#ch: yunho

[glowmo]

[atiny-piratequeen]

Against the Tide: Seventeenth Dal Segno (Ch.17)

Pairing: Poly OT8

•❥ Rating: Explicit (18+)

•❥ Genres: Heavy Angst, Action, Romance, Fluff, Smut, Fantasy

•❥ Series AU Tags: Demon Pirates, Supernatural, Poly Relationship (mxm), Past and Modern Day AU, Mythology Au, Slow Burn, Slice of Life, College Au, Rock Band Au, Happy Ending Endgame

•❥ Chapter Tws: Guilt, Mentions of Past Main Character Death, Reincarnation, Attempted Murder Mention, Exhaustion from Overworking, Blood, Injury, Panic Attack, PTSD

•❥ Chapter Sws: Intercurial Sex, Size Kink, Praise Kink, Pet Names, (Accidental) Flashing, Teasing, Dirty Talk, Many, Many Consent Checks, Mutual Masturbation, Consensual Penetrative Vine Sex, Consensual Aphrodisiac Nectar Use, BDSM Undertones, Protected Sex, Ruined Orgasms, Virginity Loss, Hints of Sub Space

•❥ WC: 12.7k+

•❥ A/N: I didn't intend for this to take a motherfucking YEAR to get out, but here we are. After several episodes(tm) and struggles later, we're here. Thank you for everyone who waited patiently or kept the excitement brewing through asks and the like. It means the world to me and I appreciate you all. Bonus points to anyone who reblogged and shared my work, yall are the realest mwah xoxo. Also, if you haven't yet, maybe check out my new universe Ataraxia while you wait for the next chapter?

•❥ Taglist moved to the bottom of the work. if you’d like to be added to the taglist for this or my other works, feel free to fill out the form here after reading the full post.

•❥AO3

•❥ ©atiny-piratequeen 2023. do not repost, translate, or use my works.

•❥Network Pings: @kwritersworld​ | @kdiarynet​ | @k-vanity​

•❥← previous dal segno                 next dal segno –>

(banners used created by @cafekitsune thank you sm!)

-Sunday, March 24th, 8am-

-228 Days Remain-

Hongjoong’s life was quickly becoming full of firsts. 

Of all of them, he found waking up pressed against Yunho was definitely at the top of that list of new developments.

Though…he supposed this wasn't the first time. 

This memory thing was going to be…complicated, he could tell.

With a frown, Hongjoong looked up, reaching to cup Yunho’s face gently. His breath came out in small, halted puffs, careful any given exhale would wake the taller man. 

Yunho’s face twitched for a brief moment before he pressed into Hongjoong’s small hands, humming quietly.

Hongjoong worried his lip between his teeth, gently rubbing Yunho’s cheeks. The events of last night rolled through his mind, his cheeks darkening as he remembered his state of undress.

His thoughts caught up to him, reminding him of how his bath had gone.

🧼

"It's okay if you fall asleep, I'll be watching over you."

Hongjoong tiredly looked up, curled up in a towel Yunho had fetched for him, taking in the handsome man's features for the umpteenth time that evening. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a passing thought. One of the other men in the house could see him like this as Yunho walked down the hall. There wasn't any sense of urgency in the taller man's strides, and Hongjoong could imagine any moment one of the doors they were walking by would open and he'd have another pair of eyes on him. 

….

His brain was too tired to process the way that thought alone made his heart flutter and hiccup in his chest.

Yunho finally got to the bathroom, setting him on the toilet seat and pressing a kiss to his head before moving to run the bath water. Hongjoong watched his backside, hugging the towel around himself as a small draft made goosebumps rise on his skin.

"Oh, darling you're shivering. Hold on-" Yunho, who must have turned to address him at some point and noticed his shivering, rushed over to the door once more. 

"Yeosangie!"

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, his head snapping towards him as he heard the sound of rushing footsteps.

"Hm? Yu? What's wrong?" Yeosang’s gentle voice chimed in as he stood in front of the door. Yunho blocked the view of Hongjoong casually with his body as he smiled in greeting.

Yes, they had seen him naked countless times before, but this Hongjoong still had no clue about that and Yunho wanted to respect him as much as possible. 

"Hi baby, I know it's late, but do you mind turning the heat up in the house? It's cold." 

Yeosang smiled and nodded, cupping his cheeks and pulling him down for a chaste kiss. 

"Anything else you need, puppy?"

Yunho glanced behind him, locking eyes with Hongjoong. He nearly snorted at the deer-in-headlights expression on his face before he looked back towards a patiently waiting Yeosang. 

"Just some warm towels, if that's alright?"

Yeosang stole another kiss and nodded. 

"It'll be there when you get out. Call me if you need anything else. Have a good night’s sleep, my love." Yeosang looked towards Yunho’s shoulder for a moment, where he knew Hongjoong was just beyond view. A selfish part of him wanted to see him. See the flustered mess Yunho had left him in.

 The brunette doctor knew all of their bodies better than even they knew themselves. 

It had been…entirely too long since he’d been able to think about any of those types of expressions on Hongjoong’s face after they'd lost him. Yeosang had promised to never use his foxfire to create a double of any being they'd lost, and he took that very seriously. 

Though, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to split himself and make a Hongjoong copy on the particularly rough nights. 

His resolve remained strong, however. 

Hongjoong made him promise to never use his fire to "replace" the dead anymore and he'd be damned if he disrespected him and his memory like that by disobeying.

Guilt would swallow him whole if he did. Yeosang was sure of it.

He must have been clearly lost in his thoughts longer than expected, as a gentle kiss to his lips brought his focus back in front of him. 

The ex prince looked up and flushed slightly. 

"Sorry…zoned out. I'll get right on those things now." He once again glanced at Yunho’s shoulder before meeting his eyes.

"Give…give Cap a kiss for me please?" He whispered. Yunho nodded and smiled brightly. 

"I'll give him kisses for all of us. Soon you can give him kisses yourself." He responded softly before backing into the bathroom. 

Hongjoong looked up at him, flustered. 

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake anyone…"

"I called him. If anyone should be sorry, it's me. C’mon let's get you cleaned up." 

Hongjoong quietly watched Yunho strip down, frowning when he noticed the brunette man was still half hard. A small sense of guilt overcame him as he stared. 

"Joongie?"

"I'm sorry..you never..um..finished…" Hongjoong wished the floor could swallow him sooner than later at the surprised look Yunho gave him. 

"Oh? Please don't worry. I'm not bothered by it."

Somehow that made the pianist feel worse, his frown settling in his features. If only he hadn't gotten tired they could have-

"Hongjoong."

Apprehensive eyes met kind ones as the two stared at each other.

"If it bothers you that much, we can fix it."

That's how, ten minutes later, Hongjoong ended up bent over the tub, gripping the edge as Yunho thrust between his thighs, his cock sliding between them as Hongjoong squeezed them close together. 

Hongjoong’s head was spinning, once again finding himself really enjoying the size difference between the two of them. Yunho gripped his hips, balls slapping against his ass as he purred praises to Hongjoong 

"You have mmm..such a hold on me, even your thighs can make me cum~" 

Hongjoong’s thighs were probably red by now, his breath coming out in quick puffs as he held the tub. Yunho’s lips found their way to his neck again, kissing and nipping as he placed his palms over Hongjoong’s, holding his hands as his breathing began to come out irregularly.

Hongjoong looked behind him, catching and holding Yunho’s gaze as he rocked his hips back. Even while aroused, Yunho’s eyes held a warm and inviting gaze that made Hongjoong melt below him. 

“Will you cum for me, Yunho?” The words slipped from his lips before he could think twice, though he almost looked away in embarrassment. Yunho let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a groan and a whimper as he nodded his head, leaning closer and holding his hands a bit tighter. Hongjoong arched his back, his lips hovering below Yunho’s as he clenched his thighs tighter together. 

“Then cum for me, Puppy.” 

The oreo-haired pianist was grateful for Yunho’s firm hold on him. Had he not have had it, Hongjoong undoubtedly would have fallen over as Yunho’s hips worked faster, chasing the orgasm he’d gotten permission to have. 

Hongjoong’s cheeks ignited as Yunho finally came between his legs, making a mess of his thighs as he rocked his hips, milking his own cock with Hongjoong’s thighs. Once he was finished, he pressed kisses onto Hongjoong’s shoulder, hugging him close and keeping him upright as he took in a long, steadying breath. 

Hongjoong smiled and put his hands over Yunho’s, pride blooming in his chest that he could at least do this, since he’d ruined their previous endeavor in his mind. 

As if sensing Hongjoong’s mind wandering, Yunho picked him up, kissing his head as he lowered his voice to a familiar tone that made him melt. 

“C’mon. I promised you a bath. Let me give you one and we can get to bed.” 

Hongjoong smiled and nodded, turning to steal a kiss as Yunho guided him into the tub. 

🛁

While he was daydreaming, Hongjoong missed the signs of Yunho stirring. It made him startle when he finally focused back on the present and found Yunho’s tired eyes staring back at him. 

“Good morning.”

Hongjoong flushed at the tone of voice before blinking at the cadence. It was slightly off, an accent that didn't match up to Yunho’s usual one. It also tumbled deeper, and Hongjoong realized it wasn’t Yunho at all. 

“G..Geb?”

Icy eyes stared back at him as a kind smile stretched over the taller man’s face. 

“You remembered me, as well? I’m very flattered. Good morning, Hongjoong.” 

Hongjoong blushed, his fingers twitching on Geb’s cheek. He wondered if he should let go for a moment, before biting his lip. 

He still had so many questions

“You look like you have something on your mind.” 

“I…this is just a lot to take in.”  

“I can imagine. Is there anything I can do to ease your worries?”

Hongjoong wanted to ask questions. Get clarity. But part of him remembered the brain splitting headache he'd gotten last night. 

Just wait. Yunho said he'd help.

“Hongjoong.” 

His head snapped upwards and he looked into warm brown eyes, finding Yunho staring back at him in concern. 

Yunho was in control now, reaching to caress him gently. Hongjoong found himself pressing more into his touch, eyes closing. The ex doctor gently ran his thumb over the apple of his cheek. 

“How did you sleep?” 

Yunho hummed, eyes drifting up as if pondering it seriously. Hongjoong poked his cheek, arching a brow at him as Yunho began to laugh. 

“Yah, don’t make me anxious like that.” 

Yunho laughed and turned to kiss the tip of his finger. 

“I haven’t slept that well in a very long time. You could say I slept like a rock.” He beamed, mentally high 5ing the earthen god inside of him as Hongjoong stared at him, eyes squinted for a moment. 

“Did…did you just make a rock pun?”

The sound of Yunho’s joyous laughter and Hongjoong’s half-hearted complaints carried down the hall as Cheese slowly lifted his head, shaking himself out as he moved to sit by the back door. 

He didn't want to scare the new friend.

Outside, Mingi sat with his back to the home, fiddling with a leaf between his fingers. His mind swirled slightly, complex emotions mingling and tangling in his head, though outside, his face remained blank and neutral, counting the veins at the back of the leaf. 

A hand appeared before him, holding a cup of coffee. He looked up, his thoughts quieting for a brief moment as his eyes met steel grey. He looked at the coffee, lips pursed. 

“....”

“It’s cold out here and you’re up early. I made an extra cup for you.” 

“....”

Seonghwa’s eyes looked towards the pavement below both of them for a moment before he knelt down and set the coffee cup on a wooden box Mingi was using for his gardening equipment. 

Mingi’s eyes didn’t follow him. 

“....I’ll be out today. I let the others know. If you need me, please contact me.”

Mingi turned to look at him out of the corner of his eyes as Seonghwa stood once more, hesitating for the briefest of moments before he turned on his heel and walked away. 

Once the door was closed and Seonghwa’s form had disappeared from view, Mingi let his head thump back on the side of their home, looking up towards the sky. 

‘If you need me.’

There were many clouds in the sky today. 

-9am-

Hongjoong shuffled slightly as he sat at the kitchen table. Yunho had lent him one of his shirts, but he didn’t realize they would be eating out at the table with the other gentlemen of the house. 

He…he would’ve put pants on.

Instead, he was acutely aware of the fact he was in a pastel pink sweater that left all of his collar out and exposed, bite marks still bright red and dotting his skin.

And he was completely cock and ass out underneath this damn thing. 

At a time like this, Hongjoong was glad for his stature and that the size difference between him and Yunho had come in handy for something else other than his incredibly feral mind. 

“Here you go, Hyung!” 

Hongjoong looked up as Yeosang swooped into view, setting a plate in front of him. He looked down, eyes widening and his mouth watering as he noted the fluffy pancakes, scrambled eggs, and both bacon and sausage taking up the plate. Yeosang smiled at him, seemingly to the moon at the way Hongjoong’s face lit up when he took his first bite. 

“This is amazing!” 

A twinge of pink came to Yeosang’s cheeks as he bowed slightly, hiding his gaze with his bangs before he set the second plate beside Yunho. The tallest of the trio smiled as well, reaching to lace his fingers through Yeosang’s silky-looking brunette hair. He pulled him in, kissing him slowly. The ex-prince made a muffled surprised noise before melting into the kiss, holding the small platter he used to bring their plates over close to his chest. 

Hongjoong watched them out of the corner of his eyes, cheeks slightly bulging. 

He’d wondered between all of the heated touches yesterday with Yunho, if there would come a time when he felt jealous of the other men his new boyfriend was in a relationship with. He’d acknowledged how ridiculously selfish that came off as, him being the new person to suddenly start dating their boyfriend, and to get jealous over his time spent with them…

But something deep within him made him feel that wouldn’t be a problem. 

Instead, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. 

Aside from Wooyoung and San, he admittedly, hadn’t seen any of the eight men being overly affectionate with one another, at least not in front of him. While he was well aware some people just preferred to keep those things private-his sister with Chan or Changkyun with Jooheon, for example-something about the demeanor of the men seemed…strained and it made him quite sad. 

But now, for this kiss Hongjoong was realizing he had been staring at for way too long, the pianist felt happiness bloom. A small voice in his mind sighed in relief. 

‘They’re okay…’

Hongjoong blinked and sat up straighter, looking away with a deep blush. Regardless, he should stop staring. He’d hate to have to explain why he’s looking so hard at the two kissing beside him. Or, worse yet, come off as jealous when he’s just gotten into this relationship of his. 

He turned his gaze back up front and immediately choked. 

Ass. 

A very fine and very toned ass, he might add. 

God, is this it? Is this the day Hongjoong fucking dies?

He pounded on his chest, coughing as he realized it was Jongho. The pair of briefs he had on clung to his ass for dear life while he half turned to look in Hongjoong’s direction, arching a single brow. 

“You okay, Ca-Hyung?” He corrected himself, watching as Hongjoong wheezed, covering his mouth. Yunho immediately broke away from Yeosang, eyes wide as he flew over to get behind Hongjoong. 

Suddenly, his chair was pulled out and he felt himself get lifted as Yunho’s arms came around to pick him up. 

“Hold on, I got you!” 

Now, Hongjoong had been trained for a significant portion of his life on how to fight and defend himself. He had certain instincts that were in him. Including when being suddenly grabbed from behind. 

One of the said instincts is to immediately try and break free of said grab. 

The moment Yunho slightly lifted his bare feet from the ground, Hongjoong’s lower body immediately jolted, his hands flying up to grab onto Yunho’s hands. 

He instantly regretted the decision when he felt the ends of his shirt go up, completely flashing everyone in the room.

Of course, as soon as he had flashed everyone, Mingi stepped inside. 

Yunho paused, eyes wide as Hongjoong's feet dangled an inch above the floor. 

"U..uh…did I get it?" Yunho quietly inquired as Hongjoong went red to the tips of his ears. 

"YUNHO PUT ME DOWN."

Yunho set him down immediately, clearing his throat as Hongjoong plopped down in the chair, covering his face. 

Jongho tilted his head to the side before looking down at his state of undress, tā moko and scars adorning his muscular frame. 

Ah, was the Captain embarrassed by his nudity?

'If that's his reaction right now, maybe we should be naked next time and really give him something to look at.'

'SHUT UP.'

While Jongho didn't blush at the initial incident, his face darkened at the notion ever so slightly, thrown off at the idea.

'Are you fucking BLUSHING? Right in front of me? We're CONSTANTLY naked in front of our lovers.'

'I should have killed you holy shit shut up shut up-'

'.....'

The silence in Jongho’s mind immediately made him on edge and once he felt the fractured god inside of him smirk, he knew he was in for some bullshit. 

'Ah. I know what it is. How long has it been since the baby bear has felt the intimate touch of his lovers, hm? Does it make you flustered to think of their eyes on you? Wanting and needing your touch? I'm inside of you, Jongho. I know exactly how pent up you are. And the little Captain is just as loud as we always remember, maybe we should-’

“Oh my gods-”Jongho’s minor outburst startled Hongjoong before he excused himself, storming down the hall, cheeks darkened as he cursed Whiro out in Maori. 

Hongjoong peeked through his fingers, watching the youngest leave before deflating slightly, feeling like he was the cause. Mingi grabbed a plate quietly and thanked Yeosang before leaving, as well. He passed San without a word as he headed up to his room. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry-” Hongjoong mumbled into his palms, his face once again ignited. Yunho rubbed the back of his own neck, putting an arm over Hongjoong. 

“S-sorry I misunderstood and thought you were choking-”

Yeosang looked the two men over and laughed behind his hand. They still had a ways to go, but the chaos of the morning had reminded him of days since past. 

“Don’t worry, we’re a house full of men, it’s not like it's something we haven’t seen before.” He smiled as Hongjoong turned his gaze to him and from the stove, San turned and rose a brow. 

“Wh…what? What just happened?”

-12pm- 

Hongjoong fidgeted as he sat in the passenger’s side seat, Yunho had driven him home, but for the first time in his life, Hongjoong hesitated to go to his own home. 

He wanted to stay with Yunho longer. 

As if he’d picked up Hongjoong’s silent conflict, Yunho leaned down to lightly kiss his temple. 

“Do you want me to come inside? It's Sunday, so I don’t have to rush home. If you’d like me to stick around a bit.” 

Hongjoong shook his head, worrying his lip between his teeth. 

“N-no it's okay, I should probably let you go so you can spend time with the others…I’m still so sorry about this morning I didn’t mean to-”

Yunho looked into his eyes for a while before he chuckled and ruffled his hair. 

“I know it was a bit chaotic, but I doubt any of them actually mind. I’ll go for tonight but Hyung,” He lifted Hongjoong’s chin, kissing him slowly and slightly crowding him against the door. When they separated, Hongjoong’s face had once again turned a brilliant shade of pink. 

“I look forward to the next time I get to fall asleep with you in my arms.” He sent him a wink, followed by a smile that lit his face up, laughing as Hongjoong lightly swatted at his chest. 

“F-flirt!” He grabbed his bag and quickly exited the car, hugging the coat Yunho had lent him close to his chest. He looked up his driveway, slowly blinking when he found the front blinds pulled up and several pairs of eyes staring at them. He coughed and made his way up the driveway, barely able to reach the front door before it swung open and he was yanked inside by his friends. 

"AH FUCK-" he let out quite an undignified scream as his friends began to chatter around him.

“Okay spill.”

“Holy shit, who’s clothes are those?”

“Goodness he bit you the fuck up, didn’t he, I didn’t take him for that much of a biter-”

Hongjoong’s head spun as all of his friends began to chatter all at once. Eventually he raised his voice over the confusing babbel, making them all quiet down instantly. 

“Okay! Holy shit, one question at a time.” 

The group paused for a moment before Yeonjun cleared their throat. 

“When the hell did you start liking the puppy dude?” 

Hongjoong scratched the back of his neck. It wasn’t a complicated question. It had to have been in the last month or so.

But still…from those images…those…memories? It would make sense to say he’d liked him all along. 

Liked? Loved. He loved him. A lifetime’s worth of love.

Though Hongjoong was sure if he dropped suddenly he'd been in love with someone who, in the eyes of his best friends, he'd only met a month ago, he'd have a lot more chaos erupt in this foyer.

He still had to get to the bottom of what was happening.

The more he tried to rationalize those thoughts and fit them neatly in his mind under a certain label, the more he felt painful radio static crackle and pierce into his head. 

‘Not now. There’s too much missing.’

“I..um…I guess this past month or so? He’s really cool and I vibe with him well.” Hongjoong muttered, satisfied when the crackle in his mind subsided. It really did seem like he needed to wait before he could unravel more of…whatever this is. 

How frustrating. 

Chungha handed him a cup of white peach tea, gently nodding toward the living room. 

“Guys, you all like, swarmed him as soon as he opened the door, let him get inside and sit down before you start grilling him.” She lightly scolded them. Yeonjun, Felix, and Chan pouted ever so slightly while Changkyun gently put his hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder. 

“C’mon, you must be tired.” 

Hongjoong smiled and made his way into the living room, sitting down and taking a sip. A smile lit up his face and Chan looked at the marks all over his neck. 

“You didn’t get hurt, right? Everything was consensual?” His voice was even, though Hongjoong could tell by his body language he was in his ‘protective big brother’ mode. It brought a smile to his face as he nodded. 

“...Yeah. A little bit surprising but everything that happened was with consent. He was very sweet and careful about that.” 

Chan’s demeanor relaxed considerably and Felix let out an audible sigh from beside him. 

“Oh good, he’s not some tall ass, sex-hungry creep.” 

Hongjoong sent him an incredulous look as Chungha elbowed him. Yeonjun and Changkyun laughed at either side of him before the former stopped abruptly, grabbing Hongjoong’s hands and looking into his eyes. 

“Okay so. How was it?” 

Hongjoong stared.

“How…was…what?? Exactly?”

Yeonjun arched a brow. 

“His stroke game, Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong’s face ignited and he immediately swiped at Yeonjun’s head, letting out an indignant noise. 

“YOU CAN’T JUST ASK THAT.”

“I mean, I just did. Whether or not you feel comfortable disclosing is a different conversation.” They responded, yipping and rubbing their head when Chungha smacked them with the top of her house slipper. 

“Again, he just got in the house, stop interrogating him!” She scolded them before she looked at Hongjoong. 

“I’m just glad you’re okay. It came as a surprise, but you’re safe and happy and that’s all I could ever ask for. I meant what I said, though. If he hurts you, I’m going to break his dick. In half.” She smiled sweetly at the cold threat, all the others in the room shuddering visibly at the phantom pain of the threat. 

“It’s okay I’m actually…I need some…advice?” 

They all looked at him and he moved his gaze to the floor, fidgeting with his bracelet. He blinked, noticing his birthmark had gotten a bit darker. 

Huh. Had he gotten a bruise somewhere?

Anyway-

“I uh…we almost?? Had sex but I kind of..chickened out. Um..help?” Hongjoong liked to think he was pretty good at sorting his thoughts out, but he’d be lying if he said this entire situation hadn’t thrown him ass over head and left his thoughts in a spiral. 

All of his friends blinked owlishly at him before Chan stood. 

“This is weird, I’m gonna grab a water and I’ll be back.” He spoke quickly, ejecting himself from the conversation completely as Felix snorted beside him. Hongjoong’s cheeks, for the nth time that day, once again darkened in color. 

A fair response from Chan, to be honest. The older performer was basically his brother and he could imagine how weird and off-guard the question had taken him by. 

Changkyun rolled his eyes half-heartedly and hip checked Yeonjun out of the way from their position in front of Hongjoong on the floor. He sat with his legs pretzel style and sent him a kind, mature smile. 

“What exactly are you asking for help with? Initiation? Prep? Foreplay?” 

Hongjoong coughed and dodged the pillow Chungha had hurled over his head to hit Felix. 

“Stop laughing! He’s already flustered!” 

Hongjoong silently wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him. He’d had many conversations with his close friends and even his siblings that were downright embarrassing, but he’d never been the focus of any of them. 

Now that he thought about it…Hongjoong couldn’t recall a single time he had been romantically or sexually interested in anyone until now.

The revelation hit him like a sack of bricks, and his lips parted ever so slightly. 

“Holy shit.” 

Changkyun blinked before gently nudging his knee to bring him back down to earth. Hongjoong jolted ever so slightly before clearing his throat. 

“Sorry, erm….all of it? We came close last night but…he took the lead and guided me through all of it. I feel…a bit bad because I stopped right before we’d gone all the way and even though he was super nice and patient with me I-”

The laughter around him died and he felt a gentle hand comb through his mismatched hair. Yeonjun moved to sit beside him and continued petting him slowly, the teasing glint in their eyes completely gone. 

“Honey, do you want advice because you want to have sex with him or are you trying just because you feel bad it didn’t happen?” They inquired, searching Hongjoong’s eyes as he turned his head. 

While he did feel bad that he hadn’t done nearly as much for Yunho as he’d felt the taller man had done for him, Hongjoong couldn’t help but to roll those images through his head. 

Of a time before this. A time when they had laid together, entangled in each other, body and soul. Melded together so close it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended.

He didn’t want that feeling to stay in his dreams.

“I want it. I just don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” He admitted. Seemingly, his friends breathed a collective sigh of relief before Changkyun grabbed his attention. 

“Okay, so I’m gonna explain some things, it’s going to be traumatizing for all of us, and we’re gonna come out of this with some confidence.” 

A smile came to his face as his comment ripped a laugh from Hongjoong’s throat. The others soon followed suit as he rolled out of his position on the floor and stomped into the kitchen. 

“Christopher Bang Chan you get in here and help us with the communal suffering or so help me-”

The peels of laughter increased in volume at the faux shriek Chan let out when Changkyun came for him. Slowly, Hongjoong’s anxiety ebbed away. 

He wished Siyeon was here to help him with the rest of his close friends, but for now, he’d take the help wherever he could get it. 

-1pm-

-Namsan Mountain Park-

“Thank you for meeting with me. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.” 

The sound of a can opening fills the small break in conversation before a small laugh followed it. 

“Hardly. It was only a matter of time before one of you asked me to talk to you. I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” 

Seonghwa looked at the tattooed hand that had stretched out to him before taking the melon-flavored carbonated drink offered to him. Across from him, sat the Ishihara patriarch himself, not at all uncomfortable by the sudden summon from the ex prince. 

That probably made things a lot easier. 

“Excuse my bluntness, but I want as many answers as possible.” Seonghwa continued, taking a small sip of the drink. His brows went up for a moment before he took a bigger one, drawing a laugh from the man across from him. 

“I’ll answer what I can. Do understand I won’t be able to answer some of them just yet.” 

Seonghwa’s lips pursed in disapproval for a moment before he sighed and looked him in the eyes. 

“Who are you?” 

