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ficrecsiguess · 2 years ago

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thank you so much for tagging me!!

I loved this new dynamic. There's something about confident boys suddenly turn into a bashful mess because of a strong woman that I just love.

I enjoy the setup of the relationship so far, I can't wait to see how Hongjoong and the oc connect during the next part! And I am intrigued about the fact that San is also interested ??? yes yes give me more.

Also, I have to say. I appreciate so much the fact that all the oc's in the series are women with a passion. They are women that have such a love and understanding of what they do. I do really like seeing people enjoying what they do without a care of what others think, and seeing the ocs in their element?? 10/10

And can we just appreciate the fact that all the ocs have a distinctive background?? like there's a reason for what they do. So good to see.

Can't wait for the next part! 🥰

Your fan, Hongjoong (part 1)

(part 2) (your fan ml)

👘 pairing: hongjoong x fashion designer!reader 👘 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining 👘 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if hongjoong was stanning you 👘 wordcount: 5.5k (help) 👘 warnings/tags: language, radio shows, reader is goth, goth subculture, a bit of mutual pining, seonghwa aries rage, san is sus, jealousy, DRAMA(rama), hongjoong is starstruck, reader has her own fashion house/brand, photoshoots, brand collabs, demon line boutta act up 👘 a/n: Hello fabulous people <3 Here we have, the one, the only, the legendary, Hongjoong next in the Your Fan, ___ series! Thank you so much for your love and support, reblogs, likes, asks and comments all welcome <3

"So alongside your brilliant songs, you are also well known for having breathtaking performances, with an edge that only ATEEZ can do. Could you elaborate on what exactly goes into creating your unique aesthetic?"

Hongjoong looked around the studio. Him and Yunho, being the resident radio DJs, had been invited onto a show to promote their newest comeback, and talk all things creative arts.

There had been a number of guests before them who he looked up to, from others in the music industry, to visual artists, writers, and designers. This was the way in which he had discovered new changemakers, and got to know those stars he had deemed 'unreachable'. Breathtaking, but there to be admired from a distance.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the amazing designers and stylists that we work with. Really, without them none of this would be possible and ATEEZ would not be the same."

"Definitely, with each stage and comeback, it seems that there is no end to just how much they, and you, can wow the world. Now, there is a particular fashion house that ATEEZ has been collaborating with recently, could you tell us more about that?"

Now that was an interesting direction to steer into. This was very new on the horizon for ATEEZ, and few media had covered this so far. Hongjoong perked up, forgetting the tranquility that he had to normally adopt for such shows, instead letting himself bask in the rays of his passions.

More specifically, your brand. He had known of its existence, thanks to a serendipitous selection by his stylist, before he had even figured out who the brain behind the art was. He discovered the connection entirely by accident - through this radio show.

You had come in for an interview, much like Hongjoong and Yunho, and sat in one of these seats, telling your story. This same man who was asking them questions, had conversed with you. This appearance was like Hongjoong's little moment to connect with his unreachable star.

You were notoriously elusive, so public appearances were few and far between, and this explained why he had initially not even associated you and the brand together. But as it turned out, that had been the point. The lore was strong in this one.

You had explained during the show that you felt no need for your personal image to be connected to the brand itself, as the garments and those who wore them were the real imagemakers. You had also shown a deep understanding of the subcultures from which you took inspiration and, yourself, followed, diving into legends who had pioneered their popularisation over the decades. In all honestly, that had him hooked, and left him wanting to learn more about how your mind worked.

"Ah yes, more than happy! ARNURI is a brand that we only recently started working with, and could not be more happy. The brand has a world view and prides itself on destroying boundaries in fashion. There is no gender, no size, no limit to what can be achieved. It actually takes inspiration from the variety that is within goth subculture and totally redefines what is meant by luxury. I mean, their slogan is 'lead by antithesis' after all."

He had paraphrased your introductory speech from one of your first exhibitions after you had your big break at one of the Fashion Weeks. It had been a solo show, organised outside of any specific season, every detail paying homeage to what had been advertised as 'embracing the darkness of nature'. For this show, you had scouted models among your friends, among the myriad of citizens of Seoul, and used those same city streets as your catwalk.

Maybe the reason why that particular event had spoken to Hongjoong was because it reminded him of the street busking he had done in his early days. The days of when one risked it all for a future that was not guaranteed, simply because they had hope.

Hongjoong could go on, but Yunho's shift to balancing his head on his hand as he rested his eyes on the captain, and batted his eyelids like a Disney princess made him stop abruptly.

Not that the host had noticed.

"Ah yes! And isn't the name, ARNURI, a play on "Our World?"

"Uh, yeah!" caught off-guard by the follow-up since he was trying to telepathically communicated to Yunho to cut whatever he was trying to do out, he stumbled over his words a little. But it was easy enough to settle back in once he thought of the moment KQ management had shared the official communications between the two companies with him.

"So it was quite funny when the brand approached us for this, they actually quoted our song 'New World'. Really if it were up to me I wouldn't even ask for a portfolio at that point."

"Of course you wouldn't..." Yunho whispered, leaning away from the mic so it barely caught, serving like background noise more than anything.

Hongjoong's head snapped in the other member's direction, but he was met with legendary nonchalance. Truly, the epitome of 'it's not awkward unless you make it awkward'. The guy even raised an eyebrow back at him as though Hongjoong was acting out of line.

"That is magnificent, it was meant to be! Maybe there are some ATINY in the company!"

"Oh we wish!" Yunho interjected, a chuckle escaping him as he glanced in Hongjoong's direction.

"Well, we are very much looking forward to seeing more of these fantastic designs, and the photoshoot that ATEEZ will be doing with ARNURI! Maybe you will be able to create some items together? Can ATINY hope for a new line in the future?"

"Hah, I do enjoy altering clothing and really letting creativity run free, but I am looking forward to the learning-".

"Oh yeah, Hongjoong has been a fan of the brand for quite some time, so finding out that we are now working together is a dream come true!"

Hongjoong lowered his eyes and let his fingers flitter across the table in front of him. There went his opportunity to be all slick and cool. Or was he over-reacting? Again, Yunho was unreadable.

The host then quickly rounded off that segment of the discussion, and cut to an ATEEZ song break, in honour of the guests.

Confirming that the mics were indeed off and he wasn't about to cuss out the entire nation, Hongjoong turned to his 6'1'' headache and hissed:

"Let's keep this about ATEEZ, shall we?"

"Why so serious, bro? Don't you like ARNURI?"

That, he did. The problem was that it was no longer just ARNURI he liked. To borrow some fandom-speak, he had abandoned the 'casual fan' territory, and had found himself quite a few clothing items and accessories-deep, and with a bias.

And since he would rather have Yeosang feeding him sour candy than revealing that he liked ARNURI more than he probably should, any joke in that direction was like an arrow that he felt the desperate need to dodge.

"Yeah, of course I do. I mean, we are working with them right?"

"Riiiight. And you are wearing their jacket. That you literally do not let anyone touch."

"What? I like clothes."

"And you keep said jacket in a plastic bag from the dry cleaner's because suddenly you are Seonghwa two point oh."

"Is that not... normal?"

"Rich to ask for a person who spray paints shoes in the living room at three in the morning."

"Hey I ventilate."

"BY TURNING ON THE EXHAUST VENT IN THE KITCHEN?"

"Shh, Yunho, we good. We can discuss this later-"

"Oh no I like your discomfort shawty talk to me."

Hongjoong pinched the bridge of his nose. This kid with his surprise attacks. Before he could think of a way to get himself out of the hole he dug, the host was suddenly showing that they had thirty seconds before going live. So he settled for:

"We'll continue this conversation later."

"And I chose Seonghwa over you."

"Choosing violence... I swear to-"

"And we are back! I hope you, dear listeners, enjoyed the wonderful-"

You paused the podcast. So, your personal assistant was not kidding when she ran into your office, waving her phone side to side as though she was at a concert, saying that Kim Hongjoong knew a lot more about ARNURI than you assumed.

Really sometimes you thought you hired her not for her abilities as a PA, but because she made you feel a tiny bit more sane. But at the same time, you were one in the same - who was listening to the recorded radio broadcast right after she left your office, reduced to a fit of giggles, sitting in total solitude? You.

Quite the contrast to how you normally were - zoned out due to exhaustion, brutal because that was how your business worked, or totally unreachable because 'the vibe was right and you were in a creative flow state'.

But this was how you got that bread. And had taken ARNURI to new heights. You continuously sacrificed yourself for the art.

There had never been another option for you - ever since you were a kid there was only one thing you were interested in, and that was fashion. You were that one kid who shamelessly stole (and wore) her parents' and siblings' clothing, modifying it so that it looked more like you.

You had 're-designed' your school uniform which had nearly led to your suspension. To this day you were confident you had done the right thing remaking the outfit to being pitch black - it was not your fault that the school had no sense of taste and had chosen such a horrid shade of grey.

And aside from becoming the 'adopted child' of some goth clubs in the city, you had crashed fashion show after fashion show to just see how the legends did it. You were taken by the stark contrast between what was classically accepted and popular on the runways versus the enchanting amalgamation of Victorian era dress, New Romantic, punk and new wave.

You had sworn to yourself that if there was one thing you were going to do, it was be one of the designers to fuse the worlds together. So you gave all you had to this dream. You had completed fashion school, worked in Finland to immerse yourself in the nation's vibrant, borderline mainstream goth scene, and had participated in many art exhibitions and avante garde fashion shows to make yourself known.

This was your calling. Your everything. So when you finally managed to get your brand up and running, bringing your vision to South Korea, you were shamelessly promoting it as best you could. Sending samples, contacting influencers, knocking on all the doors until SOMEONE answered.

And that someone turned out to be a stylist at KQ Entertainment, working with a group called ATEEZ. After a few exchanges on Instagram, they had agreed to use a couple of items, and let the media do the promotional magic.

You were desperate, having not had much success in the country due to difficulty in finding early adopters of the brand, so you agreed.

Turned out it was a much better investment than you had initially thought. A few members had sported ARNURI wear for a fansign, and pictures from the event FLEW around the internet. Eventually, the clothing was discovered, and your site started getting more and more hits.

You assumed it was just a fluke, but that fluke turned into one of the members, who you learned to be Kim Hongjoong, starting to make regular appearances in ARNURI, especially when it was evident that he had the final say in what to wear - airport looks, more casual events... black-clad, supporting you more than he could imagine.

Inadvertently, he had turned into a motivation for you. He had given you the hope that you could reach the stars if you so desired, and so you began to build up.

Season after season, you worked tirelessly, and eventually broke into Seoul Fashion Week. Your daring showcase of your 'ANTITHESIS' collection had gathered a large audience, and soon enough, you had to step into the spotlight, and reveal your identity.

You could remember it as clear as day, 'She Sells Sanctuary' by The Cult roaring in the background as you stepped out, every bit ARNURI, an overnight neo-goth sensation.

As your brand got bigger and bigger, and you were now leading a business of nearly 100 people strong, you had to become colder and more distant. It was a sort of self-preservation, since fashion was not an industry where one could escape criticism and blatant slander, especially when your primary goal was to be yourself.

But that one idol. The one who had agreed to wear your brand, and then continued to do so voluntarily, Kim Hongjoong, still remained special to you. He was your quiet encouragement.

So when you heard from your marketing and communications team that they had scouted out an opportunity to work with ATEEZ, you gave them the green light almost instantly, and much to their surprise, participated in crafting out the perfect proposal.

And when you received an agreement and contracts in response, you needed to excuse yourself and locked yourself in your studio, letting yourself squeal. Just a bit. And then walked back out - she is beauty she is grace.

The first stage of the collaboration was going to be a nice and simple photoshoot. You said simple but you were running around the building like a headless chicken making sure everything was ready.

It was going to be for a new line, 'PHANTASMOS', an ode to phantasmagoria, horror theatre and the portrayal of all things fantastic, strange and ghoulish. And who would be a better group of models than ATEEZ?

As the day approached, Hongjoong was becoming considerably more nervous, and that was only exacerbated by the announcement that you personally would be attending the shoot.

He did not want to come across as a fool of some sort, wanted to be a serious leader, really leave the impression that he meant business. To him, you were elegance itself, a tranquil beauty in black, and he wanted to match that to the best of his ability.

Which was exactly why he had turned his and Seonghwa's dorm into a fabric skip, with shirts, trousers, t-shirts... all of his prized possessions were strewn around the perimeter and occupied nearly every inch of the floor. Hell, even his customised Doc Martens were lying miserably on his bed.

Just as he was contemplating between a blazer with lines of safety pins as decal on the lapels or a classic leather jacket with more zippers than ways his children could annoy him, Seonghwa returned from his trip to the LEGO store.

Hongjoong had never seen every single stage of grief flash across a person's face in one second. But there it was. He gave the eldest member a sheepish grin, subconsciously cowering away closer to the windows - as far away from the evidently not too pleased Seonghwa.

"Kim. Hong. Joong. What kind of fuckery is this?"

"Oh. OH! Amy Winehouse! Yes, big fan, that's uh, that's Me & Mr. Jones right?"

"I will use you as a broom stick Joong."

"Look I just got carried-"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? PLEASE LET ME KEEP AT LEAST SOME OF MY NERVE CELLS!"

"What's happening- oh Joongie is in trouble~" Mingi poked his head in through the door, making it look as though it was the Teletubbies sun floating above Seonghwa's shoulder.

Hongjoong really wished he could laugh. He really did. But he was afraid he was about to be forced to eat the starship that his roommate bought.

So much for trying to be 'chic' and impressing you. Now he had the goal of making it to the shoot in one piece.

"Mingi. Exit. Now." Seonghwa commanded, jaw clenched, which made the younger member quite literally bolt, slamming the door so hard that the items that were hanging on the stuck-on hooks slid off and fell behind Seonghwa.

There was a mass meeting audible right outside of the room, and a very distinct seagull laugh penetrated the walls. Hongjoong cursed his bad timing. Had he only started early, maybe he would have had time to shove at least some of the items under the bunk so it didn't look too bad.

"Right. You know what. I am zen. I am the calmest of the calm. You take care of others, I take care of you. Right? Now. Wait, you know what I need to just-"

Seonghwa picked up a large pillow off one of the beds, eyed it, looked at Hongjoong once more, and then PUNCHED it with blinding rage, sending it flying right back into the bed.

"Okay now I am fine. Care to explain when you were planning to sort this shit out?"

There was another wave of mumbles outside, to which Seonghwa responded by making the door fly open and shouting out "we are having a VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION."

Before closing the door entirely, a quiet comment from Yeosang could be overheard: "they're getting divorced in there," leading to some giggles, and pitter-patter of footsteps away from the door. They probably just chose a slightly different location to camp and snoop.

Hongjoong decided to sink into one of the clothes piles, motioning for Seonghwa to take a seat next to him. He was in a dilemma, unsure of what sort of explanation would be the most effective for Seonghwa. So he just settled for the truth.

"You know the shoot that we are going to do?" he began, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes, I do. What, is the aesthetic landfill-chic?" Seonghwa motioned at the explosion over the room.

"No, not at all! Don't even. You have seen the clothing, right?"

"Of course, I wore ARNURI before. Must say, very flattering. And fashionable. That one overcoat made me feel like a vampire prince."

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment on that. Seonghwa was Seonghwa, he had his own agenda and his own interpretations.

"Right, so... well, you know I have a lot of ARNURI stuff? It's not just that... I have um... sort of become a... fan? Of the designer? L/N Y/N? She is just... her vision... her style is just... yeah she is great."

"Oh my gosh my boy Kim Hongjoong actually wants to meet someone outside of ATEEZ, this is legendary, I should post this on Universe."

"What in the- hey I meet people! And don't you dare"

"When, mister 'I don't really have many friends' and literally getting jealous over me talking to Minho from Stray Kids?"

"Hey, being a best friend is a responsibility, and you are my best friend!"

"Oh wait... I get it... I don't think you are aiming for friendship here... isn't that right?" a grin started spreading over Seonghwa's face as he looked like he discovered a new planet.

"I am just a fan of hers! Don't twist this!"

"Sure... okay now I get... this," he gave a judgmental side eye to the pile of sweaters that had made their home right by his display cabinet. "You are like a middle schooler before a first date, I swear. This is definitely because she's going to be there, right?"

"You know what? Yes, yes it is. And I might not have had my growth spurt yet but I am not a middle schooler." Hongjoong said, standing up as straight as possible, putting his hands on his hips.

"That's exactly what an angsty middle schooler would say." Seonghwa looked him up and down, stifling a laugh.

"You are on a power trip aren't you?"

"Hell yeah I am, and I will be for the entire shoot and beyond."

"Park Seonghwa why you do this to ME?"

"If you don't want the others to get the details I have an offer."

This made Hongjoong stop on his tracks and retract his 'leader card'. He did not want to lose face in front of the 'teezer crew entirely, so keeping this information in confidence was enticing.

"Yes?"

"First off, clean your shit. And second, I get that spot on the dresser for the Imperial All Terrain Armoured Transport model I've been hunting down."

"First, deal. Second, say that one more fucking time dude I dare you."

"IMPERIAL ALL TERRAIN ARMOURED TRANSPORT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE AT-AT WALKER, IS A FOUR-LEGGED TRANSPORT AND COMBAT VEHICLE USED BY THE IMPERIAL GROUND FO-"

"Did you legit memorise Wikipedia or something?"

"May the force be with you, bitch. Now you clean, I will go chill outside so I don't have an aneurysm because of how you do it. And by the way, I'd pick the leather jacket if I were you. Classic, timeless and looks good."

"Thank you man, you are the best."

"I know, now impress me with how you can make this room spotless."

And with that, Seonghwa left Hongjoong alone in the room. From what he could hear, there was a circus outside, with the other members having gathered around, interrogating about what had just unfolded. but Seonghwa was keeping his word, for now at least. He knew that he did not have to try too hard, since Hongjoong would probably expose himself as soon as he were to see you anyways.

And Seonghwa was more than right. The next day, when ATEEZ arrived to the studio, Hongjoong was very jittery. Alert to any and all people and sounds, he was looking around as if he was expecting someone - well he definitely was. As soon as they stepped into the ARNURI office, he was convinced that you could be around any corner.

The other members were beginning to catch on that this hyung was acting odd, to the point where Yeosang commented on Hongjoong looking like he was playing Alien Isolation in real life. The reference flew right over the leader's head, but he tried his best to tone his Pink Panther-style snooping down.

And instead focus on the many photos that decorated the walls of your house of fashion. Memories of particularly memorable parts of a show, awards, red carpet events... club nights, themed evenings, collaborations... this was your life. Right there, immortalised in tasteful monochrome.

The boys were in awe of the refined interior - strictly monochromatic, any accents in the otherwise white rooms and corridors were done using the colour black. Although it was not a rule by any means (in fact, you encouraged being as daring as one wanted), the majority of ARNURI employees were clad in the colour, fitting right into the brand and the aesthetics.

They were led up a couple of flights of stairs, and as they were making their way down one corridor, Hongjoong began to catch snippets of lively conversation, the occasional staff gliding a clothing rack past them or across the hallway, and... shouts of 'yes ma'am'?

Initially he was confused, but as they were getting closer to the photo studio, it clicked in his head: you were in there. Who else could be referred to as ma'am?

"Hey, Hongjoong, I think we are -actually- meant to... walk in the hall to do the shoot." Jongho walked up behind the leader, fake whispering, causing a round of chuckles from the other members. The only member who was not as smiley (except Hongjoong himself, that is) was Seonghwa, and it was because Hongjoong not so little infatuation was old news to him, and the room had been cleaned to a very satisfying level, much to his surprise.

"Woah no way, Jongho, that's insane. I was sure that this was a new technique or something..." Yunho piped in, glancing at Hongjoong, lips curling up.

He had a couple of sneaking suspicions about Hongjoong's behaviour whenever ARNURI, or more specifically the founder and lead designer, were mentioned or he was given the chance to gush about it.

The radio appearance was the closest to a confirmation that he could get - Hongjoong getting shy over being a big fan... what a sight to see. But seeing the post-discussion silent conversations between the two eldest members, and some signal exchanges while they were driving up to the venue really sealed the deal. There was something really fun going on with Hongjoong, and Yunho needed the deets.

For research purposes. And who was he to pass up on a ship in the making?

Finally, their manager, after finishing up a conversation with some of the relationship management staff from ARNURI, who had greeted them, decided to speed up the process and usher the kids in.

To soothe his nerves, Hongjoong picked at a bracelet he had selected for completing his 'first meeting and first impression' look. He had worn it many times over, and had even taken it with him on tour before, so it was a little ball of positive energy for him.

But nothing could prepare or prevent the Error that Hongjoong.exe experienced as he finally saw you in your element.

There was something spellbinding about the way you looked. Head to toe in your own creations, you were wearing an onyx-hued Victorian era inspired suit, matched with military boots that had immaculate metal detailing.

He could not stop staring, even if it could be perceived as rude, or too forward. There you were.

"Oh, guys, man down, man down, our captain's overboard~" Wooyoung taunted, shouldering San and Yeosang who were on either side of him.

It really was a sight to behold. Hongjoong, entirely captivated as you stood in the middle of the photo studio, guiding the entire room like a conductor would lead an orchestra.

He ignored the youngers' attempts to get his attention, much to their utter disbelief and resulting giddiness. If there was a definition of starstruck. This was it.

You appeared to have a pulse on EVERYTHING, down to the tiniest details, pointing out that there was a very specific prop missing, adjusting accessories, exchanging one scarf for another. It was the most organised chaos that Hongjoong had ever seen, and he was amazed at how you could keep it under control.

The star he had deemed unreachable was right there. Right in front of him.

"Joongie, I think you can leave your drooling until after the shoot. You don't want your makeup ruined."

"Oh Hwa is this how it is?" he looked at his friend in disbelief.

"I think you exposed yourself enough, no?"

"Ew, Hongjoong come on don't traumatise your wife." Wooyoung was not giving up on his mission to annoy Hongjoong into early retirement.

"GUYS please don't embarrass me-"

"Oh so you admit it?" San questioned, smirking like the devil.

"Admit what?"

"That you are doing some shady shit."

"Where did this even come from, San."

"So the studio then, no wonder you come back from there at like four in the morning."

"You guys are making me lose brain cells that I need to get instructions from the photographer." Yeosang deadpanned, nodding towards the set.

"I don't even want to begin imagining what sort of things you are thinking about, but I can assure you I will annihilate you if you start kindergarten season here." Hongjoong threatened but it fell short as Mingi grinned and joined in the ambush:

"Say 'aye' if you think this minion is invested into this shoot." the way he said it almost sounded like an innuendo, making Hongjoong scowl.

The most deafening collection of 'ayes' resounded around Hongjoong, and caused you to shift your focus to the newly arrived group. He noticed your expression soften, shoulders roll a little further back as you ambled towards them, the thuds of your boots setting his heart's pace.

"Ah good morning to you all! It is such a pleasure to be working with you. Did I make you wait for long?"

"Not at all, the pleasure is all ours." Hongjoong forced out, pushing the snickering members out of his sphere of attention.

"Great, well it is wonderful to finally meet you, I am L/N Y/N, the mad scientist behind ARNURI!"

"Very much the same here, Miss-"

"We'll be working closely enough to be informal, no?" you interjected before Hongjoong could call you by your last name.

Your allure was more powerful than he had hypothesised, to the point where some of the other members, more specifically San and Seonghwa, could not look away from you either - it seemed that you had the energy for attracting demons. The way you carried yourself, poised and courteous, demanded nothing less than respect.

At the same time, there was nothing demure about you. If anything, you resembled a cat that was ready to pounce any moment. As though there was a coil within you, permanently tense and even slightly dangerous. But that was thrilling.

Hongjoong cleared his throat, and corrected himself, "Yes, of course, sorry, Y/N. Shall we do the official greeting or-"

"Let's keep things personal for now, and once my lovely colleagues are done with the final checks, we can get started with eight makes one team." you winked, and suggested, quoting the greeting.

It was beyond entertaining for Wooyoung to see just how putty-like Hongjoong had become in your presence. He was just playing by your rules at this point, without questioning them. But it was understandable, who wouldn't get weak when their type was right in front of them and said 'let's keep things personal'?

"Well then let me be proper, I am San!" whilst you were exchanging words with Hongjoong, the member had time to slip from where he originally stood, and was now almost right in front of you, beaming.

Hongjoong chortled, but at the same time wanted to kick his fellow member in the shins because of the interception. What was his game here exactly?

Ever so politely, you greeted San back, not giving away that you were interested in continuing your chat with Hongjoong. It was second nature to you to blend one interaction into another without revealing any preferences - otherwise you would have a lot more enemies in the industry.

Then you simply proceeded to greet each ATEEZ member separately, your attention shifting entirely each time. You had a way of making people feel like, for even if just a moment, they were your universe.

It came from your tendency of seeing people both as perfect canvases, and as living works of art. You enjoyed the challenge that working off a person gave you, and this was mainly why you wanted to give each ATEEZ member a final once over - to see whether what you had planned was even right.

Each member gave you a unique impression, ranging from mischievous to shy to strictly professional. Seeing as you had never actively followed their activities, aside from their leader's, you were fascinated by the dynamic they were displaying, taking note for who you wanted to see in the camera together, and maybe even matching in some accessories.

Hongjoong was nearly holding his breath as he saw you reading ATEEZ like an open book. You were scanning everyone in the way he had seen renowned critics do while inspecting models on the runway. A Mona Lisa smile, and conclusions no one would know except yourself.

When it was finally his turn, he said his name as brightly as possible, faltering only towards the end as your eyes locked. He swore his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. It did not last long though, as you glanced down, and appeared to be incredibly happy because of something you spotted.

San was taking a particular interest in this silent mental tango, intently following your every move, while Wooyoung cupped his hand around his friend's ear and whispered.

"The bracelet."

"Ah, yes, it's uhm, should I say yours?"

"I guess so! It is from the limited edition MEDUSA collection. It suits you well. And the condition is impeccable though it's been what, a couple of years?"

"It's very precious to me, I try to take good care of it."

Seonghwa pursed his lips, the chaos of their dorm room clouding his vision. He imagined that you probably would go ballistic if you were to ever see clothing being treated in that way. Though Hongjoong did have separate storage for accessories and jewelry - that much was true.

"That means a lot. Thank you-" you turned as someone called out for you, alerting that everything was ready to go, "it's time, gentlemen, let's get this party started!"

As you clasped your hands together and moved away to join the lead photographer, allowing stylists to guide the group away and begin working their magic, San peered at Hongjoong once more.

When he made sure everyone else was out of earshot, he placed a hand on the captain's shoulder, and muttered:

"If you don't ask her out, I will. No hierarchy on this battle field."

#hongjoong x reader #ateez x reader #ateez #ateez fic rec #hongjoong fic

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ficrecsiguess · 2 years ago

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It's been a while but I could finally catch up with the story and let me tell you... I'm once again obsessed.

I love how far the relationship between the oc and the boys has come. I'm so happy to see that she is letting most of her walls down. Either in showing herself or her fantasies. It's been amazing to read how much the boys trust her as well. Yes they still get jealous but it's nothing like it used to be.

But I can feel that something bad is coming. We can't have all good thing i guess. I get this feeling like in all the fantasy books I read that the war is coming, and it's coming in strong. But I can't wait to see all the good, the bad and the ugly. Because I know for sure that it will be written in the most amazing way. I can't wait to see oc fighting for what she loves and becoming the best version of herself alongside the boys.

So believe me when I say that I really can't wait to see what happens next 💛

side note, this is my review of the smut scene: 🛐🤤😳😮‍💨🫣🛐. I can't put it into words, what can I say.

{21} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor, Smut

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Slight focus on Wooyoung & Jongho)

Words: 9,249

Warnings: Not edited, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes! The word count can, and will change. Exhibitionism/Voyerism, Oral (Fem. receiving), a shit ton of praise. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I’ll edit in the morning when I wake up, I promise. This is my first time writing a smut like this, so please bear with me. I really hope you all enjoy it, I didn’t actually end the chapter how I thought it would end, but I’ll just end the next one how I originally planned this chapter to end. That being said, I don’t think the next chapter will be extremely long then, but I will warn you, shit is about to go down. For now, enjoy this fluffy smut! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Part Fifteen - Part Sixteen - Part Seventeen - Part Eighteen - Part Nineteen - Part Twenty - Mini Masterlist

Seguir leyendo

#yandere #ateez #ateez x reader #ateez fic rec #fic recs #hongjoon fic #seonghwa fic #yunho fic #yeosang fic #san fic #mingi fic #wooyoung fic #jonho fic #fav 💛

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ficrecsiguess · 2 years ago

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this was so sweet!! (i guess, pun intended?)

Really enjoyed the incorporation of social media in how Wooyoung and the oc met. It totally makes sense.

Now, the dynamics. I loved them. Not only between the couple, but with ateez as well. I really was laughing and smiling throughout the whole fic.

Also, I really liked how they both went public. I wish real life could be like this. Showing natural and healthy relationships in the idol's life (a girl can dream lol)

I can't wait to read the other fics inside the "Your fan" series! 🥰

Your fan, Wooyoung (part 2)

(part 1) (your fan masterlist)

🍰 pairing: wooyoung x baker!/cafeowner!reader 🍰 genre: romance, fluff, social media vibes, very soft 🍰 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if wooyoung was stanning you 🍰 wordcount: 4.6k (popped off on this one I guess) 🍰 warnings/tags: language, social media couple, protective father, paparazzi trying hard, hongjoong and seonghwa parents, mentions of food/eating, ateez members teasing woo until the end of time, wooyoung being LOUD, established relationship 🍰 a/n: Hello there wonderful people <3 here is pt.2 of Your Fan, Wooyoung!!! Hope you enjoy, big hugs and all reblogs, asks and likes appreciated <3 (p.s. can you guess who is next? hint is: fashion ;))

When Wooyoung woke up, both Hongjoong and Seonghwa were standing in the room, looking like they were about to whoop him into next week.

Suddenly he was wishing that it was his actual parents and not his hyung-parents.

He contemplated just falling back asleep stressfully.

Mainly so that if they did exterminate him he wouldn't have to deal with all that with his brain on, but neither were having it.

"Jung Wooyoung."

"Ooh, government name. What's happening this fine morn?" He put his hands behind his head, pressing himself into his pillow to the point where it could nearly absorb him. If only this was Portal 2.

"Nothing much. If you don't count a certain someone trending on Naver. Would you look at that..." Hongjoong pushed his glasses down slightly to demonstratively peer at the screen of his phone, "you got your first solo win. Want a congratulatory pat on your back?" He hissed, knuckles turning white as he gripped his phone tighter. A smile still remained on Hongjoong's face, making him appear a smidgen deranged.

"Not when you look like you are about to break it."

"Aren't you even a tiny bit curious as to what this is?" Seonghwa muttered, quietly seething.

"Uhh..."

"To my room. Jung Wooyoung. In one minute or SO HELP ME." Hongjoong commanded, blinking furiously. When Wooyoung did not move, it was as though a bubble of rage had exploded within the captain, as he slammed the wall beside him with his fist and yelled: "MY ROOM. Hwa BRING HIM TO ME." The change in tone as he spoke the other's name was borderline comical, making Wooyoung's lips twitch into a ghost of a smile.

But he knew better than that. Apparently it was shitstorm hour that he had not been made aware of.

This was confirmed when as he walked out and locked eyes with Jongho, the latter took to stabbing a pair of chopsticks into rice and leaving it standing upright.

As he walked past the bathroom, where San was fixing his hair, he received a "boy you are going to get it" to 'cheer him on'. What was going on?

The final nail in the coffin was hammered in when he had already placed a hand on the doorknob to what felt to be his torture chamber for the next unknown period of time. Yeosang, sauntering past him stopped, placed a hand on his shoulder, shook his head once, and stated:

"Rest in peace bro."

Then going on his merry way, leaving Wooyoung to be pushed into the room by Seonghwa, who had been his shadow, or guard, this entire time.

The eldest members really wanted the full effect. Hongjoong was standing, arms crossed, next to the window with the curtains closed. a solitary chair was put in the centre of the room, to which the captain gestured, with an irritated nod.

Seonghwa decided to sit on the bottom bunk, opposite Wooyoung, balancing his elbows on his thighs.

"Right. Now, you might ask why I gathered your remaining brain cells here today-"

"Hyu-"

"HERE TODAY, it is because of a certain thing called the internet, and a certain someone losing all sense of self. Here you go, take a gander."

And a gander he took. As Hongjoong approached him with his phone on, the screen frozen on some article on Naver, Wooyoung's heart began to sink faster than the Titanic.

His intuition finally decided to wake up too, and all gears were set in motion. What was something that he did differently as of late? Visited you. What was something that he did differently when visiting you? Changed up the times, since his members were sick of his shit.

What was something wrong with the time he picked? It was busier.

What happens when there are more people around and you are a celebrity who had their hair dyed to become one third of a traffic light trio?

You are much more likely to get recognised, and thus end up in the news.

And that's the moment Wooyoung knew, he fucked up.

Sure enough, the glaring screen was taunting him with a picture of himself, exiting your cafe at an... interesting hour, suffice to day. Not too bad, only two hours after closing time, but still. A pain. He had to think of excuses, and fast.

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed. Do you have ANY idea how dangerous that could be? What conclusions could people come to? And for goodness' sake, if you don't care about yourself, do you care about your crush?"

"Girlfriend, actually."

"Okay girl- WHAT????" Hongjoong's eyes widened as he froze mid-step, having begun to pace back and forth upon starting his mini-monologue.

"You know what, Woo, that's impressive. Big up." Seonghwa nodded a couple of times in approval and extended his hand for Woo to shake.

Hongjoong interjected by cutting right between them.

"Do you condone this behaviour all of a sudden?"

"What? Better than pining with no purpose, this is a man of action right here."

"Ugh, Hwa, please be on my team at least for a second while I try to rearrange this kid's synapses so he learns what CAUTION IS."

Wooyoung attempted to be serious while listening to Hongjoong's tirade, but it was challenging since in his mind, he had determined that the offense wasn't even an offense and there was no way to really frame him for anything. Done and dusted. It was only a matter of sitting through the Seongjoong dual-scolding manoeuvre.

At some point, he began to zone out, his mind travelling back to the events of yesterday and just how worth it everything was. That sparked the urge for him to retaliate, regardless of what part of the 'reasons why Wooyoung is a menace' topic lineup Hongjoong was on.

"OH AND since we are on this whole thing of 'ah stop we're gonna get in trouble', who the hell kicked me out of the dorms?"

"San."

"Under your supervision, MOM AND DAD." he emphasised, glancing at both members in turn. This, they could not deny. It was funny doing what they did at the time, but definitely was not the best decision in retrospect.

Maybe they had hoped that the younger member would not have the courage and the lack of boundaries. But really, that had been a hope equivalent to assuming that air resistance was negligible all the time. Good in theory, shit in practice.

"Woo, I think you are going to have to hold off on seeing her for a bit."

Seonghwa finally spoke up, when Hongjoong had run out of steam and was nearly mumbling to himself.

"Wouldn't that be even more suspicious, like oooh the guy got caught doing something spicy and now he can't show face~"

"But if you come back there, the likelihood of Y/N coming under fire increases colossally."

"Right now there is a chance for this entire thing to blow over, and as Seonghwa said, we are used to the whole media stalking us thing, and even though Y/N is big on social media, the way the media treats us is still... slightly different. You don't want anyone bad on her case, do you?" Hongjoong's voice was now level, and horrifically calm. This was his most enraged state, and the scariest for Wooyoung.

He could handle screaming and even when someone threw things around in a fit, but not the calm-angry contrast. Anything but that.

"No I do not want that, no. But can't there be another way? She is my girlfriend after all-"

"Boy, you better stop or KQ will send you on a permanent voyage." Seonghwa threatened, hands folded.

"HEY HEY Woosanhwa? Come on, Woosanhwa for life!?" Wooyoung was desperately trying to find an ally in one of the two members carrying out the scolding session.

"NAH NOW IT'S SANHWA, you are the child of Dispatch."

"OUCH? And damn did you just say that in front of Hongjoong? Hongjoong you gonna welcome your cheater home or what?"

"Jung Wooyoung you are going to be the death of me. Can you please just, for a week at least, be on best behaviour? We have so many things scheduled and I really don't want to have another conversation with our manager about this."

Wooyoung had totally forgotten about the staff. Curious as to what the manager had said, he sat a little more forward in his chair, leaning in and craning his neck towards the captain.

"Luckily, he said this wasn't too bad, and since you were in Goyang-si it is easy to spin a story about how it was family quality time or something. Actually we got some people doing that for us already."

"Oh my word a special digital operation?"

"Don't get too excited, the manager does want a one on one with you, to 'discuss things'."

Long story short, Wooyoung was banned from going anywhere near Goyang-si for the next couple of weeks, with him instead being flung into different projects, as if they had been invented to take up all his time and make him forget about you.

But that only backfired. Upon revealing to his manager that you were his girlfriend (he could not stop repeating the fact, since he was proud of himself for having asked you out and to be official) and receiving a formal "I don't give a shit dude just stay in your lane and don't do anything more chaotic than your normal", he turned into a spoiler hazard.

He would call or message you during filming. Call or message during practice. Call or message in the dorms. He would be sending you feedback and comments about your content, watching it like the dedicated and diligent boyfriend he was.

Roasting you if he spotted something funny or out of place.

Purposefully, he dialled up his sickeningly sweet petname talk and language that somehow certain couples can survive using without curling up into a ball of cringe.

