#kard scenarios

[nanawritesit]

sugar-daddy!BM headcanons (NSFW section at the end)

SFW trigger warnings: fem!reader, he ends up being more like a rich boyfriend than an official sugar daddy, you call him daddy, he calls you honey and baby, light cursing, mentions of a sick family member

NSFW trigger warnings: p in v intercourse, oral sex, hair pulling, scratching, marking up, soft dom x obedient sub dynamic, spanking, handcuffs, lingerie, daddy kink, size kink, car sex, balcony sex, he calls you princess and baby

how you met:

you met matthew at the mall. you were working at a jewelry store trying to make some extra money, selling things you could never afford for yourself.

he came in one day to buy a new chain, and you were immediately taken aback at how gorgeous he was

he was tall, built, and had a smile that could make any girl melt. and the way he wasn’t fazed at all by the high prices of the jewelry meant that he had MAD money. in short, he was your dream man. but you knew there was no way he’d go for someone like you. guys like him only went after heiresses and swimsuit models, right?

still, you were super kind and helpful, as you were with all your customers who weren’t assholes. he greatly appreciated how interested you were in finding the perfect chain for him :)

you knew he was flirting with you… i mean, what man unbuttons his shirt and asks if you think his chain hangs low enough to show off his sternum? he knew how much he was flustering you, and he loved it.

once he had picked a suitable chain, you rang him up and packaged it better than you’d ever done before. you made sure to throw in some extra goodies for him too, just because he was just so damn fine 🤭

as expected, nothing came of your first interaction. he just thanked you again for all your help and told you he hoped you had a wonderful day, then walked off, presumably to another high end store

he thought you were gorgeous, sure, but he sees gorgeous women all the time. what really made him fall for you was when he saw you a few hours later.

he had in fact gone to a couple other stores, buying himself some designer clothing and fine accessories. as he was about to leave the mall with his shopping bags, his attention was drawn back to the jewelry store

a little girl had just ran up to the counter, tears streaming down her cheeks

“miss, please help me! i can’t find my mother!”

he was about to go help, but stopped once he saw you react

you immediately walked around the counter and crouched down to her level, putting your hands on her shoulders.

“it’s okay sweetie, don’t cry!” you reassured her with a warm smile. “we’ll get you back to your mother, okay?”

once she had calmed down, you asked her for her name and called security to ask them to make an announcement for her mother to come get her from the jewelry store.

“would you like to look at some pretty jewelry while we wait sweetie?” you asked her. she of course agreed, quickly forgetting her sadness as you showed her all the sparkly pieces in the case.

eventually her mother did come get her, thanking you over and over for helping her daughter find her. you told her it was no problem and to have a wonderful night!

matthew couldn’t help the little smile that crept its way onto his face. it was so sweet of you to take such good care of that kid. anyone else would’ve just dumped her off at the lost and found. suddenly, you became the most attractive girl in the world in his eyes. a beautiful girl is certainly enough to turn his head, but kindness is always what wins him over. 🥰

you were too good for this world. he wanted to take you away from this place, show you some of the happiness you always gave to others. you deserved everything, and he wanted to give it to you. 💞

becoming a sugar baby:

when he approached you and asked you out, you were honestly too shocked to even give him an answer. you thought you had seen the last of him after he bought his chain, but here he was, asking you to get dinner with him after your shift.

after collecting yourself, you told him you’d love to, but you didn’t think you were properly dressed. the white blouse, pencil skirt, and ballet flats you were wearing didn’t seem posh enough for the place he had in mind 😀

“don’t worry about it, we can stop somewhere to get you something. i think there’s a chanel around the corner, does that work for you?”

you blinked at how he said it so casually. “i think the only thing i could afford there is a luggage tag.” you laughed nervously.

“i would pay for it obviously.” he replied nonchalantly. “as well as anything else you’d like along the way.”

you wanted to protest, but everything just seemed to happen so fast. next thing you knew, he was opening the passenger door of his benz for you, and then you were in a chanel dressing room, zipping up a dress that costed more than your rent 😭

“look at you, you’re absolutely stunning!” he told you, smiling brightly with wide eyes as he looked you over. you were suddenly so bashful under his gaze, chuckling nervously and smiling at the ground

“i’m serious, you look perfect.” he told you again, taking your hands in his so you were inclined to look up at him. “you’re a total vision, own it.”

as an assistant was removing the tags so you could wear it out of the store, he pointed out that there was a pair of shoes in the display window that would go perfectly with your dress 👀

and, that you might was well pick out a bag to complete the outfit :)

“matthew, you really don’t have to do th-“

“i’ve got it, honey. i asked you out, remember? it’s no trouble.”

you usually hated it when men called you honey, but for some reason, it felt good coming from him 😳

at dinner, you had an amazing time. he was so funny and interesting, you guys just clicked immediately. for a while, you actually forgot you were in a designer dress at a posh restaurant. it was just the two of you having a nice meal together.

over dessert, he asked if you’d want to keep seeing him. you weren’t too sure if you wanted a relationship just yet… partly because you still weren’t sure why he was so interested in you, and also because you had some major trust issues from your past. men tended to swoop into your life and promise you the world, only to leave once you acted like a human being instead of a pretty porcelain doll they could carry under their arm and show off.

“that’s fine honey. if you don’t want any labels, i’m cool with that. i just want to spend time with you.” he confessed, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand.

you smiled at his understanding, thinking to yourself for a moment. finally, you gave him your answer.

“what about the label ‘sugar baby?’”

he smirked, obviously pleased at your suggestion. “i can definitely be your sugar daddy, if that’s what you want.”

you nodded, and the agreement was final 💋

falling for him:

adjusting to the sugar baby life was a bit difficult at first, but it wasn’t rocket science. matthew would take you out a couple times a week and give you a base allowance, and pay for everything while you guys were out. this included food, gifts, transportation, lodging, drinks… he didn’t want you spending a single penny.

“girl put your card away, daddy’s got it.” 😤

at first you kind of felt like a financial burden, but after a while you learned that he thoroughly enjoyed spending so much money on you. it was just how he chose to show his affection! he would honestly get just as happy as you did when he bought you something you really wanted 🥰

you were too shy to just go in and buy whatever you wanted, so he would usually just give you a spending limit whenever you got to a store

he took you to the jewelry store you used to work at and bought you the necklace you had always drooled over but could never hope to afford 🥹

and of course all your old coworkers congratulated you on finding a hot sugar daddy 💀

speaking of work, it was a bit awkward to explain to your family why you weren’t working at the jewelry store anymore. but they eventually came to accept it, as long as you were safe and comfortable with this new arrangement :)

he just randomly shows up at your house and tells you to pack your bags because he just booked you guys a foreign vacation

he’ll ask you where you’ve always wanted to go and then just spontaneously buy plane tickets 😭

he likes bringing you to work events as his arm candy, making all his colleagues jealous with his beautiful baby 💋

until they stare a little bit too long, and he gets possessive 👀 he tightens his grip on your waist and grits his teeth a bit, staring at them with cold, dark eyes until they look away from you

“i just had to have the prettiest girl in the world, didn’t i? now everyone wants my girl.” he’d huff, and you’d just lean into his side, whispering little flirty comments in his ear that would settle him down

“let them stare at me, you’re the only one who gets to be my daddy.” you smirked, biting his earlobe before pulling away ❤️

he liked that a lot lmao

he also likes bringing you into the studio with him! he loves showing you his work and getting your opinion on it :)

if he ever sees you even remotely struggling with anything, he immediately offers to help, both financially and emotionally

“why are you upset baby? do you need money? hugs? both?”

what truly made you fall for him was what he did when one of your family members was sick. he walked into your apartment with a gift for you, only to see you sprawled out on the floor sobbing :(

he of course immediately ran up to you to crouch down and ask you what was wrong. you explained that your relative was sick and that you had to travel quite a long way to go to them, but you didn’t have enough money for it

he didn’t even bring up the money at first. his main focus was calming you down. he cradled you in his arms and soothingly rubbed your back, shushing you slightly and telling you everything would be okay until you stopped crying

“shh it’s okay i’ve got you, everything will be okay honey, i promise.”

once you had settled down and wiped your tears, he then reached into his pocket and just handed you his card, which he had never done before.

“i want you to take this and just go to them. don’t worry about expenses, don’t worry about me, just go see your family. i’ll be here whenever you can come back.”

you could swear a cupid’s arrow hit your heart at that exact moment. this was when you knew he cared about you as much more than just a sugar baby 💞

when you got back home, you jumped into his arms without a word and kissed him harder than you’ve ever kissed anyone in your entire life. he chuckled as you pulled back, but froze once he heard what you said next.

“can i be your girlfriend matthew? like your real one?”

he just stared at you blankly for a minute, then his face broke out into the brightest smile ever. “of course you can baby. i’ve been waiting to make this official since the day we first went out.” ❤️

NSFW: (18+/MDNI)

him fucking you while you’re wearing nothing but the diamond choker he got you

he loooooves when you tug on his hair or dig your nails into his back. he’s not a masochist by any means, but a little bit of pain always gets him going 💋

he’s a soft dom 100%, but he wouldn’t mind being on the bottom if you wanted to ride him 💞 he’ll just most likely still take on a dominant role tho

(imagine his big ass hands gripping your hips and guiding you along his cock OMG)

i honestly see him being more into obedient subs than brats, but he can handle a little bit of attitude. he wouldn’t mind throwing you over his knee and spanking you if you’ve been purposefully making him jealous

oof actually he’s not always a soft dom… every once in a while he’ll put you in cuffs and make you beg for him to touch you ⛓️

will NOT let you hide your face when you finish, he needs to see you and hear you. it’s honestly what gets him off the most, knowing that he can make you feel so good ❤️

he’s possessive af so he LOVES marking you up. he’ll shamelessly leave hickeys all over your neck and chest, and ENCOURAGE you to wear low cut tops to show them off to people 💀

looooots of car sex is his benz… the windows will be fogged up and the whole car will be shaking 👀

him buying you expensive lingerie sets and leaving them on the bed before he leaves for work, then sending you a text telling you to put it on right before he gets home 🥰

now i KNOW everyone thinks matthew is a boob guy bc he’s always talking ab man titties, but i honestly thinks he likes EVERYTHING equally 😤 boobs, waist, hips, thighs, butt… he worships ALL of it!

MASSIVE daddy kink, which pairs well with his EQUALLY MASSIVE size kink. he adores pinning your wrists down with his large hands and just hovering over you, observing how small you look underneath him

i also know this man is PACKING

“awh my poor baby, is daddy too big for you? i know my princess can take it.”

“look at you, taking daddy’s cock so well… you deserve a reward, baby. i’ll give you whatever you want, since you’re being such a good girl.”

will literally stop fucking you if you call him any name other than daddy during sex 😭 (as long as he knows you like saying it, obviously)

“come on princess, you know better than that. what’s my name? yeah, say it again. louder.”

mans is a certified munch 😛 he loves receiving oral as well, but he derives a certain type of pleasure from having his tongue on your clit

him fucking you over the balcony when you guys are on vacation in a fancy hotel (don’t try this guys it’s very dangerous LOL)

overall, he’s not into anything super crazy. he’s just a dominant guy with a lot of passion. he can go rough or mellow depending on the day. he’s not super into punishing or denying, like i said, he just wants to make you feel divine. and he wants you to know that you’re his baby, always 🥰

[milkybonya]

So I’m pretty awful at requests but could I maybe request something with BM involving cuddles and some soft moments? Hopefully that’s not too vague 😖 Thank you so much!

🥛: i'm so sorry this has taken me way too long :( i hope you'll forgive me and i hope this fic is okay! and your request is perfect~

cuddle with me

♡ for BM from kard

#: boyfriend!idol!Matthew, established relationship, domestic-type fluff, cuddles!

[💌: wahhhh my last year of college starts in a week. also... i see seventeen on saturday with my best friends. :O]

you're surprised to wake up with Matthew beside you. usually, he's left early for dance practice or a schedule, or sometimes he's just not there because he's on tour.

you take time to peek at him from under the sheets. his smooth skin, his pouty lips, his sharp nose and jawline, his eyelids that flutter and his soft, messy hair all make you realize he's real. he's here.

you don't realized you've moved so close to him that he can feel you breathing on his face. he opens his eyes and smiles as soon as he sees you.

"y/nnnnn," he calls out, his voice raspy.

he wraps his arms around you and pulls you on top of him, ignoring your yells of protest.

"did you sleep well?" he asks, moving stray hairs out of your face.

you nod, holding onto his shoulders for support.

"did you?"

he hums in reply, burying his face into your neck.

"i missed you," he mumbles against your skin.

you stroke his hair and tell him that you missed him too, and he sighs.

"i wish we could wake up like this every day," you say.

"i know, baby, but since we're able to now, why don't we just enjoy it?" he suggests.

"cuddle with me, baby," Matthew says.

you rest your head on his chest and he wraps his arms around you again, pulling you close to him. one of his hands come up to stroke your hair.

"are you still sleepy? should we go back to sleep?" Matthew asks.

"let's stay up... i wanna talk with you," you say.

you ask your boyfriend about work, and he explains his past week to you in detail.

somewhere along the way, your eyelids grow heavy again and start closing. you can't help it! Matthew's chest is just too comfy, and his voice is so soothing.

"and then i got home at like.. 2am last night? and now here we are," Matthew finishes before peeking at you.

seeing your closed eyes, he asks, "are you asleep, y/n?"

no reply.

he snuggles into you and decides to join you for an extra hour or two of sleep.

[blu-joons]

When They Comfort You Through A Nightmare ~ KARD Reaction

J.Seph:

The sound of you shooting up immediately had Taehyung sitting up, following behind you. You raced through the house, crashing on the sofa as you wiped over your eyes.

“Y/N? What’s happened? What’s wrong?” Taehyung asked, kneeling down beside you on the sofa, resting his hand against your shoulder.

It took a few moments for you to reply as your voice faltered several times. “I had this dream, there was some guy and he was trying to take me away from you.”

“I’m sorry,” Taehyung whispered, brushing your hair out of your face. “Take a moment, try and do some deep breaths.”

“It felt so real,” you then murmured across to him.

Taehyung nodded sympathetically as he made sure to stay right by your side. “It wasn’t real, I promise you, I’m right here instead of whoever was in your nightmare, right?”

“I’m sorry if I woke you up too,” you then told him.

A chuckle came from Taehyung as, as usual, you worried about him. “Don’t be silly, I’m glad that I woke up so that I could be here for you, I don’t want you getting upset by yourself.”

“I’m feeling a lot better now, thanks to you.”

B.M:

Both of your hands quickly moved and wrapped around Matthew’s arm, shaking it as hard as you could as you tried your best to catch your breath after scaring yourself awake.

“It’s too early,” Matthew mumbled, although as he stirred he noticed how firm you were trying to get him awake and listening to you.

After a few moments Matthew’s eyes opened, widening as soon as they looked at you. “I-I had a nightmare,” you stuttered, looking nervously at him.

“A nightmare?” Matthew questioned, moving his arm to wrap around you and bringing you straight into his side for protection.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” you whispered.

A soft kiss was placed to the top of your head as Matthew’s free hand wiped underneath your eyes. “You did the right thing waking me up, even if I was a little bit grumpy just then.”

“Are you not sleeping too?” You asked in response.

Matthew’s head shook as you tilted your head back to look at him. “Not the best, but I don’t think my night has been anywhere near as bad as yours. Are you feeling better now?”

“I’m feeling a lot better laying here with you.”

Somin:

The feeling of your leg jolting against hers was the final straw for Somin as she shook you awake, quickly picking up on the fact that you were experiencing a nightmare beside her.

“Y/N? Are you awake?” Somin quizzed, draping her arm across your shoulders to make sure you knew that she was there beside you.

It took a moment for you to realise what was going on, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. “What happened? Why did you wake me?” You asked Somin.

“You were having a nightmare,” she explained to you, watching as your shoulders dropped, “do you not remember any of it?”

“Not a single thing,” you admitted with a sigh.

Somin offered you an understanding smile as you took a deep breath in. “You were beginning to sweat beside me, not to mention the fact that you kept kicking me too.”

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea,” you hurriedly told her.

A laugh escaped from Somin as you began to return back to your usual self. “I think I can take a few kicks in the leg, especially knowing that you’re not as upset as I thought you’d be.”

“I’ve not got a clue about this nightmare at all.”

Jiwoo: 

Your heart had never raced as fast as it did as you watched the bedroom door opened, relieved to see Jiwoo walking in, despite the fear that greeted her as she found you sat up.

“A-are you alright?” Jiwoo nervously asked you as she quickly shut the door before rushing over to the bed and sitting right beside you.

Your head shook as you buried it into your hands, “I had a nightmare, and then when you weren’t here I thought that something serious had happened to you.

“I’m alright,” Jiwoo whispered closely into your ear, “I just went to use the toilet, I promise that no one came near me.”

“Are you sure?” You shakily asked to be sure.

Jiwoo nodded as your head lifted up and met her eyes. “Whatever happened was just a dream, I’m fine, you’re fine, and there’s no one that can get here and get to either of us.”

“You’re not going anywhere else, are you?” You quizzed.

Jiwoo’s head turned to shake as she slowly encouraged you to lay back down again. “I promise that I’m going nowhere else other than underneath this duvet and cuddling up to you.”

“I like the sound of us doing that, a lot.”

