slvt4felix

[slvt4felix]

I’ve been trying to keep my mouth shut but I’ve decided I have to ramble about my latest story. I’m writing a longer multi-chapter Hyunjin fic and I absolutely cannot wait to post it. I’ve been working on it for a few weeks and I’m trying to wait to post until after it’s completely done (i want to be able to edit it all really well before I post it). But oh my gosh I can’t wait for people to read it. I actually planned out the plot for once! It’s basically a childhood friends to strangers to lovers fic…

ALSO

While I’m at it, here’s my most recent sketch of Hyunjin🤭

Okay, byeee!!

[slvt4felix]

Oh my god?! I actually loved this!

Curtains Call (oneshot)

⋅ᯓ𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Lee Know x fem!reader

⋅ᯓ𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: slowburn, enemies to lovers, dancer AU

⋅ᯓ𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐰/𝐜: bittersweet ending, 1.2k+

⋅⋅ᯓ𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: In a world where precision matters more than passion, you’re paired with the coldest dancer on your team — Lee Know.

You hated the way he danced.

Too precise. Too sharp.

Too... perfect.

“Again,” Lee Know said, voice flat and eyes unreadable.

You were both sweating under the harsh studio lights. Every other team had left for the day. Yours stayed behind, because your duet still wasn't in sync—and Lee Know didn’t tolerate imperfection.

“I said again,” he repeated, hands on his hips, expression cool as ever.

You rolled your eyes. “Maybe if you gave actual feedback instead of acting like a silent statue, we’d actually get this right.”

His brow twitched.

“I don't need to explain,” he said simply, already walking to his mark on the floor. “You’re smart enough to figure it out.”

“God, you’re insufferable.”

He didn’t respond. He just extended his hand.

And somehow, you took it—again.

The competition was two weeks away. Your team had voted for Lee Know as the duet lead because of his incredible technical skill. You’d wanted someone else. Someone with... heart.

But no one could deny his precision. And he never missed a step. Never smiled, either.

Still, each practice chipped away at something. Not just at your physical exhaustion—but at the wall you thought you had around yourself.

He stayed late when you stayed late. He caught you when you slipped. He fixed your shoulder posture without a word.

One night, while you stretched against the mirror, you asked without thinking:

“Do you even enjoy dancing?”

His eyes met yours in the reflection.

“I don’t know how not to.”

You didn’t say anything after that. But you watched him dance differently.

Three nights before the competition, you arrived at the studio early. The door was cracked open. Inside, Lee Know was dancing—but not your duet.

Something else.

A routine you’d never seen.

No sharp turns. No aggressive lines.

Soft. Slow. Grieving.

He didn’t notice you until the music stopped. You were frozen in place.

“Were you spying?” he asked, grabbing his towel.

“No. I just—why don’t you dance like that in our routine?”

He looked away. “Because I only dance like that for myself.”

You stepped closer, voice quieter.

“It was beautiful.”

He flinched.

That night, you didn’t practice. You sat in silence on the floor, drinking water, your knees almost touching. And for the first time, he asked you a question:

“Why did you start dancing?”

You told him about your mother.

About dancing barefoot in the kitchen to the sound of old records.

About losing her.

And about never stopping—because she wouldn’t want you to.

He didn’t speak for a while. Then softly:

“She’d be proud.”

The night before the competition, you stayed late again.

Your body ached. Your mind spun. You couldn’t get the final lift right.

Lee Know stood behind you, eyes on the mirror. “You’re hesitating.”

“Because I don’t trust you.”

He nodded once. “That’s fair.”

You blinked. “That’s it? No comeback?”

“No. Because tomorrow… I need you to trust me. For just three minutes.”

You hesitated. “And then?”

His voice lowered. “And then we win.”

The stage lights were blinding.

The crowd faded into a sea of shadows.

He held your hand in the dark, backstage. His palm was warm. For once, he didn’t let go immediately.

“Deep breath,” he said. His voice wasn’t cold this time.

The music started.

You moved as one.

Every turn, every twist, every catch—perfect.

When the final lift came, you didn’t hesitate.

He lifted you like it was nothing. Like you were weightless. Like he’d always be there.

You held the final pose. Breathless. His hands steady beneath you.

And in that final second, his eyes found yours.

For the first time, he smiled.

You won.

Of course you won.

Tears in your eyes, trophy in hand, confetti in your hair.

You looked around the crowd, searching for him.

But Lee Know wasn’t there.

You found him on the rooftop, hours later.

No dance shoes. No jacket.

Just him, leaning against the railing, looking at the night sky.

“I figured you’d be the first to post the win on Instagram,” you teased.

He chuckled softly. “Not really my thing.”

You walked to him, holding the trophy between you.

“Where were you?”

He shrugged. “I hate crowds.”

You nudged him. “Well, you missed everyone freaking out over your smile. You basically made the front row cry.”

He turned his head, eyes softer now. “I smiled because you finally trusted me.”

“I did,” you whispered.

Silence stretched between you. Not awkward—just real.

Then he said something you weren’t ready for.

“This was my last performance.”

You stared. “What?”

He wouldn’t look at you. “I was accepted into a conservatory in Vienna. Full scholarship. I leave next week.”

Your breath caught.

It wasn’t sadness.

It was something else. Something deeper.

“And you weren’t going to tell me?”

He finally looked at you.

“I didn’t want anything to ruin the last dance.”

You blinked quickly. “You idiot. You ruined it now.”

“I know.”

A pause.

“I’m proud of us,” he said.

You nodded, eyes burning. “Me too.”

That night, you walked him to his apartment.

He didn’t ask you to stay.

You didn’t ask to go in.

At the door, he hesitated.

“I’m not good with goodbyes,” he admitted.

“So don’t say it,” you whispered.

He leaned in.

Not a kiss. Not quite.

Just a forehead resting against yours.

A breath shared.

A moment held.

And then—he let go.

You never danced that duet again.

No one else could hold you the way he did.

No one else knew the weight behind each step.

But sometimes, when you're alone in the studio,

you still hear his voice:

"Just for three minutes... trust me."

And every time you do,

you smile.

And cry.

All at once.

Three months after he left.

You kept dancing. Not because it felt the same.

Because stopping would mean letting go.

And you weren’t ready for that.

Sometimes you'd glance at the studio door, half-expecting him to walk in with his quiet confidence and wordless precision.

But he never did.

You texted once.

He didn’t reply.

You told yourself he was busy.

You told yourself it didn’t hurt.

But every song you choreographed had a piece of him.

Every movement, a memory.

Your instructor noticed.

“Your dancing feels... lonelier lately.”

You smiled without warmth. “It’s still dancing.”

One night, your team held a showcase.

You weren’t going to perform—but they convinced you.

You chose your old duet. Alone.

You adjusted the moves. Rebuilt the steps.

But when the final lift came—you froze.

Your body remembered him.

Your heart did too.

And then—applause.

You bowed, smiling through tears.

It wasn’t perfect. But it was yours.

Later that night, as you packed up, a familiar voice spoke behind you.

“You always did leave the stage too early.”

Your heart stopped.

You turned.

He was there.

Lee Know.

His hair longer.

His frame a bit thinner.

But those same, unreadable eyes.

You couldn’t speak.

“I saw the video. Of your solo,” he said, stepping closer.

“You changed the choreography.”

“I had to,” you whispered.

“You weren’t there.”

He paused. “I wanted to be.”

You looked up. “Then why didn’t you come back?”

“I was scared,” he admitted. “That you’d moved on. That you didn’t need me anymore.”

Tears welled in your eyes.

“You idiot,” you whispered. “I was waiting for you.”

He reached for your hand.

This time, you didn’t let go.

|©2025 ilomio — all rights reserved, I don't allow copy of my work. Inspiration is one thing, plagiarism is another. reblogging is really appreciated

[slvt4felix]

Title: Soft on You

“Your hoodie is cursed… it makes me fall asleep on you.”

Paring ⤑ (Minho x Reader)

Word count: 450

Minho was halfway through an episode of their favorite show when he felt something warm and heavy slump against his side.

Again.

He didn’t even look down. “Y/N.”

A muffled hum vibrated against his chest.

“You’re asleep, aren’t you?”

“No,” she mumbled—followed immediately by a soft snore.

Minho sighed, not with annoyance, but with the kind of exaggerated drama he’d perfected just for moments like this. “That’s the third time this week. What is it with you and my hoodie?”

Y/N shifted slightly, nuzzling deeper into the oversized black hoodie that swallowed her frame. “It’s cursed,” she said sleepily, lips barely moving. “Every time I wear it, I get all warm and cozy and then boom. Unconscious.”

Minho smirked, glancing down at her—hair a little messy, face smushed cutely against him, and arms curled like a kitten in his lap.

“You sure it’s not me who’s cursed?” he teased. “Because you only pass out when you’re stuck to me.”

She peeked one eye open and poked his chest with a lazy finger. “No. Hoodie. Evil. You should get rid of it.”

“Maybe I should stop letting you steal it,” he challenged.

Y/N let out a dramatic gasp, then flopped entirely into his lap like a defeated ragdoll. “Heartless.”

Minho chuckled, threading his fingers through her hair. “You know I don’t mind,” he said quietly. “You’re cute like this. Annoying—but cute.”

“’Snot annoying,” she yawned, barely keeping her eyes open now. “It’s science. Hoodie equals nap. Nap equals cuddles. Cuddles equal serotonin.”

Minho rolled his eyes, but his smile betrayed him.

“Fine. But if you start drooling again, I’m making you wash it.”

She was already asleep.

And Minho stayed perfectly still the whole time—just in case the curse only worked if he didn’t

[slvt4felix]

"If only they knew"

SKZ -> Seungmin x fem!reader

genre: frenemies to lovers, slight angst and a little bit of crack (simply because I just can't help myself) wc: ~2,600 cw: none :)

summary: Seungmin never thought his sorry attempt at flirting would crack your shell; if only he knew.

A/N: 2 fics in a row is kinda crazy for me. Go give my Yunho fic a read if you haven't already! Appreciate you guys!

Masterlist | Happy Scrolling!

"Seungmin... I'm giving you three seconds to move your ass over before I freak the fuck out."

"But I'm comfortable right here." You gawk at him, eyes narrowing in annoyance. You see the smirk that forms on his face, and you know from prior experience that means game on.

You turn facing forward again, acting nonchalant. When just enough time has past, and the storm has calmed, you forcefully shove his shoulder, pushing him clear off the bench.

"Come on guys, do we really always have to do this? It's getting old," Chan comments from where he's sat across from you.

Your friend group is currently sat at a large picnic table outside on your university campus. When it's a nice day such as this one, you all prefer to be outside rather than all cramped together in your school's lunch court.

"Yea, Y/n, maybe you should try being nice to me for once, ya know? Pick on someone your own size; I think the ant I just crushed would be a more suitable match for you," Seungmin snarks back, standing up from the ground, brushing the dirt and grass from his backside.

Immediately you lunge at him once again, only to be pulled back by Lee Know who's sat on your other side.

"Okayyy, I think we should go for a nice walk, hmm? How does that sound?" He grabs your arm, pulling slightly.

"Sure, right after I pound his face in," you say, wrenching your arm out of the tight grip Lee Know has on you. Before you get very far, Hyunjin springs up from the other end of the table and grabs your hand, leading you in the opposite direction of Seungmin.

You turn back once more, wanting to finish what you started, but Lee Know is right behind you. He pushes you forward, preventing you from going back. "Walk," he says sternly. You huff but do as he says anyway, knowing you need to calm down before facing everyone, specifically the ant squasher, again.

"I just don't understand," you start, throwing your hands up in the air, "Was he just born with a personal vendetta against me? Or did he have a dream where I offended his entire ancestry? I just don't get why it's always me; I'm always his target," you vent.

"I don't really get it either, none of us do," Hyunjin agrees, walking beside you. Lee Know flanks your other side, and you guys continue to walk towards the trail that leads around your campus.

This is pretty much a weekly occurrence at this point, emotionally cooling off walking these sidewalks. The scenery is beautiful, and you like being able to appreciate the nature walks your school has to offer, you just wish it were under different circumstances.

"I think he just likes your reactions the most. That, and I don't think he's as scared of you," Lee Know comments.

"What's there not to be scared of? I can be scary!" You tell them.

"What have you ever done that was remotely scary?" Hyunjin snorts, only adding more fuel to your fire.

"Oh really? What about that time I hid in your dorm with that Scream mask on and scared you so bad that you peed your pants? If you weren't scared, I guess I need a better definition," you sass back, nudging him slightly.

"That was one time!" He whines back.

"And we're never letting you forget it," Lee Know chuckles, the memory playing clear as day in his head. "But I have to agree, he knows that he can get away with pretty much anything with you."

"Well, if you guys would've let me give him a good knuckle sandwich back there, maybe he'd think differently."

"It's not worth it. Every time he gets a reaction out of you, he wins. He gets what he wants. That simple." Hyunjin points out.

As the three of you round the last building you pass on your walk, the commons come back into view, and you see the rest of your friends, sans Seungmin, Chan, and Jeongin, still sat at your usual spot.

Lee Know and Hyunjin continue to conversate beside you, but you zone out, thinking if only they knew.

~ ~ ~

"You could be a little nicer to her, ya know," Chan says, pulling into the driveway of the dorms.

"Why would I do that when I can annoy her?"

"Because one of these times you're gonna go too far and she's gonna hate you. Is that really what you want?" He questions, putting the car in park to really get a good look at him.

It's silent for a moment, before Chan speaks up again. "What is it with her? Has she done something to you that the rest of us don't know about? Please enlighten me, let me in on the secret, because me and the rest of the guys are honestly so lost."

"He likes her."

Chan whips his head around to the backseat where Jeongin is casually scrolling along on his phone.

"That's bullshit," Seungmin counters immediately. Chan turns back to Seungmin, and if it wasn't for the blush starting to adorn his cheeks, he might've actually believed.

"Tell me this is a joke. Tell me you don't treat her like complete shit just because you have a crush on her? What, am I living a real life middle school TV drama?" He exasperates, eyebrows raised to the sky.

"Well sorry that some of us don't know how to properly express our feelings; we weren't all born with perfect genes like you, Chan," Seungmin retorts, reaching for the door handle.

"Oh no you don't." Chan's quick to hit the child lock, forcing him to stay right where he is. "I'm not expecting you to be a perfect flirt, but at least treat her with some decency! The girl's never going to get the hint if you keep treating her the way you do."

"That's the point. I don't want her to get the hint."

"What? Why?" He questions.

"Because he doesn't think she would ever like him back," Jeongin once again speaks up from the backseat.

"Shut the fuck up," Seungmin says, quickly reaching into the backseat to do who knows what to Jeongin.

"Hey! Enough!" Chan yells, grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him back around. "Why do you think that?"

"Have you seen the way she acts when I'm around?"

"It's because you're a raging asshole! Not because of who you really are," Chan argues, his voice becoming sincere. "Treat her nicely and see what happens. You're not stuck in whatever loop you've created; break this cycle. She really isn't one to hold grudges, which you should be really thankful for right about now."

"There's no way she'd ever see me as anyone other than the annoying guy who hangs out with the rest of her friends," Seungmin huffs as he stares at his fidgeting hands resting in his lap.

"Now you know that's a lie. Even though she wants to bash your skull in 50% of the time, she still considers you her friend. That I am positive of," Chan reassures him. "And don't worry about anything else."

"And why is that?"

"Because, we're gonna figure out how to get you two together"

~ ~ ~

"I just don't know what to do, Yuna," you say to your friend on the phone. You're sat on your bed, doing homework and drinking a coffee from the shop on campus.

You share a dorm with Hyunjin, Lee Know, and Jisung, but you know none of them are home at the moment. They're all either busy with work or should be in class. Carelessly, you left your door open ajar. Just wide enough for a wandering Lee Know, who just happened to skip class that afternoon, to pick up on the conversation.

Now, he wouldn't normally be one to eavesdrop on your conversations, especially when it's with one of your girlfriends, however, when it's about their resident devil puppy, he just can't help himself.

It's quiet for a moment before you speak up again, and Lee Know has to practically pick his jaw up off the floor.

"Of course not, I could never tell any of them, especially Seungmin, that I like him. The rest of the guys would probably think I had some mild case of Stockholm Syndrome, and Seungmin would laugh in my face so hard he'd probably give himself a hernia."

As much as he wants to barge into your room, grab you by the shoulders and shake you for keeping this vital information from him, he keeps his cool and saunters away from your door with the newfound tip.

