#once again my brother and his family ringing the doorbell at meal times - today exactly at 12 o'clock

[zaggyzoo]

my mom is too nice

[bloody-bee-tea]

Your lan Quiren defending Jiang cheng fics, ARE THE BEST. I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED THEM TILL I READ THEM. THEY ARE FANTASTIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING THEM!! If it were up to me I would read 30 different stories about Lan Quiren being the real father figure JC rightfully deserves. Pleasw please could you continue with the moder!AU, in which LQ offers his house in case JC ever needs it? I just need a continuation based on JC going to LQ home and having some hurt/comfort.

Thank yoouuu

Anon: Please please can we have a continuation for that moder Au fix with JC and Lan Quiren?? My heart exploded from all the love. I just want good things for Jiang Cheng. 💚💚. 

Anon: With JC day 7 all I can think about is the next family meal when LX and LW come over just to find Jiang Cheng setting the table 

JC Love Month 2020 Day 17

Loneliness and Thoughtfulness

It seems like this idea was really popular, since three people asked for a continuation of this, so have at it ;) Day 17 of JC Love Month brings more found family with Lan Qiren, who continues to drag Jiang Cheng into his own home, and this time even his nephews get in on this as well. It follows JC Love Month 2020 Day 7.

Jiang Cheng is not at all surprised when Wei Wuxian bounds up to him during one of their breaks.

“Listen, Jiang Cheng,” he starts and Jiang Cheng is rolling his eyes at him before he even goes on.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re not coming home tonight,” he says and he tries to hide just how much that hurts.

Ever since the last fight Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian got into, Wei Wuxian has unofficially moved in with Lan Wangji and his brother. He only comes home sporadically to get some of his shit, but he never actually brings it back home again, and Jiang knows that it’s only a matter of time until he announces officially that he’s moving.

Jiang Cheng is not looking forward to that day.

Jiang Yanli has moved in with Jin Zixuan much more officially and she even cleared out her old room. She barely drops by anymore, not that Jiang Cheng can blame her much, and instead opts to invite Wei Wuxian and him to her new home.

She hasn’t invited Jiang Cheng in almost a week and he tries to not let that get to him.

But when he’s sitting in his own room, the whole house quiet and empty, because his siblings moved on and his parents simply don’t care enough to come home, it’s hard to pretend that everything is alright.

Jiang Cheng has only seen his parents once since he got the cast on his wrist and he’s not entirely sure they didn’t just buy a new house and simply forgot to mention it to Jiang Cheng.

He wouldn’t put it past them.

“You’re right!” Wei Wuxian excitedly says and brings their shoulder’s together. “Will you be okay?” he then asks, much more subdued and he lightly taps the cast still on Jiang Cheng’s wrist.

“Of course I will be,” Jiang Cheng scoffs, even though he’s not sure about that.

Cooking with one hand is damn hard and for the past few weeks when he’s been alone at home—which he is more often than not—he opted to eat take-out or prepared dishes.

It’s not the healthiest lifestyle to have, Jiang Cheng knows that, but the loneliness is getting to him and he can’t get himself up to cook anything, less alone do it with only one hand.

“Good,” Wei Wuxian says, clearly not picking up on Jiang Cheng’s lie and then his gaze strays over to Lan Wangji.

“Go over there already,” Jiang Cheng huffs out, already annoyed with the love sick gazes they throw each other even though there are only a few tables between them.

“If you say so,” Wei Wuxian beams as if he needed Jiang Cheng’s permission to leave his side and then he’s already gone again.

Jiang Cheng stares down at the food in front of him and it feels like the key in his pocket is burning a hole into the fabric.

He knows he could go over to Lan Qiren’s place, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t want to do it too often. He’s scared Lan Qiren will get fed up with him rather quickly if he shows up there every other day, and so Jiang Cheng has tried to limit himself to only go there once or twice a week.

It’s not nearly as often as he wants to go there but he figures it’s better than nothing.

With how today is going, he might have to make use of the key again, because for the first time this week his parents were home during breakfast and while his father didn’t spare him a glance, his mother berated him about how long it’s already been with the cast and she made an appointment to get it taken off.

Jiang Cheng is pretty sure the doctor in the hospital told him it would take six weeks, and it’s barely been four, but he didn’t dare to argue with his mother.

And now Wei Wuxian isn’t coming home either, and Jiang Cheng can think of nothing worse than to go back there; either to an empty house or to see his parents, so really, that only leaves him one choice.

“Dinner is at six,” Lan Qiren suddenly says from behind Jiang Cheng and he wonders where he materialized from. “I expect you at four, so you can help me prepare it.”

“Okay,” Jiang Cheng says through the lump in his throat because he has seen Lan Qiren cook before.

He doesn’t need any help; doesn’t even accept it because he prefers to do it on his own, so clearly, this is only for Jiang Cheng’s benefit.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t make a detour home after class, because a few of his own things have migrated to Lan Qiren’s places as well; mostly stuff he needs to sleep in case he ever stays over again so Jiang Cheng doesn’t need to pick anything else up.

When he gets to Lan Qiren’s house, it’s still dark, so Jiang Cheng uses the key to let himself in. Once inside he sees light from Lan Qiren’s study and Jiang Cheng has to take yet again a moment to himself.

Lan Qiren deliberately let him use the key again, so that Jiang Cheng can see that it’s still working, that Lan Qiren didn’t change the locks or anything else completely ridiculous that Jiang Cheng can’t stop fretting about and Jiang Cheng presses his eyes closed for a second.

Jiang Cheng almost opens his mouth to yell “I’m home” but in the last second he bites his lips.

He shouldn’t take liberties, he shouldn’t assume. It’s not a home; it’s shelter at best.

“Ah, you’re home,” Lan Qiren says just at that moment, completely wiping Jiang Cheng’s mind blank but Lan Qiren doesn’t seem to notice.

“Keep me company in the kitchen,” he says and Jiang Cheng nods before he trails after Lan Qiren.

“I can help,” Jiang Cheng offers, despite knowing how this will go and Lan Qiren sends him a very pointed look that tells Jiang Cheng to shup up, sit down and do his homework.

Jiang Cheng does exactly that.

Lan Qiren is an efficient man in the kitchen and it’s not long before everything is ready; he’s certainly done faster than Jiang Cheng is with his homework.

“Do you have a problem?” Lan Qiren asks when he turns around and sees Jiang Cheng frowning down at his book and Jiang Cheng flushes.

He shouldn’t need help with this; they covered it in class, Jiang Cheng remembers it, so he should be able to figure it out for himself.

“Let me see,” Lan Qiren demands and comes around to look over Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

“It’s this problem,” Jiang Cheng whispers and points at the passage that trips him up.

Lan Qiren reads it over and then he turns a few pages back, pointing at an entirely different passage. Jiang Cheng reads it over and finds that it’s exactly what he needs to solve the problem he’s working on.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Cheng whispers, expecting to be scolded like his mother used to do when she was still overseeing his homework, but Lan Qiren only shakes his head.

“Homework is there to learn, there’s no need to be sorry for not immediately understanding a concept,” he gives back and Jiang Cheng can only stare at him.

No one ever actually told him that it’s okay to not get things on the first try and Jiang Cheng ducks his head.

“Thank you,” he whispers and that seems to please Lan Qiren much more.

“Finish up here, and then set the table,” he says, squeezing Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, who nods. “We’ll be four people tonight.”

“Four?” Jiang Cheng blurts out and he goes cold.

“My nephews will come over for dinner today,” Lan Qiren says as if nothing is wrong with that and Jiang Cheng scrambles to get his things together.

“I’ll get out of your way, I’m sorry for intruding today,” Jiang Cheng rushes out, his heart heavy in his chest and he only stops his frantic movements when he realizes that Lan Qiren is staring at him.

“What are you doing?” he demands to know and Jiang Cheng looks down at his book, so he doesn’t have to meet his eyes.

“Getting out of your way,” he lowly says. “Leaving you to your family dinner.”

“Four people, Wanyin,” Lan Qiren reiterates and Jiang Cheng briefly wonders if Wei Wuxian is allowed to come.

He and Lan Wangji are certainly at the boyfriend meets parents stage of their relationship.

“And I don’t mean Wei Wuxian,” Lan Qiren then says and Jiang Cheng’s head snaps up.

“I can stay?” he unsurely asks, because surely Lan Qiren would want to be alone with his nephews but when Lan Qiren nods he sinks down on his chair again.

“Oh, okay,” Jiang Cheng whispers.

“Family dinner is for those I want to have around,” Lan Qiren says, and now he’s not quite meeting his eyes anymore. “And that includes you.”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes immediately start to burn and he’s so tired of always bursting into tears when someone is nice to him, but he can’t help himself.

He didn’t have a chance to build up a tolerance for it yet even though Lan Qiren is very relentless in trying to rectify that.

“Okay,” Jiang Cheng says once he’s sure that his voice will hold and he turns back around to his homework.

He’ll get it done and then he’ll set the table, just like Lan Qiren asked of him.

~*~*~

When the doorbell rings, Jiang Cheng flinches. He thought Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen would have a key but maybe it’s just common curtesy for them to announce their arrival differently.

“You have a key, so you will use it,” Lan Qiren tells him before he marches off and Jiang Cheng sits back down again.

There are low murmurs and then Lan Qiren leads his nephews into the room. They both freeze when they see Jiang Cheng at the table.

“I wasn’t aware we’d have company this evening,” Lan Xichen mildly says though he gives Jiang Cheng a small smile.

When Lan Wangji only stares at him, he sinks further into his chair.

“Wanyin will attend family dinners from now on,” Lan Qiren decides and Jiang Cheng’s eyes get big.

He had thought this would be a one-time thing.

“Alright,” Lan Xichen says easily and then goes off to help his uncle carry the dishes over to the table, something Jiang Cheng can’t do yet, because of the cast on his hand.

“Wei Ying said you went home,” Lan Wangji says after he sat down, a small frown on his face and Jiang Cheng shrugs.

“I didn’t,” Jiang Cheng gives back and when Lan Wangji only glares at him, he looks down at the table.

He really does feel like an intruder.