---

Masterlist

[astroyongie]

KARD August 2023 Reading

Note: please take it lightly and enjoy 

J.seph

Love: Jseph is probably in a relationship at the moment but him and his partner don’t see each other that much lately. That is because he is too focused on his work, moving and going into schedule and he doesn’t give his partner the time they need

Career: There’s a lot of things he does for money and not for the love he has to being an idol. Jseph would leave if he could but that would mean no financial gain

Self: Like I said, he is very focused on his work and on everything that he can do that will help him get some money and financial stability. So Jseph self is very focused on the material world at the moment

BM

Love: BM is equally on a relationship however there’s something that isn’t very right in this story, because he doesn’t really say everything to his partner. I believe there was some cheating happening or at least there’s hidden emotions and truths that BM keeps away from his partner

Career: He is full of creativity and honestly he loves his job and he loves being an idol. When he writes music or when he is able to produce his own songs, it’s the moment she feels the best, the most accomplished and when he feels his self gets prideful

Self: At the moment, he is dealing with some mental health issues, BM feels sad frequently and he doesn’t know how to deal with it. He knows there’s a dark side of himself he needs to heal and work on but he doesn’t know how to start or what to do

Somin

Love: Just like her colleagues, Somin is equally dating someone, however they come from two different worlds. I believe that the person she is seeing, is older than her and probably someone that workers in the company with her, someone that has some power over her career

Career: And thus, her career situation is linked to her love life. Somin’s career is stable and she is very happy with her situation. The company treat her like family, she works with people she cares and love and honestly she sees her work space as her own and true family.

Self: At the moment she has been interested a lot into spirituality and magic world. I don’t really know why, but at least her vibration is quite high, she has probably seen someone that is helping her in that way

Jiwoo

Love: She too, is in a relationship and honestly her relationship is beautiful and very peaceful. Her person is on the same vibe, same likings and same vibrations then her. They are at peace, they support each other and she believe her person is someone of her past life. They are probably either twin flames or soulmates

Career: She is equally happy with her situation and she is also very faithful to her work and her image and she wants to keep working for her company and for KARD has much time as she can. She really appreciates her teammates

Self: I feel like Jiwoo wants to involve as a person, she probably wished down on her heart, to become a mother the same way she also wishes to have the opportunity to one day do some type of solo to show the world her own colors

[lavenderbexlatte]

legendary: chapter 13

stray kids 6.2k words female reader insert SFW/some adult themes

🖤 warnings: temporary major character death, themes of life/death, a straight-up lift from Pokemon Indigo League episode The Tower of Terror bc it’s good plot, grandfather figures, kim seungmin gets his moment, the stupidest and most self-indulgent cameo ever just ignore it this is MY story dammit-🖤

Legendary Series Masterlist

connect with me! / masterlist

Waking up, when you don't remember going to sleep, is always jarring.

You think you were awake, anyway. Doing something important.

Whatever it was, you can't quite remember yet. Your head is foggy and just a little too tight, like it's full of sawdust that wants to spill out your ears.

Someone is shouting, nearby. It's loud and it's annoying, and so finally, you pry your eyes open.

You're in a dark room. That's right, that's right, you're in the Pokemon Tower. That haunted old building. You're here with...Team K, and your District 9 boys. You're talking to...

"(Y/N)!"

It's like the scream of your name plugs your brain back in correctly, your adrenaline spiking and your awareness suddenly returned a hundredfold.

Jiwoo is here. Jiwoo, and men with guns, and they want to take your friends away, and you were trying to save Oddish-

You clamber to your feet as quickly as you can, fighting the way that the room spins. Oddish, you need to see if Oddish is okay, you'll never forgive yourself if they caught her-

But Oddish is sitting on the ground, in someone's hand.

In your hand.

Your hand, you realize, peering down at the prone form of someone, someone who you could fucking swear is you, crushed under a golden and crystalline chandelier, pinned to the floor in a dozen places.

That's you. But you're you.

It's surreal. You feel like you're floating.

No, you are floating. You yelp, looking down at the floor to realize you're floating up, a foot or so above the floor and rising higher, until you will yourself downward in a panic and your feet meet the floor again. You glance around, helpless, wondering if anyone sees what you see.

And someone does. Several someones, but they're not the type to help.

"Haunt."

The Haunter from before, a Gastly, and a Gengar the size of a refrigerator are all watching you. Ghost types usually prefer to be intangible and invisible, but you can see them just fine. And they can see you.

It seems like they're the only ones who can see you.

In fact, Chan runs right through you.

You don't really feel it, a tickle like wind brushing past, as Chan runs straight through your body and over to your body - because that's what it is, just a body, because your essence, whatever makes you, seems to be over here - and kneels, starts shaking the motionless, outstretched arm that holds Oddish.

"-Get up," Chan is saying, pleading, "This isn't fucking funny, get up, right now-"

Jiwoo is motionless. Everyone is. There are a dozen people in this room, and they're all staring at the body under the chandelier.

"Please."

Minho's voice is terrible, and far too gentle. "Chan, I think-"

Chan stands up. He looks at the ceiling, as if he's looking through it, as if he can see the starlit sky past the layers of wood and metal and ghost.

"Please."

It sounds like a prayer.

And it works.

"Mm?"

The cry kind of sounds like a Pokemon, you think. But not one you've ever heard before.

Chan's eyes are still fixed on the ceiling, until, down through the hole that's broken in the floor above, a Pokemon descends.

It's not very big. Slight, and bright pink, with a small catlike face on a bipedal-type body and a long thin tail. It regards Chan with intelligent teal eyes, floating in the air before him.

"Mew?"

Mew.

"You...just...summoned Mew," Somin rasps.

Her voice is tinged with something like reverence, and you understand why.

The mythical Pokemon, said to have the DNA of all Pokemon combined. Able to learn any move, do anything, go anywhere. Live underwater, in the middle of raging volcanoes, in outer space. One of the two most dangerous, most fantastical Pokemon that exist.

Mew is here.

"Fix her," Chan says.

Mew is here for you.

Mew looks down at the body, its little front paws steepled. It looks at Chan, for a second. And then, ever so slowly, it looks over at you, where you're struggling to stay on the ground. It meets your eye. It can see you.

"Mew."

"You have to fix her," Chan repeats.

The mythical Pokemon shakes its head.

"I know you can!"

When Chan raises his voice, the spell that seems to have fallen over the rest of the room breaks. Seungmin starts running up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Changbin digs out a Pokeball and releases Primeape into the room, and Minho follows suit with his Ditto.

Mew looks back at you.

And over by the door, Jiwoo screams, voice cracked, feral: "Don't just stand there, fucking get it!"

Chaos.

The KeyCorp goons swarm at Mew.

Your friends order their Pokemon to attack.

It's a lot to follow, and your head still kind of feels like it's stuffed with sawdust.

In the midst of it all, the noise, the Fire attacks and the splintering wood and the projectiles raining down, Mew comes up to you. It looks you up and down curiously. You look back at it, taking in its short silky fur, its eyes that seem to look right through you. Before you know it, you have your hand out, stroking Mew's face. The little Pokemon leans into your touch for a second, with a happy purr.

And then, as quickly as it had come, it flies out the broken window, and away.

When your attention returns to the scene around you, it seems that firearms have outdone firepower. Bullets can hurt Pokemon just as well as people, of course, so even Primeape and Arcanine are standing down. It seems like your friends are losing.

Matthew is on the floor, with a security officer kneeling on the small of his back. Somin has each arm held fast by two more staff, and J.Seph is nowhere to be seen.

"Unfortunate that I can't take her, too," Jiwoo is saying, looking over at the - your - body. "But I have another idea."

She nods, and the last two of her staffs walk, guns still raised, at Chan. Arcanine growls, low and dangerous, but Chan shushes it.

"Me?" he asks.

"You," Jiwoo agrees. "You, and your...curious connections."

The officers haul Matthew to his feet, and drag him, jerking and kicking, out the door. Somin's captors follow with her suspended between them.

Chan raises his hand slowly, and calls Arcanine back into its Pokeball. "If I go, you leave my friends alone."

"Deal," says Jiwoo.

The Pokeball goes into Chan's pocket, and once he's effectively disarmed, the officers rush him, taking him by the arms like they have Somin.

"I'm sure we can get a repeat performance of that little Mew miracle, hm?" Jiwoo tells him, as the officers lead him out the door.

"Fuck you."

"Oh, you'll warm up in no time," she promises, glancing at the remaining guys. "Boys, I would take her with you. Nasty surprise for the caretakers, if you don't."

And with that, Jiwoo sweeps out the door.

Seungmin has disappeared upstairs, but as soon as they're gone, Minho and Changbin bolt for the chandelier. You don't really want to see what they find. You turn away, looking, instead, at the withering ceiling.

Since your body is on the floor over there, you wonder...

You will yourself up, the way you'd willed yourself down, before.

You float.

Right up, right through the ceiling, right up to the next floor.

It's a bedroom, you think, maybe an old caretaker's room or something. The sheets on the rickety bed are molding and the window is sealed shut with decades of grime, so it's surely abandoned. You wonder if you can even sit like this, but as you move to sit on the bed, there's no trouble. You don't phase through the mattress, or anything. You just sit.

You sit for a while.

Nothing should surprise you at this point, but you still startle and shriek when, after some time, a man walks into the room.

"Oh!" he exclaims, as you choke through your scream. "Oh, dear, oh dear, I'm frightfully sorry, didn't mean to - well. Scare you to death."

He winks at you.

This man is silver-haired, his face lined with age, wearing a red sweater and a lab coat. There's a tinge to him that suggests he isn't quite human, like if you tried to look at him sidelong, he would vanish. You get a creeping feeling that you might look the same. Even so, he's familiar in a way that you can't quite place.

"Who-"

"Oh, but you are already dead, aren't you?" the man says, folding his hands behind his back and pacing closer. "Oh, yes, dead as dead can be!"

"I'm...dead?"

The man looks at you strangely. "Of course. How could you be anything else?"

You suppose it makes sense.

"I'm dead, too, of course," he adds.

"I'm sorry," you say, uncertainly.

The man smiles. "I'm not! Why, I've learned more being dead than I did alive! It's a most excellent adventure."

"Who...are you?" you ask again.

He holds out a hand for you to shake. "Professor Oak. Pokemon Professor."

You knew that he was familiar. You saw him. You saw photos of him, ancient photos...

"Oak. As in...Oak Laboratories?"

"The very same!"

Impossible.

The professor snaps his fingers. "That's right! You were that clever trainer who figured out how to get into my secret lab. Oh, you're a bright one. Good to have you."

"I'm sorry for breaking in."

"You apologize too much, child. Never apologize for brilliance."

At that compliment, bold-faced and entirely undeserved but delivered with such resounding love, you stand, and take his hand for a firm shake. His skin is warm against yours, the weight of his calloused, aged hand feeling extraordinarily ordinary.

"Are we...ghosts?" you ask.

Professor Oak hums. "I don't quite know. But that's the fun of science, is it not? Sometimes we never know."

"And...and, what are you doing here?"

"Many questions. Good, a curious mind is a valuable thing," he says. "The Pokemon thought you needed some guidance, I believe. I don't think I'm particularly good at that sort of thing, but I'll certainly try!"

"Guidance?"

"Mm. A little wisdom about being dead, you see."

"I don't want to be dead," you say.

"Are you sure?" the professor asks, wry. "It's quite an experience. You might enjoy it."

"My friends are in trouble."

"I hate to say this, but perhaps that's not your concern, any longer."

"No, it is," you say, voice shaking, "It's absolutely my concern. It's my fault. I have to get back, somehow, I have to go fix everything, everything-"

Professor Oak shushes you. "Child, there's no shame in admitting defeat. Even for strong folks, like you, there is a limit. If you've been granted reprieve, perhaps the time to take it has come."

"I can't let anything else happen to my friends because of me, I-"

You have to stop, because the lump in your throat is too large. Another word, and you won't be able to hold back the tears.

"Ah, child, I'm playing a bit of devil's advocate, forgive me, you don't need to cry," he smiles, a grandfather's warm smile. "It's not as if I want you to stay dead, for my sake. The Pokemon did think that you had some...loose ends, shall we say, to tie up, back in the land of the living."

"What Pokemon?" you ask, frustrated.

"There are powers beyond your wildest dreams, my dear, that Pokemon hold. Some of them, the ones who busy themselves with the matters of humans, have quite serious opinions about this and that," he says gently. "You must have caught someone's eye."

Some Pokemon, with powers beyond imagination, watching you?

"If - if that's true, and I'm supposed to be alive, how can I do it?" you ask.

The professor folds his arms, strokes his chin with one hand, the picture of deep thought. "Why, I've never tried, myself. But to think through the conundrum, like a scientist - which I am, of course, not even death can stop curiosity - then..."

"The Pokemon sent you, right?"

"They did."

"Then could Pokemon be the answer?"

"No matter the question, Pokemon are the answer," he teases. "But I believe you're correct."

"But how-"

Professor Oak's eyes are twinkling, his smile wide and dangerous. You can imagine, suddenly, that he really was a mad scientist, so many years ago.

"A link between the living and the dead already exists among Pokemon. Quite commonly, in fact. I believe that link is already present, in this building," he says.

"Gaaaastly."

"There we go!" Professor Oak cries.

It comes up through the floor. A Gastly, and while at first you think it's the one that lives here, you soon realize why it's looking at you like that.

"Are you Seungmin's Gastly?" you ask it.

"Gaastly!"

"That is a yes," Professor Oak pipes up.

"That means Seungmin is still here," you realize, your nonexistent pulse picking up with adrenaline as you understand. "Professor, could...could a Ghost Pokemon help me?"

"A being that is neither fully dead nor alive, like a Ghost Pokemon is believed to be, would prove quite helpful," he says thoughtfully.

You turn to Gastly. "Can you help me get back to my body?"

The Pokemon's fanged mouth spreads wide in a grin. "Gastly."

"I think that is also a yes," says the professor.

"I'm going to go try," you decide.

You have to try. You don't know what Gastly can do, but there's no way you can do this if you're...whatever you are now. A ghost, a memory, a being that your friends can't even see...there's no way you can help them unless you're whole again.

"Then my work here is done!" Looking deeply satisfied, Professor Oak strolls toward the door. "Perhaps I'm better at giving advice than I believed. Hm."

There’s no doubt that the professor just led you to the answer. Whatever his stated intent was, coming here, whatever he is and how he found you, you can’t help but feel like all he did was get you going and then let you work out the details for yourself. It feels somehow embarrassing, like manipulation, and also like the most masterful teaching by leading.

"Professor," you say.

He pauses in the doorway. "Yes?"

"I'm a Pokemon professor, now, too. Or, I'm going to be," you say, awkward. "If...if I make it out of this, I'm going to fix everything. It'll be like it was before, when you were alive. I'll...I can bring your lab back, if you want. Make things like they were before, with Pokemon, and new trainers…and..."

The old professor looks at you with...pride. It's pride, you realize, in the smile lines by his eyes and the quirk of his mouth, pride like a parent, like a grandparent. Pride in you.

"Nothing, child, would bring me more joy than that."

You beam at him, even as your eyes brim with inexplicable tears. "And if I die again, I'll find you."

"Let us hope you're as old as I am, with even more adventures to share, when that time comes."

"Thank you, Professor Oak."

He waves his hand. "No, please, believe me. Thank you, for being an excellent reminder, to this old dead man, of what living is about."

Professor Oak vanishes into thin air as he walks out the door.

Gastly is waiting there patiently when you glance over, wiping your eyes. "Let's do this."

You've almost gotten the hang of this new way of moving, as you descend through the floor again with Gastly. Back down there, only Seungmin is left.

He's sitting cross-legged on the floor next to your lifeless body, which is now free. The chandelier sits over to one side, thrown away and hopelessly broken.

When he spots his Pokemon, he jumps up. "Is she here?"

The Gastly just nods, and goes over to nudge its trainer affectionately.

"(Y/N)?" Seungmin asks the room at large.

"Yes?"

He doesn't react, so you assume he didn't hear you.

"If you're here," Seungmin says, "If you're here, I know what to do. We've done it before, just not with a person."

He tucks his hands into his pockets, waiting, it seems, for a reply that's not going to come.

"One time, I ran over a Weedle with my dad's car," he explains, with a sad smile. "It felt so shitty...and Gastly knew when it died, y'know...told me. But then Gastly just kind of helped it, hovered over it, and then...it came back to life. Wasn’t even hurt. It was like nothing happened to it at all."

They've done this before? And it worked?

"So, like, I know it can work. You just have to let it work. Help us, here," Seungmin says.

You approach your body with some trepidation. You don't like looking at yourself like this. Crushed, somehow without any gore but also pointedly, unavoidably empty. You wonder if the boys cleaned up, if they-

"Like with the Weedle," he says to his Pokemon.

"Gaaaaastly."

The Ghost Pokemon nudges you, this time, toward the body. You close the gap, closer, and closer, until you're right over it, until if you take another step, you'll be standing on it, in it-

But Gastly pushes again, and you stumble into your body. Your feet sink in as you stand there, disappearing wholly and joining the form you are now to the flesh that lays there, and again, quickly, painlessly, you black out.

-----

When you open your eyes again, you're met with shouting.

"I knew it would fuckin' work!"