~ ~ ~

"Guess what?" Lee Know and Chan say at the same time, both sitting down for their first lecture of the day.

"You can go first," Chan says, digging through his backpack to grab his laptop.

"Y/n likes Seungmin."

Chan chokes on his own spit with how fast he turns his head. He coughs for a moment, Lee Know dramatically patting him on the back. Finally, he gets his bearings back and he takes a deep breath.

"Seungmin likes Y/n, too."

"No fucking way! These two idiots. Why can't they just act like normal people and flirt properly," Lee Know says, laughing at the ridiculous situation.

"I don't know, but we've gotta find a way to get them together."

"How? Y/n doesn't even know I know! I overheard her talking on the phone," he admits.

"Jeongin told me on the way home from lunch yesterday. Apparently the little sneak has known for a while but using it as blackmail against Seungmin."

"Sounds about right," Lee Know laughs, "We'll tell the rest of the guys, though, someone's sure to be able to come up with a plan between the 7 of us."

Chan sends him a look of confusion. "Have you met our friends?"

"Believe me, I have, but I have faith in them. We're all sick and tired of their constant bickering, it's time for a real change around here."

~ ~ ~

"And then she said..." you start, walking down the hallway with Lee Know.

Lee Know distractedly nods, waiting for the signal from Changbin down the hall. Seconds later, Changbin gives him a discrete thumbs up, and the plan commences.

"Hey, there's Changbin! Let's go say- Hey!" you yell as you're pushed into the janitor's closet just to the left. Lee Know makes sure you're all the way in before slamming the door right in your face.

"What's the big idea?" you yell, banging your fists on the door.

"They're not gonna let you out."

You let out a startled screech, quickly turning around to come face to face with Seungmin. "What the hell is this? What are you doing in here?" you ask.

"I don't know, but I've already tried to escape twice, and both times I was caught and dragged right back in here by Chan or Changbin, they're like fucking watchdogs or something." He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans casually up against the concrete wall.

"What are we supposed to do in here? Let us out!" You cry out, once again banging your fists against the door.

"Confess your love for each other then we'll let you go," you hear Lee Know say, his voice coming through muffled through the door.

Your eyes widen in shock, not expecting him to say that at all. Defensively, you whip back around to face Seungmin, hoping your blush doesn't give you away. "I don't know what he's talking about."

Seungmin, feeling cornered, agrees, "Me neither. Definitely no idea what he's referring to."

You turn to look at the wall to your right, suddenly feeling embarrassed of the hot red complexion coating your cheeks and neck.

Seconds turn into minutes, and you realize it's never felt this awkward between the two of you. Yes, you may fight... a lot. The constant bickering that flows between the two of you is noisy, never letting a quiet moment pass. You decide it's uncomfortable, the silence thats encompassing the closet, but the thought of confessing trumps any feelings of discomfort.

"I don't hear any kissing in there!" You hear Jisung yell from the outside. "Yah, hurry this up! I wanna go eat lunch." That would be Jeongin.

"We're just gonna sit in silence until you let us out! We're not playing into whatever fantasies you weirdos have running through your heads!" Seungmin yells back, sliding his back down the wall until he hits the floor. You do the same, moving into the corner away from the door, scared that someone will barge in.

Again, you sit in silence. Seungmin has pulled out his phone, and you've done the same at this point. Suddenly, the door whips open, revealing an impatient looking Lee Know.

"That's it," he says determinedly, "I've had enough."

He stomps over to you, taking your hands and pulling you to your feet.

He pulls you in front of him and holds you in place, his hands resting on your arms.

"Oh Seungmin," he says, his voice a ridiculous high pitch, "I've liked you since forever, and even though you're an asshole I still have a massive crush on you," he finishes. You're stunned to say the least, your jaw dropping to the floor at the confession Lee Know just made.

You turn around, prepared to slap him, but he moves quickly, clearing his throat as he makes his way over to Seungmin. He yanks him off the floor, much less gently than he treated you, and starts again. "Oh Y/n," he says, his voice comically deep, "I like you too, will you be my girlfriend?"

He steps out from behind Seungmin and bows, as if expecting applause for his outrageous performance. "Ok, now that the hard part's out of the way, please continue." He nonchalantly leaves the closet, and the door slams closed behind him.

You're left speechless, staring at the floor. Tears build up in your lashes, realizing your biggest secret, one you've been holding onto for years, was just spilled in front of the one who mattered most. It's stupid really, crying over something as silly as this. But for all the emotional turmoil you've gone through over this, you had always hoped it'd have a greater outcome than this. Being rejected in a janitor's closet is not exactly at the top of your list for things to accomplish in life.

Seungmin, hating the way you're upset, takes initiative and steps towards you.

The tears fall freely as embarrassment continues to color your face. "Honestly," you sniffle, bringing your sleeve up to swipe at your cheeks, "Go ahead and make fun of me now. Get it over with; I can take it."

Your words fly right over his head, as the only thing going through his mind are the ridiculous words that came out of Lee Know's mouth. Could it be true?

His shoes come into your view, and you feel his warm hands gently cup your jaw. He lifts your head, and you make eye contact with him for the first time since you were forced into the closet.

"Is that true?" He asks, the sincerest look adorning his eyes.

You hesitate, scared for what he'll do, of what he'll say. "I suppose it depends," you decide on. "Was what he said true about you?"

"It was, actually," he admits, using his thumbs to wipe the remainder of the stray tears that fell down your face. "I was just never mature enough to admit it myself."

"Well, in that case," your hands come up to grab onto his wrists, "I suppose that it is true."

It's quiet now, the only sound being the soft breaths escaping from both of your mouths.

You watch as his eyes shift down to your lips, tracing over the features of your face.

"Can I kiss you?" He whispers, his hands still softly cupping your jaw.

"Please," you respond. With that, he leans in, and your eyes close as your lips connect with his. You move in sync, and it's better than you could've imagined.

It's short and sweet, but it gets the point across. He likes you back.

"I just want you to know," he starts once you've separated a bit. His hands have moved down to rest around your waist now, yours resting on his chest, "I'm still gonna tease you."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," you say before crashing your lips against his once again, savoring the feeling.

[slvt4felix]

I Could Never Hate You (Part IV)

Pairing -> ninthmember!reader x Lee Minho WC -> ~4,000 words Includes -> hurt/comfort, pretty heavy angst, anxiety and anxiety attack, some panicking, friendship issues (but finally some communication!!!!) Summary -> Your anxiety has been getting worse all day. Typically, Hyunjin would be the first person you would go to, but unfortunately, the two of you are not on great terms. What are you supposed to do when your best friend is avoiding you at all costs? Author's Note -> Yayy!! I have finally finished this fic. It was originally only supposed to be one part, but I'm so happy with the story it has turned into. I'm sorry it took so long, college has been kicking my ass. But thank you guys for all the support! Let me know what you think :)

♡ Masterlist // Previous ♡

Walking off stage, you fear that air will never come. It's been building up for hours at this point, and it's not a huge surprise that the peak of your anxiety has finally hit. Despite it being your biggest dream since you were a child, the concerts have never been as great as you’d hoped they would be. You loved getting to see the fans and mess around on stage with the rest of the members, but you were never quite able to shake the stage fright or the uncomfortable feeling brought on by thousands of eyes watching you. The concerts did slowly get better. They have felt more natural and exciting for you lately, but it seems as if you've taken a step back today. Or maybe it would be better classified as a trip or a fall. You aren’t quite sure why the concerts haven’t made you as nervous as they used to when you first debuted. Perhaps you were desensitized to all the screams and fans’ stares, or maybe it was the fact that Hyunjin was always by your side to reassure you. But now what? After everything that happened, Hyunjin doesn’t seem exactly eager to help you through it.

You were very worried to go on the stage, as things were already not going well today. You were hopeful when you first woke up, surrounded by warmth and comfort in Minho's arms. It felt as if anything was possible, and you were eager to fix up all the problems that had been created over the past few days. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. The day has gone downhill from the moment you crawled out of bed. Now it's finally the end of the day, all that's left to do is change and leave the venue, but it seems like even that task is going to be quite difficult.

You were the first to rush off stage as soon as everyone started to say their goodbyes. You managed a wave and a quick goodbye before you left, too distracted by your emotions to even tell if the boys were far behind. You hoped the fans wouldn't notice anything out of the blue, but you had made it fairly well throughout the concert, and the boys had some of their best acting faces on. So hopefully the fans would spare you this one moment. You knew you didn't have long before you would break, and you hate crying in front of the fans. Even if you could simply play it off as being overwhelmed with gratitude for them, it didn't feel right. So you left, as quickly as you could.

Your anxiety was building all throughout the day, and the consequences had exploded while on stage. All you needed to do was dance and sing your little heart out, but instead, all you could feel was your heart racing and the weight of the microphone clenched tightly in your sweaty hands. Over time, it just got worse and worse, and your chest got tighter and tighter. The sweating was definitely not only from the dancing. You couldn’t give your best to the fans like you normally do, and even that’s enough to send your anxiety through the roof. What if they notice? What will they think?

Entering the backrooms behind the stage is humbling as you notice multiple staff members watching you. You take a shaky breath still trying to calm down enough to make it somewhere more private. Your first instinct is to head straight to the bathroom, but your subconscious stops you as you remember what Hyunjin always used to tell you. It used to be a habit of yours to go to the bathroom and lock the door when you started to panic, wanting to handle it all by yourself. But once Hyunjin started helping you through your anxiety, he always told you not to, so that he or the other members were able to reach you more easily. Not to mention, being on the outside of a locked door when the person inside is upset is not usually a good situation to be in. Which is understandable, but it’s hard to think clearly when you can barely breathe.

You push through the hesitation, heading to the bathroom anyway. You know Hyunjin is a good person and would definitely comfort you if you asked him, even when he’s angry. However, you had no plans to actually approach him about that, and it’s doubtful that he would even notice your suffering in the first place if his avoidance while on stage is anything to go by. So, the bathroom it is.

Hyunjin has reassured you many times that you aren’t a burden to him, so it wasn’t hard to reach out to him over the years when you needed help. But that also means that you didn’t let many of the other members see this side of you. So what now? Now that your only support system has been torn apart by some silly fight you don’t even fully understand.

With every step, you rush forward faster and faster, hoping to get alone before the tears in your eyes fully cloud your vision. Just a few more steps until the solitude of the bathroom is all yours.

Well, it was until you feel a sweaty hand grip your wrist lightly. You turn to yell at the owner of the hand, but your awareness fades as tears start to fall, and the lump that had settled in your throat has officially stolen all talking ability. With the possibility of escape being torn from your grasp, you can no longer fight the emotions bubbling up.

You feel the person tuck you under their arm and lead you somewhere else. You realize it’s Hyunjin as the remaining scent of his cologne that hadn’t been sweated off hits your nose. It’s comforting, bringing you back to many of your favorite memories and all the times he has been there in the past. Your brain tries to fight the situation, wanting to resist and pull away from him, but it’s either this or in a smelly bathroom all by yourself. As much as you hate to say it, Hyunjin may just be the right choice in this scenario. He leads you into a room and sits you down on a soft cushion. This room is much quieter, and all of the sounds, smells, and movement that had been overwhelming you are gone. It’s a relief to your senses, but you barely register the change, too overwhelmed with your lack of oxygen.

“You’re okay, you’re safe,” Hyunjin whispers to you in a soft manner as he kneels on the ground in front of you, “everything’s gonna be okay, y/n-ah.” Your eyes are squeezed shut, and you focus purely on Hyunjin’s voice, trying to take back control over your emotions. He used to do a lot more for you, but over time, you’ve learned how to handle them better on your own. So now, his presence is more there for reassurance and grounding while you try to regain your breath and work through your emotions. In this industry, you aren’t always able to leave a room or steal a friend away for help; sometimes you have to get through it yourself.

In the quiet of the room, a cautious knock rings out from the door of the dressing room Hyunjin had brought you to. While the noise goes completely over your head, Hyunjin was prepared for it to come eventually. He sighs as Minho peeks his head inside the door, just as he expected. Due to your newly formed relationship, it wasn’t surprising that he had come to check up on you. Lately, you two were completely up each other’s butts.

It’s just the honeymoon stage, he tries to remind himself.

“Come on in,” Hyunjin whispers gently and motions for Minho to enter. As much as Hyunjin had been shipping the two of you, he hadn’t expected anything to actually happen. It was more of a joke to get a reaction out of you and Minho. However, he soon realized his mistake when your complaints increased tenfold and the rest of the band started pushing harder. It was only a matter of time until one of you came to your senses and realized the feelings you had hidden deep down. He wanted to be happy about it, he really did, but when it actually came down to it, he was too scared to lose you. You’re not only his bandmate, but also his best friend. Someone he would do anything for; someone who has been with him through everything and hopefully will continue to be for the rest of your life. And that right there is exactly what he is afraid to lose.

What if Minho doesn’t want you two to be friends anymore?

What if you don’t have enough time for him?

What if you don’t need him anymore?

It may seem irrational to some people, but oftentimes fear isn’t something you can reason with, and there is nothing you can do about it. There were so many worst-case scenarios running through his head that he had simply blown up. If you had asked him two weeks ago, he would’ve said that he would never ever speak to you in that way. But it happened. You had rushed in, and immediately, all you had to talk about was Minho. Just like usual. And it scared him, so he lashed out.

Yeah, like that’ll solve the issue, he had thought to himself shortly after the encounter. He knew he was in the wrong. He never should have said any of that. He didn’t mean it, and he regretted it deeply. But what is there to do now? How can he fix it?

It seems as if talking it out is mostly off-limits. You’ve both been avoiding each other to the max, and it’s not often that you guys get a moment alone to talk. Not only would you need somewhere to talk, but you would also need to be receptive to what Hyunjin has to say. And that seems very unlikely. If talking it out isn’t an option, what else can he do to fix it? He can’t just sit around anymore; this problem is certainly not going to solve itself. Maybe he could start with his actions and show you just how much he cares. Then you can realize that he is starting to come around to the whole new relationship, and it seems that now is the perfect chance to start mending the relationship.

Minho walks in and settles nervously next to you on the small couch. He raises his hands, but doesn’t touch you, unsure of how exactly to act in this situation. What is his role? Hyunjin sees his hesitation and gently removes one of his hands that was holding yours. Minho gets the idea and takes your clammy palm in his, gently caressing the top of your hand with his thumb.

You focus on the new sensation, and your shoulders sag a little bit as you become a little more aware of what’s going on. Your sobs gradually start to calm down a little as you sit in the quiet room.

“Hey, y/n, can you open your eyes for me?” Hyunjin directs, hoping to make you more aware of your surroundings and help you to focus on what’s around you, as sometimes that can help calm you down.

You follow Hyunjin’s instructions, knowing it’s for the better. It takes a second for your eyes to adjust, but when they do, you’re met with the sight of Hyunjin kneeling in front of you with one of your hands in his. His eyes are full of concern and kindness, and his familiar gaze is nearly enough to calm you right back down. You feel the couch shift slightly next to you and glance over to find Minho sitting beside you. The sight is less familiar, yet it fills your heart with gratefulness and love. No matter what happens, you know that you have your people behind you.

“Hey there, kitten,” he says softly. You can practically hear the nerves in his voice. As the second-oldest member in the group, he is often dealing with issues and dishing out advice, but it’s obvious that this is outside his usual pay grade.

I guess I get special treatment as his girlfriend, you think with a small huff. It’s so hard to be upset around Minho. Well, at least nowadays, previously, he was the cause of your tears. But things have changed… drastically, it appears.

“Are you laughing?” Minho comments in disbelief, a smile growing on his face.

“Just a little, I can’t help it!” You defend against his comment, “You just look so uncomfortable.”

“Hey, give him a break, he’s new to this whole emotions thing,” Hyunjin adds with a teasing grin on his face, relieved that you are feeling better so fast. He knows this isn’t the end. You’ll get through the attacks, but your anxiety doesn’t just go away, especially on bad days. But that doesn’t define you, nor would you let it take away from the good moments.

Minho sends him a glare, and Hyunjin takes that as his sign to leave. It never ends well when you start to tease Minho. It very quickly turns to tissues and threats. A situation he would not like to be in more than once in two days.

Hyunjin gives your hand one final squeeze and stands with an exaggerated groan. “Well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,” he says with a playful look of disgust on his face.

Your eyes follow Hyunjin as he makes his exit, confusion starting to cloud your mind as you begin to fully realize the situation.

