#pwyl; idea starters

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An Uncomfortable Christmas

Pairing: Byun Baekhyun x female reader

Genre: exes to lovers au / angst / fluff ending / christmas au

Warnings: emotional angst, swearing, one bed trope, major miscommunication, mention of cheating

Prompt: “Lie still.” - #21 of Idea Starters

Word count: 3148

The laugh that left you sounded quite hysterical in your ears. Which, given your predicament, made sense. Of course, this was your luck this Christmas.

Baekhyun moved into the cabin ahead of you and lowered the bag over his shoulder onto the bed. He had the uncharacteristic sense to not say anything to you as you continued to stare at the room in front of you.

You’d read way too many romances to know exactly what happened with the one bed trope.

You just hadn’t expected that to ever happen to you. And if it had to, well, you wished for it to be with anyone but Byun Baekhyun.

“This is a mistake,” you concluded, taking a step backwards. Baekhyun glanced over his shoulder at you in confusion. “I’ll uh, I’ll go take this up with—”

“Don’t be stupid, Y/N. It’s not a big deal.”

“No, it’s bigger than a big deal. The biggest of big deals. We can’t do this.”

“We did for four years,” he pointed out, and you took another hasty step backwards, feeling your boots slip on a bit of ice. Your processing was detached, however, and you were too late to find your balance, your feet coming up from under you and your butt hit the frozen deck with a thud.

Great. Now the universe had the audacity to add an injury to insult.

“Shit. Are you… well at least it was your butt you landed on. Well-cushioned,” Baekhyun attempted to say, poorly stifling back his laughter.

“I swear, if a snort so much as leaves you, you’re dead meat.”

“I can assure you that I’m much too mature to laugh at your misfortunes,” Baekhyun responded, and you gave him an incredulous glare. He sheepishly shrugged his shoulders, a bemused smile spreading out his lips as he held out a hand. “Want some help?”

“From you? Never again,” you grunted, attempting to get up yourself. A whimper exhaled from you sharply, and you hissed when you tried again. You looked up at Baekhyun’s concerned expression. “Of course, I break my ass when I’m in your company. What else could possibly go wrong?!”

“Now, now, Y/N. Don’t go giving the fates any room to think of something else,” he offered as he easily pulled you to your feet, slipping an arm around you securely, your weight leaning into his.

You tried to think of all the reasons why this shouldn’t feel natural right now.

Assisting you into the room, Baekhyun eased you onto the corner of the bed, another hiss leaving you as your butt connected with the bedding. You glared up at him, and Baekhyun sighed. “Yes, alright. This is all my fault. Blame me.”

“I wasn’t going to blame my clumsiness on you.”

“Being lumped with me is painful enough for you, though,” he pointed out, and you couldn’t quite bring yourself to answer.

The reality was you hadn’t spent time with Baekhyun since you broke up a couple of years ago. You hadn’t wished to ever see him again after what happened. However, his family was your family’s closest friends, and for your mother’s fiftieth birthday, she had requested a Christmas vacation together.

You should have expected your mothers, who both admonished you and Baekhyun whenever you were home for the holidays about breaking up with the other, would be playing matchmaker.

They, too, must be reading an awful lot of romance novels.

“I’ll kill them as soon as I can walk without pain,” you decided, huffing out a low breath.

Baekhyun nodded distractedly. “Yes, kill all you like, but only when you’re better, Y/N.”

“I don’t need your permission.”

He stared at you. “I wasn’t saying that you did.”

“Good, because you don’t control my life anymore,” you reminded, and Baekhyun cursed under his breath.

“I never controlled it before. If I had, this wouldn’t be how we are now,” he admitted darkly before storming to the front door of the cabin. You watched him carefully, and he threw a flippant look over his shoulder. “Not that you care, but I’ll just go and see if I can find some ice or something for your bruised ego – I mean, ass.”

“Look out that door, and you’ll find the ice I slipped on,” you remarked through gritted teeth, a glare back on your face.