Hands pry you up from the floor, wrap around your back, yank you into a sitting position, and suddenly you find yourself sobbing into a scrawny shoulder, breathing in the scent of cheap body wash and dust and the same laundry detergent that Chan and Changbin and Felix and Jisung and Hyunjin all smell like.

Seungmin's arms are wrapped around you, all of his too-cool adolescent awkwardness gone, as he lets you absolutely ruin his shirt with tears, as you gasp and hiccup your terror against him, as he kneels in front of you.

You’re okay. Nothing hurts, nothing is broken, though it should be. There’s the faintest tingle under your skin, like a limb regaining circulation after it falls asleep, but you’re okay.

You're laughing sheepishly through your tears when you pull back to look at him.

"Damn," Seungmin sighs, "You owe me a life debt, now, and I'm collecting with interest."

You laugh harder.

He lets you sit there, in his space, for as long as you need. It's only another moment longer, but it means the world.

"Where did the guys go?" you ask.

"Changbin and Minho went to go get the others. To Jisung and Hyunjin, first, over in Cerulean City."

"How...how long ago did they go?"

You have to ask, because suddenly you realize you don't have a great grasp on how much time you spent upstairs. It could have been just a few moments, which is how it felt, but...

"Hours."

You wince. "No way."

"Way."

Seungmin stands, then, and goes to pull the door open.

Sunlight spills in, the first tender rays of the sunrise, and a gust of cool morning breeze. You were up there all night, and Seungmin was here, waiting.

"I am so sorry," you tell him.

"For what?"

"You waited so long...and you didn't even know if..."

"That's what friends do, asshole. I would've waited even longer," he says.

He manages to be so exceptionally kind, and such a brat all at once. The ultimate kid brother energy.

"Thanks," you say.

"Duh. C'mon, let's get out of here."

He walks out the door, and you follow.

Surprisingly, it's not like you're in a hurry to leave. You're not scared of the tower anymore, that's for sure. You feel a little pang of nostalgia, a longing for the peace of existing outside of time and physical space. But you made a promise to keep going.

Outside, the weather is gorgeous. There's not a soul around, which means you're safe for now, but it also means the others are truly long gone.

"They really left," you say.

Seungmin nods. "Told you."

"But that means they don't know."

"Know what?"

"You know. This." You gesture down at yourself, whole. Alive.

"Oh. No, no they do not."

"Seungmin, they think I'm dead."

"You were dead."

"Still. They should know," you insist.

"We'll find them later. But if they went to the water guys, then we should go find Jeongin," Seungmin decides.

"Isn't it easier to go meet the others and then-"

"No, if we get Jeongin at the same time, then we'll all be together when we meet up again," he argues.

He's not wrong, but it still feels strange, to go somewhere when the others don't know you're alive. Especially when Jeongin is none the wiser to what's happened. You'll have to be the ones to tell him about Chan...

You're saved, however, from having to fight over it, because Somin's SUV drives up to the tower.

She's not at the wheel, though. It's a man, clear through the dashboard as he parks, and there's another man in the passenger's seat.

"What the fuck?" one of them yells clearly through the open window.

"Damn," Seungmin mutters, "Hoped we'd beat the caretakers."

They park the car, and out the doors tumble three men in identical garish orange polo shirts. There's a company name emblazoned on the chest, but the letters are too small for you to make out.

"Jesus, this place is a wreck," the guy from the passenger's seat says, pushing his wild curly hair back with one hand, as if to better see the destruction wrought on the tower. "The fuck did you do?"

"We didn't," Seungmin says.

"Someone did," says the third guy, slightly smaller in build than the other two but just as pissed. "And you're the only motherfuckers here."

"Look, we really need to get going, there's no time to explain what happened, but I promise, we will help fix any damage," you say impatiently.

"Like hell, you're going anywhere!" says the driver, a well-built guy with a mustache and a remarkably strong voice.

They don't look all that formidable, despite each being probably six feet tall. In fact, they have the slightly awkward look of people who prefer to spend their time inside and not confronting strangers at the ghost tower. The driver, with the mustache, has a little pin of a Beedrill on his shirt lapel. You think you can work with this, negotiate with them.

Seungmin obviously agrees, because he says, "If you let us go without any trouble, we will come back with more people to help, and we'll pay for dinner for everyone including you."

The driver thinks for a moment, and then he nods. "Okay, deal."

Passenger's seat guy groans, long-suffering. "Arin..."

"What?! They said they'd get dinner; you want me to pass up some tasty-ass shit just cuz they're trespassing?!"

"...Yeah, that's kind of the point of being caretakers, man. We caretake."

"Dinner and dessert," Seungmin promises.

"I think they seem nice," says the third guy.

"You said the same thing about the fuckin' Tauros, and what happened? Who got trampled, Ross?" passenger's seat guy asks testily.

"You don't have to be such a party pooper, Dan," the driver, Arin, says, sing-song and annoying.

Seungmin points back over his shoulder toward the road. "So...we're just going to go..."

"If I could just have the scooter in the back of that van, that would be great," you say. "And the bag by the front seat, the-"

Dan scrutinizes you. "You promise you'll be back?"

"Pinky-promise."

"And you'll pay for food?"

"Whatever you wanna eat," you say.

"Fine, take the fuckin' scooter and go."

So that's what you do.

The three caretakers promise to park Somin's SUV at their center until they come back, whatever that means. You assume they're holding it ransom to assure that you'll come back, rather than doing a good deed. But it takes care of one problem, so you don't mind.

Jeongin, as Seungmin reminds you, is training Fire type on Cinnabar Island. Which makes your scooter a good choice, since it's portable transportation that you can take on a boat with you, if need be.

It's far, but distance means nothing to you at this point.

You just need to get him, and figure out what to do next.

----------

You've never been to a volcano before.

There's a town on Cinnabar Island, of course, but as you're approaching the towering volcanic mountain on a ferry boat, your scooter leaning against the rail and Seungmin leaning against you, it's hard to imagine that there's anything else there.

Magma flows trickle into the sea from the side you're on, sending plumes of steam into the air. People choose to live here. Like, it's voluntary. You can't even fathom it.

And Jeongin is here.

You and Seungmin have been traveling for days. It's not that long of a journey, but the first day or so after being dead, your body needed a lot more sleep than usual. Maybe something to do with the time you spent out of it. That first night, you slept nearly sixteen hours, and Seungmin ended up waking you out of worry. You're okay now, but you're hesitant to go too long without sleep and overdo it.

The two of you made it just fine, though. Driving your scooter as far as you could across the province, then taking the boat, and now disembarking in the tiny seaside town with its colorful buildings and the volcano looming large over it all.

You wheel your scooter down the gangway, as Seungmin sets out in front.

"Smooth ride," he says.

"Wasn't bad," you agree.

"Now we just gotta find the gym."

The first local you ask, however, doesn't know anything about a Pokemon gym.

The second tells you that there used to be a gym, but an eruption destroyed it about a decade ago, and it hadn't been rebuilt. That there isn't a gym at all.

"Did Jeongin make up this Cinnabar Gym and run away to the Seafoam Islands for a resort vacation or what?" Seungmin grumbles.

"I don't think he would do that. Too sweet," you say.

"That's what you think."

But the third person you ask has the answer.

The Cinnabar Gym was burned down, and has been many times. So the gym leaders just keep rebuilding it. This most recent time, during the Pokemon resurgence, it was joined into an ancient building that already existed on the plot of land: the Pokemon Mansion.

It's more information than you needed, but you thank the stranger, regardless, and head in the direction they point you.

You understand why the gym keeps getting destroyed, when you get there.

The Pokemon Mansion is right at the foot of the Cinnabar Volcano. Lumpy black cooled lava flows come right up to the back of the building, and the half-burned trunks of palm trees stand scattered among the scrubby plants and trails of lava rock.

"What a shitty idea," Seungmin says. "Building right here."

"They must have a reason. I bet the volcano was a lot farther away, before. If it keeps erupting and growing."

The building, or what remains of it, has several floors, though you can see the that topmost one is charred, as if it burnt some time ago and was never repaired.

"Do we have to go inside?" you wonder.

"I'm sure."

It's not like the doors are locked - there aren't any front doors, anymore. Lost to time, or broken, or maybe burned. So you lean your scooter against the front steps, and the two of you walk right in.

Once upon a time, this place must have been beautiful. There are antique rugs and gorgeous clawfoot chairs, wall hangings and rich paintings, all in shades of burnt red. Whoever lived here took great care to coordinate, and the people who have been here since have left it all respectfully alone.

Mostly, anyway. There are the odd sheaves of paper on the floor, as if someone was upending files folders, searching for...something.

"Upstairs or down?" you ask, as you approach a grand staircase that sweeps up, and a much smaller staircase to the side of it that leads down, down, down.

"Well," Seungmin considers. "Down is closer to where the lava is. And this is a Fire type gym."

"I think underground it's called magma."

"Oh my fucking God, don't start with me."

You smile. He's made it the whole trip without killing you or leaving because you're too embarrassing, he's not gonna crack now.

"Down it is," you say.

At the bottom of those stairs, after a short descent into the darkness, there's a set of double doors, shut tight. Statues of Pokemon line the narrow passage; a Charmeleon, you think, and a Magmar...

Seungmin glances at you, shrugs, and knocks.

You wait for a few beats. There's noise on the other side, and then the door creaks open to reveal a young-looking woman.

"Yes?"

"Our friend is training here, we need to see him," says Seungmin.

"And that would be...?"

"Jeongin?"

The woman brightens. "Yes! Come in."

Unlike all of your other friends who you've sought out, Jeongin isn't battling when you and Seungmin follow the staff trainer deeper into the craggy underground gym. He's just sitting on a bench, eating a protein bar like a dog with a hard-earned treat.

He reacts with a full-body jolt when he sees you.

"Holy shit!" he mumbles, around his snack.

"I know. She's alive," says Seungmin, mischievous.

You elbow him, and he elbows you back just as hard. The kid doesn't even know-

"What're you guys doing here?" Jeongin asks, amazed. "Time's not up, is it?"

"On training week? No. But shit's been cancelled. We gotta go home," Seungmin says.

Jeongin sighs, wolfing the last of the bar. "What happened?"

"Chan is gone."

Jeongin chokes.

You elbow Seungmin again. "Right out with it, huh? Does the word 'tact' mean anything to you?"

"What do you mean, gone?" Jeongin sputters.

"It's a long fuckin' story," Seungmin says. "But basically, he got kidnapped, he's gone. And we need to get him back. But we all gotta meet up at home first, so get your shit and let's roll."

That, you think, must be the least helpful and most audacious way to possibly tell the story.

"Chan's gone," Jeongin repeats, like he can't believe it.

"Look, I know - I think I know where he is, and how to find him. But we do have to go back to the gym to do that," you say.

"Is he in trouble?"

"Yeah. He's kidnapped," Seungmin deadpans.

"Jesus. Okay. Lemme - oh, God, I gotta pack, gimme like...twenty-five minutes," Jeongin says, hauling himself to his feet.

"I'm gonna play here for a while," Seungmin decides.  

He's looking at the pools of lava across the battling floor with far too much excitement. You don't really want to bear witness to whatever is going to go on, here. There's been enough mess in your life without Seungmin and boiling-hot lava in the same room.

"Need a hand?" you ask Jeongin.

The kid shrugs. "Sure."

The room where Jeongin has been staying is tidy in an adorable way. There's clutter, stacks of paper and a little pile of laundry and even a scented candle stuck on the bedside table, but it's all cluttered neatly, as if he's organized and his organization style just happens to be chaos.

"What, have you been studying in here?" you ask, amused.

Jeongin huffs out a laugh. "Yeah, kinda."

"They made you study?"

"I thought it was weird too," he says. "But I guess there's been a lot of important stuff in the Mansion. Like, Pokemon stuff that the gym protects."

"Important stuff, huh?"

"Yeah. Like, did you know the last time the volcano erupted, it wasn't natural? Some trainer did it, by accident."

You stare at him. "A person made the volcano blow?"

"Not alone."

"You're gonna have to explain."

Jeongin's busy throwing stuff into a dusty black duffle bag as he talks, but he manages. "So, like, ten years ago or so there was a trainer who wanted to find the Legendaries. All of 'em. And one of them, Moltres, the fire one, liked to hang out here at the volcano sometimes."

The Legendary Birds. There are three kinds, if your knowledge serves you. One is Articuno. Another is Moltres.

"So, this guy was like, obsessed. He lured Moltres here and then battled it, to catch it and train, or whatever. But it was a super powerful battle and eventually all the Fire attacks set off the volcano. A lot of stuff was ruined, and people were hurt, I think. It was the first time a person or a Pokemon affected a whole volcano."

It seems pretty unbelievable, to you, until you take a second to remember that you died a couple days ago. Maybe you should give these Fire trainers the benefit of the doubt.

"Who was this guy?" you press.

Jeongin shrugs. "The story doesn't say. Just that he was some guy, dressed in all gold."

Gold.

It all circles back around, doesn't it?

You don't need to share everything with Jeongin right now, so instead, you say, "That's wild. And they just told you all this?"

He nods. "They have lots of good stuff. They taught me about Mew, like about the first Legendary? The Mythical Pokemon?"

"Yeah, I'm familiar," you say stiffly.

"How Mew is like, the DNA of all Pokemon at once and how it likes to hide for centuries and come out to play sometimes," Jeongin says. "They said there's a story that circled a couple years back that Mew was seen, and helped out a trainer, but I don't know if that's true."

"It might be."

You just might know that trainer. You almost certainly do.

"And they told me about Mewtwo."

You haven't thought about Mewtwo in a long, long time. "The other Legendary?"

"The manmade one," Jeongin confirms. "Bunch of mad scientists created a Pokemon in the lab to be, like, the strongest baddest one of all time."

"If that one guy was looking for all the Legendaries, he should have just asked your Fire buddies. They seem to know everything," you tease.

But Jeongin just grins, kind of sadly. "Why d'you think they know so much? They shared all their research with him, and he turned on them."

"Their research? They just had this stuff laying around?"

"Literally. It's called the Pokemon Mansion cuz like two hundred years ago, some Pokemon researcher lived here, and all his books and notes and stuff were just in the building for anyone to find. The Cinnabar Gym just kinda claimed them."

"Jeez," you murmur. "You picked a hell of a place to come train.

Jeongin's smile sharpens a bit, turning more genuine, showing his dimples. "I know. And they're a kickass gym, too."

"How are the Pokemon?"

"So strong, I don't even know what to do with them. Chan's gonna flip his shit."

You start at the sound of the name. Jeongin shrinks as soon as he realizes - Chan's gone.

"Sorry," Jeongin says quickly. "I-"

"It's weird for everyone," you say.

He zips up his duffle with finality, in lieu of answering that. "I'm ready."

"Let's go."

Seungmin is still alive and unburnt when you get back out to the gym proper, and so is everyone else, so you consider that a success.

"Ready?" he asks.

"Ready," Jeongin confirms.

"I called ahead and asked the guys to meet us back home," Seungmin says.

"What'd you tell them?" you ask, wary.

"That I got Jeongin and we're coming back to the gym."

"Just that?"

"Why would I say anything else?"

He's not saying it in front of Jeongin, because no one's told Jeongin yet, but that means Seungmin didn't tell the others that you're alive. It's fitting that Seungmin is with you, because if you show up at that gym, they're gonna think you're a ghost.

-----

"Hey Seungmin?" you ask, into the dark.

The three of you had booked onto the very last ferry off the island, and night has long since fallen. It's a few hours' voyage, and since the boat isn't very full, it only makes sense to get comfortable. You're all laying on the deck in a little row, you and then Jeongin and then Seungmin, looking up at the clear mid-ocean sky. No staff have been around to tell you to stand up or get out of the way, so you're content to take the trip laying down.

"Yeah?" he answers.

"Why'd you make me come all the way out here?"

"Hey!" says Jeongin, putting on a big show of offense. "Am I not worth it?"

"You are," you assure him.

Seungmin is quiet for a moment.

"Well?" you prod.

"Didn't it get you out of your head?" he asks.

"It did."

"And didn't you enjoy getting to see somewhere new? Getting to see your favorite littlest Fire trainer ever?"

"I'm taller than you," Jeongin deadpans.

"It was fun," you say.

"Then isn't that enough?" Seungmin asks.

He's right. He needs to stop being right. "Yeah."

"Damn right. Be grateful."

You'll never tell him, because he'd be unbearable about it, but you are.

[dancetheficaway]

Kinktober prompt 2: Ropes

KARD, Jiwoo/Somin

Click here if you want to read it on AO3!

Scarlet Knots

If you asked her, Somin would definitely say that she looked good in most colours. Case in point : when she arrived at her girlfriend’s place today, Jiwoo’s attention was enraptured by her newly dark hair, complimenting how the tone made her beautiful eyes stand out.

However, Somin knew that Jiwoo had a preference for red; especially, the deep red of the ropes Jiwoo was now holding in her hands as Somin laid on the younger woman’s bed.

Indeed, Jiwoo always praised the way the shade contrasted with Somin’s soft skin. Somin looked attentively as Jiwoo’s deft fingers gently laced the rope around her wrists, binding them together with practised ease.

When Jiwoo pulled away to look at the knot, Somin felt heat bloom in her lower stomach at the way her girlfriend’s forehead was wrinkled in concentration. Her sweet, perfectionist Jiwoo.

-Can you try to pull on the knot for me, please ?

