal to you? Just as equally important, why you?

You endure what seems like an eternity to you when you finally make a decision. All you hope now is that you won’t regret it.

“I would be grateful if you helped me.”

After that, weeks of grueling practice came. It felt like all you did was go to practice, school, private lessons, study, and maybe sleep while on the bus. The routine was brutal but you knew exactly what you were getting into when you agreed. Yet being burnt out was bound to come.

Eventually that breakdown did come and it happened on a Friday night. Ten and Taeyong wanted to go out and get a few drinks since they haven’t seen you outside of practice. However,  you politely declined as you knew you had your private lessons. Failing an exam the day before also put a damper on your moods. You couldn’t risk ruining their night out.

“You need to extend your body more. I need to see good posture.” Winwin barked out orders, watching you intensely from his wheelchair. After you had failed to do what he wanted, he angrily scribbled down notes which would later translate into a workout punishment.

Everything came crashing down quite literally as your attitude spin caught you off guard and made you almost trip while coming out of it.

“What the—Hey, are you alright?”

You sat on the ground, bringing your knees up to your head almost in a cradle position. A loud sob shakes your body and streams of tears soon coat your face.

It was all too much—Winwin, your family questioning about your grades, the stress of being in a new country, the lack of friends. All you wanted to do was go back home where you knew everything would be safe.

The groans of the wheelchair snapped you out of your self-pity party and you stood up once again, brushing away stray tears and breathing harshly to calm yourself down.

“Hey,” a soft voice calls out, “lean down.”

You glance towards Winwin and he has an unreadable expression on his face. His arms are extended towards you and you nearly jump in them. At this point, you don’t care who is hugging you. You craved affection and if Winwin was offering you some, you were taking the opportunity.

Sobs filled the now quiet dance room and Winwin could feel the sadness flowing through your body. He felt every bit of loneliness and anxiety. Before this, he had never understood why you seemed so tired and scared. He understood it all the second you poured out your feelings. Hating his poor conversation skills, he wish he could reach out and offer words of encouragement yet nothing seems to come out.

On that lonely Friday night, he canceled your lesson and rubbed your back as you expressed everything you had been holding back. More importantly, you finally got some well deserved rest after that night.

Soon enough, Saturday came and you were already at the studio bright and early. Tying your ribbons of your shoes and hearing two voices, you raise your head and wave to Winwin as he walks in. He held a white bag on his lap and just as you were about to start your audition routine, he abruptly stopped you.

“Wait, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”

Nodding, you continue to stretch in silence.

“Have you eaten?” Winwin asks, taking a bite out of a banana.

Shaking your head no, you reply, “No. I usually don’t have time to eat breakfast in the morning.”

Suddenly, a banana is thrown at your head, barely missing you.

“What the hell Winwin?” You fume at him, grabbing the banana and threatening to throw it back at him.

He laughs, smiling joyfully. “Eat up. You need it.”

Your body goes hot and you give him a small smile. You wouldn’t mind if you heard that laugh again.

A new routine was formed from your old boring one. You would come into private lessons and Winwin would feed you. Slowly, your relationship changed. It wasn’t an instructor and a student anymore, but a genuine friendship. Soon enough you discovered that he is two years older than you, adding fuel to your growing affection towards him. The desire of you wanting to know him better grew and you wanted to become greedy with him.

You would achieve your desires as the two of you became closer friends. After doing a continuous amount of fouettes, Winwin called you over for a break.

Slumping down beside him and drinking out of your water bottle, a container of food gets shoved in your face.

“Winwinie, I can feed myself you know!” You whine, still opening the container and eating the gimbap.

“Oh, I know you can. I just never see it.” He teases.

The two of you banter for a while, joking around with each other and soon forgetting ballet.

“Winwinie, you know so much about me, but I wanna learn more about you.” You turn over to see his reaction and his mouth is slightly agaped, shocked by the sudden confession. The tips of his ears turn pink, steadily spreading to his cheeks as well. Deep down inside, you want to just kiss his cheeks.

“W-Well, I’m actually from China. I came to Korea to study ballet and I fell in love with it. I’ve been here ever since I was in high school. My parents gave up a lot for me to be here.” He confesses, playing with his fingers.

“Ahhh, I’ve always wanted to visit China.” You remark, trying to comfort him in the smallest way possible.

He gives you a sad smile, “Yes, I miss my home all the time. Sometimes, I wish I could just quit and be with my loved ones.”

You place a hand on his, rubbing the back of his hand. “I know it’s tough. We need to achieve our dreams though.”

He nods and bites his tongue, looking spiteful. “I can’t though. Not anymore.”

You take a peep at his wheelchair and your mind begs you to ask what happened. Manners are important and you stay quiet, continuous rubbing circles into his hand.

“I can never dance again. All because of a car accident.”

How does one comprehend such a statement? Your heart tries to reject how sad he feels, but it only makes it hurt more. Winwin trembles and you look up into his glossy eyes. Reaching a thumb up, you brush away a tear that had fallen.

He is the one pulling you into a hug now, so similar to that Friday night. He tells you all his worries and fears while you comfort him.

The relationship between Winwin and you changes drastically. Ten and Taeyong even notice it the second they walk into practice on Monday morning.

“Why does Winwin keep staring at you?” Ten whispers, almost shooting eye-dangers into him.

You push his shoulder, “Oh my god Ten, he’s just looking. It’s nothing.”

Taeyong chuckles and rolls his eyes. “Just nothing my ass.”

With a ‘hmph,’ you move to a new location to stretch until Taeyong and Ten came crawling back and apologizing five minutes later.

After class, Winwin had a lecture about how important this week was, especially for those auditioning for Cinderella. Every time he mentioned the ballet, you felt like puking. You’ve been training for so long, but you were terrified that there would be no pay off.

Winwin pushed you harder than ever that week and every ounce of his kindness had disappeared. Once was his soft eyes now became sharp, pointing out every flaw you had made. Your heart felt torn apart. Every time you tried to joke with him, he brushed you off stating that you needed to work. You even once tried hugging him after a lesson but he only responded by pushing you away seconds later. Had you really been imagining Winwin being so caring towards you?

With all the heartache you’ve experienced this week, you channeled that into your audition. You felt every single emotion you’ve felt while in Korea and let it influence your performance. Imagining all the love and sadness and anxiety, you gave it your all. Walking out of the audition room lifted so many worries off your back, but you still felt numb towards it all.

Nothing feels right because of Winwin.

Saturday came and you spent the entire day in bed, too confused and tired to do anything else. You were playing a game on your phone until you received a text from Ten. Growling and almost throwing your phone, you check what must’ve been so important.

[Ten]

The results are out for Cinderella! I’m the Jester hehe~ Tell me what you got too!