“I’m sure you’d love it if I just collected a bunch of ice from the ground for you to sit on,” he spat before grumbling something else under his breath, slamming the door shut once he was out of it.

You slumped, only to let out a small cry with the pain radiating over your backside.

This was already the worst Christmas vacation ever.

“Lie still.”

You thumped a hand on the bedding next to you as you angled your head over a shoulder. “I am still, Baekhyun!”

“Really? Because every time I apply this ice pack, your butt suddenly moves away.”

“It’s cold.”

“My goodness. Really?! I had no clue,” he replied sardonically, pressing the ice to your injury again. You flinched at the instant chill and sighed slowly.

“Okay, so I moved. I’m sorry.”

“Wow, you really aren’t feeling well if you’re saying I’m sorry with that much ease. Where is the real Y/N, and what have you done with her?”

“How I ever was stupid enough to date you is beyond me. You’re infuriating.”

“The feeling’s mutual, buttercup.”

You blinked at the nickname, your mind flooding with memories where he’d used that before. In all of them, you were smiling instead of scowling.

Baekhyun cleared his throat noisily. “You’ve stopped squirming. Good.”

“Yeah,” you murmured before burying your head into the blankets, trying to bury the happy times you had together along with it. They were stubbornly prevalent all the way to dinner, especially since Baekhyun had assisted you from the cabin to the main lodgings. His grip on you was firm, protective.

You were flailing to remember the time when he hadn’t protected you, and your heart had crumbled.

“Here they are!” your mother cried out, leaping up out of her chair to embrace you both. Baekhyun stopped her approach, holding out an arm in front of you.

“I wouldn’t if I were you. Someone’s butthurt right now,” he announced to the entire gathering, and your eyes snapped to his face.

Well, that sure helped dislodge any remaining confusion. Shooting a baleful look at him, you shifted out of Baekhyun’s grip. “I’m fine. I just slipped on some ice.”

“What?! How?”

“Attempting to escape your son,” you replied to Baekhyun’s mother’s questioning. You tacked on a bright smile that only he would find the layer of sarcasm that was laced within it and hugged her gently before moving along to hug the next family member until you found an empty seat.

Of course, the only other left was across from yours.

You chose to ignore slipping into any conversation with Baekhyun over dinner, and thankfully, he held the same decision. And on your way back to your cabin, you remained silent, accepting his help only when it came to climbing the gentle slope that led to your accommodation. Once inside, you were reminded of your shared quarters and the intimacy that came with that.

The bathroom wasn’t big enough for you both to have ample space as you brushed your teeth and washed your faces. Still, you refused to allow the other to feel satisfied in pushing one out, and you managed to get ready for bed quicker than you needed to be.

It was only eight in the evening, after all.

But you were tired. It had been a long drive up here and an even longer afternoon after your ‘one bed and sharing a small cabin space with your ex’ discovery. Your butt was killing you, and you wanted to fall asleep and forget about everything.

Of course, that wasn’t how your night would fare.

Settling under the blankets at the same time, you turned to look at Baekhyun incredulously. “Are you serious?”

“You expected me to sleep on the floor?!”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t be stupid. There’s a loveseat over there.”

“Have you forgotten how tall I am?” Baekhyun pointed at the aforementioned piece of furniture. “There’s no chance I’d fit on that. You’d have better luck in doing so.”

“There’s no way I’m sleeping on a couch, Baek. I’m injured, for one.”

“Doesn’t give you the automatic occupancy of the bed, Y/N.”

“Fine. We can share. You stay on your side and don’t touch me.”

Baekhyun smiled dryly. “I hope you’re telling that to yourself. I distinctively remember what it’s like to sleep with you and how little space I end up with when you choose to throw yourself over me.”

“Throw myself?!” you echoed, aghast. “It was your arm that you held out in invitation every night! You encouraged my koala-ness!”

“Well, I won’t be inviting you tonight.”

“Thank the Lord for that,” you replied with a huff of air, both settling down under the blankets quietly for several moments.

The silence was still supercharged, and you were on tenterhooks waiting for what else he’d bring up. This was your first time together since the breakup and you knew there were so many unsaid things between you that needed to come to the surface.