Somin did as asked, and when Jiwoo adjusted the rope, tightening it just a little more, a moan escaped her parted lips. The smirk that appeared on Jiwoo’s face in response made Somin want to roll her eyes, but she ended up smiling at her partner sheepishly.

-Are you comfortable ? Is it too tight ?

-It’s just fine, baby.

-What about your safe word, Somin ?

-It’s joker.

-Good girl.

A shiver went up Somin’s spine at the pet name, and she watched as Jiwoo quickly left the bed to rummage through their toy box. Another rope – of the same colour, of course – was retrieved, and the younger woman joined her lover once more. While Jiwoo was busy parting Somin’s legs and securing them to each cuff that was wrapped around their bed posts, Somin looked at her girlfriend.

Her bright coloured hair falling in front of her face, the glasses that adorned her cute nose, and her lips that Somin could never get enough of…

-Can you tug again, sweetheart ? How’s this ?

Jiwoo’s voice took Somin out of her reverie, and once all ropes were thoroughly checked, the younger woman leaned down to press her lips against Somin’s.

The kiss quickly grew heated, especially when Somin felt the filmsy material of Jiwoo’s blouse against her skin. When the couple pulled apart, Jiwoo’s eyes had darkened, and Somin was sure that hers looked no different. Something about laying there, completely bare and tied to the bed, while Jiwoo still had her clothes on, a hungry look in her gaze, made Somin’s arousal grow.

-Jiwoo, please…

-Please what ?

Somin groaned at her girlfriend’s teasing, but complied nonetheless.

-Please touch me, baby.

Jiwoo gave Somin a sweet smile, before her lips trailed down from her mouth to her neck, down to her chest, her breasts. Jiwoo had always been an attentive lover, so it didn’t take her a long time to memorize what spots made Somin tick.

When Jiwoo gently bit on one of her nipples, Somin’s hands automatically tugged at her restraints in surprise. The confident, assured behaviour Jiwoo displayed made Somin’s core throb; prompting her to let out an appreciative moan.

-A little worked up already, I see.

-Well, you did take your sweet time tying me up, so…

Jiwoo’s eyes locked onto Somin’s own as the younger woman’s hand finally cupped her, finding her wet and wanting.

-And now, I’m gonna take my sweet time getting you off, baby.

Laying there, unable to grab Jiwoo’s forearm as curious fingers found her clit, Somin took a deep breath and just let herself enjoy the sensations.

[daebakinc]

Succubus Pt 2 (M)

Pairing: Jiwoo x Reader (S) Prompt: Succubus/Incubus/Demon Word Count: 5K

Warnings: Smut, angst

~Admin V

Part 1

    It’d been two years since you summoned Jiwoo and you couldn’t remember how life was before her. Of course, your time together was deeply sexual, but it had become more than that.

            After only a few days of your arrangement, Jiwoo decided that she didn’t want you to work, where someone else used her body for a minimal amount of money. She took care of your financial obligations which allowed you to pursue interests you actually cared about, such as writing, art, dance, and cooking. This also allowed her to make you cum anytime she wanted, but you suspected it wasn’t the only reason she did this.

            Other than sex, your relationship with one another grew in other ways. You often asked her questions about herself, her hobbies, if she had a life outside of being a succubus. She also asked you questions about favorite foods and activities you enjoyed which is how she learned of your love for the seaside. This prompted her to further spoil you and buy you a little beach cottage to live in.

              At first, she was reluctant, but after some puppy-dog-eyes and other ways of persuasion, you were able to convince her to go out with you, as if it were a date. This led to other dates and outings together. She even agreed to meet your friends. There was excitement in seeing both her approval and opinions of them, as they showed the same for her. She was much more hesitant about you meeting her friends, being a demon and all. She finally gave in and allowed you to meet another succubus, Somin, but made it clear she wanted you to never meet J.seph or Matthew, who were true Hell demons.

            When you got sick, she took care of you. She prepared hot soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. She tucked you into a blanket cocoon. She insisted on eating you out because she claimed the rush of endorphins would help you feel better. Then she’d tell you stories until you fell asleep wrapped in her arms.

            She stayed with you even when you weren’t fucking each other. She’d watch you read books and paint. She also danced with you and encouraged you when you exercised. The two of you could sit in comfortable silence, not interacting at all, but existing together in the same space.

            It wasn’t just sex between you, or a contract of requirement. It was love. Jiwoo had never said it, and you yourself were a bit afraid to admit it, but in your heart, you knew it was.

            That’s why you decided to plan this special anniversary dinner for her. You had a surprise for her. You couldn’t be sure how she’d react, but knowing there was love, you expected a good outcome.

            The table on the balcony was all set up in fancy dishware and folded cloth napkins. You made her orange chicken and were sure there were absolutely no carrots in the rice and mixed veggies. In the house you had a myriad of lit tea candles. You even made your bed up in the soft pink sheets she’d gotten you for your birthday.

            You were pulling the crab Rangoon out of the oven when you heard the winds of her appearing behind you. Her arms snaked around your waste and her lips were at your left ear. “What’s all this, pet? Special occasion?”

            After setting the hot tray down on the counter, you turned to face her, unable to hide your smile. “A special occasion, yes.” You gave her a chaste kiss.

            Your smile grew as you watched her pretend to not know what today was. “Hmmm, I know it’s not your birthday, as we only recently celebrated that.”

            “You know what today is, queen.”

            She gasped with desire when you called her by the name. She pulled your hips flush against hers, her lips but centimeters from yours. “I’d never forget the day we met.” And with that you were kissing again. It was much more passionate as she sucked your lower lip into her mouth, licking then nibbling it. When you moaned she slid her tongue in against yours. Your head spun, never getting used to her sweet cinnamon taste.

            You pushed her back, breathless for air. “Don’t you want to eat dinner first?”

            She gave you a knowing look. “We both know life is uncertain so we should always have desert first.” Jiwoo softly chucked at your little pout.

            “But all the food will get cold.”

            Grinning against your lips, she spoke into you. “I don’t care.” And with that her tongue was back in your mouth, sliding like satin with yours. The kiss deepened as you were being led into the bedroom. Jiwoo’s mouth moved to your neck causing you to cry out in pleasure as she began undressing you. Likewise, you sloppily pulled at her clothes until they were off her.

            Pulling back, her hands lingered on your hips before she turned to crawl on the bed. After propping up the pillows she wanted and making herself comfortable, she stared at you, making you shake with need. You whimpered, still stunned at her beauty.

            She smirked. “Come sit on my face, babygirl.”

             Carefully, you crawled on the bed and placed a knee on either side of her face. Your ass slightly rested on her collarbone, but you kept most of the weight on your knees. You leaned forward to grab hold of the headboard. “I’m ready, mistress.”

             Your moan was instant when her tongue poked at your clit. She lapped at it making your eyes roll back. Jiwoo held onto your thighs, keeping her pace while licking you. Jolts of pleasure streamed from your clitoris, moving down your legs to your toes and up your body, radiating in your chest with each press of her tongue against you. As you started panting, she squeezed your thighs and switched from licking to sucking. The white heat of the orgasm was building, making you grip the bed frame harder. Your body started shaking and you screamed out her name. She sucked harder until you climaxed. Your moan echoed in the room, if not the whole cottage.

You could feel the cum dripping down, and as she savored it, she pushed a finger inside you, moving it around in a circle feeling all your edges. Her focus of licking was in the areas around your clit. Another finger pushed into you, moving in the same circular motion of her licking. She kept the pace slow and even, causing shivers to rip through your body. Cries of pleasure mixed with her name as she brought you to the edge once again.

            After you came once more, Jiwoo tapped your thighs, signaling for you to lift up. You maintained your grip on the headboard as she slid out from under you. Too focused on regaining your breath and your heart making your chest vibrate, you didn’t see it, but you heard her materialize her silk pouch of toys. It took her only seconds to fit the strap-on in place then she knelt behind you. “Ready, pet?”

             Nodding vigorously, it would only be audible to her as you whispered, “Yes, please Jiwoo.”

             She placed the tip at your entrance then held onto your hips, pushing all the way in. Desire flooded from your lips. As usual, she pulled out slowly, leaving only the tip in then thrusted hard and fast back in. The angle made the head of the dildo hit your g-spot.

             “Tell me, babygirl.”

             “Fuck, it’s so good, Jiwoo. You’re so good.”

             Pulling almost all the way out ever so slowly then pumping back in hard made you cry out with each thrust. You continued to hold onto the headboard, leaning into it with each pump. She’d made you so wet from her previous ministrations, in glided in effortlessly, hitting your walls and pleasure-points so deliciously.

             “Yes, yes mistress,” you moaned as she rubbed against the g-spot.

             She moved one hand to your breast, tweaking the nipple, her other found its way to your clit to rub up and down as she pushed into you, and her teeth found the crook of your neck, nibbling and leaving small love bites. Thrusting, tweaking, rubbing, biting, she had you close again. You leaned your head back on Jiwoo’s shoulder. You turned to kiss her, only adding to the buildup of endorphins. Your hands left the bed frame, one resting on top of Jiwoo’s holding your breast, the other over her hand rubbing your bud. She pressed her body against yours, holding you against her as she pumped hard into you.

Before you knew it, you’d reached your third orgasm of the night, and you knew Jiwoo was anything but finished. As she slowly pulled out all the way this time, you whined at the sudden emptiness.

             She turned you, then pulled you into a messy kiss. Your hands grabbed at her shoulder blades as hers wove into your hair. The warmth of her breath, silky press of her tongue against yours made you lightheaded. Your breasts pushed against hers, causing you to groan when you felt her pert nipples. Her hand wandered to your front again. After a few swirls on your clit, she continued moving her fingers until she pushed two fingers in you. It was such a different feel from the dildo, but it was her, and she still made you quake and squeal with longing.

             Letting you catch your breath as an especially loud moan left you, she began leaving small kisses on your collarbone. “What do you want pet? Tell me how to make you feel good.” You moaned as her thumb rubbed against your clit while she continued fingering you.

             “I,” more pleasure sounded, “I wanna ride you.”

             A mischievous chuckle came from Jiwoo. You were close to exploding further, but she stopped right before you were at the precipice. Her smile grew when you whimpered. “I want you to be this close, this sensitive as you ride me, babygirl.”

             She again made herself comfortable as she lay on her back in the bed. You reached for her hands while she helped you to be in a straddling position. The strap-on was still covered in your earlier ejaculate, making you excited and shake in anticipation. Jiwoo squeezed your hands and you both stared into each other’s eyes as you slid down on her.

            Your mouth opened at the stretch. You’d never get enough of her.

             “You’re so sexy, pet.” Her lips parted after hearing a particularly loud cry from you. “You’re not even moving yet and you’re ready to burst.”

             It was true. You hadn’t moved since sinking down on the dildo, but you were ready to climax again.

             “Not yet, baby.” Her words made you whimper with need. She slid her hands to your waist, the sensation giving you goosebumps. “Ride me.”

             Biting your lip to give you some control, you began gyrating, rolling your hips in an even rhythm, holding your breasts since Jiwoo’s hands were holding you.

             The position also helped to stimulate your sensitive little bud. She squeezed your waist causing you to also squeeze your chest. Little tingles spread from from your nipples as your palms brushed against them. You kept your movement slow, enjoying the ride. The waves flowed from your clitoris spreading out through your body, making you squeeze your breasts harder. The strap-on slide in and out only slightly, but you tightened around it, feeling every curve inside you. “I’m so close, mistress. So close.” Another moan rippled from your lips.

             “Describe what you’re feeling, baby girl.”

             You rolled your hips into her, taking the toy to the hilt. “It’s so thick and filling me. Sensation growing from my clit being rubbed.” You couldn’t help but moan, as you were almost at your peak. You’d planned to tell Jiwoo more of how she was making you feel, but you were at a loss for words. Your head fell back, your hips moving back then gyrating into her again. You reached for her hands and pushed them down to your hips. “Please. Please.”

             She smirked as she pulled your hips. She moved so suddenly, so harsh that you screamed as your orgasm rocked through your body. When you calmed down, she helped you to climb off her. She kissed your nose and retreated to the bathroom. When she returned, the strap-on was off and she had a warm wash cloth to clean you up. She giggled each time your body jerked when she cleaned an overstimulated spot. After, she lay next to you, petting your hair off your forehead.

             Jiwoo chuckled looking at you. “Why are you pouting again, babygirl?”

             “I’m so sleepy. We didn’t even get to eat. I have a surprise for you, too.”

             “It will all be there when you wake up.”

             You yawned. “Could you at least put the food away?”

             She smiled wide then softly kissed your lips. “Yes, pet.”

             Your eyelids grew heavy, but you held her hand. “Jiwoo, I love you.” And you were out.

              As always after sex with Jiwoo, when you woke up you were a little disoriented. She was no longer in bed with you. Usually she put pajamas on you, but you were still naked. Knowing you needed to hydrate, you made your way to the kitchen. Another frown soon covered your face. All of the food you’d prepared was still out, now spoiled. Jiwoo said she’d put it away, but she hadn’t.

             Now you were a bit miffed. So much time and preparation went into making the night special, and it was all wasted. “What the hell.”

             “What the hell, indeed.”

             You startled, your eyes trying to find her in the shadows. There was some kind of tension, you could definitely sense it in the air, but you wanted an explanation for why she didn’t do as she promised. “You said you’d put everything away. Now we have to throw it out. I made all your favorites . . .”

             “This is over.”

             “Well yeah. I slept through our anniversary.”

             Her face was stern and she shook her head. “Do you remember what you said to me last night?”

             A blush crept to your cheeks. “I told you I love you.” You looked down, feeling even more bare both physically and emotionally. “I planned for it to be more of a surprise, I even prepared a . . .”

             “No.”

             You looked up. Jiwoo didn’t look happy or elated in anyway. You just confessed your feelings for her and she looked mad; angrier than you’d ever seen her.

             “Jiwoo, what’s wrong?”

             “You.”

             Your stomach dropped. You wrapped your arms around your chest. “What?”

             She stepped closer, her voice rising in volume. “You. You ruined everything.”

             All you could do was gape. Confusion didn’t even begin to cover how you felt.

             “Take it back.”

             Still unsure you shook your head. “Take what back?”

             “Your love!” She yelled.

            You flinched at the harshness of her sound. It felt like your heart was being ripped from your body. “What?”

            She was almost chest to chest with you now. “Your love; I don’t want it. Take it back.” Her voice was quieter now, but the bite of her words lingered.

            “I can’t,” you whispered. “I won’t. I love you, Jiwoo.”

            She hissed in response and her eyes flared red, making you shiver and back away from her. “Did you forget what I am, pet?” You took in her outfit, dark and edgy like the first time you met her. “I am a demon. I don’t love. Not you, not anything.”

            Tears welled in your eyes. “You can’t mean that. I’ve seen it.”

            Jiwoo angrily thrusted her hand towards the counters and winds flew in the same direction, blowing all of the food and dishes into the wall, breaking from impact. “You don’t get to tell me what I mean or feel.”

            You whimpered her name, but it seemed to only make her fury rise. She shook her head. “This is over. It’s done. Our contract is null and void.”

            Realizing what was happening, what she was trying to do, brought your anger out and gave you voice. “No, it’s not. We have a deal. A blood agreement. You can’t just end it all because you don’t love. You’re just scared.”

            She used her magicks to smash more things in the room. “I am the demon. I am the one with power. I am the one who calls the shots. You have nothing. You are nothing.”

            Each word stung worse than the last, but you knew if you didn’t stand your ground you’d lose her, lose your life, your love. “If I’m nothing you’d have thrown me out long ago. You wouldn’t have made our deal in the first place. You’d have just collected my soul for the real crossroads demon and let me rot in Hell. Where are we, Jiwoo? Why are we standing in a beach cottage and not the crappy apartment I lived in when we made our deal?” 

            Winds started swirling around Jiwoo making her hair dance. This sent more shivers down your spine, having never seen her this enraged, but you knew she wouldn’t hurt you, knew she couldn’t. “You love me just as I love you. You’re just a coward to admit it.”

            Her winds shattered every window in the cottage. She rushed forward and grabbed your throat. “You dare to call me a coward?” Her eyes glowed red.

            “A coward is all I see right now.”

            Her hand tightened on your throat, making you gasp. Realizing her actions, she threw you to the floor and began pacing. You were still coughing when she knelt down and grabbed your throat again, softer this time. She looked into your eyes. “You will forget me. Forget this. Our arrangement never happened.”

            You used all the force you possibly could and pushed her off you. She didn’t move far, but she was clearly shocked which gave you enough time to scramble away from her. “I am not a toy, Jiwoo. You don’t get to manipulate me because you’re upset with me. Our blood runs together, in my veins and yours. You can’t just make me forget you. I won’t. I will never forget you. Our contract is still intact.”

            “No it’s not. You’ve served your purpose. I got your body, and I’m done with it now. I no longer want it or you. You will never see me again.”

            You reached for her and called her name, but it was too late. Jiwoo was gone. You called for her, looked around the cottage, but she wasn’t there. Hot tears streamed down your face as you fell to your knees. There were too many emotions to feel. Heartbreak, anger, fear. Curling into yourself, you lay on the floor and sobbed until your tear ducts ran dry and exhaustion took over.

__

            It was a different kind of nervous coming back to the crossroads. Before it was fear of what the demon would look like or how it would feel to sell your soul. Now it was fear of being denied your wish and never seeing Jiwoo again.