“Apollo, god of the sun, amongst other things.” Miyavi shrugged a shoulder, as if that had been the simplest thing in the world. 

Seonghwa slow blinked, staring at him for a beat of silence before he took another thoughtful sip of his drink. 

“Please don’t think I don’t appreciate it, but how is it that the God of the Sun came to be the adoptive father of our Captain?” 

Miyavi tapped his chin ever so slightly before he smiled. 

“Your little pirate captain approached me centuries ago in Delphi. Something about him moved me, and I felt the urge to make his time there enjoyable. I wonder, do you all remember the hidden orchid you found? The wolf that led you deeper? That was me. I’m glad you enjoyed your time, by the way, I don’t let just anyone in there, you know.” he adjusted some of the rings on his fingers, letting the words sink and click into place in Seonghwa’s mind. Thankfully, it didn’t take long before he was continuing, his eyes never leaving the god’s face. 

“That’s not all of it, surely.” 

“Not at all. I suppose you can call her my…cousin? Of sorts? The daughters of Poseidon, Charybdis and Scylla were disturbed by you all, it seems. Something about a stolen object. I did my best that night, I truly did, but was stopped up in Olympus from intervening. An offense had taken place and the girls had, technically, every right to be enraged. Especially after the slaying of Charybdis.” 

Seonghwa’s expression soured. 

“Are you saying we’re at fault?” 

“The one who took the rod, mostly. But still. That’s beside the point now. I spent time trying to locate his soul, and it wasn’t easy. Siyeon had ended up being the catalyst piece here. She’s a witch and began worshiping the Sun. I heard her. Well, so did some others. Had to call in a few favors and almost got stabbed by Amaterasu, but I attuned myself to her worship because I saw her in an old prophecy. She led me right to Hongjoong, but unfortunately, time had already run out before I could make any significant moves into figuring out how to reverse the curse. I made a deal with my…step mother, I suppose I can call her, and was able to pin down where this latest Hongjoong had been reborn and Melody and I decided the best thing to do was to insert ourselves into his life to guide and protect him as best we can. This is…the only chance I have to assist you.” he looked away, and Seonghwa knew there was something else. 

Across from them, a bird faltered as it took flight.

“,,,,Your step mother…I assume you mean Hera?” he inquired.

Miyavi nodded, downing the rest of his own drink before he tossed the can into a bin a good distance from where they sat. 

“....doesn’t she hate you?”

“With a burning passion. Tried to kill me and my sister Artemis as soon as we were born.” 

Seonghwa had an ever growing pit in his stomach. Part of him wanted to stop asking questions, just leave it be, there’s no need or reason to probe any deeper, just leave it. Focus on Hongjoong focus on the pace they're working at, it's chaotic enough just LEAVE it-

“It’s not as easy as it should be anymore, is it?” 

Miyavi chuckled and looked at him out of the corner of his eye, a small glint in his eye confirming more than any words ever could. Seonghwa’s brows furrowed and he let his shoulders drop. 

“Don’t do that. No matter how bad it gets, don’t ever let yourself feel defeated before you’ve fought. You’ve searched high and low for him and now he’s in front of you. You have a literal god helping you. Well, several, if you count the Egyptian and Māori ones tagging along with your group. I would say the odds are in your favor. I’ll continue to help as much as I can.” Miyavi offered kindly, looking at Seonghwa like he did his own children. Seonghwa’s brows remained furrowed. 

“What am I supposed to do? This is far beyond what I can handle.”

“You used to be a tactician, right? You’re now the captain of the crew while Hongjoong remains unawake. You can think of something. Besides, you’re not alone. From what Siyeon reported, you all have learned and attempted Mnemosyne’s trials.” 

Seonghwa nodded, tapping his bottom lip before he blinked. 

Right. 

The Trials. 

“Siyeon told us your children have come close to completing the Trials before. How?” 

Miyavi hummed and leaned back in his seat, laughing. 

“Those three are probably just as determined as you all are to help their brother. I feel…a bit like a bad father for having my children grow up learning such violent things, but it’s for the best that they know how to fight and defend themselves if things go south.” 

“...so they’re not human.” 

“No, not at all. No one in the family is. Is that really much of a surprise?” 

Seonghwa thought back to the first time he’d encountered Yuta and the overwhelming killing intent behind his movements. 

How he nearly missed the knife against his throat and hadn’t seen or felt the man come in the room at all. 

Miyavi watched the look on his face before standing, putting his hands in his pockets. 

“We’re approaching territory that I cannot go into now. Ideally, I’d like you not to look at my children maliciously. They’re all doing their best too, seeing as mommy dearest upstairs drug them into this mess as a condition against me.” he began walking down a grassy path, not looking back. 

The rustle of clothes behind him assured him Seonghwa was following anyway. 

“....against you. That doesn’t sound like allies.”

Miyavi sent him a look. 

“They’re my children, First Mate Seonghwa.” 

“I’m just reading into what you said, Apollo, God of the Sun.” 

Miyavi ran a hand through his hair, shattered pieces of a prophecy not fully foretold flashing through his mind. 

Scales, broken chains, a full moon, bloodied feathers. 

“Let’s put it this way. Should you fail, a bit more is at stake than just Hongjoong’s reincarnation.” 

He heard Seonghwa’s footsteps slow behind him before they hastened once more, the tall ex pirate appearing right beside him. 

".....do I want to know what that means?"

Miyavi hummed, watching the clouds above them. 

"The end of the world. Probably."

".....I'm sorry, what?"

-🐺-

"Achoo."

"Ah, bless you, Sis."

Suzuka quietly thanked Hongjoong as she walked over, touching his forehead. 

"....feeling better?"

Hongjoong laughed and scratched his head. When his siblings had returned, they were met with the sound of flustered squabbling and banter. 

The eldest Ishihara sibling watched her youngest brother sit with his face in his hands, cheeks bright red as his shoulders shook with laughter as Yeonjun and Chan yelled above his head.

"I'M SAYING HE NEEDS A POLE, CHRIS."

"HE'S LOSING HIS VIRGINITY, NOT LEARNING TO BE A POLE DANCER, YEONJUN. HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO POLE DANCE"

"WE CAN TAKE LESSONS."

"We? Are you suddenly French?! Who is we?!"

Changkyun held his sides, wiping away a tear as he looked at the two. 

"I'm not driving anyone to the hospital, by the way." He added playfully as the two continued their outlandish discourse. 

"HE NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO THROW HIS ASS BACK, CHRIS. HE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH TO WORK WITH."

"I DON'T NEED THESE VISUALS, YEONJUN. I REALLY DON'T NEED THE VISUALS OF ANY OF YOU ON A POLE!"

".....Just for that, I'm buying a pole and I'm gonna learn a routine for your birthday and you have to support me unless you suck eggs."

"I hope you bust your ass, I truly do."

Yeonjun let out a scandalized gasp. 

"Excuuuuuse you?!"

Yuta slow blinked at them, hands in his pockets while Moa shrugged and set down the bags of takeout food they'd brought home with them. 

The scent of food made the bickering come to an abrupt and comical end, both Chan and Yeonjun stopped mid-playful shouting match once the aroma wafted past them. 

Suzuka’s lips quirked up as they promptly gravitated towards the table, peeking into the boxes while Chungha grabbed plates. 

"Oh good, you got something to shut these two loveable idiots up." She let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Both of them huffed indignantly while Felix made his way into the kitchen first, grateful for the break in the bickering around him. 

Hongjoong joined him, looking out of the window and smiling as he noticed a few snowflakes falling from the sky. Felix looked at him out of the corner of his eye, gently touching his shoulder. 

"I'm not really good at this compared to them, but whatever you do, make sure you do it safely. Above all else, you come first. Uh. Emotionally. You're coming emotionally. First. Um. That was phrased really weirdly, ew-" he shuddered and Hongjoong snorted, covering his mouth to stifle the rest of his laughter as he looked at Felix with an understanding twinkle in his eyes.

"I got you. I feel a bit better after talking to everyone, don't worry." He smiled. Felix relaxed and moved to go to sit at the table. 

Hongjoong looked out of the window, noticing a lone blue bird fly by before he turned to get dinner.

-❄️-

"You look pale, Hwa."

Seonghwa’s head snapped up, the ink from his pen bleeding as he held it in place on the paper in front of him. He looked at the ruined formation he had been drawing out before sighing, lifting his gaze up to meet Wooyoung’s. 

"A-are you okay? You look really intense." He muttered. Seonghwa ran his hand through his hair, the words escaping him. 

It took him much longer than Wooyoung had ever seen him take to finally find the words, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips first. 

"I just…I want everyone to be okay." It wasn't the most elegant statement, but the tired tone in his voice made Wooyoung’s heart sink into his shoes. 

"I'm sorry." He muttered softly. 

Seonghwa shook his head, putting the pen down as he stood. 

"It's my fault. I'll figure something out. I have to." He moved past Wooyoung, kissing the top of his head and sending him a small smile. 

"I love you."

Wooyoung stared back, worried.

"I love you too…" 

Seonghwa kissed him once before he turned and left him alone in the room to make tea. 

Wooyoung looked down at the crumpled pieces of paper littering the floor for a while, turning and leaving quietly.

-🐉-

Drip…drip….drip…

Joong stared as the dragon before him rumbled, blood dribbling from his massive head. 

He'd done it. It was small, nearly inconsequential, but he had finally done it. 

There was a crack.

The beast's chest rose and fell harshly as he rested. The blood was from a spot on the center of his forehead where he'd begun bashing it against the crystal in a frenzy out of nowhere. 

Joong had been through a lot of shit in his life. He'd had motorcyclists hold him up, felt the chill of blades against his throat and been followed home by unhappy riders with big egos who didn't appreciate his brand of snark.

Never once in his life did he feel as terrified as he did right now. 

He wanted to run. Something told him he didn't want to know where this was going. He didn't know when this began and wanted to be nowhere near it when it ended. 

But on another hand, he was frozen in place. 

It was him. Inside that crystal was undoubtedly him. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of hell he was in. Every depiction he'd heard about purgatory was vastly different than this. Joong couldn't even tell if he was in hell.

Drip…drip…

The dragon shifted, opening its eyes once more. His lip curled up as he looked at the crystal. 

"You can't keep me out forever. This is all YOUR fault. All you had to do was be a good little pawn and obey me. But no. Instead, you defy me and get BOTH of us trapped in this hell. When I free myself, there will be hell to pay."

He shook his head, droplets of shimmering blood landing on the crystal as he curled up, seemingly tired out. Joong kept deathly still, heart thundering in his chest as he felt his bangs shift with every exhale of the resting dragon. 

Idly, he wondered where the other beast had slinked off to and what the full story behind the three of them was. 

He looked up once more, waiting until the dragon was asleep-or at least he hoped to whatever higher power would listen that he was-before he slowly crawled out of the silk of his tail for the first time. He kept his steps quiet as he stood in front of the crystal, gently extending a hand and placing it over the outside. 

He definitely was some kind of sailor, given his tattered attire. Joong scanned as much as he could, not liking the idea of him being out in the open in front of the mad dragon behind him for too long. 

His eyes wandered downwards and he cringed at the wounds littered all over the man's arms, torso, and legs. 

They were deep, like the fangs of a rabid beast. 

All at once, he felt like something had slammed into his temple, images flooding his mind.

"Protect our crew….find me later."

Joong held his head, nearly screaming at the splitting feeling that coursed through him 

"I love you all….so much."

He snapped his head up, looking up at the face of his double in the crystal. 

Had his eyes always been cracked open like that?

Joong panted, staring at the motionless man, more questions emerging in his head. Behind him, the dragon shifted and he quickly made his way back into his hiding place, heart thundering once more. 

From within the crystal, The Captain watched him rush out of his line of sight.

'I'm…so tired of being alone.'

-Monday, March 25th, 11am-

-227 Days Remain-

"Are your friends…okay today?" Yunho inquired, looking down at Hongjoong in amusement. The pianist looked around his frame, brow twitching slightly at the sight of his friends not so subtly playing hooky in lieu of watching over them.

"What the hell do they expect us to do? Fuck in an elevator or something?" Hongjoong hissed, tapping his foot. Yunho blinked owlishly before tapping his cheek.

"I feel like that's a really familiar concept…I'm keeping condoms on me so we can try it if you want." 

Hongjoong nearly tripped as he whirled his head around to look at him.

"Yunho?!"

"What? I'll happily receive, if you're nervous." 

Hongjoong did a double take, staring at the unbothered doctor as he walked beside him. He lowered his voice to a whisper. 

"You're not…at all flustered by any of this?"

Yunho hummed, pausing and rubbing his chin for a moment. 

"Mm…no, not really. I never have been. But that's just me." Yunho placed a hand over Hongjoong’s head, smiling softly. 

"Really, it's fine if you're nervous or unsure. We don't have to do anything. I'm just happy you're here and you remember Geb and I." He spoke honestly, placing a hand in front of Hongjoong’s chest and summoning a rose so the others couldn't see. It had no thorns and Yunho carefully tucked it behind his ear. 

Hongjoong smiled and smiled as they ducked into the library. 

Maybe with the continued reassurance, he could finally calm his chaotic thoughts and focus on preparing himself. 

Except. That isn't at all what happened. 

In fact, a different chain of thoughts weasel their way into his brain as he reads the same paragraph over and over again for the third time.

Yunho, lips curled up in that kind way, rose pink dusting his cheeks as his thighs fell open like a flower blooming. 

The arch of his back, the strain of the sheets below his palm as he tugged at them, the groans and breathless keens of Hongjoong’s name. 

"Right there, you know how we like it, don't you~? Keep moving your hips just-ngh!-just like that. Hongjoong~ Hongjoong!"

"Hongjoong?"

The musician startled, looking up at Yunho with wide eyes. The doctor blinked at him before his eyes travel down. 

The evidence of Hongjoong’s wandering thoughts is obvious. 

Hongjoong feels shame and embarrassment wash over him, but Yunho only let out a gentle exhale, a soft fruit-scented sigh as he leaned over and pressed his lips to Hongjoong’s. 

It wasn't demanding or frantic, just a slow connection that somehow made him feel grounded once again. Yunho didn't escalate it further, cautious of their setting as he peppered Hongjoong’s lips in kisses. 

"I can't properly articulate how damn good it feels to know you can't get us out of your mind."

Hongjoong flushed. 

Us.

His brain was especially traitorous today. Imagining rough calloused hands running down his spine, pressing down, the pop and crack of his back nearly making him moan more than the cock nestled deep inside of him, a voice speaking in his ear in a language he didn't know but it sent goosebumps down his spine, nonetheless. 

"Geb," Hongjoong muttered under his breath. Another chuckle slipped from Yunho’s lips, though it was different, deeper. 

Hongjoong shuddered.

"Do not strain yourself. We're not going anywhere."

Hongjoong cleared his throat, beet red, and looked at Geb’s ice blue eye, the other one remaining Yunho’s usual kind brown color. 

That's right. They shared. They were exceptional at it. 

Compared to…? 

Were there any others Hongjoong knew about that had…well, a whole separate entity living inside of them?

Warm hands cupped his cheek and drew his focus in once more. 

"How about you come home with us again? Let's try something a bit different tonight." Yunho hummed, smiling softly as he leaned in for a kiss. Hongjoong’s eyes nearly closed fully before Yunho’s lips brushed past his cheek as he leaned into his ear.

"I'll be using my powers a bit tonight. I hope that's alright." He whispered before pulling away. Hongjoong nearly chased after his lips before he caught himself, clearing his throat. 

Yunho smiled, satisfied, and leaned away from him, going back to the book in front of him. 

Neither of them were really reading a damn thing on those pages. 

🎕┈┈┈┈

When Hongjoong stepped into Yunho’s home after they’d gotten finished studying, he was met with the smell of simmering meat. 

He instinctively turned towards the kitchen, hearing sizzling. 

It was…so familiar, this scent. 

Yunho put his hand at the small of his back and smiled down at him. 

“Do you want to go see what Mingi and Yeosang are cooking, or do you want to go straight upstairs?” He inquired. Hongjoong glanced again before he rubbed his neck. 

“Is it okay? I don’t want to intrude.” He admitted. Yunho nearly told him ‘of course you can’ without hesitation, but he caught himself. He’d seen the occasional concerned glances. 

Hongjoong definitely knew Mingi was cautious around him. 

Respecting that, Yunho told him to wait, striding into the kitchen and beaming at the ex prince and boatswain that darted around each other. Yeosang’s tails were out on full display, occasionally brushing along the exposed skin of Mingi’s abdomen or back as the shirtless man measured spices. 

That being said, the kitsune currently had a one-track-mind, as evidenced by the shriek that he let out when he turned and saw Yunho looming just a few feet from him. 

Mingi tensed in an instant, a white knuckled grip on a knife and his eyes flashing purple before he paused, blinking at Yunho in realization as Yeosang held his chest. 

“Oh my god, Yunho what the fu-”

“Are you okay?!” Hongjoong rushed in after the scream, blinking in surprise when his eyes landed on Yeosang. 

All four men stared at each other like deer in headlights. Yeosang stood slowly, unable to hide the fact his massive, silken tails had been visible to the pianist. 

He still dispelled them, though.

“Uh…hi?” He sheepishly greeted, hoping Hongjoong wouldn’t have another painful headache because of him.  

Hongjoong slow blinked, looking from him, to Mingi, and finally, Yunho. 

“....is everyone alright?” He questioned slowly. Yeosang nodded, wondering if he was going to ask. Hongjoong’s shoulders relaxed, and he looked towards Yeosang once more. 

“....they were really pretty.” He complimented. Yeosang blushed and opened his mouth to ask him if he remembered anything, but he stopped short, watching as Hongjoong went rigid. 

“Cheese smells food! Cheese would like to taste test the food now!”

Anything Yeosang had to say was gone the moment Cheese came bounding into the room, barking excitedly. Hongjoong’s eyes went wide as Cheese jumped up, putting his paws on Mingi’s chest. 

“Cheese has been a very good Cheese! Cheese would now like some of your quality spiced meats now!” 

To Hongjoong, all he could hear was barking. 

Barking and the ocean. 

-It’s so loud. The splashing. 

He can almost feel it, fangs biting into him. 

When he inhales water fills his lungs-

Yunho took his hand and sent an apologetic look to Yeosang and Mingi, tugging Hongjoong away before he could have a panic attack. He could feel the pianist’s hand getting clammy in his own. 

“Hongjoong, look at me, hey.” 

Yunho turned, gently cupping his forearms. Hongjoong looked up at him, mouth opening, but nothing came out. It broke the doctor’s heart, but he didn’t show it, instead pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“Breathe with me. Take your time.” 

He instructed him gently, and once Hongjoong had gathered his bearings, he realized he was seated in Yunho’s room, his head nestled in the crook of the doctor’s neck. 

“I…I’m okay. Sorry.” He muttered. Yunho kissed his head and pulled back, smiling softly at him. 

“It’s alright. How about we take it easy tonight? I’ll check up on dinner in a bit and maybe we watch a movie?”

Hongjoong frowned. It was clearly obvious Yunho intended to try initiating something intimate when he invited him over after the library and Hongjoong felt like once again, he’d let the taller man down. 

“I-..we can still…”He hated how clammy he felt, frustrated with himself over his phobia and ‘ruining’ his and Yunho’s moment for the second time. Yunho looked at his expression and shook his head. 

“I’m not here to force or pressure you, Hongjoong. Ever. I know you’re afraid of dogs and I should have checked to see where Cheese was before we came in.” Yunho quietly took responsibility, but Hongjoong’s brow only furrowed deeper. 

“He shouldn’t be locked up in a room in his own house because I’m over.” He muttered, eyes fixed on his own hands. 

He felt the beginnings of a headache coming on, a split-like feeling right in the center of his forehead, but he grit his teeth, anger spiking. 

He was…unreasonably angry, and spot on his chest, out of sight, shimmered for a moment.

What the hell does he have to be so afraid of?

Yunho startled when Hongjoong stood abruptly, jaw set. He cast him a worried look and Hongjoong marched out of the room, heading back downstairs with Yunho hot on his heels. 

“Hongjoong? Cap-Uh-wait!” Yunho stumbled, missing a step as Hongjoong stormed back into the kitchen, Mingi looked up, a spoon in hand and a curious look on his face as Hongjoong looked about. 

“....you good?” He inquired, arching a brow. Hongjoong glanced around the room once more before pursing his lips. His gaze drifted over to the canine on the floor and Cheese perked. 

“Oh, Cheese did not know Captain would come back, Cheese will leave-oh there is a hand in Cheese’s face.” 

Cheese blinked and sniffed as Hongjoong put a shaky hand before Cheese’s nose. Yunho finally caught up, blinking in surprise before he put his hand at the small of Hongjong’s back. 

“Cheese, wanna make a friend? Can you be nice and give kisses?” Yunho inquired. Cheese perked and sat up on his haunches, sniffing Hongjoong’s hand more. 

“Of course Cheese can be nice! Cheese is a valuable member of the crew-oh. Oh! The Captain smells of many souls. This confuses Cheese.” Cheese gently licked his hand, pressing his head into Hongjoong’s palm shortly after. Mingi and Yunho’s eyebrows rose as Hongjoong shakily cooed to the dog. 

“G-good boy…such a handsome boy…” Hongjoong stuttered, slowly relaxing thanks to Cheese’s surprising calmness. 

Yeosang came back into the kitchen, blinking in surprise at the return of the pianist. He looked at Yunho and Mingi, tilting his head at them both and the perplexed looks on their faces. 

“Definately….He smells of blood…lotus…some kind of leather…fire…? And the ocean. He smells a lot like the ocean. Oh, and amber. Its an interesting combination for Cheese. Cheese smells at least three…nnn..no, four souls.” 

All of them stared at the Jindo in shock as he gruffawed and keened, lifting his head to accept scratches from Hongjoong. The young man had slowly relaxed, smiling and pressing his head together with the dog’s once Cheese gave him a lick to the cheek. 

“Thank you…sorry, I just…I hate feeling so afraid. There’s no need to be. Not of this little guy, right Cheese?” Hongjoong beamed, smiling as Cheese let out a small, mini howl in delight and wagged his tail. 

“No problem…are you feeling alright?” Yeosang inquired, looking down at Hongjoong. He hadn’t the slightest clue on where to begin when it came to unpacking what the dog had told them, but he’d save that brain crunch for later, instead wanting to focus on the matter at hand. 

“I feel…a lot better than I did before. I really appreciate you all being so patient with me in these moments of weakness.” 

The three of them stared at him. Such a simple phrase, but they’d heard it before, knew it well. 

When their Captain thrashed in his sleep, when he reached blindly and cried for his fallen mother. When the hooks of nightmarish slumber pushed down on his lungs and made it hard to breathe, they’d be there. He always said the same thing, wiping away his tears in frustration. 

“Ah…what kind of Capt’n am I? Making my crew worry about me like that. I’m sorry, it was a moment of weakness. Thank you for pullin’ me out of it.” 

Mingi looked away, his fingers tapping against the counter in front of him while Yunho gently put his arm around him, pulling Hongjoong close to him and kissing his head. Yeosang gently came closer and reached, taking Hongjoong’s hands. He brought them to his lips, kissing his knuckles softly. 

“You can lean on us, Hongjoong. We all could use an attitude adjustment, but I promise, we’re a lot more reliable than we look.” Yeosang spoke against the skin of his hands. Slowly, he lifted his gaze up to Hongjoong’s, taking in the flustered flush that crept up the man’s neck. He stared at him, lips parted in surprise. 

“I- Oh, Thank you, Yeosang.”

Yeosang let his hands go and smiled, motioning for the two to leave the kitchen. 

“Now shoo. Dinner won’t be done for a while. Find something more interesting to occupy your time with.” He urged. 

Yunho mouthed a ‘thank you’ over Hongjoong’s head, leaning to kiss Mingi’s cheek and Yeosang’s birthmark before he picked the pianist up. 

“C’mon, you nearly gave me a heart attack running out so suddenly.” He lightly scolded, taking Hongjoong back upstairs. 

Hongjoong flushed, rubbing his neck in embarrassment, but Yunho simply pulled him in for a kiss, pressing their heads together. 

“Do you want to continue?” 

“Yes.” 

“Do you want to continue because you want to?”

“Yes.”

Hongjoong was frustrated with everyone treating him like he’d break, but he understood well the position he was in. As much as he got flustered and even embarrassed by the coddling, at least he knew both his friends and his boyfriend cared about his comfort. 

Yunho smiled and stole another kiss, cupping both of Hongjoong’s cheeks and teasing his piercing with his own tongue, lightly tugging at the ball. Hongjoong whimpered into his lips, pressing himself against him, his hips twitching as he felt himself grow harder in his loose-fitting pants. 

When Yunho broke the kiss, there was a completely different look in his eyes, one that made Hongjoong shudder in need as the taller man took a step back, pulling his shirt over his head. He tossed it aside and worked on the button of his jeans, smiling at Hongjoong as he followed his every move with his eyes. 

“Have a seat there,” He pointed to the rolling chair he had near a desk adorned with plants and notes. Hongjoong sat himself down, his eyes locking onto the scar on Yunho’s abdomen before he bit his lip lightly, noticing Yunho tugging the waistband of his pants down, his cock springing out moments later. 

Hongjoong was proud of himself for not letting out any of the noises of want that so desperately wanted to slip free from his mouth. 

He was not, however, able to keep back the gasp of surprise when Yunho wrapped a vine around the chair and pulled him in closer, until he was at the end of the bed staring doe eyed as the doctor situated himself in the middle. 

“What…what exactly are we doing, aga-...”Hongjoong trailed off, eyes drifting between Yunho’s legs as the doctor spread them apart, fully on display in front of him. Everything he had in mind died in his throat as he eyed Yunho with a want that made his fingers twitch. 

“I want you to watch me, watch us, if that’s alright?” He instructed, running a hand down his torso before wrapping it around his cock. Hongjoong didn’t brave trying to speak again, worried he’d sound like a fool as he followed every stroke and upward curve of Yunho’s hand. 

“Geb, it’s okay. I don’t think he minds.” Yunho moaned, smiling as he felt the fractured god take over part of his body, smooth vines wrapping around his legs, pulling them wider apart so he couldn’t close them and hide anything from the view of their Captain. 

“Hongjoong, I think you’ll delight in knowing we’ve gotten quite sensitive. Look here,” Geb rumbled, thin vines curling around and rolling Yunho’s nipples until they hardened into buds. Yunho shuddered and moaned, bucking into his own hand. 

