#nct dream suspense au

[neonacity]

ARCANE : INIZIO | CH.5 | NCT DREAM X READER

Summary: When human deviants granted with the abilities of the legendary Arcana cards find themselves racing against devious forces, they are left to make a choice that might change the fate of the world itself: be the victims of the game, or become the masters of it themselves.

But will this war end with a crowned hero?

Or will it just create another mad villain?

*****

Note: This is the second book of Arcane. The happenings in this story is a prequel to the first installment which you can check in my Masterlist. Since the lore is highly dependent on the first book, I highly suggest you check it out first—otherwise, new readers might have a hard time understanding what is happening here. Expect lots of time jumps and flashbacks throughout the chapters.

Pairings: Dream 00’ Line + Mark x Reader

Trigger Warnings/Themes: romance, violence, torture, trauma, poly dynamics, suggestive themes, language, psychological, mystery, sci-fi. The concept of the tarot or Arcana cards will be loosely used throughout the series. Note that I am not a trained doctor so there may be some slips here and there about medical things. Again, this is a work of fiction and I am not implying any likeness between the characterization here of the boys to their real life counterparts. I also reserve the rights to all my work—I do not post anywhere else other than tumblr. Minors DNI. Please do not repost. I only publish my works in Tumblr.

© neonacity, 2022

Previously > CH. 1 | CH.2 | CH.3 | CH.4

[Rosewood Academy, One year before the Cypher Project]

Your hurried footsteps echoed through the hallowed hallways of the academy. It was still a few minutes earlier than the time you were asked to report to the Head office, but you didn’t care, your pace steady as you made a beeline towards that white door at the end of the hallway that has become so familiar to you throughout the years. Working through the nervous blockage in your throat, you tried your best to swallow your escalating anxiety since you first heard about your father’s return. When Ten announced that he refused to see anyone the moment he arrived, you knew right then and there that something has gone terribly wrong. 

Your heart was beating hard against your chest when you finally stopped at the lone doorway in the corridor. You were about to knock when it opened all of a sudden, Ten’s face popping on the other side. He only looked mildly surprised to see you there, though he didn’t get to say anything as your eyes dropped to the tray he was holding. One look at the bloodied bandages there made you push the door open and slip past him in a rush.

“Darling, wait—”

“Ten, it’s fine. Let her in.”

Your gaze easily found the man sitting behind the oak desk at the head of the room. His clothes were clean and pressed, but even his sleeves didn’t manage to fully hide the edges of bandages circling his arm. The room was silent as you stared at him, and it was only the gentle closing of the door that made you unfreeze from your stance. Your father’s face was impassive as he looked at you, but he was the one who first broke the silence as he waved his hand slightly to motion at something—or someone in the room. For the first time, you noticed that it wasn’t just the two of you there.

“We were just about to finish, honey. If you could just give us a couple more minutes.”

“No, her timing is perfect. It will save us time if she is here.”

The person sitting directly across from him was the last you were expecting to see. You have only met the man a couple of times before, but there was no mistaking the ice cold stare that seems to pierce through everything and anything on its way. Mark’s father…

Junho Lee.

“What is going on?” you asked carefully as your gaze moved from him to the other. Looking at your father more closely now, you noticed the tired lines on his face and the uneasy set of his lips. He looks pained. Worried.

“Did something happen? Are you hurt?”

The fact that both men didn’t have an immediate answer to your question made your stomach drop. You were already starting to feel the beginnings of panic again when Junho spoke.

“He has come across an unexpected circumstance a couple of weeks ago. He is fine after my men managed to find him before things got worse.”

“Is that why you decided to give him your time first instead of talking to your daughter?” your tone was cold and hard as you kept your gaze steady on your father. You absolutely refused to acknowledge the other man, incensed by the way he seems to be taking command on what should be a personal topic of conversation. You didn’t give a damn about who saved who at the moment. Pleasantries and thank yous can be given later. For now, you need to talk to your family. Alone.

The edge in your voice was definitely not lost on the Headmaster. Peering at you over his wire-rimmed glasses, he silently turned to his friend after and spoke carefully to cut through the tension in the room.

“I think it’s best if I explain things to her alone first. We can have another talk later with both kids.”

Both kids…? What the hell is going on?

For a few seconds, the other didn’t even look like he wanted to budge in his seat. He simply sat there, until the corner of his lips finally twitched to a smile. It wasn’t genuine, that much is obvious, but you still internally sighed when he dipped his head a little into a small bow.

“Of course. I will check on Minhyung first. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my boy after all.”

You remained on your spot, eyes on anywhere but the man when he finally picked himself up from his chair and strolled past you. You only allowed yourself to breathe properly again when you heard the door close behind him.

“Papa—”

“Please take a seat, love. I’m fine, if that’s what you are worried about. Sit down so I can tell you everything.”

You didn’t waste another second to go straight to the closest chair to him. Reaching over, he easily received your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. His shaky grip told you that his injuries might be serious, though he did try to keep his hold on you steady. Your worry was escalating, but you managed the push out the first pressing question you could think of. 

“Your injuries, are they bad?”

He shook his head and smiled.

“I had Ten patch me up. He said they aren’t serious, but I can still ask for help from Chenle later if that will make you feel better.”

You barely gave a nod. “What happened? They said you left in a hurry.”

Your father’s face fell a little. At that moment, with just the two of you, you realized how on edge he really was about the situation. The fact that he seemed unsure of how to explain the everything only made your worry flare up even more. He was only silent for a few more seconds, but it felt like forever before he finally found his voice again. 

“Someone is after us, love. And we need to get into hiding soon. You most especially. They can have anyone but you.”

You didn’t know what you were expecting, but this definitely wasn’t it. The man has always been overprotective of you, sometimes to the point of madness, but this was the first time you felt and head real fear in his voice. You frowned, utterly confused by his words.

“I don’t understand—”

“At the start of this month, the Kims gave us a tip about strangers stalking the grounds of Rosewood. I had requested for them to send more of their men to observe, just to see if they are from any rogue families, but they weren’t able to pin any names to them. From the way they can’t pass through the borders of the forest though, I’m sure that they aren’t members of the Arcana bloodline.”

A cold chill ran down your spine at the realization. If they aren’t part of the family, then….

“Humans…?” you whispered softly. Your father’s gaze on you was unwavering, the worry in his expression more obvious now than ever.

“They know about us. Someone has leaked the secret of the Arcana to the outside world, and now they’re hunting us one by one.”

“But who could have done it?”

“Anyone. We are a big circle. Someone could have sold the information or was coerced to give it away. Regardless of who it is, we have been betrayed. There’s a war coming, and we need to leave before we get taken down by it.”

You stopped at his choice of words. Something was not adding up and you don’t like the path this was going.

“What do you mean we need to leave? Papa, we just can’t flee,” you said tensely. The look on your father’s face made your hands turn cold. You shook your head slowly at him.

“No… you can’t force all of us to go into hiding.”

“We have no other choice. We can’t let them get to us.”

“They won’t if we fight back! Why should we let them bully us into retreating?”

“Darling, you don’t understand—”

“Papa, we are the ones with abilities! If we want to, we can make anyone—”

“Stop. Don’t talk like that.”

Your voice died at the look your father gave you. Ever since you’ve been a child, there have only been a few emotions that you see in him that never fails to gut you. The first one is his immense grief for his lost wife, and the second, that hollowed look that sometimes clouds his eyes every time he looks at you. You don't have a name for it, but you've always known what it means.

It's the look of fear about the possibility of you turning out just like your mother… the very woman who wiped out almost all the previous Arcana masters after being driven mad by her own powers.

The pressing feeling in your chest as you looked back at the shadows on his face was overwhelming. This is a scared man, a haunted man, a man who had never forgiven himself for a minute after the tragedy of losing his wife to the Arcana. And yet after all that, the IL Matto had to choose you as its new master, as if The Fool itself was mocking him for claiming his own daughter as its new wielder. Sometimes, the thought alone makes you want to peel the skin off of your own bones, strip yourself down to the core until you are a nobody, just so that you wouldn't be a living torture for your own father.

"Listen to me. And I need you to really, really listen, my girl,” he continued, clutching your hand tightly. “The Arcana abilities cannot be released into the world. It wasn't granted to us so that we can use it against humanity. If we start doing so, or if we fall in the wrong hands, everything would be ruined. Normal people are not ready for us—that's one thing you should understand."

Your head was spinning and his nails dug on the skin of your palms but barely even noticed his iron hold on you.

"Where have you been? Why did you leave?"

Your father's eyes flickered before looking away. For a second, it looked like he wasn't planning on even answering your question.

"I came to look for an old friend. I am not so sure how I can reach him since he had cut his ties with me a long time ago, so I tried to seek him out. I didn't realize I was being followed before I could even get to him."

Something about his explanation didn't sit right with you. If there's one thing you know about your father, it's how he acts when he is trying to protect someone. Right now, he is doing the same for the person he is talking about.

"Who is he and why is he so important that you risked leaving the safety of Rosewood?"

He didn't answer. That, however, was enough of a giveaway for you to piece things together. There were a lot of things about your father's life that you don't know, but logic was enough for you to arrive at a conclusion.

"Is it IL Mondo? The last of the Triad?"

A fleeting emotion that looked akin to pain flashed through his face. You know next to nothing about the last Arcana master completing the Triad. Just like you and your father's identities being hidden to the wider network of the bloodline, IL Mondo's face and name has also been shrouded in mystery. However, it is a well-known fact among the family that the person had long since burned its connections with the Arcana circle, the same time the great fallout caused by your mother happened. You knew, because even their face and record were burned off the Arcana Archives that only current masters have access to.

"We need to get to him before our enemies do. Each Master is important, but it's the three of us who need to run away the most. If they get to any of us, the other Arcana powers can be controlled, even by mundanes."

"Where is he then? Do you even know where to find him?"

Your father slowly let go of your hand. "Yes. He is in plain sight, but contacting him has been hard. When he left… he made it clear to me that he doesn't want to hear from me again. He is in a position where he can put as many walls between us as he wants."

You frowned. From the way he is describing him, you could only assume that he is talking about someone with power. Who could it be? A politician? A businessman?

"What's his name, papa?"

The look he gave you was sharp and pointed.

"You don't need to know who he is. Just as he shouldn't know anything about you being the new IL Matto."

You couldn't bring yourself to argue with that. You didn't have the chance anyway because before you could even say anything, he was reaching out for your hand again. He cradled it carefully this time, as if he was afraid he would break you.

And he almost did. With what he said next.

"Honey, I need you to do something for me..."

"I need you to marry Mark."

The way your heart almost physically stopped in your chest made you unable to immediately give a reaction. You didn't know how long you looked at your father until the shock and confusion of everything settled in.

"You're not serious, are you?"

The look of resignation he gave you made bile rise to the back of your throat. You have expected this day would come, but never in this frame or situation. All along, you've thought it was a silly little agreement, one you and Mark can easily both say no to.

"I have already talked to Junho about it. He will share everything to Mark and—"

"Papa, are you hearing yourself speak right now? You've talked to him but you have never asked me about this?! How about Mark? None of you are in the position to make this decision for us!"

You hated the way your voice rose. Standing up from your seat, you pulled your hand from your father's hold so you could put some distance between the two of you. All of a sudden, the room seems suffocating, the heat from your frustration climbing up to your temples. All the while, he simply looked at you with guilt that only made everything as worse as it is.

"This is the best way we can take care of the situation. I don't know how long I can protect you, love. The Lee family is the most powerful name in our circle. You'll be safest if you become a part of them. They have already sworn allegiance to you. A marriage would make that stronger."

"Oh for fuck's sake, cut the crap, Father," you blurted out, unable to control your words any further. The idea is preposterous, but you hate how he is treating you like a clueless child right now. He can phrase it however he wants, but he can never fool you. Never you.

"I know why you are selling me to that family. I've always known. You're scared of them, aren't you? You're scared of Junho turning his back on you for what mother did to his wife. That’s why you've always kept him close to you—so you could watch his every move. It's been part of your plan all along—I know because you always have one. Do you really think marrying me off to Mark will keep them from hurting me if they want to?"

The storm of emotions that flitted behind his eyes were a silent confirmation for what you’ve always known. He didn't dare deny it, knowing full well he can never hide anything from you. If there is anyone who could pick his brain apart, after all, it would be you.

"If you do the Blood Link when you marry, they can't hurt you without hurting their own son."

For the second time that night, you found yourself freezing on your spot. You’ve always known the logic behind your father’s plans, but not in a million years did you realize how deeply they ran. You've only read it once, but the Blood Link is an archaic practice that joins two Masters together in a lifelong union. It used to be a sacred practice, one that the older generations religiously followed to keep their abilities within their families. When the blood of an Arcana holder is joined with another, their life forces are intertwined to become one. The connection is unbreakable, that even death wouldn't be able to come between it.

"You're not… We are not going…" you whispered now as you still tried to process everything. The set of his lips made you take a step back, your hand holding on to the nearest chair you could reach.

"It's the best way to do it. If you marry Mark, you'll be safe forever. You'll have their protection, and they will also strengthen their bloodline if they have you. Junho gets as much here as you and I do. Do you really think Mark won't hurt you without this kind of arrangement? He is still a son of that family. He still lost his own mother because of yours."

The words beat inside of your head painfully as if your father screamed them. There were so many emotions coursing through you, but one thought made them all stop. Your father may be right about many possibilities, but you're also sure of one thing. Mark…

Will never betray you.

"He doesn't need to marry me for him to not hurt me," you said softly now as your gaze slowly met his. You saw the way he paused, not expecting your words. "I trust him."

You didn't wait for him to say anything before you turned around and walked towards the door. He didn't call out to you, even as your cold hand wrapped around the knob to pull it open. The moment you stepped out of the room though, your heart dropped to your stomach once again, this time for an entirely different reason.

Standing outside, their eyes quietly on you were Renjun and Haechan. Jaemin stood to the side, his face unreadable, but it was Jeno's silent gaze that made your breath stop.

******* "I've been looking for you."

You didn't immediately turn around at the sound of the new voice behind you. You were leaning against one of the low walls at the academy's rooftop, your eyes set on the fields that stretched beyond. You could see everything from this vantage point, from the fields you used to play on to the fringe of the forest with the ancient oak tree.

"Has your father talked to you already?" You asked without even moving from your spot. You waited for Mark to join you before finally glancing his way, the set of his lips obvious as he settled beside you. 

"They wanted us to get married as soon as possible."

"Were you surprised by it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"The same reason you aren't. We knew this was coming. I just didn't expect it to be this soon."

You looked away again, your thoughts running a mile by the second. You came here to clear your head after everything that has happened, and yet you're not even close to a single answer to any of your questions. Mark was quiet beside you, his eyes also watching the sea of green beyond.

"What are we going to do, Mark?"

The question was rhetorical, so you weren't surprised at all when he didn't answer immediately. The hard truth is that the two of you could ask so many things, and yet nothing would still change the situation you're facing right now. Rosewood and the Arcana Famiglia are still in danger. Betrayals may happen—if they haven't yet. Your father wants to retreat and hide. And you still want to fight.

"Let's get married then."

His answer was so unexpected that your mind shut down for a second. Turning to him, you felt your heart start again in your chest when you saw the look on his face. It scared you, how his eyes met yours bravely.

"What?"

"I said… Let's get married," he repeated, his voice steady. It took you a few seconds to realize what it was about the way he was looking at you that was different. And then it hit you. Mark has always been careful around you, but right now, he has let go of the usual walls he puts up every time with you. The boy standing in front of you now was not afraid to show the extent of his feelings—feelings you've always known but have always avoided to acknowledge.

"Mark…"

"I like you," he said before you could even finish. He sounded so frustrated that you felt a part of you break just hearing his voice. "I always did. And I know you know it too."

"We can't do this…"

"Why are you so against this?"

"Because you're my best friend—"

"Fuck being best friends!" He blurted out, his voice rising so unexpectedly that you flinched. This was the first time he had ever raised his tone on you that it left you speechless and stunned. He ran his hand frustratedly through his hair now, looking at anywhere but you as if he was searching for something that can ground him again.

"I've tried, okay. I've tried so hard to just be your friend because I knew that's what you wanted. But I can't do this anymore. I love you. And if you can't feel the same way, then just tell me because I can't do another day of this anymore."

"Mark, I love you. But I can't marry you."

"Why? Tell me then. Give me a reason. Is it because of Jeno? Jaemin? The others?"

"It's not just that—"

"Then why?!"

"Because loving you can't make me unlove any of them, okay!" You finally shouted back, your voice cracking at the edges. You looked at him brokenly, tears just on the brink of spilling down your face.

"You think I didn't try? I did, Mark. Every day. All logic says to choose you. But I can't help it. I'm just as connected to them as I am to you. Do you really want to get into a marriage knowing that?"

He didn't answer. He simply looked at you, his broken silence gutting you even more than any reply he could have given.

"I can do anything for you. You know that," he finally said after a while. "I can accept anything you want me to."

"Can you kill me then?"

Your question made him stop. Your gaze on him didn't waver as you waited for his answer.

"What?"

"Can you kill me if you need to? I can go mad down the line, just like my mother did. Probably hurt people too, like she did. When that happens, can you kill me?"

The look of pain that flashed through him was palpable. He slowly shook his head and refused to look at you.

"You won't. Jaemin and Jeno, they won't let it happen. We won't let it happen."

"And if I lose any of them? What if the day comes when something changes and even they—or any of you—can't hold me back?"

"That's impossible—"

"Just answer the question, Mark," you gently cut him off this time. He paused, his jaw tightening.

"I can't. I won't do it."

"Even if my powers start to hurt people?"

"I don't care. I can't lose you."

The silence that followed was heavy. You simply looked at him, your gaze enough to tell him the things you wanted him to realize. He reflected your pain like a mirror, every bit of him as defeated as you felt.

"That's why we can't be together, Mark. You'll make the world burn for the people you love…" you finally said softly. The guilt that shot through him was immense, but he didn't say anything to deny what you just said. Slowly, you reached for his face, your palm cradling his cheek. It pains you to see him hurting, and you tried to chase it away by running your thumb gently over the corner of his eye.

"I'm so sorry…" you whispered. "I love you. But the moment I marry you is the moment I start to lose you. I can't afford it, Mark.

"Everyone, but you."

******* "Has anyone seen Mark-hyung? He's not in his room," Chenle asked as he slipped on the bench at their dinner table. The cafeteria was noisy with some of the students enjoying their meals before curfew, but their spot seemed more quiet today than usual.

"Maybe he's still with his dad," Renjun offered, though he didn't seem that convinced by his own answer himself. He peered surreptitiously at Jeno beside him then before exchanging a meaningful glance with Jaemin one seat down.

"I don't know where noona is too…" Jisung said hesitantly, his eyes moving from one boy to the next. He looked like he wanted to ask more, but the subdued tension clinging to their small group told him it would be better to not push it.

It would be an understatement to say that the rest of the afternoon had been strange. After the Tourney, each of them were called to the Headmaster's office to "catch up." The meetings were quick and nothing else was disclosed, but they have been told that certain changes might happen in the Academy soon. As vague as it is, that was enough of a sign to tell them that something odd is up. Because if there is anything that doesn’t happen much in Rosewood, it’s change. The Academy prioritizes tradition over anything else, because that’s how it keeps order to the whole Family. 

"My mom called me earlier. She said she's going to come visit next week," Haechan said carefully as he moved his food around with his fork. Slowly, he looked at the others, expecting for their reaction. Renjun finally sighed and leaned back on his seat.

"Mine too. They said we're coming back to China for a bit."

Chenle frowned. "Now? In the middle of the school year?"

Jaemin finally broke his silence. "Something must have happened. Whatever it is, it's big. My family reached out to me too and wanted me to come back as soon as possible."

"Which doesn't make any sense," Renjun said as he leaned over the table. "We were sent here in the first place for our protection. Rosewood is supposed to be a safe haven for all of those with the Arcana bloodline, especially the Masters. The Academy literally has borders that shield us from the outside world. Why would they want us to leave?"

"Because this is also the only place where the Arcana powers are concentrated," Jeno finally spoke, his eyes still set on his untouched plate. Everyone looked at him slowly in silent shock. "If someone wants to get to them, Rosewood is the perfect place to raid."

Haechan paled as the words sunk in. "You think someone…"

"Has definitely betrayed our existence to the outside world," Jaemin finished his sentence, his face grim. "They want us to leave. Probably go into hiding. We'll be harder to track if we're scattered across the world."

Everyone fell silent for a moment. For centuries, Rosewood has always stood as a symbol of safety and sanctuary for everyone with the Arcana bloodline, Master or not. There was no shortage of wars won and lost in the history of the family, but the Academy has always been there at the center of it all. Leaving it is like cutting off the umbilical cord that sustains the life force of something ancient.

"What's going to happen now?" Jisung asked, his voice worried. None of his older brothers immediately replied, probably fearing the answers themselves.

"We still need to know the full story of it, but for now…" Renjun paused as he looked at each of the strained expressions of his friends.

"I think we need to get ready to fight."

******* "The preparations are all done, sir."

Kun kept his tone low as he addressed the man staring out the darkened view from his office window. At first he thought the Headmaster didn't hear him, but then he slowly turned to give him a tight smile after. Even under the dim lighting of the room, he could still make out the strain of past events clinging into the other's face like ghastly shadows.

"Thank you so much, Kun. Please tell the rest of your family that we owe them a lot for lending us your fortress."

He bit back the words that wanted to leave him by bowing his head slightly in respect. The truth is that just like the others, he was given little to no context about the current situation. However, it also didn't take that much for him to come up with his own guesses when the Headmaster asked for his help in sourcing a safe space for his daughter. The man called it a 'backup plan’... but all warning signs point to it being an 'exit route' instead.

"It's the least we can do. Our family is always loyal to the Arcana."

His words made a shadow of an unknown emotion ghost through the other’s face. For a slip of a moment, he looked like he was about to say something, before he bit his words back and looked away. Slowly, the man lowered himself back to his seat, a look of contemplation on him. Kun remained silent, waiting for him to voice out his thoughts.

"How deep does your loyalty run, son?"

Kun wasn’t expecting the question at all. He was still trying to scramble for an answer when the other met his gaze head on, the look sending needles down his spine. The Headmaster has always been a kind man, but as the master of IL Giudizio, he still holds one of the most significant positions in the Arcana circle. He could intimidate anyone with his presence alone if he wanted to, especially a Legacy—a powerless member of the family—like him.

"I am ready to give my life to the family, should the Arcana ask for it, sir," he finally managed to answer. The man kept his gaze on him, thinking more, before finally clasping his hands together.

"We have been compromised, my boy. Someone has betrayed the family and told the humans about the existence of the Arcana powers. I don't think we'll have much time until everyone in the bloodline, Master or not, gets hunted down and wiped out."

Kun paled as he processed those words. So many questions started springing in his head, the confusion only made worse by the twisting nausea and fear that shot through him. The Headmaster continued, his eyes dark even with the reflection of the flickering flame in front of him.

"No mundane should have their hands on any of the major powers. When that happens, humanity will be damned. There will be no one who will win this war."

"What should we do?"

The other paused for a moment. The silence slowly gnawed at Kun's insides as he realized the gravity of the situation even more. If the gatekeeper of the Arcana himself is in doubt, then who else can solve this?

"We should keep the secret safe with us. All of us," the Headmaster finally said. "We need to try our best to protect our legacy."

"By running away?" He asked with a slight frown. The man's eyes flickered, as if his question reminded him of something else.

"Not all wars should be fought with force."

No other sound pierced the room for a while. Kun had so many thoughts he was trying to sift through, one as heavy as the next. His mind was rejecting the idea, but even his denial cannot cover the reality of the situation. The fabric of the Arcana is unraveling fast... and nobody is safe. 

"Kun, I need you to take care of my daughter."

He was so deep into his head that the Headmaster's next words sent him into a silenced shock. He looked at the other, unbelieving of what he just heard.

"What do you mean—"

"We're going into a war. We will be losing people along the way, that I can be sure of. I need someone to look after her. A circle of people she can trust no matter what happens."

"Sir, I'm sure you will be the best person to do this over anyone else. You have protected not only her but the whole family for decades."