             Only days passed since Jiwoo left you, but they were the worst of your existence. She had made you forget things when you made the deal with her, but when she told you that you weren’t anything to her, that she didn’t want you, the memories came back. Your step father also never wanted you. Told you how worthless you were. Tried to convince your mother that she didn’t need you. Made her believe he was all that mattered, and once you were of age, you shouldn’t live in her house, because she was done raising you and was no longer required to be your mother.

             The empty, worthless, undesirable feeling was what you felt once again as Jiwoo took off. This was the second time someone meant to love you rejected you. It was different this time, and somehow so much worse than the first.

             You’d spent days lying on the floor in the spot you watched her vanish from. It wasn’t until a cockroach crawled past your face that you were even able to move. Food held little appeal. You couldn’t even look at the bed. The only reason you showered was because you smelled of bleach and vinegar after cleaning up the mess of glass, food, and insects from the ruined anniversary dinner. She told you that you were nothing to her, but the truth was, without her, your life was nothing.

             That’s when you decided to go back to the crossroads. Jiwoo said she no longer possessed your body. She didn’t want your soul. That meant both were yours to do as you please.

             You used a similar Altoid’s box, filled with the hexbag and your picture and buried it in the same area as 2 years ago. It was strange that the anticipation in waiting for the demon felt exactly the same as before. You didn’t know what to expect. Jiwoo made it clear she never even wanted you to meet him. A true Hell demon is how she’d described him. Would he not look human like her?

             “Mmm,” sounded behind you. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

             Turning to the voice, you saw a man, who other than being incredibly handsome, looked ordinary enough.

             He flashed his eyes, which glowed red just as Jiwoo’s had. “You called?”

             “J.seph?”

             His brows raised in disbelief and mouth fell a bit slack. “You know me?” He recovered and now looked both pleased and amused. “Well, this is a surprise. What can I do for you, doll?”

             The anxiety seemed higher this go-around, and you couldn’t stop from shaking, but you willed yourself to speak. “I want to make a deal.”

             He smirked and started circling around you, quite similarly to Jiwoo. “Let’s see how I can help with that.” As he got closer, he stopped in his tracks. He visibly took two deep sniffs and the smirk left his face. “Your hers.”

             Panic hit you and you started shaking your head. “I’m not. Not anymore. She ended our agreement. I’m no one’s now.”

             His eyebrow raised and smirk was back. “I wouldn’t be so sure, doll. It’s no cakewalk to break a blood contract.” Unashamed, he blatantly looked you up and down. “I see why she wanted you.”

             The fear was growing. You desperately wanted him to help you, but what if demons actually had loyalty and he wouldn’t because of Jiwoo. “Her contract with me is for my body. I want to make a deal using my soul.”

             Both his brows raised this time. “Is that so? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.”

             Suddenly the air around you grew frigid. It was night, but somehow it seemed darker. Any sounds of crickets and cicadas stopped. Your body shook harder.

             “What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing?” Her voice echoed.

             You should have felt terror from her rage, but you turned around eager, excited. She came, and you hadn’t even made your deal yet. She also seemed incredibly upset about you summoning J.seph. If she was here to yell, maybe punish you, it meant she still cared.  

             When neither you or J.seph answered, she stepped closer, bellowing louder. “I asked what the fuck you think you’re doing?”

            J.seph seemed perfectly at ease. “We’re having a conversation.”

            She glared at him then snapped her attention to you. “I told you never to meet him.”

            “You also told me I’m nothing to you, so why would you care?” Inside you were so proud of yourself being able to clapback like that, but your body still quivered.

            Her eyes flared red. She turned her attention back to J.seph. “She’s already mine. You can’t make a deal, so you can leave now.”

            “Actually,” he grinned wide. “Her soul as it seems is perfectly up for grabs. So, it appears a deal can be made after all.”

            Jiwoo’s aura changed and it looked like Hellfire literally glowed around her. “This is your last warning, Seph. Get out now, or I’ll make Matthew’s job look like child’s play.”

            He chuckled, looking completely unphased. “Fine fine. I’m being summoned elsewhere any way.” He looked past her to you. “You know how to reach me when you’re ready for that deal.”

            Jiwoo screamed and actual fire emerged from her mouth. J.seph disappeared, which left you and you alone with her fury. She turned to you. “What’s fucking going on in your mind? How stupid are you?”

            Channeling the anger of your heart break, you clenched your fists. “Who are you to decide what I do with my life? It’s my soul. I can do what I want with it.”

             “You can’t even begin to understand what he’d do to your soul. Idiot. He’s a Hell demon. He’s not going to promise you kittens and rainbows in exchange for your soul.”

             “Why do you even care, Jiwoo?” Your voice hitched as your anger and hurt rose. “He was who I was meant to meet the first time I came to the crossroads. He would have had it in exchange for killing him. Or did you forget I’m not the soft innocent girl you’re making me out to be?”

             Jiwoo spat curses as she looked away from you. “I can’t believe how fucking moronic you truly are.”

             Hot tears poured down your cheeks. “Better an idiot in love than a pussy who can’t admit their feelings.”

             She instantly looked up. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and outrage. Her voice was low as she spoke this time. “You’re calling me a pussy now?”

             Sniffling, you stood straight as you looked into her eyes. “Pussy, coward, scaredy-cat, wuss. Are you going to tell me you aren’t those things?”

             Her fiery aura glowed once more. She snarled at you then turned to walk away from you.

             “Because running away isn’t a pussy-move at all.”

             Before you could blink her face was before yours, her teeth bared. Her hand reached to wrap around your throat as it did days ago, but she didn’t touch you.

             More tears streaked your face. “You’re a liar too, Jiwoo,” you squeaked, no longer able to keep up the bravado.

             She still held anger in her brows, but her expression softened slightly. “And how’s that now?”

             You hiccupped, fully crying now. “You promised you’d never hurt me. Never make me feel pain.”

             She looked away. “This pain is your own doing.”

             A sarcastic laugh came from your mouth. “Of course, because loving you was actually just my desire to suffer.” Your anger was back as you looked at her this time. “But you won’t let me sell my soul because it’d suffer?”

             Her lip twitched before she pushed you to the ground. You’d hit a nerve and she was trying to regain control of the situation. That wouldn’t happen if you had any say. “I remember my step father destroying my family. I remember you tossing his severed head on my kitchen table. Is that also suffering I brought upon myself?”

             It was only for a second, but you saw regret cross Jiwoo’s face. You stood up to face her again. “This is bullshit, Jiwoo. It’s bullshit and you know it.” Your voice was faint as you whispered, “Why can’t you love me?”

             She began pacing. “It’s complicated.” That certainly was not the response she gave you days ago.

             “Who are you?”

             Jiwoo froze and met your gaze. “You know who I am.”

             “No. The Jiwoo I know never avoided questions. She was forthcoming about everything. She admitted her faults. She apologized. Most of all, she never hurt me or tried to.”

             For the first time, her marianismo was gone and she appeared conflicted, pained even. She ground her teeth. “I can’t. You don’t understand.”

             “Then explain it to me. The Jiwoo I used to know would have.”

             She did nothing now.

             Sighing, you wiped your eyes though liquid still fell from them. You were never going to win. Not when Jiwoo wouldn’t even give you answers as to why you could no longer be together. Knowing that was just as painful as when she threw you away. Nothing you could do would change her mind. Though it broke your heart further, you stretched your hand toward her. “Take your blood back.”

             Her mouth dropped in shock. “What?”

             “Take your blood back. Undo our contract.”

             She didn’t respond. Couldn’t.

             “You don’t love me. You won’t let me sell my soul. If I can’t have you, I want nothing from you, including our contract. You told J.seph I was still yours. Undo it.”

             A new emotion swept across Jiwoo’s face. Fear. You’d never seen it on her before. She whispered your name.

             You thrusted your hand at her again and yelled, “Take it back!”

             The two of you stared at each other for a long time. The crying had calmed your emotions. You still cried and were sad, but mostly felt numb now. You dropped your hand back to your side. “You can’t have it both ways, Jiwoo. Either you want me or you don’t. If I’m nothing to you, then end the contract.”

             Her brows were scrunched, conflict taking over her emotions again. “You don’t want this.”

             “You’re right, I don’t. But if you don’t want me, it’s not fair to keep me connected to you.” There was a little bit of hope, that because she seemed reluctant to actually breaking the contract instead of just saying it was null, that perhaps she would crumble and keep you.

             She was stalling now, ringing her hands. “It hurts. Physically. Removing my blood from yours.”

             “Nothing hurts more than not being chosen.” Of that you were an expert of.

             She tried to hide her emotions, but you saw her wince. Staying expressionless, she held her hand up. You watched as her nails turned to sharp claws. She used one to cut the palm of her hand open. Grabbing your hand, she did the same to you. Her magicks came to life around you, and as it pulled her blood from your veins , you fell to your knees. She wasn’t joking about the pain. She watched stoically, not flinching in the slightest while you shrieked out in agony. Then it all stopped.

             “It’s done.”

             When you looked up, she was gone. Jiwoo disappeared again, and you knew it was the last time you’d see your succubus.

[incorrect-jojolands-quotes]

diamotch salesman: we have two pretty girls here.

dragona: um, thank you?

usagi: thank you!

[misfitmin]

LOWKEY // BM

BM x OC

| Tags : gn!oc, afab!oc, public oral sex, degrading kink, praise kink,

DISCLAIMER: This is a 18+ fic based on BM’s new single album LOWKEY. I'm a baby writer so if the story seems badly written my bad lmaooo.

There he is…. the man I need in ways I can't even explain  

Kairi goes out to the party at the club their bestie Momo invited them out to. Kairi stands at a table waiting for Momo per usual because she can never be on time anywhere.

Kairi spots Big “Mac Daddy’’ Matthew across the room admiring his smile, his hair perfectly slicked back hair. Tall and sexy. Kairi couldn’t help but fantasize about the things they would do to him while they waited for Momo’s slow ass.

Momo:  ‘’BESTIEEEEEEEEE’’ Kairi hears the familiar voice of their long-time bestie Momo. 

Kairi: ‘’Where have you been?! You were supposed to be here an hour ago’’ 

Kairi says while smacking Momo playfully. 

Momo: “Sorry I know I'm hella late I lost track of time getting ready,” she says as 

Kairi zones out again getting distracted by the beautiful man that BM is. 

Momo: “Fren are you even listening?” 

Kairi snaps out of their daze.

Kairi:  “Yea girl I’m listening,” they say, still half gazing at BM. “Damn I need him in the most unholy ways” 

Kairi lets their inner dialogue slip. 

Momo shocked replies

Momo:  ``Girl who you talkin' bout?”

Realizing they spoke out loud slightly embarrassed they point at BM across the room. 

Kairi: “Him, the finest man in this party right now.”

They say as they happen to make eye contact with him.

BM’s POV

BM: “Yo this party ain’t hitting we gotta get this shit more hype” 

He says as he happens to catch Kairi lookin at him. He’s blown away by their beauty. His heart races. 

“Yo shawty over there fine,”  he thinks to himself.

BM: “ Yo peep shawty over there fine asf, I’m tryna vibe with them” 

he says to his friend. 

Peniel turns his head to see. 

Peniel: “Daaaaamn yo you gon make a move on shawty” 

Peniel says hyping his friend up. 

BM: “Hell yeah, bro.” 

He starts walking towards Kairi nervous but cool and confident. 

Kairi POV

Kairi: “FUCK MOMO HE’S WALKING OVER HERE” 

Kairi says panicked but trying to stay composed 

“Girl stay cool we just vibing I’ll back you up babygirl” 

Kairi takes a deep breath before they can say anything BM says 

BM: ‘’Hey wassup I’m BM what's your name?’’

Kairi:  “My name is Kairi’’

BM: “Kairi I like that’’

Kairi:’’ Thank you”

BM: ‘’So Kairi do you and your friend wanna join me and my friend and vibe tonight? It be great to have you’’

Kairi glances at Momo, Momo shakes her head in agreeance 

Kairi: ‘’ We’re down lets get lit’’

BM takes Kairi’s hand and leads them and Momo to introduce his Friend Peniel. They exchange greetings get drinks and vibe together. Like the perfect clique. Momo and Peniel hit it off well and spent the whole night laughing and dancing together. While BM and Kairi are dancing vibing exchanging whispers to each other creating sexual tension as they rub and grind on each other. 

Red Nose by Sage the Gemini starts playing Momo and Kairi's faces light up. BM and Peniel already know what's up.

BM: Yall know the dance to this song?

Kairi & Momo: in sync HELL YEA WE DO!!!

BM grabs Kairi by the waist, and Peniel and Momo follow suit. 

“All this money on me now come take it from a G all she tryna do is get naked (naked naked naked)’’

Kairi starts throwing ass and BM is catching it. BM Loves the view from behind. He places his hands on the round and voluptuous, juicy black booty. He moves his hands around, rubbing and smacking their ass. They moved their bodies to the rhythm in sync as their sexual euphoria fills the air. 

The music transitions to Body Party by Ciara, and the vibe becomes more sensual. 

Kairi stands up straight, still being held by BM at the waist they start widening their hips rubbing up on BM slowly in an up-and-down motion, wrapping one arm around his neck. BM whispers in their ear softly, causing Kairi to feel a pleasurable shiver run down their spine.

BM: Tryna go somewhere lowkey 

Kairi: Yeah let's go. I'm tryna see what you packing Daddy 

BM: Mmm is that so?

Kairi: Yeah I wanna know if you can handle all this

BM: smirking  Common lil mama.

BM signals to Peniel that he’s heading out dapping him up, and Kairi hugs Momo as they head out. BM’s driver comes around and the pair gets into the dark-tinted windowed car. 

In the car, they feel up on each other. Kissing while Kairi rubs on BM’s dick. Letting out soft moans BM grips on Kairi’s thick thighs rubbing and scratching, turning Kairi on even more. Kairi slyly unzips BM’s pants with one hand as they pulled out his hard throbbing dick with the other, smirking to themselves they give the tip a light lick, teasing him further. Starting at the tip, they slowly make their way to the base. Inch by inch disappearing further down their throat, making Kairi thankful for not having a gag reflex all while BM arch his back causing more of his hard cock to go down Kairi’s throat. The feeling of their tight throat sent chills down his spine making him crave more. As they get closer to his house, the pair barely get out of the car with their clothes on in presentable fashion, the temptation to finish what had been started weighing on their minds as they barely make it to the door before their hands find and start exploring each other's body. They had just barely entered the house and closed the door before their clothes started flying off their bodies and drifted to the floor.

BM picked up Kairi, his arms underneath their legs as their arms wrapped themselves around his neck, the two kissing as they made their way from the doorway and to the spacious living room. BM laid Kairi gently on the couch, looking down at their flushed state before moving to kiss their slightly swollen lips and down their neck, taking the time to leave marks all over as he began suckling on the sweet spot between their throat and shoulder, causing Kairi to moan out as they raised their hand to their mouth in a half-hearted effort to stifle the sounds. BM moved his lips down to their breasts and thighs, teasing their nipples with a light bite and the inside of their thighs with their hands keeping them spread for him. He edges close to their pussy, his mouth leaving more marks on them. Pleased with himself, BM comes up to look at the visibly frustrated and well-teased Kairi with a smirk. 

BM: Let’s hop in the shower

Kairi: slightly frustrated mmmm okay daddy 

BM guides them up the stairs to the bathroom, a sleek black-tiled room with fancy red LED lights and gold detailing. The shower is a clear spacious space, big enough to fit two, Kairi notices with a smile. BM turns on the shower with a waterfall showerhead. 

BM: Imma go get sum drinks and when I come back I want you naked 

He kisses Kairi and heads downstairs. Kairi takes off their underwear and bra and looks at themself in the mirror admiring their beautiful black body now marked with BM’s lovin. Replaying the events up until now in their head they began to touch the places BM had touched and teased their body. Starting by caressing their voluptuous breasts, then moving down to rub and pinch their nipples between their fingers and moving upwards towards their neck to touch each mark left by BM in the mirror. As a shiver runs through their spine, the warm air from the shower filling the room not helping their flustered state, their hands made their way down to their pussy feeling how wet they are as they rub their clit in small circles. Moaning softly rubbing their clit faster.  BM Walked on in setting the drinks on the nightstand for after their shower. He comes behind Kairi rubbing on them and guiding them to the shower. 

BM: Mmmm you look so sexy playing with yourself.

Kairi: Yeah you want a taste

They take their fingers drenched in pussy juices and put them in his mouth

BM: Damn baby you taste good

They step into the shower lathering each other in soap rubbing and kissing. Letting the lust swallow them whole. Letting the water run over them, kissing every inch of their bodies. They continue to kiss passionately, eating each other up with every smack. Finally, they get out smiling at each other, BM grabs warm towels and wraps one around Kairi and then one around himself he leads them to the bed. The room was black with red LED lights perfect for the mood, candles lit cool air blowing BM handed Kairi some soju. BM takes a shot and then kisses Kairi spilling the sultry slightly sweet drink into their mouth. Kairi getting impatient. 

Kairi: Lay back baby I'm bout to put this pussy on you like you never experienced before pushes BM back straddling his face 

BM: Lays back and grabs their waist letting out a soft moan Damn lil mama

Kairi: Eat my pussy baby make me cum all over that sexy face 

Licking and sucking on their clit inserting his fingers as they ride his face. Kairi moans calling his name. Grinding their hips back and forth aggressively. Feeling the sensation of BM’s tongue and lips sucking licking hitting the right spot over and over, becoming overwhelmed with pleasure they get close to cumming

Kairi: fuck ugh baby just like that ahh don't stop.