Progressively, the names got more and more ridiculous, but the scary bit was that he could REMEMBER what he had called you the last time you talked, so he could add cringey chaos like stacking Jenga.

Thanks to his perseverance and disregard for time and space, you and him talked even more often than before.

So often, that even your father, who was another regular visitor to your cafe, had caught on to something.

Whilst he was sitting at one of the tables in the cafe, sipping the coffee you had made him, he was observing how you were smiling like a fool while texting someone, thumbs dashing across the screen.

Then, your phone rang - Wooyoung wanted to video call. Deciding to answer, since there were no strangers in the store, you accepted, and you began to chat.

He shared with you that once a couple of more shoots were done, he could maybe even take you out on a proper date - somewhere outside of Seoul so you could walk around and really enjoy time together. You were bashful, especially since your own father was listening in on the fun with the classic 'who is this boy and let me have a word so I can show him that he can't mess about' face.

Soon enough, Wooyoung noticed that you were a little less flirtatious than usual, and that your eyes kept on darting off to the side. And he was not the one to let such things slide, so he began to question you until you finally gave in.

"Uh... well... say hi to... my dad? Though you guys already know each other so-"

The way in which Wooyoung switched up made you erupt in laughter as you struggled to hold the phone level and show your father walking up. You swore you heard some of the other ATEEZ members cackling in the background, with San being particularly loud.

Because of course Wooyoung had pestered all the members to officially introduce themselves and chat with you. They had been in awe of how oddly similar you were to Wooyoung in terms of upbeat disposition and ability to brighten a room with some wonderful comedy.

But that at the same time, it was as if a couple of components were switched out. You were disciplined and organised, and Seonghwa auto-approved you when you had equated your general approach to life as measuring out baking instructions. Sure you liked to have fun and experiment, but you had a time and place for that.

Hongjoong had congratulated you on becoming Wooyoung's new mommy, much to the latter's embarrassment. But you only picked up on that and K.O-ed your boyfriend with just the remark: "Kinky? But anything for my baby boy I guess" that sent the group rolling. You felt like you just started an inside joke that Woo would not be able to live down.

As your father walked up to the barista counter and looked into the camera, Wooyoung, at lightning speed, had moved seats to have a neutral background behind him, and was sitting like he was ready for a work ID photo. Stifling a giggle, you tilted the phone so the two men could speak.

"So, Wooyoung, how have you been?"

"Very well, thank you sir."

"Practicing cooking?"

"Yes sir."

"And saving room for dessert I see-" your father glanced over to you, raising an eyebrow. You could see Wooyoung's cheeks starting to go red.

"I am beyond grateful for having the opportunity to try my best and care for your daughter, sir."

"I will make you into meat for jeongol if you do any less."

"Got it, sir. I will try my best-"

"Not try. Do. And I will see you tomorrow." Your father finished off with a signature chef smile - the one you had seen in magazines that had covered his work and interviewed him. The one that screamed 'I am the boss here'. Way to go, trying to scare your poor baby.

"Wait... what's tomorrow?" you asked as your father returned to his seat.

"Uh... we have... filming... together... a master class." he explained slowly, his whole face scrunching up as though he ate a lemon. It felt as though someone kept on playing a laugh track behind him.

The culprits made themselves known soon enough, as a beaming Yunho wrapped one arm around your boyfriend's neck and called out to you.

"Oh yeah that is going to be one hell of a time. You should totally come, Y/N. We are all going to be there in the background."

"Is that even allowed?"

"HONGJOONG!?" Yunho immediately shouted off-call, and followed up with a question. You heard shuffling and some low mumbles. You looked over to your dad, who was also pondering the matter, and suddenly took out his own phone.

Just as you overheard Hongjoong say he was not sure whether it was possible to invite anyone in since technically, you were not an insider by any means, your dad called someone, greeted them, and began to converse about... the filming? You shushed Wooyoung and company, mouthing that there was an important call being made.

"Mhm, yes. Yes, my daughter. Yes... that successful young lady that made Jung Wooyoung a little reckless. Yes... no, we have known each other for a long time, come on. You know I wouldn't suggest anything out of line. Yeah? Okay. Great. Then she'll come. Okay, okay I'll pass that on. See you. Bye."

Well that was one short conversation. You looked at your father, expectant, but not having one sliver of an idea at what exactly he had just managed to pull off.

"Y/N, how quickly can you get a catering order ready?"

"Like a couple hours?"

"Okay good, early start tomorrow, and under that pretense, you are in." he said, purposefully louder so the guys on the call could hear.

With a satisfied grin he listened to their claps and cheers, whilst you contemplated whether your father was a mafia boss in an alternate universe.

This was bound to be one exciting shoot to do. Especially since it would be the first time since the not-really-a-scandal-but-a-scandal-nonetheless had happened, leaving Wooyoung totally work-bound.

And you desperately wanted to catch a glimpse of what a professional set looked like, as before this, the majority of what you were exposed to had been your mini ring light, reflectors and a stand for your phone. A little more than most and functional for you, but still felt amateur.

As instructed, you were up early. Earlier than you had ever managed to before. The adrenaline threw you out of bed as you rushed to 'dream-ity' that was located closer to the company.

After having been cleared to join, you had received a message from staff to arrange for a time when they could arrive to help you with transporting the delicious goods, so time was not your friend.

Moving around the kitchen you were baking fresh goods as though your life depended on it, recalling your time as a line cook, when orders would be coming in by the second and the only thing in your ears was slamming of pots and cursing.

For that part in your culinary journey you were grateful. You had become a lot more resilient and were not phased by this time pressure.

This enabled you to go all out. You did not know if they had ordered from any other place, but you wanted to be the one all staff and ATEEZ remembered. You wanted to show Wooyoung just what you were capable of, and wanted to show your father that you ALWAYS meant business.

Even though you had made up some time ago, that competitive and judgmental edge had never quite gone away. But, that was what gave you your business-savviness and, quite frankly, was the thing that taught you to not give up on anything.

If it were any different, you were confident that you would not be able to match so well with Wooyoung. He was a force of nature that was not subject to change unless he himself wanted to do so. And only because you had the power to absorb some of that energy while simultaneously giving your own in return, you had this unique synergy.

Regardless of distance, or of external circumstance, this exchange stayed strong, and though both of you wanted nothing more than to be able to spend time together and thrived off in person contact, you were not afraid, nor insecure. It was the ideal flow state.

So when you strutted into the large studio and kitchen at the time you had been appointed, together with two staff who had come to help, each of you carrying two large delivery bags each, you made sure you were glowing and every bit the glorious bringer of nourishment who totally had not just dressed up to spend an entire day behind the camera line.

It seemed to have the desired effect, as Wooyoung, who was having some touch ups done, had his jaw drop (which may or may not have earned him a glare from your father and a few chuckles from the other members who had been splayed out on some sofas, but shot up as you and the catering crew greeted each other and got to setting everything up.

As you began to unpack the sweet and savoury, standard and unique, light and heavy items - whatever anyone's heart desired, you heart a few cheers. Food really did bring everyone together.

"Y/N can you live with us please?" Mingi came up to you, eyeing the goods and picking out something that suited his fancy.

"THANK YOU THIS IS GREAT!" San raced across the hall to to go in for the steal, nearly running into Seonghwa, who was admiring the intricacy of the mini-cake assortment you had decided to throw into the mix on a whim. It had been a hit on TikTok, so surely it had to have the same effect here.

The staff also pulled up to the feast in record time, relieved at the much needed break and the delicious accompaniment to it.

Once everyone's attention was either on the food or on their phone that was paired with the food, Wooyoung sauntered up to you, a dopey smile on his face.

"I am so excited to see you I could kiss you right this instant." he whispered, leaning closer to your face. A shiver ran down your spine as you could feel his breath brush against your ear.

"You are cute, and I want to keep it that way and not have you filming with a black eye." You nodded at the man, your father, who was inspecting and rearranging some of the utensils on the set.

"Can't I get some attention~ I missed you!" Wooyoung whined playfully, and pouted at you.

You looked around to make sure that no staff members were paying attention (though the majority definitely knew at this point that you two were an item - no thanks to Wooyoung advertising it, first to the stylist who he had proclaimed to be a matchmaker, then to his manager even though he already knew thanks to the brush with paparazzi, and it kept on going). Once feeling that the coast was clear, you tugged at the sleeve of the dress shirt he was wearing, beckoning him.

Your own voice sultry, captivating, you winked and responded with:

"If you'll be a good boy, you can get all the attention in the world later."

"Y'all are nasty." you heard Hongjoong mutter right behind you. You had not noticed that he crept up to steal a pastry bite.

"You did say I am his mommy now, so I'm just following captain's orders."

"Oh no no Wooyoung you are rubbing off on her with this disrespect."

"Rubbing off you say?"

"I'M GONNA GO RETIRE NOW BYE."

You shared a laugh with Wooyoung. It was good to be back.

Filming continued, and you took great pleasure in seeing your father and Wooyoung interacting and attempting to not set the kitchen on fire. Two times Wooyoung had nearly knocked some glass bowls off the counter, only with your father's professional reflexes saving the day.

You were nearly in tears from trying too hard not to laugh so loud as you watched your father going a little red in the face as he held in every curse word known to man while watching Wooyoung stir fry something. You had to admit, your boyfriend was a LOT better than you had imagined, but your dad was a notorious perfectionist and the contrast between him and Wooyoung was too glorious of an entertainment.

You would be lying if it did not make you dream of what it would be like if Wooyoung were to become part of your family, but you swatted that thought away.

After wrapping up filming and beginning to gather your things, the director decided to approach you, simultaneously calling Wooyoung and some staff over.

"So, first of all I hope being here wasn't too boring for you. Thank you so much for the amazing food and for the company."

"I am glad you enjoyed, and boring? I was crying laughing in the back, this was great! I am beyond honoured for the invitation."

"Well then, how would be invited back sound? This time in front of the camera?"

"Oh?"

"Well both Wooyoung and Mr. L/N had advertised your skill, and Wooyoung had shown me some of your content, and I must say, I would be very interested in working with you! Plus I think your," he looked at your boyfriend and then back at you, "dynamic, will bring good chemistry."

And he was more than right. The episode where you had become a special guest and taught Wooyoung to make that same strawberry shortcake he had revealed was the first think he had seen you bake on social media, had amassed a considerable number of views and likes, with both ATINY and your audience raving at the collaboration.

Some of the fans who had been speculating about Wooyoung's appearance at 'dream-ity' also had their curiosity satisfied, saying that it had been Wooyoung being the classic 'spoiler king' for the collaboration.

As the view count grew and #bakerwoo and #dreamitywoo grew on trending, in a matter of days your cafe chain had become a popular Instagram spot among fans, with the one in Goyang-si being the peak location (for obvious reasons).

In light of not being able to continue your dates in the same style, you and Wooyoung changed tactics, and began to travel, just as you had wanted. For some videos, he had become your camera man, and for some of his social media updates, you had become the photographer.

In some of your videos you had even included snippets of you chatting to an off-screen Wooyoung, which sent ATINY into a frenzy as they had screamed in the comments about the "VERY FAMILIAR LAUGH" and about "WHY ARE THEIR POSTS KINDA SIMILAR THIS IS SUS GUYS"

It was thrilling to visit new places together, see how far you could push it before Dispatch was on your case. Even Hongjoong and Seonghwa had given up on you at that point, sighing harder than your own father and just saying 'young love'.

Together, you decided that if the spotlight was going to be on you, then so be it. Both of you were public figures in your respective fields, and being under constant scrutiny was part of the job. And this approach turned out to work in your favour, as the gradual introduction of one another in posts and content had become golden nuggets of wholesomeness for fans to search for and find.

The casual treatment of your relationship, looking at it not as something monumental but something natural, intrinsic, had turned what could have been a scandal on its head, making it a celebration and something to support.

Both you and Wooyoung had met thanks to social media, and had managed to use it for support and as a buffer zone for when FINALLY, one lonely paparazzi had caught you two out on a date, thinking he would be getting the juiciest content.

He was in for a shock when both of you turned to face him, at the same time, and pose like it was a red carpet event. When the photos were published, you two were sitting in the ATEEZ dorms, having a blast looking through the meme reactions at ATINY calling the journalists 'internet explorer' and quite simply, being happy for you.

Though having taken the path of being more public did come with its challenges, both of you were ready to overcome them, for many anniversaries to come. Whenever life was not too sweet, Wooyoung and you had taken to lightening things up by saying the 'dream-ity' pantries were always within reach. You embraced each other's chaos, and shared it with nothing but pride and adoration.

As Wooyoung sat in your newest addition to the 'dream-ity' chain, which you had yet to open, and was studying you as you rushed about, guiding two construction workers, he recalled how he had found you, had become your fan, and had fallen for you.

TikTok really did work in mysterious ways.

#ateez #ateez fic rec #wooyoung x reader #wooyoung fic #fic recs #soft hours

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ficrecsiguess · 2 years ago

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OMGGG THIS WAS EVERYTHING!!!

ugh i might have a thing for the love interest changing for the oc lol but this was done so so well.

The writing and interactions between characters was so good. I really liked the dynamic oc and jungkook shared before they became a thing. Loved this 🥰

on mute | jjk

🦈pairing: fuckboy!gamer!jjk x reader

🦈genre: friends to lovers, office!au, coworker!au, smut, fluff

🦈summary: You always assumed your handsome coworker was down to fuck anyone in the office except for you. He always assumed you weren’t interested in a guy like him. And both of you were content with never admitting your feelings… until he unknowingly confides in you in the realms of a certain tactical FPS game.

🦈word count: 10.7k

🦈warnings: mutual pining, shooter game references, soft fuckboy vibes, fingering, doggy style, protected sex bc bro aint taking no chances🤠

a/n: i wasnt planning on including smut so thats a bonus✨

You press a hand to your mouth to suppress a yawn as the department meeting finally comes to an end. Your boss had gone over the schedule for next quarter, alluded to a few new projects, and gave a few shoutouts to people on your team who apparently “went the extra mile” this week. You couldn’t care less about being acknowledged for your work, but it does kind of irk you that Jeon Jungkook got a shoutout when you’ve never seen him do extra work in the office. All he’s done this week is take your pretty lady boss out to lunch. If that’s considered extra work, you suppose Jungkook works the hardest. After all, he’s the type to make time for anyone he wants to sleep with aka everyone in the office except for you.

As you scoot your chair out, you back into something very solid. Surely no one is dumb enough to stand right behind your chair when they know how eager everyone is to get out of here for the weekend. But when you turn around, you know exactly who it is without even seeing his face—Employee of the Week Jeon Jungkook.

You stare at the back of his shoulders in that mustard button-down, and it occurs to you that it was his nice ass that you’d bumped into. He didn’t even stumble forward from the impact or at least step aside so you can leave like everyone else. You just want to get home, soak in a nice hot bubble bath, and play a few games with your calico all curled up in your lap—that’s the ideal Friday night that Jeon Jungkook is keeping you from.

“Excuse me, kind sir,” you say as your nude acrylics tap the armrest.

The boy turns around with fake astonishment. And a handsome smile. “Oh, Y/N, I didn’t know you were still here.”

“I mean, yeah, I’d be gone too if someone wasn’t blocking my way out.” In the year that you’ve been on the same team as Jungkook, the two of you somehow developed this sarcastic and aggressive way of speaking without actually being mad at each other. Some call it banter, but you dislike the possible romantic implications of that.

“What’s the rush? Got plans tonight?” He still doesn’t move out of the way. You didn’t expect him pinning you against a table in the office to be so underwhelming. You imagine a fuck boy like him could try a little harder, be a little rougher. Not that you’ve ever fantasized about it.

“Yeah, I just bought some cute new lingerie for when I hop into bed with Christina Lauren and my cat.” You leave out the gaming part of your Friday night plans. If he knew you played the same game as him, he’d probably use it against you somehow.

“Who’s Christina Lauren?” he asks. You love the thought of him imagining you in lingerie with some mystery woman. Or maybe that’d just encourage a threesome.

“My cat’s favorite romance writer?” You say it like it should be common sense to know that your cat purrs himself to sleep when you read to him.

“And you’re going to waste your cute new lingerie on reading a Lauren Christina bedtime story to your cat?”

“It’s Christina Lauren, not Lauren Christina.”

“Christina Lauren doesn’t care about your lingerie.” It amuses you how he keeps bringing up the lingerie. You wonder what he’d think if he saw you in that skimpy mesh fabric. It’d probably come as a shock to him considering he’s only ever seen you in your preppy office attire. He has no idea what you’re capable of beneath those cream blouses and mocha mini skirts.

If only he knew.

“Tldr, yes I have very urgent plans tonight.” That reminds you, you need to check your in-game shop to see if any pretty skins are on sale this time around. You’ve been eyeing the one with the cute whale shark design.

“What a coincidence, Lauren Christina is my favorite writer too. I really liked that one book she wrote.” You don’t hate that he’s prolonging the conversation, but if he says “Lauren Christina” one more time, you’re gonna report him to HR.

“Same,” you chuckle. “Now please move so I can leave.”

He finally steps aside. Before he can pull a fast one and trap you again, you throw your tiny bag over your shoulder and scurry for the exit. You stop just outside the conference room and spin around. The boy’s eyes quickly shift up from your skirt.

“Coming or not?” you ask with a head tilt. If there’s one good thing about having a local fuck boy in the office, it’s that you always have someone who’ll walk you to your car when it’s dark out. That’s one of the things you know he does just for you.

On the elevator ride down, it’s just you and him because everyone else has already vacated the building. You sneak a peek at your handsome colleague. It’s a shame that he spends more time in your coworkers’ beds than in actual relationships. If not for that, you’d—

“You should recommend a book for me,” he says, catching you mindlessly staring at him. Oops.

“You don’t look like a reader.” You doubt he’d ever pick up a book over girls.

“I’ll read a book if you say it’s good.” Now he’s just sweet talking you, and you’re not going to fall for it. Except, you would love someone to gush to about your favorite books.

“Dating You/Hating You.” The book title just sort of slips out of your mouth. Though you can’t exactly vouch for how good it is since it’s the one you’re currently reading.

“Give me your best elevator pitch for it.” Haha, he thinks he’s so funny. (You laugh anyway.)

Persuasion is your thing, but you can’t give a proper elevator pitch for a book you haven’t actually finished yet. Moreover, you don’t know what kinds of genres he’d be into or if this book would be a good fit for him. You don’t even know any of his interests outside of sex and video games.

When you really think about it, there’s not much you know about Jeon Jungkook. He’s a mystery, but a charming one.

“It’ll give us something to talk about,” you say softly as the loud ding interrupts. “That’s my elevator pitch to you.”

“Not bad,” he nods as you both exit the elevator. That was way easier than expected. “Is it by your cat’s favorite romance author?”

“It is,” you smile. It’s hard not to smile when you’re with him. “I can lend you my copy next week after I fin—”

“Jungkook!” The new recruiting coordinator blocks your way out of the building with eager eyes and a smile brighter than your own. “Still down for drinks later at that place we talked about?”

You try not to roll your eyes as you step around yet another coworker who ignores you standing right next to the boy they want to ask out. You and Jungkook aren’t a thing, but it does hurt to know that not a single person thinks of you as worthy competition. He’s probably made it very clear to everyone in the office that you and him are just friends and that your nightly walks to the parking lot are for safety purposes only.

Thankfully, you get out of the building before you can hear Jungkook accept the invitation into someone else’s bed. The last thing you want is to be jealous of the people he’d rather be spending time with. You and your silly little book recommendations mean nothing to him.

Nothing at all.

“Sorry about that.” He catches up to you a minute later in the dimly lit parking lot.

You shake your head. “It’s alright. That’s what happens when you’re the popular guy.” And you mean it, too. You’re not the type to fault people for being who they are, nor would you ever ask them to change for you. Besides, there’s really nothing between you and him. There’s nothing he should feel sorry for.

“Hey, why do you always park in the furthest corner of the parking lot?” he teases, probably as a way to change the subject. You see his car parked just a few spots down from you, so he doesn’t really have a right to criticize your decisions. Looks like your habit has rubbed off on him. “It’d be safer if you parked closer to the building.”

You shrug even though the parking placement and slightly longer walks are intentional. He doesn’t need to know it’s your subtle way of prolonging the time you spend with him. You always look forward to those few extra minutes where he’s all yours.

“It doesn’t feel dangerous here at all.” Not when you’re with him. You unlock your car and hop into the driver’s seat.

“Yeah, totally not dangerous.” Jungkook holds your door as he scans the dark and empty lot for anything suspicious. He listens as a few sirens screech in the distance and does a double-take at the lone soda can rolling around in the wind. When the coast is clear, he turns back to you. “I look forward to reading the Lauren Christina book when your cat’s done with it.”

He waits for your seatbelt to click before closing the door. You roll the window down and glare. “It’s Christina Lauren! And have fun on your date.”

With a wave of your manicure, you’re off to your “urgent” Friday night plans.

When you return home, you get what you want. You strip off your work clothes and soak in a lavender bubble bath for a good 30 minutes before admiring the new lingerie Jungkook wouldn’t stop mentioning earlier.

It’s tempting to try it on now, but you wish someone else could see it on you. Jungkook is right. Christina Lauren doesn’t care about your lingerie. If the boy were here to see it for himself, you want to know what he’d think, what he’d say, and what he’d do to your body. It’d probably be incredible—for one night—but that’d be the end of it. That’s how all of his flings go, and a hypothetical one with you would be no different. With a sigh, you set the lingerie aside, throw on an oversized sweatshirt that just barely covers your ass, and load into your game.

The first thing you do is check the shop for the cute gun skin with the whale shark design. The RNG gods give you a couple of good knives, an awful pistol, a subpar rifle, and no shark. It’s fine, you tell yourself. You didn’t want to spend real money on pretty pixels anyway.

As soon as your first match starts, your four teammates are quick to use their mics. Apparently, they all know each other. Can’t relate.

“So… How’d the date go?” asks the healer. The two duelists place their bets on whether the date went incredibly well or horribly wrong. You silently cast your vote for horribly wrong since you lean toward pessimism.

“I didn’t end up going,” says the initiator. He sounds a lot like a certain Jeon Jungkook, but you shouldn’t assume. As far as you know, he doesn’t have a reason to cancel the date with that recruiting coordinator. In fact, he should be having drunk sex with her right about now. Not that it’s any of your business to know what your handsome coworker does after hours. None of that involves you.

“Is it because of You-know-who?” asks the duelist who voted with you. You-know-who? Like a jealous ex-lover? Sounds like drama to you.

“Yep…” Nah, it can’t be the Jeon Jungkook you know. This guy’s voice is giving you more lovesick puppy than confident fuck boy. He dies from a grenade and goes silent for the next few rounds while his buddies keep providing intel to the team. You pick up the whale shark gun over his dead body.

“Hey, CL,” the healer calls out your username. “Do you have a mic?”

Yes, you do have a mic. No, you’re not going to use it. These guys seem harmless so far, but it’s not always fun when people realize you’re the only female on the team. Men in this game try to hit on you just like the ones you pass in the short distance from the office to your car. And they’ll only stop pestering you if you’re walking next to a guy like Jungkook, which you clearly don’t have in this game with your empty friend list. So you’d rather stay on mute for now.

“my mic is broken,” you type, “cat knocked it over.”

“Ah, that’s okay.” He heals you up and saves you from an otherwise fatal headshot. “We were just wondering if you could help our buddy out.”

You? You’re not sure how you’re supposed to be of any help to a lovesick puppy when you haven’t had much luck in the love department either. But you are a curious kitten when it comes to other people’s love lives.

“maybe… can i get more context?”

Apparently, this lovesick puppy (or “Jklmnop” according to his username) has a little more in common with Jungkook than you’d originally thought. Turns out both of them are the designated fuck boys at their workplaces. Except this one has a massive crush on his “super hot” colleague. Jeon Jungkook would never.

The issue is that Jklmnop caught feelings for the one person who doesn’t seem interested in him. Worse, it feels like he’s being friendzoned. And he’s been going on dates with other people in an attempt to squash those unrequited feelings, but it’s just not doing the trick.

“i know a fuck boy too.” You are by no means an expert in the fuck boy archetype, but perhaps your time spent with Jungkook has prepared you for this opportunity to help a friend in need. And you do have some advice. “im not saying fucking all your coworkers is a bad thing but if you really want this girl you need to go all in on her and show her that you’re willing to commit to something more serious.”

Because if you knew this to be true about your own local fuck boy, you’d give him a chance, too. But as far as you know, Jungkook has never shown any romantic interest in you (or anyone else for that matter). He’s just a platonic buddy to you and a fuck buddy to everyone else.

“and it’s very possible she doesnt even realize youre interested in her,” you type, “this is a dumb question but have you tried asking her out yet?”

Your dumb question gets a few laughs from the boys. You feel like an IT person asking their client if they’ve tried turning their computer off and on again.

“Oh, our guy here doesn’t ask people out. He’s the one getting asked out all the time,” Duelist #1 explains.

“It’s been a year and You-know-who hasn’t made a move on him, so that must mean she doesn’t like him,” Duelist #2 adds in a sarcastic tone. You imagine him rolling his eyes on the other side of his screen.

“well @Jklmnop if you dont normally ask ppl out, itll hold more weight when you do.” Your fingers pause for a second. Maybe you’re just soft, but it’d mean a lot to you if you were asked out by the Jeon Jungkook. You’re sure this fuck boy could pull it off too. “you should ask her out. maybe shes waiting for you to make the move.”

You don’t get an immediate response, but he trades his pretty shark gun for your plain one. He must have seen you steal the one over his dead body a few rounds ago. What a thoughtful guy.

Then a friend request pops up. Fine. Jklmnop can be the one username on your otherwise empty friend list.

“I’ll ask her if the opportunity arises,” Jklmnop says after clutching a 1v4. “Thanks bro.”

On Monday, you’re a lot sleepier than you should be at the beginning of the work week because you practically spent the entire weekend gaming with your new fuck boy friend and finishing the book you recommended to your office fuck boy friend.

Your dark circles must be pretty bad because Jungkook feels the need to stop by your desk and say, “Up all night reading Lauren Christina?” He taps the book on your mousepad, so he can clearly see that it’s Christina Lauren and not Lauren Christina. He’s just teasing you at this point.

“It’s Christina Lauren, you shithead. And yes, I finished it, so you can read it now,” you say, handing the book to the boy. He holds it with a soft grip as if to avoid creasing the pages. If library books were treated with the same care, they wouldn’t feel so crusty all the time. You can respect guys with gentle hands. “I expect a full book report by Friday.”

“At least give me the weekend,” he frowns. It’s the most attractive frown you’ve ever seen.

“Sure, if that’s how you want to spend your weekend,” you yawn. Wouldn’t he rather be doing anything else on his days off than read your book?

“That’s how you spent your weekend, Sleepyhead.” He makes a good point. His chuckle is quite cute too.

As he flips through the book, you see something shimmery wedged between the pages toward the end of the story. You told yourself a million times to take your silly little bookmark out before lending him the book, but of course you forgot. Maybe he won’t notice.

Unfortunately for you, Jungkook pulls the metallic blue bookmark out to examine it. His lips curve upward when he sees it’s shaped like a whale shark. Oh great. He’s definitely gonna tease you about it. You knew you should’ve gone with one of the more sophisticated leather bookmarks.

“You really like these guys, huh.” He holds it up by the chain to let some light shine through the tiny holes mimicking the shark’s gorgeous spotty pattern. Not the reaction you were expecting, but you’ll take it.

“What makes you say that?” You don’t ever recall confiding in him about your whale shark obsession. Last time you checked, all of your nerdy and kiddish quirks were kept far away from your office. It’s just not on-brand for the professional image you’ve established here.

“Didn’t you have a cute whale shark phone case when you first started working here? Before you switched it to that cream-colored one?” He wrinkles his face, deep in thought as he tucks the bookmark back where he found it. He’s right, though. You just assumed no one had ever noticed it. As soon as you got your new work phone, you switched to something more neutral to fit your minimalist aesthetic.

“Oh, right.” You’d forgotten about the case just like you forgot about the bookmark. But Jungkook somehow notices and remembers those kinds of details about you. It’s almost endearing in a way.

You shouldn’t let yourself think like that, though. Those are dangerous thoughts.

“By the way, how was your date?” As much as you hate to admit it, you’re curious about his date with the recruiting coordinator. Besides, if he says it went well, you’ll have yet another reason to stop holding onto the tiny feelings you have for him.

“I didn’t go.”

“Oh,” you press a finger to your parted lips. That’s unheard of for Jeon Jungkook. “Did her cat die or something?”

“Why does someone’s cat need to die for the date to be canceled?”

“There must’ve been a pretty big emergency for you to forgo a date, no?”

“Is that what you really think of me, Y/N?” He cocks his head to the side because he’s a fuck boy and that’s what fuck boys do.

“That’s not what I think of you.” Another yawn slips from your mouth. “It’s just facts. You have a 99% attendance rate when it comes to dates, don’t you?”

He nods because he can’t argue with the credible gossip that goes on in your office.

“Anyway, I’m going to run to that coffee shop you won’t shut up about,” he says as he glances at the time on his phone and then at the dark abyss under your eyes. “Need anything?”

“Hmm…” You pretend to think deeply about your order. Usually when other people go on coffee runs, you request something easy to remember like an oat latte. But for Jeon Jungkook, the boy who keeps fucking up Christina Lauren’s name, you won’t go so easy. “How about an iced birthday cake latte with oat milk, an extra shot of espresso, two pumps of toffee syrup, and the crème brûlée topping? Please.”

“So… birthday cake frappuccino with oat milk?” He snickers in your sleepy face before walking off. “You’re gonna have to come with if you want all that extra stuff.”

It’s a latte, not a frappuccino. But you suppose it doesn’t matter if he knows the difference because you’re scurrying to catch up with him as he heads for the elevator.

The “coffee shop you won’t shut up about” has been open for a few months now, and you’ve stopped by at least two times a week since the grand opening for your usual dose of caffeine. Should you be proud or embarrassed that the baristas all know your name and order? How about when they raise their eyebrows at the sight of you walking in with your handsome coworker?

“She’ll have a birthday cake frapp—”

“Don’t listen to him. I’ll get a birthday cake latte, please,” you tell the barista at the register. Jungkook chuckles as you give his arm a light shove. “With oat milk and crème brûlée today.”

“Sure thing, Y/N,” she smiles at you and then turns to the boy next to you. “Anything for you?”

“Just plain coffee, thanks,” he says after a quick glance at the menu. You hate that he orders plain coffee when the menu has all these fun options like pink donut lattes or cookies n cream cappuccinos. If he wanted black coffee, he could’ve saved time and money by brewing some in the office. He didn’t have to go all the way to the coffee shop you wouldn’t shut up about. But he did. And he invited you along for the ride.

As the two of you wait for your drinks, you pick the booth in the corner next to the window. You’ve always had this vision of sitting inside a cozy cafe to work from your laptop or read a book. It just hasn’t happened yet because you get scared off when all the other customers bring their friends or lovers to share that experience with. Your laptop and books can’t compare to that.

You’ve always been envious. Until today.

“That doesn’t look nearly as complex as it sounded,” Jungkook says when he sees your latte with the fancy crème brûlée on it. He slides his boring coffee across the table to you. “I’ll let you try mine if you let me try yours.”

Only a weirdo would accept a pathetic offer like that.

“Deal.” You take a sip of your sugary treat before passing it off to the boy. He winces from how sweet yours is compared to the bitterness of his black coffee. You make a face for the opposite reason.

“I’m surprised you agreed to it,” he hums with a tiny bit of crème brûlée around his mouth. You want to kiss it off. He must notice you eyeing his lips because he wipes it off with his thumb a second later.

“I wanted you to try my special drink,” you say. It’s for the same reason you lent him your book—to let him know another tiny piece of you without explicitly saying it.

“I’ll have to get it myself next time we come.” He pulls up the notes app on his phone and types as he speaks. You wonder if “next time” and “we” imply that this coffee outing is going to become another routine thing between you and him, just like your walks to the parking lot. Hopefully it does. No, it definitely will. Because you’ll be the one to ask him next time. “What’s it called again? Birthday cake frappuccino… with crème brûlée?”

“Exactly,” you lie. Who knows. His mistake might taste even better. You’ll have to find a way to sneak a taste when he isn’t looking. It’s something sweet to look forward to.

As you sip your latte, the barista who took your order catches your eye from across the store, points at Jungkook, and mouths something to you. You don’t quite catch it, so she repeats it again just as your coworker turns to see what you’re staring at.

“Boyfriend?” she mouths, clear as day, before spinning around to use the espresso machine.

When the boy turns back to you, he has such a goofy grin on his face. He points to himself and repeats, “Boyfriend?”

“Stop,” you laugh at his antics but totally dodge the question. “Anyway… may I ask why you didn’t go on that date with the recruiting coordinator?”

His eyes are wide. Probably because it’s not like you to pry. But you just want to make sense of why he’s sitting here with you, acting all sweet and boyfriend-like, after bailing on someone else a few days ago. He’s not his usual self either.

“It was faster to reject her,” he shrugs. You didn’t realize he was in such a hurry on Friday. It certainly didn’t seem like it with how he’d blocked your way out of the conference room.

“What were you in such a hurry for?”

“Isn’t it our unspoken thing to walk to the parking lot together?” He says it like you’re silly. Like the fate of the world depends on him being able to fulfill his duty of walking you to your car each and every day. Like he’d forgo hours of good sex for a five-minute walk with you.

“It’s not unspoken if we talk about it,” you say softly. You’ve always adored the short walks with Jungkook, but maybe you weren’t the only one who felt that way. What kind of guy rejects a date just so he can keep up this year-old tradition between you and him? No guy has ever done anything close to that for you. “But yeah, it is our thing.”

The boy nods with a gentle smile as he sips his coffee. For just a split second, he gives you Jklmnop vibes. You don’t know how else to explain it. He’s a fuck boy, but there’s something so delicate about him that you want to touch without breaking.

You wonder if he’d ever let you in.

On the way out, your favorite friendly barista waves you over to the counter with a huge grin. As much as you love the girl, you’re scared of what might come out of her mouth next. She leans in as if to whisper but ends up shouting over the grinder in the background.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about him.” Her eyes flick to somewhere beyond your shoulders. “He’s such a hottie, by the way. Y’all are kinda cute together.”

A snort comes from right behind you. “Thank you,” says the hottie. Your hottie, apparently. It would’ve been perfectly fine for him to clarify that the two of you aren’t actually together, but you suppose his ego was too busy soaking in the compliment from the pretty barista.

“Really?” You raise an eyebrow at Jungkook as soon as you’re both out the door.

“What?” What’s with that playful smile of his?

“You didn’t deny what she said.”

“A compliment’s a compliment, Y/N.”

“I didn’t mean the part about you being a hottie.” You shudder at that last word. Yes, Jungkook is the hottest guy you’ve ever seen, but he doesn’t need to hear that from your mouth. “I meant the part about you being my boyfriend.”

“You didn’t deny it earlier, either,” he shrugs. True. “Besides, isn’t that also a compliment?”

Now that he’s mentioned it, it does feel pretty nice to be seen as a couple with someone as attractive as Jungkook—to give the illusion that it’s you who’s got him wrapped around your finger, you who he chose above everyone else, and you who gets to fall asleep in his arms every night. And it feels especially good considering how often other people dismiss you as someone not good enough for him. In fact, this is the first time anyone has ever acknowledged that the two of you go well together.

“Hey man, mind if I steal that fine little lady for a sec?” a sleazy voice calls out in your direction. You don’t bother turning your head to acknowledge the presence of yet another ignorant hooligan on the street, but you do step a little closer to Jungkook. You don’t know what pisses you off more: the fact that this stranger is another nonbeliever that you could be dating a guy like Jungkook or the fact that he asked for another male’s permission to talk to you instead of asking you directly. Most catcallers keep their mouths shut when you’re walking with your handsome coworker, but this one clearly can’t take a hint.

A warm hand pulls you in at the waist. It’s the same soft grip Jungkook held your book with. And you kind of never want him to let go. Because when he holds you close like that, all the shitty people become irrelevant. That doesn’t, however, stop you from getting a kick out of the death stare he gives the catcaller who finally backs off.

“You really showed him,” you tease. His face loosens up after you let out a tiny snicker. Still, he studies your every expression to make sure you’re alright.

“Does that happen to you wherever you go?” he asks as he moves his arm up from your waist to your shoulder, something slightly more appropriate for two friendly colleagues. Suddenly your waist feels cold.

“Usually when I’m out by myself.” Whether it’s the supermarket, the park, the office, you’ve felt objectified pretty much everywhere. Even online. The sad thing about it is that you know you’re not the only one. ”But I’m used to it at this point.”

“Well, men are kind of shitty,” he huffs, looking rather frustrated on your behalf. You’ve never seen him so irritated. For the most part, he knows how to keep a calm composure, even during busy season. It’s oddly satisfying that an inconvenience for you is what brought that emotion out of him.

“I used to think that,” you admit as the two of you enter the office building. “But all it takes is one good guy to outweigh the shitty ones.”

For you, Jungkook has always been that one good guy.

“True. I suppose that hottie boyfriend of yours isn’t that bad, huh.” He gives you a soft shoulder squeeze in the elevator before dropping his arm back to his side. It’s a subtle taste of what he could be doing to other places on your body if he were actually your boyfriend. He’d handle you with so much care.

“You won’t let that go, will you?” you pout, pointing your thumb back in the general direction of the coffee shop. “Those baristas really think we’re dating now, you know.”

