#he's been with me through so much over the last year i love my tiger boy deeply

[hoshologies]

IT THE 1ST IN AUSTRALIA SO HAPPY NEW YEARS!! I HOPE THIS YEAR BRINGS YOU GREAT HEALTH, LOTS OF MOTIVATION AND EVEN MORE HOSHI <3

-Yh

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! LOVE U LOTS I HOPE 2023 BRINGS YOU PROSPERITY AND GOOD HEALTH AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN <3

[cupcaketeddybehr]

when your credit card declines pt. 1

featuring: nanami and toji (pt. 2 with sukuna, geto, and gojo coming soon!! i was going to include it all in one but wanted to feed you guys because its been soooo long!)

thank you so much to @luvxoxo for the request!! i loved writing it and hope this is what you had in mind!! for anyone that has a request/just wants to chat, my ask box is open!!

so sorry this took so long! i promise i'm back 💗

Nanami

you decide to take yourself on a little shopping spree after surviving this week (or most of it anyways). today’s entitled customers pushed you over the edge, with the workday ending with a screaming match and the bakery closing early. after running it for the past five years, you hadn’t gotten a customer as rude as the one you got today. upset about their iced tea having too much ice, they proceeded to throw the entire glass on nobara, one of your employees.

after trying to call your boyfriend, kento, and his phone going to voicemail, you started to lose it. practically glaring a hole through your phone, you waited for the voicemail beep. when it went off, so did you.

“kento i’m so fucking annoyed right now. i hate everyone and i just need to go shopping. don’t wait for me for dinner, i’ll be at the mall.”

angrily speeding out of the bakery parking lot and to the mall, you slam the car door as you take out your credit card, ready to spend your entire life’s savings on retail therapy. you weren’t even sure how much you had in your bank account, but you were ready to test it.

you walk into onitsuka tiger and begin pulling things off the rack. after eying their newest runway collection in your favorite youtuber’s videos, you have your heart set on their winter coats and midi dresses. you also need at least two of their shoes in different colors.

too bothered to try anything on, you walk to the counter with everything in your arms. people glance over their shoulders at you, watching you periodically drop things on your way to the cashier. you grumble and bend down to pick the clothes up, still too annoyed to care about anything besides your shopping. as you approach, you spot a familiar blondie talking to the cashier.

he turns around with a concerned look in his eyes and a gigantic onitsuka tiger bag in his hand. he walks towards you after glancing behind him to thank the cashier. “sweetheart… i listened to your voicemail... are you okay? do you want to get some wetzel’s pretzels and talk about it?”

while you look at him, confused, he takes all the clothes from your hands and walks around the store to put them back. “we can get the cinnamon kind you like” he tries.

“ken, I was going to buy those.” you snap, mildy infuriated.

he pulls your resisting body into a hug and kisses your forehead. “honey, you spent almost the entirety of your bank account on those three pairs of gentle monster sunglasses last week” he chuckles.

you glare at him. saying “no i did not,” knowing full well that you did. your ‘entire life’s savings’ was currently at a grand total of 50 dollars.

he takes your hand and brushes your fisted knuckles with his thumb as hands you the giant bag in his hands. “text me next time you run out of money, okay? i want to provide for you.”

“but you never spend money on yourself, ken.” you say, slowly looking through the bag. in it is every single thing you had in your hands earlier and more. the black denim dress, long brown coat, navy blue shoes, and much, much more. you look up at your boyfriend, eyes watering at his gesture.

he shakes his head, “you and what you want matter more to me than anything else.” he runs his hand over the back of your head, fingers gently caressing your hair. “i know this week was especially hard for you so i had these waiting here for pickup since wednesday. you just beat me here.” he chuckles. “i know this doesn’t make up for those shitty customers, but i hope it makes you feel better.”

you hug him tightly, “how did you know?”

he kisses the top of your head, “i’ve been looking at your pinterest boards for inspiration”

you pull him in for a kiss, “genuinely, honey, I don’t know how i got so lucky with you.”

“i’m the one who’s lucky, sweetheart.” he says.

Toji

you walk through the mall with your boyfriend, squealing with excitement as you spot the new jellycat diner. “TOJI! look!” you point happily. “which one should i get? should i get the pizza? no wait, maybe i’ll get the hot dog… no WAIT-“

he chuckles, “doll, didn��t your paycheck just come in? you can probably get a bunch.”

you look at him with giant puppy dog eyes, “wanna buy it for me?”

he scratches the back of his neck, “uhh… i might’ve spent my entire paycheck at the casino… sorry, ma”

“oh my god, ‘ji, how are we supposed to eat?” you rub your forehead, “you promised no more casino.”

he pulls your hand closer to him, “i know… shiu wanted to go for his birthday and i got carried away. i’m really sorry, doll.”

you huff, “if you go again, i’m going to shoot you.” stomping off without him, you pick up the two jellycats you want and bring them to the counter. “just these two, please!” the cashier bundles them up for you and motions for you to swipe your card.

“your card declined, could you try swiping it again?” the cashier asks.

you internally panic. “sure!” you say, swiping it again. you’re starting to doubt the fact that you cashed your paycheck in. unfortunately for you, your card declines three more times and you end up walking out of the store embarassed and empty handed.

after listening to toji’s endless apologies on the way home, he promises to make it up to you when he receives his next paycheck. you nod, deciding to forgive him before heading out to dinner with your best friend, shoko. with the amount of money in your card, you’re pretty sure that all you can afford is an onigiri from 7/11.

as you pull out of the driveway, you think you hear the whirring of your ancient sewing machine, but you’re not quite sure. you’re not even sure if that thing works anyway.

when you return home, toji’s nowhere to be found. knowing that he didn’t have plans to work today, you wander through the rooms of your apartment, calling his name. when you get to the dining table, you spot a half-crumpled post-it and concerningly ugly plushies that you think are kinda ugly-cute.

as you get closer, you realize that they kind of resemble the pizza and hotdog jellycat plushies you almost bought at the mall. their drawn-on sharpie eyes stare back at you as you take in their half-sewn and half-glue-gunned appearance. they have hot glue strings and threads poking out of the sides, but you’re falling in love with them nonetheless. you laugh as you think about toji giving up on using the sewing machine halfway through. hugging them tightly, you read the post-it toji left on the table.

"hey doll, i’ll be back in a bit, just finishing up something real quick. love you" it reads, with a hastily scribbled heart.

fifteen minutes later, toji walks through the door, hair tousled and the real jellycat pizza and hot dog plushies in one arm and chinese takeout in the other.

he grins, “hey doll.”

you run up to him and throw your arms around his neck. “did you make these?” you ask, referring to his handmade plushies.

he grimaces a little, “yeah, they’re kinda ugly, huh?”

you laugh and shake your head, “no, ‘ji, i love them, thank you so much”

he hands you the jellycats in his hands, “i got the real ones for you too because i can’t fuckin’ look at my ugly ones”

when you look at his hands, you see that they’re covered in glue gun burns and bandages. you run your hands over the sewing machine and glue gun damages asking, “i thought you didn’t have money?”

“i pickpocketed people on the street.”

you look at him, “toji, please, for the love of god, tell me that you’re joking.”

he just laughs, “yeah sure doll, i’m just jokin’” he says, knowing you don’t believe him in the slightest.

thank you so much to @saradika-graphics for the beautiful dividers and support banners 🫶

and thank YOU so much for reading! i appreciate you!

[godihatethiswebsite]

Mourning Doves

✽Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish x f!reader

Johnny provides you with some comfort after your favorite hockey team loses

Main Masterlist ✽ Ao3

°•. ✿ .•°.•° ✿ °•.°•. ✿ .•°.•° ✿ °•.°•. ✿ .•°

This is a little drabble I wrote for me and @ohbo-ohno after we both suffered grievous losses in the Stanley Cup playoffs tonight. I know we're supposed to be in mourning, but the brain bunnies demanded comfort so I stayed up late and wrote it myself ❤️

Also I'm biased so it's our favorite Scotsman

"I'm going to die."

"Yer not goin' tae die."

"Bury me in the garden underneath the willow tree."

"Ye havnae gone there since ya ran into that spiderweb last summer."

"The spider can have my carcass."

"Now yer jus' being a numpty."

Your face was still buried in the pillow from where you put it fifteen minutes ago, the rest of your body sprawled out on your stomach with your right arm and leg dangling off the couch like a limp ragdoll. He'd returned home to find you like this after a late night spent with the team, expecting to find you asleep by the time he got home from the bar since it was now well after midnight. Instead, he's greeted with the sight of your theatrics to having watched your favorite hockey team - the Denver Brown Bears - defeated in double overtime by the Austin Tigers.

Johnny located the remote you must've tossed in your grief and turned the TV off, setting it on the coffee table before kneeling down next to your form, running his knuckles up and down your hanging limb. "There now, hen. Dunnae fret. Ye'll get 'em next year, ah'm sure of it."

Turning your head to the side, he finally got to see the sunken expression marring your beautiful face; bloodshot eyes overflowing with tears, face flushed and splotchy from crying. You'd tried to put on a brave facade with your earlier banter, but it was obvious now that you were struggling. This was more than just a minor upset - his girl was genuinely hurting.

His brows furrowed and heart dropped in his chest to see you so devastated. He knew how much this had meant to you, the unbridled joy and excitement he'd seen you display the past few weeks as your team made it into the playoffs had only endeared him to you even more. Oh sure, he'd ribbed you for it playfully whenever he saw you curled up in the living room wearing the Bears goalie's jersey animatedly cheering on your team and throwing popcorn at a bad call, but truthfully he'd loved getting to see you so spirited, especially knowing the rough patch you'd been going through lately. Hockey had been a good distraction and it was a shame the season had to end like this for you.

He brushed a loose strand of hair from your face, damped by the moisture and sticking to your skin before moving it back behind your ear. The quiet broken whimper as he touched your cheek had him reacting on instinct, rolling you onto your side so that he could lift you up into his arms, cradling you to his chest as your hand fisted his shirt like a child would seeking comfort. What tears had slowed over time began anew now that you had him here, needing his steadiness and warmth to ground you from the onslaught of emotions pulling you down below the waves. He kept his voice soft and tone reassuring, letting you seek solace in his familiar embrace.

"Shhhh... s'alright, mo chridhe. Ah'm here. Ah've got ye..."

Carrying you down the hall, he carefully toed the bedroom door open, slipping inside the darkened room before closing it behind him with his heel. He stepped over the wrinkled clothes on the floor as he made his way over to the bed, never stopping his comforting noises as you continued to hiccup out tears, ruining his shirt with wetness from where your face stayed pressed against his collarbone.

Johnny perched himself on the edge of the bed, settling you more comfortably in his lap as the arm that had been tucked under your knees moved to rub circles into your back. He let you get all your emotions out, content to just hold you safe until the worst of it had passed. It tore at his insides to see you so depressed, wishing it was a problem he could get his hands on instead of feeling so useless for you. He'd never been very good at sitting idly by, the beast under his skin itching for a fight he could walk away bloodied from. If it wasn't for the baser need to be here for you, there's a good chance he'd be on his phone right now trying to convince the lads to take a day trip down to Austin with him for some retribution for making his girl weep.

But no. Putting his fists into an entire hockey team wouldn't change the outcome of tonight. Johnny knew you simply had to let time take it's course and eventually make it easier for you to move on past your grief.

Once your cries had quieted and tears lessened, he'd gently maneuvered you off his lap and onto the mattress, pressing a firm kiss to the crown of your head before walking over to the dresser and rooting around for something more comfortable to wear. He ignored the quiet sniffles behind him as he worked quickly to rid himself of his clothes, changing into a pair of sweats and an old army shirt before joining you back by the bed. You let him tug the Bears jersey up over your head, keeping your arms raised as he replaced it with one of his soft shirts you often loved to steal from him, dragging your pants off your legs before pulling back the comforter and motioning you to climb in.

Once you got situated in your spot, Johnny curled up right next to you and pulled you back into his hold, head resting on his chest as your limbs tangled together under the sheets. He made sure you were tucked in all nice and snuggly, heart fluttering at the familiar sensation of you nuzzling your face into him and breathing in his scent. You were still upset at the loss, but it was easier to deal with wrapped up in your lover's arms.

There weren't many problems that being with Johnny couldn't fix; he was your pillar, your rock, the one thing in this world that could find you in the darkest of depths and drag you from it's clutches up towards the surface. He radiated pure light in a way that even after all this time together still left you in total awe. He liked to say he wasn't a good man - that you deserved someone made of softer materials with less blood on their hands - but he didn't understand it no matter how hard you tried to explain.

You didn't need soft. You needed someone made of iron and shattered teeth that could fight back your inner demons. Someone with scarred knuckles and split lips who knew how to mend the tattered edges of your soul because they already had the experience stitching themselves back together with needle and thread.

So on nights like tonight when you couldn't fight your own battles...

"I really wanted them to win..."

"Ah ken, love. Ah ken. But jus' think how hard they fought fer ye. Dinnae go down easy that's fer damn sure. Be proud of yer boys, love. It's cuz of bonny lasses like yerself that they had the support and strength to get as far as they did. They'll come back swingin' - and when they do, they'll naught ask fer a better fan cheerin' them on."

...you knew you had someone right there beside you to throw the first punch and shield your body with his own.

And if you ever asked him to, he'd glady show those Tigers what happens when they encounter a pack of wolves

[gluion]

finger trapped (ripped to its seams) ➵ ji changmin

ji changmin x reader

with an unexpected reunion, you and changmin relive the memories of cheongju—and confront what could’ve been between you two.

general genre/warnings ➵ friends to almost lovers, angst, fluff, gender neutral reader, some depressive and insecure thoughts, hurt/comfort, the last five years story-telling method (aka present will be told going backwards while past will be told moving forward... i hope that makes sense), brief mention of blood from picking on your skin, tiger parents so... parental issues, unexpected reunion, keeping secrets & lying, jealousy remains but love triumphs, journalist reader (u kno i had to do it), reader is a nerd and changmin is a student-athlete, kms jokes from jongseob (all /lh), finger traps aren’t efficient after all

word count ➵ 15.7k words

playlist ➵ end of beginning by djo // high school in jakarta by niki // i know it won't work by gracie abrams // no big deal (i love you) by dodie // keeping tabs by niki // no one knows by stephen sanchez & laufey // so what now by reneé rapp // i wish i hated you by ariana grande // the 1 by taylor swift // seasons by wave to earth

a/n ➵ it's finally out! this is my submission for @deoboyznet's the love letter collective event! this work is so so personal to me on so many levels so i hope you all love and treat this fic with care :')) for the bitches who struggle with parents and dreams.... this one's for you (i am in the same boat) i appreciate everyone who's been so patient and looking forward to this fic's release. i'd like to thank @hcuyk for being a betareader for this fic! i also want to dedicate this one to @sungbeam and @wavesmp3 <3 your works inspire me so much and i think this fic is a product of how much they've influence me. hanbin's version is now available! please don't forget to reblog and leave feedback!!

want to be part of my taglist? send me an ask! masterlist

present -> three weeks after the interview, 2024

the newsroom never sleeps. the rings of landlines and clacks of keyboards bounce off the four walls. through light bulbs or sunshine, light continues to remain. and at every corner, a journalist stands—ready to enter the depths of slumber but remain on their toes as they await for an update on their unraveling story.

but the newsroom is rarely busy unless there’s a major nationwide event, election season or the super bowl to name a few, for most journalists are out to discover what the world has to offer.

knowledge doesn’t only come from the chitchat of your coworkers. it’s only on the field that you’ll hear of hearsay and testimonies. after all, the choice to probe rests on your shoulders.

“there’s a typo over there.”

“huh? where?”

“over here,” you mumble as your finger darts to point at a section on the screen. “it’s supposed to say “in their climactic performance on road to kingdom,” not climatic.”

“ah, i see it now. sorry about that,” lee jihoon of digital development says as he corrects the error. his hair is disheveled from the hood that once perched on his head during the night he spent in the newsroom. you would’ve scolded the guy—go home and take a shower before you stink up the place—but you are no better, grouped with the other journalists who stayed up in the office.

“there we go. should be all good. now, are you ready to go through the profiles?”

an exhausted chuckle departs from your lips. “yeah, let’s go—”

“what’s the update?” life and arts editor kim namjoon—your editor—comes to you with a smile.

the grey hoodie he wears paired with comfortable jeans shows that he’s a little relaxed. for once, you don’t see him on his phone, battling the deadlines or getting pitched stories by the other editors. it’s a nice sight but one that won’t last for long.  

“we just finished going through the article about the group, so we still have yet to go through the profiles.” jihoon then looks at you. “i can’t believe you basically wrote 12 articles. like, 11 profiles and one main article is a lot. you didn’t want to work on it with anyone else?”

once namjoon stands beside you, you bump your shoulder against his figure. “i didn’t have a choice, did i?” it’s a rhetorical question but one your editor still chooses to answer.

“unfortunately, we’re understaffed, but it seemed like you got the hang of it. i wouldn’t have trusted anyone else to do it.” namjoon shoots you a smile before redirecting his attention back to jihoon. “and as much as i’d love to tell y/n more, we have to pick up the pace.” without any further questions, the three of you resume with work. 

there’s no time to waste in the journalism industry. still, his praise doesn’t go unnoticed. 

one article turned into eight done in a matter of 30 minutes, all with the help of three pairs of eyes to go through them. (namjoon seemed to carry the heavy lifting. after all, the guy was trained to be quick in reading and spotting errors.)

it should’ve been easy to keep up with your editor for all the other articles; you know each profile like the back of your hand.

then, the face of a boy who you once knew sits on the screen.

his gaze seems to pierce through your soul, almost in the same way you last talked to him. the loose ends of composure slip through your fingers; your breath’s stuck in your throat as the hammering of your heart fills your ears. yet, he stands still on the monitor.

as your eyes drift through the passages you’ve written, every sound is drowned out. the voice of your editor fades like the everchanging seasons and the clicks of the keyboard resemble the sobs you let out in the comfort of your childhood room.

and suddenly, the hands of the clock have turned all the way back to 2014. the cubicles transformed into aisles of chips and instant ramen, and you hear mr. kim’s voice in the distance—i have some hotteok! fresh from the pan! but amidst it all, you hear the giggles of the boy, your best friend, as he rushes towards you—i’ll go audition and make you proud. as your arm is wrapped with the heat of his fingers, you almost believe that your life as a journalist is nothing but a dream—

“i knew him.” the illusion disappears within a blink of an eye. namjoon’s eyes snap towards you and jihoon stops scrolling through the website. “we went to the same high school.”

you aren’t sure why you revealed that to your coworkers, let alone your boss. it’s an old memory—your weight to carry. before you can apologize for disrupting their work, namjoon’s hand rests on your shoulder, his thumb drawing shapes into it. when you look over at him, you’re greeted by his smile. it resembles your bed after a long day of work or a slow day at the newsroom.

but it never lives up to him, whose giggles resemble nature’s symphonies. the two shots of espresso you need at the start of the day once came in the form of his warm embrace. most of all, his smile is enough to illuminate the world even through the strongest storms and times when power went out.

for the remaining articles, not a single word leaves you. before you know it, all 12 articles were ready to go up on the web.

“that’s all of it. should i still schedule them to go up around 12 p.m.?” jihoon notes as he saves the drafts.

“yeah, 12 p.m. still sounds good. thanks a lot.” namjoon nudges his shoulder before looking over to you. “let’s talk in my office.”

you don’t question his orders. once namjoon takes off, you follow him all the way to his office. as he swings the door open, you are met with the familiar sight of his workspace. hues of green and brown mix, where nature and art meet within the space of corporate.

once namjoon takes a seat on his chair, you find your spot across from him. his eyes stare off to the window. for a moment, you’re not sure what to expect from this impromptu meeting.

seconds pass and not a single word has been said—

“this place’s always alive,” your editor breaks the silence. “don’t you think so?”

you follow his line of sight. busy seoul never changes; the skyscrapers pollute the sky and the people never sleep, off to work or off to party.

“where’d you grow up again?”

you look back at namjoon whose eyes still remain locked on the city. “cheongju.”

he hums. “i haven’t been there. nice place?”

“yeah, but i haven’t gone back in a while.”

“when was the last time?” his eyes finally meet yours.

your teeth grasp the inside of your cheek. “2014, since i first left,” you admit. 

“do you miss it?”

you’re not sure how to answer. the pavements you’ve scraped your knees against and the walls your laughs bounced off of—do you miss them all? or is the reason behind your laughter and scabs the one you long for?

“is that why you were hesitant about interviewing them?” namjoon’s thumbs fiddle with each other. “because of your history with him?”

now, you stare at your linked hands. maybe the silence from you is enough to answer his question but you know namjoon would never settle for a soundless answer.

“i—i’m not a good person. and even if i didn’t make the choice to leave, i—” you hold yourself back. your fingers start to pick on the skin around your thumbs, peeling it so blood can spill. 

“it’s okay, i understand. you don’t have to share it with me.” your eyes drift back to namjoon, spotting a small smile that rests on his face. “it must’ve been hard to relive it all.”

the bond you have with namjoon is one that you hold close to your heart. through his mentorship, you got to learn about what it means to be a writer. the fears of being a journalist would loom over you, where questions of salary and demanding work hours would occupy your mind, but namjoon became someone who would absolve them all. he became a pillar in your life, one that provides you hope and comfort within the industry.

“so, don’t feel pressured to talk about it. but if you ever want to open up about it, then i’ll be here.”

namjoon’s giving you an exit. are you willing to take it?

you cross your arms as you lean back into the chair. “you know how i was a science major then?”

“yeah, i remember looking over your resume. and then i saw that you were part of your university’s publication.”

your tongue pushes against the inside of your cheek. “i would’ve gotten some job in that field, like, i had it lined up for me.”

“really? like lab coat and all?”

as namjoon attempts to hold back his laugh over the image, you chuckle along. “yeah, lab coat and all! it’s crazy how my life was all set for that field, but i’m here now.” you look down at your arms. “i think just facing him in a completely different field that i once used to imagine with him was just strange. but i think hearing his answers really did it for me.”

namjoon nods at your words. “care to have lunch with me?” your eyes snap back to your editor. “i’m guessing you want to talk about it, after all.”

all you do is smile before getting off your seat.

spring of 2014

the season of spring has graced cheongju; the sun gleams in the expanse of blue and birds perched on tree branches sing their songs. it’s the perfect season to embrace the wonders of the town.

while it would be a delight to bask under the returning warmth, you’re stuck within the walls of the classroom, head resting on crossed arms. 

still, the lilacs have yet to bloom.

“y/n.” you quickly sit up before your eyes settle on your adviser, ms. jeon, who stands in front of the classroom. “let’s take attendance.”

with that, you’re beside her as you call out each name on the class list. it’s a quick process of saying your classmates’ names for them to respond in variations of “present,” until you reach the section of last names that start with a ‘j’.

“ji changmin.” no response.

you rip your eyes off the piece of paper, only met with your classmates who either look at each other in confusion or spaced out in their own worlds.

“ji changmin?” when you’re met with the same reaction, you’re ready to mark the student absent—

“sorry!” the doors slam open. a boy clad in a white polo and jogging pants is panting by the entrance, covered in sweat as he rests on the edge of it. “sorry, i’m late.”

“oh, it’s okay! you arrived just in time.” ms. jeon smiles at the tardy student. as you watch him take a seat, his eyes lock with yours, but your adviser nudges you before saying, “y/n, proceed.”  

ji changmin made his name a few years back at a competition. the applause and roars from the crowd marked his spot in the school. others describe his movement as of cranes, standing in the middle of a pond as they do their best to minimize forming any ripples, or of elephants, swaying their trunks with control like no other.

but he’s a versatile dancer; nothing can truly capture him.

once you’ve finished marking the attendance, you go back to your seat. you’re ready to start the day with no bother but you can’t shake the feeling of being watched.

“now, you can see in these,” your art teacher, ms. park, points to the screen showcasing works from her favorite contemporary artists like kwon yongju and félix gonzález-torres, “that there are no borders to what constitutes art. and that’s not wrong because we have to recognize that art comes in different forms as we progress, from traditional painting and sculptures to digital ones.”

this field isn't your strong suit. with a greater understanding of the sciences, you struggle to create anything that could be on par with the works of any artist. yet, you enjoyed learning about every piece that your teacher shared, like unfolding and admiring something you know you can never replicate or create. still, the universe decides that they have other plans for you.

“as i mentioned before, i’ll be giving you time to work on your final assessment, which is to create an artwork for the class exhibit. for this deliverable, i’m asking that your work will be a collaborative one, meaning you aren’t working alone.” in a sea of chatter, some groans exit your classmates. “remember, inspiration doesn’t come from your own bubble! take this as your opportunity to create something that you’ve never imagined.”

within a split second, students are off their seats as they attempt to find a partner to work with. you, however, were struggling to think of who you could team up with. admittedly, you have a very different work style compared to others—even cheng xiao, aspiring valedictorian, didn’t enjoy working with you. she turned every activity into a competition against you. (you didn’t enjoy her, either.) while you’re considering shamefully going up to your classmates like a stray dog looking for anyone willing to care for them—

“hi!” in front of you stands the tardy student of today, all smiles as his hands find comfort in the pockets of his jogging pants. “do you have a partner already?”

with furrowed eyebrows, you can’t help but look him up and down. “no, why?”

“well,” changmin looks around the classroom, “everyone seems to have paired up except for us.” as his eyes drift back to you, he flashes you a smile, one that shows the dips engraved into his cheeks. “which leaves me to ask if you would like to work with me for this.”

you don’t have a choice. ms. park would never bend the rules for you. if anything, she would find a way to pair you with another student who would dread the idea of working with you. (“i’m sure they won’t mind being partners with you, right?” is what she would ask the poor student, only to be met with their retreat.)

“unless we accept a failing mark, which i’m sure we both don’t want.” it’s not like changmin had a choice as well.

“okay.” with one word, light fills his eyes, enough to resemble the starlight that grazes your skin every night. “we can meet and discuss our schedules, especially because i’ve got ap stat, and you have, uhm,” a cough leaves you, “training, i’m assuming, or rehearsals. i don’t really know what you call them.”

his eyebrows shoot up as his mouth parts open. “o—oh, yeah. i usually have training after class until 8 p.m. on tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays.”

“same. my classes are until 7 p.m. on tuesdays and thursdays, so maybe we can use the other days to work together?”

with one nod from him, his dimples reappear. “great! i’ll see you tomorrow.”

before you know it, everyone finds their way back to their seats for ms. park’s final reminders. you do your best to pay attention to every announcement, jotting down every word on your planner and planning out your agenda for the upcoming weeks. yet, your eyes seem to have a mind of their own as they drift back to the boy who discreetly passes notes to kim donghan, another dancer on the team, all while listening to the teacher.

you don’t notice how long you spend staring at changmin until he turns to meet your gaze. in that split second, you look at each other—then, embarrassment washes over you. you shift your attention back to ms. park. as you drum your fingers against the desk, mentally kicking yourself over the interaction, you still can’t shake the feeling of being watched.

you look back at changmin; he’s still looking at you.

his dimples make their reappearance before he looks back at ms. park. you do the same as you attempt to listen to her ramble about banksy’s works. 

(you’re still thinking about the dips in his cheeks.)

the first time you get to meet with changmin for the project happens the following week. you two had different commitments to attend to, whether it be other projects or training. and while you would usually settle to meet in the school library or a cafe nearby, you find yourself inside the empty gymnasium, sitting on bleachers while your partner stands in front of mirrors.

“don’t you think it would be nice to combine our hobbies together?”

your pencil taps against the notebook. “like, your dancing? with what?”

“whatever you like to do!” once he makes his way to you, he leans on the row in front of you with crossed arms. “i mean, do you have anything you like to do during your free time?”

a scoff leaves you. “funny of you to assume that i have free time.”

“what’s your schedule like?”

“well, i have our classes and ap ones, then kumon at night.”

changmin reels at the thought of your schedule. “that’s brutal. the last time i had kumon was back in grade 4.”

“yeah, but i’m sure yours is busy as well. the amount of time that you put into training is…” his eyes are wide, hanging on your words. it’s the hope they hold that has you say, “admirable.”

a shy smile takes over his features. “yeah, but it’s only because my family is supportive of what i do.”

then, limbs whose color resembles the void slither their way to your heart, wrapping around it while the organ struggles to beat; it’s a slow process but an unending hole that will birth from it. yet, you do your best to fight off these limbs, unraveling them one by one in hopes it will give up—until you settle for shaking them off.

you only muster out a hum.

“do you have anything you like to do during those short breaks?”

your lips trill. “i don’t know. watch something on youtube?”

his cheeks puff up, stuck in his thoughts as he tries to navigate this project—and you—until his eyes glint. “what do you do when you want to vent?”

“you sure have a lot of questions,” you comment, trying to hold back a chuckle at his curiosity. “i can just adjust to you. maybe attempt to draw, picture, or even film you.”

his eyebrows furrow. “but that wouldn’t make it collaborative. i want us to work on something that aligns with what we do.”

a beat passes.

he holds your gaze. “i want us to create something that shows us.”

inside you, a gong is struck; its sound reverberates throughout your body, from the crown of your forehead to the tips of your toes. then, silence seeps in—a moment only for you and him.

“i, uh, write,” you whisper as your eyes shift to the notebook resting on your lap.

“really? like, stories and poetry?”

you nod. “i like writing people’s stories more, but i do like making ones.” when you look back at changmin, his eyes are still filled with curiosity. “i would, like, find interviews online and try to make my own, sort of, uhm—god this is embarrassing. forget about it.”

“huh? no, it isn’t!” he attempts to reassure your shrunken figure. “i mean, you don’t have to share more if you really don’t want to, but i’d like to hear more about it.” and when his dimples appear, you almost can’t help but feel your face warm up.

“i’d make articles, i guess?” he nods along with your words. “i don’t know, it’s just interesting to hear about people’s lives and kind of create something out of it, and i like thinking about all the possibilities of who would love to hear them. like, don’t you think that some of the stories that we read hold fragments of someone?”