BM: mmm yes mama cum on my face. 

Kairi: Shit im boutta cum ah ah ah UGHHHHH FUCK!!

Kairi squirts and BM cums the simultaneously 

Kairi collapses on the bed weak all over and out of breath. They lick the mess off BM’s face, cleaning him up. 

BM: damn lil mama dat pussy is some serious 

Kairi: You love it huh

BM: Hell yea I don’t think I can ever get enough

Kairi: Yeah show me but we gon need a safe word first

BM: Bet how about Black rose

Kairi: I like that

After agreeing on the safe word, BM smirks and flips Kairi over on the end of the bed, He gets up rubbing his dick. He slowly feeds each inch into Kairi’s mouth until all 8 inches are down their throat. As he begins to fuck their throat he moans at the tight, warm space that envelopes his throat. He moans again, thrusting more as their throat grips his dick like a vacuum, refusing to let go. Kairi takes all of BM so well, no reflex, swallowing him whole. Sending chills down his spine in bliss. Shocked at how well they're taking his dick, BM’s moans get louder and louder, getting closer and closer to finishing.

BM: Damn your throat feels so good. It’s so tight~~ 

BM: fuck mama I’m boutta cum *huff huff* be a good slut and swallow 

Kariri: *gagged* mmmm yess daddy 

BM: fuk~~ baby I'm cumming FUK I-

Sweet release Kairi swallows every drop. BM falls to his knees weak and panting, reeling from the out-of-body experience, He had never felt this good before. There was something different bout Kairi. He kisses them passionately. Caressing their head still hanging from the bed. Staring into their eyes passionately admiring their beauty. Taken aback, he thinks how could he come across someone so mysterious yet stunning?

Kairi: You like that didn't you

BM: Absolutely, you're a demon the way you had my dick in your throat. 

Kairi: Mmmhmmm *kisses him*

BM: Get on all fours baby I’m boutta fuck you crazy 

Kairi: Oh! 

Intrigued, Kairi gets on their hands and knees on the bed, their pussy soaking wet. BM lightly rubs their pussy getting them wetter. He teases their entrance with a small smirk as they moved his hand away and replaced it with his dick. Smacking their ass with his hard cock was like watching a tidal wave effect on that ass. He eases it in by thrusting slowly. In shock, Kairi moans loudly, trembling and taking inch by inch. BM grabs their hair speeding up a bit. Kairi feels his dick in their guts losing their sanity, while he fucks them brainless. He pushes their head down gripping their waist and stroking faster and faster. Scratching their back.

Kairi: DADDY~~~ uggggggh *incoherent noises* faster baby mmmm faster.

BM: Yea mmm you're taking it so well. You're such a good slutty princess. Now I want to hear you scream my name.

Kairi: MATTHEW~~~~~

BM: Louder princess

Kairi: MATTHEW~~~~~

BM: Mmmm that's it baby just like that.

BM pulls out and flips Kairi into missionary. Before Kairi can catch their breath, BM puts their legs on his shoulders Stroking harder and faster than before, while he watches as  Kairi’s eyes roll back and their soul leaves their body. His dick poking through their guts. BM grabs their neck gripping it firmly, choking them out. 

BM: That’s it, mama. Fuck you look so good making those faces

Kairi: Mmmmm ahhhh haaaa fuck daddy you feel so good don't stop.

BM: Beg for it, baby

Kairi: Mmmm pleaseee Daddy don't stop. I cum in me. *huff huff* Fill me up mmm I beg

BM:  *moans* Say you’re Daddy’s slut 

Kairi: I’m Daddy’s slut.

BM: Whose pussy does this belong to?

Kairi: You!~

BM: Who?

Kairi: YOU DADDY YOU!

They cum at the same time letting out moans of heavenly bliss. BM falls on top of Kairi breathing heavily drenched in sweat and cum. Kairi's entire body shook from pleasure. They kiss softly BM caressing Kairi’s beautiful face. He gets off top of them grabbing the towel from earlier whipping their body down caringly, like he’s polishing a piece of art. He lays back down cuddling them, wrapping them in his arms. 

BM: That was amazing 

Kairi: it was. I can't feel my body at all.

BM: Me neither. 

Kairi: I was not expecting this at all.

BM: Me neither. I’d be a fool to let you slip through my fingers  *kisses them on the forehead*

Kairi: What are you implying

BM: I wanna get to know you more.

Kairi: I think that would be amazing.

They share a kiss, falling asleep blissfully, wrapped in each other's arms feeling a sense of comfort and warmth. 

[pastelpastryblog]

Who was everyone's favourite character in "I’m tired of this, it’s over 💔 - Woo / Woo Wonjae scenario"??? and whats was your favourite chapter??

[kalisburnerphone]

Masterlist 2

SVT

Choi Seungcheol

Kim Mingyu

Cafuné

ATEEZ

Kim HongJoong

Song Mingi

Choi San

DPR/CTYL

Christian Yu

Hong Dabin

Matthew Kim (KARD)

BTS

Kim Namjoon

Kim Taehyung

Jeon Jungkook

[milkybonya]

☆_college!BM texts

order 053, @xavi-in-kpopland : small roasted milk tea with grass kelly for KARD BM

#: cracc and fluff, friends to lovers!, watch out for BM's musles O.o

[multiphandomunnies]

Misc. groups

After school

Reactions

How they are with first gf

Nana

Gf! Nana

Astro

Rocky

Long night

Clc

Reactions

Fem! Crush coming out

4 minute

Reactions

S.o is a scorpio

Kard

Reactions

Soulmate au

Highlight

Yoseop

Jealousy is poison

Vixx

Reactions

S.o using chopsticks for the first time

Winner

Scenarios

Jealous winner

Mino

Not enough?

2ne1

Reactions

S.o is a Scorpio

S.o is a leo

Nine percent

Reactions

Making s.o feel better

They pass out during practice and you find out

Stood up by crush

Cai Xukun

Let’s meet in the garden

Sonamoo

Reactions

Gf kisses them first

Hearing their s.o’s morning voice

Crush has the same patronus as them

Cuddling with their s.o for the first time

d.ana

girlfriend d.ana

A.C.E

Reactions

S.o is clumsy

Bf wearing feminine clothes

S.o falls asleep on their lap

Matilda

Reactions

S.o shows up at fan meet

B1A4

Reactions

Gf bites their neck

Crush lays their head on their lap

Scenarios

How B1A4 would kiss

How they are on dates

Gugudan

Sejeong

Newly weds

BTOB

Minhyuk

Bf! Minhyuk

Ilhoon

Almost family

Weki Meki

Doyeon

Gf! Doyeon

Sei

Single mom Au

Itzy

Reactions

Bf throwing them over their shoulder

AOA

Jimin

Soulmate au

Wjsn

Exy

Pottery

Madly in love

Bona

Gf! Bona

Big bang

Reactions

S.o has a different religion

Scenarios

As types of jealous

Imagines

Loving boyfriend

[iluvblackberry]

PLEASE REQUEST

Ok but fr someone pls request something im bored out of my MIND rn T v T

[lavenderbexlatte]

legendary: chapter 12

stray kids 8.4k words female reader insert SFW

🖤 warnings: reuniting, horrible puns, complicated feelings and bad communication, bang chan’s problem with loyalty above all else, wlw antics but just a little bit, if you haven’t seen the Pokemon Indigo League episode The Tower of Terror i recommend it for spoilers 🖤

Legendary Series Masterlist

connect with me! / masterlist

Saffron City is the largest city in the entire region, and it shows.

All the other cities you've visited are similar, but this one is just so undeniably big. Densely-packed tall buildings, not so much urban sprawl with one specific highly-developed downtown but rather an urban center that covers many square miles, endless skyscraper apartments and office buildings. It seems that as the city grew, it grew up and out equally, height and circumference together.

It's stunning. If you like cities, that is, and you like them just fine.

Gorgeous, as the now very dusty SUV picks its way down one-way streets, as Matthew calls out directions from the passenger's seat and helps Somin navigate toward that address on that slip from Pallet Town.

"Do we know what we're gonna do when we get there?" you ask.

"No," says Somin, distractedly.

"Because we might need a plan."

"We'll just - damn it!" she hisses, as she hits another red light. "I hate it here."

"It's this next turn," Matthew reports.

Despite her complaining, Somin navigates easily into the correct lane, and it's only a matter of moments before the car is pulling up on front of just the most garish chromed-out building you've ever seen.

It's got an enormous logo across the top corner, the word 'KeyCorp" spelled out in golden block letters. But as you gaze up at it, as Somin parks and Matthew complains and J.Seph figures out how the parking meter works, you can see a different outline below those letters. The shape is stained into the paint, betraying that the building used to be called something different, belong to someone else. An S, you think. An I, an L...

The street address, written on the building's front entrance on a placard, fills in the blanks. 2 Silph Drive. This was SilphCo.

"What was SilphCo known for, again?" you ask.

"That's an old company," Matthew frowns. "Wicked old."

"The first Master Ball," says Somin.

"The only Master Ball," J.Seph corrects.

"I'm sure there are more, now."

"Maybe not. Ever seen one?"

"No," Somin replies, "But why would they make just one?"

"Experiment," Matthew says.

"If it's that powerful, I'm sure they would make more."

"Let's find out," you say.

The lobby is pristine to the point of abject inhumanity.

It's scrubbed clean, gleaming floors and security cameras in every corner and the distant clicking of shoes, somewhere. Elevator bays disappear into the higher reaches of the towering building, behind a row of turnstiles with scanners and a metal detector. A long, polished wood desk sits there in the entry before it all, manned by a bored-looking young woman in a pale gold uniform.

"Hello," she says, dully. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes," Somin lies.

"With whom?"

"With...Ms. Lee?"

The woman pauses, and then nods, returning her gaze to her computer screen. "Let me check her appointments for today to confirm."

You glance at her. There wasn't any plan in place. She's making this up on the fly, and though it's working so far, with her good choice of generic name, there's no telling how far the grift can carry you.

"It's such a relief to be back in the office, on normal hours," Somin says, conversationally.

"I'm sure."

"We've had such a long drive."

The receptionism tsks. "It's the worst, isn't it? A bad commute?"

Somin's simper doesn't fail. "It really is. After the Pallet Town assignment and all..."

She's scanning the woman's face carefully for any change in expression, at her name-drop, but the receptionist just hums noncommittally.

"What are you doing?" you hiss, as quietly as you can manage.

"Getting us checked in for our appointment," Somin replies.

All this time laying low and making plans and sneaking around to get information, and she just wants to boldfaced lie to get into the building like this. It's admirably ballsy.

"Um, I don't see any appointments with Ms. Lee today..."

The receptionist glances among the four of you, more than a little suspicious, like she's actually taking in your casual clothes and travel-ruffled appearances.

"What's your name, again?" she asks.

Somin looks at you. You look at J.Seph. He looks at Matthew.

Matthew takes off for the scanners, vaulting himself over the turnstile. "We're bustin' in!"

Crimes. He did say he liked the crimes.

The three of you have no choice but to follow.

It was an easy leap for Matthew, tall as he is, and J.Seph also clears the turnstiles easily enough, but you and Somin have to scramble overtop bodily. Matthew has already hailed an elevator by the time you're on the other side of the security unit, and you pile into the waiting car, the door sliding shut on the sound of the receptionist calling ahead for help.

"Four of them - kind of homeless looking, I don't know-"

"I looked so much worse than this when I was homeless," Matthew says, jackhammer-pressing a random floor number.

"Great plan, fuckwad!" J.Seph says, smacking Matthew on the shoulder. "Now they're after us!"

"Nah. We can get a good look around before they catch us, if nothin' else."

"Security is probably already coming," says Somin.

"We'll outsmart 'em."

"Got a plan, then?" you ask.

"No," says Matthew. "But we'll figure something out."

"We can't just wing every single thing we do!"

"You guys are so dramatic."

The elevator reaches the fifteenth floor, and stops.

Unfortunately for Matthew and his general optimism, there are people waiting in the hallway beyond, and they don't look all that friendly. Three of them, dressed in black and gold uniforms, each with a utility belt holding a row of Pokeballs, they're all but tapping their toes as they come into full view between the opening doors.

J.Seph lunges for the buttons to close the door again, but there must be a kill switch somewhere, because the lights inside the elevator click off and the humming of the motor stops completely.

"Seriously?" one of the security officers says.

"Are we really worth your time?" Somin asks, with a sneer.

It's moments like these when you remember that she's more or less a criminal for hire. The poise. The aura.

"You shouldn't be in here," the officer says.

"And yet, here we are."

"We're going to escort you back down."

Somin smiles. "I don't think so."

She's talking a big game for someone with no Pokemon, and you're fascinated. What if she can just talk her way out of this?

"Okay," the officer says, "Then they are."

He pulls out a Pokeball, and his companions do the same.

So much for talking.

"Round up these clowns," the officer commands, as he releases his Pokemon.

But as soon as the Pokemon emerges, it stops.

Coiled on the ground, intelligent eyes peering at the group of you, still pressed into the elevator together, it's simply watching. It barely fits in the hallway, it's so big.

"Arbok!" Somin gasps.

You nearly choke on nothing. "No fucking way it's the same-"

"Arbok!" Somin repeats, elated.

The Pokemon hisses, practically wriggling, and it lunges forward to nudge its giant purple head into the elevator car so that Somin can scratch it down the snout with both hands. It's her Pokemon, alright. Apparently taking away their assets and putting them to better use means relegating perfectly battle-trained and well-loved Pokemon to guard duty with a bunch of arrogant pig-

"Get back here!" the officer howls. "Arbok, Tackle!"

"Arbok doesn't know Tackle," Somin says.

"Well, they promised me a stupid fuckin' animal that knows-"

"I'm sorry, is that how we talk about Pokemon around here?" asks Somin, cool audacity in her voice.

He's in trouble, now.

"I'll talk about that thing however I damn please!"

"Enough of this," one of the other officers says, "C'mon-"

He lets out his own Pokemon, which is equally useless, because he lets out Weezing. J.Seph's Weezing. You know, because it immediately joins Arbok in trying to cram itself into the tiny elevator car to be close to its trainer.

Stunned, the final officer tries his hand, and the resulting Pokemon is so tall and heavy that it cracks a hole in the ceiling as it stands up fully.

"Golem!" Matthew crows.

Terrible, excellent dumb luck.

"Earthquake," the last officer orders.

But Golem ignores him. Obviously, these Pokemon aren't about to listen to anyone but their trainers. And their trainers are here, now.

"Team K," the first officer says, realization dawning on his face.

"Have we met?" J.Seph asks.

"I mean - we didn't - not officially-"

"Oh, I remember," says Somin lightly, edging around her Pokemon to step into the hallway properly. "You three were in the unit that came to repossess our pets."

You catch the unspoken hint in Somin's recognition of the men: you're in the right place. KeyCorp is the right company. The officers step back almost instinctively as Somin steps forward, her own gait slow and predatory.

"It's unfortunate that you did that."

"It was our assignment," he redirects. "Nothing personal."

You wonder if she feels the irony that you do, in that statement. You can't help but remember Somin saying the exact same thing to you, once upon a time. Nothing personal. It's never anything personal, is it?

"You could have refused," she suggests.

"Not a direct order from the boss, we couldn't."

"Then I have a message for your boss," says Somin.

They're just corporate security officers, which means they're plainclothes, no armor, no weapons. Just the Pokemon, and those have already been proven to be at least partially Team K's own Pokemon, stolen. She walks right up to that first officer, standing uncertainly at the front of his little squadron.

She's about a head shorter than him, but she sneers, winds up, and delivers an uppercut to his jaw that sends the man sprawling.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" his teammate swears.

Somin shakes out her hand, her knuckles already reddening. "Don't fucking touch my Pokemon."

For a second, there's no sound other than the security officer groaning in pain from the floor, the clink of his uniform badges against the tile, as he writhes.

And then Matthew whistles, admiring. "Minny, you're the man, for real."

"You wanna give the rest of their Pokemon back?" you ask.

"As if," the second officer says, but his voice is shaky.

You hum, reaching into your pack and taking out one of your own Pokeballs.

"I wonder who's better at battling," you muse, tossing the ball from hand to hand, "Us...or you."

The second officer scoffs. "We're not just going to give you-"

A clattering sound makes him turn, to see the first officer running down the hall, a spotty trail of blood in his wake. His utility belt, with all of Somin's Pokeballs fixed to it, lays on the floor where he'd been standing.

"Apparently, you are," Somin says. "Quickly, please, we'd like to be on our way.

Really, you think to yourself, as the four of you ride the elevator back down to the lobby, Team K with all of their recovered Pokeballs in their arms, this wasn't so bad. Maybe you should just do everything without a plan. It's worked well so far. It worked damn well here.

There are no other security personnel waiting on the ground floor, no city police. No sign at all that you just had a physical altercation up there, inside a swanky corporate building.

It's almost too easy.

"I think they're letting us go," you say.

Matthew makes a noise like he wants to disagree, but J.Seph nods.

"I think so, too."

"Why would they let us get away with that?" you ask, rhetorical but curious. "I mean, they know who you are, right?"

"Right," J.Seph agrees. "They know all the dirt on us. They might even be following us, after that."