You just didn’t want them to.

Baekhyun eventually sighed. “Why are we like this?”

“You should ask yourself.”

“I have. For two whole years,” he answered, and you turned to look at him, noticing the deflated look within his expression. He wasn’t trying to wind you up anymore.

You weren’t ready to admit defeat either. “After all this time, you’re not sure?”

“You walked out on me, or have you forgotten that?”

You huffed indignantly. “Baekhyun, I saw you!”

“Saw me what?”

“Don’t make me spell it out,” you whispered and felt the man beside you twist onto his side. He was enclosing in on your side of the bed, and you didn’t appreciate how easily the large bed seemed to shrink under his stare.

“What did you see?”

“Really? You’re going with the innocent act? Still? After all this time?!”

“I am innocent. What… what are you claiming I’ve done? I came home to find your stuff gone. I didn’t know where you were for an entire month. Your phone was off. You wouldn’t tell your parents what had supposedly happened, and when I finally found you at your cousin’s house, you refused to see me! I’ve spent the last two years completely baffled about what I supposedly did to your heart for the love of my life to walk out on me.”

Baekhyun’s outburst left him heaving in shaky breaths whilst it had effectively stolen all of yours away. You stared at him, wondering what type of parallel universe you had stepped into where Baekhyun hadn’t cheated on you or was inflicted with some type of amnesia that made him look at you with such desperation. His eyes searched yours, sincerity and hurt laced within them.

“You… I saw you.”

“Saw me doing what?!” he asked exasperatedly, shaking a little with his question.

Your mind slipped back to the office that fateful day, your naïve little bounce in your step leading you to Baekhyun’s floor. You wanted to surprise him with lunch, knowing how hard he had been working lately. Picnic basket in hand, you all but skipped into his department, smiling at the familiar faces.

But just as you were about to enter his office, you saw him and her. Passionately pressed against a wall, the sliver of a window in the door allowing you to see the shadowed embrace, a muffled moan slipping under the door.

You had loved Baekhyun since you were six. You had told him so a year later, and he had promised that when you were adults, you would marry one another. Sure, as adolescence arrived, you both explored other options, along with one another. He was your first in everything.

First kiss.

First lover.

First heartbreak.

Diverting away from his pleading stare, you shook your head.

“You have to tell me. I’ve gone insane not knowing, Y/N. What did I do so wrong to you that you had to leave me without even a single goodbye?”

“I’m sure you had plenty of hellos to give to her,” you mentioned quietly, and the silence that followed your sentence was overbearing. You could feel his stare boring into you, but you didn’t dare look over.

“What… who?”

“Seriously? I saw—”

“For fuck’s sake, if you say that one more time without explaining yourself, so help me God, I might just lose it!” he bellowed, and you flinched at his tone before turning to face the situation you couldn’t ignore any longer.

“Your mouth on hers. Pressed against the wall. Her moans. I saw and heard it all!”

Baekhyun’s forehead creased up with perfectly concealed recognition. He was always a good actor, you thought. If you didn’t know him enough, you’d think he was genuinely clueless right now.

… Was he?

“Y/N,” he growled, shaking his head, and rubbing an agitated hand down his face. “I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about.”

“That day. I came to your office to surprise you with lunch,” you explained, and all the colour drained from his face.

“I wasn’t in the office that day. I was in a conference with Sehun from nine until five. I came home right after, and that’s when my world fell apart.”

“What?” You blinked several times. “But it was your office!”

“It wasn’t me. I can even show you the conference notes if I have to. I’ve got my computer here to do work over the vacation. I keep everything. You know I do.” Baekhyun was up and out of that bed before you could track his movement in the dizziness of the situation.

You couldn’t believe this. You had seen him.

Well, the back of him.

Or a man.

Realisation dawned on you. It could have been Jongdae and his wife at the time instead. They were secretly dating, and you found out through mutual friends they had gotten married, so HR couldn’t stop them from having a workplace romance. Why hadn’t you connected this back then? You were so convinced that it was Baekhyun all this time.

