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~ if you can feel the trace that is me, call me out ~

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Four Seasons by Your Side: Tea

Read it on Ao3!

“What are you getting?” You ask.

Saeran considers the question as he stares at the menu. This type of date is an old standby for the pair of you: boba and sweet treats at your favorite cafe. “Hm,” he continues to study the menu. Unlike you, Saeran never feels remotely compelled by (imagined) social pressure to order before he’s ready. “Okay.” 

He turns to you, already at the kiosk and already having ordered your own drink and dessert. Saeran presses the buttons for a strawberry fruit tea with cream and regular boba pearls, along with lemon cake for dessert. Saeran’s taste buds were severely damaged at Magenta and lemon flavored desserts tend to be quite strong, which has made them one of Saeran’s favorites, owing to the fact that he is always capable of actually tasting them.

“Alright, that’s all,” he says. 

“Okay,” you offer him a small smile before putting in your payment information and typing your name for the order. “Should we go sit down?”

“Mhm,” Saeran hums. It’s very hot out, so even though you’re securely inside a relatively chilly building, both of you are somewhat sluggish. Unfortunately, in this weather, it’s not safe for Saeran to spend long hours working in his garden after noon, which gives him lots of free time to fill. You can’t wait to hear about what he’s been reading lately. 

The two of you settle into your usual table while you wait for your order to be made.

“I’m so tired,” you complain.,

“Me too,” says Saeran. “Maybe we should invest in another fan, my love.” 

This is one of the drawbacks to living in a house without air conditioning. Sometimes, the heat causes disruptions in your sleep. As of now, however, you and Saeran are just glad to be out of the house. When your drinks and desserts finally arrive in the capable hands of a very enthusiastic server, the two of you are happy to accept. 

Saeran takes his first sip. He loves those strawberry fruit teas of his, that’s for sure. “Mmm,” he hums. “It’s really good.” You try your own beverage. “Mine too. Want a taste?” 

He shakes his head, scrunching up his face in the process as though disgusted by the sheer premise of trying your drink. Saeran doesn’t tend to enjoy the slight bitterness that, in your opinion, accompanies some of the best drinks. “No, thank you, my love,” he says, stifling a yawn. 

“I agree,” you offer him a cheeky grin. “I’m exhausted.” You already told him you were tired, but it bears repeating.

Not only are you exhausted, but you are also very hot. It will probably take you both a few more minutes of sitting in this air conditioned restaurant before you start getting comfortable enough to have a normal conversation. You take another sip of your drink, which is delightfully cold and already starting to sweat onto the table. It helps.

Saeran seems to have a similar philosophy, because he takes a long drink of his tea before speaking. “Every winter, it gets so cold, and I forget how hot it was during the summer,” he declares with a big smile on his face. “And then it gets warm again, and all of a sudden, I remember.” 

But even though he’s technically complaining, he doesn’t look remotely upset, and you whole-heartedly understand. Saeran isn’t mad. He may get annoyed sometimes by the day–to-day fluctuations of the weather, just as you do, but ultimately, he’s still happy with his life. Now, all of a sudden, it’s Saeran’s choice whether to go outside, stay indoors, or seek out an adventure away from home. 

If he’s hot, he’s welcome to lay around doing nothing all day— in fact, he’s free to do so even on the most temperate of days. He can take breaks and sleep in and take it slow. He can do whatever he wants, now that his life belongs to him. Ray once told you at Magenta that he wasn’t always kept abreast of what the weather was like outside of the compound. Now, he knows about the weather every single day, and he gets to decide what he wants to do about it. That, you think, is a wonderful thing. 

“That’s just how it goes, I think,” you reply eventually. “I’ve already forgotten how cold it can get in the winter. That feels like a million years ago.” 

Saeran throws his head back and laughs. “Me too,” he admits.

The two of you enjoy your beverages at a leisurely pace, taking your time to experience the sheer joy of a slow afternoon spent together. You savor your desserts, taking occasional forkfuls from one another’s plates, each feeling completely content and neither remotely concerned with the weather outside. This is nice. This kind of simple day would have been unimaginable to the pair of you just a few short years ago, but here you are now, savoring every second.

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Four Seasons by Your Side: Knitting Workshop

Read it on Ao3!

The yarn store is pretty far from your house, but you and Saeran make the trek out either way, resolving to have a nice meal together afterwards at the local cafe. After all, the two of you are always looking to try out new experiences, and this is nothing if not one of those. Though you have a little bit of knitting experience, you’re not very good at it, and you haven’t practiced in years. Saeran has never tried fiber-arts before, and he’s excited for the opportunity. You’re supposed to be making coasters, which should make for a fairly straightforward lesson.