Your heart rate suddenly speeds up when you read the text and you rush to your computer. Logging into your school’s site, your eyes skip around to the cast list. Closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, you read off the first name.

{Y/L/N} {Y/N} - Cinderella

You nearly faint. Jumping up from your seat and texting all your friends and family, you start wilding dancing in your room. Excitement couldn’t explain how happy you felt at that moment. Without thinking, you text Winwin.

[you]

r u at the studio?

[Winwinie]

yes, why?

[you]

wait there, ill be there in a few!!!

You grabbed the nearest and cleanest thing around you and slipped in on. Dashing out to the bus stop, you couldn’t hold in your excitement. You were practically bouncing the entire ride.

As soon as it was your stop, you ran to the studio and bursted into the room.

“Winwin! I got it! I got Cinderella!” You yell, approaching him and giving him a wide smile.

His eyes light up the second you state that and he pulls you into a hug, dragging you down a bit as well.

“I’m so proud of you.” He breathes, hugging tighter.

You pull away and smile fondly. “Thank you for all your training.”

He blushes, “I-It’s not that big of a deal. Besides, you achieved your dream!”

You smile and hold his hand. “How about I help you achieve yours?”

You’ve been developing a plan for quite some time to help Winwin achieve his dream. Confusion spreads on his face and he replies, “How? I can’t use my legs.”

“Who said we have to use legs in dance?”

With that, you turn on your phone to a melodic piano piece. Grabbing his hands, the two of you gently sway. You only let go to turn him in a spin.

Even though it was a small gesture, the look on Winwin’s face made it so memorable. He was grinning the entire time, laughing as you spun him and tried to dip him.

As the music slowed down, you spoke up. “Why did you push me away his week?”

He sighs and squeezes your hand. “I wanted you to do well. You’re so similar to me, it’s terrifying. I don’t want you to destroy yourself over failing to achieve your goal. I would never want that to happen to you.”

You’re silent at this. No words could explain how much you appreciated Winwin. However, actions could.

You bent down and kissed his cheek. Contrary to what has previously happened, his face didn’t heat up.

He gently grabs your chin and pulls you closely to his face. Chuckling, he leans in and kisses you. There weren’t any fireworks or any bubbly feeling in your chest. You just felt warm. It felt like home and all your worries washed away for good. He nibbles on your bottom lip teasingly and you push him away, giggling right after.

“You missed my lips the first time.”

“Maybe I won’t miss the second time.”

[cloudynames]

The Demon Knows Best

hey guys!! how is everyone? i hope youll all excuse me for this late fic ;; school has been killing me but during my winter break ill make sure to post more! please study hard if you take exams this december but make sure to take care of yourself!! hopefully this will power you through exams <3 

Word Count: 2,914

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Underage drinking, underage usage of drugs, driving under the influence, and swearing

lets get it!

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

“Thank you so much for coming!” You yell out, waving at your friends for coming to your birthday celebration. You turn around and grin at all the presents left for you before jumping into the pile and starting to rip off the wrapping paper from the gifts.

Tearing the envelopes and boxes open, you’ve received countless cards to all your favorite stores and some clothing. You laid back once you’ve opened everything and smile. Your friends were so sweet to be giving you all these wonderful gifts. Making a mental note in your head, you were sure to thank them later on that day.

Just as you were about to stand up and grab a snack, a sharp edge stung the side of your thigh.

“Ow! What the hell!” You fume, about to throw the object that suddenly attacked you when you realized it was a wrapped present. Confused, you try to recall if you had missed any present but couldn’t come to any conclusion. Unwrapping the gift, you were left more confused than ever.

The present was a black box with gold engravings on the edges and forming a floral pattern in the middle of the square. Analyzing it from all six sides, the best bet as to what the mystery object could be was a decoration. You sigh, setting the object down and taking out your phone.

Typing in the group chat, you ask if any of your friends gave you a ‘sharp tiny box.’ The responses varied from, ‘hell no’ to ‘I bet it was from Jisung.’

You huff and throw your phone next to you. Did Jisung really buy you a decoration for your birthday? You sincerely appreciated the thought, but he knows that you two don’t share the same aesthetic.

That day, you didn’t look at the box again.

Nor the next day.

However, you messed with it the following week.

That night you were taking a break from studying and YouTube was getting boring so the next best option was to clean your room. Upon dusting your dresser, your eyes landed on the mysterious black box that had been secretly haunting your thoughts. Grabbing the box, you sat on your bed and stared at the markings.

Noticing the tiny scratches and small indents leads you to suspect that the gift had been previously owned. A loud groan fills your room. Why the hell did Jisung give you a box? More importantly, a box that has already been used! You seriously needed to teach him some proper gift-giving etiquette.

However, the box had scratches and small indents. Someone must’ve played with it or dropped it previously before. But if they had dropped it, why were they even looking at it in the first place? The box might’ve been the size of your hand, but it was quite heavy for its size.  

Your finger glided across one of the golden strokes and the piece suddenly shifted to a new position. Your mouth hung open in shock and suddenly you yelled, “OH!”

It was a puzzle!

You carefully worked on the puzzle for twenty minutes and smiled in satisfaction once the final piece set in place. The markings weren’t supposed to be a floral piece, but a cat. But after that last piece set in place, the box began to glow. Throwing the box on your bed and jumping up from your seat, you wondered if the box was simply a decoration. Checking the time comforted you as it was late at night. The clock read 2:37 so it was about time you get some rest.

As the box began to glow more and more, soon becoming blinding to even look at, it was definitely not an illusion. Fearful to make a sound, you slapped a hand over your mouth and closed your eyes tightly, hoping it would all end soon.

Suddenly, the glowing stopped and you opened your eyes.

There was no longer a box in front of you, but a black-haired boy with just as black horns and a tail.

“Finally! I’ve been yelling at you the entire time to solve me.” He exclaims, sitting down as your desk chair while you stared at him with wide eyes.

He took a few chips from your chip bag before jumping up and holding his hand out. “I forgot, humans introduce themselves to each other. My name is Jeno.”

Due to you not responding, he took your hand and slid it into the grip of his, shaking firmly.

“W-What the hell are you?”

“Well, I’m not Hell. But I do come from it! I’m a demon. I’m friends with The Devil if you guys want to go out sometime.”

“I swear I can see stars right now…”

“No, no, no! That’s not good at all. Oh please don’t die on me! This has happened before.” He rushes you put a pillow behind you in case you collapse.

“W-WHAT?”

After taking a few moments to breathe and collect your thoughts, you iterate to Jeno the new information about his appearance.

“So, you’re a demon that’s supposed to make me do bad choices in order to live? Somewhat similar to a leech?”