Baekhyun returned with the device, tapping keys and opening files. You reached out for his forearm to stop him, shaking from head to toe. “I… I thought it was you.”

“Well, it wasn’t. See. Here are my notes. Check the date, Y/N. It’s right there in front of you.”

The words blurred after you saw the date, your world falling into despair for the second time over this man. All this time, you had hated Baekhyun for doing the one thing you couldn’t forgive any person doing to another. Except he hadn’t, and you had left before giving the situation any further thought. Your heart completely shattered by a moan coming out of Baekhyun’s office.

You should have opened the door that day. Seen the couple with your own two eyes and not jumped to conclusions.

But you had. And two years of blaming Baekhyun had gone by.

“It might have been Jongdae,” you whispered guiltily, and for a moment, Baekhyun was silent.

And then he let out a strangled laugh. “All this time, you’ve thought I would cheat on you. And all I’ve done is wonder what I did so wrong. When I did nothing. You jumped to conclusions.”

“In all fairness, it was your office.”

“So that must have made it me in there, lusting over someone else when all I’ve ever had is eyes for you,” he answered, running another hand through his hair. “I never once thought you’d think this lowly of me, Y/N.”

That sentence crushed you completely. Because it was true. “I’m… I’m sorry I ruin us.”

Baekhyun closed his eyes and threw his head back onto the pillow. “Yeah. Me too.”

You couldn’t believe it was the same room. Staring in at the bed that had caused so much despair last year, you eyed it warily.

Baekhyun nudged you inside the cabin. “Oh no, Y/N. It’s still only got one bed in here.”

“I hate that bed,” you admitted, backing away to the exit again. “Maybe we can ask for a room change.”

“On Christmas Eve? I don’t think that’s going to be plausible,” he answered, shaking his head at you.

When you took another step back, Baekhyun dived towards you and laced his fingers with yours, tugging you inside and shutting the door behind you. He grinned. “I’m not having your butt ruin this holiday again.”

“In all fairness, it wasn’t my butt that did that last year,” you grumbled, though a small smile graced your lips.

It had been quite the year leading up to this Christmas. After the confessions last year, Christmas had quite frankly sucked. Somehow, Baekhyun had managed to find another room for the duration of your stay, and you had spent far too much time crying and overanalysing instead of socialising with your family. You’d seen Baekhyun only two more times over the vacation, each time with him looking just as destroyed as you felt.

You had assumed there was no hope for anything to be rekindled.

But by his birthday, you were on speaking terms again. By yours, it wasn’t so difficult to be in his company. And when your parents insisted on returning to the same mountain top lodge to spend Christmas with his family, well, you were quite excited.

Because this year, it didn’t matter if there was only one bed in here. You had no need to find an alternative sleeping arrangement.

Well, if you could have a different room that didn’t have the past lingering from that night, you’d be happier.

Having Baekhyun back in your arms was all you needed this Christmas.

“I have different plans for your mouth this year,” Baekhyun announced, leaning in to kiss you softly. What started as a soft, tender embrace soon grew heated with passion. You didn’t pull away until you were breathless.

“I can tell this year’s going to be different from last,” you agreed, stretching to peck his lips once more.

Baekhyun rested his forehead on yours. “You know, I’m sure our parents expect us to leave our room more than we did last time.”

“They probably have a whole itinerary for us to follow.”

“Mm,” he hummed into your mouth, pushing you blindly back towards the bed. This time when you hissed upon contact with the blanketing, it was from the delicious weight of the man you loved climbing on top with you. “I don’t think they’ll see us much. After all, we have to follow the one-bed trope through accurately, don’t we?”

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Different

Pairing: Im Jaebum x female reader

Genre: angst / romance / soulmate au / fluff ending

Warnings: emotional angst, swearing, right person wrong time trope

Prompt: “I’ll sleep on the couch.” - #13 of Idea Starters

Word count: 4136

In all your years of existing, you assumed you would meet your soulmate in a romantic way. Bumping into one another on the street, the first snow cascading down as you looked into his or her eyes. Giggling as you step into get a coffee and crossing paths with your destined one in the line, their drink order being the same as yours. Being interviewed for a job, failing it, and then meeting your beloved in the same office so it’s not so much of a let-down.