You turn to Minho quickly, hoping to find answers, “Do you think that means we’re friends again?” Minho’s eyes soften at your words. He knows just how bad this fight has been hurting you, and he wishes with everything in him that he could take your pain away. However, that just wasn’t possible. All you want is your best friend back, and that is something he simply cannot fix.

“I think those are questions you’re gonna have to ask him, sweetheart,” he replies gently, reaching out to wipe the remaining tears from your face. You lean into his side, as your stomach flutters with butterflies. It's a refreshing reminder that even if you're struggling or the day starts going downhill, you always have your people behind you; you’re glad to find that Hyunjin is still one of them.

"Let's go back to the hotel, yeah?" Minho proposes, "I think we've been through enough today." You nod your head sluggishly, agreeing immensely with what he's suggested. All the crying has tired you out, and all you can think of is crawling into a warm bed, right into your boyfriend's arms.

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

You pad softly down the hotel hallway as the morning sun starts to flood through the window. After the rough night you had, you passed out right after you took a shower. Surprisingly, you actually had a very good night of sleep. Despite the redness from the tears you had shed, your eyes had slipped open quite easily this morning. Maybe the reassurance that Hyunjin still cared was enough to ease you into an actual night of rest.

Somehow, you still haven’t gotten the opportunity to properly talk with him, and it may be something he actually deserves this time. It was kind of him to help you, despite the tension and fighting still present in your relationship. After a quick glance at Minho, you had left the room, hoping to clear the air and make your way to Hyunjin and Felix’s hotel room. You knew it was unlikely for Hyunjin to be awake at this time, the sun just barely risen, but maybe Felix was awake. Then, you could wait for Hyunjin to wake up and catch him before everyone has to head to the venue to start preparing for the concert.

You stop in front of the heavy, wooden door and let out a sigh. This is it. You were going to end this fight once and for all. You just want your best friend back.

Upon knocking, you’re met with a sight you had never expected. Instead of Felix, you’re met with the endearing sight of your best friend. Hyunjin stands there in his pajamas, looking at you with wide eyes. His arms and fingers are covered in what appears to be charcoal, and there’s even a bit smudged on his face.

You let out a small giggle at the sight, intrigued as to what he was up to. His eyes light up at your laugh, “Y/n, what are you doing here? Why are you awake right now?”

“All I can think about is our argument,” you state, not quite answering his question. You push past him, entering his hotel room. Immediately, you notice Felix, lying in one of the beds, scrolling on his phone. He glances up, making eye contact with you, and a smile spreads on his face.

“Finally! It’s about time you guys made up. He won’t stop sulking,” he exclaims as he starts to pull himself out of bed. “Hopefully, you breaking into our room will go a bit better this time, yeah?”

You roll your eyes playfully, remembering the vicious scene from a couple of days prior. Felix walks past you and makes his exit, obviously giving the two of you time to talk things out. When Felix leaves, Hyunjin makes his way further back in the room and takes a seat at the desk next to you. This draws your attention, and you notice the set of supplies strewn across the desk. There are pens, chalks, and charcoals surrounding a sketchbook left open. It’s a sketch of flowers, unsurprising as it’s one of Hyunjin’s most common choices for art. However, this one is even darker than some of his others. You know his art can sometimes feel a bit heavy, but the flowers in this one even appear to be wilted.

Oh, Hyunjin. You think as your heart aches a bit. It’s obvious he’s a bit upset about something, and you think you might just know what the problem is.

“What are you doing up, sleepyhead?” You ask him, deciding to start simple. “Don’t you usually prefer to sleep in?”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t really sleep that well,” he states with a sigh. It’s then that you notice the same redness in his eyes that resides in yours. He must have been upset after he left.

“I see. I like your drawing,” you comment, and Hyunjin immediately flushes.

“Thank you,” he says quietly before turning in his chair and carefully shutting the sketchbook. You hadn’t meant for him to hide it away, but it seems that you were never meant to see it in the first place. You don’t stop him or ask to see more, wanting to keep his art a comfort for him. Instead, you decide to bite the bullet. Small talk would never solve anything. Deep communication was the key, and both of you knew that.

“Why’d you do that?” You ask, your eyes slowly starting to water as the memories come back. “Why would you say those things to me?” At the blunt question, Hyunjin startles a bit, turning back to you. You can tell as he begins to debate what exactly to say in his head, trying to figure out the best way to articulate his thoughts.

“I was afraid to lose you,” he decides to go with. The simple phrase makes you freeze. You weren’t sure what you had expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. He was afraid? What the hell was he talking about with losing you?

“Hyunjin, why would you lose me? I’m right here,” you say gently, trying to reassure the man despite not knowing exactly what the situation was.

“All you would talk about is Minho. Sure, it wasn’t exactly loving words, but still. It was always about you and him. I just miss when it was you and me. I know he’s important to you, but you’re my best friend, y/n-ah. I have no idea what I would even do without you. Who would I laugh with? Who would I confide in? You’re everything to me, and I just sort of freaked out when it seemed like I might lose you for good. But I just pushed you away even more. I’m so sorry.” He rushes out, his voice starting a bit raised and eventually lowering to a near whisper. Despite his ramblings, his explanation does make a lot of sense. You know Hyunjin, and you know he certainly does not believe the things he said about you. Which definitely doesn’t make it acceptable, but at least you know that it was a defense mechanism rather than genuine hatred.

“Oh. I thought you were really upset with me. I couldn’t figure out why you would say those things to me,” you tell him, knowing that it’s important for him to hear how you were feeling, too.

“I know, and I regretted it the moment those words left my mouth. I would do anything to take it back. I promise I support you and Minho. I think I’m finally coming around to the idea. I was just nervous that he wouldn’t want us to be friends anymore.”

“Hyunjin, he has known both of us for such a long time. He would never ask us to do that. He knows how much you mean to me.”

“I know, but I guess I just panicked.”

You sigh at his words. You totally understand how he feels. There have been so many moments where you have accidentally said something you shouldn’t have or behaved rudely as a result of panicking. You step closer to Hyunjin and pull him up to give you a hug. He wraps his arms around you as you rub his back lightly. You feel his tears slightly wet your shirt, but you don’t say anything about it, not wanting to ruin the tender moment.

“It’s okay, Jinnie, I forgive you.” At these words, he hugs you a bit tighter, glad that your friendship is finally okay again.

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

After both of you had calmed down, the two of you began to reminisce on some of your guys’ best memories over the years. He had even brought up some of the most embarrassing stories of Minho, making you crack up. Gosh, you had missed him so much.

At the reminder of your boyfriend, you excuse yourself, but not before reminding Hyunjin to call Felix back to the room. You felt bad for making the poor man find somewhere else to hang out, but to be fair, you hadn’t asked him to leave. He was just too kind for his own good.

You return to your hotel room, only to find Minho still sleeping and very soundly at that. You smile adoringly at him before crawling back into bed with him.

“Did you guys figure everything out?” He asks drowsily, and you startle a bit at his voice. You were positive that he was still asleep, but he’s always been good at tricking you. You were impressed that he had even managed to figure out where you had gone.

“Yes, I got my best friend back,” you say with a small smile, genuinely relieved that you and Hyunjin had managed to get past this hurdle.

“I’m happy for you, honey,” Minho says sweetly before pulling you closer and placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. Falling back to sleep with your boyfriend, you realize that you have never been happier.

Taglist: @armystay89 @thisisnotjacinta @silentreadersthings @seungminsapuppy @linos-kitten @hafrenstay @redstayrosie @bear8585 @yongbokkiesworld  @everglowdaisies @0325tiny @linoalwaysknows @chuuyaobsessed @delulustardust @3rachasninja @sit-thou-now-and-think

[slvt4felix]

Why’d this actually make me start blushing🫣

That One Time on the Ferris Wheel...

ATZ-> Yunho x Reader

genre: fluff, strangers to ??? wc: ~1,400 cw: none, just tooth-rotting fluff

summary: perhaps stepping out of your comfort zone is beneficial sometimes, especially when there are cute boys involved

A/N: I've had this written for forever, but in honor of scoring tickets for the Chicago show in July (VIP nonetheless 👀), I've decided to post it. Anyone else gonna be there???

Happy Scrolling! | Masterlist

"We should so go on the ferris wheel! That would be so fun," your friend grasps your arm tightly at the sight of the huge spinning wheel of doom in front of you.

"I don't know, it looks kinda old. Are you sure you want to go on that?" you reply, an uneasiness present in your voice.

"Oh please, don't be a wuss. Look at all those little kids in line to get on."

"And every single one of them is braver than I'll ever be. Now, let's go get a corndog then get out of here. It's too hot to be standing out here all day," you turn to walk towards the food tent, but your friend has other ideas.

"Oh no you don't. I'm getting you on that ferris wheel, even if it's the last thing I do." She tugs you in the opposite direction, full steam ahead right towards the line.

"Why are you so adamant about this anyway? I didn't know you were so passionate about ferris wheels," you sigh, crossing your arms over your chest.

"I'm not," she says, pulling her phone out of her back pocket to scroll on Instagram.

"Okayyy," you drag out, not satisfied with her short answer, "Then why are we here?"

"Because, you are the most boring person I know-"

"Okay, ouch?"

"Give me a break, I haven't said anything you don't already know," she says pointedly, raising her brow. "Anyway, if this is the first step to getting you out of your comfort zone, then so be it."

"Is this a mission of yours now? To try and get me out of my shell? For your information, I'm very cozy in my shell and would prefer to stay in it," you sass back, pushing her phone down so she'll look at you.

"Stop acting like this is such a big deal. It's literally not," she rolls her eyes this time, seemingly annoyed with your reluctance.

Your friend has always been an extrovert, a social butterfly if you will. You've known each other your whole life, and it's always been the same way. She'd make friends for the both of you. If there was one of you, there was both of you. Sure, it got annoying being constantly overlooked, by girls and guys alike, but it was your own fault. If only you could be more outgoing.

"Fine, you don't have to get an attitude about it, though." You pull out your phone, busying yourself by scrolling through countless threads on Twitter.

You guys stand in line for about 20 minutes before it's finally your turn to get on the ride. You step on the rickety metal landing first as the ride director brings the next cart around.

He opens the door for you and you step in, expecting your friend to be right behind you. However, you see that your friend is off to the side, outside the gate.

"Single rider?" the man asks you, a bit of amusement in his voice.

"No, my friend is right-"

He cuts you off abruptly, "I don't really care," you scoff at him, folding your arms over your chest. You stand to get out of the cart, as the only reason you were going to ride in the first place was because of your friend, but now you see her walking away towards the bathrooms.

Before you can get a foot outside the cart, a tall man steps in front of you and into your cart. The ride director slams the door shut and the ride begins to move while you're still standing. You gasp as you lose your footing, falling into the man next to you.

"I'm so sorry," you say, adjusting yourself in the seat next to him as opposed to on his lap like you were seconds before. "That guy was so rude." You look up at the man next to you, and your blown away by how ridiculously handsome he is. With dark brown eyes and fluffy brown hair, he looks like he'd come right out of a movie.

"That's alright," he chuckles, giving you a soft smile. "I'm Yunho, it's nice to meet you."

"Y/n," you reply with a little nod. Your gaze travels down to the ground below you, and you immediately tense seeing how high up you are already.

"Were you trying to get off before?" he asks. You feel his gaze on the side of your face, and you peel your stare from the grass and turn to face him.

"Yea, my friend was supposed to get on with me, but she got out of line right before we came on."

"Well that's not very nice," he frowns.

"She's...she's a character for sure. I've learned to live with it. I don't always understand the things she does, but we've been friends for forever. I'd hate to give that up over such petty stuff," you explain.

"It might not be petty if it makes you so scared," his eyes never leave yours as he speaks, his gaze soft.

"I'm not that scared, it's really ok," you comment, brushing off his concern.

"Your white knuckles around the safety bar say otherwise." He reaches over and gently lays his hand over yours.

You blush at that, the way his hand feels over both of yours, the way his warm, calloused fingers brush the back of your hand.

"Ok," you admit, "I might be a little scared." You let out a nervous laugh.

"Do you want to hold my hand? It's ok if you squeeze it tight, I'm pretty tough" he says the last part jokingly, but it becomes apparent to you that his initial question was serious as he lifts his hand off of yours, offering his open palm to you.

You feel yourself blush a deeper shade at that, but give him a shy nod in response. You untangle your fingers from the bar and intertwine them with his. His hand engulfs yours, the size difference apparent.

"Thanks," you're able to get out. You can't help the shy smile that encapsulates your lips.

"No problem," he replies before the silence envelopes the both of you again. It's surprisingly comfortable as you feel the light breeze blow through your hair. It's a beautiful summer evening, the sun shining brightly as it starts to set in the sky. Clouds litter the horizon, and you can feel the dew in the air as it begins to settle.

"You know," Yunho starts, breaking the quiet that surrounded you, "I only got in line behind you guys with hopes I could talk to you."

Your bashful smile returns to your face, and your tempted to bring your free hand up to your cheek to cover up. "Well, it looks like it worked, huh?" You turn to face him, meeting his eyes that have been subtly trained on your face for the majority of the ride.

"Yea, it did, and I even got to hold your hand," he smiles back at you, his dimples popping from his cheeks.

Your speechless at that, not having a response. Maybe your friend was right, you do need to get of your comfort zone more often.

"I was actually wondering if I could maybe get your number?" he asks, tilting his head like a cute puppy would.

"Sure," you answer all too quickly, shrinking in on yourself at the readiness of your reply.

"Here," he hands you his phone, a new contact page already brought up.

You put your number in, along with your name before handing it back to him.

Before you know it, your cart is next to get off. The man from before opens the door for you guys, paired with a gruff, "Get out." Your hesitant to release Yunho's hand from your grasp, but when he stands from his seat, you know it's time.

You both let go and walk outside of the gates.

"Well, Y/n, I'm kinda glad your friend left you to go on the ferris wheel alone," he says.

"Straight to the point, I like it," you laugh.

He gives you the cutest smile before saying, "I'll text you." He turns and walks off, and you're immediately met with the desire to see him again, and soon. Your heart flutters as his head turns around to look at you once more, a smirk adorning his face.

"Sorry, I really had to use the bathroom," your friend startles you as she appears seemingly out of nowhere beside you. "Now, who was that?"

"Just some guy who sat next to me, no biggie," you brush her off as you both start heading towards the food tent together, intent on getting yourself a corndog before the fair is over.

An hour and a full stomach later, you feel the breeze is cooler than it was earlier, and you realize that you miss the warmth of his hand already.

[slvt4felix]

coming up roses

pairing: bang chan x female reader

summary: most of the time, you're grateful to have such a good relationship with your older brother, minho. but when you find yourself falling for his best friend, chan, you can't help but be worried how he'll react when he finds out. you soon find yourself struggling with the unexpected consequences of keeping your feelings a secret.

word count: 10.2k

tags/warnings: hanahaki!au (read a/n), brother's best friend!au, hurt/comfort, angst, lots of fluffy sibling dynamics between minho and y/n, bad communication by the reader, mentions of: coughing, blood, and vomiting

read it on ao3 | masterlist

a/n: i have finally written my hanahaki au!!! this took me ages, but i really really wanted to write a fic based on how this post describes hanahaki because i love this interpretation (hanahaki is from supressing feelings instead of unrequited love) a lot more than how it's usually written (not that that version is bad!). i actually wish i could have drawn this out more, but didn't have it in me haha

the phrase "it's all coming up roses" means that everything is going well with someone and i thought it was so perfectly ironic for a hanahaki fic where a character actually has roses coming up in the literal sense.

Minho has always been protective. You had felt cool and invincible as a child, having an older brother that was willing to have your back and scare away anybody that teased you. 

You’re grateful that he cares enough to be so involved in your life, but now that you’re in university, you can’t help but feel a little stifled. Minho takes his role as an older brother very seriously, especially since the two of you have moved out of your family home and are sharing an apartment closer to campus. It's a mixture of doting and enough teasing to drive you crazy.

Growing up, your family home had been the regular haunt of Minho and his friends. It was more common than not to get home from cram school and find the boys either lingering in the nearest convenience store or hanging out in your apartment. You wouldn't say that you were friends with the boys, but you were at least familiar enough that you would say hi to them if you saw them in the hallways and they would offer to walk home with you if you were ever leaving school at the same time.