Now, you and your husband are sitting at a table together, looking down at your materials kits. You’ve each been given a small ball of yarn in a light color for visibility. You imagine that you’ll be able to see the different stitches clearly while you’re working, which will help you to identify mistakes. You remember reading something similar online a few years ago. Your yarn is bluish-gray, and Saeran’s is a dusty pink color approaching mauve. You’ve also each received a pair of wooden needles, which you’re sure can be replaced with sturdier metal ones if you and Saeran decide to continue with this hobby after today. 

“You ready?” You ask. 

“Mhm,” Saeran hums, giving the ball of yarn a little squeeze. “It’ll be nice to see how this turns into something I can use around the house.” He’s a big fan of coasters, which makes sense, because as a general rule, your husband takes amazing care of his things. This, naturally, includes his desk, the kitchen table, the coffee table, his nightstand, and any other surface where he might feasibly place a drink. 

You nod. “Yeah. Plus, I think these coasters should work pretty fast, so we’ll have something tangible to take home right away.” The workshop is supposed to take a few hours, but you barely have any yarn, and how big can a coaster be, anyway?

Before Saeran can reply, the expert leading the workshop gets up to start the course. She gives a brief demonstration of casting on, which is probably the most difficult part of the knitting process, and then directs you to consult your instruction booklets, which you do dutifully.

“This is the hardest part,” you assure Saeran. You know he loves a challenge, but you  also know that if your positions were reversed, and he knew slightly more about this than you did, he’d be going out of his way to reassure you, as well. 

“I know I’ll get the hang of it soon.” He sounds genuinely optimistic, which makes sense, because Saeran has always made a point of cultivating a beginner’s mindset. When he doesn’t get it after a few spirited tries and more than a few glances at the instruction booklet, he raises his hand, and the instructor makes her way over. 

“Ah,” she says when she sees his work, “Here. Let me show you again.” She takes up her needles and demonstrates once more, very slowly, ensuring that Saeran can clearly see what she’s doing and how she’s doing it. “You see?”

“Oh.” Saeran watches with rapt attention. You know he’s incredibly quick to pick up new things. This, after all, is the same man who learned to code better than a professional on scarily low sleep and very poor nutrition over the course of less than a year with no formal education whatsoever. Seeing him happy and healthy would be enough of a blessing without the added benefit of watching his beautiful mind operate at full capacity. “I get it. Thank you.” He copies the instructor’s movements, clumsily at first, but after a few repetitions, his motions start to look more practiced. 

“You’re right,” the instructor agrees, “You’re getting the hang of it. Great work. Let me know if you need any more help, okay?” Before she walks away to check the progress of other tables and answer the questions of other participants, she makes a quick assessment of your work. “Nice going,” she says.

Once everybody has finished casting on (which takes a while and leaves you and Saeran with plenty of time to talk amongst yourselves), the instructor returns to the front of the room to demonstrate the knit stitch. In your opinion, this is significantly easier to follow than casting on.

“Okay,” Saeran mutters under his breath. And you get the feeling that he agrees with you.

The two of you spend the remainder of the workshop focused on your work, conversing occasionally during the intervals where the process seems to flow with a bit more ease. Once, you drop a stitch, and the presenter has to come back over and help you, but the issue is quickly resolved and you don’t make the same mistake again. You and Saeran follow along as the knitting expert demonstrates finishing a project, and by the end of the session, you’ve each produced a pretty passable-looking coaster. 

“Don’t forget to come back next month for our purl and stockinette stitch workshop!” The presenter implores as you and Saeran make your way out the door. 

“Should we go to that, honey?” You ask your husband on the short walk from the yarn store to the restaurant where the two of you plan to eat.

“Sure,” says Saeran, “I think I like knitting, and it’s always nice to learn new things.”

You don’t expect that this will necessarily become a fully ingrained habit for either of you, but you’re happy to be with Saeran on this journey as he continues trying out a variety of hobbies. “Okay, sounds good, baby. I’ll sign us up once we get home.”

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Made some of these again :>

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Four Seasons by Your Side: Summer Picnic

Read it on Ao3!

You’re impressed by the way that Saeran has thought of everything. Needless to say, you’re not surprised: you know your husband, after all, and you know that he thinks of these things, but you’re still impressed, and still beyond proud to be married to him. Today is unseasonably cool, and Saeran has taken advantage of the fine weather to have a picnic in the garden. 

He picked the best spot on your property to set everything up, with an ancient tree providing shade and blocking the view of your house, so you feel like you’re further into nature than you really are. He found a large blanket that covers just enough ground for both of you to sit on and lay out your food. And the meal itself, of course, includes your more portable summer favorites, with a big thermos of that rosewater lemonade you’ve been enjoying. 