“that’s an interesting way to look at it.”

as you doodle on your notebook, you say, “yeah, it’s just fun to hear these stories and maybe create something out of it. or even think of stories that i could never live out, you know?” you expect yourself to be met with the bored face of changmin but his eyes remain on you.

“what if you interview me?”

your eyebrows shoot up. “you?”

“yeah,” he stands up before walking up to your row, finding a spot beside you. “think of me as your first interviewee if you want.”

the sudden suggestion has you stumbling over your words. “huh? b—but, i don’t have questions prepared. and how does this help our project?” 

when his arms brush against yours, you start to become aware of the distance between your shoulders��and his face from yours. warmth spreads throughout your body, almost like you’re about to have a fever. once his open hand rests near yours, you don’t know what he’s asking.

“let me draw it out for you.” you hand him your pencil and notebook, allowing him to see your doodles. (you don’t miss his grin.) “you know, with that article you make, we can cut it up and create something out of it.” a roughly drawn sketch of a boy posed in the middle of a dance move now rests on the page. “i don’t know if a collage would be okay.”

as you think about what can be done, you perch your chin on your palm. “we can do papercut art? basically, it’s cutting up the article in a way to form an image.”

“oh, that sounds cool!”

“yeah, but the only challenge is that we can only use one piece of paper.” a sigh leaves you. “it would be impossible for me to even do that.”

“that’s why you have me.” his small smile causes wind chimes to ring. (you’re positive you heard them, even if there were no such things in the gymnasium.)

he continues to sketch out the layout of your joint artwork. “how do we feel about this?” on the paper, there are two boxes beside the figure, where one is labeled as “photo of me” while the other is labeled “an article by y/n.” your head tilts. “it’ll be a three-set piece. so, it’ll be a photo of me and your article, and in between is the papercut art that we’ll make.”

you hum. “you know, you’re very creative.” you look at him only to see that he’s been staring at you. “like, you’re inclined to the arts. i wouldn’t have been able to think of something like this.”

“you’re just as creative,” he argues back as he writes down something.

you shake your head before retorting, “changmin, you’re very talented. i’ve seen the way you dance,” his movements halt, “and you’re like no other dancer i’ve seen. if you ever try out to be an idol, i’m sure you’d do great, maybe end up on the list of the best dancers in the industry.”

but he shakes his head, going back to writing on your notebook and shutting down your compliments. you decide to not push.

“i can get the photo sometime during my training,” he says as he hands you your notebook.

“then i can have the questions sometime this week. for the article, i can have it done maybe four days after the interview. how does wednesday, after school, sound for the interview?”

he shoots you a smile before standing up from his seat. “that’s perfect! i’m looking forward to meeting journalist y/n.” you can’t help but scoff at what he calls you. “what’s wrong?”

“nothing,” you shake your head. “it’s just a silly name.” because the reality is that you had your future planned out—and it definitely didn’t involve that field.

he shrugs. “i don’t know, i think it would fit you.”

“but you haven’t read any of my works.”

“but i want to root for you in the same way you do for me. i don’t want you to feel ashamed of your works.” a fire ignites in your heart; it’s a fireplace.

you’re baffled that changmin, out of all people, now holds your secret, but you’re even astounded over the idea of him supporting you. you almost can’t remember the last time you heard such words of support. is it genuine or nothing but a facade?

“anyway, i’ve got to go. i need to catch up on some homework.” while you shoot him a nod, his dimples make their appearance once more. “i’ll see you tomorrow!” as he takes off, you’re left in the gymnasium with your opened notebook and unlocked heart. you look back down at his sketch surrounded by your doodles, but you don’t miss his little note—cute doodles btw <3

the season of spring has unfolded in cheongju; a single lilac has bloomed.

present -> a day before the interview, 2024

it’s a late night on a tuesday, about to be a midnight wednesday, and you’re in a convenience store as you scout for your dinner. all hauled up in the newsroom, the idea of ordering food during a time where restaurants would still be open slipped your mind. now, you’re left to scan through the same options you’ve eaten for the past years since you started living in seoul.

the convenience clerks are familiar with you, both kim jongseob and kim jiwoo. with your constant late-night meals at the store, you’d talk to whichever one had a shift. jongseob is saving up to upgrade his setup at home to record more music. with all the stories he shares about his time in underground rap battles along with the short verses he’s performed for you, you’re positive that he’ll get signed to a label soon. as for jiwoo, this is one of the many jobs she has in order to save enough money for fashion school. you’ve seen her sketches and outfits she’s put together and you’re hoping that she’ll get accepted.

a sigh leaves you. you didn’t have a problem with eating the food here but you were craving for something new in your life in seoul. the perpetual cycle of eating takeout food and unconsciously skipping meals for work needed to be disrupted just for a moment. but you weren’t seeking michelin-star food—all you wanted was something home cooked. something from home.

the spice of tteokbokki, the burn of freshly fried hotteok, and the sweetness of homemade peach iced tea—mr. kim’s convenience store had it all.

your tastebuds long for cheongju.

“planning to beat your record of spending 23 minutes on deciding what to get?”

you roll your eyes before looking to your right, seeing jongseob stock up the drinks in the fridge. “i hate you.”

“what? i’m just saying, you’re taking a lot longer to decide today.” he chuckles before placing the last bottle of sweetened probiotic milk in the fridge. “none of the options look good to you?”

“sort of,” you hum before you scan through the aisle of packaged meals. “i think i’m craving for something different.”

“i get it. the food here can get boring, which is why i’m planning to order pizza if you want to split the costs.”

your eyebrows shoot up at jongseob’s suggestion. “really? you’d share pizza with me?”

“yeah, as long as you pay for your share.” he shoots you a smile before grabbing on a trolley carrying empty boxes. “unless… you want to pay for the whole thing.”

you bite back a smile as you shake your head. you should’ve known the guy would ask you to buy him food, but you knew that he needed the money and you at least had a stable income to keep you comfortable. “fine,” jongseob’s smile grows as you fish out your wallet from your pocket and pull out a couple of bills. “just order enough for us two.” 

“of course,” he says as soon as you hand him some money. “i’ll make sure to order the most expensive thing on the menu.”

you scoff at his joke. “just make sure to treat me to something.”

the bell by the door chimes. “sorry, can’t hear you over that! need to attend to a customer!” jongseob dashes away from you while dragging the trolley. that little shit just knew how to press your buttons, but you love the kid, anyway.

still, you stand in the middle of the mart and your heart longs for home.

then, you shut your eyes, and you’re transported back in front of the familiar aisle filled with bags of potato chips and sweet corn. the noisy fan along with the soft sounds of mr. kim’s korean drama fills your ears. a mix of yellow and orange hues paint every corner of the mart, including you—and you’re not alone.

your best friend stands on your right, wearing the unbuttoned school uniform polo over a tank top along with jogging pants. he’s lost in thought as he scans through the options of snacks you two can have for today’s afternoon. he starts to giggle to himself, probably from a silly thought he’ll share with you in the next second or a memory involving you, and the dips in his cheeks appear—your heart thumps in your ears.

and just like how quickly you were transported back to cheongju, your surroundings transformed into the cool-lit convenience store found in seoul. all you have left is the image of him bathed in the sunlight.

but he fades away like the ink on old receipts, never gone, because the glowing image of him warps into a different version who stands next to you in the cold mart. he’s grown a few inches taller and his hair doesn’t get in the way of his line of sight. while he wears a green sweater, you notice that he’s gained some muscles. his eyes scan through the aisle behind you filled with different brands of instant ramen.

but he bites the inside of his cheek and his dimples appear.

it’s a tornado that brews within you, enough to uproot trees and displace buildings, all because of an unexpected reunion with changmin. why did the universe decide to bring two ex-best friends on a random tuesday night? what brings him to the convenience store at the same time you’re there? and why did it have to happen a day before the interview?

you weren’t going to commit the same mistake; keep your eyes off of him and make your way out of the store. it didn’t matter if you had an empty, growling stomach, or gave free money to jongseob. you need to leave without the distant, familiar face noticing.

your feet act fast, and you're almost certain that might’ve caught his attention, but it didn’t matter as you see jongseob standing behind the cashier with his phone out. “i just ordered the pizza. it should arrive in about… 20 to 30 minutes.”

“yeah, about that…”

“don’t tell me you’re taking your money back.”

at the sight of jongseob’s pout, you roll your eyes. “no, keep it. i just—i need to go.”

“what? why?”

you peek behind you. it seems like he didn’t recognize you, after all. “i’ve got… work!”

“but don’t you only have your interview with the bo—”

“hey!” your fingers snap at him. “you cannot—i mean, you just… just take the goddamn money.”

“but we’re supposed to share the pizza. you haven’t eaten.”

an exasperated sigh leaves you. “jongseob, just treat me next time. i can eat at home.”

and you’re ready to leave the convenience store, bid farewell to jongseob and a delicious pizza made for two, and never greet or say goodbye to the living fragment of what you last know of cheongju—

“y/n?”

and the plan failed.

when you meet his gaze, you’re able to take in the different version of him. he’s grown so much—it’s such a pain that you weren’t there to witness it. his eyes are a pool of emotions; you can’t identify them.

all it takes is one breath from you. “changmin.”

a beat passes.

“i’m just gonna… go through the storage,” jongseob points his thumb at the back of the mart, “and maybe kill myself afterwards. i don’t know.” before you can protest, he’s already gone. (and he still has your money. that fucker.)

you and changmin were once painted with the hues of the sun. this reunion is tainted with blue.

changmin’s fingers tense up, almost as if he was hesitating—debating—on how to approach you. his body would waver, but he never took a step towards you. “i… i wasn’t expecting to meet you here.” 

“same here.” you lean your back against the checkout counter. “d—do you stay around this part of the city?”

he shakes his head. “i live around 15, maybe 20, minutes away from here. i’m only here because…” your breath gets caught in your throat. “i don’t know.”

fate. that’s what brought us here.

“do you live here?”

you nod. “yeah, ever since—” the sentence never gets completed; you and him already know.

for a moment, sorrow flashes in his eyes, but a smile shows up. the dimples don’t appear. “i, uh, i was going to get something from here but it seems like your friend is busy.”

“sorry about jongseob.” you whip out your phone and scold him through text. “he should be with us in a bit.”

changmin hums before walking to the freezer filled with different ice cream. as he looks through the selection, he asks, “do you still like twin bar?”

“y—yeah.”

“still the grape flavor?” you don’t know what to say, but when his gaze meets yours, you settle for a nod. with your favorite ice cream in one hand and a sandwich in the other, he finally walks towards you. you don’t miss the slight stagger in his steps.

changmin finds his spot beside you. there’s still distance between you two—two tiles worth, enough space for one person—but it’s enough for your muscles to freeze. thankfully, jongseob comes just in time to manage the cashier (with an awkward smile plastered on).

he scans changmin’s item first before grabbing onto your ice cream.

“oh, i’m paying—”

“no, let me,” changmin insists. “you can always treat me another time.”

you bite the inside of your cheek, thinking over the second half of his sentence. jongseob holds back from scanning the item, until you shoot him a nod. changmin pays for the food before jongseob hands them to you.

“i’ll just let you know when the pizza gets here.” his small smile is enough for your shoulders to ease and a quiet exhale to leave. a small nod is all you give him.

you follow changmin outside to the tables in front of the mart. once he’s settled on a spot, you sit across from him. he tears away the plastic wrapping of his food while you play with the ends of yours. 

while he swallows what you assume to be his dinner of the day, you’re left to swallow your own pride.

“i’ve seen your performances.” his chews halt. “you’re—” captivating. “you’ve improved a lot.”  

with one gulp, a shy smile takes over his face. “i still have a long way to go.”

“you always say that, even back then.” a half bitten sandwich now rests on the wrapper. “but i admire your drive.” always have.

while a different version of changmin sits across you, the one you knew back in cheongju still lives. in the busy, unfamiliar expanse of seoul, meeting 10 years later, he’ll never be stranger. you could never treat him as such, even if you wanted to.

“there’s always room for improvement,” he says.

you hum along with his sentiment. “did you stick with early childhood education?” you’re met with his orbs that hold a thousand of emotions, some you can name as shock, confusion. a question hangs in the air—what did you deserve to know?

“sorry, i’m assuming you still went to college, which is totally fine if you did or didn’t, by the way. and it’s also okay if you didn’t stick to your major. i mean, you always talked about pursuing a performing arts degree before—”

“y/n,” he giggles, “you’re okay. i still went to college but i took media & communication.” your eyebrows shoot up at the revelation. “i thought it made sense to study something related to what i do, just the more technical and theoretical side of it, i guess. and the online classes were easy to squeeze into my schedule.” he lifts up the sandwich. “what about you?”

“uh, i ended up in the same course as well.” a hum of shock leaves changmin. “yeah,” you chuckle, “i managed to shift courses.”

“that’s amazing! i’m happy for you.”

you smile at him. “thanks. now, i’m just—” you should tell him what you do. what would be a better time to reveal that you ended up in the path he dreamed for you to be than now? “—figuring things out.”

with your vagueness, changmin only nods before munching away. if there’s anything about you that still remains, it’s that you shouldn’t be pushed to share something you didn’t want to talk about. he still knew that.

as he finishes his sandwich, you tear off the plastic wrapping of your ice cream. with the twin bar in your hands, you snap it into two before you hand him a piece. confusion paints his features, wide eyes glossing over the popsicle in your hand, but he takes it before you can say anything.

“thanks.”

you shake your head. “don’t even worry about it. it’s only tradition.”

silence settles between you two. as you eat away on your share of the twin bar, you look up to the sky. from where you sit, you can’t see a single star; the lights of seoul seemed to outshine them. and during those moments, you almost can’t help but miss the view of the starry night from your childhood room.

you glance at changmin who looks up to the sky as well. yet, one hand remains in his pocket, almost as if he’s fiddling with something. 

as if he feels your eyes on him, he asks, “did you ever think about coming back?”

you halt your movements. if there’s one thing you were expecting your old friend to ask, it would be related to your sudden departure. but you’re hit with an entirely different question, one you didn’t get to rehearse the answer to in case you ever cross paths with him. 

because after all this talk about your yearning for cheongju, why didn’t you choose to visit? despite how much you long mr. kim’s home cooked meals, skies filled with stars, or the presence of your best friend, why didn’t you ever come back?

if you miss home, why is your first instinct to run away from it?

and the reality is that you do think about it all the time. since you left cheongju, you drafted out how many plans to go back. you were homesick, missing the familiar landscape you spent your entire childhood growing up in. but most of all, you missed changmin. as long as you had him, you would survive anywhere, whether in seoul or cheongju.

despite how much you yearned for him during your years away, you learned that your relationship wasn’t always filled with the warmth that would grace you two every afternoon. for so long, you’ve sat with jealousy. while his family was his pillar of strength, you were met with a home that offered nothing but criticism.

the black limbs slowly ate away at your heart; the void was born.

it became easier to remain resentful. with the distance, you weren’t faced with changmin’s genuineness. yet, with time, you discovered that you still cared for him—regardless of your jealousy—because you still wanted more for him than you did for yourself.

for a long time, you resented. now, it’s only guilt that held you back from going back to him.

so when you remain silent, changmin takes it as your answer.

and for the first time, the distance feels greater since you first left cheongju.

summer of 2014

it’s the peak of summer. amidst the expanse of verdant fields, bees seek solace in the fully-bloomed sunflowers and kaleidoscope wings illuminate as they soar.

but summer is where mouths go dry and clothes cling to skin. as days blend with each other, the comfort of your bed is all you have until the season passes.

the fan rumbles against the wooden floor, doing its best to cool you, but the heat prickles against the back of your neck. the wind has turned into nothing but hot waves. with your elbows perched on the desk, a sigh leaves you as you attempt to make sense of the worksheet filled with math equations.

your room is your favorite place in cheongju. within these four walls are scattered fragments of you, from your favorite books and mangas that rest on the bookshelf to the stuffed toys that rest on your bed. book tabs stick out of your workbooks lined up on your desk and your cork board is filled with crossed out to-do lists.

and every once in a while, you would look out through your window, admiring the neighboring houses and all their greenery. as people walk on pavements, you cannot help but think about where they’re off to—are they on their way to work? did they leave an important document back home? or are they coming back to a meal and home filled with warmth?

despite the halo soundtrack filling your ears, the cogs in your brain seem to drown them out. the numbers on your paper have jumbled up. it should’ve been easy. after all, you’ve become friends with the letters who’ve squeezed their way into math. once you’ve wrapped up on this assignment, you know you’ll wake up to another set of work to do. it didn’t help that you’re stuck watching kids your age enjoy their break.

with a tired mind, you consider making yourself another cup of iced coffee. maybe another dose of caffeine will make sense of the numbers—

your phone buzzes against your table. as your eyes rip from the unfinished worksheet, you spot the familiar name flashing on the screen. with one glance at your door, you bring your headphones to rest around your neck. it takes three rings for you to answer.

“what do you want?”

“the fuck? what’s wrong with you?”

you roll your eyes as you fiddle with your pen. “i’m studying, you fucker.”

“on a sunday?” changmin’s question has you only groan. “what happened to resting?”

“i wish,” you murmur as you scratch the back of your head. “i’ve been stuck on this stupid worksheet for the past hours. it’s annoying too. i mean, i already know this topic, so i don’t know why it’s so hard.”

“awe, is my best friend suffering over kumon?”

your forehead rests on crossed arms. “yes. i think i’m going to die.”

“okay, then. i’ll take that as my sign.”

“sign to what?”

he chuckles as if it were obvious. “to save you! let’s go to mr. kim’s.”

a groan leaves you as your back meets the chair. “no, i can’t. do you know what would happen if i don’t finish my kumon?”

“uh… no?”

“me, neither. i’m not taking my chances.”

“but, you’re not even doing anything!” changmin pointing out the obvious has you rolling your eyes. “wouldn’t it be better to take a break with your best friend? i can even help out.”

as you bite the inside of your cheek, you glance once more at your closed door. you weigh it out; would you rather take a break with your best friend or would you save yourself from the consequences brought by home?

but the answer was already clear. “give me 10 minutes.”

changmin laughs before you drop the call.

it’s the smell of fresh hotteok that greets you. the quiet buzzing of the fan accompanied by mr. kim’s favorite trot music fills your ears. while the owner seems to be away from the cashier, a white, stray cat takes over, body flopped on the counter as it snores away the heat. as the sun pours through windows, coating every corner of the mart with a glow of fireflies, you know this will be a place of its own.

“y/n, over here!” a familiar voice calls out. as you whip your head to the source, you see your best friend by the chest freezer, eyes crinkled and all dimples.

now, you’re certain that nothing could ever replicate this.

you walk towards changmin, finding your spot beside him as you two look through the collection of frozen treats. “so, what do you want from here?” you ask.

“uh… i’ll be honest, i just realized i’m short on money.”

you glance through the price tags, only for a groan to leave you. “i’m short too. when did mr. kim raise the prices?”

“no clue. i thought i’d have enough to get a summer crush,” changmin complains as his eyes are glued to the coffee sorbet. “i hate inflation.”

“come on.” you fish out for the coins in your pocket. “let’s see how much we have together.” changmin does the same. with palms out, you two count through your shared funds.

“we can get a summer crush!”

“you can get one. i’ll be left with barely anything.” you look through the selection once more. “man, i really want samanco. the red bean sounds so good right now.”

defeat casts over changmin’s features. for a moment, you almost consider giving up on having a frozen treat and settling for a glass bottle of orange soda, until you spot a familiar popsicle brand.

“holy shit, it’s right there.”

“what?”

“there!” your finger points at the stack of twin bars. “we can probably get that and split it.”

changmin’s expression morphs into realization. “okay, let’s get—”

“dibs on grape.”

“dibs?” he furrows his eyebrows at you. “you can’t just call dibs. you’re doing it wrong. clearly, we should discuss—”

“nope,” you retort. a chuckle laced with disbelief leaves your best friend. to him, it seemed like you were joking around. “i made the suggestion and contributed a lot more to our shared funds.”

“okay, but—”

“don’t tell me you want the peach flavor more than the grape.” as you continue to shut him down, he knows there’s no way around you.

(plus, he wasn’t a fan of peach-flavored things, anyway. how unfortunate that mr. kim only has those two flavors right now.)

“next time, we’re choosing a flavor that i want,” he gives in. you let out a cheer before grabbing the frozen treat.

you two make your way back to the cashier and spot mr. kim slouched in front of the television, hand stroking the sleepy feline. he’s still wearing an old, red plaid apron on top of a pair of basketball shorts and a loose graphic tee which had the name of a band you’re unfamiliar with. with how he sits, you’re afraid that his back problems will get even worse. (still, you don’t say anything. he’ll only play it off and say he’s still one of the “youngins”... whatever that means.)

once his eyes land on you two, a grin takes over. “ah, my favorite kids! it’s nice to see you both.”

“yeah, it’s been a while,” changmin starts off. “y/n’s always busy with kumon.”

you narrow your eyes at the boy. “hey! you’re busy, too! you’ve been practicing at the studio almost every day!” the wrapped popsicle now rests on the counter. “every time i’m free, you’re not.”

“hey! whenever you’re free, i’m tired from training!”

“okay, let’s settle down,” mr. kim breaks up the banter. he then takes note of the ice cream on the cashier, the price showing up on the cashier. “isn’t the heat hard enough for you two to be studying or practicing?”

“yes, very much.” you count the coins once more before dropping the exact amount on the counter. “but,” you glance at changmin and his disheartened expression is enough for mountains to move, “i don’t think we have a choice.”

in reality, these were the circumstances you two had to work and live with. during the days changmin ended practice early, you were drowning in summer school assessments. whenever you managed to finish your homework, it would be during the hours your best friend was off at the studio or passed out at home from exhaustion.

“choice, no choice, people always say that.” mr. kim counts your payment before putting it into the cashier. as he takes note of what you’ve bought, he says, “everyone has a choice. i’m sure you two can figure it out.”

the only difference is that one chose this path; the other had to suffer from the decision forced onto them.

“don’t worry, mr. kim,” changmin nudges your shoulder. “i’m sure we’ll figure it out.” and when the dips in his cheeks appear, you find yourself smiling back.

maybe you were okay with the life you had to live, just maybe.

“anyway, we’ll go ahead,” changmin bids farewell to mr. kim.

you giggle. “he means we’re just going to eat our ice cream at the front.”

as you two slowly make your way out of the mart, mr. kim shakes his head. “you lovebirds go ahead. i’ll see you next time!”

“mr. kim!” you and changmin shout in unison before glancing at each other.

“what?!”

your best friend groans. “you know we aren’t together.”

“yeah! like, i can’t imagine it,” you join in.

still, the owner laughs at your reactions. “you two are so funny. just go and enjoy your ice cream.”

you roll your eyes at his words. “bye, mr. kim!”

with that, you and changmin were out of the mart and took a seat on the benches. you hand your best friend the wrapped frozen treat before letting out a sigh. “i still can’t believe this is one of the few times we got to meet up during the break.”

“i know.” he tears the plastic wrapping off. “you would think that summer break would mean we get to hang out nonstop, but i’m starting to think we saw each other more whenever we had school.”

you hum. “i know. and i had ap stat while you had training.” your eyes dart at changmin who grips onto the popsicle sticks, struggling to split it into two. “oh my god, don’t tell me you can’t split it.”

“hey! it’s hard.”

as you giggle, you reach your hand out. “let me do it.” once changmin hands you the twin bar, you attempt to split the two. for a moment, you almost think about agreeing with him. yet, the frozen treat splits into two perfectly, and a satisfied smile rests on your lips.

you hand him one popsicle, only to be met with his glare. “i know, i’m just better.”

“just shut up.” to that, another laugh leaves you.

under the sun, you enjoy the coolness of the twin bar. while you would’ve stared off to nowhere, you and changmin were here at the right time to catch civilians bustling away. some were on dates, where one would go on about their interest while the other would smile at their rambling. there were kids whose chatter could be heard all the way from the end of the block, and blue-collar men who were off to enjoy their break.

you can’t help but imagine what people saw—thought—of you and changmin. did they think of you as unexpected friends? has it ever crossed their minds that you two were only classmates who seemed to always be paired together? or did they ever think the same as mr. kim?

“you know,” changmin starts off, causing you to look at him, “i was going through college courses the other day.”

your eyebrows shoot up. “oh?”

with your reaction, changmin giggles. “i was just curious, you know? not that i’m giving up on dance or anything, but,” he licks the popsicle, “early childhood education sounds cool.”

you hum. “i wasn’t expecting that.”

“what’s that supposed to mean?”

“no, it’s not a bad thing!” you reassure the boy. “it’s just,” you rip your gaze off of changmin and look at the playground, “i always thought of you as a dancer, you know? kind of like you were meant for the stage.” the laughter of the kids who passed by you two bounces all over the block and you can’t help but smile. “but i don’t doubt it.”

the breeze graces your sweat-covered skin. “what about you?” you look back at him. “would you ever consider journalism? maybe communication as your major?”

you’re quick to laugh at his suggestion, but when confusion paints his features, you realize it’s a serious question from him.

“no.” it’s a straightforward answer from you, but changmin could never settle with that

“why not?”

a sigh leaves you. “i just don’t consider it. i mean, i think about it,” all the time, “but not enough to consider it. plus, astrophysics is cool.”

“but is it your dream?”

changmin’s question is an easy one to answer—not at all. you’ve had enough learning about theories and making sense of the numbers. if your future is going to only complicate that further, then maybe astrophysics isn’t made for you. 

but who’s to say that you’ll even enjoy journalism?

“we’ll see.” you leave it at that and changmin didn’t push for more.

because the reality is that if you ever did consider it, transform those dreams into action plans, you were terrified to be met with your parents’ disappointment—it wouldn’t only be from your lousy desires but from changmin’s role in your life.

the first time you mentioned changmin to your parents happened over dinner, letting them know you would be staying later at school to work on the final project for art class with him. they didn’t bat an eye at his name as they continued to talk about what happened during work and pester you about your progress in other classes. (art class didn’t matter to them, only the sciences and math were ones they seemed to track. still, they would criticize you if you didn’t place first honors.)

with your parents’ oversight, something blossomed between you and changmin. from there, there were more days you would get home later than usual. while you were still on top of your work, they took your late arrivals as a form of negligence.

all it took was one night for them to demand an explanation. the reappearance of him in the conversation had only caused them to reprimand you—changmin’s not like you. he’ll only hold you back. 

from that day on, you’ve learned to keep his name out of conversations. you’ll enjoy what you have with changmin, even if it has to be kept under the wraps.

“how’s training?” you change the subject, trying to keep the attention off of your failed dreams to changmin’s flourishing ones.

“well, it’s a lot,” he chuckles as he munches a piece. “you already know that it takes how many hours to get to the company, and the hours i spend in the practice room are unlike the trainings i have at school.”

as his eyes meet yours, you only shoot him an apologetic smile. it was never going to be easy; you two knew that before changmin entered the doors of the company. yet, he still held on.

“you know, i never considered it before, but i like where i’m going,” he admits. “even if i’ve always had dreams to pursue dance, i want to make my family proud if i ever get to debut.” 

changmin knows how to persevere. regardless of all the bruises he gets from performing complex dance routines or the hours of sleep he longs for, he knows how to hold on. you wish you could say the same for yourself.

“and you will,” you reassure the boy, wrapping your arm around his shoulders. “who wouldn’t be proud of you?”

he holds your stare and your smile falters. for a moment, you don’t know if you touched on a sensitive topic. would he shrug your arm off? do you think he’ll shut you off, maybe cut your time together short? will changmin get mad at you for something you didn’t know was wrong? would he be just like them?

“i want to make you proud.”

that’s enough to answer it all.

you shake your head. “don’t even doubt that for a second.” your arm finds it spot back to your side, and changmin’s loops his with yours.

although he knows how to persevere, he never knows when to shut his ears from the shadows. 

“i am proud of you,” you tell him. “always have, always will.” he can’t help but smile. all you can hope is that he’ll listen closely to your voice.

“i almost forgot,” he says out of nowhere.

“forgot what?”

as he tugs his arm away, his hand fishes for something in his pocket. “close your eyes.” you furrow your eyebrows. “just do it!” you follow his orders. “and keep them closed, okay?” you let out a hum.

before you know it, something wraps around your index finger. you would’ve opened your eyes, confused over the foreign yet familiar material, but they remain shut. 

“okay, open.”

your gaze rests on your finger wrapped in yellow and blue. it’s a finger trap—and the other end is connected to changmin. despite your tug, it still holds you two together.

it’s the warmth that fills your cheeks, the heartbeat in your ears, and your starstruck eyes that has him smile. “no matter what happens, we’ll stick together, okay? regardless of what paths we end up pursuing. all that matters is that we have each other.”

he’s filled with hope. hope for his dreams. hope for your relationship. hope for what the future holds for you two. you can’t help but hope as well.

all it takes is a nod from you to solidify the promise to the universe.

you two sit in silence, finishing up the popsicles as people continue to pass by. at one point, you heard mr. kim let out a curse over the drama he’s watching. the sun is about to set, wrapping you two in a golden blanket, and all that matters is the finger trap.

present  -> two weeks before the interview, 2024

it’s no surprise to you that the newsroom is quiet. while your peers are off to gather more information, you’re with lee chaeyeon of news as she tries to meet the deadline for her article’s first close.

“do you think dokyeom will be late?” you ask as you watch her rephrase sentences.

she laughs. “when is he never? minho’s always assigning him coverages.”

“that’s true.” your eyes drift to the hallway. “i’m just hungry. he still owes me food, you know?”

“over another bet? or you saving his ass?”

“over helping him with an article,” you reveal, earning a shocked look from her. “for some odd reason, he needed another writer to help out with a live coverage, and all the sports writers and sports editor were busy handling the other events.”

“holy shit.” chaeyeon continues with her work. “i didn’t expect you to work on anything sports-related.”