Starting university had been hard for you, most of your friends had ended up moving to other cities or even going abroad. You, however, had decided to stick closer to home. Your program had a good reputation and your parents had promised that they would help you and Minho get an apartment close to campus as long as you lived together. Minho had readily agreed, he had commuted for his first year and had always complained about how long it took.

It was a difficult adjustment, moving out of your family home, balancing your course load, and making friends. Unlike Minho, who had used dance to find his close group of friends, you didn't have any hobbies that you were particularly passionate about and you weren't naturally outgoing or charismatic.

Especially in the first few weeks of classes, it feels like such a relief whenever you see one of Minho's friends that you latch onto them. It’s kind of awkward at first, especially because you don’t know his friends well enough to speak with them casually, but they get used to your presence. You would even consider some of them to be your friend, especially Seungmin, who shares a class with you, and Chan who usually has his lunch break at the same time as you.

You make your own friends eventually, slowly getting to know some of the people that share your program, but you’re definitely a lot closer to the boys than you were prior to university. While you spent most of your childhood calling Minho and his friends lame, you can now admit that you enjoy spending time with them, although you’d never say it to Minho’s face.

Still, Minho doesn’t always approve of who or where you hang out. Sometimes he’s even nosier than your parents were, always asking you about your schedule and calling when you’re out late. He warns you about spending time one-on-one with men and makes sure that you always have your location shared with him. You tolerate it for the most part, knowing that it’s his way of showing that he cares about you, but sometimes you just find him overbearing.

—

“I’m going out next Saturday,” Minho tells you one evening as you step out of your room to get a glass of water. “You’ll have to figure out something for dinner on your own.”

“Oh,” you say, suddenly a little nervous. “I uh- I also have plans that night.”

“Sure,” he agrees easily. “What are you going to be doing?”

“There’s a party that I was invited to,” you say, biting your lip when you see Minho freeze. You turn your gaze to the ground, but you can still feel Minho's stare intensify. 

“What party,” he demands, not even bothering to frame it as a question.

“Does it matter?” you whine, annoyed by how protective Minho is. It’s even worse that you have an audience, Chan is over and you can see out of the corner of your eye that he’s watching your conversation curiously.

“Yes.” His tone leaves no room for argument.

“I think it's at Taehoon's,” your voice is barely a whisper. Minho hears you anyway.

“Taehoon?” He repeats in disbelief. You glance up briefly. Minho's ears are flushed bright red and the tendons in his neck are standing out. He's furious. “Taehoon, who is four years older than you? Taehoon, who holds off-campus parties?”

You grimace and don't respond. There’s no way that he’s going to let you go, you resign yourself to a weekend stuck in your room watching dramas while your friends enjoy themselves. 

It’s bad enough that you had to mention Taehoon, who doesn’t have the best reputation, but you’ve forgotten that Minho would easily be able to recognize the type of party that he throws. You haven’t been to many university parties, but even you know that without the dorm restrictions, off-campus parties are often the wildest and were harder to get invited to. It’s not that you particularly care to attend this party in specific, you just don’t want to miss out since all of your friends will be there.

“Minho,” Chan steps in, clasping a heavy hand on your brother's shoulder.

“Who invited you,” Minho seethes, shaking Chan off.

“Just one of my friends,” you deflect.

“Minho,” Chan says again, this time jostling Minho enough that he turns his attention away from you finally. Your body sags in relief. “Chill, we're going to Taehoon's next weekend. It's just a party.”

“Yes, we are going. Not my baby sister! Y/n-ah, the answer is no.”

“Oppa!” you complain. “I'm not a baby anymore!”

“You don't know anything,” Minho hisses at you. 

“We were going to way crazier parties when we were Y/n's age,” Chan interrupts one more time. “Come on, at least we'd be able to keep an eye on her.”

Minho is about to reply when he stops and tilts his head in thought.

“Okay,” he says slowly, turning back to you with a gleam in his eye. “You can go, Y/n.”

“Really?” you brighten instantly even though you’re a little bit suspicious of his sudden change in heart.

Your breath catches in your throat as you excitedly make eye contact with Chan. He winks at you teasingly before turning his full attention back to Minho, who thankfully hadn’t noticed.

“You're coming with us,” Minho says, nodding decisively.

“Are you kidding me,” you reply flatly, all enthusiasm vanishing instantly.

“Yes. I'll make sure that everybody knows not to mess with you and you still can have fun with your silly little friends. Unless you don't want to go anymore?” Minho raises an eyebrow at you.

“Fine, I'll go with you,” you grumble.

“It'll be fun, Y/n! I promise that I won’t let Minho embarrass you,” Chan says, slinging an arm around your shoulder. You try not to shiver as he leans in to whisper to you, close enough that you can almost feel his lips touching your ear. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to find something or someone to distract him enough that he’ll forget you’re even there.”

“Okay,” you breathe shakily.

“Hey!” Minho pulls Chan off of you and into a headlock. “Whatever you’re scheming, cut it out. Y/nnie, don’t listen to a single thing this idiot tells you.”

“I try not to listen to idiots,” you say. “That’s why I never follow any of the advice that you give me!”

“Y/n-ah-” Minho starts.

You stick out your tongue at him childishly then dart to your room, slamming the door and locking it behind you so that Minho can’t follow you. The sound of Chan’s resulting laugh echoes through your head for the rest of the day.

—

By the time the weekend rolls around, you're a little worried that you’ve caught a cold. Your throat is achy and talking too much makes you cough, but you're not feeling any other symptoms so you don't think you're actually sick. Minho wasn't exactly pleased when you told him you were still planning on going, but he kept his word and didn't try to convince you otherwise.

Your friends are all getting ready together at one of their dorms, but your brother was adamant that he wanted you to go to the party with him and his friends. You're more comfortable getting changed and doing your makeup at home anyway, so it's not a big deal, but it's still not the same. 

Conversation pauses when you finally exit your room. Only Chan, Hyunjin, and Minho are still in the living area since most of Minho's friends are crowded around your apartment's entryway, shuffling to get their jackets and put on their shoes.. Their eyes widen and you see Hyunjin choke on the drink he had just taken a sip of. You tug at the hem of your skirt slightly, suddenly feeling self conscious. 

You've worn this outfit before with friends and while it's definitely not the most conservative option in your closet, it's nowhere near as revealing as what you expect other girls will be wearing. It's just that you're not used to being around Minho's friends when you've put so much effort into your appearance and are showing off a bit of skin. They’ve seen you at your worst and are most familiar with the comfortable sweats and hoodies that you usually wear around your home.

Minho recovers the fastest. In a flash, he's made his way to you and has a death grip on your arm, trying to drag you back into your room. You resist, digging your heels in to try and make it harder for him, but it barely even slows him down.

“Oppa!”

“You are not leaving looking like this,” Minho huffs through gritted teeth.

“Minho-ya, come on. We're going to be late if you make her change,” Chan calls out. It draws the attention of the rest of the boys, who turn to look at the commotion. You hear Jisung wolf-whistle teasingly which only makes things worse. Minho's hand tightens even more around you, hard enough that you're sure it's going to bruise, and he whips around to glare at Jisung.

“Hyung, it's fine. Y/n-ah looks good,” Seungmin chimes in, before winking at you. You groan internally, knowing from the look in his eye that you're not going to like what he says next. “Is there a boy that you're trying to impress tonight?”

“No!” you deny immediately, still trying to pull your arm from your brother's grip to no avail. Your chest tightens at the idea of being forced to stay at home. Minho immediately latches onto the idea that Seungmin has thrown out, his expression darkening even further.

“Is it true?” he questions you.

“Oppa, I promise, I'm just matching with my friends. Which you would know if we actually go to the party!”

“If there is, you better tell me,” he warns.

“Yes, yes,” you groan. “If there was, which there isn't! You're just wasting time now.”

“At least put on a jacket, you’re going to be cold.”

“Fine.” You wrench your arm out of Minho's grasp and stalk to your room. You grab the first jacket you see, intent on ditching it the second that you get to the party, then head straight to the door, breezing past Minho on your way. “Happy now?”

“Thrilled,” he says in a flat voice that says he is anything but.

—

Your apartment is not too far away from the party, so it’s not long before everyone is unloading from their cars and approaching the party. You can hear the bass pounding even from outside the building and you’re sure that there will be a number of neighbours that file noise complaints by the end of the night.

When you make it in, your friends greet you enthusiastically, but are all a little bit weird, fixing their hair more than usual and giggling nervously. You’re not close with all of the girls that are in the group, some of them you can’t even recall if you’ve met before, but you can still tell that everyone is acting strangely. 

It's not until you turn around that you realise that Minho has practically stationed himself behind you and is glowering at anybody who looks your way too long. After years of being on the receiving end of his glares, you’ve grown immune, but everybody else is clearly at least a little intimidated.

“Oppa,” you hiss. He barely spares you a glance. “You're not seriously going to babysit me all night, are you?”

“I'm letting you do what you want so you should let me do whatever I want,” he replies primly. 

You know there's no convincing him on your own. From across the room, you manage to catch Chan's eye and nod your head in Minho's direction. Luckily, he knows exactly what you're trying to say and makes his way over quickly to stand beside Minho.

“Minho-ya, you don't have a drink yet?” he asks, before pointedly taking a sip of his own cup.

“I asked Yongbokkie and Seungmin to make me one,” he replies, unphased.

“And you trust them that much?”

At the same time, the two of them glance over to the kitchen. You follow their gaze to find Felix, Seungmin, as well as Jisung mixing together a concoction that looks not only toxic, but also disgusting. You want to gag when you see them add in soju, hot sauce, milk, and maraschino cherries in quick succession. That’s not even considering whatever they’ve already put into the cup before you looked over. There's no way they actually think the combination could taste good and Minho must agree because he stands up and starts stalking towards them, swearing to himself the whole time.

After Minho leaves, Chan wanders a bit closer to you and brushes a hand against your shoulder lightly. You have to fight the urge to lean into his touch.

“I told you, I got you tonight. Don't worry about your brother breathing down your neck,” he says lowly. Just like when he first promised to distract your brother, Chan winks at you, then follows after Minho.

You force yourself not to stare after him, cheeks flushing as the rest of the girls squeal. Some of your friends have met Minho in passing a couple times, but not any of his friends. Your brother's dance crew has become wildly popular this year, but luckily it's not widely known that you are close with them. You prefer to keep it that way, but it seems like revealing your relation to them is unavoidable tonight. It's just your luck that some of these girls are among the ‘fans’ that your brother has somehow amassed.

“Y/nnie,” a girl beside you pouts. “How come you've never mentioned you know Lee Minho and Bang Chan before? I can't believe you've never introduced him to us!”

“I-” you splutter, still flustered by how close Chan was to you.

“I saw you show up with all eight of them,” another girl interupts. Someone else gasps as if you've committed a serious crime. “You actually know them?”

“Well, yeah-”

“I heard that you called Minho oppa, are you two dating?” the first girl asks.

“What? No!” you quickly deny, disgusted by the very thought of that.

“Oh come on, you don't think that they're ridiculously attractive?” someone else chimes in. The whole group murmurs in agreement. They have more and more questions for you and start to talk over each other.

“Minho's my brother! As in, we share the same parents, that’s why I call him oppa.” you exclaim, before things can spiral further. “And ew, he is definitely not attractive!”

The group is stunned into silence for a moment before exploding in noise. There are girls offended on Minho’s behalf, some asking what him and his friends are like, and others who beg you to introduce them.

Your best friend chooses that moment to speak up, reminding you why she is one of your favourite people in the world.

“Let’s play a drinking game!” she exclaims loudly. She holds up a couple bottles of soju that you’re not sure where she’s been hiding and starts filling up everyone’s cup. Luckily the girls are easily distracted by alcohol, enough that the topic is changed without too much of a fuss. You breathe out a sigh of relief.

—

After a few drinks, you eventually excuse yourself to the bathroom. You’re definitely on your way to being tipsy, but not enough that you feel unsteady on your feet. The loud music makes it a bit difficult to focus and people have filled every corner of the house, but you’re somehow able to find an unoccupied bathroom.

You take an extra moment to splash yourself with water before you leave, you’re feeling a bit sticky from sweating and when one of your friends spilled a bit of their drink on you. When you finish, you swing open the door and immediately apologise when you narrowly miss hitting a guy who has been waiting in the hall. He waves it off, but doesn’t make a move to enter the bathroom, instead stepping a bit closer to you. 

“What’s a pretty little girl like you doing here all on her own?” he slurs, crowding further into your personal space. It’s dark, but you can still tell that his eyes are red and unfocused and hair is matted to his forehead. He's drunk. 

You swallow hard, trying not to panic. You have to treat this situation delicately and somehow make your disinterest clear without provoking or offending him.

“I’m not alone.” You can’t help but laugh nervously, taking a step back. Your stomach churns when your shoulder knocks into the wall behind you and you realise you have nowhere else to go. “My friends are actually probably wondering what’s taking me so long, I’ll just-”

“S’okay, I’m sure they wouldn’t notice if you were gone a little longer.” He leans in until he’s close enough that you can smell the sourness of his sweat and the alcohol on his breath. “I just wanna get t’know you a bit better.”

He smiles down at you in a way that he must think is attractive. It makes you want to vomit.

“No thanks, I’m just going to head-” Your voice is shrill with panic, you can barely recognize it.

You try to shuffle to the side, but the guy slaps his hand against the wall, trapping you even more. Your heartbeat pounds in your chest. He reaches out and traces one of your cheeks with a clumsy hand, ignoring the way that you cringe away.

“Aww c’mon darling, don’t be like that. I can promise you a good time.”

You know a bit of self defense, but this is far from a fair fight. This guy is significantly taller than you and probably double your weight. Even drunk, he can likely overpower you without even trying.

Before you can make a move, an arm slings around the drunk guy’s shoulder, jostling him to the side. Your heart sinks. There was a small chance that you’d have been able to escape, but not if you’re outnumbered.

“Hey mate,” the new person says. Your head shoots up at the familiar voice. Chan. “You seem pretty sloshed.”

Chan nudges the guy again, this time creating a little space that makes you feel less trapped. His body language is loose and relaxed, but the expression on his face is another story. His gaze is intense as he scans you, softening by a fraction when you nod that you’re fine.

“M’not,” the guy argues. He squints up at Chan. “Do I even know you? Get lost, I’m busy right now.”

“Why don’t you go outside and get some air? It’s gotten pretty stuffy in here.” It’s not a suggestion. Chan’s words are friendly, but the tone of his voice sends shivers down your spine.

The guy opens his mouth, likely to protest, but promptly shuts it when he sees the look on Chan’s face. The two of you watch as he stumbles away without a fight, bumping into a few other people in his haste to leave. Now that you’re alone, Chan backs up, giving you more space to breathe.

“Sorry about that,” Chan says, hand scratching at the back of his neck nervously. “Didn't want to be too aggressive. It just- you looked like you needed some help.”

“Some people just don’t know how to take no for an answer,” you say quietly. It’s just another thing to be grateful for when Chan doesn’t comment on the shakiness of your voice. Instead, his expression darkens further before he composes himself.

“Are you okay?” he asks tentatively. 

“Yeah, you came at just the right time.” You look away, a bit embarrassed that he had to step in and rescue you, but he puts a finger under your chin and uses it to turn your face back to him. It feels so different from when the drunk guy touched you that you don’t want him to stop. His eyes search yours for a moment and whatever he finds must satisfy him.

“You should probably rejoin your friends.” Chan starts to step away, but you reach out and snag his sleeve before he can go. 

“Chan-oppa.”

He pauses, turning back to look at you again.

“Yeah?” There’s a hopeful lilt to his voice, although you’re not sure what he’s hoping you say.

“Please don’t tell my brother about this,” you plead. Chan’s expression drops a little, clearly that’s not what he wanted to hear, but he’s still quick to reassure you.

“No, yeah, of course. I won’t say anything.”

“I don’t want him to worry about me.”

“Of course,” Chan repeats.

“And… thank you.” You rise up on your toes and kiss his cheek quickly, then slip away towards where your friends are before you can see what his reaction is. 

—

It takes a few days for you to recover from the party. You hadn’t drunk enough to be hungover, but just remembering your interaction with Chan makes you want to bury yourself in your bed and never leave. Luckily Minho hasn't questioned your change in behaviour much, but you can tell that he's getting sick of your wallowing, even if he doesn't know the reason behind it. 

“Yah, Y/n-ah!” Minho bangs on your door. “We’re heading out for gukbap in 5 minutes, are you coming?”