In short, your Saeran is the reigning king of picnics, and you both know it. He’s amazing at them, and you always feel so spoiled when he surprises you this way. It’s a really special thing, getting to enjoy a homemade meal outside in his garden, especially since it’s normally too hot outside this time of year to even consider doing anything of the sort. 

“This is delicious,” you tell him in between bites, “Not to mention beautiful. Thank you, my love.” 

“Of course, my sweet,” Saeran kisses you on the cheek. “I had fun setting it up.” 

He brought actual plates out here, along with metal forks and knives— as opposed to the wooden ones that the two of you purchased to use when camping— since there was little travel involved and therefore little risk to your dishes. “Mmm,” you hum, “When we get back to the house, I’ll wash the dishes for you. You’ve done enough already, honey.” After all, you want to make sure that Saeran gets time to relax today, as well. The RFA’s busy season doesn’t seem like it’s letting up any time soon. 

“There’s more,” he informs you, after you’ve finished your entree but before you can even think about getting up. 

The flowers in his garden look lovely. It’s the middle of summer, so they’re in full bloom, and you’re glad to be able to look at them, let alone to sit among them. “More?”

“I made a cake,” Saeran replies, a sheepish smile on his pretty face.

“A cake?” You’re like a parrot, echoing his words in disbelief. But to be fair, you were not expecting him to bake an entire cake for a backyard picnic. Now that you think about it, though, you have no clue why you didn’t anticipate something like this. You know your Saeran, after all, and you know what he likes. This is not remotely surprising for you, once you actually process it. Of course your husband went above and beyond, of course it was for you, and of course there was a sweet baked good involved. It’s quintessential Saeran. You used to daydream about this back when you and Saeran were briefly separated after leaving Magenta.

“Mhm,” he mums, clearly happy to have gotten the better of you. You are so fucking lucky to have him by your side. “Give me just a moment, my love. I’ll go get it.” His expression makes a brief, regretful shift. He’s probably not pleased at having to disrupt the picnic halfway through. “I didn’t want it to get squished in the basket.” 

“Oh, of course.” This makes perfect sense to you. The picnic basket, in which Saeran invested within the first ten minutes of being free (on the drive back from the hospital, in fact, before the two of you had even begun to consider a permanent living arrangement) is adorable, and pretty spacious, as far as picnic baskets go, but you doubt it could fit a full cake along with all the other food that Saeran prepared for this occasion and the glassware and cutlery. 

So you sit there on the picnic blanket, watching a yellow butterfly flit from blue flower to blue flower and thinking about how profoundly happy you are to have Saeran in your life. No doubt about it, you’re in love with this man. 

He comes back carrying an entire cake stand, complete with a heavy glass covering, and you make a mental note to look into more portable equivalents. “Oh wow,” you breathe, because the cake is something out of your dreams, strawberry-frosted and exquisite, with berries perched atop dollops of whipped cream. It looks beyond delicious.

“Do you want me to feed it to you, my love?” Saeran suggests. It’s another of his romantic, dessert-based fantasies. Saeran being Saeran, he has quite a few of these.

“We can feed it to each other,” you suggest, because as excited as you are to try this magnificent cake that Saeran somehow managed to make behind your back, you also want to make certain that he gets to try it, too.

“That sounds good.” Saeran takes the lid off of the cake and procures two forks. 

“I’ve dreamed about this exact scenario before, you know.” You can’t restrain yourself from telling him, and it doesn’t really seem like he wants you to. “You’re literally making my dreams come true, babe.”

Saeran’s face absolutely lights up at that. Dear god, you love this man. “I’ve had that dream too, my angel.”

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Being a hacker slash stalker is hard. Unknown can attest to this.

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Four Seasons by Your Side: Journaling Together

Read it on Ao3!

It’s very hot out— too hot, in fact, for you and Saeran to spend much time outdoors. In the morning, before the sun reached its zenith, he went out to his garden and tended to his plants, making sure that they were prepared for the impending heat wave. Once they were watered and any offending weeds were plucked, Saeran trudged back to the house to lament the havoc that the bunnies had wreaked of late before taking a cool shower. Even just after sunrise, it was balmy outside, and you both knew that it was only going to get worse.

So, here you are now, with the fans blowing, the lights low, and every window securely closed and covered. You and Saeran have lived in this house long enough to know how to keep it cool, after all, and you both take pride in being able to do so sustainably. That’s not necessarily possible for everyone in every set of circumstances, but you’re glad that it’s possible for you. 