You might have watched one too many romance movies in your life. You had dreamed about the grand gestures and the little ones equally. Even a meet-messy would be better than this.

“I’ll uh, I’ll sleep on the couch. Just for tonight,” you mumbled after taking one look at your cousin’s boyfriend who had opened the door.

Your heart was thudding so dangerously loud in your chest that you knew he had to hear it from where he stood still stunned in the doorway. By some miracle, you had dashed inside the house and over to said couch in the living room, placing your luggage down beside it before you moved to the bathroom down the hallway and promptly locked the door.

Not only had today been the worst day of all days, but you had also gotten stuck in the downpour as you packed a suitcase of your belongings and left your apartment in a rush. You had texted Zara earlier about your predicament, and she had offered you to stay at hers until you were back on your feet again. Your cousin had mentioned she was away for the weekend with work, but her boyfriend Jaebum would be home, and she’d tell him that you were coming over to stay.

It all had started to sound like things were getting better.

Boy, had you been wrong. As soon as the door swung open, you felt the immense rush of your soul pushing to the surface, your eyes widening as you took the man in before you. His eyes connected with yours in the same incredulous way yours were, his mouth falling ajar.

He was your soulmate.

And he was dating your cousin.

The gentle knock on the bathroom door jolted you away from sagging against it, your wild stare turning on the wooden barrier. You had come in here to hide. Sure, it made sense that you took a shower, given how frozen your body had been from the soaked clothes. Now, you were too numb to register the chill on your skin, your mind reeling from your soul’s discovery.

“Are you okay?” he asked tentatively, and you clamped your eyes shut as a lump formed in your throat.

You didn’t want to cry. Not again.

You didn’t answer him, listening intently to the sounds on the other side of the door. There were no retreating footsteps. Instead, you heard a barely breathed out curse and then his body sliding heavily to the ground on the opposite side of the door.

Slowly, you mirrored the action, curling up with your forehead pressed onto your knees.

“You’re Zara’s cousin,” he stated, his husky voice causing you to hold your breath for a moment in its wake.

You wished to be anywhere but here.

Could you find somewhere else to stay? Your best friend had just moved back home, but her bedroom floor would be a better place to crash instead of here. Heck, you’d rather use your savings and rent a motel room than remain in this situation.

Jarringly, you got to your feet and swung open the door, Jaebum scrambling up in the process.

You both stared at one another wordlessly.

He wasn’t your typical choice in men, but he was handsome. Dark hair fell into brown cat-like eyes. Your gaze followed down the slope of his nose to his plush mouth, lips slightly parted as he sucked in a shaky breath. He had the shadow of stubble forming on his jaw, and a set of broad shoulders and defined chest meet your trail down his body. He wasn’t overly thick in frame, but you could tell he was strong. He wore baggy clothing that hid the definition of his lower half, and his feet were bare. You stared at them for some time, unable to lift your focus back up to his face.

You needed to get out of here.

“I’ll find somewhere else to go.”

“No,” he answered, his hand reaching out to grip your wrist as you attempted to skirt around the doorframe.

Again, your attention jolted back to his eyes, the surge of electricity beneath your skin thrumming where he held you. It began to burn, and just as quickly as he held on to you, did he let go, his dark eyes pleading for you to stay put.

“I think we need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” you whispered back, blinking away from the hurt that immediately rose within his eyes.

“Right. Because discovering your soulmate is an everyday occurrence,” he bit back, clearing his throat after dropping another curse between you.

Your emotions were rising steadily, and you swiped angrily at your tears before they could fall down your face. “You’re Zara’s boyfriend.”

“Yes.” He sounded tortured as he pushed the word through his lips, and you peeked at him through the side of your eye. “But I… I mean… we’re…”

“Strangers.”