He was about to say more when the expression on the other’s face stopped him. The look of resignation there was gutting. 

"The truth is, I don't know how much time I have left," the Headmaster said, his voice calm. "I can feel it… Something is going to happen. And I know there is only so much I can do about it."

The fortress… the calls to the biggest family names in the bloodline.

He was right. The man was setting up his last elaborate plan. 

"You've proven yourself trustworthy since you swore your service to us. I would feel most assured if you take over as her guardian in case something happens to me. Would you do it, Kun? Can you promise your loyalty to her?"

It took him a while to finally manage a reply. He has always been a close ally to the Masters, but even as he was inducted to the inner circle, there are still times when Kun questions his worthiness as a member of it. Living beside the holders of the Arcana while lacking any abilities himself is a constant battle. Except for his bloodline, he is pretty much a regular human.

How can a powerless person like him even protect one of the Triads?

"Power comes in many forms, son. Yours is different… Maybe even stronger than any ability. An honest heart, I believe, trumps out everything else. My daughter will need it more than anything soon enough."

Kun paused as he let that sink in. He wondered if he had accidentally spoken his worries out loud, but the Headmaster's prying eyes alone told him that he didn't need to hear anything to see through him. In that moment, a certain determination settled in him, eating up any self-doubts that have been trying to pull him under. Steadily, he held the other���s gaze before giving a slight bow of his head.

"I promise to take care of her, Sir… I will do my best to keep her safe."

He couldn't see the man's face with his head down, but he could clearly feel his thankful and approving gaze on him. 

"Thank you. I feel more comfortable knowing this. Don't worry, you won't do it alone."

Before he could even ask what that means, a soft knock made the two of them turn towards the door. Kun watched as it opened, ushering a number of people inside.

Behind him, the Headmaster stood up from his seat again. The newcomers each gave him their quiet greeting as he stepped to the middle of the room to face them.

"I think we have everyone we need here,” he started, his gaze touching each of the faces there. The room was silent and charged but there was a certain stillness and determination clinging in the air that made Kun's skin prickle. In that particular moment, he knew he was witnessing something that will go down in Arcana history. 

“I know that I'm probably asking for too much, but I want to thank all of you for responding to my call. As you may have already guessed, something unexpected has happened. It's been decades, if not centuries, since something has challenged the sanctity of the Arcana, but it is happening now, and we need to fight the best way that we can against it. We still do not know who our enemies are, but they are out there, and I know they will strike soon enough."

"We are now on the brink of war. All of us here, including the Masters and other Legacies not with us, have to come together to win this. I called for you because I know you can help move the important pieces in this game. I know this is going to be an elaborate battle, and each of us will take part in it differently, but I want to take this chance to appeal for your loyalty."

No words were needed to understand the collective response of the small group. Still, a young man with reddish brown hair answered for the sake of everyone.

"You have our word, Sir."

The Headmaster took that as the confirmation he needed. Clasping his hands behind his back, he addressed everyone again with equal power and respect in his tone.

"Thank you. Allow me to say your names, so that the Arcana source above and below us knows that you've sworn yourselves to the fight."

"Suh, Johnny, La Giustizia, Master of The Justice."

"Lee, Chittaphon, IL Carro, Master of The Chariot."

"Kim, Mijeong, La Forza, Master of The Strength."

"Jung, Jaehyun, La Torre, Master of The Tower."

"Nakamoto, Yuta, L' Appeso, Master of The Hanged Man."

"Moon Taeil, L'Eremita, Master of The Hermit."

"And Qian Kun and Lee Taeyong, first sons of the Qian and Lees. The Ace of Shield and Ace of Sword."

"I’m putting my trust in all of you."

*******

A/N: Yeah... an update. Who would have thought, right?

NEW Taglist: @effulgentfireflies, @kasperneo, @lostlovesoul11,  @byunniebaekhyunnie, @smolpeyy, , @dearj43, @bettyschwallocksyee, @babyksworld,  @yongboksfreckles,  @user103843, @lovehowdream, @glitching-wren, @jhornytrash, @coconuttiez8d, @negincho​, @stopeatread​, @ellatizw​, @huangberryyy​

[lowkeychenle]

masterlist + all about me (and nct dream)

hi everyone! name change/rebrand alert ;)

prev @/lowkeyjaemle, now @/lowkeychenle :D

i'm juls (as some of you already know) and my ult group is NCT Dream! i'm chenle biased (this will never change lol) and the majority of my blog is also chenle biased lol.

i do not have a bias wrecker. chenle is safe (although jisung is my #2, which just makes sense bc chenji is a package deal okay).

i'm 23 years old, and my pronouns are she/her. now that all this intro/boring stuff is out of the way, please keep reading for my updated masterlist ;)

p.s. if u are also a chenle stan, there are so many chenle fics here just for u

AY YO! MDNI >:(

text!au masterlist | smau masterlist

the hardest part (M)

You, Chenle, and Jay have been best friends since before you could even remember. After moving away to pursue your dreams, you don't talk to them as often as you should. One day, you get a call notifying you of Jay's passing. When you go back to your hometown, you find everything is different except for one person--Chenle.

Some Things Can't Be Taught (M)

In which you are failing college physics, and your childhood best friend offers up one of his friends as your tutor—except, there’s a little something he wants to learn from you in exchange.

Guilty As Sin? (M)

Chenle is everything you want--everything you need. Somehow, the thought of him manages to pull you back in even after you were free. Messy kisses, late night trysts, and him tracing the word 'mine' on your thigh--barely anything, so how could you possibly be guilty as sin? (based on Guilty As Sin? by Taylor Swift)

And Then It Was (M)

After your marriage with Chenle was arranged by your parents for a company merger, things with him aren't quite like you expect. In your life full of obligations, he's determined to finally give you the ability to make your own choices. (smut/fluff/angst) *WC>10k

Cruel Summer (M)

He wants you. Everything to do with you--your heart, your body, all while keeping your friendship. What's a man to do during a 30-day hook up to get you to stay? (smut/fluff/angst) *WC>10k

See My Sea (M)

You never expected your lab partner to be the captain of the basketball team...or a decent human being, but you get proved wrong twice. Despite a rocky past of your own, you find yourself falling for him faster than you thought. Maybe, with his help, you can finally find your way home and see your sea. (smut/fluff/angst) *WC>10k

Like We Just Met (M)

Everything else about the day is completely normal when Chenle realizes he wants to marry you. It hits him like a tidal wave, and he's itching to tell you just how much he wants to love you forever. (smut/fluff) *WC>10k

SOS (M)

Road trips with Chenle are your favorite thing. Late at night, the two of you stop at a hotel, but it's not everything it seems to be. You barely have time to settle before you get a call to evacuate immediately. Beneath red neon flashing lights, you and Chenle have to try and escape the group of people hunting you down. (suspense/thriller/smut)

this is me trying (M)

Meeting Chenle was a fluke--a good one, at that, but you never expected things to escalate the way they did. But despite the whirlwind romance, you'd go back to December if you had the chance... (smut/fluff/angst) *WC>10k

Is It Over Now? (M) (Feat. Jisung)

Your relationship with Chenle is nothing but fight after fight. Amidst the toxicity, infidelity comes into play--except you're determined to one up him...but is it ever truly over? (angst/smut) *WC>10k

Within the Piano Keys (M)

For as long as you could remember, Chenle has been your neighbor and childhood best friend. That is, until one day he disappears without a word…or so you thought, since your mother hid all the letters he sent you. (smut/fluff/angst) *WC>10k

Paris (M)

Pure smut on a hotel room balcony in Paris! Woo. (smut)

Sunshine (M)

You're not usually able to wake up with Chenle due to his schedules, but on the days that you can, it's certainly worth it. (smut/fluff)

Quiet Down (M)

You and Chenle visit your parents, but he just can't help himself... (smut)

You're Not Sorry

You and Chenle broke up two weeks ago. The first time he calls you at 3am, you ignore it. Then he calls again. You answer, and you go to him knowing there's nothing he could do to fix what he's broken. (angst)

The Last Straw (M)

Chenle has been your best friend for as long as you can remember. Being in love with him isn't easy, until you find out he reciprocates those feelings (thanks to Cockblocker!Jaemin). (smut/fluff/angst)

Chilled Nights, Fogged Windows (M)

After being gone for weeks, the first thing Chenle wants to do is get ice cream with you. One thing leads to another, and suddenly, you're in the backseat (oooops). (smut)

In Your Dreams (M)

What started as innocent phone sex hotline stuff (if that can ever really be innocent?), you get an offer you just can't refuse...you just have to be a little sleep deprived ;) (Chenle as Freddy Kruger Halloween thing lol)

Irrevocably (M) Series Masterlist

You were friends with benefits with Chenle until he got a girlfriend...fast forward months later, and now they've broken up--leaving Chenle to come back to you, very much in need of a distraction. (angst/smut/fluff)

Opposites Attract [Poly!Jaemle AU] Series Masterlist

Your relationship with Jaemin started out simple--friends with benefits with zero complications...until there was one. That complication's name is Zhong Chenle, and after Jaemin agrees to expand your exclusivity deal to involve him, there's only one logical thing left to do... (smut)

모래성 (ONE) (TWO) (THREE)

You and Mark have had a friends with benefits relationship for almost a year now. He's in love with you, addicted to you, but you don't feel the same. You're his poison. (smut/angst)

Late Nights (M)

Mark's busy schedule only gives him time to come over late at night, but it's safe to say neither of you are complaining by the time you fall asleep. (fluff/smut)

Empire State of Mind (M) (Feat. Jisung)

Life with Jisung is almost perfect. He loves you, and you love him. But when you run into your ex, Mark Lee, you realize the one thing you've been missing all along is him. (smut/angst)

Lost & Wayward Mini-Masterlist

After the worst couple weeks of your life, you finally break down in the middle of an alleyway. Jaemin hears you and comes to comfort you, and little do you know, he's about to change your life--in more ways than one. (fluff/smut/angst)

[sxcret-garden]

ღ NCT Dream Jeno x fem-bodied!reader ღ words: ~2.5k ღ genre: college AU, roommates AU, a bit of humor if you squint, smut ((subby) perv!Jeno, a bit of humiliation, handjob (idol receiving), masturbation, voyeurism, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms) ღ warnings: none ღ prompt: “How many times have you jerked off to me?”

It’s a Thursday afternoon like any other - you arrive at home at around 4pm after the end of your last class, you’re slightly exhausted from having a busy day, and you’re craving nothing more than some alone time with your laptop and some comfort food.

Except that you didn’t expect to hear your roommate moan your name upon entering your shared flat. You think you misheard it at first - maybe you’re more tired than you thought and you’re so out of it that you’re having hallucinations? - but then you hear it a second time. Jeno, most likely in his room, is calling out your name loud and clear, followed by a groan that causes blood to rush to your cheeks. You’re a little embarrassed about it at first, but at the same time you find it strangely amusing. And so, you make the most immoral decision in a while, and you draw closer to his room as quietly as possible to eavesdrop.

“Mmmh… feels so good, Y/N…” you hear him mutter. “Your pussy… so tight…” You raise your eyebrows as you're caught off guard by the dirty things leaving his mouth, but at the same time a huge grin appears on your face. It doesn’t come as a surprise that he’s into you - you’ve known that something’s up for weeks, and even your friends who occasionally come over when you’re both home have noticed that he has a crush on you. He hasn’t made any clear advances on you though, and neither would you for as long as you’re stuck living under the same roof. You don’t mind that he obviously treats you differently than his other friends, that he smiles more to himself when he’s around you and that sometimes he stares at you a little too long when he thinks you’re not looking. However, the thought of attempting to date someone you’re already living with would’ve never crossed your mind either.

And still, here you are now, listening in on Jeno getting himself off to what you assume is a very detailed fantasy about you, and you’re somehow not repulsed by that at all. And so you bite your lip in excitement as you hear him groan your name over and over again, spelling out bits and pieces about the mental image in his head. 

“Ride me… yeah… just like that…” An uncontrolled moan escapes him, making you think he’s about to cum, and you wonder whether you should announce your presence before, after, or not at all. “Ah… your tits… I love your tits bouncing like that…” And then it happens. You crack up. You make a noise. And at the same time he stops making noise altogether. You’ve given yourself away, and in order to spare him the suspense that you imagine is killing him at this very moment, you step through the half open door. Standing in his doorframe now, your gaze finds his huge hand wrapped around his cock in all its pre-orgasmic glory, and then also his wide open eyes, quivering lips, and deep red cheeks. He gapes at you, opening and closing his mouth like a fish under water, and you almost feel a little sorry for him.

“Excuse me, but would you let me in on the fun or am I supposed to keep pretending I’m not here while you’re getting off to my bouncy tits?” Jeno remains speechless. You’d have thought he’d immediately try to hide, try to talk himself out of this situation, but none of the likes. He just keeps sitting there, at the edge of his bed, frozen. 

“What day is it?” That’s the first thing he says when he finally speaks.

“Thursday?”

“Fuck. Sorry. Oh my god. I thought it was Friday. Shit.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” you say, crossing your arms in front of your chest as you lean against the doorframe. Friday is when you would’ve had an evening class, so it makes sense that he thought he’d be undisturbed for another while. However, this also makes another burning question arise - almost as burning as Jeno’s deep red ears.

“How many times have you jerked off to me?” Jeno looks around the room, obviously in a panic, and somehow his hand is still wrapped around his exposed dick.

“U-uhm… like… today?”

“Lee Jeno, my god. I didn’t think you were such a huge pervert.”

“I… I’m sorry?” Now he grins abashedly, like a five year old boy that has just been caught preparing a prank on someone, which makes quite the contrast to the rest of the position he’s in.

“At least it’s not on my bed…” you comment, and when he seems to run through another circle of internal panic at your words, you immediately brush them off, gesturing wildly. “You know what? No, let’s not talk about this.” Though, if you’re perfectly honest with yourself, on second thought it somehow turns you on to think he’s secretly snuck into your room just to get off on you there.

“I… can I have a minute or two? And then we uh… talk about this?” Your roommate gives you an apologetic yet mischievous grin, and you profusely shake your head.

“No. No, you can not have a minute or two.” And then you push yourself off the doorframe, and you take a few steps to his bed until you’re standing right in front of him. You see him gulp as he looks up at you, and a single drop of sweat makes its way down the side of his face. Perking up an eyebrow, you slip out of your shirt, throwing it to the ground somewhere next to you. 

“So… how many times?” You pose the question once again as you put your hands on his shoulders, and a knee between his legs. 

“T-today it’s… the first time…”

“And overall?” You lean in and you let your lips ghost over his neck. “Be good and tell me the truth.”

“U-uhm…” Jeno stutters, unable to bring himself to answer. You find it kind of cute, and when you nip at the skin below his ear and you let a palm glide down the shirt covering his stomach, he becomes even more flustered. You decide to tease him for a while, running your fingertips back up and raking them into his hair as you take your sweet time scattering kisses all over his neck. He leans his head back a little, allowing you better access, and you have to grin at how needy he is.

“Been close?”

“Huh?”

“Were you close to having an orgasm when I barged in?” you clarify, and you lift your head to get a good look at his face. 

“I-…”

“Just tell me. Maybe I’ll help you out a bit…”

“V-very close…” He’s still embarrassed that you caught him. You can tell by his stammering and by the way his cheeks are still dusted pink, but when you put your hand over his, slowly sliding it towards the tip of his cock in order to take over for him, he relaxes with a sigh.

“Now… how many times?” You stroke him slowly, watching him melt under your touch with a groan.

“F-faster…” he mutters under his breath, and you huff.

“Then answer my question.”

“A few times…?”

“Oh really?” You apply some pressure when going over his tip, and another desperate gasp escapes him.

“M-maybe every Friday… for… some time…”

“You are such a perv,” you say, but at the same time you speed up the movement of your hand. Jeno throws his head into his neck with a groan, digging his fingernails into the bedsheets at his sides.

“I heard you call my name too,” you say. “Wanna let me hear that again? Right in front of me?” If looks could kill you’d be dead by now, but when you cock your head to the side and you stop moving your hand, he’s quick to give in.

“Y/N…” he moans, “keep going. I’m begging you…” You smirk at his request, and you give him what he wants.

“It’s really cute how much control you can have over a guy once you have his dick in your hand.” You say that, not thinking much of it, but it seems to be doing something for him, as he squeezes his eyes shut and moans your name again.

“Y/N… I’m gonna-” His load spills into your hand as he clenches his teeth and a strained groan escapes his throat. You stay like that for a few seconds, drinking up his blissful expression that none other than you is responsible for, and then you get up to grab a tissue from beside his bed to clean yourself up.

“Ugh, I’m so sorry, I-” Jeno gets ready to apologize, pulling his pants back over his softened dick, but you’re quick to cut him off.

“What are you doing?” you ask, unzipping your jeans and slipping out of them. “I’m not doing this for free. Also, I thought you wanted me and my bouncy tits to ride you?” He blushes again at how nonchalantly you say this, but when you also rid yourself of your underwear, now standing completely naked in front of your roommate, he merely gapes at you in disbelief. 

“Get naked,” you prompt. “Or are you telling me you’re gonna miss out on this chance?” Jeno doesn’t think twice, and he hastily slips out of all his clothes as you watch him with a victorious smile on your lips. You let yourself marvel at his toned, well-trained body, and once he sits down on his bed completely naked, you crawl on top of him, pushing him back into the blanket by his shoulders. 

“Now, tell me again what you almost got yourself off to.” Again, he’s shooting daggers at your wicked grin and your words, but you can also see a certain thrill in his stare as he begins to talk.

“You… on top of me… like right now,” he begins to explain reluctantly as you run your hands down his chest and abs. However, the more your palms roam his body, the more confident he becomes. “I was thinking about you riding me… my hands on your hips, like this.” Jeno grabs your hips at once, giving them a squeeze, and then you allow him to guide them to his core. You roll them in his lap once, and you feel your folds grazing his hardening length.

“You’re already getting hard again just at the thought of it?”

“Aren’t you getting wet at the thought too?” he challenges you, and you can’t exactly deny it. Not when you feel the heat rushing to your core so clearly.

“So? What’s next?” You ignore his attempt at teasing you, and instead you keep rocking your hips, feeling him grow against your slick pussy. He sighs at the friction, and you raise an eyebrow, throwing in, “My boobs?”

“Y-yes…” he answers, and suddenly his stare is glued to your chest. He brings one hand up to squeeze your right tit, and you moan at his touch. It fits into his hand just perfectly, and you too find yourself throwing your head back at the way he gropes you. 

“You’re so perverted…” you hum, and then you lift your hips off him for a second. Aligning yourself with his full grown length, you prepare yourself to take him in. And then you let yourself glide down on him, taking in just the tip to tease him, but in that same moment you can clearly feel just the tip isn’t enough for you either.

“Fuck…” you mutter under your breath, hands propped up on his chest.

“Well, you’re the one currently having sex with that perv, so…” Jeno comments. You come back up, having him slide all the way out, before lowering yourself onto him again. You repeat that process a few times, each time taking him in a little deeper, until eventually you both run out of patience, and he takes control with both hands back on your hips. Guiding you all the way down, you gasp at the way he stretches you out, and Jeno gives you a few seconds to adjust to his size. And then, you begin to bounce on top of him, and you find his lustful eyes fixated on your breasts.

“Perv,” you mutter, but that only seems to turn him on more. 

“You’re enjoying it,” he throws back, and you can only moan in response.

“Maybe…” But who could blame you, when he feels so good inside you, and when his hips meet you so perfectly every time you sink down onto him. You feel him pressing his thumb against your clit, and it causes you to groan, becoming more eager in your movements.

“You gonna get off on that perv’s cock, huh?” Jeno teases you, directing his full focus on pleasing you. You whine in response, feeling your high approaching at light speed. Something about this situation makes you unbelievably horny, but you currently don’t have the means to figure out what exactly that is. Instead, you focus on moving your hips in just the right way to maximize your own pleasure.

“Fuck, Y/N… you feel so good…” You moan in appreciation, and through a string of curses falling from your lips, your high crashes down on you. You feel yourself clench around his cock, and your thighs tremble as you keep rocking your hips even past your orgasm. You bring Jeno’s hands up to your boobs, letting him squeeze and play with them as he pleases while an expression of utter bliss appears on his face. 

“Mmhh… this is even better… than I imagined…” he groans through gritted teeth, and now you feel heat rushing to your cheeks as well because of his boldness. You feel him twitch inside you as your hips keep bouncing on top of him, and then eventually he shuts his eyes tightly and grunts your names as he cums inside you.

You crawl off him, knees still shaky, but you do your best not to let him notice. Then, you collect your clothes, tucking them under your arm.

“I’m going shower,” you inform your roommate, who’s following your every move with his eyes. You can tell he’s unsure what to say, and you’re at least as speechless as he is about what you just did, but you’re a bit better at seeming unbothered. You walk out of the room, and just as you’re right in the doorframe, he calls out to you to make you halt.

“We should do that again sometime,” Jeno blurts out, and you fail to suppress a dirty grin.

“Maybe,” you say. “If I catch you getting off to me again I’ll think about it.” You throw him a wink, and before you can fully register the smirk on his face that’s supposed to tell you he’s accepted your challenge, you leave the room for a nice and hot shower.

[pearl-neo]

U p c o m i n g .

An overview of all my upcoming works for nct

⚘ Genres

slice of life ❖ fluff ❖ romance ❖ hurt/comfort ❖ angst ❖ drama ❖ mystery ❖ suspense ❖ thriller ❖ horror ❖ contemporary fiction ❖ historical fiction ❖ supernatural ❖ fantasy

⚘ About the categories

» [One-shot] Comes in a single post. The focus is on one member/possible pairing with reader.

» [Two-shots] Comes in two chronological episodes. Usually centers around a triangle/two members + reader.

» [Episodic] Comes in multiple episodes. Not necessarily chronological. Set in the same world/storyline. Each episode shifts the main focus to a different member.

» [Series] Long and usually features an entire unit, with all members as prominent characters. Some series will be chronological. Others will be "choose your own adventure."

⚘ Coming soon!

➼ WHEN YOU WERE HERE [one-shot]

Mark ❖ romance ⬩ angst

Moving into your grandmother's house, you braced yourself for a lonely winter while she's away on a wellness retreat. But when an unexpected roommate appears, and you find yourself enamored with his unusually private world, falling deeper and deeper, the last thing you expect is just how much loneliness loving him could bring.

⬩More updates about current project in my writing log.