Saeran is playing smooth jazz via the speaker system that Saeyoung got him for their birthday (hilariously, Saeran purchased a pair of headphones for Saeyoung for the same occasion, in keeping with the budding tradition of the twins buying one another themed presents without even meaning to. Last year, Saeyoung bought Saeran a weighted plush cat and Saeran gave his brother a set of decorated cat figurines. For the record, the plush cat is Apple Turnover’s best friend). Saeran has been exploring different genres of music with enthusiasm since his escape from Magenta, and at the moment, he’s enjoying jazz. It sets a carefree mood while the two of you work in your respective journals. 

You and Saeran don’t get to spend a lot of quiet time together. You’re both so busy, and you have a household to run, a cat to take care of, and usually, two very busy days to recap by the time dinner rolls around. On top of that, something’s always going on in the RFA chat, and in global politics, and there’s usually neighborhood drama to report as well. On top of all that, you’ve got your charity work, and you’ve each got about a million other interests, including your various hobbies and what each of you is watching or reading. It makes for lots of lively conversation, that’s for sure. 

But this is nice, too. For the first time in a long time, you and Saeran have set aside a full hour of shared quiet time, which, naturally, you’ve opted to fill with journaling. You’ve got your pencil case beside you, and Saeran has his. When he first left Magenta, Saeran was content to use the same stationery as you, but in the intervening years, he’s tried things out and developed his own preferences. He has specific pens and highlighters that he likes, along with rolls upon rolls of washi tape, which he prefers over white-out for covering up his mistakes. He also has a glue stick in his journaling kit; it’s clear that Saeran enjoys sticking ephemera into his journals. 

Right now, he’s working on a themed page involving photos of roses from his garden, rose stickers, a floriography book for reference, and carefully copied poetry, presumably about roses. You, on the other hand, are working through some frustrations you’ve been having with a few RFA party guests, including gratitude lists to offset the rambling complaints. At least for the time being, you’re prioritizing the cathartic act of journaling over making an aesthetically pleasing entry. 

Saeran stands and stretches. “Would you like some tea, my love? I’m about to make some.” He makes his way to the kitchen. 

You can’t help but be amused by your husband’s downright miraculous ability to drink hot beverages in hot weather, especially in conjunction with his relatively low heat tolerance. “It’s like a million degrees out, baby,” you offer Saeran a fond smile as he puts the kettle on. 

“Mhm,” he agrees, “But it’s cool in the house.” He’s got you there, but there’s no need for an argument. “Lemonade, then?”

“Yes, please.”

You’re a big fan of the rosewater lemonade that Saeran insists on keeping in the house at all times. It’s always delicious, and even though it’s not particularly hot inside the house, the beverage is exactly what you need on such a sweltering day. 

You make a few notes in your journal while Saeran putters around the kitchen. He returns, naturally, with not only the beverages, but also a tray of assorted cookies. “I had to buy these from the bakery,” he tells you, sounding somewhat regretful, “It’s too hot out to use the oven at home.”

“I bet they’re not as good as yours,” you muse. Saeran is the best baker you know, and he could easily do it professionally if that were what he wanted. Of course, you’re willing to admit that you’re a bit biased. You take a bite of a cookie and find that it’s a poor substitute for the ones that Saeran bakes. “Oh, almost there. Yours are better.”

Saeran offers you a shy smile. “I made ice cream for dessert tonight,” he informs you. Clearly, he’s been looking up ways to get sweets into the house without using the oven, and it seems like he’s succeeded.

“I can’t wait to try it,” you grin.

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Emo catboy time

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Four Seasons by Your Side: Natural History Museum

Read it on Ao3!

“I can’t wait to see the dinosaur skeletons, my love,” Saeran gushes as the two of you wait in line for your tickets. He’s seen a few dinosaur skeletons before, of course, but never this many at a time. Now that things have settled down in your personal lives, the pair of you have been working through his substantial list of places to visit, and you’ve just now arrived at the natural history museum.

“They’ve got a ton of them,” you assure him, “Plus a giant squid.”

“I wish I could see one alive in person,” Saeran muses. It doesn’t surprise you that he’s done his research about the squid, and presumably about the other contents of the museum. After all, he’s a curious guy, and he doesn’t take his newfound ability to access any information he desires lightly. “But I’m not sure if it’s actually possible.”

“Wait, really?” You’re shocked by this revelation. It’s never occurred to you to do much research on giant squids before, but now that Saeran is telling you, you’re interested.

“From what I read online, it seems like for a long time, people only saw giant squids after they died and floated to the surface. I’m still waiting for that book from the library.” Since leaving Magenta, Saeran has discovered the joy of libraries and the sorrow of waiting while a book that he desperately wants to read sits on his holds shelf. “But a few years ago, scientists were able to record some footage of a living giant squid.”

“Oh. But nobody’s ever seen one in person?” You ask, intrigued. Saeran isn’t afraid to dive into learning about science, and his beginner’s mindset protects him from shame about not having studied any of this before. 