He doesn’t specify who the ‘we’ is, you know who to expect. Of course, Chan is included. It’s easy to make a decision.

“Go without me!” you yell back.

“Eh? Open up.”

“Just come in, it’s unlocked.”

You hear the door open and Minho approaches. He prods at your prone form with one of his feet.

“What’s up with you? You never say no to gukbap.”

“Nothing!” you groan.

“You’ve been acting strange since that stupid party, what are you hiding?” He pokes at you again, this time a bit harder.

“Oppa,” you complain, lifting yourself out of your blankets to swat at his foot. “I promise that I have nothing to hide, I just don’t feel like hanging out with your friends today.”

“They haven’t done anything, have they?” Minho asks, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Channie-hyung asked me if you were doing okay.”

“No! I-” you choke on your spit in your haste to answer, leading to a coughing fit that leaves you with tears gathering in your eyes. You clear your throat roughly then continue. “No, Chan-oppa and the rest of your friends have all been nice to me.”

“Oppa?” 

Whoops, you hadn’t meant for that to slip out.

“What?” you whine. “You’re the one who forces me to hang out with them all the time! You told me to stop being so formal around them. They kept telling me too, it got really annoying.”

“Hmm,” Minho huffs, not quite convinced.

“Really,” you insist. “I just don’t want to go out today, I promise.”

“Okay,” Minho says reluctantly before he gets uncharacteristically serious. “But you know, you're my little sister, you can always come to me if something or someone is bothering you right?”

“I- yeah of course, oppa.” You feel kind of touched, not used to Minho openly showing that he cares about you, even though you know he does. It's enough that your throat feels tight with emotion, but you force yourself to speak through it. “Thank you. I always know that I can count on you.”

“I'm the only one allowed to mess with you,” he says sweetly, ruffling your hair so that it sticks up the way he knows you hate. “If anyone else does, I'll make sure that they regret the day that they were born.”

You try to ignore the guilt that curls in your stomach as you watch Minho leave. You hate hiding things from him, but you're still confused by your own emotions and you're worried by how he'll react.  Minho has always been your biggest supporter in everything except for your love life, which he is strictly against no matter how much you try to reason with him. 

You can’t imagine how much worse it would be if he found out that the person you’re interested in is one of his friends. You’ve heard him warn the whole group that you were off limits. He’d use a joking tone, but everyone knew that he was actually serious about it.

In the end, it doesn’t even matter because you’re almost certain that nothing will ever come of your feelings, Chan is way out of your league so there’s no point in even imagining a relationship together.

—

Unsurprisingly, your attempts to avoid Chan fail pretty much instantly. You're not sure how the stars aligned exactly opposite to what you were hoping, but the studio that Minho's (and therefore Chan's) dance crew uses had a schedule conflict that ended up shifting their practice times.

To your dismay, it works out so that multiple times a week, you're leaving campus at the exact same time as your brother. That in itself is not much of an issue, it's the fact that Chan lives close enough to you that the three of you commute back together. To make matters worse, Minho always invites Chan over to have dinner and Chan always accepts.

You can't fault Minho though, you know that he invites him over partly because he wants to hang out with Chan and partly because he knows that Chan might end up working throughout the night in an empty apartment and completely forget to eat. It does also bring you comfort, knowing that Chan is being cared for, that he's eating well and taking time in his day to not worry about school or dance. It's also nice for you, you've grown so used to preparing and eating dinner on your own that it's started to feel more like a chore than something to look forward to.

It's just hard. You haven't had a private conversation with Chan since the party, but you know that he wants to talk to you. 

You were so sure that he would never reciprocate your feelings, but now, you're starting to doubt yourself.

While you're on the bus home, listening to your music, you sometimes glance over to find Chan staring at you, though he's quick to look away. When the three of you are cooking in the kitchen, he's more affectionate, resting a light hand on your waist or back when he passes behind you or nudging your shoulder playfully after he makes a joke. During dinner, he makes sure that you're also engaged in conversation, asking about your classes or the few clubs that you're involved in. He sometimes brings you and Minho little treats from the convenience store and they're always in your favourite flavours.

The thing is, Chan is friendly and generous to everyone that he meets. It's hard to tell if you're reading too much into your interactions with him or if he's actually paying you more interest than usual. You've never heard of Chan dating, actually you can't recall if any of the boys in Minho's dance crew have ever had partners, but it's not for a lack of interested parties.

At times, it feels so impossible that you're embarrassed to even admit to yourself how much you like Chan. You're not blind, you know that there's a fair share of girls who are just as delusional as you are, giggling when he looks over and insisting to their friends that he's interested in them because he helped open the door for them or waved as he walked past.

In fact, some of the very moments that you keep closest to your heart sound so similar to experiences that you've heard other girls gushing about that you hate yourself for having hope that Chan would be interested in you of all people.

It's easier to pretend that there's nothing going on between the two of you. You know that if you were to confess your feelings to Chan, something you would never do, that he would be nice about it. You can almost imagine it, how flustered he would be, making up some kind of excuse about not being interested in dating because he was too devoted to school and dance. He would promise not to tell your brother about it and assure you that it wouldn't change the way that he treats you.

You've run through this hypothetical situation so many times that not only have you experienced enough mortification for a lifetime, but you've convinced yourself even further to lock your feelings up inside of you. There's no point in confessing when you're so sure that nothing will ever come from it.

—

One day, Chan is over as usual and the three of you are cooking in your tiny kitchen, elbows bumping and arms reaching over as everyone tries to make do with the small space available. 

The food is almost ready when Minho's phone rings, the special song that he has saved for Jisung. He picks it up instantly, shoving the pair of chopsticks that he's using into your hands in his haste. You can't hear what Jisung says, but Minho rolls his eyes and leaves to his bedroom, lecturing Jisung about something the whole way there.

“Hey,” Chan says softly. You try to keep yourself busy, picking up dishes and putting them into the sink for washing, but he tugs at your wrist lightly so that you face him. “Is everything good with you?”

“Yeah,” you say, nodding quickly. 

“You just seem, I don't know, distracted or something these days.”

“No, it's-” You take a deep breath to collect yourself. “Thank you for asking, really. But I'm fine.”

“Okay,” Chan says, still looking concerned. “Listen, I know we haven't-”

You've never been so glad to hear Minho re-enter the room. 

“Eh? You guys haven't even finished with the food?” he complains in a whiny voice that he only really uses around Chan. “What have you guys been doing this whole time? Come on, Y/n-ah, go set the table. Hyung, I know you can't cook to save your life, but at least scoop out the rice into our bowls. I'm hungry!”

Chan drops the subject for the rest of the night, but you know that you’ve only delayed the conversation. 

—

The next day, you wake up to a dry and achy throat. This isn’t that unusual, you suffer from seasonal allergies that sometimes block your nose and force you to breathe through your mouth as you sleep. This time, it feels different. Your throat has been bothering you more than usual the past couple of weeks and while drinking a glass of water does help you wake up, it doesn’t dull the pain that persists. 

You shuffle out of bed to wash up, then head straight to the kitchen, brewing yourself a steaming mug of yuja tea. The taste is comforting, but doesn't help as much as you hoped it would. 

You get ready for school quickly, hoping to leave before Minho wakes up. You know that your classes start before him today, but he's always been an early riser, preferring to work out or spend time in the dance studio before it gets too busy.

“Y/n-ah,” Minho calls out, right as you're starting to put on your shoes. “You were going to leave without saying bye?”

“I didn’t know if you were awake,” you say, wincing when your voice still sounds rough.

“You didn’t even check.” Minho steps out of his room and unlocks the front door for you as you pull on your backpack.

“I was in a rush-” you start to say, but the rest of your sentence doesn’t manage to make its way out. Clearing your throat only irritates it further, triggering a cough that you can’t contain.

“Y/n,” Minho says, genuine concern shining in his eyes. “Are you feeling okay?”

He raises a hand to your forehead, but you slap it away weakly before he can check your temperature.

“I'm fine, I just have this stupid sore throat that won’t go away,” you reassure him. “I don’t think I’m sick though. The air has been so dry lately, I think I need a humidifier in my room while I sleep.”

“Aww.” Minho pinches your cheek and goes straight back to teasing you. “My delicate baby sister.”

“Ugh, forget I said anything.” You push your brother away. “Now let me go, I'm going to be late for class.”

Minho doesn't say anything in response, but the next night when you go to sleep, a new humidifier has been installed on your bedside table. 

—

In the next few weeks you find that the discomfort in your throat that has been plaguing you has evolved into something else. There’s a persistent feeling of something caught in your throat and you find yourself with a lingering dry cough that no amount of tea or medication can relieve.

One night, you wake up feeling like you can't breathe. In a panic, you untangle yourself from your sheets and get yourself into a sitting position. The change in position allows a deep cough to rattle through you, enough that you’re finally able to suck in a breath. 

Instead of phlegm or maybe a piece of food that could have been stuck in your throat, you feel something velvety in your mouth. You blindly reach for your bedside table to turn on your lamp and wonder if you’re still asleep when you find a single, dark red rose petal in the palm of your hand.

You squeeze your eyes shut and pinch yourself, hard, but when your eyes open, nothing has changed.

Suddenly, you’re wide awake and a cold sweat starts to form, making your pyjamas stick to your back.

You’ve heard of hanahaki disease, of course you have, but you’ve never known someone who has suffered from it. 

It makes sense, you’ve had a sore, scratchy throat and dry cough for weeks now with no other cold symptoms.

You can’t believe it though. 

Hanahaki disease was almost like an urban legend at this point, having been exaggerated and twisted so much in media that you’ve almost forgotten the reality of it. While most of the shows and books that cover this have a somewhat romantic take on it, declaring that it's caused by unrequited love, you know the real cause is your refusal to admit your feelings.

You knew that lying, to Chan, to your brother, to yourself, would have consequences. You had heard stories about how people who kept their feelings a secret were slowly choked by them, petals and leaves representing every time you had held yourself back. 

You just never thought it would happen to you.

Sure, you were interested in Chan. You found him kind, hard-working, funny, and attractive, but it's not like you were in love with him.

You crumple the petal in your hand and throw it into your garbage can. If this is your first time finding petals, you still have months until things progress to be more serious. A part of you hopes that this was some sort of one-off, that this would be the first and last time your body creates any flowers.

You turn off the light and pull the covers tightly over your body, praying that you'll wake up in the morning and find that this was all some crazy stress-related dream.

You don’t fall asleep for the rest of the night.

—

You had thought that you were pretty good at covering up your tracks, but it doesn’t take long before Minho starts piecing things together. It doesn't help over the past few days, your symptoms have steadily worsened. You’ve found yourself coughing up petals every day, enough that you're starting to grow concerned about how quickly things are progressing.

It starts when he calls you into your shared bathroom one evening. You don’t think much of it, until you find him staring at something on the ground.

“What’s this?” he asks. 

“It’s a rose petal,” you say easily, stooping down to pinch it between two fingers and dangle it in front of his face. “You’ve never seen one before?”

Minho rolls his eyes at that, swatting at you half-heartedly. You manage to dodge out of the way, but lose your grip on the petal. It flutters to the floor, but Minho swipes it out of the air.

“What’s it from? Is a boy giving you flowers?” he asks warningly, crushing the petal in his grip.

“Oppa, stop jumping to conclusions!” you groan. “It’s from a bath bomb that I tried out, I guess I missed this one when I was cleaning up.”

“Since when do you take baths?” 

“Since I got a bunch of bath bombs on sale. I thought it would be relaxing.” This time you’re the one rolling your eyes. “But if I knew that it would lead to you interrogating me, I wouldn’t have bothered buying them in the first place.”

“Fine, sorry, just- just clean up next time you’re going to make a mess in the bathroom,” Minho says, before throwing the petal at you and leaving you alone.

You watch as the petal falls onto the tiles, crumpled into a little ball from being in Minho’s fist. When you reach out to pick it up, your fingers are trembling. You’ve never been a good liar, but it seems that at least this time, your acting skills have been good enough to fool Minho.

You hear the front door close and you finally give in to the cough that you've been trying to suppress the whole conversation. 

Tears spring to your eyes, but you can't stop the coughs that wrack your body. This time, even after you spit out a couple of petals, it still feels like there’s something stuck in your throat. After what feels like forever, that something dislodges and you find yourself holding a tiny rosebud complete with a short stem.

You stare at it in horror, you haven’t had more than petals until now. There’s a deep sense of dread that fills you. You thought that you’d have more time, it hasn’t even been a month since you had started coughing up anything.

You throw the flower into the toilet, flushing quickly so that the red petals swirl out of sight. Even after you rinse your mouth, there’s a tinge of iron that lingers.

—

You don't often visit the boys when they're at dance practice, in fact you actively avoid going to the studio. It's one thing to know that their dance crew is quite popular and another to experience it yourself.

But today you don't have much of a choice, in your rush to leave for an early lab, you completely forgot to pack an assignment that was due the same morning and had begged Minho to bring it to campus for you. You were lucky that he hadn't left the apartment yet, but he only brought it on the condition that you brought him coffee and picked your assignment up from him directly. 

It's just before 10am when you head over, which means that there's a lot of students waiting for their dance class to start, but it still surprises you to find a fairly significant crowd outside of the studio that Minho had texted you to go to. You can hear music faintly from the closed door and, as you push your way closer, find that there's a large horizontal window that has caught everyone's attention.

You get more than a fair share of dirty looks as you squeeze through the crowd and one girl even stops you as you move to open the door. 

“Sorry, excuse me,” you say politely.

“You're not allowed in,” she says in a haughty voice. Her acrylic nails bite into your arm, surprisingly strong for how thin she is. “Their practice isn't over.”

“You're not allowed in, I don’t need an invitation,” you say under your breath, rolling your eyes. You must not have said it quietly enough because she gasps dramatically.

“Please, you think you're special?” She looks you up and down dismissively. “You wish any of the boys would talk to someone like you.”

“You must be referring to yourself, they would never want to have to associate with someone as desperate and pathetic as you,” you snap, shouldering your way past her. She squeals, but finally lets go of you, maybe hoping that you'll get in trouble for interrupting.

You open the door just enough to slide through and carefully close it behind you so that you don’t disturb them. It’s mesmerizing, watching them all dance. They’ve been together for so long that it looks so natural for them to move in sync, although you know it’s more to do with long hours of practice and Minho’s eagle eyes pointing out any mistakes. 

None of the boys notice you at first, caught up in the chorus of the song that they're practicing, but Jeongin catches sight of you after a moment.

“Noona!” he says excitedly, abandoning the dance to run over to you. “Is that coffee for me?”

“Innie if you drink that coffee you will not survive long enough for the caffeine to make it into your bloodstream,” your brother warns from across the room. 

Jeongin falters at that, but when you shake the cup enticingly in front of him, he throws caution to the wind and takes a sip.

“Yah! What did I say, Yang Jeongin?” Is the only warning Jeongin gets before he’s chased around the room by an angry Minho. The familiar chaos is almost enough to lift your mood and make you forget about the terrible interaction you had outside.

“You look annoyed, did something happen?” Chan asks, approaching you from where he had gone to turn off the music on his laptop. You curse how observant he is, you thought you had done a pretty good job of hiding how you felt.

“Nothing, just had a weird encounter with a defensive fan out there. It's like you guys are idols or something” you joke, nodding your head towards the window where people are watching curiously. You can still feel the sting from the girl’s nails digging into your wrist and when you lift it up to examine it more closely, see a little bit of blood beading at the deepest crescents.

“They’re not fans,” Chan says in disgust, before he does a double take. “I- you’re bleeding?”

“It’s nothing,” you say quickly, wiping at the wounds but only succeeding at smudging the blood so that it looks even worse. “It doesn’t even hurt.”

“Come here, we have a first aid kit somewhere. We don’t want it to get infected.” 

Chan takes your hand delicately, making sure to avoid the inflamed areas, and leads you over to the bench closest to where all their bags are piled up. You sneak a glance over to the girl that stopped you and can’t help but feel smug when you find her, pale and slack-jawed. Chan sits you down, only leaving your side to pull the blinds down on the window and dig around until he finds the first aid kit.

“Sorry, it might sting a bit,” Chan apologises as he pulls out the disinfectant wipes.

You peek at Chan and your breath catches in your throat at how concentrated he looks, brows slightly furrowed as he tries to gently dab at the scratches. Most of his hair is hidden under a baseball cap, but you can see a little duck tail forming at the base of his neck which draws attention to the trails of sweat that disappear under the collar of his shirt. You must make some kind of noise, because Chan looks up, eyes wide with concern.