“yeah, but it helped that it was a dance competition. at least i know something about dance.” you only know who to thank. “i’m going to make sure i get compensated for that. i’m planning to raise it to minho and namjoon, anyway. that’s if dokyeom would fucking come and help in explaining the situation.”

with the mention of the tardy writer’s name, he’s scrambling through the halls with his backpack in one hand and a paper bag in the other. the moment he sees you, he shoots you an apologetic smile.

“speak of the devil,” you say as you stand up straight. “why do you always show up late? i helped you with the article.”

dokyeom finds his spot beside you as he sets down the bag on your desk. “i’ll have you know that wasn’t the only article i had yesterday. i was catching up on other ones that minho assigned me.” before he can plop down on his seat, he spots chaeyeon working. “damn, tough life at news.”

“no need to point out the obvious, doofus.”

“wow, harsh,” he replies to her insult. “just so you know, i bought food for us.”

“thank god,” you exclaim as you open the paper bag filled with takeout containers and sealed cups. as you pull them out one by one, you spot your usual order from the vietnamese restaurant around the corner. “oh my god, thank you for getting me this.” you take a seat before you pass dokyeom his food and utensils.

“yeah, i know. i’m just the best.” his shower of compliments for himself only has you rolling your eyes. “but thank you, by the way, for helping me out with the article. i needed an extra pair of hands and my own editor couldn’t stand in to help out.”

“it’s fine. just make sure you help me get compensated for that article,” you say before you open the container. as the smell of bun bo nam bo fills your nose, you can’t help but let out a quiet moan. “holy fuck, i’ve been craving this.”

“i made sure to get you some vietnamese coffee also.”

“yeah, i saw. thank you.” you split the chopsticks with one hand. you’re about to mix the bowl of your favorite food—

“is y/n here?” your editor calls out, causing you to let out a sigh before you stand up from your seat.

“yes?”

namjoon’s gaze lands on you. “can i talk to you for a bit?”

despite your grumbling stomach, you give him a nod and set your food down. as he retreats to his office, you glare at dokyeom who munches away on goi cuon. “i hate you.”

“hey, what did i do?!” you ignore his attempts to defend himself as you make your way to your editor’s office.

once you swing the door open, you spot namjoon whose eyes are stuck to the screen. “you can take a seat,” he says with no attempt to look at you. you sit across from him, hands folded on your lap, while he types away on his keyboard.

the moment he hits the ‘enter’ key is when he finally looks at you. “sorry about that. i was just replying to minho regarding your compensation for the article you worked with dokyeom. we both appreciate what you did. next time though, make sure to loop in minho or me before you two start working on beats not within your staffs.”

“sorry about that,” you start off. “dokyeom only asked for my help and i thought it would be fine since i’m familiar with dance, anyway.”

namjoon shakes his head with a small smile plastered on his face. “it is fine, just make sure to inform us.” you only nod.

“anyway, i’m sorry to have this meeting with you right now but i have to leave work early today, and i thought that you’d appreciate that i tell this to you now instead of tomorrow,” he says. you hum, curious about what he has to say. “i have a coverage for you, a very, very, long one.”

over the sight of your wide eyes, he can’t help but chuckle. “it’s 12 articles,” he says and your mouth gapes over the number. “well, one main article and 11 profiles with very brief introductory paragraphs.” his attempt to ease your shocked state does nothing.

“namjoon, that’s… a lot.”

“yes, i know. i would love to split the workload but everyone else is handling other articles, and i trust you. i know i’m asking for a lot but i’ll make sure to help you out with them. it’s just that we’re working on a time crunch and i don’t know anyone else i can ask but you.”

the faith that your editor seems to have in you is like no other.

“profiles, like, those q&a transcripts?” you ask.

he nods before saying, “yes, and just a brief introductory paragraph for each profile. i’m just expecting you to put more work into the article about the group. i’ll make sure to help out with the profiles.”

namjoon’s trust should be anxiety inducing, enough to send you complaining, but you find yourself relieved. your mentor became your second-in-command; the mountain of workload transformed into a hill.

“okay.”

a relaxed smile appears on his face at your acceptance. “thank god! i was going to stress about this the whole day if you refused. i’ll make sure to send you the details about this once i’m done with my appointments, and then we can see how we’ll divide the work later on.” he types something. “we’re covering a k-pop group which is why there’s one main article about the whole group and then 11 profiles.”

“yeah, i figured that out.” this isn’t anything out of your usual articles. “can i ask who we’re interviewing? maybe i can do some research on them while you attend your meetings.” you pull out your phone, ready to search up whoever your editor says.

“don’t know if you’re familiar with them but they’re called the boyz?” you still in your seat. “wait, let me check. yes, that’s their name.”

“the boyz?”

namjoon looks at you, now met with your features that have transformed from wide eyes to scrunched eyebrows.  “yeah. do you know them?” 

you shake your head without a second thought. “no, i don’t think i do,” you whisper the last sentence to yourself. his narrow eyes look over you, almost dissecting you.

the walls surrounding you are painted in solid colors of pearl, almost untouched. yet, under the paint are cracks that spread like cobwebs. every burst is a testament to the earthquakes they’ve faced; no one should be able to see a single line of black amid the white sea. now, they’re filled with paste, and it should be enough to cover them all.

but for the first time, the paint has chipped and the paste has deteriorated; the different colors of cheongju seep through the cracks.

you clear your throat as you straighten your back. “i’ll be sure to research them.” you wave your phone at him, hoping to divert his attention, but his gaze remains on you.

a sigh leaves him. “okay. expect to receive the documents later in the afternoon.”

he doesn’t push any further. for now, the walls remain intact. (or appear as so.)

it was never going to be easy.

“honestly, i gave up expecting to win as we practiced,” the youngest says through tears. as they huddle, they let out silent wishes for the upcoming years. before they blow the candle, they don’t forget to express their gratitude to the fandom who stuck with them through thick and thin.

a time of celebration turned into a moment to remember their struggles. these were pockets of their time that marked their spot in history.

“oh, everyone behind us is crying!” another member points out as the camera captures the team’s bittersweet cries.

and when you catch sight of the orange-haired boy who hides his tears behind his friend, the ache in your chest starts to spread through your veins. the video cuts to his low-hanging head as his members comfort him. they knew all of his hardships—you only know a fraction.

such a tender moment happened five years ago; it’s the same amount of time between this achievement and your departure. within those years, what did changmin undergo? did his trainings waver his passion or did the fire burn just as bright as it did since he first auditioned? was he confident in his skills or was he still critical about every performance he had?

but most of all, what did he face? what did he learn? to hate? to love?

what did he go through without you?

you don’t forget to take note of their first win on your document filled with bullet points of information. while you were going to continue watching, a recommended video caught your attention. it’s a changmin focus. you don’t hesitate to click it.

the video starts off with him checking up on the fans before the performance starts. as he mimes out eating, they answer his question with reassurance.

and there they come—his dimples appear.

it transitions to their group in their opening formation. as they await for the song to play out, changmin’s familiar smile shifts into a dominant gaze.

in the same way the first notes draw people to listen, your eyes never leave the boy. his movements are fluid, like water droplets sliding off leaves. he commands the stage regardless of where he’s positioned.

changmin is meant to be on the stage—no, every stage is made for him. every crowd is meant to cheer his name and remain captive to his talents, and every spotlight is meant to shine on him.

you rest your chin on crossed arms. long gone was the bowl cut and loose school uniform. he’s grown. matured, even. yet, the moments where his smile appears makes you realize one thing: the 16-year-old boy you knew still lives within him.

as their performance comes to an end, you don’t bother to move your cursor, letting the next recommended video play. and when his vlog plays out, you realize that a fragment of his identity is a whole of what you know.

what an honor it is to have known him for even a fraction of your lifetime.

his voice is a lullaby, the same one you used to fall asleep to, so you allow yourself to close your eyes. you let go of the responsibilities for just this moment, and allow yourself to be transported back into the warmth of his arms.

fall of 2014

out of all the seasons, autumn took its spot in being your favorite. clusters of green slowly morph  into shades of oranges and browns. it’s a symphony of chirps that fills the silence. while the breeze brings you comfort after the heat of summer, it also reminds you of the looming winter.

it’s a shame that autumn does live up to its other name: a season of fall.

“you’re always like this,” your mother comments. you stand in front of your parents, slumped shoulders and downcast eyes, as they hold a sheet of paper they believe dictates your future. “always so sensitive. we’re just asking you what went different. why did your grades drop?” to them, a shift from a to b+ is a threat to your future. 

while your feet stand on wooden floors, a flood starts to form. murky waves crash against your legs, but you do your best to keep your balance.

“answer us when you’re being talked to.” your father snaps you out of your thoughts. “what have you been doing for your grades to drop?” you want to answer but a single sound that leaves you may only lead to blubbers that your parents will scold you for. 

with your silence, your mother sneers. “i knew we shouldn’t have let you do your own things. i told you so.” she shifts her gaze to him. “what did i tell you about y/n? you know they’ll only slack off!”

“i thought we could trust them. clearly, i was wrong.” your father’s glare raises the water levels, reaching your chest. you don’t know how to swim in the foggy ocean.

“i know why.” she crosses her arms. “it’s because of that changmin boy, isn’t it?” she says his name laced with disgust.

you don’t think twice to defend him. “no, it isn’t!”

“don’t you dare talk back at me!”

“but i’m not! he’s done nothing.”

your father begins to raise his voice. “and that’s what’s wrong! that lazy boy does nothing for his studies. he clearly doesn’t care about his future.”

you always knew it would be a losing battle, but you’ll put up the fight to protect your best friend’s name. “that’s not true! he does care. he’s planning to do early childhood education for college, maybe become a teacher.”

“that job has no money. see, i can already see that you’re being influenced by him,” he argues back.

and as the murky waters rise, filling your lungs, your first instinct is to close your eyes and scream. “stop saying that about him!”

a beat passes.

“i don’t want you hanging out with him.”

“but—”

“shut up.” your mother’s words cause you to look up, meeting your parents’ faces filled with anger.  “go to your room. now.” you’re nothing but a puppet for them.

was it even a battle if you always knew you were going to lose?

despite the safety of your room, you don’t let the tears flow down. you do anything to distract yourself; maybe a book will convince you that your life is only a figment of your imagination.

waves continue to crash against your body. if you let them take your body, would they send you far away from cheongju? from your parents? from the weight you were entrusted to carry since birth?

but would you allow the waves to send you away from changmin?

your phone buzzes against the mattress. with tear-filled eyes, you see your best friend trying to reach you. you don’t think twice about declining his call and shutting off your phone.

as you curl in your bed, you hope the sea will swallow you whole—the slow, burning pain that comes with drowning won’t compare to the burns that haven’t healed. but you know that the blame rests on your shoulders. if only you had studied harder, cut off hours of rest for your work, then maybe you would be the perfect child your parents wanted.

were you wrong for allowing yourself to enjoy the small breaks between classes? was the time spent in the mart supposed to be for schoolwork? should you have found yourself a tutor? were you in the wrong for not working yourself to the bone? did you not work enough?

are you not enough?

then, a knock. your eyes snap open. like a stroke of light in the middle of the dark, changmin is by your window.

you get off your bed to open the window. as the glass barrier disappears, he enters your room. “are you okay?” he spots your glassy eyes and his hands find their spot on your shoulders. “what happened?”

you break eye contact. “what do you want, changmin?”

“you didn’t pick up your phone. and when i tried calling again, i couldn’t reach you,” he starts to explain.

you shrug off his grip on you before you take a seat on your bed. “i’m fine. my phone died.” as you feel the spot beside you dip, you look at your best friend. at the sight of his furrowed eyebrows, you know he doesn’t believe you. “i said i’m fine.”

“i didn’t say anything.” for you are an open book to him.

he opens his arms towards you—it’s your move to make. then, a tight-lipped smile shows on his face, his dimples appear, and you allow yourself to fall. with his arms wrapped around you, you shut your eyes as you nestle your face into his neck.

breathe in. breathe out.

his hand finds its spot on your back, rubbing it in circles.

breathe in. breathe out.

“it’s okay, i’m here,” he says, and you allow yourself to crumble in front of him for the first time.

the tears hit changmin’s neck like a light drizzle. your wails bring earthquakes into his world.

yet, his warmth is enough to dry up droplets, and his embrace protects you as you fall into the cracks of the earth and into the depths of the world. the flood starts to subside.

in your time knowing changmin, how much did he know about you after all? had he always known of your strained relationship with your parents? did he hear about it from others or was he able to connect the dots?

because you didn’t know yourself outside of your parents anymore. did you like science because of your kumon classes? was your interest in writing birthed from a desire for validation from your parents?

are you nothing but an array of achievements and failures?

but your parents will never be satisfied; a standard too high is practically nonexistent.

changmin moves so that you two can lie down. his arms remain wrapped around you as you hide in his neck. “i’m sorry if i wasn’t there for you when you needed it then.” his whispered apology causes you to shake your head.

“you didn’t do anything wrong,” you blubber out to his neck.

“and you didn’t, as well.” his hand finds its spot behind your head. with every stroke, a tear streams down. “and i want you to know that i’ll be here for you.”

in your house, your room was the only space you called home. solace built by you. 

now, your home is changmin.

present -> two weeks before the interview, 2024

something about the newsroom feels odd to you. there’s nothing out of the ordinary aside from it bustling with journalists. the familiar sounds of printers and chatter from your workmates fill your ears. it’s a typical occurrence for your peers to meet their deadlines on the day itself. the tug in your gut doesn’t resemble ones formed out of your anxiety. why does it feel like one of destiny?

“where is dokyeom? i swear, this guy never shows up to the office.”

you snap out of your thoughts, looking over at chaeyeon who browses through her phone. as you shove a bill into the vending machine, a chuckle leaves you. “when is he never?”

“maybe if he finishes his coverages on time then he’d be getting enough sleep. then, he won’t be late.”

you side-eye your friend before you click on a button. “you know that’s not true.”

she sighs at the same time your bottle of iced tea drops. “yeah. apparently, if you have free time, you’re not a good journalist or some shit which i find stupid.” you grab your drink before facing her. “am i not allowed to do something else that’s not related to my job? i swear, this is why i’m single.”

“then date another journalist.” your joke earns a scowl from her.

“i’m never dating anyone in my field. a journalist dating another journalist is like,” she looks up to the ceiling as she thinks, “a long distance relationship with how much they’ll never see or have time for each other.”

a laugh erupts from you, one that may be too loud for your liking. “true.”

as you walk out of the breakroom with chaeyeon, you notice something in the corner of your eye: a brunette by the restroom. while you can’t see his face, you spot what’s in his hand and you halt in your tracks—a finger trap.

“hey, is there someone there?” your eyes snap back to your friend who looks at you in confusion. when your eyes drift back to where the brunette once was, he’s already gone. you shake your head before walking back to your desk.

the same gut feeling lingers. with a frown, you open up your article only to be met with a few comments that namjoon left last night. maybe your gut knew that you weren’t done with your work. thankfully, it’s nothing too major, and you can have them done within the next few minutes.

“there you are!” chaeyeon exclaims, causing you to look up from your screen to a panting dokyeom. “were you working on your articles again?”

“actually, i went out last night.” while you shake your head at dokyeom’s reveal, chaeyeon gasps. “yeah, i did! i actually had fun for once!”

as he nods proudly at last night’s events, she complains, “are you serious?! how come you have time to go out? i was just talking to y/n that we never have time to ourselves.”

“i’m in sports,” he points out as he shrugs his shoulders. “you’re in news.” at this point, you’re expecting the two to spiral into an argument, so you redirect your focus back to your article.

“hey, did you hear though? there’s a k-pop group in the building.” you glance at chaeyeon.

your other friend leans on the cubicle. “really? who?”

“no clue.”

dokyeom lets out a groan. “what type of journalist are you if you can’t find out?”

“yah!” chaeyeon smacks his arm, causing him to wince in pain. “says you who can never submit on time.”

“hey, i’ll have you know that minho has been understanding!”

“whatever.” she rolls her eyes before looking at you. “that means you’ll probably be handling them. i hope they’re cute so that you can finally have something going on with your life outside of work.”

a chuckle leaves you as you get back to work. “i’m never dating an idol. i’d get hunted down by their fans.” 

“yeah, but can’t you dream a little? do you ever imagine what it would be like?”

the past plays in your mind. after school performances and interviews. broken-up popsicles. finger traps. a life you shared with changmin then—one you still cling onto.

yet, you shake your head as you edit your article. “not even.”

it’s a life you’ll keep to yourself.

“what’s the update?”

the three of you look away from each other, spotting namjoon who comes to you with a smile. long gone were the sweaters that failed to drown out his figure and the boxy glasses that would rest on the bridge of his nose. now, he wears a dress shirt and trousers with hair slicked to the side. there were no frames for him to hide behind.

“ah, namjoon! you’re dressed so nice today.”

with dokyeom’s compliment, he can’t hold back on his smile. “thank you. are you guys done with your articles?”

as your friends nod, you add the finishing touches to the document. “and done! i just finished addressing your comments.”

“great. thanks, y/n.”

“do you have something?” chaeyeon asks your editor, causing you to roll your eyes. one thing about journalists is that they love to know everything.

namjoon nods before saying, “i just had a meeting with some possible interviewees.”

“is this the one with the k-pop group?” as dokyeom asks the question, you can’t help but laugh as chaeyeon looks at him in disbelief for spilling confidential information.

your editor chuckles. “yes.”

“can we know—”

“no, you can’t know.”

chaeyeon pouts at namjoon. “not even a hint?”

namjoon ignores her question and begins to walk off. “good work, y/n!” he calls out before leaving you three alone.

“man, namjoon never tells us shit,” chaeyeon complains as she leans on the table.

“to you guys, at least,” you argue with a small shrug.

still, the gut feeling remains.

something about the newsroom feels odd to changmin. while he’s had his fair share of paranormal experiences, his gut tells him that there’s something in the office. yet, the tug isn’t one that speaks of danger. why does it feel like one of destiny?

“should we have a short break before we discuss the schedules for the photoshoots and interviews?” changmin is snapped out of his thoughts by namjoon’s suggestion.

his manager looks at the group. “do you guys need a break?”

sangyeon shoots namjoon a smile before looking at his members. “you guys can use the washroom if you need to.”

although everyone seemed fine with proceeding, changmin couldn’t shake off the feeling. maybe the leftover curry he had this morning went bad. “i’ll go,” he says as he gets off his seat.

namjoon slowly stands up. “okay, i can bring you there—”

“it’s okay! i saw the washroom on the way here,” changmin says before walking to the door. “you can discuss the details without me. i’m sure you guys will manage.”

with sangyeon’s and his manager’s nods, namjoon settles back into his seat. “okay then, here are some of the dates i have in mind...”

changmin exits the room. he bites on the inside of the cheek as he thinks of what his gut could be telling him. is it the nerves for the upcoming tour? is he worried about the next comeback they’ve been preparing? or is he scared about what the future has in store for his group?

with his mind on these questions, he doesn’t realize that he arrives in front of the bathroom door. a sigh of frustration leaves him. the worst thing about gut feelings is never knowing what they’re trying to say.

he grips the handle, ready to swing the door open, until a familiar laugh hits his ears. one of the past. one he hasn’t heard in years. his muscles freeze.

when was the last time he heard that chortle? when was the last time he became the cause of it?

his eyes dart around the area for the source but no one else is here. he can’t help but shake his head in disbelief.

it should be stupid for him to think you two would ever reunite. in what world would you be in the same place as he is? it’s been 10 years. you could be anywhere around the world. yet, he fishes for something out of his pocket; the same finger trap he linked you to him rests on the palm of his hand.

he sighs before entering the washroom and shoving it back into his pocket.

maybe he’ll hold out a little longer.

winter of 2014

out of all the seasons, changmin’s favorite is winter. snowflakes fall, filling the sky with stars that people can touch, and snow piles on sidewalks, letting him throw snowballs at his friends. despite the freezing temperatures, changmin prefers this over nearly-boiling ones.

he can’t wait to share this season with you.

yet, the familiar, chilly breeze of the season transforms into whispers, and word gets around like thrown snowballs. 

“is y/n really not going to school anymore?” changmin looks up from his desk to see cheng xiao standing in front of him. he tilts his head in confusion, causing her to roll her eyes. “are they not going here anymore?”

he frowns. “huh? what kind of rumor is that?”

“i don’t know. it’s what people have been saying,” she says as she crosses her arms. “i asked because i wanted to know if my competition’s gone, you know? and you’re the only one here who has an idea about their whereabouts.”

changmin laughs in disbelief. “no, i was with them last week.”

when changmin last saw you, you asked for space. with what’s been happening with your family, you needed time to process and cope with your issues, and he respected that. after all, he only knew a fraction of your relationship with your parents, and he didn’t want to intrude in anything you didn’t want him to be a part of. still, changmin reminded you that he’ll be there if you need him.

“damn, that sucks,” cheng xiao groans as her shoulders slump. “these stupid rumors.” as soon as she leaves changmin alone, he shakes his head.

the bell rings. students start rushing into classrooms and teachers scold those who aren’t on their seats. ms. jeon enters the room, walking to the desk in front and setting her things down. “cheng xiao, you’ll be in charge of attendance today.”

as changmin’s classmate gets off her seat, he can’t help but look at your desk that still remains empty.

“you have to message us when you land,” your mother says as she fixes the collar of your coat. despite your nod, she clicks her tongue. “answer me properly.”

“yes, i will.”

once your father finishes placing the last luggage in the trunk of the taxi, he stands beside your mother. “don’t forget why we’re sending you there. we expect you to do better with no distractions.”

your phone buzzes in your hand. as you look down, you see a message from changmin. as he asks about your whereabouts, the weight gets heavier—will you stand or crumble under it?

“who’s that?”

you stash your phone away as you look back at your parents. “nothing. it’s just an email from the school. they sent over the date for the orientation.” at the sight of their satisfied smile, you let out a small sigh of relief.

“well, go on.” your nod at your mother before getting in the car. with the windows still down, she adds, “don’t forget to get endorsement letters from the professors i sent over to you or else you won’t get to study abroad like we planned.” her choice of pronouns is funny; a plan that they crafted which never considered your input.

“okay.”

as your father commands the driver to go, your gaze remains on the two. it should be okay with you to leave cheongju; you’d be far away from your parents and experience an entirely different landscape to explore. it’s time you break away from the chains of this town. learn a life outside of what your parents forced you into.

yet, as the car takes its leave, the figure of your parents slowly shrinks. the distance from them should’ve given you the space to breathe, a relief you’ve longed for, but it only reminds you of your strained relationship. to them, it would be better that you’re out of their sight—and with your farewell, you never heard the three-word phrase.

the window rolls up. you try to hold back the tears, but the scenery of cheongju that you pass by births a storm within you. you didn’t want to say goodbye to home, regardless of how much you say you didn’t have a home in this town. every corner holds a piece of you in the same way you hold a piece of them.

the car approaches a safe haven you share. despite the snow that piles at the front, mr. kim’s convenience store is still open. you’ll never get to have his hotteok again or hear his favorite dramas play in the background. worst of all, you never got to say goodbye.

then, the familiar figure of your best friend exits the mart, and the storm transforms into a typhoon. the plastic bag he holds is filled with your favorite snacks, from the grape-flavored twin bar to a bottle of mr. kim’s homemade peach iced tea.

and in that moment that your car passes him, he pulls out his phone from his pocket, and you spot the familiar trap wrapped around his finger—the other end holds no one.

as quickly as you came into changmin’s life, he disappears from your view.

finger traps were fascinating. if you tug hard, the contraption won’t let your fingers go. yet, if you allow the two fingers to meet, allowing the toy to loosen, it’ll let you go with no harm.

but your finger trap with changmin was different. maybe it was already ripped to its seams.

interview

q: what made you decide on becoming an idol?

a: i’ve always loved dancing. growing up in cheongju, i always made time [for dance] whether it be [for] school competitions, talent shows, or even [choreographies] i wanted to try out. but i never considered becoming [an idol] until high school. a lot of my friends and family thought i was capable, and i’m glad they trusted me. it feels good to give back to them with every performance.

q: as the first trainee meant to debut in the boyz, you’ve spent more time training compared to your other members. what kept you going throughout your years of training?

a: my family’s support was one big thing that helped me [during my training.] every trip from my house to the company would last hours, and it drained me physically. so as the years went by, i started to question if all the time, money, [and] effort i was putting into an unpromised debut would be worth it, but my parents and sisters were always there to support and [take] care of me. but i’d also like to think my best friend was a major support in training years. i think they were the first one to [tell me that they saw me as an idol,] and at the time i brushed off the idea. but, look where i am now? so i think i owe a lot to them.

q: is there anything you’d like to say to those who’ve supported you as the boyz’s q?

a: mom and dad, thank you for believing in me. i know it wasn’t easy to wait until midnight for me to come home or take care of me whenever i got sick from training. thank you for always supporting me in every performance. to my sisters, thank you for helping mom and dad out at home. every day, i remind myself that you gave up so much just so i can pursue my dreams, and i want you know that i’m forever grateful for your sacrifices. to the rest of [the boyz], thank you for always allowing me to rely on you. i’m glad i can say i have brothers who i get to achieve my dreams with. deobi, thank you for your love and support over the years. i wouldn’t be the boyz’s q or ji changmin if it weren’t for you. and lastly, thank you to my best friend. i hope you’ll always be proud of me the same way i’ll forever be proud of you.

tag list: @deoboyznet @kflixnet @blankjournal @winterchimez @miusgirl @jenoscafe @sweet-unicorn-world @mosviqu @vernyangel @stealanity @deobi0412 @blue-rainydays @maessseongs @dearly-somber

[unholywriters]

Golden Trap

Summary: Finding a place to run a way from the loud city is often harder then some would think. You could wonder into the woods for hours, far from the loud sound of cars blaring horns, people walking with their phones on speaker and them yelling into it, yelling into it so the other person could hear them in order for each other to hear, the constant beeping of machines being used for almost everything that never seemed to have stopped. With of course the pressure of having to fit in, which can bring someone to their breaking pint and there’s no going back from that kind of pressure. But when your boss is a large figure in the fashion world for what seemed like years, it's hard to get away. But why does it seem like he holds a dark secret that no one can seem to remember? Who stays in the castle that he once lived in and why does he want y/n despite fighting so hard with his own captain before getting here?

Tags: vampire Yunho, curious male reader, unprotected sex {wrap it up people its okay to have safe sex}, classic Yunho, modern reader, non-idol AU, vampire AU

Genre: Smut, minors do not interact with

Word Count: 12.7k

Authors note: I'm sorry these fics are taking longer to come out then I'd hope so. Working two jobs is not for the weak along with a family planning a trip for a week but I will keep trying to crank them out, even on the trip unless I can find a way to get out of it. I'm sorry if this felt rushed or not as detailed as some of the others, mainly tigers prey but I do hope everyone enjoys it and it comes out like I imagined it. Please enjoy

“Come on Yunho, you’ve been in this castle for decades! The least you could do was upgrade some of the rooms that we use.” Someone said, overall happy to see his old friend once again after a long day of work and crunching numbers from his office. Running his fingers through his long silky black hair. His dark brown eyes scanning the room of his old home, letting the memories flow through his mind before his eyes landed on his friend. Sir Jeong Yunho, who was holding an old yet prestige tea tray with a silver tea pot and the matching cups. His outfit, some would classify it as the medieval times. Just a nice clean white buttoned up shirt with a black leather vest with the exception of some black dress pants that were gifted to him by another friend of his when they were slowly coming into style. His skin looked like caramel, giving a missed contrast from his dark brown eyes, slowly changing to red while he fixed his long black hair. On his hands were some finger rings, though one of them was sharp enough to leave a deep scratch onto anything and anyone, if it were a living person it would be bleeding some. This was on his left hand, the right hand had on a black glove. Yunho was happy to see his friend, who was dressed in a classic black and white suit while taking off the jacket to also reveal his own white buttoned up shirt. Walking on the stone floor behind Yunho.

“Now now if I were to attempt to do that, the memories would start to fade away. I can’t let any of my old friends forget the times we had in this home of ours now could I, Wooyoung?” He asked, leading Yunho to a clean wooden table that was covered with a black cloth. The chair having a small pillow for comfort and the best view of the still lively garden outside with a view of the stream passing by. Setting down the tray and pouring the red liquid into the cup before setting it down. “I can’t say much, saying how Seonghwa was the last one to leave because he loved the interior. You still take care of everything before any of us come here.” “Speaking of, how is sir seonghwa?” He asked with a. Curious look on his face,w arching as his friend playfully rolled his eyes at the old name. Watching Yunho walk to one of the openings to bring out a small tray of sweet she had made just for times like this. “From what I’ve heard he’s doing well. Though he plans on coming over soon after me, you know seonghwa can’t leave this place for long.” Sarcastically saying, but Wooyoung knows that seonghwa is mainly worried for Yunho. Being left alone taking care of a home that had kept them safe for centuries at this point. Something the others won’t take away from him, but they do get worried for the male.

“Then it’s a good thing I have enough blood for everyone as always, right Wooyoung?” He asked, walking closer to the edge to grab another chair and get it set up close to the table Wooyoung was sitting. Where Wooyoung was simply just taking a. Couple of sips of the blood in front of him before it was clear that he was content with the drink he had. “You’re always prepared for whoever of us decide to come over and have a chat with you.” “It would be improper of me to not be prepared for whenever a guest were to come over.” Wooyoung playfully rolled his eyes as he watched the older male get a table prepared. Sitting there under the bright and welcoming moonlight before hearing the soft calls of others. But it surprised Yunho as he looked up from the balcony while Wooyoung just smiled. Seeing two small bats come into view before getting close to the balcony before turning back to their human form. Softly landing on the stone while the black and red smoke started to clear away and reveal the two humans. Both were bright red eyes but looking more relaxed and happy. One of them walking right to Yunho whist the smoke cleared. Revealing a male with long pink dyed hair that seemed to be bouncing with each and every step. Showing his Carmel tanned skin along with his bright smile with two sharp fangs. His white shirt combined with a black corset that was tied nicely in the back with his matching heels creating excited clicking sounds. With the black sleek pants almost seeming like they were gliding through the air as his arms opened for a hug. “Oh Yunho look at you! You look amazing!” He cheered, happy that Yunho embraced his hug in the same happy manner, even if he was surprised to have guest over like this, where he wasn’t prepared for it.