He makes a pained face and grabs his heart. “Leech is low. Parasite is much more educated and proper.”

You stare at him in shock. The fact that demons existed in your oh so black and white world confused you more than ever.

“S-So, can you like go? I’m a very busy person and I don’t worship The Devil.”

“Nope.” He plopped on your bed and snuggled into the covers.

“Why not?”

“Okay. So here’s the thing: I’m supposed to take your soul so I can leave and I need to make you as vulnerable as I can to make extraction easy. I need to make you do bad decisions though, almost like to destroy your sense of morality and slowly kill you from the inside to out.” Jeno monotones.

“I’m stuck with you until I die?”

“Or until I take your soul.” He winks and a strange pulling at your heart occurs.

However, being with Jeno wasn’t as bad as you thought. He threatened to eat your soul a couple of times but he honestly was a good dude.

“Ugh, I hate eating all this fast food.” You muttered, shoving a fry in your mouth, “but it tastes so good!”

Jeno sips on his milkshake loudly and nods. “I agree—Ooh! Brainfreeze!” He yells and holds his head, shaking from side to side. You grab the milkshake out of his hand and finish it, throwing away the garbage.

“Okay, what should we do next?” You questioned Jeno.

He was in deep contemplation, playing with the end of his shirt until he randomly stood up. “Video games!”

“With what system?” Your room had no consoles and no extra PC for him to play on.

Holding out a hand, a black mist covered his arm and a Nintendo Switch made an appearance.

You open your mouth to question him but he quickly cuts you off.

“What? You don’t think we have video games in Hell?”

You smirk and quickly rush to your TV, only to play Smash until the next day. The next day, however, happened to be a school day.

Falling asleep just twenty minutes ago and hearing your blaring alarm startled you from your slumber. You jolted up in surprise and groaned at the clock. “No way it’s already seven! I’m so tired.” Yawning and lying back down, you curled up close to Jeno. “You’re so warm.” The words came mumbled and gargled, but Jeno understood you perfectly.

Blushing, he opened up more towards you and whistled out, “Well, you can just skip.”

“Yeah… I might just do that.”

Jeno could feel your moral compass failing already, but he didn’t want to take your soul just yet.

That night your parents couldn’t stop yelling at you for skipping, but spending the day with Jeno made you feel better. They made you swear on your life to study that night to make up for skipping and you promised.

Having Jeno in the kitchen was a terrible idea. While trying to study names of scientists for chemistry, he kept opening and closing cabinets, banging pots and pans together, and trying every condiment available to him. He almost smashed a bottle of spicy mustard after it disgusted his tastebuds.

“Ohohoho! What do we have here?”

Turning over to the devil boy holding a bottle of fruity rum, you jump out of your seat and reach for the bottle, only to have your face pushed away.

“Jeno! No! You’re not drinking that!”

“Why? The drinking age in Hell is whatever you want it to be!”

You growled, “Good thing you’re on earth at the moment!” Jumping and stretching for the bottle only frustrated you more when all he did was raise his arm higher.

“Come on, don’t you want to try it? It’s going to be sooo long until you can try it.”

He tempted you and he was doing one good job at doing it. Pursuing your lips, you grab the bottle and two shot glasses, filling them halfway. You tentivany bring the alcohol to your lips and down it. The drink leaves a slight burn and leaves a pit of despair in your stomach afterwards if your parents ever find out what you were doing.

But it was damn good.

Jeno and you spent that night drinking and dancing in your room. Even though it left you with a hell of a hangover, you powered through the day and went to school that following morning.

All was going well (other than you almost tripping with every step) until lunch arrived.

Renjun was rambling off about his newest obsession which happened to be an anime while Chenle was picking at his food half-heartedly, more interested at his phone. Your group was only disrupted when Jaemin, Haechan, and Jisung sat at your table, almost clinging to each other.

“What happened?” Renjun stops his rant to question them.

“Well, you see, uh—“

“Haechan accidentally bought edibles!” Jisung yelled and Jaemin almost sent him out of his seat, a fist flying very close to his head.

“How the fuck do you accidentally buy edibles?” Mark asks, taking a seat at the far end of the table.

“I didn’t know what edibles meant! I thought it was one of those pretty arrangements of fruit!” He complained, slamming the bag of what appeared to be chocolate chip cookies.

Chenle let out a laugh before snatching the bag and letting out a even louder laugh. “Yep. These are for sure edibles.”

The whole table bursted out in laughter and amusement while Haechan’s face became a pretty pink color. He shoved his head in his hands and breathed, “I don’t know what I’m gonna do! I don’t even do drugs! I’m part of student council! They can’t catch me doing this shit!”

“I’ll take it.” You speak up, holding out a hand and Chenle places the bag hurriedly in your grasp.

“Ooooo, honor role student taking a bag of edibles? Who hurt you?” Jaemin giggles.

“Shut up. I know someone who’ll take it.” You grumbled.

Deep in the back of your mind, you knew it was a lie. You were the one who was going to take it, along with Jeno.

“Are you sure you wanna try this?” He asks, fidgeting with his fingers.

“Jeno, if I didn’t know you any better, I would say you’re scared!”

He was. He was incredibly terrified. Every time he looked at you, you were doing something bad. Whether it was telling a lie or drinking, your moral compass was decreasing at an impeccable pace. Jeno would admit he had developed a tiny crush on you. You were so innocent, but you slowly turned into someone he didn’t recognize.

You had already taken a bite out of the cookie and with crumbs falling out of your mouth, you speak out, “I don’t feel anything.”

An hour later, you laid on your bed and giggled. “Hey Jeno, how would a dog wear pants? On all four legs or only the back ones?”

Jeno wondered if someone high even acts like this.

“I can’t honestly tell you {y/n}, but I bet it’s based on preference.”

You chuckle and roll around in your bed. “Jeno—“ You call out sweetly.

A heat rushes to Jeno’s face and he replies, “Yes?”

“You know I like you a lot. Like, a lot a lot. More than a normal person should.”

Jeno feels his heart stop momentarily and he swallows the lump in his throat. “What do you mean?”

“Like, I think sometimes I’m in love with you.”

Oh, how ironic that now he feels as if he is going to faint.

He passes it off as you exemplifying your feelings and he states, “Maybe you should get some sleep.”

He looks back at you for your response and only breathes out a sigh of relief when he notices you’re in a deep sleep.

Slowly, Jeno started noticing your moral compass failing more and more. Although it was his job, he never wanted to take your soul. You were too pure to him, something untouchable. Fate hated you clearly, due to the black box within your room.

The last straw for Jeno was a late night at a party. Since it was Halloween, nobody would question his horns and tail. You decided you wanted to bring him along. Perhaps he pressured you to a few shots, but nothing more! He saw how much you could take with the fruity rum.