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen chides his brother when they get back from the kitchen and even Lan Qiren seems displeased by Lan Wangji’s icy glare.

“Don’t mind him,” Lan Xichen says to Jiang Cheng sitting down next to him. “He doesn’t do well with changes, especially unannounced ones.”

“I see,” Jiang Cheng whispers even though he doesn’t.

He steals a glance at Lan Xichen, because it feels safer than to look at Lan Wangji again, and he startles when he finds Lan Xichen already looking at him.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t know Lan Xichen well at all, because he is already attending university and has been ever since Wei Wuxian took an interest in Lan Wangji which really was the start of all of this, Jiang Cheng thinks.

Jiang Cheng is curious to know what exactly Lan Xichen is studying, but he can’t bring himself to ask before they start with dinner, and Jiang Cheng knows enough by now to keep his mouth shut while they are eating.

Lan Qiren’s reprimand the first time had been almost gentle, but Jiang Cheng is still very careful to never forget it again.

Once they are done, Lan Qiren asks Lan Wangji to go with him to his study, leaving only Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng behind.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t dare to think that Lan Qiren wants to speak to Lan Wangji because of how he treated Jiang Cheng this evening, but he fails to see how else he could interpret Lan Qiren’s many glares at Lan Wangji during dinner.

“Join me in the kitchen?” Lan Xichen asks as he gathers up all the dishes and Jiang Cheng nods, before he reaches out to take his own bowl.

“Give that to me,” Lan Xichen says before Jiang Cheng can pick it up and then Lan Xichen looks at his cast. “How is your wrist?”

“Okay,” Jiang Cheng says and then winces. “It doesn’t hurt at all anymore, it’s mostly annoying,” he admits and gets a smaller smile for it, though this one seems more real than the others.

“Will it come off soon?” Lan Xichen wants to know as he gets started on cleaning the dishes and Jiang Cheng shrugs.

“I have an appointment with a doctor on Friday,” he says, still hearing his mother say how he better not miss it and Lan Xichen stops.

“It’s only been four weeks, though, right?” he questions and Jiang Cheng presses his lips together. “A broken bone needs longer than that. You shouldn’t rush it,” Lan Xichen advises him and Jiang Cheng almost lets out a bitter huff.

How is he supposed to take the time to heal properly when his mother will only take it as one more weakness from him.

“Uncle said you’re going to attend family dinner from now on?” Lan Xichen eventually says when it becomes clear that Jiang Cheng doesn’t have a reply for him.

“It seems like it,” Jiang Cheng says, still unsure about it, because he cannot believe that Lan Qiren would want him to come back again.

“It’s good,” Lan Xichen says and then he turns around towards Jiang Cheng, instantly putting him on edge.

“Uncle mentioned that you have a key, but barely use it,” Lan Xichen says and Jiang Cheng grimaces at that.

“Jiang Wanyin, if he gave you that key he wants you to use it,” Lan Xichen gently says and Jiang Cheng shrugs, because Lan Qiren said the same, but it’s still hard for Jiang Cheng to trust it.

“Uncle has been lonely since Wangji and I moved out,” Lan Xichen says almost out of the blue. “He would never admit to it, but it’s true. He misses coming home to someone. Wangji or I were usually home before him and one of us would cook. Uncle misses that the most, I think. A homecooked meal by someone who cares about him.”

“I—” Jiang Cheng starts and then doesn’t know how to go on, because it feels presumptuous to offer to cook for Lan Qiren when he doesn’t know if Lan Qiren would even want him to.

“I could show you his favourite dishes,” Lan Xichen offers and Jiang Cheng finds himself nodding before he can give it a conscious thought.

“Uncle likes his food light and without many spices,” Lan Xichen says and Jiang Cheng scoffs, because yeah, that he noticed already.

“He keeps some spices and chili sauce for you here, did you know?” Lan Xichen asks and before Jiang Cheng can call him out on his lie, Lan Xichen opens a cupboard and true to his words the spices and chili sauce are all there.

The thoughtfulness is enough to bring Jiang Cheng to tears again and he only feels slightly ashamed when Lan Xichen steps close and puts a hand to his shoulder.

“Uncle wants you here,” Lan Xichen says. “He’s not doing it out of pity, if that is what you think. He has always spoken very highly of you and he was worried long before he learned about your situation at home,” Lan Xichen says and Jiang Cheng burns with the knowledge that even Lan Xichen knows that his family home is shit.

“He didn’t go into details, but it’s clear that he wants to take care of you. He’s not good at saying it, he and Wangji are much alike in that, but he means it. So please come home more often,” Lan Xichen softly finishes and Jiang Cheng tries to hide his face when a few tears roll down his cheeks.

“I’ll try,” he chokes out and Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren choose that moment to come into the kitchen.

“Xichen,” Lan Qiren exclaims and is at Jiang Cheng’s side a moment later. “Do not be rude,” Lan Qiren chides him but before Lan Xichen can say something Jiang Cheng shakes his head.

“He wasn’t. I’m fine,” he says, even though it’s clear to everyone in the kitchen that he’s not.

Lan Qiren still hovers at his side and Jiang Cheng almost thinks that funny, but then Lan Wangji clears his throat.

“See you next week, Jiang Wanyin,” he awkwardly says and it’s as much of a peace offering as Jiang Cheng will get from him so he simply nods at him.

“See you next week. Do not say hi to my brother for me,” Jiang Cheng says, because he’s not quite ready to have Wei Wuxian ask questions about it, and Lan Wangji seems to understand because he nods.

“Well, until next week then, uncle, Jiang Wanyin, have a pleasant evening,” Lan Xichen also says and pushes Lan Wangji out of the room before anyone else can say something.

“Family dinners are weekly,” Lan Qiren explains, yet again not quite looking at Jiang Cheng. “Plus a monthly brunch on the last Sunday in the month.”

It’s not quite an invitation, but by now Jiang Cheng dares to presume that it actually is an invitation and so he nods.

“I will be there,” he reassures Lan Qiren who strokes his beard.

“See to it that you are,” he says and then makes his way into the living-room.

Jiang Cheng remains in the kitchen until he feels at least a little bit composed again and then he joins Lan Qiren, who is practicing on his guqin.

Jiang Cheng has found that it’s excellent background noise to do some reading for class, so he settles down on the couch with his book and an approving look from Lan Qiren.

It does feel a little bit like home.

Next part!

Link to my ko-fi on the sidebar!

[bettydice]

I didn’t expect you to be lonely (too)

Xicheng, Modern AU, JC&WWX reconciliation, E-Rated

Chapter 1

When Jiang Cheng opens the window in the morning, crisp, cold air hits his face. The leaves on the tree in the courtyard of the apartment complex are turning colours.

When did that happen? When did summer end?

It’s a new semester, a new season, and Wei Wuxian still hasn’t returned. Hasn’t called, hasn’t messaged. Jiang Cheng had thought… had hoped…

He should’ve known better.

The wind picks up and raises goosebumps on his skin. A leaf, dark red, is torn from a branch and flutters through the air.

He used to like autumn.

Jiang Yanli was spring, Wei Wuxian was summer, Jiang Cheng was autumn. Winter was them together, because it was cold and they had to stick close.

Jiang Cheng scoffs and closes the window. There’s no use in remembering or hoping. He has work to do anyway.

He makes himself an unsatisfying breakfast that consists of instant coffee and - oh, there isn’t really anything else. Of course the fridge is fucking empty.

He goes jogging, but he’s hungry and it’s cold and he hates jogging.

He takes a shower, but the water is either too hot or too cold.

When he sits down at his desk and opens his writing program, it doesn’t fucking work. Because of course not.

Error #234871FUCKYOUJIANGCHENG

“I don’t even know what that means, I’m not a fucking COMPUTER SCIENTIST!”

Like some people. Some people, who betrayed and abandoned him and moved in with some random-ass people to look after a random-ass child for no good reason and left him all alone. Now he has no one to share his meals with, so there’s no point in making sure his fridge is full, and no one who also hates jogging, so they can suffer together, and no one to fucking help him with fucking computer issues and this is all fucking bullshit.

Jiang Cheng slams his laptop shut.

Fuck you, Wei Wuxian. This is all your fault.

Another headache creeps up his temples. He’s already completely done with this day. At 9:37 AM. Fuck. He has a fucking essay to write about some bullshit topic he doesn’t care about, but how is he supposed to do that when his laptop hates him as much as everyone else does and his head feels as though it’s splitting apart?

His phone rings, and the sound feels like someone is applying a power drill to his brain. And of course it’s not on his desk but far away on the counter. Because nothing in his life can ever be easy or convenient, oh no. He stretches his arm and then his whole upper body to try to grab it from the counter without having to get up from his desk and then there’s a TWINGE and oh no, that’s not good. His shoulder feels as though it’s on fire and… yep, he can’t fucking move his head.

FUCK. FUCKING FUCK SHIT BALLS CRAP FUCK SHIT. FUUUUUUUUCK.

And his phone keeps ringing.

Everyone ignores him for DAYS but NOW when he’s literally DYING and can’t reach his phone, they want to talk to him.

He gets up, ignores the pain shooting down his right arm, carefully shuffles towards the counter, and answers the phone with his left hand.

“WHAT?”

“A-Cheng?”

It’s his sister. Jiang Cheng’s stress levels automatically lower by about 13% as soon as he hears her voice.

“Jiejie, hey. Sorry, I just…” He switches his phone to the other hand and then gets a painful reminder that this side is fucked. “Fuck, ow.”

“A-Cheng? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing! I just... pulled a muscle or something.” He sits down again and bites his lip to suppress a wail of agony. “Why did you call, Jiejie?”

He can basically hear Jiang Yanli’s gentle, slightly concerned, smile through the phone. “Ah, then I’m calling just at the right time. You’ve been struggling with tension for a while now and as you know, your birthday is coming up and -”

“Don’t remind me. That’s still over a month away. And I’m not struggling!”

“- and I have the perfect gift for you. You don’t have to wait until November to do it either. And I think it would be so good for you, A-Cheng, especially now with your pulled muscle.”

“And what exactly is ‘it’?”