He pinches your pouty cheek and leaves you at your desk with a not-so-innocent remark.

“I wonder why they think that about us.”

The second half of your day feels painfully long. It’s kind of hard to focus on designing wholesome character models when you’ve got Jeon Jungkook stuck in your head. At this rate, your cute little characters are going to turn into bad boys who steal your books and lattes along with your heart. You can’t help it when he’s been extra sweet to you lately. Sweeter than a birthday cake frappuccino could ever be. And just like your favorite sugary beverages, there’s something so addicting about his company.

As you’re finishing up some designs, you spot the boy chatting with his buddies from the other departments. It’s unfair that an entire friend group can be so goodlooking. And it’s even more unfair that Jungkook is still the one you can’t take your eyes off of in the handsome bunch. Great, now you’re even more distracted.

“Hey, I saw you were online again last night,” says the guy from accounting. He has long pretty eyelashes. “Where was my invite?”

“Ah, yeah. Remember that girl on our team the other night?” Jungkook has a cheeky grin. Why does he have such a cheeky grin while talking about some e-girl, and why does your tummy hurt all of a sudden? “She helped me climb out of plat. She’s diamond.”

So what? That’s the same rank as you. Nothing special. Hmph. You hope she gets demoted before the act ends. You’re not a jealous person, but you are petty.

“How do you know she’s a she?” asks the engineer with plump lips.

“That’s what she told me,” Jungkook continues. “And it fits with the fact that she doesn’t use a mic. You guys know how fucked up people can be in that game.”

You nod along to that.

“What’s her username again? I wanna add her now,” the other engineer jumps in. This one has broad shoulders. Very broad.

“You just want to hit on her,” Engineer #1 shakes his head at Engineer #2. You agree with that too.

“Is she single? Or at least around our age?” asks the accountant.

“You guys are monsters,” Jungkook laughs. “I’ll give you her username only if you promise not to simp.”

“Fine,” they all agree reluctantly.

You convince yourself that you’re only eavesdropping because they’re talking too loud, but you’re actually just curious to search up the username and see how this e-girl’s game stats stack up against yours. You’re quite confident your headshot percentage will outrank hers.

“It’s CL, remember?”

“Oh right.”

No, not right. That’s definitely not the username you picked as a subtle nod to your favorite author, and Jungkook is definitely not the lovesick fuck boy you’ve been giving advice to through some wack ass shooter game. Definitely not.

Because if it were true, that would mean Jungkook has a crush on somebody in your office. And who the heck would that be?

“Ready to head out?” Jungkook pops out of nowhere and scares the shit out of you. You nearly leap out of your seat with a tight fist around your tablet pen like you’re about to knife the boy in-game. He holds your book up as a shield. “Whoa there.”

“My bad, I thought you were the enemy.” You snap the pen back onto your tablet and say it with a straight face as if he knows you play the same violent game as him.

He plays along, scanning the office for anyone suspicious. “Who’s the enemy?”

“Marketing?” You only say that because everyone in the office knows the marketing director Kim Namjoon was your college nemesis back when you were even pettier than you are now.

“Ah,” he nods as you pack up and roll your chair in. You’ve always wondered why he just accepts the weird things you do without question. “Glad I’m not your enemy. Wouldn’t want to be stabbed by your tablet pen. Or your nails.”

He points to your pretty manicure. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he’s subtly asking to hold your hand. But you do know better. He has an intense crush on someone else in the building, so there’s really no reason why he’d want to hold your hand.

So instead of misreading the situation and making a fool of yourself by entwining your fingers with his, you poke your favorite of his tattoos (the silly face on his middle finger) with your acrylic. “Consider yourself stabbed.”

You try not to look at the boy’s wrinkly smile. But it’s incredibly hard. Instead, you redirect your eyes anywhere else. Of course they fall on the “it couple” of the office passing by. They don’t do a whole lot of PDA, but the way they look at each other says it all, and they have this glow about them that seems so unobtainable. You feel the envy creeping up again.

On the elevator ride down, you try not to think about the happy couple or Jungkook’s wrinkly smile. It’s making you sad.

“Can I ask you something?” he turns to you. Maybe his question will take your mind off everything bringing your mood down. You nod for him to proceed. “How do you feel about dating a coworker?”

Shitty. You feel shitty. He could probably sense that from your silence upon seeing the couple.

“You mean like Hyuna and Dawn?” You don’t have a problem with it, or with them. If you could pull off a perfect office romance like them, you’d do it too. But it doesn’t seem likely for you, and that’s what sucks.

“Just in general. Like, do you think it’s fine, or is it crossing the line?” he asks. Aha, you get it now. He’s asking for your opinion because he doesn’t want to make you, his totally platonic friend, feel uncomfortable when he starts dating whoever he has a crush on here.

“HR allows it, so I don’t really see a problem with it,” you answer honestly. Sure, you’d be hurt if you had to work in an environment where Jungkook is doing lovey-dovey things with someone else, but you’re not going to be the one to ruin it for him.

“I’ve never seen you date anyone here, though.”

“Well I don’t get asked out all the time like you, Jungkook.”

“What about Mark from accounting? Or my guy Jooheon before he moved overseas? And don’t get me started on Kim Namjoon.” He has his fingers out and ready to list all the other guys in the office who’ve expressed some sort of interest in you, but he decides against it when he sees you glaring back at him. Wise man.

You’d love to know why he’s so familiar with your nonexistent office dating history.

“Okay, I get it. I’ve been asked out a fair amount,” you sigh. “But it doesn’t really count if they aren’t the right person.”

That earns you a soft head tilt from the boy. You swear he’s a puppy. “Oh? Miss Y/N has a type?”

When you think about it, a few of the guys who’ve asked out were your type—smart, funny, hardworking—and yet you still said no. They’ve never hand-delivered meeting notes and chamomile tea when you were out sick, never walked you to your car, never given you something to look forward to at work, and never known your favorite animal. They’ve never made you want them the way you want a certain someone else.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a type.” It’s a person. The person who makes you feel so safe and cared for. The person who has feelings for another girl. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

You don’t like being vague, but saying any more than that would only set you up for heartbreak. He can’t hurt you if you stay silent.

As the elevator continues to count down, Jungkook leans against the railing, arms crossed and head down. He’s awfully quiet for someone who always feels the need to say something silly until you laugh.

“What if I told you there’s one more person in the office who’s interested in you?” he asks just before the elevator arrives on the first floor.

The door slides open but neither of you steps out, so it closes back up.

You blink at the boy. First you learn Jungkook has a crush on someone, and now someone suddenly has a crush on you? Your brain genuinely doesn’t know what to do with all this information.

You’d ask who your secret admirer is, but it doesn’t matter. You’d only say yes to one person in this office, and his feelings lie elsewhere. Maybe he’s just trying to set you up with another guy who can walk you to your car. It’s not like the two of you would be able to keep up that tradition once he’s committed to someone else.

You’d rather walk alone at that point.

“A workplace romance sounds cool and all.” You point at the book in Jungkook’s hand while trying to keep a light tone. “But it’s just not for me. You know what I mean?”

He nods with a chuckle as the two of you finally clear out of the elevator. “Based on my history here, it’s probably not for me either.”

You know he’s poking fun at himself, but you hope he doesn’t actually feel that way about himself. He still needs to ask his girl out, and he can’t chicken out now. As the person he’s confided in about his feelings, it’s your job to shower him with encouragement and support. You’ll have to wait until you’re back online, though.

On the way to your car, the office romance conversation has been completely dropped. You ramble on about your sudden craving for tacos, and he claims he makes a “mean taco salad” before sending you a screenshot of the recipe no one asked for. You’ll try it when you get home.

Like always, he leans against your car door as you buckle yourself in. This time, he even tugs on the seatbelt like amusement park workers do before sending you off on a roller coaster. As gentle as he is, it stings where the tips of his fingers graze your shoulder. That feeling lingers even after the door closes.

Jungkook wasn’t lying, you think to yourself as you munch away at his definition of a “mean taco salad.” Your first instinct is to text him about it, but your second one is to silence your phone and cozy up for the night. After your shower, you have another staredown with the pretty lingerie set. At this rate, no one’s going to see you in it, so you might as well wear it and look cute for yourself.

It’s a little more see-through than you’re normally comfortable with, but the soft silky champagne accents make your body glow. To complete the look, you throw on a short skimpy robe with a baby pink floral pattern. Perhaps you’re being extra for a quiet night in with your cat and a cup of chamomile tea. But it’s what you need right now because you’re desperately searching for something to comfort and distract you from that dang feeling Jungkook left you with.

It also couldn’t hurt to play a few games without Jklmnop. Maybe you’ll get lucky with the whale shark gun today.

Unfortunately, there’s still no whale shark gun in your shop, but at least Jungkook isn’t online yet. The four games you play without him go really well stat-wise. You’re the team MVP for half those games—something you hadn’t achieved all weekend with Jklmnop on your team. He’s a great friend but the kind of ally who will intentionally blind you so he can make you quake in your boots and steal your kill in the process. He’s lucky he hasn’t let you die while fucking around like that. Still, you can’t remember the last time you had that much fun in your matches.

As you review the summary of game #4, a notification pops up in the top corner of your screen.

[Jklmnop is online!]

“wanna carry me to radiant?” he DMs you right away and sends you an invite.

“no,” you type as you join his party.

“what if i trade you my whale shark gun?”

“fine”

The first thing you do when you spawn into the match is demand the whale shark gun. You put your baseball bat to his head, waiting for him to keep his end of the bargain. The boy drops the gun in front of you and backs away slowly.

“It’s cute that you like that skin so much,” he chuckles into his mic. When you hear his voice, you feel like an idiot for convincing yourself that Jklmnop and Jeon Jungkook weren’t the same person. There’s no mistaking that that’s the calm and flirty voice that has haunted you every day at work for the past year. Does it make you an asshole for wholeheartedly believing your local fuck boy friend wasn’t capable of developing real feelings for someone in the office? Probably, but you intend on redeeming yourself by sending him your full support in the love department. You’re just waiting for him to bring it up.

Twenty kills and one stolen ace later, Jungkook still hasn’t said anything about the mysterious You-know-who—which is weird, considering he wouldn’t shut up all weekend about how she’s “soft like a kitten” but “one that won’t hesitate to bring the claws out.” Who is this girl, and what has she done to Jungkook? He’s become a total cheeseball. And you can’t think of a single person in the office who fits his cheesy description.

“any update on youknowwho about youknowwhat?” you type between rounds.

Jungkook’s character paces back and forth in the snow even after the round begins. The three other members of your team starts following him like ducklings without knowing the context. You watch from afar as they get sniped down one by one until you’re the last one alive.

Usually in 1v5 situations like this, you’re great at keeping your cool and isolating your duels so you aren’t overwhelmed by an ambush. But instead of listening for footsteps and directional cues, you’re listening hard for the boy’s response to your question.

“Clutch this and I’ll give you an update on You-know-who,” he says after you cut the enemy team’s numbers down to one. All you have to do now is plant the bomb and wait for the last person to come out to start defusing. That’s when you’ll swoop in and—

Your character falls face first into the snow. You’ve been knifed from behind, which loses you the round but earns you an evil snicker from Jungkook.

At the start of the next round, you wait once more for the boy to trade his gun with you. But instead, he just stands there, clutching onto the weapon while the rest of the team rushes onto the site to plant the bomb.

“I’ve decided not to ask her out,” he says out of nowhere. “We have this wholesome thing between us, and it’s best if we keep it that way.”

“what makes you say that?” you type before joining up with the others on site. As far as you know, Jungkook isn’t wholesome with any coworker. Except you, maybe. He must have some other strange definition of wholesome.

“Let’s just say I read a whole ass book tonight about a workplace romance and realized I’m not cut out for it.” He really read your book. No. He devoured it. Why does that mean the absolute world to you? “She’s seen me going on date after date, and now I’m pretty sure I’ve scared her away from wanting any part of that.”

He’s not wrong. You used to feel the same way about him, so you understand why he has his reservations. But if that girl knew how much he’d cherish their relationship the way he cherishes your friendship with him, you know she’d fall for him too. There’s no doubt in your mind about that. It’s just a matter of him vocalizing it.

“i still think you should be upfront with her about your feelings,” you type away as you get headshot from who knows where.

“She can’t hurt me if I stay silent,” Jungkook hums as he runs toward the ticking bomb and crouches in front of it. It looks like he’s trying to defuse the bomb that your own team planted, but it explodes in his face before you have time to correct him.

“gj,” one of your teammates puts in the chat even though everyone watching knows it was not a “good job.” The only silver lining is that he secured the win for your team. You don’t feel like playing anymore, anyway.

Before you log off for the night, you start typing out some long motivational speech along with your top ten reasons as to why Jungkook would make an excellent boyfriend. He’d try new things with you, share some of his favorite things with you, make sure you’re safe, and tease you until the end of time while making you feel so so loved. You know this because it’s what he’s done with you for the past year. But the more you think about it, the more you realize it’s not your place to say all of that from behind a screen with your mic on mute.

You end up deleting your whole spiel and settle for a simple “good night😴” to the boy from your gaming account. Then you get back on your phone.

Y/N🦈 [11:47PM] “It was indeed a mean taco salad”

Y/N🦈 [11:47PM] “Btw did you finish the book?👀”

Jungkook🥴 [11:48PM] “Finished it in 4 hours😌”

Y/N🦈 [11:49PM] “Wanna drop it off to me now?”

Jungkook🥴 [11:49PM] “Now?”

Jungkook🥴 [11:50PM] “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Y/N🦈 [11:51PM] “Yes but my cat can’t fall asleep without his bedtime story”

Y/N🦈 [11:51PM] “🥺”

Y/N🦈 [11:51PM] “^^^My cat”

Jungkook🥴 [11:54PM] “omw”

The boy knocks on your door a few minutes later and does a horrible job of keeping his eyes above shoulder level. It doesn’t occur to you that your chest and ass are hanging out of your robe until the chilly air hits those spots.

“All dressed up for your night with Lauren Christina?” he says casually, handing the book back to you in mint condition.

“I thought you said Christina Lauren doesn’t care about my lingerie.” You cross your arms over your chest like it was totally intentional to answer the door in the bare minimum. Jungkook’s sleepwear, on the other hand, looks super cozy. And of fucking course he’s hot as hell in something as simple as sweats and a hoodie. A boy like him doesn’t have to put in any thought or effort to look cute.

“I stand by what I said.” He stares at your exposed skin in an almost lustful manner. Almost. “It’s cold out. You should go crawl back in bed and read your cat his bedtime story. Or do you need me to tuck him in, too?”

“He is quite needy,” you play along. Too bad he’s already fast asleep, all curled up on the couch. You wouldn’t mind if Jungkook tucked you in, though.

“Well tell your needy cat I said goodnight.” He takes a step back toward his car, but you know he must realize you didn’t call him all the way over here just for your cat’s sake.

“Jungkook,” you call out while flipping through the book. Once you find the bookmark wedged in the middle, you extend it to him like a peace offering.

He accepts the bookmark albeit with a puzzled expression. “Is this gratuity for delivering your book at this late hour?”

You shake your head. “It’s gratuity for lending me your whale shark gun all the time.”

“Whale shark gun?” He grips the bookmark by the dorsal fin and holds it like a pistol. It’s aimed at your left breast (or heart) (but breast sounds more accurate).

“The one from the Gentle Giants collection,” you say softly as you rub your arms because holy shit is it cold out. “In Valoranch.”

The wheels in his head start to turn as you pull him inside and toward your “work from home” setup in the living room. Your desk is pretty empty aside from the pastel headset, the cute dolphin Pokémon on your desktop wallpaper, and a cold cup of tea.

Then he spots the little Valoranch shortcut on the far left corner of your screen. “Wait, you really play Valoranch? What’s your username?”

Instead of telling him, you show him with the help of your book. Your index finger slides across the bookcover from the C in Christina to the L in Lauren.

His eyes widen like a naughty cat caught doing something it shouldn’t be doing.

“Then that means you know about…” He pauses because he dare not repeat his feelings for another coworker in front of you.

You nod. “But I didn’t realize it was you until I overheard you talking about it with the guys earlier today.”

“My voice and backstory didn’t give it away?”

“It definitely sounded like you.” You plop into your chair and start spinning around so he can’t get a clear view of your face. “But how was I supposed to know you had feelings for someone in our office? I still don’t know who she is, by the way.”

“You don’t?” Your childlike spins are interrupted by a steady hand. From the corner of your eye, you can see the boy’s face transition from doomed to amused. Good. He shouldn’t beat himself up over the bizarre situation.

“Nope.” At least you don’t have a specific face to imagine being next to Jungkook’s on those corny holiday cards that couples and families love to hand out around the office this time of year. “Regardless, you need to stop chickening out and just tell her how you feel already. If she knows you the way I know you, I promise you have nothing to worry about.”

The thing is, you don’t know if anyone else has been on the receiving end of the kinds of things Jungkook does for you. Does he show that side to anyone else but you?

“Fine, you’ve convinced me. I’ll do it.” He sits himself down beside the cat on the couch. “But only if you can figure out who it is.”

You give him a tiny nod for him to drop some hints. Of course you’ll lend an ear and play along if that’s what it takes for him to be more open about his feelings. Besides, you can’t say no when his voice is so soft and fragile like that.

“She’s on the design team.” Your team is fairly small, so that narrows it down to names and faces you’d actually recognize.

“She has the most complex coffee order I’ve ever seen.” More complex than yours?

“I impulse-bought that whale shark gun because it reminds me of her.” Someone else has good taste in endangered marine life.

“My second job includes walking her to her car after work and pretending to be her hottie boyfriend.” Wait.

“And lastly, in case all of those other hints weren’t obvious enough, she has a needy cat who’s obsessed with Christina Lauren.” He strokes between your needy kitty’s ears and tucks the little guy in under a blanket. What a lucky cat.

Jungkook only stops with the wholesome shit when you climb into his lap and press your lips into his jawline. On instinct, he slips beneath your robe and grabs you at the waist with those gentle hands of his. He smells of cardamom and cedarwood, like the candle you burn on cold nights when fluffy blankets aren’t enough. And like a moth, you’re attracted to the light and warmth he radiates in the dimness of your home. Even if it means you might get burned.

“Congratulations, you finally got the name right.” You stick your tongue out while your nails comb their way through the locks of hair at the back of his neck. He locks eyes with you, leaning ever so slightly into the massage the way cats do when they need more attention.

And then your lips meet his. You expect the guy who’s locked lips with everyone in the office to get straight to the point and not hold back, but that isn’t the case. What he gives you instead is a soft graze, an affectionate tease. When you try to go in for another taste, he pulls back and lets you chase him. You’d love nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face with another kiss.

“I thought you said you weren’t down to date a coworker?” Smartass. You wouldn’t be sitting on top of his cock if you weren’t down to be more intimate with him.

“That only applies to everyone except you.” Your robe slides off your shoulder as you poke him in the chest. Funny how you aren’t cold anymore.

“What makes me so special?” he asks while getting a sneak peek of the pretty lingerie you’d secretly hoped he’d see on you.

You think about all the little things he does—he walks with you, reads your book recommendations, takes note of your favorite animals and coffee shops. And he never expects anything in return, including your feelings apparently. He just wants to make sure you feel seen and know he always has your back. When he’s too chicken to be upfront about his feelings, you’ve come to realize this is his love language.

“You might be open about all the sleeping around you do with other people, but the subtle thoughtful things you do just for me don’t go unnoticed.” You run your fingers along his cheek and bring your lips within striking distance from his. This time, he doesn’t initiate another chase and allows you to press your words into his mouth. “Plus I think it’s really cute that you use the whale shark skin in-game because of me.”

“That’s when I knew I was down bad.” The sound he makes is somewhere between a chuckle and an embarrassed sigh. “I didn’t even know you played that game and yet my mind was still finding ways to connect everything back to you and your little quirks.”

“I knew I was down bad when I installed that game after hearing you raging about it with the boys,” you blurt out of nowhere.

“You did what, Y/N?”

“I started playing that headache of a game because of you, okay? I wholeheartedly believed I was taking that secret to the grave, but now it stays between you and me. Got it?” Your face feels hot, but you aren’t complaining.

“Yes, ma’am.” His teasing grin will never get old, and you love that about him.

In the heat of another kiss, you feel Jungkook tug on the silky sash at your waist. Your robe opens up like curtains being drawn for a grand reveal. Exposed as you are, there’s no need to hide anymore. In fact, you’d be more than down to have sex out in the open on the couch, but you also have to consider the innocent kitten sleeping next to you.

Like the considerate boy he is, Jungkook scoops you up without disturbing the cat and makes his way to your bedroom.

He lays you down on the bed and eyes your body from head to toe. If he wasn’t giving you horny eyes when you greeted him at the door, he definitely is now.

“Am I gonna get you in trouble for keeping you up past your bedtime?” He saves time by tearing his hoodie and t-shirt off in one go. Based on those abs, you suppose working out is another one of his favorite pastimes alongside sex, gaming, and fucking around with you.

“No.” You reach for his body and pull him on top of you. The large bulge tucked away in his sweatpants catches your attention. “But I might be a little sore for tomorrow.”

“Oh? Is that how you like it?” He rubs two fingers against the thin fabric between your legs to test the waters. Your body shudders and tenses up from the tiniest of touches. Given the dry spell you’ve suffered through this year, you know it won’t take much for you to lose it. “Sure you can handle it?”

“Try me.” You push back with your tongue in his mouth and help him out of his sweats. You’re one swipe away from clawing his boxers off, but he grabs ahold of your wrists and pins you against the pillows.

“Someone’s awfully eager,” he says as he leaves a trail of kisses from your neck to your breasts. You squirm under his hot breath, asking for more contact—anywhere on your body will do.

“Yeah, well, we do have another meeting bright and early tomorrow morning, and it’d look bad if we both fell asleep during it because we were up all night having—” Your rambling is interrupted by the boy’s cock staring you down. He tears open a square packet, but you swipe it away and slide it down his length. You don’t mind a bit of rubber if it gives you an excuse to get your paws on him.

In return, he helps you wiggle out of your teeny tiny thong and bra. His hands waste no time in squeezing your breasts and fingering you down below to make sure you’re wet enough. (Spoiler alert: You most definitely are.)

As big as he is, he slides in with relative ease thanks to how desperately you need him inside you. He fills you in perfectly, too, reaffirming the fact that you and him are perfect for one another. Fuck everyone who thinks otherwise.

You dig your long nails into his arms as he moves in and out of you. If he keeps going harder with every thrust, you’re gonna have a difficult time holding on.

“I swear your nails are like cat claws,” he grunts into your ear but makes no actual effort to extract your nails from his arms.

“If I recall correctly, you did refer to me as a soft kitten who isn’t afraid to bring her claws out,” you hum up at him.

“Hey, let’s not talk about all the sappy things I said in-game right now.” There’s a hint of poutiness in his otherwise raspy bedroom voice. As punishment for teasing him, he flips you over onto your knees to give him the best view of your ass. “You weren’t supposed to hear that stuff.”

“Tell me something I’m supposed to hear,” you challenge him as he gives your ass a good squeeze. His fingers dip back between your legs and circle your clit a few times. You body rubs back on instinct like a horny pup against a toy.

“I would like to formally ask you out,” he says with his hands at your hips and his cock back inside you. "Will you go out with me?"

“You're a little late, buddy, but yes, I’ll go out with you,” you chuckle until your orgasm sneaks up on you and hits you like a truck. The moans you let out are probably loud enough to wake the cat, but that just means the two of you will have to relocate the next time you have sex. Perhaps his place or the office breakroom might be worth considering.

Your arms give out as you tighten around him, so you lower your face to the pillow and let the boy do as he pleases to your body to get his release. After a few more strong thrusts, he gasps your name out in pleasure and pulls out of you. You give him a good ten seconds to catch his breath before you smother him with a million kisses.

You take a glance at the time on your phone. It’s getting awfully late, and you do have that meeting in the morning, but the two of you have a few options:

A) Cuddle in bed and go to sleep like normal 9-5ers.

B) Hop online and play a few games together because your computer’s still on.

C) Go another round and make a special coffee run before the meeting.

None of those options sound like a bad idea when you’ve got Jeon Jungkook to do them with. All he has to do is say the word and you're down.

#jungkook x reader #jungkook fic #bts #bts x reader #bts fic recs #fic recs

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ficrecsiguess · 2 years ago

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omgg!! so far this is very cute

I'm really intrigued into the world the characters live in, and so so curious of the future relationship between characters

can't wait for the next part! 🥰

Part 5: Another Yeosang

Someone Like You

previous // masterlist // next

Tumblr is based on a system of reblogs, not likes. Please reblog my work.

Send me an ask/dm if you would like to be tagged in future updates

A/N: an early update because tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Happy Christmas everyone 💜 consider this to be a little treat before things go down

→ Synopsis: Wooyoung is content with where he is right now, especially considering that ATEEZ’s popularity is still growing. But when he runs into you (literally), he realises that he had been missing out on a significant part of his life.

Pairing: idol!Wooyoung x pro-gamer!reader (fem!reader)

Genre: smau, soulmate au, slice of life au, strangers to lovers au, meet cute, humor, fluff, slight angst

Taglist: @cookiechristie @skittlez-area512 @halesandy @kodzukein @kisaraginami @baguette-atiny @pepperony-7 @hijeongguk @bat-shark-repellant @dear-dreamie @atinytinaa @miriamxsworld @leeknowsnothing

#ateez x reader #ateez #social media au #wooyoung x reader #wooyoung fic #ateez fic recs #fic recs

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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idk if this is a young fan thing or new fandom culture but some of yall think fics are abandoned way too quickly. a few months or a year or two is not unusual to go without a fic update. sometimes fics take longer to write, other times writers have rl events, or maybe there's multiple fics and one gets more priority. there are tons of reasons for fics not to be updated every week or every month. it also isn't uncommon for people to come back and update fics after a number of years—ive read updates that took five, or ten years. people's lives change, but they still want to tell their stories. personally, i never consider a fic abandoned unless the author has said so; though if it's been a few years i manage my expectations. but a last update being a year ago is... generally not a sign that a writer has abandoned their fic

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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bsbahahsbhajanmNJJABAHAIZBXJZLLALKCHXHAMABXIS ZNCHAMAMOANAJAIJXHSKLAKWOWODD WE NCFB

that's it. that's my review of this chapter.

no but like, seriously. This story just keeps getting better and better. All the new sides of oc and the boys are so fun to uncover. The developing of every relationship in the story its just amazing. (and not to mention the smut, bro you got me sweating out here 🛐)

I'm really curious to see what Miyeon is up to tbh🤨

as always, can't wait to see what happens next!

{16} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor, Smut (Save a horse, ride a cowboy)

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on ??? 👀)

Words: 15,600

Warnings: Blood, lots of it. Minor cutting of skin mentioned. Mentions of past insecurities. Praise, slight body worship, face sitting, minor breast play, intense emotional intimacy, marking/biting, unprotected sex (wrap before you tap), possessive natures, love confessions. (I think that’s all). This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Here it is! The next part!! Thank you all for waiting so patiently for me to finish this part, I really hope it lives up to everyone’s expectations!! I’m really proud for the build up in this one, I think it’s honestly more important/significant than the actual smut, so I tried to emphasize that. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~

Seguir leyendo

#ateez #ateez x reader #yandere #hongjoon fic #seonghwa fic #yunho fic #yeosang fic #san fic #wooyoung fic #jongho fic #ateez fic recs #fic recs #fav 💛

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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this new series 🤤 literally thirsting over every update. You have me reading all of them at least 3 times.

♡ drunk with chan

⇢ pairing: chan x fem!reader ⇢ word count: 2.7k ⇢ genre: smut, friends to lovers ⇢ summary: a texting mishap makes it sound like you’re offering your friend a handjob ⇢ warnings: 18+, minors dni!; mentions of an injury, handjob, cumshot, unprotected sex, breast play ⇢ masterlist ♡ series masterpost ♡ updates ♡ read on AO3 ⇢ reblogs and feedback are always motivating and appreciated! ♡

if you want to support my writing, you can buy me a coffee here and let me know what you think about it here. thank you! ♡

The club is boring tonight, to say the least. Firstly, it’s because Chan isn’t drinking with you. Usually, you two are the loudest and most annoying people when your friend group goes out clubbing just because you dance like no one’s watching and do stupid things that make you laugh. In other words, you release all the pent-up stress and don’t act your age, for a change.

Tonight, Chan is not drinking because he’s grabbed a boiling pot with his bare hands, leaving both his palms burned. They’re recovering slowly, but it’s only been ten days and he’s on meds, so he can’t drown his sorrow in alcohol. He’s been snapping at his roommates for the smallest things, and they were surprised he even wanted to join you all tonight. He did join you, but he’s been sitting by the table all night with one fist completely bandaged up and the other only partially, looking around or just staring at his phone.

The second reason why the club is boring is that no one manages to catch your attention, other than Chan. He is a friend, but so are the other guys, who are all very charming and handsome and pretty—but only he makes you feel that way, which is becoming obvious. Because of this, you’re not around him tonight, especially since you’re drinking and he’s not. You both might have a small crush on each other—more serious on your end than on his, you’re sure—but you don’t want to admit to any feelings or anything like that.

You’re sure you will if he snaps at you while you’re drunk. You’d probably cry, too, and then it’d really be obvious. So, you resort to just standing around the bar and watching him, enjoying the fact that he wore a tank top, which reveals so much of his skin, muscled chest, and sides, the arms that you want to hold onto while he plows into your cu—

“Take a picture while you’re at it.” You’d recognize Minho’s snickering anywhere, so you scoff and shake your head at his petty little comment.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” you mutter back and go back to your drink. Is your crush really that obvious?

“Wait, you have a little something here,” he says and leans in, thumb swiping over the side of your chin. “Oh, it’s just the drool from all that staring.”

You swat his hand away and roll your eyes at the comment. “Ha-ha, funny.” It would be funny if it weren’t absolutely tragic.

“Just tell him. The man’s had a shitty couple of weeks, he could do with some good news.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

It’s a lie, and you both know it. Minho’s words stay with you, make you drink more, make you stare at the object of your desire longingly, wishing you had the guts to make the first move. But, the fear of rejection is too strong, probably always will be.

And then, he texts.

Chan: this place is so boring

Chan: i’m going home

You take a while to type your response, not noticing that he’s sent something else in the meantime. You respond with “i’m coming with”, and only then realize the conversation reads:

Chan: gonna go jerk off

You: i’m coming with!

What is he going to think of this now? You feel like you want to throw up, but then again, it’s kind of funny. Chan will understand. But, he’s the only one who’s not drunk, so he might find it weird.

Minho texts, too.

Minho: when i said go for it, i didn’t mean in the group chat

Minho: either way, smart move

You go back to the conversation and realize that Chan hadn’t texted you—he’d texted the group chat, which means all your friends can see the thing you sent and made a fool out of yourself.

Jisung: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Felix: so we should stay here for at least an hour

The rest of them probably haven’t seen your embarrassment yet, but you’re sure they’ll have something stupid to say when they do. And then, Chan responds.

Chan: shut the fuck up

You’re not sure if he’s angry with you or with them, but it doesn’t sound goo. A second later, he texts you outside of the group chat.

Chan: are you going home?

And so you find yourself in the back of an Uber with him. He hasn’t said a word about the group chat. All he did was get in the car and stare through the window, chewing on his bottom lip.

“So are you really going home to jerk off?” you ask, chuckling as you remember the embarrassment from earlier. It’s awkward as hell, but it’s better to address it when you’re tipsy than tomorrow when you’re sober.

“I fucking wish,” Chan tells you, lifting both hands to remind you of the current state of his hands.

“Wait—” You gasp, realizing why he’s been so fucking snarky lately, why his fuse seems shorter than usual, why he’s been so off. “You can’t do it on your own?”

“Nope.”

“That explains why you’ve been… weird.”

“Weird?” He looks at you with a frown. “Towards you? I really didn’t mean to. I’m just… frustrated. Can’t do anything with these hands, not even that.”

“Don’t you have a fleshlight or something?”

Chan looks up in embarrassment, chuckling. “No, I don’t.” With that, he looks through the window. “I’ll get these off sooner or later and then I’ll stop being weird, I guess. Sorry if I was rude to you.”

“You weren’t,” you say with a gulp because your mind is taking you places it shouldn’t be taking you, like wondering just how hard his cock would get if you were the first thing to touch him after such a long time… How quickly would he blow? “Do you need a hand?”

“What?” His head snaps in your direction. “What do you mean?”

“With… that?” you ask, sneaking a glance at the boner that’s very visible.

Chan gets them around you sometimes—when you’re talking about sexual stuff or when you’re sitting on his lap or cuddling—but he usually shoves a hand in his pocket to hide the telltale sign of arousal. He can’t do that tonight and he knows he’s busted—you can tell when he bites down on his lip and chuckles nervously.

“Sorry,” he whispers, “I… I’m like an animal these days.”

An animal? God, that sounds promising.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“You’re serious about this?” Chan looks at you questioningly, a slight frown on his face.

“It’s just a… Handjob, I guess.” You shrug, making it seem more meaningless than it actually is.

When you get to his place, you’re still determined to go through with it and you have alcohol to thank for that. Chan asks you if you’re sure again, and you laugh it off, going towards his bedroom. It’s just a handjob, right? Just that.

So, when he sits on his bed and pulls his shorts and boxers down a bit, you shouldn’t shiver, right? Your mouth shouldn't salivate, and you definitely shouldn’t be thinking about taking him in your mouth and gagging on i—

“You really don’t have to,” Chan says again, placing his bandaged hands over his cock, covering it. “I can live for another week, it’s no—”

You grab his hands by the wrists and pull them away. The next second, you’re straddling his knees. It’s not because you want to be close to him, it’s just that the position feels more natural. “Just shut up and let me help you for once,” you hiss the words, alluding to the well-known fact that Chan always has everyone’s back. Maybe it’s time you did something for him, even if it’s as self-indulgent as this.

Chan grunts when you wrap both hands around his cock and start tugging at it. “Do you have any lube?” you ask, knowing it would be wildly inappropriate to wet his cock with your mouth. Even though rushed, the moment is weirdly intimate, or at least that’s what it seems like when your eyes meet and you realize you’re on Chan with his dick in your hands and that he’s trembling under your touch.

“Uhm... Top drawer,” he finally speaks, looking at the nightstand. His voice quivers, which makes you feel a bit better about being so shaken up about getting to finally touch him. His cock is so hard and warm and you can help but think about what it would feel like inside of you.

You get the bottle of lube out, squirt some on your palm, rub both palms together, and get back to what you were doing. This time, Chan moans and closes his eyes, letting his head rest on the wall. “Fuck.”

You’re going fast since it’s what most of your partners preferred. A hard grip, fast movements, a squeeze here and there and they’d shoot quickly—you figure that will work for him too. “Good?” you still check, wanting to hear Chan say it. Selfish, this whole idea of yours.

“Perfect,” he hisses, opening his eyes. “Slow down.”

“Don’t like it fast?” you wonder, slowing down your movements, just as he asked.

“I like it a lot,” Chan explains, looking down at your hands. “Too much.”

“Oh,” you understand what he means when you realize how much precum has dripped out of his cock. That’s when you remember he hasn’t been touched in a while and that he’s probably been aching for release. “Come fast if you want to, I don’t care.”

“It’s— I want to enjoy it some more.” The fact that he bites his lip after saying that makes you whimper, which is embarrassing considering you aren’t being touched in any way. “You okay there?”

“I… Yes.”

“Sure?” he asks, gaining his confidence back. “You look a little flustered.”

“Maybe because your dick is in my hands,” you suggest, scoffing. Since Chan chuckles, you decide to be mean and start moving faster again, which gets him to hiss in mere seconds.

“Please, please, please,” he begs so sweetly that you really don’t want to stop, but you do.

“Why do you not want to come?” Isn’t he snapping at people because he just wanted to orgasm?

“I want to,” Chan stresses, looking at your hands once again. They do look nice around him, you have to admit, especially all wet and slippery. “I need to, but I want… I… Don’t want to make things weird, but I guess they already are. I want to enjoy you touching me for as long as I can.”

It’s not romantic, it’s not any type of admission of feelings or anything of the sort, yet you find yourself smiling and looking away like a fool. A fool in love, but he doesn’t have to know.

“Chan,” you hum slowly, starting to tug at his cock with both hands, twisting them in the opposite directions. “Come. I’ll touch you again, I promise.”

“I can’t ask for this twice,” he shakes his head, “I can’t.”

“I’m already doing it once, so what’s the difference?” You shrug, knowing very well the more times you do this, the more you’re going to want the man.

“I won’t want you to stop, fuck—” He grunts when you start going fast, face twisting as if he’s in pain, a guttural groan turning you on beyond belief. “Get greedy and all that.”

“Sometimes greedy is good,” you say and grin at him right before starting to move so fast you just know he’ll blow.

“I’ll— I’ll come. Fuck, yeah… You’re so good at this,” he gulps, “I’ll come. Don’t want it to get on you.”

“Can you come all over yourself?” you ask the question before really thinking about what you’re asking. It’s something that turns you on immensely, but definitely not something you tell guys you aren’t even dating. Hell, you haven’t really said it out loud before.

“That’s what you want?” Chan cocks an eyebrow up and gives you a smirk, and you just know he’s about to start teasing, so you start twisting your hands again. “I can, I can.”

So, you push his cock away from you, getting it to point towards him, and continue doing what you’re doing. The louder Chan gets, the louder you get, even though you’re not being touched.