⚘ In the future

Subject to change! All works are contemporary with elements of romance unless otherwise specified (๑•ᴗ•๑) None are idol au

» Last updated: 17/02/23

----- [one-shots] (20)

➼ Johnny. ⬩fluff

➼ Jaehyun. ⬩psychological thriller

➼ Doyoung. ⬩horror

➼ Sungchan. ⬩supernatural⬩horror⬩historical fiction

➼ Doyoung. ⬩supernatural⬩fluff⬩historical fiction

➼ Mark. ⬩angst⬩fluff

➼ Kun. ⬩fluff

➼ Johnny. ⬩fluff⬩drama

➼ Hendery. ⬩slice of life

➼ Kun. ⬩hurt/comfort

➼ Haechan. ⬩angst⬩fluff

➼ Mark. ⬩fluff

➼ Yuta. ⬩drama⬩fluff

➼ Haechan. ⬩comedy⬩fluff

➼ Taeil. ⬩drama

➼ Taeyong. ⬩fluff

➼ Jungwoo. ⬩fluff

➼ Taeyong. ⬩drama⬩fluff

➼ Johnny. ⬩hurt/comfort

➼ Mark. ⬩slice of life⬩fluff

----- [two-shots] (10)

➼ Johnny & Jaehyun. ⬩fluff

➼ Johnny & Mark. ⬩slice of life

➼ Mark & Haechan. ⬩slice of life

➼ Jeno & Haechan. ⬩thriller

➼ Jeno & Jaemin. ⬩slice of life⬩drama

➼ Jaemin & Johnny. ⬩thriller

➼ Jaemin & Jaehyun. ⬩fluff

➼ Jaehyun & Jeno. ⬩drama

➼ Yuta & Taeil. ⬩drama⬩thriller

➼ Doyoung & Haechan. ⬩drama⬩thriller

----- [episodic] (10)

➼ Jeno | Jaemin | Jaemin&Jeno | Haechan. ⬩supernatural horror

➼ Jaemin | Doyoung | Jaehyun | Johnny. ⬩medical drama

➼ Doyoung | Yuta | Taeil | Jaehyun | Johnny | Jungwoo . ⬩sci-fi drama

➼ Doyoung | Haechan | Taeil | Jaehyun. ⬩fluff

➼ All of Dream. ⬩sports drama

➼ All of 127. ⬩office drama

➼ All of Dream. ⬩fluff

➼ All of WayV. ⬩slice of life⬩comedy

➼ All of WayV. ⬩supernatural⬩drama⬩historical fiction

➼ All of 127. ⬩drama

----- [series] (15)

➼ Jaehyun | Jeno | Johnny | Jaemin. ⬩slice of life⬩drama

➼ Jeno | Jaemin | Jaehyun | Johnny. ⬩angst⬩drama

➼ Mark | Haechan | Jaemin | Shotaro | Yangyang | Chenle | Jisung. ⬩slice of life⬩comedy⬩drama

➼ Taeil | Doyoung | Taeyong | Jungwoo | Haechan | Mark. ⬩thriller⬩drama

➼ Jaehyun | Kun | Ten | Hendery | Yuta | Doyoung | Johnny. ⬩horror⬩drama

➼ All of Dream. ⬩horror

➼ All of Dream. ⬩thriller

➼ All of Dream. (ft.127) ⬩fantasy⬩drama

➼ All of 127 + Jeno | Jaemin. ⬩supernatural⬩thriller

➼ All of 127 + Jeno | Jaemin. ⬩fantasy⬩drama⬩historical fiction

➼ All Units! ⬩historical fiction⬩drama

➼ All Units! ⬩fantasy⬩adventure

➼ All Units! ⬩supernatural⬩horror⬩drama

➼ TBD. ⬩thriller

➼ All of SuperM. ⬩mystery⬩thriller⬩drama

copyright 2022 - 2025 © pearl-neo all rights reserved.

[kpoptrashlord-007]

Spoonful Of Sugar;; QK

Word Count;; 6.5k

Genre;; Yandere

Pairing;; Kun x Reader

Summary;;

Some ambitions are too grand to pursue by oneself. With the assistance of NeoTech Laboratories finest, however, anything is possible. The recognition they’ve garnered for their countless breakthroughs and their reputation as the future’s trailblazer is well-earned. Scientists tear each other apart for a chance to work within these infamous walls but for you it’s all just a means to an end. You have no wish except to see your dream come to fruition. After all, isn’t playing God what scientists do best?

Warnings;;

Mad Scientist AU, animal testing / abuse, soft but unethical science, blood and concussions, some pretty graphic depictions of violence, thriller / suspense with horror elements, YANDERE!!

... some choking

Request;;

@youngho-core​

For the visual aspect one... TBT Kun 👀

either smut or yandere or both whichever you prefer bc 👀👀👋🏼

Notes;;

This is the first fic from my 750 Milestone Event that focused around the senses. As such the inspiration for this came from WayV’s Turn Back Time MV. 

My Networks;; @superm-net​​

Main Masterlist || NCT Masterlist

   The experiments were a failure. Trial after trial provided more of the same disappointing results. Hard pressed on time and with your sponsors riding your back, you knew you were on thin ice. If you couldn’t pull off some kind of miracle and soon, you’d be out of a job. Which wasn’t a big deal, not really. While the money was nice and the resources were phenomenal, what mattered to you was the simple fact that you were allowed to perform your research in the first place.

   No one else had ever considered your work to be necessary, and those that humoured you found your theory to be too outrageous, too implausible. They weren’t visionaries. They couldn’t see what you saw, couldn’t grasp the possibility of something far greater than them. It took you years to land this job with its stable and dependable team of experts all determined to make your dream a reality. Never once had you experienced this level of support before. If you lost it, you knew you’d have wasted your entire life.

   “Run it.”

   Kun smiled before nodding at the intern waiting by the computer. Despite it being your research, it was still NeoTech’s lab. Without your assigned partner (though you thought Kun was more of a guardian than a partner - a watchful eye to make sure you remained on track), you’d hold no real authority. Nothing happened without his say-so. You could ask for a coffee and the interns would still look to him for approval. Everything, down to the notes you took, were under his scrutiny. Hell, if Kun ordered the room to hold their breath until their faces turned blue, there would be a whole lot of unconscious scientists to deal with. That was the power he held within your lab.

   “Yes, Dr. Qian, running the tests now.”

   It was deserved. He had more experience and education than you did. His position within the company was much higher than yours could ever be. You, an outsider, hadn’t earned the respect of your peers. You couldn’t even get your own experiments to work. All the bravada you had entered the company with was long gone. A whole year passed and you were no closer to a breakthrough now than you had been working in your own basement. Employed on a temporary basis, you had less than a month to make some real progress.

   The intern pressed a few buttons on the touch-screen computer and the rats were released into the glass cube. They scurried about, sniffing the walls and each other. There were four: all white with red eyes. Well-fed and plump, they wobbled as they moved. You found them to be cute. Praying you had addressed the hyper-aggression issue prior trials had experienced, you interlocked your clammy hands and watched.

   One by one, they approached the 'sugar cubes'. Far from what they seemed, the cubes were a concoction manufactured with all your hopes and dreams poured within alongside some very questionable science. Technology had come so far and yet no one wanted to push it further, to do the unthinkable. That didn’t faze you. If anything, it only served to make you more determined.

   When the first rat began nibbling on a cube, your stomach started to churn. There was a lump in your throat. This was it. That make or break moment. The moment of truth. After a minute of solid eating without the rat flat-out dying, you released a staggered breath. Obstacle one passed.

   Soon the others followed and within minutes the cubes were all gone. What remained were crumbs and the four white rats with their blood red eyes. They stared at one another but didn't attack, which eased the anxiety tearing at your guts by a fraction. Some earlier trials had resulted in an absolute bloodbath with the largest and most dominant rat ripping the others to shreds. Literally.

   These few, however, weren't showing any signs of aggression nor any other outward sign of changes. No hemorrhaging, no desiccation, no self-mutilation, no mutations. For the first few minutes this was a good sign, but any longer than that and it became a marker of failure. You needed some indication of change or else it was just another botched formula and the hubris of reaching for a future that wasn’t yours to grasp.

   "Well?" Kun asked and the hairs on your neck stood tall. Bracing yourself with an apology and a promise to do better, you were cut off by a spew of vitals being run off by an intern. Looking up, you saw a twinkle in his eyes as he turned from the rats and faced you. "Then it was a success."

   What?

   "A… success?"

   He coughed into his handkerchief, clearing his throat for a long moment before responding, "You did it."

   The world passed in a blur as you stared into his eyes. Celebrations commenced around you. Champagne popped and fizzed. Everyone shouted their congratulations. Many hands clapped your shoulder until it became numb. Someone reminded you of the promise for full-time employment given your first success on this project, but all you saw was Kun and the shadows that painted his elegant features in darkness.

   No time was wasted before chimps were supplied to the laboratory for the next phase of trials. Day and night you threw yourself into your work, observing the rats for adverse reactions while tweaking the formula to complement the primates. They were larger and, of course, of a much different biological makeup than the rats. If you could get these trials to work, then you'd be much closer to human trials.

   Human trials… it seemed like such an impossible hope just mere weeks ago and now you thought it to be a certainty.

   The higher-ups at NeoTech were still riding your back about results. It somehow became worse after you joined as an official member of the team. They expected much more from their employees than you considered humane. You found motivation in an unlikely source: Kun.

   After being allowed more permissions in the lab, you found a whole new layer of Hell in the treatment he received from the executives. Meetings where all the scientists gathered only to be belittled by the 'bosses' were commonplace. He often took the brunt of their wrath for you, shielding you from their displeasure under the guise of being the lead scientist on the project despite the title being shared between you both.

   But despite it all he always smiled.

   Even after his fifth twenty-hour shift in a row that ended with him sleeping on a squeaky couch in the Lounge, come morning he still poured you a coffee and beamed at you with that brilliant smile of his. It was the best way to start your day. His presence gave you a boost and if Kun could find a reason to push forward, you could too.

   Throwing yourself into your work, you documented the experiments in explicit detail. The first set of chimp trials proved useless due to your calculations being too low, whereas the second set were a disaster. Once again you had miscalculated but this time you put too much of the serum into the cubes and the chimps regressed too far, too fast. Parts of their bodies were like newborns, underdeveloped and malformed. It was, quite frankly, a horror show.

   Moving on with your head held high, you pushed through trial after trial. They had varying results. Some made you upchuck the little food you had in your system while others had you pulling the hair out of your head. You were grateful for Kun and how calm he remained no matter the situation. He wasn't the type to lose his cool and that grounded you.

   Months passed in a whirl and, despite the relative success of your research, you feared growing older. Aging to the point of turning to dust and bones was just a natural part of life, the inevitable next step. You hated it. Avoiding mirrors, you ran from the frown lines and crow’s feet that teased the edges of your otherwise smooth skin. Such small blemishes and imperfections and yet you saw it for what it was: the start of everything going downhill.

   Kun, as brilliant as he was, was no exception. No matter how great a mind you possessed, everyone was subject to the cruel mistress that was time. The last few weeks were evidence of that. Frail and prone to coughing fits, he spent more time hunched over and struggling to regain his breath rather than leading the lab. A private man, he had never disclosed his illness to you. Even as he passed you the keys, handing command of the team to you, he refrained from sharing any details of his condition. Concern for your long-time partner ate away at you but you couldn’t find the time to help him. It had fallen onto your shoulders to become the guiding force of the lab and you soon realised that Kun's position wasn't to be taken lightly.

   Everything he once managed on a daily basis was hell to you. Running the team while pushing forward in your own studies and tweaking the formula made you want to quit right there and then - it was too much responsibility! You didn’t have the experience necessary to make it work. Everyone looked to you but you couldn't provide what they needed: a leader.

   With Kun out of action and stress consuming your sanity, you abandoned your studies to focus instead on the formula. Leaving the lab in disarray, you only used it to test the latest cubes, going as far as sending the interns and technicians to different teams. Morale had been low since Kun’s health sabbatical and there were whispers of the ailment being terminal.

   Documents filled with notes on the experiment results cluttered your home, or rather your office space that you had since renovated into a living space. It had been so long since you’d seen your apartment or even a proper bed. Hell, you can’t remember the last time you saw the sun. Yet deep in your bones you knew you were on the edge of a breakthrough and it was with that gut feeling that you found purpose.

   If you could succeed before Kun's illness got worse, you'd be able to help him.

   If you could rewind his biological clock, you'd be able to save him.

   If you could just turn back time…

   It was three in the morning when all the pieces fell together. Staring at the computer and all those god awful numbers, eyes strained and blurry, a beacon of light called out to you. The error in your maths, the hole in your theory, the answer to the question on whether we mere humans could transcend to godhood and manipulate the fabric of time itself: yes! yes, we fucking could, and we would.

   Phone pressed against your ear, you called Kun while typing away at your computer, the clack of the keys loud in your otherwise quiet room. You inputted the data and ran a simulation, jubilation amplifying the exhausted tremors in your body. Stomach churning with anxiety, hunger, and raw adrenaline, you watched as the numbers displayed a positive outcome. It was happening - you had cracked the formula’s code.

   Kun picked up after the third ring, his voice deep and tired. "What's wro-"

   "Dr. Qian, I figured it out! Come down to the lab, we need to test this!"

   A hoarse, pained cough met your ears and you flinched. He didn’t sound well. Not that he ever did lately. Whatever his illness might be, it was worsening. Part of you regretted calling. While this was a major breakthrough and you knew he’d want to be the first to know, he needed his rest and shouldn’t be pushing himself, not for a trial run on an unsubstantiated theory. That’s what it was, after all, just another one of your theories.

   Guilt gnawed at your edges and you opened your mouth to apologise, to tell him good night, when his rough voice broke through the speaker.

   “I’ll be there.”

   He left you no room to argue edgewise as he hung up, plunging you back into silence while you awaited his coming.

   With bated breath, you both watched the chimp. It wasn't dead yet so you allowed yourself a glimmer of hope. The clock ticked with every passing second until it ticked no more, fading into ambient noise. Neither you nor Kun spoke. All you could do was wait. Your eyes stung from how hard you stared at the animal. The greys on its back turned black, you could swear they did, but Kun didn't comment on it and when you looked a little harder, there were still speckles of the lighter fur.

   After thirty minutes, the designated time required to observe without interference, you sighed. Kun's own shaky exhale was followed by a pained cough. Whatever plagued him seemed to deteriorate his health that much faster with every failed experiment. Somewhere deep down you had hoped that seeing a successful result would halt the illness in its tracks. You always were such a dreamer.

   "It's either a failure or a complete success."

   "We need to take samples."

   "Do that and forward me your findings.” He stood on unsteady feet, balancing himself on your shoulder for a brief moment. Sweat caked his brow. ”And send me the updated formula. I want to see it for myself."

   "Of course, Dr. Qian."

   “One last thing.”

   Despite his soft nature and feeble state, you gulped. “Yes?”

   “Congratulations - you just made history.”

   There was no hiding your excitement. When he left the lab, you squealed. You spent a solid minute jumping on the spot. Energy surged through your body, allowing you to push aside the tiredness seeping through every muscle. It worked. By God, you just knew it, it fucking worked. It wasn’t the magic from science fiction novels, but close enough. While you hadn’t solved how to turn back time per se, you had discovered a way to turn back time for an individual, to return their body to a younger state.

   Leashing the chimp, you held his hand and walked him away from the experiment platform. You didn't need to go far to reach the secondary room where you performed the physiological exams. It was outside the main laboratory but still within the same wing. Upon entering, a cold gust enveloped you. That, and endless darkness.

   With a quick clap of the hands you waited for the lights to turn on. The lights remained off. You tried again. The pitch black persisted. Your hand ran down the chaste walls in search of the manual switch. No snag or blemish hindered the movement. Inching inward, you became more fervent, nails grating against the smooth surface. Childish thoughts of terrific beasts and grotesque monsters crept forward, jumping out of the shadows and polluting your rationality.

   Leaning into the deep unknown of the shadows, your heart pounded in your chest. It’s illogical - being scared of the dark at your age - but you couldn’t shake away your fears. For whatever reason, you couldn’t free yourself of the burdening dread as it sank down your throat to rest in your gut like a pocket full of stones. It was as heavy as stones too, you realised, as your body stagnated under the sluggish weight of despair. Panic constricted your lungs and your breath became haggard and forced, the flow of air tumultuous and painful.

   It wasn’t until your fingers found that little box that you found respite from the horror show your mind concocted. Taking a step in its direction to better reach the mechanism, you collided with a metal rolling cart. The clatter of scalpels and flasks against steel scared not only you but also the chimp. He jolted backward, yanking you back in the process. Despite being within your grasp, the promise of light evaded you and instead you fell into the awaiting embrace of darkness.

   Akin to shattering ice, your head met the cold floor with a loud crack.

   Artificial light burned your retinas as you blinked away the dizziness and throbbing aching of your skull. Coming to, you pushed yourself onto your elbows and gazed around the room. Your monsters were long gone, the lights presumably scaring them back into the recesses of your mind. The chimp was well-trained and had hopped onto the metal table in the middle of the room of his own accord. He waited for you, scratching at his chest as his dark eyes glanced from you and the door beyond you.

   Standing with a groan, you checked behind you. The door was closed. Near it was the rolling cart that had resulted in the cataclysmic pounding of your mental drum that now drowned out all other sound. Blood still thrummed inside your head. Running your fingers through your hair, you were relieved to find no superficial wounds. Blinking away the blur that shrouded your eyes, your body swayed back toward your friend on the table. Upon your apparent recovery, he had turned his attention toward biting his own foot. You scoffed.

   “Must be nice to be worry-free.”

   Each step forward echoed off the sterile walls. Ignoring the haze threatening to plunge you back into unconsciousness, you walked toward the chimpanzee. He reached for your hand and you gave it to him, allowing him to hold your finger as you scanned him for any outward signs of distress. His fur was darker and less peppered than it had been before the trial. Even his vocal cords sounded less strained, his mirthful howls ringing in your ear. Another bout of joy burst through your veins.

   It was cut short by a sharp pain shooting outward across your scalp. With your hair in his hand, the chimp gave a second, more powerful tug and you yelped. Grabbing his wrist, you held him in place before he could continue but he was quick on his feet. He used his other hand to yank your head toward the shining, silver slab. You gripped the edge, its chilled surface burning your fingertips and crushing your nails. Due to his position, you hovered above but never touched the table. Noticing this, the chimp readjusted his hands on your head and applied more pressure. Cold sweat trickled down your brow and into your widened eyes as you caught your refracted reflection.

   Oh how the tables turn - it always did remind you of a morgue, didn’t it?

   “Stop it!” you yelled, your voice fracturing. “Let me go!”

   And you’re all alone. Though that’s nothing new, not really.

   “Let me go!” you repeated with more fervor, desperate to regain dominance over the beast.

   This is what happens when you cut corners.

   “Fuck!”

   Straining beneath his powerful hold, you thought with mock-triumph that his strength had doubled. Another indication of success. How swell that the very science you had pursued your entire life was now killing you. You couldn’t help but laugh. If that wasn’t bitter irony, you didn’t know what was. Your chest rumbled and your body shook with each violent release of laughter until it consumed you and you fell slack, giving yourself over to the situation.

   You awaited the bite of cold metal against the soft jelly of your eyes, guffawing all the while.

   The entirety of your arms convulsed beneath the weight of your madness.

   Your nails bent and cracked and paled.

   Crazed eyes pierced through you.

   Staring into the madness, down became up and you struggled to discern yourself from the metal’s reflection. The icy realisation that the lunacy was your own plunged you into a spiral. In the seconds between mania and finality, you’d lost sight of yourself and became the very monsters that haunted you whenever you closed your eyes. You had given up so much of yourself in order to achieve this: your family, your friends, your sanity, your morality. Was it ethical to toy with one’s life, to play God for a pretty penny?

   Looking anywhere but at your own twisted image, your knees began to buckle beneath you.

   You can’t even stand to look at yourself anymore. Was it worth it?

   You just needed sleep.

   Are you even yourself anymore?

   It’s normal to get cold feet at the dawn of a life-altering event.

   How much more will you sacrifice for your ambitions?

   This will change the world for the better.

   Can you ever regain what you have lost?

   “No!”

   Your distraught sob splintered across the room, shattering the concrete shoes that weighed you down before you could sink. With staggered breaths, your gaze returned to the table. When did you age so much? Whatever happened to the childhood you abandoned in pursuit of eternity? No matter how far back you turned your biological clock, the innocence of youth was lost to you. Life is meant to be lived once - why didn’t you enjoy it while you could?

   Tears muddled your vision, corrupting your image further until you became without detail. While one burden grew, the other disappeared. The literal weight on your shoulders withdrew and the hands that once entwined within your hair retracted. Unfurling his hand, the chimp plopped onto the table and started to babble like a child once more. Lifting your chin, your throat bobbed with a heavy swallow.

   There wasn’t a trace of hostility left on his face.

   “What?” you mumbled, backing away from the chimp. Noticing your distress, he reached for your hand, going as far as to pout when you didn’t give it to him. He hooted and hollered, beckoning you as if he hadn’t just attacked you. “You could’ve died today, you know? I almost felt bad using you as the test subject. Almost.”

   You felt childish for threatening an animal but you dismissed it as therapeutic. Unhealthy perhaps, but you had to start somewhere. If nothing else, it was better than addressing the little voice in your head and the truths it spewed.

   Without taking your eyes off him, you grabbed a bowl of fruit from the mini refrigerator to use as a distraction while you leashed him to the table. It had been a long, long time since this particular chimp had to be constrained. He had mellowed out quite a lot in his adulthood, at least that’s what the handlers had told you. Much too new to the lab, you weren’t around when he was a child or teen, and after that little stint you were glad.

   “Now you better be good or else I’m putting you to sleep. One way or another.” You pointed an accusatory finger at the chimp and he started to jump in glee. “I don’t need you alive for much longer so you better watch yourself.”

   After taking blood, saliva, and hair samples, you subjected him to x-rays and a biopsy alongside some more basic tests to observe his mental state while the samples were cultivated. Pacified by the fruit, his demeanour returned to that of his ‘older’ self. He was calm again, and didn’t act out of turn. Even during the more painful tests he didn’t have an episode. In fact, he was so well-behaved you started to wonder whether or not you had imagined the whole fiasco. With the lack of sleep and necessary nutrients, it wouldn’t surprise you if your mind started betraying you.

   No matter the truth of the incident, all you could do was push forward.

   Satisfied enough with the chimp's cognitive ability and the fact he remembered commands he learned not only as an infant but since you had met him, you caged him before returning to the brightness of too many computer screens. They ran different processes, all attempting to speed forward to the results you yearned for. Rubbing your tired eyes, you leaned forward to better see the trickling numbers as they poured down the monitor. With a clap of your hands, the lights faded to black and the world collapsed around you, leaving just you and the data.

   A yawn seeped through your lips.

   Exhaustion caught up to you and you fought to stay awake.

   It was a futile endeavour.

   Unable to keep your heavy eyelids open, you nodded off.

   A string of beeping announced the final sample’s cultivation and you awoke with a start, dazed and confused. Data flooded the screens. Trying to absorb it all at once, you rolled your chair backwards. It was pointless. Pushing forward, your nose almost touched the monitor as you squinted, the numbers morphing into one another. It all seemed to check out, at least at first glance. There was a slight discrepancy in the-

   Your phone rang.

   It sliced through the still air like a siren. Snapping your bleary eyes away from the distorted screens, you picked up the call without checking the caller ID. At this god-awful hour it could only be one person. You had, after all, no personal life that would seek you out, not since you threw your whole world into this project. Bitterness tainted your greeting but, if he sensed something was amiss, Kun ignored it.

   "I received your formula. Amazing work. How is the chimp?"

   "He's alive…” you hesitated, unsure if you should mention the incident. “And well. He’s playing with the fruit I gave him.”

   "Playful? That old chap? You're getting my hopes up."

   "The results, Kun… I think we did it. I mean, aside from the possibility of him regressing too far, it all checks out. Physically he's… de-aging."

   "That's never been a problem. Your formula has always been solid when it comes to stopping the regression. What about mentally?"

   "He's retained knowledge. He can complete commands taught to him just a few months ago as well as ones he’s known since childhood."

   "Excellent work, Doctor. Now get some rest. You've earned it. We'll run additional trials this week before presenting the findings to the Board."

   "Thank you and good night, Dr. Qian."

   He hung up, plunging you back into silence. In the quiet dark, you found yourself crying. After all these years, you did it. ‘To achieve greatness one should live as if they will never die’ and it couldn’t be truer. The suffering was behind you now. No more sleepless nights, no more fear of losing your job and the resources it provided, no more resentment toward yourself - it was a success. You succeeded against the odds and the criticism.

   You proved them all wrong.

   As the tears subsided, a wave of nausea encased you. It mixed with fatigue and dulled your senses. You could see the discrepancy screaming at you just as it had before Kun’s call and yet you couldn’t quite process what it was telling you. It just didn’t make sense. While most of the chimp’s hormones were within acceptable parameters, several key chemicals were too high. His testosterone level had risen beyond the typical level for an adolescent teen or a matured adult.

   It wasn’t the first time you’d seen a dramatic hormonal shift in one of the test subjects: it occurred in the rats, too, when the alpha had torn its companions to shreds, leaving a trail of tails and limbs scattered throughout the entire maze.

   Blood splattered across the walls until they ran red. When you had removed the rat from the maze to observe the changes up close, it went into a frenzy and attacked its handler before striking out against the bars of its cage. While still hyper-aggressive toward the other rats, it focused all its attention on one in particular: a young female that had caught the eyes of all the dominant males. When she fled, he followed. Wherever she ran, he would pursue. He clawed and gnawed at the small white rods that separated them until his teeth snapped and he whittled his fingers down to fleshy nubs.