The other male was standing close to Wooyoung, he was much more shorter then the pink hair male. His hair was more short, it was combed back but curly, it wasn’t black but more of a hazel brown color. His pink plump lips had a lip ring on the bottom lip in the center of it. He smiled softly while pushing aside a part of the fur coat he was wanting, showing a loose black shirt, showing some of his chest while wearing tight black pants, with his black shoes pulling it all together. “Sir Seonghwa, sir hongjoong! Goodness me if I knew there would be more I would have more cups ready! But it is wonderful to see you as well.” Smiling as bright as he could, pulling away and allowing Seonghwa to fix his hair and mainly just take a nice long look at the male, feeling as though its been forever when in reality it’s only been a week. “Now now Yunho, it’s alright if you didn’t get to prepare anything. We just wanted to come and check on you is all. Last time we saw you, you looked a bit…amused by something.” Hongjoong said, walking over and embracing Yunho in a hug. Afterwards Yunho had bowed, almost kneeling but hongjoong stopped him. “Now Yunho, I may be your captain still, but I am no king.” “Old habits die hard, and mine have yet to die out sir hongjoong.” Hongjoong could only chuckle before getting Yunho to sit, knowing that Yunho wouldn’t have done so without the gesture. It was just the four of them happily sitting at the table.

“Now back to what hyung here said, you were actually amused by someone and I didn’t hear about this?” Wooyoung said, looking a bit hurt in a playful way. Looking at Hongjoong’s raised brow and Seonghwa’s curious look while yunho’s ears seemed to have started to turn red. “You see…Sir hongjoong had invited me to a party he was hosting for his business, well one of them. But I was running late when choosing what to wear before he had arrived and helped me get dressed. But before we left I saw a male walking through the woods. And I almost followed them out of the forest till sir hongjoong grabbed me and reminded me why I was dressed up to being with. But I couldn’t find the person once we left.” He answered, watching wooyoung's mouth go wide with a smile as seonghwa wiggled his eyebrows in a playful gesture. Watching hongjoong lean back in the chair with his legs opening some more, getting himself comfortable while the other two started to ask questions. “So someone who works under Hongjoong manage to capture your attention? My my classical Yunho with a modern day human? Could you imagine the conversations?” “Wooyoung, you like it when San makes you silent in public spaces. You can’t say anything related to something like this.” Seonghwa teased, watching Wooyoung cover his mouth to laugh about his own likings. Even if his lover is still a human, he can’t turn him without permission nor would he force his lover to do anything of the sorts, no matter how badly he was craving to do so. Meanwhile Yunho was still pretty flustered. Because it was the first time in a long time, more like decades since someone had captured his dead heart the way it was slowly beating in a way when even thinking about the male. But Yunho and his friends are no regular vampires who simply flirt and give the world. No, they were known as the black pirates for a reason.

They would stalk their chosen partners, almost as if they were being lured into a trap and their only saving grace was for their vampire lover to come to their dying rescue. But in a sick way, mainly why Wooyoung wasn’t ready to ask San, because this was something that would break the two of them, well mainly San sadly. Wooyoung would be prepared for something like this, of course making it up to San in the best ways he was taught how to but other then that, it was like watching a. Sick and twisted horror game come to life only †here was no quitting it and picking it up once again when you felt brave enough. And there was no winning. Which is why not a lot of vampires are created from this group, their ways are horrific, many vampires have even tried to degrade them for it, but they weren’t just simple vampires. If they wanted to be known for something then it would be this and there would be no stopping that no matter how hard someone would have tried to do so. Since Yunho had grown more under the wings and care of hongjoong, he knew just how brutal hongjoong could be when it came to his teachings about this. And he needed to be ready to give his own twist in order for the person he grew attached to understood just how much he didn’t want to do this. But it was going to be done one way or another, and he would not hold back. After all, every lover should give their all when showing the worst side of them, he can’t hide it forever and was trained to so something like this in order to show it. That’s better than not lying now isn’t it?

“Now to be fair, Yunho was raised under Hongjoong before I came into the picture, this male has to be resilient or they’ll crumble before the game can even start!” Seonghwa cheered, licking his fang while sharing a quick glance to hongjoong, who had an approved look in his eye with his head slightly tilted to the right. “So Yunho, am I right about who it is, or do we need to keep preparing for this little encounter of yours, hm?” He asked, slowly leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees, holding his hands together while all eyes turned to be on him.

“You’re right sir Hongjoong, it’s who you think it is.” All hongjoong could do was simply smirk.

----------*-------------

“Y/N, Hongjoong is calling for you in his office again!” Wooyoung cheered, rolling over in his chair to push his way over to his favorite coworker's desk, who seemed to look both interested and annoyed. Y/N is one of hongjoong's many offices workers who was known to be very efficient with their workload, whether it was doing paperwork or computer work with their designs, scheduling their events and parties to even just anything he needed help with a time crunch, so to hear that y/n was needed for something was a shocker. So, peaking in the corner from his computer, he looked at his excited coworker and best friend. “Did he tell you why I was needed or is this a surprise for something?” Y/n asked before sitting up, watching wooyoung stop and cross his legs with a shrug. “Said it was for another gathering he has plans, and we know that you come in great during the time crunch.”  

Y/N looked surprised and kind of used to this. After all, Hongjoong was a well-known person, who loved making his own clothes and didn’t mind making more with the world to see. Standing up, fixing his dress shirt and grabbing his planner and iPad to make sure he had everything. He waved to wooyoung as he walked over to the elevator and pressed the top floor. Hongjoong was also known for having these large lavish gatherings where he was also very picky and stern with his guest list. If you weren’t invited to his gatherings personally, you would not be let in. This was just a safety reason to make sure his gatherings were a safe and open place, and he would not let any drama ruin the vibe of it all, no matter how close they were. 

Y/N was someone he could count on for the arrangements, the two of them would work with seonghwa to make the place grand, which meant that this was going to be a long couple of days, if not an entire week before the place was perfect to hongjoong’s liking. From the location to the food and drinks, to the dress code, to the silver wear. Hongjoong was a perfectionist when it came to these sorts of things, and one mistake would nearly ruin the entire thing and he would start over from scratch till everything was ready. Walking down the dark hallway y/n opened the rich black doors with golden doorknobs. Twisting them and pushing one of them opened. Y/N was greeted by the time bright room, the far back wall was nothing more than just tinted windows to show the view of the city, along with some of the trees in the back. The floors were installed with a midnight black carpet with the walls being painted black with some painting of some random things. Some being of fruit and some even being pictures of him on his trips and designs.  

His desk was in front of the window wall, it was an old antique desk with drawers on both sides, with plenty of room for drawers to be used and kept with storage. Ow of course, hongjoong wasn’t wearing the outfit he wore last night, and neither was his right-hand man. He had changed into a basic black and white suit with only one sliver necklace on, while seonghwa had worn a royal blue suit, which contrasted to his pink hair, but it was something he loved to show off when he got the chance to do so. The two had looked up from hongjoong’s iPad with ideas and hongjoong smiled before slowly standing up, “There’s my little magic worker, just in time to.” “God morning Sir, Mr. Park.” Y/N said, bowing down from their waist, after all it was disrespectful to only bow from the neck, especially to your seniors.  

“I know this is short notice given that I just had a party in the last two weeks. But this one is more of a... private one for those closer to me. There's a lot that we can work with here since they aren’t picky, which gives the two of you more freedom to work with here, making it feel like a relaxing place.” Hongjoong started as he watched y/n walk closer to his desk in order to get a better understanding of what he was asking for. Along with seonghwa having some pictures pulled up of the place they were thinking about, a place here almost no one would hear them, which made y/n curious of the matter of what they were looking at here. “I went walking around in the woods and found this place, it’s still running and there’s a caretaker there, he’s willing to help us, if we choose to see this place. I could take you while hongjoong stays here and maybe can get some more ideas on what he’s looking for exactly?” Seonghwa suggested showing off the pictures to a curious y/n.  

The place seemed to be surrounded by red roses on the outside with a little circle way with a working three-layer water fountain. The outside seemed to be covered in vines, but it was giving off a more relaxed with a more subtle look. “I’m surprised that Mr. Kim was interested in a place like this, but it’s away from the city and you’d be able to enjoy yourself. I don’t mind coming with to see.” Seonghwa brightly smiled before setting the iPad down on desk before the two of them bowed to hongjoong. “Don’t take too long seonghwa, make sure that you’re talking with the keeper to see what we can do. The place is beautiful and I don’t want to break anything or change it.” Staring at the two, he watched y/n walk out of the office first before soenghwa had turned to look at him at the gap of the door. 

Staring at hongjoong's eyes as a smirk slowly appeared on his face as his eyes flashed from their dark brown to the bright red color before leaning back in his chair. Watching Seonghwa's eyes do the same before the door slowly closed as he looked a the picture on his desk. It was only of him and seonghwa with Yunho in the back while seonghwa was holding wooyoung, who was passed out in his arms with blood on his neck and two small holes. He knew this picture was going to be updated, but he needed to make sure wooyoung knew what to do before he would chase someone bigger than him. But with Yunho, he needed to push him. So, he slowly turned in his chair and walked over to the window, where he could see the castle standing in the woods. “My little golden retriever, don’t let me down with this one.” 

 ----------*-------------

Walking through the woods, y/n was close to seonghwa who seemed to walk in these woods a lot, not nearly tripping over anything since the way to get here was still blocked off by fallen tree logs. Seonghwa was slowly scanning the area to make sure Yunho wasn’t there, or really anyone for that matter that would throw off everything that was planned. Unless it was needed. “Mr. Park, do you often come walking here a lot? You seemed to have this way memorized like nothing.” y/n pointed out, watching seonghwa turn his head to look back at them, trying to hide his shy smile while his eyes stayed their dark brown color. “I won’t lie, I do tend to walk in the woods close to my home. Here, let me help you.” He offered, holding his hand out as the two kept walking within the woods. It was a fun little adventure before they arrived at the old castle.  

Where Yunho was trimming the flowers while clearing one of the small pathways before turning his head to look at y/n first, he could feel his ow dead heart slightly starting to beat before bowing to the pair. Taking off the dirt gloves and walking over. “Ah you two must be whom Mr. Kim mentioned over the phone? I’m Yunho, the caretaker of Castle of the Night, or it was also known as dead walkers den. But that’s a myth since no one had ever seen the rulers walk out during the day.” “You must know everything about this place with an introduction like this now Mr. Yunho?” Y/N questioned, seeing how Yunho was even dressed for the occasion while seonghwa watched the two. Seeing how Yunho was giving y/n all his attention and seemed to even glow just a little while listening to every word as if a storyteller was beginning the first part of a story and he was the listener, there to sit and listen. “My family was tasked with caring for the castle when it was built, even when it was no longer in use, we still care for it just in case for events like this. I was told it was for a private gathering, yes?” He questioned, keeping his hands held in front of his torso while seonghwa crossed his arms. 

“Ah yes, he sent me and Mr. Park to come by and get a better look at the place to see what is allowed to be brought in and where.” “Then let’s head inside and I’ll answer any questions, though do be warned. I do not know much about technology.” Seonghwa stayed outside and watched the two walk inside the doors, he ended up looking around some, the memories of when he was first brought here flooding back as if he were reliving that day all over again. It was in the 1910s that he found himself running around in the so-called cursed woods. Where very few came back alive and those who did couldn’t remember what happened or what they saw. Only to die a week later if they were lucky to make it that long. Seonghwa ran in here to escape an arranged marriage that he was almost forced into instead of going to school to run away. But it was here that he met hongjoong, he was kneeled drinking the blood from someone who tried to break a stone off his home. When the two met eyes, hongjoong's jaw was covered in the red liquid with his eyes glowing a dark red while his licked his lips, letting the body fall to the ground before standing up. 

Seonghwa was about to run for it, trying to get away before he was soon to be killed but it never happened. Before he could even move hongjoong was in front of him and held the older man's jaw with his head tilted to the side. “Now now, little bunny, weren’t you taught to never walk into the woods at night by yourself? You could get hurt...or worse.” He teased, feeling seonghwa shake in his hands, but hongjoong didn’t kill him that day. No, he wanted to toy with him. So, he asked seonghwa why he ran into the forest and stumbled here, where Yunho was inside still sleeping after being bitten and turned. So he offered seonghwa a deal, he stays in the castle and takes care of the place with Yunho, and if hongjoong likes it, seonghwa will live as is. And seonghwa took it, seeing how there was no going back home. But one day, hongjoong chased seonghwa threw the forest to get his blood bumping faster along with his heart. Hongjoong's favorite way to turn people, which is something he's rarely done. So when it came to Seonghwa and Yunho, it was clear that these two were very special and very important to him.  

Rubbing the left side of his neck where he can faintly feel the bite marks still. He remembers hongjoong whispering in his ear before he was painfully bit and could feel his life slipping from his hands, but he remembered waking up in a dark room. Where there was a a tub full of water, confused he had walked over and saw his reflection in the water. His long black hair had changed somehow, it was pink, and his eyes were the same dark red as hongjoong. Something that he was confused about before seeing the dried-up blood on his neck and the two holes. He was going to wash it off before he heard the door open and saw him. Hongjoong still had that same black coat he wears today with his hands being held behind his back and he got closer to the shaken elder. “I never knew the changing process could change your hair, then again, Pink does look good on you.” he answered, watching seonghwa try to back away and create more distant between the two which made him only chuckle at the gesture. “Now now, little bunny relaxes. You still have many things to learn about, after all my husband needs to know how to hunt.” (might make a series explaining this) 

“Wait so you know everything about this place? What else do you know?” Y/N asked, still walking beside Yunho, who was carrying a tray with some freshly made teacups as the two walked around one of the main halls that would also take them to the large garden, along with the stream. “They say that the old occupations of the home gave birth to the vampire legend. Do you have an interest in something like this?” He asked, leading y/n to a table and a comfortable chair in the garden to give a view of some of the flower patches and the calm streaming lake. Yunho had served y/n with different color macaroons and a green matcha tea while carrying his famous napkin that was carefully handwashed daily. “Who doesn’t like vampires? Their interest, some can walk in the sun like nothing can harm them, others find it harder to do so without getting hurt. Some spell their vampiric name differently; some hunt for fun, some don’t and some just live peacefully. Though I never got to hear about anything like this before from this place.” Yunho smirked some, pulling up a chair and sitting down, glancing at the water and back over to y/n, giving them his full attention since this was one of his favorite stories to tell. 

“They say the main one, or the captain as he was called, was a kind and adoring leader to his subjects, he could bring anyone to his side with his passion and he was strong. But one day when he was walking through the woods, he was assassinated by the kingdom of the shadows, a longtime rival that the captain had tried his hardest to be friends with them. But this did something to him, they say at night they could hear his pained screams when this happened, and when his second in command went to check, the body wasn’t there but there was a pool of fresh blood. Walking further they found him tearing apart the team of assassins that killed him. He turned from a kind leader to a ruthless killer, which was understandable given how hard he worked. As for the person, they say he came back and said the king was dead since no one would've believed him if he told the people what truly happened. He kept the blood thirsty king in the tower that’s still sealed off, even for events such as this, for safety reasons since he would’ve killed anyone. The second in command was turned after a war, where the people were killed sadly, and their bodies were brunt. When the shadow prince had tried to sit on the throne, in the morning his body being slaughtered, and his body was drained of blood.”  

He watched how nervous y/n seemed to get while telling this story in a calm yet creepy manner. Something that would play into the fear and Yunho could smell it, but he had to stay still. After all, if he started it too soon then everything would be ruined. He needed to wait, even if he could feel his throat tightening, so he just drank his own cup of tea to keep himself calm and sane. “Was he...ever caught?” “Oh, he was after a couple of years, they say he was chained somewhere here with the stunned body of his second in command next to him in a bricked-up cave. He can’t ever get out, from what I know of.” Standing up and walking over, titling his head slightly to the right and kept a soft and welcoming smile. “Don’t be sacred, the cave is far and the last person that went said he died from not having any blood to drink for years. Now that we have your party things ready, I’ll set up everything when I get the chance to. You’re free to come by whenever you wish to, there are just no cars. There are too many fallen trees and anything big would destroy the area. Just take the path. Now let’s go find your friend.”  

The party decorations would be centered around, like a mascaraed ball, with things set up like fountains that would have certain choices of drinks. From water, to wine, to champagne, to even some juice just as a another option. There would be a large arrangement of sweets, some cake, cupcakes, maroons, sweet cakes, brownies, and cookies. With the two choices for dinner being steak with mash potatoes it sweet potatoes fries. Another being salmon fried vegetables with potatoes as well. Hongjoong was a very classy person when it came to these things. Everything had to be perfect and there was no room for area. The dress code was a little strange from what y/n was used to. If someone were to go with a partner, one had to wear black and the other had to wear white. It didn’t matter how it looked, the two had to have some form of black and white to match with each other, and the little get together would be on a Saturday near 10pm, since everyone would be busy and that’s when traffic would start to die down.  

Yunho had asked y/n if they didn’t find someone in time, if he could be his partner for it. Since he wouldn’t have to take care of anything till later in the night and he was perfectly fine with that. Y/n had agreed to it and the two were walking around to find seonghwa, who was still walking around the front of the property but there was something else that confused the pair. Seonghwa seemed to be talking to someone with a concerned tone. “Mr. Park? What’s going on here?” Y/N asked, watching seonghwa turn around with a worried look on his face before holding the younger male's shoulder. “I’m not sure, I was just looking around at the place and thinking where a great place was to have signs to bring everyone else and saw this man, he looked lost but not harmed. I think his name is yeosang?” The quiet male nodded his head, Yunho looked at the male and was trying to hide an excited smile.  

“What should we do? Could we take him back?” “I can take care of him. I have plenty of first aid supplies and can take care of him till someone comes by. You two are on a time crunch I’d imagine and need to submit this to Mr. Kim.” Yunho offered, ushering the male to his side and watched as he stumbled over, looking somewhat dizzy but also very stable to walk over. It was hot outside and maybe Yeosang needed something to drink, which is what Yunho had and knew that if they were to rush to the city, Yeosang might not be the best choice. Y/n watched the male trying to see what all was wrong, and even with his neck covered, he could see that there were two dark spots on the top of his neck but thought it was just a mole. “Oh wait!” Y/N said, grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling down a number and handing it to Yunho, who was turning his head to face them and held the paper. “It’s my personal number, you can call to ask me about anything regarding the banquet and also if this man needs anything.” Yunho held the paper and nodded his head, carefully placing it in his shirt pocket before bowing to the pair and helping yeosang inside to the large heavy wooden doors.  

“How did you like the place so far Y/N? It seems peaceful and away from the busy and loud city noises.” Seonghwa said as the two walked back to the black business car. Where a driver stepped out of the car to open the door as he waited for the two as they slowly walked closer. “It’s a nice choice for hongjoong to pick for the banquet. I take it you will be there as well Mr. Park? You seem very close to Mr. Kim. Are you two dating? He always seems to be looking for you before doing anything else in the office.” Curiosity got the best of y/n as the two of them sat in the car. Putting seatbelts on and letting the driver start their drive back to the company building.  

“I met him when I was just starting my own fashion career. He asked me to do a deal with him and sometime after that, he asked me out when he took me on a gala he was invited to and managed to get a plus one.” Seonghwa answered, watching y/n’s smile grow while learning. “No, you can’t tell anyone else this, he hates people prying on his private life and you know that.” “Oh, I know, don’t worry.” y/n said, knowing damn well they were going to tell wooyoung when they got back and were getting ready to go home to make sure they had plenty of time to get prepared for everything when it came to little ball. Meanwhile yeosang was wide awake, holding his head while he could feel the dirt partials still in his hair while Yunho was dusting off his back, trying to be gentle as possible since yeosang had been asleep for a very long time, and buried with only just enough space to crawl out with his hands. Barely remembering anything at first and slowly trying to come back. 

“Don’t move too much, waking up after a years long sleep like you have is very scary. Take the drink. It will help you feel stronger.” Carefully watching yeosang drink the cup, letting blood drip down from the corners of his mouth till the cup was empty. He let it go with quicken pants as his eyes started to glow red. Feeling like he had just finally tasted fresh cold water while Yunho stepped back and watched how the dirt started to fall from his hair before his thin body started to look more healthy. Yeosang had turned his head to look at Yunho, who had a smile on his face before walking back over with his napkin. “Now then, we have work to do and not a lot of time to teach you before captain comes back, he’ll be thrilled to see that you’re awake along with your old friend, wooyoung.” 

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“Hello? Oh Hey Yunho, oh no I was on my way over there I had to get a driver then I’m walking. I wanted to surprise you with a visit but didn’t want to scare you. I’ll be fast!” Y/N cheered, walking into the woods with their bag in hand, it was mainly their work bag with more pictures of outfits for the pair to try. Since y/n had agreed to be Yunho’s partner two days ago since it was getting close to the date and the two needed to have their outfits and how the colors would fall and match along with just the style of them.  Remembering the trail y/n started to walk to the castle, softly humming and looking around but soon stopped at the sound of a twig snapping close by. It was strange, even though there were some animals around here, they would’ve kept walking around like nothing happened. But this sound stopped before slowly picking back up. 

“Y/N? You look like you just saw a ghost, are you alright?” Yunho asked, peaking from around the end of the pathway and seemed to look confused as he watched them slightly walk faster to him. He kept his hands behind his back as he watched before letting their eyes seem to lock in place and stand closer to each other. “Thought I heard a twig snap before I got here, but I’m sure it’s just an animal.” They said with a shrug, watching Yunho look around before giving a slight nod. “Since it’s winter, most animals are starting to leave or find more food for hibernation. Now come, come I’m curious to see what you have.” He ushered, holding his hand out and placed it on their lower back as they walked up the stairs and back inside. The place was slowly getting placed together with most of the rooms being locked off to the public. The garden’s flowers were still in bloom and the lake seemed to be getting faster as the days went on. The lights in the main ballroom were being cleaned and maintained for the time to come along with the black and white streamers being hung on the walls.  

Pulling out the iPad out of the black work bag and showed some of the designs hongjoong said the two could pick from, since he would have plenty of them and could give them over in such a short notice given with how time was slowly falling into place. One of the designs was two suits, the shoulders were covered in red rubies that would sway from side to side with each step. The second one was somewhat the same concept, but one of the suits had a wrap around black skirt that was an optinal choice to have attached with the other suit having a cape trailing behind. Something Y/N liked the most but wanted to ahve Yunho’s opnion on the matter, since the two of them would be going together for something like this and it was only fair to have both sides agree to something. It wwas somehting different for Yunho to see, sure he had seen hongjoong make things like this before, and often wear his own designs with the biggest grin on his face knowing how some people would act but it never onced stopped him and now he thrives on it. 

“There’s more that you can look through, but this one is my favorite, we can add anything to them without worry, well at least to some degree.” Yunho had slightly tilted his head to the side before looking over to Y/N, his hands were tucked behind his back while his eyes were filled with curiosity. “Well Y/N, your choice is beautiful, but I am curious, what more could you add to an outfit that would look perfect on you as is, hm?” He had a grin on his face while watching them swipe passed some of the other design Choices before showing their one. For Yunho’s suit on the shoulders there were a couple of red rubies here and there, but with some trickling down to the front of the jacket on each side. With the skirt on the other suit have some of the same ones on the bottom ruffles along with a black collar with a red ruby in the center. It was something small, but it would contract with black and white. Y/N did like to add their own little flare to their outfits, so they just felt like themselves. Something they managed to pull off and could walk around happy as could be. 

“I was thinking something like this? If not, I understand-” “This is beautiful to look at. You did amazing with this y/n. Never doubt that.” Being as truthful and Sencere as he could, he watched y/n’s face light up in a way that made him smile at the reaction. It was like watching someone fall in love for the first time, that certain glow that they were getting, how their smile seemed to get more meaningful and truer whenever that person was around or even just speaking about them would turn their entire bad mood into a good thing just because of feelings. Even yeosang, who had walked in the room to ask Yunho a question could see that look in his face, mainly his eyes. “I’ll send them to Mr. Kim to see what he can do, I’m glad you like them. Oh before I forget, how was yeosang when we were last were here?” Asking with a tilt of their head, Yunho turned his head over to look at yeosang. Letting Y/N repeat the same action while yeosang stood there slightly cornered while holding a broom in his hands. He looked in better shape, he wasn’t as dirty or disheveled like he was before and almost looked like an entirely new person. But he did maintain a small smile on his face, mainly it was because he was nervous. He was told about what the others were planning thanks to a very excited wooyoung, who was beyond joyous to have his friend back after years of not seeing him. 

He knew he couldn’t male Y/N worry or question about much, and with the calm yet terrifying look Yunho was giving him while Y/N wasn’t paying attention was all he needed to know before trying to say anything. “Oh...I’ve been good. Just helping Yunho-Hyung out for everything, he’s shown me around and made sure I don’t overwork myself. I just wanted to ask where the inside broom goes.” “The door between your room and mine. No need to be nervous.” Yunho was able to keep his voice calm and tamed when it came to having to keep someone under their thumb while a guest was nearby. Keeping everything the same expect the stare, which is something people would feel instantly when talking or even having to deal with a slightly annoyed Yunho. 

Yeosang  softly bowed and walked down the hall to the broom closet while Yunho turned his attention back to Y/N, looking down at them with a smile on his face that never seemed to leave his face. “The party happens tomorrow night correct? Or am I getting very excited to see you here in your outfit?” He teased, watching Y/N’s smile grow and their face light up. “You have three more days Yunho, don’t get so excited or you won’t be able to sleep for a while. Can’t have my date falling asleep on me when it comes time for the party to start now can I?” There was something inside of Yunho when he heard that roll off their tongue out to the world. Something for his ears to only hear while he stood there smiling, knowing that Y/N would have to leave soon. But he was happy to hear about it, he wanted to hear it more. He wanted to grab them and show them things only movies would be able to show them. 

----------*-------------

“Oh don’t worry Y/N. I will get enough sleep before the big enough.” He said with a smile, watching Y/N bow since they still had to hurry and tell hongjoong what they wanted for the outfits. While Yunho stood there on the stairway with a smirk on his face. By that time the woods would be closed off and there’s no help for a good 20 minutes given how tucked in the place is with all the woods being in a tangled mess. The Food would be the start of the game with Yeosang being the one who gets to explain the rules of it since he has yet to find the one who bit him, who was coming over for this but that wouldn’t take a while. Yeosang stood by the door with a nervous look on his face as he watched Y/N disappear. He wanted to tell her to run, to get out of here and move away from hongjoong and his friends before it’s too late, but it already is. 

----------*-------------

Y/N woke up with a headache and blood slightly dripping from the left side of their head. Looking down at their outfit to see some ripped pieces here and there. It was the night of the party and Y/N had walked inside with Yunho and got to see the others and what they were thinking of when it came to this with their own outfits and creativity. Hongjoong stood out the most, wearing his infamous fur coat with a sliver chain necklace with a white shirt loose shirt underneath with black tight jeans and black platforms. His hands were almost covered in rings while he greeted everyone and lead them to the ballroom. Where everyone was able to dance and have their own drinks and food to eat and enjoy and the flower garden was opened to all. At some point Y/N had walked back there to go and look at the flowers along with getting closer to the stream with a smile on their face. But before they could go back, yeosang had silently ran up to them and tried to get him to run. To tell Y/N to get out of the house and to run away as far and as fast as he can while looking behind him to make sure no one was behind him, listneing in if they could.  

At first Y/N was confused, thinking that Yeosang had nightmare and just needed sometime to get it out. But Then Yunho was walking over, his eyes were still brown but they almost looked lighter then normal, even in the dark of the shadows his eyes still looked bright as he walked over. Yeosang went stiff and gulped just a little as Yunho joined the pair. “Their about to have a toast,  but we can’t do that without the two friends here now can we, Yeosang?” The name almost came out like acid to Yeosang’s ears. Remembering what happened last time he tried to warn Wooyoung that he needed to run, but he failed and it seemed that Wooyoung was thriving in this kind of life not wanting to have it any other out. But with defeat and fear in his eyes he looked at the ground while Yunho and Y/N were happily talking about the events inside before Yeosang arm was grabbed by Wooyoung. Who had a bright on his face but that spark in his eyes, something that Yeosang knew he had to go with him while they walked around to the side of the table across from Yunho while Hongjoong started his toast. Keeping Seonghwa close while he tried to not look either excited or scared. 

“I want to dedicate this toast to all of you. You’re more than just coworkers to me, all of you are important to me and I can’t wait to spend more years with all of you. Even if we fall out of touch with it all, and yet all still come to this old place we manage to call home with Yunho and now Yeosang taking care of it to ensure we can stay here and have a place far away from the loud city. Here we make memories, good and bad, for better or for worse. And we welcome Y/N to the family and give Yeosang a warm welcome to it. So, drink up and let’s celebrate our new beginning.” He raised his dark wine and watched everyone take their sips with their friends. No one set down their glass but Y/N, who seemed to look dizzy almost as he looked down at cup, seeing how it was almost gone but it tasted weird, it didn’t taste like wine. And when he managed to look around, he almost dropped his cup. 

Wooyoung had set down his empty cup with a smile on his face, showing off his bright red eyes and his two small fangs, though they were growing due to the drink he had while yeosang seemed to be trying to wipe the drink off, his eyes glowing red but he didn’t want to smile at the fact that he knew his fangs were growing but he didn’t want to show them off he didn’t feel safe enough to do so and just wanted to get out of here like he did last time. Seonghwa had looked over, licking his own fangs when he heard the cup falling on the ground and breaking, yet again. It wasn’t their own personal cup; it was just a cup they would buy so it could break and nothing else they had would shatter at the realization of what was happening. Y/N didn’t even want to turn up and look up at Yunho and had tried to run, but Yunho’s grip was tight as he set down the cup, which settled in some of the fabric being ripped in their attempted to get out of is grip before he was hit on the side of the head and was picked up by Seonghwa, knowing that now Yunho had to get ready to chase them down while this would result in Yeosang being punished for trying to scare away the new joiner. Which is why he and Wooyoung had to go and explain the games.  