"Think they could have been following the whole time?"

"No," says Somin. "It wouldn't have been worth it, before, not when we were regular contractors and especially not after they cut us off."

"But now that we've proven we're too much for them to handle..." J.Seph trails.

"Then let's do something normal to throw them off," you suggest.

"Like?"

You grin. "The Saffron City gym is all Psychic type. Wanna go play?"

----------

You're biased in thinking that the most beautiful gym in the world is Celadon Gym, but the gleaming silver columns and vaulted arches of the Saffron Gym are also stunning.

It's big. Really big, and gorgeous. For a gym in a big city, you're surprised there isn't more traffic in the area. Spectators, or tourists, if not trainers looking for a battle. Your own home gym has school groups touring it, and private lessons, but this place is austere, quiet.

The van is the only car in the lot, when you and the others leave it there and make your way to the front doors.

They open for you, motion-activated and silent. Unlike in Celadon, there's no welcome committee, nowhere for you to check in or ask questions. That suits you just fine, though.

"Better just find the staff," J.Seph mutters.

"Probably in there?"

Somin's probably right, considering the enormous glass-paned double doors across from the entrance light up even as she speaks, quaking with the force of a blow on the other side, the telltale signs of battling happening in the next room.

So that's where you go.

Most of what's back there meets your expectations.

It's a beautiful empty space, golden walls and marble columns, a clearly-marked battle arena on the floor. There are a few comfort features, some spare tables and a line of doors that must lead off into more functional rooms, but mostly it's an intimidating space.

There are trainers, most of them in similar deep green uniforms giving away their status as members of the gym. There are Pokemon, primarily Psychic types but also some others - you can spot a good number of Ghost and Electric types among them.

The thing that you don't expect to see is a familiar face.

He's not wearing the same uniform as everyone else, so he stands out regardless. You zero in on the streaked hair despite yourself, on the rakish grin as the trainer guides his Alakazam in a battle against a Slowbro.

"Damn," Matthew says. "They don't fuck around in here."

One of the uniformed trainers glances up at the sound of Matthew's voice, and nods politely at the four of you.

"One second," the trainer says, "Someone will check you in after this round."

"No trouble," J.Seph assures.

The Alakazam wins. The trainer pulls it back, victorious, and turns around presumably to speak to the uniformed staff who've been watching.

But he sees you.

"(Y/N)?"

His stupid face. You can't help but smile. "Seungmin."

The way that Seungmin jets across the battling floor and comes at you, there's a second where you think that he's going to hug you. But that doesn't fit his image, and he knows it, so he stops short just in front of you, surprise painting his boyish features.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asks.

"Getting into trouble," you say.

"It's good to see you, the fuck."

He's never going to instigate anything, so you reach out and squeeze his shoulder gently, affectionately.

"It's good to see you, too."

"He's one of the District 9 kids," Matthew says, like he's puzzling it out for himself.

"The one that lost to me," Somin adds.

Seungmin's expression sours when he takes in your companions. "Still with...them, I see."

"They're not so bad," you say.

"Working on your strategy, then?" Somin asks him, smirking.

"Right," Seungmin cedes. "We...had some downtime, and I figured it'd be good to work on my Psychic."

"Friends of yours?" that first uniformed trainer asks, joining the knot of you.

"She is," Seungmin nods toward you.

"Well, any friends of Seungmin's are welcome," the trainer says. "We can take, oh, half an hour break? Another round after, and then debrief?"

"Sounds good, thank you," says Seungmin.

There's more polite weight in his words than you've ever heard from him. Turns out he does know how to use his manners.

As permission is granted, the room relaxes. Staff trainers filter across the arena floor, talking, and some disappear behind the doors or take a seat right on the dirt to chat. It suddenly feels more like a gym, and less like a threat.

"Are you here alone?" you ask.

Seungmin nods. "Solo time. It's weird."

"Thought you were all about Ghost."

"Well, I figured if I master Psychic, I'll have two specialties, which makes me that much better," Seungmin says, with a sneaky grin. "Plus I'll know all the type weaknesses between the two, so I'll never lose."

"We can test that theory," Somin interjects.

He sends her a withering glance. "I'll pass."

"It really is good to see you," you say.

"We were gonna stop by and see if we could battle for a gym badge," Matthew says. "But this is kinda dope, too."

"Where are the others, if you're here?" you ask.

Seungmin sighs. "It was Chan’s idea. We're having some type-specific training time before we get back to the league. I picked Psychic, here I am, battling my way through all these guys about a million times a day."  

It’s a good chance to try and get some perspective on what Felix told you, so you press, "You guys have been in the league?"

He nods. "Nonstop."

"Why?"

"Dunno. New way of life, though," Seungmin says. "I'm here, Jeongin is training Fire down on Cinnabar Island, Hyunjin and Jisung took off to Cerulean Gym like a week ago, and Felix stayed home."

"And the others?"

The expression that crosses his face is familiar and unsettling, an evil hint of a smile. You know nothing good is coming.

"Changbin brought Minho and Chan to train at the Fighting Dojo," Seungmin tells you.

You almost don't want to ask. "Where's that?"

"Oh, here in Saffron. Like half a mile away."

Fuck.

"I'm really happy to see you, but they might not be, by the way," Seungmin adds.

"I don't blame them."

"They can't hold it against you, still," J.Seph says. "C'mon, that's ancient history."

"Not everyone forgets things so quickly," you say.

"Like you," Somin deadpans. "Try to kill a person once, and they never shut up about it."

"So you admit you were trying to kill me."

"Now is not the time for this."

"Hey," Seungmin cuts in, "They might be super pissed, but, like, do you wanna see them anyway?"

"I don't know if I should," you say.

"We prolly shouldn't stay in one place for too long," Matthew says. "If they're really followin' us, we should stay on the move."

"Someone's following you?" Seungmin asks.

"Yeah, it's a long-"

"I don't really care," Seungmin decides.

Still a shitty kid. You missed him.

"We might as well go," Somin says.

"I don't think we should go," Matthew corrects, pointing at himself and then around at Somin and J.Seph.

He's right, you realize. As much as it makes more sense to stick together, lest anything happen while you're separated, there probably isn't any good reason to make the boys reunite with you and Team K at the same time. Especially not with the history you've learned.

"Then you go, and we'll settle where we're staying tonight," J.Seph suggests to you.

"You sure it's okay?"

"Sure, I'm sure. Don't break too many hearts over there," he winks, like the worst older brother in the universe.

"I'm done here in about an hour. Sooner, if we end this break early. Hang out until then, and I'll take you over," Seungmin offers.

He seems awfully insistent for you to go and meet up with his friends, again, and it makes you a little suspicious. Not that there are bad motives, or anything, but maybe that he's got a personal agenda. To make you see Chan again, you suspect, somewhere deep down.

Which is daunting. It would be daunting in any case, but after hearing Felix’s conviction that Chan has been looking for you, you’re more apprehensive than ever. But then, Changbin is there, and Minho...Minho, who you owe the world's biggest apology for putting him in harm's way when he was trying to help you...

You give in. "Yeah, okay. Sounds good."

-----

Team K are long gone, off to arrange a hotel or something for the night, and Seungmin's training session wrapped up a little while ago, and meanwhile you've had plenty of time to stew over what you're doing.

Here you are, back in the thick of it, in every which way. Back to all the ghosts of your past.

"We might have to sneak in," Seungmin says, as the two of you approach the sprawling traditional architecture complex that makes up the unofficial Fighting type gym.

You're suspicious. "Why?"

"Because they don't let people in without appointments, and even though they've met me before, they haven't met you," he reasons.

"So make an appointment."

"And," he adds, "If the guys see you before you see them, they might just take off."

That is very stupid and very possible.

"Fine."

Sneaking in, however, turns out to be easy.

The gates are unlocked, and you walk right in. The next door that you meet is also propped open, and the next after that, and the one singular trainer who sees you just waves merrily and continues on their way.

"Cocky bastards," Seungmin mutters. "What, don't need locks if your fists are hard enough?"

"Don't talk shit on their turf!"

"As if they care."

A few rooms in, you find what you're looking for.

A battle arena, not unlike the one in the official gym. But this one is partially underground; you and Seungmin emerge on a catwalk that runs around the perimeter of the arena space, and the actual floor is about twenty feet below.

That means you're out of sight, though, which proves helpful because the battle taking place down below is also exactly what you're looking for.

Ages ago, lifetimes ago, at the tournament where you'd met Team K again, you'd wondered out loud what Minho was doing with a Fighting type Hitmonlee. You'd been told to ask Changbin. You have more questions for Changbin, now, because it seems that lots of them have Fighting types.

The Pokemon in the ring are that Hitmonlee and a Hitmonchan, and the trainers are Minho and Chan.

Changbin stands on the sidelines, barking orders and advice and calling moves. There are other staff around, people in tan-colored shirts, but even these people whose job it is to train Fighting type can't stand up to Changbin's presence and - mostly - his loud voice.

"You call that a fuckin' High Jump Kick?!"

"I'm sorry!" Minho snarls back.

Hitmonlee ducks as Hitmonchan comes in with a new attack, flames up its strong bulbous fists, and none of that doesn't seem to satisfy Changbin.

"Chan, bitch, I keep telling you, if you lean that hard on Fire moves, you'll never fuckin'-"

"Quit backseat driving!" Chan snaps.

The worse part about it is the fact that you know for certain, despite the way they're talking to each other and carrying on, the three of them are having immeasurable amounts of fun.

Changbin is not deterred. "Look, just try-"

He's cut off by Hitmonchan catching Hitmonlee's attack and stopping the fight completely, just one Pokemon's strong leg held aloft by the other's strong arms. A stalemate.

"Oh. Ah."

"Can we call it?" Minho asks, panting like he's the one giving it his all.

"I guess," Changbin grumbles.

"Thank you. Fucker."

"But you're a couple of pansy-ass-"

"It's about time to wrap up, anyway," one of the staff members interrupts, before more insults are thrown.

"Besides," another staff adds. "We have company."

They jerk a thumb up at the catwalk, where you and Seungmin lean against the thick railing that rings the platform. Seungmin waves, and you freeze.

To your credit, Chan freezes, too. His Pokeball falls right out of his hand and clunks awkwardly onto the floor. Minho calls back Hitmonlee and stalks away, out of sight. And Changbin lights up like a firework.

"No fuckin' way!"

Changbin opens his arms like he expects you to drop the two stories right into them, and honestly, you're tempted.

But to spare yourself (and him) the broken bones, you just go for the stairs, taking them at a breakneck pace, skipping as many as you can without tripping. You're fully aware how silly you look, running to him, someone who you knew for (as you keep having to remind yourself) only a short while, a couple of weeks. You also don't care.

Loving harder is part of this whole deal. You missed him, and now you don't have to miss him anymore.

"I can't believe you - what are you doing here?" Changbin is asking, incredulous, as you reach the bottom of the stairs.

"Trying to fix things," you say.

His arms are still held open, patient and welcoming, and you can't help the way you run forward and don't stop until you're nestled against him, head at the crook of his neck and his strong arms around you. You've never hugged Changbin before, but it feels like you've done it a hundred times. He pulls you back to hold you at arm's length, just to look at you.

"Fuck, I didn't think you'd be back," he grins.

"I couldn't stay away," you reply.

Changbin just laughs, and lets you go gently.

Seungmin has made it down to the arena level, by this point, and you glance over to see him hanging over Chan's shoulder, looking more amused than he has any right to. Chan still hasn't moved, watching you with a slightly dazed look in his eye, like he's not sure what he's supposed to be seeing.

You charge on, giving him another moment to collect himself, and shoving Changbin lightly on the arm with a, "Look at you, calling the shots out here."

"They looked pretty good, huh?" Changbin says, with some of his finest bluster. "All my idea."

"What part?" you ask, amused.

"Them getting these Pokemon."

"You wanna spread the glory of training Fighting?" you tease.

"Nah, it's all for the bit," Changbin says.

Something clicks into place, and you cough out a laugh. "Wait - because - Hitmonchan?"

"Hitmonchan," Changbin agrees. "And Hitmonlee, as in Lee Minho. Funny, right?"

Well, mark that down as another person's last name you're learning way too late.

"It's so dumb!" you protest.

"That's what's great about it."

You really did miss him.

Figuring that there's no way to avoid it forever, you turn around fully to face Chan. He's stiffened up, shrugged Seungmin off his back and picked the Pokeball off the ground.

"Hi, Chan."

"Hi," he answers.

"How have you been?"

"Fine. I'm not about to make smalltalk with you," he says flatly.

"Then I'll cut the bullshit. I'm sorry, Chan."

"Sorry for what?" he asks. "Sorry for teaming up with your own enemies and putting the lives of thousands of people in danger because you couldn't control yourself?"

He's lashing out because he feels wronged, and you fully know that, but it still stings.

"For leaving without telling you, yes. For disappearing."

"You could have come back."

"I couldn't. You know I couldn't."

"You can do whatever you want. You make that perfectly clear," he snaps. "Which means you didn't want to come back."

"Chan, I'm sorry for-"

"For almost getting Jeongin killed, maybe?"

"For that, and-"

Chan holds your gaze coldly. "Or maybe for fucking Jisung and Hyunjin, when I thought...I thought maybe..."

Next to him, Seungmin winces.

"That's enough of that shit," Changbin cuts in firmly.

"Minho had the right idea getting the hell out of dodge, I can't do this," Chan says.

He turns, then, and walks away. It's not smart to follow him. It won't fix anything, mostly because he's asking you to apologize for things that you're not sorry for doing.

"You betrayed us," Chan says, pausing in the doorway. "We trusted you and you left. That's not what you do when you're on a team."

The heavy door into the next section of the gym slams behind him.

Changbin looks at you, crestfallen. "He doesn't mean all that."

"Yeah, he does," you say grimly.

"He'll calm down, though, and he'll talk to you for real. Minho, too, I'm sure."

"Don't push them. I get it."

It's just as well that you get a message then, telling you that Team K are outside the Dojo to collect you. A good buffer, a perfect escape right as things are getting messy.

"I should go," you say.

"You just got here," Changbin whines.

"And I should go."

"Don't make us wait around for you again. We'll miss you too much."

"I miss you guys too," you say, and your throat is tight as you do.

You let him get one good hug in, a tight squeeze that nearly knocks the wind out of you, and then you head for the exit again.

"Tell Chan I'm sorry, again. And Minho, too," you say, as you climb the stairs.

Changbin just watches, eyes sober. "They'll come around."

"I know they will. Bye, Changbin."

-----

Sliding into your seat in that SUV has never been more difficult than it is in this moment. There's an urge in your chest, not logical or practical but very much real, to go back in there and hold Chan and Minho close, to make them understand how much you care, how sorry you are. To crush them with how sorry you are, make them feel secure in a hug like Changbin can do.

That's not going to happen, though.

If they forgive you, someday, that'll be on their time.

"Did you find somewhere?" you ask Somin softly.

She hums, affirmative. "A pension. Kind of out of the way, in the next town."

"We thought you'd want some distance. Seems like that was a good call, huh?" Matthew says.

"It's harder to follow us out there, too," J.Seph adds. "If anyone is still following."

You nod. "Good thinking."

"I take it things didn't go well?" Somin asks.

"Not really. It's okay, though."

"If they're your friends, they'll come around," says J.Seph.

"It's my fault they're upset. They'll figure out if they want to make up or not, eventually," you say. "It's fine. I just want to go to bed."

The car ride isn't long.

This pension is in another little town, a misty and underdeveloped place with a crooked sign that you pass on the way in, reading Lavender Town. A huge tower looms over the small buildings that comprise the town proper, lit up but only partially.

"I don't think I like it here," you say.

"It was cheap," J.Seph dismisses.

"We'll be okay for a night," Matthew agrees.

It looks cheap, when you pull up to the tiny vacation rental home. Cozy, sure, but a little run-down, ivy growing up the wooden siding and overgrown plants in the front yard.

And there are only two bedrooms, when you get inside.

"Split up boys and girls?" Matthew suggests.

"You just don't want to room with me because of that time with the mask packs," Somin says.

"Damn right."

"Whatever option gets me to sleep faster," you say.

So boys and girls it is.

Each room only has one bed, because of course it does. On the one night you would really rather be alone, to cry, maybe, or at least to feel sorry for yourself, you have to be right up in someone else's business. And of course, that someone is Somin.

Matthew or J.Seph would leave you alone if you asked. Not her.

Somin bothers you right away.

You've both showered, and gotten into pajamas. She stands at the door, hanging up clothes on rack there, and you're under the covers, ready to roll over and not move for the next twelve hours, when she speaks.

"I know how you feel, you know."

"That's nice," you say, dismissive.

"I know how your friends feel, too," she says.

"Your whole career is self-interest and double-crossing, that doesn't surprise me," you mutter.

Somin scoffs. "You forget that the last person who I trusted wholeheartedly ended up leaving me, too."

"You trust people?" you ask, annoyed, sitting up again.

She matches your tone. "I did, once. And look where that's gotten us."

"You don't trust the guys, then?"

"Of course, I do. But they've known each other much longer than they've known me. It's different. But with her..."

Jiwoo. She means Jiwoo.

"I forgot," you say, softening again.

You forgot that Jiwoo isn't just someone who walked out of your life, whose new status in life is heartbreaking to you. You forgot, despite everything, that Team K lost her too.

"We really weren't close. Not like you were with her," Somin admits.

