#Seunghun x reader

[restlessmaknae]

one to let go, one to hold on [k.s.h]

➳ Characters: dance partner!Seunghun x female!reader/you

➳ Genre: slice of life, coming of age, fluff, angst, real-life bittersweet, friends to lovers, dance partners au

➳ Words: 6.5k

➳ Warning: mentions of pressure, low self-esteem, perfectionism, nose bleeds

➳ A/N: This story was inspired by two songs: Sarah Cothran’s I’m Here and Seunghun’s cover of ABIR’s Tango. I recommend checking out both for the vibes. *-*

➳ CIX taglist: @wccycc​, @dat-town​

If dancing was a language, you and Seunghun would speak the same one.

May it be because you had been dancing together ever since you had been really young (young as in awkwardly moving middle schoolers), may it be because you just complemented each other so well both on stage and off stage, but when it came to dancing, you and Seunghun were the same soul in two different bodies. It was as if he could understand you without saying a word (just by the posture of yours) and he could see the flaw in your movements even before you could make a mistake. He was there to catch you when you fell and also to help you get to your feet when he couldn’t catch you. He was there to pick you up when you didn’t have the confidence to continue a practice or you felt like giving up.

For this reason, you felt like no one could understand you better than he did. Just how much time and how much care it took for someone to know when you were having a bad day and when you were just faking a smile - only by a mere look at you? Just how many people could finish your sentences or know exactly what you would say before you doing so? Just how much you had to know someone to be able to read their mind and suggest something without the other asking about it?

On bad days, you told yourself that it was because you had known each other for so long. You had seen each other when you had been missing a tooth, when you had been wearing your braces throughout the day, when you had been breaking out during puberty and when you had been awkwardly growing into longer limbs and more defined curves. Truly, there was nothing that could create awkwardness between you two, or so you thought.

Not until you both realised that despite speaking the same language (dancing), you two had very different reasons for doing so.

“So what would you be doing if you weren’t dancing?” Seunghun asked after a practice when it was only the two of you left at the practice room (not a rare sight). You two were on the floor with your back to the wall, catching your breath between sips of already lukewarm water (it always warmed up during practice no matter how cold it was when you got it).

Truth to be told, the boy looked the most attractive to you in this state - messy, probably already long enough curls to trigger a visit at the hairdresser falling into his deep, dark eyes, cheeks tinted ruby due to the intensity of the practice, drops of sweat painting lines along his skin, oversized, comfy clothes drenched in sweat, but that genuine, content smile playing on his lips. He seemed the most handsome in your eyes this way because you knew that this was his rawest, most bare form, that this was when he didn’t have any flashy outfit or extravagant make-up on, yet he was so powerful, so captivating. Not just anyone could have this effect on you, but boy, he did.

“What do you mean? Like hanging out at PC rooms?” You furrowed your eyebrows after letting out a confused chuckle. You reached for your water bottle yet again, but stopped in the midst of it when Seunghun elaborated.

“I mean, what would you do if you weren’t set on becoming a dancer?”

You were 15 at the time. It was a weird age because it both seemed like whatever you did at this age determined your future (whether you studied well, whether you studied the right subjects, whether you had the right hobbies, whether you looked up to the right people and so on…), but it also seemed like you were still so young, so much was ahead of you that could change, that could happen or that you could go with. You were dancing on the fine line between childhood and adulthood, and this dancing seemed unfamiliar, jarring, uplifting, tense and embracing at the same time.

“I’m not set on becoming a dancer,” you reasoned firmly, averting your eyes from the water bottle to the sweat-stained face of the boy’s. It was Seunghun’s turn to look puzzled.

“Wait, what? You don’t want to do this for a living?”

“No. I’m studying to become a lawyer,” you explained without your voice wavering, but no matter how much you tried not to pay attention to the creases deepening on the boy’s face or the slight tremble of his lips… You had spent too much time together not to notice such subtle changes.

“I thought you were so determined to always do your best and stay for extra practice after classes because you are serious about it. I mean, like your future depends on it, you know.”

“I…” You started staying, the words catching in your throat. You realised that you had no solid answer to his assumption because you, too, had to think about your reason behind trying so hard when it was just a hobby for you. A hobby that you loved dearly, something that could free your mind between school and studying until late at night, something that was your sweet escape from the big, scary world out there full of what ifs and should haves. “I guess I just try doing my best no matter what I’m doing.”

It was what you settled on, and it wasn’t actually far from the truth. You had been expected to excel at everything you tried your hands on, and despite the fact that your parents had never made it to your competitions (unlike Seunghun’s), they saw the medals and cups you won, so they knew that you were doing well.

“But… you’re going to keep dancing, right? You are so talented,” Seunghun complimented, but he was still in a bit of a shaken up state, so it felt like he was trying to reassure himself instead of telling you that you were doing well. As if he was trying to tell you to continue.

“Of course, you silly. I have to beat you,” you semi-teased, nudging the boy’s shoulder playfully, but his face remained solemn. Despite the fact that you two were on the same dance team, you liked to challenge (and motivate) the other by saying that you were actually up against each other, and if someone could hold out longer with their extra practice after a class or leaned forward more in a side split, they would be the winner.

“Are you sure?”

It was scarce to see Seunghun so serious, but little did you know, your following answer was actually one that he would hold onto whenever the next few years would keep him doubting the future.

“Yes, of course. Do you want me to pinky promise like we did back in the days?” You offered as you held out your pinky, and there it was, that toothy smile spreading across the boy’s lips. It was as if the whole world had turned for the better when he smiled like that.

“Forget about it! Loser pays for the snacks on the way back,” he announced hastily before pushing himself off the floor and running out of the practice room to head for the changing rooms. You shouted after him to say that it wasn’t fair, but it fell on deaf ears, and you knew that he would win anyways.

You let him nevertheless.

One way you didn’t let him win was to win over your heart.

Seunghun had never been good with words, not when it came to serious matters. When he was telling a story oh so enthusiastically with big hand gestures or when he was quick-witted enough to add to an already funny joke, words came to him easily, almost as easily as breathing. On the other hand, when it was about confessing something that might change how others would see him or asking about something that had been weighing down on him, words died on the tip of his tongue.

Just like these days when he wanted nothing more than to ask you if something was wrong and console you if there was, listen to all your concerns, so that he could lift some weight off your shoulders that were already burdened by so much.

The truth is, Seunghun had heard, seen and noticed things you might not have known about. One of his friends, Yonghee, attended the same school as you did, so he frequently heard about your achievements - the straight As, the top places at competitions and even the fact that you had been selected as a member of the youth parliament for high school students. He had even overheard you as you had been talking to your mother on the phone about how exhausting dancing on top of school and extra classes were, how could you even take on volunteering? Your mother had insisted that it would be for extra points, but Seunghun could see the consequences, and believed that something would have to give.

He had noticed that you had visibly less energy - your moves weren't as precise as they used to, and more mistakes slipped in. There wasn't that familiar fire burning in your eyes that he had seen when you had been younger. You were also more moody, easily irritable and almost always out of reach. "I'm busy", "I can't today" and "maybe later" were the most frequent texts you sent to him, if you sent him any. A lot of times you just left him on read.

The truth is, Seunghun didn't know whether he had any right to comment on it, whether you were close enough for that. He might have liked you more than a friend, but he wasn't sure that you felt the same way. He had been convinced before that you had, but maybe it had been you being in love with him as her dance partner rather than him as a person. After all, now that there were no more fleeting touches, no more secret glances and no more little too tight hugs, he wasn't that sure. Still, he wanted to muster up the courage.

So once when you all too familiarly dismissed his idea of heading to the bus stop together because your mother would pick you up, he stood in front of you, blocking your way to leave the practice room. You two were the last ones after class, but it was more because you tried to catch your breath like crazy and more because he wanted to catch you than anything else - which used to mean you two staying after classes to practise a bit more.

You didn't speak up, but your eyes were telling a story on their own - you were throwing daggers with your gaze. Seunghun looked down at you, his lips twitching at the sight. Where had your joyous smile gone? Where had all of those playful remarks gone? Where had you gone?

"Why don't you ask me to move?" He breathed, his words no more than a whisper. He believed that yelling at him and physically pushing him away would hurt less than being this quiet. It just hurt him to look at you like this - like a mere shadow of yourself.

"I figured you would do it yourself without asking."

"I have a question. If you answer, I won't be in your way," the boy started cautiously, but all he earned was a huff and a bob of your head. You waited for him to speak up, but when he kept staring at you without uttering a word, you stepped sideways to walk around him.

As if woken from a stupor, Seunghun followed along you and stepped sideways - like two well-coordinated moves, the boy couldn't help but think just how frightening this dance seemed. How cold. How lifeless. Like the last dance of a dying swan.

"I don't have time for this, Seunghun."

"I know, but it's just hard to get it out because truthfully, I don't know what to ask. 'How are you' seems so wrong when it's clear as day that you're not fine. 'Are you okay' would indicate that I don't see how much you're not okay, and I don't want you to agree to that. So I don't know, and I don't even know whether it's right of me to ask anything."

When he said it out loud, it sounded so desperate. Maybe he was desperate, he just didn't want to face it head-on, but he knew that tossing and turning in bed at nights, his fingers itching to reach out to his phone meant that he cared even though you didn't ask anything about him. It pained like the sight of a forgotten object at the practice room because he knew that now he was the abandoned one.

"Seunghun, I have to do a lot of things. As I've told you, I'm not going to be a dancer, so I have to do everything in my power to make sure that I get into a good university. I know you can't understand this, but-"

"Maybe I can't understand it because I don't have first-hand experience with this," he cut you off, slight frustration lacing his words. If you thought that he would just let you pull up a wall between you two because you two had very different goals, you would be dead wrong. It had never been about dancing with you for him, it had always been about being with you - in whatever form.

"But I can see what it takes away from you. It's like you're not yourself anymore," he pointed out, his voice slightly raised. You let out a huff, looking away for a second before looking up at him again.

"Seunghun, I've grown up. It's not like I have to be the same girl who danced with you when we were mere kids," you counter-attacked, and even the word 'kids' seemed like an accusation when you said it with so much malice - as if you looked down on that time of your life.

"I don't want you to be the same. I just want you to be happy, but are you really happy now?"

You gulped, not finding the right words to say, and Seunghun knew all too well that you weren't. You didn't even try to deny, and if anything, that just broke his heart even more. Because part of the reason he liked spending time with you was the obvious way he could make you happy, let it be his silly jokes, his wiggling eyebrows, teasing semi-flirty lines, loud and impromptu singing sessions and endless attentiveness when it came to you. So now he felt a bit like he failed himself for he couldn’t make you even a tiny bit happier.

“I will be. Once I get into law school, it’ll all be worth it,” you concluded and pursed your lips, walking out of the practice room. Seunghun could see you move, but you felt so far away, and he felt like even if he could reach after you physically, he wouldn’t be able to reach you emotionally.

And that’s when he knew he had lost.

You knew that you were being unfair to Seunghun, but you couldn’t help it. You just couldn’t keep up with dance on top of everything, and when senior year rolled by and your advanced maths classes overlapped with your dance practices, you were almost relieved that your mother told you to give up dancing.

“Everyone will understand. Even though you’ve won awards for dance, you’re set on becoming a lawyer, so your focus is on studying now,” she said, and you weren’t sure whether she said it to reassure herself or you, but you were relieved nevertheless. Even more so because it meant that you didn’t have to break Seunghun’s heart by isolating yourself from him.

He might have thought that it wasn’t conscious, but you did it on purpose. You didn’t want him to see you in your state: nosebleeds over text books, dark bags under your eyes, little to no appetite due to anxiety, numbness taking over you whenever you had a spare moment and this pang of bitterness whenever you saw students your age or younger ones who still had time to have fun, be with friends and go to places other than the after school academies. It’s like you had nostalgia for something you had never experienced. Seunghun deserved someone who could match his energy, and you weren’t one anymore. You might have been once, but you were far from it right now.

However, putting an end to your dancing years felt like a goodbye to Seunghun as well. You didn’t go to the same school, you didn’t have friends in common, you didn’t live close to each other, so dancing was the only thing that connected you. You did talk out of dance practices or at least you used to, but with your mounting school work, sometimes you just left his messages on read or turned down his offer to meet up. So now it seemed like that there would be no reason for you to meet, and with your busy schedule, you had a feeling that you wouldn’t be able to do so anyways.

It didn’t mean that it hurt any less because Seunghun was a part of you, a part of your childhood and your youth, someone who had been there from the start and who had not given up despite you pushing him away again and again. Maybe it was for the better. You were sorry for him for what you gave him and what you couldn’t give him, and whatever it was between you two, you were sure that he would thrive and find someone else he can care about like that.

Despite the fact that you had tried to prepare yourself for the goodbye, it wasn’t any easier when it happened. You had a bit of time before your after school Maths class, so you headed to the dance academy, asking him if you could meet up. He must have thought that you were there for the dance class as well, but it was evident that he knew that you weren’t when you met in the corridor with you in your beige coat and him in his favourite grey sweatpants already.

“Thanks for making time for me,” you started, your heart hammering rapidly. No matter how many serious discussions you had regarding global warming and inequality during classes or how many times you presented confidently at a competition in front of a jury, when Seunghun looked at you like that - as if you were a pearl that he cherished, but it kept slipping through his fingers -, you found it difficult to keep your tone steady.

“Oh, come on! It’s nothing. I’m glad you’ve wanted to meet up,” the boy mentioned with a shrug of his shoulders, and he tried with a casual smile, but you could see through it (him), and you knew that it wasn’t as casual as he wanted to make it seem like.

Precious seconds rolled by in silence, but you couldn’t even decide where to begin. You wanted so hard to appear composed in front of him, but you were falling apart, even more so because he was in front of you.

“The truth is… I’m not going to attend dance classes anymore. Not here, not anywhere. I’ve already told Miss Kwon about it,” you said in one go, hoping that it would make it easier on the boy if you didn’t drag it out any further.

Seunghun’s smile wavered, but only for a short while. It was replaced by a gentle, warm smile, one that he gave you whenever he found one of your antics lovely or he had a compliment to say. You felt your heart shake, like leaves meeting the cruel winds, especially when he broke the silence.

“I’ve figured that it was already too much for you. I’m glad you can now focus more on your studies,” he mentioned with a toothy smile, and oh, how you wished at that moment that you could have treated him better in the past year. You didn’t deserve his words, you didn’t deserve him.

Torn by his overflowing kindness, you just stood there without being able to mutter any words. Seunghun, on the other hand, took two steps closer to you and hugged you. At first, you froze in place, but soon just like the ice starts melting under the warmth of the rays of sunshine, you eased into his touch. You missed it so much. You missed his touch, this comfort and the feeling of being safe beside him no matter what would await you after dance practices.

“I’m going to miss you nevertheless. You should at least reply to my messages, so that I know you’re doing okay,” Seunghun mumbled while still hugging you tightly, and you bobbed your head a bit, signalling that you would do so.

This moment was one that you wished to engrave into your head, but it had to come to an end eventually because nothing, not even feelings, lasted forever. So after you let go of each other, wished each other well and promised to keep in touch, you left the dance academy to head to your Maths class, only to find yourself crying in the bathroom afterwards.

There were different kinds of goodbyes, and Seunghun thought that he had gotten used to saying goodbye. However, this one was different from any other before. It wasn’t like saying goodbye to his parents in the morning before going to school, to his dance teacher after class between ragged breaths, to his friends after hanging out at each other’s house or saying goodbye to you when you had stopped dancing with him at the academy. This time, he would go far away for a long time, and if everything went according to plan, he wouldn’t come back for two years, only for holidays.

No wonder his mother had been teary-eyed when he had packed his suitcases the day before or his father had been extra quiet on the way to the airport. His grandparents had also told him to never skip meals and call back frequently - or video chat them if his parents helped them out -, and his former dance teacher had also sent his wishes the last time they had met. A lot of his friends had given him something to bring along - for instance, Byunggon had given him a plushie that had magically fit into one of his suitcases - while some of them including you waited for him at the airport to bid their goodbye.

Seunghun was glad that you had decided to tell him that you wouldn’t come to class in person because he would have been really hurt if he had only gotten to know about it through the dance teacher. He might have even given up on trying to stay in touch, but with your promises back then, you had managed to stay in touch, albeit messages had been more and more scarce the closer the end of the senior year had been. Seunghun had been busy preparing for his audition tapes for dance schools abroad while you had been busy with your exams.

However, once summer break had rolled by, you two had been more free, and you could have spent some time together - going to cafés, walking in parks and watching movies together. You had seemed more radiant, thankfully, and Seunghun had been happy for you. It was as if you had found your way back to yourself. You had been just as happy for him, after all, he had made his dream come true - to learn from some of the best dancers in the US -, and he had been eligible for a scholarship thanks to his amazing audition choreography and recommendation by his former dance teachers.

So there you were beside Hyunsuk, Jinyoung and his parents, and he couldn’t believe that the close proximity you had now would expand to thousands of kms in a bit. It felt like he had just gotten you back, and now you would be even further away than before.

“I think you should go soon,” his father reminded him of the passing time when he had gotten too immersed in a dance video that Jinyoung was showing on his phone.

“Right. I shouldn’t miss the opportunity to charm the West with my dance,” he joked around to ease the tension in the air because his mother was already sobbing and you looked like you were on the verge of crying, too.

“Remember what I’ve said,” Hyunsuk mentioned playfully as he gave him a hug, and Seunghun nodded, toothy smile and all. His friend had asked him to get him his favourite sweet in its original form and preferably an XXL version, so Seunghun was set on doing just that. As expected, Jinyoung had less to say, but his hug was just as tight as Hyunsuk’s.

Then came his parents who could barely let him breathe, they hugged him so tight. You had already lent his mother a new tissue because she had used up her own, and his father earned a few supportive pats on the back from the boy’s friends.

Then came you, and suddenly, there were no words that could describe how he felt. It would have been so easy to dance his heart out, but here, he couldn’t do so. Instead, he let his heart do the dance, and hugged you like he didn’t want to let go of you (because he really didn’t want to).

“Take care, and don’t forget to rest when you’re at your limit,” you reminded him like his own mother would, and the boy couldn’t miss this opportunity to tease you that you sounded just like his mother.

“She’s right though,” the woman agreed between little sobs.

“You too. Don’t burn yourself out at uni,” he told you firmly, and even though he could feel that you were ready to let him go, he held onto you a bit more. “Just a few seconds more, please,” he whispered into your ears, so that only you could hear it. You relaxed into the hug once more and patted his back, encouraging and empathetic as always. Seunghun wished so badly that he could just keep you in his arms and take you away because he was so damn afraid that distance would keep you two apart.

“I promise I’ll write back and we can video chat, too. I promise, so go now. You’ll miss your flight,” you prompted him albeit a bit weakly. You might have tried to keep it together, but your voice told him all he needed to know, and that was what prompted him to actually let go.

“I won’t, but I’ll miss you,” he confessed with a gentle smile, his chest tightening at the realisation that it was time to go.

“I’ll miss you, too,” you responded quietly, but that was all he needed.

So with the hope that distance would only do you good and bring you closer, Seunghun held onto the strap of his backpack and headed towards the security area. While walking, he kept waving back until you were all out of sight. That’s when the first teardrop rolled down his face.

You would be lying if you said that you didn't miss Seunghun while he was away; that you didn't miss his jokes that were the best told face-to-face, his eccentric behaviour that popped out of nowhere sometimes, his dance that you loved watching in person despite not dancing yourself anymore and just him. His warm, chocolate-brown eyes, his little dimples that popped off when his toothy smile was on display, the mischief in his eyes whenever he was in his prankster mode and his bone-cracking hug. Seunghun was a person who loved to give with actions, and even though he was far away, he continued doing so.

He kept sending you good morning and good night messages despite the time zone difference, he recorded himself dancing and asked for your opinion, he kept bombarding you with selfies of himself in more or less clothes, not to mention the movie night/morning weekends when you watched a movie together while sharing your screen. It was all fun and heart-warming, and even though these didn't make him appear in front of you, they did reassure you that you would stay in contact even despite the distance.

You regretted not cherishing the time that you had together, and you regretted all the times you had turned down his offer to meet up. You hadn't known any better back then though, and while it was difficult not to get sucked into the deep, dark world of perfectionism again, you slowly learned how to do so. It wasn't easy, you were still struggling to know where your limit was and how you should set boundaries to keep a good balance between your studies and private life, but it was a work in progress. The idea of losing someone so precious to you who cared so much for you over something like this terrified you, so you felt like you had to do this. Plus, the fact that you enjoyed what you were studying made all your efforts to get into a law school worthwhile.

So despite Seunghun coming home during holidays which meant the time just before exam season mostly, you took every opportunity to hang out with him and his friends. Seunghun had also learned that some people didn't bother to give him a call or send him a message while he was away, so not all of his friends stayed his friends, but it was for the better. The important ones stayed.

However, the question was always lurking in the back of your mind; what if he stayed, what if he didn't come back after 2 years but instead, stayed in the US to keep dancing? Seunghun hadn't even known a definite answer to that question in the beginning, and when he had had a relationship for half a year, it had seemed that he would stay because his girlfriend had wanted him to. He hadn't told you why they had broken up exactly, but he had said that letting go had been for the better.

On the other hand, Seunghun came home after those 2 years. His previous dance teacher at the academy called to tell him that there was a teenage class he could take under his wings if he wanted to while still dancing competitively under the academy, and he had said yes. His friends couldn't stop teasing him since then that he would be a teacher, and teenage girls would probably have a crush on him despite the age difference. Seunghun just laughed it off, saying that though his charm was undeniable, he had to be a good teacher in the first place to not lose the ones who would have a crush on him. He admitted that he was a bit nervous how it would go, yet he was excited nevertheless.

"I'm sure you'll do great. You've taught me well when I needed help," you reminded him when he was sharing his concerns with you over a cup of coffee. You had stumbled upon this café the summer before he had gone abroad, and you had been sitting at the exact same table when you had been sharing your worries over getting into your desired university. You wondered if he remembered.

(He did.)

"I know, but you were different. We danced together, we were practically breathing together when dancing," Seunghun pointed out with a cheeky smile, and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. Seunghun was like this even before his move, but since coming back, his remarks were even more smooth, even more borderline flirty. You didn't know what to do about it. You didn't know if he knew he was doing it so flirtatious.

(He did.)

"Well, you'll get to know them better as time goes by. You'll do great, I know," you reassured him with a confident nod. "Though if you end up not enjoying it, there's nothing wrong with that, too. You should be doing something you love."

"Is that really you, y/n?" Seunghun let out a lighthearted laughter that didn't fade away even after he saw your expression. "But for real, you've become so much... Looser? More at peace? With yourself and the world. It's nice. I like seeing you like this again," he admitted on a more serious note, and his words played on your heartstrings. The way he looked at you did too: as if his eyes were twinkling little stars, his face the peaceful canvas of the night sky and the smile that he wore on his lips was a shooting star that you could wish upon.

"You're the reason for that after all," you blurted out without thinking twice about it, but confusion was written all over the boy's face, so you elaborated on something you couldn't have seen two years prior, but now it was clear as day that he was the reason why. "If I hadn't been so afraid of losing you, I might not have stopped being so hard on myself. But you reminded me that I have to be kind to myself to be able to be kind to others. And I... I also felt guilty for not dancing anymore. I felt that I've failed you somehow. I know you would never say that to me though," you clarified swiftly when you saw the boy open his mouth. He closed it immediately, prompting you to continue with a bob of his head.

"But somehow I felt that way. I loved dancing, but I hated how it turned into one of those slots in my days that weren't directly study-related. I also hated how I didn't enjoy it anymore, but I thought it was because of dancing itself, not because I didn't enjoy anything else either," you didn't need to continue for Seunghun to know: that it was him who had pointed it out. He had pointed out that you hadn't seemed to enjoy dancing, and when he had asked if you had been happy, you couldn't have said yes. No one else had taken the initiative to ask about your real feelings.

"If you could go back in time, would you do something differently?" Seunghun raised an eyebrow, his eyes boring into yours. His expression was a mixture of curiosity and bitterness for he knew just how dark this time had been for you. However, as the closest person to you, he had every reason to ask about it, so you weren’t afraid of answering between little sips of your favourite latte.

"I don't think I would because that conversation we had at the dance academy when I left was the one that had opened my eyes. If it hadn't happened, I might not have taken your words that seriously or if I hadn't stopped dancing then, maybe I would have really ended up hating dancing even more."

This was also one of the things that had changed between you two in the past few years: you were yet again as candid with each other as you had been in the beginning. May it be because you had grown and experienced more or may it be because while having such a distance between you two, you couldn't have communicated any other way other than honestly. After all, you hadn't been standing face-to-face to read each other's facial expressions or body language.