However, you stepped up to play a game of beer pong once Jeno used the bathroom. A few beers later and secret shots, you were officially wasted. Jeno, even as a demon, knew better than to let you wander around the disco-like party. He begrudgingly grabbed you and dragged you into your car.

Whilst he kept you from falling all over, he quietly waited for you to start the car, only to realize that you’re drunk and he doesn’t know how to drive on earth.

Panic sets in, but what’s the worst that could happen?

The worst nearly happened.

He didn’t think much of it when you were drifting off into different lanes, but when you almost crashed into a tree, he started to worried.

“Oh my Devil, I have a serious case of whiplash. Hey, are you alright?” Jeno shook your shoulder and you held a hand to your mouth.

“Dude, I’m seriously going to puke if you mess with me like that.” The words came out slurred and Jeno frowned. He knew something had to be done.

He made sure to get on your ass for the next week. Jeno made sure all your homework was completed and you studied at least one hour a day. You resented him for it and it caused that every day stress to creep back into your life once again. Feeling an itch to find some quick relief, raiding the liquor cabinet didn’t seem to do any harm in the short-term.

Sneaking quietly to the cabinet and grabbing one of your mother’s favorite champagne bottles, you turned around only to smack your face in the chest of a demon.

“And what do we have here?” Jeno questioned, snatching the bottle from you.

“Jeno, give it back.” You complained, reaching with little effort.

“What did I tell you about drinking?”

By this point, you were fuming. Who gave Jeno the authority to boss you around? It’s not like he cared anyway. He wants you to do these terrible things!

“Why do you even give a damn anyway? It’s not like you care.”

Jeno remained quiet and you felt your heartbeat pounding harder than ever.

“I don’t care? I am risking my job to keep you safe. I have disobeyed every law in Hell for you just to spend time with you. I even have a crush on you, my fucking host. If Satan ever finds out my feelings towards you, he would keep me as a pet, which is not fun at all!” He almost slammed the bottle on the counter before taking one final look at you. “But go ahead. I don’t give a damn apparently.”

Jeno left you and the bottle remained unopened.

You weren’t sure how to exactly apologize to a demon. They might not even accept apologizes! Yet you needed to set things straight with Jeno.

About an hour or two after your argument, you crept up to your room and tapped lightly on the door. Peering in, you saw the somewhat small lump on your bed, covered in your personal blankets. Resisting the urge to grin, you tiptoed to your bed and laid down next to lump.

After a few moments of shuffling, Jeno poked his head out from the blankets and pouted, “What do you want?”

You breathed out, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I fought with you and got mad. I know you’re looking out for me.”

Jeno contemplated your response before responding, “Forget about what I said earlier.”

Your mind flashes back to his confession and you feel suddenly light-headed, being in the same bed as the boy who just confessed to you.

“What about if I don’t want to?”

Suddenly, Jeno moves closer to your body and wraps both of you in the warm sheets.

“I would say don’t. After all, the demon knows best.”

[cloudynames]

for anyone new uwu

Masterlist ☁️

here’s where you’ll find all my works with warnings attached!

🌤 - fluff

☔️ - angst

✨ - my biases ;;

T A E I L

none

J O H N N Y ✨

none

T A E Y O N G

none

Y U T A ✨

none

K U N ✨

none

D O Y O U N G

none

T E N

none

J A E H Y U N

none

W I N W I N

none

J U N G W O O

none

L U C A S

Ordinary Heroes (Superhero AU)

-pt. 1

-pt. 2

-pt. 3

-pt. 4

-pt. 5 (final)

M A R K

none

R E N J U N

none

J E N O ✨

none

H A E C H A N

none

J A E M I N

none

C H E N L E

none

J I S U N G ✨

none

[cloudynames]

Ordinary Heroes {5/5}

Everyone, im so excited to announce the final part of Ordinary Heroes! it’s been so fun using yukhei as a muse and let’s support him once NCT China (or NCT Vision) debuts! im sorry this had taken so long, i sprained my ankle :( but happy thanksgiving to all my Americans! i am very thankful for all your support ❤️❤️

Word Count: 2,657

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: angst, fluff, and swearing

let’s get it!

——————-

Life seemed much duller without Lucas. It seemed like nothing had taste or smell or any special characteristics. Living through the motions was what your mother told you. Perhaps you let it slip that you were seeing a boy (much to your father’s dismay) and your mother simply sighed in sympathy. She explained to you that what you felt was love and you got through the day just to get through it while pain and guilt slowly ripped you apart. You thanked her for that horrid description.

But could you feel that strongly for Lucas? You haven’t even thought about love, especially with him. Love is dangerous and cruel. Lucas is dangerous, but not cruel. Having Lucas as a first love made it feel as if the air you breathed in was suffocating you. He was so kind and so unique while you felt below him. Lucas was a prince in your eyes and you were merely a peasant. Missing him became unbearable and your mind started to play games with you.

You thought you saw Lucas a few times. At the coffee shop, you swore you saw him exiting the bathroom with his head down whilst looking at the reflective window across you, but only to whip around and see nobody. You swore you saw him in the chip aisle of the supermarket; only to run down and see a businessman. It was frustrating and it tired you out.

A month passed and you were seated at the coffee shop. You kept sipping on your water whilst looking out the window, expecting Lucas to run in eventually. The coffee shop is where you got things done, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to write about anything. Even staring at the college applications for inspiring superheroes made you feel nothing but emptiness. Forcing yourself to write, you scribbled down notes for an article on the latest fall colors.

Time passed by and you became lost in your article until you heard the familiar ring of a voice.

“No, mom. I’m doing fine in Korea.” Lucas rolled his eyes while speaking in his native tongue.

Your eyes widened at the sight of Lucas and immediately you hid behind the screen of your laptop. However, you weren’t that sneaky and you split the water you had earlier. The glass hit the table (thankfully not shattering) and the water flowed to the circumference of the table.

“Shit!” Muttering a string of curse words, you set your laptop on the seat next to you while cleaning up the mess with a few napkins. Lucas noticed the commotion and instantly became more anxious, telling his mom a quick ‘I love you, bye’ and he ran out the door.

He left without saying a single word to you and when you looked outside the window, he was already long gone.

Distraught, you bunched up your hands into fists and felt tears stinging your eyes. A neat stack of paper towels were set onto the table and you looked up. Taeil, with soft brown eyes and a warm green tea, stared at you with a gentle smile.

“You need this today.” He simply states and walked away.

Taeil lifted some of the weight on your heart, yet Lucas was the only one who could cure all your pain.