"That doesn't mean she didn't matter to you."

"I know that!" she snaps. "I know. We weren't sisters, or anything frivolous like that, but we were teammates. Friends, I think. I would have helped her with anything, done whatever she needed. And she still left."

"Yeah."

"So please believe me when I say that I know how your Channie feels, alright? I understand."

Her voice is constricted. It's the most emotion you've ever seen from Somin that's not anger.

"I'm...I know it doesn't help, but I'm sorry," you say.

"No," Somin brushes it off, "No, I just...wanted you to know. That I understand both sides. But it's not the same. Jiwoo and I were coworkers, cordial but trusting. You and Chan...it was different, wasn't it?"

"It was," you say.

She smiles humorlessly. "I thought so."

"But I mean..." you hesitate. "I've known you and the guys much longer than I ever knew him. If we're talking pound for pound, instance for instance, we're closer."

"All of us," she clarifies.

For once, you are brave. "And you and me."

Somin blinks at you. "Me and you?"

"We're close, aren't we?"

"I guess we are," she says, as if she hasn't thought about it.

"I haven't had that many close girl friends since I was a kid," you say. "I have some, of course. But I haven't had one good, close friend like that in a long time."

"I don't know that I ever did."

You stand up, leaving the warmth of the bed to go over to where Somin is still lingering by the door. "You should try it."

"Maybe I will."

The path from there, standing in front of one of the most perplexing people you've ever known, to kissing her, is hazy, but you traverse it nonetheless.

Because here you are, with Somin's body against you, her hair soft in your hand as you guide her, sucking her bottom lip into your mouth as she tugs on your clothes like she thinks you're going to leave if she's not clawing you ever closer.

"Sorry," she murmurs, "I don't think this is what friends do."

"It can be," you answer.

She hums. "Oh?"

"What's a little fun, between friends?"

She seems to take your words to heart, because she pressed another filthy, tongue-filled kiss to your waiting mouth before she drops to your throat, and bites. You yelp at the sensation, pinching at her side as if to get revenge, and she laughs.

"Should I stop?" Somin asks, her voice a low purr that sets your skin on fire. "I know you like Chan, I would hate to confuse things further."

Why does she keep bringing up Chan? Why can't she just let that go? Why can't everyone get over what happened?

Why can't you?

"I like Chan. And I like you, and I don't think we should stop this," you say, breathless, "But fuck...I feel like you need to know. I have to tell you. As a teenager, that whole time, I was always-"

"A little bit in love with Jiwoo." Somin finishes. "Yes."

Exactly the same, the two of you.

"I'm glad we met," Somin says, mouth hot against your ear.

You have to laugh at that. "Me too."

"And I'm glad that you think being friends, and having a little fun, are not mutually exclusive."

Somin, with her sharp feline eyes and her delicate face, her body in her skimpy nightshirt and shorts, her mouth still attached to the pulse point under your ear, could probably make you agree to anything right about now.

You don't know how far you would go with Somin. Or if it would change anything between you, despite what you've both said.

You don't find out.

There's a knock on the door, right beside the two of you tangled up together, and the loud sound startles you both so much that Somin jumps, her head knocking your chin and your arm crashing against the wall.

Luckily, you've moved far enough apart by the time the door opens.

"Hey," says Matthew, peering in, sleep-rumpled and totally shirtless. "Bad news. We got company."

"KeyCorp?" you ask, all attempts at having some fun forgotten.

"Not yet, but I think - well. I'll let them tell ya."

He heads back down the little hallway, and you follow, annoyed.

"What's that supposed to - oh."

The house is small, so you've already reached the living space and had your question answered.

Standing there uncertainly, still in their clothes from the day of training but now much dirtier, there they are. Minho, Seungmin, Changbin, and Chan.

"Well, hello," says Somin, far more cordial than you would have expected.

Changbin and Seungmin greet her back. Minho simply stands with his arms crossed and brow furrowed. And Chan...is looking very unsubtly back and forth between Matthew, who is mostly undressed, and you...you, with the brand-new hickey that you can now feel absolutely throbbing on the side of your neck.

Oh, God, he probably thinks-

“How’d you find us?” Matthew asks.

Seungmin, for his part, grins. “I had Gastly track you.”

Of fucking course he did.

“Then why are you here?”

"We got run out of the Fighting Dojo," Seungmin says.

"Pardon?" Somin asks, nonplussed.

"A bunch of fuckin' narcs in gold outfits came in and told us the place was shut down, and kicked us out," Changbin says. "Some of the staff put up a fight and they got straight-up arrested."

"Gold outfits?" you repeat.

"KeyCorp. They're really followin' us," Matthew says.

Seungmin makes a sound of disgust. "Their leader was this really bitchy girl - dressed in all teal, hair like a skunk..."

Somin wilts. "They sent her?"

"Then they're serious," says Matthew. "Shit."

"They sent Jiwoo?" you ask, praying you're wrong.

But of course, Somin nods. "If they sent her, they mean business. She has much more power in the hierarchy than the kind of grunts who came for our Pokemon last time."

"These people are following you?" Minho asks.

It's the first time he's spoken, and it's cutting.

"Yes," says Somin.

Minho turns his intense blank-eyed stare on you. "Then it's your fucking fault, again?"

"My fault?" you balk.

"Like every other fucking piece of bad luck that comes our way, yeah! Your fault!"

"Dude," Changbin says, "Calm down-"

"Fuck, no! If she didn't come track us down, these people wouldn't be after us, right now!" Minho snarls.

"Look, if we all stay here, we're easy prey," interjects J.Seph, joining the lot of you in the living room. "We have to move, now."

"Move where?" Chan rasps.

He's looking only at J.Seph, eyes glued to him with an intensity that suggests he'll die if he looks at you, or Somin, or Matthew.

"We need somewhere with one entrance, that's easy to defend, and harder to destroy than a wooden house," J.Seph says.

You have the answer immediately. "The tower."

"That's a bad idea," says Seungmin.

"We don't have a choice. We have to go somewhere," says Somin.

She's already heading for the door, undoubtedly to check the perimeter before everyone charges out together. There's no one on the other side, once she gets it open, but in the distance, there's a flash of color, a shape, high above the trees.

Brown. Flying.

Luckily, you're not the only one who sees it.

"Is that Fearow?" Somin asks.

You don't trust your mouth. You just nod.

"The tower, then."

"I'm telling you, we don't want to go there," Seungmin says.

"Look, you're either comin' with, or you're dealing with these people that we know about and you don't, without us," says Matthew.

You and Team K hadn't even unpacked the car aside from your change of clothes, so sure that you would only be sleeping here and then moving on the morning, and that's all to your advantage. No wasted time repacking, no having to leave crucial things behind.

"I'll stash the car somewhere off the road so they can't find it, and meet you at the tower," says Somin.

"Take Seph. I'll go with these guys," Matthew says.

"That leaves the rest of us on foot," says Changbin.

You glance at Matthew, and at Chan.

"On foot, then," you say. "Let's hurry."

-----

The tower is much worse up close.

You understand why Seungmin insisted it was a bad idea to come here, the closer you get. It's several stories tall, sided with plate metal, reflecting every dim glow of the town in the distance, and there are two eerie projecting pieces on the sides and one on top that look like horns. Cartoonish, maybe, but unsettling, in the dark like this. Scary.

But you think you're right, too. It'll be easy to defend, once you're inside.

And if something happens to this decrepit old building, well. Much less your fault than if you destroy the rental.

Despite being the sole voice of dissent, Seungmin is the first one inside.

"Oh, the vibes are awful," he reports, from inside the creaky doors.

Changbin crosses his arms over his chest, as if to ward off the vibes. "Then why do you sound so happy?"

"Dunno."

"Y'all gotta hurry," Matthew says, following Seungmin inside. "If they catch us off guard out here we're toast."

The vibes are indeed awful.

You get the feeling that this is an old, old building. And you've been in more than your share of old buildings lately. The walls are age-stained, peeling wallpaper and gaps in the crown molding. Antique furniture, so old that it's crumbling to bits, sits abandoned. You can barely make out the shape of several large chandeliers, hanging down the length of the room.

"I would be careful," says Seungmin, as everyone joins him. "I don't think the floors are very strong."

"What makes you say that?" asks Chan, from the back of the group.

He points into the darkness. "That."

You see what Seungmin sees, after a second.

There's a hole in the floor. There's a hole in the ceiling, too, like something - or someone - fell through the levels of the tower all at once and ended up in the basement.

"Oh," says Changbin, uncertain.

"Scared?" asks Matthew.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Fuck yeah."

"That makes three of us," Chan murmurs.

"What even is this place?" you wonder.

Seungmin walks gingerly near the edge of the hole. "Some of the gym staff were talking about it. I guess it used to be used for something? People are afraid to come in, so no one really knows anymore."

"Well, it's creeping me out."

"I bet people died here," says Minho.

Seungmin grins at him. "I bet-"

He stops, silent, at the sound of footsteps. Outside, on the dirt path that leads up to the tower. You watch as Minho's hand slips into his jacket pocket, and as Chan goes for his own Pokeballs in his backpack, before a figure stops at the door.

It's just Somin.

"Found you," she says, peering into the darkness.

J.Seph is right behind her, and the two of them come into the building after you. Nothing left to do now but wait.

"Hey, d'you think people died here?" Minho asks her.

"Probably," she says coolly. "You'll be next if you don't mind your manners."

The tower door chooses that moment to slam shut.

Screaming fills the room, and as Somin lights up the flashlight she'd brought with, like a practical adult, you can see who it is: Matthew, Changbin, and Chan, because of course.

"Shut up!" you hiss.

"Doors are not fuckin' supposed to do that!" Changbin insists.

It's not like you're not scared, yourself. On the contrary, you find yourself shifting closer to J.Seph, who's still just standing there calmly, wishing you could siphon his courage. Seungmin's eyes are fixed on a spot right beside the closed door, and the slowest smirk is spreading across his face.

"Are you a Gastly or a Haunter?" he asks.

There's a faint chuckle from nowhere, a gasping inhuman laugh, and then a pair of enormous white eyes materialize on that same spot.

"A Haunter."

"How-" Chan clutches at his chest, "How did you know-?"

"You think I don't know when there's Ghost types?" Seungmin says.

"Jesus fuck," Matthew swears.

"Hey, some people say Ghost types are just Pokemon that died, so in a way, you're right," Seungmin tells Minho.

"That doesn't make it better at all!" Changbin groans.

You're not bothered by the Ghost Pokemon here. There are Pokemon all over, and Ghost types are just another type, theories be damned. It's the reason that the Haunter felt the need to slam the door that concerns you.

Because not a moment later, there's a pop outside.

A window shatters. A dull thud.

Somin swings the flashlight around, until she spots it: a pitted hole in the wall, not far from where she's standing.

A bullet hole.

"Go," Somin urges. "In, farther, now-"

"Watch the floor," Seungmin yelps as he takes off.

Edging your way around the jagged opening in the floor, you keep your eyes on the faint outline of Seungmin as he heads towards the stairs on the far side of the room.

There's no way out if you go up, but maybe-

The door slams open again, so hard that the whole structure rattles, the chandeliers swaying above your head.

"That was a warning shot. Don't make me do it again."

"Fuck," mutters J.Seph, just behind you.

You know what he means.

That's Jiwoo's voice. Her accent thinner and less noticeable after all these years, but it’s her. You could never forget.

A man comes in first, and then another man, and a few more people, all dressed in the gold and black uniforms that the other KeyCorp security had worn. Some of them have Pokeballs in hand, but some of them have weapons. You don't know if you've ever seen a gun in person before, unsheathed and at the ready.

When Jiwoo comes in, it's like your mind goes to static.

She's dressed in a power suit, a blazer and shorts in a deep maroon color, and her hair is still dyed in streaks of black and white. Her dark eyes are ringed in makeup, the way she always liked it, but her stance is a hundred times as confident as it ever was when you knew her.

It's obvious that she's grown since then. So have you.

"Hi, (Y/N)," she says, voice deep and calm, just the same. "I have to say, you keep pretty interesting company these days."

You can't say anything. You just look at her.

"I mean, who would have thought? My old team?" she tuts. "And these new guys, too. They have a lot of cool tricks up their sleeves, if their files are correct."

"What's the deal, here?" Minho asks boldly.

"The deal is that interesting assets join KeyCorp, no questions asked," Jiwoo says.

"And we're interesting assets?"

"You are," Jiwoo nods. "You, your Pokemon, these degenerates..."

She gestures at Team K. Somin bristles.

Matthew makes a little noise of disbelief. "Woo, you can't fuckin'-"

"I can," Jiwoo interrupts smoothly. "So let me tell you how this is going to go. You all are going to come with me, and we're going to find a place for you in KeyCorp."

"Or?" Chan challenges.

"Or, nothing. There's no other option. You're coming with me."

She has all the strength she would need to make a threat. Come with, or die. Or something of that sort. But she's not doing it.

You wonder why.

"No," says Somin.

"I have to agree, no fucking way," says Minho.

Jiwoo sighs. "That's the wrong answer."

Seungmin is slowly, slowly ascending the stairs, and Changbin is right behind him. You think they could probably get away, but the rest of you are right out in the open. You and J.Seph are the closest to Jiwoo. But you're also some of the people who could distract her best.

"I don't see why you need all of them," you say.

"They're my directive right now. I follow instructions," she replies.

It's the stupidest possible thing to say, but you say it. "You've wanted me this whole time, haven't you? Since that first tournament in Azalea City? Take me, then."

It's Changbin who yells, "Don't-"

"I'm making you a deal," you interrupt. "Take it or leave it."

Jiwoo is actually struck speechless, looking at you as if she's not quite sure if you're serious.

"Me, or no one," you say.

You go to take a step toward her, to show that you're not bluffing, and that's where everything goes wrong.

You stumble.

In your haste, at some point during the journey, you didn't close your bag all the way.

Your Pokeballs spill out.

One of them falls right on the release button, and there she is, in the middle of this mess. Your baby.

You yelp, "Oddish, don't-"

"Catch it," Jiwoo orders, waving one of her henchmen forward.

No.

Frightened and in the dark, your Pokemon takes off, squealing. You dive after her.

Behind you, another flash of light, a Pokemon being released, and you hear the earsplitting bark of Chan's Arcanine. The building tremors again with the force of it.

"You're going to regret that," Jiwoo spits. "Do what you have to."

It all happens so fast that you don't have time to react.

One instant, you're chasing Oddish, her little leaves just under your hands. Another pop of what you now know is gunfire rings out. The loud creeeeeak and snap of wood letting go.

Somin screams something. Chan screams something. You look in the direction of Arcanine's fire, and something gold reflects over your head.

And then you don't remember anything at all.

[atinycafe]

NAVIGATION (ﾉ´･ᴗ･`)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

SADE. nineteen (she/her). muslim&brown girl. ateez writing blog. ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧

Buy me a Ko-fi

As you browse through my posts and dive into the depths of my thoughts, I hope you discover a comfy corner that feels like home in my little account. So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, get comfy, and let's embark on this adventure together. But, before you engage with my blog or delve into my content, I kindly request that you keep the following points in mind. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Much love!

Every single piece you'll find here is a creation of mine. I kindly ask you to refrain from reposting, translating, or copying any of my works. They hold a special place in my heart, and I'd appreciate your respect for my artistic integrity. Thank you for understanding! (」°ロ°)」

As of now, I do create some explicitly NSFW content, so I kindly request that individuals under the age of 18 refrain from engaging with this account. It makes me uncomfy when minors come across this genre of content that I write. (×_×)⌒☆

All my works are female!reader unless stated otherwise ("gn reader" in the tags).

Stan list: Ateez, BtoB, EXO, iKON, ITZY, IVE, KARD, Kiss Of Life, LE SSERAFIM, Mamamoo, NCT, NewJeans, P1Harmony, Red Velvet, Riize, Seventeen, SHINee, SNSD, The Boyz, TXT, Twice, XG, Xikers.

hard hours: closed soft hours: closed commissions: open

MASTERLIST + BLOG TAGS + TAGLIST + RULES UNDER THE CUT

MASTERLIST [4 works]

LIME SORBET — reader finally comes back to s. korea as she finished her training in los angeles, ready to debut as a solo artist under kq ent! exciting right? well her sunbaes seem to like that idea too. [alpha!ateez x omega!idol!reader]

BENEATH THE SURFACE — mermaid!reader literally gets robbed by ateez and then falls in love w them after like they didn't just steal from her?? [pirate!ateez x mermaid!reader]

APOCALYPTIC AMOUR — a tight-knit friend group's carefree days turn into a fight for survival as they navigate a zombie apocalypse [ot8!ateez x fem!reader]

COMMON MASTERLIST — all of my ateez scenarios

BLOG TAGS [15 tags]

#lime sorbet : only and all the chapters of the lime sorbet fic

#beneath the surface : only and all the chapters of the beneath the surface fic

#apocalyptic amour : only and all the chapters of the apocalyptic amour fic

#limesorbet.asks : any inquiries or questions related to the aforementioned fic

#beneaththesurface.asks : any inquiries or questions related to the aforementioned fic

#apocalypticamour.asks : any inquiries or questions related to the aforementioned fic

#sade.speaks : not related to any fic, just my thoughts.

#sade.requests : requested prompts

#masterlist : all my masterlists will be present under this tag.

TAGLIST HERE RULES HERE (please read my rules before requesting!)