Seunghun nodded and thanked you for sharing this with him. You gave him a gentle smile before asking about his side: if he had something he wanted to change. He hesitated for only a bit before he admitted:

"I would have told you that I like you." The confession rolled off his tongue confidently, yet there was a hint of fragility in his voice. Your heart skipped a beat at his words and the way he said it so truthfully, his eyes still on you. "I just thought that by saying that, you might not actually keep your promise of staying in touch because I would make you feel uncomfortable... And it just didn't seem like a good time. You already had so much to worry about," he elaborated, and the more he talked, the more touched you felt.

So he hadn't even told you how he felt because he was worried that it would make you feel even worse? So he had sacrificed all these years to keep his feelings to himself because he had wanted you to not worry about his feelings? Oh dear gosh, yet again, just how much he had actually put you first?

"I... I..." You stuttered, struggling to find the right words to say and pulling yourself together to keep your voice steady. You didn't know, of course you didn't know, and he was also right: it wouldn't have been the right time. You wouldn't have been able to give him enough love, care and appreciation because you hadn’t even learned to love yourself back then, but now…

"I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I felt that it would be time to come forward. I thought I missed you as a friend while being away, but being in a relationship made me realise that I was looking for what you and I had together, and I was looking forward to have that with you again."

So that was the reason they had broken up with his girlfriend. You just had no idea why: how could he have held onto this - to you - for so long without giving up? Maybe you did know though. It was him, he was Kim Seunghun after all, and he, he didn't give up.

(He did it because of you, because it was you, not someone else.)

"I like you too, Seunghun. I've liked you for so long," you confessed as the thought prompted you, and the way his whole face lit up hearing your words was absolutely worth everything. "And I think it was the right time this time."

"I did think so, too. You just made it easy for me to confess," he mentioned with a playful edge to his words. You broke into laughter because it was just so him, you were honestly so looking forward to how it would continue. Your story. Everything and nothing would probably change at the same time. Yet, you knew one thing for sure: that you did like him.

(And he liked you, too.)

A/N: This was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster, right? I know, but actually, this story was supposed to be even angstier. It was supposed to be an open-ended one with them actually losing contact after the reader leaves the dance academy (without telling Seunghun) and meeting again accidentally when he comes back from the US.

However, as I was writing it, writing how much they meant to each other, I felt like it wouldn’t be them. At least they would talk it out, and that’s how it ended up like that. I also think it’s quite realistic in a way that sometimes relationships go through highs and lows and times when losing contact is almost inevitable, but then, people make up. Seunghun and the reader were also constantly growing and experiencing things, and they confessed when it was time.

On a side note, I’ve been lucky enough to see CIX during their European tour, and OMG!!! They were incredible both singing and dancing-wise, and their personalities really shone through during those hours. I was so so happy to see them enjoy themselves. (I could write a whole dissertation about it haha) I hope every FIX can have such a magical moment to themselves and see the boys live! 🥰🥰🥰

I hope you enjoyed the story! Thank you so much for reading it! ❤️

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for CIX or for other bands, consider signing up for my taglist here.

[blossominghunnie]

I literally have a new idea for an imagine, lmaoo.

Buuut, should it be a poly (x reader obv) or individual? 👀

Pls help me decide.

[cutie-cix]

hi hi could u write a headcannon of the members as love languages??🤍

Giving each member 2 of them bc I truly think it’s impossible to have only one

Also anything crossed out is nsfw 🤭

Byounggon

Quality time/words of affirmation

This applies to both but he could spend hours with you in his lap (or him in yours, we all know he likes feeling tiny) giving you compliments and reminding you how much he loves you

Loves doing chores when you’re around, like chatting with you while he does the dishes

Expects kisses when he’s done 🙄

You’ll never feel unappreciated when you’re his

And if you’re insecure about yourself he will not accept that

Sends you long text chains about how

Oh and when he’s away on tour??? You have to silence your phone bc it’s vibrating so much with notifications

Will stay on FaceTime with you for hours but he definitely falls asleep super quick

Seunghun

Words of affirmation/physical affection

There will never be a time when you don’t feel loved by him

Like even if he’s away, he’s sending you kissy emojis and reminding you of how much he misses you

He’s the type to want to do the “No you hang up” thing when you’re on the phone (pls just one of you hang up /j)

You’ll be like brushing your teeth and he just comes up behind you and kisses your neck

NSFW bulletpoint: he definitely shows it in bed too, he’s v selfless & wants to make sure you’ve been loved enough before he gets himself off

Another NSFW bullet: oral is his favorite way to show you he loves you, it’s his favorite thing

Anywayssss clingy but in a pouty & whiny way

Yonghee

Acts of service/quality time

Dude could spend hours with you just in his lap playing with his hair

Looking in your eyes is his favorite form of affection, especially when you smile at him

Literally always makes sure you’ve eaten & slept well

Tucks you in if you fall asleep early

If you’re sick he puts tea/soup beside your bed for you when you wake up

If he has to leave early in the morning before you’re awake he puts little notes around the apartment

Things like “Don’t forget to drink water!!” But also like “l love you and I’ll see you when I get home tonight”

And when he gets home he’s so tired so he just wants to cuddle

And oops he’s asleep with you in his arms

Jinyoung

Gifts/acts of service

Gifts are his main act of service

Gets you bougie shit— fancy coats, matching hats for you & him, heart shaped jewelry, designer clothes

Like it’s giving sugar daddy but it’s his way of treating you

Sugar daddy kink ??? He’s got it for SUREEEE

Buys you food like a lot too, another act of service

But like a big ass meal, you buy way more than you can eat & then you’re having leftovers for days

Never cooks for you but that’s ok, he buys you fancy food anyways. He’s not too much of a chef but can cook if he needs to

Honestly prefers cooking when you’re there so you can cook together

Hyunsuk

Physical affection/gifts

Ok ok I’m a firm believer he is not affectionate in public at all but the MOST affectionate in private of all of cix

Like he’s clingy when it’s just you two

Likes to hold your hand while he does things

Blows you lil kisses from across the room

As for gifts he loves giving you things that are significant to you/your relationship

Gives you jewelry with your favorite gemstone

One day he surprises you by taking you to a mall & being like “pick an outfit you wanna buy, I’m paying”

Promise rings are totally his jam!!!

[belovedhoon]

Hey guys! I’m sorry I’ve been gone for like ever, but I’m working on a CIX fic rn! It should be up by the weekend! It’s a Seunghun x Reader fantasy fic!! I’ll post the summary later on!!

[siebear]

Beach Trip - Yoon Hyunsuk

Pairing: Yoon Hyunsuk x Female Reader

Word Count: 7.5k

Warnings: sexual content 18+ (minors dni pls), cursing, alcohol consumption (every character mentioned is legal in this au), vomiting

Genre: Smut, fluff, angst, non idol au, friends to lovers

Summary: You and your best friend Hyunsuk take a much needed vacation to Santa Cruz, California along with a few of your other friends (CIX). While staying in your shared beachside cabin, tensions grow between you and Hyunsuk, and the feelings you share can't be hidden any longer. Of course, not without a little drama.

Abbreviations: Y/N: Your Name, B/F/N: Best Friend's Name

(A/N: I felt as though there wasn't enough fanfic about CIX, so I wanted to write my own! This is my first time writing smut, so if it is awkward I apologize! Anyways, please enjoy this story)

______________________________________________________________

The day had finally come.

The beach trip with your closest friends that you had been anticipating for a while now was happening at last. It's very common for your friend group to create plans that never leave the group chat, but this time your self-designated “group leader” Byounggon was determined to make it happen. So, on a random weekday he suddenly sent a screenshot of a beachside Airbnb that he found in Santa Cruz, California to the chat and told everyone to venmo him ASAP so he could book it. Surprisingly, everyone was on board, and you were all able to come to an agreement on the dates for this vacation.

These past few months have been nothing but school, work, repeat, and you were so excited to break the seemingly never-ending cycle for summer vacation. In fact, you took an entire week off of work just for this three-day long adventure. Before you could even climb out of bed, you heard your phone buzz. You quickly unplugged it from its charger and read the message your phone displayed. It was from your best friend, Hyunsuk.

Hyunsuk: i’ll be over in a few with my stuff

Y/N: i just woke up, can you give me like 10 mins?

Hyunsuk: …bruh

Hyunsuk: we’re supposed to leave in 30

Y/N: i know but i woke up late, pls give me like 10 minutes to get my stuff together

Hyunsuk: i’ll be over in 5

You sighed as you placed your phone back on your bedside table. There was no arguing with him and you knew that. As his best friend of over 15 years, you knew him well enough to not try to convince him once he had his mind set on something, as he was often extremely stubborn.

Sometimes, however, with the right tone of voice and pleading eyes, you could convince him to give into your demands. Unfortunately over text these methods don’t work on him, so you have to settle with what he wants for the time being. 

You finally got the motivation to get yourself out of bed and walked over to your closet to find something to wear. Since it was a long car ride, you decided to throw on something comfortable which just so happened to be a pair of black gym shorts and a hoodie with a black tank top underneath. Hyunsuk, being the gentleman that he is, offered to drive with the exception that you two took your car since you had more trunk space to which you happily agreed to. This gave you the opportunity to sleep on the way there, as you couldn’t deal with Hyunsuk yapping your ear off this early in the morning. 

You heard your parents downstairs talking to Hyunsuk, which made you speed run brushing your hair and teeth before quickly throwing those last minute items into your overnight bag. You then left your room with your car keys to go greet him and allow him to start loading his things into the vehicle, but the second you started walking down the stairs he turned to smile at you which made your heart…flutter? 

“Stop it”, you thought to yourself,  “He’s my friend…just my friend…”

You’ve been having these intrusive thoughts lately about him that make your cheeks flush red and give you the feeling of butterflies in your stomach. You often wondered what life would be like if he was yours. You wanted to know what would it be like to be able to cuddle with him, kiss, and even more.

Sometimes these thoughts make you sick to your stomach, since you’ve known him since you two were in kindergarten. Lately, however, you haven’t been able to suppress these thoughts as they've been taking over your daydreams. You yearn for Hyunsuk, but you don’t know or even want to know if he yearns for you back. You refuse to ruin your friendship with him, as this is the most valuable thing in the world to you.

“Finally” Hyunsuk says, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Shut the fuck up, it didn’t take me that long to get ready” you argued back while reaching the bottom of the stairs. Hyunsuk chuckled to himself and turned to your parents. 

“See what I have to deal with?” He said jokingly, which made your parents laugh but brought you to smack his arm lightly out of slight annoyance.

“You’re a weakling” He said, peering down at you. 

“I swear I will punch you next time” You stated, crossing your arms and looking back up at him with a smug smile on your face. 

“Don’t get too feisty now, we got a long car ride to go on together” Hyunsuk said back, which raised a huge sigh out of you. You were looking forward to being alone with him, but long car rides were not fun for you at all. Hyunsuk then took your keys from you and went to unlock your car so he could begin packing. You said goodbye to your parents as Hyunsuk came back inside to help grab your things from upstairs and load them into your trunk. 

“When will you be back?” Your mom asked, hugging you goodbye.

“I’ll be back in 3 days” You responded.

“Ok good, please be safe” your mom leaned in close to whisper to you 

“You know, I’m so glad you have a friend like Hyunsuk, he’ll be there to protect you”. You blushed slightly and looked down at the ground.

“I have my pepper spray mom”

“I know, but you know what I mean. He’s a good man Y/N, and he will be there for you”

“Mom please!” You whispered, but then you suddenly heard the trunk of the car slam shut which made you jolt a bit. Hyunsuk came running back inside to let you know that he was ready to go and that he was going to start the car. You said your final goodbyes and waved to your parents as you and Hyunsuk backed out of the driveway and took off towards your destination. 

The car ride was miserably long. Not even 20 minutes in you kicked your shoes off and placed your feet up on the dash, and to Hyunsuk’s annoyance you turned up the A/C since you liked it cold. However, you were grateful that he was driving and you didn’t ask to stop for snacks or a bathroom break unless it was necessary to stop for gas. You also were able to use your guilt tripping skills on Hyunsuk to get him to buy you a bag of chips and a soda at the gas station for you, but he secretly enjoyed doing that despite the fact that he seemed to act displeased when paying. 

After hours of being on the road you finally arrived at the beachside Airbnb. You gasped at the sight, as the scenery was even more beautiful in person. This house was two stories and on the side it had a stairway leading down to what looked like a private beach area. You looked back at Hyunsuk and pointed out all the little details you noticed as you pulled into the driveway and he smiled. Little did you know, Hyunsuk wasn’t smiling at the scenery. He was just happy that you were happy to be here, but he didn’t need you to know that.

As soon as you got out of the car you were greeted by your girl best friend, B/F/N. She gave you the biggest hug and almost picked you up off the ground out of pure excitement. You two haven’t seen each other in weeks due to conflicting work schedules. Luckily though, you were both understanding and still managed to text each other daily.

“Come on guys! Everyone is inside waiting for you!” B/F/N said in an excited tone. 

“I told you we’d be the last ones here Y/N!” Hyunsuk said. You rolled your eyes at him.

“It’s fine Hyunsuk, let’s go inside!” You said, leaving him to grab the bags from the trunk as you walked towards the front door with B/F/N.

“Oh, before we go inside, I need to tell you something” B/F/N said, her tone changing to be slightly serious. 

“What did Jinyoung finally propose to you?” You asked.

“No! Not yet anyways…but it’s about the bedroom arrangement” She said. You looked at her confused. 

“What do you mean? Is my bedroom not the one upstairs anymore?” You asked. 

“So, um, please don’t get mad, but the listing had the wrong number of bedrooms…” She trailed off.

“What do you mean?” You repeated yourself.

“Well…come on I’ll just show you” She took your arm and led you inside and towards a room on the downstairs floor. You briefly waved at the four boys who were sitting in the living room playing a card game before being dragged away down a hallway. Once you got to the room she opened it and showed you inside. 

“Is this my room?” You asked, confused as to why this would be a problem.

“Yeah…and Hyunsuk’s…” 

“What?” You were getting annoyed at her dodging the questions you’ve been asking. 

“So basically, me and Jinyoung are sharing a room while BX and Seunghun share a room, and Yonghee is taking the room that has the twin bed because he wants to be alone, so this is the only room left for you and Hyunsuk and we figured you guys would be ok if you took the room with the bigger bed while Yonghee took the smaller bed” B/F/N said, almost out of breath by the end of her tangent.

The realization hit you like a bullet to the chest, your stomach dropping as if you were on some intense roller coaster ride. What kind of cliche fanfiction trope is this?

“Oh so you mean me and Hyunsuk have to…share the bed…okay…” You said slowly. 

“Please don’t be mad! Besides from what you’ve been telling me I thought you would love this–” You quickly shushed her by putting your hand over her mouth as you heard footsteps coming down the hallway. The door swung open to reveal a very tired looking Hyunsuk carrying your overnight bags. His eyes widened as he saw that there was only one bed in the room. 

“Is this the room?” He asked, his eyes darting between you and your best friend. 

“Yep this is it! I will leave you guys to get settled, bye!” B/F/N said awkwardly before scurrying out of the room and slamming the door shut. 

“I guess the Airbnb had the wrong number of rooms listed…” you trailed off before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Hyunsuk came to sit next to you, as he needed a bit of rest from the car ride.

“Are you ok with this?” He asked. You were surprised at the question.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” You asked back. He shrugged.

“I don’t know, we’ve just never slept in a bed together. If it makes you more comfortable I can sleep on the floor or on the couch or something” He said. You shook your head.

“No no it’s fine, I truly don’t mind, as long as you don’t either” You said back. He smiled at you, which made your cheeks turn a slight pink. 

“I don’t mind at all,” He said. He suddenly stood up and started looking around, trying to figure out how to arrange all of your things. 

“At least we have our own bathroom in here” He said. Then your phone buzzed, it was a text in the groupchat from Yonghee telling everyone to get their swimsuits on and meet him in the hot tub on the back deck. You relayed the message to Hyunsuk, and you both took turns changing before meeting the others outside.

After weeks of not seeing them, you forgot how much fun hanging out with your friends was. After popping open a few cans of alcoholic seltzers and sharing a bottle of vodka with the others you were having the time of your life, as you were already wasted by 10pm playing a game of drunk truth or dare with the others while still in the hot tub. After Yonghee started pouting for being dared to scream the word “penis” for the third time it was your turn to finally ask Hyunsuk the question. 

“Sukkie...truth or dare” you giggled. Sukkie was the nickname you gave him in private, but now your friends know, as you can’t stop calling him that in your drunken state. Your friends started chanting the word dare, and he got visibly annoyed with them.

“Okay fuck I’ll chose dare!” He exclaimed. 

“I dare you…to shotgun another seltzer with me” You said, not being able to contain your laughter. He looked at you concerned, as well as the others. You were already far ahead of them as you made it your mission to get wasted tonight. 

“I don’t know Y/N, you’re already pretty drunk,” Hyunsuk replied.

“Pleaseeeeee sukkie it’ll be soooooo much fun!!” You begged. He sighed and got out of the hot tub to grab two seltzer cans. You followed him and watched as he popped open the bottle with a key, a sight that you never thought could turn you on, but it did. He handed you the can and you both counted down from 3 before popping the tab and beginning to shotgun. He beat you easily, as you were still trying to down the cool carbonated liquid as it burned your throat. After you finished, you instantly knew that was a mistake as your stomach couldn’t handle it anymore.

Before you knew it, you told everyone you’d be right back and then rushed inside to your room as you couldn’t fight the urge to throw up. 

Unfortunately you were stuck in the bathroom for a minute. Hyunsuk noticed you were gone for a while and went to check on you, where he found you in the bathroom vomiting for the third time in a row. He looked visibly worried as he kneeled down beside you to hold your hair back while you let out yet another one. 

“I”m so sorry…I know this is gross,” You said, feeling yourself begin to become sober again. 

“It’s ok, you can let it out, I’m here for you no matter what. Besides, you helped me through my last hangover. It’s the least I can do” Hyunsuk said with a smile, but you could tell through his eyes that he was concerned for you.

“I think I just need to lay down now” You said, trying to stand on your own but failing. Hyunsuk quickly picked you up and carried you, gently laying you down on the bed making sure to lay you on your side.

“Don’t move ok? I’m going to grab you some water” He said before rushing out the door. 

You couldn’t help but start to doze off as you heard him telling your other friends that you got sick, but you didn’t mind that they knew. Before Hyunsuk came back, you ended up falling asleep. He entered the room with your water and couldn’t help but smile to himself as he heard the soft snores coming from your side of the bed. He set the glass of water down on the nightstand next to you and brushed his hand over your face, tucking some hair behind your ear. 

At that moment he wanted nothing more than to kiss your forehead and then cuddle up to you in bed. However, he knew that he couldn’t do that. After all, you two were just friends, and he didn’t want to ruin it. He climbed into bed next to you before turning away to resist the urge to spoon his best friend, and after thinking about how pretty you were to him, he was able to fall asleep as well. 

You woke up with a pounding headache, looking to your side you reached over to your nightstand to chug the water Hyunsuk left there for you. Your sudden rise to sit up made Hyunsuk wake up, thinking you needed to throw up again.

“Sorry sukkie, I didn’t mean to wake you up” You said.

“It’s ok Y/N, you just had me worried for a second.” He responded before laying back down on his side and falling back to sleep. You were desperate to get rid of that awful headache, so you climbed out of bed and made your way to the kitchen to search for some medicine. You discovered Seunghun making himself a bowl of cereal in nothing but plaid pajama pants on. 

“Seunghun jumpscare warning next time please!” You joked as you pretended to shield your eyes from his naked upper half. You couldn’t lie, he looked good, but you currently had your eyes on someone else. 

“Wow, that was rude!” Seunghun said, not being able to hide his laughter. 

“Don’t worry I was kidding!” You defended yourself.

“How are you feeling?” Seunghun asked you.

“Not great, I have a really bad headache that’s not going away. I already chugged some water but it’s still here” You responded, rubbing the side of your head. 

“I think B/F/N might have some medicine, you should go ask her. I saw her take something this morning” Seunghun responded as he took a bite of his cereal. 

“Will do, thanks Seunghun!” you said before heading up the stairs to B/F/N and Jinyoung’s room. After interrogating your friend as to why she suddenly has a bunch of hickeys on her chest, she finally forked over some advil for you to take. After you took the pills, she whispered to you.

“You know, Hyunsuk was really worried about you last night” 

“Really?” You asked, sounding surprised.

“Yeah, I mean we were all worried, but he was restless when you left to go to the bathroom and needed to check on you as soon as he could. Also, when he came to get you water last night, he told us he was going to stop drinking with us so he could lay in bed with you to make sure you were ok” She responded with a smile on her face.

“I guess I am lucky to have a friend like him, huh?” You say nonchalantly. This caused your friend to smack you lighty on the arm.

“Girl I think he wants you, and not in the friend way,” she said. You started blushing again.

“I really don’t think so,” You denied it. Although, that is the only thing that you want right now.

“Whatever, just pay attention to how he looks at you today. He definitely sees you as more than a friend,” B/F/N responded. You shook your head before walking back downstairs towards your room. 

“Does he really see me as more than a friend?” You couldn’t help but wonder. You didn’t want to let your friend give you false hope, but you wanted to believe it so bad.

Today you and your friends decided to go to the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk, so you all piled in your car and headed towards the boardwalk together. After you park your friend group immediately split up as Seunghun, Yonghee, and Byounggon wanted to go on rides while Jinyoung and B/F/N wanted to lay on the beach. Hyunsuk decided he was hungry, so the two of you go to the food area and buy him a burger while you got a corndog.

Unfortunately, Hyunsuk couldn’t help it when his mind started to wander while he watched you eat, and he couldn’t help the growing bulge in his pants either. It also wasn’t his fault that you decided to wear short denim shorts and a crop top that very well showed your cleavage to him. You may or may not have done that on purpose. This outfit left a lot up to his imagination, and he couldn’t stop himself from picturing what it would be like to be inside of you at the moment. 

“H-how’s the food?” He stuttered, trying to take his mind off of how good you looked right now. 

“It’s so good, do you want a bite?” You offer him your corn dog, but he refuses. 

“No I’m good I have my burger,” he says quickly while shoving another bite in his mouth.

“Are you ok? You’ve been acting weird since we got here” You asked him, genuinely concerned.

“Yep I’m fine! Let's go play some games or something” He said, finishing his burger and getting up to throw the trash away. You followed him, but almost got lost in the sea of people trying to keep up with him. He noticed you were trailing behind and grabbed your hand to pull you next to him. You started to get butterflies in your stomach with the realization you guys were holding hands, but Hyunsuk was trying to get the image of him fucking you in that outfit out of his head. 

He thought the arcade would help, but it actually did the opposite. You pulled Hyunsuk towards one of your favorite games which happened to be crossy road. The way you bent over to focus on the game drove him up a wall. He almost said screw it and bent you over the machine to fuck you from behind, but of course he couldn’t. He did not want to get arrested today. Instead, he began to separate himself from you and focus on games he wanted to play such as first person shooters. He found a zombie one that he liked and played it until his little problem started to die down.

He didn’t realize how much time passed until you approached him and asked him if it was ok if you guys went on a few rides now. He apologized for taking so long and you two left the arcade, but you were sad because this time he didn’t grab your hand. 

You two found yourselves in line for the log ride, and you were so excited because you haven’t been on a water ride in a long time. Your turn came and went, and by the end you were soaked because not only did the ride splash you, but Yonghee and Byounggon decided to be assholes and pay for the water guns at the end of the ride to spray you guys even more. It wasn’t until after the ride that Hyunsuk realized he made yet another mistake and allowed you to get your clothes wet in front of him. All he wanted was to rip the clothes off of you at this point, and he couldn’t handle it anymore. 

“Can we go now?” Hyunsuk suddenly asked as the five of you were walking to meet back up with Jinyoung and B/F/N.

“What? But it’s only been a few hours” Yonghee whined. 

“Please? I’m tired” Hyunsuk snapped back at him.

“What made you tired? All we did was play arcade games and stand in lines” You said, slightly irritated at the fact that he already wanted to leave. 

“I’m just tired, ok? I drove you yesterday while you got to sleep in the passenger seat” He said back. You did not like his tone. 

“Why is it my fault? You offered to drive,” You argued back. Hyunsuk was starting to get even more turned on, but he decided he couldn’t be here any longer with his little problem. 

“Whatever, I’m just going to uber home” He says and then starts speed walking away. Everyone started to call his name but he disappeared into the crowd. You were visibly upset by this, and Seunghun started to pat your back gently.