“Now Yeosang, why would you try to scare away Yunho’s partner like that? You just woke back up from your 20-year nap. Wooyoung was hoping you two could still be friends.” Hongjoong teased, walking over and turning yeosang around. His eyes were red still, he was trying to remain calm but wooyoung had holding him from behind, basically keeping Yeosang there while Yunho was going into one of the spare rooms to take off the rich suit he was given and into a black shirt and pants, something that didn’t make noise and something that was loose and more comfortable enough to drink in. Yeosang had tried to keep eye contact with hongjoong while he could feel the dark and haunting gaze of the leader. But nothing was coming out of his mouth to give an answer. “I think you two will enjoy explaining things to Y/N while Yunho gets ready to run. After all, you know he needs his little chase to bring in his own fiancé. Besides, you remember how that felt when you first woke up. Don’t you little Doberman?” 

Now Y/N had woken up in a dark cave, in front of a large stone slab where rusty black chains were still hanging and broken while there looked to be dried up blood stains there. There were fire torches light and nailed to the stone walls. But Y/N would soon see Wooyoung confidently standing with a smirk on his face while Yeosang seemed to be trying to look away. Not wanting to have any part in this situation and just wanted to get out of here and forget that it had ever happened. Something he knew wasn’t going to happen no matter how hard he tried. Y/N looked a mixture of hurt and betrayed by this. Watching Wooyoung walk over and kneel, Y/N was somewhat chained down on the ground with his wrist tucked behind his back. “Wooyoung...what the fuck is going on!” 

Y/N yelled while trying to free their wrist. Trying to look at Yeosang, who was still looking away with his arms hugging himself while Wooyoung started to explain. “Well, a lot of things are going on. Take your pick on what you like to have explained to you.” He started to laugh, clearing his throat with a quick roll of his eyes. “Relax, I’m joking you have a lot to learn about. But it all starts with that same little story I know for a fact; Yunho told you about the lovely place that same prince still calls home.” He hummed while slowly standing up, clicking his tongue loudly and listened to Yeosang’s small footsteps get closer before standing close while holding a small book with the title Blood Thirst. Letting Yeosang keep it since he knew for a fact Y/N had read it before, since it was something Wooyoung saw them at the office with the book before. “Hongjoong, was the prince in this...little book you enjoy. And in that same little tale Yunho told you. After all he was chained down in that very spot watching Hongjoong from across him just losing his mind trying to eat or drink anything he possibly could in that matter. He would wake up hungry for days before one day, seonghwa stumbled right in here thinking the two of them had just died in here. Feeling bad about it he unlocked the chains and soon got chased by hongjoong, who was more than excited at the fact that he was able to run and chase his first live prey thinking he killed seonghwa at first. Till Seonghwa started to change. But of course they had to wake up and turn Yunho to join. After all he had been with captain that entire time, it took them 20 years to get out of there. And now, you get to be part of that! Whether you like it or not. Yunho picked you, out of everyone Hongjoong had let him meet before, he choose the amazing little y/n who was going to soon be chased by him in the same way all of us were chased. But he wanted to be the one to bite you and turn you, it would feel more...intimate for him." 

Y/N wanted to scream, this was a man they had saw as their friend, who was now standing in front him with blood drying on his chin explaining a sick game of cat and mouse and there was almost no way for the mouse to escape without nearly dying in the process. While Yeosang seemed to be hating this idea, there was nothing he was allowed to do but stand there. Looking down and severing out his punishment so maybe he wouldn’t have to be buried in his lonely coffin once more. “Now then, Yunho should be in position for me to let you go and try to run. If you get to the palace before him, you’ll have two options since at this point you know too much and letting you run away and move somewhere is out of the question. Captain doesn’t want or need anyone else to know about his family. You’ll either be forced to drink the captain's blood or Yunho’s and you’ll be locked in a coffin in their place of choice till you turn. Which can be minutes to years, it took yeosang almost 200 years to finally wake up. When you saw him that day, he just finally turned and let’s just say Yunho isn’t willing to wait that long. Yeosang, unlock them.”  

Yeosang had slowly walked over, kneeling to the damp ground and started to unlock the chains. Listening to Wooyoung push over the heavy rock door to show the outside. It almost seemed like the moon wasn’t even shining down on the ground despite it being a full moon. It was almost impossible to see anything but the sound of the chains falling was enough to break the silences before seeing wooyoung’s dark red eyes look down into Y/N’s eyes, smirking as he stood aside the door. “Better start running, he gets excited very easily when chasing.” Wooyoung watched Y/N stumble to get up and started to run. Not too fast to avoid falling from the twigs, bushes and who knows what else on this floor while trying to look around. Trying to see if there were any signs of light, thinking maybe they could run out from the sides and find a way. Or maybe even somewhere to hide without fail, maybe waiting this out to see if Yunho would return home to take care of the castle, leaving plenty of time for them to run back. 

They aren’t one to give up no matter who says, after all if they listened to any of that advice then they wouldn’t have gotten the job they always wanted and have their own expensive home. A wide range of closets or really anything of that matter and were slowly building their own permeant home with no one telling them no, or trying to take control of their own home and how it looks from the outside to the inside. Trying to run in these woods was almost like trying to move through Jello or even water. But also trying to remain silent in hopes of no one being able to hear their footsteps or the sounds of their breathing. Almost being able to get away, noticing the trees were opening and there seemed to be another home, the only place here was that damn castle. All Y/N had to do was cross that line, despite knowing the choice, but maybe this was also to the opened road, the hard part of this would be trying to run back to the city hopeing that no one there would be able to get them or chase them around and bring them back. Getting ready to take another step, two strong arms wrapped around their body and kept them off the air. Watching their feet kick around while the hand was wrapped around their head and pulling it to the side, reveling their neck while the other arm was wrapped around their waist to keep them in place. Despite Y/N’s attempts to kick free and rip the arms off. 

“Kicking just makes it more exciting.” Yunho whispered closely before licking the showing side of their neck. Listening to the muffled screams and cries, feeling the body shaking underneath him before he finally bites down with enough force to pierce skin and start to drink blood. Almost letting out something in return while feeling their body tense up. Slowly removing his hand just to hear that ear piercing scream of pain while hongjoong stood on the stairs watching as the hanging lights finally came back on. Showing the stunned and ruined state of y./N who was shaking in Yunho’s arms as he drank. Tears were falling from their left eye before they started to let out gasp for air. Which were then followed by groans and trying to scratch 

Y/N wanted to scream, this was a man they had saw as their friend, who was now standing in front him with blood drying on his chin explaining a sick game of cat and mouse and there was almost no way for the mouse to escape without nearly dying in the process. While Yeosang seemed to be hating this idea, there was nothing he was allowed to do but stand there. Looking down and severing out his punishment so maybe he wouldn’t have to be buried in his lonely coffin once more. “Now then, Yunho should be in position for me to let you go and try to run. If you get to the palace before him, you’ll have two options since at this point you know too much and letting you run away and move somewhere is out of the question. Captain doesn’t want or need anyone else to know about his family. You’ll either be forced to drink the captain's blood or Yunho’s and you’ll be locked in a coffin in their place of choice till you turn. Which can be minutes to years, it took yeosang almost 200 years to finally wake up. When you saw him that day, he just finally turned and let’s just say Yunho isn’t willing to wait that long. Yeosang, unlock them.”  

Yeosang had slowly walked over, kneeling to the damp ground and started to unlock the chains. Listening to Wooyoung push over the heavy rock door to show the outside. It almost seemed like the moon wasn’t even shining down on the ground despite it being a full moon. It was almost impossible to see anything but the sound of the chains falling was enough to break the silences before seeing wooyoung’s dark red eyes look down into Y/N’s eyes, smirking as he stood aside the door. “Better start running, he gets excited very easily when chasing.” Wooyoung watched Y/N stumble to get up and started to run. Not too fast to avoid falling from the twigs, bushes and who knows what else on this floor while trying to look around. Trying to see if there were any signs of light, thinking maybe they could run out from the sides and find a way. Or maybe even somewhere to hide without fail, maybe waiting this out to see if Yunho would return home to take care of the castle, leaving plenty of time for them to run back. 

They aren’t one to give up no matter who says, after all if they listened to any of that advice then they wouldn’t have gotten the job they always wanted and have their own expensive home. A wide range of closets or really anything of that matter and were slowly building their own permeant home with no one telling them no, or trying to take control of their own home and how it looks from the outside to the inside. Trying to run in these woods was almost like trying to move through Jello or even water. But also trying to remain silent in hopes of no one being able to hear their footsteps or the sounds of their breathing. Almost being able to get away, noticing the trees were opening and there seemed to be another home, the only place here was that damn castle. All Y/N had to do was cross that line, despite knowing the choice, but maybe this was also to the opened road, the hard part of this would be trying to run back to the city hopeing that no one there would be able to get them or chase them around and bring them back. Getting ready to take another step, two strong arms wrapped around their body and kept them off the air. Watching their feet kick around while the hand was wrapped around their head and pulling it to the side, reveling their neck while the other arm was wrapped around their waist to keep them in place. Despite Y/N’s attempts to kick free and rip the arms off. 

“Kicking just makes it more exciting.” Yunho whispered closely before licking the showing side of their neck.Watching Y/N continue to struggle and kick as hard as he could in order to finally break from Yunho’s grip, but this is a man who wears little finger armor, just enough pressure can cut anyones skin if he were to lace anything with it to his advatnage but in this case he was reayd to just use it for a tease. Leaning over and licking the side of their neck, hearing the squeak and ignoring the bleeding from his cut sleeve arm, he finally bit down into the place he wanted to. Making sure his grip was tight as he drank and kept them in place while his eyes remained closed before dropping Y/N as he leaned his head back and let out a relieved sigh while licking his lips before looking down to see them trying to roll around before looking up to show their eyes.

  

From their beautiful natural color to a dark blood red with two small baby fangs starting to show. The feeling felt like something was starting to rp the very blood from your body in every pore that was on your body. Everything was burning and stinging. Wanting to do nothing more than run away from the feeling but it was stuck staying there and feeling something change in you but there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Not even you. Everything was feeling way too light, bright, burning and too fast to grabble and understand before finally falling limp in Yunho’s arms. His lips and jaw were covered as he slowly pulled away and let out a Shakey and relaxed sigh. He looked over to the stairs, where Hongjoong was swirling a cup of drinks from easier with Seonghwa standing close next to him with his hands tucked behind his back. Wooyoung had dragged over Yeosang with a skip of his feet while everyone slowly looked down to see if Y/N would start to twitch. Their fingers started to twitch as Yunho started to walk up the stairs before Y/N”s eyes shot opened. Scrambling out of Yunho's arms onto the hard stone of the platform of the stairs. Watching them slowly look up at hongjoong who had that same twisted grin on his face as he kneeled with the cup still in hand. Swirling it around and teasingly holding it out and pulling it back in towards him. 

“Awe, the little bats thirsty. Should I be a nice captain and let you drink or punish you for creating such a scene at the dinner.” He started to chuckle when he could see the old Y/N trying to come back, fighting the urge to pounce but also wanting to say some very few choice words while trying to run away as far away as possible. But Hongjoong handed the cup to Yunho, who kneeled down and lifted up their chin and allowed them to smell it. It was a rich scent of blood, something that didn’t smell cross but something that smelled like fresh baked goods and everyone was excited to finally take a bite Slowly pouring the cup down their throat with little to no struggle, Yunho gave a genuine smile since the drink was his own blood. Which was something down to make the person closer to you. Meaning the only way, you would be able to die was if Yunho had died as well and that was almost entirely impossible to do since Yunho was also very careful of what he did. And he was turned by hongjoong. So, there was almost no getting rid of any of them. 

“Welcome Home Y/N, you’ll learn how to handle it soon. But just know there is and will be no escaping.”  

“Yunho- Why are you walking on the roof?” Y/N questioned, walking out of their bathroom with a black soft robe softly tied around their body before looking up at their roof, seeing Yunho walking with his hands holding something before he finally looked down and showed off his birhght smile, letting hikmself fall down and land on his feet like he was excited to fianlly say something about his day or what he managed to get for his lover this time. Ever since he was able to teach Y/N things, he knew that at some point one of them would have to move. Hongjoong wasn’t going to let go of Y/N since wooyoung made it clear that he would make a fuss about it till they came back and hongjoong was not about to deal with that all by himself. So, he took it upon himself to teach Yunho things about the city and how to act and hide his eyes more often while Wooyoung, Yeosang and Seonghwa had taken turns teaching Y/N things, from simply hunting to how to act when hungry.  

But at some point, Yunho had come back after making sure he knew everything and offered to move in with Y/N, but some things had to change. Even if they were used to the sun, when he first went to Y/N’s house he was dumbfounded by the Amont of windows looking down at the city and allowing the sun to shine brightly in the main bedroom. Something that confused him, sure the sunrise and sunset was beautiful to watch but, the sun is bright and people are nosey, so they got curtains large enough to hide things. It was only in their bedroom so they could had ethe privacy. He was getting used to driving around something he ended up enjoying but he was trying to get used to people and their crazy driving attempts it seems as well. But overall, he was enjoying his time and being able to get things for Y/N to show them that they do love and they're excited to keep learning in hopes of being able to work with the rest of his friends and partner. 

“Hongjoong-hyung gave me this to give to you! He said it was something you would enjoy and that I should give it.” He cheered, holding out the black box, smiling brightly before letting yn take it and slowly open the box to revel a golden necklace with red sapphire in some of the circle designs. The charms were made to look like water drops, some could say even blood drops with the red in the middle, but it was something Yunho wanted to gif. It made yn smile while carefully holding it to examine everything. Yunho was like a excited puppy happy to be around the owner after being separated for what felt like hours. “Yunho this is beautiful, I can’t wait to find something to wear it with.” Placing it back in the box carefully, y/n walked back to their walk in closet and placed it on another stand for it to be shown and taken care of. The two of them were home and just enjoying being around with each other after working.  

Yunho had walked behind them and lifted them up into their arms, even if they weren’t fully dressed or anything. He enjoyed letting his hands roam on their soft skin and enjoying listen to them talk about their day with their tv playing in the background. It was something he was slowly getting used to as the days went on into weeks and months and almost even 2 years at this point since it took around 4 months for yn to get used to being a vampire, a bit longer for Yunho to get used to the city life itself. The two of them were laying on the large circle bed with their backs lay against the headrest with the tv playing a show while resting against each other. Something they truly enjoyed doing when they had nothing else to truly do anymore. Quality time with each other just to enjoy themselves. Yunho would be holding them close and rubbing their back with their lips softly kissing their shoulders.  

Y/N would lean their head to the other side to allow Yunho more room while they let the robe tie get loosen just to allow Yunho’s hands to continue to roam while y/n’s attention was drifting their attention between the show and Yunho’s touch. But they were at the climax, but they let out a soft gasp before letting out a gasp and a moan before looking at Yunho and his hands. His mouth was sucking on that sweetspot on their neck, where his bite marks were, and his hands were holding his lover's thighs carefully while softly rubbing them. His eyes were closed as he was losing himself in the touches he was giving before he opened his eyes, locking eyes with y/n, almost looking like a dog who got caught doing something they weren’t supposed to do or they were finally excited to do. It was something that Yunho had always wanted to do but was nervous since this would be their first time together doing something like this. He wouldn’t know what to do, what was good or wasn’t good. But he also wanted to build the confidence and trust before allowing them to be raw with each other. The two of them were locking gazes with each other before Y/N gave the nod of approval. 

“Y/N, Fuck...please.” Yunho whimper, leaning his head back to let out a loud whimpery moan while holding their hair to keep their head close before slowly looking back down, letting their red eyes look down at their lover on the ground, their knees on the soft carpet with their mouth taking in Yunho’s cock like it was a popsicke in a hot day and it was melting away at the heat wave. Yunho’s clothes were thrown off instantly before this while the two of them were having their passionate makeout session between the two of them. Allowing everything fall off to the corners of the room before getting into this position. Yunho was a mess just from this while he tried to keep his grip not as tight but also not as loose as well. Bucking his hips up at the feeling and listneing to the gagging sounds, which only made him moan out more. It was something he was enjoying in ways he wasn’t ever sure how to express like this. 

He could feel like something was close, so instead of allowing himself to finish he pulled Y/n off, watching their mouth stay open while their fangs were showing, they were still small fangs still showing some, they were growing. But Y/N had to hunt down their first prey or drink a certain Amont of blood to get there. But the two of them had locked eyes while Y/ smiled before crawling ontop of Yunho before the two of them had flipped over. Y/N was smiling and chuckling at the actions while the pair kept having their own passionate kiss. Yunho’s hands going down to y/n’s thighs and softly kept squeezing them. Carefully spreading them open while lifting them up onto his shoulders to give a better angle while he enjoyed the feeling of y/n’s hands running through his hair, doing soft and random tugs before the two had to pull away. Opening their eyes before looking at each other. If there was any way to describe the look into each others eyes it would be seen as something, like a love feeling almost entirely too hard to put into words without messing up somewhere and making it sound like they were getting off topic. 

“Dear, I’ve never done something like this before. How would I do this?” Yunho mentioned, letting his eyes start to fill with worry before starting to slowly relax at his lovers touch, looking down into Y/N’s eyes while their soft fingers were rubbing Yunho’s cheeks. “Start off slow, like just the tip of it. Then after keep checking on me, they we can go from there, how about that okay?” Yunho nodded his head, leaning down to kiss their chest and shoulder before allowing himself to slowly push in the tip inside of Y/N’s hole, listening to the sound of their gasp before feeling the tightness squeeze around him, making him groan out in their ear before raising his head to see the look on Y/N’s face. Their eyes closing while their chest was rising and falling, biting their lip while listening to the sound of their moans and gasp. Feeling their hands tug on his hair before he nodded his head. Keeping his eyes closed but knew that Yunho wasn’t going to move without getting a green flag. But of course, Yunho being a good boy, listened and started to push in the rest, letting his groans and soft moans of pleasure be drowned out by the sound of Y/N’s moans and gasp. Letting their hips finally meet each other. 

“Never have I ever felt a dick this fucking big holy shit what blood were you drinking!” Y/N shouted with a loud moan following afterwards, making Yunho softly laugh at the accusation before trying to answer, making sure Y/n was comfortable before they started to move once again. “The blood I drink has nothing to do with the height of anything. If it did then captain would be a little bit taller than he is now, you tell me when I’m allowed to move or do anything alright?” Hearing the sudden line made Y/N laugh, it was a sly comment to add into this moment something hongjoong will never be able to live down despite how he could easily throw the two if he wanted to. 

“You can move Yunho, thanks for the lovely information.” There was something about Yunho’s smirk almost as if he was ready to drive Y/N crazy before he started to move his hips at a somewhat fast pace, it wasn’t too slow or gentle. Looking down to see a moaning Y/N hold his shoulders before he could feel the pace starting to pick up. Which would’ve made anyone else think this was a different person. The soft Yunho that is always asking if someone is okay, now roughly pounding into his lovers tight hole like nothing else was important. Watching how Y/N’s reactions went from soft pleasure to their eyes rolling to the back of their head, the moans and gasp reaching a higher pitch. Their nails digging and scratching into Yunho’s back. Listening to the endless whispers of praises thoughtlessly slipping out of Yunho's mouth with ease. “You look so pretty on my cock dove.” “I never felt something so tight suck me in before.” Almost all being drowned out by Y/N’s loud moans while their back arched upward, almost showing the outline of Yunho’s cock quickly moving back and fourth to that same pleasurious spot he’d hoped to get.  

Yunho wasn’t focused on pleasuring himself. Letting his smirk grow before seeing the squirming state and hearing the begging please for a release. The loud moans and gasps from in-between each response. There was no better art piece in Yunho’s mind than watching Y/N come undone under him. The air being a mess and slightly sprawled on the sheets, heir chest covered in blue and purple marks on their chest and neck, the way their mouth stayed opened to let out the sounds. ‘Harder Yunho Please’ ‘Please I need to come can I please’ ‘Please fill me Yunho please I’m begging!’ 

Yunho’s thoughts were being drowned once again by the endless sound of their moans before Y/N let out a loud scream of pleasure, curling upwards to hold onto Yunho’s shoulders before feeling Yunho’s release seconds later, making him whimper and shake before hearing Yunho’s groans ring in Y/N’s ear before the two of them went back to panting. Even if they truly weren’t tired, they had that look in their eyes. They were gonna be at this for a while... 

Bonus: 

“Yunho, you have got to stay off of them, or something man I can’t talk to Y/N without seeing them covered in your markings and barely able to stand for a minute before feeling better!” Wooyoung said, crossing his arms and pouting while Y/n was laughing. The pair of them sat on the main couch with a blanket wrapped around them while Yunho was grabbing a tray with enough drinks for everyone. Given how there was now a new addition to the vampire circle his name was San. Wooyoung claims to have turned him n a game of chases but that wasn’t even close, but he seemed to have gotten Wooyoung under control while getting to know everyone else in the circle. “It’s truly not my fault, look at him he’s attractive and knows the look to pull me in!” He defended himself, setting down the tray and letting everyone take their own glasses to enjoy themselves. The growing group was sitting in the living room around a large round black table with gold table clothes and coasters for them all. 

Hongjoong leaning back in a rocking chair with his leg crossed over the other while the cup in his hand, close to his lips with a happy smile on his face. His family was complete, and they were happy. He had his own partner with him, his group was explanting to meet new people, and now his oldest member with him had his own partner who was able to make him smile more. And crawl out of his old shell and explore the world with and move on. If you asked hongjoong, this is where he would rather be and nothing else matter. He was now watching Yunho Walk over and sit close to Y/N, wrapping his arm around their waist and pulling them closer. Softly kissing their foreheads and enjoying their smiles being passed around the room.  

“We couldn’t even go hunting till 3am! Someone thought I was a demon who was hungry.” Wooyoung pouted, rolling his eyes playfully at the late-night hunt which should’ve started at 1am and ended at 2 so everyone could still enjoy the night before the sun started to rise. “To be fair here Wooyoung, I can’t say no he’s not shy about being in bed anymore.” “Why is this something I would need to know in public here.” Y/N started to laugh more as they tried to take sips of their drink while trying to respond still. “Why is this something any of us needed to know about in a public setting here.” “And this, Yeosang is Y/N’s house it’s private.” Yunho countered back while the laughter kept filling the living room along with playful eyerolls from some of them even. To think all of this happened because of a very kinky bite. 

[tigergirltail]

TIGER HRT CHAPTER 4 - MONTH 3 - GROWING PAINS

First - Prev - Next

Everything hurts.

I started noticing it about two weeks after my first dose. It felt like a dull headache at first, but over the next month it spread to pretty much my entire body.

I had to start working from home, and eventually it got bad enough that I could only put in a few hours of work each day. My boss is a reasonable enough guy, but he wasn't going to pay a full time salary for part time hours, so I had to take a salary cut.

Luckily, my partner is around to take care of daily errands, not to mention being there to reassure and comfort me when the pain gets bad. They've been thinking about seeing if Lindwurm HRT is a thing, but they don't want to get the process started until I'm in the clear and can take care of myself again.

Gods I love them.

The reason the pain is happening, as best I can tell, is that my skeletal structure is already changing. I've gotten at least an inch taller, and my face has been reshaping into a feline muzzle. My teeth are getting sharper, and I'm developing proper fangs. I also noticed a little while ago that my fingernails and toenails had receded into their respective digits, which sucks for two reasons - I can't paint fingernails I don't have, and they are sore as HELL when I put any amount of pressure on them. I have to be REALLY careful with how I type to not inflict agony on myself. I'm also feeling my tail growing in, and even if it hurts, it's euphoric as HELL. A tail was always the part I wanted most out of this.

It's weird, the skeletal changes weren't supposed to happen this early. I've been trying to reach Dr. Erian about it, but he's constantly busy, probably because of the sudden surge of people looking for Humanity Removal Therapy.

Other than that, I've been getting areas of white and black fur coming in - mostly on my arms and legs, but a little bit on my face and ears - ears that are gradually reshaping and migrating. Nothing to report on hearing sensitivity, but I think my night vision is getting better.

I did a little bit of looking around for anyone with similar pain experiences. I got my hopes up when I found a girl, Antonina, who had a painful experience with Cat HRT, but it turns out it's because she took the rumoured Fifteen Minute version. She described the pain as "like bathing in an active volcano".

It leaves me wondering whether I would have preferred a 15-minute lava bath over a months-long full-body headache.

I ended up reaching out to her anyway, just because I wanted to know what I was in for in the endgame and feline HRT is rarer than I thought it would be. Sounds like the prey drive is the real deal - she keeps feeling the urge to bite this one girl who's on mouse HRT.

We've been spending some time comparing notes and getting to know each other. It's nice to know someone else who's going through this thing, even if our experiences aren't exactly one-to-one.

I also talked to my mother for the first time in nearly a year. I went No Contact with her a while back because she was only getting more obnoxious and combative about me being trans, but I figured changing my species is a big enough deal that I should keep her in the loop.

Besides, my savings had nearly dried up and I needed to ask her for money.

It… did not go well. She hadn't heard of therian HRT before, and once I explained it, she started panicking about how I'm "mutilating my body" with "untested treatments". I think I also heard her cry something about how her "son" is "killing himself", which is just multiple layers of insensitive.

At least she sent me some money. Hopefully it'll be enough to last until my transformation stops being agonizing and I can go back to work, and then I can go right back to pretending my family doesn't exist.

At roughly the three-month mark, I have a check-in video call with Dr. Erian. From the moment his face appears on screen, though, I can tell something is wrong. He seems… older, somehow.

"Hello, Miss Alexis.", he offers. He sounds tired. Sorrowful, even.

"Hey, doc." I have to ask about it. "Everything okay? You seem a bit tired."

"Nothing to worry about Miss Alexis, just the ordinary stresses of daily life."

Liar. I know I'm not entitled to details of your personal life, much less your professional secrets, but I know when something is eating at someone.

"…Does the word 'crossroads' mean anything to you, Miss Alexis?"

Huh? That came a bit out of left field. "I've… heard some other therian HRT patients use the term, but I don't know much of the details. Something about a point of no return?"

"Something of the sort." He lowers his head and seems to go from sorrowful to downright grim. "There will come a time, Miss Alexis, when you will have to make a very important decision in your care, and I ask that you do so with great consideration for the consequences."

I recoil a little in my seat. "Yeah… Of course I will. Any decision I make, even reaching out to you in the first place, I don't take it lightly."

"Good… That's good." His demeanor shifts back to his stoic, clinical self. I don't know what just happened, but he went somewhere for a moment there.

"Now then, I did receive your messages, I apologize for not getting back to you. You mentioned you were experiencing persistent and debilitating whole-body soreness?"

"Yeah. I can't even leave the apartment most days, it hurts so much."

"Odd… You are taking the treatment as directed, yes?"

"Of course. One tablespoon a week, just like it says on the bottle."

I see his eyes twitch behind his glasses. Did I say something wrong?

"…Teaspoon."

I cock my head to the side. "Say again?"

"You mean one TEASPOON a week, yes?"

I feel my heart sink. The dark smear on the dosage information… I could have sworn it said '1 tbsp/week'.

"…Could you hold on a second please?" I mute the mic and call out to my partner to bring the bottle of tiger HRT over. When they do, I unmute and hold it up to the webcam. I hear Dr. Erian take a sharp intake of breath as he notices the obscured instructions.

I set the bottle aside and the two of us share an awkward silence.

"So…", I begin. "…How bad is it?"

"The good news", he offers slowly, "is that you have only been taking three times the prescribed dose. An increased dose imbalances the growth rate of the different parts of your body, hence your pain and persistent weakness, but it could have been much worse."

I think back to the so-called Fifteen Minute version, and Antonina's description of it - like bathing in an active volcano.

Dr. Erian continues. "Assuming you return to a CORRECT dose, your growth rates will gradually level out over the course of the next month or so. It is my medical opinion that you should maintain a low-activity lifestyle until then, but you will eventually be able to return to your typical activity level, and you will also find that the physical effects become more… consistent."

"That's… reassuring. Thank you, doctor." I pause. Something I noticed a little while ago has been weighing on my mind. "There's one thing, though - do the treatments have… I guess you'd call them restorative or regenerative effects? I've noticed some old wounds aren't there anymore."

The doctor clicks his pen and brings up his notepad. "Interesting. Do go on, Miss Alexis."

"Well… I used to get lower back pain from a car crash injury I got a little over a year ago, but I haven't noticed it at all lately. Pretty much the only part that DOESN'T hurt… There also used to be some marks on my arm from a cat biting me when I was little." I give a slight smile. "The cat's name was Tiger, go figure."

Dr. Erian is writing the whole time I'm talking. "Yes, that is to be expected. Minor persistent injuries will fade over time as your body re-forms itself to a new baseline, even severe chronic symptoms may fade. If there are no other concerns…"

"Just one… Most of the other therian HRT patients I've talked to have gotten their meds as pills, so what's with the potion bottle?"

Dr. Erian pauses, and adjusts his glasses nervously, as if he's been caught out on something he doesn't want to admit to. "Well… advances in the field are occurring rapidly, and you are one of the more recent patients, so a more… streamlined option was available to you. I took the liberty of choosing the most compatible option based on your medical records, and that bottle is it."

"Okay… But what's IN it?"

"The active ingredients are antihominidone, which is your humanity-blocker, and a specialized formula of felistrogen, infused with white tiger genetic material. The rest of the fluid is a suspension used to dilute the effects, without which you would be looking at a short, but excruciating and potentially lethal process."

The Fifteen Minute version, I think to myself. I'm taking diluted Fifteen Minute meds. There's no WAY this isn't experimental, and I'M the experiment. I despise saying it, but maybe my mother was right to worry.