“Sorry, does it hurt a lot?”

“No, you're good,” you say, cheeks flushing.

“I’m almost done,” he says, searching around for a bandage. He’s just finished applying it, tongue sticking out in concentration, when you hear someone else approach.

“What's going on here?” Minho asks.

“Nothing!” you say at the same time that Chan says, “I was just helping Y/n put on a bandage.”

“Did you hurt yourself?” Minho's eyes widen and he reaches out to take a look at your wrist, even though he won't be able to see anything under the bandage. You pull your sleeve down and stand up in a rush.

“It’s nothing, really oppa! I'm sorry, I have to go, my class is starting soon!” you call out, lying through your teeth as you run out of the room, clutching your assignment. “Thank you, Channie-oppa!”

You rush into the nearest bathroom, not even caring that there are people in the other stalls, and throw up an explosion of petals. By the time that you finally make it to class, just in time, your throat stings more than the wound on your wrist.

—

You start trying to avoid Minho and well, you never really stopped in your attempts to avoid Chan.

You leave early in the morning, only come back well after the sun has set, and do everything in your power to contain your cough when you're at home.

You know you're not solving the problem, only prolonging it, but every conversation, every lie, seems to accelerate the growth of the roses that have taken up residence in your lungs. You know that it's not helping, that keeping this secret is just strengthening the flowers that are slowly choking you. It's just that no matter how many conversations you've rehearsed in your head or text that you've drafted, something seems to stop you.

You're just so so scared that waking up with a mouthful of petals and thorns, bloody coughing fits that you can't prevent, and the raspy tone of your voice that has developed is preferrable. 

As much as you hate him sometimes, you've looked up to your brother for your whole life. You don't know what you would do without him that the thought of losing him terrifies you beyond belief.

You don't always get what you want, though. It's not long until Minho confronts you again.

It's not really a surprise, when you look in the mirror these days, you're shocked by your appearance. Your face is pale and drawn, you have deep bags from not being able to sleep at night, and you've lost weight since most solid food irritates your throat enough to trigger a coughing fit. Add that to the fact that you know your apartment's walls are paper thin which means it's impossible that your brother can't hear you coughing at all hours of the day.

“Y/n-ah. I know that you're not doing well right now. Don't even try to deny it,” Minho says. He closes his eyes for a moment before seemingly deciding something. “I- you don't have to tell me what it is. I would prefer it if you did, but just- what can I do to help?”

You take a deep breath, preparing yourself to reassure him that you're fine, but regret it when you start choking instead. You lurch upright and head directly to the bathroom, Minho trailing behind you worriedly. 

“I-” Trying to talk just makes it worse. You're used to it now, the way that the thorns seem to claw at your throat on their way up, how even the brush of soft petals against the raw flesh hurts, the metallic taste that you can't seem to get rid of no matter how many times you wash your mouth. Still, it doesn't make it easier.

Minho watches in silence as you heave over the toilet. He puts a hand on your back, rubbing slow circles to try and soothe some of your pain. Your eyes water, partially from coughing and partly because you're mortified that your brother is finally witnessing this.

You throw up finally, mostly petals and blood, which is a relief. The stems have been the most painful by far, each thorn digging into the already abused flesh of your throat.

When you finally finish rinsing your mouth, he's holding out a tissue which you accept gratefully. Minho doesn't comment until you've finally caught your breath.

“Y/n-ah-”

“Yeah,” you say miserably, tearing at the leftover tissue in your hand. Your voice both sounds and feels like you've been swallowing gravel. “Hanahaki, who would have guessed that I'd be a romantic at heart?”

You laugh weakly. Minho doesn't.

“I knew it. All those times you locked yourself in the bathroom with the water running… That stupid bath bomb story you told me… I hear you up at all hours, coughing your lungs out… You’ve been hiding it this whole time, haven’t you?” he accuses you.

“I can explain-”

“Go on then,” Minho says impatiently.

“I- It's-” You bury your face in your hands, unable to get the words out. “It's stupid.”

“Y/n-ah, it's obviously not stupid. Whatever it is, it's bothering you enough that it's hurting you physically.”

“I like someone,” you say in a small voice. “Okay? That's it.”

“Why won't you tell them?” Minho demands. “Why won't you tell me who it is?”

“No, I can't. There’s no point, it wouldn't work out,” you insist, shaking your head.

“What are you talking about? No point? Y/n, can't you see it's killing you.” You've never heard Minho sound so desperate. He's angry, he's frustrated, but most of all, he's scared, you realise.

“Oppa-” you say cautiously, but you're interrupted by yet another coughing fit. You can't hide it from your brother when the tissue that you've used to cover your mouth is tinged red by the time you're done. You can feel there's still something lodged in your throat, it takes everything in you to ignore the urge to continue coughing to try and get it out.

“I can't lose you, Y/n,” he whispers. Your eyes widen when you realise his are filled with tears. You don't think you've ever seen Minho cry. “I can't let you do this to yourself, please.”

“I need more time-”

“You don’t have time!” Minho interrupts frantically. “Have you even seen a doctor about this?”

You look away guiltily at the question.

“No, but-”

“Are you kidding me?” Minho says exasperatedly. “We’re booking you an appointment right now.”

“Is it going to make a difference? I know what’s wrong-” As if to prove your point, you can’t stop yourself from coughing again. “It's not that bad yet, oppa,” you lie, the croakiness of your voice giving you away.

“Y/n-”

“I promise! I promise that I am trying my best. I- if it doesn't get better, I'll see a doctor in two weeks.” 

“Not good enough, Y/n-ah. If you can't tell me, at least talk to whoever you like,” he pleads. 

“Fine,” you say. “I- I'll talk to him in the next few days. And if the flowers don't go away, then I will see a doctor.”

Minho lets out a heavy sigh of relief, pulling you into his arms for a tight hug. You try your best to sink into his embrace, but just can't ignore the guilt that seems to consume you.

—

Chan catches you outside your last lecture that night. You're not sure how exactly he found out your schedule, but you exit the lecture hall to find him leaning against the wall directly across from the doors.

It could just be that he knows someone else taking this course or that he has a class in the same room, but somehow you know that he's waiting for you. Not ready for this conversation, you try to keep your head down to pass by unnoticed, but you know that he's spotted you when he calls out your name.

“Hey.” Chan reaches out, tugging on your sleeve without actually touching you. You turn around, stomach sinking slightly. Yes, you had promised your brother that you'd confess to Chan, but you didn't think it would happen so soon. “You're heading home right?”

“Yeah,” you say warily. “What's up?”

“I'm going back too, can we walk together?”

“Sure,” you agree slowly, not able to think of a way to get out of this situation. 

The two of you walk in silence towards your bus stop. Chan's being uncharacteristically awkward and you're not sure what to expect.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he says suddenly.

“Okay?”

Chan stays quiet for so long that you’re about to ask if he’s okay.

“I like you,” he blurts out, right as you open your mouth to speak.

“What?” Of everything he could have said, this is what you're expecting the least. There’s no way that you heard him correctly, you must need to get your ears checked.

“I like you,” Chan repeats. You blink up at him, stunned. “But if you don't feel the same way, it's- don't worry about it. I promise that I'll respect it. I'll back off and everything will stay the same. I just wanted to get it off my chest. And maybe, I don't know if I was just making things up, but I thought that you liked me too?”

“You can't,” is all that escapes your mouth.

“I… can't like you?” Chan asks, baffled.

“No, it's- you can't- we can't,” you stammer. “My brother-"

“What, you think I'm afraid of Minho-ya?” Chan asks cockily, raising an eyebrow in a way that you can't help but find attractive.

“I just- he always said-”

“Y/n-ah,” Chan says gently. “I like you and I don't care what your dumb brother thinks. He can complain all he wants, but as long as you're happy, I'm happy. And-”

“You actually like me?” you interrupt.

“Yes, is it really so hard to believe?”

“I just always thought, you only saw me as Minho-oppa's baby sister,” you say glumly, kicking at the ground.

“I did when you were younger for sure,” Chan laughs. “But since university, I feel like I've actually gotten to know the real you, to see how funny, talented, kind, and thoughtful you are. I like you for you, not because I'm friends with your brother.” 

“But there's so many other girls you could choose from that are much prettier or smarter than me,” you argue, still not wanting to get your hopes up.

“Y/n-ah, are you actually trying to convince me not to like you?” Chan pouts. “If you don't feel the same way, just say so, it's okay.”

“No! I-” you trail off, suddenly feeling incredibly shy.

“You what?” Chan prompts you gently.

“I like you too.” Your voice is barely a whisper, but you know that he's heard you from the smile that grows on his face.

“What was that?” Chan asks cheekily.

“I said I like you too!” you say louder this time, before hiding your face in your hands so that you don't have to look at Chan. 

Even though you're beyond embarrassed, you feel better than you have in a long time, giddy with the idea that Chan actually reciprocates your feelings.

But when you breathe in, instead of relief, there's still that familiar tightness in your chest. 

You have to talk to Minho, you realise. As much as you've been keeping it a secret from Chan, you know that a majority of your inner turmoil stems from hiding our feelings from the closest person in your life. You had hoped that talking to Chan would instantly cure your hanahaki, but clearly you were wrong.

—

For the first time in weeks, you purposely seek out Minho. Luckily, you don't have to look far, when you get home, Minho is stretched out on the couch watching anime.

“I told him,” you say. Minho immediately sits upright, turning his attention to you. “The guy I like. But it didn’t help, the flowers are still-”

“And he feels the same way?” Minho interrupts you.

“I- yes, he’s the one that confessed first.”

“Wow,” Minho whistles. “Who’s crazy enough to have feelings for you?”

You had already made up your mind that you had to tell your brother, but his reaction makes you even more confident in your decision. Maybe it's the way that Minho is treating this so lightly, but you’re no longer nervous to say it out loud.

“It's Chan-oppa,” you say, bracing yourself. 

“Chan?” Minho repeats, shell shocked.

“Channie-hyung? Like-” he takes out his phone and pulls up the photo he has of Chan in his contacts.

Chan has the craziest bedhead and his face is puffy from sleep in the photo. He's squinting up at the camera, a hand coming up to try and block his face. He looks adorable.

Minho watches your face carefully as you visibly melt a bit looking at the picture.

“You really do like him, huh,” he says in a quiet voice, no longer joking around. “This whole time?”

“Yeah.” You look down. “I'm sorry.”

“That's it? That's the person you've been so scared of telling me that you liked?"

“I- yes? You don't think it's weird?” you ask tentatively, looking back up at your brother. “The two of us being together? He's one of your best friends.”

“Oh no, it’s definitely weird.” Minho laughs. “I do not understand it at all. But Y/n, Channie-hyung is one of the few people in my life that I trust. Do I want him to be dating my baby sister? Of course not! I don't want you to be dating anyone. Do I think he’s out of his mind for being interested in you? Definitely.”

“Hey!” you interject. Minho carries on like he can’t hear you.

“Do I think he fully understands that if he hurts you in any way, directly or indirectly, on purpose or on accident, that I will hunt him down and make him regret the fact that he ever existed in the first place? Yes, I think he knows.”

“Oppa,” you say in horror. “You will not give your best friend the shovel talk.”

“I don’t have to.” Minho smiles brightly, a picture of innocence if you didn’t know him. “My reputation precedes me. Channie-hyung's one of my closest friends, he would never expect anything less from me.”

“Oppa-”

“Y/n-ah,” Minho softens his voice. “I also know that of all the people that I've ever met, Channie-hyung is one that is least likely to ever hurt you. I trust him, but I also want you to know that I trust your judgement.”

You look away, sniffing. You never could have imagined that Minho would accept your relationship so easily that it's making you feel emotional.

“Aigoo, Y/nnie,” Minho coos. He pulls you into a tight hug, ignoring the way that tears finally escape from you and stain his shirt. “You were really worried about this, weren't you?”

You nod into his shoulder, unable to provide a verbal response.

“I'm sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't tell me about this. It's definitely going to take a bit of time to get used to it, but I'm happy for you, really. I know I can seem overbearing sometimes, but I just worry.”

“I didn't want you to be upset at Channie-oppa or me,” you murmur. “I didn't want to do anything to hurt your friendship. I didn't want to hurt our relationship.”

“Y/n-ah,” Minho says gently, but firmly. “I want you to know that there is nothing that could hurt our relationship. You're my baby sister, I'm always going to love you.”

After months of keeping all your feelings bottled up, of denying your feelings for Chan, of dreading Minho’s reaction, you’ve felt a constant dread, guilt filling your insides. Now, you’re just filled with an overwhelming sense of relief. It’s as if an enormous weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

It feels like you can breathe again.

read it on ao3 | masterlist

[slvt4felix]

♡Fanart♡

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

Stray Kids

♡ Felix and Han Sketches ♡

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

All of my work is tagged under my username!

[slvt4felix]

I haven’t done fanart in years, but I think the obsession is restarting now that I’ve gotten into k-pop haha

Here’s some sketches I did recently! The one on the right is on canvas and I hope to turn it into an oil painting after I fix some of the off areas of the sketch. I couldn’t resist painting rockstar Han!

What do you guys think— Should I continue my fanart journey? I might start posting some art along with my writing!

[slvt4felix]

"My Soulmate"

SKZ -> Hyunjin x fem!reader

genre: slight angst, crack, vampire/soulmate AU wc: ~2,200 cw: none

summary: being kidnapped and brought to your vampire soulmate is something you never knew you needed... until now.

A/N: Hello again! Life's been crazy, and I've actually had this written since forever ago, so I decided to go ahead and edit and post it! Hope you enjoy :)

Alsoooo, I survived the Ticketmaster war and was able to snag some SKZ tickets to the Chicago show!!!

Happy Scrolling! | Masterlist

"Please be careful. That area is so sketchy, especially at night. Infested with those dastardly vampires, I'll tell ya."

"Mom, I'm fine. The bus station is only a mile down the road, and I'm almost there," you speak into the phone.

Your mom gives a disappointed sigh from the other end. "Sweetie, I've heard so many stories of girls going missing on that street. I really wish you would've listened to me and taken a different way home."

"I've always taken this way home from work; why are you so worried about it now?" The more you speak with your mom, the more paranoid you become. All the shadows out of the corner of your eye appear as humans, lurking behind buildings and in alleyways.

"Because a girl was killed just last week walking around down there, not to mention she was by herself. Just like you!" she screeches over the line. You have to pull the phone away from your head to protect your poor eardrums. "It was a gang that took them! What was their name again? Stray dogs? Stray... Stay? I can't remember."

"It's Stray Kids, mom. I'm sure they're not even around these parts anymore now that the cops are looking for them."

Too focused on your surroundings rather than the ground beneath you, you trip and fall over a large lip in the sidewalk. Your body hits the ground, and you immediately clutch your knee. Your legs are littered with scrapes and scratches, but your knee in particular has blood dripping down it. Pieces of dirt cover your skin, unpleasantly sticking to your wound and the oozing blood.

You startle from the sudden cold breeze you feel over your shoulder. You turn abruptly, hissing when your leg rubs against the ground. Another gust of wind brushes past your front, and you're quick to twist around again. Your heartrate picks up at the eeriness of the situation, your hands turning clammy.

Suddenly, a being materializes in front of you. A scream catches in your throat when another appears next to him. Both are dressed in normal clothing, albeit entirely black in appearance, the only color emitting from the two beings in front of you coming from their pale skin. It's almost sparkling under the glow from the streetlights.

They stand and stare for a moment, and the silence is palpable. As you make eye contact with them, you take notice of their eye color- a deep, fiery red. You feel as though you’re in a hypnotic state as you continue to stare into their eyes. Your surroundings become blurred the longer you look, and you begin to feel dizzy as the world around you begins to spin.

You can faintly hear your mom screaming at you through your phone, calling out for you with panic in her voice, but you can't seem to look away from the boys in front of you.

The dizzier you feel, the calmer you become. It's a weird sensation, feeling all your anxiety and fear just slipping from you. The last thing you see is the muscular man in front of you approaching before you close your eyes from the exhaustion. It came out of nowhere, but it's all-consuming as all thoughts leave your head, and you're left their laying limp and vulnerable.

~ ~ ~

Your eyes feel heavy as you open them, and the bright lights are blinding as they invade your vision. Reaching up to rub your eyes, you quickly realize that your arms are tied behind your back. Becoming aware of your surroundings, you feel the cool plastic chair beneath you. Looking down, you see the zip ties around each of your ankles, anchoring you to the chair.