“Do you remember Lan Xichen? He’s a friend of Nie Mingjue, and his uncle is Lan Qiren. I think we met him a few times during one of those large business-people dinners we used to get invited to, when father…”

Was still alive.

“I don’t remember anyone I met there, because I was bored out of my mind.” Because Wei Wuxian wasn’t invited to those. And because they were fucking boring. “What does this have to do with my mysterious birthday present anyway?”

“Ah, well, it turns out he works as a physical therapist and I guess you could call him a sort of life coach. Massages, yoga, meditation, physical therapy. He has his own little studio in his apartment, so it’s very private and intimate, and he spends a lot of time with every client, it’s not just a twenty minute massage and then you’re done.”

His sister speaks with rare urgency and Jiang Cheng feels a little bewildered by having this just thrown at him. “So, you want me to-”

“I met him recently, such a lovely man, and asked him whether he had time to take on another client, and he does! So I booked you ten sessions and the first one is Thursday, 5 p.m. We were going to meet that afternoon, so I know you have time, and we can just reschedule our meeting!”

“Jiejie! Ten sessions… I don’t… I’m not a massage person! I don’t want some stranger touching me!” This is all really very sudden, so of course his first instinct is to say no.

His sister, of course, is used to that, and expected it. So she laughs softly and continues convincing him. “Ah, but he’s not a stranger, he’s Nie Mingjue’s best friend and as I said, I met him recently - he’s very kind and sweet and he doesn’t just do massages. I’m sure he’ll be willing to listen to what you’re comfortable with and figure out what’s best for you. A-Cheng, why don’t you just go to the first meeting and see what happens, hm? It’s my present for you.”

As if he could ever actually say no to his sister. Nobody can.

“Alright, alright. But if it’s not my thing, you’ll use the rest of the sessions, okay? I could watch A-Ling while you go get pampered a little.” His sister deserves this much more than he does anyway. Not that she would agree with that.

“Just go and meet with Lan Xichen first, before deciding that it’s not for you.” She’s using her stern voice, oh no.

“I will! I’m just saying!”

“Alright. Let me know how it goes then.”

“I will.”

“Did you have breakfast?”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

“Good. Remember to drink tea or water, too, not just coffee.”

“Yes, Jiejie.”

“And-”

“I’ll call you after I’ve met with Lan Xichen,” Jiang Cheng interrupts, before she can shower him with even more care. “And thank you. I… could probably use some… relaxation.”

“Great! I’ll text you the address in a bit.”

They chat a bit more about A-Ling and what shenanigans he gets up to now that he can walk, and when Jiang Cheng ends the call a while later, his mood has significantly improved.

His phone makes a noise again. He looks at the screen, expecting a text from his sister with Lan Xichen’s address, but... Fuck. He unlocks the screen and stares at his daily Wei Wuxian selfie. Today he’s wearing a bathrobe so fluffy, it seems to swallow him, and he’s making… duck lips. Jiang Cheng’s mood plummets to the ground.

Why can’t he delete this stupid alarm or app or whatever his brother has infested his phone with? Why doesn’t he just change his fucking number, get a new phone? Why does Wei Wuxian keep up this nonsense, even though he’s obviously not interested in being in contact with Jiang Cheng anymore? Why torment him with these little glimpses into a life that he lives without his brother? The selfies don’t arrive at a set time every day and it’s a new one every time, so it’s pretty safe to say, Wei Wuxian takes them and sends them himself every day. They used to arrive between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., but recently he sometimes gets them as early as 9 a.m. On one shocking occasion it was 6:45 a.m., though Wei Wuxian did look very sleepy. Since when does Wei Wuxian get up that early?

He also seems to be spending a lot of time at a place that is not the flat he moved into with the Wens. Not that Jiang Cheng spends a lot of time analyzing the background of the pictures. Because he does not care what Wei Wuxian gets up to. Wei Wuxian does not care about him anymore either, beyond annoying him like this.

Jiang Cheng shakes his head to make his brain stop thinking about useless things. Immediately, pain shoots down his arm, burns in his neck.

Fuck.

Maybe he should just go back to bed. Clearly getting up was a mistake.

Thursday

Lan Xichen lives on the outskirts of the city. Not quite the suburbs, but in one of those areas where rich people enjoy having a garden, or at least a balcony, and less busy streets, while the city centre is still only a few subway stops away. The kind of area where his own family once lived.

Jiang Cheng checks the house number again and rushes towards the building, wrapping his jacket closer around him. It is colder now, he’s known this and yet didn’t take that into account when getting dressed.

He enters the building, takes the elevator to the 2nd floor, finds the right door and rings the doorbell.

He doesn’t have to wait long until Lan Xichen opens him.

Oh.

“A-Sang… who… who is that next to your brother?”

“Huh? Aaah, that’s Lan Xichen. Da-ge’s best friend. Why do you ask?”

“No reason!”

“Oooooh, I see.”

“Shut up!”

“Well, now I finally know your type, Cheng-Cheng. You’re into impossibly beautiful people who you’re too scared to talk to.”

“I said shut up! I just asked who it was!”

“First Wen Qing, now Xichen-ge… But don’t worry, he’s super nice. Now, his brother on the other hand… So hot, but-“

“I’m leaving!”

Fuck.

“Hello! You must be Jiang Wanyin.”

Lan Xichen smiles at him and yep, yep, Huaisang was right, impossibly beautiful. Fuck.

Oh shit, he still hasn’t said anything.

“Ah yes, that’s me. Hello. Nice to meet you.” Jiang Cheng couldn’t be more awkward if he tried. Except he can, because then he bows, way too low.

Lan Xichen seems to be too polite to laugh at him, but his eyes sparkle as though he wants to, while he invites Jiang Cheng inside.

The apartment is large and bright and… full of plants. Lan Xichen leads him into the living room, where a pot of tea and two mugs are waiting for them on the coffee table. Jiang Cheng sits down on a very comfortable chair, next to a large houseplant with beautiful green and red leaves. All in all, the surroundings help him feel way more relaxed than what would be appropriate for the situation. The situation being: Sitting across from the man Jiang Cheng has seen maybe three times, back when he was 17, from afar, and whom he used to spend quite some time thinking about what it would be like to kiss him. More than three times. The same man who is supposed to give him a massage.

“Is tea alright? Would you prefer something else?”

“Tea is lovely, thank you.” Jiang Cheng hurries to take a sip and hopefully smiles instead of grimacing.

Lan Xichen picks up a notebook and a pen, rests it on his legs, then takes a deep breath. Despite his gentle smile, and the soothing smell of jasmine tea, and the literal urban jungle he’s sitting in, Jiang Cheng thinks he can pick up a hint of nervousness from Lan Xichen. But no, he must be imagining it.

Lan Xichen opens his notebook and looks at Jiang Cheng. “So, your sister already told me that you’ve been dealing with a little tension and stress. If you’re comfortable with it, I would like to ask you a few questions and make myself an overview of where you hold your tension and how it affects you, so we can think about how to best help you.”

Jiang Cheng only smiles and nods.

“This is only a preliminary meeting, so I already know how to best proceed, once we start our sessions.”

Lan Xichen asks him a few questions about his daily schedule (repetitive), whether he does any exercise (yes, well, sort of, sometimes), is he sleeping well (eeh), does he often have headaches (yes), and so on. Jiang Cheng answers as best as he can, and even though Lan Xichen shows no judgment at all, it is mortifying for him. His life is a mess and clearly he’s responsible for all of it. Why doesn’t he do more exercise? If he has headaches all the time, he should be doing something about that!

“Mhm, have you ever tried Yoga before?”

“No.”

“Can you touch your toes?”

“I don’t know? Why would I need to touch my toes?!” Jiang Cheng regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth but Lan Xichen only looks amused.

“Excellent question.” Lan Xichen puts the notepad he’s been using back down on the table and stands up. “Would it be okay if I touch your neck and shoulders to have a closer look at your tension?”

“Yes, yes. That’s alright. Sure.” Jiang Cheng puts down the mug and rests his hands on his knees, trying to project that he’s totally casual and relaxed and that he never spent even a minute wondering how those hands might feel on his skin. Why do these things happen to him? Why can’t he even nurse a schoolboy crush for a few months and then forget about it without suffering consequences???

Lan Xichen’s hands are warm, but not too warm. Perfect temperature for being touched, really. His fingers are long and smooth and it feels really good, the way they’re digging into his muscles and-

“Fuck!”

“Sorry. Looks like I found a sore spot.” Lan Xichen strokes his fingers in a soothing apology over the spot and that’s almost worse, because it feels really good.

“I, uhm, apologise for the… rude language.”

“Oh, haha, I’ve heard worse from clients. No need to hold back, I’m of the opinion that it can be beneficial to find release.”

“Right.” This is like one of Jiang Cheng’s dreams that starts out beautiful and turns into a horrible nightmare halfway through. Will he make it through this without horribly embarrassing himself even further and/or offending Lan Xichen in the process?

“You’re really... “ Lan Xichen runs his hands up Jiang Cheng’s neck and slightly presses his thumbs into a spot between his ear and his jaw. Jiang Cheng groans. “You’re very tense. In a lot of places. Do you grind your teeth at night? Or clench them?”

“Maybe?”

Lan Xichen rests his hands on Jiang Cheng’s shoulders for a second, then sits down opposite of him again. Jiang Cheng immediately misses the warmth of his hands, which is ridiculous and he needs to get a grip.

“Alright, well, I think for the beginning we will be focusing on relaxing and loosening your muscles. So, massage, thermotherapy, some gentle stretches. I’ll also help you find things you can do at home to destress and relieve tension. Does that sound good?”

“Uhm, yes. It does.” Jiang Cheng kind of tuned out after Lan Xichen said ‘massage’, because… He has this dreadful feeling his schoolboy crush never went away and instead just laid dormant until right now. Which is so fucking inconvenient, of course it’s happening to Jiang Cheng. “Thank you, Lan-ge… uhm… Lan Xichen.”

How should he address him? Apparently, he’s sort of a family friend (Where and why did Jiejie even meet him? Why didn’t he ask?) but now he’s also taking care of Jiang Cheng in a professional, sort of medical sense...