“It’s ok Y/N, whatever it is I’m sure it’s not your fault” He said trying to comfort you.

“I hope it’s not” You say, tears starting to form in your eyes. Byounggon noticed and offered to take you on more rides which cheered you up. While you were in line for a rollercoaster, Byounggon realized he hadn’t taken any photos on this trip yet so he whipped out his phone and took a selfie of you and him to post on his instagram story. You stood on your tippy toes and rested your chin on his shoulder for the picture, thinking nothing of it at the time. He then put his phone away so you guys could get onto the ride.

Back at the Airbnb, Hyunsuk saw the photo. He thought you two were too close for his liking, and he got mad. He was so upset that he almost threw his phone at the wall, but he opted to set it down instead. He paced around the room anxiously. He wanted to get back at you, but he didn’t know how. All he wanted was for you to be his, but in his angry mind he thought you wanted to be with Byounggon. Suddenly he picked up his phone and started downloading an app that he hasn’t used in a long time: tinder. He decided that if he couldn’t have you, the best thing to do right now would be to fuck some other girl so he could get his mind off of you.

You finally returned to the house with the others after having an amazing time at the boardwalk, you almost forgot about Hyunsuk’s little fit and went to the bedroom to tell him all about it. You walked in and suddenly felt your heart sink as you saw Hyunsuk putting his shoes on. 

“Hey Hyunsuk, what’re ya doin?” You asked, trying to joke around. He didn’t even look up at you.

“I’m going out. I’ll be back later,” He replied coldly. Your heart sank even more.

“Where are you going? Can I come?” You asked. He snapped his head up and shot you a dirty look.

“No you can’t come with me, it’s none of your business” he says while tying his laces.

“How come? You can tell me I promise I won’t judge” you pleaded. 

“I said NO Y/N,” he raised his voice at you. You were taken aback by his tone. 

“Oh…” you said quietly. That’s all you could manage to get out. Hyunsuk’s phone then buzzed with a message, and you saw it was from tinder. Suddenly every hope you had of being with him was gone, and you almost burst into tears. But you couldn’t let Hyunsuk see you like that, so you held it in. Once he finished putting his shoes on he stood up and walked past you towards the door, but before he left you managed to get one sentence out.

“Have fun fucking some random bitch” you said in the most monotone voice you could manage. You didn’t like how you said it, but you didn’t care. Hyunsuk hurt your feelings and you wanted to hurt him back. 

“I will, and you have fun fucking Byounggon tonight” he said, slamming the bedroom door shut. 

“Wait what?” you asked yourself. You then realized what he said, and it couldn’t be further from the truth. You then realized that he was referring to the photo that you and Byounggon took, and upon further inspection it did look slightly like a couple photo. You messed up, but he had the wrong idea. By the time you realized where the miscommunication was, Hyunsuk already left in your car, which made you even more upset. You tried calling him, but he kept declining. All you could do was cry as the others comforted you in the living room. They kept telling you it wasn’t your fault, and Byounggon felt especially guilty. He tried calling Hyunsuk as well, but it was no use. You assured him that it wasn’t his fault. 

After about 20 minutes of trying to contact him, everyone gave up and decided to head to their rooms for the night. They all told you that if you needed anything at all then to come find them, and you just nodded your head and tried wiping away tears but they kept coming. You sent one last long text to Hyunsuk explaining the situation and telling him this was all a big misunderstanding before putting your phone back in your pocket and silencing the ringer. 

Once everyone went to their rooms, you decided you needed a breath of fresh air, so you got some new clothes on, grabbed a blanket, and walked down to the private beach area. You laid the blanket down and curled into a ball on it. You couldn’t help but start crying again. You wondered why Hyunsuk was acting like he hated you suddenly, and why he didn’t want to hear your explanation. Once you felt like you cried enough, you sat up and stared at the sea. Watching the waves crash on the shore was almost therapeutic for you, and it helped calm you down. 

Suddenly you felt a presence behind you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to turn around. Then, that same presence sat beside you on your blanket. You kept your gaze on the ocean’s waves in front of you, but you knew that the person who joined you was Hyunsuk. You couldn’t even look at him after what happened tonight. He made you feel so ashamed of yourself. However, he knew you were upset with him, so you two sat together on the beach in silence for what felt like hours before you decided to break it. 

“How was she?” you asked. It probably wasn’t the right question to ask, but you couldn’t help it. 

“I didn’t go,” Hyunsuk said firmly. 

“What made you change your mind?” You asked, not fully believing him. He was gone for an hour after all.

“I parked in an empty parking lot and did some thinking, I realized what I was doing was stupid” He said.

“Yeah, it was stupid” you scoffed. 

“Especially because you took my car, asshole”

“It was, and I’m sorry,” Hyunsuk said. 

“I appreciate your apology, but I need an explanation” You said to him. He sighed, but agreed to tell you. 

“Like I said, it was a bad decision. I wanted to get back at you for that photo Byounggon posted. I thought you made him post it to make me jealous and-”

“Wait make you jealous? I don’t understand” you cut him off.

“I thought you were trying to make me feel bad for leaving the boardwalk early, so I was upset with the post,” Hyunsuk said quietly. 

“You know I’d never do something like that Sukkie, you’re an idiot for thinking I would do that to you. Also, Byounggon would never agree to that” you said.

“I know, and I’m truly sorry for assuming the worst,” Hyunsuk said sadly. 

“But can you tell me why you left the boardwalk? You seemed fine at first, none of us understood why you left,” You said. He clearly didn’t want to tell you, but you begged him.

“Please, Sukkie, be honest with me. You’re my best friend, you can tell me anything” you said. 

“I just…don’t want to ruin our friendship,” he said. Your stomach dropped when hearing those words.

“You won’t, I pinky swear. You can tell me anything. Please?” You pleaded with him. 

“Ok fine...it was because of you,” he said bluntly.

“Because of me? Was I being annoying?” you asked, your feelings hurt. You could feel the tears in your eyes forming again.

“No, you weren’t being annoying at all. This is so hard for me to explain, Y/N. I left because…I liked your outfit a lot. I liked your outfit too much, if you get what I’m saying. I got…um…excited,” He said while looking down, slightly embarrassed by his choice of words. 

“Oh…OH!” You exclaimed as the realization hit you.

“Will you relax?” He said, already feeling slightly humiliated.

“I just want you to know i’m not judging you Hyunsuk, sometimes we can’t control how we feel and I didn’t mean to make you feel that way” you said, stuttering like crazy. But secretly, you did. You knew what you were doing when you put that outfit on, and now you’re feeling some form of satisfaction knowing you got a rise out of Hyunsuk.

“It’s ok, you can’t help how sexy you are,” Hyunsuk said. Your mouth hung open, you couldn’t believe your best friend just called you sexy. You turned to face him, the moonlight casting the perfect lighting onto his already flawless face. At this moment, his lips have never looked so kissable to you before. 

He turned to look at you too, and it was like a switch flipped. He was no longer afraid of ruining your friendship, he needed you more than anything at that moment. He closed the distance between you and pressed his soft lips against yours. You sighed of relief and closed your eyes, as you’ve been waiting for this moment for years. After a few seconds, you pulled away to look at him again. 

“Sukkie, I-I don’t know what to say. I’m so happy right now” You said 

“Y/N…I need you to know that I’ve loved you for years. I didn’t want to risk ruining our friendship by confessing prematurely. I wanted to make sure you liked me first, that’s why when Byounggon posted that photo it crushed me. I just wanted to have you to myself and I thought I lost you” Hyunsuk confessed. 

“Hyunsuk, I love you too. I always have and I always will. You’re still my best friend no matter what, but I think I want to be more than just friends with you” You said. Hyunsuk smiled at you before leaning in to kiss you again. This time, however, it was a little more passionate. His tongue grazed your lips as you opened your mouth a little wider, allowing for his tongue to enter your mouth. He brought his hands up to your neck, pulling you even closer to him. He broke the kiss and started to trail down your neck. The sensation of his warm mouth on your sensitive skin sent shivers down your spine, and you wanted more. He returned to your mouth and you kissed him for a while longer before you noticed the growing bulge in his pants, and the growing heat in yours. 

“Should we take this to the bedroom?” Hyunsuk whispered. You nodded and quickly stood up from the ground and grabbed the blanket, signaling for him to get off before you picked it up and folded it. You two then ran back to the house, hand in hand, anxious to be close together again. 

Once you reached the bedroom it was as if every care you had in the world was gone. Hyunsuk shut the door behind him and you two were once again kissing, this time faster and more aggressive. He grabbed you by the waist and pushed your body against the wall. He yet again slipped his tongue in your mouth, which made you whimper. You grabbed him by the hair and somehow managed to pull him even closer than he already was.

His fingers found his way up your shirt, and he started to feel your breasts between the fabric of your bra. This action made you moan into his mouth. You couldn’t help but rock your hips against his due to his touch, and that’s when you noticed his hard on pressing against you. He pulled back from the kiss, a thin trail of saliva still connecting the two of you. He then picked you up and placed you on the bed in a seated position. 

“I want to please you, tell me what you want me to do to you,” Hyunsuk said, looking down at you. 

“Hyunsuk…please just touch me” you say desperately, clenching your legs together as you were slightly embarrassed about the wetness that has already accumulated for him.

“Just wait baby, I’ll get to that” he said. Hyunsuk decided he wanted to move as slow as possible to relish every moment he had with you.

He kneeled on the ground in front of you then slipped his fingers into the waistband of your shorts and slid them down your legs. You threw your shirt off for him as the material became unbearable in the heat of the moment. He looked you up and down, admiring your natural beauty that was displayed before him. He knew you couldn’t wait any longer for him, so he then put two fingers in your mouth and demanded for you to suck on them, to which you happily listened. This sight made him twitch with anticipation, as he couldn’t wait to make you feel good.

After his fingers were coated in your saliva he slowly entered one finger into your gaping hole that was just begging to be touched. The sound you made was unholy, as you whipped your head back from the instant pleasure. He easily slipped in the second finger because of how soaked you were, and he started working at a pace to stretch you in preparation for later. You became a moaning mess and fully fell backwards onto the bed as you couldn’t sit up anymore. As much as you wanted to watch him finger you, he was doing it so well that it made you almost pass out from bliss and you couldn’t help but throw your head back again. He rammed his fingers into your g-spot over and over again as you hissed out profanities from all the pleasure he was providing.

“You’re so fucking hot” Hyunsuk whispered before sticking his tongue out and circling it around your clit. He then started to move his fingers in and out of you faster while trying to work his tongue at the same speed. This caused you to start seeing white as it felt so amazing. You never realized Hyunsuk could make you cum by just his fingers, as no other man has ever come close to making you feel this good. You started to buck your hips against his working tongue, and you were on the verge of climaxing. 

“Hyunsuk…I-I’m gonna…I might-” 

Hyunsuk then pulled his fingers out abruptly, the brief absence of his touch made you feel empty. He didn’t want you to cum just yet. He stood up and then made you sit up. 

“Before I continue, I need to know what it’s like to have your lips around my cock” he said. You didn’t even need to be asked twice. As soon as he said those words you lunged forward to unzip and pull his pants down. To your surprise, Hyunsuk was big. Bigger than you expected, but you didn’t care. You didn’t hesitate to put his dick in your mouth before beginning to suck on it.

He dug his fingers into your hair and pulled your head back to look up at him. You continued to go up and down on his length until you felt him begin to twitch. You started licking the tip and around the base until you felt him throbbing. He couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to fuck the shit out of you. Before you could finish sucking him off, Hyunsuk pushed you back to lay down before climbing on top of you. 

“Is this ok baby?” He asked, lining his dick up by the entrance. The sudden nickname made you smile.

“Hyunsuk if you don’t fuck me right now I think I’m actually going to die” you said back. He chuckled a bit before starting to push his cock into your entrance. You moaned louder than expected at this, but you didn’t care. He was so big that it hurt you, and you’ve had sex before. Once he got it all the way in, the pain was quickly replaced by pleasure due to how turned on you were. He leaned down to capture your lips in a deep passionate kiss before beginning to thrust into you. He felt your walls clench as he moved his cock in and out of your slick folds, which only turned him on even more. You couldn’t help yourself and began to dig your nails deep into his back muscles creating bright red scratch marks. 

“Y/N, ahhh…fuck…you’re so good…” He said between thrusts. You couldn’t believe you were making your best friend moan like this, but it brought you a lot of satisfaction. He continued to buck his hips into yours, moving faster and faster as he gently held your waist down onto the bed. He then started to slow down, and you whimpered as you wanted him to continue going at the fast pace. You didn’t want this moment to be over already.

“Can you flip around for me baby? I want to fuck you from behind” Hyunsuk said. You nodded at him and gladly turned over onto your stomach, your bare ass completely exposed to him. 

“I know I said this already, but you are so sexy Y/N, '' Hyunsuk said as he placed his huge hands on your ass and gave it a light smack. He then pulled you back towards him by your hips and went to kneel behind you on the bed, positioning is cock yet again at your entrance. He wasted no time slipping it in this time, as you were already prepped. The sudden penetration made you yelp slightly.

“Are you okay darling, did I go too fast?” Hyunsuk asked, sounding worried.

“No it’s ok! I just didn’t expect it, but please keep going” You responded with desperation in your voice. He nodded and started to push deeper into you before pulling out and re-entering again. You could barely handle this motion as he was so large it made you weak. Hyunsuk then started a fast steady pace thrusting in and out of your hole that had you panting and yearning for more. Your walls started to clench even tighter as you could feel yourself yet again building up to your climax. You turned to look at him, and seeing him clenching his jaw while focusing on fucking you was all you needed to finish. 

“Hyunsuk, I’m going to cum” you almost yelled. Hyunsuk was also close, he increased his speed and started to thrust extremely sloppy as all he wanted was for you and him to cum together. He leaned down and kissed you wherever his mouth could reach and you attempted to kiss him back, only grazing his lips with the corner of your mouth. Suddenly you couldn’t take it anymore, and your body trembled as the feeling of your orgasm overtook you. This sight made Hyunsuk thrust into you one last time before he finished inside you. The hot sensation of his cum made you feel weak, and when he fully pulled his cock out he left a small trail on the bed sheets.

You fell flat onto the bed to rest as Hyunsuk quickly went to the bathroom to grab a towel and clean you up. Once he returned he tried rubbing the cum out of the sheets, but only made it worse.

“Shit, sorry Y/N I meant to pull out and cum on your back but…I couldn’t help it” He said sheepishly. You chuckled at his ridiculous apology.

“It’s fine Sukkie, I appreciate the effort. Let’s just get some new bed sheets to sleep on…and we’ll hunt for some plan b tomorrow” You suggested, standing up and walking to the closet where you luckily found spare sheets to put on. After remaking the bed, your body felt so tired that you couldn’t even bring yourself to go to the bathroom to get ready to sleep. Instead, you plopped down onto your side of the bed. Hyunsuk followed and draped his arm around you, pulling you in closer towards his warm exposed chest. You rested your head on his side, as you couldn’t believe that just happened. 

“So…is our friendship over?” Hyunsuk asked quietly. 

“I think so,” You said, leaning up to kiss him quickly on the lips. 

“I think we have a different kind of relationship now,”

You took his hand in yours. Hyunsuk had a huge grin on his face, he was so excited to start a new chapter in his life with you.

“Y/N, I would love for you to be my girlfriend. Of course, you’ll always be my best friend, but I think girlfriend is a more fitting title now” Hyunsuk said. 

“And I would love for you to be my boyfriend” You said back. You threw your arm over his body as you snuggled in close to him, smelling his cologne as you took a deep breath and closed your eyes, ready for sleep to overtake you. 

“I love you, Y/N” Hyunsuk said before shutting his eyes.

“I love you, Hyunsuk” You said back, drifting off to sleep in his arms. 

THE END

[chansabsfanclub]

MyDays // Kim Seungmin Oneshot

Genre : fluff, fanboy/fangirl, K.SM x gender neutral reader

Word Count : 1149

A/N : This is a super fluffy oneshot of seungmin

Y/N POV

I stuffed my Day6 light stick into my bag quickly before going to grab a water bottle.  Tonight was my first Day6 concert and I'm so excited to go!  They're my ult group and they finally came to my city to perform.  I finished packing my bag so I went to my closet to grab the outfit I picked out for tonight and changing into it quickly and going to my bathroom to put on some makeup and do my hair.  It was time to go so I grabbed my phone from it's charger, my wallet and double checked that my ticket was in there and then my bag and keys.  I locked up my apartments and left to catch the train.

magical time skip

After a long train ride I finally got to the station nearby the stadium where the concert was being held.  In the stadium I got my ticket scanned and through the security check and then walked around to find the entrance to the stairs to wear my seat in the front row.  The stadium was already packed with fans, talking to each other and anxiously awaiting for the concert to start.  There was already one girl seated to the side of me and we politely waved at each other, then she went back to talking with her friends.  Not long after someone came and sat on the other side of me, I turned to them to say hi and that's when I noticed he was a fanboy.  He had a cute little smile and fluffy brown hair and as odd as it sounds his eyes actually sparkled.  He noticed me looking at him and turned to me.  I could feel my cheeks flush red and I shyly waved at him.

"Hi, I'm Y/N." I introduce myself, looking into his sparkly eyes.

"I'm Seungmin, nice to meet you." he smiled and offered me his hand.  I gladly shook it

"Are you here alone?" I ask, trying not to sound like a creep.

He nods cutey which makes me smile.  He was about to open his mouth to say something but the lights in the stadium turn off and our attention is put on the spotlights on the stadium.

The lights flash on the individual members as they start to play Sweet Chaos and me and the rest of the fans start cheering.  Seungmin and I talk a bit when we can and we exchange numbers so we can talk after the concert.  We sing along to the songs together and had a lot of fun at the concert.  Sadly it came to an end and we said our goodbyes and I took the train home.

When I got home I threw my shoes off and flopped down onto my bed, tossing my bag to the side.  I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, I take it out and see a text from an unknown number.

Unknown number  

Hey it's Seungmin from the Day6 concert.

I smile seeing his name and write a quick text back.

Me

Hey, did you get home safe?

Seungmin

Yup, did you?

Me

Mhm, it's late you should go to sleep

Seungmin

You should too, goodnight

Me

Goodnight

I plugged my phone in and went to my camera roll to look at the videos from this night.  I scrolled through a few photos, stopping at one of Seungmin's side profile, sheepishly smiling at me. I smile at the photo and add it to my favorites.  There's also a video of him singing along to the songs and waving his lightstick.  I laugh at his cute singing and finally put my phone down and go to sleep.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing, I turn over and grab it from the nightstand and look to see who woke me up from my sleep.  I see it's Seungmin who texted me and I smile widely and open his text.

Seungmin

Do you want to go to a cafe with me?

Me

Sure!

I drag myself out of bed and take a quick shower, I pick out a cute outfit and put on a bit of makeup before grabbing my wallet, phone and keys and left my apartment.

2 weeks into the future vrooooom

Seungmin and I've been going on dates almost everyday for the past 2 weeks, we get along really well and I'm starting to fall for him hard.  His cute smile and puppy like features.  The other day he invited me over to meet his 7 other roommates.  Their house is crazy but they're all really nice and made me feel welcome and at home.

I got ready for our usual meet up at the cafe and left my house to meet him, he was already at the cafe and saved me a spot.

"What do you want to order?" He asked with his sweet voice.

"An ice cap and sandwich please."

He goes up and ordered some food and comes back to sit with me.  We talk for a while and eat our food, after we decided to go on a walk to a near by park.  The sun was starting to set and we watched it from a bench as it slowly disappeared behind the trees.   I turned to talk to Seungmin but he was already staring at me.

"What?" I ask him.

"You look really pretty." he giggles and tucks a loose strand behind my ear.  "You're one of the sweetest and kindest people I've met, I can't help but fall for you." he looks at his fidgeting hands.

I can feel my heartbeat quicken in my chest and my cheeks flush red.

He blushes shyly and meets my gaze. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

My heart stopped as soon as the words left his lips and my lips turned into a bright smile. "Of course!" I exclaim.

He smiles even brighter and pulls me into a tight hug.  I smell his sweet cologne, I still can't believe he's mine.

He pulls away from the hug and looks into my eyes.  "Can I kiss you?" He asks shyly, his cheeks turning slightly pinker.

I nod and his hand caresses my cheek, he leans down and kisses my lips.  I kiss back immediately, tasting his sweet lips, my hands ran through his hair and we finally broke away from the kiss.

He looks down at me and smiled, he kissed my nose and moved a stray piece of hair out of my face.  I smiled back at him and leaned and and hugged him, he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me closer to him.  We sat their and just enjoyed the moment of being together, not caring for the world around us.

[monfixity]

The One - Kim Seunghun

Summary: You are working for C9 Entertainment and with CIX. You loved your job even though most of the time it was just cleaning up after them. But who would have thought that an injured Seunghun could change so much in your life?

You applied at C9 Entertainment 11 months ago. You still couldn’t believe you were part of the team for almost a year now. You were only working together with the team of CIX even though it was planned to put you into EPEX’s team as well. However, the manager changed that because you were needed with CIX.

It’s not that the members were really difficult to deal with, it was simply that they did not have as many staff members as EPEX did. C9 Entertainment was already recruiting more, it was just not as easy as they thought.

During their tour, you cleaned up the rooms they were staying in. Whenever they had to change their clothing, they did not have much time, so they left in a hurry. You were cleaning up the mess they left behind.

After some hours into the concert, you heard the music on stage, but you also heard footsteps coming closer. The door to the room opened and Seunghun came in. He walked over to the sofa and sat down. He winced in pain, and you noticed that he couldn’t move his hand.

You looked at him and how he tried to get the bandage and plaster. After a few moments of him struggling to get it around his wrist, you approached him and took the bandage from his hands.

He looked up and saw you taking the cream and some plaster. Then you carefully took his hand and concentrated on it. You were very careful because you didn’t want to hurt him.

As you applied cream and sanitizer he winced. “Sorry,” you said quietly and took the bandage. Slowly, you wrapped his hand into the bandage, while Seunghun was watching every movement from you. As you were done with the bandage, you looked up to tell him that you were done and he should be careful, but when you noticed that he was already watching, you couldn’t say anything.

You both were staring into each other eyes, and you could swear you felt his heartbeat increasing just like yours was.

Before you both could say anything more, the door opened again, and his manager walked in. You removed yourself from Seunghun and bowed to the manager. „He should rest his hand for at least 4 weeks,” you said before turning back to the pile of clothing in the corner. You felt Seunghun’s gaze on you, but you did not dare to look at him.

It’s not that you were not interested in him, you were. You were simply scared to lose your job. Rule Number 1 at C9 Entertainment was to not date any of the artists. And well, they did not say anything about falling in love. You would have broken that a long time ago. Since that rule didn’t exist, you were trying your best not to break rule number 1.

After the concert, you carried Seunghun’s bag even though he told you not to. But the manager looked at Seunghun „You are not carrying any bag with your hand,” he warned. Seunghun looked at him. „But why does she have to carry it? Any of the members could do it,” he argued.

„Because I am staff, Seunghun. It is my job to take care of you. Including carrying your bags if that is what’s necessary.” you answered professionally, getting approval from the manager.

Seunghun stared at you a little longer and then turned around to the members. Yonghee also looked at you for a moment and looked away again.

Back at the agency, you were walking into the foyer when the CEO approached you. „(Y/N), in my office,” he said before turning around already.

The members looked at you, and you shrugged, giving Seunghun’s bag to Jinyoung who was already offering his hand.

You walked away from the members feeling their gaze.

„Do you know what this is about?” Seunghun asked.

Yonghee shook his head, and also the rest of the members had no clue what was going on.

You walked into the office and sat down as the CEO was offering a seat. „Have I done anything not to your liking?” you asked.

The CEO sat down and looked at you. „There is a rumour going around, that you were interested in Seunghun. And I don’t think I have to remind you about the rule.”

You sighed. „Don’t worry. You don’t have to remind me, I know the rule, and I have no plans to date him.”

„What about your feelings?” he asked.

„There is no such rule, that says I have to stop my feelings,” you wondered.

The CEO nodded. „There is not. However, I have to give you a warning, and after long consideration, we decided to switch your position with one staff member from the EPEX team,” he explained.

You nodded. The CEO got up. „Let’s go to the members, I will explain while you can already tell the other staff member what there is to remember.”

As you approached the meeting room, the members were lying on the sofa, thinking about song lyrics.

They got up and bowed when the CEO entered. „There are some changes about the team. (Y/N) will switch to EPEX while Minyoung will switch to you.”

„No,” Seunghun said coldly.