“I wonder if you recall how needy we can get when it comes to this. It’s been many moons and we’ve even perfected the right mix for our nectar. Isn’t that right, Yunho? Should we show him?” 

Yunho whimpered, nearly closing his eyes in pleasure. Both of them turned ice blue and Geb tutted as he opened them back fully. 

“Come, now, Yunho. Don’t look away from him.” Geb scolded.  Yunho groaned and lifted his hips, clenching on nothing at the mere thought of what was to come. 

Hongjoong pushed his own pants down past his thigh, laughing in disbelief as he watched a vine thicker and smoother than the one teasing Yunho’s nipples appeared, dribbling something translucent and sweet-smelling over Yunho’s asshole. 

“How often do you play with yourself like this, Yunho? If you two have perfected it, how many nights did it take?” He asked without thinking, smiling at the way Yunho’s hips twitched. 

“I-nn-I’ve lost count…I just let Geb guide and feel around for what’s best-ah!” He choked on his own voice as he bucked, feeling his own vine push into him, coated in the aphrodisiac-like nectar. 

Hongjoong bit his lip, grabbing his own cock and pumping in time with Yunho’s as Geb chuckled and growled into the room. 

“My, it’s been too long. We’ve been neglecting ourselves. He’s tight, Hongjoong. Practically sucking in our vines and it’s still not enough, is it?” He let out a faux sympathetic sigh, more vines wrapping around Yunho’s thick thighs, kneading and gripping them as he fucked himself. The god wasn’t sure if the doctor even knew he’d given up control of their vines a few minutes ago, letting him control his (well, technically their) pleasure. 

Hongjoong kicked his pants off and away from himself, moaning as he watched Yunho arch and stroke himself faster, softly moaning Hongjoong’s name. 

The bed dipped, and the two-toned man joined him, crawling up on his hands and knees and licking up Yunho’s balls, past the length of his cock, over his fingers, before kissing the head of his weeping cock. 

“H-Hongjoong-”

“Don’t stop. You wanted to show me, right?” He whispered, putting his head on Yunho’s thigh, his breath fanning over Yunho’s cock and his stuffed hole. 

Yunho sucked his lip in and trembled, making the vine thicker inside of himself, mirroring the size he knew his smaller lover was. He moaned and arched his back, eyes nearly rolling back as he felt thick, warm nectar electrify his very being. 

“That’s it, pretty boy. I’m here. Show me up close how beautiful you look when you cum.” Hongjoong sighed lovingly, reaching to rub around Yunho’s stuffed rim, smiling when he jolted upwards. 

“Fuck! Ngh-!”

Hongjoong was honestly curious, and clearly was thinking with the head between his legs instead of the one between his shoulders as he leaned down and ran his tongue over both the vine as it pulled out, and the rim of Yunho’s hole, catching some of the nectar on his tongue. 

Yunho’s thighs flexed, and had it not have been for the vines and Geb’s quiet monitoring of their play, he might have snapped them shut. His body trembled, a mixture of several languages spilling from his lips as he chased his orgasm, eyes blown wide with lust as he watched Hongjoong. 

He found his mouth running far faster than his brain could catch up with. 

“Hongjoong, please-” He whimpered, eyes rolling as he felt his own vine push against his prostate. Hongjoong looked up at his face, tilting his head. 

“What is it, baby? What’s wrong?” 

Yunho didn’t have an ounce of embarrassment in his body, looking at him with his lips swollen from self biting, panting like he’d ran a marathon, reaching to run a hand through Hongjoong’s hair. 

“I want…mmmnn…I want you…please? I’ll even wait for you I just- please-” He groaned, his hand speeding up on his cock before he stopped abruptly, stilling the vine in his ass and ruining his orgasm. Hongjoong bit his lip and sat up, watching as veins throbbed on Yunho’s cock, thighs, hands, neck, and temple, straining as he tried to force himself down from his ruined ecstasy. 

“Where’s the condoms you bought?” Hongjoong whispered. Excitement and a flicker of anxiety ran through him, but he found the former beating out the latter as Yunho shakily sent a vine to grab one of the two boxes he’d bought yesterday. Hongjoong took it, tearing the package and rolling it down his cock. 

He crawled up until they could press their foreheads together, his palms splayed out on the bed sheets at either side of Yunho’s ribs. They held each other’s gaze, and Yunho simply smiled, guiding Hongjoong’s cock down to his hole after sliding the messy vine out of himself. 

Hongjoong looked down between them, slowly pressing his hips down and gasping softly as he felt Yunho’s tight and slick walls grip him. 

Both men groaned into the plant-filled room. Yunho gripped his cock tight, forcing down another orgasm as he looked at where they were joined, a dazed and joyful curl of his lips making Hongjoong growl above him. 

“Y-Yunho, don’t clench so tight, baby. I can b-barely move-” Hongjoong moaned, pressing biting kisses down Yunho’s neck. The doctor groaned and let his head roll to the side, his cock making a mess of his abs. 

“I…mmm I can’t help it, you don’t have to go slow.” He urged, trying to rock his hips. Hongjoong opened his mouth to tell him he didn’t want to hurt him, but Yunho leaned into his ear, running his hand through his hair. 

“I like the stretch. Go faster.” He purred, moaning in delight when Hongjoong kissed him with fervor, working up a steady pace. Yunho sucked on his tongue and moaned in approval, stroking himself at an off-beat tempo.

Hongjoong was hyperaware of every sound once more.

Every slap of their hips together, every slick sound of Yunho’s cock in his hand, every filthy smack of their lips in their kiss, all of it made Hongjoong’s body feel like sparks were trailing through his veins. 

“That’s it~ Mmn, you’re so eager, I think you remember our body well, Hongjoong. You’re making such a…mmm…delightful expression, does it feel that good?” Geb moaned, the triangle covering Yunho’s eye once more as they both looked up at Hongjoong. 

The pianist sucked in a breath and rolled his hips down and to the left, smiling as his memory served right, listening as both of them let out a swear of surprise. His lips quirked as he slowed his hips down immediately afterwards. Yunho looked at him in surprise, opening his mouth, but Hongjoong cut him off.

“I want to try the vine, too. At the same time.”  

Even the god was caught off guard, but they recovered quickly, with a vine dribbling sweet nectar between the musician’s cheeks. 

Yunho smiled and reached around his frame, holding his cheeks open as Hongjoong resumed his thrusts. Hongjoong sighed against Yunho’s skin as he felt the tip of it press into his hole. 

“Nice and slow, Joongie.” 

Hongjoong’s hips stuttered for only a moment as the slick tip pushed into him, a groan of surprise spilling from his lips. It certainly was bigger than Yunho’s fingers, but not enough to knock the wind out of him, and soon he found his rhythm again, grinding into Yunho at a deep, slow pace. 

“Right there, right there yes nngh!” Yunho arched, nearly covering his mouth at the shaky gasp that spilled from his lips, catching himself off guard. Hongjoong noticed and grit his teeth, sweat rolling down his brow as he took his hand and pulled it away, lacing their fingers together and staring down into his eyes. 

Yunho looked up, holding his gaze as he gradually thickened and curved the vine inside of Hongjoong, smiling as Hongjoong let out his own cry of delight, feeling it rub right against his prostate. 

Hongjoong looked down, and like before, felt that phantom feeling of rocking on a boat as he rolled his hips downwards, his bangs sticking to his forehead. 

Yunho…felt as good as he’d always did. 

He always stared at him with those big brown eyes, deep with love and eager for more. 

Always…

“I love you.” Hongjoong panted, grabbing handfuls of the sheets as he looked down at Yunho. The doctor’s lips parted in surprise and he opened his mouth to respond, but Hongjoong kissed him feverishly, swallowing his moans as he sped up, reaching between them to stroke Yunho. The doctor’s hand had halted in surprise, but now it wrapped around the bars of the bed above his head as he arched his back, pretty notes falling past his lips as he looked up at Hongjoong. 

“C’mon, cum with me baby, I’m so close, please I need it I was good, I was good, please-” He slipped up, his mind melting as he sped up the vine in Hongjoong, wanting him to join him in the climbing ecstasy. 

Hongjoong’s eyes widened before he smiled, leaning into his ear. 

“You’re so good, Yunho. You’re so good for me, for us.” He cooed, biting the shell of his ear when he heard Yunho’s breath hitch. He stroked him faster, surprised at himself and the strong need to make the doctor fall apart first. 

“You and Geb are so good. Is this what I missed? Hm? You look beautiful like this. I-I don’t think I can hold back, baby. Hold me, go faster, we’re gonna cum together.” He groaned, feeling his hips ache in a way he was familiar with from performing, but with a blanket of pleasure running up and down his spine as the nectar ran down his rim and his balls. 

“Thank you, thank you, I love you, right there-AH!”

Yunho arched his back and forced himself to keep his eyes open, biting his lip as Hongjoong’s expression matched his. Stars dotted his vision and he clenched tight, his body taught as he finally came with a loud cry, thick splurts making a mess of his and Hongjoong’s abs. Hongjoong smiled and kissed him, rocking back and forth desperately. 

Between the tightness of Yunho’s trembling body and the dizzying pleasure of the vine in his ass, Hongjoong didn’t stand a chance, hugging Yunho and moaning into the heated skin of his neck as he came inside of the condom. 

“Y-Yunho-”

He shuddered, staying in his arms and holding him as both of them tried to force air back into their lungs. The vine retreated, and Hongjoong flushed, feeling thick pearls of nectar roll out. Did he need that much lubrication? Probably not, but it gave him a hungry feeling for the real thing that made his heart skip. 

Good thing both of them were already blushing from head to toe. 

Yunho groaned, muscles sore as he wrapped his arms around Hongjoong, sending him a thousand watt smile. 

“You did…phenomenally. I hope I feel it for days.” He mused, closing his eyes and letting his head thump against the pillow, a blissed smile on his face. Hongjoong blushed and looked down between them. 

“Yunho, we should clean up. We’re covered in sweat, cum, and nectar.”

“Mmm. Gimme a moment. I’m basking.”

Hongjoong sent him a flat look before he playfully rolled his eyes, putting his head on Yunho’s chest. 

He supposed it wasn’t too bad to rest for a bit more.

Just a little.

̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　Meanwhile, Downstairs　 ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

Once they were out of earshot, Yeosang sighed softly, shoulders slumping. Mingi looked at him out of the corner of his eye before looking down at Cheese. 

“You said you smelled four souls inside of him?” 

Cheese looked up and nodded, letting out a big yawn before sprawling onto the cool tile of the kitchen floor. 

“One is his. The scents Cheese told you about are the ones Cheese smelled in them. Amber-Cheese thinks that is his soul, it is the strongest smelling. Then bloody lotus, fire and leather, and the ocean. The ocean scent is the faintest. Like it’s fading.” 

Both of their eyes widened and Mingi clenched his fists so hard, he had crescents in his palms. 

“Captain…are you…are you still in there?” He whispered without thinking. Yeosang tapped his lip and paced the room, eyes fixed on the tiles as he tried to process the gravity of their findings. 

He shook his head, ruffling his hair, and turned to Mingi instead, walking over to gently tuck himself in the taller immortal's arms.

"Are you okay, Mingi?"

Mingi wrapped his arms around him, conflict swirling in his mind. 

"I…I don't know."

Yeosang gave him a squeeze and looked into his eyes. 

"It's okay not to know right now. We can navigate through this together. It's confusing as all hell. But, what matters to me right now," he gently kissed Mingi and leaned back so he could stare into his eyes. 

"Is that all of my loves are full and taken care of. Do you want dessert made? I can start." He offered, rubbing Mingi’s cheeks. Mingi looked at him for a long time before putting his hands over Yeosang’s. 

"Would…would you still love me if I wasn't the same me you've always known?"

Yeosang pressed his lips together before he exhaled softly.

"I would."

"How do you know?"

"The you in front of me isn't the you from centuries ago. The me in front of you isn't the me from centuries ago. None of us have escaped the touch of pain and time. Just because we do not deteriorate or change physically doesn't mean we haven't changed emotionally and mentally." Yeosang closed his eyes and hummed. 

"It's…been hard and there's an awful rift between us that hurts so much…but I still love you. I still love everyone. Mingi," he pulled the taller man into a hug.

"If…if you don't still love me…or us…that's within your right. I'm not going to force you. I just…I'll do everything in my power to help you and everyone smile again. I can do that."

Mingi felt his heart clench in pain, hugging him tight. 

"I do love you!” He spoke hurriedly, worried he’d offended the ex prince by his venting. Yeosang didn’t say a word, gently petting his hair and smiling softly, waiting for him to continue after he gave him a small, encouraging nod. Mingi worried his lip between his teeth. 

“I…I want things to go back to before. I want everyone back. I'm so tired." He whispered, his eyes cast at the ground. 

Yeosang rubbed his back, gently kissing his cheek. He felt his heart squeeze. 

He was also to blame for this, he knew inaction and fear spoke just as loud as action and hostility. 

His upbringing taught him better than to be a bystander, and still he let the others and Mingi down. 

"I'm…sorry I haven't done enough to protect you. Is…is there anything I can do? Or…is it too late? It's just us, you can be honest with me." Yeosang felt his own tears well up as he looked at Mingi. The taller man sucked in a breath and looked at him for a long time. 

"I…I have a lot I need to get off my chest…right now, I need someone to talk to. If…if it's alright?" He whispered. Yeosang smiled and kissed his knuckles. 

"I'll turn the fire off and we can take a walk so no one interrupts. Is that alright? We can bring Cheese." He offered. Mingi looked at him and then the dog and nodded once. 

"Thank you, Yeosang. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry, Mingi. Here, I'll grab your coat."

Mingi cast a look at the kitchen before he took a breath and looked down at Cheese, smiling as the dog nudged his thigh. 

“Cheese does not know what happened, but Cheese loves his family and will provide excellent emotional support!” 

Mingi exhaled, laughing wetly before he heard Yeosang approach with his coat, handing it to him with a worried look settled in his brow. 

“Shall we go, Mingi?” He inquired. Mingi nodded, grabbing Cheese’s leash and grabbing Yeosang’s hand within his own shaking one. 

“I’m coming. I’ll lead the way.”

┍━☽【❖】☾━┑

T a g l i s t

┕━☽【❖】☾━┙

@jacksons-goddess-gaia @kimnamshiks @atiny-dazzlinglight @angel0taiyo @gettin-a-lil-hanse @aeyla @eversionic @itsatinyworld @unatempesta-dipensieri @lonely10vely @yunhosblackgf @not-majestic-bluenicorn @moonmin-miya @snowstaytiny @delphinium3000 @just-a-starfruit @skmoonchild @allthestarsrcloser @sneaky-ash @im-what-iam @stayatinyfics @smallfrye @atinyteez @bangteezbaby @seomisaho @kirisimpma @chaos-ground-writing @daniblogs164 @daisyhwa @yunhofingers @stormiestories @billboard-singer @asyamonet22 @perfectlysane24 @drunk-on-hwa @shingisimp @xuxibelle @twistedsiren @heesuncore @dreamyinception-world @justatiredhuman @serialee @babyhailey819 @eribear23 @spooo00oky @shymexican @stardragongalaxy @horizonmoonfics

[vlareina]

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: ATEEZ (Band) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi (ATEEZ) Characters: ATEEZ Ensemble Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Alpha Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ), Nesting, More tags will come with chapter two, trying to decide if explicit or mature fits the feel better, Domestic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, mingi is so loved

[ateez--presents]

Allow me to give everyone a glimpse as to how petty I can truly be;

Low-key high-key offended that nobody took my "Jongho complimented Yunho's ass" quip as seriously as I did when I wrote it, but whatever ༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽

[potatomountain]

CIY- CH 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

📍Pairing: detective ateez ot8 x detective afab reader 📍Summary: "Belonging" 📍WC: 3.6k 📍AU: detective/mafia 📍Genre: action, dark themes, poly romance 📍Warning(s): 18+ rating, some angst, mentions of emotional neglect? slight misogyny 📍Nets: @pirateeznet | @mirohs-aurora-society 📍Beta readers (and sole motivation): @flurrys-creativity , @candypop1611 , @yourfatherlucifer , @skteezcursed and edited(usually) by the amazing: @daemour 📍dividers made by: @cafekitsune

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“What do you mean talk?” You mumbled out, crossing your arms over your chest. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck which reminded you of the tattoos he had there. You swallowed, reminding yourself that it wasn’t uncommon for cops and detectives to have tattoos, you had some yourself. “I mean just that. We need to talk. I’m… well aware of how close you’re getting to everyone. Well, mostly everyone.” You still didn’t relax, instead you were bristling now. “If this is another warning to mind my business I-” “No no, it’s not that. It's pointless to try and keep you out of this now. But that isn’t going to stop me from worrying. Can I take you out to lunch? Have just a normal conversation about this? I’ll drop you off downtown today instead of Wooyoung.” He didn’t appear ready to tear you a new one or threaten you with a wad of cash to disappear like you half expected… the tea you’ve been hearing at the club was starting to get to you. This isn’t a k-drama.

“Okay.” You reluctantly obliged, letting your arms drop and reaching for your heels. Seonghwa reached out and grabbed a pair of leather boots instead. “You’re going to need these instead.” Skeptical, but not going to ask questions, you took the boots and pulled them on. Thankfully they still went with your outfit but you didn’t understand why the boots-

Until you were standing before a motorcycle and Seonghwa was holding out a helmet to you. Taking it, you watched with new appreciation as he pulled a leather jacket on. Somehow biker was not on the list of hobbies you thought he would have. In fact you hadn’t thought too much about Seonghwa in ways you liked to acknowledge, more often than not just admiring how fucking gorgeous he was. 

But that had changed since last week, when you were sure he had gotten off to what Wooyoung had done to you. He hadn’t shown interest before then, so it had sent your mind in a downward spiral any time you did think of him. Once more you were marveling at this new information about him as you pulled the helmet on, climbing onto the bike behind him once he motioned for you to do so. Where to put your hands was another thing.

Seonghwa didn’t hesitate, grabbing your hands and wrapping them around his waist, your mouth suddenly going dry as you realized how small his waist was.  You could hear his chuckle through the helmet, your body getting pulled with his as he leaned forward a bit to start the bike. Your chest was pressed firmly against his back, breathing hitched as you tried to just focus on anything else but him. Then you two were moving through the streets with ease, the heat and hum of the bike beneath you was as exhilarating as the wind on your bare legs and the ripple of his muscles under your hands. You wanted to feel it more, releasing your grip to sit up straighter, just to have his hand cover one of yours. He didn’t tug you back in place, but fingers entwined to keep you from going too far.

It was almost romantic, and you hated how it had your heart racing for a whole other reason than the adrenaline pumping through your veins. 

In an attempt to get your bearings about you, you shut your eyes and just took in the moment, debating on just how much you could trust the man before you. His icy welcome, his attempts to control Hongjoong’s flirting, the way he refused to kiss you when Hongjoong did… But there was also the way he scolded Yunho the one time you had been late, telling him to be nice to you, when you knew he didn’t have to. His attempts at a truce, at keeping the peace, managing you and the others. But then there had been the gym, the practicing, his praise and encouragement when they first started opening up their work to you.

Could you confidently say that Seonghwa hated you? That he disliked you? Or had he just been trying to be protective over his friends? Tried to manage the hostility from the beginning and it just came off… wrong?

Lost in your head, the sudden stop had you hitting Seonghwa’s back with a surprised gasp, blushing under the helmet as his body shook with laughter. In an attempt to save face, you pulled your hands away and looked around. You were more uptown, still center city, but were outside a cute mom and pop cafe that seemed to have quite a bit of business despite the starbucks a few buildings down and a few other chain mainstream stores around. Stepping off the bike you took off your helmet, keeping your back to him since you still felt quite flustered. “This is where we’re eating?” “Yeah, this would be my favorite place to go.” Seonghwa hummed, taking off his helmet, not a hair out of place as he set both on the bike and secured them. “Do you like sweets?” You shrugged, watching him with as cool of an expression as you could muster. “On occasion, yes. I got my favorites. You like strawberry things right?” His eyes widened, lighting up with pure joy as he stepped closer. “So you pay attention to us too?” The charming smile on his lips disarmed you, finding yourself even more flustered. “Has anyone told you that you’re just unbelievably too pretty?” He laughed while you were gawking, a hand now covering your mouth at your outburst. Oh this felt dangerous. “Maybe. I could say the same about you though Angel.” He brought a hand to the small of your back, guiding you inside. Oh hell, you were speechless. It took every ounce of brain function to take in your surroundings, what you thought was a simple cafe was a bakery of sorts, but there were tables filled with all sorts of people eating lunch and sweets or just enjoying a coffee. Simple things like sandwiches, cakes, melon bread and more. Despite the busyness, it still had a homey feel to it with the decor, the staff, and just the general vibe. There was nothing you could give your full focus to that would keep you distracted from Seonghwa standing next to you, his hand on your back a constant reminder as well. This felt too cozy, he felt too comfortable with you. And after what had happened the last time you saw him? After what happened yesterday? You felt too charged up and vulnerable and he was just seeping into you through the cracks.

“What would you like?” He dipped into your field of view, expression friendly, almost innocent with the wide glossy eyes and sweet smile, a stark contrast to the outfit he wore that oozed sexiness. It caught you off guard, you had never seen him with such an… open expression in your presence before. “Um… surprise me?” As if you could focus on food anyways. Your nerves lit up in all sorts of ways.

He whistled appreciatively, nodding with enthusiasm as he quickly rattled an order off that, to your own ears, sounded like something you would order. His earlier words came rushing back: So you pay attention to us too?

The breakfast order that had been on your desk before. The notice when you had been late. You had chalked it all up to San but didn’t Yeosang scold Wooyoung to get you food you liked? Why did what you like to eat matter to these men? That wasn’t something you needed to pay attention to if you distrusted someone, if you wanted to keep them at bay.

But didn’t you also know Seonghwa liked strawberry things? That he admired his Captain and that it was probably more than a work relationship? You knew how San took his coffee, knew Yeosang was a genius with computers and that he had a cute lisp that always brought a smile to your face.

The more and more you thought of it, the more your face dropped, eyes widening. Seonghwa’s hold suddenly tightened on you, his free hand coming up to cup your jaw and force you to face him. “You know, sometimes it’s easy to read you like an open book. Does it frighten you that we pay such close attention to you?” You shook your head slowly, answering without even thinking about it. It was true, you weren’t scared at all by the attention: but by how much you liked it.

What if this ends up like S.K all over? You fall for one or a few of them, and then once you no longer fit their way of things, they would just toss you aside like Chan did? Panic swiftly washed over Seonghwa’s visage as he began to dab at the tears gathering in your lashes. “Angel. Angel, it's okay. This isn’t a bad talk. I’m not chasing you away or putting down boundaries. Not trying to scare you.” How soft he was being just had your throat tight with the need to sob. “I’m going to… find a seat.” You mumbled under your breath, afraid to speak up more as you turned and searched for a table. There were really only two, both right next to each other, and you sat at the one against the wall, facing the wall so that the rest of the crowd would not be able to see it if you broke. What the fuck was wrong with you? Had the week away from the others fucked with your brain? Deteriorated your walls to keep them at bay? You couldn’t trust them.

Right?

Or was it just the fear that if you did, you would get hurt again?

You couldn’t believe yourself. You weren’t afraid to get shot, stabbed, run over by a car if you had to do so for your goals. Your career had always been the focus of your life, following in your father’s footsteps. He was forced to retire after getting severely injured stopping a serial killer, now a retired detective who climbed up the ranks before recently retiring. Detective work had been his life, and by extension, yours. That was who you were, who you pride yourself on being. A damned good detective, an enforcer of justice and protecting the innocent at the cost of your own life. So why the fuck were you about to sob in the middle of a lunch rush in an unfamiliar cafe just because you realized this unit was worming their way into your heart, and it was beginning to seem mutual. Why the fuck did it scare you to get close? Chan couldn’t have fucked you up this badly? Was it the betrayal of them all? Your loyalty should be to the job, not the unit. But did that make you like Chan? Loyal to the job, not your emotions.

Everything was so messed up. The tray of food and drinks getting set down in front of you startled you, gaze flashing up to meet Seonghwa’s concern. His brow scrunched together further at the look on your face. “We have a lot to talk about it seems.” “I- Vice what is this talk about?” Work. Just focus on work. “Well, you mostly. How you’re adjusting to the unit. To everything that’s happened. I know a lot of what happened is not… normal. And we haven’t been treating you right either.” He handed you the drink and sandwich, then set his in front of him. Immediately he started sipping on the strawberry drink, some of the whipped cream smearing on his upper lip. Once more you were thrown for a loop. “I don’t- fuck is this a wellness check? Does my well-being really matter here?” Seonghwa nodded without hesitation, long tongue flicking out to clean up the cream, the glint of the piercing short-circuiting your thoughts. Oh fuck, him too? “It does matter. And not just because of the job. You want to be a part of this unit right? You want the respect, the trust, the bond we have?” His lips curved into a wry smile, watching you for a moment before he leaned forward, reaching out to cup your cheek. Your emotions, your desire for what he said must be so obvious on your features. “Angel… has anyone made you feel like you belong before?” It shattered you, his words.

There were times you thought you had it, but did you? Chan? No, he chose the unit, the rules. Minho had even scolded you many times, backing up Chan, becoming a second voice to him as opposed to as your best friend. Hyunjin might have that spot, and truthfully he felt like the only one who loved you as you were. Unconditionally. But even he had said that he wasn’t right to be by your side, saying you belong elsewhere, somewhere more. Seonghwa swiped your tears away. “We’ve been so cruel to you haven’t we? And yet you’ve been fighting tooth and nail to prove yourself to us. You fit well in your undercover work, you fit well with us. Wooyoung sings your praises daily, and Yeosang’s reports only have good things to say about your work. You work so hard Angel.”

His words felt like a warm, comforting blanket that encompassed you but also shook you to your core. You could remember so clearly getting accepted into the police academy, graduating at the top of your class and immediately rising through the ranks as a uniform. And in all of those moments had your father been proud? No, he just expected you to do these things. Your mother harking you whenever you had troubles “If you had been a boy, you’d be better at your job. You’d be more like your father.” Had you ever made them proud? You had blossomed under the praise Chan gave you when you first started, doing everything to seek it out. Until you realized how unjust some of the cases were. Then most. And his praise usually was followed with a scolding. And it resonated with you. Those kids, those cases, facing unjust rules that they couldn’t do anything about. Like you. Hadn’t Yeosang said that before? You had everything to prove, and nothing to lose. “Seonghwa…” Your voice croaked as you leaned into his hand, staring up at him with a new found vulnerability that seemed mirror in his sweet brown eyes. “I want to be an equal. I do want to belong.” He smiled softly, stood up, and leaned over to press a kiss to your temple. “Alright Angel, I hear you loud and clear. Now, tell me honestly how you feel.” He sat back down and pushed the sandwich closer. “After you eat and catch a breath. The questions are mostly about the… sexual encounters and tension so I want you prepared.” Heat flooded your cheeks, but you nodded and listened. You had, for the most part, been going with the flow of things, refusing to talk about the underlying emotions because, as he just pointed out, you had been too busy trying to prove something. To prove your worth. Was it actually possible that they really did see it? That some of them did at least, and that the others might?