Lan Xichen is, of course, not oblivious to his discomfort, but smiles and pours him some more tea. “Whatever you feel comfortable with. Laoshi is fine, too.”

Lan Xichen then goes through a few formalities with him. He informs him he’s being paid per session, not by the hour, so they’ll never have to hurry. They exchange phone numbers, in case someone needs to reschedule or Lan Xichen wants to send him some exercises or something. Jiang Cheng only smiles and nods and agrees. When Lan Xichen proposes they have the first session tomorrow afternoon, Jiang Cheng smiles and nods, too.

After, Lan Xichen escorts him to the door, wishes him a lovely evening, says he’s looking forward to their sessions and Jiang Cheng should remember to wear something comfortable. When he smiles again, Jiang Cheng almost walks into the door.

As soon as Jiang Cheng arrives home, he calls his sister.

“A-Cheng! How was it?”

“Uhm, fine, but that’s not why-”

“He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”

“I… what? Why… why would you bring that up?” Jiang Cheng gives his phone a side-eye, even though his sister can’t see it.

“Well, it’s impossible to not notice. And he has such a lovely personality, too.” Jiang Yanli says this as casually as though she’s talking about the weather.

“Yes… I guess.” While both of those things are true, it’s unlike his sister to bring it up. Or at least, to bring it up so quickly and directly. “Jiejie, how do you know Lan Xichen again? Where did you meet?”

“Oh… he came over for tea recently.”

“And why did he do that?”

“Because I invited him.”

Well, his sister clearly is keeping something from him, something connected to his old-new crush and physical therapist and Jiang Cheng hates not being in the know when other people are clearly keeping secrets from him.

“How did you meet him? Why did you invite him? Why do you not want to tell me?”

“A-Cheng…”

Oh, of course. “Wei Wuxian.”

Jiang Yanli sighs audibly, probably frowning in the way she always does when they skirt around the topic of him and Wei Wuxian not talking. “Yes. Lan Xichen is-”

“I don’t want to know!” Of course this has something to do with Wei Wuxian. Because he can’t have anything in his life without Wei Wuxian. Are they… they’re not dating or anything, right? That would just be… actually that would be fucking typical.

“Jiang Cheng!”

“I didn’t do anything!” Is his sister… getting cross with him???

“I just… he misses you.”

“Yeah? I don’t see any evidence of that!” His headache is back with a vengeance.

“Because you’re not looking. Because you’ve convinced yourself he doesn’t!” It’s rare for Jiang Yanli to raise her voice, and compared to Jiang Cheng, she still sounds gentle. But he can hear her frustration, hear how tiring this is for her, and… He sometimes forgets he and Wei Wuxian aren’t the only people who are involved in this. Who suffer.

“Then why doesn’t he call me? He obviously still has my number!”

“Why don’t you call him?”

Because he doesn’t want to call someone who doesn’t want him. Because he doesn’t want Wei Wuxian to come back because he feels pity or obligation. Because he’s scared Wei Wuxian would still not come back.

“He’s the one who left.”

“It’s been over a year. Can’t you… I’m so tired of holding louder than normal conversations with my husband in the kitchen while one of you is in the living room, so you know the other is okay without actually asking for it.”

“A-jie, I’m sorry. I didn’t know… I… It’s just… “ Great, now Jiang Cheng feels mad at Wei Wuxian, guilty for upsetting his sister, who should never be upset, and sad… because he misses his stupid brother, doesn’t he.

“I can’t force either of you to make the first step, but… you’re both suffering. A-Cheng, I just want you both to be happy.” Now she just sounds resigned. Fuck.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll… I’ll think about it. I promise.” If only because his sister deserves better than this - being stuck in the middle between them.

“Thank you. I love you, A-Cheng.”

“… Love you, too.”

“Now, tell me about your meeting today. Did you already get a massage?”

Right. Lan Xichen. “Jiejie… is Wei Wuxian dating Lan Xichen?”

Jiang Yanli laughs. “No. No, no. He’s dating his brother. Don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worrying! Just… wanted to know how you met.”

“He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”

“Stop asking that! That’s not why I… you know what, I have to go. I have… university… stuff. Talk to you later!”

“Bye!”

He can hear his sister still laughing when he ends the call. Mortifying. Why did he have to ask?

Wei Wuxian is dating Lan Xichen’s brother… That’s… Why is the world so fucking tiny? He couldn’t have picked anyone else?

Not that it matters. It’s not like Jiang Cheng was ever gonna do anything about… Lan Xichen is attractive and nice and lovely, which is simply a fact. Like his sister said, it’s impossible to not notice. Doesn’t have to mean anything. Jiang Cheng will only concentrate on… being less tense and maybe having fewer headaches.

And maybe… thinking… about… contacting Wei Wuxian…

“He misses you.”

Jiang Cheng is not convinced.

But…

[renaxwrites]

Eleven

.02  -  Ready to Run

synopsis: the number Eleven had always appeared in milestones of your life. it was a constant, and you didn’t know why. but you would soon find out when you study abroad in japan and meet Him.

pairing: tsukishima kei x fem!reader

warnings: none!

masterlist: here :)

a/n: hey y’all! I decided to give tsukishima’s mom a name, just to give her more familiarity for the story. I stuck with the ‘moon’ name theme, so her name is mizuki, meaning ‘beautiful moon’ or ‘water moon’. also, English will be in bold. btw, see if you can spot the lil meme ;) I hope you guys enjoy <3

     previous || next

There’s a lightning in your eyes I can’t deny. Then there’s me inside a sinking boat, running out of time. 

“We have now landed at our final destination, Japan. Please make sure to gather all of your belongings. Thank you for choosing to fly with us, we hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.”

Antsy, you jump up impatiently, cursing yourself for choosing the window seat, having to now wait a god-awful two more minutes to leave the plane.

Eventually, crisp, non-artificial and suffocating air blows your through hair as you rush outside to flag down a taxi to take you up north. The drive wasn’t too long, which was too bad. The journey to Miyagi prefecture was breathtaking, with mountains, scenery and all. Soon you stand outside a gorgeous residence with a quaint cherry blossom tree in the front.

You let out a quick sigh, and play with your locket, hoping to not let your nerves get the best of you as you walk up to the door. For some reason, knocking on doors and ringing doorbells and such made you nervous, so the second you step up to the door, you say a quick prayer, muster up all the courage you could, and are about to knock, when a pretty, blonde-ish woman greets you with a flourish.

“Welcome! We’re so excited to meet you! Here, let me help with your things, you’ve probably had a long trip…”

“Thank you,” you bow quickly before the two of you start hauling in your luggage.

“My name is Tsukishima Mizuki, but please, call me Mizuki, if you’re comfortable enough. I hope you don’t mind, it’s just me in here for the time being. I actually took time off of work so I can be here when you arrived! I have two sons, so I’ll admit it’ll be a nice change to have a girl in our company,” she laughs. Her warm, light-hearted laugh was enough to put you at ease and let down your guard.

“Thank you,” you say again. “My name is (y/l/n)(y/n), but call me (y/n).” You offer a small smile.

“Well, (y/n), I’m so glad you’re able to stay with us.” She leads you over to the dining area so the two of you can sit. “I can’t say I’ve ever met anyone from the U.S... I’ve always wondered what it was like over there...so I apologize in advance if I pester you with questions, haha! Sorry, sometimes I’m super curious about other cultures, so please let me know if I’m ever invading your space, then I’ll zip my lips!” Mizuki makes a motion of zipping her lips shut, then puts her imaginary key in her pocket.

You chuckle. “I don’t mind at all. I’m actually curious about culture over here as well. That’s part of why I chose to study over here!”

Mizuki ‘unzips’ her lips and forms a small ‘o’ in surprise. “Ohhh! How exciting! So, if you don’t mind me asking, did you study the language before you arrived? You speak Japanese very well! And that reminds me, you’re from the US, so you can speak English also, right?” she clearly is excited to get to know you, and the longer you converse with her, the more you feel comfortable.

“Well, my mother is Japanese, so she taught me the language. My dad was born and raised in America, so yeah, I am fluent in both English and Japanese. By the way, you have a very beautiful home, or, in translation, you have a very beautiful home.”

Mizuki laughs again. “You are one interesting girl, (y/n). I can already sense you will bring some joy to this home. On a different note, my boys will be home soon. My oldest, Akiteru, isn’t home that often due to work, but he promised to stop by so he can meet you. So you might see him around once in a while. My youngest, Kei, is actually your age. He goes to Karasuno High School not too far from here. You’ll see each other a lot, so if he's ever disrespectful, make sure to report to me,” she playfully demands.

You fake salute with a hearty “Yes ma’am!”

You both chuckle, then Mizuki checks the time. “They’ll actually be home soon, so I should start making dinner. Is there anything you prefer to eat? I can try to look up some American recipes, but I’m afraid it won’t taste the same…”

Waving your hands frantically, you fuss, “There’s no need to go through all that trouble! I’ve eaten plenty of the same meals you’ve had, so honestly, anything you make is fine. I might add I’m not a picky eater either, so hopefully that makes things easier!”

Mizuki hums and nods her head. “I’ll make some ramen tonight then. That sound alright to you?”

“As long as you let me help!”

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

The past couple of hours had been the best you’ve had in a while. You can already tell that the stay in this particular household was going to be pleasant and serene.

Or so you thought.

Dinner was finished and the table was set. All that was left was the arrival of the boys. According to Mizuki, each boy came home at a certain time every day. If that was true, then Akiteru would be here in three minutes, and Kei would be here in Eleven.  

You didn’t want to read too much into that.

As expected, Akiteru arrives exactly three minutes later, where he swings open the door with a grin. “Where’s this mysterious creature that my mom’s been babbling about for months?”

Laughing, you get up and raise your hands in the air. “Most likely me!! And for months? My file can’t have been that interesting, was it?”

Akiteru chuckles, “Seemed like any old generic file to me. Probably the fact that you’re from America is the one thing that did it.”

The two of you turn to Mizuki who giggles and shrugs, “Can’t blame me can you?”