The members looked shocked at him, but also you were shocked.

The CEO turned towards him. „No?”

„Yeah, I said no. We don’t want that staff change. I don’t see where the problem is.”

„There are things you don’t need to know, Seunghun.” The CEO boldly said.

„If it’s about the rumour about our feelings. I can assure you, I won’t break the rule. I stay away from her, but don’t make her switch,” Seunghun explained.

Did Seunghun just confess he also had feelings for you? No, that cannot be. You must have heard that wrong.

„You’re saying you also have feelings?” The CEO asked.

Seunghun looked at him. „Also? Who else has?” he is looking at the members who are shaking their heads.

The CEO turns to you, and you feel your cheeks heat up. You must look like a full tomato at this point. This was definitely not the way you planned for him to ever find out.

„What if they promise, to keep it private? Dating within the agency, where you have the hand on every person. Where you can basically control the outcome?” Yonghee suggested.

„Yes, why is it wrong for them to date? We don’t have a dating ban since 2021.” Jinyoung added.

„But I do,” you said, earning the gaze of all the members. „That’s the issue. I broke the rule. My contract says no relationship between a staff member and an artist.”

The CEO sighed as the members looked at him. „I won’t be able to stop you anyway,” he looked at Seunghun who nodded.

„Alright, I change (Y/N)‘s contract, into if the relationship is revealed it will have consequences. I am not sure about them yet. I will let you know later,” he said, before leaving the room, leaving you flabbergasted.

Seunghun grinned at you. And the members turned to Minyoung „I am sorry, but I think you can return to EPEX,” they politely bowed and Minyoung left again.

„Aaand this is our clue to leave. We meet you in the practice room, Seunghun.” Byounggon said.

After the members left, Seunghun turned to you. „So… will you date me? And see where this is going?”

You smiled. „Let’s see where this is going,” you smiled.

„I hope you don’t change your mind once you see the consequences written in your contract,” Seunghun said, making you laugh.

„I won’t,” you said, which was true. You were absolutely sure about it.

CIX Masterlist | @kbookshelf

[catsannie]

LOVE BEYOND BARRIERS

SYNOPSIS~ when your friends reach out saying you need to be more “social” and need to talk to more people, your friend tells you she “knows a guy” for you to get aquatinted with, what she didn’t tell you is he’s in another country and doesn’t speak the same language. will this work out?

PAIRING~ nonidol!Choi San x shy!reader

GENRE~ smau, strangers to lovers, rom-com

FEATURING~ ateez, cix(yonghee and seunghun), red velvet( wendy and yeri)

CW~ swearing, kms/kys jokes

STARTED~ 09/05/2024

STATUS~ on going

NOTE~ eeeeee im so excited to start this, i had put up a post awhile ago stating i wanted to make a smau where a member and the reader fall in love despite the language barrier, and i have tweaked it a bit to fit my thoughts on how to play it out, hopefully you all enjoy!

also! if you’re interested in this smau please send a dm or ask to be added to the tag list!

PROFILES AND CHAPTERS

TOM NOOKS OPS | ALL 🦴 NO 🍑

001. i’m social okay!

002. my ass cheeks trembled

003. bro i don’t even speak korean!

004. do you think she likes league of legends?

005. only knows animal crossing…

more to come!!

TAG LIST~

@tiddygang2020 @1lovejinki @astrid-potato @potatos-on-clouds

[mgnifique-tion]

— from the heart.

summary || ``the scientist, y/n l/n, finds the key to the god of mischief’s hardened heart.``

pairing: 2012!loki x gn!scientist!reader song recommendations: i’ll be your man - btob / covered by park jeup, choi suhwan, and kim seunghun (build-up) lowercase is intended… »» read part 1 here

— themes and warning/s: open-ended (yet again), very mild swearing, the enemies have turned to complicated lovers, religious/christian metaphors, angst, death of family member (mentioned), thor mentioned 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥 (just a heads-up)

— a/n: entry for april! what the hell, y’all… how did i get so active writing about loki, i’m not even into the mcu that much anymore (idk, probably because he turned into a tree and that was sad?) anyway, this is the second part to “human reaction” so if you haven’t checked that out, just click the link on the title for some backstory. this has also turned out longer than earlier so wow, i think i’ve gone crazy for loki (thanks a lot, tom 👍) — edit: hello, so this was supposed to be up for april but i'm posting it now on july because, unfortunately, i have a very busy life with unexpected events taking place. enjoy reading!

[ total words: 2.5k ]

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it was past midnight and that self-proclaimed god had brought you to the top of a hill, telling you to wait for him as he’ll be taking some time to converse with his allies.

allies in ruling the world? yes.

“faen!” you heard him growl into the darkness, which startled you from the rock you were sitting on. but of course, that sudden shock died down due to how tired you already were; sleepless and alert from anything that could happen if you’d ever close your eyes. there was that fear that you may never open them again if you had left them closed shut even for just a little minute. 

there was a long pause until you decided that it’d be somewhat of a good idea to say something. a single word at least just to fill in the silence. “... so, did the meeting go well?–”

“oh, will you just not question it!?” loki grunted, startling you again. well, he did say he wouldn’t lay a finger on you so erupting like a volcano right at you wasn’t technically breaking any rule. “don’t you see? it’s obvious that nothing else had gone well, you imbecile! what else would i have to offer you in exchange for your eternal silence!?”

then, he proceeded to take in a deep breath, closing his eyes to collect himself and his emptied patience while you just stared at him. yes, of course, you hated his guts and the fact that you couldn’t really do anything against him but you never intended to offend him; that question was genuine.

in fact, every single response you’ve ever given him was genuine.

“sorry,” you blurted out, “i was just asking. i didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or something... just wanted to know what went on.” the way your voice sounded so hazy and somehow breathy had given him the impression that you were already exhausted, not just mentally but rather physically. you couldn’t think of the words to respond anymore and maybe it would’ve been better if you had just said nothing.

but surprisingly, this was just another reason for loki to take interest toward your gift: humanity, as he’s said. “... did you just?–”

“yes… i did. i did apologize!” you didn’t even notice how your tone had changed; you’ve never raised your voice at him for the sake of him doing the same for you but you’ve had enough. you weren’t a friend, you weren’t even anything to him. you were just a total mortal stranger he spared, which does not give any reason for both of you to yell at each other but that rule has been broken.

after all, you’re just human and that is natural.

“i have never insulted after you’ve spared me,” you reminded him bitterly, getting up from that rock you’ve been sitting on ever since the past hour. you don’t even know why this god had brought you here and something about it was just familiar to you, just like the sacrifice of isaac. “i couldn’t sleep... i couldn’t eat... i couldn’t even ask you to stop whatever the fuck you’re doing to my world anymore but the moment i asked you about your stupid meeting, you just– you just blow up at me! is this what i get from saving you!?”

and that was the first time you’ve ever startled a god.

loki was stunned. slightly amused but completely out of words. just by staring at him, you’d know that he would start thinking of something with a smug smile but there was nothing on his face; he was fazed by you. 

“right,” he said with a low chuckle, “i must’ve forgotten you were human with feelings all over the place... natural... real.”

as the scepter started glowing again, panic rushed in your head and you damn knew that you had to run – just like the many times you’ve thought of that scenario but it just never took place. “you want a meal and an hour of sleep?”

“make it at least two–”

“four, it is.”

and despite the second peak of terror just occuring, that was also the second time he’s ever shown actual generosity. “you humans are too fragile,” loki commented with yet another chuckle as you huffed since that’s all you could do; you don’t trust his promises after all and you might never will. “... you really do need a proper leader. a god you can see, feel, and touch… not some written messiah.”

oh.

that statement must’ve crossed borders.

“... where do you want to eat?” he asked softly, almost as if he’s returning that genuine question he didn’t even bother to listen to. you were starting to wonder whether this was a symbol of your last meal. the last thing you’ll ever eat before your execution. 

who knows what else he could do with that scepter of his. “... well, in-n-out is open for twenty-four hours so…” you trailed off, looking away for a bit as your eyes scanned the area. every hill and path already turned into several landmarks in your mind as if you were the first person to discover it. “... would that be okay?”

once those uncertain words left your lips, the god of mischief smugly smirked back and nodded once. “i have one condition, however.” loki, of course, had to have some benefit from allowing you to take your basic needs as he stood before you, his hands clasped together and shown rather than his usual. “you’re not allowed to eat alone, therefore, once you purchase your cheap delicacies, we’ll come back here.”

so, a total bummer? of course, loki would know how to ruin your chances of escaping even if you hadn’t plotted against him… yet. “i wouldn’t want my apprentice to attempt freeing themselves, would i?” he knew what he was doing and you just had no choice; you needed to eat. you needed sleep. you needed to survive and in order to do so, you must abide by his rules.

he did spare you, didn’t he?

and as time passed by, you were now seated in the same mountain area, eating a take-out burger with a god. you didn’t know whether this was an early breakfast or a late dinner but nonetheless, you were somewhat grateful. “... are you not hungry?”

“gods don’t need to–”

“i bought you one, too.”

for some reason, loki just couldn’t say no to that as he continued to sit down next to you while your hands scrambled into the paper bag, searching for the other burger. at the moment, this was the only thing you could afford since he’s taken you under him once he’d given you that offer: wherein he or his blue-eyed minions couldn’t hurt you yet you still had to be somewhat his subject; a witness and a bystander.

after all, how could he lead humanity without being familiar with one?

“why aren’t you making attempts yet?” loki asked, “this is your perfect and only way of taking the hit and setting yourself free from my commands.”

“because i stick by my words,” you said back effortlessly, “i’ll be here until you let my co-workers– my friends go.”

he was silent again. in some way, he expected you to tell him that you were staying because you simply wanted to but a whiplash of reality quickly swept him away from his delusions. “so, you’re telling me that you’d wait until i let them go, huh? you’re willingly waiting for ages, then.”

the god hardened his heart and set aside any chances of letting your friends go as he chuckled before taking a bite from his burger. on the other hand, you just sat there, rethinking your choices; there’s no way nothing could convince him to let them go, right?

“yet i do admire your everlasting… hm… patience,” he pointed out, later letting out another low chuckle. “now that is something i don’t have… how do you do it?”

for the very least amount of times, he actually was genuine with that question. “well, i had a baby sister and she definitely trained me a lot with my patience.” you laughed, the delayed silence seeping in little by little, which made him cock his head to the side, curious about the matter.

“... had?” he just had to ask about it. “she passed away.” and you just had to tell him.

hearing your solemn, guilty answer was enough to make loki hooked to that story behind your younger sister’s passing. it wasn’t something you’d openly talk about but it surely was the only thing you endlessly blamed yourself for. 

“... oh,” loki uttered with a rather bitter tone, “i’m sorry for your loss… how old was she?”

“twelve.”

considering the fact that he was thousands of years old, his eyes widened after finding that out. “... that’s young,” he commented rather blankly but the look on his face was otherwise; you weren’t the only one terribly heartbroken about the incident. loki took the lives of eighty individuals in two days but never did he think of taking the life of a young child.

so, that was terrifying to think of. “and that happened because of?”

“... terminal disease.”

no matter how casual you sounded to him, your heart shattered. “well, actually, it could’ve been her twenty-second birthday last month if she made it… i’m a bit sappy now, aren’t i?” reality woke you up and told you to snap out of it; you weren’t talking to a friend, you were talking to a dictator. an alien. the god of mischief.

this story was not supposed to be and shouldn't be disclosed with him. “be sappy all you want,” he said, taking a sip from the straw of his cola. “after all, a god should be able to listen to his people’s messages, right?”

narcissistic? yes. but empathic? weirdly, that too.

“... that thing you used earlier,” you took a pause, letting out a sigh and then, a laugh. “it was supposed to be for her… well, for people like her at least.”

loki was giving it his best to not feel sorry – guilty for using the thing you’ve made but who knew that a sibling tragedy would soften his heart? he wouldn’t admit it, of course, but it was there. present at the moment and served as a reminder that he too had a sibling.

well, has.

“it was up for testing but of course, it was used for something else,” you said, eyeing him down as he managed to fake a chuckle; he couldn’t let himself show weakness after everybody else in his life made him feel like a nuisance – a tiny, little problem they’d have to deal with every day. not ever. never again. “... but i guess i still saved someone? and i still don’t know if i should be happy about that but it still provided its purpose.”

“oh, please.” he laughed, facing you more than he ever did before. “you saved me, your god and not anyone else… you should be celebrating this for your whole life.”

“you’re not the god i worship, loki.”

“well, i suggest you must. it’ll make this all easier for you.”

and he talked like a noble deity while eating a french fry. cheap and comical but it didn’t lower his status. “and, oh, if you do, there would be a lot of kneeling that’d occur.” that statement made you turn around and look at him with your brows either furrowed or raised; you had no idea how to react properly to it.

“... what–,” you were then stopped midway.

“i meant in praying.” he choked out.

this was one of your weirdest, most out of place conversations with the god so you just had to slowly turn away again and face the hills below both of you while munching on the burger in your hands. and then, he told you the truth you’ve kept deep in your chest, “... oh, i see it clearly now… you saved me because you want to prove yourself that you’re capable of keeping someone away from death. that you’re… worthy of things.”

it felt like time had stopped the moment you listened to him say that. for the first time, he was actually right with what he’d told you. he’d always claim the most bizarre things about humans and gods but this time, he was so close to the truth that he just blatantly told you what it was.

you were guilty because you couldn’t save her.

“i have a brother,” he added, “that’s why i… um… figured it out.”

“well, where is he, then? did you kill him?”

loki laughed at that. despite the hatred and fueling anger he had for his older brother, he wouldn’t end up killing him even though he’s close to it. the scars of the past made him into who he was now but the wound that his brother’s death would leave him absolutely destroyed. alone. all by himself. consumed by nothingness. just like what his old, so-called friends would tell him.

“he’s alive,” he said so soothingly, “and he’s living against what i had planned for this world.” those following words were much bitter, angrier than what he’s said before. it’s almost as if he’s relieved to see his brother again but upset enough to know that he wasn’t on his side.

“oh, you totally miss him.”

“... silence, peasant.”

and yet another unexpected scenario happened: sharing a laugh with the god of mischief who wants to rule over your world like a second hitler. “... but you can’t show that, can you?” you questioned and he nodded right away, politely letting you finish despite already expecting that you’d ask that. 

when the cold air and the rustling leaves collided, it was time for you to ask him the question that might just change the entire situation.

“is everything all from the heart?” you asked, pointing towards your chest as you stated him down. “... are you saying all of this from the heart?”

it took loki a while before he accepted it; he did speak about all of it from the heart. all of it. no lies were told for once and it was chilling for him. he didn’t even know that he was capable of opening the doors to the secrets he’s kept locked and buried in but that was the effect of the midgardian sitting next to him; the human who made him realize why thor loved jane.

the human he was willing to rule and to love. “... if i asked you now, would you kiss me?”

and for some reason unknown, your lips did brush against his, caressing them softly while you brought your hands to the back of his head, tangling your fingers around his waved locks. maybe you had been caught up by the moment but for him, this was real. this was the moment he understood why thor wanted to protect this world.

because humans spoke from the heart. 

but how could he take everything back when the damage had been done? when the chaos had taken over?

he pulled away and asked with teary, glistening eyes, “what have you done? why did you do it?”

one thing about him was that his need was also his one and only fear; it was love. 

you were startled once again, still keeping your hands behind his head. was it a trick? was it some test? you didn’t know anymore. you were bound to do whatever it took to save your friends and if a kiss that you’ve been longing for could do it, then what else could go wrong?

well, things may have not gone wrong for you but to loki, this was his one and only wake-up call.

wake up, loki.

you’ve fallen for the human.

[restlessmaknae]

you’re my fireflower [k.s.h]

As a medic, you would have never let an unconscious, bleeding boy die in front of you, but by saving him, you actually tie yourself to him for life.

➳ Characters: soldier!Seunghun x female!reader/you

➳ Genre: romance, fluff, comedy, fantasy, magical realism, kingdom au, hybrid au

➳ Words: 14.7k

➳ Warning: mentions of blood, wounds, cuts, minor character deaths, attacks

➳ A/N: This story was inspired by Seunghun’s red hair, hence the header from the 458 MV. I hope you enjoy it because I truly enjoyed writing this story. A poll is up at the end for possible spin-offs. Thank you so much for reading! ❤️

➳ CIX taglist: @wccycc, @dat-town​

As a medic, you were used to treating wounded people, sometimes even half-naked wounded people, but a fully naked person was new even to you.

However, when you heard a loud thud as if something had crashed into your wooden house, you couldn’t just sit still and do nothing. Birds flew against your walls a lot of times, especially at nights when the dim lights outside didn’t provide enough light for them to be able to differentiate between your house and the rest of the woods. Cons of living beside the woods included frequent encounters with more or less wounded animals, but the pros included being close to herbs and flowers that you collected to make creams and lotions in order to treat the citizens of the kingdom.

On the other hand, when you walked out of the house (prepared with a wooden stick in your hand in case it wasn’t a bird after all, but a bigger animal) and you caught sight of a totally naked guy in the mud, you literally froze in place. He had some scratches on his face, there was a huge cut across his abdomen and his arms seemed bruised as well.

When you cautiously walked closer to him, an alarming thought crossed your mind: what if he was dead? It would still not explain why he was totally naked because even if he might have been defeated by an animal in the woods, it was highly unlikely that he would be rid of all of his clothes including his boots. You contemplated whether or not you should wait for Hyunsuk to come back from gathering night-blooming flowers, but he had just gone out, so it was unlikely he would come back anytime soon, and the boy in the mud seemed to be losing blood from his abdominal cut pretty quickly. The flashback of your parents bleeding out in front of you came back, and you shivered, not wanting history to repeat itself. That helplessness, that desperation…

As if anything could make the situation worse, it started raining yet again, and as the raindrops came in contact with the boy’s body, his scars seemed to darken in colour. You didn’t know what was happening - just who he was or what he was -, but based on your medical experience, it wasn’t good. Even though you didn’t specialise in magical medicine, you had a feeling that it wasn’t a good sign that his scars were changing colours, so you crouched down to the stranger, threw his arms around your shoulder and started dragging him inside the house with you.

Since there was no way you would clean him up when he was losing blood this intensively - it was enough to bear the sight of his naked body -, you laid him on the ground beside the fireplace to warm him up and put a blanket over his body, so that you could concentrate on treating his wounds while not having to look at him from the waist down. His chest was rising up and down extremely slowly, but you didn’t know what happened, so you didn’t know what to do for him. You tried to gently nudge him in the shoulder, then you patted his cheeks, but he didn’t react to either. You were really, really hoping that he wouldn’t die in front of you.

You touched his forehead to see if he had a fever, but he didn’t seem to do so. You tried to take care of his abdominal cut first, but he was bleeding so rapidly, you felt searing tears sliding down your cheeks. He couldn’t die, you had to save him. You wouldn’t be able to keep living peacefully if you let someone die after how your parents had died in front of your eyes. You just couldn’t. Fear already engulfed your mind the moment you had caught sight of him, but now you were basically terrified, so you tried to work as fast as possible.

You continued on by disinfecting his scars that seemed almost black in the flames’ light, so you wondered whether he was attacked by a werewolf for it was said that werewolf’s bite caused black marks. Though you had no recollection of werewolves inhabiting the nearby woods, so you didn’t think that it was possible. Your brain was trying to come up with more and more scenarios as you were tending to his scars, trying with a fireflower lotion in hopes of aiding blood circulation as fireflowers helped to regain one’s strength and energy.

When you got to his arm bruises, you swore your eyes played tricks on you because the scratches on his arms didn’t seem black, they were a dark ruby-red.

“I must be going crazy,” you mumbled to yourself as you put on some lavender-infused drops on his wounds. Lavender was said to soothe the skin, and it worked for all kinds of injuries: burns, bruises, inflammation, rashes and so on. So whatever he had been through, you hoped that it would help him.

After that, all you could do was lean over him and pray for him. You instinctively put your hand on his abdomen as you were crying over his body. You felt an odd sensation going through your fingers, your whole body becoming numb as you were weeping over him for god knows how long. A wave of fatigue rushed over you as if you had been drained of your energy, and you felt dizzy. You really, really wanted to save him, but what if it didn’t work?

When there was another loud thud by the doors, you almost jumped back from the boy’s body on the floor, thinking that it was another random stranger. As it turned out though, it was only Hyunsuk fumbling with the keys to the door as his fingers were slippery due to the rain.

“I swear that it’s always me who gets to pick flowers at night when it’s raining. I’m getting tired of it. Maybe someone actually cursed me or-” Hyunsuk started complaining the moment he made his way inside, and you didn’t dare to interrupt him because you didn’t really prepare an explanation for the recent events.

When your brother walked into the room and caught sight of you crouching beside a boy whose naked upper half was exposed, he was understandably shocked.

“What did I miss? Who is he? And why is he half-naked?” Hyunsuk raised an eyebrow challengingly, lacing his arms in front of his chest as if he was the older one out of the two of you, and you weren’t his older sister. “Don’t tell me you’ve brought a guy over while I was away,” he added with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and if you had your wooden stick from before, you would have surely launched it at him.

“Does it look like I brought him over when he looks like this? Do you think I even beat him up?” You exclaimed frustratedly, your tears drying on your face as you pointed at the bruises on the boy’s body only to realise that there were no bruises on his face anymore. The bandage around his abdominal cut was also less bloody than before. The cuts on his arms seemed to heal quickly as well. At least, you thought so. “Wait a minute…” You held up your hand, waves of shock going over your body. You couldn’t hallucinate his bruises. You weren’t crazy. They had been there just a few minutes ago, and there’s no way your medicine helped him to recover so quickly.

“It’s okay. You can continue. I’ll just pretend I’m not here-”

“He’s unconscious, Hyunsuk. I didn’t do anything to him and I wasn’t planning on doing anything to him, okay? Just listen to me without interrupting me, please,” you said through gritted teeth, throwing one last confused glance in the stranger’s direction before straightening up and explaining the situation to your little brother from the odd noise outside as if something had crashed into your house, finding him in the mud naked and bruised to raindrops changing the colour of his wounds. Then, you pointed out that he didn’t seem to have any wounds anymore even though you had surely seen them before.

Thankfully, Hyunsuk didn’t play you for a fool, instead, he listened to you with growing concern. Just like you had suspected, Hyunsuk was also pondering whether this guy had something to do with magical medicine as the whole blood changing colour didn’t make sense to either of you.

“It doesn’t really make sense to me. Let’s say he was drunk, but why would he go around naked in the woods while drunk and then crash into our house?” Hyunsuk mused, just as perplexed by the facts of the recent events as you were. He examined the guy on the floor as if it was an unknown plant you had never seen before and didn’t know of its use, his serious self resurfacing. “Wait, look!”

When Hyunsuk exclaimed, you turned your head towards the stranger, and your jaw dropped. It wasn’t enough that his bruises were now actually gone once and for all, the bandages turning back to their original white colour, but his previously pitch-black hair was slowly turning ruby-red. Lock by lock, soon enough, his whole hair was displaying a vivid burgundy colour.

“Uhmm, what did you give him?” Hyunsuk blurted out teasingly, and you smacked him in the chest. Though when you did so, you felt a rush of fatigue coming over you yet again. Maybe you should sit down or go to sleep soon. That night there was already a lot to take in.

“I didn’t give him anything that would turn his hair a different colour. I only put fireflower and lavender on his bruises.”

“Well then, we are either both hallucinating or this dude isn’t reacting normally to non-magical medicine.”

There were two types of medicine in your kingdom: magical and non-magical medicine. Magical medicine was mostly used on the members of the royal court including the royal family and the royal army, plus magical creatures that lived in the woods or in the mountains - such as fairies, unicorns and such - or serving the kingdom - such as dragons guarding the palace. Non-magical medicine, on the other hand, was used on humans to treat their wounds, and that was what you practised with Hyunsuk. Magical medicine was also extremely rare since only magic practitioners could deal with it since they were the ones born with the ability to tame magic, but even they needed thorough practice and extensive training to be able to make use of their abilities to their full potential. Magical medics were also almost exclusively serving at the palace.

Since you and Hyunsuk were no magical medics, you used herbs, plants and other natural remedies to treat those who came to ask for your services. You didn’t have the ability to tame magic, nor did you help magical creatures. However, since you knew what was normal in your practice and what was not, the stranger’s blood changing colour and his bruises going away in the matter of minutes were definitely not normal, and you both knew it.

At this moment, the stranger’s eyes flicked open and he sat up to reach up with his hands (though he was merely grasping air), his whole body tensing in the act. He focused on nothing in particular, and it was as if he didn’t even see you, didn’t even see what was going on around him, he acted more like a person awakening from a nightmare.