Were you actually seen, accepted, and equal? He was nice enough to let you sit with your thoughts as you ate, focusing on his own food and watching for your reaction to your first bite. You saw the relief flood his features when you clearly liked it, swallowing and smiling softly. Seonghwa seemed as eager to please as you were, it seemed. The meal quickly calmed your nerves, getting comfortable with the realizations he had come to, and making more as you did. That’s why Yunho’s vulnerability had meant so much to you, while Wooyoung’s honest desire slipped past your walls so easily, and why you could understand their apprehension of you so well.

Even, you dare say, sympathizing with Jongho. He had his reasons, you were sure, and you knew just how hard it was to trust after being hurt.

Now the sex- that was the topic of discussion once you swallowed the last bite and Seonghwa was now returning with a second strawberry drink, with impossibly more whipped cream. It was cute, until his tongue flicked out and scooped up a generous amount. His tongue was long, and considering what was about to be discussed, had you thinking some questionable thoughts about it.

“So, let me make sure I know everything that has happened so far- and please, do not get upset that I know about these things, I’ll explain that alright?” You nodded as he squared up his shoulders, the professional aura surrounding him showing how serious this conversation was, but there was no judgment, nothing alarming about his posture either. You mirrored his posture, knowing that yes, this is a serious thing. It was sex in the workplace, and, if you were being honest, it was more than that. “It started with the club, which technically you did amazing with, but I can’t say that your shared kisses with Yunho and Mingi were just a part of your cover. They don’t see it as just a kiss, which I’m sure you’re aware of by now considering what happened with Mingi. There is also, from my understanding, what happened in the gym? Which… San should’ve been honest that we have security cameras in there that Yeosang has access to.” Your cheeks burned at the idea that Yeosang had seen what San did to you, but it also was relaxing to know it wasn’t San who spilled. That did bring up the urge to talk to Yeosang about it, apparently he really liked to watch you get off? That didn’t necessarily upset you either. “When was it brought up? What happened in the gym?” “When Mingi came in sporting hickies. He didn’t have any targets scheduled for the weekend so we had to question. As you know, any connections have to be known to the rest of us. And it’s not just because of our work. Wooyoung’s hinted at it, you’ve had a few glimpses as well… We have something that… that a majority of people would consider wrong or disgusting, but I don’t think you would. This isn’t like an offer for you either, but so you can understand what you might be getting into.” He continued, brow furrowed as he seemed to search for the right words. Especially since you were now smiling at it seemed to throw him off. “It’s a polycule right? Or well, of sorts. I sort of figured it out, though I had never known about it beforehand. Yunho sort of explained last night but I learned the term from some of Haru’s girl’s. They like to yap my ear off since I apparently have Haru’s approval.” He sighed with relief. “Yes, that’s pretty much it. Sex is a casual thing between us, though not all of us sleep with all the rest. I think Wooyoung would be the only one?” You laughed at that. “Oh I can see that. I swear he didn’t turn the camera off on purpose.” You pointed out and Seonghwa’s smile turned pained. “Yeah, probably not. He enjoys being watched, and you… well he wants you to be one of us. Has been set on it since the beginning. And no matter how much of a little shit he can be, he’s got the best damn judge of character, and we all trust it wholeheartedly. Plus…” Now it was his turn to get flustered, the tips of his ears red. “He knows us well.” With a tilt of your head, you urged him to continue. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well… he left the camera on not just for himself, but because he knew we wanted you. We want you. The only one I can’t speak for is Jongho but, Angel, being equal and part of our bond would mean being a part of what we have, and while most of us want that, we would never force it on you. It can be just sex and work for now, or whatever you need it to be. Just on one condition?” For the most part, you were shell shocked. He said it wasn’t an offer but it was clearly there, to an extent. But he was also emphasizing that there was no pressure to be a part of it. “What’s the catch?” “No matter how deep you get, I need you to talk to me about things. If it ends up being too much, if you have doubts, if you’re struggling with others. My job in the unit and in the polycule, is to take care of everyone else. To keep the peace, and help resolve conflict. Can you do that for me? Can you trust me enough for that?” You mulled over his words, staring him down as he now fidgeted with his hands, barely noticeable if you weren’t looking for some tell that this was a lie- but that tell was simply that he was nervous, maybe even a little scared. Scared you wouldn’t trust him.

“I trust you Seonghwa. And I agree to your terms. Thank you for trusting me with this.” You reached over and placed a comforting hand over his, watching him visibly relax. Mentally, you were cursing yourself, scared this was going to end just like it did last time: trusting people, thinking you belong. It was too late to turn back though, wasn’t it?

Taglist (Capped): @mingsolo | @wowie-hockey | @crispybaguettes | @tiny-apocalypse

| @philijack | @lelaleleb | @isiloiale | @vannabanana1995  | @piratequeen-queenofgames

| @starstruckforyou | @minheeskitten | @amphiroxx  | @cloudysannie | @sugarnspice630

| @sanhwalvr | @plutoneu |  @sousydive |  @fatalt | @iwishiwasrichasfuck

| @bitchwhytho | @st4rhwa | @thesafecafe | @alextheweeb7 | @ddaeing

Taglist will be continued in a reblog!!

[sugarnspice630]

Radio Head - Hongjoong

"Your voice is like a siren. You’re just so smart and beautiful. You drive me insane with how talented you are.”

•pairing: hongjoong x afab!reader

•word count: 1.6k

•tags: mdni, smut, reader is a vocalist, Hongjoong is definitely a Simp for reader, cunnilingus, praise kink, oral (f receiving), producer hongjoong, recording booth sex, Hongjoong asks for consent (💕), moaning sample for music (👀), cum eating, aftercare

Summary: Helping Hongjoong produce a song by providing some backing vocals and he gets desperate so he meets you in the recording booth and services you, and surprises you at the end with something unexpected.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆───

Hongjoong was working late in the studio one night and you decided to tag along with him. One, so he wouldn’t be lonely and two, because you wanted to hang out with him and help him if needed. You were chilling on the little couch that was in the corner of the studio, playing on your phone, listening to Hongjoong working away at the new songs he was producing. He would occasionally mutter a curse word under his breath, a sign that he was getting irritated by the song not sounding the way he wanted.

“Fuck…this just isn’t working.” he sighed out. You placed your phone down and walked over to him to reassure him. Placing your hands softly on his shoulders and rubbing them gently as his head rested on the desk in between his arms.

“There there love. I’m sure you’ll get it eventually. You always do.”

“It just sounds empty! Here..take a listen.” He shoots his head up and drags the song back to the beginning and presses play. You listen to the song closely, trying to figure out what Hongjoong thinks is missing from the song. The members have already come in and did rough vocal guides so there were melodies to also pay attention to. After a few more seconds, Hongjoong pauses the track.

“See what I mean? It’s just empty! There is nothing in this that screams original! It sounds like every other song under the sun.” He throws his hands towards the screen before resting his left arm on the desk and placing his head on his hand.

“I’m not quite the producer like you baby, but I think I might have a suggestion, if you wouldn’t mind me sharing.”

“Please do. I’m all ears at this point.” You take the mouse and drag it back to the part of the song you think needs some work.

“I feel like at this part here, it should have something subtle in the background, like *laaa la la laaaa*. Just to fill this part where Yunho and Wooyoung are harmonizing, and that melody could repeat throughout the bridge.” You watch as Hongjoong’s eyes light up at your suggestion.

“Y-yes! Y/N that’s perfect!” He takes the mouse back from you and goes back to the start of the part you are fixing. “Um, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to record this part.” his hand motions towards the recording booth,

“Joongie, a-are you sure? I don’t think that would be right.” you shake your hands in front of you, signaling that you would feel bad for recording lines when you are not a member of the group.

“Yes I’m sure. You have a similar vocal tone to Jongho, so the fans will never know. I promise.” he reassures you with a smile and you softly nod your head before making your way to the recording booth. You open the door, close it softly, and pick up the headphones hanging from the mic stand. You put your hair behind your ears and rest the headphones over top. Hongjoong begins to talk to you through the headphones.

“You ready love?” You look over to him through the glass window and give him a thumbs up. He looks down at the mixing table and presses a button. You begin to hear the couple seconds before the spot you are recording for playing through the headphones. You take a deep breath and put your heart into singing the notes perfectly for him. You try a couple different takes to the beat of the song to give him some different options to play with. After a bit, the song changed parts and you stopped vocalizing for him. You side eyed over to the window to see his reaction and noticed Hongjoong wasn’t sitting at the desk anymore. Your eyebrows contorted as you were puzzled on where he went. Your eyes lead back to the microphone and you see Hongjoong standing directly in front of you, his eyes meeting yours and there is a certain glint in his eye. Before you could say anything, he ripped the headphones off of your head and pressed his lips into your’s. You whimpered softly at the impact and he wrapped his arms around you, pushing you into the wall that was behind you. His hands caressing all over you and his lips grazing across your skin.

“H-Hongjoong?” you breathe out confused.

“I just couldn’t help myself love, Your voice is like a siren. You’re just so smart and beautiful. You drive me insane with how talented you are.” he purred against your skin.

“I-I don’t understand what I did” 

“Shh, relax baby, just let me treat you right now. I need you so badly. You’ll be a good girl and do that for me, right~?” he softly placed his finger over your lips and traced it down to your chin, tilting your head up softly to look him in the eyes.

“Y-yes.” is all you can manage to get out. You’re at a loss for words right now. This emotion came out of nowhere and your heart is racing like crazy. He traces his hands down your body as he slowly squats down to the floor in front of you. His hands stop at the top of your pants and he looks up at you softly.

“May I~?” he questions with a slight smirk on his face. You look down at him and nod, resting your head on the wall you’re pressed against. You feel Hongjoong tug at your waistband and pull your pants down to your ankles, allowing him full access to your lower body.

“You’re so good for me baby, you know that~?” he whispers against the skin on your legs and gently kisses the area below your womanhood. He reaches his hand back up and pulls your underwear down to where your pants are. You feel the cold air blow across your exposed area and you shudder lightly.

“My my~ so wet for me already and I haven’t even done anything yet. How adorable~.” he teases as he runs one of his fingers across your slit. You let out a breathy moan and tilt your head back into the wall more. “I want you to be as vocal as you can darling. Show me how good I make you feel, yeah~?”

“Y-yes Joongie~.”

“Spread ‘em.” He demands and you quickly place your legs further apart so he has full access to your dripping area. He softly kisses the area around your crotch before gripping your hips and diving straight in to licking you up.

“F-fuck! H-Hongjoong!” Your hands reach down and grip onto his hair. His tongue slowly drags across your slit, almost like he is teasing you. His nose presses perfectly onto your clit. A loud moan gets caught in your throat for a moment and it releases when Hongjoong pushes his tongue into your opening.

“Mmm~ F-fuck yes baby~!” You secretly bite your lip to try and suppress your moans, even though you are in a soundproof room and no one could hear what’s happening. Hongjoong takes notice of your lack of noise and slaps the side of your hip harshly, causing you to whimper.

“I told you to be vocal.” He growled and rubbed your hip where he hit it.

“S-sorry!” You stutter out. Hongjoong continues to lick and suck, showing that he accepts your apology. His hands gripping onto your sides and he pushes his face further into you. You moan out softly at the new sensation. You call out his name as his fingers claw deep into your skin. You’re panting and moaning like crazy and you can tell you’re close to your release.

“You gonna cum for me baby?” he whispers softly from underneath you as he gently licks your pussy lips.

“Y-yeah~. J-just a bit more please~.” you beg out, so close to your release. Tilting your head against the wall again as you try to hold on a bit longer. Hongjoong takes one of his hands from your side and begins to rub your clit while pushing his tongue into you. The sensation of his finger rubbing you and his warm delicate tongue lapping your dripping hole. It’s almost too much to bear. 

“H-Hongjoong, I’m gonna-!”

“Cum for me sweetheart~, I wanna hear you.” He continues to rub your clit and within a few seconds the knot in your stomach comes undone. Your legs become weak, but Hongjoong holds you up while you continue to cum on his fingers. You let out the loudest moan you have ever heard from yourself. Hongjoong glides his fingers through your slit while you ride out your high.

“Oh-oh my god.” You pant out. You open your eyes slightly and you see Hongjoong looking at your fucked out face as he lifts his fingers to his mouth and licks the cum off of them.

“You taste delicious darling~.” He says lowly and then he smirks at you. You whimper and softly smile. “Let me help you out here baby.” He grabs your underwear and pants from the floor and lifts them up for you. After that, he caresses your face and looks at you lovingly. You smile at him and he smiles back. “You feel okay?” He looks at you concerned as you haven’t said anything since you came.

“Yeah, I’m okay baby.” You pause for a moment. “Thank you~.” He leans in and gently kisses you.

“Good~.” He goes to your side and puts your arm over his shoulder, helping to carry you out of the recording booth. “Oh…and thanks for the samples by the way~.” He says and you can tell there is a smirk on his face. You feel your body temperature rise out of embarrassment.

“Wait what?”

[everyonewooeverywhere]

ATEEZ MASTERLIST

18+ MDNI - minors, ageless blogs & blank blogs will be blocked

(💞) - smut

(🥝) - angst

(🌷) - fluff

(🌱) - request

(🌸) - series

(🤍) - popular

(💚) - personal fav

last update: september 5, 2024

face sitting 💞🌱 | may 24, 2024

studio sex 💞🌱 | july 7, 2024

behind closed doors 💞 - guitarist!hongjoong x f!reader

posted: feb 4, 2024 | wc: 1.7k

↳ synopsis : guitarist hongjoong fucks you in your hotel room.

taking care of you 💞 - producer!hongjoong x f!reader

↳ synopsis : studio sex‼️

posted: july 28, 2024 | wc: 2.1k

worst behavior 💞 - dom!seonghwa x bratty!f!reader

posted: mar 28, 2024 | wc: 2.2k

↳ synopsis : he told you not to wear the dress. you did it anyway. and he's not usually very forgiving.

domestic morning sex 🌷💞 | july 23, 2024

limitless 🤍💞🌱 - soft dom!yunho x f!reader

posted: mar 7th, 2024 | wc: 2.1k

↳ synopsis : nothing makes yunho feel better than knowing he can make his baby cum. nothing. of course, you can certainly cum more than once.

hoodie strings 💚🌷🌱 - caring bf!yunho x gn!reader

posted: mar 21, 2024 | wc: 1.2k

↳ synopsis : yunho absolutely loves it when you play with his hoodie strings. even though you rarely notice you’re doing it.

cry for me 💞 - dom!yunho x f!reader

posted: may 16, 2024 | wc: 1.5k

↳ synopsis : yunho loves you to the moon and back, but god if he doesn't love to make you cry.

adrenaline 💞 - dom!yunho x f!reader

posted june 27, 2024 | wc: 1k

↳ synopsis : yunho's adrenaline when he comes off stage is through the roof. sure, he there are many ways to get it out of his system, but he'd rather take it out on you.

it's okay to cry 🌷 - bf!yunho x gn!reader

posted july 31, 2024 | wc: 500

↳ synopsis : just a reminder that it is in fact okay to cry. yunho comfort fic.

good boy 💞 | wc: 1k

posted aug 1, 2024 | wc: 1k

↳ synopsis : he just wants you to come home. he misses you so so much. but you left your panties on the bed...so maybe he'll be okay.

needy shower sex 💞 | may 31, 2024

college boyfriend 🌷| sep 5, 2024

always available 🌷 - bf!san x gn!reader

posted: apr 19, 2024 | wc: 1k

↳ synopsis : San is always available. Especially on your bad days.

back tattoo 💞 | may 29, 2024

face sitting 💞 | july 24, 2024

toxic best friend situationship 💞 | sep 2, 2024

college boyfriend 🌷| sep 4, 2024

assert your dominance 💞🤍💚 - mechanic!mingi x f!reader

posted: jan 22, 2024 | wc: 2.5k

↳ synopsis : when a random girl keeps shamelessly flirting with mingi, despite his many attempts to ward her off, he still needs his knight dressed in his own sweater and a black mini-skirt to fend her off.

under the radar 💞🌸 - fuck boy!mingi x party girl!reader (feat. best friends!woosan)

ch 1 | ch 2

updated: feb 26, 2024 | wc: 5.3k

↳ synopsis : you like to party but that certainly doesn’t mean you’re always dtf, so, when notorious fuck boy song mingi takes an interest in you, you’re quick to turn him down. but something about his constant insistence is incredibly attractive to you. when they see you start to play into his game, your best friends do everything in their power to keep you away from him. so mingi has no choice but to fly under their radar.

play hooky 💞🌷 - sub!mingi x soft dom!reader

posted: apr 2, 2024 | wc: 1.3k

↳ synopsis : mingi really likes your boobs. so much so that he's willing to skip work for them.

my sunshine 💞🌷🌱 - newlyweds!wooyoung x f!reader

posted: feb 15, 2024 | wc: 1.5k

↳ synopsis : wedding night shenanigans but wooyoung can't stop smiling at you.

minor nuisance 💞🌷💚 - bf!jongho x f!reader

posted feb 16, 2024 | wc: 2.5k

↳ synopsis : when you come home from a less-than-perfect day, your boyfriend is nowhere to be found, but you don't want to call him and ask him to come home while he's out with friends. even though he'd drop everything if he knew you were struggling.

[itstheghostofmypast]

Meow (Ch-4)

Choi San x (f)Reader

Summary: He had spent an entire millennia in solitude, waiting for her to come back to him, bearing this curse that was a constant reminder of his ignorance, his mistake, and his guilt. He had forgotten how fate had always been cruel to him, punishing him for all he had done, and so be it, meeting her in the 21st century should have brought him joy- there was only one problem, his love for her may not have decreased a drop, but she may love Poofy more than she ever loved him.

Genre: Fluff/Angst

Word Count: 15k

Est Read Time: 1 hr 15 min

Warnings: death of a major character, abuse, war, PTSD.

Rating: Mature

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels @san-network

Masterlist I Chp-3

He watched her walk out of the room, making sure to close it behind her, giving him some form of space, though he could hear the way she let out a sigh, so she was still afraid- no, perhaps uneasy at best. Well, he did leave some impression on her, invading her home, taking up her private quarters for two weeks, having her take care of him, such carelessness, San, it was not like you to burden such a delicate flower- visibly scoffing at the train of thought he huffed, laying back down as his head collided with the soft pillow breaking the blow, honestly, he had wanted it to hit hard enough to knock him out, for the way the Moon had fated him with a human was as exhausting as the time she had blessed him to be the protector of this land. However, he now preferred the latter any day. The more important and disturbing question that lingered at the back of his mind was the fact that neither of his brothers had looked for him during this time. Well, usually, he wouldn't let them wander around alone, especially in unknown areas that Yunho had not mapped, but he did feel like they could've sent the wolves to look for him. Or maybe they did and he didn't know? What if they couldn't find him?

The door slid open, causing him to close his eyes, and pretend he was asleep, he was still cautious of her, she had yet to prove her innocence. She may have been only taking care of him to gain a favour or his trust, only to exploit him later, or worse, ambush him, betray him, shattering the heart that had now begun beating for her- oh this was going to be a problem, he huffed, trying to keep his eyes closed and expressions relaxed.

She walked in with the tray, mindful of her robes, glad she had worn the light pastels with the gold highlights, a good first impression is important. Making her way around the bed she placed the tray on the small table, turning to face him, only to find him asleep.

"Oh...my, he must still be tired," she whispered, leaning closer to expect the damage, her original plan was to change the bandages after he finished eating, but since he was asleep now, she could just do it whenever he woke up. Her ears picked up his little huff, eyes flickering from his shoulder to his face, was he in some form of pain? Shifting ever so slightly she moved a bit closer, closer to his head, with deft fingers she brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes, noting the shift of expression when she gently carded her fingers through his hair, actually she was trying to aim for his kitty ears, but she needed to take it slow.

He bit his lower lip at the gesture, trying to control himself, his body had begun to respond to her actions, it was no longer following his will and that scared him. He knew that around your other half instinct would often take over but she was not aware of their 'fated relationship', what if he ended up losing complete control and giving into his desires, one which were infatuated by his heart and burning passion for her. Perhaps he should open his eyes and scare her away again, the further she stayed the bet- a loud purr emitted from his throat, causing his eyes to snap open as she froze, fingers still in his hair, giving him a sheepish smile- though the fear swirling in her eyes almost gave her away- almost.

"What...are you doing?" A strained whisper broke past his lips, finally shattering the silence as he tried to even out his breathing, his purrs growing louder when she began to scratch below his ear, petting him like a cat, "My apologies...but you have really cute ears...Poofy."

Clearing her throat she slowly pulled back, praying to the Moon that he did not notice her flushed face, truth be told she had never laid eyes on a man more beautiful, so alluring and charismatic. He intrigued her, made her turn back to the curious little girl she was, the same girl who found Yuyu hiding behind the bushes at their home, who brought Yuyu to meet her mother and forced him to become her playmate- but there was something different about Poofy, the way his piercing gaze lingered on her, she could feel the way he was scanning her, sizing her up, drinking in her presence when she had first introduced herself, it was...different.

He gripped her wrist whilst she was about to pull back, maintaining eye contact, admiring the way her face was near his, pretty sure with a tug he'd have her fall on top of him- perhaps another time. Slowly bringing her hand back to his head he placed his hand on top of her, letting out a quiet purr before closing his eyes, "You may proceed, tiny human."

Smiling at the gesture, she tried to ignore the tingling sensation of his hand on hers, he was so warm, she'd never really held hands with anyone before- technically this wasn't holding hands, well in a sense, oh god, this intimacy was going to driver her insane. Was it common for his kind to be this physical, Yuyu would always hold her hand too, well then, Yuyu was Yuyu, he was different, he was sweet and playful, and he was one of the few important people in her life- was.

That night she found herself sitting on the futon, back pressed against the wall, her fingers in his hair, playing with the strands, caressing his ears, with his head in her lap- truth be told she didn't remember how or when he'd way onto her lap. Still, he was snuggling closer and his loud, soothing purrs were lulling her to sleep, it had been long since sleep had come to her on its own, often she'd need to drink her sleep-inducing drops, prescribed to her ever since that day, without them she would lay on her cold, large bed for hours, listening to the silence, letting the bitter reality of her meaningless existence prick at her bones, tempting her to take matters in her own hands often. Still, then she would remember the promise, too afraid to take any action that might ruin the chances of her ever reuniting with Yuyu. Her fingers danced across his hair as she looked down at him only to find him staring back at her, causing her breath to him, he was...so...shameless, not an ounce of unease swirling within his brown orbs, staring up at her shamelessly, like he had every right to do so, he was doing it again, he was trying to read her, study her. She didn't want to break eye contact, but she was amazed and appalled by his audacity, the proximity and intimacy had her heart hammering against her ribs, bouncing around, yet, he was so calm, so relaxed and so warm, her eyes flickered to his lips, not wanting to look at him anymore, only to notice his lips slightly quirk upwards, before he spoke, "You think a lot, tiny human, your thoughts keep you awake and they're keeping me awake."

"You really are rude, Poofy." She huffed, only to squeak when he nuzzled his face in her lap, trying to push him off but he glanced at her, "Is this how you treat your patient, Princess of the East?"

Princess? She never told him- how? What?

"How do you...know?" She whispered, only for him to sigh, reaching for her hand that had stopped on his head, gently shaking it causing her to jerk out of her daze, she never knew she stopped it, only to start again when he sighed sleepily, "A conversation for tomorrow, Princess of the East, for now, tend to my wounds."

She could only shake her head in response, he really was something else, so closed off yet so clingy, like they had known each other for millennia, maybe if they had, things might have been different for her, for Yuyu, for her mother.

The Moon really did give her another Poofy.

.

The next morning, she had woken up by a loud snore, eyes snapping open at the volume, how could someone snore so loud- oh heavens. Her face warmed up at the thought of it, unfortunately, she couldn't even blame the sun, squinting at the light as she made her down the vast field. With her basket in hand, she was busy making her way to the other end of the field, near the trees, in need of some willow catkins, his wound was healing but the inflammation was still there, which is why she had made her way out of the cabin early in the morning, well because of that and the fact that if she had continued to lay on top of his chest, she would have combusted- not only was it extremely unladylike of her do to so, she has no memory of snuggling up next to him, all she remembered was him falling asleep in her lap and she had rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes for just a second.

A rustle from behind the bushes had her freezing up, she slowly turned her head to glance at whatever hid behind, only to let out a small squeak when a giant brown bear slowly walked out, though his eyes bore a form of gentleness she had barely seen before. She had no plans of getting mulled by a bear today, so she followed what all the books on survival she had read taught her, stay still, and pray to the Moon that the beast lose interest in her and leave. Though after ten minutes of standing there, unmoving she felt the sudden urge to sneeze- oh no. With an ungraceful sneeze, she fell backwards, the flowers cushioning her fall but before her, the bear stalked towards her slowly, and like the scared little girl she was deep down inside she sat there, closing her eyes, hoping it’d be quick. Though it never came, cracking open an eye she found its head stuffed in her basket, and that’s all it took for her to decide that this was the best time to escape.

Slamming open the door to the cabin she ran inside, not even bothering to close it, only glancing behind her to make sure it wasn't following her, then colliding with another body, with a squeak followed by a loud thud she gasped, pushing herself up on her hands, only to come face to face with a frown.

"I admire your brave advances Princess, but I believe I am not your type." He smirked, fingers twitching to grab hold of her, though he held himself back. Truth be told he had been looking for her as soon as he had woken up, and although he couldn't find her, he had decided to do something else, snoop around.

Unfortunately, if one were to break in, they'd find nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact that this belonged to a peasant, a peasant woman, which is why mid-searching his goal had changed, to find all the places someone could break in from, especially given the knowledge that a woman lived here alone. This was not a safe arrangement for any woman, let alone one of her statures. Eleven, in total there were eleven places within this cabin where someone could break in, he needed to talk to her about it.