“Seems fair. My name is Tsukishima Akiteru, but Akiteru is just fine honestly. We only see each other sometimes, but feel free to ask me any anything! I’ll write down my phone number for you later. I would do it now but I’m starving! Long day at work...Ah, look at me babbling and being rude. What’s your name by the way?”

“(y/l/n) (y/n), but just call me (y/n), I don’t mind.”

“First name basis in only five minutes! Who woulda thought...ha, not me! Anyhow, I hope you’ll enjoy being here, we’ll be like a little family. Big brother Akiteru will take care of you whenever you need help or advice. Okay?”

You nod excitedly. “I’ve never had a brother. Or any siblings. This should be fun then…”

Akiteru laughs. “Well I’m glad to be the first closest thing to a sibling you’ll have. Speaking of which, where’s Kei? I’m so ready to eat!” As if on cue, his stomach rumbles.

Mizuki checks the time. “Any minute now.”

Just then, the door creaks open, and the room goes silent as you hear a shuffling of shoes being taken off. As his footsteps move closer, you can already tell this first meeting wouldn’t be as smooth as Mizuki’s or Akiteru’s.

Kei walks in with multiple bags on. You swear you can catch slight whiff of his scent from where you’re sitting.

A light mix of sweat and cologne? Mint?

You can’t put your finger on what it is, but it smells good…

And just as quick as the scent came, it was gone. Kei was gone.

You wondered what you missed in the split second you zoned out, but it must’ve been nothing due to the fact that Kei’s face showed surprise as he walked back in the room. You tried not to notice how attractive he was, despite only wearing a plain crescent sweatshirt and gray sweats. Nor the fact that even though his pj’s were plain they still clung to the evident muscles he had. Not the way those sweatpants hung loose on his hips and fit in just a certain place either…

Or definitely not the fact that he was now staring at you.

You felt yourself blush, and seemed to forget how to talk.

He beat you to the punch though.

“Who’s she?”

Mizuki shook her head. “This is (y/l/n) (y/n). She’s from the United States and is going to be staying with us for a while. Be nice and introduce yourself.”

Kei huffs. “I’m Tsukishima.”

Akiteru catches on to the lack of interest. “Tsukishima? No first name either lil’ bro?”

“Kei. Tsukishima Kei. But we’re not on first name terms yet, so I didn’t think it mattered. Haven't seen you in a minute Akiteru, is she why you’re home today?”

His big brother, still trying to spark some interest, pipes up, “Yeah! I mean, it’s not every day you get someone from a whole different country moving in. Plus you’ll be school buddies! Come on lil’ bro get excited about that at least!”

Kei, or Tsukishima apparently, slowly sits down as he took that fact in. “Is she really going to the same school as me?”

His mother sensed the displeasure in his voice, but she wasn’t going to take that attitude toward you, the new guest. “Yes, Kei, and you show her around the campus tomorrow when she starts.”

Tsukishima huffed again, “Do I really, I doubt we’ll have the same class, plus I have practice and a whole lot of other things to do.”

You try to ease the tension. Speaking for the first time, you announce, “It’s okay, I actually have to meet the vice principal for my schedule, then I’ll see what happens from there. So don’t worry about it!”

Tsukishima turns to you. He smirks. “So she does speak.”

You blush again, but are quick to retort, “Yup, in both Japanese and English, whichever you prefer.”

There’s a falter in his smirk, showing that he didn’t expect you to have a comeback.

“This will be interesting,” he simply states.

He says nothing else for the rest of the night. Just silently listens as Mizuki and Akiteru ask endless questions about you and your home country.

Though he remained silent, his presence seemed to affect you the most, even as you all retire to your separate rooms. Even as you lay in bed and stare at the ceiling, knowing he was in the next room. Even as you closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

For the first time since your parents’ accident, you had no nightmares.

There's a devil in your smile that's chasing me. And every time I turn around it's only gaining speed.

[taexual]

Our Castle / S.Coups x Reader

Seungcheol comes over to help you take care of your house but he has no idea what he’s in for when he meets your younger siblings.

Pairing: Choi Seungcheol x Reader

Warnings: seungcheol is interacting with kids, so, obviously there’s lots of fluff here

Words: 3.6k

REQUEST: I was wondering if I could get an image with S. Coups where the reader is his girlfriend but is constantly busy because she has to care for her family? Like she has to cook, do grocery shopping, clean her house, help her younger siblings with homework etc. because her parents aren’t able to? Additionally she has to keep up on her school work?

This is probably not exactly what you had in mind but I hope you still like this!!

You and Seungcheol have been in a relationship for over a year now and the only problem you’ve encountered was the lack of time you had for each other. Seungcheol was obviously busy with his career, while you weren’t able to leave the house often due to the fact that you had too many chores to count. Neither of you minded the amount of work you had to take care of, until you met each other and realized that this work was what kept you from seeing each other as often as you wanted to.

“Let’s go out for dinner this Friday night,” Seungcheol said to you over the phone as you were wiping the dinner table in preparations for the last meal of the day.

“I can’t,” you replied, sighing. “My little sister is sick, I’ll have to stay in and look after her. And not to mention my younger brother who failed his maths exam – even with all the help he got when studying for it – and will now have to retake the test on Monday. I-I can’t leave.”

Seungcheol, never wanting to get in the way of you helping your family, considered this. “Okay. How about I come over and help you with everything, then? Would that be okay?”

Your family hasn’t met Seungcheol yet so you were a little hesitant but it was getting a little hectic in your house. You could have really used some extra help and… you did miss Seungcheol lots.

“Would you have the time?” you asked, biting your lip. “Getting everything done here takes a while and—”

“I have all the time in the world for you,” he said. “What time should I get there so I wouldn’t disturb anyone?”

“Well, that’s up to you,” you replied. “I’m here the whole day, you can come over when you feel like it.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I wake up,” Seungcheol said. “Just a warning, though, I’ve been sleeping really poorly this past couple of nights, so don’t be scared if I ring your doorbell at 6am with scary-looking bags under my eyes.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” you chuckled. “Your bags can match mine. I’ll be expecting you on Friday then.”

“Absolutely,” he confirmed. “I’ll bring all the medicine I own, we’ll get your little sister right back on her feet. Now, I’m not a professional in maths but I promise I will try my best with your brother.”

Hearing this warmed your heart and you felt your smile widen. “You just being here is going to help a lot, you don’t have to do anything.”

“No, no, let me actually help you,” Seungcheol insisted. “You’ll see how great I am at keeping the household together.”

True to his word, Seungcheol was truly at your door at 6am on Friday morning. You were just waking your brother up so he could start getting ready for school, and as soon as the little guy jumped out of bed – always the big enthusiast – and ran for the shower, you realized you haven’t really prepared yourself for Seungcheol’s arrival. Not just physically – make-up was long forgotten – but mentally, too. You haven’t seen him in so long, you felt butterflies erupt in your stomach at the thought of finally getting to see him again. You were trully feeling like you were about to go on another first date with him.

You opened the door for him with your heart beating as if you’ve just finished a whole marathon and smiled as soon as you saw his face behind the door.

“Y/n,” he exhaled, his morning voice still groggy but so sweet. He pulled you closer to him in a hug immediately. “I’ve almost forgotten how beautiful you were. I’ve missed you.”

So many feelings were swelling up in your chest that you swore you almost started to cry as soon as you were in his arms again. “I’ve missed you too, Cheol.”

You weren’t sure if you would have pulled away from him anytime soon if it wasn’t for the sound of a tiny voice awkwardly stuttering, “uhh—?” behind you.

That got you to move away from Seungcheol right away.

You turned around to see your brother in his tiny bathroom robe, watching you and this unknown guy embrace each other in the hallway of his home.

“Hi,” Seungcheol said, giving him a little wave as you tried to gather your thoughts.

“Why aren’t you in the shower?” you ended up asking him, hating how accusing your voice sounded.

“T-the water is cold,” your little brother admitted. “I was looking for you so you could fix it.”

“Oh,” you replied, nodding. “Let’s go, then. Come in, Cheol, get accustomed to our humble house. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Of course,” Seungcheol nodded, watching you take your little brother’s hand and walk him back to the bathroom.

“So, who is that?” he still heard him ask you before you closed the door of the bathroom.

You were actually a little worried to introduce your younger siblings to Seungcheol because you had no idea how they’d react. You didn’t have that many real friends and the ones that you did have, haven’t seen you in ages since you had no time to invite any of them over. So, your family hasn’t really met many people that you weren’t related to.

“He’s my friend,” you ended up telling your brother, certain that 6am was too early to explain to him that Seungcheol was actually your boyfriend. “Now, come on, hurry with your shower, okay? You don’t want to be late to school.”

You had just found the right temperature for the water in the shower and were ready to leave the bathroom when your brother suddenly spoke again.

“Do you trust him?”

His questions truly surprised you sometimes. You never knew how actually wise nine-year-olds could be until you started to listen to your little brother talk to you. He was younger than you and yet he had so many things to teach you.

“I do,” you replied confidently. “And you can trust him, too.”

“Good,” your brother nodded, knowingly. “Trust is important. Does he like football?”

Not only was your brother wise but he was also completely obsessed with all things related to FIFA, ever since he got the newest edition of their video game for Christmas last year.

“He does,” you said, not entirely sure if that was true. You knew Seungcheol could make a competition out of anything if he wanted to, so you assumed he had to like competitive sports. “But you can ask him about that later, okay? Hop into that shower now.”

Knowing that he’d try to stall some more – he really wasn’t looking forward to going to school – you left the bathroom before he responded and found Seungcheol looking around your kitchen. He was bringing his hand through the marble countertop in such a delicate way that you couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Like what you see?” you asked jokingly.

He turned around at the sound of your voice, smiling once he saw your amused reaction. “I do now. Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” you replied, joining him behind the kitchen island and opening a cupboard to get a few bowls out. “It’s time to get the breakfast done. Have you eaten anything today?”

“Not really,” Seungcheol admitted. “I was trying to get here faster.”

This made you smile. “Alright. You’ll get to experience my cooking first-hand.”

“Okay, first of all, I can’t bellieve that in all of the time we’ve been together you’ve never cooked for me,” he said.