“Run!” He exclaimed, desperation dripping off his words before he fell back to the ground, his chest heaping up and down in a more uneven rhythm.

You and Hyunsuk blinked at the scene, more puzzled than ever before, and you probably waited a few minutes in silence until you dared to speak up.

“Maybe he’s actually drunk,” was what your little brother said, but he still offered to look over him for the night in case the burgundy-haired stranger woke up again and attacked you. You highly doubted that he was drunk or that he was capable of hurting someone, his previous act looked as if he wanted to warn someone about a possible danger, but as to why it seemed like that or what was it about, you had no idea.

So you let Hyunsuk keep his eyes on the stranger, you were tired either way. So tired that you fell asleep the moment you fell into bed.

You usually offered medical services in your house since your herbs, lotions and other medical remedies were stored in a separate storage room inside, but you couldn’t let visitors in until you had a naked stranger (still with a blanket covering his body) in your house. Even though Hyunsuk decided to move him from the living room to his own room, you couldn’t risk someone catching sight of him and questioning you or the stranger waking up and causing trouble. So you listened to the citizens’ concerns and symptoms on the terraced front, putting out some chairs to sit on, and if you needed something from inside, you went into the storage room and got what you needed.

Since Hyunsuk and you usually took turns offering services, it was unusual that you were on your foot all day, helping patients, but your brother insisted on watching over the stranger instead of you.

“It’s enough that you’ve seen a guy fully naked, and you aren’t married,” he had mentioned sulkily, and even though he wasn’t a very conservative boy, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t overprotective when it came to you. Especially after you had lost your parents, and you had only each other now.

“It’s not like I’ve purposefully wanted to,” you had counter-attacked, letting out a huff. You couldn’t have believed that it had been what he had been fussing over, but you had decided not to go against his words when he had offered to watch over the stranger.

So that’s why you were out treating patients all day, and when they asked why they couldn’t go inside, you said that Hyunsuk himself was sick, so you didn’t want them to catch anything. It worked though, they didn’t question your words, only a few younger girls were sad to hear that it wouldn’t be Hyunsuk who would be helping them out. Your brother was indeed popular with girls.

At the end of the day, when you asked Hyunsuk if anything had happened, he said that the stranger had seemed to wake up, grabbed Hyunsuk by the shoulders and told him to ask for help, then fell back into the bed like the night before when he had exclaimed to run. His body temperature seemed to rise after this, but it went back to normal a few hours later. A few of his locks also turned back to pitch-black, but when you stole a glance at him at night, half of his hair was still bright burgundy.

He was breathtakingly beautiful, you had to admit, with his sharp jawline, his high cheekbones, his plump lips and his charismatic aura. There was just something about him that pulled you in, but you knew better than to trust a pretty face. He might have looked gorgeous, but he was still a stranger you knew nothing about.

“Do you think something might have happened to him, and he’s having flashbacks?” Hyunsuk mused out loud that night when he came out of his room to have some warmed-up porridge with you.

“I guess so. It’s definitely odd that he’s suddenly awakening and exclaiming such alarming things. On the other hand, it’s also really odd that his wounds are no longer visible, and his hair is changing back to its original colour. Just who could he be?”

“Or what could he be?” Your little brother topped your question, and he was saying something for you knew that this was definitely not a normal occurrence. He couldn’t have been a magical creature because such creatures didn’t have fully human forms. However, his hair and super fast healing definitely had something to do with magic, so maybe he was a magician practising his skills in the woods, it’s just that whatever he had been doing the night before had backfired? That was the only logical solution you could have come up with, but that still didn’t explain his naked self.

Either way, nothing happened that night and the following morning. Everything was just like the day before, and you were about to go inside for some water since you didn’t seem to have more patients waiting outside when Hyunsuk came out of his room. More like ran out of it.

“He woke up, and he wants to talk to you. He seems pretty stable to me,” Hyunsuk notified with ragged breaths, and you furrowed your eyebrows in question.

“Me?”

“Yeah. Come on!” Your brother prompted you, but before you would have done so, you put out a sign saying that you were closed for the time being and closed the front door.

When you went into the room, you didn’t expect to see the stranger in clothes, but thankfully, Hyunsuk had seemed to give him some of his clothes although they were a bit big on him. His hair was also back to fully pitch-black, and he seemed conscious and awake, not tormented by any flashbacks.

When his eyes landed on yours, he eyed you for a second, and you thought that he would be intimidating because his gaze was deadly, and you felt like you could drop to your knees if he wanted you to. He had that aura around him, it was nowhere near his ethereal, peaceful aura when he had been sleeping. However, in the next second, his lips curled upwards, and his whole face softened.

“I’ve heard that you were the one who found me,” he stated matter-of-factly, his eyes still on yours. Gosh, his gaze was really intense, you wanted to look away, but you could already feel Hyunsuk tense up beside you, so you didn’t want him to think that you were more uncomfortable than you should have been. He seemed as harmless as one could be.

“Oh, yes…”

“Thank you so much. You’ve saved me. I’m very, very grateful for that,” he continued gently and did a whole 90-degree bow. Your hand flew to your mouth, and you exchanged a puzzled look with Hyunsuk. He was so polite as if he had been someone from a high rank.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I just… I just did what I felt like was the right thing to do,” you explained to him, a bit bashful after his sincere gratitude. You definitely didn’t expect him to be so well-mannered and collected, but maybe it helped that he was all healed now, fully clothed and he had a natural colour to his hair. He looked less intimidating this way.

“I’ll repay you both for your assistance, but before that, can you tell me what state I was in when you found me?” The stranger looked at you expectantly after straightening up, and you were sure that you were blabbering at this point, but you tried to describe the situation as best as you could. He thanked you yet again when you brought up the fact that you had taken him in from the rain, and when you mentioned what kind of medicine you had used on him first. The pitch-black haired boy hummed as he was listening to you, but slightly giggled when you mentioned him being naked.

“I’m sorry about that. That’s out of my control.”

If anything, that just made you even more confused, but sensing that you had nothing more to add, Hyunsuk picked up the storyline from where you had left off and told him about the past two days including the change of his hair and his wounds healing fast. The stranger didn’t seem surprised by it, if anything, he seemed neutral, he only seemed alarmed when you had told him that he had been here for two days.

“I need to go now, they’re already worrying about me,” he announced firmly, and you didn’t have the confidence to ask who he was referring to. However, before any of you could speak up, the stranger continued. “You two need to come with me, too.”

“We don’t even know you. You could be a criminal.” Hyunsuk threw him a glare that usually worked on those people who didn’t take no for an answer, but the pitch-black haired boy didn’t waver. If anything, he seemed apologetic about having brought up such assumptions.

“I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Seunghun, and I work for the royal palace. I’m the prince’s most trusted soldier.”

“You mean, prince Jinyoung’s?” Hyunsuk emphasised in shock even though there was no other prince at the royal palace. The King and Queen had two children: prince Jinyoung was the first-born and princess Jinhee was the second-born.

“Yes. I was in a carriage delivering a message to the neighbouring kingdom when our carriage was attacked. I told the coachman to run and ask for help, I’ll deal with those who attacked us, but I don’t know if he has managed to notify anyone,” he explained thoroughly, and you could feel that Hyunsuk was ready to doubt him, but he shut his mouth close when Seunghun got to the end of his monologue.

Oh. Oh, that made more sense. Not just his actual identity but the flashbacks he was having. It didn’t explain why he was naked, but you could take it for what it was: an explanation.

“Why would you need us to come with you after this? Are you still in danger? Are we in danger now?” You eyed him tentatively, and your heart skipped a beat in fear. Did you get yourself into trouble because of him? Were these attackers looking for you too now? How serious was it?

Seunghun shook his head. He looked away for a moment before he looked back at you, and even though he was trying to keep up with his friendly approach, you could sense that what he was about to say made him feel uneasy as well. His face hardened, and his lips quivered a bit before continuing.

“It’s not about that. You have to take an oath to the royal family that you would not tell anyone about what you have seen.”

That didn’t seem so bad in your opinion, but Seunghun still looked at you as if he had been asking for a lot. You could see that he was struggling within himself, and despite not knowing him, your heart did a silly little turn out of concern.

“Why can’t you just take our word for it? We won’t tell anyone that a random naked guy just crashed into our house,” Hyunsuk insisted, his judgemental tone resurfacing. He was usually the one who could tell people off because he didn’t like putting up with people’s nonsense whereas you were more soft-spoken.

“Not even about my hair changing colour or my wounds disappearing? Or my wounds turning to black in the rain? Or why was I naked in the first place?” Seunghun asked, almost weary, and the air around you shifted completely. It was icy, rigid and doubtful. Not something that you would have expected from the soldier with the warmest smile.

“Well, we won’t,” you spoke up feebly, trying to appear as confident as you wanted to be. “It may seem odd to us, but since we don’t know why these happened to you, we can’t tell anyone,” you reasoned, and Seunghun let his lips curl into a bittersweet smile. It was a sad little smile, as if he had already had this conversation replayed in his head before he knew what you were about to say.

“That’s exactly why you need to take an oath. You can’t tell anyone what I am because I’m not supposed to be alive. I was killed by those attackers, but I still survived because I’m a phoenix.”

A phoenix. That couldn’t be. Magical creatures didn’t have human forms.

“I’m not even supposed to exist, not in this form, but I still do, and one of the reasons for that is because I’m tied to the magical medic who saved me. I can heal faster and be reborn if the magician’s powers and fireflowers’ effect are combined, but this time, it wasn’t him, it was you who saved me,” he added without batting an eye, and looked straight into your eyes. Your heart literally skipped a beat, and you were frozen in place, your mind shutting off.

“But… we are no magical medics,” Hyunsuk blurted out instead of you, and you were thankful that he did so because you didn’t have the will in you to speak up.

“Or you merely think so,” Seunghun tilted his head, then took a step closer to you. Hyunsuk protectively took a step closer to the soldier, but he got the message and stepped back. “You said my wounds started healing when you started tending to my wounds. If I can get recharged with magic and fireflowers, my wounds heal within minutes, even if they are serious. If you don’t have magic in you, that wouldn't be possible.”

“But I…”

“Didn’t you unconsciously put your hands above my abdominal area? Weren’t you extremely desperate to save me, and suddenly tired after doing so?” Seunghun inquired, and your jaw almost dropped. You had forgotten about weeping over him with your hands resting on his stomach, and that odd sensation going through you followed by waves of fatigue. You didn’t think of it too much, you didn’t think that it had to do with anything, let alone the way his wounds started healing afterwards. You assumed you had been too emotional, and the stranger’s near-death experience had drained you.

You nodded, albeit still in shock, and it was only thanks to Hyunsuk’s collected self that you understood the weight of the soldier’s words.

“You’ve said that you’re tied to the magician who saved you, but this time, it was my sister. So now is she tied to you, too?”

“Yes, she is.”

You felt like the ground had opened up beneath you, the realisations hitting you one by one. The stranger you had saved was not only a phoenix, but you were also a magical medic who was now tied to someone like him - someone who shouldn’t have existed.

After learning about all of these, there was no way Hyunsuk would have stayed behind. Even if he hadn’t been the one who had saved you, he still knew of what Seunghun was, so he needed to take the oath, too. On top of that, the soldier couldn’t exactly tell you what would await you there since the magical medic who had once saved him practised at the royal palace, and it was safer for him there because they were deeply connected. Since you saved him this time, he couldn’t tell what it truly meant because it had never happened before.

“I didn’t die a lot of times before, to be honest, and every time I did, it was Byounggon who helped me heal. Usually, if I die as a human, I can take on my phoenix form and I can fly back to the palace to receive medical help. This time though, I can only assume that I didn’t succeed,” Seunghun explained while you were making your way to the royal palace on horseback. It took around 2 hours to reach the royal palace on horses, but it was the fastest option, and in this area, it wasn’t common to hire carriages. So as always, it was Hyunsuk’s friend, Yonghee, who gave you three of their horses since they had a farm, and he always helped you out in exchange for you not charging him when he or his family needed any medicine from you.

You gulped down a nervous lump in your throat, a bit frightened what it could entail for him to die, then take on his phoenix form and then be reborn again. Since magical creatures didn’t have human forms, it took you time to process the fact that he was a phoenix. He had explained that his parents had died when their house had caught on fire, and he would have died with them too, but Byounggon - who had been a little boy back then just like Seunghun himself and who had been living close to Seunghun’s home - had noticed the fire and dragged the boy out while risking his own life. His magic had barely resurfaced back then, but it had come out in full-force as he had been trying to save Seunghun’s life. Since he hadn’t known at first just how much he could have helped the almost burned boy, he had also applied fireflower on his wounds - the flower that was born after fires, so interestingly so, it was almost like a phoenix, born after turning to ashes.

When you inquired if the combination of magic and fireflowers aided his healing or one was enough, he couldn’t be sure. He said that Byounggon didn’t want to experiment on this, so he always used both, and actually, you did so, too.

“So why were you naked in the woods?” Hyunsuk blurted out after a few minutes of tense silence had fallen over the three of you, and the soldier found it so amusing, he started giggling. You blushed at the thought of having seen him naked while your brother seemed to put on his usual overprotective face.

“Well, that is what comes with me switching between my human and phoenix forms. If I go back to my human form after my phoenix one, I always end up being naked,” he shrugged casually as if it was an everyday thing for him to speak about it. The thought crossed your mind that it must have been quite bothersome for him to always leave his clothes behind when he died, but he didn’t seem to be bothered about it. Instead, his lips turned into a cheeky smile, and he averted his eyes to you, mischief glinting in his beautiful mahogany orbs. “But it wasn’t that bad of a sight, was it?”

You almost choked on your own saliva, but you had more pride than to let him be so cocky around you. Besides, Hyunsuk looked like he was about to throw hands at the soldier, so you spoke up before he had the chance to do so.

“Well, you’re quite fit if that’s what you’re asking… but Hyunsuk is quite strong as well,” you pointed out matter-of-factly, then turned your attention back to the road ahead of you instead of Seunghun’s burning gaze. You didn’t want to give him the satisfaction to see you blush, but you were sure that your cheeks were on fire, so you started fanning yourself with one hand while you held the reins in the other.

“Yes, so don’t make her feel so uncomfortable again,” Hyunsuk commented, his voice not leaving room for any disapproval. However, the other boy didn’t seem too fazed by your words or your brother’s slight warning, instead, he continued playing the little game he had started.

“Did I make you feel uncomfortable?” He inquired, his voice posing a challenge for you. You knew that the question was directed at you without looking in his direction, and you shook your head even though your heart was telling a different story. “See, I didn’t.”

“Hey, know who-”

“Enough, Hyunsuk,” you turned to him, trying to plead with your eyes. The last thing you wanted was for the two of them to end up in a fight and show up in front of the royal family with bruises all over their body. “We’re heading towards the palace after all,” you voiced out your reasoning, and despite not appearing less agitated, your brother left it at that with a slight huff and a pointed glare in the soldier’s direction who found the situation more amusing than anything.

Oh dear gosh, you couldn’t wait to arrive at the palace.

Two hours had never seemed so long before. Even though you were on horseback, you had to slow down to march through villages, and you could only speed up through hills and woods. Seunghun continued blabbering all throughout the journey, and you could tell that he was a jokester for he always tried to drop a joke here and there, but Hyunsuk didn’t seem to appreciate it at first. After a while though, he realised that he and the soldier had a similar sense of humour, and if it hadn’t been torture before, it would have been torture afterwards with these two trying to top each other’s jokes. At least, Hyunsuk seemed to let go of his hostility towards the other boy, and they didn’t get into a fight even when you took breaks to feed the horses and let them drink from the river.

You had never been around the royal palace, so you had no idea what to expect, but the palace seemed even more magnificent than you could have imagined. It was a huge building with tall towers scraping the sky, wide terraces and a beautiful, blossoming garden around. However, to get inside, you needed to go through three security gates - one that involved the dragons that guarded the palace. You were lucky that you had left the horses outside the first gate because you were sure that they would have gotten scared and maybe even run away if they had seen the dragons from up-close. You also felt your knees wobble at the sight of these gigantic animals just a few feet away from you. However, when Seunghun discussed the situation with the guards, they whistled at the dragons that immediately backed away and cleared the path for you.

After all the gates, the huge front door had another handful of guards standing by, but they easened up as they caught sight of Seunghun, and had a little chit-chat about where the boy had been before letting him in. One also offered to notify the royal medic that he arrived, but the so-called Byounggon showed up almost immediately when you stepped inside the spacious hall. It was a hall full of paintings, large flower vases, tables made of glass and wood, glass windows that let in the many colours of the setting sun, painting the otherwise blandly coloured carpets in a palette of colours.

“Oh my god, Seunghun! You’re alive! I’ve thought that you… I didn’t feel the connection anymore, and I assumed…” The medic in a beautiful burgundy-black tunic shrieked, fighting his tears as he made his way towards the soldier. When he reached him, he hugged him so tight, you wondered whether they were more than just a soldier and a medic. They seemed like good friends finding each other again.

“You’re crushing me, Byounggon,” Seunghun chuckled joyfully, but no malice could be detected in his voice. The medic hugged him for some more time, and only let go of him when the soldier announced that he was alive thanks to you.

As if it was the first time he had noticed you and Hyunsuk standing beside Seunghun, the medic looked at you apologetically and introduced himself as Lee Byounggon, one of the royal magical medics at the palace (and Seunghun’s best friend as the latter added). He bowed politely and wiped his tears away as he straightened up. You briefly introduced yourselves with your brother and bowed back out of courtesy.

“So you… you know who he is, right?” Byounggon blinked at you rapidly, trying to put together the pieces of information.

“They do. They didn’t know at first, but I’ve told them after they’ve saved me.”

“It was my sister, actually. I just… assisted to look over him,” Hyunsuk corrected the soldier, and the gaze they exchanged told you that they had no more revulsion between the two of them. Hyunsuk’s gesture almost seemed friendly as well, you were more than baffled.

“Ah, thank you so much! Thank you so much for saving him!” Byounggon thanked you profusely and even bowed frantically as if he was trying to overdo someone else in a bowing contest. You were so shocked by his gratitude that you had no idea what to say, but after what you had heard of him - how he had saved Seunghun when he had been young, and how he had taken care of the soldier ever since -, you could only imagine him like this. Forever caring and having only good intentions.

“I… I didn’t even know how I did it,” you confessed, feeling torn about the whole situation because you didn’t feel like you earned his gratitude despite the fact that you had saved the soldier. Byounggon furrowed his eyebrows quizzically, so Seunghun explained the whole situation to him, not leaving out the part that you didn’t know about your own magic. Hearing that, the medic mentioned something about a visit to the master magician, but before he could elaborate on that, a lanky boy walked into the hall with two muscular men by his side.

He had a small face with delicate features, and nothing could compare to the aura he held. He radiated elegance, chicness and that kind of icyness that came with him being in a high rank. As opposed to the guards by his side or Byounggon’s attire, he wore only white - a white tunic that was split in the front, so that he could move around more freely with his arms, it had sleeves for maximum protection, a hooded back and probably cotton pants, though his tunic almost reached the floor, so you couldn’t be sure. He had the deepest shade of black hair, but his eyes were warm when he looked at you all. There was no question that he was prince Jinyoung.

Following the others’ action, you also bowed deeply alongside your brother, but when you straightened up, the previous rigid atmosphere was nowhere to be seen. It was replaced by a tender one with the prince asking about Seunghun’s condition, and telling him how worried they had all been when he hadn’t come back from delivering the message even though the carriageman had arrived the day before, albeit a bit wounded. He was fine, prince Jinyoung reassured Seunghun, before moving on to the two of you.

You introduced yourself yet again, and even your usually confident brother seemed to sway a bit in front of the prince. Prince Jinyoung, sensing his discomfort, patted the boy’s shoulder in a friendly manner, and you watched the sight with a small smile.

“You two will need to take the oath as Seunghun has already told you. However, you will be greatly rewarded for helping out the best soldier of the royal palace, and for saving him even though you did not know his identity,” he announced with an air of authority, and you didn’t feel like you had the right to go against his words despite only doing what you were always doing - helping others. So you bowed yet again, thanking him for his generosity.

“Prince Jinyoung, I believe we need to visit the master magician as well. Do you think it is possible for him to see us as soon as possible?” Byounggon turned to the prince with a slightly worried expression whereas the royal merely waved his hand.

“It is possible if I say so,” he answered confidently and turned around to lead the way to the master magician. Hyunsuk’s jaw almost dropped to the floor, and he mouthed how slick it was from the prince to say something like that, and you had to hold yourself back from laughing at your little brother’s antics.

Seunghun, on the other hand, caught sight of your scene, and when his eyes found yours, he gave you an amused smile, one that made his eyes smile, too. He was too gorgeous, you had to look away.

The master magician repeated what you had already known about Seunghun’s condition, about how he could be reborn, how much it took for him to heal with a magician’s help and how connected he was to the magician who helped him reborn. On the other hand, he couldn’t tell you exactly what it meant that you were the one who had saved him this time, not Byounggon, as it had not happened before. He also added that it would be too dangerous to try and see if you can change the connection back to Byounggon’s magic because it might risk not just Seunghun’s life, but yours and Byounggon’s as well.

Nonetheless, Seunghun’s body had seemed to accept your magic, so now, it seemed that you were the one connected to him, not the royal medic. Byounggon also admitted that he had felt like the connection with the soldier had been caught off two nights ago - on the night you had saved him. Byounggon had fainted and spent the next two days resting, he only sprung out of his room when he had seen from his window that Seunghun had been approaching the entrance.

“Does it mean whenever something happens to Seunghun, I will feel it? Is it the same vice versa?”

“Yes, you may feel it just like Byounggon had described it. Seunghun might feel it too when something happens to you because now your magic lives in him,” the master magician explained patiently, not looking down on you at all, and his gentle approach reassured you that you can ask about anything that might concern you. That’s why you decided to pose a question that has been on your mind ever since Seunghun had mentioned the deep connection between him and Byounggon.

“If, by any chance, I die, does it mean my magic will not keep Seunghun alive?”

The room fell silent for a moment, and out of everyone, Byounggon seemed the most bitter about your question. You could only guess that he had already asked this question before. Seunghun, on the other hand, avoided your gaze, and you had a feeling why.

“It may happen, but I have never seen a magic like this before, so I can’t confirm it for sure,” the master concluded after letting silence stretch long enough for it to be unbearable, his fatherly smile showing empathy and understanding.

You weren’t a fool, you knew what it meant. Above anything else, you needed to take care of yourself and protect yourself because if you didn’t, it might hurt Seunghun, too. Your magic was inside of him, it kept him alive - you kept him alive. No matter how absurd it seemed, his life was in your hands now.

“What does it mean for me then? I can’t tame my magic. I didn’t even know I possessed it until today.”

“It means that it would be better if you stayed here and learned how to tame your magic. In return, we can protect you, and by protecting you, you can also protect Seunghun,” the master suggested, but it wasn’t an order. He looked at you as if he understood your internal battle, and you had a feeling that not even prince Jinyoung would have held you back if you had decided to leave.

You, on the other hand, might not be able to live with the guilt that you could possibly kill Seunghun if you had gotten into any unfortunate incident. It was enough for you to be reminded of how suddenly your parents had died when a fight had broken out at an inn close to your home. One wrong timing, one dangerous man had been enough to take the lives of many.

“What about my brother?” You asked instead of pondering more about your own life. After all, Hyunsuk didn’t show that he had magic in him, or at least not yet, and there was the question of your medical services as well. Who would take that on if you weren’t around?

“It is possible that he might possess magic since he is your brother, but he might not. He can stay here and learn with you, or go back to his usual life while possibly attending one of our training centres.”

You exchanged a glance with Hyunsuk, one that was bearing so many different emotions. The prince reassured you that you didn’t have to decide right then and right now since you still had to take the oath officially and then write a confidentiality contract about it. On the other hand, you seriously felt like time was slipping through your fingers because the more you thought about it, the more quickly the following events happened, and soon enough, you found yourself with a brand new fate.

There was just so much to wrap your head around that you didn’t have time to mope over the recent change of events. Hyunsuk went back home to take care of your medic shop while signing up for a magical training class to see if he possessed the same kind of magic you did. He also sent your clothes over even though you received a handful of clothes by the royal court - similar to those beautifully sewn tunics the medics here worn and other garments that you might have needed as a female. The clothes people wore at the royal court were elegant yet useful, each a bit different from the other depending on the person’s position, however all of them were in the burgundy-black colours of the kingdom. The only ones who could wear white were the members of the royal family.