You can’t stay quiet when the guy you want to fuck is moaning because of you, grunting your name, digging his heels into the bed, twisting and turning under you. He blows without warning, cum shooting out and spraying his black shirt, streaks of white cum staining it instantly, the fabric soaking in the sperm. You keep jerking him off until he gives you everything, until all the cum is out and on his shirt, until Chan’s body relaxes under you and he whimpers. “Fuck, I needed this.”

You wipe your hands on his shirt and then tug at the hem. “Up.” He listens, allowing you to take the shirt off of him. You get up and take it to the bathroom, soaking it in water to get the cum out of it.

When you get back to the room, Chan is still in the same place you left him, head resting on the wall, cock out. He looks tired but blissful, so you walk over to the bed and grin. “You okay?”

He nods at you and looks at his lap. “Come sit.” When you take your earlier position, Chan places his hands on your thighs, but he can’t really touch you—the bandages are in the way. Still, you can feel the warmth of his body, so you shiver.

“Listen, I… Can I return the favor?”

“Re— Return the favor?” You gulp, wondering what he wants to do with you, wondering why you’ve already made up your mind about letting him.

“I can’t finger you, but I can… I have my mouth, still.”

It’s then you notice he’s hard again, and you wonder just how many times he can go in a row. Maybe you’ll find out someday. “You’re serious about that? You don’t have to return anything.”

“I know, I’m just— I want to.”

“Why?”

“Come on, I’m not oblivious,” Chan notes, and you know exactly what he means. “You aren’t either. We’ve already crossed the line, might as well do it in style.”

“Then how about I make you come again?”

“Me?”

You grab his cock again and run your hand over it, sneaking the other one down between your legs, under your skirt, pushing your underwear to the side. That’s when Chan realizes what you mean and looks up at you with adoration on his face. “You want that?”

Instead of responding, you scoot over closer and lift your hips so you can position him at your entrance. When Chan nods at you, you sink all the way onto it and grunt loudly. Fuck, it feels good.

“Fuck me,” he groans, “how can anything feel this good?”

“Right?” you grunt right back, grabbing his shoulders. “You just came and you’re already this fucking hard? What?”

“Can you please take off your shirt and whatever you have under it?”

You do as asked, not realizing Chan would instantly attach his mouth to your tits and start sucking on them one by one. Here and there, his teeth dig into the flesh, making you cry out while you move your hips back and forth and then in circles, trying to find the motion that feels best for both of you. It’s so easy to get lost in it, though, when he sucks on your nipple so sweetly and looks up at you with puppy eyes.

So, you have no choice but to wrap an arm around him and use the other to tug at his hair while you ride him. “You really like them, huh?” It’s been minutes of him just going at it—licking, sucking, biting, suckling, and he doesn’t seem to want to stop.

“Always stare at them,” he admits, breathless. “Wanted to touch it for a long time. Now I get the chance but can’t.”

You laugh at that, realizing how tough everything must be for him right now. Fuck, the guy can’t even get himself off properly. But, now Chan has you.

if you want to support my writing, you can buy me a coffee here and let me know what you think about it here. thank you! ♡

#bang chan fic #bang chan x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids #stray kids fic recs #fic recs

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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wow this fic is my new obsession!!

first of all I have to say.. the world building its amazing. Like it's really hard to build a fantasy setting with rules and magic, but wow it's so well done.

The writing is amazing as well. Every description, every scene and character, 10/10. I really am loving this fic.

Can't wait to see all the ateez boys and their future relationship with the oc!!! 🥰🥰

| in love and lore | pt. four |

pairing: ateez x fem reader

genre: fantasy/daemon/soulmate au

warnings: some cursing, mentions of death and violence, slight suicidal thoughts, some yandere behavior

summary: the daemon king and his seven black generals. names and faces of these eight had changed over the years as each new king was crowned, but their reputation as the most powerful daemons always remained the same. upon hearing the rumors one of the seven led the charge of the nearby battle, you should have stayed close to the encampment. you should have never wandered out on your own. but you did, and your life would never be the same again. good or bad, you would just have to wait to find out.

“There’s no need to be afraid, angel.” His words were a breath against the side of your neck. “You’ve done so much for us, let your king now return the favor.”

wordcount: 6.8k

a/n: so, I may or may not be posting this part earlier than planned, but I had it done and all the love and support you guys send gives me lots of motivation to keep writing and I couldn’t wait to give you all more. it’s a bit lacking in the boys department again, but next chapter and onwards things will definitely be changing. hope you all enjoy! :)

| part one | part two | part three |

You struggled to control the way your stomach rolled, raising a hand to your mouth to fight the wave of nausea that overtook you. Every fiber of your being screamed at you to turn away, to move, but your legs were glued to their spot and you found it impossible to tear your eyes away.

Her body had been sliced and torn in multiple places, but the cut along her stomach was what had truly done her in. With the amount of blood left pooling around her body, the likeliest cause of death was from blood loss, drawing her death out into a long and painful process. Her right hand was also coated, and though you first assumed it had been from trying to apply pressure and slow the majority of the bleeding from the stomach, the trail of blood that fell from the last letter of the message behind her to where her hand laid to rest when she died made you think otherwise. The thought of whoever had done this using her hand as a brush made you shiver, wondering if she had been forced to write the message as she slowly bled out.

The pigs will pay for their crimes.

The words repeated themselves in your mind, wondering why the phrase sounded so familiar. Your mind went to that night with Seonghwa from so long ago, wondering if it had been something he had said, before you realized it hadn't been him.

The pigs will pay for their crimes.

Pigs.

The world would be a better place without pigs like her contaminating it.

Yeosang.

It took all your self control to not throw up, another wave of nausea hitting you as the realization of what had happened hit you. The idea that it had been him, the boy who had treated you so kindly yesterday, who had done it, made you more sick than the scene before you. Because if you were right, and it was him who had done this, that meant you had a role in this woman's death too. It meant you were the reason she was now dead.

That's only if she gets around to filing it.

As your stomach rolled once more, you stumbled back a few steps, needing to get away. Panic clawed its way up your throat and you found your hands beginning to shake.

Yeosang. It had to have been him. As much as the thought made you sick, you knew it had to have been him. Everything was far too coincidental for it not to be. Though you hadn't understood at the time, he had seemed so angry by the woman's actions. An unbridled anger hidden beneath his easy smiles. The way his eyes had glittered darkly when he hinted at her never getting around to filing it, stating how he wished something would happen to her on her way home, had all but spoken the truth. She wasn't going to be making it home and he knew that. Knew that because he had fully planned on killing her before she did. The only question that remained was why. Why had he done it?

Because he wasn't the human he appeared. Because he was a daemon.

Now that you were here, it seemed so obvious. You had just been so infatuated with the way he had treated you, with the way he had looked at you, to stop for a second and think, really think, about how odd his behavior had been. The lie he had spun about being from the borders had only served to fit his narrative when his comments towards his own people had put you on edge. And if he lied about that? What else had lied about? The way the daemons would have treated you better? The way this new king was different? Or the way he had genuinely seemed to care for you? The way he had seemed to truly see you for who you were? The way he had called you beautiful?

The realization hurt you more than you cared to admit, cutting deep and adding to the pit forming in your stomach. Had anything he said been true? Or was it all a lie? Had it all just been a ruse to get you to drop your guard? Had it all been a ploy for him to pin the death on you? Simply because he saw you as a traitor to your people? Because he saw you as something not fit to be alive?

God, you hated how much the betrayal hurt. You didn't know him, but that did nothing to stop it from hitting you where it hurt the most. It didn't stop from shattering each and every hope he had built up inside you yesterday. That someone like you could actually be seen passed your halfbreed status. That someone like you could actually be cared for. That someone like you could actually be loved.

You fought to hold back the tears that pooled in the corner of your eyes, stumbling your way back out from the growing crowd, desperate to get away.

What were you going to do? If the report wasn't enough to have you killed, this was. It wouldn't take long for the officials to show up at the scene and connect her death with the incident that had occurred between the two of you at the infirmary the day before. You may have had nothing to do with her death, but the evidence towards you was damning. Would they give you a chance to defend yourself? Or would they take what they were given? The citizens would demand justice for what had happened, leaving the council no choice but to find a scapegoat to put their minds back at ease. And with your connection to the murder, it was all the more likely they would use the coincidences that tied you to her as an excuse to rid the city of one more mutt.

The threat of a noose around your neck had you wanting to run once more, any relief you might have felt earlier had died alongside that woman. It was one thing to pay for something you had actually done. But this, this was something you had no part in. You wanted to run, to hide, to disappear before they had a chance to hang you for it.

But you couldn't. Even if you weren't fully aware running would only serve to make you look more guilty than you already were, you couldn't leave. Not without Soomin or Hyunwoo. Leaving might delay your own death, but it would come at the cost of their own. As much as you didn't want to die, you couldn't willingly put them at risk. You had already put them in harm's way as it was and you wouldn't be able to continue living as it was if your actions led to their deaths.

Your hands were still shaking when you reached the infirmary, body shivering as you passed by the spot you had stood with him the day before. Another painful reminder of how stupid you had been for trusting him. Of how stupid you had been for believing anything he had said. Of how stupid you had been for thinking he might have actually cared for you.

While the council had done their best to cover the crime up, word spread through the city like wildfire over the next few hours. The message written in her blood had been cleaned up shortly after you had left, but that hadn't stopped anyone from repeating it in hushed conversations. It was all everyone was talking about as they arrived for their shifts at the clinic, eyes shifting your direction when they saw you. Each of them were well aware of the incident that had occurred the day before, and had pinned the blame on you without any hesitation.

"I apologize for having to bother you while you're at work. I'm aware of how valuable your time is."

They showed up two hours into your shift, approaching you in the back where you had been busy trying to distract yourself with some brewing. You hadn't heard them come in, however, and the vial you had been holding slipped through your fingers when one of them spoke, shattering against the floor.

"Once again, I must apologize. We didn’t mean to startle you. Your supervisor said we were free to make our way back here." He offered you a sheepish smile when you apologized for the slip up, and you rushed for a broom to clean the mess up and prayed he didn't mistake your nerves for guilt. "Like I said, we're aware of how valuable your time is, but I'm afraid we can't let you get back to work until we've run through a few questions with you. So, if you wouldn't mind drinking this for us, we can get this done with as quickly as possible." His eyes seemed to glitter as he held out a glass vial towards you, the milky white coloring of the liquid swirling inside signaling you to its contents.

You didn't know whether to be relieved or not at the prospect of drinking the truth potion. On one hand it meant you could clear your name of the crime and prove you hadn't done it, but on the other, it could very well have you spilling other things you had done that were just as damning. It just all depended on which questions were asked.

"I believe you're already well aware of the murder that occurred some time in the night, is that correct?"

He began the interrogation once the contents of the potion were downed and the two of you were settled across from each other at a nearby table. You nodded in response, trying hard to steady your shaking hands and keep from fidgeting too much. Your interrogator seemed friendly enough for someone in his role, but his relaxed demeanor did little to help calm you, especially with the way his two guards glared at you from behind. It was obvious they had pinned the blame on you like the others and were just waiting for the moment when you would be forced to reveal your secrets to them.

"I need a verbal response from you, Miss l/n."

"Right, sorry," you gulped, nodding once more. The truth potion you had been given did prevent you from speaking anything but the truth, but it had little affect on anything other than verbal responses. You knew that. You had brewed hundreds of these potions before, after all, and had probably been the one to brew the one you just drank. The irony of it would have made you laugh if you weren't so panicked at the moment, the nerves coursing through you system making it difficult for you to find your voice. "Yes, I'm aware of the murder. I witnessed the body on my walk into work this morning."

"Good, thank you."

He offered you another smile, but the action only served to make you more off put by him rather than to comfort you. His demeanor felt odd, and was vastly different from the security officers you had worked with before. It was less accusatory and more relaxed, as though this was all just a game for him. As though he couldn't care less whether you were actually convicted or not. The grin he kept sending your way was almost playful, and didn't quite match the typical gruff exterior of the officers you had been around. Whether this was normal for him or not, it was hard to tell. But it seemed to you that even his guards seemed a bit put off by his actions, their eyes continually shifting back and forth between the two of you.

"Now, the victim was the mother of one of the councilmen at Yuchae, a Hak Seongmin. Have you ever had any run-ins with Ms. Hak before her death?"

"Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting her the day before here in the clinic." As much as you didn't want to talk about what had happened, the words fell off your tongue with an ease that frustrated you. You knew the incident would only serve to throw suspicion in your direction, but it was impossible for you to stop yourself once the first word rolled off your tongue. "She had started a commotion with one of the other healers, so I went over to try and deescalate the situation which only resulted in her getting angry with me."

"Interesting," he hummed, leaning forward in his seat and resting his chin in his hand. "And what happened during this exchange?"

"She claimed I was trying to poison her, but that wasn't, isn't, true. I would never try to poison anyone." You shook your head, wanting to stop talking, but the question had only prompted you to keep going. And the more you tried to fight the potion working its way through your system, the worse it was going to get for you. "She ended up slapping me before she left and threatened to report both myself and one of the other half-daemon healers I work with."

"So you killed her to get your revenge, isn't that right?" The guard on your left sneered, a haughty smile peeking through as the conversation turned the direction he wanted it to.

You shook your head, a new hint of desperation in your tone. "No, I swear it wasn't me. I didn't kill her."

"You lying bi-"

"Chang, that's enough." The interrogator raised his hand, signaling the guard to stop when your response only triggered him to start some nonsense of you lying. "We all saw her drink the potion, so we all know she's telling the truth. It would be impossible for her to say anything else, so please, let me do my job and ask the questions here. She may not have killed Ms. Hak, but she may know who did." He raised his brow at the guard, as though daring him to speak up and rebuke his statement, but the guard simply threw another nasty look in your direction, blaming the reprimand he had just received on you. "Good, so you had a bit of an altercation with Ms. Hak while you were at work yesterday. What did you do when she left?"

"The lead healer on duty thought it would be best if I returned home for the day. This wasn't the first time something like that had happened yesterday with the amount of refugees coming in who aren't used to half-daemons, so I went home."

"And did you leave your house in between the time you went home from work and when you left this morning to come back in?"

"No, I was at home with my siblings the entire night. None of us ever left until this morning to go back to work."

"And I know our friend over here has already asked this, but I'm going to need to ask it one last time just for the official records. Did you kill Ms. Hak?"

"No. I didn't kill her."

"Do you have any inclination of who might have wanted her dead? Anyone who showed signs of having an allegiance with the daemons?"

And there it was. The question you had been dreading.

You had been expecting it, but you still felt your breath hitch when it finally came. It was easy enough for you to prove your innocence towards this crime, you had just done it, but it was impossible for you to not share your earlier revelations with the officer if this question was asked. After all, you had more than a sneaking suspicion of who the killer had been.

You were almost certain it had been Yeosang who had killed her. And though his actual motive behind the crime had been less clear to you, you had no doubt it had been him. It was all too coincidental for it to not have been him. His threats towards the woman had been damning enough, but his use of referring to humans as pigs had been what had tied it all together for you. Only daemons were prideful enough to refer to humans as something so unclean.

In your initial panic, you had been sure his motive had been sinister, sure he had killed her to pin the blame on you and rid the world of one more mutt, but as time went on and your emotions began to reign themselves back in, you weren't so sure. In some ways it did make sense. He had lied about who he was, so there was no telling what else he had been lying about, but the explanation didn't clear everything up. As much as you were certain he had used you in that moment - he was a daemon, after all - you couldn't shake the sincerity in his eyes when he had first taken you in. It had been impossible for him to fully hide his hatred towards the woman who had threatened you, but when it came to you, he had shown nothing but care and compassion. The way his fingers had trailed across your cheek had been so terribly gentle that you couldn't see how he was just acting in that moment.

And for just a second, you had allowed yourself to contemplate another scenario. One where her death hadn't been an act against you, but one for you.

It was crazy. Absolutely insane. But what if it was true? What if he had killed her because she had harmed you? Because she had threatened your life?

You had always assumed the daemons had lied when they claimed they had no intention of harming you, including when they had gone so far as to offer you protection. You had been certain it was all a lie because their general, this Seonghwa, had ultimately attacked you in the end and marked you as a traitor to your own people. At least, that was how you had seen it all before. But now. Now you weren't so sure.

The only way things started to line up in a way that made sense was when you finally allowed yourself to consider the option the daemons weren't lying, at least not when it came to your safety. That maybe, just maybe, they had been telling the truth when they had claimed no harm would come to you. They were well aware you were someone on the other side now, so maybe their intention of unmasking you was so they really could protect you from themselves when the war came to an end. By marking you with the king's sigil, they were risking possibly exposing you as a traitor to the humans, but it must have been a risk they were willing to take when they had spies on the other side. This was why the voice from that first night back home had told you there was no need to be afraid. It was why he had said they would make sure you remained safe because they had people who could protect you from your own side now that they knew who you were. All this you had come to with little hesitation because it did, in a way, make sense. You had saved the lives of their soldiers, saved the life of one of their generals, so they had gone and returned the favor just like they said they would.

It was the way they had gone about saving your life among a few other minute details that left you so unnerved by the prospect.

Your first concern was the voice that had spoken to you inside your head. You had chalked it up to exhaustion in the beginning, not quite wanting to face the truth of it, but now you were left with little other choice. After the events of the past few days, you knew this voice was no figment of your imagination. Who the voice might have been and how they were doing it, though, was still unknown to you.

Your first thought had been Seonghwa. He had been the one who had started all this, but the voice hadn't sounded like him. And it didn't sound like Yeosang either, so then who? The daemon king? That was the only other possible solution you could come up with, but the idea of it being him who had spoken to you was so improbable and insane, you had tossed it out the moment it had crossed your mind. The voice might have said that anyone who harmed you would face the daemon king's wrath, but that didn't mean he was the one who had said it to you. Because why would the daemon king hold any interest in you? Why would he want anything to do with someone of your kind? Of your status?

And yet, despite who had actually said it, the threat had still rang true. Here was a woman who had not only threatened your life, but also raised a hand against you, and she was struck dead by an agent of the king in less than a day. You liked to think it was a coincidence. Wanted to think it was nothing more than a coincidence, but you knew better than that. Her death had not been an accident. It had not been an act committed to strike fear into the humans' hearts. And it hadn't been an act to spite you as a halfbreed. Her death had come because she had threatened you. Because she had hurt you.

As much as the idea should have comforted you in knowing they were being sincere in their offer of keeping you safe and alive throughout the remainder of the war, you felt the complete opposite. You hadn't liked the woman. Hell, perhaps a small part of you had even wished she would die, but you never actually wanted her to die for what she had done. And not only was she now dead, but you were the whole reason for it. Unknowingly or not, you had played a role in her death and now a part of her blood rested on your hands just as much as the one who had killed her.

It was hard to tell which scenario made you feel worse. On one hand, the idea that Yeosang might have not actually used you, that a part of him had actually cared for you, filled you with a warmth that came back much too quickly for your liking. But on the other, the fact he had willingly killed her for something so small left you shivering with disgust and fear. For if they killed her for something as small as a threat of a report, what else would they do? Who else would they kill? How much blood would they taint your hands with? There were thousands of people who hated you. Hundreds of people who mistreated you. Would they kill each and every one of them?

And yet, despite it all, you still dreaded giving Yeosang up. He had lied to you - what all about, you still weren't sure. He was a daemon. He had killed that woman, and yet, giving him up was something you didn't think you could do. At least not willingly.

You knew how important the information was, knew telling them a daemon spy was in the city wrecking mayhem all because of you was important information, but you didn't want to give it up. Whether this was simply because you were terrified of the repercussions it might have or whether you knew doing it would reveal yourself or cause Yeosang to come after you next. Or whether it was because a part of you thought he might have still held a semblance to the man who had been so terribly kind to you, you didn't know. You just wished it hadn't came to this moment right here, where you were left with no choice but to give him up.

"I...I-"

Before any of the information you had been dreading to speak could come out, your mouth promptly closed. And while under normal circumstances this might have relieved you, the fact it had not been yourself who had just closed it left you with the opposite reaction. If it wasn't for the fact you no longer seemed to have control of the rest of your body as well, you were pretty sure the panic that had exploded inside you in that moment would have been showing a lot more on the outside.

"No, sir. I have no idea who might have done such a thing." The lie, that you said, but had definitely not been said on your own volition, rolled off your tongue with an ease that should have been impossible. "I haven't seen anyone who might have wanted to harm her, but have you ever stopped to think this might not have been a murder?" You tried to stop the words from coming out, but nothing you did would stop yourself. "Have you stopped to think that maybe she had been the spy herself and played a part in her murder to start a panic?"

"You think Ms. Hak did this to herself?" The interrogator leaned forward in his seat once more, interested in whatever nonsense you - or more so, whoever was currently controlling you - were spouting.

Relax, angel. I'm going to get you through this.

You tensed as the voice spoke inside your head once more, a clear sign that whoever was doing this to you was also the daemon who had spoken to you in your head that first night. But while you inwardly screamed at him to stop what he was doing right then and there and that you didn't need nor want his help, he didn't seem to hear. Either that, or he just didn't care.

Please, just relax for me, will you, pretty? It makes it much easier for me when you aren't actively trying to fight me for control.

"The woman had just come from Yuchae, right? Perhaps something had happened to her there that caused her death last night and not something that had happened here."

And though you wanted to keep fighting him, terrified by the power this unknown daemon had over you, there was nothing you could do to stop him. All you could do was sit there, powerless in your own body, and let him do whatever it was he wanted.

There you go, angel. Nice and easy, see? Just a little longer and it'll all be over. Let me get you out of this, okay, pretty? Let me help you.

"Daemons have all sorts of strange and terrifying powers, especially the Seven. Perhaps she had a run in with one of them in Yuchae that caused this incident to occur. And perhaps the reason why she created the commotion in the infirmary with me yesterday was to simply throw suspicion away from the idea that the daemons truly were the ones behind it and pin it on us, half-daemons."

"Tell me you don't actually believe this bullsh-" The guard from before started once more, unable to keep his mouth shut a second time. But the interrogator stopped him before he could finish his statement.

"Weirder things have happened before," he replied, but there was a strange sort of smile on his face. One that neither of his colleagues could see but was on full display for you. "Besides, she's only speaking about what she believes to have happened. You might be right and this is nothing more than nonsense, but I think we can safely assume she had nothing to do with Ms. Hak's murder, don't you agree?"

It was then that you finally took notice of the pressure in your chest. It didn't feel quite as hollow as it normally did, mimicking a similar feeling to the one Yeosang's presence had brought you the day before. You had just been so panicked beforehand, that you hadn't noticed the way it seemed to thrum before him. Your eyes widened as you took the officer's appearance in once more, the realization of what this might have meant hitting you at the teasing smile he suddenly sent your way.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, taking note of your reaction and tilting his head. The playful demeanor felt so strange and foreign in the body of the man before you, but there was no mistaking it. He was a daemon just like Yeosang. Or... was he simply Yeosang in disguise again?

Nope, try again, angel.

The voice that spoke in your head this time was different than the one before, and based on the way the man's eyes glittered deviously in your direction all but confirmed it had been him who had said it despite his voice not matching the one that had just rung in your mind. Not only did he speak with a different lilt in his accent, but the voice was younger, sweeter.

"You're-" you started once you found you had your voice back, but the other daemon must have still been observing the scene and quickly shut your moth before you could say anything damning about either of them. "No, sir. I'm just still a bit shaken at the idea a daemon could be hiding amongst us without us even realizing it."

"Well, if that's all then, I'd say we're finally done here." The man winked at you as he stood up, all but confirming the conclusion you had come to seconds earlier. "Have a great rest of your day, Miss l/n, but do us a favor and try and stay away from trouble, will you, angel?"

"You're just going to let the mutt go?" The guard asked, face incredulous as he started you down. "The victim was going to report her and she dies on her way home before the report could be filed. The bitch knows something and we both know it."

"What part of this conversation did you not understand, Chang? Or are you just that big of an idiot?" The interrogator's shoulders tensed at the outburst, eyes darkening as he turned to face him. "She told us everything she knows. The girl says she didn't have anything to do with the murder, and we can safely assume she's telling the truth since it would be impossible for her to tell us otherwise."

"Park's right. The whole situation seems a bit too coincidental if you ask me, but we all saw her drink the potion. The girl is innocent. It must have just been a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." The other guard butted in, rolling her shoulders out. "We've got a long day in front of us as it is and I would really like to be home in time for dinner. Let's not waste any more time here than we have already."

Chang seemed like he wanted to rebuke both of their statements, but kept his mouth shut. Instead, his eyes seemed to bore into your still seated figure, and you didn't doubt he would have acted out his frustration if the two of you had been alone. However, he was left with no choice but to follow the other two officers out as the interrogator grabbed hold of his shoulder and pulled him out of the room.

The second the door swung shut behind them, your head collapsed inside your hands and a shaky breath escaped your lips. Full control of your body may have been given back to you, but the lingering feeling of his presence left you terrified. Much more terrified than anything you had felt during the actual interrogation from the humans. Or, well, the daemon, really. And doubt you had felt towards his true nature had been tossed out the window the moment he had spoken to you inside you head.

Once again, you were left with little relief from escaping the interrogation with your life intact, filled with the all too familiar feeling of confusion and fear. You were once again at a complete loss on what had just happened or why it had happened. It might have helped solidify the conclusion you had slowly come to in that the daemons were following through with their promises, but why? Why did they put so much effort into protecting you? Sure, you had saved many of their lives, but why go through so much trouble to make sure you didn't die on them in the meantime? Why were there daemons speaking to you in your mind? And who was that first daemon? How had he gotten access to your mind and how had he taken control of your body?

You scoured your brain for the answers, scrambling to remember anything from that night so many weeks ago. Whatever had happened that night held the answers you yearned for, but time had long since glossed the memories over. No matter how hard you racked your mind for answers, the conversation you had held with the general was long gone. Only fragments now remained. None of which helped you now.

Whether it was the interrogation that left you so shaken or the daemons that haunted your mind, you struggled to focus on your work once they were done with you. With tensions between humans and your kind higher than ever due to the death of Ms. Hak, you were forced into the back rooms to brew. But while potion brewing had always served as a way to help relax and distract you, it was different this time. Nothing you did helped to calm your racing mind and you found yourself making mistakes more often than not. And when you had messed up your third potion for the day by miscounting the number of stirs and forced to throw the contents out and start afresh, Suho finally sent you home once again with orders to get some rest and try again tomorrow.

You attempted to fight him on the matter again, but ultimately knew he was right. You may have been the best healer in the city, but you were useless to them in your current mindset. Stocks were low as it was and you couldn’t afford to waste any more. For the first time in a long time you felt utterly useless.

Hak Seongmin was dead because of you. Because you had failed to deescalate the commotion. Because you had been too caught up in the incident to use your brain and act accordingly. And despite the daemons playing a role in this mess, you were only still alive because of them. If they hadn’t stepped in, you would likely find yourself at death’s door after being forced to reveal your deepest and darkest secrets. And now you couldn’t even brew potions any more. The one thing in life you prided yourself on, and you couldn’t even do it. You were the person the city, no, the humans, leaned on when it came to healing, and it had come down to the point you were more useful at home doing nothing.

Was there even a point to try and stay alive anymore? Was there any purpose of continuing to fight the death that seemed to cling to you? You didn’t know anymore, and wondered if it would be easier on everyone if you just allowed yourself to succumb to the fate you had chosen for yourself when you had attempted to play hero and donned yourself as the Black Angel.

The sudden twist of your thoughts scared you, and you did your best to push them back, ashamed at even thinking about it. None of it was true. You knew that, but knowing it and believing it were two different things. And despite knowing your life was still something worth fighting for, it was becoming harder to actually believe it when the thought of succumbing to your fate was so much easier. It wasn’t like anyone would care if you died. In fact, your death might actually be celebrated. One less mutt to worry about. One less mutt contaminating the city.

You shook your head, doing your best to shake the lies away. People would care. Soomin and Hyunwoo would care. Your emotions were just getting the better of you. You were just letting your fear dictate your thoughts.

With the sudden turn your thoughts had taken, you quickly learned being at home was no better than being at work, and in some ways, it was worse. Both of your siblings were still out at work, leaving the house all to yourself for the afternoon. The privacy and alone time had used to be something you craved, but found the silence suffocating this time around. All it did was leave you alone with your thoughts, the very thing you had been trying to escape all along.

When even sleep escaped your grasp, you decided the best thing to do was to go out. It was beginning to be dangerous leaving yourself all alone, and hoped a walk and some fresh air would help alleviate your racing mind and quell the darker thoughts that had began to take root. Grabbing the cloak you had yet to fix since that night, you pulled the hood over your head as you made your way out the door, hoping for enough anonymity to prevent anyone from bothering you. The few hours you had spent in the clinic had been enough to show you the outcome the woman’s death had caused, and while you had thought the day before had been rough, it was nothing compared to what you had faced today. Nearly every human who had laid eyes on you had some sly comment to make towards you, whether it was to your face or just loud enough to make sure you overheard. It didn’t matter you had since been proven innocent. The guilt was still placed upon you.

You had no specific destination in mind as you walked, sticking to the less traveled paths as you went. The cool, autumn air helped to calm your mind some, but even it couldn’t distract you fully. No one paid much mind to you as you went, one of the runes Soomin had stitched into the fabric of your cloak made you less likely to be seen, even in the daylight, and you could hear the rumors floating around. Last night’s murder was on everyone’s mind and rumors about what it meant flew through the air.

Some thought it nothing more than a terrible prank, a murderer who had used the growing threat of the daemons to throw the scent off his trail. Others took it for what it was: a sign of what was to come. That once the city of Yuchae finally fell against the daemon forces assaulting it, they would move on to Maehwa. And some, though these were in the minority, were close to the truth. That it was a sign the battle for Maehwa had already come. That daemons had already infested the city and Ms. Hak’s death was a sign of the death and destruction that was to come in the following days.

You, on the other hand, knew none of these rumors and speculations were the whole truth. Perhaps her death did hold a promise of the battle that was coming and that daemons were already in the city, but none of that was why she had been killed. She had died because she had dared to raise a hand against you, an action that had caused her to be on the receiving end of their wrath. Why, you still couldn’t quite figure it out, and just prayed no one else succeeded in following her lead. You didn’t want any more blood on your hands than there already was.

The sun had begun to set by the time you decided it would be best if you returned home. While the walk had answered none of the questions running through your head, it had helped to calm you down a bit and allow the exhaustion from the lack of sleep you had gotten the night before to finally catch up with you.

You were only about halfway back when a bell began to echo throughout the streets, stopping you in your path altogether. The fear you had attempted to push away came back in full force as the bells which served as a warning for coming danger began to ring throughout the city.

The daemons had finally arrived. Maehwa was under attack.

@layzfeelit @calirix @seonghwarizon @yunho0o0o0 @blglmgk01 @marievllr-abg @ddeonghwva @rosie-hao @malyxsoulpersonal @kirooz @violetpenguinkris @woosmaid @eggyomelet @wooya1224 @mulanateez @kimi-kiwi @eastleighsblog @baguette-atiny @yourleftsock @dear-dreamie @uriruwi

a/n: I know last post there were some issues with the tags. Not sure what entirely happened, but maybe it’ll work this time. If not, or I missed someone, I’m sorry once again. Please, let me know!

#ateez x reader #ateez #ateez fic recs #fic recs #hongjoon fic #seonghwa fic #yunho fic #yeosang fic #san fic #wooyoung fic #jongho fic #yandare

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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omg this new relationship between the boys and oc is everything. I'm loving the intimacy and tender moments between them. And the teasing!!!!! everything.

This last few chapters were so so sweet and loving and all about them finding a balance together. I just appreciate how the boys constantly check with oc to see how far are they going. Consent is sexy 🫡

and omg Hongjoon??? he just knew the exact words to say. I get oc, when everything seems to be going great... you just get overwhelmed, like how long is this going to last? Her fears and concerns are totally valid. It's so difficult to actually show all of yourself to someone. The depth of her character is unbelievable. I feel like we discover a new side of her with the boys in each chapter! I can't wait to see how much more she is going to grow throughout the fic :)

{15} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Hongjoong)

Words: 8,068

Warnings: Insecurities, violent thoughts/comments, uncertainty. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: So, I totally didn’t expect this scene with Hongjoong to be as long as it was, but you know what, he deserves it. I really enjoyed writing it, so I hope you’ll all enjoy reading it. Also, smut next chapter hehehe (probably). As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Mini Masterlist

Seguir leyendo

#ateez fic recs #ateez #ateez x reader #yunho fic #hongjoon fic #seonghwa fic #yeosang fic #san fic #mingi fic #wooyoung fic #jongho fic #yandere

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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nooooo 🥺🥺 this was so cute. loved that we saw the couple through their friends pov!

[10:24 PM] “Ten bucks says they’re dating.”

Yunho glanced into the passenger seat at Hongjoong, then into the rearview mirror at you and Jongho, who had managed to fall asleep on each other, before focusing again on the road. “Convince me.”

“Didn’t you see them at dinner?” Hongjoong laughed. “They couldn’t stop stealing little glances at each other the whole time.”

Yunho frowned. “I thought that was because Wooyoung and San were telling bad jokes.”

“That was part of it,” Hongjoong admitted. “But it also made good cover the rest of the time. And didn’t you notice they stayed near each other the whole way to the ice cream place, kind of behind everyone else? And they didn’t offer to share a bite of their ice cream with anyone but each other.”

Yunho hadn’t thought anything of it. “That doesn’t mean they’re dating, though.”

Hongjoong smirked. “What about how they were both at the restaurant together before any of the rest of us?”

“I thought it was just down the road from where they work,” Yunho reminded him.

“Pretty sure I saw them letting go of each other’s hands when we got there,” Hongjoong said. Yunho saw him turn his head and observe the two of you in the back seat. “They’re practically holding hands now, too.”

Yunho glanced into the rearview mirror again. Your head was slumped against Jongho’s shoulder, and Jongho’s head was dangerously close to leaning fully against yours, tilted just so. You both had your hands in your laps, but you both sat close together and his right and your left hands were slightly touching, Jongho’s pinky and ring finger covering yours.

“That’s not really holding hands,” Yunho said, but he felt doubt creeping in.

Yunho jerked back to attention as the car began to drift onto the rumble strip. He straightened the car out as the two of you in the back seat stirred. Yunho saw Jongho’s eyes flutter open briefly before Yunho snapped his attention back to the road, partly to drive safer and partly not to get caught staring. From the corner of his eye, Yunho saw Hongjoong looking at his phone, another cover.

The two of you in the back seat shifted a little, and from the brief glance into the mirror Yunho saw you had shifted closer together. Your head was settled solidly against Jongho’s shoulder now, his resting atop yours, cheek smushed against your head.

Hongjoong shot Yunho a look, glancing pointedly back at the two of you and then at him again.

“Sure, I’ll take your bet,” Yunho said. “People can just be physically affectionate friends.”

“They can,” Hongjoong agreed, leaning back in his seat, “but we’ll see.”

Yunho eased to a stop at a red light, wincing as the car jolted over a pothole.

The two of you stirred a little in the back seat again at the jolt, and Yunho watched in the mirror.

“Love you,” you mumbled, not opening your eyes.

“Hmm, love you,” Jongho sighed, turning his face slightly closer into your head. His hand took yours, fingers threading together.

Yunho blinked several times, staring at the two of you in the mirror, but each time, your hands were still linked. He glanced over at Hongjoong, who was staring straight ahead through the windshield, the biggest smirk on his face.

Yunho sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Taking a bill from inside, he reluctantly slapped it into Hongjoong’s waiting, upturned palm before the light turned green.

#ateez #ateez x reader #jongho fic #jongho x reader #ateez fic recs #fic recs

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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I'm so happy for such a cute ending! This is one of the most heartwarming series I read and I will really miss it (guess I'll have to reread it forever 😌)

This series really means a lot, the message was so touching. I really can't explain the amount of love I could feel from this fic.

So happy that I got to read it.

Thank you so much for shearing this amazing fic! can't wait to read the drabbles to see how the couple is doing 🥰

‧✧̣̇‧ Gym Bunny 20

‧✧̣̇‧ Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

‧✧̣̇‧ Genre: muscle pig!Jungkook, strangers to lovers au, fluff, angst, college au, very enthusiastic kook, shy chubby reader, self hatred to self love au.

‧✧̣̇‧ Summary: Love heals

‧✧̣̇‧ Word count: 1.7k

Gym Bunny Masterlist ♡

The days were starting to get colder, especially in the mornings. You woke up early today, surprised that Jungkook hasn’t woken up yet. Today was his day after all. But he’s too engrossed in his dreamland, probably dreaming of legos he's going to see later, to pay attention to the love of his life leaving his embrace. You hear him grunt but you don’t rub his back to soothe him like you usually do since he should be waking up to get ready anyways.

Today was a very important day for Jungkook. He’s had it scheduled on your date calendar for weeks now. And at this point in your relationship you would do anything for him, so of course you happily agreed to have a date at the Lego pop up store and cafe.

You shiver when you finally slip out of the covers and quietly go to the bathroom to get ready, but you know Jungkook was going to be rushing you once he wakes up.

And that’s the first thing he does when he walks into the bathroom. His hairs messed up and he still has that cute groggy pout that makes your heart melt. You’re curling your hair as he strips quickly and starts the shower, the waters still cold but he doesn’t care.

“Baby you better hurry that pretty ass up.” He winces when the cold water hits his warm skin.

You bite your lip and shake your head, you won’t tease him since he’s just excited for today.