Apologising she slowly moved off him, only to lay on the floor, trying to calm herself down as she stared at the ceiling, lying next to him, she was too scared even to register his joke, too scared to ask him how he was feeling or how he had even moved? There were no bears in this part of the forest, hell, there were almost no predators in this part of the kingdom, that's why they had moved her here right? Not only because they wanted her to stay away from political matters but because it was safe too, right? They'd never...harm her?

He sat up quietly, turning his head to find her blankly staring at the ceiling, well, he could hear the little voices, squeaking around, but he was unable to make out any form of coherency, perhaps he still had a lot to learn from Hongjoong and Yeosang, the two could read thoughts, probably knit a whole gown with them and the person wouldn't have picked up on it- if he had actually listened to Hongjoong's lectures he could've plucked out these thoughts feeding off her life force, draining her serotonin- alas, that was not a trait he possessed and using words was always a quality possessed by Yunho or Wooyoung, but if he were to try...for her...just for her- wait, why should he try for her, what has she ever done other than saving him? More importantly, she is a mere mortal and royalty at that, a proper, spoiled, pompous and arrogant creature, of course, she would be no different from those who had visited their temple, demanding the land and its beauty- pitiful creatures of ignorance,  starting a war to take back what was never there's, this false sense of power than consumes them disgusted him, they disgusted him and she disgusted- his eyes flickered to meet her meek gaze, to notice the rosy hue spreading across her cheeks, licking her lips as she sat up, staring at him, before mumbling, "Are you...hurting, Poofy? You're scowling?" 

Truth be told she had stopped thinking about her family problems as soon as he had gotten up, somewhat proud of her medicinal skills, he was healing and he was healing quickly, sure, his supernatural powers had helped speed up the process but she was glad that she could be of use, of use to someone at least. Another new occurring issue however was the way he'd look at her, his eyes would be so serious and cold, a story untold swirling within his dark orbs that were often fixed on her face, her form and perhaps even her soul, but that never scared her, because with this cold stare accompanied a pout, one that would have her giggling inside, she had never seen a man so masculine yet so...cute? 

"I'm..." he tried to focus on the distant noise radiating from her, but it had begun to fade away, he had noticed this the first time she had introduced herself to him, every time she'd be sitting quietly the noise would grow in volume and frequency, often resembling the shrieks and howls of the demon fleets he fought off with his brothers at the brink of dawn, the trials the Moon had put them through to prove their worth, which is why he was often like this around her, though he could feel no ounce of satanic residue off her, what was more concerning how when she would become to converse with him, they'd quickly disappear into nothingness. Instead, he'd be staring at a warm, calm presence, just carefree in motion and living, much like how he noticed about the field sunflowers, swaying side to side as the wind would lovingly caress them, easing away all their frustration and worries, leaving them to look up at the sun and bask in its glory, just like that she'd smile at him, as tranquil as the summer sea, waiting patiently for him to speak his mind, "I'm just a bit hungry, Princess. "

That is exactly how the War Chief found himself back on the futon, in front of him a table filled with food for him, though he eyed her coming and leaving the room with more food only for him to grab hold of her wrist when she was placing a cup of juice, "Either eat with me or stop bringing more food."

She flinched at the contact, something he noticed but didn’t react to, nor did he loosen his grip, only tugged her down, making her sit near him. Clearing her throat she slowly moved to increase the distance between the two, but sat there with her hands on her lap, looking at him eat quietly, “Is it good?” she asked, trying to strike up a conversation, she had begun to follow her mother’s recipes, although no one at home would eat them, which is why she wanted his opinion, perhaps she could be able to make food like her mother did, the same food that attracted Yuyu to their palace.

“I haven’t had meat this tender in a while,” he cleared his throat, putting down the chopsticks, “I’ve been on my own for months, making rounds of dark patches, so I cook whatever I can hunt or just have a small snack,” turning to look at her quizzical look he sighed, “Dark patches are concealed areas, after the great war the earth was divided up, land was sectioned, our maps were rendered useless, now there are three types of territories-

“Oh, I know that.” She cut him off before quickly covering her mouth, dipping her head as an apology, “My apologies, please continue, that was out of my place.”

True, she knew, she had a lot of knowledge about the kingdom, before and after the great war, but the war had happened centuries before she was born, though she could read, her mother had taught her how to, and she could write as well, a quality her father disapproved off, especially after she had begun to show interest in the way the kingdom worked, from political matters to military actions. Truth be told, the war had always fascinated her, to think the human army had fought off the beasts that roamed the land freely, she too much like everyone else had believed them to be beasts, ones cursed by the Moon, even though her mother had often convinced her how that was untrue, she did not believe her mother’s claims and chose to believe what her ancestors and her father both talked about, how the beasts were pure barbarians that destroyed all that came in their way, or at least she thought she believed it till she had met Yuyu. Unfortunately, she was now afraid that her sudden interest would offend him, having him dismiss her like her father or brothers did, that very thought led her to bow deeper, an apology at the tip of her tongue but he cut her off.

“What are you doing, Princess?” he asked, out of genuine curiosity, this little human was definitely interesting, the Moon had really searched hard to find a cracked nut for him- so much for being the Moon’s favourite, “Why are you apologising? It has been long since I’ve met a human who knew about the history of the world, continue, I want to know if what you know is closer to the truth or have you been fed by the corrupted version?”

She peaked up from her lashes, noticing how he gave her a reassuring smile, before slowly sitting up straight, clearing her throat, unsure if he was serious, or not, but deciding to continue anyway, “Centuries ago, the land was split into three portions; man, beasts and demons. Humans were well, normal and unimportant, mortal beings such as me, we were at the bottom of the food chain, not directly linked to the Moon, but were under her supervision nonetheless, for she loves all the living equally,” he smirked at her statement, well, she did love the living, but he was definitely her favourite, “then came the two who were either cursed by the Moon or blessed, originally, human scriptures held the truth about the two clans, the Lurkers, those who were cursed by the Moon, often man or beast turned into Lurkers, they held within them essence of dark magic and were fuelled with the same passion of demons, and then the second clan was on top of the pyramid, the beasts, also…known as the guardians, such as yourself, you were blessed by the Moon, given traits similar to an animal that became your spirit, I knew one who was a canine, back then he was a puppy, I know not who or what he is now and …you’re the second guardian I’ve met.” She smiled at him, proud when looked at her with a look of sheer surprise, truth be told he was impressed by her knowledge, which pushed her to continue her little history lessons, “Now our scriptures hold lies, truthfully I used to believe them, choosing to ignore my mother’s stories, she had knowledge of the original scriptures hidden in the palace, our current scriptures claim how the beasts and Lurkers attacked humans, but the truth is that the Lurkers and humans worked together to bring down the guardians to take their lands and they almost did, until they turned on each other, the guardians used this as an advantage, they say that day the sun and the Moon stood together in the vast sky, the two dragons, lunar and solar guided and protected their armies below, one that was led by the Canidae, one that was led by the Ursidae, and one that was led by Felidae- they say the Felidae was the strongest batch, led by a giant black beast, its fur was as dark as the silent, deadly sky but its golden eyes were as bright as the piercing sun, some say it resembled a panther, that day the guardians won, but once again chose to honour the Moon’s decision of choosing them as the guardians, putting forth the request of showing mercy upon the Lurkers and the humans, so the humans were banished from certain areas, though they held more land now, and the Lurkers were…cursed into becoming goblins.”

She looked up from her hands to face him, to only squeak at how close he had moved to her, he was very much in her personal space, and again, instead of letting her move back, he gently pinched her chin, forcing her to face him as he studied her, “Tell me, princess, you know so much about us, yet you were afraid at the sight of another guardian today?” Her face contorted at his statement, she had met no other guardian today she had met no one else at all, no one but the bear- a small gasp escaped her lip as her curious eyes met his mischievous gaze, letting her pull his hand away as she gripped his wrist, whispering, “The…bear…but how did you know I met…someone?”

He let her hold onto his hand, somewhat surprised by how she didn’t pull back, perhaps she had not realised it, usually, she’d pull back like she was repelled by his presence, “I saw you leave with a basket, you came back empty handed and scared, the look in your eyes was not one held by a woman being chased by a man, I have saved many women as such as usually they are in fear of those bastards following them, you were not which meant it was a creature you thought was not smart enough.”

“Oh my…” letting go of his hands she covered her face with her hands, letting out a shaky breath, mumbling to herself, “What if they think I’ve done something to you- I was so scared, usually no animals come around here, the East is covered with the forest, but no actual animal life, if you have noticed, so I- especially not predators such as that- I am so sorry, maybe I should’ve talked to it-

He cut her off by pealing her hands off her face as he held her cold hands in his warmer, larger hands, “Who was it?”

“A…bear.”

“You met…” he paused for a moment, eying her, he still didn’t trust her enough to let her in, soulmate or not, that issue was still to be decided, “Jong,” he decided not to tell her his real name either, “ that is his animal spirit, I believe they sent him to look for me, as you know I was out cold for two weeks, before that, I had been out on my own for months, but I would send letters often.”

“I see.” She sighed, only to realise he was holding her hands, clearing her throat as she slipped out of his grasp, she got up, only to trip off his tail and squeak as she fell onto his lap, glaring at the way he smirked at her, truth be told he was still put off by the fact that she was a human, but her knowledge about the truth may have peaked his interest, that and the cute reactions she’d give when he’d tease her were of clear amusement.

“Very funny,” she huffed trying to move but he wrapped his arms, around her, making her squirm, “S-stop, this is in-inappropriate!”

“Aww, but I thought you liked sleeping on my chest” he chuckled, before it turned into a boisterous laugh at the way she whined, pushing off him trying to hide her blushing face. Ironically it was not her who had snuggled up against him the previous night, but when he had woken up, he had noticed the uncomfortable position she was asleep in, sitting there with his head on her lap, which is why he had helped her lie down, only to end up staring the futon with her, but her constant whimpering and small cries had him wrapping his arms around her, forcing the bitter thoughts away, trying to follow the method taught by Yeosang, to pluck away all the negative thoughts and memories, at least temporarily so she could sleep in peace, he was mindful enough to not interfere with her memories, choosing to respect her privacy, her past was a secret only for her to hold, he knew and respected that.

He let go of her, laughing when she mumbled how annoying she was, and declaring her exit with a, “You need to rest, I’ll clean everything up.” For a princess, she sure did live a domestic life. He couldn’t help but smile to himself, watching her stack up the dishes, taking in her side profile, he’d be lying if he were to say she was not one of the most beautiful creatures he had laid his eyes upon, perhaps the most beautiful human for sure- or was this feeling a result of her being his other half?

“Poofy?”

“Hmmm?” his eyes locked with hers, taking in the insecurities swirling within her gaze.

“You- you won’t disappear right?”

He took a moment to process her question, watching how she bit her lip, staring no longer at him but at his tail, then at the plates. Perhaps he took a minute too long because as soon as the silence began to grow, she cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice steady and gave him a small smile, “Forget what I asked- I’ll go bring your ointment-

“I will not.”

The way his words cut her off had her expressions relax, her typical faux smile turning into a thin line, as she stared at him, trying to take in any signs of insincerity, but she could find none, or perhaps he was too good at hiding them. At the back of their minds, both knew he had to go, she had no idea about ‘the one’ and he had yet to decide if he deemed her worthy to be her other half, even if the Moon had dedicated her to him.

.

“You- seriously you lost her?” Hongjoong sighed, looking up from another scroll to find the man staring at the floor, acting all guilty, of course, he did not tell his king how he had gotten distracted by the catkins in the basket she had left behind.

“I fear Jongho needs a good beating.” They heard a little chirp, causing the youngest to roll his eyes, and snap back, “I lost her because she has no scent you fool.”

That statement led Yeosang to look up from his book and finally speak up, "What do you mean?" He asked the youngest, every individual had a personal scent, perhaps she was masking hers somehow, "Was it masked?" 

Jongho shook his head, tossing the basket to Yunho who caught it, staring at the weaved basket, trying to find any traces of her, but he couldn't, odd, he clearly remembered her having a particular sweet scent as a child, one that had lured him to him- like of sugar syrup.

Mumbling something to himself Yeosang walked out of the chambers, leaving the rest confused, though Seonghwa sighed, before looking at Hongjoong warily, "I told you she's no good, we don't even know what condition he's in, what if he's hurting? What if she's torturing information out of him?"

.

"CAN YOU PLEASE STOP! THIS IS PURE TORTURE!"

He wailed, causing her to roll her eyes at him, ignoring him as she spread the ointment, snorting when he hissed like a cat at her. "How can someone as big as you cry like a child? It barely even stings." She chuckled, pulling her hand back when he sat up and glared at her, resting on his right elbow, "How can someone as pretty as you cause so much pain?" He finished before his cheeks flushed at his confession, eyes meeting hers for a split second before both averted their gaze, he cleared his throat and laid back down quietly, while she continued to spread the ointment on the healing stitches.

"I-I'll be gentle..." she whispered, not looking at anywhere but the stitches, though she felt him relax under her touch, earning a meek, uncharacteristic, "Thank you."

.

Yeosang slid the door open with such force that everyone in the room felt the tremors within the wall, "Look." He huffed, walking in, his blonde locks shining, emitting a warm glow - it had been a while since they'd seen his aura, watching him in his angelic glow, this was either good news or perhaps horrible news.

He walked up to the center of the room and placed a plant pot on the table, painted purple, it was San's. The once dirt-filled pot now had a little sunflower standing in the centre, its small petals glowing, much like the healer, "That's why you can't find her scent," he turned to Jongho, but much like everyone else the youngest was staring at the tiny flower in awe, the bittersweet reality seeping in, San had found his other half, and she was human.

"She...oh." Seonghwa's eyes snapped up at Yunho, taking in his defeated look, an irritable feeling bubble within him, San and Yunho had a stupid, juvenile bet, which one of the two would find a soulmate first, to be their 'one', although he never assumed San's one would be linked with Yunho, wonders of fate were still above her comprehension. Nonetheless, this foolish cat and dog race may prove to be troublesome.

"Wooyoung" his voice boomed, even Hongjoong felt the intensity of his thoughts, something was bothering Seonghwa, it had been for a while, not only did he send San to a dark patch without backup, but he had been the first one to notice his lack of letters as well, what was he looking for? Truth be told, although both the king and his advisors were dragons, one with the heart of the dear Moon and the other with the heart of the mighty sun, he never understood Seonghwa well enough to pick up on his little side quests, to him he was a mystery, much like the endless sky.

"Hmm?" He perked up at the call of his name, looking away from the little flower to the eldest, taking note of his glowing eyes, before letting out a tired sigh, "Fine, I'll go look for him..." he turned around though the firm grip on his shoulder had him wince as he mumbled an, "And talk to him."

.

Washing the last dish, she placed it on the rack, shaking the water off her hands before staring outside through the window, sighing as she welcomed the cool breeze, she loved nights like these, not a cloud in sight, only the stars twirling around their mother, the Moon, all watching down on her, keeping her safe, keeping her sane. 

Sighing she leaned against the sink, thinking back to how Poofy had called her pretty. Truth be told, she was often complimented on her looks, though most compliments seemed superficial, either trying to appeal to her father or for some political agenda, though both were completely pointless, for her father she held no worth, she was useless, and in terms of political control- well, she wouldn't be sent to this cabin out in the middle of nowhere if she were of any use or value, now would she? She was called pretty by only one other person before, Yuyu, and although she had felt the depth of his statement, felt the admiration, what she felt today was different- the way her heart had fluttered around in the cage of her bones, she felt her entire face warm up, and she knew for a fact that her hands were shaking after that statement, especially against his skin. He had decided not to speak to her after that, perhaps a guardian such as himself wanted nothing more with a mortal like her- technically he too was not immortal, sure he was centuries old but guardians too had a lifespan, only the longest out of the three species. Even when she had whispered how she was finished, he only quietly thanked her before looking the other way and mumbling, "I would like to rest, leave tiny human." He had stopped calling her Princess as well, she really did wonder why.

He lay there staring at the ceiling, the embarrassing memory of his confession flashing before his eyes, causing him to jerk himself back to reality and hiss in anger. On a serious note, he couldn’t believe he let it slip, it was just so out of the blue, especially when she was teasing him, her growing confidence around her was somewhat causing his self-control to slip out of his grasp and although he was somewhat enjoying it, he could not give himself the leverage of this love for two reasons; she was a mortal, she would grow old and would need constant companionship, as a War Chief who was also a guardian, he was always busy, always gone for war or for mapping quests, he could not provide her with the constant love and affection she...deserved? Or could she provide him with the undying devotion and time he was entitled to- though deep down he knew the only issue was the time given to them, not the love, if she was giving him her attention when they were mere strangers, perhaps she would shower him with more. The second and more pressing matter was that she was royalty, human royalty and humans had an innate sense of selfishness rooted within them, so what guarantee did he have that she would not leave him for another more powerful or she would not deceive him? Would she not be more loyal to her own kind? Her own father? Her siblings or even her nation, if she were to attain the throne. She had the wisdom and knowledge, and with a few years of grooming, she'd be fit to take the throne. With a huff he turned his side, taking in a deep breath but he instantly regretted it, she had laid here beside him the night earlier, her scent was all over the place, and his pillow was the epicentre at the moment- shit.

.

"Ow." She hissed, putting the needle down, apparently, the embroidery was harder than she expected, that and the giant slash in his vest left by the dagger was more of a nuisance.  Frankly, she was surprised how he never asked for where his clothes went, not his vest or coat, now that she got a closer look she could see the small crest imprinted right below the collar at the back of the coat, an infinity symbol, with a diamond on the centre- was this real? 

A little chirp caught her ear, followed by the nearby rustling of leaves. Usually, she wouldn't sit out on the porch, but the weather was just perfect tonight, and his constant, loud snores kept on reminding her of his alluring presence. Placing the vest on her lap she looked around, the few lit lanterns were not enough to show her what lay beyond the porch, normally she was afraid of the slightest of sound, any and everything would scare her, the dark, the violent wind, any storm passing by would have her shivering under the covers, especially when she was sent away to the cabin for long periods, such as this, it was never a pleasant experience, but then ever since he had arrived, it would feel as if the sun had finally decided to step out from behind the looming, dark clouds that were slowly suffocating her, as if she finally had something to turn to, to look up to, to bask in the glory of someone so warm, someone so soft, someone so safe, someone so - another chirp had her stand up, and slowly walk towards the end of the porch, stepping onto the final step before she'd touch the dirt path, a lantern in hand.

"Wh-who is it?" She called out, only to be met with silence, "I- are you...one of them?" She asked again, at this point she didn't know who she was calling out, but something at the back of her mind kept reminding her that it didn't matter because he'd come to rescue her, the Moon would bear witness to that. 

Something moved beside her causing her to squeak, and move the lantern towards the source, only to find a pair of golden glowing eyes, her breath hitched as she took a step back, only to realise it was a fox. She had never seen one up close, a small gasp escaped her and she moved closer, before stopping when it flinched, emitting a growl, only for her to clear her throat, "I-I won't hurt you...are you...are you here for Poofy?"

At the name the fox visibly looked confused, she could even make out the small frown he had, his tail tapping against the dirt, only for her to chuckle, "He won't tell me his real name, I need to know if you're actually one of them or an animal- I don't want to disturb him otherwise."

The fox moved closer and she froze, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Her worries died down when she felt him boop his wet nose against her hand, ducking his head so she could pet his head, which led her to giggle. "Wow, your fur is really soft" she mused, making sure to scratch behind his ear, which led his tail to tap faster, "You're really affectionate, aren't you? Poofy didn't even let me pet him for around three weeks of being here."

The fox pulled back and looked at her then at the cabin, letting out a chirp, he moved to slowly push her with his head causing her to gasp, "So pushy, all right, all right. I'll go get him." With that, she picked up her things and turned to give the waiting pretty fox one last look, before going inside.."Poofy?" She knocked before entering the room, making her way into the dark room, rolling her eyes at the sound of his snores, he was one heavy sleeper. Moving closer she reached for his head, slowly scratching below his ear, causing him to purr, stirring awake when she leaned closer to whisper, "Poofy, your friend is here to see you."

Cracking open an eye he whined, "Who is it?"

"A fox."

"Stay here." Instantly he sat up, causing her to yelp and fall back on her behind, looking up at him in utter shock, "What? Why? I thought-"

"No." He leaned closer, before grabbing her face, squishing her cheeks lightly, enough for her to whine and try to push his hand away. 

"Have you forgotten what state you found me in? Hmmm, Princess, when you found not a cat, but a man on your bed?" His smirk deepened at the way her eyes widened at his question, face flushing at the flashback of how when she had come to check up on the cat the next morning, she had almost screamed at the top of her lungs, on her bed lay a man in the nude- oh.

"Mhmmm, now be a good little princess and stay here." With that he let go only for her to cover her face with her hands, whining and complaining about bringing up a topic she had not touched on purpose, she had been trying to avoid it, even going as far as stealing one of her brother's pants for him- though she had to mend it, turns out guardians are bigger in size than an average man.

.

Closing the front door behind him he stepped out, his bare feet padding across the wooden porch, only to stop at the top of the three staired staircase, staring at the fox sitting at the opposite end.

"Took you all long enough." He huffed before tossing a sheet at the fox, watching it land on its head, only for it to chirp and whine, shaking it off, before looking up at the man with some sort of guilt- the foxie face as he'd say, a much better look than the puppy dog face, most would agree.

"Put that on, nobody wants to see a naked Wooyong."

"Especially her? Hmm, Poofy?"  

A pleasant smile graced his features as his brother stood where the fox once stood, tying the sheet around his lower half all tight, though San would've preferred if he had draped it over himself completely, he had brought a fairly large sheet, there was no need to show skin.

"Especially her." 

Wooyoung let out a giggle, "So it's true, she really is the one, huh?" He smiled, though it soon morphed into a frown at the way his brother was staring at the Moon, "What's wrong, Sannie?"

Typical Wooyoung, to delay the task handed down to him, only to deal with the emotional turmoil his brothers were going through, perhaps that is why the Moon had assigned him with the role of a subordinate and not a leader of any kind, though he was more than happy to take it, nature had always been his companion and he would happily spend his days lounging around in the sun, rolling around in the grass or even dipping into the crystal cool lake for a swim than being part of any other war.

 Sighing he walked closer to his brother, gesturing for him to follow. The two had begun to walk down the dirt path, into the very sunflower field where she had found him, on the brink of death. They needed to have the conversation away from the cabin, away from prying ears. "She is...but she is human...and she is royalty, a princess. She possesses the knowledge about the truth, but...I fear I- she might betray us, all humans do and-'

"Is that all you fear, San?" The younger one asked, turning to a sunflower, admiring the way nature worked, the sunflowers here were bigger, the head of the flower was as big as his hand, while the flower in San's pot was still small, was it to grow and bloom when their love would too?

"I," pausing for a moment he shook his head, "Of course, that's all, humans have been a source of worry and perhaps this is only a test the Moon has given me, to check if I can resist and stay steadfast to her truth."

"Then why haven't you come back yet?"

His question caught him off guard, watching the younger one with a look of scepticism, what was he implying, "Are you...questioning my loyalty, Wooyoung?"

"No, but I need to know why you are pretending to be sick, your tail and your ears, this is all for show, isn't it? I don't think it would take a War Chief, The War Chief of the Guardian Army, blessed by both the Moon and her brother the Sun, more than a month to heal, now would it Sannie?" He turned to look at the taller man, listening to the silence around them, on his way here he had noticed how no other life form but flora existed, no animals or insects, none, it was unnatural, it was as if a certain presence was keeping them away and he was sure this had been happening long before San had arrived, he was also sure that San had noticed this, but chose to ignore it. Within a second his nails morphed into claws, stabbing into the large sunflower, instantly earning a growl from the man in front of him, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" With that he ripped off the head, turning to look at the growling beast only to be tackled by him onto the ground as his grip tightened around the damaged flower, while the latter squeezed his throat, hissing at him, "Don't hurt the flowers."

"Why?"

"You know why!" His grip tightened as he yelled.

"She knows Yunho."

Immediately his grip loosened, slowly moving off him, features morphing back to a calm state, "What?" He breathed out, thinking back to how Yunho, when he was a mere healing pup, would escape from the temple, coming to the human world where he had befriended a human girl, for a long time he'd claim this human was his other half, though all of them would dismiss the thought, passing it off as a joke.

"She....come home Sannie, Seonghwa is calling for you, talk to Yunho, sort it out, I-" his fingers loosened the grip on the flower, "There's a sunflower growing in your pot...Yeosang wants to see you to- they're all worried about you, I'm worried about you." He sat up, staring at his brother who was sitting on his knees, staring up at the Moon, he was about to call him again, until he noticed the way his shoulders were trembling, and how he was biting his lip, trying to contain the overflow of emotions, of the confusion and frustration."Let's go home, Sannie."

.

"Poofy?" She sighed, slowly sitting up, and looking around the room. The sunlight blocked by the curtains was the only way she realised how late she had slept for- wait she was in her bed? Pushing the covers off her she stumbled out of the room into the small hall, "Poofy?" Calling out once more she looked around the cabin, before walking out barefoot, slamming the door open and onto the porch, squinting at the sudden increase in brightness, the sun sure was happy today.

"POOFY?!"

Her calls were becoming more frantic, more desperate, her small steps turning into sprints as she ran down the sunflower field, calling out his name. He couldn't leave like that, he said he wouldn't, also he wasn't healed yet! He was still sick and- she stopped at the sight of her sheet on the ground, a shaky breath escaping her as she knelt down to pick it up, only to spot a crushed sunflower head next to it. Her gut twisted at the sight of the poor flower, reaching for it instead as she cradled it in her hands, looking at it with blurry eyes, whimpering out a quiet, "There, there, you're safe now, you're not hurting anymore, you're loved."

.

"You can stop kneeling you know-"

"No. Let him, it's his punishment after all." Seonghwa scoffed from his seat, eying the way their king was pitying the overgrown, spoiled, obnoxious cat- not once did this foolish child think of how worried he was. How he was worried he was hurt, lost or worse, no instead, he was busy trying to mingle with a human-

"Since when did Seonghwa get the throne?" A deep chuckle resonated in the room, causing the youngest to raise his head off the floor, giving him a small smile, though the healer earned a scoff from the advisor.

"Sit up, lover boy, we need to talk." He said patting his shoulder as he placed the purple pot on the table that divided Hongjoong and San. Taking a seat on the cushioned floor beside the War Chief, "So, explain yourself, though I'd skip the erotic detai-"

"Nothing as such happened, Sangie." San quickly cut him off trying to ignore the way the king was now frowning at him, "I swear I didn't do anything- we didn't do anything!" He clarified quickly, "I'm not an idiot."