You immediately began your training with the master magician since you had done something extraordinary that hadn’t happened before, so he wanted to keep a close eye on you. He was an elderly man who had seen a lot and practised his magic a lot, he was said to be the master of the most powerful magicians in the kingdom, so it was an honour to learn under him. Given his responsibilities though, he had to take care of a lot of matters, so you learned from other magicians as well, and you had classes with Byounggon too who helped you understand what it meant to be connected to Seunghun in detail, and what it entailed that the boy was a phoenix.

Byounggon was an exceptionally gentle soul. He might have looked intimidating with his sharp facial features and strict gaze when he was examining something, but he was patient and ever so empathetic. He never raised his voice at you, instead, he shared amusing or quite awkward stories of his time in the court. He also shared many stories of him and Seunghun from early childhood to present days. Based on his words, Seunghun was the most loyal person he had ever met, someone who cared deeply, and someone who had been there for him through thick and thin - and not because of their bond, but because of their friendship. Even though the soldier was witty and liked to pull pranks on poor medic who was self-aware enough to know that he was incredibly gullible, he could never truly hold a grudge against his best friend.

Even though you could only see Seunghun in passing for the next few days since they had to take care of the carriage attack matter, you could see for yourself just what kind of a person he was when he seeked you out one night, asking if you could talk privately.

The royal court was the extended part of the palace, not attached to the main palace, but separated by a back garden that had an area that was free to visit as long as one had the permission to be on the palace grounds in the first place (the other part of it was strictly reserved for the royal family). You didn’t really have time to look around the garden since you had gotten here, but the pitch-black haired boy chose it as the place to talk.

He showed you some of the flowers he found especially gorgeous, took you to the little pond where you could see blindingly beautiful water lilies dotting the surface and hiding many colourful types of fish underneath. There was a little bridge connecting the walking path to a tree-lined island with a lantern-lit pavilion in the middle, and he came to a halt there, sitting on the bench at the pavilion.

You followed his example, taking in the beautiful scenery with fireflies flickering in the distance, the palace lit like a dazzling spectacle, the pathway in the garden dimly lit by lanterns guarding the sights as if it was a hidden gem, a well-kept secret. It was tranquil and serene, away from the hustle-bustle of the court grounds where everyone was heading somewhere - to deliver messages, to take classes or trainings, to hold classes for the royal family, to cook or wash or make anything for the royal family and such.

“I’m sorry,” Seunghun broke the silence suddenly, his voice coming out deeper than before. You could tell that he was being very sincere because there was no hint of mischief in his voice, nor in his face. The boy that looked back at you was deeply apologetic, his shoulders hinged, his features solemn and the ends of his lips quivering as he caught your gaze.

“About what?”

“Everything. You have every right to be angry at me for being tied to you. If I hadn’t-” He started on his monologue, but you cut him off.

“If we hadn’t met and I hadn’t been the one who had found you, you could have died. I am glad that I could save a life. As a medic, that’s the most I can ask for,” you insisted since you saw it from a different point of view, and this was what you had promised to do for life after you had lost your parents.

You had been young back then, sewed at a nearby house alongside your mother, while your brother had been helping out your father hunting in the woods and selling the meat of the animals you hadn’t reserved for yourself. You had always been interested in medicine, and since the woods were close to your home, you had often gone out to pick up herbs and medical flowers to make lotions that were soothing for your mother’s tired hands after a long day of sewing. You had also been the one who tended to your father’s or brother’s bruises whenever they had had any. After you had lost your parents though, you had felt so helpless and kept messing up what you had worked on while sewing, so you had started learning under the nearby elderly medic, and soon, your brother had followed you. After the elderly medic had died, you had opened your own medical services to the nearby people, and it had thrived ever since then.

So for you to be able to save a life was more than you could have asked for, it was the result of your hard-work, added luck and it seemed that your hidden magic, too.

“But still… You must have plans for the future, plans that would take place outside of the palace, and now, it’s best for you to stay here. You might even have a suitor waiting for you back home,” Seunghun blurted out rather troubled, but hearing his last words, your lips curled up at the end. You would have never thought that someone like him would even think of a suitor waiting for you back home, but maybe your brother’s warning words had gotten to him.

“I don’t have a suitor, and Hyunsuk will be fine. He might seem childish at times, but he is really hard-working. Plus, the master said that we can leave the palace, it’s just better if we do so together,” you pointed out what you had learned, your voice rather patient. You didn’t intend on arguing with the soldier, you merely wanted to share your point of view. Since he didn’t seem to believe you thus far, you decided to ease the tension. “I thought you’re on better terms with my brother than before,” you added with a semi-playful smile, and there it was, that beautiful smile blossoming on his lips in return. Seunghun seemed so much more gentle and approachable when he smiled for there was something in it - warmth, compassion, hope or maybe because it felt a bit like solace - that softened his whole facade.

“That’s true, but now I have to make sure that he will like me even more,” he set his intention proudly, still smiling, and you had to look away because the sight in front of you was too much to take in. He was too much to take in, your heart felt oddly giddy beside him, and you didn’t know what to do about it.

Hence, you looked back at the scenery in front of you. While you couldn’t deny that just a week ago, you couldn’t have imagined that you would be living in the royal court, tied to a phoenix in the body of a handsome soldier, it had its own beauty. You believed that everything had its reason, so maybe, meeting Seunghun was the universe’s way of helping you discover your magic that might be able to help many others in the future, and to reassure you that you weren’t doomed forever after your parents had bled out in front of you. You could save a life.

“It’s true that it’s rather sudden, and it’s true that I didn’t think my life would turn out like this, but I know you wouldn’t have tied someone to you on purpose, and actually, you’ve helped me discover my magic. That is something that I consider a gift,” you decided to share your thoughts with Seunghun since you couldn’t tell just how agitated he still was over your bond. “I just… I feel so out of place,” you confessed, a slight hue of pink tinting your cheeks.

You usually liked to uphold a strong, invincible facade because you were the older sibling, and after your parents’ death, you didn’t want Hyunsuk to have anything less than what he might have needed. If not for yourself, you wanted to be strong for him, but here, with you being a new addition to the court, with you still learning about your magic, you felt vulnerable.

“I’ll be here if you need anything, and Byounggon is also a really, really nice guy. Prince Jinyoung and princess Jinhee are also on good terms with those who live in the royal court. Even the courier, Donghyun, is a nice kid. Everyone is really welcoming, so you don’t need to worry. And really, don’t hesitate to send someone for me. I’ll also check up on you whenever I can. I know I couldn’t do so this past week, but I’ll do so in the future. I promise,” he said it in one-go, only taking in a deep breath when he finished. You directed a soft smile at him as you looked back at him, waves of gratitude washing through your body.

“Thank you, but you don’t have to.”

“But I want to. I want to get to know you better, too,” he replied instantly, almost tormented. You were rendered speechless for a moment, and he took that as a bad sign, so he added right away: “If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”

“I am,” you bobbed your head, hoping that your cheeks didn’t flush too much. You thought that after seeing him naked, nothing could make you feel this way around him, but here you were, your heart hammering rapidly, threatening to jump out of your ribcage.

“I’m glad then,” he noted, trying to suppress his proud smile by pressing his lips into a thin line, but he looked like he was trying to hold water in his cheeks instead. You looked away, suddenly aware of the closeness of the boy, and you were secretly glad that he didn’t speak up for some time, but then…

“Besides… Your medic attire here really suits you. It highlights your beauty,” he complimented sincerely, and you almost felt like your neck had whiplash, you looked back at him so quickly. You were ready to tell him to stop joking around, but he looked rather shy, not the smug Seunghun you had expected to see who boasted about the sight of his naked body, so you didn’t have the heart to tell him off. Instead, you mumbled a quiet thank you, earning yet another coy smile from the boy.

You spent the rest of the night talking about your past life. Since you had already known some stories of the boy, it was no surprise that he was interested in you, too. When he heard that you had lost your parents when you had been younger, he seemed deeply empathetic, not making any jokes or belittling your feelings. He did crack up though when you started telling him stories of little Hyunsuk since he had seen more of Hyunsuk’s intimidating self than his silly, goofy self. He also shared stories of him and Byounggon, and how him, Byounggon and prince Jinyoung used to play hide and seek in the royal gardens when they had been younger since the latter had barely any court members his age until Byounggon’s father - a magical medic as well - made the young boy and the rescued Seunghun visit the master magician at the palace. They had been at the palace’s service ever since and living there, but according to Seunghun, neither of them minded. That’s why the prince had seemed friendly towards the two boys when you had first seen them, because they were actual friends.

That night, Seunghun walked you back to your cabin at the royal medic’s house, and after he left, although you failed to notice Byounggon by the corner, he watched your goodbye with a fond, almost excited smile.

You fell into a routine at the royal court, and soon enough, you were looking forward to your training sessions and your weekly visits back home. Even though you were often exhausted after using your magic, you learned bit by bit how to tame it, and it made possessing magic a less terrifying experience. You knew that you were in good hands here, and everyone was trying to help you out as much as they could, so you didn’t want to disappoint anyone. You practised as much as you could, and when you didn’t have training, you helped out with the herbs and non-magical medicine since it was your expertise after all. You also met more members of the royal court, and soon enough, you didn’t feel so out of place anymore. Seunghun was right: everyone from the women working at the kitchen to the courier kid were welcoming, and often, even the prince and princess came to spend time with you all. The royal court was like a little village, so you didn’t feel that stuck anymore either, you had everything you needed there.

You couldn’t deny that you missed Hyunsuk, but with how busy you were at the palace, days passed by eventfully, and your promised weekly visits arrived quickly. Seunghun always accompanied you, and indeed, the two boys became good friends over the course of the next few weeks. Hyunsuk had also become more responsible about his duties, and now, he had Yonghee to help him out who had always seemed interested in medicine, so he could make use of his book-smart medical knowledge now. Yonghee’s family had a farm where he usually did what his parents asked him to do, but he had three siblings, so there was enough help at home, and he had always been too smart to not put his brains to use.

Hyunsuk did go to see if he possessed magic, but they said at the training centre that he might not have or it might not have resurfaced so far even with the exercises they gave him. He wasn’t discouraged by that, after all, he didn’t measure his worth by his ability to have magic within him or not, and for that, you really, really admired him. He could have easily been jealous over your abilities, but he was the furthest from jealous. A know-it-all, he was though…

“Don’t worry about me, sis. Worry about your soldier instead. I’m afraid his eyes will pop out once, he keeps looking at you with those loving eyes,” Hyunsuk once whispered in your ear when you were about to leave and Seunghun already went out to check on the horses. Bewildered, you looked at your brother in disbelief, and smacked him in the chest.

“Hey! Don’t say things like that. It’s not what you think,” you reprimanded him in your usual older sister tone, but as expected, Hyunsuk didn’t even bat an eye. Instead, he boasted a cheeky grin that made him look so much younger than he was.

“You seem to be in too much denial for it to be a groundless assumption,” he singsonged joyfully, but before you could counter-attack him, the door flew open, and Seunghun came back with a giddy smile, letting you know that the horses were ready. When you looked at your brother, he still had that annoying, knowing grin on his face, and shrugged as if he didn’t say anything.

Nevertheless, you tried your best to forget about Hyunsuk’s words, but you couldn’t help but wonder if the soldier felt the same way about you. After all, he kept his promise, and checked on you almost daily, but you assumed that it was out of pity first, or maybe it was because he was connected to you. Byounggon also pointed out that Seunghun kept finding a reason to see you, and he didn’t usually act like this, but according to his best friend, the soldier was in a particularly good mood lately. He was usually upbeat and energetic, but there was something different about him.

“I haven’t seen him like this before, so I can only assume that it’s because of you,” the medic admitted, yet his smile wasn’t cheeky or knowing. It was a gentle, almost prompting smile, one that you reciprocated with a shy one, and diverted the topic to your abilities instead.

The more you thought about it, the more you realised that you cared about the boy, and not just because you were tied to him, not just because he had almost died in front of you. However, you didn’t dare to let him know about your feelings. Even though he wasn’t immortal despite being a phoenix (he aged like everyone else because of his human self whereas he could be reborn because of his phoenix self, but one day, he wouldn’t be able to be reborn again), and when he wasn’t in a dangerous situation when you needed to help him, he was just an ordinary soldier who kept making you blush by the garden pond and who kept making you laugh with his silly pranks on poor Byounggon, you didn’t know whether it could work, whether you would actually put him in more danger by being closer to him than you already were.

Still, he gave you flowers when he visited you, and when you heard a gardener complaining that someone had chopped off some of the flowers in the royal court’s garden, you had to resist the urge to laugh. He loved talking about what your favourite flowers in the garden represented, precious little things he had probably asked someone about, but he presented it as if he had already known about these. He also got you dates and dried fruits from the market when he was doing errands out of the palace since he knew how much you loved them. Even apart from these gifts, he was a man of affectionate acts; it was in every look he gave you when you as much as miscalculated your steps and almost slipped, it was in every hand he held out for you when you were getting off your horse, it was in every enthusiastic wave he directed at you even if you were on different sides of the pond (somehow he always caught sight of you), it was in every spoonful of food he put on your plate instead of his when you had dinner at the court canteen together, and he knew which side dishes were your favourites.

On the other hand, you couldn’t stop worrying about him. You knew that he couldn’t die if you were around, but he was a soldier, and he didn’t need to go far to get bruises or a swollen ankle. He gave it his all during his physical training, and those resulted in some scars that healed fast if tended to by magic, but others couldn’t know about what Seunghun was, so he was usually treated by other magicians apart from you while you were preparing to do so yourself. Byounggon said that it usually took him only a few minutes to heal Seunghun’s smaller wounds whereas the others might have needed more time.

Once though, Seunghun came back from the border covered in bruises when a group of rebels tried to attack the royal army. Since the rebels were good fighters, Seunghun suspected that they were from the neighbouring kingdom’s army, but he couldn’t be sure why (though after the carriage attack, something had to be going on), so they held the rebels as hostages, and they were currently being interrogated.

The soldier, however, was rushed to you by Byounggon who said that you should try to heal him now since the master magician had deemed you ready after you had been already using your magic on others, strictly under a more experienced magician’s watch. This time, too, Byounggon was by your side, and you three were in a smaller room at the royal infirmary. If it hadn’t been for your bond with Seunghun, others could have been around as well, but Byounggon knew the best way to treat Seunghun, so it was better this way.

As you practised, you pulled in all of your magic - that felt like a wave of energy rushing through your body, waiting to be used up -, concentrating on the image of Seunghun’s bruises healing, and put your hands above his core. It wasn’t necessary for you to place your hands over his wounded body part since the centre of his energy was around his abdominal area, and what you needed to do was to recharge his energy centre with your magic. Apparently, that’s what you had done while weeping over him on that fateful night, and similarly, you felt the same kind of desperation moving in you. The room ceased to exist around you, all you could feel was that energy rush transferring through your hands. It was as if you had been running nonstop, your throat burning, your mouth dry and heart beating so rapidly that you needed to catch your breath when you felt a hand over your shoulder.

“Good job! You can stop now,” Byounggon notified you firmly, his voice bringing you back to the present. As you opened your eyes, you tried to take in everything in the room to ground yourself, awakening all your senses; the smell of the freshly washed sheets under Seunghun’s body on the bed, the softness of the pillow under you in the chair, the warmth of Byounggon’s hands over your shoulders, the sight of Seunghun’s now intact skin, and the sound of the slight hustle-bustle in the corridor outside of the room.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Seunghun smiled at you affectionately, his eyes twinkling with mirth. You, on the other hand, felt a bit numb still, and as you were trying to stand up from the chair, you nearly lost your balance. If it hadn’t been for Seunghun’s firm grip on you, you might have fallen back. “Are you okay?” The soldier inquired, genuine worry causing his forehead to appear wrinkled. You had never seen him so concerned before, and the way he looked at you as if he was ready to walk through fire for you made you feel even more dizzy.

“Yes, I’m fine,” you nodded nevertheless, but didn’t go against the other medic’s advice when he suggested sitting back down. As you took a seat again, Seunghun’s grip loosened around your wrist, but he still didn’t let go. You didn’t mind. It was as if he was your anchor, and you were ready to let him ground you.

“It’s normal for you to feel everything more intensively when it comes to Seunghun. It’ll get better after the first few times,” Byounggon explained with a hint of empathy in his voice. No wonder you had slept so well the night of saving Seunghun. You had basically knocked yourself out back then. “I’ll bring some water for you,” Byounggon offered without you asking him to do anything, and left the room immediately.

You blinked a few more times, the dizziness slowly losing its grip on you. Soon, everything shifted back to place around you, yet you weren’t worried about yourself. Instead, you kept looking at Seunghun’s exposed arms and face to examine if there were remains of his bruises or there was none left.

“Why are you so worried? You can see that I’m fine,” the boy mentioned with a wide, toothy smile, and he looked down at himself to prove to you that you weren’t hallucinating. He looked as if he hadn’t been attacked at all.

“I know, I just… I can’t help but worry about you. Despite knowing that you can’t get seriously hurt, it’s still painful for you until someone tends to you, and I don’t like that,” you huffed, your lips forming a pout unbeknownst to you. Seeing that, Seunghun let out a joyous laughter, something that warmed your heart, yet confused your mind.

You finally looked up at him, looked into his deep, dark orbs, and blinked a few in confusion.

“You’re cute when you’re sulky,” he explained the cause of his laughter, a smile blossoming on his lips yet again. You felt bewitched when he smiled like that, and you were sure that your cheeks were turning ruby-red, so you switched on your defensive mode.

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

The more you bickered, the wider the boy’s smile got, and the faster your heart was beating. You felt like a kid again, that childish excitement yet nervousness that you experienced when you had been playing hide and seek with Hyunsuk in the woods. This time, it was also a bit like that; trying to hide your feelings while seeking out his reaction to see if he felt the same way.

While you were bickering, Seunghun leaned forward a bit each time he spoke up and so did you. So after a few rounds, your faces were so close that you could see the slight blemishes on his skin, the roughness around the edges, the imperfections that made him perfect. You could see a tiny version of you in his mahogany orbs, and you wondered how he actually perceived you.

You kept gazing at each other for a few seconds before the boy dared to speak up, quiet and tentative, yet there was that confident edge to his voice that told you that he really wished to know the answer to his question.

“Why are you actually worried about me?”

You gulped nervously. He was too good at reading you, it seemed. Something that you would have hated if it had been for someone else since you wanted to appear as strong as possible at all times to hide your vulnerabilities and pain, but it was him out of all people, and he knew more about you than anyone else apart from Hyunsuk. Plus, he hadn’t left or ignored you despite knowing about your past and despite seeing your weaknesses.

So you wanted to be honest with him.

“I… I think I’ve gotten used to worrying only about Hyunsuk after what happened to our parents, and I was fine with that, but when it comes to you, since the moment I saw you, I’ve been worried,” the flashback of seeing the boy covered in bruises and that huge cut on his abdomen came back, and you shivered. You noticed only then that Seunghun was still holding your wrist because he gave it a slight squeeze. “Then, I got to know about who you are, and that we are tied, and I actually felt relieved. I thought I saved you once, I can do so again, but now I’m scared. I’m scared because I know I’m worried for another reason.”

The confession fell from your lips almost easily, like a part of a lullaby that you were singing to him. He was nothing but caring towards you, and since Byounggon had also mentioned that he had never seen his best friend like this before (and Hyunsuk had also teased you about Seunghun’s heart eyes), you dared to guess that he reciprocated your feelings. Not to mention the way the boy worded his question, as if he was also trying to see if you felt the same way.

And now… Now when your faces were so close to each other’s, when you could see every crease, every twitch of his lips, every shift of the emotions crossing his face, something in you told you that Seunghun didn’t lean back for the same reason you didn’t.

When he leaned forward, ever so subtle and ever so slow as if he wanted to give you time to back away (though you wouldn’t), you prepared your heart for what was about to come, your eyes slowly closing.

However, the door flew open right in that moment, and you immediately leaned back into the chair whereas Seunghun put his arms behind him on the bed to support himself, increasing the distance between you two quite drastically.

“Sorry for the wait. Mrs Choi stopped to tell me about the letter she received today, so I couldn’t leave until she told me all about her grandchildren,” Byounggon chirped rather bashfully as he put a jug of water on the bedside table and poured you a glass of water before reaching it out to you.

“It must have been exciting,” Seunghun noted rather forcefully, but his slightly awkward smile went unnoticed by his best friend.

“You know how she is. You can’t escape from her once she starts talking.”

“Yes, you’re right,” you mumbled after taking a few sips of water, knowing the elderly woman at the canteen all too well. However, when you exchanged a glance with the soldier, you could see that he was rather embarrassed about the situation as well, so he directed an apologetic smile at you. You smiled back, albeit a bit coy, and let the other medic tell you all about the stories he had heard.

After your rather intimate moment at the infirmary, nothing changed, except the fact that during random times of the day, the image of his face being so close to yours came back, and you immediately flushed. You couldn’t do anything about the state of your heart either, it went crazy whenever Seunghun was around. Before, you had never as much as dared to think about loving someone so deeply apart from Hyunsuk, let alone letting others love you. You had steeled yourself because the less people you had close to your heart, the less painful it would be to lose them.

However, even since you had entered the royal court, you had become so intertwined with other’s lives, there was no turning back from here. You became friends with the maids, the couriers, the ladies working at the kitchen, Byounggon and the other magicians, and even princess Jinhee. Seunghun, however, was a totally different story because you weren’t just friends, you knew that. You could feel it in your bones now; after the infirmary, you couldn’t go back to how things had been before, it was just a matter of time before you fully gave in to your emotions, and you both feared that moment and waited for it to happen.

In the meantime, you went on your usual evening strolls when the weather and your duties allowed, Hyunsuk visited you one weekend to bring over some night-blooming flower lotion and some home-made kimchi from Yonghee (who had been nothing but grateful for the opportunity to work with his friend), and then, you went home for the weekend with Seunghun. In the beginning, you had felt like it would be a burden for the soldier to come with you since there was only a slim chance that anything could happen to you, let alone you losing your life. However, after a while, you had realised that he would have been more bothered by the fact that he couldn’t have accompanied you, so you let go of this concern.

Usually, you left the palace early in the morning and came back later at night, but this time, Hyunsuk and Seunghun got way too competitive when it came to a round of children’s games, and kept competing until you told them that it was time to leave. Your suggestion wasn’t approved by either of them, so you gave in to staying for the night. Once they had enough of the games, Hyunsuk washed up first, then Seunghun (who was given Hyunsuk’s clothes yet again to sleep in something clean), and after that, it was your turn.

However, when you came out of the washroom in your nightgown and wished goodnight for both of the boys who had agreed on sleeping together in Hyunsuk’s room, your brother closed the door on himself and locked it from the inside.

“Wait! I thought Seunghun would be sleeping in your room,” you shouted after him after exchanging a puzzled glance with the soldier. You could imagine Hyunsuk leaving you without a reply, but at least he shouted back:

“Not a chance. He’s all yours.”

You didn’t know what to do with your little brother’s sudden behaviour, but you tried to make it as casual as possible when you suggested different options for Seunghun. The jet-black-haired boy couldn’t accept your offer of staying in your room on a mattress beside your bed. Instead, he brought the mattress out of the storage room to the living room, beside the fireplace. He even cracked a joke about that particular spot being familiar since Hyunsuk had told him about how he had been placed there when your brother had walked into the house on the night you had met.

You bid your goodbye to Seunghun afterwards who singsonged a goodnight to you, and you headed back to your room with butterflies in your stomach. Sleep didn’t even come to you easily, and you kept tossing and turning in bed until you had to use the restroom. You tried to be as quiet as possible because the restroom was on the other side of the living room, meaning that you had to cross the living room to get there. Seunghun, however, was with his back to you when you walked past him, so you assumed that he was sleeping.

Nevertheless, when you were about to walk back to your room, you noticed him turning towards you.

“I’m sorry. Was I too loud?” You whispered tentatively, halting in your steps. The boy shook his head, a gentle smile forming on his lips. He didn’t seem weary, there was no sleep in his eyes, so you believed that he was telling the truth.

“Not at all. I couldn’t sleep either way.”

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“No,” he shook his head yet again before you could think of making adjustments in case he was uncomfortable beside the fireplace.

You bobbed your head as you received his answer, unsure what to say. You felt like you could just sit beside him and talk for hours just like you did during your night strolls at the court, but you weren’t sure that it was the time or place for that. Before you could overthink the matter though, Seunghun broke the momentary silence.

“Actually, I have something to say,” he announced confidently, waiting for you to potentially go against his words if you wanted. Since you were all ears, you prompted him to go on as you lowered yourself onto his mattress, so that you could be at eye-level with him. He also pushed himself up into a sitting position, so you were face-to-face, just like at the infirmary.