After his shower though, he insisted that you wear your matching tracksuits that he bought. And even though you were already dressed you agreed since you really love seeing the excitement in his eyes when you say yes. He kisses you and tells you to hurry up for the tenth time that morning, he really doesn’t want to be there late, just in case there’s a line.

Now you’re walking down the street, following closely behind him as he was holding your hand while trying to read the directions on his phone. You take a deep breath as the cold nips on your skin lull you into a trance. You stare at the back of his head, his hair is getting longer now. You don’t mind of course, you can put his hair into ponytails when he’s sleeping and pull on it just a little when he gets a little too rough.

But as you’re admiring his bouncy hair, you feel your heart in your throat, choking you with so much love that you can’t handle it these days. You look away from him otherwise you’ll start sniffing so you look at everything around you instead. Of course you catch people staring but you don’t feel embarrassed. You don’t feel ashamed like you should cover up or try to hide yourself. You don’t feel like making yourself seem smaller so you’re not noticeable.

You didn’t even notice their stares if you were being honest.

Instead you feel okay. You feel okay with taking up space and existing. The judgment of the world around you doesn’t matter as much as it did before. You don’t feel hateful stares as much, or maybe you’ve just learned to ignore them. Either way, you smile because this is what growth must feel like.

You’ve slowed down a little from admiring how beautiful the city is now that you don’t walk with your head down. Jungkook looks back at you but you feel overwhelmed with the cold air hitting your cheeks, painting them pink. You exhale a deep frosty breath before smiling to reassure him. He puckers his lips to blow you a kiss and continues walking.

This is what your life has become now, full of love for yourself and for him.

When you arrive there is no line and Jungkook couldn’t be happier. He stands in front of the store and asks you to take pictures of him. His happiness spreads to you through his smile and excitement. You’re not that much into legos but you can’t help how jittery your heart feels.

Jungkook looks around as if mentally making a plan before he turns to you to hand you a basket. He doesn’t say anything but from the knit in his brows you understood he needed full access of his hands so you’ll have to be his shopping cart today. You follow closely behind him but he’s like a child in a candy shop so you make sure not to lose him in the excitement.

He stops at one container and looks through them diligently like he was on a mission. You look over his shoulder until he quickly turns to you.

“Babe look,”Jungkook smirks,” it’s us.”

He holds up two figures, both wearing tracksuits similar to the ones you’re wearing now. You can’t help but laugh because he’s making them passionately kiss.

He chuckles before sincerely looking down at them in his hands. It triggers something in him, something that makes him talk before thinking.

“These would be cool wedding cake toppers.”

Then he puts them in the basket and leaves. No time to let you question him.

Wedding cake toppers?!

But they’re in tracksuits…

Wait.

For whose wedding?!

He gently calls your name and you snap out of trying to imagine the tracksuit legos on top of a wedding cake, your wedding cake more specifically.

You thought maybe he didn’t realize what he said. He’s acting very nonchalantly as he piles sets into the basket. You don’t even realize how long you were in your head because suddenly you’re next in line for the registers and he’s still casually talking to you, as if he didn’t just imply that he’s thinking about weddings.

He quickly pays and leads you next door to the cafe part of the pop up shop. You quietly follow him to your table, the waiter briskly hands you menus but Jungkook already knew what he was ordering. Once the waiter leaves Jungkook is looking around in amazement. He had the same smile he had on when you first told him you loved him.

His voice snaps you out of your head once again.

“Wait, let me take a picture of all the stuff I bought, I want to show my mama.” He smirks and you hand him the items in his bag. He fixes them nicely before his eyebrow knit in question. You know he’s looking for the two he called wedding cake toppers. You’re usually not this sneaky but you figured this was a good opportunity to talk about his comment earlier. You put the two minis in front of him before speaking.

“You missed the…wedding cake toppers.” Your top lip curves in a small smile.

But Jungkook looks as confused as ever.

How did you know that’s exactly what he was thinking when he saw them!?

Are you really his soulmate like he thinks?

Or can you read minds?

He squints his eyes at you.

“Babe I’m really starting to really believe you’re an alien,” he took in a big breath and pouted,” how did you know that?”

“You…said it?”

You won’t giggle because he genuinely seems muddled about it.

“Damn, you really have me wrapped around those pretty fingers if I can’t keep my thoughts to myself around you.”

Jungkook feels like he owes you an explanation, but he doesn’t want to scare you away. Of course he imagines marrying you, any man who’s met ‘the one’ does. He didn’t think he’d let it slip this early on in the relationship though.

“Is it weird?” He pouts.

“No,” you shake your head to reassure him,” you caught me off guard I guess.”

“Well, you know,” His gaze is shy and awkward,” you’re like the one, I can’t imagine my future without you in it and that typically means getting married.”

Your chest feels like it’s on fire, like a furnace and each breath you take makes it burn brighter.

“I know we haven’t been together for long but I’ve never been more sure in my life, I’ll happily marry you even if it’s a year or 10 years from now.”

He smiles, that smile that tells you one hundred things all at once. Probably one hundred ‘I love you’s in his case.

“But hey, we can take things slow, as long as we’re making a future together…right?”

You won’t cry, you’ll hold it in until you tell Yoon and Daisy later.

“Yea,” You sigh but shyly smile at him,” right.”

He hums and continues taking pictures. There’s a peaceful silence that drifts over you.

As long as we’re making a future together.

You take a sip from your pink drink to ease your happy heart. You always wished and dreamt that someone like you would be loved like this. You never thought it would happen. You thought you’d have to change your entire being to be loved and to love but that’s not the case anymore.

You are loved.

And you do love.

You are worthy of love.

Since Jungkook nearly ordered everything on the menu, it took the rest of your afternoon to taste everything. He swears he’s fallen in love all over again. But he bids goodbye to his new favorite spot, a heartbreaking moment for him you think. You console him with a warm hug as you both walk home; his apartment actually.

He’s in a really good mood, a loving mood too. Now he can go back to daydreaming about the future without worrying he’s rushing things.

“Hey,” he swings your hands as if you were in a romance movie,” if we get married can Bam be my best man?”

You shrugged but you don’t think you’d mind as much as Yoongi would.

“As long as you don’t wrestle with him.”

Jungkook laughs and wraps his arm around you. He kisses your cheek and obnoxiously snuggles his nose against you.

“Fuck, sometimes I wish I could love you less so I could love you more.”

“That doesn’t really make sense.”

Jungkook scoffs and squeezes you again.

“It doesn’t have to make sense, just has to sound cool.”

You won’t question his logic, it’s Jungkook after all.

Your Jungkook.

So…here we are…the last chapter…I really hope you guys liked it, I really just wanted a sweet moment to end it all…and after three different drafts I finally felt okay about this one 🫶🏽 I wanted to do more for this, but I think this is very on-brand for GB but y’all thank you again, I literally cannot thank my readers enough, I love all the support and all the recommendations this fic has been put on…and thank you for putting up with me 🫶🏽🫶🏽 now let’s all remember that no matter how we look or are, we deserve love and respect from the people around us, fat people are humans too even after fatphobes try to dehumanize us. I love you guys 🫶🏽

Love, Che

🏷️: @iwaizumiathletictrainer @fanaticf1 @hey-itslulu @anothershorthuman @arepabella @shine-your-light @thvhoe @callmejimmeo @mrcleanheichou @firnze @babygirl-panda19 @cuteipat @3greasy-shirt3 @jeonsjiddies @1-in-abillion @dearalice @lunar-flwr @phenomenalgirl9 @bri-mal @chaichaiiskai @sweetempathprunetree @pennyllanne @jinscharms @juju-227592 @hisokascrunchyhairstrands @ungodlyjoon @malewife-supremacy @doublebunv @yn-lifeu @markleeiloveu @drownforryou @4evahevah @bbyhoneysuga @supernoonanyc @whyamaii @is-it-sander-oclock-yet @alex--awesome--22 @slowlydeliciousjiminie @lpgirl2324 @httpnwt @dariangarcia @my-random-thoughts16 @roxy1205 @reveusecherie @bts-trash-blog @silversparkles11 @lovelgirl22

#jungkook fic #bts #bts x reader #jungkook x reader #fic recs #bts fic rec

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

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I'm so impressed. Wow. This is an amazing story with incredible world building.

I- literally at a loss of words.

I loved loved the characters. It was amazing to see oc slowly but surely opening up to Yunho. The situation was hard for both of them, and it really made sense that oc was uncomfortable at the beginning. But seeing oc breaking down her walls and showing herself, so so good.

I also loved how strong oc was, how capable. Seeing her stand up for her self and for what (or who) she loved, ugh it was great. And like oc and Yunho are so so cute together. The ending was beautiful.

Also side note, I think the jump cuts were very well done. Like sometimes they can feel weird or out of place, but they made so much sense and it they did not disturb the flow of the story (which btw 10/10)

Really enjoyed it, can't wait to read more 🥰

Promise

prince!yunho x princess!reader

arranged marriage au

word count: 23k

genre: fluff, angst, suggestive

synopsis: 'i'll be a friend to you, if nothing more' is the promise yunho, prince of wonderland makes when you, the princess of eden find yourself in an arranged marriage with him to avoid war. however, war approaches and eden sides with the enemy. will you and yunho stick with each other? will you find love in this arranged marriage?

taglist: @rocks123321

“I simply cannot agree to this, mother.”

“I wish I could apologise,” your mother, the Queen, sighed, massaging her forehead, “But it is what it is. You have to think of the greater good.”

“The greater good? Really?” You scoffed, pulling your emerald gown up a bit as you sat on the chair, “You’re selling me off for a greater good to someone I don’t even know, you do realise that, Your Majesty?”

Your mother raised a brow in amusement at your use of her title, something you only did when you wanted to shout at her but couldn’t because of obvious reasons. Her expressions changed into a frown as she said, “Would you rather Eden burn? Your father, his father, my father- we all have fought for prosperity, fought to keep peace between Eden and Wonderland-”

“Clearly did a bad job,” you muttered, and your mother glared at you.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing,” you lied, groaning as you kicked your legs in frustration, a tantrum something a 12 year old would throw, “Mother. With all due respect, mother… Just because my father and forefathers couldn’t manage to keep peace with Wonderland does not mean they can use me as a means to end this- and there’s still no guarantee we’d be okay after this. You treat me like an object, like a box of jewels being shipped to Wonderland. I am a human- I have a right to choose my partner.”

“I have told you how beneficial the Prince of Wonderland would be, even if we put aside the actual reason,” she swirled the wine in her glass lazily, “Wonderland is a wealthy nation. In the right hands, it could flourish even more- and I believe you could bring that along with the Prince.”

Prince Yunho of Wonderland. The person you’d never seen in your life (if you forget about the time when you were 10 and went to Wonderland and shouted at the poor guy because he spilled soup on your new dress- dark times, a memory you’d rather forget) now about to be wed to you in an exchange for peace. You had scoffed at the idea way too many times.

Your father, the King, entered, frowning at how tense you two looked. “Everything alright?”

“Just convincing our dear old gem to think with her head,” the queen said almost dismissively, which made you even angrier.

“I cannot believe you two are doing this to me,” you shook your head, “You’re both practically selling me off. If you make me do this… I’ll never return. You can have your peace, but know that your only daughter won’t be there with you. Consider her dead.”

“My dear,” the King’s expressions softened as if he was about to change his mind, but your mother raised her hand in the air, standing up and looking down at you- she towered over you a good few inches.

“You can stay,” her voice was steel, “But when your father and I are assassinated and Eden burns, know that all the blood will be on your hands.”

You had never heard harsher words in a tone like this from your mother, and it broke something in your heart as tears welled in your eyes and you shook your head before rushing off to the safety of your room, almost hyperventilating, your maid Mina rushing in to rub your back and give you water, and you finally calmed down after a few minutes.

“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” Mina asked. You shook your head.

“They told me to think about the greater good, Mina. They’re treating me like an object.”

Mina hugged you and you were glad you had her by your side- she too, was alone and had only you or a few friends from the staff. She was the closest thing to a sibling, to a friend that you had. “I’m taking you with me if they marry me off.”

Mina laughed, “You can. I was waiting for the offer actually.”

You smiled at that, wiping your face when you drew back. “What am I going to do, Mina? I don’t even know what the Prince is like. What if he’s some… sadistic- can I curse? Bastard?”

Mina laughed a bit at that, “He could be. But he could also be someone caring and loving. Look at both sides of the coin.”

“Well,” you shuddered, “I don’t think I can stomach any care and love from a stranger.”

Mina looked at you knowingly, “I think all you need is that. Some love and care. Someone ought to put the walls around your heart down.”

“Well,” you drew your sleeves up, “They’ll be in for a war. So are you really coming with me or not?”

“I could… if you want me to. If the King and the Queen allow-”

“The least they could do for me now is this,” you said, “but only if you want to, Mina. I wouldn’t force you. It’s a whole new kingdom, we’d know no one there- oh my god, we’d literally know no one there. I’m going to throw my guts out.”

“We’ll be okay,” Mina assured you, “And I’ll come with you. It’s not like I have anything left here. I’d like to start over where no one knows me.”

You nodded- she didn’t have the best life and as soon as she was allowed to, she cut ties with her family and became a permanent resident of the castle. You and her knew each other’s backstories inside out, having witnessed first-hand. You rubbed her arm assuringly.

“It’s not wrong to hate my mother and father in such a situation, is it?” You asked.

“It’s not,” Mina smiled sadly at you and you nodded, pushing the guilt away.

You were going to raise hell.

—--------------------

The palace was nearly a fish market now that the Jeong family from Wonderland was visiting.

All the guards, all the servants and the staff were borderline panicking. Your father and mother had announced the ‘sudden’ arrival of the guests being expected in a week, and the staff was going-

“Crazy,” Mina entered your room, “You should visit the kitchen. It's havoc.”

“I mean,” you began, looking up from the documents- a part of your daily work as a princess, “It’s only them. Why is everyone acting like a war will break out if we don’t get, say, the right flowers for their welcome?”

Mina passed you a side-eye, indicating that yes, a war just might break out if you didn’t have the right flowers. You rolled your eyes, “So very assuring. So what- if I’m not a proper wife and look at my husband the wrong way, are they gonna send their troops to Eden?”

“That’s something debatable,” Mina started going through your closet, “But I was just in the kitchens, and the staff who’ve been to Wonderland or have encountered the Prince say that he is a very sweet, young man. Maybe you two might get along well.”

“Well,” you shuffled the pages, “My father is a very sweet man. My mother is the sweetest of all, isn’t she?” Mina passed you a disapproving look but you continued, “They care so much about me. No wonder the people of Eden love them.”

“Now, now,” Mina took out a pastel peach evening gown, spreading it on the bed as she thought, “They do care about you. And Eden might not love them but they know with how things have been the past decade, your parents are the best they could have.”

“Sure, Mina, whatever you say,” you mumbled, “I’m not wearing this gown- it’s too pretty. I want to look ugly the day they come.”

But a week later, you were in that gown, the colour bringing out the flush in your cheeks, your hair half tied and perfect curls falling down your shoulders, and you had to admit-

“You look extremely pretty,” Mina swooned, “I don’t know, if the Prince doesn’t think so, I think I’ll help you run away.”

You laughed nervously, “You did a good job, one you shouldn’t have. You should have made me look ugly!”

“I value my life,” Mina raised a brow, “An execution at this age! Just because I made you look ugly!”

“Stop being so dramatic,” you sat in your chair, waiting for your mother to arrive, “I am so nervous right now. I can feel rats go rampant in my stomach. Why haven’t I already run away?”

“You won’t,” your mother entered and Mina bowed, excusing herself to give you two some privacy and you felt her absence like a needle poking in your arm. “You look beautiful, dear.”

“Thank you, mother,” you said almost dismissively, standing up, “Lead me to the guillotine.”

Your mother shook her head in amusement but her face was softer now than you had ever seen in your life, “My daughter… I truly am sorry for making you go through this, whether you believe it or not. But as Queen and King, we had to think of the greater good. The merging of the two kingdoms… It means unity. Peace. We have been on our toes for way too long. Wonderland is going to provide us with the security we so desperately needed.”

“And I am the only way, apparently,” you muttered. You couldn’t believe how she had everything already justified. As if it could be.

Your mother patted your arm, “Think positively tonight. Talk to the Prince. Maybe you two will actually find something good out of this arrangement.”

“And if he’s a spoiled, smug brat?”

“What do you have to say about yourself?”

“Mother!” You gaped at her and she laughed.

“I jest. Come on, it’s time. They have arrived.”

Taking in a deep breath, you joined arms with your mother, suppressing the thick feeling in your throat, putting your chin up as you walked. You were not going to be intimidated by the Prince and his family. You were going to feel them out, you were going to figure out if they had other intentions as well and if you weren’t going to hell. Because if you were… there was no way you’d stay either here or there. You’d run.

You could hear the sound of the music from the hallway, the sound of people mingling, the volume getting louder as you walked to the Great Hall. Your maids joined behind you as well as your mother’s, and together, you finally entered the Hall after a reassuring squeeze from your mother.

You scanned the Hall once as silence fell, the Queen greeting everyone with a curtsy and the music went back, everyone going back to what they were doing. The King approached you two, patting your back. “Come on, let’s greet the Jeongs.”

You gulped once again and saw what had to be the royal family, all elegance and beauty, the King and Queen-

And the unmistakable Prince- unmistakable since he towered over them. You curtsied for the royal family, the Queen patting your cheek lovingly, “What a beautiful daughter you have.”

Your mother laughed in response, thanking her for the compliment and you followed, meeting eyes with the Prince but you two awkwardly looked away from each other as soon as it happened, making you wonder if he was shy. The Kings pushed their children ahead, “Why don’t you show him around, dear?”

If looks could kill, your parents would drop dead right there. You gave them the most fake smile you could muster and bowed your head a little as you excused yourself from their company, the tall Prince following right after. You turned your head a bit, “Drink?”

“Yeah, I could take one right now,” he almost mumbled and you smiled. He, too, was nervous. Why?

You grabbed drinks for you two from the waiter who passed by, “So, Prince. How do you find Eden?”

“Well, the view’s spectacular from outside the castle,” he nodded in acknowledgement, “But Wonderland… it’s much prettier.”

“Really? I don’t recall much from last time I visited,” you muttered, sipping your drink.

“I guess you’ll see for yourself soon,” he raised a brow and you gulped, scanning him rather slowly.

“Can I ask you something? Not here- balcony.”

Prince Yunho followed you to the balcony, appreciating the view he had mentioned earlier, the full moon making the city look more beautiful than it should be credited for. You took a deep breath, turning towards him. “What are your thoughts about… this arrangement?”

The Prince scanned you just as slowly as you had, swirling his drink lazily, “I guess you’re not a fan of this arrangement?”

“Are you?”

“God, no,” he said, and the way he’d so simply said it made you both sigh in relief and feel a little insulted as well. He must have noticed because he looked at you apologetically, “It’s just… I guess it’s the same for us. Our families want this.”

“Yes… did you not object?”

“I did,” he placed the glass on the bench nearby, returning with his hands in the pockets of his navy blue suit, “but my father insisted, and I cannot refuse him.”

“Is he as uptight and stubborn as mine?” You wondered out loud.

“He’s actually a good father,” Yunho raised a brow in confusion, “which is why I couldn’t refuse.”

“Oh,” you looked away, peering down at the city, “I see.”

Thankfully, the Prince didn’t probe about your father further. “I guess if we have to do this… I’m going to try. Try to make this a good relationship. It’s the best for both of us.”

“Can I ask why you are giving in so easily?” You looked at him, “Don’t you want to say no? Don’t you have, I don’t know… a person? You would want to marry?”

“I don’t, actually,” he sighed, “Which is why I really don’t see the problem here… yet.”

“And if I say I don’t want this?” You asked.

Prince Yunho did not break eye contact and after a few long seconds passed, his lips curved into a smile a little, “You go and fight, Princess. I’m not fighting.”

“I mean… you could help me a little,” you almost pouted.

“Do you have a lover?” The Prince asked and you gaped at how direct he was. “Why do you want to say no?”

“I just don’t want to marry a stranger, no offence,” you began, and he pretended to be hurt, “And I… I just don’t like how my parents so easily sold me off, practically, to ensure the prosperity of the kingdom.”

“The greater good, they say,” Prince Yunho sighed, “Well, Princess, we have a few weeks to get to know each other. If you still don’t want this… I can do something about it. I’ll try, at least, I promise.”

“Why give it a few weeks, why not now?” You asked, genuinely curious.

“Other than the logical reason that it would look suspicious if I try to stop this now,” Yunho shifted, running a hand through his strawberry blonde hair, “I don’t want to end this right now and regret the possibility of perhaps, a beautiful future with you.”

“Oooh,” you were impressed, and were probably flushing at this point, “So you’re a romantic.”

“I can be,” he smiled, tucking a strand of your hair back delicately, “Let’s go inside.”

You and Yunho- as he asked to be called by you- talked about your likes and dislikes. To your surprise, he was very interested in music and arts, and could play quite a few instruments. He was fond of games as well, and it just seemed like he liked to stay busy doing anything and everything throughout his day.

You learned more than you gave- you really didn’t want him knowing much about you before you could really judge him, and frankly, he was… strange, in a way that wasn’t bad. He was just… all giggles and warm smiles and caring.

“I can’t believe he’s so… soft,” you made a disgusted face at Mina, “He’s a sunshine, Mina, what will I do?”

Mina laughed, “What do you think will happen?”

“I’ll cast a shadow over his light is what will happen,” you took off your heels- it had been a long night. “He’s… too good. Almost perfect, and it’s annoying.”

“You really are ungrateful,” Mina said and she earned a scowl from you, “It’s only the first meeting. You have three days in a row to get to know him, and then more- maybe you’ll find something about him that you really don’t like, then he will be Prince Perfect no more. Though if I was you…”

“Yeah, yeah,” you dismissed, “you’d marry him in an instant, I know. But isn’t it the happy smiley ones who turn out all wrong in the end?”

Mina rolled her eyes, “I should ask the library to restrict fiction-”

“Hey!” you scoffed, sighing as you changed into your nightgown and fell into your bed, “I don’t know, Mina. I feel weird.”

“Give it some time,” she patted your cheek before turning off the candles, “You’ll know in your heart soon.”

—--------------

You dressed up casually for breakfast, a simple purple chiffon blouse with black wide leg pants, figuring there was no need to wear a dress now since you always kept dresses for the more formal days or events. You did tie your hair in a loose braid and wore minimal jewellery- it was important to show this side to the family because really, you didn’t want to wed in a place where only dresses were allowed, and you prayed Wonderland wasn’t that.

You arrived before the Jeong family, seating yourself in the middle so the Queens and the Kings could sit together and converse. Your mother gave you an approving glance, “How was last night?”

“Okay,” you simply said, pouring yourself water.

“Okay?” Your father asked. You sighed- you really did not want to give them more.

“Yes, okay,” you insisted, and thankfully before they could probe, you heard the door open and the Jeong family arrived, dressed casually as well. Yunho gave you a smile and seated himself in front of you, next to the King while the Queen sat next to you.

“I slept well last night, you must tell me which scented candles you use,” the Queen passed your mother a warm smile, “I’m taking a ship full with me.”

Your mother laughed, “All yours, dear. Please,” she said, passing her bread and you took it upon yourself to pass the nearest thing to the Prince before your father or mother could scold you for sitting idly.

“So,” Yunho asked as he put a scone on his plate, “Slept well last night?”

“Not at all,” you joked, “I believe you did.”

“Slept like a log,” Yunho grinned.

“So the thought of me did not keep you up at night, I see,” you nibbled on the egg.

“Unlike you, no,” he smirked, and you shrugged in dismissal.

“What are your hobbies, dear?” The Queen turned to you, “I, myself, absolutely love to crochet. I should start making some crochet mittens for my future grandchild-”

“Mother!” Yunho’s eyes were wide in warning but the two of them ended up laughing- you couldn’t believe how… friendly they were with each other. You passed a look to your mother that you hoped conveyed this sentiment.

“I mean,” the Queen laughed, “About time, what do you say dear?”

“Oh, it is,” your mother joined and you wished you could disappear in your seat, “I myself am fond of babies. I simply cannot wait for a little thing in my arms.”

“I don’t remember you holding me much, mother,” you muttered and you were glad only Yunho heard that, the mothers busy laughing at your demise.

Breakfast went by like that- the parents having a good chat and you two mostly listening, until you excused yourself for your daily duties, which involved defence strategies- something you excelled at.

You took Yunho for a tour of the castle in the evening, figuring that it was the least that you could do. You started from the kitchens, wanting to grab a snack since you were practically starving. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“I have. But I could grab something sweet.”

“Sweet,” you grinned, entering the kitchen and the Head Chef gaped at you.

“You did NOT bring the Prince into the kitchens!” She whirled around in frustration, a box of dough in her hands, “I should have seen this coming!”

“What’s so wrong, stop being so dramatic,” you glanced at Yunho who stood laughing.

“My Head Chef would have had the same reaction, don’t worry.”

You raised a brow, “So the Prince loiters around in the kitchen too?”

“What kid doesn’t?” He simply said, greeting the chefs who came and offered him the first batch of vanilla cupcakes that came out of the oven. You shrugged- he was right. As kids, you both probably thought the kitchen was the safest place in the castle- safe because no one would bother coming here to get you and you could eat to your heart’s content. At least that’s what it was for you.

“So this hallway has the portraits of our ancestors,” you arched your neck to look up at the dimly lit walls, “That’s my great grandfather,” you pointed at the picture you recognized, “and that is as far as I care. The rest, I often get them mixed up.”

Yunho found your lack of care amusing, and you raised your brow in challenge. He shook his head, “You’re telling me your parents- or teacher didn’t make you memorise basically all your family tree?”

“They did, and if I rack my brain for a while, I might actually recall,” you turned left, whirling once, “but who cares what my great grandfather looked like? He’s gone and forgotten!”

Yunho tried stifling his laugh but ended up grinning, “One day your picture is gonna be on one of these walls and some kid’s gonna say the same.”

“And I would expect nothing else,” you curtsied dramatically, “Here’s the music room- I wanted to bring you here today.”

Yunho took a deep breath before he entered, nodding in acknowledgement- it was just as big as the one back home, if not more. But he noticed a larger variety of string instruments, and as you named each instrument, he was impressed by your knowledge.

“Do you play anything?” He asked, running his hand along the piano keys.

“I tried, but I pretty much suck,” you shrugged, “I’m better a free spirit on one of the instruments, if I’m allowed.”

“And what is that?”

“That, you will find out if we stick together for a while,” you said playfully, “Please, I’m not telling you now. It’s kind of… embarrassing.”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Yunho was grinning, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“I’m sure it is, at least to me, and the reason being that you do not want to see me play the poor thing. I would wish it only on my enemies.”

“Tempting,” he said, and you sat on the stool near the piano.

“You said you played. Can I see?”

Yunho glanced at you, making you look away for a second just because something about that look made him seem very attractive- it was the playful nature of it, perhaps. He smirked, “Maybe if we stick together… I’d play for you.”

“Fair enough,” you smiled, “What do you play though?”

“A little bit of piano, a little bit of strings… but I like singing better.”

“Ooh,” you wondered if his singing voice was different from his speaking voice, “Are you not gonna sing for me?”

Yunho leaned in front of you, “You haven’t earned that privilege yet.”

“Wow, okay, someone’s confident in their singing,” you appreciated that, wondering just how good he was, and you watched his ears turn red, but decided not to tease him about it- it was cute. “Do you wanna see more of this boring castle or should we go to the gardens?”

“Whatever you like,” he simply said.

You got up, brushing your dress, “Gardens it is.”

Putting a hand on his arm that he offered, the two of you took the first exit outside and you told him how you spent your childhood playing with the guard’s kids and rolling in the mud, something your mother frowned upon but your father sometimes laughed over. You told him how as you grew up, you rearranged the theme of the garden, using mostly shades of blue, purple and white for the flowers, mosaic patterns on the fountains and how you would come back with shells everytime you visited the shore and spread them across the fountains.

“There,” you pointed, “I love tiny shells.”

Yunho leaned forward to get a closer look inside the fountain where you had stuck shells along the basin. “These are prettier than the ones we have in Wonderland.”

“Finally!” You clapped, “Eden has better shells than Wonderland, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Or maybe I never paid much attention- maybe you’ll find more beautiful shells in Wonderland,” Yunho said, and you noticed just how casually he said that, as if you coming to Wonderland was a given.

“So… what’s your story?” You asked as the two of you walked around the gardens, “I still don’t get why you aren’t bailing out of… whatever’s happening to us.”

“Well, I usually spend the day training with the guards or busy with paperwork- you know how it gets,” he said and you nodded, “I have friends in the castle, some have moved out. We go on trips once in a while, take a breather. A pretty normal life for a Prince, you could say.”

“But?”

“But,” he let out a short laugh, sighing, “Things haven’t always been good in Wonderland, you know. Eden and Wonderland have a conflict, yes. But Wonderland is also greatly threatened by Halaland. We fear for war with them, just like you fear for war with us. And we’re not to blame- it’s something that’s been going on since our forefather’s time. Unfortunately, Halaland’s royalty does not have a daughter I could marry-”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” you rolled your eyes and he laughed.

“So, here we are. Who knows? If you pull out of this, you might have to consider Halaland’s Prince. And with Halaland and Eden so strongly allied…”

“Oh,” you let out a breath, “Wonderland would be in danger.”

“It already is,” Yunho shrugged, “By uniting with Eden, we hope our relations with Halaland would become better in respect of the Princess- you. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

“And I’m the tool.”

“I’m the tool too, don’t forget,” Yunho added and you nodded- you shouldn’t forget that.

“But… don’t you think it’s unfair? Why do we have to go through with this if we don’t want this?”

“It is,” he agreed, “And I really wouldn’t want to force you. It’s up to you- as for me… I’m okay. I’m doing this for the people, my kingdom, but…” he stopped and you turned to him, almost taken by surprise when he put a hand on your cheek and caressed it lightly, “I’ll be a friend if nothing else to you, Princess. I can allow you a certain freedom… and I can be your friend, nothing more, if you wish. You get what I’m saying, don’t you?”

It was such a generous offer that it almost made you cry, because you really hadn’t expected him to be so… caring. So giving, that he’d allow himself to be shackled by you while allowing you freedom to not consider him a romantic partner at all. It truly was so gracious of him.

“I… Thank you, Yunho. Truly. I’ll keep it in mind… I think I just need to give it a good thought. I cannot ruin your life by not giving you something a wife would give you-”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he said and you raised a brow in confusion, which was when realisation dawned upon him and he vigorously shook his head, laughing a bit, “I don’t mean that I will be looking for love elsewhere, no. Never. I’d never do that to you, you’d be my wife, how could I?”

“But, that’s unfair to you, why are you being so… considerate? You should be allowed to look for love elsewhere, or at least, you know, go elsewhere if not to me-”

“I guess that’s just how I am,” he smiled, shrugging, “As long as I have a friend by my side… someone I can simply talk to at night and fall asleep with a smile on my face, feel less lonely… I’ll be okay.”

You bit your lip, wanting to clench your hair because it just felt… wrong. You wanted to hug him and tell him he didn’t have to settle for you just because of his kingdom and he could have a wife that would actually love him, but… he really couldn’t get out of this, could he?

“I know what you’re thinking,” his smile was sad, “I really don’t want to be the one to say no to this, so it’s up to you. I’m just laying out what I can offer to you. It’s your decision now, Princess.”

“I… I would immediately say no just because you deserve to have a wife who would love you and care for you with all her heart,” you sighed in frustration, “but I… I have to think this through properly. And there’s the thing that if I say no, Wonderland and Eden really could find themselves in a war against each other-”

“I won’t allow that,” Yunho smiled, tucking your hair behind, “You’re a good person. The people here… don’t tell anyone but if you back out of this, I won’t allow a war- at least I’ll try with all my might. Wonderland and Eden used to be one- we really shouldn’t be in a war.”

“Thank you, truly, but I believe we are pretty much helpless when it comes to things like that,” you pursed your lips, “I’ll think this through.”

—-------------------

You sent off the Jeong family the next day after breakfast, and they promised to return in two weeks if there was a positive response, which meant that you had that time to think this through. You sat with your parents in their chamber, staring at the fireplace as if the fire would blow off by your stare.

“How pleasant the Prince is!” Your mother sighed dramatically, putting a hand over her heart, “Such a charming boy!”

“Truly,” your father agreed and you shrugged- you couldn’t deny his charms now.

“How does it look, honey? Are they really willing to let trade flourish if the marriage happens?”

“Well, if it doesn’t, they’re at war,” the King sounded grim, “And if they’re at war… We’d have to take sides with whoever offers us the best outcome.”

“So calculative,” you muttered, glad no one heard you.

“My dear gem,” your mother called you, “What do you think? Do you like him?”

“He’s tolerable,” you shrugged and your mother laughed in victory, “But ma, do we really have to? Didn’t you adults have a great time? Isn’t the bonding enough to allow trade to flourish and whatever it is that you want from them?”

“Oh, honey, if they do that,” your father sipped on his wine, “Halaland would turn on us too.”

You muttered a string of colourful curses in response, your mother giving you a warning glare even if she couldn’t hear you- she knew what face you made when you cursed. “You have a good chance to get to know him, so it will be less awkward when you do marry. Make most of it.”

But given your luck, nothing ever went in your favour. Halaland sent a warning troop to Wonderland’s border and the soldiers there barely made it out alive, given Halaland had the most advanced weaponry out of the three nations. You worried for Wonderland genuinely, and just five days from then, your parents announced that the Jeong family was arriving to proceed with the marriage.

“But it’s too soon!” You cried, “I barely got to know him, I haven’t made up my mind!”

“This isn’t about what you think,” your mother practically screamed from her clenched teeth, “This is about war and peace, Princess. There are greater things than not getting to choose your husband. He is a good person, be thankful for that. Do not make things worse for yourself and for us. I will not allow you to have the blood of your people on your hands.”

You had a good argument with your parents which mostly involved your father trying to calm you and your mother down but ending up raising his voice in anger and giving his final orders, that you will marry Jeong Yunho. There was no need for an ‘or else’. You bit back your tears, pointing your finger at your parents because they were not only ruining your life but Yunho’s life too, and they did not know that.

“Do not expect me to welcome you with open arms when you visit Wonderland.”

With that, you were rushing to your room, falling in Mina’s arms as you cried your heart out, explaining what Yunho had told you. “I feel more guilty about doing this to him. I cannot love him, and he does not deserve that.”

Mina calmed you down, making you sit by the fire with a blanket around you and brought tea for the two of you. “Listen, I know it’s not my place to say this, but…”

“It’s okay, go on,” you said.

“You could love him, one day. You wouldn’t even realise. Just… I think a big part of why you won’t allow yourself to love anyone is because of your parents. I think you need to put that past yourself.”

“Mina,” your tone was low, “He is a good guy. I simply do not see myself falling in love with him. Maybe I will, but… I don’t think I’d be good to him. You know me. I’d need time to open up. And what if I don’t love him? What if I don’t feel any romantic feelings towards him? What if… what if he gets tired of me then? He’s a man, he can go around anywhere. I’d be in the castle, in my room, wondering what it would have been like to fall in love with someone. What if an heir is demanded? What if we have to- oh god.”

“It’s gonna be alright,” Mina patted your back, “It isn’t the first arranged marriage that is happening in this world, is it? You’ll figure it out, and the Prince is patient. He’d be a friend to you, so he would understand, won’t he?”

You stared at the fire for the longest time, before Mina said, “I think when you love, you give them your all… And it’s both good, and bad. I just hope Yunho can deal with it. I know I did.”

You finally smiled, putting your head on her shoulder, “Thank heavens you’re coming with me.”

—--------------------

It happened in the blink of an eye.

You were walking down the altar, alone. Your mother and father stood in the front with wet eyes, and there he was.

Yunho.

You two did suck in your breath, perhaps because you’d never seen each other like this or because the gravity of the situation sunk in, now that you were in an ebony white gown that trailed far along your path, a bouquet of Wonderland’s staple jasmines in your hands and he was in a suit, waiting to hold your hand and slide the diamond ring on your finger. You kept your head straight- you couldn’t show the whirlwind of your emotions on your face though you wanted nothing more than to collapse right there.

For the people, you were chanting, for the greater good. For the people. For the greater good.

You took a step and Yunho extended his hand, a warm comfort to you as you held it, refusing to meet your parent’s eyes as you turned and faced him. Whatever vows were read went above your head as you locked eyes with him and you could read what he was trying to convey-

He had sneaked in your room last night, making you almost scream and run because you hadn’t realised there was a secret passage there. He grinned in apology, “I thought knocking would scare you- our castle has a lot of secret passages. I almost got lost, it’s practically a maze.”

You were in your plain black nightgown that fell below your knees, and you rolled your eyes as you sat back in front of the fireplace- you’d been staring at the fire for too long now- it had become a habit. Yunho sat down in front of you, reflecting your posture as he, too, stared at the fire.

“I wanted to apologise for the rush- it took me off guard too. I tried everything, but nothing seems to be working.”

“It’s okay, I don’t blame you,” you sighed.

“I came here to offer you a chance to run.”

“What?” You looked at him- was he serious?

“I can give you a safe passage- you can take shelter in my friend’s house. You don’t have to do this if the thought of it makes you so… disturbed.”

“No, I- Yunho, think of the consequences,” you slumped back, “I cannot be selfish anymore. Why are we changing roles?”