"I doubt that." Seonghwa mumbled causing Hongjoong to interject, "Enough. Please, can we please get to the bottom of this before this gets any more frustrating?"

"Okay, so this," Yeosang moved the pot closer to San, "Is what grew overnight, so, tell me, what happened that this happened overnight and don't lie or hold back important information." 

San looked at him and then at Hongjoong who encouraged him to continue, watching how everyone had entered the chambers, including Yunho, though he remained at the back and sitting next to the door quietly. He had been lost in thought since the day they had found out about San's soulmate.

"I was attacked by two of the Xikeys, came out of nowhere." He began only to be interrupted by Mingi, "Two small goblins? They caught u off guard, how?"

"Bet he was staring at a butterfly." Wooyoung snickered, causing the light laughter to resonate, only once it died down they were met with silence, all eyes turning to the War Chief who was staring at his hands, blushing like a tomato.

"For the love of- Demote him. Please." Seonghwa huffed, running his fingers through his silky locks, trying to calm himself down, "Are you serious?"

"I-it was a blue monarch butterfly, it's been so long since I've seen one." He mumbled before pouting at Hongjoong, "There were so many of them, and - and there was no other animal there, like the forest was empty, surrounded by flowers and these butterflies so I was confused about that too, it's awfully silent there." 

"He's right." Wooyoung added, only for Jongho to add, "About both things, there are no other animals there and it is deathly silent. What was in that area before the human kingdom took over the land of the East?" He turned to Yunho, all of them, except San, he was still staring ahead, not yet ready to face the map maker. 

"I'm not sure, I think it belonged to an old Lurker, Azmer if I remember correctly." He announced, noting how everyone was quietly staring at him, "I'm not sure where San went to particularly, perhaps that area wasn't under his rule, but-"

"Azmer was the only one of the ten Kings of the Lurkers, it's said that he refused to part take in the war because he believed all three nations could live in harmony." He sighed, only to lock eyes with San, who was now staring at him. A playful smirk graced the map maker's face, "What's wrong Sannie? I'm sure she would have told you if you asked her, "What did you learn about her in the past month?"

"Yunho..." Hongjoong warned, picking up at how the feline of the group was growling, turning around in all his pride as he stared at the mapmaker slouching against the wall from his cushioned seat.

"I did not want to learn anything about her-"

"Then why were you still there?" He cut San off, "You don't want her as your other half either, she's been through enough rejections as is and-"

"Funny, she mentioned a puppy who disappeared, I guess you rejected her too." He smirked, observing the way the colour drained from the other's face,  frankly, this puppy's smile had been a pain ever since he had come back.

"At least she remembered me."

"Yet, I'm the one she's paired up with-"

"You don't deserve her!"

"And you do, mutt?!"

"ENOUGH"

The hall went quiet, both Wooyoung and Yeosang exchanged a look, then glancing at Hongjoong, who was staring at Seonghwa, his fangs poking out, as he walked towards San and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him closer, "You were gone for a month, you wasted a month, risked our defence like and learned what? Nothing?" He hissed, feeding off the fear emitting from the younger ones' eyes, as the lunar dragon turned his head to the map maker, "What do you know?" the timber of his voice having Yunho dip his head in obedience, he tossed the War Cheif aside, watching him fall back onto the floor as he reached for the flower pot, fingers caressing the petals before his elongated nail clipped off a petal, earning a whine from the panthers. His emerald orbs flickered towards the Guardian, who was now kneeling once more, bowing to the lunar dragon, "P-please, my liege, do not hurt her." He whispered, his forehead pressing against the carpeted floor, hands fisted beside his head, no pride present within his being, something everyone noticed in the room. The War Chief had been known for his pride and prejudice, yet here he was, begging for - well, he didn't know either, perhaps he was just begging for love, to be loved, to share the ample love he had within him, to feel whatever he'd read about in those little stories he'd read as a kitten. 

"Seonghwa..." Hongjoong sighed, noticing his little kitty-cat trembling in all his mountainous glory, though he knew when his brother, the dragon birthed by the Moon, was much softer than he was deep down, though his anger knew no bounds, something the Solar dragon feared.

 "Yunho." Hongjoong turned to the map maker when his brother ignored him, not out of spite, but because he was too busy trying to read the man before him, he could sense the inner turmoil, he could tell this fool was holding back, perhaps he too would have done the same in this situation, but he should have been able to see past his emotions, to look at the truth objectively, not to let his emotions get the better of him, San had never neglected his duties, he had never let anything distract him.

"She's....Azmer's granddaughter." Yunho sighed, eying Mingi who gasped but quickly covered it up with a cough- the action had the youngest two choke on a laugh, earning a glare from the green-eyed serpent, quietening them down.

"San, did you...find something odd about her?" He finally asked the man who was still kneeling with his forehead pressed against the floor, it somehow bothered him how readily San was willing to throw away all he had for her, yet he knew nothing about her if he was not devoted to the Moon, he would've said that she had made a mistake, blessing San with an angel in disguise.

"Get up," Seonghwa mumbled before going back to his original spot, against the window, staring out at the setting sun, knowing that Mother would disapprove of him treating his brothers like this, she'd talk about mercy and lecture him about compassion once more.

Sitting up on his knees he placed his hands on his thighs, facing the room, his eyes not meeting a single pair that was on him, "She has nightmares...almost life-like, " he sighed, thinking back to how she was whimpering in her sleep the night she had slept next to him, she would struggle against the sheets, trying to rip out of his grasp when he had tried to calm her down, only to end up using magic to settle her unease, "There are voices, she hears them while she's awake too and they only stop or die down when I speak to her or when she's not sitting in silence....at first I thought I was imagining things, then I thought she was a witch but...they're always around her, it's so noisy, "he mumbled, a wave of guilt splashing over him as his eyes widened for a split second, something noticed by Hongjoong and Yeosang who shared a look.

"What is it San?" Hongjoong asked, leaning closer to the table, "What did you just remember?"

"She..." he turned to look at Yunho, "made me promise...not to disappear."

"She has Lurker blood." Yeosang finally intervened, walking over to where Seonghwa sat, looking out at the pale purple sky before reaching for a scroll on the shelf beside the window, "Lurkers turn the way they are because they are cursed, while the Moon wanted to show them mercy, her brother, the Sun believed they should be punished, so each Lurker is doomed to hear the screams of not only their ancestors but the victims' as well," opening the scroll he placed it on the table to show to Hongjoong, however, everyone had hudled around the king, a small smile gracing the King's lips, regardless of the seriousness of the matter.

San was reading the scroll when he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder, causing him to turn his head and meet Yunho's apologetic gaze, one he returned with a small smile.

"I...had to use the spell you taught him," he turned back to Yeosang who nodded, raising a brow, "Funny, how you said you'd never need it when I was teaching you."

"So, she's a Lurker, stay away from her, or kill her, either way, the king will use her for her own benefit." 

The harsh words had the War Chief biting his lip, trying to keep in the growl. Shaking his head Hongjoong finally stood up, and turned to look at his advisor, "Advice that advocates war and violence is not what a king needs, your personal grievances are noted, but San can not deny the path the Moon has chosen for him."

Seonghwa turned to face the king, a scowl gracing his angelic, handsome features, "Fine, my advice is he goes, but as a cat, she should not know he is there. He had his time with her and learnt nothing about her, observe her from afar." With that he stormed out of the chambers, his silk robes tailing behind him, swishing like his actual tail, slamming the door behind him.

San turned to look at the sighing King, only to pout at him when he raised an eyebrow at his War Chief and then the rest of the council, "All of you, prepare for San's quest- and please do not do anything that would put us or.... her at risk."

.

Taking in the fresh air he sighed, his elbows resting against the window sill as he looked far ahead at the forest below, the Moon watching him from above. Truthfully, he had missed his room, his soft bed and covers, his personal space- but oddly enough he missed the small futon of her more, his softer bedding was not warm enough, it did not carry her scent or her warmth, his room seemed too big for him now, too bland and empty. Seonghwa was right however, he knew nothing about her, but how knowledgeable she was, well informed, well, she could stitch and sew, she knew how to cook and clean, she even knew how to create her own medicine- she was very soft as well, warm too, her skin felt so cold against his, like the cool splash of water in the burning heat, was this enough to claim he knew her though?

A knock on the door had him turn from his place of brooding, watching it open as a familiar face stepped in, with a smile, in his hand he carried a plate of apples, "Yeosang said these are special, he grew them in his garden with Jongho, they'll help replenish your strength. "

With pursed lips he nodded at the taller man, gesturing towards the small table at the other end of the room before turning back to look outside. 

Yunho sighed at the way he was ignoring him, honestly, there was a point when these two were inseparable, but perhaps as they grew older, the feline turned more quiet, more reserved, perhaps even more shy than he claimed not to be, Yunho was the opposite however, the mapmaker was completely different. Ever since he was a young pup, he’d be adventuring around and about, even when they were mere children, young soldiers of their respective armies. Hongjoong did say they were different because Yunho belonged to his army, the Solar Dragon, while San was part of the Lunar Serpent’s fleet.

“Why did you leave her?”

His question caught the mapmaker off guard, having him quietly stand next to the man, closing his eyes when he felt the win caress through his hair lovingly, truth be told he loved nights like these, cloudless nights where the Moon would shine bright on them, watching their every move with her tender love.

“I…had no choice.” He whispered, opening his eyes to look ahead at the endless sea of dark green, the forest, the land that was under Hongjoong’s kingdom was more than what the Lurkers and the humans had combined.

“What do you mean?” San asked, turning to face him, trying to take in more information, perhaps to find something that would ease his guilt, “She looked…she feels…is it because she still likes-

“She never liked me Sannie,” he turned to him with a small smile, “Never like that, otherwise her little flower wouldn’t be grown in your pot.”

“I didn’t mean to-

“I know,” he cut off the feline, who was somewhat ashamed to look at him as if he had taken what belonged to the pup, “I know you didn’t, I never doubted that. When I had met her, she hit me with a stick, right over here.” He pointed at the top of his head, “I was growling at her before that- she was a real menace you know, the eldest of the four siblings, she was supposed to attain the throne after her father…”

“I don’t think she’s getting it now though, they’ve tossed her into this cabin…no one even comes to check up on her- she’s all alone, where is her mother?” he sighed, walking towards the table he sat down on a cushion, picking up a golden apple, Jongho and Yeosang had been trying for a while, to grow the ancient golden apple of health.

“She…passed away, a few days after I stopped visiting her.” He rubbed his palms together, walking over to sit opposite to him, taking an apple of his own, “When I met her, she followed the same story her father had told her, she was a vile child, I actually met them by accident, my paw was stuck in the fence and I first thought she had come to help me out, but she stood there with a stick, pointed at me and,” snorting he split the apple in half, eying how San was listening to him intently, like a curious kitty, “She ‘ordered’ me to become her pet, and I refused by growling, for which she hit me with the stick, it went on for around 20 minutes until her mother popped up out of nowhere. Bless that woman, she saved me…took care of me.”

Nodding at him San looked at his hands before letting out a chuckle, “She’s…different now, very shy…very timid and so scared, it’s like she’s just barely hanging on.” He could never imagine his little sunflower as a child like that, to him, she would always be the gentle-natured angel that found him, at the brink of death.

“When I transformed back she had threatened to report me, even threatened her mother, that was the first time I saw her mother angry, she had really…knocked some sense into her- I even met Azmer once, he used to come to teach her magic, though it was almost similar to the kind Yeosang possess, she could heal, she could grow, she even understood nature- though I used to think that part was a lie, until I plucked out a flower once for her, and she had started crying, full on sobbing about how the flower cried to her about how I hurt it,” he sighed, turning to look up at the Moon out of the window, “honestly, I started liking her the day she said that, she was still a menace no doubt, but her grandfather and mother put in a great amount of effort to mould her for a better queen, my lov-” he paused when his ears picked up the way the other man’s breath hitched, “admiration for her increased when Azmer told us about the prophecy, a child of human and Lurker, would bring peace across the land, tying all three nations together, the child would be offered to a guardian,” he turned to face San again who was staring at him in shock, truly amazed, so the Moon had not blessed him randomly, but this was a prophecy, “That’s why, for a long time- well, until today I thought it would be me.”

“But…I…” he paused for a moment, trying to form a coherent sentence, one that was not too insensitive, “Is not that a child of damnation?” He knew Yunho knew what he was talking about, a similar prophecy surfaced many years ago, “A child of a Lurker and human would cruse the land, bringing chaos among the guardians, wreaking havoc across the three nations.”

“It’s a… double-prophecy, if…as Azmer said, she was to choose the path of the Lurkers or one decided by the humans, such as her father, she would be fulfilling the Yin prophecy, if she were to take her own path, she would be fulfilling the Yang prophecy- for which she was promised a sincere other half, one who would stand by her to no end.” He sighed, standing up as he dusted his hands, eying San who was looking up at him curiously, “Go to her, observe her like Seonghwa has told you, not because we don’t trust her, but so you can see how much her mother and grandfather groomed her, how she is going to fulfil the Yang prophecy and what better partner to have than the great War Chief, the Moon’s blessed soldier, my very best friend and dearest brother…you.”

San sat there silently, letting the gravity of the situation weigh down upon him, slowly her actions and her insecurities began to make sense, and her promise, she had lost Yunho whom she must’ve assumed was her other half, perhaps his arrival had helped her realise it was not Yunho, but him, for whom she was meant to wait be-, his head snapped up at the door, words coming out quicker than he could stop them,

“Why did you leave her?”

Yunho’s hand was on the doorknob when his question had him freezing in spot, a long sigh broke past his lips that settled with a frown, “One of her brothers, Lauster, overheard us one day, and he reported it to the father…the king. The king had exiled the old Lurker, and a few days later news broke that their grandfather had died…supposedly attacked by a group of goblins, the queen was devasted and horrified, she had made me promise to protect her daughter when I’d grow older but also told me not to return until I was strong enough…so I did.” His forehead pressed against the cool mahogany as he closed his eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay, clearing his throat so his voice wouldn’t betray him, only San was no fool, he could tell what was going to come next was horrible, “The next day…the Queen took her life- I…I know that’s not true, that’s why she doesn’t stay at the palace for too long, she hides in that cabin, you think she is banished there but that’s her safe haven. Her mother would tell her how Azmer’s cabin could protect her from those who’d want to harm her, one way or another, perhaps that’s why they cannot get rid of her, though the Lurkers in her mind, the ones leaching off her soul was something even Azmer couldn’t control,” he opened the door before whispering, though he’d know San could hear him with his sharp hearing, “Her other half- well, you already told us you could stop the voices, make sure they never get to her, San.” With that he walked out, gently closing the door behind him.

San slowly got up, walking over to his cupboard, opening the cupboard he reached behind his clothes to take out a small box, from within he took out a red handkerchief, staring at the cloth his thumb stroked the small embroidered sunflower at the corner,

‘Why is it always a sunflower?’

‘Hmm…because they're warm and pretty, Poofy, they are easy to grow, they adapt well and always turn to the light, the darkness can never attract them.’

‘You know, just an; I like sunflowers, would’ve worked too.’

‘You can be real mean sometimes, you know that Poofy.’

So, that’s what she meant, she grew the flowers herself, she wanted to be surrounded by the light, she wanted to be surrounded by the warmth that was promised to her, the warmth and light that would pull her out of the claws of the Lurkers within her, and he was supposed to provide her with that help, yet, he had abandoned her- not anymore.

.

Three days, he had been watching her for three days and all she’d do was sleep, clean, eat and repeat. There were moments of the day when she’d stay in the washroom, in the tub a bit too long so he’d have to go up to the window, and discreetly open the windowsill with his paw, to peak in, only to find her crying in the wooden tub. At night she’d sit in front of the mirror, brushing her hair in silence until the tears would begin to slowly cascade down the apples of her cheeks, dripping onto her silk gown, to say that he had not wanted to jump into the room to pull her into his arms, or into the tub to squeeze out all the pain and agony would be a lie, yet, this time he had decided to obey orders, to obey Seonghwa. Even Hongjoong had told him to stay out of her way, to stay hidden in the shadows so he could observe her, to note any abnormalities, perhaps she had put up an act for so long while he was at her residence, though his notes so far just told him she was a sad little girl being tormented by her thoughts, thoughts that he could push away if the dumb king and his dumber advisor had not instructed him otherwise.

It was not until the seventh night, that he had decided to take matters into his own hands, to make his presence known, at least to some extent. Her nightmares had become too extreme, he had thought of intervening that night, but before he could step into her room through the open window her shrieks had him flinching, waking herself up. What horrified War Chief was how she ran towards the kitchen, slamming open a drawer to take out a knife, taking in a few deep breaths she pulled up her other hand, staring at her wrist, her eyes void of any emotion as she mumbled to herself, "There, there, you're safe now, you're not hurting anymore, you're loved."

But before the edge of the knife could touch her skin something crashed in her room, causing her to flinch, letting the knife go in the process, flinching once more when it clattered against the wooden floor. Sighing to herself she rubbed her eyes with her palms, mumbling a curse she walked back into her room, only to find the window completely open. She turned to her cupboard which was slightly ajar, oh no, was someone inside? Perhaps she should have listened to Poofy when he was lecturing her about the safety measures, she should take to ensure no one breaks in. Grabbing the nearest object, a cane- oh, her grandfather’s cane, perhaps this cabin really was alive, always protecting her, well it better protect her now. She slowly walked towards the cupboard, slamming it open and swinging the cane around like a blind woman, hitting everything she could- only to calm down after a minute and realise she had been yelling and beating nothing but her own clothes- oh. Grumbling to herself she marched over to the window, slamming it shut then locking it, stupid wind, turning around she looked at the bed, only to gasp, before her, on her bed, laid spread out his uniform, Poofy’s uniform, particularly the coat she was working on when he had gone, with the half-embroidered sunflower across the gash on the cloth.

“Poofy?” she called out, looking around before quickly opening the window again and looking out for any signs of him, only to be greeted by her usual sunflowers, nothing unusual- wait, her eyes widened at the realisation, they were not facing the sky where the sun would smile down upon them, no, her flowers were turned to face the forest, right across from her, the entire field of flowers, the sunflower heads were facing the evergreens that separated her cabin from the rest of the world. He was here, he had to be.

That night she had no nightmares, instead she had dreamt of her grandfather and mother, both having tea in this very cabin, sitting on the porch as they stared at the sunflowers under the sun. Perhaps the thoughts inside her head could sense his mighty presence too, perhaps they did fear him after all. She had woken up a bit better that morning, putting in the extra effort of bathing in scented water, picking out her prettiest outfit, and her hair brushed and styled to perfection, ironically, the cathead pin had found its place back in her hair, the bell chiming with every move.

Since that day, she would sit on the porch during the day, somehow making sure all of her time was spent outside, tending to the flowers, cleaning around with the door and windows wide open, not a care to spare, because he would protect her, he was bound to. She’d even sit outside when the sun would ease into the sky, tending to his torn coat and vest, making sure to stitch it up well. At night, before finally retiring inside the cabin, she would place a plate of warm food, looking around the sunflowers, trying to spot two pointy ears or at least a tail, but she never could, yet, every morning she’d come outside to find the plate empty, and beside it a little gift, once it was a small origami heart, the next day it was a flower crown made from her sunflowers, she was please to know how the flower had allowed him to use them, telling her how this mysterious man filled with admiration and what they called love would use nimble fingers to skilfully pluck them out. Another day it was a purple silk ribbon, one she began to wear in her hair each day.

By the next full Moon, his gift for her the next morning had her fall to her knees, a silver pendant with a sapphire heart, placed neatly in the handkerchief she had given to him. She had run across the entire field that day, to look for him, wanting to find him, to confront him, yell at him for abandoning her like that even though he had promised to never leave, yet she could not find him, not a tailor pointy ears in sight. Out of spite, however, that night she had left him no meal, and next morning she had woken up to no gift, much to her disappointment, what was his problem!? Why was it so difficult to communicate with him? And just like that the meals stopped and so did the gifts, the only things that remained were that she would no longer suffer from nightmares and she was still trying to fix his coat, only this time, she no longer did it outdoors, fine, if he wanted to play hard to get, she could give him the silent treatment too.

.

San sighed, sitting on top of the branch usually gave him a good view, of not only the field and cabin but the window inside as well, it was a pleasant view, a view he truly appreciated, making him thank Mother Nature, making him thank the Moon-

“You’re a real perv, aren’t you?” the deep voice had him flinch, quickly standing in battle stance only to scoff at the taller man before shoving him off the branch, watching him land on his feet, following in behind.

“It’s my view, not yours.”

“San, I don’t think watching her bathe is anyone’s view”, Mingi sighed, rubbing his neck, of course, the idiot would be doing this, he was greedy and perverse when it came to attention as well, “So,” he decided to change the topic, “How is it going? Seonghwa and Hongjoong don’t know, but Yeosang sent me to check up on you, is everything okay?”

Sighing the man shook his head, rubbing his face, “She’s giving me the cold shoulder…she knows I’m here and-”

“How?”

He turned to look at Mingi, “Look, before you say I wasn’t allowed to do so, she was…she was about to do something reckless okay and I had to stop her somehow so I made my presence known and I helped her with her nightmares, that led to another thing and…she left me food so I left her gifts, it- it's like an exchange policy you know! It’s a cat thing- I think dogs do it too and then she stopped so obviously I stopped but I guess she’s mad about that?” He finally stopped to look at the librarian who was looking at him with great disgust, “What?”

“San…women…well…I…you’re an idiot.”

“Thank you, I’m sure your books make you very smart.”

“They do, they also teach me to communicate.”

“What?”

“Talk to her, you buffoon,” he sighed, before turning around, “Talk to her before you or she does something else that’s beyond stupid, listening to Seonghwa or Hongjoong for matters of the heart is idiotic, the dragons have been blessed by the love of all, including the Sun and the Moon, they didn’t have to earn it, like us, like you…or like her.” With that the man walked into the forest, disappearing behind the dense trees, a distant howl being the only sign of his departing presence.

.

Sighing to herself, she hung the fixed suit onto the handle of her cupboard, admiring her work, the large sunflower on the shoulder smiling brightly at her, much like the littered, smaller embroidered sunflowers, trailing up into his breast pocket on the left side. She had originally thought of just fixing the gash, but with the time she had, her creativity had gotten the best of her, which led her to give his clothes her little touch. Not that he’d know, since he had almost disappeared once again, her only assurity of his presence was that the nightmares had stopped, so perhaps he was still around, or maybe she had just outgrown the Lurkers within her?

The sound of a loud knock caught her attention, who had come to visit her at this hour? Walking out of her room she walked towards the door, Azmer’s cane in hand as she called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s us, you leach.”

Of course, it was midmonth, the time when her father would send either her brother or brothers or sometimes the royal guards with the food rations, sometimes clothing if needed, often she’d prefer the presence of the last option, at least the guards showed her some respect.

Opening the door, she moved aside, watching them enter like this cabin was theirs to claim. Lauster walked in with all his faux glory, his robes dragging across the floor as he stared around the cabin in disgust, “Really sister, if I were you, I’d get hitched, this filth is no place for someone related to us.” Pulling back a chair he sat down cross-legged, eying the way his sister stood with the cane, “Is our useless sister now a limp?” earning a chuckle from the younger two.

“No, but if you’d like I can turn you into one,” she smiled at him, earning a scowl, then she turned to the other two, “And I’d appreciate it if you’d show some respect, Jinju, don’t you think so, Maghroor?”

The younger two looked at their brother who scoffed, before snapping his fingers, “You really think you’re getting the throne aren’t you?” Maghroor stood up, slowly walking into her room when Lauster continued, “Haven’t you heard the news sister dear, father had come up with a great proposition, you are to be wed to the son of the first king of the Lurkers, I heard Ghalazat is a great guy, all big and strong- heard he breaks girls like you easily-

“Are you out of your mind?” she asked, walking closer to him, only to be stopped by Jinju, standing tall in front of her, “You really think we’re afraid of you sister? Father cast you aside the moment you let that whore of a mother we had and Azmer fool you with their little fairy tale.” The youngest hissed, leaning closer to her, only to bounce back, his hand on his stinging cheek as he sucked in a breath, glaring at her, with blurry eyes.

“Choose your words wisely, weasel,” the androgynous tone of hers caused the second oldest to freeze in spot, to scare her was part of the plan, but this was something they had not prepared for, deep down they were unsure of what she would do if the Lurker within her won. She was their father’s favourite not only because she was the firstborn or because she was smart, but she was the only child of his who was part Lurker, and although he had tried three more times, none of his sons had inherited the gene.

“C-come now sister, we were only joking.” He laughed, pulling back his youngest brother, “No need to get upset, I’m sure Jinju would apologise if you were to ask, he never meant to call Mother a whore.” He smiled, trying to calm down his sister who was frowning at him, glaring at them.

“No, I think he was right.” The third voice intervened, as Maghroor stepped out of her room, smirking at how the colour had drained off her face, her voice switching back to its usual octave, a whisper breaking through, “No…”

“Hmmmm? What was that?” He asked, dangling the coat in the air, “Come on whore, use your words, we know you can.” He smirked before tossing the coat to the eldest of the brothers, watching the way her eyes widened, almost afraid they’d break something, “Do you know what this is, brother?”

“No,” Lauster frowned, grossed out by the embroidery, “Who does this belong to, hmmm? Sister dear?”

“Put that back,” she hissed, moving closer, only to be slapped by the youngest, with greater force than she had used, causing her to stumble against the chair and fall onto the ground, as she stared up at Lauster with blurry eyes, too focused on Poofy’s clothes to care about the pain, that is until Jinju grabbed her by the hair, tugging on her strands, causing her to let out a strangled cry, “He asked you a question, wench.”

“None of your business, I said put it back-”

“Oh…I’ve seen this crest before”, Lauster hummed, turning to Maghroor, “This coquette’s been sleeping with the enemy.” Maghroor let out a faux gasp before turning the vest around in his hold, clucking his tongue at the crest, “You’re right brother, and here we were, giving our angelic sister to a noble prince, do you think he’d want a filthy, used slu-

“That’s not true!” she yelled, struggling against the youngest, finally shoving him off as she ran to her brother, wanting nothing more than to protect her work, to protect her dignity, a part of her wish if Poofy was here, he could come save her, but the fact that his clowns had been here, tormenting her only meant she was wrong, it was never Poofy, perhaps some homeless thief or a goblin fooling with her.