“I’ll let you know when I get my hands on that book about deep sea ecosystems.” He pouts at you, which is absolutely adorable. And he knows it, too.

“Okay. As soon as we get done at this museum, I’m talking you into just buying that book, baby.” He’s been talking about it for weeks, and you know he’ll want to take his time with it and re-read it over and over if he likes it. And if he doesn’t like it, then he’ll probably just end up donating it. You and Saeran are lucky to be in a position where you can afford to purchase things like this, and you don’t feel bad about spoiling him whenever possible. You may end up just buying the book for him, now that you think about it.

“You can try if you want to, my angel.” He shoots you a cheeky grin, and your heart melts. You’ve had this thought before, and you’re sure you’ll have it plenty more before the end of your days, but if you weren’t in public right now, you’d be going in for the kiss. 

Once you and Saeran have your tickets in hand, you can enter the museum. As expected, they have a lovely geology wing, with information on tectonic plates and continental drift, as well as volcanoes and other features. This leads into an exhibit about fossils, of course including the reconstructed dinosaur skeletons that Saeran was so looking forward to seeing. “Woah,” Saeran’s breath catches. “I can’t believe the scientists could piece that back together.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ve made mistakes before,” you recall, though you are by no means an expert on the subject. “But at least we've found more fossils and we know more about dinosaurs than we did a hundred years ago.” You dimly recall learning these facts at another museum on an overseas vacation, but you can’t remember which one. The topic is certainly worth a deep dive, and possibly a future trip. 

“Mhm,” Saeran agrees, “That’s good, my love.” He takes a moment to stare up at the reconstructed T-rex, clear awe on his face. “It’s so wonderful to think that there was a time when animals like this just got to exist.” 

“Oh, just you wait,” you tell him, thinking of the extinct animals room, which will feature the reconstructed remains of a very diverse set of extinct species. You haven’t been to this museum since you were a kid, and there’s a lot that you’ve forgotten, but the things that you remembered clearly made a strong impression on you. 

But first, you have to get through the ocean section, which might turn out to be a bit of a challenge. Your husband admires a bronze sculpture of coral and stops to read an information board about salinity in its entirety. He’s impressed by the wall constructed of trash that’s washed up on beaches, but once he reaches the extensive tank containing the preserved body of the giant squid, it’s over for you. He circles the tank slowly, observing the body of the squid from every angle. You find it sweet that he’s just as enraptured by nature’s creations as he was by the art that the two of you encountered when you two visited that museum a few months ago. 

“Oh, look,” you point out, “They have one of those plastic mold things for the giant squid.” 

“Wow.” That gets Saeran’s attention— once he’s done pondering the squid itself, that is. “I think I’ll get one as a souvenir.”

He leads you over to the machine, as you knew he would, and you stand beside him as he pays for the small blue plastic sculpture of a giant squid. The pair of you watch as the machine works its magic and produces the model. “Wow,” you breathe, while Saeran bends down to collect the figurine. “That was quick.” You’ve seen these machines before, but never actually used one. You’re not sure you’re a fan of the smell of hot plastic emanating from the machine, but it’s cool to see the finished product.

“It was,” Saeran muses, “When we get home I’m going to look up how machines like that work.”

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Mystic messenger 9th anniversary art

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Four Seasons by Your Side: Camping

Read it on Ao3!

Since Saeran has never been camping before, you want to ensure that his first experience runs as smoothly as possible. You pick a location that’s not too crowded but not too sparsely populated, with a nice balance of woods and open fields, close to hiking trails, as well as indoor attractions like museums and local gift shops. You make sure that there’s an actual bathroom at the campground, fully plumbed, with running water, flush toilets, and showers. And you take care in selecting high quality supplies, including a spacious tent, a luxurious air mattress, and warm sleeping bags. Like most weeks, this one has been hectic, and you and Saeran are both content to spend the drive through the countryside listening to music and enjoying the scenery.

When the pair of you finally arrive at the campground, you feel it’s best to set up the tent before you do anything else. Once that’s out of the way, everything else will be smooth sailing. “Do you want to help me, honey, or do you just wanna watch?” Either way is perfectly fine with you. Saeran is bound to learn a lot on this trip about the mechanics of camping as well as his own preferences, and if he’d rather not include pitching a tent on that list, you won’t hold it against him. 

“Of course I’ll help, my love,” he assures you. So you show him how to assemble the collapsable tent poles and how to attach them to the body of the tent. His face lights up when the tent springs into place and actually starts looking like a tent.

“I didn’t realize how easy that would be,” he admits, “I was worried that this would take us a few hours.” 