   Shuddering, you pushed the memory aside. This couldn’t be the same problem. You had addressed that issue long ago. It wasn’t like you to make mistakes twi-

   From behind you came the screech of steel grating against steel.

   Snapping your head around fast enough to cause whiplash, you searched the room. The chimp in his cage near the back of the room was the likely suspect. If anything was moving in the room, it made sense for it to be him. And with his current chemical imbalance, it wouldn’t surprise you if he was having another outburst. And yet his corner was quiet. Mouth filled with mango, he was oblivious to the world around him.

   He was silent, and he was still.

   An endless supply of dread began to fill you, sloshing about inside your guts until there was no space left for anything except fear. The air in the room was thinner, as if another were consuming it faster than the vents could resupply it. Out of paranoia your breathing became unsteady and desperate.

   Within this tight, sound-proof room within this large, empty building… you were no longer alone.

   Squinting as you scanned, your chest tightened when you caught sight of it: a mass of shadows that seemed to reach for you. It grew in height the closer it moved toward you. Swallowing the light around it, the darkness went from black to infinite. Step by echoing step, it glided across the room. A chill clutched your spine, sending deep tremors though your tense muscles.

   Not knowing what else to do, you clapped.

   The lights flickered on.

   Chased away by the sudden illumination, the shadows retreated to the recesses of the room… and yet it remained.

   You screamed.

   Travelling the remainder of space between you both, the soundwaves bounced off Kun’s body and filled the room with fragments of your terror.

   “Dr. Qian! You scared me!” Clutching your chest, you took a deep breath and felt the thudding of your heart. Even if it had just nearly leapt out of your throat, it was grounding. Despite the circumstances, the beat was calming, its rhythm constant and soothing. After a long inhale that cleared your senses, the subsequent exhalation rooted you back into your situation. Monsters may run rampant in your imagination but this was no dream, and there was nothing to fear now that the years of failure were long behind you.

   At least that's what you told yourself.

   Kun chuckled out a ‘sorry’ and it brought your attention back to his face. There was too much to take in at once and you stared at him with your mouth agape. Metallic blue hair teased his keen eyes, his bangs styled down across his forehead. His skin was as smooth as porcelain. There wasn’t a single wrinkle or blemish, his features elegant yet harsh. Bright in comparison to his overall appearance, his eyes twinkled as he observed you.

   “Did… did you dye your hair?”

   Of course he did. It was stupid to ask, but you also didn’t want to broach the other question with its equally obvious answer.

   “It’s something I used to do in my youth.”

   A nervous laugh departed from your jittery lungs. “It’s a bit early to be celebrating that much, don’t you think?”

   “What do you mean?”

   He took a step toward you.

   “Well… we’re a long way off human trials...”

   You trailed off as he took another step forward.

   “I’m aware of that.”

   His tone was as sharp as the clack of his shoes against the polished tiles.

   “Of course you are.”

   Three more steps synchronised with the nod of your head.

   “Can I ask you something?”

   Within arms reach, the space between you was finite and yet his voice sounded miles away.

   “I was just about to leave actu-”

   Kun kicked your chair and you gasped when it slammed against the desk. The monitors teetered and swayed before settling with a quiet groan, mirroring your own body. While the impact wasn’t strong, it was enough to disorient you. When you looked back up at Kun, you realised he had encaged you. His arms formed the cell and his hands planted on the desk were the locks. Leaning into your personal space, his cologne swirled around you. His words wisped into your ear and clawed at your brain.

   “If you had your whole life given back to you, what would you do with it?”

   Closing your eyes, you pretended to think while weighing your options. If Kun took the formula then he was liable to be violent. Leaving would prove difficult given how much stronger he was than you. Even when he was in the throes of his illness, his body was more muscular and toned than yours. While he wouldn’t have regained his atrophied strength from the regression, he’d be at full health and would have no trouble stopping you dead in your tracks.

   “Answer me.” You stiffened at the hint of a growl that followed, and his subsequent soft laugh wasn’t enough to ease your nerves. “It’s for science.”

   “I don’t know.” The alpha rat killed the others to assert dominance. While it was unlikely that Kun saw you as a threat, you tried to make yourself look smaller and deferential. Avoiding his gaze, you kept your face lowered. If you could subdue him or coerce him into one of the locked rooms, you could start researching how to undo the change. You just needed to buy some time and lower his defenses. “What would you do?”

   Raising your chin with the tip of his pointer-finger, he spoke in an even tone, “I’d spend every moment until my dying breath with the one I loved.”

   “That’s beautiful.” Forcing a smile, you tried to look anywhere but his burning stare.

   “What’s wrong? You’re acting like you can’t stand the sight of me.”

   There was a bite in his voice. Clenching your fists in your lap, you braced yourself for a potential violent episode. He was much larger than the primate; he’d do a lot more damage if he decided to slam your skull into the table. Steadying your breath, you inhaled at an even pace. Filling your lungs and holding the air within for brief seconds before releasing, you heard the tick tick of his watch as time marched on without you.

   Ferocious serenity settled in your veins as you came to your resolution. Dryness stung at your eyes but you didn’t waver. Without a hint of a quiver, you gave him what he wanted: your full attention.

   “Did you experiment on yourself?”

   His head tilted and exuberance spread outward across his face like that of a boy whose love was requited.

   “You’ve given me a second chance. I owe this life to you.”

   “Did you exper-”

   “Yes.”

   “Why?” A trickle of moisture stained your cheek. “God, why, why?”

   For a brief second you swore you saw remorse in his eyes but if it had truly been there, it was long gone by the time he spoke. “For once I wanted something for myself.”

   “I’m sorry I failed you, Kun.”

   “Failed me?” Dropping to his knees before you, he brushed away the tears that promised to spill from the corners of your eyes. He was too close to see anything except the tremble of your lips and the infrequent gasps that passed though them between soft sobs. Twisting your arm out of the chair’s confinement, your fingers hovered mere centimetres over the table in a desperate search for anything you could repurpose into a weapon. Unaware of your true intentions, Kun shushed you, shaking his head while tidying up your hair. “Oh sweetheart, you could never. You’ve given me everything.”

   You found your phone. It slid back an inch as your nails caught on the case. A pen rolled across the table. Kun watched it fall, he listened to it clatter against the hard tile. In slow motion, his accusatory line of sight zeroed in on the minute movement behind your back. Your breath caught in your throat. Darkness infected his demeanour. Leaning forward to get a better view, his mouth parted and words you knew you had no satisfactory response to would soon follow. Mustering a facade of courage, you swung your hidden hand forward.

   With a sickening crack it connected with his temple.

   He stumbled back onto his haunches and you took the opportunity to bolt.

   Electrified by pure adrenaline, you threw yourself toward the door.

   It didn’t budge.

   Punching in the code, you tried again.

   It remained locked.

   Metal on metal, the door groaned as you tried to force it open.

   Slamming your fist against the military-grade door, you fought tooth and nail until the pristine white turned red.

   Spurting from the split flesh of your hand, your blood ran deep before seeping into the cracks of the door.

   Feasting on your life force, it seemed to become sentient, possessing a will of its own - one that wouldn’t bend to your desperation.

   You begged the door to open, to stop moaning and just let you free.

   It refused, mocking you with its red warnings and threats.

   Muddled breaths got louder, closer.

   No matter how many times you tried to bypass the system, your exit was prohibited.

   Access Denied.

   Staggering exhalations fell into the space behind you.

   It was the sound of a beast on the edge of insanity.

   “We could’ve had something beautiful, you and I,” Kun spat the words out through gritted teeth.

   Your shrill shriek echoed off the hard walls, bouncing from corner to corner before penetrating your trembling form. With a final futile tug on the handle, your resistance ebbed as the certainty of your capture clenched at your heart. He’d won. The prey to his predator, you were unable to flee, unable to run.

   You were at his mercy.

   Smooth fingers crawled around your neck, cradling your throat in his hands. When they met in the middle he tightened his hold, yanking your head back until it rested perpendicular to your spine. His breath was hot against your temple. Wet heat poured forth from your stinging eyes. There was a coldness in his gaze as he regarded you. Disappointment coloured him in grey. He tutted before pressing his lips to your forehead. Despite it all there was tenderness there. It made you nauseous.

   “Don’t cry, sweetheart. You’re just confused. It’ll be better once you take your medicine.”

   Between his harsh grasp and the angle in which he held you, your airway was cut off. It made it difficult to speak. Forcing the words out alongside coughs, you stammered, “Kun, please, you don’t have to do this.”

   He smiled and the lights overhead illuminated him in an unnatural glow, his beauty gorgeous and blinding. “Perhaps. But I want to.”

  – ♡ –  If you enjoyed this, please consider liking, commenting, reblogging, and/or following! Thank you!

[neo-shitty]

nct masterlist.

☆ - reader’s favorite,  ♡ - writer’s pick 

back to main masterlist | navigation

MARK LEE

AND I WOULD LIKE YOU TO LOVE ME. — “i loved her hard and at a distance, which made it easier to do, experienced brief but powerful compulsions to hug her and almost never did.” - our wives under the sea, julia armfield. 4.6k. angst, slight fluff, best friends!au, one-sided pining

ARAW-ARAW (EVERYDAY). ☆ —  in which mark was sure that what he felt for you was certainty. 2k. fluff, university!au.

TEN FEET DEEP, STILL SINKING. —  after years at camp, the monsters no longer scare mark as much as they used to. but after a brief brush with them on the night you were supposed to be back in the safety of the barrier, he realizes that the fear isn’t gone completely but rather diverted. 2.8k. hurt/comfort, fluff, pjo!au, established relationship!au

LEE JENO

KILL STEAL. ♡ — in which you found your name on the kill list of a notorious group of maniac killers and lee jeno was your only ticket out alive. 8k. thriller, suspense, purge!au,

WHAT IF WE STAY. ☆ — one summer, two boys, and a rollercoaster of emotions later. ft. lee donghyuck. 21.7k. fluff, angst, summer!au, university!au, band!au

LEE DONGHYUCK

CAN’T I JUST SAY I LIKE YOU. —  you, donghyuck, and the one time the mcdonald’s ice cream machine wasn’t broken. 2.3k. fluff, (attempted) humor, mutual pining, bestfriends to ???

DEAD ENDS. — donghyuck is a piece of your past, a ghost in your present, and a dot of uncertainty in the future twists of time. 6.9k. angst, exes to ???!au, time-travel!au, cafe!au

SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM ♡ — the past ripples in the present, the currents of history crashing on the shores of the new day. in the halls of a place you’ve never been, you and haechan are caught up in a riptide—your paths always destined to meet, forever entwined and doomed to the same fate. is history really bound to repeat itself no matter how hard you try to change it? 14.1k. angst, suspense, fluff, historical!au, established relationship!au, soulmates!au, reincarnation!au, museum!au

WHAT IF WE STAY. ☆ — one summer, two boys, and a rollercoaster of emotions later. ft. lee jeno. 21.7k. summer!au, fluff, angst

NA JAEMIN

APPARITION. —  “i am afraid i will love you forever and we will never be in the same room again.” - clementine von radics, in a dream you saw a way to survive 1.9k. angst, lovers to exes to ???

NO LONGER HUMAN. ☆ ♡ —  in which you plunged face first into the horrors of a world left abandoned for three centuries in search of your only friend, na jaemin, wondering how you’d fare in a world where the species perched on top of the food chain were no longer human. 30k. angst, post-apocalyptic!au, dystopian!au, childhood friends!au, best friends!au

These are works of FICTION. All of the characters, organizations, events and places mentioned in these stories are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Copyright © 2020-2022 by neo-shitty.

[luvlyuno]

alone (m)

What happens when your crush offers to let you stay a few nights but plans take a turn?

Pairing: Huening Kai & Female OC

[ft. TXT Soobin & Yeonjun, NCT Na Jaemin, ITZY Lia & Yuna]

Genre: Suspense, Little Angst, Ballet AU

Warning: Sexual Assualt, Rape, Arguing, Trust issues, Suicide

Word Count: 2.0k

Note: first post~

-------------

“And 1. And 2” The girl leaped from point one to point two. Feeling the melody of the classical song. Her dance partner lifted her body off the ground, bringing her to a full 360 degree. “Great job Sujin. Impressive like always” The instructor complimented as the team finished practice. Sujin’s face turned into a light shade of pink, quickly thanking her instructor before scurrying to her bag to pack everything up.

“Hey Sujin, Miss Park wants to speak to you in her office.” Lia, a fellow member of the ballet academy said. The girl put her phone down walking over to the office surrounded by windows. “Miss Park, you called me?” Miss Park stood up from her desk with an envelope in her hand. “Look what I found in the mail.” The elder woman handed the thick envelope to Sujin. “It’s from Saebom School of Arts.” She commented. A layer of moisture grew on Sujin’s hands. Her hands started shaking as well. “Open it when you get home.” Miss Park lightly patted the girl on the shoulder as she walked outside back into the studio.

“Why did Miss Park call you in?” Yuna, another teammate and friend of Sujin asked. “She gave me this envelope from Saebom.” Yuna’s mouth was in an ‘o’ shape. “Well, I got to go. Someone was calling you by the way. Don’t forget to text me!” Her friend yelled running out of the door of the studio. Sujin giggled a bit, walking off to her slightly open duffle bag. The girl knelt, picking up her phone from her bag. A notification from the boy that she’s head over heels flashed on the screen. “Kai Jung.” She said under her breath. The two lovers met over summer dance camp. Kai was from a different ballet studio a couple of hours away from Sujin’s. They met by being paired up for a boy and girl dance duet at camp. Later growing mutual feelings for each other. She unlocked her phone immediately by pressing on the messaging app. Sujin typed away on her phone telling Kai that she will call him when she got home from the studio. Before leaving Sujin waved goodbye to her ballet instructor and went off to catch the next bus.

“Next Stop: District 9” Sujin got up from her seat walking out of the bus. She watched as the stores along the sidewalk turned on their neon lines. Shining through the darkness of Seoul. Sujin sighed heavily as a quick shiver ran down her back. Sooner than she thought, Sujin was already home ready for dinner. “Sujin’s home!” The girl’s older brother, Jaemin said, sliding through the hallway of their house. Sujin smiled as she took her shoes off. “Mom!” She yelled from the Mudroom. “Miss Park gave me this envelope from Saebom.” She made her way to the kitchen. “She told me to open it at home.” Mrs. Na hummed in response while stirring the soup for dinner. Sujin slowly opened the thick envelope, taking the piece of paper out.

“Oh my god.” She gasped, clasping her hand to her mouth. “I got in! OMG, I GOT IN JAEMIN!” She squealed like a pig. The girl jumped in excitement, her once low bun undoing.” Jaemin hugged his sister. “Congrats sis! You got into your dream school! She nodded, smiling from ear to ear. Sujin turned to look at her Mom who had no emotion written on her face. Sujin’s smile dropped to a confused look. “Mom? What’s wrong” Her Mother looked up. “Isn’t this too much? Ballet is a hobby, not a career.” Mrs. Na questioned. “Mom, Sujin has plans ready for herself. She planned to be a professional ballerina and have a side business like what she has now.” Jaemin stuck up for his little sister. Sujin was on the verge of tears from all the arguing. “And!? What is that gonna help her in the future? I TOLD YOU TO BECOME A LAWYER-'' Mrs. Na was cut off. “BEING A LAWYER WAS YOUR DREAM NOT MINE! I CHOOSE WHAT I WANT TO BECOME IN THE FUTURE NOT YOU!”

Sujin then stormed off to her bedroom. Tears streaming down her face. Jaemin’s eyes following hers. “Wow, Mom. The time when you’re supposed to be a ‘supportive mother figure’ has gone to waste.” Jaemin ran after Sujin leaving their Mother dumbfounded. Sujin sat on her bed as she cried rivers. A sudden knock was heard. She didn’t feel like opening it, so she ignored the knocking. “Sujin it’s me Jaemin. Can I come in?” She stayed silent. “I’ll just take that as a yes.” Jaemin walked in taking a seat next to her.

“Why can’t Mom just understand that this is what I want for me in the future? What did I do for her to act like this? I don’t want to be under the same roof as her right now” Sujin complained as tears spilled out more. Jaemin sighed. “I honestly don’t know how to respond to this but I support you. Dad would support you too.” He smiled trying to brighten the mood. Sujin’s lips curled a little making Jaemin feel a little satisfied. “I’ll give you some alone time. I know you’ll probably trap yourself in here till she apologies, so text or call me if you need anything.” Then he left, leaving Sujin giggling a bit. Her phone started ringing all of a sudden.

Her phone lit up with the contact name Kai <3 on it. “Hello? Kai?” Her voice was raspy from all the crying. “Hi, Sujin! A-are you okay? You sound sick.” Sujin softly giggled at how Kai was worried for her. “I just got into an argument with my Mom. I don’t want to be here right now.” She pouted. “Wanna stay the weekend at my Grandma’s house with me? She lives near you. Same town.” Kai offered. He was planning to surprise her but plans took a turn. “Oh please, you’re a lifesaver Kai!” She smiled through the phone. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow afternoon. Around 4 pm.” Kai happily said. The two eventually hung up. Sujin laid down bored out of her mind. Until Jaemin barged into her room.

“Well, dinner was super awkward. Mom was just ranting to Dad the whole time but bro was like I support her.” Sujin puffed out a little chuckle. “Did you just call Dad bro?” Jaemin just shrugged then left her room. The next morning everything was so strange to Sujin. Maybe it was the fact that her Mom didn’t open her windows while she was sleeping. Or that breakfast wasn’t pre-made for Jaemin and her. Sujin rose packing her bags getting ready to stay at Kai’s Grandma’s house for a few days. She has informed Jaemin that she was going to sleep over at her friend Yuna’s place for a couple of days. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Kai texted.

“I won’t be able to pick you up. I hate to help my Grandma cook, so my cousins Soobin and Yeonjun will pick you if that’s okay?” Sujin replied with a quick okay then continued her packing. It was a little over 4 pm when Kai’s cousins Yeonjun and Soobin arrived to pick her up. “How did you and Kai meet? He’s never really had a girlfriend.” Yeonjun commented. Sujin was shocked at the assumption of the two dancers dating. “Oh u-um, we’re not dating. We’re just friends nothing more.” She blushed at the thought. “Hmm.” Soobin replied. The drive there was quite longer than she thought. That’s until Soobin offered to give her something.

“Hey Sujin, we just came from the store before picking up. Want some of these candies we bought?” It would be rude to decline so Sujin agreed. After a few sour gummies, she started to feel dizzy. Then everything went black. Sujin woke up in an unfamiliar room with a locked door and a glued shut window. What in the world happened? Dark thoughts polluted her brain.

“Oh! You’re awake.” In came Soobin but no sight of Yeonjun. “Where’s Kai? Are we here already?” She cluelessly asked not even noticing the object in the male’s hand. Soobin got closer to Sujin, inches away from her face. She was caught off guard. His eyes piercing through her soul. “G-get away from me!” She stuttered pushing him away. A smirk grew on his face. “I’m not gonna do anything to you.” She raised an eyebrow feeling the uneasy energy in the room. “How am I supposed to trust you?” Sujin slowly walked backward. Soobin follows as she moves. “I promise.” Soobin injected her with some type of liquid in her right arm in just a blink of an eye. To Sujin the room started spinning. She felt weak but a sudden burst of unusual energy burst. Soobin’s lip curled as he watched transform into a different state of mind.

“Yeonjun come in here.” The pink-haired boy Yeonjun walked into the room, eyes widening at the scene. Sujin wasn’t acting normal. “C’mon you go first.” Soobin pushed Yeonjun closer to Sujin who was laying on the white mattress. “This is wrong I’m opting out dude.” Soobin chuckled at the scared Yeonjun. “Oh is little Yeonjun scared to do something very bad to this little girl?” Soobin laughed again pushing Yeonjun’s shoulder. “Do it or I’m telling the student body that you’re selling you know what. And that would for sure get you expelled from going to your dream school.” The boy walked closer to Yeonjun who was awfully terrified. Just the threat alone could make Yeonjun do it with hesitation. He knew it was bad but still did what he was told. “Thanks for starting now, let me finish her.”

Soobin said without any emotions. Yeonjun stepped aside as he watched the screaming girl whine and cry. It was so hard for him not to call for help. Yes, he felt guilty for Sujin but reputation goes first in this cruel world. Sujin screamed and screamed for help. The immense pain Sujin didn’t sign up for was never-ending. As much as she tried to fight back or force Soobin to stop he would either reply by slapping her or making the pain worse. “Please Stop.” She whispered weakly. Sujin laid there lifeless.

“Hurry and get back in the car.” Soobin groaned leaving the room. Sujin wept to realize what just happened. She never thought that her first would be a crime. She hurriedly put on her clothes and walked out of the mysterious house. Soobin saw as she sulked all the way out of the house. He didn’t have the patience for this so he picked her up shoving her into the car. The night ride to nowhere was quiet. Besides the silent sobs and choked-up breathing that was coming from Sujin, there wasn’t a single word spoken.

“Get out.” The car came to a stop. Sujin looked up making eye contact with Soobin through the rearview mirror. “I said GET. OUT.” He repeated through his teeth. “Y-you were supposed to bring me to Kai..” She dragged her words. Soobin huffed. “I said get out!” He repeated once again annoyed. His sudden shout made Yeonjun and Sujin flinch. Sujin got out of the car grabbing her belongings. Just as she closes the door, Sujin gets a quick glance at Yeonjun. His facial expression filled with guilt. Seconds later the car left faster than light. Sujin stood there feeling the moonlight shine on her. She was left in the middle of a highway in Seoul. Sujin felt so dirty and disappointed in herself. All the times she tried to stop a car to get home they would just give her a dirty look.

“I could’ve stopped him.” She thought. Just within two days, her life went downhill. She quickly took out her phone typing a quick “I love you, Jaemin.” to her brother. “Doesn’t that bright light seem interesting?” Sujin asked herself. She stepped off the sidewalk. Her feet leading straight to her fate. The sound of honking did not faze her. The bright lights didn’t even make her squint. Sujin Na just kept walking to the middle of the road. Till she wanted to stop.

BREAKING NEWS: 18 YEAR OLD SUJIN NA REPORTED DEAD AT HWY NEO127. CT SCANS FOUND SHE WAS BRUTALLY RAPED BEFORE HER DEATH. CCTV SPOTTED THE TWO PERPETRATORS, SOOBIN CHOI AND YEONJUN CHOI. MORE INFORMATION WILL BE ANNOUNCED...

Jaemin’s shaky eyes rewind again and again. It’s been two years since her suicide. Her soul still lingers on Highway Neo 127.

Sujin Na.

[kpophoneybunny]

Hold Me - NCT Jungwoo x Fem!OC (College AU) One-Shot

Genre: Suspense/Angst/Romance

Rating: I’d say R (violence, description of stalking and assault, strong language, some nudity, suggestive content)

Disclaimer: This is written in the first person but I tried to keep her name and description as vague as possible. The stalker is not any k-idol and is based on someone who stalked me in middle school.

WARNING: Description of violence, death threats, attempted kidnapping, physical assault (she is naked and in a towel but it is not sexual assault although she is forcefully kissed at one point), strong language, nudity, mild (consensual) sexual content. (There is no smut in this one-shot)

A/N: This is based on a nightmare/dream, some real-life experiences, and a few of my deepest fears.

Tag List: @twancingyunhoe @frickyea-guacamole19 (comment to be added or removed from the one-shot tag list).

Word Count: 1518

For months now, I was receiving anonymous notes claiming that the writer was in love with me and that I needed to accept them. It had recently escalated to at least three notes every day. I had received printed pictures of me through the window of my dorm room and notes saying that if I continued to ignore this person, I’d regret it.

I kept it a secret from everyone but my roommate - after all, she lived in the same room as me and was probably in danger too - and a friend who lived off-campus who let me shower over there every night. I didn’t even tell Jungwoo, my best friend since childhood who lived right across the hall from me. He had no idea that anything was even remotely wrong. I didn’t want him to worry about me. Besides, I’d never even seen the stalker’s face.