Her thoughts came to a halt when a blunt force knocked the air out of her lungs, causing her to fall to her side, the throbbing pain in her head made her vision blurry, and the ringing in her ears echoed as the blurry figure of her brother crouched down to look at her, brushing away the hair from her face, before gripping her cheeks hard, “Then why do you have this, hmmm? You sneaky little liar.”

“What punishment is given to a liar I wonder?”

“Oh brother, don’t you mean a whore?”

“True, true, Lauster, Maghroor is right, she is a whore that has been lying to the king, what punishment do you think is fit for something as unworthy and useless as,” the youngest paused, only to press his foot against her back, causing her to let out a muffled sob, “our filthy eldest sister.”

“Perhaps we should cleanse her before she is given to Ghazalat, I’m sure he’d be fine with a whore that can’t speak.” Maghroor suggested, tossing the vest onto the floor, as he walked towards the hearth, using the shovel to scoop out a good amount of burnt wood, admiring the simmering amber ashes, “For all the lies she has told her kingdom.”

“Mark her with our crest.” The youngest cheered, pulling out a dagger, before reaching down to rip a portion of her gown, exposing her back, their menacing laughter echoed when she covered herself, ensuring none of her chest was exposed, only for him to press his heel onto her back, pushing her crouching form onto the floor, laughing when she let out a strangled cry, pleading them to stop, “For bringing dishonour to her kingdom.”

“Let’s add one more,” Lauster hissed as he met her glare, her tear-filled eyes boring nothing but hatred, “I’m sure her husband-to-be wouldn’t mind a blind plaything, he shouldn’t have to suffer the same agony we did, that arrogant look she gives us,” he hissed, pulling her up by her hair, knowing her arms were busy covering herself so she couldn’t put up a fight, “This look of arrogance and pride you hold, sister, is it worth it? Is it worth the guardian you whore out for in the night?” he raised his palm, waiting for the youngest to place his dagger on his open palm, waiting for his sister’s response. She had never allowed them to torment her like this, to abuse and belittle her, her arrogance and self-pride had always been far too important for her, not changing her ways even when her father had pleaded with her, standing there in the meeting of the royals, demanding to end the war, embarrassing her king, her kingdom, yet when asked to apologise she only escaped to the cabin, promising the man she’d take over once he was dead- but she couldn’t now could she? No, this plan of his was wonderful, Lauster had been told by a Xikey of the great Prince who was looking for a match, one that would help him fulfil the Yin prophecy, this way, he’d get rid of her and obtain the throne, he thanked every entity out there when his father, the king had agreed.

“Well, sister, is he worth it?” he asked, shaking her head, pulling her back to consciousness when he noticed she had almost slipped into unconsciousness, only to be met by that fierce gaze once more,

“He is…I’d rather die than betray, San.”

“So be it.” He snarled, making sure to teach her a lesson she could never forget, his figure radiating with glee at the sight of her eyes closing in defeat, her mind racing back to him, Poofy no- San.

.

Taglist: @edenesth @yessa-vie @the-kpop-simp @mlysalt @spooo00oky

[songmingisthighs]

Oddeleny

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

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ch. lvi - book shaped safe

ghost!yeosang × reader

genre : ghost!au

rating, warning : mature; crude jokes and filthy language

wc : 1.5 k

buy me coffee ?

a connection once had, broken with the expectation that the ending is final. but life has an odd proclivity of making attachments from detachments. in the end, we don't know what we lost until we look at what we have

It was obvious that Wooyoung didn't want to waste his time helping Mingi but because he would be helping Yeosang's parents in extension, he decided that he needed the brownie points. Sorry, he meant that he needed to be helpful to people he cared about. So begrudgingly, Wooyoung used the card Mingi hid in the shoe rack outside to get in.

The place was just the same as when Yeosang was living there. Of course, he only said so because he forgot he had only been there once when Yeosang invited his friends over to celebrate he (and Mingi) moving in. Wooyoung completely missed the subtle proof of life, or more life, in the apartment.

"Where's the damn thing?" Wooyoung muttered, looking over the dining table and other surfaces in the common area but he couldn't find any box, big or small. It wasn't until he passed Yeosang's room that he noticed a box on his desk, in front of Yeosang's giant computer screen. "Stupid Mingi," Wooyoung grumbled but still walked into Yeosang's room to retrieve the box.

Mingi's instruction was clear, he wasn't supposed to open the box but of course, Wooyoung being Wooyoung, the curiosity got the best of him and he just had to take a peek.

Just as he was about to lift the box, the computer turned on and Wooyoung's gaze immediately shifted to the now functioning screen in confusion. "What the fuck?" he muttered to himself.

At first, the screen turned on and showed a blank black screen save for a single pulsing line and then a text showed up as the line moved from left to right.

'Wooyoung, help me.'

Wooyoung's eyes widened and he took a step back, creeped out at the sudden appearance of the text. "Shit, what the hell?" he gasped just as the words disappeared and another one was retyped. 'Wooyoung, I'm scared, help.' it said. "This is a prank, right? This is a prank," he muttered, trying to convince himself that Mingi had lured him in just to mess with him for whatever reason he might have. "Sick ass fucker thinking he can mess with me, well he's a fucking idiot," he muttered and moved to grab the box from the desk but as he was being distracted, the lights were turned off and the door was slammed shut, causing Wooyoung to yelp loudly. "What the hell!?" The sound didn't only surprise Wooyoung but it made him scared because he was the only person in the apartment. Or so he thought because had he gone into Mingi's room, he'd seen you, Hongjoong, Yunho, and Jongho hiding until Hongjoong quietly got out to slam the door.

The first thing Wooyoung thought to do was to try to open the door by rattling the handle and pushing the door open but it wouldn't budge (courtesy of the four people behind the door).

"Wooyoung."

Goosebumps stood from the back of Wooyoung's neck down his back and Wooyoung felt like the room went cold at the sound of his best friend's voice calling out for him after not hearing it for over a month. Slowly, Wooyoung turned around and when he got a good look of the monitor, his knees buckled and he fell onto the floor as his jaw unhinged but no sound came out.

"Wooyoung help me, help me please," Yeosang pleaded.

The screen showed Yeosang's face up close and he was looking at Wooyoung dead in the eyes with a pleading gaze. "Wooyoung, I thought we were friends," Yeosang spoke in a tone that made Wooyoung's stomach flip. The words circled his brain and penetrated deeply, causing nothing but paralyzing fear. "Wooyoung, were we not friends? What happened?" Yeosang called again.

Perhaps the guilt had eaten through Wooyoung so much so that the next thing he knew, he was openly sobbing with his hands clutching his ears to block any sound (in this case, Yeosang's voice) from passing through. He didn't know until that moment that he was holding onto so much stress from holding onto so many secrets that he simply broke open like a coconut. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Yeosang, I really am. I didn't mean to cover up Ryu Seungyeon when we were in middle school but she blackmailed me into making a cover story. She had told me she wanted to get (y/n) in trouble but she didn't expect for you to get hurt, believe me! And- a-and y-you, I don't know why but you just HAD to snoop into the past and jeopardize everything! You almost got me in trouble and I just had to stop you! You should've fought me back, you should've not let me drag you to that alley! How was I supposed to know that you'd fall and that you got hurt? Huh? You were the one who went to the gym and all, why did you fall when I pushed you? I should've stayed and helped, I definitely should've, but I didn't want you to keep looking into the past! But you can't blame me on your accident! You can't! I heard about the diagnosis, I heard about you being electrocuted and that's not me, that wasn't me! I'm innocent, I just didn't want things in the past to be revealed. If anything, I'm the victim here! You people had it out for me! You and (y/n) and everyone else, and fucking Ryu Seungyeon. Out of all the things I did though, I did not regret getting (y/n) kicked out because she would've made my life an absolute living hell, especially with grandma. You need to see it from my perspective, you need to understand what I needed and why I needed them. You were caught in the crossfire before but this one, the one you looked into yourself, you butted into issues that didn't concern you and you got yourself hurt. You got yourself hurt and I hated to have been the one to witness it all. We're friends, Yeosang, and we still are. But I can't let you out me so why do you have to go this far?"

Yeosang, still staring Wooyoung down, watched as his friend was reduced to a bumbling mess. The more Wooyoung confessed, the angrier Yeosang became. The betrayal, the hurt, the realization, it was almost all too much for him but he had a role to play so he remained quiet, allowing Wooyoung to simply have the stage as if that was not the default setting with him during their whole friendship. But a little bit closer to that surface, there was concern and sadness over the fact that his friend of over a decade had been holding something that big for so long. The secrets, while horrible, must have not been easy to handle. And not just about his involvement in the incidents but also whatever secret about himself.

In a flash, Wooyoung went from sobbing and screeching to falling out into the living area. The impact was so sudden that it took a moment for Wooyoung to realized that he was released from the room. Dazed and still confused, Wooyoung blinked and sat up, staring at the now black screen in Yeosang's room, expecting Yeosang's face to pop up again but the more he waited, the more anxiety built up inside him. "Fuck this," he huffed in one shaky exhale and he immediately dashed out of the apartment, completely missing the figures emerging from their hiding spots.

Once again, Yeosang popped up on the computer screen, this time looking less sombre and more neutral. "Did we do it? Did you record everything?" He asked, eyeing the figures that were standing outside the room. Yunho walked in and grabbed the box Wooyoung had forgotten to bring, showing Yeosang the recording device they had hidden. He gave him a tight-lipped smile and answered him, "Yup, we got it." While he was glad to hear that Wooyoung's confession was recorded, Yeosang was still in anguish about what he heard Wooyoung say.

At the same time, you stood still in the middle of the living room, glaring at the door with shaky hands and teeth grinding. You had had a feeling that Wooyoung was part of the problem but to hear everything and to hear how he basically used you as a shield just so he could save his own ass was infuriating. It made you feel worthless, unimportant, and sadly, very aware of the reality of how you had always been viewed by your family.

"(y/n)? What's wrong?" Hongjoong asked, catching Jongho's attention who rushed to your side. "(y/n), are you okay?" Jongho asked, adding to Hongjoong's sentiment. You looked up at both of them, trying to formulate a response. Any kind of response. But what you could muster was simply the will to move your body away from them and rush to Mingi's room, locking the door behind you and slid down to the cold wooden floor, gasping for air as the intensity sunk in.

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[orgverse]

I saw your response to the San hard thought and can’t get it out of my head. But make it Yunho with someone who has bigger thighs, a tummy and big boobs. I read somewhere that someone said Yunho is the type to be attracted to plus size figures and it lives rent free in my head. Yunho with a size kink and he loves to show off how strong and tall he is. But he also just adores the love handles and all the stretch marks and he thinks his plus size s/o is the most precious and also sexiest person he’s ever seen.

This lives rent free in my brain 😭

yunho would love to run his hands up and down your body. squeezing your plump thighs, groping your boobs, and kissing over every single stretch mark.

you would make an offhanded comment about yourself and something in yunho would just... snap. like he would tower over you before he's pulling you up and trapping you against the nearest wall. would kiss and left marks everywhere. all over you body before he's dropping to his knees to be eye level with your cunt. he would strip you of your bottoms before he's kissing your pussy. you would feel so flustered as you watch him make out with your dripping cunt.

he pulls away and his face his covered in your juices and his spit. and then he's leaving open mouth kisses all your thighs. leaving you breathless before he's standing back to his full height. towering over you once again. he removes his own pants, letting them pool around his ankles, he takes your hand and places his on his hard cock.

"do you feel that, princess? its hard because of your body," he tells you before he's guiding your hands to remove his underwear. he also lets them fall to his feet before he's kicking them away. his hands come around to squeeze your ass. he grabs a handful of it in both hands before he's effortless picking you up and trapping your even more between his body and the wall.

you moan when he enters you and he lets out a low groan as you clench around him. he fucks you hard and good, letting your eyes roll into the back of your head. his leans his head down just enough to take one of your nipples into his mouth and sucks on it. you let out a few gasp here and there as your run your fingers through his hair and gripping the strands.

"fuck– you take my large cock so well, princess," he says as he's moving you both away from the wall and he's caring you over to the couch. but instead of placing you on the couch, he keeps you held in his arms. bouncing you continuously on his cock. your large breast bouncing heavily thanks to his action.

it doesn't take long before you're coming around his cock, squeezing him nicely, and its only then does he lay you on the couch. he grips your hips, once again squeezing your soft flesh as he pounds into as a feverish pace. then he's stilling inside of you, a loud moan of your name leaves his lips as he paints your walls white. your body twitches in overstimulation as yunho kisses all over you body once more.

he latches onto your nipple once more, sucking and licking it. you can feel him grow hard once again and you're shocked by how quickly it happens. slowly he's pulling out of you. both your juices running out of your pussy and onto the couch, staining it you're sure of it. you're surprised when moves up your body and you think he's about to fuck your throat when he stops at your chest. both his hands coming to grope your boobs, squishing them together tightly before he's slipping his cock between them.

yunho looms over you, looking down at you with such adoration and love for someone who is fucking your boobs. but the look in his eyes makes your heart skip a beat known the less as he uses your body to get off a second time. you can't help but touch yourself. your hand coming to rub furious circles into your clit. your fingers are nothing compared to yunho's, but they will do in order to get you to come again.

you open your mouth, tongue sticking out as you await for yunho's cum to squirt out. he lets out a small chuckle before he's stilling and allowing for his cum to paint the top of your breast, neck, and neck. some of lands in your mouth and you swallow it happily.

"my pretty princess," he says as he collects the some of his cum before he's rubbing it over your nipples and even pinching them, making you yelp in surprise. "now why don't you sit on my face. its only fair you come a second time to."

[glowmo]

[seongwars]

forget me not | ch. iii preview

a/n: dropping this before my procedure tomorrow! i'll be on a little break to recover but I didn't forget about this baby fic

“They’re planning to legally declare her dead.”

“What?” Yunho’s voice cracked, the word barely more than a whisper. It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving him lightheaded. His face drained of all color, and for a moment, he couldn’t even feel his own heartbeat. 

“No, they wouldn’t—” he stammered, almost to himself, his eyes darting back and forth as if searching for an anchor. “Why would they…?”

“It’s been three years, Yunho. They want closure.”

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

Gunho’s face softened, his usual teasing expression slipping into something more serious, more compassionate. “No. Because I know you’d try to make a scene.”

“But I know what I saw!” Yunho shook his head, eyes wide with disbelief. “I need to go see them.”

“No, you won’t,” Gunho interrupted sharply, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. “They’ve exhausted every resource they had—money, time, everything they could think of—searching for her! They’ve been through hell and they’ve still not given up hope!”

Yunho’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. “So what, I’m just supposed to sit back and let them pretend like she never existed?”

“You already have! You were planning a future without her! What made you suddenly care? You don’t get to break down their door and demand they keep hurting just because you can’t accept what happened.”

[teezersfics]

Journey To Wonderland

˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚masterlist˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚

Genere : Fantasy, Royalty, Pirate

Pairing : Secret

Ch.5 / Ch.6 / Ch.7

Chapter 6 : The Story

With every coming day, you are taking your trainings from the seniors and mainly helping with the navigation. You seem to have started developing friendships with many people on the ship, but it's quiet hard to gain seniors trusts yet, San has been your friend from first day, Wooyoung next. But it is most hardest to even hold the conversation with Seonghwa and Jongho, they seem a little too tough. And Captain, its a very distant case. He hasn't spoken to you after your first encounter. He eventually strolls around the ship and whenever you both spot each other, you try to give him a smile but he just gives you judgemental look or a short stare. It makes you feel like you've done something gravely wrong and he is judging you for that. Lately, you have also felt like someone has been watching you, it's just a feeling, when you scan around, you spot no one around you.

But, you are also quiet enjoying your time on the ship. Some days ago you also met Captain's dear pet, a very cute and talkative Parrot, who likes to mimic all the seniors. So far he has been making all the seniors embarrassed by saying silly things in their voices. His name is Crescent, and the story behind this is that he was found by Captain on the crescent moon night. But he was in very badly injured condition. Captain bought him to the ship and got him treated with the help of Yunho. The Captain also gave Crescent a collar made of gold and gems embedded on it with the bird's name craved on it. This made him look like a Royal Parrot. Since then Crescent has also been helping Captain perform tasks like delivering and carrying some urgent messages. No matter how far Crescent goes, he eventually finds his way back to the ship, no matter wherever the ship may be. He is also very intelligent.

And recently he has for sure gained liking towards you. He surprises you with suddenly sitting on your head or shoulder and sulks when you don't pet him. He does not speak alot but eventually teases any crewmate passing by. He also tells you if he wants anything. When Wooyoung saw your and Crescent first interaction, he was shocked because, Crescent's initial interaction with Wooyoung was just Crescent biting him whenever Wooyoung approached Crescent. Wooyoung also said that Cresent never easily trust any people. If Cresent like anyone that means that person passed the trust check. On the ship, Cresent's judgement is considered second important after the Captain.

So far it's been all good. But most of the crew is curious about Wonderland and all the things that happen inside Wonderland. And so, to clear everyone's doubts there is going to be a secret story session tonight after dinner. You are extremely excited for the night, to know more about the Wonderlands secrets. All the new crewmates and the other who are excited to know about Wonderland are all secretly invited to the session but keeping this away from the Captain and Seonghwa. Even though its kept a secret from them, its sure that they will eventually know about this. Nothing remains a secret on this ship for a long time.

But, on the other hand this session is beneficial for all the crew to know what they are going to get themselves into. After this, they can decide whether they want to join Captain into the Wonderland or not. Many information about Wonderland will be shared which not every other person knows. The fact that the Navigator, Yeosang will be leading the session while other seniors will help him fill in the any missing details of the story.

And the night finally comes. After dinner all of the interested crewmates are gathered in one of the reserved store room on the stern of the ship. Doors closed, all of the crewmates sitting in circle with candles in the middle. Everyone is so curious and excited for the story to start. All the seniors sitting at one side, while everyone else listening like the curious audiences.

________________________

“So, it all starts from actually long time ago, when the XCARS, the Gods of different powers and possessing the ability to give any supernatural powers to any common person of their wish. The RAVENS who were the devil's possessing the dark powers, the powers that can destroy the whole universe, declared the war against the XCARS. But, the XCARS we only 5 in number whereas the RAVENS were a massive clan of brainwashed people. At that time the XCARS asked for the help from all the Kimgdoms on the earth. They asked for the Army of the Soldiers as much as possible. And humans decided to help. The XCARS blessed all those soldiers and the royalties with some powers that would help them win the war easily. With the help of human soldiers, the XCARS did win the war, and all the RAVENS were sent to the most gruesome and horrendous place in the hell for what they did over many years. After winning the war, the XCARS decides to let the soldiers and the royalties have all the powers. But then they started misusing the powers. They started using those powers for their own satisfaction and own benefit. The people grew more and more greedy and was fighting among themselves. So before going to reside back in the Cloud Palace, the XCARS took back all the powers that was granted to the humans.

But the XCARS knew that humans has done alot for them. Especially all the Kings who lend them their soldiers. So they really wanted to do something for them, for humans. But they also knee that humans were greedy. If humans get anything easily, they simply crave for more and more, and there is no end or limits to humans desire. So they had to give humans something that they gain with their hardwork, by this, humans could realise the joy of getting the award that they have worked hard for. That's why they gifted with Rufescent Gem. One of the most beautiful gem in the world. Its Reddish in colour and during full moon it changes its colour, to remind the War that was won by the XCARS on full moon night. This gem is available in every part of this earth, but you will get it only if you work hard to find it.

But,the twist is you can't sell the stone to anyone because once a person finds it, it will glow only if he possess the stone. If he tries to sell it to anyone it will lose its abilities. So because of this, the person who wants to posses the stone, has to work hard for it.

But, for the royals, they decided to awards them with something big. The XCARS knew that if they let the Royals have some powers, they might rule their kingdom with more ease and with the intention of making their kingdom a better place to live for anyone. And…..they also knew that if they are granted the powers easily, they might again turn on the wrong path. That's why they gifted the earth with Wonderland. Where, by completing all the tasks, the Royals can wish for any power of their desire.”

“That sounds easy, then why does very less number of Kings has ever survived the Wonderland? There should have been more, right?” One of the curious crewmate asks.

Yeosang starts again.

“It's not as easy as it looks. The Wonderland does not consist of any simple games that any child can play. Even many trained King's and Warriors can not complete the game. The Kings who were greedy for power has never returned from the Wonderland and those who actually wanted to dp something for the betterment of their kingdom and their subjects, won the games and were granted with powers. The Wonderland has specific rules that the players need to follow. The game can be completed only if the rules are followed.”

“Then, is there any information of the rules of the games??” Another crewmate asks.

This time, San answers. “No, there is no specific information about the rules. Some people has even contacted with the only 3 King's that has ever survived the Wonderland. But, the Wonderland put the restrictions on the winners ti not to tell the specifications of the games. If the rules are leaked, there will be consequences for the winner.”

As San is done with his explanation he gestures Yeosang to continue further story.

“But, some basic information and rules are available for us to know.

1- The people entering the Wonderland should be from the Royal family. Commoners are not granted the entry in Wonderland.

2- Only one Kingdom can enter the Wonderland and play at a time. If another kingdom tries to enter Wonderland forcefully while other is playing, there would be clash of energies and the trespassing kingdom will be thrown out. If the Wonderland restricts you entry, you should understand that another one is playing.

3-There are tem gems that you have to acquire by playing ten games. The same player cannot play the games again and again. 9 different players have to play the initial 9 games by their own, other can help and support them from far. And the 10th and the last, game is the group game. It fully depends on the trust, coordination, control, understanding and all other aspects that are required for the group to win. By winning each game, you can retrieve a gem at the end of it. Later on you go back to the start of Wonderland and submit all the ten gems in some sort of sockets.

4- After submitting the gems, the players who actually played can wish for any power they desire. And when asked for the power the players should also tell the reason behind having that power. The reasons should be genuine. No ill intentions.

5- After the powers are granted, the winners slowly starts to see the changes. They slowly starts to realise their powers. The Wonderland not only gifts the players but all their kingdom, with some little things. The kingdom can also visibly realise the changes. The Wonderland also watched over the Winner after they have returned to their kingdom, it watches if the winners are using their powers for good or not. Wonderland is not just a place, it's an entity itself. It can speak and also watch.

This is the most information we could gather till now.”

There is a pause. Everyone is still processing the new information. Recalling all the rules again, to asks their doubts. And, one raise his hand to ask the question.

“What if, these rules are broken? Are there any consequences?”

The answer to this question is on Yeosang's tongue, but he contemplates whether to tell everyone or not. But he has to, the crewmates should know what they are getting themselves into.

He continues.

“Yes, there are consequences. And the best I can do to explain the consequences is to tell you all the <Tale Of Ynitasia>”

Here, the another story starts. As he spells the name, you have goosebumps over your body. You don't know why, but there is this feeling in the pit of your stomach, something strange feeling that you cannot figure out. You have actually heard some light news about Ynitasia, but never heard the actual story. Your already curious self, becomes more curious for some reason.

“You All must have heard about Ynitasia at least once in life. One of the most spoken Kingdom on the earth. Let's start from beginning when Ynitasia was at it's peak. Ynitasia was one of the most looked up to Kingdom in the east. It had the most skilled warriors, rich commoners and even richer Royals. It is said that there were no beggars on that land. Also having the best resources available, best constructions, most amazing sea techniques, clever cultivation and most importantly a happy and welcoming kingdom. Ynitasia was also the possessor of the world's most expensive and rarest gem, MARILEAN. A ‘Marine’ stone which was ‘Cerulean’ in colour. That's where it gets its name from. Ynitasia had everything a successful kingdom needed. But one day the king decided to go to Wonderland to make his kingdom even more efficient and by possessing All those powers, Ynitasia would've become the best Kingdom all over the world.”

“But, here is where it all starts. The king suddenly decides to go to Wonderland but he did not have the team that required enough preparation and mental and physical training. They did everything in haste. The king did enter the Wonderland and won some games, each game, he grew more and more greedy for the powers, he was blinded, but in one game he lost, he couldn't complete the game. That brought him out of his rage and overconfidence. He couldn't bear it, he wasn't ready to face the consequences and he forcefully tried to get out of the Wonderland. In that rush, he lost his and his crewmates life. All of them were dead. The king also took his daughter, Princess of Ynitasia with him, because she insisted. She was just a teenage girl. He was so confident that he would return back, that he took the risk of taking the only princess of Ynitasia with him. They lost her too. The only rightful heir.”

There is a pause.

“The day King died, that night everything changed for Ynitasia. That day was the worst day ever for them, the worst that could happen to anyone. The flowers died, the houses made of marble and expensive wood, turned into mud houses, with creepers surrounding them, the Palace was all surrounded with creepers and mush, the walls became cracked, the expensive clothes that the people were wearing became torn from places, people lost most of the wealth that they had, sickness started taking over people of Ynitasia. The dark gloom surrounded the island of Ynitasia. Ynitasia was cursed by Wonderland. Seeing this, there was chaos in the whole kingdom. The King's wife couldn't believe that it was true, that the king died. No one was ready to believe. At that time, the second rightful heir to the throne, King's brother's son. Prince of Ynitasia, he couldn't resist. He decided to go out and search for the King and his father. He took some of his friends, warriors and other experts from the kingdom. At that time the Prince was also just 16 years old. Sudden after what happened, he felt responsible for all the things. He felt that he should set things right. He set the sail to Wonderland, but some days later, some broken parts of the ship washed up on the shore of the Ynitasia from the direction where the prince went to. The people and Queen waited for some more days, but no sign of the Prince. A storm shortly hit Ynitasia after that incident and everyone considered that they also lost the Prince in that storm. Ynitasia was broken, they lost all of their hope. Their hope to stand back again, was all broken.”

“After some days, Ynitasia received a scroll, it magically appeared on the porch of the Palace. It read, that the king died in Ynitasia, but nothing about the Prince. It confirmed the death of King. Wonderland also said that, if the next rightful heir or any other kingdom plays in the name of Ynitasia and wins, Ynitasia would come back to its glory. As their successor sets the foot on the land of Ynitasia, everything would suddenly change, it would all become like before. The kingdom would also need to crown that person as the King or Queen of Ynitasia. This would completely eliminate the curse on Ynitasia making it as joyous as before. But, that day never came for Ynitasia. It's believed that the Queen does manages the things in Ynitasia now, but she is sick and still mourning and waiting that someday the king would return with Prince, Princess and the warriors.”

“What happened to Ynitasia was brutal and they are still in that misery. The gloom still surrounds Ynitasia. Nobody knows when they will be free from the curse. If nobody wins for Ynitasia, it will continue to live in that curse forever.”