"But I'm afraid I really do have to go, Miss Alexis, my next appointment is waiting."

"G-gotcha. See ya, doctor."

---

Special thanks to @paintedbytosia for letting me write her in, and shoutout to @megamoonerjenny for coming up with 'antihominidone'

[gimmethatagustd]

venor (final) | kth + jjk

The barista at the university’s café keeps telling Jungkook not to come back, but Jungkook is too busy daydreaming about kissing the beauty marks on his face to be paying attention to his warnings.

○ Pairing: Tiger!Taehyung x Bunny!Jungkook

○ Rating: Explicit/18+

○ Genre: Hybrids, predator/prey, college au, strangers to lovers, slow burn, fluff, light angst, eventual smut

○ Word Count: 5,064

○ Warnings: Scenting, lots of kissing and happy crying, gross cute romance and all that other annoying stuff

○ Notes: It's the end of an era, my friends. I promised a Bestie Who Must Not Be Named that I'd write an epilogue, so technically this series isn't 100% over. I hope you had fun with it! And thank you to everyone who was so kind to me as we went on this unique little journey together 💜

○ Post Date: April 21, 2024

○ Masterlist | AO3 Cross-Post

○ What was Jai listening to? The series playlist

Series Masterlist

Jungkook and Taehyung wait until they finish their final projects and exams before visiting Taehyung's family home. As much as a getaway trip, no matter how short or ordinary, would help alleviate Jungkook's end-of-the-year stress, his commitment to his studies, and his fear of disappointing his parents force him to focus on his studies. Exercising helps, especially when he convinces Taehyung and Yoongi to tag along, but most days near the end of the semester, Jungkook spends in the library or in class. 

When Jungkook submits the last project due, the mobile app he spent the whole semester designing, he feels like his brain dribbles out of his ears. With final presentations and exams now over, they have the freedom to do as they please in the last few days before they must leave the dorms for winter break. He's lucky he doesn't have to drive to Taehyung's house, even though it's a short trip. 

"Jiae is still in school, but my appa should be home," Taehyung explains, keeping his eyes on the road as he drives.

"Where did you say she's studying?" 

"New York University. I've never been to the United States, but she likes it for the most part. She said the city is dirty, though." 

Jungkook watches Taehyung smile as he shares a story about his sister's first time seeing a rat scurry across the city streets. Without a sibling, Jungkook doesn't know what it's like to share a life with someone for so long and then be separated by so much distance. There's love in how Taehyung talks about Jiae; Jungkook can feel it. Taehyung also experiences a little bit of joy in knowing his sister has been chased by rats, and Jungkook supposes that's just how it is being an older sibling. 

When school isn’t in session, Taehyung stays with Jiae and their father in the home where the children grew up. It’s a small villa in a quiet neighborhood far enough away from downtown Seoul that Jungkook almost feels like he’s back in his own town, free from the bustling city and the hassles that come with it. The villa is well-maintained but modest and home to four families, with the Kim family occupying one of the apartment units on the second floor. The building is cute from the outside, not as big and intimidating as the apartments Jungkook imagined in the city, and a few of the nerves jittering through his body calm down.

Taehyung finds street parking nearby so they don’t need to walk far in the cold. Just like the end of the semester, winter descended on Jungkook quicker than he expected.

In the villa’s compact front yard, a few young children bundled up in thick coats, scratchy scarves, and winter hats too big for their heads build miniature snowmen. Feline tails whip out from two of their coats, and another child has sparkly olive scale splotches on his cheeks like freckles.

“Taehyungie hyung!” squeals one of the children when Taehyung leads Jungkook up the front steps.

Once the other two children notice Taehyung, they fumble in the snow, knees lifting high to jump over the lumps of snow they’ve pushed together. They’re adorable, even more so when the three crash into Taehyung, clinging to his legs and tugging on his gloved hands.

“Hey kids,” Taehyung pats each child on the head with the hand that isn’t being pulled nearly to the ground by one girl.

“When is Jiae noona coming back?” the little boy demands, making Taehyung frown.

“I come home for the first time in months, and you want my sister instead?”

“We missed you too, oppa,” one of the girls insists with wide eyes that remind Jungkook of how he looks when he’s trying to get someone on his good side. He can’t help but giggle over it, and the sound alerts the children to the fact that he’s there, patiently waiting on the front steps behind Taehyung.

“Hello,” the little girl hanging on Taehyung’s arm swings her body around to look at Jungkook. “Who are you?”

“That’s my boyfriend, your Jungkook oppa.”

“You have a boyfriend, Taehyungie oppa? Did your appa say that you can have a boyfriend?”

With his hands on his hips, Jungkook turns to Taehyung, giving him an expectant look that mirrors the three children's expressions. 

“Well, Tae, did your appa permit you to have a boyfriend?”

“Bun, not you, too,” Taehyung groans as he tries shaking off the children.

“Oh my gosh! He’s a bunny! Look at his ears!”

“Come on, guys. It’s cold.” Taehyung grabs Jungkook’s bicep and pulls him forward as the children rush to cling onto Jungkook instead.

Shouting over each other, the children demand that Jungkook remove his winter hat to show off more of his ears and demonstrate if he can jump really high. Their silly questions are endearing, but Jungkook’s nose is frozen, and he grows more nervous with each step he climbs to reach the villa’s front doors. 

“Go back to your snowman.” Taehyung shoos the kids away while he holds the door open for Jungkook. “You’ll see Jungkook later.”

“Bye hyungs, bye oppas!” the children call out, fumbling over each other to move out of the way when Taehyung tries to usher them from the door.

Despite Taehyung’s grumblings, his affection for the children is evident by how sweet and patient he is with them. Jungkook hasn’t thought much about children. He knows his parents expect grandchildren, especially since they only have Jungkook to provide them, but he always saw parenthood as a far-off concept not worth worrying about in his youth. Seeing Taehyung interact with the neighborhood children makes Jungkook consider that, perhaps, he could spend a little time thinking about it more than he has in the past…

“My appa did give me permission to have a boyfriend, by the way,” Taehyung says with a silly smile as he loops his arm through Jungkook’s to lead him down the hall once they’ve reached the second floor.

“Oh, good. What would we have done if he hadn’t?” Jungkook smiles, too, just as goofy.

“Break up, I guess?” Taehyung offers, laughing when Jungkook stops in the middle of the hallway to stomp his foot in frustration.

Taehyung is obviously joking; Jungkook can’t imagine him ever asking for permission to do anything, not that he’s the type of kid to go against his parents at every turn. Something tells Jungkook that Taehyung’s mother encouraged his free spirit rather than trying to stamp it down. Perhaps some of that has rubbed off on Jungkook, too.

“You didn’t even formally ask me out!” Jungkook complains.

Squeezing Jungkook’s bicep, Taehyung tugs on him gently. “I totally did!”

“When?!”

Taehyung removes his gloves to input the apartment unit’s code. His hat covers his ears, but Jungkook can tell that they twitch under it just as his tail flicks out to smack Jungkook on the thigh. He’s so cute that Jungkook thinks he might genuinely die over it one day. How can he possibly withstand this type of cute aggression for the rest of his life? Because that is what he wants, to be with Taehyung until the end, even if it’s too early to say such a thing.

“I was nervous, okay,” Taehyung presses his shoulder against the door to give it a little push as he opens it. “Just saying it seemed easier than asking. Besides, I knew you wanted it, too.”

Winking, Taehyung gestures for Jungkook to enter the apartment first and grins when he notices Jungkook’s bright pink cheeks. Ridiculous. Taehyung is ridiculous. The only reason Jungkook is willing to let this slide is because Taehyung does get nervous when he’s put on the spot, as Jungkook quickly learned during their final presentation for their Art History class. Standing at the front of the lecture hall, Taehyung had forced his tail through his belt loops so it wouldn’t nervously swish back and forth and started off the presentation with wide eyes pleading for Jungkook to take the lead, but it went well.

The Kim residence reminds Jungkook of Taehyung’s dorm room and his father’s restaurant. It is bright and nature-toned, with plants in every corner and large windows providing natural lighting. It isn’t perfect, but it’s lived in, and Jungkook prefers that over something so minimalist that it’s sterile. Taehyung kicks his boots into the corner of the entryway and tosses his coat on the kitchen table as he walks past, meaning Jungkook should follow his lead.

“So it’s just you, your appa, and your sister?” Jungkook asks.

“Yup. It’s kind of small for three adults, but as a kid, it felt huge.” Taehyung shrugs. “We’ll both be out of the house soon, anyway.”

Jungkook folds his outerwear and neatly places it on the kitchen table, trying not to take up too much space. He’s hesitant about taking off his scarf. The bruise Taehyung left Jungkook when he bit his neck still hasn’t entirely disappeared, but Jungkook concludes that it would be more suspicious to keep his scarf on inside than to have splotchy skin.

“Your appa will be so lonely…” Jungkook looks around, taking note of the little pieces of Taehyung and Jiae scattered around the house — Taehyung’s pottery and Jiae’s soccer trophies. Recently, Jungkook has learned that both Kim children are exceptional athletes.

“Eh, he’ll be fine,” Taehyung says, intertwining Jungkook’s fingers with his. “I’ll give you a tour.”

It’s a bit of “organized chaos,” as Taehyung calls it. Clothes are strewn around the apartment, draped on the backs of the kitchen chairs and the arm of the living room couch. The whiteboard calendar on the fridge still reads “November” despite it being the beginning of December now, and there are kitchen appliances everywhere, including niche ones Jungkook can’t name.

“Appa is somewhere around here…” Taehyung thinks aloud, “Might be on the roof, though. There’s a garden up there. The one I told you about.”

Taehyung’s mother’s garden. Jungkook nods, but he doesn’t interrupt Taehyung as he shows off the chaotic apartment, even jiggling the doorknob of his sister’s room hard enough to force it open so they can take a peek at the disaster of boy band posters and too much pink.

“She’s such a girl,” Taehyung teases before ushering Jungkook down the hall to his bedroom. “At least she gets to keep her room, though. Appa turned mine into a fucking office.”

The last room on the short but thorough apartment tour is Taehyung’s, which is more like an office than a bedroom. It seems that Taehyung’s furniture—a bed, dresser, and nightstand—has been arranged in one corner to free up space for a desk, bookshelf, and filing cabinet that wouldn’t fit anywhere else in the apartment.

“Why does he need a filing cabinet? Who keeps paper documents anymore?” Taehyung shuts the bedroom door behind them.

When Taehyung turns around, Jungkook feels a shift in the energy between them. Having been uncharacteristically talkative, Taehyung suddenly grows quiet.

“You didn’t put your backpack down,” Taehyung notices with a frown.

Jungkook squeezes his backpack straps and shrugs, hoping Taehyung’s predator hybrid senses don’t ruin everything by noticing his nervousness. He’s trying to be chill, just as he tried when he first met Taehyung. It hadn’t worked then, and it probably won’t work now.

“I, um…” Panicking, Jungkook looks for a distraction, not ready to let Taehyung know why he still has his backpack with him. “Didn’t you say you wanted to give me something?”

Eyes widening, Taehyung rubs the back of his neck and averts his gaze. Why are the two of them being so awkward right now? It catches Jungkook off guard, making his chest tighten and his heart feel as though it’s being crushed by his ribcage.

“Tae—”

“Can you sit on the bed, please?”

Nodding, Jungkook sits on the edge of Taehyung’s bed, thinking Taehyung will follow him. Instead, Taehyung squats in front of the old wooden dresser. He pulls out the bottom drawer and looks through the clothing, no longer neatly folded, as he pushes it to the side. Whatever he’s looking for is buried deep in the back of the drawer beneath cable-knit sweaters and flannels.

“I wanted to keep it safe,” Taehyung mumbles once he pushes the drawer shut.

In Taehyung’s hand is a small pouch of blush velvet that matches the shade of pink blooming across Jungkook’s cheeks. Shy embarrassment makes his upper body feel hot. Though Jungkook was excited about the gift when he first learned of it, the reality of being presented with it is nearly too much for his little bunny heart to bear. With a frenzied heart, he takes the pouch from Taehyung, and his breathing stutters when their fingers brush, as though it’s the first time they’ve ever touched.

“I hope you like it,” Taehyung says softly, and Jungkook thinks he might explode.

Undoing the tie at the top of the pouch, Jungkook lets the contents inside slip out and fall into his hand. Rose gold and cold against his skin, the expensive bracelet shines in the natural light bathing Taehyung’s bedroom. It’s a simple gold band that comes together at the top of the wrist where the tiger-shaped clasp is. Decorated with sparkly white diamonds for eyes, the bracelet shimmers when Jungkook turns it to examine every little detail.

“It was my eomma’s. She didn’t wear it a lot, mostly just for fancy things. But she gave it to me when she… Well, she said I should keep it for someone special.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jungkook murmurs, too afraid to speak louder because he can already feel a lump growing in his throat.

Taehyung reaches out to take the bracelet. He turns it so Jungkook can see what’s engraved into the inner part of the bracelet.

“I found a jewelry shop that does engravings, so I got our names…” Taehyung’s face turns bright red, and his tail flips between his ankles faster than Jungkook has ever seen. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve been… ah, fuck , why is this so hard.” He exhales through pursed lips, making a silly sound when his lips flutter. “I’ve been courting you, and I’m supposed to give you something really nice at the end to ask if you accept me, okay? That’s what I’m doing. So. Yeah. That’s all.”

Thrusting his arm, Taehyung holds the bracelet for Jungkook to take back.

Taehyung never formally asked Jungkook to date him, but Jungkook knows that this means something more than just a silly title for a young relationship. Although prey hybrids have different customs, it’s easy to see how important this moment is for Taehyung. He’s unbelievably agitated. Not once has his tail calmed down, and now his hands tremble enough for him to shove them into the back pockets of his jeans.

Conversely, Jungkook’s infatuation makes him burn with an eagerness he’s never felt. He can’t help but smile, even when Taehyung frowns, and it feels good because Jungkook knows Taehyung well enough that he can tell the frown is because Jungkook has yet to say anything. Does he accept Taehyung? What a silly question!

“Tae,” Jungkook begins and thinks he can genuinely feel Taehyung grow tense from how suffocating the room is, “I would have accepted you with just the striped donuts. This is… this is more than I could ever imagine, Tae. I accept you, but I don’t know if I can accept something so special to your eomma.”

Shaking his head, Taehyung sits down next to Jungkook. He takes Jungkook’s face in both hands to slowly rub his thumbs across his cheeks, gathering the tears that stain them.

“You’re special, bun. She would’ve loved you. Probably more than she loved me.”

“Shut up, that’s not true.”

“It is, I swear! I gave her so much grief. You’re literally perfect.”

Jungkook’s giggle sounds wet and stuffy. He shivers as Taehyung pulls him against his chest so he can tuck his face against Taehyung’s shoulder.

“Baby, why are you crying?”

Jungkook tries answering Taehyung, but his words get muffled and lost, and he can hardly put the scrambled mess together in his own head. It takes a few minutes, but he eventually stops crying. It helps that Taehyung eases the backpack straps off Jungkook’s shoulders so he can rub his back in soothing circles. He hums a gentle purr and plants little kisses atop Jungkook’s head until Jungkook finally pulls away to look at him with glossy eyes.

“You’re really sweet, Tae,” Jungkook says with a soft smile that grows larger when Taehyung tries to look away from him. “You want to act like you’re not, but you are.”

“I’m alright, I guess.”

“You’re lovely.”

Taehyung’s ears flatten against his head, and he sticks out his tongue, reaching for Jungkook’s hand to squeeze it.

“Can I put it on you?” Taehyung takes the bracelet and clasps it around Jungkook’s wrist. It fits well, not too tight, and it doesn't slip down his forearm.

Jungkook can’t stop thinking about how pretty it looks and how important it is for him to keep it nice. He’ll cherish it for the rest of his life. This gift is not only a declaration of Taehyung’s love but also demonstrates the level of trust that Taehyung has in Jungkook to keep his mother’s beloved possession safe.

Taehyung rubs his wrist against Jungkook’s, scenting him before he pulls back so they can both admire how the bracelet looks on Jungkook. A thick band of rose gold, it’s pretty but isn’t dainty, instead solid and bold. Jungkook knows he won’t wear it always; he’ll be afraid to. Perhaps he’ll wear it on the days he wants to feel Taehyung’s love the most, so his love can be a tangible pressure on his wrist, pressed to one of the points of his heartbeat.

“I love you,” Jungkook whispers against Taehyung’s lips when he kisses him. He loves hearing Taehyung purr when he unexpectedly initiates a kiss, and he loves feeling the warmth of Taehyung’s hands on his body.

“I love you too, bun,” Taehyung whispers back, but he speaks into the corner of Jungkook’s jaw, then nips at each faded hickey down his neck. “Are you gonna tell me what’s in your backpack now? Or do you wanna keep stalling? I could come up with some ideas…”

“Taehyung.” The scold doesn’t mean much when Jungkook digs his fingers in Taehyung’s hair to hold him close as he scents him.

“Come on, baby. What are you hiding from me?”

Of course, Taehyung sees right through Jungkook and catches on to what he’s doing. It should be embarrassing, but Jungkook is too drunk on the feeling of Taehyung’s lips against his throat to care that he’s the most obvious person in the history of the universe. It doesn’t matter anyway. Jungkook has no reason to lie or hide things from Taehyung.

Though this is at least a little bit serious — in a good way, but still…

“How do you know I’m hiding something?” Jungkook stalls just like Taehyung guessed he would, though not in the way Taehyung might want.

Rather than respond, Taehyung pokes Jungkook on the tip of his nose. Like Taehyung has hit a magic button, Jungkook immediately scrunches his nose and giggles when Taehyung kisses the tip of it.

“Suyun told me you were courting me,” Jungkook admits shyly as he drags his backpack into his lap and unzips it.

“Of course she did.”

Jungkook buzzes with excitement even as Taehyung pouts. He holds all wiggles in, though. He can’t afford to have Taehyung teasing him during such a brave moment. Instead, he focuses his energy on not growing too nervous.

“Close your eyes,” Jungkook commands. He stares blankly at Taehyung until he follows his instructions, unwilling to tolerate Taehyung’s cheekiness when it gets in the way of an important moment.

Once Taehyung has obeyed him, Jungkook pulls out a thin, rectangular frame from his backpack and places it in Taehyung’s lap.

“Okay, you can open them now.”

When Taehyung saw Jungkook’s half-finished portrait, he’d sucked Jungkook off so good that Jungkook allegedly passed out. Jungkook didn't want to make any assumptions, and he’s still nervous from being in Taehyung’s dad’s apartment, so he tried not to imagine what Taehyung’s reaction would be after seeing the finished product.

“I know it’s not as fancy or as special as your eomma’s bracelet, but—”

Jungkook quiets when Taehyung presses his finger to his lips and shushes him while his amber eyes scan over the artwork.

“Baby, respectfully, shut up.”

The snort that comes from Jungkook is uncharacteristic. It feels like a Yoongi thing Jungkook must have picked up in the months they’ve lived together. Taehyung pays him no mind, though. He holds the frame up to admire the print. It’s colorful, glossy, and perfectly matted because Jungkook asked one of the digital photography students at their university to help him with it. The girl knew Taehyung; she swore to keep the print a secret and didn’t even charge Jungkook for help. That might be a testament to how sweet Jungkook is, but it could also indicate just how personable Taehyung is, that people are willing to do kind things for him without anything in return.

“Bun,” Taehyung says after spending a quiet moment with the portrait, “Please don’t downplay yourself like that ever again. You are an amazing artist. Your talent, god, bun… your talent is unreal.”

Taehyung is almost too serious when he speaks, and Jungkook feels the looming need to scoot away from him. He doesn’t, though, because he knows this is Taehyung working through his intense feelings for Jungkook, feelings that his predator hybrid instincts don’t know what to do with. Neither Taehyung nor Jungkook is hardwired for a relationship like theirs.

“Thank you.” Jungkook runs his fingertips along Taehyung’s clenched jaw and watches the tension slowly melt away when he pulls back his sleeve to scent him. “Having a gorgeous model is half the battle, actually.”

Ignoring Jungkook’s teasing, Taehyung slides his hand around the back of Jungkook’s neck to pull him closer.

“I love you, bun.”

Jungkook can’t answer, though he doesn’t need to. His lips speak in other ways when Taehyung slips his tongue between them. Unlike before, their kiss isn’t heated or rushed. It’s sensual, but Jungkook is learning that all intimacy with Taehyung, sexual or not, is still somehow sensual. But this kiss feels comforting rather than rousing. It lulls Jungkook instead of stimulating him, and he likes the reassurance that it brings.

"Is this your final courting gift, too?" Taehyung asks once they've finally detached from each other. 

Jungkook blushes with a shy, "Yes." 

Months ago, Yoongi told Jungkook that pursuing a predator hybrid would break his heart. For the first time in his life, Jungkook feels like his heart finally has a home.

-

“Would you like me to speak with your parents, Jungkook?”

“Oh, no, no, that’s okay!” Jungkook politely but quickly shuts down Mr. Kim’s offer. “They’re, uh, they would probably be upset if they heard it from anyone other than me.”

With an understanding smile, Mr. Kim resumes cleaning the kitchen, though his endeavor must begin with decluttering, considering all the appliances and utensils tossed around. It’s the life of a chef and restaurant owner, Taehyung had groaned as he complained about how long it would take for them to eat dinner when his father had created a disaster in the kitchen.

Jungkook is eager to scramble out of the kitchen and return to his spot on the living room couch with Taehyung, bringing two bottles of beer given to him by Mr. Kim.

“What was appa talking to you about?” Taehyung asks, before opening his mouth for Jungkook to give him a sip of beer. He looks like a baby bird waiting to be fed, and it makes Jungkook giggle despite how his stomach twists with new nerves.

“He asked me if I told my parents I’m staying with you for winter break yet…”

“Well, have you?” Taehyung raises his eyebrows, but he keeps his eyes on the TV.

Jungkook feels like he needs to remind Taehyung to blink occasionally, but he doesn’t. This is Taehyung’s first time playing video games; Jungkook may as well let him get the authentic gamer experience by fucking up his eyes.

“No.”

“Bun,” Taehyung’s scolding is cut short by a string of expletives when his video game character is murdered.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Taehyung would choose to play a game about a virus that turns humans into vampires and the human hunters dedicating their lives to slaying them. Violent video games aren’t Jungkook’s preference, but it certainly feeds into the stereotypes about predatory hybrids.

“I’m nervous about it…”

“What’s the worst thing that’ll happen? They’ll get upset, and then they’ll get over it. It’s not like you’ll never come back ever again.”

Taehyung is right, but he’s also wrong. Is Jungkook being dramatic? Perhaps, but he knows his parents better than everyone else, and he knows that they are sensitive.

“Let me talk to them. Do a video call so they can see how handsome I am, and they’ll know you made the right choice.”

Rolling his eyes, Jungkook takes a few more sips of his beer to take the edge off his nerves before he gets up, phone heavy in his hand like a weapon or a ball and chain.

“Pray for me,” Jungkook mumbles into Taehyung’s hair when he kisses him.

“Tell them I’ll eat them if they’re mean to you. I like how bunnies taste.”

“Oh my gosh, Taehyung, your appa is right there,” Jungkook whispers harshly, but Taehyung’s boxy grin is the symbol of audacity.

Jungkook uses Taehyung’s bedroom to make the phone call. It takes a few minutes of Jungkook biting at a hangnail before he randomly chooses his father to call, having no idea which of his parents will be the least likely to be upset over the news. Jungkook wonders if other college students must worry about having this conversation when they go away for breaks.

Before visiting the Kims, Jungkook tried to do a roleplay scenario with Suyun and Yoongi to see if that would help him plan what to say.

Yoongi was too scary to talk to; Jungkook kept slipping up. The more he talked, the worse it got, until he was practically sharing the whole story of his romance with Taehyung to justify why he was choosing to stay with a predator hybrid.

“Well, don’t tell them what he is!” is what Suyun had insisted.

“True… I don’t have to. It would be lying, though. I’m so bad at lying!”

“It’s not lying. It’s just withholding information. Totally different.” 

As usual, Jungkook thinks hanging out with predators changed Suyun — but probably for the better.

With a sigh, Jungkook sets his phone on speaker and lies on Taehyung’s bed, counting each ring and thinking that his heartbeat somehow harmonizes with it.

“Jungkook-ah?” 

“Oh, eomma, hi. Where’s appa?”

Jungkook doesn’t think it matters which one of his parents hears the news first, but he doesn’t like being caught off guard. Despite being proud of how much confidence he has gained and the personal growth he has experienced since transferring to Seoul, Jungkook still feels like a kid when around his parents.

“He went into town for groceries but forgot his phone again. I think I need to buy him one of those watches. Do you know the ones?” 

“A smartwatch?”

Despite their flaws, Jungkook loves his parents. It’s just that the love they all share for each other is different, and it isn’t always easy. Jungkook feels that love while his mother rambles about his father being forgetful, and he reminds himself that Taehyung is right. This isn’t the end of the world.

“Hey, eomma, I can’t talk for a long time right now, but I needed to tell you I have a boyfriend now…” Jungkook takes a deep breath and continues before his mother can respond, “And I’m going to stay with him and his family for winter break.”

The silence that follows is expected. Because of this, Jungkook hears the bedroom door open, and he nods when Taehyung asks for permission to come inside. He sits on the bed beside Jungkook, who is now lying on his stomach, and gently scratches the base of Jungkook’s ears.

“Oh. For the whole break?” 

“Mhm.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend.” 

Jungkook cringes. “I know, eomma. I’m sorry.”

Taehyung doesn’t seem offended. He plays with Jungkook’s hair and ears and keeps quiet to let Jungkook think.

“Hmm, Jungkook-ah, I hope he is treating you well. Is he smart? What is he studying? What do his parents do for a living?” 

“Ah, please, don’t interrogate me!”

“I’m just asking simple questions every eomma should know.” 

“We can talk later, okay? I will call you, and we’ll talk with appa, too.”

One day, Jungkook will tell his parents more than the bare minimum details about the boy who holds his heart. For now, Jungkook tells his mother he loves her and tosses his phone off to the side once the call ends so the pretty tiger, who smells like summer rain, can shower him with sweet kisses until all of Jungkook’s worries are washed away.

“I can’t wait to meet them,” Taehyung purrs against Jungkook’s throat, where he kisses him. “How many times do you think I should visit with them before I ask them if I can marry you?”

“Stop it,” Jungkook whispers, though Taehyung can’t tell if Jungkook is scolding him for what he said about marriage or for how he’s got Jungkook flat on his back with his leg hiked up over his waist so he can grind their hips together.

Both? Either? Jungkook doesn’t know.

“Did you know Jackson can officiate weddings?” Taehyung asks with a slow roll of his hips. They’re both in jeans and sweaters; Taehyung just likes being a tease.

“Taehyung.”

“I heard sex feels different after you’re mated.”

“Taehyung. You’re so gross.”

Jungkook throws his arms over Taehyung’s shoulders and crushes him against his chest, ready to drown in the giggles he earns in response, giggles from a big, scary tiger who is utterly whipped for his bun. Who would have thought?

Series Masterlist

Disclaimer: All my writing is fictional and for entertainment purposes only. None of these characters are meant to actually represent the real people mentioned in the stories. 

All rights reserved © @gimmethatagustd​ - Do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my writing. Do not use my writing for any AI purposes whatsoever. Do not use my fics for anything aside from reading and commenting on them. My fics will only be posted on this Tumblr and on AO3 (gimmethatagustd & daddytaehyungie).

[jessource]

prompts:　ttpd, the anthology by taylor swift.

your location, you forgot to turn it off.

the only thing that's left is the manuscript, one last souvenir from my trip to your shores

could it be enough to just float in your orbit?

quick, quick, tell me something awful, like you are a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy.

i just don't understand how you don't miss me.

now and then she rereads the manuscriptof the entire torrid affair.

if you wanna tear my world apart, just say you've always wondered.

if comfort is a construct, i don't believe in good luck.

i move through the world with a broken heart.

they killed cassandra first, 'cause she feared the worst.

don't want money, just someone who wants my company.

say it once again with feeling.

even statues crumble if they're made to wait.

we here-by conduct the post portem.

what doesn't kill you makes you awake.

they tried to warn you about me.

i'm not a doner, but i'd give you my heart if you wanted.

i got cursed like eve got bitten.

i hate it here so i will go to secret gardens in my mind.

i feel so high school every time i look at you.

I look in people's windows like i'm some deranged weirdo.

there wouldn't be this if there hadn't been you.

she wrotе headlines in the local paper, laughing at each baby step i'd take.

one bad seed kills the garden.

when the truth comes out, it's quiet.

you see, i was a debutante in another life.

you have a favorite spot on the swing set.

the empathetic hunger descends.

i'm addicted to the 'if only'.

he said that if the sex was half as good as the conversation was, soon they'd be pushin' strollers. soon it was over.

oh, we must stop meeting like this.

way to go, tiger.

i built a legacy that you can't undo.

you said some things that i can't unabsorb, you turned me into an idea of sorts.

i may never open up the way i did for you.

he was a cad, wanted her bad just like any good trophy hunter.

tell me about the first time you saw me.

they knew, they knew, they knew the whole time.

i don't think you've changed much.

you have no room in your dreams for regrets.

they set my life in flames.

i thought it was just goodbye for now.

i loved you the way that you were.

you're a just ruler covered in mud, you look ridiculous.

i'm there most of the year, 'cause i hate it here.

you saw my bones out with somebody new who seemed like he would've bullied you in school.

how did it end? i can't pretend like i understand.

this place made me feel worthless.

i wanna find you in a crowd, just to hide from you.

quick, quick. tell me something awful.

i won't confess that i waited, but i let the lamp burn.

i can't forgive the way you made me feel.