But, in all honesty, I was terrified. I was even scared to shower at the dorms, fearing that he’d come to watch me or worse. But I didn’t have the time to wait for my roommate before the party so I swallowed the dread and stepped into the communal women’s bathrooms, walking to the showers in the back and setting my things on the bench, slipping behind the curtain and stripping. I washed myself and my hair, about to reach out for my towel when the curtain opened.

There stood a man, looking me over as if he had every right in the world to do so. “I finally have you to myself, princess.”

I screamed, hoping someone would hear me and come help me. I managed to reach past him, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around myself to hide my body. “No! Leave me alone!” I let out another scream as he came closer, clamping his hand over my mouth. His fingers dug into my skin so harshly that I was sure it would bruise.

“Did you honestly think you could just ignore me? Did you really think I wouldn’t make you love me?” He growled, eyes filled with a rage I had never seen before. I whimpered, clutching my towel tightly to keep myself covered. “You’re going to get dressed and come with me, quietly. If you try to signal to anyone that something is wrong, I will kill you. Do you understand?” I nodded, fighting back tears. Would I be one of those girls who went missing and was found months later in a trashbag buried in the woods?

The bathroom door opened. “Hello?” It was Jungwoo. “I heard a scream. Is everything okay?” He was coming closer. I locked eyes with the man who was definitely my stalker and let out a muffled scream, knowing Jungwoo would hear me.

The stranger growled and shoved my head back against the tile wall so harshly that I let out a loud cry, my vision blurring as I struggled to reorient myself. “I said to stay fucking quiet.”

“Get off of her!” Jungwoo grabbed the guy by the arm and pulled him off of me, standing between us protectively. “Get the hell out of here or I’ll call campus security.”

“That’s my girlfriend. Get out of my way.” The guy pushed Jungwoo aside and grabbed me by the arm. I almost dropped my towel but I kept a fierce grip on it so no one would see me naked. That was the last thing I needed right now.

“I’m not!” I tried to wrench my arm free but my stalker grabbed me by the neck and kissed me roughly, obviously trying to deter Jungwoo from interfering any further.

“We’re just having a fight. Don’t mind her.” He was unhinged, deranged. I never knew it would escalate to anything like this. I couldn’t hold back the tears when they came and I sobbed pathetically, hoping Jungwoo would succeed in running the other man off. Physically, they seemed evenly matched. But Jungwoo looked about ready to knock him down and start wailing on him.

“If she had a boyfriend, I’d know about it.” Jungwoo grabbed him by the collar and yanked him away from me. “Get the fuck out.” He shoved him towards the door. “OUT!” Jungwoo pushed the man out into the hall. “If I ever see you again, I’ll call the police and have you arrested!”

I sank onto the floor of the shower, holding my towel tighter as my chest heaved. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think. My head felt heavy and my thoughts were static. It was as if my brain had been ripped out of my skull and replaced with stones.

“Are you alright? He didn’t… hurt you. Did he?”

“No. And… no.” I wiped at my tears, trying to cover myself even more. I didn’t want to flash Jungwoo. Especially not after what I had just experienced.

“Here.” He handed me my bag of clothes. “I’ll go stand by the door to give you privacy and keep other people out.” Jungwoo bit his lip and walked away. I checked to make sure he wasn’t looking in the direction of the showers, drying off and putting on the jeans and t-shirt I had brought to change into. I stepped out, my towel folded over my arm, and walked over to him silently. He looked my face over carefully and gave a slight frown. “Who was that guy? He didn’t look familiar.”

“He’s… been sending me love notes every day, multiple times a day. They’ve been getting more threatening and he’s taken pictures of me through my windows and-“ I fell apart again, feeling ridiculous for hiding something so serious and crying like a baby in front of him. “I think he wanted to kidnap me or-or-”

“Hey…” he hesitated. “Can I hold you?” I nodded and he took me into his arms, smoothing a hand over my wet hair. “You’re safe now, okay? I’ll tell the RAs and all the guys in the building and we’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“No. You don’t have to do that. That’s too much…”

“No, it’s not. It’s the least I can do for you if this guy is really such a threat, you know?” He kissed my forehead gently. “Do you still wanna go to that party?”

“No. I think I’ll just stay in tonight.” I stepped out into the hall and he followed behind me.

“Can I stay with you? Just to make sure you’re okay? We can watch a movie or something.” He took my hand in his to make me look at him. His brows were knitted together but his eyes were soft. His other hand was rubbing the back of his neck as he looked me over. “I just need to know you’re safe.”

“Yeah. That’d be really nice, actually.” I took him into my dorm room and sat on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest. He sat next to me and turned on the TV, not making a move to touch me. He was probably afraid to set me off. But I needed to be held and reassured so I leaned into his shoulder, sniffling as he browsed the channels. He wrapped his arm around me to tug me closer. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He tilted his head curiously.

“For saving my life.” We locked eyes and he gave my forehead another gentle kiss.

“I didn’t want to lose you. I was so afraid and I knew that if I didn’t do anything…” He trailed off. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Jungwoo.”

“No. I love you. I’m in love with you.”

“Oh.” My breath caught and I searched his face for any sign of joking around or lying. But he was entirely serious.

“I didn’t really accept it until I saw that guy grabbing you like that and manhandling you and I-I lost it. I was so mad. All I could think of was punching his lights out and keeping you safe.” We weren’t paying attention to the television anymore, staring at each other. I wasn’t even sure what we had on the screen. I tugged him into a gentle kiss.

“I love you too.” Our lips parted as I mumbled out my response but they quickly reunited once he processed what I had said. He cupped my cheek and I winced, pulling away slightly.

“Oh my god, you’re bruising. He hurt you…” Jungwoo’s fingers gently brushed over my face. “Your neck too.” His voice wavered.

“Jungwoo,” I let my lips graze his ever so slightly, “kiss it better?” His eyes widened and he glanced at my neck nervously. “Everywhere he touched me… kiss me. Please?”

“Is this how you really want that to happen?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Yes. Distract me, kiss me, touch me. Anything.” I begged, bringing my lips fully against his.

“Alright. Stop me at any time.” He whispered, laying me on my back as he began to kiss my lips, my cheek, my neck. I completely forgot about my stalker that night, every inch of me focused on every inch of Jungwoo.

[jenonctcity]

Burning Jealousy

[8:14pm]

Huang Renjun – Smut

Boyfriend!Au

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Oral (male receiving), dom!Renjun, face fucking/deep throating, rough sex.

Request: Requested by anon – Reader makes Renjun jealous and teases him until he can’t take it anymore and takes her to his room.

 The moment you stepped through the threshold of the NCT Dream dorm you had already decided you wanted to tease Renjun. The inkling of the idea had popped into your head when Jaemin was the one to answer the door to let you inside. You couldn’t deny how handsome he looked in his comfortable clothes. With his pink hair laying fluffy against his forehead, his black adidas joggers showing the length of his long legs, and his white t-shirt tight against his biceps. Renjun was nowhere to be seen as you and Jaemin greeted each other, so with a cheeky smirk you leaned close to Jaemin’s ear and whispered into his ear your evil plan. He pulled his signature cheeky grin and nodded enthusiastically, overjoyed at the thought of winding up his older brother.

“Follow my lead little one. Pretend you’ve hurt your foot or something.” He mumbled as he ruffled your hair, scooping you up into his arms in a bridal carry and causing you to squeak loudly in surprise. He carried you through the dorm until you got to the living room, gently laying you on the sofa. “She tripped and hurt her foot.” Jaemin spoke with dominance in his tone, sitting by your feet and pulling them onto his lap. Renjun, sat on the opposite sofa furrowed his eyebrows and jumped up, sitting beside you quickly. 

“Are you okay baby?” He grasped your hand in his own, looking concerned at you and scanning the rest of your body for injuries.

“I’m fine, its lucky Jaemin was there to catch me!” You didn’t look at Renjun as you spoke, instead keeping your eyes on Jaemin and missing the look of jealousy spark over your boyfriends’ features.

“You caught her?” He queried with an eyebrow raised. His back going up like a dog possessive over its food.

“Yeah, she just fell into my arms like a damsel in distress.” As Jaemin spoke he slowly started to massage your foot in his lap, looking at you with a sultry look. This wasn’t missed by Renjun, him shuffling closer to you.

“Jaemin you’re so strong…” You giggled in a flirty way, reaching out a hand and giving Jaemin’s bicep a squeeze. He automatically flexed the arm you had on him, making you giggle more. “Renjun isn’t he strong?” You turned your head to look at Renjun, giving him a wink as a subtle hint of your teasing. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, glancing at Jaemin again before fixing his eyes on you.

“I’m strong too…” He mumbled, folding his arms over his chest like a stroppy child.

“You never use your strength on me so I wouldn’t know.” You dismissed him, turning your focus back on the handsome boy rubbing your foot. “Jaemin that feels so goooood.” You let out a soft moan, biting your bottom lip and giving him a steamy look.

“Yeah, you like that?” He moved his gaze to linger on Renjun, staring him out as if to rub it in his face.

“What did you trip on?” Renjun piped up, getting antsy at not having your attention on him. His jealousy piping hot in the pit of his stomach. Igniting the spark of fury to travel up through his veins, making his hands twitch as he held himself back. The way he tensed up didn’t go unnoticed by Jaemin, him giving you a wink and a smirk in victory.

His question made your mind blank, not having prepared this far in advance of your lie. You hesitated before opening your mouth and stuttering. “Oh e-erm..” Jaemin also had no answer, stopping his fingers on your foot in suspense. “Just the erm…floor?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Renjun’s confidence shone through his words, making you turn to him with a bashful smile on your face. “I knew it.” He snapped, standing up in haste. “I’ll show you how fucking strong I am.” He pulled you up over his shoulder before you could put up a fight, a yelp leaving your lips in surprise. He marched through the dorm to his bedroom, Jaemin chuckling as he watched you.

“You’re welcome!” He pulled out his airpods from his hoodie pocket and put them in his ears, getting prepared for what’s about to echo through the dorms. “Thank god my babies aren’t here.” He mumbled to himself, referencing Chenle and Jisung who had left about half an hour ago to shopping.

The door to his room slammed shut with bang after he kicked it when he’d entered the room. He threw you on the bed, so you were sitting with your legs hanging over the edge. “You think you’re funny?” His tone was strong, scolding you over your playful antics.

“A little.” You smirked, looking up through your eyelashes at him. He stared down at you, giving his head a stern shake in disapproval of your backchat. “I wanted to see my very handsome, very sexy, and very strong boyfriend get jealous and punish me.” You bit your bottom lip as a technique to seduce him.

“Stop talking.” He growled, running his hand over your neck to the back of your head.

“Or what? You gonna make me?” You smirked, pushing his buttons as much as you possibly could. He gripped you by the hair on the back of your head, tugging your hair roughly, forcing your head back.

“I want you to make as much noise as you can so Jaemin knows just how good I can fuck you.” He whispered against your lips, tugging your bottom lip between his teeth before kissing you roughly, not wasting any time to slip his tongue into your mouth. He let go of your hair, using both of his hands to tug down his black skinny jeans, his boxers coming down with them as he left them resting at the top of his thighs, pushed down just enough for his erection to spring free. “You know what to do pretty girl.” He stood between your legs, motioning his head down to his hard dick, pre-cum glistening as a small drop leaked from the tip. You glanced at it, gulping once in anticipation before looking back up into his eyes.

“Do I?” You’d never pushed your luck this much before with Renjun, satisfied with the way his adams apple bobbed as he swallowed, gritting his teeth before snarling at you in anger.

“Suck. It.” You batted your eyelashes at him, leaning forward and taking the head between your lips, giving it a weak suck before pulling away. You leaned back in, flicking your tongue against the slit and keeping eye contact with the ever-growing, agitated boy. You opened your mouth again, ready to take him back into your mouth when he beat you to the chase, thrusting himself inside your mouth hard enough to hit the back of your throat, forcing a gag to rise up. “I gave you a chance to do it properly and you didn’t. Keep your throat relaxed or you might choke baby girl.” The use of a pet name made your stomach flutter, your panties getting wet from his dirty talk. He didn’t hold back, fucking your face with vigour as whimpers left you, the vibrations making him throw his head back and release a long moan. “Good girl.” He praised you, holding your hair in a bunch at the back of your head to keep it out of the way. You gagged once more as hit cock attacked the back of your throat once more, a small drop of saliva falling from the corner of your mouth.

He took a deep breath to compose himself before retreating, his cock falling from your lips with an audible pop. He motioned with his head for you to lay on the bed, controlling you with his dominant era. “Take your shorts off.” You complied, pushing them down your legs and smirking as his eyes momentarily widened before his unphased façade came back. “No panties? Jaemin fucking carried you with no panties on?” He snapped, giving you a firm shove so that you landed on his bed on your back, his voice remaining strong and intimidating. “Spread your legs and behave. Understood?” His tone was causing you to obey, not giving it another thought as you laid back on his bed, your legs spread wide open and arms laying above your head on the pillow.

“Understood.” You confirmed, wiggling your hips and biting your lip in excitement from the dicking you know you’re about to be on the receiving end of. He climbed over the top of you after removing his pants completely, leaving him only in his t-shirt, in too much of a hurry to bother removing it. You had on t-shirt of his too, one of the many you’d stolen from him in the past. He pushed it up your torso, leaving it rolled up underneath your chin as he pulled your bra down as far as it could go without you taking it off, the straps on your shoulder restricting its journey down. He didn’t make a move to touch your breasts, but you knew he enjoyed the way they felt pressed against his chest whenever you had sex face to face, that’s why he got them out on display.

“I hope you’re ready kitten.” He licked a stripe up your neck, guiding his cock to your entrance and slamming it into you. The initial stretch was followed by the pang of pain due to not being prepared properly, but after a few shallow thrusts the pain dulled and strikes of pleasure took its place.

“Fuuuck.” You moaned, throwing your head back and giving him full access to you neck. He rested his lips against the hot skin of your throat, nipping at it with his teeth when his thrusts started to quicken. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head, your eyelids drifting to a close as the euphoric feeling of his cock hitting your g-spot repeatedly made you feel on cloud 9. He puffed hot air against your neck as he panted, sending cool shivers rupturing down your spin, only to be met halfway by the chills coming up your spin from pleasure.

“Scream my name baby girl.” He grunted, pressing a wet kiss to your red bitten lips.

“Renjun!! Oh my god fuck me Renjun!” You shamelessly screamed out, your arms moving from the pillow above your head to rest on his back. Gripping at his t-shirt you pulled it up his back, bunching it in your hands and trying to tug it over his head. He pulled back from you, your hands falling to your sides as he sat back on his knees and stopping his thrusts momentarily to whip his shirt over his head. He threw it carelessly across the room, gripping at your hips tightly and continuing on with fucking you. You opened your mouth, preparing to tell him how close to your orgasm you were by the new angle his cock was hitting your walls at made no words leave your mouth. The white-hot ecstasy blew up inside you, a loud moan emitting from your lungs as your walls fluttered around him.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” He chanted, his hips becoming chaotic and his rhythm faltering as the knot tied tighter in his stomach. He chased after his orgasm, your velvety, wet walls constricting his cock and making him grunt when the knot snapped. White streaks of cum coating your insides as he ground his hips into yours, making sure not one drop gets spilt.

He didn’t speak a word as he collapsed against you, leaning up on his elbows either side of your head. His damp skin made his hair stick to his forehead. This caught your attention, making you huff a laugh and wipe your hands across his forehead, pushing his hair off of his face. “Best sex we’re ever had.” He smiled, dominant Renjun now a thing of the past as all his hormones rushed around his body making him want to cuddle up to you.

“You can thank Jaemin for that.” You smirked up at him, biting your bottom lip to stop yourself from laughing at your own joke. His face fell immediately, giving you a blank stare despite the fact he actually found your teasing funny. “I’m kidding Renjunie.” You giggled, leaning your head up to give the tip of his nose a quick kiss.

“Brat.” His face broke into a smile, kissing you softly on the lips before reaching under you to unclip your bra. He pulled your t-shirt up over your head as you leaned your body up to allow him to do so, then he slowly slipped off your bra down your arms.

“I’m your brat, you love me.” You wiggled your hips to remind him that he was still buried deep inside you despite how his member had started to soften. He screwed his face up from the overstimulation it caused him to endure, letting out a sigh before staring you in the eyes.

“You’re right…you are my brat.” He chuckled when you gasped, slapping his shoulder as a punishment. “And you’re right that I love you.” He gazed down at you with so much love and adoration in his eyes that you felt your heart pound, it sending flocks of butterflies flying in your stomach.

“I love you too.” You both leaned in, in unison as your lips met in a sweet and chaste kiss. “But, Jaemin rubbed my foot. You’ve never done that before, so you have a lot to live up to.”

“Oh don’t start!”

“It’s true!!”

“He doesn’t rub your pussy though. Does he? No. So your point is invalid!” You argued back and forth, not realising that Jaemin was walking past Renjuns room at that moment, his eyes bugging out of his head at the words he heard and almost choking on his own spit in shock. He thought it was safe to take his airpods out but now he’s regretting it. He grinned though, calling through the door to you both.

“I could if you want me to!” He heard the sound of your laughter, followed by scuffling sounds and the ominous thudding of footsteps getting closer to the door. “Oh shit.” He took off running as the door swung open, hitting the wall and shuddering on its hinges from the impact. Renjun appearing in his boxers and t-shirt with a face of thunder and cheeks burning a deep red.

“Do you want to die?!” He chased after the younger boy, leaving you to listen to the boyish yells and pleas of forgiveness when Renjun had cornered Jaemin. Jeno appeared in the doorway with a smirk and you thanked your lucky stars that you’d taken the initiative to get under the duvet. He leaned against the doorframe and winked at you.

“Heard you wanted your feet rubbed?” His words made you laugh loudly, having expected him to flirt with you to try and made Renjun even madder. His light-hearted joke took you by surprise. You poked your foot out from the confines of the duvet and wiggled it at him.

“Get rubbing Mr Lee.” The two of you laughed in jest, Renjun appearing from behind Jeno with Jaemin in a headlock, an exasperated look etched across his face.

“Touch her and you will be next on my hit list. I was given two arms so I could beat you both at the same time.”

[neonacity]

ARCANE | CH.9 | NCT DREAM X READER

Summary: When you decided to apply for a researcher post in an elusive institute, you already had the feeling that you’ll be getting yourself knee-deep into something out of the ordinary. But desperate needs require desperate measures, and so you embraced the invite, despite all the alarm signals urging you to run away. What you found out was nothing you’d ever expected.

Seven boys.

Seven human deviants granted with abilities tied to the legendary Arcana Cards.

Welcome to Project Dream.

Pairing: Various Dream Members x Reader

Trigger Warnings/Themes: violence, torture, trauma, very slight yandere themes, poly dynamics, suggestive themes, language, psychological, mystery, sci-fi. Romance will take a little bit of a backseat on this one since this is more of a suspense-driven plot, but it will still be threaded in the overall story. The concept of the tarot or Arcana cards will be loosely used throughout the series. Note that I am not a trained doctor so there may be some slips here and there about medical things. Again, this is a work of fiction and I am not implying any likeness between the characterization here of the boys to their real life counterparts. I also reserve the rights to all my work—I do not post anywhere else other than tumblr. Minors DNI.

> CH. 1 | CH. 2 | CH.3 | CH.4 | CH.5 | CH.6 | CH.7 | CH.8

Chapter Song:

Mad Hatter > Melanie Martinez | Middle Finger > Bohnes

The glow of your phone screen threw harsh shadows against the walls of your room. You’ve been sitting on your bed in the dark for god knows how long now, still wearing the same outdoor clothes and muddy boots from your trek to Rosewood. You barely have any idea what happened in the space of time after you've discovered the framed pictures in the strange room, but somehow, you've managed to haul yourself back home in one piece.

Well, maybe 'managed' is too far reaching for a word to use.

Ten and Kun have kept quiet for most of the ride, but you know both boys were able to catch onto something from the way your phone was blowing up at the moment from texts from both of them. You ignored everything, not only because you have questions you can’t answer yourself, but because you don’t think you have it in you anymore to convince them that you’ve only seen one lead during your search—the shot of the seven boys that proves they were indeed occupants of Rosewood. You just felt drained. Maybe even numb, except for that one seedling of emotion that has been slowly weighing down your chest every passing second.

You took a second to put a name on it, turning it in your head despite your focus trying to shut down on you.

It wasn’t surprise.

Not even desperation.

It was way worse.

It was betrayal.

The call tone of your phone fell on deaf ears as your hands tightened around your blankets. Your chest was hurting and the back of your eyes felt hot even though they remained dry. Before you even realized what you were doing, you hurled yourself up from your bed and grabbed your phone. Kun's name was flashing on it, but you quickly swiped the ignore button as you hurried to the door, hands grabbing your car keys and nothing else.

*******

Cypher looked even more ominous at night. With the lights dimmed down and the hallways almost empty, your hurried steps sounded louder and foreboding as they bounced against the pristine white walls of the Institute. While you would have come in here with a little bit more caution before, your eyes stared ahead now, your jaw set as you went down the corridor you’ve walked so many times in the past few months since you signed up to this mess. For some reason, you just know where to go, despite not even having the confirmation that you’ll find what you were looking for. Briefly, your conversation with Renjun back at the greenhouse flashed through your mind again as you made a turn at the corner.

“She knew what she was doing when she put you there as bait.”

“And I don’t understand why. Why me?”

“Maybe because we’re interested in you.”

“None of you even know me.”

“That’s debatable.”

You gritted your teeth now as the words echoed in your head. They didn’t make sense before, but they do now, like a sick punchline to a joke you were too late to realize was about you.

They know.

They’ve always known.

You stopped on your tracks at the far door at the end of hallway, the same one where you’ve first met them from behind the camera lens. Without wasting another second, you swiped your ID pass on it before pushing it open.

Seven pairs of eyes swiveled towards you in unison, their owners seemingly caught in the middle of conversation. Haechan and Mark were in the middle of a game of pool when they looked up while Jisung and Chenle were on the sidelines, fixing the billiard balls. Renjun was sitting with Jaemin on the bubble seats close to the pool table and next to them was Jeno who was leaning against the wall. Your eyes briefly went over each of their faces, your chest constricting as you took all of them in. Chenle, who was closest to where you are, gave you his usual beaming smile while the others looked on with the same pleasant surprise at your sudden barging.

“Noona. Why are you here? It’s the weekend—”

“Who are you. All of you.”

Your voice sounded hard and on edge when you cut him off. You didn’t even realize how your shoulders started to slightly shake, your hands balling on your sides as you tried to steady yourself. It didn’t even take them two seconds to get what you were talking about, the air in the room shifting as their smiles slowly bled from their faces.

You thought you heard your heart break in the silence that followed.

“Princess…”

“Don’t fucking call me that!” you finally snapped as you turned towards Haechan. The boy immediately stopped, but the look he gave you didn’t calm any of the emotions now threatening to pull you under. Instead, you turned towards Mark who you noticed just stepped a little closer to where you are. He kept his distance, but the way he held himself somehow told you he wanted to make another move. You shook your head at him.

“Why do you know my father?”

The moment you said that, you saw a look of guilt flash in his eyes. His jaw locked, as if he was looking for the right words to answer you with.

“You went to Rosewood…” Renjun filled up the momentary silence as he picked himself up from his seat. His gaze was full of understanding, and for a brief second you wondered if he was getting inside your head again. This time, however, you didn’t care. If anything, you wanted him to do it, just so he can spare you from trying to sift through all the questions that were almost making you feel numb.

“Yes. Like you planned to,” you said, your voice shaking. You reached out for your phone and showed it to them, the screen frozen on the photo you took of them with the man. All of their expressions changed—some with pain, others with guilt. “How do you know him?”

Mark finally decided to break the silence.

“He’s… the Headmaster of our school.”

His reply made you frown.

“Since when? Did you know him for a long time?”

He exchanged glances with Renjun before nodding.

“He was there… before we were even sent to the orphanage. He helped raise us. We knew him since we were kids.”

It felt like every fiber in your body lost its sense of feeling. You looked at him defeated, an expression he reflected back at you with the same look of guilt everyone else was wearing. It was the answer you were expecting, but also the one you were praying not to hear because it only proves one thing. All those nights he left you. All the days you grew up wanting nothing more but a parent…

He was being a father to them instead.