There is pin drop silence in the room. Everyone feels something after listening to the story. Some are deep in thought, some are confused, some feel bad for Ynitasia, some are terrified after listening to the brutality of Wonderland. Every crew's decision depends upon how they take in the story.

“If you want to see if what happened to Ynitasia is real or not, then in two days we are going to pass by that kingdom. You can see it for yourself.” Yunho instructs.

Wooyoung starts with next instructions,

“Well, one more important thing that we have to tell. Before going to Wonderland, we will stop on an island or restock a d stuff. Before that you have to take decision whether to follow eight of us, into the Wonderland or not. Because only 10 people will be playing this game, and if we win, only 10 of us will have the benefit. There are chances, we might lose some of our crew in the Wonderland, even we can lose our life. But we are ready to face everything in Wonderland to win. We are so determined to win, because we want to bring good to Ignim, turn that land, into a non-pirare zone, make it safe for trading with other lands, start many facilities for people and children to make living efficient. We can't dream to have all of the luxuries like another big kingdoms, but we can start from basics. Slowly slowly providing and spreading the amenities all over Ignim and slowly opening it up for people of other land. We want people to think more of Ignim than just a Pirate land. We want to welcome people into our land and gradually end pirating. It might take some time but we know, the right way of persuasion can change people's mind. This is what we are so desperate for. At the end, it's your decision.”

The way he speaks about their dreams for Ignim, just feels your heart with somewhat pride and motivation. If you guide them, they can get step closer to achieve their dream and you will be somewhat part of it. You have to do it, not only for yourself but them too.

As you thought that today's story session is over and now it's time to go to bed, a crewmate raises his hand out of no where for a last question

“But master, you said that only Royals have entry in the Wonderland. Then, how is Wonderland going to grant us entry when no one among us is a Royal?”

There is a chorus of “ohhhh"s from all the crewmates as this question really makes everyone think.

Mingi smirks, as if he was prepared for this question. With a sigh he says,

“We have a solution for that-”

Chapter 7 : Face Off

[hwaightme]

Family for Hire Series Masterlist

Hi <3 this is an experimental venture into the world of domestic!au, so do let me know what you think, and, if interested, don't hesitate to ask to be on the taglist!

☀️ pairing: single dad!seonghwa x business woman!reader ☀️ genre: romance, family, domestic, fake marriage, slice of life ☀️ summary: You hit the ceiling, and it seems there is no way of getting the promotion that would make your career. No way, except one. One that would mean placing all you stand for, and know, under question. How far are you willing to go in your game of family with Park Seonghwa, the father of a kid you are about to call your own, and your old flame? ☀️ warnings/tags: language, family relations, arguments, past family drama, might have smut or might stay suggestive, office, caring for a kid, bsf yunho, ex-frat boy seonghwa, business, humour, twenty-somethings surviving ->JOIN TAGLIST HERE

quick nav: ch.1 | ch.2 | ch.3 | ch.3.5 | ch.4 | ch.5 | ...

☀️chapter 1: promotion proposal

sometimes all you need is a not so gentle nudge from your friend to reconsider a four year silence.

☀️chapter 2: catching up

after a nerve-busting pep talk from your favourite menace, you bite the bullet and face your fears in the name of business, while Seonghwa is searching for a way to rewind time.

☀️chapter 3: pocket edition ceo

who knew that meeting a toddler could be so testing, a parking lot to an activity centre was the equivalent of a gladiator ring, and that sometimes it all could lead to awakening fears you did not know you had?

☀️chapter 3.5: starting something

adult to adult conversation should be easy, except when it is with someone who you are definitely not indifferent about, and who you had just spent a family-style day with. what will a conversation under the stars bring?

☀️chapter 4: when croissants fly

settling into a new routine came with its challenges, of course, but you expected that. what you did not expect, however, was for seonghwa to completely derail your plans for quietude.

☀️chapter 5: ...

...

coming soon...

[potatomountain]

CIY- CH 15

Chapter Fifteen

📍Pairing: detective ateez ot8 x detective afab reader

📍Summary: "Captain oh Captain"

📍WC: 3.1k

📍AU: detective/mafia

📍Genre: action, dark themes, poly romance, smut

📍Warning(s): 17+ rating, suggestive📍Nets: @pirateeznet | @mirohs-aurora-society

📍Beta readers (and sole motivation): @flurrys-creativity , @candypop1611 , @yourfatherlucifer , @yessa-vie and edited by the amazing: @daemour

masterlist | Previous | Next

You were more than a little disappointed that San wasn’t there the next day, but confused over your mixed feelings over Mingi and Yunho’s absence. But as that one day turned into a week, you were getting concerned.

No it wasn’t because you wanted to invite San back to your place, or confront the two giants on what they did in the bathroom, hoping to have some answers to your own feelings, but because you were genuinely worried.

Seonghwa didn’t help with your nerves one bit, spending a good amount of time with him over the week, as well as a forced training session with Jongho. Your ass still hurt from the number of times he happily knocked your ass on the mat. It was only thanks to Seonghwa’s presence that he wasn’t a total ass, actually listening to the Vice-Captain and keeping his comments mild. The unnerving part was the way Seonghwa seemed on edge.

Something Jongho had commented on when he had forgotten your presence.

So by the next Saturday you were on edge all over again, the release San had given you felt wasted. Of course admiring how pretty Seonghwa was in a blank tank, showing off the neck tattoos you had spotted peeking from the collar of his turtlenecks and button up, did not help there. Or the fact you spotted a hint of ink peeking out of the back of Jongho’s shirt, a deadly combination with how thick the man was.

If you were pissed off enough you might have suggested a hate fuck. With his strength you were sure it would’ve left you bruised up and sore in all the right ways.

You might have been a little too excited when Wooyoung popped his head around the corner to startle you at your desk. “There’s my favorite Goddess. Miss me?”

Laughing, you smiled, “Can’t say that I have. Haven’t seen your handsome face around enough.”

“Oh but I am handsome-” He stood up straight and called back loudly “hear that?! She thinks I’m handsome. Beat that fuckers!” His attention was back on you as soon as you started laughing louder. “Mm San was right, that's a pretty sound.”

You couldn’t help but get a bit flustered, realizing San talked about you. “Is he here?”

“Unfortunately he got booted to bedrest back at our apartment. So my company better be enough.”

“You can’t hog her to yourself.” Hongjoong called, stepping around Wooyoung and looking you over. “I hope Seonghwa kept you busy.”

Rolling your eyes, you replied “Not enough. Sparring with the asshat who has some vendetta against me wasn’t much fun. Is it just San that’s not back?”

“Are you that eager to see him?” Wooyoung actually pouted, taking a step closer to you and setting his hands on your thighs. “Come on, get to know me a bit, Goddess. We can make it a physical activity.”

It definitely crossed your mind to take him up on that offer, after what you let San do to you, the images he encouraged in your mind, all it would take is a simple yes.

The two of them could tell you were seriously thinking about it, Wooyoung’s smirk widening as he ran his hands up your thighs more. Hongjoong watched curiously, taking a step to the side to get a better view. “Well?”

With a sigh, you shook your head. “Maybe another time.” Patting both of his hands you peeled them off you and pushed him back in the same motion that you stood up. “Do I get to hear about where everyone has been the last week or am I excluded for that?”

You weren’t happy at all as their expression fell just enough to know the answer to that. “Not entirely. There was an increase of Green Viper activity, so Wooyoung needed San for that. We had to deal with some altercations between them and the Red Wolves. It’s mostly paperwork the rest of us need to fill out.” Hongjoong tried to mend but you knew differently, you still didn’t have enough trust to know.

It irked you, but you understood. You didn’t trust all of them fully either, in fact the only one you could confidently say would have your back in a fight was San. Some of them were questionable, would definitely like your back in their bed, but otherwise you were still an outsider of sorts. “Can I leave then? I’m still a bit bruised up from Jongho’s stupid ass.”

“Aww, you don’t want to be around me?” Wooyoung pouted, reaching for you again but you pushed past just as Hongjoong pulled him away. “When do I get to work with her Captain?”

Hongjoong offered you a friendly smile, still trying to ease the tension that had formed between the three of you. “That’s something we can talk about. It’ll take a few days, so if you can take those days to rest. We’ll give you a call to come in and brief you but let us get it all set up.”

“Yeah sure, whatever.” You started grabbing your things, pissed off. A week you sat around and worried about them and they got back just to send you off and have you swindle your thumbs at home? Seriously?

“Firecracker…” Hongjoong followed you to the door, grabbing your hand and stopping you. “Don’t be upset, it’s not on purpose and it’s not because of what you think.”

You ripped your arm out of his, glancing over your shoulder just to glare at him. “Sure it isn’t. I know I haven’t earned my place yet, but it’s been over a month Captain.”

“I know I know. But you have. It’s just, we have to rework some things after this incident and figure out where best to put you. Not to keep you out of our way but where you would be the most useful. Where you do make a difference and shine the most.” He reached up, cupping your cheek and turning you more towards him. “I believe you’ll do wonders here Firecracker, but integrating you into the work we have built up over years is going to take some time. Alright?”

It was a wonder how he said just what you needed to hear, and you could believe him too. The man, while neutral about your presence so far, has provided you with ample opportunity to prove yourself. And when you did, he acknowledged your skills.

Relaxing a bit more, you leaned into his hand, looking up at him. “Alright Captain.” You mumbled, pulling away and clearing your throat when you realized how soft you just were. It felt good to be acknowledged for your work, especially from Hongjoong, Captain of the unit you were having a hard time with.

He was most certainly not looking at you as if you were just a member of his unit though, not like a Captain should. It threw you off, glancing back at Wooyoung and waving. “Next time handsome, maybe you can convince me of getting to know you better that way.”

You left before either could reply.

The short walk home was ample time to actually think over the interaction. You found yourself comparing Hongjoong to Chan, knowing where Hongjoong was teasing or lenient, Chan was not. Chan looked out for you, showed his concern for you but always as Captain of the unit. It was always the unit over you.

Hongjoong hadn’t done any of that. He had concern for the unit, sure, but he was giving you a chance, eager to see you prove yourself. And the way he had comforted and reassured you, the way he touched you… that wasn’t what you were used to.

You weren’t sure what to make of it, but arriving at your apartment building and seeing your previous Captain there was some shitty timing. Did you just manifest him with your thoughts? You wish you could manifest him away.

He stood up straighter when you approached, relief on his features as he called out your name.

“Did I not make myself clear last time? I don't want to talk to you or see you or anything.” You pushed past him, putting in the code and moving inside.

“What if I say this is about Felix?” He followed after you, which truly aggravated you a bit. He was usually respectful, even when upset, so this was out of character for him.

Huffing you ignored him as best you can as you climbed up the stairs. Why the fuck was he following you? “Then Felix can talk to me about it himself. You aren’t his fucking parent Christopher.”

He called out your name again, still not leaving you alone, reaching out to grab your wrist instead. “Can we please just talk?”

“No! And I don’t know why you insist we do! You hurt me Chan, you know you did.” You snarled out, ripping your hand out of his grip as you moved up the stairs faster.

At first he didn’t follow you, but as you turned up the landing towards the next flight of stairs, you saw him skipping steps to catch up. “And I want to make it up to you!”

“Why?” You turned on your heel quickly once you reached the top of the stairs, glaring up at him. “I’m not a part of your unit anymore Chan! I’m nothing to you.”

He looked taken aback, stuttering over his breath over something to say but you could see the hurt in his eyes. It had your ire spiking, after all he wasn’t the one who paid for his decision.

Scoffing, you turned to head to your door, with every intent of locking him out and calling the security at the front. You hadn’t seen him at the desk so you assumed he was making his rounds. You wanted Chan gone, especially before the tears that burned behind your eyes fell.

He wasn’t making it easy, stopping you again by moving in front of you. “Please listen to me.”

“No.” You sidestepped.

He blocked you. “Dammit, please.”

“I don’t want to, Chan! You had plenty of time to explain yourself!” To the other side.

He was there to block you again, grabbing your biceps to hold you still, pleading out your name. “I thought you would understand!”

You stiffened, glaring up at him. You remembered clearly how the last conversation you had with him before he handed you the transfer form- the tension between you two in your kitchen: you in his shirt while he was shirtless sporting a hickey you were sure you had given him the night before. The reminder had your chest tight. “I do understand Chan. You chose the unit over me. You couldn’t have me around after what I did. Didn’t have the fucking balls to turned me down after I confessed?”

“No! Fuck that isn’t it at all! This got so fucked up I’m sorry” he pleaded with you.

But you were having none of it, struggling in his grip. “Stop trying to save your ass. You rejected me, in probably the shittiest fucking way asshat.”

“I’m not I just- please I just want to explain myself to you. You can hate me all you want after I just… it wasn’t because of your confession. I promise, please-” He held you still as you tried to push past him again, the tears brimming your eyes.

“You’re not giving me a damn choice so just out with it already! Criticize my work, tell me how I’m too emotional and I get too invested. How I cost you something stupid because I gave a fuck about you as a man!” You yelled, your own emotions clouding your judgment even now, which frustrated you as it proved what you were saying.

“None of that is true dammit! I didn’t give you the transfer because of your confession! I turned you down at the time because you were drunk and I wanted you to be sober when I told you I loved you.” He raised his voice, a tremble in his tone. “I love you trouble. I wanted a real relationship with you and I didn’t think I could have that if we were in the unit together. I was already being pressured about your behavior and I just thought it was a small price to pay, okay?”

You gawked at him, completely thrown off by his sudden confession. He was sincere, you could see that, but you were as far from elated to hear about his feelings as you could be. “A broken heart is a small price to pay when you aren’t the one who paid it! You are the one who gives a damn about separating work from pleasure. Your morals cost me everything I cared about Chan!” You pushed at him, the tears beginning to flow freely down your cheeks. “It’s too fucking late, I’m done with you! Just leave me alone, I’m not a part of your unit anymore and I’m not someone you have to care about. You love me? Then suffer while I live without you.”

His devastation was obvious on his features, pain in his eyes, but you didn’t feel the least built guilty. If he had you transferred out just so he could pursue you romantically without having to sacrifice anything- you didn’t feel a least bit guilty. “I loved you Christopher BangChan. Past tense. I don’t anymore. You hurt me in a way I never ever thought you could. I don’t need you any more. Don’t want you anymore.” You sobbed out, pulling away.

You never saw it coming, never heard the door or his footsteps, just that when Chan pleaded your name again, a fist connected to his jaw. Now facing a tall and familiar back.

“Do you intend to make her cry even more? Beat it fucker, you heard her loud and clear.” Mingi snarled at him, standing protectively before you.

Under any other circumstances, you would have been miffed that he came to your defense. He had been a dick to you since the beginning, making him untrustworthy, or at least you had said he was. So why were you trusting him now? Finding comfort in his heroics?

Were you just that done with Chan that any assistance was welcome? Even from Mingi?

“This isn’t your business.” Chan hissed, but you could tell from the tremble in his tone he was pissed. Pissed and hurt.

“It damn well is when it’s my girl you’re touching and making her cry.” Mingi reached behind him, placing his hand on your hip protectively. You leaned into the touch, gripping the back of his shirt. “Head to your apartment Buttercup, I’ll be there in a moment.” He softened his tone considerably, the deep rumble reverberating down your spine.

This was a battle you were happy to hand over. “Make it quick.” You added for Chan’s benefit before rushing around to your apartment. You didn’t look at Chan, didn’t want to meet his questioning gaze that you could feel.

The second your door was shut you could hear harsh muttering in Mingi’s deep voice. You couldn’t make out what was said, but you didn’t want to know. Taking a deep breath you wiped away the tears and started getting comfortable in your apartment, asking questions you didn’t have a chance to ask a second ago.

How did he find your apartment? Why had he brought up Felix? What really happened the night you confessed?

Why had Mingi come to your defense… better yet why were you happy he did?

Setting your suit jacket on top of your bag you sighed, feeling worn out and dejected. You couldn’t help but think of Hongjoong again, how he had reassured you earlier. He said things you wished Chan would’ve said. He encouraged you to grow, and instead of asking you to change to fit into the unit, it sounded like he was changing things so that you would fit them.

How hard would it have been for Chan to admit his feelings before? Talk it over with you like an adult. His love didn’t mean he had to play favorites. It didn’t mean he couldn’t be your boss. Why did he expect you to change to fit him?

You were crying again when you turned at the sound of the door, Mingi bowing his head in apology. “I’m sorry about that Buttercup.” He froze when he lifted his head, spotting the tears in your eyes. He strode over easily with his long legs, brow furrowed in concern. “Fuck I should’ve kicked him in the balls. Or aimed for the eyes for permanent damage.” He grumbled to himself, whipping your tears away while you gawked up at him.

“Mingi?” Slowly you grabbed his hands, breath hitching when his gaze met yours. You couldn’t see an ounce of hatred or distaste, or anything other than care for you and anger on your behalf.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how painful this had been for you. I just thought you pissed your boss off I didn’t know-” He swallowed hard, suddenly bashful as he averted his eyes. His ears were tinged with color, tongue running over his thick lips like they were dry.

“Why does it matter? Why come to my figurative rescue. I don’t want to be some damsel in-”

He interrupted you, “That’s not it! I couldn’t stand to hear it anymore. The pain in your tone and how he was treating you. The fucker chose his career, his good morals, over you? How fucking stupid could he be. You’re a damn fine detective, and you hold your own plenty well.” He dropped his hands, even more flustered after his compliments.

You lifted a brow, heart racing in your chest. This bashful side of him was unexpected, but cute. “You sound like you like me, Mingi. Were all those insults your flirting?” You teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“I uh… maybe?” You weren’t expecting that, at all. But he was towering over you and flustered, looking almost innocent with his pleading boba eyes. “Would you reject me if I did like you? If I did want you?”

You licked your lips slowly, his eyes following the movement. Considering the thoughts you had of him lately, was rejection even an option.

In answer you brought his hands to your hips, looking up at him as you stepped closer. “Depends on how well you convince me that you do want me.”

He was confused at first, catching on as your arms wrapped around his neck. “Gladly” was all he rumbled before his lips were on yours.

Taglist (form): @mingsolo | @wowie-hockey | @crispybaguettes | @tiny-apocalypse

| @philijack | @lelaleleb | @isiloiale | @vannabanana1995  | @piratequeen-queenofgames

| @starstruckforyou | @minheeskitten | @amphiroxx  | @cloudysannie | @sugarnspice630

| @sanhwalvr | @plutoneu |  @sousydive |  @fatalt | @iwishiwasrichasfuck

| @bitchwhytho | @st4rhwa | @thesafecafe | @alextheweeb7 | @ddaeing

Taglist will be continued in a reblog!!

[skz1-4-3]

MY DEMON CH.1

Navigation || ateez Masterlist || hongjoong Masterlist ||.

¡Click here for the preview which holds important information to understand the story!

Pairings : DEMON!Hongjoong x reader , slight Wooyoung x san(not detailed , just a lot of skinship between those and lolevly chemistry)

Warnings : not proofread , Mentioning of blood , stabbing , choking(in a movie reader will watch) , harassment(reader gets harassed by men on the streets at night). Gore , head being sliced of by unknown power , knife. LMK if i missed something that could be triggering. <3

Word count : 1.7k (1,721 to be exact)

Readers POV : „you…“

Y/n POV : „I…“

no direct interaction with hongjoong yet , but i promise in the next chapter there will be.

————————————-————————————

„No, please ! Stay with me , you can’t leave me. Im begging you!“

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-1 YEAR BEFORE THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT-

[READERS POV]

You grunted as, you finally carried the last box into your new home, from the van . Your aunt had just passed away due to a tragic car accident, she was the last family member you had left , but now shes gone aswell. Somehow every single one of your family member all died due to tragic events.

You emptied each box and settled down on the slightly dusty couch that got a little damaged from the transport. You prior lived in busan , a small town in South korea and now you were here in Seoul , the city you and your aunt dreamed of visiting before her death.

„I should probably go grocery shopping , since i had to throw everything away“ you sighed , tired from moving. You stood up , grabbed your new keys and drove to the nearest store to buy some food and other things you might think were necessary.

„okay lets see , first lets get some food , i already have enough water at home so no need to worry about that for the time being“ you said out loud , even though there was nobody around that you talked to. You walked down the aisle , scanning the shelves to check if you needed anything in particular . Nothing looking infront of you, you accidentally walked into something or rather someone.

„Oh my , im so sorry. I wasn’t watching where i was going.“ you apologized and bowed to the person you walked into , as they put a hand on your shoulder.

„Please do not bow , its alright.“ a male deep voice said and you raised your head to look at the owner.

„My name is mingi by the way and these three are yeosang , san and wooyoung.“ he introduced himself and his friends to which they all nodded and two of them-san and wooyoung- gave a little wave and ‚hey‘

„Nice to meet you , my name is Y/n“ you spoke and gave them a little smile , they seemed so nice and had a friendly aura. Especially mingi , his aura basically gave you energy . You could see their auras thanks to your moms witch side,that flowed through your veins.

„where are you from by the way ? I can hear an accent“ Mingi asked you , tilting his head in curiosity. You told him that you were from busan and you all had a fun conversation about anything that came to your minds.

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..2 MONTHS LATER

-10 MONTHS BEFORE THE INCIDENT-

This encounter was 2 Months ago . Along your journey you all became good friends , almost family. Everything felt natural , you had also met Seonghwa , Yungo and jungho . Today you were all hanging out at you apartment, having another sleepover . You all gathered around and on the couch.

„So what we gonna do?“ Wooyoung asked and everyone turned to look at him . Mingi suggested to watch a horror movie and everyone agreed ,since halloween was approaching anyways. So you gathered some blankets and pillows ,to built a small nest ,to sit in. Everyone sat down comfortably , you were between mingi and yeosang,while wooyoung and san were cuddling each other. Seonghwa and jongho were on the couch, while yunho turned on the selected movie on the TV and proceeded to sit down infront of you and lied his head down ,between your legs. You put a blanked on him ,so it was warm and cozy .

The horror movie felt more like a thriller, as it showed a scene ,where blood was splashing basically everywhere. The character shown on screen was being brutally murdered and stabbed several times as Ghost face-the murderer in the scene- let out a maniac laugh. His free hand which wasn’t holding the knife , choking the poor girl.

Soon the movie was over and you all decided to play a classic game called truth or dare . Whenever you were bored , truth or dare was your solution.

„Okay , Wooyoung . Truth or dare?“ Yeosang asked wooyoung in anticipation.

„Hm truth , i dont trust you with a dare man.“ wooyoung answered and yeosang asked him ,if he was interested in anyone ,at the moment . The young man, had found a love letter in the notes app ,of wooyoungs phone , so he got quite curious. Wooyoung answered „no , i dont think i do.“ so yeosang asked him „what about that little love letter of yours?“ with a sly smile on his face . „I was just trying to be poetic i guess , im planning on writing a song about past relationships.“ he swiftly answered ,as if he was prepared for this question.

Playing another few rounds , yunho got up and walked to the closet beneath the TV to see what other movies you got stored in it. „Hey y/n , what book is this.“ he asked as he held up a book, that your aunt had left you behind, before her death. Strangely to you , it seemed like she knew the date of her death and was waiting for it . Becoming more anxious day after day , and two days before her accident, she gave you the book. It was filled with sentences, in what you assumed to be latin , but some words were still unknown to you ,so thats why you thought, it must be a different one.

„My aunt left it behind for me .“ you told him and took the book out of his hands gently . You opened the book on the last page, since you were supposed to read it from right to the left , other than usual books.

„Bestiam arcesse , tegere , necare , facere quod volo . At mihi ne noceas, ut sum dominus.“( summon the beast, to protect , to kill . But it shall not harm me , as I am its master.) you said out loud , yes you knew that you came from a family of witches -just like mingi , you found out about that when he used a spell to change clothes without knowing that you saw him- but you aunt always told you , that you were to weak to cast a spell , since your dad was human .

Or so you all thought

After you read it out and san raising his eyebrow , seonghwa asked. „What does that mean?“

„I have no idea“ you responded and you all returned to truth or dare and you placed the book behind you. Behind you … just like the weird stare you suddenly felt.

„Okay y/n , truth or dare .“ wooyoung asked you , you answered „dare!“ slightly excited. Wooyoung always had the most fun dares to do. But this time it wasn’t that fun .

„i dare you to get some snacks from the 24/7 store down the street. Please? I am starving.“ he said leaning into you with puppy eyes. You sighed and agreed. Should’ve picked truth. „Let me go with you , its already 2AM and dark outside.“ yunho said being the gentleman he is.

You disagreed and said thats its all good since the store is just down the road and been to it several times before after 3AM. After some arguing he accepted to just stay and wait for you to come back. You took you purse , put on shoes and jacket and left the house.

As you walked down the street with your hands in your pocket , you started to feel slightly uncomfortable. Weird… , you thought as you grew anxious. Out of nowhere a hand grabbed your wrist and pulled you , into the alleyway. Another hand covering your mouth as the one that grabbed you held your wrists together behind you. You tried to scream but your sounds got muffled .

„Okay sweetheart , this will god by quickly if you just comply with us.“ said one of the men ,as he twirled the knife in his hands , a disgusting smirk plastered across his face. Your eyes filled with fear and pleading for them to let you go.

Unexpectedly the one holding your wrists let go , or so you thought. When you turned around you saw him unconscious on the flore . The other three were shocked and walked over to him , slapping his cheeks. The second time something weird happened was when another mens throat suddenly splashed a circle of bloods from around it and his eyes widened , you eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Then his head , fell off of his body , landing on the floor next to the -which you thought was unconscious- dead man. The remaining two screamed and your eyes widened in horror. You quickly turned around and ran home where you were safe. Not really.

You were still dazed from what happened. Did the other two die aswell? You questioned yourself in your mind ad you walked into the living room where you found 7 men on couch and floor -or both like mingi whos upper body was on the floor but hips and legs on the couch- all sleeping.

You sighed in relief not having to answer the questioning of wooyoung which would lead to you vaguely telling them what happened , which then would lead to yunho feeling like he should be the one to blame for it.

You walked over to the free couch, which no one was on and settled down. You muscles thanking you ,since you just ran as fast ,as you’ve never been before. Looking down on the table you found the book open on the page from before again. The the guys read it ? You thought before you layed down to finally get some rest.

Why you weren’t confused on what happened just now? You were always told stories ,by your aunt and some of your mother , before they both passed ,on how crazy events happened to them, because they were witches.

Must be a witch thing…

Was the last thing you thought as you finally fell asleep.