Buried down deep

out of your reach the secret we all vowed to keep it from you in sweetness.

splendidly selfish, charmingly helpless.

old habits die screaming.

i'm lonely, but i'm good.

in my fantasies, i rise about it.

forgive me, [name], please know that i tried.

if i sell my apartment and you have some kids with an internet starlet. will that make your memory fade from this scarlet maroon?

behind her back, her best mates laughed.

you needed me, but you needed drugs more, and i can't watch it happen.

she's the albatross, she is here to destroy you.

i'll tell you one thing, honey. i can tell when somebody still wants me.

were you makin' fun of me?

nostalgia is a mind's trick.

i read about it in a book when I was a precocious child.

does it feel alright to now know me?

excellent fun 'til you get to know her.

life was always easier on you.

tell me all your secrets, all you'll ever be.

it wasn't a fair fight.

if i die screaming, i hope you hear it.

i can confirm she made a curious child, ever reviled by everyone except her own father.

are you gonna marry, kiss or kill me?

i'm bitter, but i swear i'm fine.

all that time you were throwin' punches, i was buildin' somethin'.

one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen.

i'm hearing voices like a madman.

you said you were gonna grow up, then you were gonna come find me.

but i can't forget the way you made me heal.

they nicknamed her 'the bolter'.

wise men once said 'wild winds are death to the candle'.

now i wanna sell my house and set fire to all my clothes.

i'm gonna get you back.

push the reset button, we're becomin' something new.

i'm watchin' american pie with you on a saturday night.

i'm an aston martin that you steered straight into the ditch.

[webslingingslasher]

sometimes trouble gets lunch with aunt may and it stresses frat peter out

oh yes. alright, so let's flash forward a little. trouble's met aunt may and stayed a weekend- but they haven't really chatted until may invites her, and only her, to lunch.

----

'sorry, handsome. i know you were sleeping in but i needed to grab my wallet.'

rubbing at an eye, 'what time is it and why do you need your wallet?'

'ten thirty, i'm having lunch with may, she said her treat but i'm gonna try and beat her to it.'

that satisfies him, so he rolls back over and when he hears her pace the floor until a delicate kiss is placed on his temple he asks.

'who's may?' because one isn't registering, she hadn't told him about a new friend.

'your may.' he's dreaming still, he has to be. there is no way in hell his aunt called to take her out for lunch because may didn't tell him about her plans.

peter rolls to his back to look up at her, 'my may, who?' she laughs, 'your aunt!' he sits up, 'she didn't tell me, what time are we meeting?' anxiety builds when her hand pushes him down, 'easy, tiger. she said she wanted one on one time because you wouldn't let it happen when we stayed with her.'

no way in hell was he letting that happen, he's told may things he hasn't told her and he knows his aunt can push his boundaries a little too far.

'that's not true,' (it was.) 'i mean, it's my aunt, right? i should get to have lunch with her too.'

'she told me to get nasty with you if you insisted to come, and i don't want to get nasty with you. i want to bring you back a doggy bag and the inside scoop.'

peter's in a dream all right, it's a fucking nightmare.

she feels a little bad when he throws a pillow over his face mumbling something about suffocating himself. she can see right through his act of defiance, he's scared.

peter tenses when she straddles him over the sheets, he pulls the pillow off his face just enough to peek an eye at her, then goes back to hiding.

'why are you so scared of us having lunch together?' he doesn't answer, so she drags her nails down his torso, his hand stopped hers. 'don't start something to get answers, i'm on to you.'

it's true, he'd admit anything post nut.

'i'm leaving, any last words, mr. parker?'

he only has one, peter throws the pillow he's hiding under to the other side of the bed, he sits up on his elbows.

'don't love her more than me.'

a hand smacks his chest, 'shut up!'

-------------

bonus:: may shared things about peter that helped her understand him a little better, and maybe something about how much he likes her. but the most interesting thing was what she kept thinking about, looping it until sher got back to his house to ask him about it.

he looked petrified when she opened his door and played into it.

'oh, may shared information all right. and you've been hiding something from me, something big.'

he gulped, 'yeah?'

'i can't believe you, i thought i knew who you were, i guess not.'

'oh fuck, what did she say?'

'peter, i need you to be completely honest with me. why the hell didn't you tell me you had a pet bunny for several years?'

'a pet? you're calling him a pet? when he died, i died. i'm a shell of what peter used to be. thanks for reminding me. darth vader, if you're listening, i'm sorry she's tarnishing your name, buddy.'



[rocknrollbabe14]

Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’

Soooo since I’m in a bit of an emotional drought right now (just dealing with some personal stuff) I decided to share a snippet of a story I had been working on and that’s been sitting in my drafts for 2 years since ST came out 😂😂😂 Some Steve x Reader x Eddie because they’re in a love triangle. If you want it continued let me know. 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

You hurried into the gym for the weekly pep rally for the Hawkins Tigers football team. Each grade was in the bleachers, ready to cheer on their team. It was a good way to boost morale and get out of last period a few minutes early. The band always played pep music in the stands during football games before and after preforming the half time show. You had to be at the game tonight as you were a member of the marching band.

During marching season, you were a Majorette—wearing the cute uniform and twirling the sticks as your best friend Eddie Munson teased you. You imagined Eddie would be skipping the pep rally as he could care less about sports. He would much rather invest his time in his Hellfire Club, selling drugs occasionally, or playing with his band at the Hideout.

“Ready for tonight?”, Robin asked loudly over the crowd.

Robin was a good friend and fellow band geek, the term most people referred to members of the band as. She was one of your only girlfriends.

“Definitely.”, you smiled as you grabbed your batons.

The Drum Major counted off each pep song, you doing your routines to each song as the band continued to play, the football team parading around, hyping up your classmates. You scanned the crowd to see if there was any sign of Eddie. There wasn’t. You did see Dustin Henderson and Mike Wheeler, freshman members of his Hellfire Club. The band would end with the fight song. After that, it would be decided which grade would win the spirit stick. You were brought out of your daze when the Drum Major counted off the fight song, beginning to twirl. It was muscle memory.

It had became second nature to you. You had been doing it since freshman year. The senior class of 1986 won the spirt stick, causing you, Robin, and the other band seniors to be quite thrilled. Robin was crushing madly on your fellow band member, Vickie. It was a big step up from Tammy Thompson. The pep rally ended, dismissing all grades from the gymnasium. You picked up your batons and met up with Robin before you both walked back to the band room.

“Eddie miss the pep rally?”, Robin asked as she brushed through her short hair.

“Apparently. He’s not into that, Robin.”, you smirked.

She snorted playfully. You all had about two hours to grab something to eat and be ready to rehearse tonight’s marching band show and the pep band music. After the games, Eddie would pick you up and take you home. You were surprised he would even come to the school long enough to do that. You and Robin grabbed lunch together as always, her rambling on about Vickie.

“Did you see how cute she looked today?”, Robin sighed, stirring the fry in her ketchup.

You smirked. “I’m not the best judge of that.”, you chuckled.

It was cute to see Robin so flustered and worked up over her crush. You could understand. You had secretly been crushing on Eddie for a while, however, he never seemed to reciprocate the feelings. You’d sometimes try and flirt a little here or there, but Eddie would brush it off with a laugh. You’d never admit to flirting with Eddie. You didn’t want to ruin your friendship if he didn’t feel the same.

The other day had really almost done you in. Dustin and Mike were talking about some cute freshman cheerleaders. It was harmless or so you thought. However, Eddie’s words rang in your head and ever since, you couldn’t get them out no matter how hard you tried. “What I’d do to have one night with that.” The worlds he used as Chrissy Cunningham passed by. Your heart sank deep in your chest, quickly realizing you didn’t have a chance with Eddie. He was more into the blonde, cheerleader type.

Before you could turn around, it was time to get dressed in your uniform and prepare to march to the stadium. It was the thing you all always did on Friday nights. Your uniform was a short one piece leotard with your school colors: green, gold, and white. Robin always told you how cute you looked and any boy would be lucky to date you, however, there was just one boy you wanted—Eddie Munson.

The night went on, you going through the motions. It was time for the half time show. Robin smiled at you as her friend and former student at Hawkins High, Steve Harrington came over to chat. He was most of the girls dream when he was in school. He had the perfect hair, played sports, and reeked of confidence. Robin assured you, however, he was just a “dingus”. It was time to go on, each of you taking your correct spot on the field. The Drum Major counted off, you smiling with your pearly whites.

Your movements came natural, remembering and performing each move with grace. You felt all the eyes on you. Little did you know, the eyes you found most important were on you too. He was just under the bleachers, peeping out just enough to see you with a cigarette hanging lazily out of his mouth. He took a puff of it, watching you in that tight little skirt. If you only knew how he felt and what he thought about.

You ended the performance, striking the last pose perfectly. The home crowd cheered before the Drum Major counted off once more, allowing you all to march off and exit the field. You went back into the stands, preparing to take a break for the third quarter.

“Steve!”, you heard Robin shout, instantly catching your attention.

“You did great out there.”, he encouraged her.

“Y/N, come here.”, she eyed you.

You reluctantly stepped up a couple bleachers, almost tripping and falling, Steve catching you easily, making eye contact with you, smiling at you.

“Y/N, you know Steve Harrington.”

“I do.”, you smiled easily.

“Steve, you know Y/N.”

“Yeah, you were a sophomore when I was a senior, right?”

You nodded. “Yeah, thanks for catching me.”, you laughed nervously.

“It’s not a problem, just be careful. Wouldn’t want a pretty girl like you to get hurt.”

Robin shot him a disgusted look. “Steve, was that supposed to be a pick up line?”

Steve blushed before running a hand through his hair. “Was it that bad?”

You giggled easily. “I appreciate it, Steve. Really.”

His smiled remained, becoming softer and almost serious. “Are you doing anything tomorrow night?”

“I’m sorry?”, you asked, almost nervously laughing.

Steve laughed nervously in response, shoving his hands in the pockets of his old letterman jacket. “Are you doing anything tomorrow night?”, he repeated.

“Oh no—no plans.”, you smiled, finally realizing he was trying to ask you out.

“Would you maybe wanna do something?”

Robin watched, mouth gaped open before it turned into a smile. Before the whole Chrissy comment, you wouldn’t have really considered going on a date with anyone else. But that had changed your whole perspective.

“Sounds good. Robin can give me your number.”, you smiled.

There was a chill in the fall wind, causing you to shiver slightly. Your outfit was short and skimpy. You rubbed your arms as if that would conduct a little electricity to warm you up.

“Here.”, Steve said as he shed his jacket, holding it out for you to wrap up in.

You eyed Robin, carefully obliging, letting Steve help you into his jacket. It was significantly bigger than you, but you instantly felt warmer and were no longer shivering. Robin smirked at you as you turned back to face her and Steve. Little did you know, other eyes were watching this unfold—Eddie Munson.

“Thanks, Steve. You didn’t have to do this.”, you blushed at him.

“Really, I don’t mind. It looks good on you.”

If Robin could have gagged, she would have. Steve was one of her best friends—if not her best friend but even his bad pick up lines were hard to watch. Somehow, he was managing to sail right through. You all made small talk as the third quarter clock counted down, Robin and you both taking your respective places back in the stands. The band continued to play pep music, Hawkins was winning against its rival.

The fourth quarter passed quickly, leaving just a few minutes on the clock. As the football team ran the field, the clock counted down further. Hawkins had the ball, the quarterback running for the field goal. Everyone was cheering loudly in anticipation of another touchdown. The quarterback passed the colored goal line, Hawkins side of the stadium cheering as the band counted off the fight song.

You watched the time fade from the fourth quarter, the game ending. Hawkins had won. The band began packing everything up to take it back to the high school. Steve walked behind the band, eager to continue talking to you and Robin. Members of the band were busy packing everything up. You finished up a few minutes early, noticing Steve was waiting to talk to you. Maybe this was how things were supposed to be.

“Hey.”, Steve breathed easily.

“Hey.”, you smiled.

“So tomorrow, right?”

“Tomorrow, for sure.”

Steve smiled, taking a hand through his hair. “I wrote my number down.”

You took the piece of paper, smiling. “Thank you, Steve. I’ll call you tomorrow. I promise.”

“Sounds good, you got a ride home?”

“I do. Oh! Let me give you your jacket back.”, you went to slide it off.

“No, no. It’s too cold. Keep it”, Steve insisted.

You smiled, knowing what it meant when a guy gave a girl his letterman jacket.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”, Steve smiled.

Steve held his arms out, offering you an embrace. You allowed him to take you into his arms. The scent of his cologne off his jacket and himself hit your nose. It almost made you weak in your knees. You both pulled back, staring into each other’s eyes. The chemistry was there.

“Hey—time to go home.”, Robin interrupted you both.

Steve usually gave Robin a ride. Eddie give you a ride. It was just how thing were going,

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Y/N.”, Steve smiled.

“Okay, be careful Steve.”

“You too, Y/N.”

Robin and Steve exited the school, you not far behind. You immediately saw Eddie’s van parked out front. You walked in the cool fall air to his van, hearing him unlock the door as you approached. Eddie immediately eyed you up and down as you sat down in the seat.

“How was the game?”, he almost deadpanned.

“It was fine, we won.”, you smiled.

Eddie nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. “So I take it you don’t need my leather jacket?”

His voice was laced with jealousy—or at least you thought it was. His knuckles had a tight grip on the steering wheel. His brown eyes finally looked over at you, flipping back between the road and you.

“Not tonight.”

He chuckled. “You’re wearing Harrington’s jacket.”

“How do you know it’s Steve’s jacket?”

“His name is across the back.”, Eddie responded back, taking one finger across the back of it. You felt his finger trace along your back, sending chills down your spine.

“He saw I was cold and gave it to me.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, trying to be playful. “Okay, a guy doesn’t just give a girl his letterman jacket if he doesn’t want to get serious with her.”

“It’s going to be one date.”

The smile faded from Eddie’s lips almost immediately. “So you agreed to a date? With Harrington?”

“I don’t see what the big deal is.”, you crossed your arms, leaning back into the seat.

Eddie laughed sarcastically. “He was the biggest douche in high school. Like he thought he’s God’s gift to women. Did you not learn anything from Wheeler’s mistake?”

If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought Eddie was becoming jealous. He was trying to play it off and be funny, but there was something else laced in his words. You looked out the window as Eddie drove through the heavy traffic leaving the high school. It was one of the many pains in his ass when he picked you up from the games. But he was willing to do it for you.

“Maybe he’s changed. He’s been graduated two years now.”, you defended, looking back at Eddie.

Eddie huffed in response before laughing sarcastically. “Guys like Harrington don’t change, sweetheart.”

You rolled your eyes at Eddie’s response, feeling yourself becoming increasingly agitated. He was really one to talk considering he had made that statement about Chrissy. You were holding back saying anything about her.

“You don’t know that, Eddie.”

[freehounyaoi]

HALF LIFE VRAI (+gorgeous & og gordon) HEADCANONS IF YOU EVEN CARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BENREY WOOO

during. the end, he had 2 extra eyes, one above his left eye one below his right eye, now he has scars where they laid, they’re faint but he. is autistic im sorry he’s too me to not be he had a tail during the end too faint freckles ^_^ he REALLY likes red meat he likes blue flavor, not blueberries, not blue raspberry, blue stubble YAYY specifically in end, benreys feet to knees and hands to elbows fade into rlly dark blue/black looks like he’s dying of illness but like. has never been sick disassociates very often very touch very very touchy polyamorous, exes with forzen & is now crushing on both Tommy & gordon orphaned, kinda lived on his own since he isn’t human, picked his own name doesn’t actually have brothers, he’s a loser breaths through his mouth esp when he’s comfortable weird but like imagine he’s cuddled up to someone and he just yeah

COOMER YAYYY

fat, idc i’m right

gender-fluid, transmasc & gay ^_^ old man yaoi with bubby YAYYY

cool little funky punching enhancement thingies

big ol’ doe brown eyes

brunette hair before he started graying

after the resonance cascade he retired, they deserve it

has nightmares over clones. a lot, a big lot

autistic, everyone knows the science team kinda is autistic,

going off the autistic thing, one of his vocal stims is hello gordon

loves talking, loves it so much, he loves just talking to people she likes

has a high score on punch out & that one punching game where you punch the punching bag to get evaluated on

the reason is divorced because he realized he was gay

hawaiian shirts FTW!!

(most of these are somewhat canon, holly (his va) headcanons him as transmasc, short and stocky, and 5’4!)

Bubbster

Intersex & bisexual (idc if gir hcs him as straight it’s my world now/pf)

if he didn’t live with Coomer after the resonance cascade, he’d probably just be a basement dweller and just sit in the corner and cry

Bionic legs :3

canonically test tube baby, he’s probably really freaked the fuck out over it & has had genuine panic attacks over being artificially made, only in front of coomer

literally always has epi-pens for coomer

naturally(?) ginger idk what you wanna consider it, he’s canonically like 6 but in my head he’s like 67, he’s been locked in black mesa for 67 years

blue eyes

has a leather jacket with a tiger on it he will wear just to do so

has made the science team watch scrubs.. twice

picks at skin as a stress tick

has tourettes

near blind

when he got his bionic heart he died so he will sometimes just be like “hey guys i’ve died before”

being put back in the tube after betraying gordon was one of the worst things he’s been through, it was terrifying

GORDON FEETMAN!!!

also fat

joshua exists but he was an accidental pregnancy (gordon seahorse father yayy)

ftm based off last hc, that’s just canon cuz i said so

joshua is like, 9 in my head so gordon had him at like 18

bisexual

has a crush on benrey (canon but yk)

mexican and african

curly ass hair, takes really good care of it, always smells nice

bilingual

blind in left eye, 25% prescription in right eye

feels guilty as fuck even when everyone would joke about him being the cause of the RC

also autistic

wayne did not dk him justice when he lost his hand, he was screaming so gutturally loud it was painful, he strained his voice so bad, the pain was so excruciatingly terrible

tommy genuinely was the only one he could trust after benrey & bubby turned their backs on him, and that sucked because his feelings for benrey before that point were getting to him

only was adamant about not being friends with benrey at the end because of the betrayal, he wanted to hate benrey

tommy is like his. comfort friend, he doesn’t have to worry about him.. he does but he always feels comfy around him

Tommy cool man

Autistic, ADHD, PTSD and OCD

G man species, half human

strawberry enthusiasts:3 (me too)

every flavor tic tac enthusiast, always give the science team tic tacs like all the time

not very good at games enjoys playing them though

very touchy for multiple reasons

Sunkist service dog for multiple things as well, helps with panic attacks, PTSD symptoms, anxiety attacks etc

Tommy doesn’t know how Sunkist was trained to do all this, he made her sk he just kinda accepts it for how she is, and loves her

compression hugs, likes being laid on top of, it’s comforting

looks scrawny but can like. genuinely pick up all the science team & benrey with ease

started collecting propeller hats after the RC

the reason he can read sweet voice is cuz g-man species

thinking about getting a cat, maine coon or norwegian forest cat, he likes big ass animals

Sunkist is LARGE like large as fuck for a golden Tommy made sure she was huge

milk enjoyer :3 drinks it with most of his meals

wears readers

ANGEL KISSES!! (moles or beauty marks whatever you wanna call them)

tooth gap :3

walks on tiptoes

Gorgeous

6’7

cuts his hair into a fringe, lets it grow out to shoulder length, then cuts it fringe, never ending cycle

beauty marks man

freckles too

nobody fucking knows his trauma

doesn’t understand why he can understand cicero?? he just.. can??

learned ASL as a kid

clearly has some form of mommy issues he will not touch on

wears solid colors, he doesn’t wear shirts with decals, or anything, a. he doesn’t like them. b. for ASL purpose, it’s recommended to wear light/dark clothes (light in his case) depending on your skin tone to MAKE it easier to read sign, usually in light pink

prefers skirts cuz.. they’re comfy, usually knee & ankle length.. sometimes he will wear mini skirts……. cuz he’s gross

actually hates head crabs.

would be a nudist if it was sociably acceptable

actually really enjoys video games! he doesn’t talk about it, he’s good at them too

he’s a dog person, he wants a saint bernard

freeman YAYY

6’

beauty marks

patchy beard

dark hazel eyes

starting to grey, short pony tail

has scars from his HEV suit

actually lost his hearing DUE to the RC, his mother was deaf so that’s why he knows ASL, it completely shot out his hearing

has always dressed nice

cat person

Alyx is like his daughter to him

i can’t decide if he’s trans or not

same situation with gorgeous, he wears solid colors for ASL purpose

him and cicero have yet to find a way to communicate

when he found out alyx learned ASL for her boyfriend (this is canon, was planned for episode 3) he was over the moon

enjoys IASIP (it’s always sunny in philadelphia)

scary when he’s pissed off

G-Manual samual

major RBF

scottish

moles kuz hes kawaii

wears readers

hes autistic

going on with him being autistic, the fabric his suits are a comfort fabric to him

enjoys sitcoms

drinks his coffee straight black

he is trans masc to me

praises his employers like god tbh

if he were to drink, which he doesnt, his go to drink would be rum on ice

some form of alien, not from xen though, no one knows where hes from

some type of holy creature??? he cant die?? hes weird

you'll never see it but he doesnt bleed red, his blood is black

enjoys fishing

goes to bed at 11pm, wakes up at 4am hes weird

hes also the best father ever???

songs that remind me of science team members + benrey the 6th

Benrey the 6th

I Will - Mitski

Kiss Me, Son Of God - They Might Be Giants

I’m Gonna Win - Rob Cantor

Mad World - Tears for Fears

We Will Commit Wolf Murder - Of Montreal

Gallery Piece - Of Montreal

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears

The Party's Crashing Us - Of Montreal

Tommy Coolman

Living Island - POGO

Fireflies - Owlcity

Teenage Dirtbag - Weetus

rises the moon - liana flores

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen

Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears

[robinette-green]

Late Night Day Dreams Chapter 8: Angel <- Human Version

My Fallen Angel

(Automaton Moon Version)

_\|/_/|\_\|/_

Moonlight trickled through the leaves, illuminating the dark forest path. In the distance, you could see glimpses of glittering lights shining bright and playfully through the trees. The sounds of chattering people were slowly growing in volume as I walked down the dirt path, pebbles crunching underfoot as I neared the circus.

Normally, I avoided this kind of thing, the sounds and smells bringing up memories of the past, but this show was one I wouldn't miss for the world.

The smells of popcorn and cotton candy filled my nose as I paid the little automaton running the stand at the gate for my ticket and joined the bustling crowd, making their way towards large red and white striped tent.

The performers were a mix of humans and automatons, a healthy mix of life the likes of which you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Acrobats were riding towering unicycles through the people, clowns were doing tricks and telling jokes, the strong man was lifting a woman seated in a chair above his head, and the animal tamer was letting patrons pet one of the decorated horses.

A few cages with show animals had been placed at the edge of the clearing. Gentlemen in their top hats and ladies in their bustled skits were peering in at the robotic lions and tigers, marveling at the deadly mechanical beasts that would soon be performing.

Everything was set in place to excite the crowd for the show they were about to see, but I wasn't interested in any of them.

Letting the bustling crowd push me along, I entered the colorful tent.

Sparkling lights cross-crossed high above us, seemingly draped on every surface, illuminating the three rings on the floor in the middle of the tent and the platforms near the top of the tent polls. In this space, the crowd spoke in hushed voices, in awe of the grandeur, excited for the show about to begin.

I sat on one of the many wooden benches, choosing one near the back of the tent, higher than the rest of the crowd. From here, I would have the best view of the acrobats when they started their performance. I wanted to be able to see them clearly.

He would be performing.

The lights dimmed, becoming small spots of color in the dark, and the crowd quieted, whispering to one another gleefully as the show began.

A spotlight flashed on, revealing the ringmaster. Towering top hat perched atop his head, dressed in a brightly colored tailcoat, he spread his arms wide, welcoming all to the circus!

As each act entered a ring, he would loudly announce them, voice ringing through the tent over the oohs and ahhs of the crowd.

Horses pranced around the rings' outer edges, and clockwork women in sparkling outfits stood on their backs, doing tricks.

Mechanical lions and tigers stood on hind legs and roared, breathing fire for the crowd, causing some guests to scream in fear and delight.

A knife thrower expertly threw knives at a spinning board, missing the woman who had been chained to its surface by inches.

The automaton magician escaped from a locked safe at the bottom of a glass tank filled with water.

Strong men, clowns, a bearded lady, a snake man, and so much more to delight and astound.

I sat patiently through all of it, only half-heartedly paying attention.

When the spotlight focused on the platform high above the crowd, I moved to the edge of my seat, leaning forward to try and get a better look.

There he was, Moon. It'd been years since I'd last seen him. He stood on that little platform, dressed in a midnight blue costume covered in glitter, a grin on his face, arms outstretched as he beamed at the crowd below him.

He looked the same as he always had, an automaton with a round head and long thin limbs. A loving hand had crafted him with care.

Made from blue and white metals, he stood 7 feet tall, towering over almost any human. A crescent moon adorned half his face while the other half was left in a deep blue shadow.

Moon and his partners, both humans and automatons swung through the air, soaring with ease and grace above the ground. One would leap, and another would catch them before flinging the first back across the tent to be caught once more. It was mesmerizing to watch.

I was glad that he could still perform, and clearly still loved performing even without me up there with him.

Flying through the air, getting ready for another leap, Moon caught sight of me. Our eyes met, and the smile fell from his face, his glowing eyes able to see me even from this distance.

He flew through the air, reaching out to grab the hands of the person on the other side, but his fingers slipped. Had the person on the other areal swing not caught him, he would have plummeted to the ground.

No one in the crowd seemed to notice the near tragedy they had just witnessed.

The act ended without further incident.

I'd seen what I'd come to see.

And he'd seen me.

I got up and inched through the seats, making my way to the exit even as the rest of the show continued. The last thing I wanted was for Lucien to find me, and I knew he'd come looking. I'd only wanted to get a glimpse of his face.

Through the heavy tent flap and out into the grounds, I paused, taking a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill my lungs.

Maybe I shouldn't have come.

"Angel!"

I flinched, then turned.

Still in full costume but disheveled, Moon was trotting towards me, his blue eyes glowing in the dark.

Angel. That took me back.

Moon had always said that seeing me flying through that air as we performed was like seeing an angel soaring through the tent, glowing in the lights.

Back then, he'd sometimes whisper the nickname into my ear when he wanted to convince me to do something for him. The steam from his body hot against my neck, hands loosely on my waist, a roguish smile playing on his lips-

Shaking my head, I brought myself back to reality and turned away. I shouldn't have come.

"Wait! Please-"Moon grabbed my hand, reaching me before I could escape.

"Please, spare me a moment. I… I missed you. Why did you leave?"

I couldn't meet his eyes.

"I couldn't perform anymore. What was the use in staying?"

I'd been dropped.

Performing with one of the new additions to the aerial team, they'd let me go too soon, and I'd been sent flying into the tent wall. Luckily, I only suffered a few broken bones, but my injuries were severe enough that I could never perform in the air again.

"You could have stayed and helped with the animals, or the magician could have taken you as an assistant. You didn't have to leave."

Maybe I could have stayed, but not when I knew that being grounded meant I'd lost any chance of winning Moon's affections. He was charming and funny; everyone had their eyes on him. On the ground, out of his sight, he'd never choose me over someone else. Not when I couldn't be his angel. I'd left before my heart was inevitably broken.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him, my chest tight as he squeezed my hand.

I shouldn't have come.

"You could have stayed for me."

Those words made me look up, my eyes finally meeting his.

"I thought I was making it obvious how I felt about you, but… maybe I should have been more direct." He said softly, with a sheepish smile and a pleading look in his eyes.

A blush rushed to my cheeks, face suddenly hot as his words settled in my mind.

Slowly, he pulled me closer. His other arm wrapped around my waist as I was pulled against his firm chest.

The colors from the string lights were sparkling in the air around us as we stood in the deserted circus grounds. From where we were, we could hear the muffled voice of the ringmaster inside the tent, followed by cheers and laughter from the crowd.

"I fell in love with you the first time I ever saw you laugh, dearest. I've loved you all this time, and I should have told you a long time ago. Even if you can't fly, love, you will always be my angel."

My heart was in my throat, making it hard to breathe, my face on fire as I heard the words I'd longed to hear.

He loved me. It didn't matter that I was broken, that my wings had been clipped, and that I was forced to stay on the ground instead of flying through the sky where I belonged. He still loved me.

"Won't you come back to me?" He murmured, ducking his head to bring our faces closer, his lips so close to mine.

"Yes." I breathed, and he closed the distance, pressing his lips to mine.



[kinniie00]

HEY BUDDY :D !!! lion, maine coon, american shorthair, tiger, cougar, and fishing cat !!