You thought about it for a moment as you opened the fridge. “Well, I’ve microwaved food for us, I’m sure.”

“Doesn’t count,” he said. “So, what are you making?”

You turned around to face him with a mischievous smile on your face and a carton of milk in your hands. “Cereal.”

Seungcheol raised his eyebrows in surprise but quickly played it off, giving you an impressed smile instead. He didn’t come here to eat any fancy meals and he knew very well you had no time to cook anything fancy anyway. Honestly, he could have starved today for all he cared – which wasn’t very healthy, but at least he’d finally get to spend time with you. He was okay with anything as long as you were with him.

So, he helped you pour cereal and milk for your brother and then helped to a bowl himself while you ate a granola bar and double-checked if your brother had packed everything in his backpack.

“I’m going to have to drive him to school,” you said when you heard the bathroom door open – indicating that your brother had finished showering. “Will you—”

“I can drive him,” Seungcheol said, glancing down the hallway to see your brother coming towards the kitchen, his hair still wet and dripping. “If he doesn’t mind.”

“Doesn’t mind what?” your brother asked, climbing on the bar stool and immediately finding his cereal bowl. He leaned into it as he ate and you groaned, noticing the way his wet hair dripped water everywhere on the kitchen island.

“I’ll drive you to school today,” Seungcheol told him. “Is that okay, buddy?”

“Sure,” your brother shrugged his shoulders. “But don’t call me ‘buddy.’ I don’t know you like that yet.”

Seungcheol seemed genuinely shocked to hear him say that, so he looked at you as if waiting for an explanation.

Biting your lip so you wouldn’t start laughing, you grabbed a kitchen towel and pressed it on your brother’s head.

“So much attitude and not a clue how to use a towel,” you told him, ruffling the towel through his hair so it would dry faster.

“Not enough space in my brain to remember such a useless thing,” your brother replied, sensible as always.

He gave you a quick smile and then continued to eat.

“You two are really alike,” Seungcheol commented. “Identical smiles. Similar attitudes.”

“Well, duh,” your brother said, taking a moment to stop chewing before he continued. “We’re related.”

Once again, Seungcheol was left shocked, not having expected a nine-year-old to be that big of a smart-ass. The kids he met were usually younger and did not have an attitude. Seungcheol glanced at you again as if waiting for potential tips on how to bond with your brother.

“Don’t let his snappy remarks throw you off,” you said, removing the towel and bringing a hand through your brother’s hair to check the situation. “You have to keep up if you want to befriend him, isn’t that right?”

Your brother just shrugged, lifting the bowl to his lips to drink the remaining milk. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then and took one long look at Seungcheol.

“You seem okay,” he concluded right as Seungcheol was starting to feel uncomfortable under the judgemental gaze of your little brother. “I heard you like football.”

You nodded at Seungcheol and he nodded at your brother, eagerly.

“I-I love it,” Seungcheol said. “I play it every chance I get.”

You could see that your brother still had his doubts from the way he was watching Seungcheol, but after glancing at the clock, you ended up having to push both of them off their chairs so your brother wouldn’t be late for school.

“You’re not going out to see your friends after school, by the way,” you told him as you helped him put his backpack on.

“But it’s Friday,” he replied, pouting.

“Yes,” you said. “And you’ll be studying for your Maths test that you failed precisely because you were out with your friends too much. They can wait for you.”

“You’re strict. I don’t like that,” he informed you.

“I’m saving your education,” you countered.

“You’re destroying my childhood,” he disagreed and left you shaking your head. “I’m going to be complaining about it to your friend on the way to school. He will get annoyed and you will no longer be friends.”

“Oh, is this your revenge?”

“Yes,” he said, tying the shoelaces of his sneakers. “I will destroy your childhood, too.”

You gasped dramatically, playing along.

While your brother was busy putting his shoes on, you gave Seungcheol – who was still in awe at your relationship with your younger sibling – a look to check if he was still alright with taking him to school despite the threats he just made. Seungcheol, although surprised, gave you a reassuring nod.

“I don’t actually want to destroy your childhood,” your brother said, standing up. “You can be friends with him. He’s okay.”

You smiled, tossing his – finally dry – hair with your hand. “That’s nice. You’re still going straight home after school.”

Your brother groaned, walking towards the front door and looking at Seungcheol. “She is evil. How are you friends with her?”

Seungcheol laughed. “I like her. I don’t think she’s evil.”

“You’ve clearly never failed a Maths test,” your brother stated, sighing deeply, and opening the front door. “Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

You watched your two favorite boys give you waves before leaving, and, although Seungcheol looked really scared of this trip to school, you knew they’d end up befriending each other eventually. Your brother was an absolute sweetheart once he warmed up and, honestly, Seungcheol was the same way. They were too similar not to get along.

While you waited for your boyfriend to return home after dropping your brother off at school, you prapred the necessary medicine for your sister and cleaned the kitchen while you waited for her to wake up.

Once she did, you took her temperature and were very glad to learn that the fever was finally gone. As always, she put up a fight, not wanting to take any medicine, but once you promised you’d play with her later, she complied. You hated the fact that you had to basically bribe your little sister but she was even more stubborn than your brother was and you really couldn’t find another way to get her to listen to you.

She got her dolls ready for you two to play with as soon as she finished her breakfast. But just as you sat down on her bed, you heard the front door open and Seungcheol walk inside.

“Who’s that?” your little sister asked, not having heard the voices in the kitchen when you were having breakfast there before.

“My friend,” you said, choosing to use the same wording you used with your brother. “Would you like to meet him?”

“Does he play with dolls?” she asked then.

You considered this and nodded when you realized that the opportunity to see Seungcheol play with Barbie dolls was too good to pass up. “Yeah, I bet you can get him to do anything you want to.”

You waited a few moments while Seungcheol explored the living room looking for you, and then stuck your head out of your sister’s bedroom.

“I’m here,” you said, watching him sigh in relief – as if he was afraid you’d gone missing while he was out – and make his way towards you. “Was the trip okay?”

“Yeah, it was. Aside from the fact that your brother quizzed me on every FIFA player he knew,” Seungcheol said. “I couldn’t recognize the majority of them so now I’m thinking that I don’t know football that well after all. But aside from my identity crisis, what’s up? What do we do now?”

“My little sister’s awake,” you told him, opening the door of her bedroom. “She’d like to meet you.”

He nodded, taking a deep – but nervous – breath as he walked past you into of the room, smiling at your sister once he saw her. “Hi. I’m Seung—”

“You’ll be Stacy,” she declared, not wasting any time and extending a blonde doll towards him.

“S-Stacy?” Seungcheol asked, confused. He glanced at you but you were looking at the floor and biting your tongue.

“The doll,” your sister deadpanned. “There are also three others but I don’t like them right now, so you’ll have to be Stacy. Well, don’t just stand there. Sit down.”

Obeying immediately, Seungcheol sat down on her bed, looking at the collection of various dolls all around him and desperately trying to find a way out of this situation without your help since he could see how much you were enjoying this.

“I’ve never—I don’t really—uh… I don’t know how to do this,” he tried to explain. “Dolls aren’t really my strong sui—”

“Ugh,” your little sister groaned, giving up immediately and taking her doll out of his hand, before turning to look at you. “He is useless! I don’t know what to do with him!”

“He’s not that bad when you get to know him,” you said half-teasingly and then winked at your boyfriend. “You can try reading books together. I’d actually really appreciate that since I have to go to the grocery store quickly. Is that okay with you? I’d be back in fifteen minutes tops.”

“Fine,” your sister sighed, answering instead of Seungcheol who wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do to keep your sister occupied. “Grab that book, please.”

You stayed in the room for another few moments, watching Seungcheol get your little sister’s favorite fairytale book and open it to a specific page per her instructions.

“Cinderella,” he announced, reading the title. “Oh, I like this story. Is this your favorite?”

“Yes, so don’t ruin it,” your sister said. “You have to read it with voices.”

Just as you were leaving the room to run the errands, you heard Seungcheol’s nervous laughter and you knew he wasn’t expecting your sister to give him a hard time, too. He was handling it really well, though, and you made a mental note to tell him how proud of him you were for not running out of your house, screaming. At least not yet.

When you returned to your house with three shopping bags in your hands, you saw Seungcheol quietly tip-toe out of your sister’s room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he saw you, he jogged towards you, taking the bags from you and bringing them to the kitchen.

“She fell asleep,” he explained to you after noticing your confused glances at your sister’s bedroom. “Not before the “happily ever after” though. She said it’s her favorite part and – what a coincidence – it’s mine, too.”

You smiled at this, watching him start to unpack the grocery bags before you even asked him for help.

“Who doesn’t like a happy ending?” you asked, opening the fridge to put the groceries away.

“That’s true. But you know what she said to me after I finished reading Cinderella and before I moved onto Three Little Pigs?” he asked, passing you the dairy products so you could place them in the fridge.

“That she doesn’t like Three Little Pigs?” you guessed.

“No, funnily enough, I figured that out for myself when she fell asleep in the middle of it,” he replied, chuckling. “She said she really liked that you already found your Prince Charming.”

You stopped putting the food away and turned to look at him, unable to keep yourself from smiling. “She said that?”

“Yeah, well, she said she’s glad you found your Prince Charming ‘even if he can’t play with dolls’ but that doesn’t change my point,” Seungcheol explained, smiling when he heard you laugh at this. “I didn’t realize she knew we were together.”

“Oh, she doesn’t,” you said. “At least, I don’t think she does.”

“You have a very smart sister,” he said then. “And a smart brother, too. They terrify me sometimes and make me wonder what I’ve gotten myself into, but I can’t lie, I’m really impressed. Your family is great.”

You loved your family – however problematic it seemed to be sometimes – so hearing this meant a lot to you and you felt warmth spread inside of your chest.

“Thank you, Cheol,” you said, smiling softly. “I love them a lot.”

“I love you a lot,” he replied, not missing a beat. “It’s barely morning but I’m already having a great day.”

The flood of soft emotions inside of you was suddenly too much and you found yourself having to lean against the kitchen counter to keep your balance as you smiled widely.

“I love you, too,” you told him. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Seungcheol took a step closer, closing the distance between you two as he leaned in slowly to connect your lips in a quick but tender kiss.