“I pressed you about being worried about me because I feared that you might feel like you have to do so. Because of our bond, you know. I don’t want you to feel like you must do something because of me. And I had this silly thought too… That you might like me, but you feel like you have to because of the fact that we are tied.”

Your heart skipped a beat when the word ‘like’ rolled off his tongue. His voice was tender, his words even more so, and the look he gave you was nothing but affectionate. Still, there was a hint of doubt in his orbs, the seed of uncertainty planted in his features from his tensed shoulders to the way he fumbled with the ends of the blanket in his hands. This moment, of him being so raw and concerned and uncertain, scared you a bit for you had never seen him in such a state. This moment was like a glass bead that could break if you were hasty with your answer or if you didn’t word yourself right.

“Do you only care about me because of our bond?” You tested the waters, not taking your eyes off him. He seemed a bit taken aback by your question; not hurt, but instead, bewildered that you would have ever dared to assume such a thing.

“No. That’s so not true.” He shook his head fervently, many different emotions crossing the sky of his orbs. He might not have realised why you asked about this out of the blue, but his shoulders easened when your lips curled into an understanding smile.

“It’s the same for me,” you reassured him first things first. You wanted to tell him all about your feelings so badly, but you needed to pluck up your courage. Instead, you reached for his hands first. He was reluctant to let go of the blanket he was still toying with, but when you peeled his fingers off the material, he let you hold onto him just like you had let him hold onto you at the infirmary. He looked down at your hands for a moment before looking up at you again, and there it was, his signature tender smile that you loved so much.

As if it was the one thing that prompted you to speak up, you found yourself delivering your confession; by the crackling fireplace, over your intertwined fingers and through the rapid beating of your heart.

“I like you, Seunghun. Not the one I’m tied to, but the soldier who’s loyal to his friends, who would do anything to make others around him happy, and who always remembers every little thing about me. I like you for who you are, not what you are,” you emphasised, squeezing his hand in the meantime.

Seunghun looked at you as if he had looked at you for the first time. He didn’t move for a few seconds as if he was still trying to process what you had just said, but then, he didn’t hesitate. He leaned forward to continue what he had started back at the infirmary, and you didn’t protest. You kept looking into his warm, mahogany eyes, swimming in them, drowning in them, letting the waves crash over you as his lips touched yours. Your eyelids shut unconsciously, and for a moment, there was only him, only you, only him and you.

You felt Seunghun lean back from the kiss, and you opened your eyes to see a fully blossomed smile tinting his plush lips. He seemed radiant like the first ray of sunshine in the morning after a stormy night, and your heart felt warm just by the sight. You would have never thought you would be the one to make him so happy one day because he gave away so much of himself to others, but you were delighted and a bit shy that you could make him beam like that.

“Gosh, I like you so much,” Seunghun exclaimed, his voice and face and heart full of love as he crushed you into a hug, and kept you in his arms tightly. You felt yourself melting into his embrace, feeling safe and sound, vulnerable and well-protected at the same time.

You were in such an ecstatic state that you were only made aware of your surroundings when you heard a key turning, and in a blink of an eye, Hyunsuk opened the door of his room just to lean towards the door frame, eyeing you two hugging each other.

“It was time,” he grumbled, but there was a mischievous smile in the corner of his lips, so you could tell that his annoyance was fake. You knew him enough to know very well that he had seen it coming.

“Did you hear everything?” You guessed frantically as you let go of each other with the soldier to turn towards your brother. Nonetheless, your fingers were still intertwined.

“Yes, so now that’s done, don’t be too loud. I want to have a peaceful sleep,” he semi-warned you, but there was still that cheeky smile on his lips.

Once Hyunsuk went back to his room again, you exchanged a glance with Seunghun, only to start giggling. Then, you felt his arms around you yet again, and you eased into his touch, his warmth already familiar despite it being so new still.

“This feels like a dream,” the boy sighed into the embrace, and you could only share his sentiment. This really did feel like a dream, the best kind, that made your heart flutter and your cheeks flush. On the other hand, it was your here and now, and you weren’t ready to let go of it anytime soon.

“Hopefully, it won’t end soon.”

“It won’t,” Seunghun insisted, newfound confidence lacing his words. “We’ll keep on dreaming together for a long, long, long, long time,” he emphasised quite playfully, but when he let go of you, and you looked into each other’s eyes again, you knew that he was being serious.

“I can’t wait.”

“Me neither,” he replied, albeit a bit coyly, and you giggled yet again. It really felt like a dream you didn’t want to wake up from, it was so warm, so comforting, so hopeful.

You might have been the one to save Seunghun on that fateful night, to forever seal your fate together, but you felt like he had saved you, too. He was your phoenix that rose from the ashes despite the hardships life had thrown at him ever since he had been really young, and you were his fireflower; growing from even the toughest grounds through the toughest circumstances and blooming for him, only him.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the twist with Seunghun’s phoenix form. Since phoenixes are usually red and gold, the idea came to my mind seeing his red hair that he should have red hair in his phoenix form, and when he turns to ashes and reborns as a human, his hair turns back to pitch-black. That was basically where it evolved form. I don’t write a lot of fantasies, so let me know if you have any questions regarding the fantasy world in the story. 🥰

All in all, I hope you enjoyed the story! Thank you so much for reading it! ❤️

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for CIX or for other bands, consider signing up for my taglist here.

Since I’ve gotten quite attached to the side characters in the story, I have some possible spin-off ideas.

VOTE FOR SPIN-OFFS HERE!

[blossominghunnie]

Cast

MEET THE  B O Y S

ミ⋄ 𝙎𝙤𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙟𝙖𝙚/𝙀𝙧𝙞𝙘

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➳ Minnie Wheeler

𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 🥺

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ミ⋄ 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙀𝙙𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨𝙤𝙣

20

➳ Josephine Hagen

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐲 🐍

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ミ⋄ 𝙃𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙠𝙖𝙞

20

➳ Madelaine Wheeler

Hyuka 🐧

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ミ⋄ 𝙇𝙚𝙚 𝙅𝙚𝙣𝙤

21

➳ Dorothy Smith

Jeno 🫡

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ミ⋄ 𝙅𝙖𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙒𝙚𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡

18

➳ Summer Anderson

𝐉𝐚𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐞 🐥

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ミ⋄ 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙬 𝙇𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨

22

➳ Maelyn Wheeler

𝗗𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗲 🎸

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ミ⋄ 𝙇𝙤𝙪𝙞𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚

20

➳ Evangeline Moore

Lou 😵‍💫

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ミ⋄ 𝙊𝙬𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙅𝙤𝙮𝙣𝙚𝙧

21

➳ Jennie Carter

👻 𝗢𝘄𝗲𝗻

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ミ⋄ 𝘿𝙮𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚

21

➳ Florence Alexander

𝗗𝘆𝗹𝗮𝗻 💙

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ミ⋄ 𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙎𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙪𝙣

21

➳ Mayline Sauter

Hunnie 😙

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Cast 1/2 ≈⌲ Prologue

Masterlist

[cutie-cix]

I just got a couple new followers so I just wanna say if you would like to request things pls do! I don’t write whole fics but I like doing HCs & those bullet point lists 🥰

[restlesswritings]

Reaction to you wearing their clothes

A/N: Requests open; Pairing: CIX Members x Fem Reader Genre: Fluff Warnings: Suggestive, Cursing Masterlists: JPOP & KPOP

BX

You let out a groan, not being able to reach your favorite mug from the top shelf in the cabinet, "Ugh why did he put it up here!" You mumble to yourself, before standing up on your tiptoes, stretching your body as far as you can. "Ugh, almost got i-" Your words trail off when you hear the sound of someone clearing their throat behind you, you twist back to look at them. "Ehm, hey.." You say sheepishly as you're met with your boyfriend, Byounggon, feeling your face heat up because you know he can definitely see your underwear peeking out from his shirt you have on. "Well damn you look good in my shirt.. need help?" He asks, letting out a laugh, making his way over to you, grabbing the cup and placing it in your hands. "Baby! Next time don't put my mug so high up!" You playfully scold, causing him to smirk as he wraps his arms around your waist. "Oh I'm definitely putting everything up high from now on!" He says, shooting you a toothy grin.

Seunghun

"Hey jagi, can you bring me my charger??" Seunghun yells to you from your shared bedroom, causing you to playfully roll your eyes as you grab his charger. "Hun, just pause the gam-" You begin as you walk into the bedroom, stopping when you see the way your boyfriend is looking at you, eyes completely abandoning the game. "What..?" You ask, standing awkwardly in the doorway, he continues staring at you before a smile creeps onto his face. "You're wearing my hoodie?" He asks, a slight smirk evident on his face. "Y-yeah.. you said I could?" You say slightly confused, earning a laugh from him. "I did but I didn't expect you to actually do it.. I like it a lot.." He says, a blush creeping up his face causing you to smile. "Oh? You do?" You ask, making your way to him. "I didn't think you'd like it this much." You say, a smirk making its way on your lips as you plant a quick kiss on his lips before sprinting out of the room, Seunghun trailing behind you.

Yonghee

"Y/N! You look so cute !" Your boyfriend says excitedly when he walks in the door after seeing you wearing one of his hoodies. "Awh haha thanks baby. How was rehearsal?" You ask, cheeks flushed from his previous compliment, Yonghee lets out a laugh at your shyness as he sits next to you. "Jagi, I can't focus right now, you look too cute in my hoodie!" He says, pulling you into his arms. "You're so dramatic!" You say through laughter when his fingers start tickling your sides. "S-stop." You beg, laughter continuing to fill the air as he joins you. "Only if you promise to never wear another hoodie again, only mine." He says in a serious voice, earning an exaggerated nod from you. "Okay yes whatever you want!" You yell out causing his fingers to stop as he pulls you into his arms. "Good, I could get used to this." He says, running his fingers through your hair. "I love you" You say with a smile, giving him a gentle kiss, causing him to smile. "I love you too."

Jinyoung

"What is it babe?" You ask with a laugh, not expecting your boyfriend to look at you like that when you arrived with groceries. "I'm shocked! You look so good you look in my clothes! I didn't think I'd like it this much is all jagi." He says, turning towards you with a loaf of bread in his hands and a nonchalant look. "Why are you surprised? You saw me put it on this morning.. as a matter of fact you were the one who lost my shirt!" You tell him with a loud laugh, glaring your eyes at him as you remember your lost shirt. "Wh-me? I don't remember that, I don't know what you're talking about." Jinyoung defends, holding in his laughter as he looks away from you. "Okay.." You say sarcastically, teasing him as you wrap your arms around him. "Do you really like it when I wear your clothes?" You ask, he nods, returning your embrace before he looks down at you with a smirk. "Although, thinking about this morning.. I like you better without them." He says, earning a playful smack to the chest followed by laughter from both of you.

Hyunsuk

"Hey Y/N, what was that song called aga-" Hyunsuk's words trail off when he sees you laying on the couch in his over-sized t-shirt, his voice causing your head to fly up. You shoot him a confused look when you notice him looking at you. "What's wrong?" You ask as he continues his stare, causing you to sit up in an upright position. "Is that my shirt?" He asks, taking a seat next to you, a smile forming on your lips. "Yes! Did you really think I wouldn't take you up on it when you offered to share your clothes??" You ask with a big smile, bumping his much larger shoulder with yours, causing him to let out a small giggle. "I'm really glad you did.. you look so cute in my clothes jagi." Hyunsuk says sweetly, pulling you into his arms. "I don't think you'll ever get this shirt back though.. it's so comfy!" You tell him as you wrap your arms around him and look up at him. "You can keep it, it looks better on you anyways." He says, giving you a gentle kiss on your forehead, causing a giggle to escape your lips.

A/N: They're so CUTE My requests are open! Feel free to request anything! <3

[yunhohours]

Don't Want to Leave Yet

✗ Pairing: seunghun x fem!reader, byounggon x fem!reader

✗ Word count: 5k

✗ Warnings: pwp tbh, threesome w/ seunghun + byounggon, seunghun and byounggon are reader's best friends, reader gets caught making out, what seunghun says goes, pet names, "good girl" themes, tiniest amount of reader receiving oral, reader tasting her own arousal, male masturbation for the reader's eye, unprotected sex ft. creampies from more than one man (be smart pls), byounggon is the best boy, seunghun fucks the ever-living soul out of reader, there are probably things i'm leaving out

✗ A/N: this was inspired by an ask. the prompts requested will be in bold font.

“I’m gonna get some water before heading to bed, anyone want anything?” Seunghun throws his voice over his shoulder as he makes his way from the couch to the kitchen, a tinge of laughter still present in his voice.

“Nah,” You and Byounggon call out at the same time and, like everything else tonight, it’s hilarious. 

You love your best friends. They welcome you to their place all the time and every single second with them is spent having so much fun that you’re crying from laughing so hard. You don’t know what you’d do without them. You never want to leave at the end of the night.

You gaze down from your comfy spot on the couch to Byounggon who is seated on the floor, but leaning his side into the couch so he can see you above him. You realize once you both stop laughing that he’s actually really close to you. With your head resting on the arm of the couch, you’re just above eye level with him. He seems to notice it at the same time, your eyes trained on each other’s in silence.

“I need to go?” You ask in an almost-whisper, suddenly feeling a swarm of butterflies in your stomach. 

He takes a moment to respond. The flash of confusion across his face tells you that he isn’t quite sure what you’re asking. “You need a place to stay for the night?”

You think about lying and just saying that you do. It would be a sure way to stay here with them. They’d never leave you with no place to stay. But this new feeling you’re getting while holding Byounggon’s gaze hostage makes you want to play it differently. You’ll just be entirely honest instead. “Well… no. I just don’t want to leave yet.”

Another moment of silence, only eyes speaking. Byounggon’s lips quirk into a half-smirk. “I see.” He leans his head against the couch and now it’s dangerously close to yours. You can feel his breath on your face, the heat echoing through every part of your body. You can’t believe you’re looking at him like this. You can’t believe that you want to do more than just look at him.

You nudge your head forward until your forehead rests on his, a playful smile adorning your face. You don’t kiss him. You let your lips get within an inch of his but no further, not wanting to risk scaring him. At this point, you can still pass it off as skinship. Maybe very, very close skinship, but skinship nonetheless. “Gon,” you whisper without an inkling of what you’ll say next.

It’s as if hearing his name activated something within him. Flipped the right switch. He hums, his hand finding the side of your face and sliding up the side of it until it’s in your hair, his lips pressing themselves firmly against yours. You can’t help the soft moan that escapes your lips, the shock of this unexpected situation exciting you. 

That seems to flip another switch inside of Byounggon, his mouth swallowing your pretty sound as his lips part, slotting themselves against yours, head tilted for better access. He now holds your head in both of his hands and his grip feels urgent, his tongue prodding at your lips for entry that you quickly offer him. Your head feels so heavy and so weightless at the same time, swooning from the way he kisses you.

Within moments, he’s carefully getting up from the floor, navigating your head with his hands so he doesn’t have to stop kissing you for a second as he takes his place next to you on the couch. He pulls you onto his lap, hands gliding up the outsides of your thighs and you curse against his lips. You can feel him smile, tugging at your bottom lip before he lets it snap free. He pulls back to look at you with dark, heavily-lidded eyes. Fuck, he looks so hot like this.

He doesn’t say anything and neither do you. You assume you’re both trying to avoid bursting the bubble you’ve formed around yourselves to allow this to happen in the first place. His hands tug at the elastic waistband of your sweatpants playfully, the little smirk on his face one you’re familiar with but have never seen in this context. You smirk back. And then his lips are on yours again.

You’ve all but forgotten about Seunghun. You’re too busy tasting every inch of Byounggon’s mouth as your bodies rock into each other with increasing need. You’re moaning, he’s hissing at the sound of you. You’re pulling at his shirt, he’s bucking his hips up into you. You only remember that you’re not here alone when you hear Seunghun clearing his throat, both of your heads abandoning each other to turn in the direction of the intrusion.

“Gon… the shower is free now.”

You glance back and forth between Byounggon and Seunghun, trying to figure out your next move. Your cheeks are on fire but you can’t seem to move, not sure where you’d go if you did.

The puzzled look on Byounggon’s face makes Seunghun laugh. Something seems to click in his head all of a sudden.

“Ah. I told you both after I came back from the kitchen that I was going to shower before bed, but it seems you didn’t hear me. I’m not surprised though. You were staring at each other pretty seriously then. I thought you were having an important conversation, but it seems there was much more going on than I knew.” Another laugh. Why is he laughing so much? And grinning like that? Isn’t he uncomfortable?

It’s then that you notice that he did, in fact, take a shower. Your eyes take in his wet hair, still dripping here and there, and the towel thrown over his t-shirt clad shoulder. You have to force yourself to stop looking at him like he’s something for you to eat and it’s a lot harder when you can feel Byounggon still stiff under you. You pull your gaze back up to Seunghun’s eyes, trying desperately to not run away from the situation.

“S-sorry Seunghun. We, um, we got a bit carried away?”

Seunghun just tilts his head, eyes burning a hole into you and it makes you feel like crawling out of your skin.

You shift your weight on Byounggon who has gone eerily silent and start to climb off of his lap. “Um, I’ll just go–”

“Don’t.” Seunghun.

You freeze and Byounggon’s hands tighten around your waist. You glance at him and he looks much the same as he did before Seunghun interrupted: eyes blown and lips swollen. He doesn’t look as thrown off as you, whatever confusion was on his face before melted away with no trace.

By the time you dare to look at Seunghun again, he is stalking across the room with a mischievous grin that makes your stomach churn. Excitement? Nerves? Both.

He reaches the couch, leaning down over the back of it, his face hovering over Byounggon’s shoulder as he looks right at you. He allows a single finger to trace up the length of your neck, hooking under your chin. “The fun doesn’t have to end.”

You swallow thickly, your body and your mind on separate pages. You’re so confused. He has to be fucking with you. But the way your fingers clutch into Byounggon’s shirt and the way you clench around nothing at the possibility that Seunghun isn’t fucking with you says it all.

Seunghun seems to understand that you’re hesitating, that he isn’t being clear enough for you to do anything but sit there with wide eyes. The cocky grin on his face momentarily morphs into a soft, fond smile and then he’s leaning into you, pressing his lips against yours with such lightness you barely have time to register it’s happening before it’s over. He presses a second kiss, wanting you to acknowledge what’s happening–verbally or physically–before he continues. When your lips spring to life, matching the tone he has set, he can’t help but break the kiss with a wide grin.

He pulls back and looks at you again, your eyes looking much less dazed now, albeit still heightened with curiosity. 

‘Y/n…” His hand cups the side of your face and you instinctively lean into his touch. “I’m either joining or watching, you pick.”

Your eyes flutter for a few seconds, the proposition being offered to you too good to be true. You’re convinced you’re in a dream. Until Byounggon rolls his hips up, forcing you back to the present with a desperate moan. 

“P-please–” That’s a goddamn whine. You would be embarrassed if you weren’t so fucking needy.

You watch a curse drip off of Seunghun’s lips–his far too close, far too delicious lips–before Byounggon is stealing your attention, turning your head to face him, your chin between his thumb and middle finger. “Y/n.”

You hum your acknowledgement and his tongue traces his bottom lip. He can’t believe how submissive and needy you’ve suddenly become. “How do you feel about two at once?” 

Ah, right. They still need you to confirm that what you’re already fantasizing about is what you want to happen tonight. You desperately wish you could fast forward past all of this to the part where you’re covered in both of them from head to toe.

“Want you.” It’s all you say, but you make sure to make eye contact with each of them so they know you mean both. They glance at each other, knowing smirks mirroring each other, and then Seunghun is making his way around the couch.

“Come here, baby,” he coos, reaching to lift you from Byounggon’s lap at the same time as he’s taking a seat. You fall naturally into his lap and your eyes are sparkling with excitement. You look so cute. He presses a firmer kiss to your lips this time, but it only lasts a second. He carefully maneuvers you in his arms until you’re sitting atop his lap, back against his chest. “Atta girl,” he praises with a kiss to the side of your neck. His fingers pull the string of your waistband loose, hands snaking inside the garment to push down until your soft legs are fully exposed.

You catch movement in the corner of your eye: Byounggon rubbing the heel of his palm against the crotch of his jeans, his eyes trained on you and Seunghun. “Gonna be good for me, mhm?” Seunghun mumbles against your ear, his teeth nipping at your lobe. Your hands clutch at the sides of his thighs, barely covered by the minimal post-shower boxers.

“Mhmmm.” You nod too frantically.

Seunghun’s hands glide up the sides of your thighs until they’re flat against the tops, then slide down them until his thumbs can prod the inner part of your knees. “Be a good girl and spread your legs.” He spreads his own legs beneath you as he says this, prying yours apart with the action. You spread them further like you know he wants and the air in the room suddenly feels cooler than it did moments before.

Seunghun’s hands make work of feeling the suppleness of your skin, his instructions shifting to Byounggon now. “Gon, let’s check to see if she’s really ready for us, hm?” The directive is too vague for you to know what he means, but as if they’re connected telepathically, Byounggon seems to know exactly what Seunghun is telling him to do. He removes himself from the couch, instead placing himself on the floor between your legs, a sweet but cocky smile on his lips. He lets his eyes hold yours for a moment or three as he presses kiss after kiss to the insides of your thighs, relishing in the soft whimpers you reward him with. Seunghun’s hands tighten on your outer thighs and it’s at this moment you can feel him throbbing beneath you for the first time.

“Is this okay, y/n?” Byounggon asks softly, his hands hooking into the sides of your underwear, his big sparkly eyes gazing up at you as he presses another soothing kiss to the inside of your knee. He waits for you to nod and then tugs your panties down, Seunghun helping the process by lifting you when need be. 

“Thank you, pretty girl,” Seunghun coos in your ear, one hand sliding up your thigh to your side and then across to your belly. He lets his hand wander beneath your shirt, soaking in the warmth of your skin underneath. His hand feels so soothing on your nervous stomach but even better when he cups your breast, his hot whisper covering you in goosebumps. “My pretty little plaything.” 

Something about Seunghun’s confidence is making you particularly dizzy. You haven’t gotten nearly as much physical stimulation from him as you’ve gotten from Byounggon but fuck, the way he talks with so much self-assuredness is making you impatient. You want to feel him, every inch of him, so fucking bad you could almost cry.

“Hun… need you.” Your voice is barely audible, eyes too focused on Byounggon pushing your thighs apart for him just that much further, his lips kissing every inch of skin on his way up to your core. You lean your head back on Seunghun’s shoulder, feeling unsteady from all of the overwhelm.

Seunghun chuckles lowly, his other hand pressing flatly against your stomach while pushing his hips up at the same time, making sure you feel just how much he needs you too. He quiets his voice so only you can hear him when he speaks this time. “Just wait, pretty. I want him to fuck you so you know I can do it better.”

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Byounggon heard him from the way he punctuates Seunghun’s sentence with a slow, firm stripe of his tongue up your slit. Your nails dig into Seunghun’s thighs as you moan for the other man, your legs quaking from just how aroused you already are. Byounggon likes this, smirking up at you before repeating the process with audible pleasure. 

This time, he immediately pulls himself up onto his knees afterwards, his hand reaching for the back of your neck. He pulls you to him and instantly attaches his lips to yours, pushing his tongue inside your mouth for a rushed, sloppy, needy kiss that has you both moaning. Seunghun’s hands steady themselves on your waist while he watches, grinding himself into you as he gets off from the view. 

When Byounggon reluctantly pulls away, he licks his lips as he takes in your appearance. You somehow look like a complete mess already with your red cheeks and messy hair and he’s not sure how much longer he can take not messing you up properly. His eyes flicker to Seunghun behind you and then back to your glossy eyes, always awaiting their next move. “Y/n, why don’t you tell Seunghun just how ready you are for us? I’m sure you can still taste it on your tongue.”

If you weren’t already flushed enough, you are now. He’s right. You feel incredibly exposed, but insatiable too.

You pout but nod your head nonetheless, turning your head to make as much eye contact with Seunghun as possible in your position. “Hun, I’m really ready,” your small voice strives to ensure. Seunghun couldn’t fight the self-satisfied grin on his face if he wanted to.

“Mhmm?” Seunghun presses a kiss to your temple before directing his attention back to Byounggon. “Give our girl what she’s asking for then, right?”

All the butterflies in your stomach start fluttering about recklessly when Seunghun gives you your next instruction: “Stand up for me, pretty.” You do so without question, turning to look at him for next steps, only to catch him wordlessly instructing Byounggon instead, nodding his head to the other end of the couch. Byounggon understands, seating himself in the intended location before pushing his boxers down just far enough to free his aching member. The sigh of relief that escapes him makes your pulse stutter, worsened only as you watch him start to slowly stroke himself.