———————-

Two weeks flash by in a whirlwind of emotion and soon enough you’re seated at your dream university. One night while illegally drinking away your feelings, you sent in a rough draft of an application. Unsurprisingly, they rejected the application but allowed you to shadow a student for the semester.

Your host, Doyoung, seemed indifferent to you. He rarely talked to you and he occasionally grabbed you by the shoulder to make you move from swarms of students. He was quite studious as well, answering all the questions the teachers offered up. Pondering what his superpower could be, you hear another voice invade your thoughts.

‘I can read minds. Although, your mind is messy. I don’t like peaking into it often.’

Groaning in your hands, you slam your head on the desk in front of you during his second period class.

He chuckles in reply and continues to highlight important notes.

Your thoughts however stayed on the idea of a messy mind. Is everything disorganized in your mind? Your heart seems to jump at the question and quickly answers yes. Biting your lip to stop you from tearing up, it comes like a flood with how much you miss Lucas. You’ve never felt so disconnected with someone you loved and it hurt like hell. No other words can describe how much pain you felt except heartbreak.

Doyoung notices your forming tears and once the bell rings, he stands up and takes you by the hand to the university’s café. Trying to keep up with his pace, you sputter out, “W-Where are we going? I thought you had one last class for the day?”

“Nope, it was cancelled.”

Suddenly, an image pops up in your head. An email saying, ‘class has been cancelled’ before disappearing.

“What the fuck was that, Doyoung?”

“I transferred an image to your head.” He replies.

“Please don’t invade my thoughts…” You whisper.

“I don’t want to. You’re all over the place.” He says, lightly pushing you into the small shop.

Frowning, you watch him order for both of you but you quickly open your mouth to tell him what you want.

“A water. You don’t like tea or coffee all too much. Plus, it’s unhealthy to consume large amounts.” He rattles off, paying the cashier.

A blush forms across your face and you take a seat, soon followed by Doyoung with your treats.

“So, a boy has been killing you huh?” He asks, blowing on his carmel coffee.

You sadly nod, playing with your fingers. The last person you expected to be getting love advice from was studious Doyoung.

“Hey! I’ve had my fair share of lovers. I’m not totally blind.” He grunts, taking a sip of his drink.

“Well, what do you want me to say?”

“As with all things, start from the beginning. How did you two meet?”

With that, two hours fly by quickly. Doyoung listened intently and didn’t interrupt at all, even when his phone was buzzing with calls. He only left one time to get refills. Once you were finished with the story of your life, you hurriedly wiped away your tears. Doyoung gave you a napkin from when he went to get a second coffee. Dabbing at your watering eyes, you stared at him as he offered advice and consolation.

“Honestly, what you did was shitty but you didn’t know. You were too naïve to realize that you were at fault. It’s kinda pathetic how Lucas keeps avoiding you. If he loves you so much, why won’t he chase you down?”

“Because he’s afraid I’ll hurt him again.” You whisper, balling your hands into fists. “He’s right. I’d be scared of myself too.”

Doyoung’s face softens, and he pushes the chocolate slice close to you.

“Don’t be scared. He will come back. He always does.” He says, before taking a sip of his coffee. “Shit!”

Looking at his hand, previously a golden honey color, was now red and irritated.

“Damn, I didn’t put on the cap correctly.” He muttered, cleaning up the coffee on his hand and table.

Before you realize what you were doing, you were already reaching out to grab his hand to put your cold bottled water on his hand.

“That’s not going to help all too much.” He remarks, but stares at his hand anyway. “Huh, maybe it will. The burning sensation is starting to fade.”

You smile and you continue to talk with Doyoung for the day, your friendship developing slowly.

———————-

The next morning, you were told to meet Doyoung by the science department where he usually has his first class. It slightly confused you when you showed up on time and Doyoung was nowhere to be seen. Doyoung was late sometimes, but to be almost twenty minutes late was wrong.

“Did he cancel or what?” You huff, checking your phone for messages.

Glancing up from your phone, your surroundings have been drastically changed. You weren’t in the science department, but in an old, ran down building.

Fear builds up within you as you start to glance around.

“How did I get here…” You mutter, but you already know the answer. Footsteps slowly approach you, similar to the clicks of the woman who attacked you just a few months ago.

“Well, well, well. Isn’t it our pretty {y/n}?” A male voice calls out and unfortunately you recognize his voice as well. “Where’s your boyfriend, hm?”

Your heart jumps as the word ‘boyfriend’ as your mind crosses to Lucas. “I—We’re not dating. I don’t know.”

He deeply laughs and you see his silhouette appear from the corner.

“Oh, you should know better. That boy is obsessed with you. I would say he’s insane for you. Haven’t you noticed someone constantly watching over you? How the hell did you get into that university without having a power? It was all because L had sent in a reference for you.”

Suddenly, it all makes sense. Lucas had set you up to be safe. He couldn’t protect you closely so he had to lend a hand in protecting you indirectly. Lucas made sure you were watched almost all the time with Doyoung. Your heart suddenly becomes lighter and heavier at the same time. Lucas was in danger but he hasn’t cut you out of his life, your biggest fear.

“With all this talking, it seems like lover boy has arrived.” The woman says, flashing in and out of place.

“Shit, he got here earlier than I thought he would.” The shapeshifter mutters and grabs you harshly. You feel something wrap around your hands and ankles, and then you’re shoved to the ground where there’s shards of glass and other debris.

Crying out in pain and hearing a pair of footsteps run faster, you scream, “YUKHEI!”

“Shut up!” The girl growls, kicking you in the stomach and knocking the breath out of you.

Yukhei runs into the room, panting heavily and scanning for you.

“{Y/N!}” He yells and rushes over to pick you up. He’s stopped when a kick sends him flying back into the wall, creating cracks in the concrete. Yukhei groans loudly and clenches his side but he continues to keep his eyes on you. Standing up slowly, he stares at the shapeshifter and teleporter.

“Let {y/n} go. You can have me.” He declares, stepping towards the two of them.

“Yukhei, no.” You attempt to stand up, only to be pushed down again with a grunt.

“Don’t touch her.” He scowls, putting out a hand in front of you.

The shapeshifter shrugs and glares at Yukhei. “Come. Now.”

From the corner of the room, you see a figure sneaking around. You strain your neck to see who it is and your eyes widen at the sight of Doyoung with a metal pipe in his hand. He sneaks quietly to the shapeshifter and raises the pipe, crushing it down upon his head. He falls with a thump and before the teleporter could react, Yukhei already knocked her out with a punch.

Doyoung rushes over to you and assists you in taking off the zipties. Once free of your bounds, you hurry over to Yukhei and throw your hands over his shoulder. Rapidly, you kiss his cheeks and bury yourself in his neck. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” You mutter, leaving butterfly kisses on his neck.