HIIII!!! 👾

This is so many omg

Lion - I'm probably most proud of how far I've come over the last few years, I went through a lot and am still learning to live with some of it. It's definitely shaped a bit of who I am now, but I'd like to think I have grown from it and carried it with me rather than living in that dump forever :) AND MY FRIENDS IM SO SO SO PROUD OF THEM AND HOW MUCH THEY'VE DONE AND I WISH THE BEST FOR ALL OF YOU :((

Maine Coon - Honestly I'm not too sure how others would describe me, or even how to encapsulate my personality into one word--I'd like to say I'm energetic but I also have my moments of not being as much, I'm nice but I know I can be a bitch, I'm a lot of things but I'm really unsure of what word could describe me, plus I don't remember any good descriptive words rn :') (I'm so tired)

American Shorthair - I have many things that comfort me, id say my friends are my biggest comfort, as cheesy as it is. My friends remind me I'm not alone and have reasons to keep going, even when it feels impossible. I also often tend to latch onto games and streamers/YouTubers for comfort (a big one is hermitcraft!! :D), many of the people I watch now are people who practically raised me and I love them dearly. Another few smaller things that I find help comfort me are things like music, tea, or small things like animals (my cat!!!) or stuffed animals :3

Tiger - Another one that I'm not entirely sure how to answer :( "Being cute and being mine" -☀️ I think I went through the 5 stages of grief trying to come up with something that's all you're getting, oh yeah and my worst is probably the fact that I'm indecisive or like impulsive idk

Cougar - Hehehe fandoms 😇 Definitely undertale, fnaf, and sanders sides in the later years. I was (unfortunately) an aphmau kid back in 2015 but that was more watching her content and less fandom stuff. The undertale and fnaf ones definitely didn't ever stop, I got really into sans aus back during covid and relied on all three of those fandoms for comfort during the quarantine too. Sanders sides definitely helped me over the years before and during covid, it was definitely a rough time in my life as I was learning new things about myself and others around me, and it helped me so much with learning how to be me and accept myself as I am. As for a fandom I'm really active in now, id say the one I'm most active in is Hermitcraft (so surprising!!! 🙀) I got super into it back in season 6 when grian joined because I watched his content before he joined, and now I watch most of the hermits, I do tend to focus on a few each season while watching the occasional stream/video from the others though! I also listen to the imp & skizz podcast, and I find it rather comforting when I'm stressed, I love the hermits so much and they've definitely helped me so much without even knowing :) (and the fandom is so silly I love everyone)

Fishing Cat - I have so many I'm definitely going to forget some, I love learning new things and it's led to many hobbies that I do and will probably get back into in the future! :) I do crochet, it's something I have been learning since I was really young but couldn't get the hang of it for the longest time because my mom had a hard time teaching me it since she's left handed, I love reading, I read all kinds of things from old novels & poetry, romance and mystery, to nonfiction and sci-fi, I enjoy reading anything as long as it can keep my interest, and I loveee getting reccomended books (even though my to-be-read list is SO long), I like small crafts like jewelry making but it hurts my hands (especially the more intricate ones like fancy necklaces, bracelets, earrings), i love gaming, its a big part of who I am seeing as I grew up doing it, and even though i dont it as much anymore I still enjoy it and love playing games with my friends!! I enjoy drawing, but it's stressful because I'm not great at it and am way too perfectionistic over it. I used to paint but I never got too good at it and never had proper supplies, it was very fun though and I'd definitely get back into it sometime down the line. I listen to a lot of music, and watch youtubers/streamers. I like to go on walks, but with some of my health issues I don't go on them as often (I definitely will do more this summer though!!) and hanging out with my friends and animals. I plan on getting into sewing and possibly cosplay sometime so that will be fun to learn! I love creative hobbies, despite how stressful they can be when they don't go how I wanted it to :) I love seeing things I'm able to make evolve and get better and I get better at doing it, and I love consuming information and seeing people be people!!

I'm so sorry this is a lot of yapping even for me 😭

[lizardkingeliot]

Unfortunately I’m feeling inspired to embrace hyping tf out of my own work by that last reblog so!!! Hi. I posted the final chapter of my latest Queliot fic last week and it would mean the world to me for more people to come check it out. This is the culmination of a series I’ve been working on for the past 3 years and it truly was the biggest labor of love. I think most people who follow me are aware of it already, but if you’re in the mood to read 3 entire Queliot novels you can find the series page here.

I’m gonna put the opening scene of the latest chapter below a cut because I think it’s cute lol. You can find said chapter here, or start from chapter one here. And I’d love to hear from you guys in the comments section after you finish reading! Our fandom is so teeny tiny now and people just do not comment the way they used to, but connecting with you all when I post is my most favorite part. 💖 

ANYWAY. Here’s the opening scene. Enjoy! 🥰

—

“That—” Quentin could hardly get the words to come he was laughing so much. Flat on his back gazing up at the ceiling, the color of it sea water blue. “That really tickles, um—”

“Wouldn’t tickle nearly as much if you’d stop squirming, honey love.”

“I’m not squirming,” Quentin said, absolutely squirming. Eliot’s paintbrush swooping over his ribcage like the tip of a finger. “Shut up.” The words were soft on his tongue, not a hint of heat behind them. Lifting one hand slowly, touching Eliot soft on the shoulder. “This can’t seriously be, like—the next level of. You know…”

Slowly, Eliot let his eyes drift up to Quentin’s face. “Confused about what tent we’re in already?” He grinned, lifting his brush for a moment, running the palm of his free hand over Quentin’s brow gently, gently. “This isn’t the next level of anything, baby. Daddy just loves to watch you squirm.”

“You’re an idiot,” Quentin slurred, drunk on love that melted on his tongue sweet as honey. “What are you even—” Sucking a breath when the tip of Eliot’s brush pressed to his skin again. “Are you turning me into a Bob Ross painting on purpose?”

Eliot laughed, the sound of it a dark little rumble. “Something something horny little trees,” he said, picking up a little paint from his palette. The tip of his brush marking Quentin’s skin with a shock of blue.

The tent they were in was dedicated mostly to nude life drawing classes, sculpting, and photography. With one little alcove tucked into the back big enough for three or four couples at a time to indulge in body painting. Quentin was lying on a table with his head propped up on a cushy pillow. Eliot hovering over him with a palette splashed with paint, looking so goddamn beautiful Quentin almost couldn’t stand it. With his hair all soft and his brows pinched together, deeply and entirely focused on his task.

“Where is that supposed to be?” Quentin gazed down at the upside down image of a landscape blooming to life on his torso. The dip of his belly a lake rimmed in trees, a cloud-dappled sky on his ribcage.

Eliot hummed, the tip of his brush swirled in orange flecked with yellow. “I don’t know,” he said, flashing a grin, mapping out a shape of a big burning sun just between Quentin’s nipples. “Maybe it’s… Fillory?”

Quentin laughed, reaching up and brushing a curl away from Eliot’s eye. “If it’s Fillory it, um—” He touched Eliot on the back of his neck, his shoulder. Struck through with such fondness he struggled to draw a single breath. “Needs more talking animals.”

Eliot flicked his gaze up at Quentin, pulling back, cleaning the paint from his brush with a burst of magic. “Are we talking a little Toucan Sam action here, or…” He grinned, pinching his bottom lip in his teeth. “More like Tony the Tiger?”

“Do you think—” Quentin snorted a laugh, let it ripple through him so hard it shook the table. “Do you think Fillory is just full of cereal mascots, El?”

Eliot gave an airy little sigh, gesturing with his brush as he said—“Guess you’ll just have to read me your little fanboy bibles one day so I can find out.”

“You want me—” Quentin nearly choked on the sound of his own words. Suddenly—subspace was hovering in the periphery of his vision. Soft gush in his head like he was sinking slowly underwater. “You want me to read the Fillory books to you?”

Eliot swirled his brush in cheerful green, shot Quentin a soft little smirk. “I’d listen to you read the phone book,” he said, and winked, and immediately turned his attention to his painting again. “Now, I think maybe we need a bit more—”

“Let’s, um—” Quentin gripped the bare curve of Eliot’s elbow. A living, breathing hunger rising up from the depths and seizing him like hooks in his belly. “Let’s go back to our room. I—”

“Someone’s itching for a spanking, I see.” Eliot met Quentin’s narrow-eyed gaze, the corners of his mouth curling up. “Shove your waistband down for me just a little, darling. Daddy needs more canvas.”

Quentin pushed the tiniest whine from his throat. Barefoot and shirtless, there was so little keeping his body from total abandon. He could have slipped out of his little shorts with such ease right then, presented himself bent and quivering over the edge of the table. He could have begged for Eliot to fuck him right there in front of the others. Create the most masterful of all masterpieces with nothing more than bare flesh. Instead—

Quentin relented at once. Shoving one side of his waistband down to expose the bony rise of his hip. Eyes on Eliot, watching him take in the sight of all that fresh bare skin. Tongue darting out to swipe along the swell of his bottom lip, his eyes all flushed with a dark and almost unbearable hunger. Like he was only just barely containing the wild beast snarling within.

“Good boy,” Eliot said, his voice a soft low rumble. Holding onto his brush with one hand, rubbing the bare flesh of Quentin’s thigh with the other. “Hold still now.” He winked again, and Quentin’s whole body felt like it was being plunged into bubbly warm water. “No squirming.”

[stephstars08]

Return to Death Valley

Joe Burrow x Reader

Warnings: Some adult language, mention of past abusive relationship, mature themes, mention of nudity, and implied smut. (I think that is all, I’m sorry if I missed anything!)

Description: When Joe Burrow arrived at LSU he met the girl of his dreams but after he graduated they went their separate ways. However, when Joe returned on campus for the annual football spring game he does come face to face with that girl again. Will they reconnect? Find out in Return to Death Valley!

Author’s Note: First of all I just want to apologize for the big delay. I was originally going to post this Saturday but after I came back from coaching I didn’t really want to do anything since my foot was killing me for some reason. Then I was going to post on Sunday but Saturday night something came up last minuet! So, again I am so sorry for the delay! This will probably be my last writing for awhile. I know I promised I would post a special birthday one shot on my birthday which is next Monday but that won’t be happening since I’m not going to be able to write and type the one shot by next week. Also on my birthday I will be attending the Orioles game which I am very excited about! Anyways I don’t know how many people read this but thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy the one shot!

Word Count: 2,583

It was springtime which meant LSU is having their yearly spring game. Joe and Ja’Marr decided to buy plane tickets to Baton Rouge and watch how the 2022 LSU tigers are going to look. Many other former LSU national champions decided to tag along with the Bengal teammates. Joe and Ja’Marr asked Thaddeus if he wants to tag along and he of course agreed so the three of them took a plane from Cincinnati while Clyde, Justin, and Derek are meeting them there. Even though Joe doesn’t play on the same team as Clyde, Justin, and Derek, he still stays in good contact with them since they weren’t just his college teammates, they were also his best friends! The men are happy and excited to reunite at a place that is filled with so many incredible memories. However, Joe is a bit anxious that he might run into a familiar face that he hasn’t seen since he won the national championship. He doesn’t know why he feels nervous seeing her. Y/N Y/L/N, the girl who had Joe on his knees. Joe met Y/N his senior year. He met her through Justin since Justin and Y/N grew up together in Louisiana and go way back. Joe remembers the day he met Y/N like it was yesterday. Y/N was at all the games since she was interning for ESPN for her major in broadcasting, so she was cover LSU since that’s the college she attends. Joe immediately fell for the girl. Anytime Joe was free, or Y/N was free they were together. They spent many nights together whether they went out or stayed in. However, they never went exclusive. No matter how much they liked each other, they knew when the football season was over, they would be going their separate ways. They tried so hard to not get attached to one another but when Joe left to go back to Ohio, it was heart wrenching for the both of them. Joe would love to see Y/N but then again, he knows the goodbye is just going to be a repeat.

Joe just arrived at Tiger Stadium with the guys and so many flashbacks came flooding into his brain. Joe was in the locker with the guys. They were all talking besides Joe because every time someone walked by the doors he would look there. Every time Joe saw someone walk past the doors his heart rate would speed up. He doesn’t know why he’s getting all jumpy about seeing her. Y/N might not even be in town since Justin did mention to him that she’s been traveling a lot the past year because of her job. After Y/N graduated from LSU she got hired by ESPN to be a reporter for college football. “C’mon boys, let’s hit the field like old times.” Clyde said and started to walk towards the tunnel. “Joe and I will meet you guys out there.” Justin told them which confused Joe. “What’s going on?” Joe asked him in with confusion. “You’re wondering if Y/N is here, aren’t you?” Justin asked as he folded his arms over his chest with sly smirk on his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Joe said looking everywhere but his friends face. “Don’t lie to me.” Justin told him with a stern look on his face. “I just really want to see her.” Joe told him with a sigh. “Don’t worry Joe, I’m sure she’ll pop up somewhere.” Justin told him with a wink and made his way to the tunnel. Joe’s lips turned into a smirk. By just hearing Justin say that his chance seeing Y/N just doubled.

  The 2022 LSU spring game has just been kicked off. Joe has been hanging out on the sideline watching. As he’s been watching he’s been chatting with some old faces and new faces. He’s been talking with the coaches that were there when he was but he also talking with the new coaches that have just been hired. A lot has changed in just a couple of years which is a bit crazy to him. Of course, Joe as been talking with the new head coach that was hired at the end of the last season. Joe and all other guys were saddening and a bit angry about the firing of Coach O, but they couldn’t take it out on the new coach. Also, the new coach is a great guy and seems to be getting along with the players very nicely. However, Joe couldn’t lie. It felt strange being on the Death Valley field without Coach O. Joe has also talking with the quarterbacks since they are very huge fans of him and look up to him. Joe is pretty much royalty in Bouton Rouge which isn’t a surprise. Joe gave the quarterbacks a lot of advice which they appreciated very much. After Joe finished talking with the quarterbacks he started talking with Clyde. “Hey boys.” Both boys heard a familiar voice call out to them. When Joe turned around his eyes lit up because there she was. There is the girl he’s been wanting to see since he stepped off that plane. “Long time no see.” Y/N said with a big smile on her face. “Hey Y/N.” Clyde said with a smile as he gave her a hug which she of course returned. “Hey.” Joe said in a shy tone which made him curse at himself. “What? You too shy to give me a hug?” Y/N asked in a teasing tone. “Oh, ha-ha, come here.” Joe said bringing her into a hug. Y/N giggled as she returned the hug. She missed teasing him. “Wow, you both look amazing. I almost didn’t recognize you two.” Y/N said after letting go of Joe. “Y/N, come on we have to get back to work!” Her camera man called out to her which made her groan. “Alright I’ll be right there!” Y/N called back out to him with annoyance in her tone. “I got to get back, but I hope to see you boys around.” Y/N told them with a small smile. Before Y/N walked away she tapped Joe on the ass which shocked him. Joe watched her walk away with wide eyes. “Did she just tap me on my ass?” Joe asked turning back to Clyde who had an amusing smile on his face. “Damn, it really does feel like old times.” Clyde told him.

 After the game was over Joe and Ja’Marr stayed at the stadium to talk to some more people. The sun has now set over Death Valley. Joe was just about to leave with Ja’Marr to go back to the hotel, but Joe had to use the restroom, so he told Ja’Marr he’ll meet him outside. After Joe was done, he started to make his way outside but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a sweet voice call his name. “Y/N, I thought you would’ve been gone by now.” Joe said turning around to face her. “Same with you.” Y/N said as she walked closer to him. “I had to do interviews with the coach and a couple of players.” Y/N told him. “Oh yeah, that makes sense.” Joe said with a nod still sounding nervous which really was getting on his nerves. “Since you’re still here, do you want to go sit on the field together? Just like old times.” Y/N asked in a curious tone. “Yeah, that sounds fun.” Joe told her with a smile which made her smile. “Let me go tell Ja’Marr to head back to the hotel. I’ll be right back.” Joe told her with a wink and walked away. Y/N’s cheeks turned a bright red as she watched him.

 Y/N and Joe were sitting in the middle of the field together. “What’s been going on Mr. Burrow? I mean off the field of course.” Y/N said to him. “To be honest, not much.” Joe told her. “Seriously, nothing?” Y/N said sounding a bit surprised. “Besides my knee injury, yeah nothing.” Joe told her with a sigh. “Damn Joey, you got boring.” Y/N told him with a teasing smile which made him playfully roll his eyes. “Alright, enough about my boring life. What about you?” Joe said which made her giggle. “All I’m going to tell you is that I’m a lot happier this year then this time last year.” Y/N told him as she looked away from him which quickly concerned him. “What do you mean?” Joe asked her. “Justin told me you have been doing great with broadcasting.” Joe added. “It had nothing to do with my job.” Y/N told him as she fiddled with her fingers. “It’s okay Y/N. You can tell me.” Joe told her as he put one of his hands onto her knee and rubbed it gently. “I was in a relationship with this guy, and he abused me towards the end of the relationship.” Y/N told him as she stared down at her hands and tried to keep her eyes from tearing up. Joe’s heart broke when those words came out of her mouth. How could someone lay their hands on her like that. It’s makes Joe’s blood boil at just the thought of it. “What a sick mother fucker.” Joe said in a hiss. “Don’t worry Joey, that sick mother fucker is rotting in prison.” Y/N reassured him as she put her hand on top of his that was still resting on her knee. When she looked back up at him their eyes locked. “Good, that’s where people like him belong.” Joe told her. “What about you? What’s been your relationship status?” Y/N asked him to change the subject off her. “I’ve just had a couple of flings, but they never lasted longer than a month.” Joe told her which shocked her. “Seriously? How come? I mean look at you! What do those bitches not see in you?” Y/N asked many questions which made Joe let out a laugh. “I’m the one that broke up with them.” Joe told her. “Oh, do you mind telling me why?” Y/N asked as she scooted closer to him. “I guess it's because those girls weren’t you.” Joe answered as he stared deep into her beautiful eyes. Y/N leaned in and placed her lips onto his soft lips. Joe immediately kissed her back. As they kissed it was like all the memories of them together swarmed their minds. They both felt the kiss getting heated, so Y/N pulled away and got up onto her feet. “C’mon.” Y/N said putting her hand out for him to take. “Where are we going?” Joe asked taking her hand as he stood up. “My place. We got more catching up to do.” Y/N told him with a smirk. Joe knew exactly what she was referring to which turned him on. “Oh, so you don’t want me to fuck you on the football field?” Joe said with a smirk as he pulled her body up against his. “I wouldn’t let you fuck me on the field in college so what makes you think I would let you do it now?” Y/N said with a stern look on her face. “Alright, lead the way sexy thing.” Joe said defeated and gave her a kiss on the lips. Y/N let out a giggle and started to walk out of the stadium with Joe.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

It was the next morning and Joe woke up to the feeling of kisses on his neck. When he opened his eyes, they met Y/N’s eyes. “Well good morning to you.” Joe said as he pulled Y/N on top of him. Y/N giggled and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. “I can’t believe I forgot how much I love waking up next to you.” Y/N said as she rested her forehead against his. “Same here beautiful.” Joe told her giving her a kiss on the lips and then rubbed his hands up and down her bare back. “Were we stupid for doing this?” Y/N asked him. “Stupid for having amazing sex?” Joe asked with a smirk on his face. Y/N hit Joe on the shoulder. “Ouch! What was that for?” Joe asked with a whine. “I’m being serious Joe! I mean we both know that when you get on that plane to go back to Ohio, we basically will be strangers again.” Y/N told him with frustration in her tone. “Well, I think this time will be different.” Joe told her. “What do you mean?” Y/N asked him with confusion in her tone. “When we graduated, we had no idea what our future was going to look like but now we do. I’m a professional football player and you’re a reporter that covers football.” Joe told her as he continued to rub his hands up and down her back softly. “But we live in different states.” Y/N reminded him. “But we also travel a lot.” Joe told her. “Yeah, that’s true.” Y/N agreed as she rubbed his bare chest with one of her hands. “When we aren’t in the same city we can chat by text, phone call, and facetime. Whatever you want.” Joe told her and rested his forehead against hers. “I’d love that.” Y/N told him with a big smile on her face. “Me too.” Joe told her and gave her a long kiss on the lips. “What time do you have to be at the airport?” Y/N asked once they pulled away from the steamy kiss. “Two, which means…” Joe trailed off. He picked her up and flipped her over so that he was the one on top which made her let out a squeak. Joe stared down at her with lust as he made sure he didn’t crush her with his big body. “We got time for two more rounds.” Joe told her with that smirk that always turns her on. “Then give it to me Burrow.” Y/N said bringing him down so their lips could connect.

 Y/N decided to go to the airport with the boys and say goodbye to them. After said goodbye to Ja’Marr and Thaddeus, Joe told them to board the plane since he needed a couple of minuets alone with Y/N. “I’m going to miss you.” Y/N told him. “I’m going to miss you too, but I promise I’ll call you right when I get back to Cincy.” Joe told her with a comforting smile. “And I’ll be waiting.” Y/N told him with a smile as well. Joe brought her in close and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips which sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. When they released from the kiss, they rested their forehead against one another. “I love you.” Joe told her as he put one of his hands onto her cheek and stroked it gently. “I love you too, Joey.” Y/N told him and leaned up on her tippy toes to give him another passionate kiss. They have been waiting so long to say to those three words to each other and it felt so good to finally say it to each other out loud. “I’ll talk to you later.” Joe said letting her go even though he really didn’t want to. “Okay, be careful.” Y/N told him. “I will, beautiful.” Joe reassured with a wink. He gave her one last kiss and then walked away to board the plane. Both of them couldn’t wait to see each other again.

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Chapter 10 of the reincarnation au!

@daboyau

@rottmnt-background-screenshots

Surprisingly, no memory filled dreams happened that night.

The turtles and Splinter woke up mostly peacefully. It was later in the day since they stayed up most of the night.

The time difference was pretty rough but they were trying to handle that as best they could.

Leo portaled in some food and a pot for Mikey to make some breakfast over a fire they made outside. They had grilled fish and some rice, something they’d eat a lot of in their past lives.

Splinter joined them in the nostalgia over the meal. Even though the last time he had it wasn’t actually in a different lifetime, it might as well have been.

So much has changed since then.

He was never really planning on coming back, let alone bringing his sons along. There were too many painful memories he really didn’t want to revisit.

This wasn’t about him though. As much as those memories hurt them, there were a lot more painful memories awaiting his boys.

If he could help him through them then he would.

“What are you all planning on doing now that we are here?”

“I was thinking we should find some museums.” Leo answers.

Everyone stares at him in surprise.

“To see if our stuff is there! Just because we’ve had past lives doesn’t mean I like learning. In fact, if I ever say I actually want to go to a museum that isn’t magic or about Jupiter Jim, assume I’m a clone.”

“That makes a lot more sense.” Donnie deadpans.

“We should go to whatever museum here sent the key to the New York museum. If they had that, they probably have our stuff too. Or at least know where it’s at.” Raph suggests.

“I wonder why the museum sent it in the first place. I know they called it cursed, but what could the key have done?” Mikey questions.

“Guess we’re going to find out. Ikuzo, mis hermanos!” Leo holds up his sword.

“As much as I’d love to encourage your newfound trilingualness, we still have to use disguises. I doubt Japan is any better than New York with dealing with our green complexion.” Donnie makes him lower the sword.

“Blue, come with me to the lair for a bit. I have an idea.” Splinter looks at him.

“You’ve got it!” Leo portals the both of them away.

Eventually they come back, Leo lands dramatically in a brand new outfit.

He wore tabi socks and wooden sandals with blue straps.

His matching blue kimono had a red wrap around his waist and yellow stripes on the sleeves.

His brothers stare in awe.

“Dad made them for all of us!” Leo tosses the kimonos at his brothers.

They quickly get dressed.

Donnie had a purple kimono with black blocks etched all over.

Mikey wore a yellow kimono with orange spots.

Raph got a red kimono some tiger patches sewn on.

“Thanks, pops. I really appreciate it.”

Splinter smiles at him.

“You’re welcome, my son. I will take on my radical teen disguise. I will be just one of the gang.”

“These take care of our lack of clothes, but not the green skin.” Donnie says as he looks at his clothes more.

Leo holds out some wide brimmed straw hats in front of them.

“No, but these do! Now let’s get to that museum before it closes. You can thank me later for finding out which one it was later.“

After completing their disguises, Leo portaled them to near where the museum was.

Luckily for them they came at a time where after waiting about 20 minutes, it was free to enter.

They began looking all over the different exhibits. Seeing the tools and items from 1,000 years ago brought both a sense of familiarity and foreignness.

Sure they had seen it all the time in their memories, but back then they were brand new. Now they could see just how much they aged.

The time they had been alive before was so far behind them.

Slowly, and really without realizing it, they began to drift apart to different areas of the museum.

Raph found himself standing and staring up at a case holding pieces of something. His eyes are drawn back down to the plaque in front of it.

He didn’t need to read it to know what the pieces were of.

His heart ached. Sure it had broken a few times and was always replaced, but something told him that this mask had been the last.

Aoi wasn’t there to get Tora a new one.

She could have bought her own. He knew it wouldn’t be the same. The mask itself was never really what she was attached to.

He feels a gentle bump to his arm and glances downwards.

His eyes widen when he sees Leo holding up a mask that looked very similar to the one that was currently shattered.

“Guess what I found in the gift shop! I had to hold like 50 of these to get to the biggest one in the back.”

Raph kneels down and takes it. He couldn’t help but match the big grin spread across Leo’s face.

For a moment he sees Aoi in his place, holding out that mask for the first time. Their smiles never changed from one life to the other.

“Thanks, Leo.”

“Anytime, imōto-uh, I mean, aniki, I mean-! Ugh, you know what I mean.”

Raph chuckles.

“Doesn’t matter what you call me. Family means family.”

“Speaking of family, any idea where Donnie and Mikey went? I know dad left to go grab us lunch.”

“No idea. Must have found something pretty interesting.”

Mikey and Donnie had found each other as well, in more ways that one.

“…..Donnie?”

“I know, Mikey. I know.”

They looked at the ancient pieces of clothing that slightly matched the kimonos they were currently wearing.

The ones behind the glass were torn, not because of age or time, but clearly from something purposeful.

Kosuke’s clothing had medium sized holes singed into the arms and legs.

The entirety of the back of Tomo’s top was just….gone. The fabric around it seemed torn to shreds.

There were rectangular pieces missing as well in the same areas as Kosuke’s.

“Do you think….we were together when it happened?” Mikey questions despite knowing the answer deep down.

“Yes.” Donnie lies.

Mikey appreciates it.

They decide to meet back up with the others.

The four of them are at the entrance to the museum again soon enough.

Splinter calls to them from outside to tell them that he got the food.

They all leave together and find somewhere to sit down and eat.

The plan after that is to do some sightseeing using the portals.

Whenever Aoi wanted them to go would probably rev up some memories.

The portals mainly landed them in older villages at first.

Each of this towns had some sort of inscription somewhere about warriors that arrived in their time of need.

After Tomo and Aoi got their powers, it didn’t take long for Tora and Kosuke to get them too.

The memories they saw in those villages showed them that.

For Leo and Donnie, there was some kind of pride at seeing Tora and Kosuke….grow.

It was probably more Aoi and Tomo’s feelings though.

It was hard enough surviving childhood with what they had.

Getting to their teen years? A miracle.

Being in their 20s seemed impossible.

They still made it, though.

Raph couldn’t help but be so happy about them all being heroes.

He knew eventually they’d be the great mystic warriors that their dad talked about, but this sort of journey was what he always dreamed of.

He dreamt it less when being a hero meant losing a brother, or brothers.

Still….the looks on their previous lives’ faces was so endearing. They loved helping people.

Despite everything they went through, they somehow managed to keep being kids.

It was nice.

The last place they decided to go to had way more people.

It was also filled with a lot more things than the long abandoned villages. It reminded them a lot of New York.

Bright lights, loud noises, the works.

The group kept taking pictures of themselves indulging in whatever was around.

The food stands, the stores filled with plushies, the high tech advertisements.

Donnie lifted up his phone to take a selfie in front of a Hatsune Miku billboard when he noticed something orange rush by.

“Mikey? Where are you going!?”

“I see Tora!”

Donnie quickly started running after him.

“There is no need to chase a memory! Just ignore it!”

“What if it’s important!?”

“I guarantee it’s not important enough for this! Stop already!”

“I want to know where she’s going!”

“Mikey!”

“Almost-!” He reaches his hand out.

“MIKEY!”

Donnie pulls him back hard enough for his hat to go flying off.

The hat lands in the street in front of him, almost immediately getting crushed flat by a speeding car.

Donnie held Mikey to himself as close as he could.

Mikey stared in shock at the fact that he could have been in the place of that hat.

Donnie breathes heavily and tries not to think about how if he was just a little slower his baby brother would be gone all over again.

…..Again?

Oh god.

The others run over.

“Mikey! Donnie! What happened!?” Raph kneels down to make sure they’re both okay.

“I….I almost ran into the road….” Mikey answers.

“You what!?“ Splinter shouts in a panic.

“I saw Tora-“

“And you just took off!?” Leo interrupts.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time!”

Splinter sees the crowd of people staring at them.

“Boys, we should be getting home now.”

Raph sees this this as well and ushers everyone back through the crowd.

Once they’re out of view enough Leo portals them back to the house.

It’s only then that Mikey leaves Donnie’s hold.

“Okay, so maybe that wasn’t my best idea….but I just wasn’t thinking.”

“I’ll say, that’s the dumbest dumb dumb thing I have ever seen anyone do.” Donnie crosses his arms.

“I’m sorry! I already feel dumb, you don’t have to say it….”

“No! I do have to say it! I tried to stop you! You weren’t just not thinking, you ignored me on purpose!”

“Donnie, I said I was sorry-“

“You never get it! Like when you kept trying to use your magic hands when you knew our ninpo was gone!”

“It worked eventually!”

“Only after we got it back! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! Why do you keep doing things without even giving one second to think about it!?”

“Donnie! Aren’t you going just a little too far!?” Leo gets between them.

Donnie frowns deeply and takes a breath to start up again, but as he sees the tears starting in Mikey’s eyes it dies on his tongue.

“I’m going to bed.” He rushes past everyone to another room.

Mikey tries to follow him but Splinter stops him.

“Orange, I know you want to fix this, but some things need time to settle before you can attempt a repair.”

Mikey sighs heavily.

“But he’s going to sleep angry, we’re never supposed to do that.”

“Sometimes forcing a reconciliation will just create more anger. Don’t worry. Perhaps in the morning Donatello will want to talk.”

Mikey whimpers slightly but nods in understanding.

Leo fixes up their sleeping space and everyone, excluding Donnie, sleeps together in the room.

Or attempts to.

Raph wrapped himself around them all closely, protectively.

Mikey opened his eyes and stares up at the ceiling.

Despite the warmth all around him and the ever comforting rumble of Raph’s snores, he was absolutely restless.

Donnie was missing and it bothered him to no end.

He eventually knows that he will not be getting to sleep unless he does something. So, he carefully slips out of Raph’s hold and sneaks into the room Donnie is sleeping in.

Mikey frowns as he sees him curled up, probably cold.

He quietly walks over to him and lays down next to him. He’s worried that if he touches him he’ll wake up and kick him out of the room.

To his surprise, he gets grabbed and pulled to Donnie’s plastron.

Mikey smiles and snuggles into him.

He’s asleep within minutes.