“Y/n, why don’t you come sit on my lap? Let me feel you.”

You don’t even notice the way you bite your lip at the thought, legs already moving towards the blue-haired boy. You start to climb back onto his lap like before, every nerve vibrating from the knowledge that there is no barrier between your sex now. You’re moments away from feeling the fullness of him.

“Nuh-uh,” Seunghun tsks.

You freeze, one knee between Byounggon’s and the couch, the other hovering at Seunghun’s protest.

“Face me.”

You try to hush the thick gulp in your throat, body slowly turning to heed Seunghun’s directive. Byounggon’s hands help keep you steady, settling on your waist as he nudges his face into the crook of your neck, open-mouthed kisses warming your already burning hot body. His hands press down on your hips, guiding your body where he wants it–on his cock. You gasp when you feel him press against your entrance, your hand drifting down to grasp him, guide him too.

You hadn’t realized that your eyes had wandered away from Seunghun again until he says your name, stopping you from sinking down onto Byounggon. Your eyes snap back in place and you see him: he’s leaning against the arm of the couch, boxers discarded, hand wrapped around a much thicker length than you would’ve pinned him for. Your cunt aches despite the ready shaft threatening to push inside of it any second. 

“You’re going to watch me, yes?” Seunghun’s voice is low, hypnotizing.

You nod, wide eyes thankful for this privilege. You focus on the slow drag of his hand as he strokes himself until you feel Byounggon’s hips push up, reminding you that you are here with two frustratingly gorgeous men. How you went from forgetting Seunghun existed while you drowned yourself in Byounggon is beyond you. Right now, Seunghun won’t let you pay attention to anything but him. Byounggon is being far too gracious. You should take good care of him. You will.

“Hmm,” you muse, giving Byounggon your sweetest voice, remembering not to look away from the man in front of you. “Can I sit on you now, Gon? Really want you.”

This small affirmation does the job and then some. You feel him twitch against your swollen lips, fingers squeezing your hips. “Please,” he groans. There’s no whine to his plea, only lust. You give both of you what you crave, lowering yourself slowly onto Byounggon’s dribbling cock, a shaky moan forcing your lips apart. 

Your eyes fixate on the movement of Seunghun’s tongue snaking out to swipe over his lip, his own eyes watching your face morph at the feeling of being stretched open. You continue on until you’ve taken every inch Byounggon has to offer you and only then does he make a sound: labored breath from being held in followed by a painfully delicious “fuck.” You give yourself a moment to fully appreciate the fullness before you rise again, the drag of Byounggon against your walls filling you with relief, bliss.

You’re not sure if it’s because you got so worked up or because Byounggon feels so good or because Seunghun is pumping his cock for you, but you are positive that it won’t be long until you cum. The tension is close to snapping before you’ve even properly set your pace, struggling to keep your eyes open as your ears are graced with urgent grunts and satiated moans. You can almost hear a cry in your own mewls. Finally. 

“Fuck, she feels so good,” Byounggon groans. He suddenly snaps his hips up into you, coaxing a pornographic moan that would probably make you feel shy if you weren’t so incredibly needy.

Byounggon’s hand glides up the front of your body, pressing firmly against your upper abdomen to hold you in place against his chest. You hum, covering his hand with yours, grateful for the stability. You arch your back as you continuously pump yourself full of him, free hand digging into the cushion next to you. He feels so fucking perfect inside you that you’re not sure you can handle it. 

Especially not with Seunghun fucking his hand for you to watch, precum quickly accumulating at the head of his cock. Suddenly your mouth feels too dry, too empty. You whine from the frustration.

“Mm? What is it, baby?” Seunghun asks, curious eyes accompanied by a knowing smile.

You don’t tell him that you want him to use your mouth instead of his hand, that you want him to cum down your throat. You’re feeling too overwhelmed to say much at all, thighs quaking from your every sense being stimulated.

“Wanna cum,” you moan in an almost-whisper, eliciting a twitch of Byounggon’s cock inside you. You can hear him hiss and thrust up, holding your body down on him firmly so you can feel him in the farthest depths of your cunt. Your eyes flutter closed at the feeling, jaw slack. “Gon,” you plead, head falling back on his shoulder. You can feel his body respond to every little word, every little touch, hands and cock so affected by you, so eager to take care of you.

Seunghun doesn’t seem to be upset that you’re not watching him anymore like you thought he’d be. “Gon,” he starts, his voice scratchy from the way he’s gotten himself riled up. “Make her cum.”

 Your body jerks when you suddenly feel pressure on your all-too-sensitive clit. Your head rolls on Byounggon’s shoulder, the softest whine of need leaving your lips. You can feel his eyes burning into you, no doubt getting off on how fucked out you look. He has fully taken control by this point, fucking up into you as deeply as he can reach with each thrust. “Cum for me, y/n,” he coos by your ear, his own unsteady breathing giving himself away.

It’s mere seconds before you do exactly that, hands clutching at the forearm responsible for the circles on your clit. “F-fuck, Gon,” you stutter out as your cunt suctions to his cock, your body suddenly feeling too heavy. He fucks you through your orgasm, surprising no one when he groans and pumps you full of his own cum. 

You melt into Byounggon and he melts into the couch behind him. You’re both panting and sweating, satiated but still on the edge of your seats. Byounggon rubs his hand soothingly over your stomach and it’s this small gesture that reminds you who he is: your best friend that always takes care of you.

You don’t have time to appreciate it, though, because there are hands gliding up the insides of your thigh. You hum and start to lift your head, Seunghun’s hands drifting further upwards until they’re on your hips, tugging for your attention. “Too tired, princess?”

You shake your head and reach out for him. His smile is warm, fond, as he carefully pulls you to him, Byounggon’s length sliding out of you. He hovers you above his lap, lips devouring yours the second they’re close enough. “Such a good girl for us,” he mumbles between kisses, making you gasp when he suddenly flips you over, pressing you into the couch beneath him. 

His fingertips stroke down your back on either side until they land on your hips once again, sharply pulling them up to him as he thrusts his own, letting his cock slide between your folds. You twitch from the sensitivity, whimpering his name. “You sound so pretty.” He grinds himself against you, letting you feel every nerve ignite from the drag of his cock on your sex. “Gon, c’mere. Come hold her hand.”

Your stomach flips, unsure whether he’s just being sweet or implying that you might need it. Either way, Gon does as he’s told, sinking to the ground next to you, his fingers lacing through yours. “I got you,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. It’s just in time because the next second, Seunghun is pushing his thick cock inside you in one go.

You can feel tears pricking your eyes, a silent moan exhausting all of your oxygen. Byounggon was plenty to fill you but the stretch of Seunghun burns just right. Combine that with your already-sensitive state and your body is overloaded. “H-hun,” you cry. “Feel so full.”

Seunghun sucks air through his teeth as he starts to shallowly thrust inside you, his eyes glued to the point your bodies meet. “You’re already squeezing me like crazy,” he groans, his head falling back as he takes a minute to just enjoy the feeling of you wrapped around him. His thumb busies itself on your clit and you squeeze Byoungon’s hand, whimpering as you fight the spasming of your body.

Byounggon slides your shirt up above your breasts and leans in, his soft lips enveloping your nipple. The slow tease of his tongue only makes you squeeze his hand harder. He was supposed to be your refuge but he’s only adding to the fire. You can’t help but watch him–his soft, closed eyelashes making him look precious even while he inches you closer to climax.

Maybe Seunghun just came back to reality or maybe he got a little jealous of your attention being placed elsewhere. He suddenly starts to ramp up his pace, forcing your attention back to him as he drives himself into you again and again, never properly letting you adjust to the change of speed.

It’s all to his plan. Fuck you out of your mind until he’s the only thing left in it.

Byounggon struggles to keep a grasp on your nipple now, your breasts bouncing far too much. He opts for messy, wet kisses all over your breast, chest, and neck instead, groaning as if he’s the one getting to fuck you. He probably feels like he is with the way you can’t stop crying and whimpering and whining so close to his ear. You’re not using words anymore, just letting Seunghun and his cock pull out of you whatever it is they want.

“Look at you,” Seunghun coos, his cock slowing only to push in deeper with every thrust. The thumb on your clit slows to a stop. He revels in the way your eyebrows knit together every time he presses into you fully, your eyes both pleading for mercy and begging him not to stop. “It feels good having us take care of you, hmm?” You can’t answer him and he knows it. “Just so wet and willing to let your two best friends fill you to the brim?”

You gasp for the air you keep forgetting to breathe in, your free hand falling above your head. You’re hot. The room is damp with sweat and sex. You try to find words, force your mouth to speak. “Need you,” does the job, even though it comes out dripping with pathetic desperation. 

Seunghun hums his approval, returning to his ministrations on your clit. His hips start to pick up their pace again–gradually this time–and you give yourself over to the feelings. “Need me?” He looks sexy, almost arrogant, as he taunts you. “I’ll give you all of me.”

And my god, he does. Seunghun drills into you with abandon, eyes tracing your face and body for every tiny reaction he can rip out of you. He notes the way your saliva pools in your mouth, the way your body vibrates, the way tears drip from your eyelashes. It’s all so delicious to him. He leans over you, his free thumb brushing a tear from your cheek. “Pretty baby,” he mumbles against the corner of your lips, never quite kissing you. “Want to fill you up with my cum, is that okay?”

You choke out a sob, nodding and writhing beneath him as his thumb adjusts to match the ruthless speed of his hips. Byounggon is threading his hand through your hair now, soothing you as much as he can given the circumstances. “You’re doing so well, y/n,” he praises and it fucks you up because you can hear how sincerely he means it. Another reminder of who you’re with and how much you care for each other.

Seunghun’s hands wander back down to your hips, grabbing them tightly in preparation. He motions for Byounggon to work your clit for him with a simple nod of his head and then it’s game over.

Seunghun pulls your hips down onto him with every thrust into you. His own brows are furrowed now, but in concentration. Neither of them have fucked you as hard as he’s fucking you now. He was deep and snappy before, but now he’s slapping skin against skin with so much force that you can practically feel your soul exiting your body. You don’t even need Byounggon’s deft fingers, but they work you into a frenzy anyway.

“S-Seunghun!” You cry out, your orgasm overcoming you so quickly you don’t even have time to prepare for it. You’re rendered useless as he fucks you through it, body limp and brain clouded. You’re only really aware of the sound of Seunghun swearing under his breath as you clench around him, fucking into you a time or ten more until he’s painting your inner walls with his seed.

You’re not entirely sure how long you stay like this. You only know that you start to come down when you feel two soft pairs of lips kissing your shoulder and your chest, calling you back to them. “Hmm?” You mumble, letting them know that you’re here, that you hear them. You blink your eyes slowly until you can focus them back on the present.

You smile warmly, shyly at your two best friends who are looking at you with stars in their eyes. “Thank you?” You say, unsure, and they laugh, nuzzling their faces into your shoulders. “Love you,” you say, and you’ve never been more sure about anything.

[t3kandson]

Jealousy's fair game

Words; 2,564

Fandom; CIX feat, Cignature

Pairing; Reader X Kim Yonghee

Characters; Kim Yonghee, Lee Byounggon, Kim Seunghun, Bae Jinyoung, Yoon Hyunsuk, Moon Chaesol, Kim Jiwon, Jung Yeonjeong, Jenny Yun, Jin Hyeonju, Goo Semi, Kwon Dohee

Warnings, Kissing Games, Angst, Smut, Jealousy, Alcohol Consumption, Body Marking, Hair Pulling, Degrading, spanking, Rough and slight public sex and Orgasm denial.

Requested by Anonymous

"Do you like Y/N?” Seunghun said with a smirk on his face looking at Yonghee. A red blush view falls upon his expression as you look to him awaiting his answer. You feel as if you've been choked when he screws his face in disgust and shakes his head. "Fuck you," you scoff giggling as you flip him off, despite knowing that it felt like he practically kicked you in the stomach right now.

You had a crush on Kim Yonghee for the last three years. The only one who knew this was Byounggon. You had confided in him that you wanted more then the friendship Yonghee was offering. Byounggon had reassured you that Yonghee wouldn't push you away. He was suspicious he also liked you and that had led to the very truth or dare game you were currently playing. "Dare," you said when it came your turn, you feared for a question that would lead to double rejection tonight. "I dare you to snog Byounggon," Semi giggled as both yours and your childhood friend’s eyes widened in fear. Before you could question the dare, Byounggon crawled on all fours towards you. His hands resting upon your shoulder reassuringly. Lips falling to yours he made sure to put on a show. Letting his tongue slide against yours as he kissed you slowly. His fingers rubbing down your jawline in such a tender moment. "You two sure you're not hiding something?" Dohee whistled excitedly. But before you could deny anything you noticed Yonghee unclench his fist. Was he jealous? Did it disturb him you kissing Byounggon? The game continues for several more rounds when it came to your turn again. Yeonjeong was about to throw a dare when Seunghun ended the game. "My neighbours are complaining," he said shaking his phone into the view. "I think we should leave this for another day," he said with a slight grimace as the room grumbled. "How you getting home?" Byounggon asked suggestively as you tilted your head his way. "I can't drive you home I’ve been drinking," he said despite knowing he had only drank one drink during the evening. "I'm getting a taxi. I only live round the corner, I’ll drop her back," Jinyoung said throwing his arm around your neck. Byounggon breathed deeply with annoyance. You then realised he was trying to encourage Yonghee who was sober all night to give you a ride. "I'll look after your girl I promise," Jinyoung giggled tipsy at his elder. "A kiss don't equal lovers," Byounggon protested as you took one look to Yonghee. He was quiet and avoided your eye contact. You couldn't help but feel he was jealous of Byounggon and Jinyoung.

"7 minutes in heaven," Chaesol said in excitement when you met the following week for drinks. Everyone agrees but you and Yonghee. You knew that these games were hurting the both of you. As everyone wrote down their names and placed them in a hat. You sat hoping that somehow you would be placed with Yonghee. Instead Hyunsuk was paired with you. His hands frisky falling on your body as he pulled you to the walk in wardrobe in Seunghun’s room. "I so want to get lost in your body," he said stroking his hand down your torso. "I don't think I can do this," you complained as he lightly hummed. "Because you like Yonghee," he said. As through the cracks of the wardrobe you could see a gentle smile. "Yes," you whispered looking down. Fingers under your chin he pointed for you to look his way. "He's so stubborn he won't admit he likes you too," he said as you tilted your head his direction. "He likes me?" You asked as he chuckled. "But he won't admit it," Hyunsuk chuckles lightly. "Why?" You ask wanting to know more. "Ask Seunghun he knows the details, he confides in everything with him." Hyunsuk said as his hands pulled the loose hair behind your ear. You could hear the countdown as you both stumbled out the wardrobe. Your faces hot from the heat. But you guess the room would have made presumptions of how steamy it was in there. You could see Yonghee’s jaw tighten as your eyes met. "I've got to go," Yonghee said sternly as he got off the floor. "Please don't leave so soon," you asked looking his way. But he refused eye contact. "Sorry Seunghun, my father needs me to run some errands," he said straightening his jacket. You couldn't help but follow as you chased him down the corridor. "Yonghee," you called as he stiffened upon your voice. "I'm busy Y/N what is it that you want," he growled without looking your way. "Can we talk," you pleaded as he started walking once more. "I'm busy, another day," he grumbled before fastening his speed as you stood there, giving up chasing him.

The following week another greet. Seunghun was struggling for ideas clearly till Byounggon mentioned the Suck and blow game. This time Seunghun made sure that you were placed between him and Yonghee. You were placed in a group with Jiwon and Byounggon. As Jinyoung, Hyunsuk was with Hyeonju, Jenny & Semi. You watched as Byounggon sucked in the piece of paper between his lips as he arched towards Jiwon. Hands falling to the back of her head he leaned himself in as the two worked to pass it. Jiwon twisted to look at Seunghun as he chuckled. Straightening his face, he rushed his lips at her. Seunghun struggled and all of a sudden you saw the sheet fall to the floor. Byounggon and Jiwon groaned at Seunghun who looked sheepish. Your eyes looked to the other group. Semi gently slapping Jinyoung was telling you that their side was doing no better. You could hear Yonghee’s frustration behind you when Seunghun let the paper fall once more. "Come on we're not going to win at this rate," you grumbled gently punching Seunghun’s arm as he looked at you sheepishly rubbing it. When he managed to succeed, his face spun to yours. As he pulled the sheet to your lips he chuckled letting it slip as your lips locked. "Seunghun," you grumbled feeling your lips where his fell. Seunghun's face was a little fallen when he took the figure behind, telling you once again Yonghee wasn't amused. As the paper made its way back down. Seunghun’s hand accidentally touched your breast while reaching for your arm. Causing your own lips to let the paper fall. "For fuck sake will you two stop making out and hurry up so we can win," Yonghee grumbled behind you which had you sigh. The game was a lot harder then it looked. After yours and Seunghun's third attempt you turned to face Yonghee. It was like just the thought of him being on the other side of the paper made your heartache. Instantly your lips failed to suck the paper in as it fell before Yonghee could even get close. His eyes rolled in frustration as you quietly apologised. Passing to him for the second time, just the mere hand on your shoulder had your heart thundering as he reached towards you. The paper once more fell to the floor. "You guys just pure suck at this. You should give up. We've won," Jinyoung said amused. "For fuck sake, if you and Seunghun wasn't flirting we would have won that," Yonghee said gritting his teeth as Seunghun dead panned him back. "What the actual hell man," Seunghun grumbled back at him. "I'm done with these silly drinking sessions," Yonghee said going to swipe his coat from the coat rack.

"Don't please, please don't go," you spun towards him hands on his chest as he refused to look your way. "Don't let me get in the way of your men time," he growls looking up towards you. "The only man time I want is with you," you spluttered letting the words fall as the girls gasped. "Kim Yonghee I'm crazy about you and you only," you finished as his face softened towards you. "I only kissed Byounggon because it was a game," you said pausing to look your friend's way. "We're just friends I promise," you said as nerves hit you. "Jinyoung just took me home that's all nothing happened," you added as Jinyoung confirmed your events. "Hyunsuk and I just spoke in there. Mostly about how you liked me but your scared," you said pointing to the wardrobe. "I'm not scared," Yonghee spat out. "And Seunghun is just really shit at that game, pure and simple," you said as Seunghun widened his eyes in horror before calming as the guys chuckled. "To be fair she's got a point," he added chirpy at his diss. "And just now with you you made me so anxious. The butterflies in my stomach you gave me at the thought of our lips being close," you said placing your hand over your stomach to calm it. "Yonghee....." you couldn't finish the sentence as he dragged you to the walk in wardrobe.

Entering the dark space he pushed you against the wall. He clearly doesn't want to talk as his lips attack yours. Teeth clashing in his rushed desire. Like a bottle that's been shook and exploded. His hands find the hair tie holding your hair as he pulls it out. Fingers twirling around the locks he pulls enough to expose your neck. Teeth falling to the skin he suckles causing you to hiss as your hands grab his waist. "Your mine," he growls before pressing his lips to another spot on your collarbone. "I'm going to mark you up so everyone knows your mine," he threatens after he marks a second blemish. Hands falling to your dress he lowers the top half so that his lips can reach the top of your breasts. He continues his marking along them as you hiss, digging your nails into his waist. "I'm going to punish you for making me jealous," he growls as you hear the guys spew, 'eww,' , 'Save my ears,' & 'Do this elsewhere," from the other side of the wall. Twisting you so you're facing the surface, he places your hands against the plasterboard. Hands raking up your dress they find your panties, as he rips them. Fingers skirting to your folds he wastes no time plunging them in. Scissoring your heat roughly you grimace as he sets a rushed pace. Though pain is the first sensation you feel it's like your body enjoys his torture. Yonghee can feel this from how soaked your core is. "Your so wet my little whore," he says as his teeth find another space of skin on the back of your neck to mark. "You can't cum," he warns as his fingers speeds that draws moans. Music hits from outside the wardrobe, no doubt to drown out the moans that had slipped from your lips. He pulls his fingers leaving you empty as he places them in your mouth. "Taste how wet you are you dirty bitch," he growls in your ears that has your walls clench around nothing. "I'm going to fuck you now, and if you cum before I give permission. That's it, I'm walking away from you do you understand?” he asks so deeply next to your ear. Nodding doesn't give him satisfaction. "What did I say Y/N?” he grumbles as his teeth dig in your skin once more. "That if I want you I have to not cum," you hiss beneath the sore skin burning from his marks. You hear a rip of foil and you wait patiently for him to continue his torture.

Bending you over slightly he enters you with one deep fast thrust. Screams falling that you know the music won't mask. "That's it baby, you won't ever get me jealous again will you?” he asks as his hands wrap your hair around them. "I can't hear you," he spits out as he yanks your hair. "No baby, I won't," you splutter but you know he can't hear. Another yank has you repeat it much louder. His red hot shaft starts thrusting with heaviness against your cervix. Walls clenching around him has his pull much harsher around your hair. "Don't you dare cum," he demands as you help to meet his thrust. "You're so hungry for my cock aren't you my little whore," he chuckles pleased with your desperation to feel him deeper. Feeling an orgasm creep up you stiffen in fear. "What's up baby," he sniggers knowing your struggling. "Don't hold back, fuck yourself on me," he demands but you don't move. "What's up, you're such a cock whore you can't work with me without falling apart," he mocks as you nod. "Well let me work against your lazy ass," he says slapping your ass that has you yelp. Slamming him self with more speed has your fist clench against your struggle. You know the real risk of falling apart and exploding around him is high right now. "Please, please," you cry as you slap the wall feeling your body tremble. "You can't Kiss Byounggon and Seunghun and think you can get away with it," he grumbles as you whimper. "I didn't kiss Seunghun, not on purpose," you whimper as you throw your head from frustration into the wall hurting as it falls. Hands falling to your arms he pulls you backwards to avoid your head hitting the wall. However, the change of position does little to ease your struggle. Tears are falling down your eyes as you feel your losing your mind holding your orgasm back. "Who do you belong to?" He pants into your ear. "You," you whimper as his hands embrace your body pulling you closer to him. "What's my name?" He growls as you hear his own struggle in his voice. "Kim Yonghee, I belong to Kim Yonghee," you cry as you feel seconds away from slipping. "Please, please I can't hold back, I don't want to lose you," you sob in fear and excitement. "Oh Baby, you won't lose me because your mine now," he chuckles as his lips kiss a tear running down your face. "You can cum baby," he pants as he chases his high. "Y/N your mine," he cry's as he spills himself into the condom. "Yonghee," you scream so loud you hear your ears ring as you explode around him. Convulsing on his dick he thrusts his remaining rhythm into you as he leans himself with his arms wrapped around you into the wall.

Heavy panting in your ear you feel him slip from you. "Your mine Y/N, don't forget that," he says barely audible. "No more of these silly kissing games," he demands as you twist in his hold to face him. "Why would I kiss anyone that isn't my boyfriend?" You question looking up at his face. Even in the slight gap of light his beautiful mole under his left eye in your view left you breathless. "Let's go show them what's mine," he said as his lips fall to yours. Holding your hand in his you both walk into the room as you capture everyone blushes, but Seunghun and Byounggon smirks. "Finally you two are sorted, now never torture us again with those sounds," Seunghun snaps as you both blush like crazy.

Masterlist

[moooonandroses]

super shy

pairing: kim yonghee (CIX) x gender neutral reader

genre: fluff

summary: where you aren't shy to show everyone how much you love yonghee and he'd get super shy about it.

word count: 228 words

warning: it's my very first time writing fluff so pls bear with me, other than that there's none.

author's note: like i said, it's my very first time writing fluff but lmk if you'd like more stuff like this. ^^

yonghee and you had been dating somewhere close to a year now and you couldn't feel more in love than you already were. and according to your extroverted personality, you didn't shy out of showing your love for your bambi, how you liked to call him behind his back. because you had made the mistake of calling him that to his face and you had to go get an ice pack for his cheeks, that even you thought were about to burst.

because you knew your boyfriend wasn't really keen on pda, you tried to not push his boundaries, but sometimes (most of the times) you couldn't refrain yourself from pinching his cheeks softly or kissing the same area when you thought he looked adorable, no matter where you were or who was with you.

"i'd tell you to get a room, but you guys look ridiculously adorable" had said seunghun once after you were playing and braiding with yonghee's pink hair while you were watching a movie with your friends. and although yonghee really wanted to tell you to stop but he really didn't want you to, he just felt shy that his friends were watching him be babied like that by you.

but you really couldn't help it, not when that adorable pink-haired was super cute and was all yours.

and yonghee, he'd get super shy.