“I know, I know.” He hugs you tightly and brings you closer to him. He shushes you and wipes the tears that streamed down your face.

Doyoung taps his foot impatiently and yells, “Can we go?”

You nod and break away from Yukhei. He holds your hand tightly as you start to escape the grey building. Another pair of hands grab onto your body before hitting the exit and a blade presses into your neck. Breathing as little as possible, you turn and stare at the shapeshifter holding onto you.

“Please. Don’t do this.” You whisper, feeling the blade being pressed down harder and harder.

“I’m sorry, but L has won too many times.”

Closing your eyes and waiting for impact, you feel everything flash before you. You wonder how Yukhei will be after you’re gone. Maybe he could find someone who will treat him right. Deep down, you wish you could’ve been the one who treat him right.

However, the knife never cuts into you. The knife ends up cutting into Yukhei when he ran to save you. He tackled the shapeshifter and the knife ended up lodged into his stomach. Doyoung made sure the shapeshifter couldn’t stand up after that. You crawl to Yukhei after being pushed to the side and you gasp at the sight. Yukhei’s shirt was covered in a dark maroon color and you shakily grab his hand.

“You’re gonna be okay Yukhei. I promise you, you’re okay. Hey! Don’t close your eyes. Please don’t close your eyes.” You cry out, shaking him slightly.

You didn’t even realize what Doyoung was doing, trying to call 911. You’re were in such a state of shock that you were hysterical. Without listening to Doyoung and pulling out the knife, you put your hands on Yukhei’s wound.

“What the hell, {y/n}! Why did you take out the knife? Now, he’s going to lose more blood. Wait, holy shit. H-He’s healing.”

Slowly, Yukhei’s cells started forming once more and bonded to one another. His skin pulled together and no marks were left, almost like he had never been stabbed. All was left was the blood that stained Yukhei’s shirt. Yukhei became conscious once again and glanced at where his injury should’ve been, eyes widening when noticing nothing was there.

The scene at the coffee shop flashed back to you when you put your water bottle and hand on Doyoung and he started to recover from his burn.

“I-I have a power?” You mutter in disbelief, staring at your bloody hands. Yukhei grins and pulls you down to him.

“Hey! Stop moving you two! It can hurt you both!”

Both of you just laughed and continued to hug each other, glad that everything is okay.

That night, you felt a lot safer with Yukhei next to you.

—————————-

“Yukhei, were you watching me that entire time when we were in that argument?” You asked him one night, months after the whole ordeal had happened.

“Hmm…” He thinks, shifting in bed to hold you closer to him. “Would it be creepy if I said yes?”

“Not at all.” You mutter, inhaling his cologne. “Why though? I thought you hated me.”

A silence falls between you two and you start to worry that you offended him. You open your mouth to speak up but Yukhei stops you completely in your tracks.

“I thought so too. I really tried to make myself too. I made myself order shitty drinks at the coffee shop because it reminded me of you. I didn’t go to parks or look at crepes the same way after our fight. I tried to make myself hate everything that you were, but I continued to find you in new things. I saw you as home and every time I went home, I felt warm and safe even though I tried to fight it. I saw you as flowers and as a deep inhale and exhale. You suffocated me without realizing it. And I loved it so much that it burned me. I couldn’t end up hating you. I only circled around and came to the conclusion that I love you over and over.”

Another silence falls upon the two of you and you break it this time.

“I love you too.”

the end.

[cloudynames]

Ordinary Heroes {4/5}

hi everyone. I’ve been a bit down recently due to me indirectly confessing to my crush and then being turned down. and then my brother was upset at me. I’m sorry for the wait but thank you all for waiting for me. i love you all ❤️ please listen to this wonderful version of timeless, it eased my anxieties and sadness. credit to the original owner.

Word Count: 2,150

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Swearing and a lot of angst

let’s get it

————————

———————-

You stood nervously at the amusement park and winced every time you heard a particularly loud scream of despair on the roller coaster. Arriving just five minutes ago, you scanned around to see the giant man (or your giant man, Yukhei). Pouting slightly, you open up your phone and check your messages for the slight possibility that something came up.

Suddenly, a pair of hands wack you on the shoulders and you jump, almost dropping your phone. You turn around, furious, only to have that anger vanish seeing Yukhei, the biggest goofball to exist.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting long?” Yukhei questions while brushing back his hair and you shake your head in response.

“Nope. Now, let’s go have some fun!” You yell, yanking on his hand, filled with excitement and jitters for your date.

Around the park you went, wanting to try out every game and ride everything. Yukhei wanted to win you a teddy pair at one point so he stepped up to the strength game and slammed the hammer down on the metal plate. The bell shrieked and a dent was implanted on the circumference.

“I didn’t even try!” Yukhei shrieked gleefully, turning to you with the brightest and purest smile.

The worker smirked and handed you the biggest teddy bear they had and nudged your side.

“You got a keeper.” He teased and you felt as if you were in heaven.

Next, Yukhei wanted to eat some funnel cake so you gladly paid for the delicious snack.

“Tell me some stuff about you Yukhei.” You asked innocently, licking the powdered sugar off your fingers.

“Well, my favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry but I have to have whipped cream with it. I like playing Pokémon Go despite it using all my battery on my phone. Oh! And my favorite color is yellow, like a bright sun!”

You giggle, bumping into his side to show your affection. Being around Yukhei made life feel like a dream. He was so different and ethereal. To way laughs to the way he shows you funny memes on his phone, everything about him is carried with such a grace, almost like an angel.

“Wait, what about you? I wanna know stuff about you!” Yukhei exclaims.

You spend the next hour talking about your aspirations and dislikes. Everything seems to be falling into place. You genuinely liked Yukhei and the fact that he was a superhero made you like him even more. You ponder what will happen if the two of you get closer. He would probably allow you to interview him and you could possibly be writer of the year. Slowly but surely, your head fills with these thoughts of becoming famous and making Yukhei yours.

Unfortunately, the date ends and the time spent with Yukhei flies by incredibly fast. He dropped you off at your house that night and left with a panicked wave goodbye. Questioning to yourself about where all his bravery had gone, you send him an uncomfortable wave goodbye as well. However, before you went into your house, he leaves a quick kiss on your cheek and then dashes away. Giggling, like a schoolgirl, you touch your cheek where he kissed you.

Ever since then, you had been seeing Yukhei on and off for a while now. It’s been three months since your date and he’s taken you on a plethora of them. Yet he still hasn’t asked you to be his girlfriend. You tried to reason with your head, saying you don’t need a label to define your bond but a reaffirming ‘you’re my girlfriend’ definitely makes you feel something else in your stomach. But, it still doesn’t explain why he drops in to talk to you like a booty call.