“I just… I’m sorry, truly,” Yunho shook his head, “We’ll work this through, okay? You don’t have to worry about anything. Just… trust me, if nothing else. Can you do that?”

“I trust you,” you assured him, “You haven’t given me a reason not to, and… thanks for the offer. The risk is too big- I cannot do it.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure,” you nodded, getting up and pouring wine for the both of you, handing him his glass, “Here’s to the last night of not being husband and wife.”

Amused, he clicked glasses with you and took a sip, “I thought you’d be bawling your eyes out, if I’m honest.”

“I’m too angry at my parents and the world to bawl my eyes right now,” you pursed your lips, “And I’m sorry to you too. You deserved… you deserve better than me.”

“Do I now,” Yunho wondered out loud.

“You do,” you put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently and he looked up at you, “I’ll be a good friend to you, if nothing more.”

He squeezed your hand, nodding.

And as you two stood facing each other on the altar, hands in his, he gave you the same reassuring squeeze as his eyes told you to trust him, and you took the leap of faith and did just that. The vows and promises were over, you were pronounced husband and wife, and Yunho slid the ring on your finger, a perfect fit. He took the tiara, placed it on your head and you placed the crown on his head, for which he had to bend down a good distance, making everyone laugh. Yunho put a hand on your cheek, nodding once and you braced yourself, but even the soft peck he gave you knocked the breath out of you, because-

You were married. Yunho was your husband now.

You barely heard the cheers and barely felt the hugs your parents gave you as you tried to make sense of how safe he made you feel in that moment. As you looked back at the smile on his face as he greeted his friends, you finally allowed yourself a smile.

You could be happy for him.

You enjoyed the rest of the night putting your worries aside, greeting Yunho’s group of friends and forgetting their names right after because they were such an overwhelming but friendly bunch, then greeting everyone with Yunho and exchanging so many hugs and kisses that you lost count, trying to find Mina and relaxing when you did and she got you water, and Yunho finally made you sit before you had to share a dance- the last event for the night.

“You better give me a foot massage tonight, friend,” you teased and Yunho laughed out loud.

“As you wish, my Princess,” he saluted and your heart jumped a little at his new nickname- my princess. You made a face, watching him go off and then Mina sat behind you, rubbing your shoulders.

“How do you feel?”

“Strange, I feel like this is a dream,” you looked at her, “I’m gonna wake up and I’ll be back in my room trying to sleep while you’ll be trying to wake me up-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mina laughed, “You wish. Are you ready for the dance?”

“Oh, no.”

You were. But you weren’t ready for how good Yunho was.

“Is there one thing you’re bad at?” You asked.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Yunho twirled you around, “yet.”

“Hmph,” you made a face and he grinned, twirling you around and bringing you back to your original position where his left hand rested on your waist and the other held your hand and guided you along. The audience cheered and went on to find their partners, the two of you in the middle of the ballroom while the rest danced around you. Yunho tucked a stray curl that fell from your bun behind your ear as the song ended.

“One slow dance, with me, what do you say?”

“Do we have to?”

“No,” he smiled, “But I want to.”

You raised a brow, watching his ears flush and you laughed out loud for the first time since you came here, “Okay, my dear Prince. Last dance. How does it work?”

“You put your hands on my shoulders,” he guided your hands and you muttered, “Thank god I’m wearing the highest pair of heels.” His hands went to your waist and he hovered for a second as if asking for your permission and you nodded, his hands so warm you could feel it in your skin. He brought you closer, and as the music started, you swayed along with him, his eyes never leaving yours. You really felt as if you two were the only ones in the ballroom- he just had this way of grabbing your attention and you found yourself looking down one too many times. Were you shy? Maybe.

He finished the dance with a kiss to your forehead, “Thank you for having a good time with me tonight.”

—--------------------

After seeing your parents off who were taking the ship back to Eden right after the event, not really hugging your parents back, you sighed as Mina accompanied you to your room- Yunho’s room. Yunho told you he’d be there in a while, asking Mina to give you company so he could wrap up everything before coming. The guards at the door greeted you and you asked for their names and thanked them before entering Yunho’s chamber.

You liked the feel of it immediately- warm colours greeting your eyes. The gold in the room wasn’t too bright like the one in your castle and it made you content- it went along with the browns and greens of the chamber. You looked around with Mina, very comfortable and rather tempting sofas in front of the fireplace, the window giving a spectacular view of the sea, a grand piano sitting in the corner.

“This is nice,” you commented and Mina nodded, motioning to baby pictures of Yunho with a grin and you hopped along, laughing when you saw those pictures.

“He’s unbelievably cute!”

“He is,” Mina laughed, “Come on, let’s get you settled in your room.”

There were two rooms and a bathing chamber, and you were thoroughly pleased by the size and style of it. It looked like one room was mostly empty- perhaps for you to use as your room, while Yunho’s room was lit with candles, plants in a corner that led to the terrace that you could access through both the rooms. The king sized bed was grand with deep blue silk sheets and you decided to sit in front of the terrace for a while, let the cool air hit and relax you. Mina gave your shoulders a little massage before she heard the door open, wishing you good luck with a suggestive wink (earning a slap to the arm as she went out laughing). Yunho cleared his throat, entering.

“I hope you like the room.”

“Oh, the view’s absolutely wonderful,” you sighed, “I want to jump to the sea right now.”

“Don’t try that,” Yunho warned, grinning, “Tired?”

“Very. I knew weddings could be tiring, but… I feel like I could sleep forever.”

“I know,” Yunho shook his head, opening his drawer and taking a box out, “I have something for you.”

“Ooh,” you wiggled your brows, “A gift?”

“Yep,” he sat on one knee in front of you, urging you to open the box and you did, gasping-

“This is beautiful!” You gaped at him, “You know exactly how to please me!”

He gave you a victorious grin, “I noticed your love for tiny things,” he said, taking out the necklace, the pendant a silver shell-shaped thing with tiny diamonds encrusted upon it, “Allow me.”

Getting up, he put the necklace on you and you loved how it was the perfect length, falling right above your chest. “Thank you, Yunho. I mean it.”

“Anytime,” he patted your shoulders and you got up, sitting in front of the mirror and watching the necklace before going to remove the pins from your bun. “I also have something for you.”

“Really?” Yunho took off his coat, hanging it in the closet.

“Not an object, but a promise- that I’ll try. I’ll try to be your best friend, at least. I hope we can be that, if nothing more.”

Yunho smiled, coming to you and helping you take off the pins, placing it in your extended hand, “Thank you. I mean it.”

You smiled at how it was a habit for you two to repeat each other’s sentences in different contexts. He indicated that all the pins were out and you shook your head, moaning as you rubbed your aching scalp. “I should have never agreed with the bun.”

“Well, I don’t think I said it, but you looked beautiful tonight,” Yunho rubbed your scalp, “I liked this look on you.”

“Thank you, you didn’t look too bad either,” you scoffed, “Are you teasing me? You know buns are the most painful thing in the world, don’t you?”

“With beauty comes pain,” he said dramatically, laughing when you slapped his arm, “But really. You look beautiful. Even with your hair down.”

“It’s a freaking nest right now, Yunho, stop lying.”

Yunho laughed, messing your hair up further, making you shout at him and shush him away, combing gently through your hair and he told you he would be back after a shower while you dealt with your hair. And indeed, he was out in a black pyjamas, by which time your hair was manageable and smoothened out. You took off your pearl jewellery, placed it in the drawer and got up, finding your nightgown already in the closet, courtesy of Mina, your bathing products also in place. Now the only problem was-

“I can curse freely now, right, do you mind?”

“Go ahead,” Yunho rubbed a towel through his strawberry hair.

“This fucking dress won’t come off, I can’t reach the zipper!”

Yunho almost wheezed as he laughed, and you had to stop your struggling to actually look at him- you hadn’t heard him laugh like that yet, and it was… contagious. You were laughing before you knew it too. You kicked your heels in frustration, making puppy eyes at him as you asked for help. He got up, sighing, putting his hands on his hips as he tried to make sense of the intricate back of your dress. “How…”

“There’s just one string,” you told him, “You pull it, and voila!”

“There are like 10 strings here, Princess.”

“Pull at all of them? I don’t know, it should be at the bottom somewhere.”

Yunho took a deep breath, pulling the one string he found and you realised he truly wasn’t lying when he said he won in the luck department. You felt your dress loosen, sighing in relief and Yunho stopped pulling. “How much do I pull?”

“Pull all of it,” you waved a hand in dismissal and he cleared his throat, “Oh, come on. Get used to seeing a little skin now- you’re my husband now, Prince.”

He grinned shyly, pulling the string and you held the dress to your body before it could fall. “Now turn around- if you look at me I’m gonna behead you in your sleep.”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, and you quickly grabbed your gown and towel after slipping out of the dress, half naked and rushed to the bathroom, shutting the door which was when he finally turned, shaking his head as he picked your dress off the floor and hung it in the closet.

You took your sweet time in the warm water relaxing and letting all the tiredness seep away. By the time you were dressed in your own black nightgown and came out, you thought Yunho had fallen asleep, but the movement you made when you got in the bed made him open one eye.

“How many candles do you blow out when you sleep?”

“All but one. You can keep them if you want.”

“I do the same,” you told him, blowing the candles one by one until the one at your corner of the room remained. You got in the bed, feeling awkward for the first time because the prospect of sharing a bed wasn’t something you really thought of much, worried by other more important things. Yunho gave you a lazy smile, watching as you positioned the pillows and you pulled the covers up, facing him.

Your heart did a good 360 in your stomach. The dim light was casting shadows of his lashes on his cheeks. “I’ve never slept with anyone before.”

Yunho started shaking with laughter, “Neither have I, Princess.”

“No,” you laughed, “I mean… I never even slept with my friends or my parents. I’ve always been… alone.”

Yunho opened one eye, “If you want, I can sleep in the other room.”

“No, I don’t want to trouble you more. I just… feel weird. Do you have any sleeping habits I should be aware of?”

“Not really,” he mumbled, “But my friends tell me I tend to lean towards body warmth. Oftentimes I end up hugging them as a pillow.”

“Now where’s my dagger,” you looked around, making him laugh again.

“You’re funny,” he sighed, “I’m joking. I am a normal person who sleeps like a log. Do you have a sleeping habit?”

“I’m probably a light snorer,” you admitted, “No point hiding. And I have nightmares when I’m stressed, so I’m sorry in advance if I wake you up.”

“It’s okay,” he nodded, “I’ll be here if you get scared.”

Something you’d never been offered. A source of comfort for when you were scared. “Thank you, Yunho.”

“Goodnight, my Princess.”

—---------------------

It was the sun shining directly in your eyes that made you open one eye, about to curse at Mina but realising you were not in your room in Eden, no-

You were in Wonderland now. Even the morning sky was different here.

You stretched a little, turning to see if Yunho was still asleep but he was seated on the sofa, already dressed in a white shirt and pants, reading a book- or maybe zoning out since he was holding the book upside down.

“Enjoying the book?” Your voice was husky.

“Oh, you’re awake- uh, yeah,” he said, and you pointed at a book with a smile, which was when he realised that you could clearly see the upside-down title. He grinned, shutting the book, “I was reading, but then I zoned out and somehow it’s upside-down now.”

“It’s okay,” you finally sat in your bed, feeling a little insecure because you probably looked ‘wonderful’ after waking up. “Not late for breakfast, am I?”

“Since it’s our first day, we’re pardoned from attending the breakfast early. It’ll be ready as soon as we arrive.”

“Good,” you got up, stretching once again a little too long and then groaning, “I’ll… be back, can you call for Mina?”

“Yep,” Yunho got up, going outside and you finally got the courage to look in the mirror-

“Fucking hell.”

You looked like a wreck with the leftover makeup from last night now smudged around your eyes and your hair sticking out in all directions. What a sight to show to your husband for the first time. Shaking your head, you went to the toilet and by the time you were out, Mina had your dress- a light pink pearly gown- ready with the accessories and all. She smiled at you, “Slept well?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” you nodded, sitting in front of the mirror and letting Mina style you as she told you about her new room and how the view was great, to which you agreed, and how she was already on friendly terms with the people around her.

“Everyone’s so friendly here, I don’t know if it’s because we’re new, but I’ve seen them talk to each other when they think I’m not there,” Mina put pearls in your hair, “They’re a really friendly bunch. You’ll love everyone.”

“So no one’s uptight like in Eden?” You smirked, “That’s a good change.”

Yunho entered after a knock, smiling because he’d heard you from the slightly open door, “You’re in for a ride- I apologise in advance for my friends that you’ll be meeting today.”

“I’ve forgotten all their names and faces, I met so many people yesterday,” you shook your head, “You gotta introduce them to me properly. I’ve heard so much about them already.”

Mina left with a bow and you stood in front of the full-length mirror, checking yourself out. Yunho was smiling, “They’ll love you. You ready?”

“Do I look okay? I hope this is not too much- I don’t know how it is here.”

“You look pretty, don’t worry,” he simply said, offering his arm, “Let’s go.”

You took his arm, commenting on his baby pictures as you went out of his chamber and greeted the new guards, observing the hallways and trying to memorise the path- it was the first time you were in the right headspace to actually observe your surroundings. The castle was similar in its colouring to the one back in Eden, and that’s where the resemblance ended- there were more arches, everything was somehow grander- or perhaps it was the clever use of gold and navy blue.

You arrived at the dining hall where the Queen and the King were already present, accompanied by a few other people you recognized from last night but couldn’t recall who. Everyone cheered as you entered and you curtsied.

“Oh, don’t be so formal, honey,” the Queen said, calling you to the empty seat beside her, “Come, sit.”

You and Yunho sat down and the King threw a wink to you two, making you smile nervously. “Good morning, I hope you both slept well.”

“Oh, we did, I passed out,” the King laughed, “She snored all night. Good thing I was out cold.”

“Oh, it’s not like you don’t snore, dear,” the Queen laughed, “Good thing my son is a silent sleeper, isn’t he?”

“I was out cold too,” you grinned, making them laugh, “I’m probably the one with that problem.”

“Well, lucky for you, the men in our household sleep like the dead,” the Queen almost whispered and you were amused- it was almost like sharing a secret. You watched as breakfast arrived, a variety of eggs, fruits, bread, soup-

“This isn't lunch, is it?” You asked Yunho and he shook his head no with a grin.

“Get used to the special treatment- won’t last forever.”

“Are you denying me a grand breakfast, good husband?”

“Are you saying you can eat all this?” Yunho raised a brow.

“Watch me,” you grinned.

You did taste everything and it went unnoticed by everyone just because your strategy was picking a little amount of everything turn by turn- anyone who took notice would have realised that the total amount you ate was pretty decent. It didn’t help that Yunho told you that he liked the fact that you ate well and kept putting more to your plate until you could take no more.

“Well,” the King wiped his mouth, “Where would the two of you like to go for your honeymoon?”

You almost choked on your juice- you hadn’t even thought about your honeymoon, and Yunho looked like he, too, had forgotten. He glanced at you and then turned to his parents, “Uh, we’ll think about it and get back to you?”

“Take your time,” his mother said, “It all happened so quickly. You can postpone it if you want.”

“Thank you,” you said, and Yunho nodded. The King and Queen excused themselves first, saying something about work and how good old times were over because the last time they didn’t have work was right after their marriage too, which made them envious to see you and Yunho- newlyweds. You looked at Yunho, wiping your mouth daintily, “Well, that’s something that clearly escaped us.”

“It did,” he laughed a little, “Do you wanna postpone it or forget about it?”

“Oh, why waste this opportunity?” You thought about it, “It’s a good time to show me around Wonderland, don’t you think? Unless, of course, you don’t want to go-”

“Oh no, I do,” he interrupted, clearing his throat and shifting in his chair, “I mean, I haven’t had a breather in a while too. I could use this. And I have a few ideas.”

You spent the rest of the day planning with Yunho- he had friends in the city so it wouldn’t be a problem because you two really wanted to travel around like two normal people instead of the Prince and Princess- you’d have guards but you two decided it would be better to travel informally and in disguise- it would feel like an adventure.

What did surprise you was when Yunho said he’d be back after informing and talking to the guards to make the arrangements while you relaxed in the gardens with the pet dog one guard had and he returned with 3 men you’d seen last night- some of his friends, if you recall correctly.

“She’s beautiful,” one of them said as they approached you, and you got up with a smile, passing a questioning look to Yunho as you glanced at him but he was laughing, trying to drag his friends back.

“Princess, we’re crashing your honeymoon!” one of them with the mullet announced and you put a hand over your mouth as you burst out laughing- this was getting interesting.

“I simply cannot let Yunho go alone!” the tall one wailed dramatically, “I cannot spend so many days without him!”

“Why don’t you all have your honeymoon with Yunho, the Princess can stay here,” another one arrived from inside, pinching his nose-bridge, “I apologise for the mess, Princess, I’m Seonghwa, Yunho’s friend and the only sane one of the lot.”

You laughed, “Pleasure to meet you, I’ve heard about you.”

“All good things, I hope,” he smiled and you nodded.

“So… are they really crashing our honeymoon?”

“Oh, I’m crashing with them,” he grinned at you and the sudden change in his demeanour made you laugh out loud.

“Please do, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“She approves!” The loudest one came forward, pushing Yunho away, “Thank you for your permission, I’m Wooyoung.”

“She doesn’t mean it!” The one with the sharp features bowed, “I’m San. Welcome to the family.”

“And I’m Mingi,” the tall one said, “And I can’t believe my friend got married.”

“And I can’t believe you are Yunho’s friends!” You looked at him, “You didn’t tell me your friends were fun!”

“Oh, we haven’t even started,” Wooyoung grinned, “Actually, we plan to accompany you and drop off at our homes on the way. I hope you don’t mind- even if you do, we’re tagging along.”

“Of course, I look forward to our time together,” you grinned, immediately liking Wooyoung. Yunho finally joined you, muttering an apology and you told him it really wasn’t necessary.

“I’ll be back- I need to get the rest of them,” he said and looked at Seonghwa, “Make sure they… stay in line.”

“Of course,” Seonghwa laughed, waving him off, “I’m the oldest, so I’m usually the responsible one.”

“You seem so,” you told him, “So, tell me about yourselves.”

You learned that Seonghwa and Hongjoong- the one with red hair you clearly remembered- worked in the castle as Yunho’s advisors, Mingi as the Captain of Guard, and San and Wooyoung had an academy to train guards and soldiers in the city along with Yeosang. Yunho arrived with Yeosang and the rest. Jongho was a musician who came to the castles for concerts and events but usually was in another city, also with his own academy.

“This is a great opportunity for us to travel together, but I kind of feel bad for the newlyweds,” Hongjoong laughed guiltily, “One word if we become unbearable and we’re gone, Princess.”

“Noted,” you laughed. “I do hope we’ll have some female company too, Yunho.”

“Don’t worry, I have friends we can meet in the city, they left last night,” he confirmed and you nodded.

Planning your route with everyone while they shared jokes and teased each other, you noticed Yunho was a lot different with his friends- more relaxed, almost a free spirit, more loud and you smiled- you hoped Yunho could feel the same around you one day, though you were pretty sure you couldn’t compete with the bond he had built with his friend over years. Jongho noticed your gaze and smiled, “I know what you’re thinking.”

“You do?”

“Yunho doesn’t take much to open up,” he said, and you realised he did know what you were thinking, “He just needs a little time- as soon as he’s comfortable, he’ll be the most funny and mischievous person you could meet.”

“Interesting,” you grinned.

“He’s a good listener- so if you need one, feel free to talk to him- or Wooyoung there,” he pointed at him, “Even though he never shuts up, he’s a good listener. I’d say the same for Seonghwa and Hongjoong but they’re the boomers, so.”

“Says the boomer himself,” Yeosang, who was sitting nearby, laughed, “Jongho has the soul of an 80 year old, you'll see.”

“I was born in the wrong age,” he declared.

“I have the soul of a cranky old woman too, don’t worry,” you muttered and they laughed.

After more discussion and lunch in the hall with the friends, you were pretty exhausted by the time evening fell- but you felt good. Your cheeks were hurting from smiling too much and you realised how little you did that back in Eden. Yunho decided you could have dinner in your chamber and you both came back, where you slumped on the couch in the living room, groaning in relief, Yunho following.

“Tired?” He asked.

“Good-tired,” you told him, “I wish I had that many friends. None of my ‘friends’ cared enough to even come for my wedding.”

“Ah,” Yunho sighed, “Sad.”

“Mina’s my only real friend, I’m glad she could come here,” you told him and he turned to you as if he wanted to hear more, “She’s been working for me since I was 13. She knows me inside out and is like a sister to me. She’s very much like Seonghwa in nature.”

“Good to hear,” he smiled, unbuttoning his top button and loosening his shirt, “You really need a Seonghwa in your life, trust me.”

“Yeah,” you sighed, “Let me get out of this damned dress then we can… talk and eat.”

You went to your room and changed to a simple shirt and trousers, letting your hair loose and coming outside again, stopping when you saw how he was trying to massage his shoulders. You hesitated for a second but then went to stand behind him, holding his hands and putting them away, making him look surprised, and then you proceeded to give him a shoulder massage.

“I haven’t tried this on anyone, but Mina does this technique, so consider yourself privileged.”

“You’re good,” Yunho groaned, sighing as he relaxed more into it and you smiled- he was just so… easy. Comfortable. “You can stop though, you’re probably more tired.”

“Well, you owe me two,” you said, “You still haven’t given me the foot massage.”

“So you were serious?” Yunho looked up at you.

“No, I’m very ticklish there. Don’t even try,” you said, but Yunho was grinning, “Just letting you know, I sleep with the dagger under my pillow.”

“Of course you do,” he let out a chuckle. He let you continue for two minutes before getting up, “I should return the favour.”

You made a pleased face, almost hopping to sit back and he grinned at that, saying he had actually learned massage from his mother and did a neat job at it- and boy, was he good. You almost moaned shamelessly, stifling it because he shouldn’t hear the animalistic sounds you made… yet. But it seemed like he was trying his best to get you to at least produce one little satisfied sound and you ended up moaning, making him snicker. You slapped his hand- “You hit the right spot.”

“Good to hear,” he said, continuing expertly, and now you were somehow more focused on how his fingers felt on your bare skin, how long they were and how they were rough but you still liked how they felt. You realised your eyes were shut and you probably looked funny so you opened them with great effort, thanking him. You did note the smug look on his face as he sat back down after telling the guard at the door to call for dinner.

You raised a brow at how he was looking at you, “You want to tell me why you look so smug right now?”

“You clearly enjoyed the massage.”

So he had noticed. You shifted in your position, “Of course I did, Prince. You did a good job.”

He shrugged, still looking playful and you scoffed- Jongho wasn’t lying when he said Yunho could be mischievous, “What are you thinking, Jeong Yunho?”

“You don’t want to know,” he looked at you and you couldn’t stop yourself from flushing at the mere possibilities of the thoughts that could be going around his head, realising only later that you could be wrong. You poked his thigh with your bare feet, making him laugh and he tickled your feet as revenge, making you gasp at his action.

“I should keep my dagger with me at all times, shouldn’t I?”

“Where else do you tickle, Princess?” He wiggled his brows.

“Well, I’m not going to tell you if you’re going to be tickling me now, would I? Where do you tickle?”

“Me? Basically everywhere if you tickle me properly,” he laughed in defeat, making you clap your hands in victory.

“I think I only tickle at my feet. I don’t know if I tickle elsewhere,” you frowned.

“Well, I’ll find out,” he promised and you were glad food arrived because god, how would he ever find out?

—--------------------

The next day was spent packing your bags and planning the little tour with Yunho’s friends. Yunho showed you around the castle, the gardens, and promised to show you what he knew of the maze-like secret passages once you were back. You told him he didn’t need to- you couldn’t imagine getting lost and someone finding your bones there. Yunho assured you that he wasn’t stupid enough to not leave a trail- Wooyoung once had, and had ended up getting lost and creating so much noise by simply yelling that the guards got to him rather quickly just for the sake of shutting him up. You couldn’t help but laugh- it was a very Wooyoung thing.

Yunho had been working on some documents for hours now and you had been out with Mina who showed you around her room and introduced some of her new friends that she had made here. When you got back, Yunho nodded at you in acknowledgement, going right back in. You changed into comfortable clothes and poured some wine for him- the one you had often seen him drink. You sat down beside him and he thanked you, slumping back in his chair as he took a sip.

“You must be tired- I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

“You’re not,” he assured you, “Just working on some strategies for defence at the border in the North- Halaland is becoming more aggressive than we thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they’ve heard of the marriage, but they’re still pushing on with the attacks at the border,” he sighed, “My father is trying to figure out what they want, meanwhile I’m preparing for the worst case possible.”

“And that is?”

“Don’t worry- we probably won’t get to that,” he patted your leg, “How was your day?”

“Good. Just tired from all the walking we did today, but I suppose that ought to prepare me for our trip.”

Yunho grinned, “I’m getting this all done tonight so I won’t have to take this with me during the trip- I really, really need a breather. Really.”

You laughed, “You want me to keep company while you work, or… do you prefer working alone?”

“A little company would be nice,” he glanced at you, “Unless you want to sleep, in which case, go ahead.”

“Well, as you should know, I excel at defence strategies. You want me to take a look?”

Yunho stared at you for a minute as if contemplating his decision, “Not that I don’t trust you, but… it is confidential, so I hope you don’t leak this information.”

“I’m thoroughly offended that you could think so of me,” you took the papers from him, “I would never do that- I know what leaks can cost us very well. Oh, and I’m also angry at all of Eden in general, in case you didn’t notice.”

“You still are?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” You looked through the plans for the troops, making mental calculations, “They sold me out. I should sell them out, don’t you think?”

Yunho was quiet for a minute before he said, “I hope you’re… happy here.”

You placed the papers down, meeting his eyes, “Oh, of course I am. Yunho, I didn’t mean that I’m not happy here- you’re more than I deserve. But it’s just my parents that I’m angry at since they stole the choice from us.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Yunho sighed, rubbing his face, “Where would we be if we had a choice, I wonder.”

“Well, I’d probably have to marry one Prince or another, a ‘worthy’ suitor, you know how it goes,” you scoffed, “And you’d be meeting pretty princesses who’d laugh at everything you say and giggle with a hand over their mouths instead of howling like I do-”

“I prefer the howling,” Yunho teased.

“No, you don’t,” you smiled but didn’t look at him.

“My mother used to say that everything that happens is meant to be,” he shifted in his chair, “if two people are meant for each other, they’d end up together one way or another.”

“Poetic,” you looked up at him, feeling the urge to tuck his stray hair back, “Well, I like where I am. Do you?”

“I do,” he nodded, face resting on his hand as he looked at you and you couldn’t look away- he was beautiful.

“At least I’m not in Halaland right now, eh?” You wiggled your eyebrows and he laughed, “Anyways, what’s your wild card?”

You and Yunho went into a discussion where you told him how Wonderland shouldn’t reveal all its cards to Halaland- they should always have a wild card at disposal, and multiple of them which they could use at every turn for the worst possible situation. You presented some plans for keeping the border secure, leaving the choice to him. By the end of the discussion, Yunho was both amazed and surprised- he hadn’t expected this level of sharpness from you and he found it… interesting. Hot, even, if he wasn’t lying to himself.

"Are you sure you should like, I don't know, reveal all this to me?" Yunho was genuinely curious, "I mean, Wonderland and Eden could be at war one day if Halaland comes for us. If Eden sides with Wonderland, where do you stand?"

You thought about it, "I am Wonderland's Princess now, not Eden's. Well, still Eden's too, but you get what I'm saying. If, despite everything, Eden decides to join forces with Halaland… they would have to face me too. I do hope it never comes to that, but if it does…"

"It's tough to choose," Yunho wrapped up the mess at the table, "Eden's your homeland. You're here because of an arrangement. Your parents should not violate the arrangement in the first place but keep in mind that they, too, are bound by the 'greater good'. If the greater good comes in siding with Halaland…"

"Well, they can do whatever they want, but they lose their best defence strategist and the favour of Wonderland if they join hands with Halaland," you got up, "This is my home now. I'm Wonderland's Princess and this is where my future is. So, Prince, are you coming to bed with me because it's way past midnight and we have to get up early tomorrow."

Yunho took your extended hand, squeezing it as he smiled at you- you truly were something beyond his expectations. And he couldn't help but wonder if it was anyone else in your place, would they have made the same promise- to stand with him through thick and thin?

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

"Watch your step," Yunho said.

"Do we have to walk?" You made a face, "Because I think we should keep the walking for more… fun places- he's looking at me!"

"He won't recognize you, Princess, he's probably never seen you before," Seonghwa said.

"And what if he has? What if he was like… one of the cleaners at the wedding?"

"Stop whining, you want to experience street food, here you are."

"Why does everyone let Wooyoung talk down to me?" You said to nobody in general and Yunho only snickered. You smacked Wooyoung's head, making everyone laugh as he howled in pain.

"Don't draw too much attention, we're still in the city," Hongjoong warned.

The 9 of you had started off the trip on carriages, dressed the most casually you all could, you and Yunho in dark cloaks too. Nobody would bat an eye, you looked as normal as the next person. Plus, surrounded by the rest, people could barely see you anyway.

You stopped at the food stalls, sharing a variety of snacks before you were off to the path that led to the forest. As you stood with an ice cream cup, you looked around, noticing how the sky was bluer here. You could see the mountains too- something you didn't see much of in Eden.

"You like it?" Yunho asked, "The view?"

"Yeah," you nodded, "I love mountains, but they never took me there."

"You'll love the mountains here- it has wonderful lakes."

You smiled, following the boys back to the carriage and taking off to the forest, Wooyoung, San and Mingi in your carriage. The whole ride was you 5 playing games with forehead flicks as penalty, and Yunho-

"One lucky bastard, he is," you muttered, massaging your very red aching forehead, "Why are we even playing with him?"

"You wanna team up?" Yunho offered and you were tempted to say yes but that would hurt your ego.

"No. Let's exclude Yunho and play a fair game, the four of us."

"I never cheated!" Yunho laughed, "I'm just good!"

"Nobody should be allowed to be this good!" Mingi pointed at him, "You really don't wanna go against him, Princess. Team up with him if you get the chance."

But at night, you and Yunho stood in front of each other in the living room of Jongho's family home, about to pick your teammates for a game of Ddakji. You looked around, smirking, "Jongho."

"Yay," Jongho happily went to stand behind you, sticking his tongue out at everyone else.

"Seonghwa," Yunho said and Seonghwa cheered rather loudly, clearly happy to be on the 'winning team' as he called it.

"Wooyoung," you said and he bumped fists with you as he stood behind you.

"Yeosang," he said and Yeosang let out a cute laugh that had you laughing along. You looked around- San and Mingi left. They both were begging you not to pick them and you were tempted to smack their heads.

"I'm good at this, okay? Trust me for once," you laughed in defeat.

"But Yunho always wins," San cried.

"San, you're coming with me, you little-" you smacked his arm as he passed by and Mingi danced in victory.

"Alright, I'm watching the time- start!" Hongjoong announced.

You had to flip as many disks as you could in a span of 5 minutes- and gosh, it was chaos. The first player had to flip at least one to pass the turn to the next player. Yunho's team was doing well and you two were waiting to be the last players-

You were going to win.

As soon as Jongho, the last player before you was done flipping one, you counted their disks- you had to flip at least 5 to become even. Yunho was already playing his turn-

You pulled your trousers up and rolled your sleeves, flipping the disks at a speed that had everyone else watching with their mouths hanging open, and even Yunho stood back and watched you. You later realized that time was up and you let out an exhale. "Did I win?"

Hongjoong started clapping, everyone following and you bowed dramatically, Yunho approaching you and shaking your hand, "You're better than I thought."

"It's the only game I'm good at," you said and everyone laughed.

After tea where Jongho played the piano and sang songs, you swayed along in a trance because he was so good, you looked at Yunho. "Have I earned the privilege yet?"

"What privilege?" Yunho frowned and you motioned at the piano. "Oh. Well, I could. Later. If I sing in front of them, they're gonna tease us."

"Yunho's singing!" Hongjoong announced and everyone burst out laughing, urging Yunho to go and play. Jongho said, "Everyone, let's sing our anthem!"

"Anthem?" You frowned. Yeosang told you it was a song they loved to sing together. Yunho started playing the guitar, Jongho the piano and everyone started singing the song-

"The sun is blue, the stars are purple,

Flowers are dancing, the song is extra!"

You laughed at the absurd lyrics and how Hongjoong was rapping, clapping along. Everyone was so good at singing, probably because of the years of singing they had done together. By the time they were ending, you were singing what you knew of the lyrics together, ending with a cheer.

"That was fascinating," you clapped, "Why aren't all of you singers like Jongho?"

"I ask that everyday," San said with hands on his hips, "We could be a band."

After some joking and teasing around, Seonghwa dragged everyone out to their rooms, leaving you and Yunho in the living room and you sat down with him on the stools in front of the piano. "Can you play something for me?"

"I can," he agreed, running his beautiful slender fingers along the piano and playing a tune you had never heard before, humming along with it. You wowed, clapping with your mouth hanging open.

"You're playing to me every night when we get back, okay?"

Yunho laughed, "Only if you play whatever it is that you're so good at."

You bit your lips, sighing in defeat, "It's… the drums. You don't wanna hear me play, you can imagine."

Yunho threw his head back and laughed, clapping loudly, "You play the drums! I ought to tell them-"

"Don't tell anyone," you put a finger to his lips, shutting him up, a smirk across his face. You slapped his cheek lightly, "Don't even think about it."

"Come on," Yunho held your hand, "They'll love to see it. I'd love to see it."

"No," you got up, trying to walk away but he didn't let go of your hand.

"Please?"

You stared at him- he was making the most adorable face and it was disgusting but in a good way. It made you want to run away and hide but also pinch his cheeks and kiss him-

"Uh, no."

Yunho pulled you towards him when you turned away, making you fall in his lap and your eyes went wide at this sudden boldness. You tried to pull away but Yunho was laughing, putting his arms around you and capturing you in his grasp. He brought his lips to your ears and they almost touched as he whispered, "Don't make me beg."

You gulped, squealing away because it was tickling you, "Fine, god, you're impossible!" He finally let you go with a chuckle and you stood staring at him with your hands on your hips. "He doesn't have drums here, right?"

He did. Jongho had everything. And after breakfast the next morning and a bit of fooling around when you thought maybe, just maybe, Yunho had forgotten, he announced that you had something to show.

The glare you gave him could have put him in an early grave but after endless cheering from everyone, you finally gave in, sighing. "If I ever hear from another mouth that the Princess plays drums, I'm gonna be assassinating you lot."

Jongho gave you the drum sticks and you arranged the different drums and a few cymbals as you wanted, taking a deep breath and rolling your sleeves up as you sat on the stool. You made eye-contact with each of them- they were in for a surprise.

And boy, were they blown. They perhaps hadn’t expected a ‘princess’ to lose her shit on drums and play like there was no tomorrow, hands moving so speedily that they couldn’t even keep track of the beats if they tried to. You threw a wink at a pleasantly surprised Yunho in between and by the time you were done, you were out of breath. You got up and curtsied as if you hadn’t been playing in a very ‘unladylike’ manner, as your mother would call it. “So?”

The 8 men were gaping at you as you shrugged and went to pour yourself some water, and the first one to speak was Jongho, who said, “Can you marry me so we can have concerts together without worrying about Yunho?”

You burst out laughing and Yunho put Jongho in a chokehold, “She can have concerts if she wants without marrying you, okay!”

“Please, I’m not a professional, that’s just… me taking my frustration out on the poor drums.”

“You have a lot of frustration in that case,” Hongjoong laughed.

You looked at Yunho who was grinning and gave you a thumbs-up, and you let out a breath you didn’t realise you had been holding in- perhaps it was because you had never expected to play the drums in front of anyone other than Mina and would expect people to frown upon you, because you were, afterall, a princess. But as you looked around, you realised they truly were very open-minded and accepting, and maybe it was the people of Wonderland who were all so nice. You were really liking it here.

“What are you thinking?” Yunho rubbed your arms.

“Just… Wonderland is nice. The people are nice. I really like it here,” you smiled.

“I’m glad to hear,” he said, leaning in, “And you can play the drums whenever you like, back at the castle. I can arrange for them to be in our chamber.”

“Oh no, you don’t want me waking you up with drumming, do you?” You grinned, “Just… I don’t play too often so it’s okay, but thank you. That was probably the most unladylike thing you’ve seen in your life.”

“Who said I like ladylike things?” Yunho grinned at you, patting your cheek and going to Mingi to say something, leaving you wondering how lucky you were to have such an accepting person as your partner.

The following week was the most fun you’d had in your life- without fear of being recognized, you were shopping in the streets, eating whatever you liked wherever you liked, going to parks and just relaxing, and the boys made it fun. You also met with Nayoung and Jiyeon, their childhood friends and you were glad for the female company- Nayoung was as sweet as Mina if not more, and Jiyeon was sassy which you enjoyed. You went to the mountains for two days and enjoyed huddling with the girls in front of the fireplace, ditching the men and gossiping all night long.

You were now on the way to the sea, near where the training academy was. San, Wooyoung and Yeosang were to drop off there while Hongjoong and Seonghwa would accompany you back along with Mingi, who was currently residing in Jongho’s home and would join you later. You and Yunho were in the carriage on the way with some guards from the academy and you were looking out from the window when you felt Yunho lean towards you- but when you turned, you realised he was half asleep, almost lying on the seat.