“I’m glad to be here,” he said after he pulled away from you just slightly. “In fact, I can actually see myself doing this for the rest of my life.”

“What, kissing?” you asked, smiling.

Seungcheol smiled back in response, placing another quick peck to your lips.

“Yes. But not just that,” he said. “I would absolutely love to spend the rest of my life helping you take care of your family, no matter how many challenges your siblings give me.”

You laughed at this, but deep inside, you really appreciated the sentiment. Looking after your house and taking care of your siblings was a difficult task most of the time, but with Seungcheol here, you almost felt like you could have done anything.

“You’ll regret saying that when my brother gets home from school and quizzes you on football players again,” you warned him.

Seungcheol laughed at this, shaking his head. “Nah. I’ll have him teach me their names so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of my princess if he decides to quiz me in front of her.”

“Your princess?” you asked, raising your eyebrows as you haven’t really heard him use that pet name before.

“Well, yeah,” he said in a suddenly timid voice as he looked down. “If I’m the Prince Charming then you’re obviously my princess. And, well, this can be our castle.”

masterlist / ask (requests are closed)

[moosebehaving]

It’s Raining Men

Don’t worry, Lydia’s dad, whose greatest wish is to marry us off to the gentlemen of his choosing. You still may get your day in the sun.

We’re both still single. Painfully single. Like we spent last weekend sitting in our home office eating pizza, collecting beverage glasses on our desks, and watching ten episodes of a Korean drama online. That’s how single we are.

#noregrets

However, we can’t seem to keep the men at bay.

This all started about a year ago, after Naomi had gotten married and settled into life with her new roommate (who seemed like a downgrade from living with us awesome people, honestly) and it had been a long while since she’d come back to our once shared house. So Lydia and I invited her to come over for supper after work one evening and stay for a movie.

We had a delicious meal and went downstairs to start the movie right away. It was like 7pm. Kids are still up at 7pm. It was summer, and the sun was still out.

We got about twenty minutes into the movie, and we heard a knock on the door in the garage, which is right at the top of the stairs. Then the door opened, and a man’s voice came down the stairs “Hello!”

All three of us had the same assumption - it had to be Lydia’s brother stopping over for some reason or Naomi’s new husband looking for her. Lydia went to the steps and started with “We’re downstairs” and ended with “...can I help you?”

Naomi and I, still sitting on the couch, looked at each other in utter confusion.

“Uhh... um... is Lisa here?” was the man’s response.

Lydia set him straight and he quickly backed off and left. We spent the rest of our movie trying to track him down on Facebook by looking for Lisas (this was successful, just FYI) and over-analyzing what kind of idiot just walks into unknown houses under the assumption someone they know is inside. We decided Lisa was his wife, judging from the profile pictures Lydia could see on Facebook, that he had to be looking for her in our neighborhood for some reason (LuLaRoe or Thirty-One, if I had to guess) and he assumed with the two cars in our driveway and the open garage door that there was a party happening at our house.

Crisis averted. We haven’t seen him again. All’s well that ends well.

Scenario two:

It was nine p.m., later that same summer.

I, like most sane people in their own homes after the sun sets, was wearing pajamas and minding my own business.

In fact, I was being a responsible family member and Skyping with my sister. She was telling me about her dress for homecoming and I was giving her a hard time about a writing project of hers. We were paused, inbetween conversations, when my doorbell rang.

Amberly and I stared at each other, via webcams, in utter confusion. I quickly calculated through the (very) short list of people who could possibly be ringing the doorbell after nine p.m. on a Saturday night.

The doorbell rang again. I sprang into action, which was basically running around the house in the dark trying to figure out how to keep from giving up my location in the house while trying to find jeans because there was no possible way I was opening the front door wearing my moose pajama pants.

Exhibit A:

(Painfully single, remember? #noregrets )

I was trying to be quiet, because it was a nice night so every single window in the house was wide open. I caught a glimpse of a pickup truck parked on the street, confirming that whoever was ringing the doorbell was indeed a complete stranger, as I know only two of the pickup truck drivers in town, and they each have exactly zero reason to go to my house. Amberly was super helpful in my attempts at covertness, as she basically screamed through my phone speakers “WHO’S AT YOUR DOOR? ARE YOU ALONE?”

I ducked into the furthest room from the front door and hissed a quick “I’llcallyoubackbye” at Amberly and hung up the Skype call.

I ducked across the hall into my bedroom in an attempt to find real pants in the dark. The doorbell was on its third ring by now, and as I located a pair of jeans and debated whether or not I needed to change my shirt as well, Lydia stepped out of the bathroom. She was also decked out in pajamas, but they were a touch classier than mine so I guess she thought it was suitable to answer the door in them.

She turned on the lights and opened the door despite my intense whispers. “It’s someone in a TRUCK. DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WITH A TRUCK?”

Creeper With Truck at Door After 9 P.M: “Hi, I’ve got your pizza.” Lydia: “…we didn’t order a pizza.” Pizza Delivery Man With Truck: “…. West Spring Street?” Lydia, gently, with great concern for his navigating abilities: “…this is Edgewood.” Pizza Man: “Oh, crap! I’m sorry!”

Incident 3:

I’m home on Fridays. It’s nice. Today I had a couple cups of coffee and read for a while. Then I psyched myself up to work on a huge writing project. A few minutes in, I realized it was a beautiful 73 degrees and I needed to have the windows open.

Sitting at my computer in the office, I have a straight view out onto the street in front of the house. My car was parked there.

It was nearly noon when this green Taurus pulled up across from my car. It was right there in my line of vision, plain as day, literally in broad daylight. A skinny punk in a snapback got out and headed for my car.

I watched with something between

and

But I was not about to wait around and let him just climb in my car and do whatever it was he wanted to do, be it drive around the block or steal my highly-coveted 18-pack of paper towels in the back seat. So I bellowed out the window the first semi-threatening expletive sentence I came up with in the most disgusted I-could-come-out-there-and-beat-that-stupid-hat-right-into-your-skull tone I could muster.

The kid slowly backed off and got back into his car and made a phone call as he left.

I was livid. I stormed outside and immediately put my car in the garage for safe keeping. I wanted to drive the block and find this punk and sit him down in front of his mother and make him explain to both of us just what he was doing.

Lydia told me to call the police department, which was obviously my next step. After hiding the goods and trying to track down the offender, my next knee-jerk reaction would have been to alert the authorities. Obviously.

So I called the police department, which up until that moment I had successfully avoided in my adulthood. The lady took down all my information and I explained what had happened. That was really all there was to be done. I had nothing to give her that would help find this kid, he hadn’t actually done anything, and he was gone. 

However, her parting words to me were “I’ll send someone over right away.”

This was the scariest part of the situation for me, honestly. I had no makeup on, hadn’t brushed my teeth after my pot of coffee and sausage and egg breakfast, and had zero comprehension of how much time “right away” gave me to change these things.

I scrambled with my eyeliner and brushed my teeth like a madwoman. The doorbell rang before I was finished but I still high fived myself for my skills. Also, high five to the Waupun Police Department for being so responsive to a nothing phone call. 

The officer had me relay everything I had already told the dispatch person to him. He asked to see my car, which I had oh-so-helpfully moved into the garage. Which of course kicked my anxiety into overdrive and I immediately assumed probably made me look guilty and could potentially be as stupid as moving the dead body after you find it in the woods. I was probably going to jail.

So I led this officer through my house and let him see my sad little rusted out car that was no help to him. While he was looking it over, two. more. officers? showed up at the front door. I heard them but I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to abandon a police officer when he was asking me questions, and they let themselves in. Through my house and into my garage they came, and suddenly three Waupun PD officers were in my garage inspecting my car.

I was a model citizen, doing my part for society. 

WPD: “What was he wearing?” A: “Um. A snapback.” WPD: “Shorts? Pants?” A: “Uhh... shorts? Maybe?” WPD” “How old was the car?” A: “It was green.”

Look out, snapback kid, we’re coming for you.

The three officers paraded back out through my house and parted ways with mentions of some Beaver Dam hooligan they’d crossed paths with before, how to canvas the immediate area, and that they’d be in touch with me if they came up with anything.

But really, there was nothing to come up with. The kid was either stupidly mistaking my car for a friend’s, or stupidly trying to steal things in the middle of the day with landscapers working outside right up the street. And my intense yell out the window put the fear of God into his heart, and he was long gone. 

So in conclusion, The Ladypad, as we affectionately named our house before we moved in, is far from a boring residence. The list of uninvited guests on this property has grown considerably more than I ever expected or desired. 

I will say, however, that the three officers who came to my aid at the drop of a hat were the most welcomed uninvited guests on the list. 

[taemins-dolphin]

Luck (With Chanyeol, pt 3)

genre: its just not happy 2402 words

summary: haha jk, coffee shop was definitely not the last time you saw chanyeol bc he shows up n’importe où et n’importe quand to ruin your life.

previous - next

Meeting Hyojung made you so happy, she is so bubbly and fun to be around. Her humour matches yours. She is exactly what you look for in a friend.

You were beginning to understand why Chanyeol chose her over you. You were probably a little too serious for him.

They’ve been skydiving and bungee jumping at least twice in their lives. They go hiking a lot more than the average person. They did everything you disagreed to when you and Chanyeol were together.

That’s why he chose her.

However, whenever you tried to think back of your relationship with him. Things just didn’t add up to you.

What did you do that was so wrong? Why did Chanyeol do this to you? What made him choose partying and girls over you?

You shake away the bad thoughts. Chanyeol is the last of your concerns. Right now, you were going to try and bond with Hyojung. You needed new friends and she has become one of them.

Every weekend you would invite her over and she would bring her son along so he could bond with your son as well. The first two weeks felt awkward and weird.

You knew that the two boys were brothers and you saw the similarities between them. Even if Hyojung’s son was older by a year, you could definitely see it. You saw that they both shared Chanyeol’s vibrant personality.

“Joon, show Hansol your new Lego set. Maybe he could help you build it.” Hyojung beams, handing her son the box of Star Wars Legos which he gladly takes. He excitedly runs over to your son who’s shyly hiding under your arm.