Arriving at 3 A.M. with McDonald’s or 6 A.M. to cuddle, you could never understand what he felt towards you. You wondered if you were a fling and he did this to all the pretty girls he’s saved before. The thought makes your stomach churn in hatred, so you erase it from your mind. Your phone buzzes and it completely eliminates the thoughts in your head. Swiping the message you got, your heart flutters from the name adorned at the top.

[yukhei ❤️✨]

7:34 A.M.

hey I don’t know if ur awake but if you are meet me at the park by 8 ❤️ let’s get fresh crepes

[you]

7:36 A.M.

ok!! ill be there!!

You mentally squeal in your head and you dash to your closet. Slipping on a comfortable hoodie and joggers, and not forgetting to grab your wallet as well, you start heading to the nearby park.

The morning is cold and the air is clear, making you mentally thank Yukhei for not taking you out a day outside where the air is filled with impurities (in the back of your mind you wonder if you can write an article on pollution in Asia). You think about your date with Yukhei and you feel excitement bubble up in your chest. To see Yukhei after not being with him for a while have you a high like no other.

Perhaps you should’ve been more careful when daydreaming about your day when you bump into a homeless man. He looks at you in pure disgust and you feel the heat rising to your face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry sir! Are you okay?” You asked, concerned.

He spits at you and then continues to move along his path.

Feeling the embarrassment rise, you take a deep breath and close your eyes before having yourself feel light then heavy all again. When you open your eyes again, you see you are not in the same spot you were on the street. Instead, you’re inside another alleyway and you tense up, wondering where the hell you are.

A bright flash of purple zaps and then disappears. A tall woman comes out of the flash and she sneers at your face.

‘Ah, she can teleport. This scene is way too similar to the ones I’ve faced before.’

“Well, well, well. It’s L’s loving girlfriend.” She spits out, dangerously gliding over slowly. “Appears my info was right about you going to meet him. I’ll only share 8% of my winnings with them. They aren’t doing the dirty work.”

Arriving in front of your face, she takes out a sharp knife and before she can stab you, a kick sends her flying to the side.

With a loud groan, she teleports and leaves distance between her and her attacker. You look up with glassy eyes, starting to feel everything numb into nothingness.

Yukhei cracks his knuckles and sneers at the woman before him.

“You already lost.” He remarks and stares at her bloody head, a large cut appearing and blood flowing down her face. She screams in frustration before falling to the ground and a flash of light forms, similar to the one before.

All who were left in the alleyway was the two of you.

“I knew something was wrong the second you were late. You’re never late.”

——————-

The leaves change colors and your heart grows more for Yukhei. He distanced himself from you after you’ve gotten attacked a second time.

The time you spent away from Yukhei was painful, so much so that you were the first person to make the move. Yukhei was always the person to message first, however you couldn’t take it anymore. Inviting him over for cuddles and a movie, you tidied up your room and set up pillows and blankets for his arrival. Thankfully he said he would be coming over as soon as possible so you wouldn’t have to wait long.

He arrived that night smelling like smoke. You groaned inwardly but you’re not one to complain since you haven’t seen him for so long. He probably saved a cat from a burning building.

Snuggling up to each other on the couch, you two talked and laughed at the movie. As the night when on, conversations began to get deeper and longer answers were said. You asked him what happened that second night you were attack, feeling around for your phone so that you could get this on voice recording. You wanted to remember every detail for your article later. Recording it means that it’ll just be easier to put his spoken words to your written words. He explains it in colorful words and sound effects. You prayed your giggles didn’t mix with the recording.

He left like the smoke he smelled like. He was there for one moment and then blinking the next, he was gone. You slept with the idea of the article and the memory of Yukhei’s warm hands around you.

The next morning you wrote the article, typing hurriedly on your keyboard. Submitting your article for approval and grinning wildly after, you decided to kill time by practicing a few of your hobbies. There wasn’t much time spent doing much other than writing applications for school or for your job so when having the time to do what you like felt a thousand times more special. It was calming, and soon that calmness turned into restfulness.

The light pitter-patter awoke you from a deep sleep. Hearing the quiet boom of thunder, the storm wasn’t going to stop any time soon. Checking the time, you scratched your head in confusion. You weren’t sure when you fell asleep, but when you woke up again, you were disturbed rudely by Yukhei banging on your window.

Mumbling slightly about manners, you open up the door and begin to speak, only to be interrupted before a word comes out.

“What the fuck {y/n}? Seriously? ‘L; A Real Life Experience?”

You tilt your head, slightly confused.

“What’s wrong about it?” You question innocently.

Thunder booms and cracks. This physical storm compared to Yukhei, a quiet storm, is nothing. He’s trying to formulate a response, to bite back at you.

“I pour out my heart and soul to you. Only for you to use me for popularity. For your own gain.” He says monotonically, desperately trying to hide his emotions from getting hurt again.

You grasp at scenes yesterday, and one in particular jumps out at you.

————-

“You know, I hate being the hero. Everyone expects you to be perfect.” Yukhei whispers into your ear, taking a deep inhale of your perfume.

“You don’t have to be a hero.” You resort, closing your eyes and enjoying this moment with the one you love.

“But I’ve been L for so long—“

“And? You’re also Yukhei.” You interrupt, turning to face him and looking him into his deep eyes.

“I know I am. I just want to be myself for once. I wanna be Yukhei. I wanna be that Yukhei who wants to work at the coffee shop but I can’t because everyone needs me.”

The phrase strikes like a whip, and you can’t respond. Everyone does need Yukhei. He is the superhero to call when something goes wrong. You don’t know what to say, so instead you pull him close and hold him.

You can’t offer him a solution, but you can offer him medicine for the pain he felt.

He was a wound and you were his medicine. Nothing more, nothing less.

——————-

Remembering the situation you're in, your throat goes dry and you think about all the wrongs you ever had in life.

His voice raises and he strikes another cruel statement at you. “How could you do this? I trusted you.”

If you weren’t already crying, you felt silent tears stream down your face. You didn’t think this would happen. You quite possibly ruined your relationship with Lucas, and it burns.

“Why? Why did you use me? I love you.” He shouts, furiously wiping away at his eyes.

You desperately want to respond, but you feel nothing come out of your mouth. You open your mouth to say something yet close it immediately after a loud sob escapes you.

“Did you even like me? Or was everything fake?” He bites at you.

It feels like years go by, the only sounds being Lucas’ heavy breathing, your sobs, and the soft tapping of the rain outside. You love him. You know you do. Yet, you can’t say it. Why? It’s not like anyone is holding you back. But you can’t do it. You fail again. Everything in your life, you fail.