You appear to be tied up in a cell of some sort. Black, solid bars seal you off from the outside of the room. The cell is small, only about 8 ft by 8 ft if you had to guess. The floor is nothing special, just some concrete. While you can't see much from where your seated in the corner, the room around you seems empty and cold. A desk sits in the middle with a few stacks of paper on top.

Your eyes tear up at your predicament as the memories of the men dressed in all black come back to you. Question upon question spring into your head; where'd they come from? Where'd they bring you? What do they want from you?

Your worries seem to multiply by the second, and you are filled with dread as you consider the possibilities.

You know you must look amess as sweat starts to pool on your forehead, not only from the temperature of the room but also the imminent danger present upon you. Tears stream freely down your cheeks as you desperately pull at the zip ties holding you hostage.

A door creaks open while in the middle of your struggle, and you freeze. Voices fill the open space, and your mouth runs dry at the thought of meeting your captor.

"I told you, we won't be getting our next shipment of blood for another couple weeks. You're just gonna have to hold off-" the voice cuts off as the man walks around the corner. He makes eye contact with you. He shares the same eye color as the men that took you, but you know from the facial features that this isn't the same one.

The man heaves a sigh, his eyes never leaving yours. "I've gotta call you back," he says before hanging up the phone. Without uttering another word, the man walks back out of the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts once again.

It feels as if hours have gone by the next time you hear the door open. This time, cries of pain fill the silent void. You become alert at that, straightening up in your seat. Curiosity fills your gaze as you’re welcomed with the man from earlier, this time accompanied by two more.

The two men are being dragged by their ears, which appears uncomfortable if the sounds of pain are anything to go by.

The man from earlier releases them once they are standing right outside your cell.

"Explain yourselves," he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Both men start talking over each other immediately, making it impossible to understand either one. "One at a time you pabos!" he interrupts them, creating an uncomfortable silence.

The buff one, which you now recall as one of the accomplices to your kidnapping, gestures roughly to the other man. Taking this as his cue to explain, he begins, "We swear she's the right one this time!" His words are rushed as he gestures towards you.

"You're kidding," the man in charge says, bringing his fingers to grasp at the bridge of his nose. "We've already been over this. You two can't keep kidnapping women from off the streets just because you believe them to be Hyunjin's soulmate."

Your heart races as your brought into the discussion. Soulmate?

You've heard of soulmates, but only ever in fiction, like books and movies. From what you've read, vampires are the only beings who can initiate the soulmate bond. Thereafter, the human can feel the bond, as well.

Suddenly, the pieces fall perfectly into place as you consider all the factors. Materializing out of nowhere, the red eyes, the hypnosis. These guys are vampires. How you didn't put it together sooner, you're not sure.

The bravery you're hit with is astounding, and you can't hold yourself back from interrupting the conversation. "Who are you guys and what do you want from me?" The man's rambling stops as all three look to you.

"Hi..." the man rambling starts, "I'm Jisung, and this is Lee Know and Changbin. We've brought you here because we believe you're our friend's soulmate."

"Please just let me go. I promise not to tell anyone about this!" you plead. You don't know what being the soulmate of a vampire entails, but you surely don't want to find out.

"Oh, we can never let you go," the man in charge, Lee Know, answers. "You've seen us, experienced our presence. You either have to stay with us, or... well, we kill you. You can thank these idiots for that," he gestures to Jisung and Changbin. Jisung brings his hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing it awkwardly.

You let out a sob at the ultimatum. You don't want to stay here forever. You want to go home, shower, and complain to your mom about work. You want to call your best friend and talk to her about the cute guy that you saw. The thought of never being able to do those things again envelopes you with sorrow, and more prominently, fear.

"Please don't cry," Jisung says, his hands coming up around the bars of the cell. "We would never want Hyunjin's soulmate to be sad."

"Jisung, we don't even know if this is his soulmate," Changbin says, his gaze piercing the side of your face.

"I'll prove it to you," he says before running out of the room, the door slamming behind him.

"I swear, I will kill both of you if this isn't the right girl. You said that the time before this was the last, and I'm getting tired of hiding dead bodies," Lee Know tells Changbin.

The hair on the back of your neck stands up, and you suddenly really hope you are this guy's soulmate. While this doesn't sound like the greatest of situations, at least if you live you'll get a chance to escape.

Changbin and Lee Know talk amongst themselves, and your anxiety starts to build once more.

~ ~ ~

It feels as if hours have gone by the time there's movement outside your cell again. Changbin and Lee Know, having gotten tired of standing, had taken a seat on the couch towards the back of the room, busying themselves on their phones.

You're still stuck in the same position. You've been wriggling your hands around, but you've realized there's no use in trying to escape. The two men would surely notice if the zip ties came undone, and even if they didn't, you're still stuck in this cell. You don't know what lies outside this room, but you're scared to find out.

You finally hear the door swing open, and you recognize Jisung's voice, this time accompanied by another stranger. The two come into view, and your breath hitches in your throat when your eyes meet the man Jisung brought with him.

He is easily the most beautiful man you've ever seen. His eyes meet yours, and you're immediately captivated, unable to look away. It's a strange feeling, but you suddenly feel all the worry and fear being washed from you, leaving you with a feeling of peace and serenity. It's almost like you've known this man for years, the way he brought you immediate comfort in this unfamiliar place.

"My soulmate," he whispers, and at this point you can only assume this is the 'Hyunjin' they were talking about.

In the blink of an eye, he materializes in front of you, now inside the cell. He quickly brings his hands towards you, and you feel no fear. The dread that once filled your body is no more as you allow him to carefully undo the zip ties from around your wrists and ankles.

Tears still slip down your cheeks, but the emotional pain you once felt is no more. You're overcome with unfamiliar emotions, and the tears don't stop.

You feel as if you recognize Hyunjin from your dreams. Always the hero, saving you from whatever dangers are out there for waiting for you.

Once the zip ties are off, you immediately rise to your feet and reach out to hold him. He embraces you even tighter, his arms wrapping firmly around your exhausted figure.

"This is such a strange feeling, but I feel at peace now," you whisper to him, your head resting on his shoulder.

"It's because we're together. The soulmate bond, I initiated it, and you've accepted it," he whispers back. "We can be together now."

"Have I seen you before?" you ask, taking a step back to admire his beautiful features.

"Maybe in your dreams. I've visited you there before. I've known what you looked like for a long time. That's how these guys found you," he says, gesturing behind him to Jisung and Changbin.

"Yea, and it only took us two tries! Do you know how vague of a description I had to go off of?" Jisung complains.

"Because I didn't expect you to go out and try to find her!" Hyunjin exclaims, exasperated.

"Well, I figured since your birthday was coming up, I could do something nice for you. And it only costed us one casualty!"

"Which I'm still dealing with, by the way," Lee Know says.

"Yea, yea. I just had a gut feeling about it this time."

[slvt4felix]

I’m literally losing my mind over these pictures

FELIX in "ATE" teaser images

[slvt4felix]

Stray kids as Romance Tropes- Hyung Line

Bang Chan: second chance

Chan is definitely the type of person who fixes his past mistakes and tries to make it up to people.

Whether it'd be quickly after you break up or a rekindled romance years later, it would be hard to stay away from him.

I could also see it as sort of a right person, wrong time situation. I think there could be relationship issues due to him overworking himself or being in the band, but these could be overcome at a later time when both of your lives have settled down a little bit.

He would bump into you years later and you would both know how it would end. Despite all the extra years and relationships in between neither of you could forget each other, no matter how hard you tried.

He'd definitely worry he's making the wrong choice, not wanting to put you through anything negative again, but ultimately decides that love is worth it.

"I'm never letting you go again. I made that mistake once. I know better now. You're the love of my life."

Lee Minho: enemies to lovers

I mean do I really have to explain this one? (If you can't tell from my fics, enemies to lovers Lee Know is like my roman empire)

The sarcasm, the stubbornness, competitiveness, and ultimately just Minho all together makes for easy enemies.

I don't think it would be anything big, rather just like miscommunication or a misunderstanding over something silly that grows into something bigger. His love language seems to be sort of like teasing which would be an incredible way to escalate the enemies into lovers.

I think once you transition into lovers though, he would be the biggest softie for you. Once you break down all the layers, I feel like he would be the sweetest boyfriend. The sarcasm and teasing would definitely stay though.

Lowkey though, hero x villain would be so cute with him

"Only I get to make fun of you"

"Who hurt you?"

Seo Changbin: forced proximity

I could totally see this being like work romance or even like the one bed trope. Just basically anything that forces the two of you to interact a lot.

I feel like maybe he just never noticed you, but being forced to work together or be together makes him start to realize how much he likes you.

If were being real, it would be so difficult not to fall in love with him especially in forced proximity. Like his laugh and smile are so infectious and it's hard not to be in love with him.

Once the two of you get closer and over the awkwardness and little bumps, you'd be attached at the hip and genuinely enjoy the other's company.

When he is finally able to leave the situation, I think it would finally hit him and he'd realize just how much he was starting to like you and enjoy your presence.

Or instead of one bed you just have to share a room for the night and you wake up from a nightmare. He would come over to your bed and comfort you back to sleep. You'd wake up the next morning in his arms and have to figure out how to make it not awkward.

"I didn't take you for a cuddler"

"Now what?"

Hwang Hyunjin: forbidden love

Hyunjin really gives like hopeless romantic vibes or like royalty aesthetic which I think fits really well with this trope.

He'd be like a prince who falls in love with someone "under" him who he isn't usually allowed to interact with. Or maybe a princess from a nemesis kingdom.

He would definitely run away to be with his love. If he gets caught he would never stop fighting to get back to you.

In a different situation, I could see him falling in love with someone really quickly which could end negatively. For example, he could meet someone whilst in a different country or on vacation and has to leave in a week, so he desperately tries to stay away, but is unable to deny his love by the end and has to face the consequences.

I could also see him being in a group and falling in love with a member despite a dating ban. They would have to keep their love a secret, but it's worth it to be together.

Ultimately, I just feel like love will win out for him in the end and he would do anything for his partner.

"I love you and I will do anything to be with you."

"I don't care what they think. I only care about us, about you and me."

Maknae Line coming soon!!

[slvt4felix]

Hi!! It’s been forever, butttt I do plan on posting this week. I’m excited to get back into it, and hopefully I’ll have these up really soon! I’ve got a couple fics in mind, so vote down below which u wanna see first!

The “SKZ as… quotes” will be a little blurb for each member based on a quote/song by that artist.

Alsooooo, I GOT PIT TICKETS FOR ATEEZ for Aug 10 in Chicago!! A couple of my friends and I (@slvt4felix @chans-pineapple) are going, so lmk if anyone else has tickets for that day!

[slvt4felix]

240503🖤

[slvt4felix]

🎀

[slvt4felix]

"They found her"

SKZ -> ot8 x 9th member fem! reader

This is a part 2 to this fic, but it can be read as a stand alone as there's not much reference to the original fic.

genre: hurt/comfort, angst wc: ~3,800 words cw: kidnapping, guns and gunshot wounds, hospitals, some brief cursing

Summary: Since the incident, the guys have been extremely over protective of you. You heed their warnings, but still go out unaccompanied by security on your vacation, only to have to pay the price for your poor decisions.

A/N: Hiiii, ik I've disappeared off the face of the Earth again, but I've brought gifts back with me this time. This one's a bit heavier, but it's the long awaited part 2 to "Did you know?", so I hope you guys enjoy. I hit 500 followers since the last time I posted, so this is kind of a celebratory post as well. Thanks guys!

Masterlist | Happy Scrolling!

The time has come around again when JYP has given you and your members some well-earned personal vacation, and you've chosen to spend that time back at home with your family and friends.

Upon hearing about your vacation, your childhood friends started blowing up your phone, asking about when you'll be in and if you wanted to hangout. Of course, you've missed them just as much and gave them all the details of you're arrival.

The day of said plans has finally arrived, and you couldn't be more excited. You and three of your closest friends have decided to go to this cute breakfast cafe for brunch, run by all your favorite stores for some shopping, and then round your evening out with some bar hopping.

"You have got to see this!" Ha-Yoon, a friend you've known since grade school, explodes from beside you in the passenger seat, fanning herself. "Look at how hot this guy is? Think he'll give me his number if I DM him?"

"Are you being for real?" Dae cringes from the backseat, leaning forward to get a closer look at your friend's new internet crush. "He's kinda ugly."

This elicits a bickering match for the remainder of the drive, with you and your remaining friend, Soon-Bok, rolling your eyes at their silly banter.

You decided that you'd pick them all up from their homes, figuring that you'd get to spend some more time with them that way. You didn't really think about the fact that perhaps more time was synonymous with too much time. Just because you hadn't seen your friends in months, doesn't mean that they didn't see each other literally every single day.

With a clear of your throat, they stop insulting each other's fantasy love interests, both squealing when they realize you've pulled into the parking lot for the cafe.

The four of you get out of the car, you pulling your keys out of your purse to lock the doors. While walking towards the doors of the cafe, you're hit with a strange feeling- like someone's watching you.

Immediately, you whip your head around in search of anyone getting a little too nosey, but you come up with nothing. You keep your guard up though, knowing you can never be too sure.

Since the stage incident a few months back, you've been feeling a little paranoid. Understandably so, especially since the mean and threatening comments never subsided. It's gotten to the point where the staff have begun to send out a few extra security guards each time you leave the JYP building. In fact, JYP gave you all this nice little vacation in hopes it'd help some of the comments die down. To your dismay, they have not.

The guys have been incredibly protective since then, and you're actually grateful for it for once. Their constant questions about your whereabouts and wanting to tag along with you everywhere you go used to annoy you, but you'd never think to complain about it now.

Just this morning, having told them about your exciting plans for the day, they sent a barrage of texts telling you to be careful. Chan practically demanded you take a security guard with you, but for the sake of your friends' comfortability, you declined. Was it stupid? Possibly, but you're only wish for this vacation is to make things seem normal again. Having constant security around is not normal.

You placated Chan by telling him that your family knows of the places you'll be, and your family and the rest of your members all have your location at all times. He was reluctant, almost threatening to fly himself to your home just to go out on your little excursion with you, but he eventually gave way, not without first lecturing you about how important your safety is- like you didn't already know that.

~ ~ ~

"And then he pushed him down the stairs! How crazy!" Dae finishes, your eyes widening at how her story ended. She had just finished telling you all about how her boyfriend got into this big fight with a guy at the bar the other day. Apparently, the random man thought it acceptable to lay his hands on Dae, and her boyfriend did not appreciate that.

"Your boyfriend is so hot," Ha-Yoon comments, her eyes looking dreamily off into the distance.

"Excuse me?" Dae questions, raising a brow at Ha-Yoon's confession.

"I mean-"

"Ok!" you interrupt, pushing your chair back from the table you've all been sat at. The brunch was nice, catching up with your friends was much needed and the food was warm and comforting, but enough is enough, and your friends are starting to get a bit squeamish. "I need to use the restroom quickly, then we can head to the mall? Does that sound ok?"

There's a chorus of yesses, and they shoo you off into the restroom, picking up their phones to distract themselves until you get back.

You make your way to the back of the cafe, noticing how the bathrooms are secluded down a small hallway in the corner of the restaurant. Your eyes glance out the emergency exit door, and you tilt your head in confusion upon seeing a large white van sat outside it. It is not parked in a parking spot; it's just parked directly outside the door.

You quickly do your business, not wanting to keep your friends waiting for too long, and head back out to the front of the cafe. Stepping outside the restroom, a hand is immediately thrown over your mouth, a piece of foul smelling cloth pressed up against your nose. You try to scream, but this only causes you to inhale more of the chemical.

You fight, attempting to throw an elbow behind you to dislodge yourself from the person's vice like grip, but this only leads to your elbow being grabbed at a painful angle. You whimper slightly as the person pries your elbow behind you, and it almost feels as if your arm could snap if you were to move another inch. You become lightheaded, and it's hard to keep your eyes open and your mind alert. Unable to fight any longer, you give in and slump down into the arms which hold you captive.

~ ~ ~

"She's been gone awhile, I'm gonna go-" Soon-Bok is cut off by an alarm inside the cafe going off. All the customers heads perk up at the noise, their attention drifting to the employees.

The waitresses look to one another in confusion before one makes their way over to where you went for the restroom a few minutes before. The cafe is silent as the waitress disappears, looking for where the alarm would be coming from.