“I’m sure there are some tents that take longer to set up,” you reply, hammering in the stakes at the corners of your tent. “But this one is built to come up pretty easily.” 

“Hm. Are we already done?” Saeran runs his hand along the pole he just put in place, admiring how smoothly it came together. 

“Yeah, pretty much. We have a rain fly in the car if we need it,” you explain, “Basically, it’s just another layer that can go over the top of the tent to protect us if it rains, since the top and sides are mostly mesh. But it’s supposed to be nice out, so I thought you’d like to see the stars instead.”

“I would like that,” Saeran agrees, “I know we can usually see them at home, too, but I’m curious to see if they look any different in the woods. And it’s going to get dark pretty late, so we could even lay on our backs and look up at the clouds.” He sounds very excited about this premise, and you make a mental note to go to bed before it gets too dark to appreciate the movement of the clouds in the sky. “What’s next, my angel?”

“We should get our fire going,” you decide, “Help me look for small, dry twigs. The drier the better— and I got us a firestarter, too. It’s in the car with the matches.” You haven’t made a fire in a long time, but you know that Saeran will want to roast marshmallows, and there’s no threat of rain, so building a fire in your campsite’s fire pit is non-negotiable. Besides, relying on a fire for your cooking means you don’t have to lug around a propane stove. 

While Saeran gathers the kindling, you dig through your camping stuff for the firestarter and the matches. “Here we go.” 

Together, the two of you assemble the kindling and firestarter into a vague little mound in the center of the fire pit. This is tricky, and Saeran has never done it before, so he follows your lead. “Now, hopefully the firestarter will catch and light the kindling, and then once we have a fire, we can start putting on those logs we got at the camp store.” Thankfully, all of these things happen in a timely manner, and within a matter of minutes, there’s a roaring fire in the firepit. 

“And what should we do now, my love?” Saeran asks.

You shrug. “We can start cooking dinner, if you want. And now that we have a fire, the smoke should keep the bugs away.” Unfortunately, mosquitos are common in this area, but thankfully, smoke works as a deterrent. Your trusty sun hoodies are doing a lot of heavy lifting in this department, too. 

“That sounds good, darling. How can I help?”

“Well,” you consider the question. Saeran has never cooked over a fire before, so once again, he’s left to follow your instructions. “Would you rather watch the fire or go to the water pump? “I’ll go get the water,” Saeran decides, locating the kettle you brought with you. “I think I saw it near the bathrooms.”

“Alright, honey, then I’ll keep an eye on the fire.” After all, you know better than to leave it unattended.

By the time Saeran returns, you have already pulled the grate over the fire and blown on it a bit to get it big enough to cook on. You set the kettle on the grate, and the two of you chat amiably and watch the birds that flit in and out of your camp as you wait for the water to boil. Once it’s ready, you pour the hot water into the special dehydrated meal pouches that you bought from the outdoor store and wait fifteen minutes for them to rehydrate. You and Saeran eat ravenously— you’re both a bit tired after all the energy that went into starting that fire.

“Is it time for s’mores now, my angel?” Saeran asks innocently after dinner, although you wouldn't be surprised if he’d been holding onto this question for quite some time. His number one priority may be the people he loves, but his number two priority has always been sweets. 

You can’t help but giggle at his endearing behavior. “Sure, if you want. Let’s get the marshmallows and the metal sticks.”

You show Saeran how to roast a marshmallow over the fire, even demonstrating the very quick method of sticking the marshmallow directly into the flame and blowing on it. He’s had roasted marshmallows before, of course, but this is his first time roasting them himself. Naturally, the two of you end up eating several roasted marshmallows before you even attempt to make any s’mores. Eventually, though, you both eat your fair share of the sweet little sandwiches, too.

At the end of the night, after washing your dishes, getting rid of your trash, and putting the fire out, you and Saeran settle into the tent. “This was fun,” he tells you, “I like camping.” 

Truth be told, the pair of you spent most of the afternoon and evening in companionable silence, just appreciating the feeling of being in the woods. It’s been a stressful week, and you and Saeran have been together for long enough that you’re not generally bothered by long stretches of quiet air between you. It’s nice, you think, that you’re both comfortable enough with one another to enjoy nature without the pressure to make conversation. 

“I’m glad,” you reply, “I like camping, too.”

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Commission for floriophobic on IG 💖

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Four Seasons By Your Side: Breakfast in Bed (again)

It’s hard to surprise Saeran with breakfast in bed. For one thing, he’s an early riser, and in order to pull  off your objective, you’ll have to get up before he does. This means that you’ll be forced out of bed at an obscenely early hour. For another thing, Saeran is a pretty light sleeper. Sneaking out of bed when he’s still there is no easy feat, which initially threw you for a loop. After thinking it through, however, you’ve concluded that the solution is fairly simple. You can still tell him enough of the truth to ease his mind without spoiling the surprise.