Taking a deep breath, you clear your throat and look up to Lucas. You catch his back escaping your suddenly cold home, and a slam fills the room.

The only sound you heard was the rain. Suddenly, a bang fills the room. A sound was added and it was the cries of you desperately needing Lucas.

You screamed, and screamed, and screamed.

After a while, there was only the rain and nothing else.

[cloudynames]

Ordinary Heroes {3/5}

hi everyone! im so sorry this next update took so long, i was unfortunately bedridden for a while and then school tried to murder me with assignments and such. im not sure when i will have the next update up, but I want to say the weekend if I have a lot of free time! anyway, enough rambling and let’s finally read about our bby lucas ❤️❤️

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1,260

let’s get it!!

————————-

————————-

You questioned yourself that night and wondered how the hell you got here. You sat at home, boiling water for tea as Lucas sat at the kitchen table, staring you down. The second the whistle from the kettle started blowing, you immediately rushed to turn it off. Pouring the water in the cup and letting the tea bag steep for a while, you pushed the small cup over to him. The two of you sat in silence for a bit and the only noise being made was Lucas going, “ah” after every sip. You couldn’t handle the silence and avoiding the obvious. It felt as if it was suffocating you.

“Thank you.” You whisper at one point. His eyes meet yours and you feel your face burn from the confrontation. “I could be dead without you.”

He lets out a chuckle and sets down the teacup. Placing his elbows on the table, he tilts his head slightly to the side. “It’s my job.”

You almost want to gush at how cute he looked. He looked so youthful and young, like nothing could stop him. But, you can’t scare him off yet. You wanted at least to get to know him better. “Well, you do your job very well.”

Grinning, he gives you a thumbs up, but winces afterwards.

You stand up from your seat, worried. “Are you okay Lucas?”

He holds in a breath, nodding furiously while gripping at some of his cuts. A lightbulb goes off in your head, and you make a small noise, signaling to Lucas that you understand. You rush to the bathroom, looking for a medkit.

Lucas scans your small home, and he beams at every part of it. On your small bookshelf, he noticed the books seemed worn out from the constant reading. There were little dents here and there from you probably bumping into something, and his heart flutters at the thought of you being clumsy. You had pictures of your family everywhere and he wishfully sighs. Maybe one day you two could have a picture together.

His surreal thoughts fade once you arrive back into the room, carrying medical supplies. “Sorry it took so long, I couldn’t find it.” You rush out, placing the kit on the table.

“It’s no problem.” He mumbles out, giving a weak smile after. You pull a chair close to him and open then medkit. With a washcloth, you pat down his cuts and brush away the blood. He hums while you clean him, and you feel your heart beat faster because of his soothing voice.

While rubbing ointment onto his wounds, you take quick glances up at his face. Even though he looks so tired and beat up, he still looks incredibly handsome. His hair looks effortless put together and his dark brown eyes hold so much emotion, although you’re not quite sure what emotion it exactly holds. If only you could look into the mind of Yukhei, then it would make things a bit easier.

“If you take a picture, you can stare at me for longer.” He hums out, striking you with a joyful grin. You chuckle and feel your face heat up, and slowly wrap gauze around some of the bigger cuts and bandages for the smaller cuts. You pat his knee afterwards and give him a thumbs up.

“You’re all patched up! Now, don’t go out and get injured again. I don’t feel like cleaning more wounds.”

Rolling his eyes, he brushes you off. “Yeah yeah, okay mom.” He teases you.

Grabbing him from his shoulder, you push him towards the door (with quite a bit of effort). You wave at him one last time before shoving him out of your house. Outside the door, a groan is heard.

“Come on, {y/n}. It’s late. Let me stay at your place.” He whines and you can imagine him standing outside your door, stomping his foot on the ground in frustration. You giggle behind your hand, and unhurriedly open the door. Flashing him a pure smile and beckoning him inside once more, you take his hand and lead him to your room.

“I wouldn’t have left you outside.” You say, grabbing a few pillows and blankets once inside your warm room.

“I know.” He replies back while awkwardly standing in your room, not knowing what to do.

Setting up a makeshift bed on the floor, you tap your bed. “Come here.”

Like a puppy, he follows and sits himself on the bed. You sink down to your makeshift bed and he opens his mouth, ready to protest.

“Nope. You’re the guest and you got messed up by the shapeshifter dude. Not happening.”

Pouting, he flops onto the bed in a huff. You snicker and adjust yourself into a comfortable position.

“Night, Lucas.”

“Yukhei. My given name is Yukhei.”

“Goodnight Yukhei.”

“Same to you, {y/n}.”

————————

When you wake up, you find yourself surprised when a sleeping Yukhei has his arm slung over you and snoring softly. Trying to draw an explanation, you finally settle on him feeling bad about you sleeping on the floor. However, you wouldn’t mind if there were any hidden intentions.

Trying to unwrap yourself from Yukhei’s grip and sliding out of bed seemed like a good idea if you executed it properly. Instead, you landed on the floor with a loud ‘thump.’ With a loud groan, you stirred Yukhei up from his beauty sleep and he turns to you with droopy eyes and bedhead.

“Why are you leaving?” He complains, shoving his head into your pillow.

“I’d like to use the bathroom and freshen up.” You reply back and leave your resting place.

When you return, Yukhei is already sitting up and rubbing his eyes. You smile from ear to ear and head into the closet to change. Closing the door, you say something dangerous that might end your friendship with Yukhei right there and then.

“Yukhei, who is The Boss?”

A pregnant silence follows, and then a small voice speaks up.

“He… hunts superheroes. It’s a bounty system. People want to kill superheroes to have their dead body stuffed or whatever the buyer desires. He hires people to kill them and then reimburses them.”

Your heart all of a sudden feels fifty pounds heavier and a throbbing pain develops. People were hunting superheroes and nobody knew about it? How long has this been going on for now? Whenever a hero had disappeared, everyone assumed they have retired. Yet, the gut feeling makes you believe not all of them wanted to retired, yet instead forcibly retired. You make a mental note to message your company as soon as possible. This might be the only opportunity you get in a while.

But what struck you the most was Yukhei, your Yukhei, was one of those being hunted. You couldn’t imagine to see him in such a situation, clearing any thoughts of it immediately.

You step out of the closet once you feel fresh again, and Lucas has a pink flush over his face. You stare at him curiously until he meets your eyes and holds contact with you. Feeling butterflies and your face reddening rapidly, you turn away from him. Suddenly, Lucas stands up and walks towards you. He takes your soft face in his rough, calloused hands and whispers.

“{Y/n}, can we stop playing games? Can we go on a date and stop ignoring our feelings?”

Nodding furiously, you shove your head into his chest and it smells familiar, like home.

“Yes Yukhei, I would love that.”