It's silent for another minute, before there's an audible gasp. She comes back with your purse in one hand and your cracked phone in the other.

Your three friends quickly get up from their seats, rushing over to the waitress. "Where'd you find this?" Dae asks, her eyes tearing up.

"Just outside the bathroom. I was just able to catch a glimpse of a van speeding off. Do you think someone was taken?" she asks, her eyes widening at the thought.

"I think- I think our friend was kidnapped," Ya-Hoon whispers.

~ ~ ~

"This is why I said she needed a security guard with her! This would have never happened!" Chan snaps at their management in anger, rising up from his seat in the meeting room.

Upon hearing about your kidnapping, the rest of your members were immediately brought back to the JYP building. They were all livid.

"Chan, I understand you're upset, but there's really nothing we can do now but wait-"

"Wait for what? Huh? Wait for her to just magically appear here?" Minho cuts off the head of security, his face red with anger.

"Of course the police are on the case and doing everything they can to find her. As for the eight of you, you are not to leave this building until we get all of this under control. Do you hear me? We do not need more than one missing member." JYP is stern as he speaks, leaving no room for discussion. "This meeting is dismissed. We will update you all if we hear anything."

With that, everyone else clears out of the room, leaving your eight members.

"This is awful," Felix says, his head hanging in his hands.

"No shit, Felix, why not state more of the obvious," Jisung narrows his eyes at Felix.

"We can't turn on each other," Changbin butts in, deterring them from getting into it any further. "We have to stick together and just wait this out. She's strong; she'll be ok."

"But what if she's not," Hyunjin speaks up for the first time since they got back. He's been huddled up against Jeongin since they got there, his head hung low. It's obvious he's been crying with the way his cheeks are stained with tears, his eyes red from how often he's rubbed them.

"We can't think like that," Chan says, moving over to Hyunjin. He lays a comforting arm around his shoulders, and Hyunjin immediately moves to the comfort of the leader, turning his head to hide it in Chan's chest. "They saw the van leave, it couldn't have been too long before the police were there. They'll find her, and then she'll be right back here with us."

"To never be let out of our sights again," Seungmin grumbles from the couch, wearing a similar expression to that of Felix's.

"Correct," Minho agrees, leaning back in his chair.

~ ~ ~

"Seungmin, you have to sleep. Staying up for 72 hours straight is not going to make her come back any faster," Chan lays his hand on the back of the boy's neck, slightly rocking him side to side.

"Maybe not, but I'll be the first to know when they find her," he counters, his bloodhsot eyes meeting Chan's. "You're one to talk; you haven't slept either."

Chan just sighs in response, plopping down on the couch next to him. It's quiet between the two of them, but neither are complaining about it. The peace is nice after what they've been through the past few days.

"Hyunjin hasn't stopped crying. Jeongin and Felix have had to take turns laying with him," Seungmin breaks the quiet, his soft voice travelling throughout the practice room. "Han hasn't eaten since we found out."

"I know, I've been trying to get everyone up and moving, but no one's interested."

"Chan, we're not expecting you to be the hero. We know you're in pain, too, and it's ok to act like it," it takes Chan a minute to process what Seungmin had said, but as his brain takes time, he realizes that it's been so long since he's cried, so long since he's truly let his emotions out.

With another moment passing, Chan's breath quickens and tears spring into his eyes. Without another thought, he turns his head into Seungmin's shoulder and cries. He cries for you, and how scared you must be right now, and he cries for the rest of his members, knowing how bad this is hurting them. He cries because he can't take away their pain or yours, not this time.

~ ~ ~

"Wake up." You feel a cold splash of water hit your face, and you're abruptly brought to consciousness. Your eyes open quickly in response to the cold, but you squint once you're hit with the blinding light coming from the ceiling light above you.

You try to talk, to say anything, but you quickly become aware of the duct tape placed snuggly over your mouth.

You gain some more proprioception, feeling the tightness of the rope around your wrists and how your ankles are tied to the legs of the chair you're currently sat on.

"Hey!" Your attention is brought to the large man standing in front of you, and your breath hitches in your throat at the sight of the gun in his hand. "Eyes here. And quit squirming so much!"

You freeze at that, stilling your movements. "Now listen here," you hear another guy say from across the room. You are just noticing him for the first time, and you realize that this guy in front of you must be the brawn of the operation. "We need some money. A lot of money. So, if you want to make it out of here alive, you need to call your family and have them bring us 350 million won. No less. Think you can handle that princess?"

Tears well in your eyes at the mention of death. You can't die like this, at the hands of these awful people. But you also know you don't want to get your family involved. So, deciding this is your best bet, you sit stoically. You look straight ahead, your focus unwavering.

"The silent treatment, huh?" You can see out of your periphery the man at the desk across the room stand from his chair. He makes his way towards you, but you pay him no mind, keeping your blank stare on the wall in front of you.

"If the threat's not enough to get you to talk, maybe this will be." He's quick to take the gun from the other man's hand, and before you can even flinch he's pointed it at your lower leg and let off a shot.

You choke on your own spit when the pain registers. You close your eyes and strain your body not to react, but there's only so much you can do. The tears you were successfully keeping at bay before now slide freely down your cheeks. Your hands are in tight fists behind your back, and you feel you may pass out from the white-hot pain radiating from your calf.

Your consciousness teeters, and all words being spoken by the men sound gibberish in your state. Just as you feel you may fall completely unconscious, you're startled by a loud bang from behind you. Your eyes lazily drift to the men, and you see their gazes widen before they quickly raise their hands in surrender. You make eye contact with the one that shot you, and that's the last thing you see before your eyes shut, your body and mind going completely numb.

~ ~ ~

The practice room door is flung open, bringing Chan out of his sleepy state. "What the hell? Be a little quieter would you," he mumbles, rolling his eyes at Jisung who stands in the doorway. For the first time since the news, Chan is attempting to get some sleep. It wasn't exactly on his own accord, though. After the constant hounding from the rest of the members, and even a threat from Felix that he'd sneak melatonin into his water, he decided it would probably be best for him to try and get some shut eye; he'll be of no use to anyone if he's delirious with sleep.

"They found her."

At this, all of Chan's previous drowsiness vanishes. He sits up from the couch faster than he ever has before, his joints cracking with such a sudden movement. "What?" he asks for clarification, fearing it might be too good to be true.

"They've found her. She's on the way to the hospital right now," Jisung's contagious smile makes more sense now, Chan wearing a similar expression.

"Where are the rest of the boys?" Chan stands from the couch in a rush, quickly slipping his shoes on.

"They're in the meeting room. They just bought our flight there, we're leaving now."

~ ~ ~

"Thank you," you tell the nurse, taking the small cup of water from her hands. It's been a few hours since you woke up from your unconscious state. Upon arriving at the hospital, they immediately took you into surgery to remove the bullet from your leg. Thankfully, it missed all the important stuff, leaving your bones completely in tact. You're left with some muscle damage, but the doctor assured you with some physical therapy you'd be back to normal again.

You're now laying in bed recovering. The wound has been stapled and is wrapped tightly. You have your leg resting on a couple pillows, hopefully to help prevent the swelling. Beside you on the couch is your family, having come in immediately upon hearing the news. Some silly K-Drama is playing on the T.V, but it's enough to keep your mind occupied for now, so you're thankful for it.

Nobody confirmed it for you, but you were sure your members were well on their way. Your family told you that you had been kidnapped for a few days. You told them you only remember being awake for a few minutes, but apparently they kept knocking you out again and again.

After talking with the police, you find that they were using you for ransom, and they kept knocking you out because they didn't have everything squared away yet; whatever that means, you're not quite sure.

As if on cue, the door to your room swings open, revealing Chan and Minho. They're out of breath and sweaty, looking as if they had just run a marathon.

You're given no time for formal greetings as they both launch themselves at you, throwing their arms haphazardly around you until you feel like you're squished beneath them. Your mom makes a protesting sound, but you wave her off with a gesture of your hand. They missed you, and you missed them. They weren't hurting you or anyone else by hugging you.

"You're never leaving our sights again," Chan says, his cheek pressed against the top of your head.

"Never ever," Minho agrees, his torso laid lightly across your lap.

"I'm okay-" you start, only to be cut off by an angry looking Chan. His face pops into view at your words, eyebrows furrowed.

"You are indeed not okay! You were kidnapped, unconscious for hours on end, and then shot! How are you possibly trying to convince us that you're ok?" Minho stands up at his outburst, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm alive, and that's okay enough for me."

With your response bludgeoned into their minds, they both collapse on top of you in another hug.

You bask in their warmth a bit longer, only being interrupted with the door creaking open. Felix and Hyunjin stand there, teary and red-eyed.

"Your time's up," Hyunjin sniffles, moving out of the way of the door so the two can exit.

"We'll be back," Chan leans down to kiss your forehead while Minho grabs your hand, giving it an assuring squeeze.

They leave, and Felix and Hyunjin scurry in after them. They crowd around your bedframe, hesitant to even lay a hand on you.

"Hey," you whisper, reaching over to grab both of their hands, "I'm okay."

Hyunjin breaks down in sobs, and it only takes Felix a minute before he's right there with him. You let go of their hands and open your arms to welcome them in for a hug. Both of them hesitate again, but eventually bend down to give you the gentlest hug you've ever received.

"Does it hurt?" Felix mumbles, his arms tightly wrapped around your shoulders.

"They've got me on some serious meds, so no. It probably will when I come off of them, though. I haven't tried to walk-"

"And you wont either. Not for a long while," your mom cuts in from the couch.

"Thanks for your input, Mom."

"No problem," her gaze shifts to the boys, "She's been moody since she came out of surgery. They say it's because of the meds." They both let out a huffy laugh at that, and while you're absolutely dying to argue, you're just thankful to see Hyunjin and Felix smile.

There's another knock at the door, and all your heads snap to Changbin and Jisung. "Our turn," Jisung says, gesturing for Felix and Hyunjin to get out.

"We'll see you soon," Felix says before making his way to the door.

"Love you," Hyunjin says, hugging you for a second longer.

"Love you, too," you tell him, and you watch as he gets up and walks toward the door.

Once they're gone, Jisung and Changbin come into the room.

"Chan is never letting you out of his sight again; you know that, right?" Changbin asks, pulling up a chair beside you.

"Uh, not just Chan, all of us," Jisung argues. "You know how when girls go out they all have to, like, go to the bathroom together? That's about to be us bestie."

"Um, ew," you grimace just thinking about all your privacy being stripped from you.

"We'll wait outside, of course," Changbin says, trying to make you feel better.

"Oh, how thoughtful," you sass back, giving them a sarcastic smile.

"But for real though, are you ok?" The atmosphere turns serious at Jisung's inquisition. "We were all worried sick about you."

"I guess I could be better, but I'm gonna be just fine. Doc said some physical therapy and I'll be good as new."

"Did you know they didn't even realize you were an idol at first?" Changbin says, piquing your interest. "They said they thought they just picked up some random person at the cafe. Apparently that's why they kept you knocked out for so long; it made things more complicated."

"I did not know that, actually. The police only gave me a quick run down, said they'd be back later for some more questioning and to give us some more information."

Another knock is heard at the door, and you look to see Seungmin and I.N standing there, the last of your boys. "Our turn now, move along," Seungmin says, tapping his foot impatiently.

"That's our cue, we'll see you later." They both lean down to give you a kiss on the cheek before walking out of the room.

Seungmin and I.N come in, seeming even more urgent than Chan and Minho did earlier.

They both come crashing down on top of you, all concern for the wires attached to you out the window.

Wanting to tease them, you say, "What if I was, like, seriously hurt? And now you two just came running in here like a pack of wild animals?"

"Give me a break, everybody said you were fine and that you were accepting hugs," Seungmin throws back, giving you a firm poke in the side.

You bark out a laugh at that, a smile gracing your features. "They also said that you hadn't smiled yet. So there," Seungmin nuzzles his head back into your shoulder, and you feel him breath a sigh against your neck.

"We missed you," I.N says from the other side where he's latched onto your arm.

"I missed you guys more."

"Not possible, I'd never seen any of the guys so worked up before. Chan didn't sleep the whole time you were gone, and as soon as we convinced him to, they found you," Seungmin says.

"Well, I'm here now," you comfort them, rubbing a hand on each of their backs.

"And we're never letting you go again."

~ ~ ~

Part 1

[slvt4felix]

This is my first ever fanfic that I’m posting! Please like, reblog, and leave comments telling me what you think! Currently only writing for SKZ. If you have any ideas, I’d be happy to write something if you send me an ask!

Tiny Traitor (shout out to @skzms for the title idea and for encouraging me to write this!! You’re the best <3)

Pairing: lee know x reader

Summary: Minho comes home to find you in bed with a replacement for him. But how can he be angry when he looks so much like him and you look so peaceful.

Warnings: none, just fluff!

Word count: 813

2:19am

Minho had told you he’d be late getting home tonight, but you hadn’t expected him to be this late. A glance at the clock on your bedside table had you heaving a sigh of defeat. You had spent the past 2 hours scrolling on your phone, trying to stay awake. Your eyes were hurting from staring at the screen for so long and you had to be up at 8 for work. Resigned to the fact that you wouldn’t be seeing Minho tonight, you sent him a text saying you loved him, locked your phone, grabbed your Leebit plushie that you kept hidden for nights you’re alone and missing Minho, and rolled over to fall asleep.

3:22am

Minho opened the front door to your shared apartment as quietly as he could, as he figured you were probably asleep by now. Taking off his shoes and hanging his jacket by the door, he silently padded his way to your shared bedroom to check on you before he washed up for the night. What he saw as he stepped into the room stopped him in his tracks and had his breath hitching in his throat. You were laying in the middle of the bed, your hair fanned out on the pillows framing your sleeping face and making you look angelic. You were wearing one of Minho’s shirts that you had confiscated from him months ago claiming you slept better wrapped in something that belonged to him, especially when he wasn’t with you. But the thing that made Minho tear up, was the little Leebit plushie cuddled in your arms the way that he should be, the way he craved to be. He hated being away from you, especially when he was so close. The late nights at the dance studio were taking away his time with you and it made his heart ache.

You stirred awake at the feeling of someone’s eyes on your sleeping form. “Min? You just getting home?” You murmured, your voice raspy with sleep.

“Hi my love. Yes, I’m sorry I woke you. Just wanted to check on you before I showered. Go back to sleep and I’ll be back soon, yeah?” Minho responded, softly stroking your hair and placing a kiss at your hairline.

“Mmkay” you mumbled before rolling over and trying to doze off again, but the knowledge that Minho was in the other room made you stay awake so you could see him, at least for a little while.

About 10 minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened and Minho stepped out with his hair still dripping with water from the shower. He looked at the bed and noticed you watching him. “I thought I told you to go back to sleep?” he questioned you softly.

“Couldn’t sleep. Wanted to see you” you state simply.

“Well in that case…” he pauses and narrows his eyes playfully at you. “You wanna tell me what you’re doing in bed with that tiny traitor?”

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion as you looked at him questioningly, unsure of what he was referring to. His eyes darted to the Leebit plushie still cradled in your arms then back to your own. You glanced down, almost forgetting you were holding it, and burst into laughter at the pout that had formed on your boyfriend’s face.

“Tiny traitor?? How could you call him that??” You said through your fit of laughter.

“Well he’s in my spot! He’s snuggling MY girl in MY bed!” Minho exclaimed looking a little defeated. You sobered at this and your eyes softened as you looked at your handsome, exhausted boyfriend.

“He keeps me company when you’re not here and I’m missing you. I usually only need him when you’re on tour and I can’t come with you, but I missed you a lot tonight. So I needed the extra snuggles.”

Minho crept towards the bed slowly, a small smile forming on his face as he came closer to you, “When did you even get him? I don’t remember ever seeing you with a SKZoo plushie” he said playfully.

“Technically I had him before I met you.” you responded shocking him slightly.

“I thought Felix was your bias before we met” he raised an eyebrow at you.

“Was??” you tease. He narrowed his eyes and started tickling your sides mercilessly. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” You half yelled in an effort to make the tickle torture cease. “You’re my ultimate bias, even though you called Leebit a tiny traitor” you looked at Minho lovingly after he stopped his playful assault on your sides.

“I love you so much baby” he stated, voice barely above a whisper. He kissed your forehead before mumbling, “I’ll buy you all the tiny traitors you want if it helps you stop missing me.”