“Baby,” you address him before bed, “I have to get up pretty early and do something tomorrow. Please don’t worry too much if you hear me getting up before you or you wake up without me, okay? I’ll try to be quiet, but just in case.” It’s no secret that Saeran likes to watch you sleep for a few minutes when he first wakes up, and you don’t want to deprive him of that simple joy with no warning. 

“Oh,” says Saeran, “Okay.” He’s already put his sleep mask on, and you can tell he’s not yet fully awake. But you know he’s alert enough to process what you’re telling him, and he’s likely to remember it in the morning, especially since your absence when he wakes will jog his memory. 

In the early morning, your silent alarm vibrates against your wrist. It’s a very good silent alarm, in that it doesn’t seem to wake Saeran, but you’re pretty sure that if you’d fallen asleep with your arms around him rather than the other way around, the vibration would likely have disturbed him. As quietly as you can, you pad out of the bedroom and make your way down the hall to the kitchen, where you put your headphones in and get to work.

You throw together a delicious breakfast, if you do say so yourself. You make strawberry crepes, Saeran’s favorite, along with the black cherry green tea that he’s been enjoying with his breakfast lately. You also fry up some hash browns, just to add a little variety to the menu. You set everything up on a tray (with plenty of whipped cream, because you know your husband) and bring it back into the bedroom to find Saeran sitting up in bed with the light on and a book in his hands. So much for being there when he woke up. 

“Oh no,” your face falls, “Did I wake you?”

Saeran shrugs. “It’s alright, my love. I can take a nap later if I get tired— and you’ll probably be tired, too.” He’s right, considering how early you got up. “What did you bring me?” 

“Well, I made you some tea, of course,” you gesture at the mug, and Saeran looks pleased. He really does enjoy that black cherry stuff. “And, of course, hash browns. Plus, it wouldn’t be breakfast without the crepes, right? And I know how much you love strawberries.” They’re his favorite fruit by far, and they’re in season right now. 

“You’re right,” Saeran says, “I do love them, dear. But… What are you having for breakfast?”

“Oh,” you’re a bit caught off guard by the question. After all, you’ve been so wrapped up in getting his breakfast ready that you haven’t even thought about your own. “Um… I’ll get a couple crepes, too, and maybe some hash browns.” You’re not really in the mood for anything savory at the moment, but that might change after you indulge in the sweet crepes.

“That sounds good, my love. I wouldn’t want you to go hungry.” He doesn’t pick up his fork, just looks at you expectantly. . “Don’t worry,” he answers the question you haven’t even realized that you want to ask. “I won’t start without you.”

He’s clearly worried about you going hungry, and the last thing you want to do is make him nervous. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll be right back,” you assure him. 

You meander back to the kitchen and get yourself some crepes with strawberry filling and, as promised, a small portion of hash browns. You then settle yourself down onto the bed beside Saeran, gently stretching as you do. 

“How is it?” You ask, after letting him take the first bite. Of course you let him take the first bite. Just because you’re also eating breakfast doesn't mean your objective is anything other than spoiling this man rotten. 

“Delicious,” he answers you. “Thank you, my love. This was so thoughtful.” 

“Mhm,” you hum. Now that you’re back in bed, relaxing right next to Saeran, who makes you feel impossibly safe, it’s difficult to stay awake. You worked hard on this surprise, and the giddiness propelled you to the finish line, but now your lack of sleep is catching up with you. 

“After this, let’s get you some rest, my love,” Saeran says. “I can do the dishes.” 

“Okay,” you reply obediently. One tired morning is absolutely worth being able to bring your husband such a nice surprise, and you don’t regret a moment of it. Besides, he’s stayed up late for you on more than one occasion, and you’re simply returning the favor. 

After he’s finished eating, Saeran sets his mug down on the bedside table— he does love to take his time— and heads toward the kitchen with the rest of the dishes. “Please get some sleep now, my angel,” he advises you, flicking off the light on his way out the door. “I’ll be back to hold you close in just a couple of minutes.” 

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Omg gyaruo Unknown request from Patreon hiiiiii 😳😳

I think I visually prefer the skull top but a zebra print is certainly more gyaruo sooo 🫣

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Four Seasons by Your Side: Ice Cream Shop

“So, this place is brand new,” Saeran marvels as you hold the door open.

“From my understanding, yes,” you confirm, “It wasn’t here when I lived in the city, anyway.” That was admittedly a while ago— before you and Saeran even met— but you’ve been back several times for RFA events and to visit friends, not to mention on your dates with Saeran, and you’ve never noticed this ice cream parlor before. It’s very clean, which also suggests newness to you, though you suppose that’s a good sign either way. 