You smiled, shifting so he could rest his head on your shoulder- he must have been really relaxed if he was dozing off. You put his head on your shoulder, pulling the hair away from his face. You and Yunho were much closer and comfortable with each other now- each night when you excused yourselves, you’d go to your room and talk about childhood, likes and dislikes, just getting to know each other over some tea or wine, playing with each other’s hair when one would rest their head on the other’s lap, or you mostly playing with his hands because you loved them.

Yunho leaned in as if he was cold and you sighed- there was this new feeling inside of you that you still weren’t ready to address- how your heart would jump or squeeze whenever Yunho would look at you a second too long or give you an affectionate squeeze or something.

“Hey, we’re here,” you whispered, checking if Yunho wasn’t in a deep sleep. With a pat to his cheek, he opened his eyes, groaning.

“I was having the best sleep I’ve had in a while,” he yawned, “But… At least I’m fresh now. Come on.”

Yunho helped you get off the carriage and you wowed, looking around- the beach here was just as beautiful as the one in Eden. The sun was high up but not too strong, just the right amount of cloudy. You spread your arms, inhaling the fresh air. “This feels so good.”

“It does,” Yunho motioned for the guards to give you two some privacy, “You can collect your shells too.”

“Oh yes, I definitely will,” you nodded, marching to the shore and pulling your trousers up a bit, jumping in delight when the cool waves hit you. Yunho joined, bending down to pick some shells, showing you. You shook your head, taking his arm, “I’ll show you which shells are worth it.”

You spent the next half an hour picking shells- Yunho kept bringing the tinier ones since he found them cute. You were bent on the sand putting the shells in your satchel when water sprayed over you and you shut your eyes in disappointment.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t realise,” Yunho laughed and you got up, pushing your hair back.

“Jeong Yunho, how dare you spray water on a lady!”

“I jumped, I didn’t realise it would come and spray you- lady? Who?”

The way Yunho was wiggling his brows and being playful made you shake your head as a smirk spread on your face and you kicked the water, splashing him a good deal, making him laugh in disbelief.

“Oh no, you didn’t,” he bent and splashed some on you and you barely dodged it, squealing and kicking the water again which he, too, barely dodged. Then you were running and Yunho was chasing after you, out of breath because you were laughing so much and he was going to catch you any moment-

“No!” You laughed, jumping when he almost caught you and taking a few more steps before you felt his arms wrap around your waist and he twirled to keep you two from falling, stopping and settling on the sand when he felt stable. You tried wringing away from him but it ended with you facing him, still in his arms, a little too close as your laughter died down and you tried to calm your breathing.

The sun shining on his wet blonde hair made it look wonderful. You scanned his face, raising a brow because he was neither splashing water on you nor letting you go. He was dazed, and so were you. You pursed your lips, “So, my dear Prince, are you going to let me go or what?”

He was half smiling as he leaned forward slowly, planting a lingering kiss on your cheek that made your heart sink to the floor and swim away with the waves. And when he pulled back and you were waiting for more, he sprayed a little water on your face, making you gasp.

“That’s the dirtiest trick!” You shook your head in disbelief, struggling to catch some water in your cupped hands but Yunho held both your wrists and you pushed-

Resulting in him falling on his back, you on top of him pinning him to the surface of the sand except he was still holding your wrists and had himself pinned. You smirked, leaning forward until your faces were mere inches away, keeping him distracted until the wave came and drenched half his body, which was when you laughed in victory.

“That’s for being a smartass with me,” you said, and he shook with laughter, shifting so now you were on the surface and he was on top of you, and you started screaming and laughing because oh, you did not want to get wet. Yunho was grinning devilishly and you braced yourself, but right before the wave could hit you, he picked you up, making you sigh in relief into his chest.

“Gosh, thank you,” you looked at him, “Very Princely of you.”

“Anything for my dear Princess,” he teased, kissing your nose. “Come on, let’s get away from the water.”

You were taken aback from how… romantic he was being. It didn’t help when you both decided to sit and he put his head on your lap- you sighed internally, putting a chocolate cube in his mouth and another in yours.

“I wish I could stay here like this forever,” Yunho sighed, shutting his eyes close, “No worries in the world. Just you, me and the sea.”

“Hmm,” you ran a hand through his hair, “If only we actually could. Do you prefer the sea or the mountains though?”

“Definitely the sea,” he said, “It’s more fun.”

“Right,” you smiled, “You’re gonna miss the sunset.”

Yunho turned a bit to watch the sunset, finding the sky a beautiful mess of colours, but then he glanced at you and kept his eyes on you, loving the way your eyes were gleaming and the pastels of the sky reflected on your face, making it glow.

“The sun’s there, idiot,” you said, not looking down at him.

“Is it?” Yunho didn’t look away from you, “Kind of confused right now.”

You rolled your eyes, slapping his cheek lightly, “You’re being… so… soft and mushy today.”

“It’s the air, perhaps,” he grinned.

“Must be,” you made a face, making him tickle you on the waist except you were not ticklish there. You deadpan stared at him, making him mutter a little sorry. You tickled his neck in revenge, making him roll off of you.

“So you’re not ticklish on the waist, noted,” he said, sitting cross legged in front of you, “Where do I try next?”

“Let me just fish out my dagger first,” you went to open your satchel but he laughed, stopping you and making you laugh too.

—---------------------

The next day, you and Yunho received a letter from the castle demanding your return because things with Halaland weren’t seeming good- Yunho would have to travel to Halaland to try and smoothen things out. Yunho read the letter to you and apologised for cutting short the tour. You held his hand, caressing it. “It’s okay, I had the time of my life with everyone, and you, especially. Thank you for this.”

“Are you sure? We can manage two more days-”

“Yunho,” you held his face in your hands, shaking your head, “Wonderland needs you. How stupid would it be to stop for two more days just so we could have fun with the threat on our home? And what fun would we have with that worry?”

Yunho held your hands, sighing, “Thank you. You’re the best.”

“I know,” you grinned, “Come on, let’s pack. We have a long way to go.”

While you were packing, you noticed how Yunho kept glancing at you as if trying to make sure you were okay. You had told him how you’d barely set foot out in Eden, and Yunho had promised himself to show you everything he could. He’d seen how you enjoyed and became a different person when you were out. You caught him staring and he shrugged, scratching the back of his head, finding you standing in front of him. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” Yunho sighed, “I just… feel bad. I know how much you wanted to see the lakes.”

“You giant,�� you laughed, “how many times do I need to tell you that it’s okay, that I don’t feel bad?”

“Probably a hundred times more,” he laughed.

You shook your head, straightening his collar, “I don’t need to see some stupid lakes to be happy. As long as you’re safe, Wonderland is safe, I’m happy- even if I have to stay in my room for the rest of my life.”

Yunho bit his lips at your words- how could you say such things so easily and make him flush? “When you say it like that…”

You smiled, hugging him- it was probably the first time you weren’t hugging each other for the sake of teasing or annoying. It was the first genuine hug, and for a moment Yunho froze before he relaxed and put his arms around you, resting his chin on your head as he swayed you, sighing into it. He kissed the top of your head, “You’re the best fucking partner I could have asked for, you know that?”

“Look who’s cursing now,” you scoffed, “I thought I was the one with a dirty tongue.”

“I used it as an appropriate adjective,” Yunho defended himself.

“Well, thank you,” you broke the hug, “As your friend and wife, it’s the least I should do.”

Yunho kissed your forehead, “You’re doing great.”

You smiled, going back to your packing as if your heart wasn’t beating at an unnatural rate and you hadn’t wanted to stay in his arms forever.

With Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Mingi, the five of you made plans for the next steps- Halaland was bent on revenge because of the old family rivalry. They had been trying to push for war especially since they had better weapons now and thought Eden would side with them- they could take Wonderland and split it up.

“The important question is, where Eden stands, and if Eden is with Wonderland, would Halaland still fight?” Hongjoong pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Well, Halaland needs to realise that they need more than just brute force to win this war,” you said, “Eden is with Wonderland. Combined, we have better defences and can hold fort for longer. All it’s going to take is one weak spot for our forces to swarm into Halaland before them, and they’ll have no choice but to surrender.”

“And we would have to do it discreetly- the element of surprise. Wild cards,” Yunho looked at you and you nodded.

“How were the soldiers holding up?” Seonghwa asked Mingi.

“They were surprised that it’s escalating so quickly, there are gonna be some cold feet too, but we’ll manage. Yeosang and the rest are going to help. Jongho can reach out to Mist Island- we can get their fleet at our side.”

“Good,” Yunho said, “We have to prepare for the worst, but let’s pray it doesn’t come to that.”

But the thing gnawing at you was how sleezy Eden could be with their politics. Would they really break their promise, violate the arrangement of marriage and side with Halaland? Knowing them, if they thought their greater good was in that, they probably would, and it was making you nervous, because…

What were you going to do?

Yunho would have no reason to be with you anymore. Sure, you two were friends now, but he would have the chance to end this and send you home. You were still angry at your parents and if they did just that, you’d be angrier because that would mean they had no regard for you. And if Yunho sent you home to your parents…

As if Yunho had read your thoughts, he put a hand over yours, whispering ‘relax’. You hadn’t realised that you had been clawing at your skin. You passed a weak smile as you continued to look out of the window of your carriage.

—--------------------

Though you were received back warmly, it had turned into chaos soon afterwards- Halaland’s fleet was rumoured to be readying. The family, including you, had a meeting where it was decided that Yunho would go with his advisors to Halaland in hopes of a negotiation. You were suggested to go to Eden to make sure if they stood with Wonderland, and you made it clear that though the final decision was not in your hands, you’d make sure to try to get them on your side and get aid.

“You don’t have to go,” Yunho told you when you were back in your room and he had packed to leave soon, “I know how Eden works, Princess. They’d side with whoever they think is gonna win and right now, it doesn’t look like us.”

“I do have to go,” you said, “I’ll try everything. Wonderland is my home now, it’s the least I can do.”

“Will you be alright though?” Yunho approached you, rubbing your arms as he locked eyes with you, “I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re Wonderland’s Princess now and the future Queen- there’s a lot that could happen while you’re in Eden. They’ll try to get something out of you if they’re as selfish as you say…”

“I know them, Yunho,” you said, “I was one of them too. I know how they think, and I know how I can get to them. I don’t think they’ll side with us, if I’m being honest, so I, at least, need to make them aware of what they’ll be losing- Wonderland’s trust. Because Wonderland is going to win this war, and when they do, they’re gonna make sure Eden regrets not siding with them.”

“Let’s pray that doesn’t happen,” he smiled, “I can’t thank you enough for doing this, my Princess. If it was anyone else…”

“Let’s not think what would have happened if it was anyone else, eh?” You smiled back, “It’s you and me now. We stick through this, okay?”

Yunho cupped your face, caressing it slowly, looking at you with so much love you nearly melted right there. He was leaning forward in a daze when a knock sounded, the guard calling to tell that they were ready to go and were waiting for him.

You held Yunho’s hands that were still on your face, “Return safely to me, in one piece, will you?”

“I’ll try,” Yunho scoffed, kissing your forehead and then joining it with his, noses brushing and eyes shut as you two breathed, waiting for the other to make a move but this position alone was enough to send butterflies in your stomach. “Have a safe journey, my love.”

With that, he kissed your forehead one last time and left without looking back, leaving you breathless and smiling for the longest time at the words he had called you.

My love.

It was then you realised that Mina was right when she said that you were bound to fall in love with Yunho because he was everything you had ever needed and then some. And you realised, with a sinking heart, that you were already halfway there, and with fear because you weren’t sure Yunho would return the sentiment. It was, after all, an arranged marriage. And though he’d call you terms like ‘my princess’ or ‘my love’, it didn’t mean he felt the same way as you. It was just how he was- loving and caring to anyone who was a friend.

You had to gain Eden at your side. Because if that didn’t happen… Yunho would really have no obligation to go on with this marriage.

—-----------------

“Here we are, at the heart of the sick kingdom,” you looked at Mina, “Can’t say I missed it.”

“Truly,” Mina pursed her lips, “Wonderland is like a breath of fresh air and Eden is just…”

“All bleak and gloomy and parasitic. I can already feel the suffocation,” you said as your carriage reached the gates, “Let’s be on our best behaviours, shall we?”

“Rich coming from you,” Mina raised a brow and you scoffed.

“I’m only doing this for Yunho.”

“You’re so in love with him, it’s disgusting-”

“I am not!” You almost yelled but your flushed cheeks betrayed you. Mina scoffed, helping you get out of the carriage, instructing the guards to get the gifts you’d brought with you from Wonderland- an obligation, really.

You entered your parent’s chamber, greeting them with a bow first before they hugged you. “I hope you’ve been well, mother, father.”

“Oh, we’ve been okay, we miss you incredibly,” your mother said and you supposed they did- you did too. They were, after all, your parents. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been… great actually,” you took a seat, taking the glass of wine your father poured for you.

“So I hear,” he said, “The Prince treating you well?”

“Oh, yes,” you sipped on your wine, “We’re pals.”

“See, I told you he wasn’t bad,” your mother said, and you had to smile.

“He’s actually really good, which is all him,” you looked at her, “Which is why I couldn’t stay angry at you both. If it was a pompous bastard instead of him, I would have raised hell.”

Your parents laughed, and you had dinner with them, catching up on everything before you talked politics. It was late at night when you finally asked them if they had heard the rumours.

“Halaland really went on with war,” your father looked grim, “I didn’t expect to see another war in my life, but here we are.”

You knew he was talking about the time he was barely past 10 when he had witnessed his first war, which made Eden and Wonderland two separate kingdoms. You sighed, “It’s a bad time. We must stay strong, all of us. You never know who they could come for next.”

“Yeah,” your father nodded, “What’s your stance on all of this? From Eden’s perspective?”

“Well,” you stood in front of the window, “I think Halaland’s problem is that they’re too ambitious, which is going to cause their defeat in the end. Wonderland’s stronger than you think- I’ve been through their plans.”

“So Wonderland will be the last one standing?” Your mother asked.

“If what we’ve heard and seen of Halaland and they don’t have a card up their sleeve that could potentially destroy us, yes,” you said, “The question is… where do you stand? Why haven’t you sent aid?”

Your mother and father met eyes and you immediately knew where this was going. Your father sighed, “We’ve been thinking…”

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking,” you interrupted, “You think Eden would be safe if you side with Halaland.”

“I’m sure you understand,” your mother said.

“As a matter of fact, I do not understand, mother,” you glared at your parents, “You got me married to the Prince of Wonderland for the ‘greater good’, for better relations, whatever the number of reasons were. Now you’re going to pretend there wasn’t an arrangement just because Halaland turned to Wonderland first?”

“There are a number of things we have to consider,” your father began, but you interrupted him.

“Safety, the greater good, bla bla, everything but your daughter. Do you have any idea what this means? The arrangement could end, if Wonderland wins, you’d be next.”

“That’s a big if,” your mother said.

“No, mother,” you shook your head, “They have me. It’s not a big if anymore. And if you join us, Halaland would have to stop and consider, maybe take a step back. You’ve kept your position so murky, I can see why now.”

“And if we ally with Halaland and Halaland wins, we’d be safe. We’d still be a kingdom, don’t you realise?”

You glared at your father, “Do you have… no respect for the promises you make? Do you have no regard for your only daughter?”

“No, honey, it’s not you,” he shook his head, “The arrangement will end, you can come back to us-”

“No,” you surprised everyone including yourself with the strength in your voice, “I’m staying with them. I’m Wonderland’s Princess now- I’ll do my best. If he decides to let me go, there’s no way I’m returning here. Keep this parasitic hole of a kingdom for yourselves. Just remember that you lose your daughter if you side against me.”

Your mother called your name in a warning tone but you held your hand up, “I don’t have all week- you have until tomorrow afternoon to make a decision. You won’t regret siding with me, but you will regret siding against me, keep that in mind.”

“That sounds like a threat, Princess,” your father said.

“It is, and it isn’t a bluff,” you said, excusing yourself for the night, going to your room and finding it cold and foreign. Not even Mina’s presence could keep you from missing your room back in Wonderland, and most importantly, missing your husband.

—----------------

You were back in Wonderland, waiting for Yunho who was to arrive shortly from Halaland. You had met with the King and the Queen and explained Eden’s position and your own position as well. The Queen had hugged you and told you she was glad that you made Yunho happier and that the rest was up to you two.

You were biting your nails unceremoniously when he arrived and you almost rushed to the hall where he was with his parents and Seonghwa, Hongjoong and the rest of the advisors. You met eyes with him- his weary face told you it hadn’t gone well.

“Was your trip alright?” You greeted him and he kissed your forehead- a habit now.

“It was, though it didn’t turn out good,” he sighed, “It’s war now. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.”

“It’s not your fault, can you smack him for us?” Seonghwa called and you did, making everyone laugh, “He’s been beating himself over it.”

“Some things just aren’t in our hands,” the King said, “You did good. Now, it’s time to plan. I’ll meet up with the Captains. Yunho, you should rest. We need you fully rested tomorrow so you’ll be in the right headspace.

After dinner, you two went to your chamber where Yunho collapsed on the sofa, and you brought his tea there. You told him about your trip to Eden, an utter disappointment. He looked grim, nodding silently as he heard your story, your heart beating nervously now.

“I hate, hate my parents for being the most selfish people on this planet,” you scoffed, “They stooped low. I’m sorry, Yunho.”

“It’s not your fault,” he caressed your hand, “You did everything you could. And their decision… As selfish as it sounds, they care for their people and have to look at their best interests. I can’t blame them.”

Your mouth was in a thin line and you shook your head, “Wonderland against Eden… Never thought I’d see this day, in this situation.”

“It’s sad, but it is what it is,” Yunho got up, standing at the window, peering down at his city, “We got married so Wonderland and Eden could be allies at times like this, but with this decision… the reason for the marriage has pretty much evaporated, hasn’t it?”

You froze in the middle of picking the cup, putting it back down as you cleared your throat- here it was. What you dreaded the most. He probably hated you right now.

Yunho turned to look at you, passing you a sad smile that made your heart shatter into a million pieces, “Halaland is at war with us and will come for Eden if you stay with me- they’ll always suspect Eden as long as you’re here. So… my dear Princess, I’m giving you the choice to go to your home and protect it. Protect your kingdom. You don’t have a reason to stay here anymore.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this to me right now,” you scoffed, “I have a very good reason, Prince. Wonderland is my home now. I am Wonderland’s Princess. We stay together, and we fight together. Eden is not a home to me, and I will never return there- even if you let me go. You probably hate me right now, but please don’t make me go to Eden- I’ll settle somewhere in Wonderland or hell, I’d rather go to Mist Island than to return to Eden-”

“Wait, why would you want to stay?” Yunho frowned, “You hated the idea of this arranged marriage. The reason we’re here in the first place has dissolved. Why, Princess? You could go back home and protect it-”

“I told you, idiot,” you almost cried, “You are a big enough reason for me to stay. I may have disliked the idea of an arranged marriage, but Yunho… you’re more than I deserve. You’ve made me feel like a fucking queen when I’ve never even felt like a princess. So if you want me to go… I will. But my answer is clear- I love Wonderland, and I love you, and I’m staying and fighting for you unless you want me gone-”

Yunho couldn’t have rushed faster to get to you and cup your face and kiss you like you meant the world to him. For a second you couldn’t comprehend what was happening and then you were kissing him back, holding on desperately at his collar, standing on your tiptoes so he could reach you better, moaning into the kiss when his hand went in your hair and tilted you up so he could access your mouth better, not even letting you breathe until he himself was out of breath and broke apart, lips still touching and breaths mingling, eyes fluttering. You finally smiled almost in relief and Yunho kissed you again, this time gentler, slower, as if thanking you and telling you how much he-

“I love you, my Princess,” he broke apart, “I should have told you earlier. I don’t want you to go. Tell me you’re staying.”

“I’m staying,” you pecked his lips, “for you. Only for you.”

Yunho hugged you tightly, kissing your temple and swaying you along with him. “I should have done this earlier, eh?”

“Not sure if I would have returned the sentiment,” you teased, making him laugh. He brought you to the sofa, making you sit on his lap as he looked up at you and put the stray strands of your hair behind your ears.

“You’re beautiful, you know that? And it’s not the way you look- it’s your heart I am in love with and have been in love with ever since I got to know you. You had me way too soon, Princess.”

“Well, I could say the same,” you bit your lips, caressing his cheekbone, “I’ve never met anyone more accepting and caring as you. I fell in love with you, even when I hadn’t meant to.”

“No reason to complain now, huh, my Princess?” He said, and you tried not to break down at the way he called you ‘my princess’ as you bent down to kiss him, pecking his lips teasingly multiple times until he groaned and his grip on your hair and thigh tightened and you kissed him properly, not gentle but passionate enough that he grew breathless, the way he met your lips so softly making you want to cry. He held your face as he trailed kisses down your cheeks to your jaw, making you breathless and squirming under him, and then he was trailing kisses down your neck-

There it was. Your tickle spot. You laughed a bit, almost folding in and Yunho smirked devilishly, “Ah, there it is. I should have known.”

“I’m not actually that ticklish, it’s just the way you- oh,” you moaned when he found your sweet spot and started to kiss and suck there rather slowly, your hands going to his hair on their own accord, your eyes rolling back in pleasure and soft moans and laughs leaving you.

“Don’t make those sounds,” he mumbled against your ears, “I’m gonna lose it.”

“What sounds?” You asked innocently, making the same sound again and he shook his head, holding you bridal style as he decided to take this to bed, almost throwing you on the mattress as he took off his jacket and bent on top of you, pinning your hands on the bed and going back to kiss your neck everywhere, making you squirm and moan and laugh- you could feel his smirk even if you couldn’t see it and it was driving you mad.

“You’re such a tease, fuck,” you moaned, and Yunho kissed your lips, quickly changing it to open mouthed wet kisses, one hand guiding your face while the other trailing all over your body, your own hands laying limp because god, how could he kiss you like that and make you an absolute fucking mess?

Your moans were growing louder by the second and it was as if it fueled him, kissing you with a fervour like he hadn’t just spent two days travelling and wasn’t tired. The way he looked at you made you become undone and you made him lie down properly, getting on top of him. “You’re tired,” you told him, his hands on your waist as you straddled him, “You should be resting.”

“I don’t feel tired,” he caressed your waist and you smiled, kissing his forehead, caressing his face lovingly, kissing him again and again until you couldn’t take it anymore and started making out with him again, matching his enthusiasm, biting playfully at his lip and he mumbled dirty little things which made you shy all of a sudden, laughing.

“We should sleep,” you kissed his cheek, “Busy day tomorrow.”

Yunho made you lie half on top of him, your head resting on his chest as he pulled the covers over you two, saying you were officially his body pillow now. You scoffed but agreed- it felt really nice and warm to sleep like this in each other’s arms.

You prayed you’d get to share nights like this, you prayed you two would make it alive and well out of the war.

—--------------------

“There’s no way you’re going alone,” you folded your arms as you looked at Yunho, the look making him wonder if he had really said something so unbelievable the way you were shaking your head, “If you go, I go with you.”

“It’s dangerous, love,” Yunho sighed, “I cannot risk it.”

It had just been a few days since you and Yunho had returned from the neighbouring kingdoms (and finally revealed your feelings to each other). The days that followed were as busy as they could be, the only comfort you two got was in each other’s arms at night time, too tired to even talk much, just dozing off. Halaland was advancing forward and while Yunho was busy overseeing the preparations for the war, you were busy finding leverage, anything that could make Halaland turn back.

“You said the old castle is right near the border,” your eyes were gleaming with hope, “That means there’s history there, Yunho. There has got to be a loophole in this whole family rivalry that provides us leverage to slow them down, at the very least. Think about it- they’re using it as an excuse- why? It’s pretty lame- though we know that it’s also because they’re greedy bastards, all of them. There has to be something they’re afraid would come out in the open if they’re ready to even accept Eden, of all the other kingdoms, as their allies. They hated Eden.”

Yunho leaned back on the sofa, putting one leg over the other as he thought about it, scanning you- you were still in the black evening gown, and when you talked like this… Yunho found it very attractive. He shook his head, pushing the distracting thoughts away. “I can try to find that, or get some men to do it-”

“Nope,” you shook your head, “No one would have the time and the headspace for that. They’ll be looking right at it and see nothing. Come on, you know I can do it.”

“I know you can, but it’s… dangerous. I have to guide the soldiers so I have to be there, and I can’t afford any distractions- I don’t want to be worrying about your safety while I’m on the battlefield.”

You raised a brow, “You know I can defend myself, and I’ll have guards- heck, if you don’t trust me with your guards, trust me with one of your friends. They’re good enough. I could certainly use a brain with me too. You don’t have to worry about me, Yunho, I’ll do the worrying. You’ll be on the fucking battlefield- you think I’ll be okay if I stay here doing nothing but dressing up and walking around like something couldn’t happen to you any second?”

Yunho got up because your voice was rising and you let out a frustrated sigh, turning yourself to the fireplace as you stared at it in order to avoid the tears slipping out of your eyes. Yunho came to you and rubbed your arms, bringing you in for a hug.

“While holding the sword… I cannot embrace you. And when embracing you… I cannot protect you.”

You finally cried, making him hug you tighter and sway you a little as he caressed your head- it had been a stressful few nights for you ever since Yunho announced he’d be on the battlefield too. You’d woken up in the middle of night with nightmares, Yunho always holding you to comfort you just like he was now. You sniffled, “I can’t- I won’t let you go alone. You’re stuck with me. Deal with it, Prince.”

Yunho smiled, kissing your forehead, “On one condition- if things get too dangerous and if I fear your safety is compromised, you go back. No arguing, no fighting- you go back.”

You thought about it- you’d probably raise hell before you went back. Yunho shook his head, “I know what you’re thinking. You’ll have Hongjoong, and… San with you. I’ll have them cuff you if you resist.”

“Okay, okay,” you let out a laugh, “Deal.”

“That’s my girl,” Yunho wiped your tears, kissing you for a good minute, “Promise me you’ll stay safe.”

“You promise me you’ll stay safe,” you looked up at him, your hands on his chest, caressing it, “You’re the Prince of Wonderland. If things get dangerous, you have to make sure you’re safe.”

“I’ll try,” he smiled, “Let’s go to bed.”

—------------------

You travelled with Yunho, Mingi- who would be accompanying Yunho at all times, San, Hongjoong and Seonghwa. To say that you all were nervous and worried was an understatement- you all were either biting your nails or fidgeting uncontrollably as you got closer to the border. Yunho, who was sitting with you kept squeezing your hand as if reassuring you, or maybe himself. Seonghwa tried to keep himself busy with reading a book but as soon as it got dark, he kept sighing. Hongjoong dozed off perhaps as an escape but he'd wake up looking like someone scared him. And San and Mingi… you could see the anxiety on their faces.

You decided to chat with Seongwha to keep yourself and him busy, inquiring about the family rivalry between Halaland and Wonderland. Seonghwa, glad for the distraction, told you all that he knew- Apparently the royals of Halaland were holding a grudge because of the 'unfair' division of the border dividing the two kingdoms.

"It's about a century ago now, but they believe Wonderland messed with the division, which is why they're hell bent on taking that big chunk of land that's the closest to them."

"But that's… outrageous- Wonderland lost more than it should have, isn't it so?"

Seonghwa looked at you, "I forgot for a moment that you're from Eden. Does Eden think so?"

"Eden thinks Wonderland may have lost some land, but their strategy was that they gain the more fertile lands. What do you think?"

"Interesting. Well, I suppose everyone's history is different. We have various versions."

"What do you think?"

"Well," Seonghwa began, "Wonderland's version is that we did lose most of our land to Halaland- lands originally owned by the families residing in Wonderland. What we got was a peace treaty that is now being violated."

"No," you shook your head, smiling a little, "What do you think, Seonghwa?"

Seonghwa smiled, "I think Wonderland made it such that most of the fertile land fell here. Halaland does have the least fertile lands which has always been a problem for their agriculture. But… I think this problem isn't one we can blame simply on Wonderland. I think corruption at both ends did occur."

"That's what I aim to find out, if I'm lucky," you bit your lips, "leverage. Just what happened, and what do we have over Halaland, which, frankly the way things are going, there has to be something."

"There should be something at the castle," Seonghwa said, "Let's hope Halaland- or worse, Wonderland hasn't burned what's left."

You arrived at the old castle, wowing because it was more majestic and grand than the castle the Jeong family was currently residing in, though the paint had worn off and left abandoned, it wasn't maintained anymore. You looked at Yunho, "This looks haunted now."

Yunho laughed a little, "It used to be much better but since Halaland's been on edge, those living here abandoned the castle."

You nodded, entering the castle, finding it utterly dark and full of cobwebs that hung on your path. One of the guards lit a fire, lighting the candles one by one and you found the lobby lit, the mosaic tiles no longer the colour they used to be, paint peeling from everywhere.

"Definitely not haunted," Mingi told himself.

"Well, it's a roof over our heads," Hongjoong said, "We should rest a bit before we get to work."

You were restless, though, roaming around the room that must have once been the king's, Yunho watching you inspect everything.

"You won't find anything here," he finally said.

"I know," you opened a drawer, some old meaningless scrolls there, "this is just me satiating my curiosity."

"Well, why don't you come here instead," Yunho's voice was low and it made you raise a brow as you looked at him, "We don't have much time before we have to part."

"Aw," you were teasing him now as you slid on the bed next to him, "Are you gonna miss me?"

"Come here, you tease," Yunho tickled your neck, making you both laugh out loud and you slapped his hands away, tickling him instead. "Yes. I'm gonna miss you. You're all I'll be thinking about when I'm on the battlefield."

Your heart sank and face fell- it was really hitting you now. Yunho and you had been together for months now. You'd miss him more. You caressed his face, running your hands through his hair, "Do refrain from thinking about me when you're fighting, would you? I mean…" your smile turned painful as you cocked your head, "What if you're fighting for your life and start to think about…" you kissed his neck, "this?"

Yunho sighed, his hands going through your hair, "I don't think I meant that when I said I'll miss you, but…"

You trailed kisses up his neck until you were facing him, "But we can work with this, yeah?"

"Are you seducing me?"

"Am I?" You smirked when he flushed, "I mean… I am your wife. It's a part of my job, won't you say so?"

Yunho nearly growled as he threw you back on the bed and got on top of you, meeting your mouth in desperate kisses, "With everything that's been going on… I don't think I can go on without you."

"You won't have to," you assured him, giving him a slow, burning kiss, "I'm all yours tonight. Have your way with me, my Prince."

Yunho looked at you for the longest time as if memorising your face, planting a kiss on your forehead or cheek or lips once in a while, smiling as he caressed your face or played with your hair. You reflected whatever he did, going along with his pace. He probably had a lot of thoughts right now and you didn't want him to feel overwhelmed by anything.

"I want nothing more than to take you tonight," Yunho said after a while and it made your heart basically melt like candle wax, "but I think I'll save that for after the war, if I make it-"

"You're gonna make it," you held his face, your eyes steel, "Do not think otherwise. Don't make me cry, Yunho."

A slow smile spread on his face, "Okay, my love. I'll return for you."

"Good," you kissed him, "Well, not that I'm horny right now, but I think a makeout session won't hurt, would it? Especially where I strip your clothes in a teasing manner-"

Yunho laughed out loud, shaking his head as he granted that wish.

––––––––––––-

"It's always the basement, isn't it?" You turned to look at Hongjoong who was grinning, "Damned basements with bones of the very people who filled these books."

"Damned basement where no one comes to even wipe the dust. You'd think they respected their elders or something."

"Once they're dead, what are they gonna do with respect?" You shrugged, hearing a yelp and turned to laugh at San who thought he'd step on a bug. "What was my dear husband thinking when he decided San would make a good guard for me?"

"I can deal with people," San huffed, "Bugs don't deserve to be stepped on and die."

You scanned him- he was serious. You nodded slowly, "Sure… anyways, we're looking for letters, scrolls, journals, anything personal or communication related. Check all the books- there could be some scribbles or something else inside."

"Yes ma'am," San saluted, sharing a grin as he went to the shelf nearest him. Hongjoong joined you.

"You really think we could find something?"

"Well, it's worth a shot," you put your hands on your hips, "You never know."

With that, the three of you busied yourself with searching every object in the very, very big basement slash library, guards occasionally bringing food and asking if you needed anything. Two days passed by with nothing worth suspicion, the constant worry of Seonghwa and Yunho on the battlefield looming over your heads, no news until they themselves returned for a break.

You rushed to hug Yunho who looked the most weary you'd ever seen, scanning his face and body for any signs of injury, sighing in relief when he assured you he was okay, save for the few scratches.

"We have to return by dawn," he told you when you were in your room after dinner where they briefed you on the progress, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," you assured him as you made him sit on the bed while you cleaned the few scratches on his face, "Who the hell scratched your pretty face?"

Yunho laughed, "A tree. Are you gonna curse at it now?"

"Damned tree," you made a face and he chuckled, "How long do you think you can hold while we try to find something, before it gets more intense?"

"No idea- they're sneaky. I might have to call the troops from the west side tomorrow, depending on how offensive they go."

"Can't you like take a day off to catch up on your sleep?" You put the cotton aside, putting your hands on his shoulders as he looked up at you, his hands still on your waist, "You look tired, Yunho."

"No time to relax," he sighed, hugging you and you caressed his hair, resting your chin on the top of his head.

"When this is over, you're off duty for a month, okay? Eat, sleep, repeat. Nothing else. You hear me?"

"Eat, sleep, annoy you, repeat," Yunho corrected and you laughed, kissing the top of his head.

"I thought annoying you was my job. Are you taking revenge?"

"Definitely," he broke the hug, "Come on, put me to sleep."

––––––––––––-

Three more days passed.

Wonderland was on the verge of losing the big chunk of town bordering Halaland.

You, Hongjoong and San had barely slept, the pressure taking you. You kept assuring them that it was okay if it took time, they couldn't afford to be quick and miss something.

You, however, were on the verge of passing out from lack of sleep when you stumbled upon a journal.

"Jeong Ji Hoon and Jeong Se Won," you read out loud, "Aren't they like the founding families of old Wonderland and Halaland?"

Hongjoong looked up at you, "They are. Jeong Ji Hoon and Se Won were brothers. That's the family feud that separated Wonderland and Halaland. Wonderland later split into Eden."

"I may have a journal in my hand," you waved the old thing in your hand and Hongjoong came to sit beside you, San peeking from behind you both, "You don't have one of these in your library, do you?"

"I didn't know a journal existed," he said, "Mind if I take a look?"

You handed him the journal and he quickly read through it, his reading speed faster than yours so you only got a few sentences before he'd flip, but he kept narrating what it said, showing you the references. By the time you finished it, the three of you were sitting in disbelief.

"That's like a crime fiction," San finally breathed, "I can't believe they split Halaland only to gain control of it once again. They've been planning this for decades."

"But it doesn't make sense," you rubbed your forehead, "Why fight to become a separate kingdom when you were gonna make a mess, bring things to a war only to gain what you gave up in the first place?"

"Ji Hoon was the elder brother. Se Won was greedy but also weak. He knew he couldn't win against Ji Hoon in his lifetime, so he decided to act like the good guy while instructing his family to get this land back as soon as they were stronger than Wonderland," Hongjoong sighed, "This is… bigger than I thought. If we use this to negotiate with the royal family of Halaland… they can't deny this proof. They would either continue on with the war but lose the trust of their people, which means their very people would revolt back one day, or… they would draw back in fear of their reputation being tainted. We would keep this a secret in that case."

"Let's hope it's the latter," you got up, "We need to get this to Yunho and Seonghwa."

–––––––––––

The sun shining on your eyes made you bury your face in Yunho's bare chest, his arms bringing you closer as he sighed, pulling the covers properly over you two.

"You're suffocating me," you laughed, tilting your head up so you could breathe, finding Yunho smiling.

It had been a month since the war ended before it could properly begin, thanks to the journals of the founding families. As suspected, Halaland drew back to save their reputation, offering their latest weapons blueprints as a peace settlement. Eden was humiliated, not quite understanding just why Halaland settled back so easily, and now were in talks to better their relation with Wonderland.

Yunho had returned from the battlefield and fallen on his knees in front of you, kissing your hands and thanking you. You assured him it wasn't just you, that he should thank Hongjoong and San too. Yunho, being as dramatic as ever, did the same to San who enjoyed it and to Hongjoong who was screaming loudly due to the cringe factor. It had been one memorable night, the great hall in the old castle cleaned and set up for a party, the men celebrating as if they weren't worn out from days outside. The fallen were mourned properly the next day before everyone returned to their homes.

As for your relationship with Yunho… it was as interesting and lovely as it could be. Each day you discovered a new side of him, and he of you. Maybe it was the honeymoon phase still but with the bond you two had, you were sure nothing could shake it.

Except maybe his habit of tickling you when you were half asleep.

"I swear to god," you rolled away from him, "One day I'm going to ask for divorce and the reason would be you attacking me when I'm defenceless."

"Okay, I'm sorry, come back," Yunho, eyes still shut, reached out his hand trying to find you. You sighed, rolling back into his arms, kicking his leg for revenge which finally made him open one eye as he glared at you.

"An eye for an eye."

"A kick for a tickle seems unfair, Princess."

You imitated what he said in a mocking way which made him burst out laughing, squeezing you against him because you were 'too cute to handle'.

"I am not cute, do not insult me."

"It's a compliment, stupid," Yunho grinned, kissing your forehead, "How are you feeling, by the way? Last night was… intense."