You’ve never hated the man. Even with all the holidays spent alone, the closed doors, and the story books never read, you never hated him, mostly because he wasn’t even there that much in your life for your relationship to breed such an intense emotion. At one point, you’ve trained yourself to live with the fact that your father has dedicated himself to his work. You didn’t exactly know what it is that he was doing, but you were able to convince yourself that he has submitted himself to a grand purpose. Maybe he was trying to save the world. Maybe what he was doing can change the lives of many for the better. Because what else can be more important than those kinds of lofty, heroic goals that can push someone to always put their own daughter—their only remaining family—in the back burner?

As it turns out, seven boys is all it takes. Them and probably others who have gotten the same care and attention from him that you haven’t had a taste of yourself.

“Did you know… that I am his daughter all along?”  

The air in the room has gotten so heavy that you could swear you were almost choking on it. Jaemin answered, his voice low and calm.

“Yes… We figured it out.”

“Where is he now? Do you know why he left?”

This time, nobody dared give you a reply. Nobody even looked up to meet your eyes. It was too much for you that after a while you actually crossed the room and reached out to Mark.

“Please. You don’t understand. He’s the only family I have. Give him back to me.”

Any other time and you would have flinched at the way your voice broke. After all, you’ve worked so hard to never to let anyone see inside of the walls you’ve painstakingly worked to build around yourself. But you couldn’t care this time, not even when the look Mark gave you told you that you wouldn’t like his answer. You could see it—how he was being torn from the inside too.

“I wish we could, but we don’t know where he is. He—your father… tried to protect us. Cypher was after him first because he knew everything about the Arcana holders. He went away to take them far away from us, and we haven’t seen him since.”

Your were convinced your heart had stopped beating for a moment as his words sunk in. You stared at him, hoping you could see any trace of lies in his face, only for you to be let down again. Nobody dared move or say anything in the room. You didn’t exactly know how long you just stood there, immobile, until you slowly took a step back.

“So he left… for all of you. Again.”

The corner of your lips tugged as you gave a nod. You didn’t even have the energy to look at them. Finally, you turned and started making your way out the door. You’ve only gone a few steps when you felt a gentle hand reach out for your arm. Blindingly, you turned around to come face to face with Jeno. For the first time since you met him, he looked at you without the unreadable mask he always keeps on whenever you got too close.

For the first time, he actually looked like he cares. 

“I told you… You’re only going to get hurt.”

You felt too numb to even react. You simply shook his hand off of you before you left the room in dead silence.

*******

Apparently, five days is the longest length of peace you can have until something blows up in your face again and pile over the things you've already been trying to avoid.

Granted, you cheated on having it by taking a sudden work leave, but for once, you felt liberated over breaking the rules. Since that night of confrontation back at Cypher, you filed for an indefinite absence and have turned off all possible channels you can be contacted on so you can focus on other things. You can't really say you're doing a great job at it though, not when you've been spending the last half hour staring at your screen trying to finish a page in your thesis. Sure, the last five days have been quiet, but as expected, silence doesn't necessarily equate to making your problems magically go away. 

You groaned softly now and removed your glasses to pinch the bridge of your nose. Maybe you shouldn't have turned down Mijeong's invitation for you to go party with her tonight, but of course you had to regret your decision too late. Mulling over it a bit, your eyes finally landed on your phone lying face down and looking very much abandoned on your desk. It was half-covered by your study notes now since you haven't touched it for days, but it still took you a good half minute to finally reach out for it. With a slight sigh, you finally turned it on, your eyes squinting a little bit at the glow of its screen.

It didn't even take ten seconds before the ringing sound of notifications assaulted your ears. You winced. Just as expected, you got dozens and dozens of messages and emails, some for work and the others mostly from Ten and Kun. You bit the inside of your cheek now in guilt. You haven't really reached out to them since you disappeared, which, now that you think of it, was a very asshole move. Before all the message alerts came in, you already opened Kun's contact so you can send him a message of apology.

You've barely even typed your first word in when the last of the texts finally registered on your screen. You froze when your gaze locked on the last one. You haven't even gone through the messages before it, but the one sentence alone resting on the foot of the chat window made your heart drop to your stomach. It was just eight words, but they were enough to make your blood run cold.

'You have to come. They are hurting them.'

*******

The sound of your sneakers thundered down the long hallways as you ran. You were heaving, but you didn't stop as you tried to call Kun for the hundredth time since you saw his message. He just sent it today, about an hour and a half ago, but that was still long enough for things to have gone south. You cursed under your breath. You didn't know where you were going, but when the line dropped again, you went to the first place that you knew he could have left a trace. You almost stumbled in front of the entrance of your office, fingers almost slipping on the knob as you hurriedly opened it.

Kun was not there, as you already expected, but a wave of relief went over you as you saw the light of the wall of monitors in the center of the room. He left every single one of them open to give you the clue you needed to trace the boys. A splitting pain was making your side hurt, but you ignored it, your eyes set instead on scanning every single screen in front of you.

You finally found it on the middle row, though the live feedback on the screen momentarily made you hold your breath. It was a view of an unknown room showing a top view of the boys staring off at something on the other side. You can't hear what any of them were saying, but you didn't have to…

Not when the look of horror and anger on their faces told you everything you needed to know.

Your eyes quickly scanned them, and then a second realization finally made you hit the ground running again.

Everyone was there.

Except for Renjun.

*******

It barely took you another minute to find the lab room, but it still felt like forever before you skidded to a halt before its doors. Your palms have gone sweaty by now that you had to try and steady your hand as you tried to scan your access card while fighting to catch your breath. At one point, you felt almost hopeless thinking you are not allowed access to the room, but then a small green light beeped to life before the mechanical doors started hissing as they parted. They have barely opened halfway when you slipped inside, your eyes wild as they went through the room.

The first thing that registered to you was the half glass wall that separated the space into two sections. It was unlike any that you’ve visited within the Institute before, this one looking more like the interrogation rooms one would see on police stations where people can observe from the other side. Your eyes landed on the six pale faces looking at you now with the same expression of urgency, but your attention was soon enough torn from the boys when you heard a muffled scream from beyond the glass wall before you.

It felt like all the blood in your body was drained when you realized what you were looking at.

The other side of the room was brighter than the section where you and the rest of the boys were standing, the harsh fluorescent lights only putting more emphasis on the sparse set-up that was laid out before your eyes. There was an odd-looking machine similar to an encephalogram unit on the side of the room, currently being manned by a gaunt looking woman in a blue lab coat. It has the same sigil that you have on your work uniform, though you knew you’ve never seen the lady before in the months that you’ve worked here. Briefly, you remembered what Kun said a long time ago about Cypher having its own circle of private doctors and researchers—a unit that was entirely separated from the regular research team of each project of the Institute. Back in a control panel before her, wires stuck from the machine down to the middle of the room...

Where Renjun was strapped on a seat, looking barely half-conscious.

“Oh my god.”

“Noona, please help him.”

You didn’t have to turn around to recognize Jisung’s voice. Instead, you quickly jumped to action, running close to the glass wall instead and looking for any slot you can use to pry it open. You knew the only way to reach the other side was through here because you didn’t see any other door before you came in. Your hands ran through the wall, but your palms were only met with the feel of the smooth, icy glass.

“There’s no entrance here. We tried. It must be a secret door on the other side,” Jaemin spoke this time, his voice sounding the most stressed than you’ve ever heard him before. “It’s bulletproof glass, too.”

His words made you curse under your breath. You turned to them abruptly, and for the first time, you realized some of them were also injured.

“Are you—Are you okay? What’s happening?”

“We were all picked up today and was put on different stress tests. They were—they wanted us to project our full abilities,” Mark answered. The look on your face must have been so severe because he immediately tried to follow-through before you can even utter another word. “We’re fine. But Renjun, he can’t take it. His body resistance is weaker than ours. We have to get him out of there.”

“How long has he been there?”

“Maybe fifteen minutes,” Chenle answered. There was a small cut under his eye that was already starting to swell. Jeno, who was beside him, closed his hands into fists.

“Long enough.”

Your knees felt weak as you turned towards the window again. Just as you did, a flash of bright light went off in the room beyond that made you flinch. It looked like a spark of electricity, and it was soon followed by Renjun’s anguished scream from the other side. His slumped body straightened like a rod from the shock before he curled in again on himself. The wires taped on his temples moved as his head hung low after the shock.

They’re… electrocuting him.

“Hey! Stop! Open the door! I’m his doctor! You’re hurting him!”

You screamed at the top of your lungs as your fists started banging on the glass in front of you. The lady turned to look at you briefly, her beady eyes seemingly checking for your identity. When she seemed to have confirmed that you weren’t part of whatever division she came from, she simply turned back to the machine again and pressed a button there.

This time, Renjun barely moved. He flinched, but other than his neck rolling back to rest against the chair, he seemed to have lost consciousness already. A small trail of blood trickled from his nose. Your arms stopped banging against the partition, your expression shell-shocked as you stared at him.

No…

“I’m going to fucking kill you.”

Whatever shock has frozen you in place snapped as you heard a low voice from the other side of the room. In the chaos that happened earlier, you barely even noticed Haechan who had said nothing since you came into the room, until now. One look at him sent a whole different kind of chill to spread over your body. He was so still, but the way he was standing told you that he was on the verge of snapping. Gone was the usual carefree air that he always seemed to carry before. Instead, he was almost expressionless… except for the rage burning in his eyes now staring at the woman.

“Haechan…” your voice sounded shaky when you called out to him. You took a furtive step towards him, but it didn’t seem like he heard you at all.

“...Touch him again and I’m going to rip her head off.”

You looked around in fear at the lady at the other side of the room. She was typing a set of commands on the small keyboard next to her machine, and you saw a small rounded countdown window show up on the monitor before her. She was powering it up. Gearing up for another round of shocks.

“Haechan, control yourself,” Mark’s voice made you turn back to the group. He is also looking at Haechan now, one of his palms held up in a placating manner. He was taking careful steps towards the boy and it took you a few seconds to realize why. The room was dim that you didn’t see it at first, but then you squinted and you noticed the way the air seemed to ripple around the other. It shifted and broke apart, similar to how broken pixels would look like. You stopped.

It wasn’t his illusions.

He was shifting the very dimension he was standing on instead.

“Haechan, don’t—!”

A soft buzzing sound started to come from the other side of the room. You didn’t have the heart to look at it, your wide eyes set on the boy before you, but it started picking up until it almost drowned the room with noise. You turned just in time to see the woman lift her hand, her finger moving towards the same button she had been pressing again and again. Lips parting, you started running towards Haechan, barely even noticing the huge black gaping void that burst behind him, its jaws open like a hungry monster. Mark shouted from somewhere you couldn’t really see and you thought you felt someone tried to pull you back as fingers grazed your arm. You slipped past them though, your hand closing around Haechan’s sleeve before they could even get a hold of you.

It happened all at once. The moment you touched him, there was a deafening shrill that pressed against your ears painfully as you seemed to have been lifted off the ground. It only lasted for seconds, but the next time you opened your eyes again, you were in an entirely different place.

You stumbled back a little and fell to the ground on your knees as your eyes tried to focus on what you were seeing. It was similar to the dark void that you were plunged in back at the arena, except this time, everything seemed to have been dissolved in darkness. No walls, no ground to stand on, even Mark and the others were gone, all except for you, Haechan, and an unconscious Renjun lying on the ground. A little ways from him, looking just as disoriented was the lady in the blue lab coat.

"Renjun!" You scrambled to your feet and ran towards the boy the second you were finally able to recover. Kneeling, you tried to cradle his head gently on your lap as you felt for a pulse. He has it, albeit weak, and you gently tilted his head back to keep his airways open.

"Where are we? What did you do?"

For the first time ever, you heard the scratchy voice of the woman who was pulled into this nether dimension with you. She sounded scared, and for good reason, as you saw Haechan step slowly towards her in your peripheral vision. Once again, a chill struck deep in your gut when you focused on his face. A small smile has pulled the corners of his lips again, but it wasn't anything like the playful ones he used to have before. Instead, he sized her up slowly, calculatingly, like a predator stalking his prey.

"Make a guess. You don't seem so mean now that your stupid machine is gone, huh?" He sneered. The woman tried to scuttle away backwards in her hands and feet, pale as a ghost.

"We asked you so many times to stop. Nicely too, but you didn't listen. Look what you've done to him, you stupid crone."

"Haechan… stop… We can go. Renjun is breathing," you tried to stay lowly, your voice barely above a whisper as you watched the boy continue to advance. He didn't even look at you, his lips pulling up instead in anger.

"Barely breathing. These stupid humans think they have control over us, when they’re not even worth dirt," he whispered, and you swear you haven't felt real fear until this moment. Everything about him screamed danger, a time bomb just in the fringes of blowing up everything in his way. Around him, the void started taking shapes, moving like bodiless shadows. They thrummed from barely held back energy, waiting for the command of their sorcerer.

"Keep away from me! You monster!"

The high-pitched scream of the woman only made Haechan give a breathy laugh. The temperature in the room had dropped so much that his breath even turned to vapor as he snickered. You unconsciously held on to Renjun, half of your body crouched over him as you watched the scene, terrified. You couldn't look away, not even with every fiber in your body telling you to run.

"Monster, hmm? I like the sound of that. Pretty big words to say so yourself after what you've done, but I'll take it," he shrugged as he finally stopped before her. The look he gave her was so withering that it actually made the woman give a soft whimper of fear. He smiled.

"Wanna guess what monsters do…?"

"They eat up weak people like you."

A shout of surprise was torn from you as a loud blasting noise split the air. The ground opened up, void-like branches springing from out of it to wrap around the woman's shaking form. They circled her arms, legs, and neck like vines before she was lifted into the air. She gave an ear-splitting scream before her own voice was choked off as the grip around her neck tightened.

"Haechan! Stop!"

The boy didn't even look your way, but a coughing, hacking noise came from the lady high up in the air as she was allowed to briefly breathe again. Haechan leaned his head a little bit to the side, as if deep in thought.

"Oh? Are you already giving up? Come on, you can't lose consciousness now. It wouldn't be half as fun if you can't feel what I'm about to do to you."

"No, no. You’re going to kill her—"

“That's the plan.”

"Not… real.”

Another scream sliced the air as the ropes of shadows that hoisted the lady up suddenly disappeared in thin air. She plunged back into the ground, her voice cut off at the sound of something cracking. The next few seconds that followed were silent, with you looking on with fear at the immobile form in front of you. Haechan remained still on his spot too, waiting for any sign of movement. His eyes had gone cold, emotionless.

Lost.

"Stand up. You can take more than that. I need to see what I can break next. Should I take your arms? Or maybe I can gauge your eyes out."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"This is not real. Illusions… you're just playing with my head."

For a moment, it seemed like time stopped as the weak gasping words of the woman hung in the air. Haechan simply stared at her, an unreadable expression in his face. The temperature around you shifted again, this time the cold completely taken over by heat. The air had gotten so thick, you could barely breathe.

And then he broke the silence again.

By throwing his head back and laughing.

"Ah, gosh. You really still think that I can only do illusions? I overestimated you ma'm. You're just not stupid. You're straight out dumb."

Your lips parted as you tried to wrap your head around what was happening. Haechan had started slowly moving again, this time with deadly intent in his gait. Things were starting to click in your head, as pinpricks started to climb your spine.

"Why do you think you're no longer behind the protection of that glass wall in your room, hmm?” he asked as light danced in his eyes. “It's because you're not even in that plane anymore… but in my world."

"Yes, mine. That means in here, I have my own rules. I can do anything. Which, again, only means one thing… Do you wanna guess what that is?"

Haechan smiled, and it was the most terrifyingly haunting thing you've seen. The realization hit you the same time his lips quirked into a smirk. He was never just a mage of illusions. He could shape dimensions, rip them apart and create new ones. 

He... is chaos himself.

"I can break you. No matter how many times I want to."

You moved before you even realized what you were doing. Scrambling from your spot where you were covering Renjun, you ran towards the woman just as the ropes of shadows sprang from nowhere again. This time though, they were shaped like spears, their ends pointed as they aimed for flesh. You managed to pull the lady by the arm to throw her to the other side of the room, but your limbs tangled together and made you trip. The last thing you could remember was a searing pain at your shoulder blade and the spears of darkness suddenly moving around to soften your fall as you toppled back.

And then everything went black.

*******

It felt like you were swimming back to the surface. Everything was so quiet and still that for a minute, you wished you could stay under the waves forever. You were floating idly in silence, body feeling weightless as your consciousness stayed in the middle of dreams and reality.

It didn't last long though. Just as you were about to drift into deep sleep again, a dull tint of orange started blooming behind your lids. The color started growing stronger and stronger until it finally made you frown and roll away. You wanted nothing more than for it to go but it persisted, like a small fire burning beyond your closed eyes. 

"I see you're still very responsive. Good girl."

The honey voice that sounded somewhere from your side made you open your eyes in a jolt. All of a sudden, the warm cocoon of sleep was torn away from you as you were finally pulled to the surface. You were still disoriented when you caught what looked like an IV line by your side but you managed to swivel your head towards the source of the voice. You locked eyes with its owner...

And found yourself freezing again.

Dr. Lee smiled at you, her perfect red lips tipped by the corners. They didn't quite match her stare, which was now trained at you with a mixture of barely concealed amusement and something much more… sinister.

"How are you feeling, darling?"

You couldn't quite wrap your head around what's happening at first. You could see and hear her… but none of the signals she was giving were still making sense in your head. You were trying… but before you could do anything, a throbbing pain by your right shoulder made you gasp. You almost sat up in shock at the feeling, but you were gently eased back into what you can assume is your hospital bed by her hands on your chest. You groaned.

"What happened?"

"There is a hole in your shoulder is the quickest way to explain it. I wouldn't recommend for you to move too much anytime soon."

That was all it took for you to go still again. As if a switch has been turned on, the last memories you had came flooding back to you in waves. You immediately turned your head towards the woman beside you who was now looking at you with an unreadable expression.

"Haechan and Renjun—"

"01 and 02 are being kept in a different facility. If you're wondering how they are, they're still alive. 02 sustained more… let's say, internal damage, but he is alive. 01 is unscathed, though he seems to need more treatment for mental distress after he hurt his favorite doctor."

The lilt in her voice made your stomach turn. The way he talked about the boys confirmed your suspicions as you read between the lines of her words and their undertones. You looked on to her, speechless at first. You felt hot and cold at the same time. Angry, but also terrified.

"You… were the one who ordered to give them the tests," you whispered. Her smile returned slowly as if she was relishing each word you said.

"I did, indeed. I had to make a couple of adjustments, but I believe I finally got to the sweet spot now… all thanks to you, honey."

You frowned in confusion. She crossed her legs in front of her and rested her manicured nails on her knee.

"You see, we have tried so many approaches just to tease those abilities out of those kids. At first there was the recommendation to use positive reinforcement on them so we could study their potential, but it became obvious after some time that it’s impossible to get their full trust. Sure, several of them did work with us but seriously… did they really think we believe that is all they can do?"

You stared at her in silent horror as you slowly processed her words. It was a good thing that you were lying down, because your head was already starting to swim. Whether she noticed your internal dilemma or not, you have no idea, because she simply went on with that same idle, satisfied smile on her lips.

"And then… you came and some of them actually started cooperating more. That's when we knew a different approach was needed. Maybe positive bribes aren't what's needed to crack them open, but another kind of motivation instead. After all, what pushes another person at their limit… than human emotions foolishly fixated on others?"

You wanted to retch. The random invite for the competitive drill back at the arena. The display of Renjun's torture in front of all of them. She had it all planned. All of it.

"You're hurting them…" you said in a tone that almost broke. Her smile widened and she leaned forward to run a finger down your cold cheek. The sharp edge of her nail barely grazed your skin, but it was enough to make your skin crawl.

"Well, yes. I needed to. I have to say… patience really isn't my strongest suit but I'm not going to break them entirely since I need them alive after all. Until they really show us what they can do though, we'll just have to do the same thing over and over again. Don't worry, their memories of the stress tests get erased when the mental trauma gets too much. We have the High Priestess to take care of that for us. We can't afford broken boys now, do we?"

Your breath hitched. Renjun can tap memories… which also means he can erase them too. Was that the reason why he was always sick? Because Cypher was using his Arcana on the others? Ten said that when the other boys started needing medical help, they couldn't even remember what happened to them. Their memories... were they being manipulated against their wills? 

"I decided to keep the Magician's memories of what he did to you though, just in case you want to know," your blood ran cold as you realized what she was talking about. "I think I like him better when he is a little… deranged. I've always thought that boy is special. Who would have even thought he was so so much more," she trained her brown eyes on you and you saw the way they sparkled with glee. "Chaos Magic. Disrupting dimensions… maybe even manipulating the very fabric of existence itself. With the right push, he can be more than what he can do right now."

"What do you want from them…" you managed to voice out despite the thundering sound of your heartbeat now pressing against your ears. At this point, you knew it was impossible to have a harmless reason behind the lengths she was pulling. Dr. Lee stopped as if she was mulling over your question.

"Have you ever wondered how it feels like to have the power to shape the world whichever way you wanted to? Not in the way money and influence can, no. But something greater than that."

Slowly, your eyes widened as you realized what she was trying to say. Your hands started feeling numb, the feeling starting to climb to your arms like frostbite.

"Jisung can power a whole country if he wanted to. Maybe even a nuclear project all on his own. Jaemin and Renjun are perfect for Intelligence use—no man can ever hide anything, nor say no to them. Chenle… Chenle can keep armies from collapsing, if he uses his ability to transform broken bodies back into their old selves. Haechan can turn everything to his favor if he wanted and Mark can be the perfect killing machine. Jeno has yet to show us what he can do, but I doubt it will take long for him to crack now."

You were speechless. You expected the worst, but not to this extent. You almost wanted to throw up seeing the look on her face. There was nothing on it but madness.

"You're going to weaponize them…" you choked out. Your words seemed to have triggered something in her, because she gave you her widest, wildest smile yet. Her hand hovered over your face again and it took you all you had not to flinch as she tucked a loose tendril of your hair behind your ear.

"Come on now, don't make it sound too bad. Maybe you're still too young to understand, but you'll get it soon," she locked gazes with you and your stomach turned at the chaos you could see in her eyes.

"After all, why be a savior if you can play god?"

*******

CHAPTER 10

A/N: Latest chapter is finally in after so long! Thank you so much for everyone who has tuned in to Arcane until now. I know the plot is really complicated so I appreciate all of you! As usual, enjoy! <3

PS. Let's all wish for Jeno and Chenle's speedy recovery from covid. 🥺

Taglist [OPEN]:  @negincho, @jhornytrash, @aaasteroidsky, @huangberryyy, @marijmin, @ashkuuuu, @reluctantserpent-101, @huskyhunny, @domojoo, @anaveragefangirl, @lostlovesoul11, @dreamisfelix, @lomlwoo, @coconuttiez8d, @jaehyunenthusiastsworld, @shininginthemoonlight, @bettyschwallocksyee, @w3bqrl, @smolpeyy, @chenlejjang, @kunssouschef, @thesunsfullmoon, @kpopstanforlifeuwu, @chokopocky, @azzygongez​, @tito-the-mermaid​, @jakeshuneybby​, @yutacchin​, @baehaechannie, @thefoxsleeps​

[whyme13wr]

Recommandations

I haven’t written any of the following fics/AUs. Please do not steal or translate them cause the writters work hard on them. If any of the links don’t work, please let me know.