“I can’t wait to try it.” He squeezes your hand. “And the weather is hot, so it’s the perfect time to have some ice cream.” 

That doesn’t fool you one bit, of course. Saeran would probably still want to have ice cream in sub-zero temperatures, and in all honesty, you would gladly join him. You walk hand in hand over to the counter, where you can look through the glass at the different ice cream flavors on offer. There are a couple that look promising, a few old standbys like chocolate and vanilla, and, of course, the strange niche flavors that you’d expect from a fancy, over-priced ice cream place in the city. “We’ll have to come back again,” Saeran muses before either of you has made any kind of selection. “There’s too many flavors to choose from.” Already, he’s thinking about getting more ice cream, which doesn’t surprise you in the slightest. Though he appreciates sweets of all kinds, Saeran has always been partial to ice cream. 

“You’re right about that,” you tell him, and you can’t imagine that he’s any more surprised than you are. Like Saeran, you love ice cream, and you love the thought of eventually trying every flavor that this place has to offer, the same way you’ve done with the flavors that you’ve picked up from the grocery store.

“Have you made a decision yet, my sweet?” Saeran asks with a gentle hand on your back as you peer into the freezer. The other customer who was ahead of you in line has just finished, but there’s nobody behind you, so you know that you can take your time choosing if you need to. 

“I think so,” you tell him, because you can’t wait to try the ice cream, and like Saeran said, you can always come back another time. 

“Great,” he says, leading you over to the counter. “Hi,” he addresses the cashier. This is a bit out of the ordinary, since typically, you’re the one ordering for yourself and Saeran, but you welcome the subtle change of pace. “I’d like a cone with rose and pistachio, please.” 

“That sounds good. Anything else?” The cashier asks.

You order the two flavors that sound the most interesting and pay for the cones. You and Saeran have different palates, and as nice as it is to taste one another’s favorites from time to time, you have to admit that you enjoy getting to choose exclusively according to your own preferences, as well. This, you feel, is one manifestation of balance in a relationship. 

“That’ll be just a second,” the cashier says, making their way to the hand-washing sink so that they can wash up before preparing your order. You’re impressed with the high food safety standards that this place is clearly upholding.

“I’m excited,” Saeran tells you, squeezing your hand, as is his habit in a situation like this. 

“Me too,” you confess.

After a few moments, the cashier returns with your ice creams, which you and Saeran happily accept. You don’t have to talk much about it before venturing outside to enjoy your ice cream. For safety and privacy reasons, the two of you tend to avoid being unmasked inside public places. “I think there’s a park up here,” you report, though your memory is a bit fuzzy. You’ve spent time in this area before, but you’re not as familiar with it as you are with other parts of the city. “I’ve stopped by a few times, but I’m not really familiar with the layout. Wanna head over there and see what it’s like, sweetheart?”

Saeran carefully pockets his mask once the two of you step out of the shop and indulges in a taste of his ice cream before responding. You’re happy to see the way his eyes light up as he tries it. “That sounds nice, my angel.”

“Good?” You ask, using your ice cream to gesture at his as the pair of you wait for the light to change so that you can cross the street.

“It’s delicious,” he informs you, “How’s yours?”

The walk sign comes on, so you and Saeran are able to cross. Traffic is heavy at this time of day, after all. Once you’re on the other side, you take your first real taste of your treat. Admittedly, you were preoccupied with the feeling of watching your husband enjoy his ice cream, which is sappy and cliche, but genuine all the same. “I like it,” you share.

“Good,” Saeran nods thoughtfully. “When we get to the park, I’ll give you some of mine.”

“Sounds great, honey,” you offer him an indulgent smile. God, you love this man. “Do you want some of mine, too?”

“If I could.” Saeran’s face is dusted not only with fresh freckles but also with a slight blush, though that could just as easily be from the summer heat.

“Of course, baby. Anything for you.” And when the pair of you enter the park and settle onto a lovely iron bench, you stay true to your word.

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Saeyoung and Saeran's twitter takeover! ☆ 2025

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A Day in the Life

Prequel to Gummy Worms; Idol Unknown; angst 4.2k words Content warnings: implied/referenced abuse

His fans expect him to dismiss them outright, to lie to them, to chastise them for no reason and lead them on wild goose chases of analysis. They don’t just tolerate his rudeness; they welcome it, and they wouldn’t be happy if Unknown were to deprive them of it. Or, at least, that’s what Rika has reported from her interactions with the focus groups and the data she’s gathered with her undercover ‘fan account.’

Or:

Idol Unknown celebrates his birthday.

Read it on Ao3!