You pursed your lips to stifle your smile as the events of last night flashed through your mind, something you couldn't bring yourself to say out loud. You looked at him, scoffing when you saw that he was smirking.

"I'm worn out. Don't look at me like you're gonna fuck me again, last night was more than enough to last you a week."

"Ay, now we both know you'll be the one giving in before the week ends," Yunho was playing with the strap of your nightgown, "You just don't get enough, do you?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"No," Yunho laughed, "I know you're gonna make it past a week if I present it as a challenge. I'm just saying…" he leaned in to give you a slow, passionate kiss that had you both unable to open your eyes for a few seconds after, "You're so good to me babe. You take me so well."

You blushed furiously at his words, hiding your face in the crook of his neck, "It's morning, I should bleach your mouth and brain."

Yunho shook with laughter, trailing kisses down your face to your neck, "Never a boring moment with you."

"Can't say I return the sentiment," you teased, "I'm falling asleep as we speak- oh, stop it, you-" you tried pushing him away but he was nibbling at your sweet spot, waiting for you to moan which was when he finally looked at you with victory in his eyes.

"What were you saying?"

You rolled your eyes, pushing him back on the bed, "It's like barely 6 in the morning. Get your head out of the gutter and sleep."

Yunho laughed, obeying you and getting up to draw the curtains shut, coming back to hold you in his arms as you tried going back to sleep. "Put me to sleep, Princess."

"Yeah, where's my dagger, I ought to put you in eternal sleep-"

"Come on!" Yunho whined, and you finally gave in, smiling as you kissed his cheek, resting your head on his chest as you caressed his hair.

"I love you," you told him, sighing when he opened his eyes to look at you- you didn't say it much but when you did, it made him melt.

"And I love you. Forever."

#yunho x reader #ateez fic rec #ateez #yunho fic #ateez x reader #fic recs #fav 💛

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ficrecsiguess · 3 years ago

Text

omg I- please I need this Yunho in my life 🥺

This story was so beautifully written, the tender moments were everything. Loved the little twist of oc not knowing they were dating. This is the only type of miscommunication trope I accept lol

loved the story very very much 💛

summer's end (j.yh)

summary: sequel to summer nights -- he’s your best friend and roommate, and the lines are starting to get pretty blurry between casual sex and emotions.

note: 18+ content, minors DNI. // i genuinely could not get the idea of these idiots being super in love and never talking about it and just being generally dumb about it, the rest is just self indulgent boyfy yunho. please enjoy x

warnings: best friend!yunho, fem!reader, and they were roommates, oral (f receiving), fingering, cockwarming (kind of?), rough sex, impact play, marking/bruising, emotional sex, angsty sex, dirty talk/use of pet names, praise, dacryphilia if you squint, classic big dick yunho, idiots miscommunicating and arguing, also super fluffy emotional soft smut - it's really a mixed bag here. please let me know if I missed any.

pairings: yunho x reader

genre: college non idol au; seriously shameless smut, angst, hurt/comfort vibes, fluff

word count: 7.7K

my masterlist || read on AO3

It starts off with a bet, again. It was a challenge to each other nose to nose in the kitchen, several drinks deep with the last heat wave of summer bearing down and keeping you both distracted and wearing next to nothing. When you found out he was counting the number of times he’s successfully made you come since your first experiment two months prior, you decided he was being just a little too full of himself and you needed to make things interesting. What you didn’t anticipate is where you’d be now, and how hard it would be to win said bet.

Yunho is relaxed against the headboard, sitting fully up at an almost ninety-degree angle. You’re straddling him, legs wrapped around his waist and locked behind him, his cock buried inside you, stiff and warm. He tenses his abdominal muscles, making his cock twitch inside you and you bite your inner cheek to keep from making a sound. His expression is smug, playful and cocky, the tip of his tongue pressing into his cheek. He squeezes your hips with his large hands, his thumbs caressing the crease at the top of your thighs.

“I can do this all day,” he smiles, and tenses again.

You shift your hips the smallest amount and sigh a low exhale through your nose, “So can I,”

“Mhm,” he nods, “sure you can.”

“I don’t know,” you take the opportunity to pull his t-shirt that you had been wearing over your head and toss it aside. His eyes flick down to your now bare breasts, nipples pebbled and hard, and you watch him swallow and blink before looking back up to meet your eyes. You stretch above him, running your hands through your hair and pushing it back over your shoulders, moving your hands down your chest to cup your own breasts and give them a subtle squeeze.

“Tease,” he shakes his head.

“That’s kind of the point,” you nudge him in the ribs.

“Mm,” he’s barely listening, he slides one hand over your stomach to splay his fingers wide, carefully flexing them and noting how from thumb to pinky finger he covers the full expanse of you. He pushes you with his hand a little, silently communicating that he wants you to lean away from him and you do, reaching back with one hand to brace on his thigh.

He runs his hand up from your stomach to your chest, passing down again slowly over your sternum, fingertips tracing your curves until he’s low and brushing over your pubic bone.

“Let’s make it more interesting,” he says while he touches you softly, “instead of first to move loses, how about first to come?”

Your eyes widen at his suggestion, “You’ll lose though,”

“Wow,” he rolls his eyes, “that’s overconfident of you,”

“You’re so easy though!” you exclaim, “I’m always the one that needs some warming up,”

“I’m pretty sure I can hold out,” he smirks again, “plus, you forget I can feel how wet you are. You’re warmed up.”

“What do I get if I win?” You divert him, pushing off his leg to come back to a normal sitting position before leaning closer to him and resting your arms around his neck.

“Movie night, all your choices,” he offers.

“And if you win?”

“You finally let me teach you how to play Valorant,” he insists, “and you have to actually give it a try, not just watch me replay it.”

“How many movies?” You clarify.

“Three,” he offers.

You grin, “Deal,”

“First to come loses then,” he quirks an eyebrow, shifting to hold out a hand for you to shake.

You laugh, rolling your eyes again, but you accept his hand, giving it one firm shake and putting on your most serious expression.

Once you return the hand to his chest, he sighs, “Finally, now come here,” he tugs your arms and brings you closer, capturing your mouth. His arms wind around you, one around your back and the other slipping down low over your hip and under your ass to hold you firm. He bucks his hips, thrusting his cock deeper into you and groans against your mouth.

“I knew it,” you murmur between kisses.

He shuts you up with a harder kiss, hungry, his hands roaming over your skin and pressing on every little spot he’s learned you love.

“Come here,” he breaks away, pushing you backwards again and dipping his hand down again to massage your clit in tender circles with the rough pad of his thumb.

A coil of pleasure wraps tighter inside you, and you sigh, “That’s good,” you tell him, “but you know I never come like that,”

“Wrong,” he shakes his head, pressing a little more firmly with his thumb.

The added pressure makes you moan, soft and breathy, “What do you mean, wrong?” For all the times you’ve had sex, you rarely come from fingering alone.

“I’ve figured it out,” he smiles, holding your gaze, “you come the easiest when I’m inside you, all you need is me to stuff you full and then it’s like clockwork.”

You sputter at his words, the crass frankness doing nothing but adding to the growing needy sensation inside you. When you don’t respond and he realizes you’re flustered, he grins, “You haven’t noticed?”

“Noticed what?” You clench your muscles down on his cock and his eyes slip closed for just a moment as he relishes the sensation.

“All you needed,” he says, pushing off the headboard and gathering you in his arms, shifting so that he’s cross legged under you and sinking his cock as far as it will go inside you, “was something my size to get you just right.”

You rock your hips, dragging him in and out softly, “Yunho, you’re incredibly full of yourself,” you tease him, even though you’re pretty sure he’s right.

One of his hands comes to the side of your face, his fingertips along your jaw, bringing your gaze to him. “You know what I think?” He says, and his thumb catches against your bottom lip, “I think these other boys weren’t fucking you right.”

A deep spike of heat lances through you at his words, and he smiles when he feels your muscles contract around him. He slides his hands down to cup your backside, easily pulling you up and down again on his hard length and you can’t stop the broken little moan that bubbles up from inside you. “I think,” he continues, moving one of his hands to cover your lower stomach again, “you needed to feel something here.” He presses down firmly with his fingers and rocks his hips, building tight heat inside you.

“Fuck,” you stammer, “when did you get so mouthy?”

“I don’t know,” he grins and pulls you in for a kiss, dragging his tongue along yours before breaking the lip lock and leaning his forehead against yours, “you make me insane, y/n, I swear to God.”

“Yeah?” You kiss him sweetly, nuzzling against him and running your hands along his back, up to his soft locks.

“You know you do,” he murmurs, “I can’t get enough of you,”

The way he maneuvers between dirty talk and soft, borderline romantic, assurances always puts you in a dizzy spiral. Every time you slept together it was getting harder and harder to stop wanting him, even now you find yourself daydreaming about it, the life you might be able to have together, but you know for him it’s just sex, practiced safely within the bounds of your quarantine bubble.

“Yunho,” you sigh against him, pulling him as close to you as you can, every inch of available skin you can press together you do. The light buzz you were feeling earlier is wearing off, but that doesn’t stop you from feeling emotional now. Dipping your head into his shoulder you kiss him softly and rest here.

His arms wind tighter around you, his hand running up and down your back soothingly, “Hey,” he murmurs, “is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” you exhale against him, but stay hiding out of his direct view, “I’m good,”

He turns his head slightly, pressing his cheek against your head, “Would you tell me if you weren’t?”

“Yeah,” you nod, one of the first real lies you’ve ever told him.

“Okay,” he strokes your back again, “but you seem… off all of a sudden.”

You pull away, meeting his eyes and giving him another kiss, “It’s nothing, sometimes it’s just a little overwhelming,” you tell him, and that at least is honest.

“Intimate,” he nods, stroking your face with his thumb softly, his hand cupping your neck, “I get it,”

“Yeah?”

He nods, holding you close and kissing you tenderly, “Yeah,” he shifts again, maneuvering you down to your back on the bed, his cock never leaving you as he rolls on top of you and sinks further down, gathering you close in his arms, “you let me do anything to you,” He thrusts once and you can’t help but arch against him, “I let you do anything to me,” he thrusts again.

You grip his broad shoulders, wrap your legs around him as he presses into you. He kisses you again before murmuring hot against your skin, “we trust each other,”

You nod against him, “Yeah,”

He stops moving his hips, leaning back from your face and smoothing back your hair. He grins, cheeky and playful once more, “You’re so soft for me, look at you,”

He makes you laugh, of course he does, and you swallow down the tender moment, locking it away somewhere far deep inside you. You’d analyze that later, the way that the feeling of him filling every space of you and confessing tender words made your stomach twist. The lines are getting blurry and messy, but right here when he makes you laugh, you push it away and refocus.

“Please,” you peck a kiss against his face, run teasing fingers down his sides, “you’re the one who’s soft for me.”

“Probably,” he smirks, quirking an eyebrow and jutting his hips sharply to push his cock deeper inside of you again.

“Fuck,” you manage.

“Can’t take me?” He pulls out at least halfway before snapping his hips into you again.

You keen, gripping him for purchase, but keep your head clear. If he’s maneuvering this back to the bet, at least you could focus on that and winning to keep your mind off the way his eyes turn soft and tender sometimes when you come, the way he croons praises against the hollow of your ear when he pushes you over the edge into an orgasm, the way he calls you baby, sweetheart, pretty, his girl.

Blinking clear you push up on his shoulders, “Yunho, get off,”

“What?” he looks down at you, confusion all over his face.

“Get off me,” you gesture with your head, and he pulls out and off you immediately.

He’s not an easy man to manhandle, being so much taller and broader than you, but you slide over to the side and push his shoulders again, to get him to lay down on the bed. He realizes after a second that you’re just trying to switch positions, and his expression clears, he chuckles as you push him into the position you want. You push the pillows off the side of the bed, and he lays perfectly flat against the mattress, his long legs spread out and touching each corner of the bed, one hand comes to prop up his head.

“What’s this?” He teasingly asks.

You straddle him immediately, hovering your entrance over his stiff cock, letting the head press gently into your hole, “You had your turn.”

“I didn’t know there was a time limit,” he says, but hisses when you start to drop down on him.

His eyes are glued to the spot where you connect and the way your body takes him, his lips parting softly. “Just be quiet,” you hush him, shifting up and down his length.

“You need to focus?” He murmurs, but you clench your muscles around him intentionally and he lets out a broken pant.

You secure your hands in the center of his chest and start to work your hips, swiveled circles into a smooth pace. The feeling of him is perfect like this, touching every deep soft part inside of you, but you know for him it makes him crazier. He can never get enough of you on top, the sight alone of you bouncing up and down above him enough to get him close, let alone the sensation of your tight channel around him.

“Like I said,” you tease him, “you’re too easy.”

He’s about to respond, but you shift a hand on his chest and pass your thumb directly over his nipple. His eyes screw shut, and he groans, you know that if you work him just right you can get him there. You lower yourself down, shifting so you can still bounce your hips, and gently pass the tip of your tongue over his hardened nipple.

“Jesus,” his hands grip your hips hard, and you smile against his skin, darting your tongue out again to flick it, this time much more firmly. He shifts his legs, coming to plant his feet flat on the bed, his knees up behind you so he can thrust himself into you at the pace he needs.

With one hand teasing his left nipple and your tongue teasing his right, it’s a matter of moments. You moan against him, tensing your muscles again, and shift to look up at him as best you can in this position, “Yun,” you pant, “please, baby, will you fill me up?”

His hips stutter, his pace faltering and his mouth drops open, “Oh, fuck,”

“I need it,” you double down, “Yunnie, please,”

At your intentionally wanton moan his hands on your hips shift and he pulls you up and off him, his hands pushing yours away from his chest and maneuvering you to hover above him. He’s panting, a sheet of sweat on his forehead and you can feel how tense he is beneath you, but he caught himself just in time. You think for a moment that he might have a retort on the tip of his tongue, but instead he just pulls you forwards, “Get the fuck up here,” he directs, and drags your body up his.

You’re not sure where he’s going until he shimmies down between your thighs and buries his face into your wet heat. The sudden intensity has you reeling, and you collapse forwards, gripping the headboard for support and trying to hold yourself up above him.

Yunho devours you like he’s starving, his tongue moving from pressing inside you, to running the length of your slit, focusing precise flicks and sucks against your clit. Pleasure bubbles in your belly and you try to move off and away from him, but his hands lock down firmly over your thighs and force you further down against his mouth. He pushes your body with his hands, rocking you against his mouth, his nose bumping perfectly against your swollen clit.

“Yunho,” you grit your teeth and try to ignore the desperate vibrations of pleasure rolling up your body, “Fuck,”

He chuckles against you, working you harder and barely taking a breath. His hands slip around to palm the soft flesh of your ass, squeezing expertly and surely leaving bruises. One of his hands caresses the softest part, massaging it gently, before his hand lifts and drops down with an expert spank before returning to massage the spot. You shudder out a moan, feeling your thighs shake around him.

He breaks away from your clit for just a moment, taking a breath, “That’s what you really sound like,” he punctuates his remark with another slap, “that’s what I want to fucking hear.”

You choke out another moan, and he delivers another slap, firmer this time and you can feel yourself tense and jump above him.

“Baby,” he spanks you once more, “look at me.”

Your eyes fly open, and you look down between your legs. You can only see the top half of his face from where he’s buried beneath you, against you, but you can still tell he has a grin on his lips from the way his eyes crinkle up, pleased with himself. He delivers a sharp lick to your clit and slaps you once more, “I want you to watch me make you come,” he says, palming your ass again tightly, “keep your eyes on me.”

You have half a mind to listen, bet nearly forgotten as he returns his mouth to your swollen clit, his eyes open and locked on yours, his hands tight and holding you to him. When you rock your hips involuntarily, chasing a particular strike of pleasure that runs from your clit to your chest, he moans against you, pushing your hips to have you rock again.

When your eyes flutter shut, he delivers a punishing slap, and you refocus your eyes on him. You’re painfully close, you want to will your body to move, keep him from winning, but when one of his hands slides further around you to push two fingers inside you, everything is forgotten.

One of your hands drops from the headboard to wind into his hair, pulling on him gently as you rut your hips softly against his tongue, his fingers pistoning in and out of your wet aching heat at a punishing speed.

“Yun, please,” you cry out, “please let me come,”

His pace doesn’t slow, and when your body can’t take anymore, it tips you over the edge. The sound that leaves you is desperate, a panting sob as you rock against his mouth, gripping his hair a little too hard as your mind blanks out. You collapse over him, lifting away from his face as you hold the headboard for some semblance of support, your body shaking.

He presses a soft kiss to your inner thigh before sliding out from underneath you and coming to settle behind you, pulling your boneless body back into his arms, “Feel good, baby?”

“So amazing,” you confirm, but as he wraps his arms around you, you can still feel the way your clit is pulsing, and you’re desperate and hungry for more.

“I think,” he murmurs into your hair, his hands coasting across your slick skin, “this means I win.”

“Yunho,” you shake your head, “I don’t care,”

“What?” he looks down at you in his arms.

"I’ll play whatever game you want for however long, I don’t care,” you reach back and grip whatever part of him you can find, holding him against you, “I need you to fuck me right now.”

He grips you tighter, “Yeah?”

“Please,” you arch a little in his arms, “I have to,”

He doesn’t answer, but moves back on the bed, dragging you with him before tipping you forward onto all fours. His hands do all the work, shifting your body into the position he needs. He presses down on the center of your back and makes you arch for him before pushing your knees apart a little wider.

“You want me?” you feel the head of his cock press into you, just an inch or two.

“Now, now, please,” you’re delusional, panting, pressing back into him.

He sinks himself inside you, pressing in and staying still for a few moments, letting the thick deep feeling of him wash over you again. At this angle he is torturously deep, almost too much to take, and he knows it.

Yunho collapses down over you, forcing your hips down towards the mattress, and he tugs one of your legs up so that you’re bent at the knee, opening yourself up wider for him. “I’ll never get tired of this,” he groans, pumping into you slowly and kissing the side of your face that is turned towards him.

A whine slips through your lips, your hands tightening on the sheets beneath you. He smiles against your skin, panting, his hands running up and down your sides as he rolls his hips into you. “No one takes me like you,” he whispers hot against your ear.

You moan, reaching back to touch any part of his skin that you can, your eyes shut tight as he works you up to your second orgasm.

“Fuck,” he breathes, slowing his pace for a minute, “I’m too close, give me a second,”

Your eyes flutter open, in your periphery you can see him pressed against you, his forehead against your temple, a smile on his face. “Too good?” You murmur, teasing him.

“You know it is,” he laughs, and shifts so he can capture your lips. It’s an uncomfortable position for a kiss, barely logistically possible, but you don’t care. He kisses you with passion, like he always does, his hand caressing your hair and ghosting down your shoulders, tongue dipping into your mouth and letting you taste yourself on him.

He breaks away, sighing against you and letting you settle your head back comfortably on the mattress, but he keeps his head close to yours, his mouth by your ear again. He starts to rock his hips faster again, isolated snaps downwards into you like he just can't help himself. Yunho groans against you, “All I want,” he kisses your ear, “is to feel you like this forever,”

His words make you clench, and he continues, “Would you do that, sweetheart?” He croons, brushing your hair away from the side of your face and neck with his free hand so he can kiss your skin, “Would you let me have you like this forever?”

“Please,” you stutter out, but the intimacy of his words rushes over you. The feeling of him stretching you deliciously, filling you and brushing against that tender part inside of you, and his whispered words send you spiraling.

“God, I,” his hand tightens on your hip, “love this, love your body, look at how you take me,”

The word love against your ear does it, emotions swimming up again and making this harder and harder. You twist beneath him, hiding your face in the sheets, letting the curtain of your hair come down and conceal you so he can’t see the way you blink back the sudden rush of tears. You can’t take much more. “Harder,” you choke out, needing him to give you space, needing to feel him everywhere and push these thoughts away.

His upper body lifts away from you, “Is that what you want?” He thrusts into you to punctuate his words, hard and deep.

Your legs are shaking, breath nearly knocked out of you, and you nod, frantic and wanting, “Harder, please, harder,”

At your cries, he obliges. Yunho shifts positions, his forearm across your shoulders, forcing you harder against the bed and his other hand bracing on the mattress beside you. Every deep push of him inside you has you coming apart at the seams, pleasure hot and tight inside you, the sound of skin connecting on skin with every downward snap of his hips.

He’s muttering curses, panting, sweat across his brow, and he moans when you clench down around his length before managing, “Let me see you, baby,”

You’re biting down hard on your lower lip, forehead safely tucked into the mattress, tears still in your eyes though you’re not sure if they’re from his whispered tenderness or the sharp pleasure radiating up your body. Either way, you can’t face him. “Harder,” you beg again, “Yunho, please,”

“God,” he chokes, his pace faltering, “baby, if I fuck you any harder, I might literally break you in half,” he laughs lightly and pulls up and out of you completely, repositioning.

“I don’t care,” you shake your head, pushing your body back up to all fours and arching deep to open yourself up, “I’m so close, I need it,”

He uses his fingers to help guide his cock back inside you, tugging your hips back to sink in completely. “That’s what you want?”

“Yes, please,” you press your body back into him, begging him to pick up the pace. You’re past wanting him to be soft, past wanting him to be funny. You want him to pull you apart, to push any thoughts out of your mind, to make impossible to feel anything but him.

Moments ago, you weren’t sure if he could go any harder, any faster, but the pace he’s setting now is relentless. The sound is lewd, your choked moans, his heavy breaths and pants, skin connecting, the bed creaking, the wet sound of you abused core.

At a particularly sharp thrust you collapse forwards with a cry. He winds a hand into your hair and pulls you up to steady you, but his hand doesn’t leave your scalp. “Let me see you,” he asks again, but this time he takes control, pushing your hair off your face and into his hand.

“Don’t stop,” you beg him.

“Are you close?” he manages.

You try to nod, constricted by his hand in your hair, and he yanks you up, far enough that your hands can’t reach the mattress anymore. He holds you suspended, one of his large hands coming to hold you by your stomach and keep you up, the other in your hair, and he leans back to perch you on his hips. The loss of control ties the knot inside you tighter, the sound of his broken breath and the feeling of his hands on you brings you right up to the edge.

“I’m,” he starts, and you feel his hand across your front tighten. The hand in your hair slips, and for just a moment you feel like you’re going to fall forwards, but he wraps his arms around you, pulling you tightly against his chest. He holds you with a bruising grip, thrusting recklessly upwards as best he can from his position on his knees. He bites down on your shoulder when he comes, desperate and hazy, his release hot inside you.

He barely recovers before he’s pressing a hand between your legs. He doesn’t pull out or shift positions, just secures his middle and ring fingers to your clit and starts to circle them, harsh and quick. The tip over the edge is immediate, your body spasming without control as you arch against him, your nails digging into his forearm and thigh. Your head is back against his shoulder, his lips at your ear again, “There she is,” he pants, his fingers never stilling to help you ride it through.

The sound that leaves you is broken and somewhere between a cry and a moan, tears rushing hot down your temples, your legs shaking. “That’s my pretty girl,” he soothes you, slowing his hand once he’s sure you’ve come, easing you down before removing his hand entirely and instead just holding you against him.

As you blink your eyes open you can feel that you’re both shaking, bodies slick with sweat and weak from the exertion. Yunho’s breath starts to even out, and he kisses the side of your face, humming pleasantly, satisfied. The ringing in your ears from the hardest orgasm you’ve ever had starts to fade, and your brain starts to connect with the whispered words against your temple.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, stroking your skin, “I love watching you come,”

You don’t respond, you can’t. He recovers enough to lift you off him, before he slides out from under you and collapses into the sheets with a deep exhausted sigh. He looks up to you, eyes expectant, and you know he thinks you’ll just cuddle up to his chest, fall asleep like always, but you don’t. You get off the bed, legs weak but still working, and head straight to the bathroom, shutting the door tight behind you. You throw the sink on high, letting the sound of the water hopefully muffle up the tears that are bubbling back up. This night had started out fun, cooking in the kitchen, sharing a bottle of wine, traded jabs loaded with innuendo and hasty kisses. In the middle somewhere it turned into a different kind of wanting.

It takes a few minutes to recover, but when the sudden rush of tears fades, you take a few deep breaths and resolve to go back. It wasn’t really his fault that you were falling in love with him. After the first time, you had convinced yourself so perfectly that you could compartmentalize it, that the feelings you had for him were because you were friends, and friends cared about each other, but you were never very good at separating sex and emotions.

You finish up quickly, using the toilet, splashing cold water on your face, and wrapping your hair up into a bun. You pull on your robe that hangs on the back of his bathroom door and tie it tight around you. Your hips hurt, your legs are weak and sore, and you’re glad the robe covers the bloom of bruises on your thighs. You finish cleaning yourself up and pull the door open to step back into the bedroom.

Yunho’s sitting on the edge of the bed, boxers back on, his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes downcast. When he hears you reenter the room his head snaps up, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” you nod, a little confused, “why wouldn’t I be okay?”

He looks instantly relieved and reaches for you, “You disappeared and didn’t say anything,”

“I just wanted to get cleaned up,” you tell him, and that’s not entirely untrue. You move across the room to him, where he reaches out to you and let him pull you into his arms.

He’s gentle now, his hands softly holding your hips, massaging little circles into them through the fabric of your robe. “I wasn’t too rough?”

“No,” you shake your head, resting your hands on top of his, “no, it was good,”

“Okay,” he turns his hands and intertwines your fingers, leans forward and presses a kiss to your chest where the robe is parted, “come here then,”

“Yunho,” you say, with no real plan, you just know that getting back in bed with him and letting him hold you is going to break you in two.

He looks up at you, squeezes your hands and furrows his brow, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you assure him.

“So come to bed,” he tugs your hands gently to coax you forwards but you don’t move.

“Yunho,” you shake your head, dropping your eyes, your voice small. Maybe it was now or never, maybe you could say it and your friendship would survive it. Maybe you could go back to being roommates, friends and nothing more. You swallow tightly and meet his eyes, “I think we should stop.”

You weren’t prepared for the look of abject panic that crosses his face, “What are you talking about?”

You break your hands apart, stepping away to get some distance, “I think we should stop having sex,”

“What just happened?” he says, standing and crowding you again, taking your face in his warm hands, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on,” you shake your head, taking his hands in yours and pulling them away from your face.

“I mean, something’s going on,” he interrupts, reaching for you again, “because twenty minutes ago we were having some of the most intense sex of my life, and now you’re saying let’s stop. So, either I hurt you and you’re not telling me, or something’s going on with you, and I’ve got to be honest I’m really hoping it’s the latter.”

“You didn’t,” you assure, but keep him at arm’s length, “Yunho, I promise.”

He looks you over head to toe and nods, “Then tell me why you won’t come to bed,”

Tightness builds in your throat, but you push it down, “I just... I thought about it, and I think we should stop fucking around.”

When you look back up to him, his jaw is set tight. He shakes his head, “Is that what we’ve been doing? Fucking around?”

“What?”

You’ve never seen him so worked up before, and he locks eyes with you to ask again, “Is that all we’ve been doing, just fucking around?”

“I don’t understand,” you manage.

“We spend all day together, we eat dinner together every night, we have sex every day,” his brows are knit tight together, confusion all over his face and he keeps going, “you’ve let me do things to you I can’t spell, we sleep together every night, and we wake up together every morning. That’s fucking around?”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying your understanding of casual sex must be really skewed, because I’ve never done any of those things with a hookup.” He pulls away from you, crossing the room so he can grab a t-shirt and throwing it on over his head. He’s frustrated, the muscles in his arms jumping when he grips his fists tight for a second.

“I’m confused,” you confess, “you said you wanted us to help each other out since we’re trapped in quarantine,”

“I know what I said,” he fires back.

The last thing you expected was for him to react this strongly and to start a fight. You’ve never had one with him, you’ve only ever seen him ruffled by a video game and even then, he doesn’t look half as pissed as he does right now. “Yunho,” you drop your voice down soft, “I didn’t mean to upset you,”

“Upset me?” His eyebrows shoot up, “No, you’re just making it perfectly clear what you think. I just didn’t realize,”

“I should have waited to say something,” you look down, “I just don’t want to ruin us, our friendship.”

“Our friendship,” he repeats.

You look up to meet his eyes, “Yeah, I just,” you flounder, “I know it’s always been important to you, and I just think we’ve been blurring the lines, and I,”

“The lines are well past blurred,” he interjects, “I just didn’t know you cared this little. You could have fooled me.”

“This little?” You take a step forward and he takes one back, a hand out to tell you to back off, that it’s not the time, “Yunho, I care about you so much, you know that.”

“Tell me,” He says, “with the other men you’ve fucked around with, was it like this?”

Tears spring to your eyes as he twists your words back on you and you blink furiously to clear your vision, sweeping the fallen ones away with the sleeve of your robe, “Was it like us?” You clarify.

“Yeah,” he nods. He opens his mouth to say more, but shuts it again, holding his tongue.

You shake your head, “Nothing’s been like us,”

His relaxes and he sighs, “Then tell me, just be honest with me. What changed? From twenty minutes ago to now.”

Blush heats your cheeks, and you sniff, swallowing back more tears. You reach for him but don’t move forward, an upturned palm asking him to come just a little closer. He rests his hands in yours and waits, not coming any closer. “It’s,” you don’t know where to look, but when his gaze softens, and his thumb runs over your knuckles you meet his eyes. You try again, “Somewhere in all of this it started to feel real for me,”

“What?” His hand stills.

“I’m sorry,” you can’t help the tears that spill over now, your stomach in knots, “I tried to separate it, I really did, but it started to get twisted in my head and I can’t help how I feel. You’re amazing, and my best friend, and I should have stopped us a long time ago before I felt this way, but I couldn’t.”

He drops your hand and your heart plummets, “y/n,” he blinks, taking in a breath.

You can practically feel the soft let down, and you wonder if he’s ever had to do this before. It hurts, you realize, far more than you thought it would. You interject quickly to keep his words at bay, “It’s okay though, honestly. It just turns out I’m not as good at casual sex as I thought, and I mean, we live together and we’re in each other’s space so much, of course it’s hard. To be fair to me though, you didn’t help either, always calling me pet names during sex and being so sweet,”

“y/n,” Yunho says, a little louder, this time, “how exactly do you feel?”

“What?”

“You said you should have stopped before you felt this way. What way? Tell me,”

“Oh,” you exhale slow, and your stomach flutters as you try to find the words, “Before I wanted you like this,” you explain, “before I fell in love with you.”

Now, with it out in the open, you feel like you could hear a pin drop. Yunho grins wide suddenly, an immediately laugh on his lips as he steps towards you, “I can’t believe you,” he crowds your space, pushing you back towards the wall suddenly, “you are such a fucking idiot sometimes,”

Your brain is firing a mile a minute, but everything clicks off when he presses his lips to yours, his hand cupping your head when he pushes you into the wall. He holds you tight, pulling you up on your tip toes while bending low to kiss you. When he breaks to take a breath you push him backwards, “What are you doing?”

“I can’t believe you seriously just tried to break up with me because you love me,” he dips in for another kiss, but you dart out from under his arms and spin to face him.

“Don’t make fun of me,” you warn.

“I’m sorry,” he throws his hands up, still grinning and you can’t understand the incredible stark tonal shift between how angry he was a moment ago to now.

“Wait,” the wheels in your head start turning, things clicking into place, “what do you mean break up with you?”

“Maybe I should have been more clear,” Yunho takes a step towards you, “I didn’t want to just fuck around. I don’t want to just fuck around at all. I want you, entirely.”

“Oh,” your breath leaves you in a rush.

“I thought it was obvious,” he continues, “and I should have said something, but I thought you knew. I mean we’ve slept in the same bed for two months, and I’ve never not woken up without you in my arms, I thought you knew.”

“I didn’t,” you say quietly.

“I’m in love with you,” he says simply, his eyes shining, crinkled upwards with his smile, “so when I say want you forever, I mean with me.”

“You love me,” you repeat, turning the words over in your mouth, knots in your stomach releasing.

“I do,” he steps into your space, reaching for your face again, “I love you and I can’t believe you just tried to break up with me.”

“You could have told me we were dating,” you grin.

“God, come here,” he pulls you up into his arms, locking his lips on yours and squeezing you tight. He stumbles forwards until he finds the edge of the bed and tips you both down onto the mattress, situating himself above you again.

“Yunho,” you mumble into his mouth when he moves his hand down your hip to your inner thigh and pushes it to the side to open you up to him. You can feel him growing hard again against you and you break the kiss, “again?”

“I can’t help it,” he peppers kisses down your jaw, your throat, nipping softly across your collarbones, “you said you love me,”

“Yeah,” you sigh, threading your fingers into his hair, “I really, really do.”

“Then I need you,” he shrugs, and starts to part your robe.

“Wait,” you stop him.

He looks up to you, expectant, waiting.

“Let’s take it a little slower,” you squeeze his hand, “I’m pretty sore already.”

He nods, but you see him thinking. He pulls the tie on your robe free, opening up the fabric and he looks over you. Your thighs are bruised, your hips too, and he softly passes his hand over them. “Why did you want me to fuck you like that?” He murmurs.

"Hey,” you shake your head, tugging his hand to pull him back up to your face, “I liked it, I asked you to. I’m just sore, that’s okay,”

He nods and kisses you soft, his wide hands running over every inch of your skin. You sigh into his mouth when he pushes open your legs a little further and runs his fingers softly down your slit to check you. Yunho presses his middle finger inside of you, softly brushing along your walls with his fingertip.

“Yunho,” you murmur against him, “come here,” you tug at the waistband of his boxers, and he kicks them off, tossing his shirt over his head too.

He eases over you slowly before helping you position your hips right and starting to push inside you again. Your hips ache in their tilted position, but it’s a good ache, the familiar stretch of him warm and welcome. He’s watching your face carefully, clearly a little hesitant after being so rough with you earlier, and you wrap your legs around him to urge him deeper.

“Yun,” you murmur, brushing your fingers through his hair, “I’m good, I want you,”

“I just want to take care of you,” he murmurs, stroking your cheek.

“I know,” you pull him towards you, bringing his length to fully seat inside you. “I love you,” you tell him, now that you’re flush against each other, nose to nose and sharing the same breaths.

He smiles, kissing each cheek, your forehead, your lips, the tip of your nose, “I love you too,” he murmurs, “you’re my girl,”

You nod against him, “I’m all yours,”

Yunho starts to roll his hips, slow and easy and your body responds instantly, getting wetter with every little thrust and your overstimulated clit sparking with pleasure where it catches against him softly. He dips his tongue into your mouth, sliding against yours and deepening your kisses, his free hand cupping your breast and brushing his thumb over your stiff nipple.

“Oh,” you sigh pleasantly into his mouth, your fingers tightening on his back.

He works you quietly, softly, every stoke inside you and brush of your nipple adding pressure to the heat low in your belly, bringing you closer and closer with every move. He holds you to him, your body soft and pliant for him. He rolls against you, sucking softly against the pulse point in your neck and you arch up, the shifted angle of his cock inside you now massaging your g-spot steadily with every rock.

“Please,” you whimper against him, “just like that,”

“Right here?” he rolls again, delivering a pointed flick to your nipple and you tense up, body locked with pleasure.

“Please, more,” you duck your head into his chest, letting your eyes slip closed as you focus wholly on the warm stretch of him inside you and his hands caressing your skin.

He gathers you closer, holding you against his chest and bracing himself with one forearm against the mattress. He cups your head, fingers sinking into your hair, his lips against the top of your head. He picks up his pace a little, chasing his release just as much, and curses softly into your hair.

It only takes a moment more for you to spill over the edge, holding him tightly and arching up in his arms, your lips pressing against the bare skin of his shoulder. As your muscles contract down on him, he falters, rutting his hips quickly and bringing himself up and over the precipice. “Come, baby,” you urge him on, stroking his back.

He moans softly, clutching you tightly as he comes, filling you again, whispered words against your skin you can barely make out. The gentle wave of your orgasm has passed, leaving you hazy and warm, and you lean back into the sheets.

“Don’t go anywhere this time,” he slides his weight of you and nuzzles you with his nose, kissing you lazily and pleased.

“I’m staying right here,” you assure him, letting him pull your back to his chest and wrap around you.

“I’m never letting you go,” he sighs.

“We’ll have to get out of bed sometime,” you tease him softly, letting your eyes slip closed.

“That’s a tomorrow problem,” he reaches to the side and grabs the edge of the comforter so he can drag it up over you.

You cuddle into him and the blankets, your skin chilled from the air conditioning unit passing cold air over your sweat slick skin. He sighs, his hand coming to rest on your chest, his thumb stroking soft and even patterns into your soft flesh. “Yunho,” you murmur and he hums in response, though you know he’s rapidly approaching sleep, “I love you so much,”

Now that you’ve started to say it, you can’t stop, and neither can he. The giddy rush of the early days of love sending butterflies through you. He shifts, bringing his lips close to your ear, and he presses a kiss there before saying, “I love you too,” His voice warm and low.

He gives you a squeeze and you sigh into his embrace, letting your body relax wholly into him. You won’t be able to stay awake much longer, but as the thought enters your mind you have to ask, so you softly shift your hand into his, “So I guess you’re my boyfriend now, hmm?”

“I was your boyfriend two months ago,” he says, squeezing your hand, “you just didn’t know it yet.”

a/n: thank you to everyone who left me extremely kind messages on the first part to this two-shot, summer nights. i love writing for non!idol yunho so much, so this one was very fun. feel free to drop me an ask if you have any requests <3

#yunho x reader #yunho fic #ateez x reader #ateez #fic recs #ateez fic rec

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