🦋 fluff  |  ☔ angst  | 🔪action/violence | 🧚 fantasy | 🔥 smut | 💜 personal favourites (Highly recommended)

✎ Ongoing series | ✓ Complete → only for series

updated 06/05/20

 BTS

Kim Seokjin

One Shots

Rosewater -> lovers!au on Valentine's day 🦋🔥

In the mood -> 1940s!au (post-war), Hollywood!au🦋🔥

Of the sol -> Dragon!Seokjin 🦋🔥🧚

Heavy eyed -> 🔥🦋

Currents -> ArrangedMarriage!au angst, 🦋🔥

Urs -> 🦋🔥

Series

The devil wears armani -> Devil!au 🔥☔🦋🧚 ✓

Min Yoongi

One shots

Settle down -> EnnemiesToLovers!au 🔥☔🦋 slow burn

From the ashes -> Phoenix!Yoongi x Witch!reader 🦋☔🔥 💜💜

Off the deep end -> Mermaid!Yoongi 🔥🦋?🧚 friendship interspecies 💜💜

Rose garden dreams -> Knight!Yoongi x Princess!reader, forbidden love!au 🦋☔🔥

Surround me -> FriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋

Love Language -> Lovers!au ☔🔥🦋

Never Thought -> MarriedCouple!au, Idol!Yoongi ☔🔥🦋

Series

Buzz -> FriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋✓

Aquiver -> Sexworker!reader 🔥☔🦋 ✓

Grey area -> Soulmate!au angst, slowburn🦋☔🧚 ✎ 💜

Wildest moments -> 🦋🔥☔ ✓

Out of 5.0 -> BlackMirrorNosedive!au ☔✎

Love is not over -> Exes!au ☔ ✎

Bunny blues -> Hybrid!au ft. Kook ☔🦋🔥 ✎ 💜

Carousel -> Heirs!au, ArrangedMarriage!au ☔🦋🔥🔪 suspense ✓ 💜💜💜

Jung Hoseok

One shots

Friendly fire -> Threesome ft. Kook 🔥

A court of curses -> VampirePrince!Hoseok x WitchQueen!Reader ☔🦋🔥🧚 💜💜

Just practice -> Fratboy!Hoseok, HookupToLovers!au 🔥🦋☔

Occultation -> SunGod!Hoseok x MoonGoddess!reader ☔🔥🦋🧚

Series

Run little rabbit -> WolfShifter!Hoseok x RabbitShifter!reader 🔥🦋☔🧚 ✓ 💜💜💜

Park Jimin

One shots

Winged -> Angel!Jimin 🦋🔥🧚

The Hunt -> WhiteStag!Jimin 🦋🔥☔🧚 💜

Ice Burn -> Fantasy!au 🦋🔥☔🧚

Dawn -> 🔥🦋

Spellbound -> Witches!au, EnnemiesToLovers!au 🔥🦋 light☔🧚

Tension -> Threesome ft. Kook 🔥

Faded Love -> MarriedCouple!au ☔🔥🦋

Christmas Reward -> 🔥🦋

Casual Clothes -> Therapist!Jimin 🔥 a bit ☔

Windy City -> 🦋

Anthesis -> Fae!au 🦋🔥🧚💜💜

Series

The arrangement -> ArrangedMarriage!au ☔🔥🧚✓

No strings -> FriendsWithBenefits!au 🔥☔🦋 ✓ 💜

A serpent's flower -> Hogwarts!au, EnnemiesToLovers!au🦋🔥☔🧚 ✓

The promised iris -> Soulmate!au 🦋 light ☔ slow burn 🧚 ✓

Kim Taehyung

One shots

Your baby is sick -> ☔🦋

Seven seas -> Atlantis!au ☔🔥🦋

Papillon -> Pregancy!au, ChildhoodBestFriendsToLovers!au 🦋☔

Let's marvin gaye -> Bestfriend!au 🦋🔥☔

Gods blessed -> HalfDemon!Tae x GodsBlessedSoldier!reader 🦋🔥☔🧚

Paper Cranes -> BestFriendsToLovers!au, College!au 🦋🔥☔

Waterloo -> ArtProdigy!Tae x ArtStudent!reader 🦋slowburn ☔🔥 💜

Fake love -> ArrangedMarriage!au ☔🦋🔥

Series

Groovy -> ChildhoodFriend!au 🦋☔🔥 mention of death

Dichotomy -> ArrangedMarriage!au ☔🔥🦋✓ 💜

Tempting -> Demon!Tae x Angel!reader 🦋🔥☔🔪🧚 mention of death ✓ 💜💜💜

Obsidian -> Witch/Warlock!au 🦋🔥☔🔪🧚 ✓ 💜

When you least expect it -> ft. Kook ☔🔥🦋 ✎

Jung Jungkook

One shots

Familiar but unexpected -> BestFriend!au 🦋🔥☔

The push -> College!au, FriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋 slight ☔

Lilac wisteria -> ChildhoodFriendsToLovers!au 🦋

The devil's change up -> College!au, BaseballBallPlayer!Kook 🔥🦋

Five dates -> ArrangedMarriage!au 🦋🔥

Friendly fire -> threesome ft. Hoseok 🔥

Sinful Knight -> Knight!Kook x Princess!reader ☔🔥🦋

Make it right -> Exes!au ☔🔥

Lupine -> Werewolf!au 🦋🔥🧚 💜

Hopping mad for you -> RabbitHybrid!Kook 🦋🔥🧚

Bulls eye -> FriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋☔

Itch -> Flatmate!au, FriendsToLovers pwp🔥🦋

Tension -> Threesome ft. Jimin 🔥

The sea & the storm -> SeaSpirit!reader 🦋🔥☔ mention of death 💜💜💜

Backstage quickies -> 🔥

xx(x)ii -> Boyfriend!Kook 🔥🦋 light ☔

Love alive -> PostBreakUp!au ☔🔥

Skirt Chasers ->  FriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋

Under the bridge -> Hybrid!AU 🦋🔥☔

An abundance of mondays -> ChildhoodFriendsToLovers!au 🦋🔥☔

Caramel -> Lovers!au 🦋🔥

Series

Blackjack -> Mafia!au 🔥🦋☔🔪 ✓ 💜💜

Bitchin -> Fratboy!Kook 🦋🔥☔✓ 💜💜

Just friends -> BestFriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋☔ ✓

Bunny blues -> Hybrid!au ft. Yoongi ☔🦋🔥 ✎ 💜

Just one -> HighSchool!au, Fuckboy!Kook 🦋🔥

When you least expect it -> ft. Tae ☔🦋🔥✎

EXO

Kim Junmyeon

Empty vessels -> One Shot, Witch!au, Soulmate!au horror, suspense, thriller🦋🔪

Byun Baekhyun

One shots

Hey neighbor -> Neighbor!au 🦋

Little white lies -> 🦋 light ☔

Pause -> 🔥

Series

Enough -> MarriedCouple!au ☔🔥✓

Cataclysm -> Soulmate!au, EndOfTheWorld!au 🦋☔🔥✓ 💜💜

I give up -> 🔥☔🦋🔪 ✓

Saviour -> ☔🦋🔥 ✓ 💜

Park Chanyeol

The lyricism of you -> One Shot, FriendsToLovers!au 🦋☔

The morning after -> One Shot, FriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋☔

Undo -> Series, ☔🦋🔥 age gap, mention of death ✓ 💜💜💜

Do Kyungsoo

One shots

Consider me yours -> FriendsToLovers!au 🔥🦋

The "Don't Go" wrist grab -> RoomN°7!Kyungsoo 🔥

Kitten -> CatHybrid!reader 🔥🦋 💜

Here kitty kitty -> CatHybrid!Soo 🔥

Chef Soo three meals a day -> 🦋 fast burn🔥

Little forest -> ChildhoodFriends!au 🦋 light ☔ 💜

Honeymoon -> NewlyMarriedCouple !au 🔥🦋

Crush culture -> 🦋

Cherry blossoms -> Royal!au 🦋🧚

Series

Spontaneous -> Idol!Soo x Musician!reader 🦋☔🔥 ✓ 💜💜💜

All his -> Idol!Soo x Interpret!reader 🦋☔🔥 ✓

The prince of privilege -> Royal!au, ArrangedMarriage!au ☔🔥🦋🔪 mention of death ✎ 💜💜

Ambivalence -> RoomN°7!au 🔥✎

Gorgeous -> FriendsToLovers!Au ft. Nini, FootballPlayer!Soo 🔥🦋✓

Mask -> FriendWithBenefits!au ☔🔥🦋 ✓

Chaebols the arrangement -> ArrangedMarriage!au ☔🔥🦋 ✓

Kim Jongin

Gorgeous 2 -> threesome ft. Soo 🔥, 🦋 with Soo

Kim Minseok

Persistant ghosts -> One Shot, Witch!au, Soulmate!au horror, suspense 🔥🦋

Again -> One Shot, Fiancé!au 🦋☔🔥

2:00 AM -> Series, FriendWithBenefits!au 🔥☔🦋 ✓ 💜💜💜

GOT7

Park Jinyoung

Every way -> One Shot, FriendsWithBenefits!au 🔥🦋

Iron Crown -> Series, Vampire!Jinyoung ☔🔥🦋🔪🧚 ✓ 💜💜

Mark Tuan

I want desire -> Series, Mafia!au, ArrangedMarriage!au ☔🔥🦋🔪 mention of death ✓ 💜💜💜

Im Jaebom

Pillowtalk -> Series, Idol!Jaebom ☔🦋🔥 ✓

Far From Home -> Series, Idol!Jaebom 🦋☔🔥 ✓

Lee Taemin

Safe word -> EstablishedRelationship!au 🔥

Johnny (NCT)

Relax -> Married!au 🦋🔥

Shout out to the talented writters:

@hobisnacc | @kinktae | @floralseokjin | @jeonggukbun | @yeoldontknow | @httpjeon | @boymeetsweevil | @glossgf | @minflix | @blushoseoks | @joonbird | @underthejoon | @yoonia | @kpopfanfictrash | @gguksgalaxy | @readyplayerhobi | @lamourche l @jamaisjoons | @btsqualityy | @taehyungforreal | @kpoptart216 | @jimlingss | @akinnie75 | @minstrivia | @aquaminwrites | @mygsii | @johobi | @btsfanficss | @jungblue | @ironicarmy | @softyoongiionly | @jungxk | @whimsical-ness | @1etslove | @soobadnoonecanstopher | @oh-beyond | @smuttyfairy | @sweet-teeth-mfs | @optimizche | @soonarios | @sooghostwriter | @myforeverforlife | @writing-exo-things | @jenmyeons | @twocupsofsuga | @dorkyungsoowrites | @shineebebe | @sugarjaee | @1kook | @jincherie | @diortae

[pastel-galaxy]

  Piece of a Puzzle (NCT DREAM OT7)

Tags: Angst; Apocalypse AU; Character death; I cried while writing this; gunshots; mentions of blood

The sky above loomed an eery grey, as if one big cloud hung over the entire planet at one time. The sun peeked through just enough for it not to be midnight-dark, but there was more suspenseful color in the air than there was on a normal day.

 Back when normal days were a thing, of course.

 Jaemin had barely looked up in the past two hours as he sat on a log, hands covered in the blood of the large rabbit he was busy skinning. Jisung had caught it early that morning, while he and Jeno were out on a hunt. The look of excitement on the youngers face as he proudly held the dead animal up like a trophy warmed Jaemin’s heart. There was no way he could’ve said no to taking care of the dirty work for the younger, even if it was his day off.

 Just a few feet away, emerging from the tents were Renjun and Haechan, seemingly to be in the middle of a childish argument over God knows what. Atleast they were awake now, Jaemin thought as he peered over at a grumpy Mark, who had failed to say even a single word to him that morning. And now, even as they began to approach mid-afternoon, and the two hunters tried to initiate conversation with him, the elder still refused to even spare a glance at anything except the piece of wood he was chipping with his pocket knife to look like some kind of animal. 

 Of course everyone just brushed it off as Mark being in one of his moods. That tends to happen when you practically mother a group full of boys who still had yet to fully mature in the middle of a worldwide apocolypse, but Jaemin couldn’t recall the last time it was this serious. He was so focused on the aggressive silence of the elder, that he didn’t even notice when Chenle had sat down beside him until his name was being called.

 “Jaemin-ah? Hyung?” Said boys head snapped towards the direction of the voice, eyes meeting Chenle’s concerned ones. How long had he been staring at Mark?

 “What’s wrong?” The younger asked, taking the mauled rabbit and knife from Jaemin’s hands to finish skinning it himself. Jaemin let him, deciding his fingers had been sliced enough from being so distracted. He hesitated to say anything, not wanting to cause a scene or make Chenle and the others worry over something that would probably turn out to be Jaemin’s imagination. 

 “Don’t say anything,” He started, watching as the look on Chenle’s face turned from that of confusion to curiosity.

 “but have you noticed Mark looking a little...off..today?” 

 Chenle looked over at the boy mentioned, scanning his eyes over his hunched figure, how he was still ignoring the boys on either side of him, now joined by Jeno and Jisung on Renjun’s side. His cheeks looked to be even more defined than usual, and when Chenle finally caught a glimpse at the once round, gleaming eyes of his friend, he noticed circles the size of golfballs clinging to the skin under his now gloomy, foggy orbs. 

 Chenle visibly cringed, wondering how in the hell he hasn’t noticed until now. Mark looked like shit, to put it lightly. Sickly. And the boys didn’t like it at all. They were so used to the happy Mark, the one who openly smiled and offered encouraging words to bring light to a situation. The one who was constantly working on something, some kind of plan to accomplish some stupid task that wasn’t even all that important. The one who would always be the first to step up when one of the younger ones were sick or upset. Always the one to break up a fight. To make sure they all kept their heads on their shoulders, seeing as it wasn’t that easy to do in a world like this one. 

 In short, Mark was not acting like Mark. And Mark, NEVER didn’t act like Mark. Jaemin knew he had to do something. 

 “Hey guys,” Jaemin called to the four boys sitting on either side of his gloomy friend. They all turned their head to look at him, attention finally straying from their deep conversation, to which Mark was probably grateful. 

 “Can you four go refill our water bottles? We’re sort of running low on clean water.” Jaemin nodded over to the pile of empty plastic bottles sitting in one of the open tents. The group didn’t bother to question the sudden request, not when it was given by Jaemin. Word on the street is that he can get a little scary when mad...atleast that’s what Jisung said. Grabbing their respected items of defense, with Renjun carrying the bag of empty bottles, the crew set off into the trees in hopes to finish before the sun begins to set.

 That left just the three of them. Jaemin, Chenle, and Mark.

 Silence stretched over the three of them. For how long, Jaemin couldn’t tell. He just knew his chest ached every time his heart slammed itself against his ribs like a wrecking ball. He was so nervous, but he didn’t even know why. He was sure Mark was going to be fine. Wasn’t he? Eventually, he broke the silence, knowing they were on a time limit with the other boys being gone. 

 “Mark..” He began, startling even at his own voice. The older looked up at mention of his name, face tired and unammused. Uninterested. He raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement, but offered nothing more as a response. Jaemin could see that this wasn’t going to be easy. Not with the way it felt like Mark could pounce at any moment. Chenle must have felt it too, being as he seemed visibly tensed, eyes trained on the boy sitting across from them with intensity. Jaemin took a deep breath, turning his words over and over in his head.

"Mark you've been acting a little..different lately. Me and Chenle have been kind of worri-"

"I'm bit."  Mark spits, his eyes somehow growing even darker than they already were.

The two younger males were taken aback by the sudden confession. Chenle hears Jaemin gasp from beside him, but it's almost like his own body has frozen despite himself. He's not sure how to react, or if he even should. It's obvious what this meant. They would have to kill Mark, or else he would turn. And judging by the fact that Mark has been acting this way for over a day now, they didn't have much time left. The real question is, do they do it while the rest of the crew were gone, or wait for them to come back and say their goodbyes?

In the midst of the silence, Jaemin speaks up.

"I'm sorry." He mutters, an obvious waver in his voice as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Both Chenle and Mark hear their hearts break at that, their own eyes becoming rimmed with red, irises glossy.

"Can we see it?" Chenle asks, not knowing anything else to say. That and, well, maybe a small part of him wanted this to all be a trick, a misunderstanding. He hoped that maybe it was just a large snake bite, or skin infection. Which weren't necessarily good things, but they were better than the idea of one of his best friends being bit.

But as Mark slowly lifted the left leg of his baggy cargo's, all hope vanished from within Chenle's chest. The bite..it was there. Unmistakable. And it was nasty. Scabbed, ragged skin surrounded the area of the bite. An unmistakable imprint of an almost-full set of teeth set in a perfect circle. Bits of skin were missing from Mark's calf, scratches from the creatures hands pulling hungrily at his flesh, indents where it's long, dirty nails having dug so deeply into the limb. Chenle had to struggle to quickly swallow down the remenants of his lunch that threatened to come back up.

In that moment, the atmosphere seemed to get that much more sullen. It feels as if the sky is hanging merely inches above their heads, pressing in on them as their lungs slowly squeeze in on themselves. It felt as if the youngest's heart had gone from a stable position to now swinging helplessly back and fourth on an unraveling string. As for Jaemin...it didn't feel like his heart was beating at all anymore. Like something had taken ahold of it, strangled it to stillness. This couldn't be happening. Not to Mark. Not to one of their friends. They look out for each other. Things like this didn't happen to their group. Atleast, not until now they didn't.

"What are we going to do?" Jaemin mutters, but he already knew what they had to do. It had been too long since the incident for amputation to be of any help. There was no way to stop it. It was only a matter of time before the infection reached Mark's brain and he would turn. The only way around that, was to kill Mark before the infection did.

They had to kill their best friend.

The three of them sat in a heavy silence for who knows how long. Their thoughts were everywhere, hearts sulking in theirs chests. Mark continued quietly carving the morsel of wood in his hands, which now, Chenle could see, was a resemblance of the piece of a puzzle. The rabbit from earlier was long forgotten, its pelt lying on the ground by Chenle's feet and the rest of its skinless body lying limply on the log beside the hand he leaned on.

Before they knew it, it was almost dark outside, and the rest of the boys had returned. The bottles that Renjun layed out onto the ground (Haechan must've made him carry the bag on their way back) were mostly full. The water in them was still a little cloudy, but nothing really harmful. Mark could physically feel his heart break as he watched them smile and joke around with each other. They amazed him everyday, with how they managed to stay so bright and youthful in this shithole of a world. What shattered him, though, was that he was probably going to be the one to ruin that happiness and carelessness within the next few minutes.

Mark was the first one to call out to them, voice absent from any enthusiasm, but still accented with the adoration he had for the rest of them.

"Guys." One word was all it took to get four heads to snap towards the eldest of the group.

"Can you come here for a second. We need to have a talk.." He looked down, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his arms hang between them, his head dipping lower than before. Jisung and Jeno shared a look, worry creasing their brows as they approached the rest of their friends, sitting down together on an empty log. Once everyone was situated and at attention, Mark breathed in deeply through his nose. His eyes focused on the fire in front of them all, not having the guts to look up and meet his friends..his brothers eyes.

"So yesterday..or was it the day before?" Mark wondered aloud, not remembering what day he ventured off on. It didn't matter, he eventually decided, shaking his head.

"When I was out looking for supplies, I got mobbed." He explained, listening to the rustle of clothes as one of the boys shifted uncomfortably. Probably Haechan. He didn't like when things got serious like this.

Mark continued, keeping his eyes trained on the wild blaze beating heat towards his face.

"I tried to fight them off, get out of there. But there were too many. There was no way in hell I could have fought them all off. So I ran. And tripped." He scoffed, replaying the memory like a movie in his head. From the corner of his eye, he could see Renjun lift his hand to cover his mouth as he gasped to himself.

"One of those nasty fuckers grabbed onto my leg. I kicked and kicked and kicked..but it had already sunken it rotten jaws into me. Deep..." He quieted down, feeling like his chest was being crushed by an invisible weight. Once again, he slowly rolled up the leg of his pants, revealing the gory monstrosity overtaking his leg.

"Mark.." Came a whimper. One look up easily revealed the culprit: Teary eyed, red faced, obviously distraught, youngest Jisung. That was the last thing Mark needed to see in order to feel the last pieces of his heart to shatter and fall. He felt his own eyes getting teary, and he had to bite his lip to keep it from quivering. He felt rage bubble up inside him towards himself and his clumsiness.

"I'm sorry.." He whispers, not caring about the pathetic crack in his voice.

"You have to kill me."

"No.." Haechan whispers.

"No, please no.." Mark couldn't control his tears anymore, his hand reaching up to aggressively run through his hair. When he looked up, Jeno was gone. Probably angry. At Mark, at himself, at the world. Chenle got up to go after him, make sure he didn't do anything stupid and get himself put in the same position as Mark.

He felt so horrible. He knew these kids looked up to him, depended on him. And he failed them. Not long from now, he won't be there to protect them anymore. And it was all his fault. Mark hated himself. They all sat with their heads down, trying their best to thoroughly absorb the horrid situation. There was no way to fix it, no way to stop it from happening, no way to keep Mark alive and human at the same time. Killing him was the only available route.

Renjun took a deep breath, reaching behind him to pull his gun from the holster on his belt. He studied it in his hands, pulling the chamber out to check the number of bullets he had before pushing it back in. He could feel everyone else's eyes on him, feel how stale the atmosphere had gotten one they saw the steel object. However no one spoke up a protest, all of them beyond the point of naive denial. If they had to murder their best friend, their leader, they might as well make it as quick and as painless as possible. His sad eyes lifted to meet the eldests, who nods, lips pursed, gaze filled with devastation.

They both stand up, everyone else looking up helplessly. Jisung audibly whimpered, more tears streaking his burning face. Haechan was crying now too, his hair a mess from his hands tugging at it repeatedly. Mark looked at them with a sad smile, opening up his arms for a hug. Jisung quickly stood up, walking speedily into his brothers arms and holding him as close as humanly possible. He sobbed into Mark's shoulder, tears and snot soaking into the thin material of his shirt. His hands gripped the back of it in his fists, knuckles turning white with the sheer strength of it. He shook with multiple emotions, his heart stinging at Mark's whispered words.

"Be good for me, maknae."

After Jisung finally was able to step away, it was Haechan's turn to have his last embrace with Mark. His puffy eyes squeezed shut as he wrapped his arms around Mark's shoulders, a few broken sobs echoing through the trees as Mark places his hand on the back of Haechan's head, petting his hair and affectionately squeezing the back of his neck. Haechan mumbled incoherent pleads and apologies into his friend's neck, legs wobbling as his body began to lose strength.

Mark stepped back first, taking Haechan by the shoulders. He had always been just a smidge closer with Haechan than the others, a stronger, unexplainable connection bounding them by the hip. It broke Mark's heart to see his closest friend this broken. Gently, he reached down into his pocket and pulled out the wooden puzzle piece from his pocket, placing it in the palm of Haechan's hand with a soft smile. Haechan looked up at him with big, teary eyes, before closing his hand around the charm and holding it to his chest.

The only one left, besides Renjun, was Jaemin. He had remained quiet this whole time, refusing to look up and keeping his face void of emotion. Mark sighed, walking over to take a seat beside the boy, throwing his arm around his shoulder to pull the boy towards himself. Jaemin rested his head on Mark's arm, blinking back the tears and trying to ignore the sheer heaviness in his chest. Mark placed his chin on the youngers head, using his hand to pet the side of his growing hair.

"It's gonna be fine. You guys are going to be fine. You're some of the strongest boys I've ever known. Just keep your heads up. I need you to be strong for me; I'm putting you in charge of taking my place. You gotta look after these kids now, okay? Can I trust you?" Mark pulled back to meet Jaemin's eyes, watching as he nodded with determination.

"Good. Keep them in line. And all of you, behave." Mark smiled at the others, standing back up and walking to where Renjun was solemnly standing. Together, they began walking out towards the line of the woods, still clutching knives, as the sky was now dark and the biters would probably soon be out for blood.

They were just about to enter the trees when someone yelled out at them from behind. Both of them turned around, beholding the returned figures of Jeno and Chenle jogging over to them. Mark smiled, taking a few steps to meet them halfway. He opened his arms again and took them both at once, hands on the back of their heads as they buried their faces in his shoulders. His chest ached with the knowledge that this will be the last time he sees his group, last time he will feel their embrace. He just wished things could be different...

A few seconds later, all too short, they pulled away from each other. Everyone was sniffling, trying hard to be strong until Mark left. They were already feeling the newfound emptiness within the group as soon as Renjun and Mark disappeared into the sea of trees, only one of them bound to return. As soon as Mark was out of sight, all of them sat in silence, thinking. The only sound that could be heard was the croaking of midnight frogs and the distant groaning of dead people within the forest.