“Wanna play?” Joon shoves the box onto Hansol’s lap, initiating playtime and removing all the awkward atmosphere between the two.

That’s very Chanyeol of him.

You see Hansol’s eyes widen at the surprising request and then at the box. He usually has a lot of energy in him but he was very timid today. He wasn’t used to playing with older boys.

“I’ll let you play with Han Solo, if you’d like. Since your name is Hansol.” Joon smiles shyly. He wants to play with Hansol but he doesn’t know if he’s approaching him the right way.

Fortunately, Hansol hears exactly what he wanted.

“I can be Han Solo?” He takes the box excitedly and jumps off the couch. “We can go build in my room!”

Four weeks have passed since Joon and Hyojung have been visiting your home. You knew her invitation to hers was coming soon. You just didn’t think it would ever actually happen.

“You can finally meet my husband! I’ll even make sure he makes food for us!” She’s holding your hand so tightly in all the excitement of inviting you to her home.

You think of Chanyeol’s cooking. Memories of his meals automatically makes you hungry. He would put Furikake on anything and everything. It just made everything perfect.

You remember introducing the seasoning to him. He couldn’t stop using it. On his rice, on his eggs, in his soup. He was capable of finishing the whole container in two days.

“Oh, I don’t want to trouble him. We could just order some food.” You wave your hand, getting out of her hold. You really didn’t want to bother Chanyeol. Who would want to cook for their ex?

She suddenly sighs out your name.

“Nonsense! He’s really sweet. He would love to cook for you. I talk about you all the time.” She exclaims, grabbing the cup of tea elegantly.

He’s heard about you. Does he know it’s you?

“Please? Come over. He thinks you’re not real and always teases me.” She tilts her head, eyes begging you to say yes.

You can’t really say no to someone you can now call a friend. It’s been a while since you’ve made a new friend. The only other friend you talked to was Minseok but even then, you only saw each other at work and occasionally outside for some coffee.

Minseok’s a good friend but sometimes it’s nice to have other friends too.

“Fine.”

She drops the tea so quickly on the table. She excitingly hugs you from behind the chair.

You smile, she’s got Chanyeol’s warm hug.

-

You’re getting ready to meet Hyojung and Chanyeol when a realization crosses your mind. Hansol is finally going to meet his father. Are you going to tell him?

He’s spent his entire life without a dad. It was going so well. He didn’t ask you once who his father was. He understood that your family was smaller than the others. He didn’t mind being slightly different from the others. He had a mom that took care of him all by herself and he loves and praises you for that.

He was four, but he understood everything.

Chanyeol was going to see his other son for the first time. Are you going to tell Chanyeol? What would Hyojung say?

“Mom, we’re gonna be late!” You turn around quickly to the little voice behind you. You nod, taking your jacket from behind your door before carrying Hansol up into your hands.

“Sorry about that. Let’s go!” You smile, moving his hair to the side to kiss his forehead.

“Time to meet Joon’s dad.”

-

Hyojung has been preparing for this meeting for so long. She set up the whole house, showing off all the luxuries she has ever owned. She’s had her maids clean the house until all floors were perfectly polished, enough that she could see her reflection on the marble tiles.

Hyojung has always been well off. She had her parents’ money, her grandparents’ money, and her great-grandparents’ money. She was old money.

And she wasn’t afraid to show it off.  She wasn’t the sweet and naive woman she pretended to be all these years. She knew exactly who you were. She knew exactly who you were to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol doesn’t hear a lot about you.

Hyojung does.

When she ran into you at Joon’s school, she was beyond shocked. Out of all the elementary schools, you had to enroll your son in this crappy poor one Chanyeol kept insisting her to bring their son to. But she did gain an idea while meeting you.

After all the years of being compared to you, Hyojung was finally going to have the perfect revenge. She was going to introduce him to you as one of her closest friends.

She was going to torture him with the simple fact that he couldn’t be with you.

Chanyeol still loves you and Hyojung knows that. But what can he do now? He’s married to Hyojung and they even have a son together.

Or so he thinks, but that’s just a detail Hyojung likes to put at the back of her mind.

Facts aside, Chanyeol would never leave her for someone else.

“Babe! Are you ready yet?” Hyojung walks up to her husband, smiling brightly as if she didn’t just invite his ex-fiancée to their somewhat peaceful home. She adjusts his collar on his blouse like every stereotypical wife would have.

“You really don’t have to do that.” Chanyeol places his hand over hers and squeezes it lightly with that sweet smile of his. She looks up at his face and beams, she’s so in love with him.

“I’m your wife. I should be doing this. ” Hyojung can’t help but give her husband a quick peck on the lips to which he immediately blushes to.

He clears his throat and backs away from her.

“Where’s Joon?” He asks, changing the subject nervously.

“In his room.” Hyojung hides her disappointment as she walks away to find more accessories to put on. They’ve been together for 5 years, yet she’s always been the one to initiate contact. She knows he doesn’t love her but the least he could do is try. If not for her, at least for Joon.

Hyojung always tries to remember that even if he hasn’t kissed, hugged, or do anything to her, he still stayed by her side for 5 years when he could’ve easily left and abandoned her to go find you. That’s why she never let the disappointment get to her. He chose her over you.

Today, all the pain would be worth it once she sees Chanyeol’s face at the sight of you.

-

The doorbell rings and Joon rushes to answer the door. Once answered, Joon shouts out Hansol’s name in excitement and bows to greet you before he drags Hansol’s arm inside his home.

You enter as well, eyes watching the kids laugh at how excited they are to see each other until a tall figure walks in the picture.

“Joonie! Is your friend here?” Chanyeol bends down onto Hansol’s level and smiles. He sticks out his hand for him to shake. “I’m Uncle Chanyeol, and you must be Hansol. It’s nice to meet you.”

Hansol shyly hides behind Joon.

“Hi.” He waves awkwardly. This uncle felt so friendly. He’s just like Joon yet Hansol still felt shy around him.

Chanyeol simply smiles and looks up to find the parent of the child so he could laugh it off.

Your eyes met his and suddenly, time froze.

Chanyeol couldn’t breathe. You were in front of him. You were real and living proof that some people do get more chances. He’s so lucky to have finally found you again. He can’t wait to bring you back home so he can make it all up to you. He would even make you fall in love with him all over again if he had to.

“Babe, this is my friend.” Hyojung shoves all of his ideas back into the dark end of his mind as she introduces you.

Right.

He has a family now. He can’t abandon them for you. This is reality and reality wants to throw shit at Chanyeol for one tiny mistake he’s done in the past.

“And this is her son, Hansol.” Apparently, reality doesn’t seem to end there. He finally realizes that your Hansol’s mother. You’re a mother now. Everything has changed.

“It’s nice to meet you, Joon’s dad.” You bow politely. You can see the shock in his eyes.

“I-It’s also n-nice to meet you.” He’s stuttering. He’s nervous.

“You have a lovely home, Hyojung.” You try to divert everyone’s attention to the expensive designs of the house.

“My father designed it for me. Well, for us. It was his wedding gift for us.” Hyojung smiles, mainly because she got the reaction she wanted from Chanyeol.

“We should eat. And then I’ll show you around.” Hyojung takes your hand and pulls you away from Chanyeol’s sight. She watches as his eyes continue to follow your form into the dining room.

“J-Joon, let’s go eat.” His hand reaches out to his son’s to which Joon grabs it happily, eyes still on you as you walk away.

“Hansol too!” Joon pulls Hansol forward so his hand is holding Chanyeol’s other hand.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen surprisingly, as well as Hansol’s. They look at each other dumbfounded before Hansol stares back down shyly and holds Chanyeol tightly. Chanyeol only smiles at the adorable child.

There’s something about him that makes Chanyeol feel welcome in his own home.

-

The dining room is filled with crystals and gold. There was a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling, a large cabinet with golden edges filled with expensive-looking plates, a long table filled with food that could be served at a Las Vegas buffet. It was luxuriously uncomfortable.

When you were with Chanyeol, all you had was the small coffee table he found at a garage sale. Even then, it costed a fortune for both of you.

Chanyeol must be well-off here.

Your train of thought is cut off when you hear your name being called out by Chanyeol. You’re tugged by Chanyeol to the side.

“So how long have you been living here? Not here in this house! I mean, in the neighbourhood…” Chanyeol awkwardly asks. He’s trying to not make it seem like he knows you. He doesn’t want Hyojung to know. It’ll make things awkward between both of you and he doesn’t want that.

Then again, now you knew.

“Oh, we moved here a year ago. We had too much baggage back home. So we came here to be closer to my work and further from there.” You’re staring at him straight in the eyes. You’re not afraid to let him know you left that neighbourhood because of thoughts of him. You could do it again, but Hansol really seems to love playing with Joon. You wouldn’t want to be the one to break off this great friendship.

“Oh, so it’s just you two?” Chanyeol looks genuinely interested.

He’s wondering whether or not you’re still single. He knows Hyojung told him that you weren’t married but maybe you were dating someone.

“No, no. My best friend came along. He works at the same hospital.” You tell him casually. Chanyeol knows exactly who you’re talking about. And it irks him that you were still good friends with Minseok. He didn’t like himself for getting jealous.

He was so insecure at the time. He felt so bad for you because of a mistake he had done. He felt so miserable that he became insecure that you would find out and do the same to him. He became jealous of one of his closest friends. He became a monster.

“I’m sorry again-”

“Chanyeol, stop. Last time you said sorry, you didn’t mean it. I’m tired of forgiving you. You had two chances and you wasted them.” You take a deep breath in and turn around to head to your son who’s already sitting at the table. You smile when Joon sits closely to him and shows him which fork and spoon is used for what.

“Just do you, and I’ll do me.” You say as you look back at the man you once loved.

Chanyeol follows you like a lost puppy without even realizing it. Hyojung has to snap him out of it by telling him where to sit.

“You’ve been acting weird, babe. Is there something wrong?”

“No, no. I’m fine.” He shakes his head with that sweet smile of his. Chanyeol catches your stare and immediately looks down in embarrassment.

How could he have left someone like you go so easily?