Elsewhere, Mark and Renjun walked as deep as they could into the darkness, chatting softly about everything and nothing. Mark knew Renjun was trying to be strong for him, for the others, and he was mighty grateful for that. Their eyes trained on the dim light the dying flashlight provided for them, weaving their way through the taller grass and tricky potholes until they decided they were a safe distance from the camp. Wordlessly, Mark walked over to a larger tree and sat down in front of it. He took off his jacket and held it out on front of him.

"Here, I won't need it anymore." He chuckles sadly, watching as Renjun wrapped nimble fingers around the material and wrapped it around his waist.

"Thanks. I'll give it to Jisung, or Haechan. They'll probably appreciate it the most." Renjun whispers, giving Mark his best smile. A little crooked, a little fake, but a smile nonetheless. Mark nods, taking a deep inhale as his eyes train on the gun rested in Renjun's holster. This was it. He's about to take his last breath.

Mark looks down, reaching over and rubbing the material of his pants that layed over the bite, wincing when it catches and pulling away. His whole body had begun feeling sickly since this morning, and he knew it wasn't going to get better. His eyes scanned around the forest around him, admired the stars in the sky and the moon that illuminated slivers of the ground where it slipped through the branches and leaves above. A cock of a gun brought his attention back to Renjun, who now held the gun in both hands, pointing it at the ground for now.

"We're gonna miss you, y'know." Renjun says, voice slightly quivering. Mark nods, another sad smile lifting his prominant cheek bones just a bit higher.

"Just don't forget me." He chuckles, pulling a bit of grass out of the ground and tearing it apart with his fingers. Renjun scoffs, kicking some dirt towards the others face with a smirk.

"Wouldn't happen. Not with the way you annoyed us on a daily basis." He remarks, laughing as Mark looks up at him dejectedly.

"You loved me." He defends, throwing his grass at Renjun, only for it to fall to the ground just before him. They both laugh for a second, before it dies down until they were both surrounded by silence again.

"This is it. You ready?" The younger asks, twisting the pistol in his hands. Mark nods, a soft 'yeah' barely being audible even with the deafening silence draped over them.

"I love you, Mark Lee." Renjun says, his hands now aiming the barrel of the gun in the direction of his friend.

"I love you too, Huang Renjun. Get back safe, okay?" Mark advises nodding over to the direction of their camp. Renjun nods, his finger drifting up until it rests on the trigger.

"Yes sir. You too." He tears up with those last words, knowing they'll be the last Mark ever hears. He takes a deep breath, watching as Mark lowers his gaze over to the small patch of yellow flowers lingering a few feet away. Finally, as the first tear rolls his cheek, Renjun pulls the trigger, cringing as the sound rings through the air. He staggers back, dropping the gun to the ground below, eyes settling on the now lifeless body of his friend.

His lifeless eyes still lingered on the flowers, blood beginning to the trail down the bridge of his nose. His hair covered the area that the bullet entered, thankfully. His hands rested on the ground by his sides, legs straight out in front of him and his head rested against the back of the tree's trunk. Renjun bites back a sob, stumbling over to Mark's body and slowly drifting his hand over his eyelids, closing his eyes oh so gently.

In the near distance, the boy heard a sinister groan, and he knew he had to get out of there before he got ambushed. Quickly, he ran his thumb against Mark's cold cheek for the last time before replacing his gun onto his waist and rushing back on the trail that they came from. He resisted the urge to look back at his friend, focusing on getting back to the people who probably really needed him right now. Especially after inevitably hearing the gunshot that ended it once and for all.

Just as expected, upon entering the camp he was met with four pairs of watery eyes annd one absent Haechan. He must've gone into his tent, Renjun thinks, and decides he might join him later. He approaches the group huddled by their pathetic fire and pets each of their heads reassuringly.

"He's better now. And he wants us to survive." Is all he says before trudging over to the tent with Haechan's shadow and goes to crawl inside with him.

"Feel free to join us at any time." He calls out behind him, zipping the enter hatch right after and ushering a distraught Haechan into his embrace.

That night, some did join him. Others opted not to go with them but to stick together in their own tent instead. That night, they all mourned over the loss of their dear brother, and found more comfort than ever within each other.

[mx-o]

「NEO CITY」

》 nct ot21 mafia! au

》 warnings ; a lot of suspense.

》a/n: i’m sorry i took so long but i’m back with this little bit for now and will update later in the week with part 2. if you ever get confused or have questions, my asks are always open!

word count: 1.8k

masterlist | previous

four, part one

[beijing, china; jan 16, 10:32]

“hello?” ten answered the phone quietly.

“you’ve arrived, i’m assuming?” taeyong asked on the other line. ten hummed in agreement at him.

“there’s something i need for you to do, but they’re with you, aren’t they? johnny and sicheng?” he questioned again. ten could feel johnny and sicheng closing in on him now. he’d been on the phone too long and they’ve realized something was going on. he had to choose his words wisely. he hummed again, followed by a soft ‘yes’.

“this one is for you and you alone. you’re only allowed to answer with yes or no from now on, do you understand?” he spoke sternly over the line—deeply and slowly.

he hummed yet again, but with ‘mhm’ this time. to be honest, ten was a little scared to speak with the other two around and with taeyong’s tone, he only wanted to ask questions.

“words, ten. use your words.”

“yes, sir.” the other two’s ears perked up at that. they figured out who he was speaking to for the least.

“i’ve sent kun and taeil in my place. i have some business to attend to here. i’ve already spoken to them about this. i’m sure you already know i’m sending yuta along from japan also, yes?” ten hummed quietly, acknowledging the fact. “he was supposed to bring doyoung with him as our financial advisor since i need jaehyun here in seoul. the problem is, however, that yuta told doyoung that he wasn’t needed in beijing since you, him and yukhei would be there and would be able to handle it on your own. and while i agree with that, he’s disobeying my orders.”

ten sighed, taking in the information. the two boys who had leaned in on him had not moved a muscle since. he tried his best to ignore their presence and listen to what taeyong was saying.

“i spoke to mark and he confirmed that two people boarded the flight in tokyo. you understand what you need to do, yes?” taeyong finished. ten gathered that he liked asking questions. nonetheless, he nodded.

realizing the man couldn’t see him, he answered, “i’ll look into it.”

[jan 17, 08:31]

“on your toes, boys,” ten commanded his ‘thai trio’ as he calls them. he put on his brightest smile. standing before them. he turned sharply on his heels, now facing the large double doors of the dining room of one of nc tech’s newly constructed hotels in the beijing area—where one can live the dream. ten didn’t fully understand why they bought a chain of hotels but made a mental note to ask kun when he sees him next, which in any case, is in less than thirty seconds.

he pushed open the doors to the dining area to be met with a beautiful face. she was almost the same height as him, her brunette locks falling effortlessly on her shoulders. she held what he assumed was a menu in her arms, against her chest. smiling at him, she moved aside, making way for the four men, and following them as they walked to the centre of the dining room.

the scent of fresh linens whirred through the room as they walked past all the empty tables to the one at the very middle of the hall. the white tablecloths spread across every table with the sun’s electrifying brightness from the skylight above the entire room, made the space look much more open than it really was. they arrived at the table that sat the two men, dressed in jet black suits and slicked back hair.

the hostess stood at the table and motioned for them to sit down, saying that she would be back shortly for their orders. the table was round, large enough to sit eight people but had been adjusted to seat the six men, and so they were spaced a little further than usual. ten sat first of the four, taking his seat next to kun, with taeil on the right of them both. sicheng sat beside ten, johnny on the right side of taeil, sandwiching haechan between them at the only other seat.

“you’re a minute late,” was the first thing kun could say to great them all. typical, ten thought.

“i’m sorry, hyung. i was a little delayed by these three here. you see, they all somehow called ‘dibs’ on the front seat. but it was clearly mine,” he joked with his elder. he laughed delightfully. it was airy and sweet, much like kun himself.

qian kun was one of the initial investors in neo culture technologies. he’d been friends with taeyong for a long time before, as he visited south korea often with his family when he was young. no one is completely sure, but most of the company believe that he’s the reason neo culture even exists as it is today. he was persistent and always was looking out for his brother, and well—his investment. like a lot of the other ‘founding members’, he worked hard to reach where he is now. kun was the director of all drug and narcotics operations for all of the region. technically speaking, he held the same amount of power as taeyong did, just in his division.

“i remember back when we were still young and stole taeyong’s car that one time, we all fought over who could get the front seat. i guess things don’t change sometimes.” taeil chimed in, holding his arm out on the table, toying with his wine glass and letting out a light chuckle. the light from the skylight above them made taeil’s faded orangey-brown locks look a little more golden than usual. the sunlight was the reason the moon shone anyway, wasn’t it?

moon taeil was the stone-cold softie at nc tech. he was one of the two rare people who taeyong held more respect for. both taeil and johnny were the only two people older than taeyong and it showed in the way they were treated. both him and johnny rose ranks easily and was also always the ones their CEO would come to for advice. taeil, however, was kept nearby. he had an insane mind for war tactics and had a knack for things that involved a fight. it’s not quite the personality that suits his features. he was gifted, to say the least—nimble fingers that wrapped easily around the handles of guns, small lips that hid the glints of mischief that shone through the darkness, perfectly round and sharp eyes that ever missed a target. moon taeil was as celestial as the name suggests, and taeyong noticed that the moment he laid eyes on the elder.

it was easy to fall.

“hyung? you stole a car? i never thought you would ever do that!” the youngest jumped at the opportunity to learn about his seniors and all the bad things they’ve done.

“oh no, channie-ah. you see, that was taeil hyung. we all knew if any of us had done that taeyong would’ve blown a fuse. he just likes to include us in his childish endeavours since he misses his youth so much,” ten defended himself. taeil scoffed at the mention of him missing his youth. it was true, but he’d long forgotten about that.

“ya! don’t lie! you were just as much a part as any of us,” kun piped in again, defending taeil. they all laughed at the comment. truth is, everyone except donghyuck knows the story. it was one of those memories that had made them as close as they are now and something they bond over often.

“but we all pinned the blame on taeil anyway,” he finished, quickly taking a sip of his water, and looking away from the death glare taeil shot his way immediately after. all defence down the drain, they all chimed in with their laughter again.

it was a blissful moment in retrospect.

their conversation had gone along smoothly, laughing about old memories as they waited for their orders. but even amidst the chatter and banter, there was still that little bit of suspicion in sicheng’s mind about all of this.

honestly speaking, did ten, kun and taeil need to be here? this was a regular transaction that was supposed to occur just like normal. did taeyong suddenly doubt sicheng’s ability to do his job on his own? and why the hell was yuta flying in too? none of this made any sense but he couldn’t exactly right out ask them about it.

“why are you guys here?” sicheng asked, picking at his steak with his fork, not looking at them. the table fell silent. there goes not ‘right out’ asking about it.

“i’ve been wondering that too, since i don’t usually follow my shipments. that’s a winwin thing, not me,” johnny added.

ten lowered his fork from his hand, placing it down with a clank. kun and taeil looked up at them both—unreadable, while poor donghyuck just reached for his water glass, pretending to drink from it to avoid the situation.

“i hadn’t even thought about that part. so, tell me, does taeyong not trust us anymore? or do you not trust us?” sicheng continued. he looked up at ten, meeting his eyes and leaning into his seat, waiting for his answer.

“this has nothing to do with you—” ten started, cutting himself off to glance at kun for an answer. he sighed in defeat, not knowing how to explain this. his weakness for sicheng gets to him easier than he thought.

“what ten is trying to say is that it’s none of your concern why we’re here. we’re following orders just as you are, that’s all,” taeil spoke calmly.

sicheng tensed. none of this sat right with him. “am i not allowed to know why you’re on my ass about this shipment? obviously there’s something else that i need to know about it if you’re here, am i wrong?”

“it’s not—”

“ten, don’t,” kun stopped him again.

“what’s going on here, seriously? do you not trust me? us?” sicheng asked again, calmer this time. johnny held off on the questions, knowing how ten would react just by gauging the situation.

ten turned fully to kun now, eyebrows furrowed, and shoulders raised. what was he plotting?

“hyung, we should at least—”

“no, ten. you’ll be disobeying orders too,” taeil stated plainly.

“too?” johnny and his damn good observation skills.

“so, we’ve done something wrong?” sicheng’s persistence had become a bore to them now.

“winwin, remember who you’re speaking to,” taeil warned.

he murmured a soft ‘sorry, hyung’ while bowing his head. he knew very well that he was pushing his limits, but he needed to know. he wracked his brain for answers for the past day and a half and he just couldn’t stop now.

“hyung please, just tell me. does taeyong not trust us anymore?”

“it’s not you he doesn’t trust,” kun started, exasperated.

“it’s not who, who doesn’t trust?” a new voice spoke, emerging from behind donghyuck—who’d been ‘drinking’ water this whole time.

“nakamoto.”

next

[kz-i-co]

Scream

Summary: With all the pranks going on in your small town it's hard to separate the fake ones with the real ones.

Character: Lee Donghyuck (Haechan) [NCT]

Warning: language | violence »» scream au »»

Words: 1.8k

m.list ╫ dream m.list  ╫ 127 m.list

A/N: I didn't proof read so I apologize for any errors and also this is strictly a one shots so sorry for the cliffhanger lol #happpyhalloween

Beep beep beep......3:59......3:58.....3:59

You buzzed your lips watching the microwave count down. You heard the first pop and it continued as you reached into your fridge grabbing a carbonated drink. Your phone started to ring and you couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"Lia if you ask me one more time to throw a party I will seriously end you." You spoke answering your phone not even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" You heard a mans voice spoke that didn't sound familiar.

You moved the phone away from your ear and noticed the ID said 'unknown'.

"Hello?" You answered back confused.

"Who's this?" The man spoke with a friendly voice.

"Who's this?" You replied back since he was the one who dialed you.

"I'm sorry, I must of dialed the wrong number." He said with a genuine tone.

"It's no big deal." You laughed getting ready to hang up.

"Wait, can I talk to you for a moment? You have a nice voice."

You made a face from the weird vibe you got. "I'm sorry I don't know you, do I?" You didn't want to sound rude.

"No but we can get to know each other."

"No Thanks, have a good night." You quickly hung up.

"Weird." You rushed to the microwave completely forgetting about your popcorn. You opened the door and grabbed the greasy paper bag, still in edible condition.

Your phone rang again displaying the 'unknown' tag. What was with this guy? Didn't he get the message? Should you just ignore it?

"Hello?" The suspense was killing you.

"Hey, I must of dialed the wrong number again? You sure you're not the one I should be talking to?" He said with a chuckle.

"Who are you looking for?" You asked confused.

"Someone named (Y/N)."

You grew weary. "That's my name but I don't know how I could help you."

"I guess it's meant to be then." More laughter.

"Look I don't know how you got my number but someone is obviously playing a joke on me so I'm sorry about that."

"I don't mind." Was he really trying to flirt with you. How old was this guy?

"Look I have a boyfriend alright."

"What's his name? Do I know him?"

This had to be a prank call. "Wait is this Mark? I'm really your next victim? Who paid you? Johnny? Joy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about?" The man said.

"Ha that's funny. Good one Mark. Tell them the deals off." Then you hung up again. The phone redialed much quicker this time causing your ears to steam.

"Mark go bother someone else, alright?"

"This isn't Mark." The man said more stern.

"Then what do you want?"

"I just want to talk to you." He said his voice going back to his friendly tone.

"Then dial someone else." You said feeling uncomfortable.

"But I want to know who I'm looking at."

You felt a chill travel up your spine. "What did you say?"

"I want to know who I'm talking to."

"That's not what you said." You rushed to the front door making sure the door was locked as well as the dead bolt. You went to the other windows and doors to make sure they were all locked.

"Something wrong?"

"Look, I'm sure you have had your fun okay bye now-"

"You hang up on me again I'll gut you up and everyone you know."

You stood there frozen as he spoke in your ear. "Now I have your attention." He laughed. "I want to play a little game."

"I'm gonna call the police." You said still shaken.

"Now why would you want to do that? I'm sure Donghyuck would appreciate you playing my game."

"What?"

"You said you had a boyfriend right? His name wouldn't happen to be Donghyuck would it?" You could hear the sinister joy in his voice.

"How do you know that?"

"Turn on the patio lights."

You heart was beating fast. There was no way this was happening. It was some sick prank right?

You did what he said and turned on the patio lights seeing your boyfriend tied up in a chair with blood dripping from his head. You cried and opened the door.

"Not so fast. I'll just kill the both of you right now if you don't play by my rules." The man spoke into your ear.

You backed up and closed the door once again. "Very good. Now let's play our game."

"No, please stop." You turned off the light once again and crawled into the corner.

"Pass my game and I will let you and little Donghyuck alone."

"We’re gonna play a little movie trivia." He continued. "I hope you like scary movies."

"Please."

"Question one: what is the name of the killer clown that lives in the sewer."

"I can't." You whimpered.

"Come on this is an easy one." The man was enjoying your fear.

"Pennywise." You answered.

"That's correct! Question two:-"

"Please stop." You felt the tears drip down your cheeks.

"Answer the question and I will." He continued. "What is the name of the killer in Friday the 13th."

"J-Jason." You stuttered.

"I'm sorry, that is the wrong answer." He cheered.

"What? No!"

"Jason doesn't come until the sequel, Jason's mother was the first killer." He laughed. "I guess Donghyuck will have to be cut from the game."

You heard shouting and you quickly got up turning on the patio light seeing your boyfriend sit their unconscious as blood was seeping from his chest.

"No!" You cried.

"Hey we still have one more question."

"Fuck You, you asshole!" You shouted.

"Now don't be like that, this is my favorite question."

"What door am I at?" He spoke causing your throat to be parched. "You have two main doors, the front and the back, which one am I at?"

You were dangerously close to the back door that you walked backwards into the kitchen. "No guesses? Suit yourself." You heard the front door slam shut.

You quickly grabbed a knife and kneeled down. You saw a black figure run past the kitchen into the living room. You crawled into the hall and worked your way to the stairs. You reached for your phone in your back pocket but grew confused as it wasn't there. You turned around seeing a man with a white ghost face mask holding up your phone.

He suddenly held up a knife sending you screaming and running up the stairs. The man was quick sprinting behind you and you threw the nearest object towards him sending him falling to the ground. You ran into your room and slammed the door in his face. You quickly ran to the bathroom and used the other door sending you back out to the corridor and you sprinted back down the stairs. You could sense the man quick on your tail as you tried to open the front door but was caught by the chair. The man swung the knife towards you causing you to duck and turn towards the other way.

You quickly ran out the back bumping into a sudden obstacle, causing you to scream in fear.

"(Y/N) it's me." You looked up seeing your boyfriend trying to calm you down.

"Donghyuck? What the fuck, I thought you were dead." You wiped your tears.

"I'm fine it's just a stupid prank."

"What?" You pushed him away and turned around.

The man in the mask was waiting by the door and suddenly removed it revealing Mark.

"You were trying to kill me?"

"It's just plastic." Mark flicked the knife.

"You're both assholes."

"(Y/N) come on it was just a joke." He laughed pulling your arm.

You turned around and slapped him. "I thought you were really killed. I don't know how that's funny to you." You walked back inside the house. "You two deserve each other."

-

You threw on your backpack before you ran downstairs and out the door, surprised from your guilt ill boyfriend waiting on the other side. You rolled your eyes and walked past ignoring him.

"(Y/N) please, I'm so sorry. It wasn't even my idea. I'll do anything." He got down on his knees literally begging.

"Why?"

"We were just trying to scare you, I didn't think it would go that far."

You sighed believing the dummy.

"I promise we will never do this ever again. Especially for Mark's sake since he had to get six stitches." He got up.

"I gave him stitches?" You asked shocked from the sudden news.

"Yeah, when you threw the vase at him. We deserve much worse." He said and you quickly punched him in the arm.

"You idiot!" You yelled. "You two are bad for each other. If you want my advice...stay far away from each other because then you won't get these twisted thoughts in your head."

"But do you forgive me?" He asked reaching for your hand.

"Never. But I'll continue to tolerate you I suppose." He smiled at your answer and leaned down bringing his lips towards yours. The worst part was you let him and responded back.

You heard a cough pulling each other away. "I need to get to work." Your mother spoke, clearly annoyed that his car was blocking the driveway.

"Sorry mom."

You followed your boyfriend to his car and took off to school.

Once you got there, there was camera crew everywhere. What the hell happened?

"What's going on?" Donghyuck spoke up first.

"I don't know." You both got out and started towards the school.

"Mr. Lee, I need to see you right away." The principle said once you both entered the building.

"I'll catch up with you later." He said following the principal.

"(Y/N)! There you are. Did you hear what happened last night?" Your friend Lia came over.

"You should hear what happened to me." You started.

"Sophia Chu was murdered last night."

"What?"

"Yeah. The detectives said it was some maniac in black robes wearing a white ghost face mask." She said causing you to go numb.

No way.

"The worst part was the killer is still out there. He was long gone once her parents showed up."

"(Y/N)?" The principal grabbed your attention and signaled you to come inside. You followed pursuit and you saw Mark and Donghyuck sitting on the other side of the desk with police standing guard.

"This is a very serious matter. A student was murdered last night and they were wearing this." He held up the mask. "Now there was packaging for this costume in both of these students lockers but they claim that they were with you last night. Is that true?"

You were their only witness.

"Last night......-"

[yangyeet]

WIPS

~Yangyeet’s WIP List~

Welcome to my WIP list! These are ideas I have compiled in no particular order. I’m working on writing them, but they could be finished anytime depending on how my classes work out this semester 🤧I’ll update it as I finish the stories and add links. But here’s the list so far :) 

When The Night Howls 🌚

NCT Dream 

Vampires vs Werewolves mini-series 

Based on the Save NCT Dream Puff video because that was really cool and inspiring

Whiplash ☆

NCT 127

Rich People & Drug addiction AU (cocaine cuz they’re rich hehe)

Love Interest™️ either Taeyong or Jaehyun 

You’re a secret agent trying to infiltrate their mansion, but what happens when you fall for them, or worse, they fall for you?

Tidal Wave 🌊

NCT (OT21) 

Percy Jackson AU 

NCT Dream & NCT 127 are Camp Half-Blood 

WayV are from Camp Jupiter (there’s a plot twist in there. you’ll see 🥴)

Turns out, not everything is as it seems and they have to come together to save the world (and fall in love while they’re at it)

Hit and Kiss 💋

NCT Dream 

Thriller Suspense/Mystery AU

Locked in a room and have 24 hours to save themselves

Follow Me to the End 🚶🏻‍♀️

NCT (OT21) 

Zombie Apocalypse AU

Is This Heaven? 👼🏻 (Finished!)

[Preview] [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

[jenosweave]

nct dream high school au {donghyuck}

we crave attention request pls thank u

mark | renjun | jeno | donghyuck | jaemin | chenle | jisung

totally the class clown

left a tack on his math teacher’s chair once

got in-school suspension..

but claimed mark was an accomplice so they ended up suspended together

keeps advil in his locker for hard days

totally takes adderall during finals week

kinda good at school when he tries

pulls a miracle at the end of every semester and somehow manages to go from a d to an a in the span of a week

kisses his teachers’ asses

they can never tell it’s him who wrote “pussy” on the board during passing period

always says his name is something it isnt on the first day of school

“lee donghyuck?” “i go by chick magnet.”

instead of doing work, he changes wikipedia pages

tries to kiss mark everytime he sees him

never succeeds

just give him a kiss already what the fuck

some random girl : i’ll give u a kiss

“not from u ew”

thinks girls have cooties

makes up excuses for why he isn’t interested in girls

the gay boy of the century

jaemin BEGS him to join gsa

he’s the only one who supports mark’s mixtape(s)

promotes them on social media

Aspires to be a club bouncer when he graduates

or one of those bar mitzvah DJs who gives the kids dumb dance moves to do to make them look like idiots

enrolled in student government for the credits

ran for ASB secretary just to look like he cared

ran uncontested and got stuck with the position

entered the school talent show in senior year impersonating michael jackson

is always late and shows up with an extra large dunkin donuts iced coffee with 5 shots of espresso and 10 sugars

makes a big deal out of everyone’s birthday

got a shit haircut once and had to wear hats for two weeks

everyone made fun of him