“Soulmates,” he corrected more boldly, capturing you again. Steely resolve met your cautious glance, and he swallowed deeply. “Shit. This… this wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

“No. But I suppose we’re not the first people to face a less than ideal match.”

“Less than ideal… you mean meeting, not match.”

You laughed hollowly. “Sure.”

“I don’t meet your stand—”

“You’re dating Zara,” you repeated, finally finding the courage needed to duck away from the man. You felt your soul lurch backwards for him as you stalked quickly to the living room.

Jaebum’s hand was on your suitcase before you could reach it. “Let’s not be hasty, Y/N.”

A simple gasp left you at his use of your name, your heart racing into overdrive.

This was pure torture. The universe sure knew how to play a sick joke.

“I’m going to go.”

“You’re soaked through. Have a shower. Crash here. I’ll go to my friend’s house. Zar—your cousin mentioned you have no place to go right now after your landlord kicked you out unfairly.”

God, could this day get any more humiliating?

“I’ll go to my friend Jackson’s house,” he offered again, and your round eyes investigated his. There were too many emotions swirling in his eyes, too many tugs at your heart to understand each one.

You had known that soulmates were connected in many ways, but you hadn’t expected the force to be this immediate. This powerful.

“Please,” he whispered, and you closed your eyes, nodding once. “Thank you.”

Letting go of your luggage, Jaebum backed off a step, shaking his head softly as he continued to stare at you. “I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“Hurting you further today,” he replied, and you sucked in your bottom lip, teeth clamping down on it in hopes to distract the tears threatening to spill again.

Nodding again, you retreated to the bathroom, locked the door and sat down heavily on the side of the bathtub.

No gesture – grand or small, could make this right.

Jaebum was gone by the time you finished your shower. There was a simple note on top of your luggage, telling you to remain here, to help yourself to the food in the kitchen, and ended with a phone number.

Presumably his.

You managed to swallow down some food, though you didn’t taste it, and turned on the TV even when you couldn’t focus on it. Throughout the night, you tossed and turned. It wasn’t because the couch was uncomfortable.

You couldn’t get Jaebum out of your head.

As the hours slipped by, so did some of your remaining sanity. You went through erratic mood swings, waking up to think about how gorgeous he was, only to fitfully sleep for half an hour more and condemn yourself for finding him attractive. When morning arrived, you were still unprepared to deal with any of this.

Especially when Jaebum reappeared.

“I uh, I got us some breakfast,” he announced as you stared back at him in alarm. His movements were slow, precise, as if you were a frightened animal ready to take flight at the slightest wrong move. You watched as he placed a tray of beverages and a takeout bag on the dining table near the entrance of the kitchen.

Jaebum then swung around, leaning against the table, and looked at you. Once again, you were stuck staring at this man. This morning he looked worse than yesterday. Shadows had formed under his eyes, indicating that he had had just as little rest as you had. Your fingers itched to run over the purple marks, and you closed your hands into fists until your nails dug into your palms.

“Are you hungry?”

“A little,” you confessed, and Jaebum nodded, turning back to the food and began pulling it out of the bag.

You wandered over to him on shaky legs, trying to peer over his shoulder at what he had gotten. You stumbled, and Jaebum was quick to reach out and right you, his hands trembling against the curve of your waist. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Letting you go, Jaebum looked at the food he’d gotten. “I didn’t really know what you liked or didn’t, so I got a few options. Drinks too. I got coffee and juice. What do you prefer? I could go out and get something else if it’s—”

“I’m fine with what’s here. Thank you.”

Breakfast was challenging. You both kept attempting to stare at the other whilst forcing food and drink through your mouths. You watched how he opened things and what hand he used most, smiling softly without realising it.

“You’re left-handed.”

Jaebum stilled for a moment. He then looked up at you, hope etched into expression. “Yeah, I am. Are you left-handed too?

“No, but I’ve always strangely found it attractive,” you admitted and then bit your lip when you realised what you had said. “Oh… uh, well, I mean—”

“Attractive how?”

“I meant different,” you offered, and Jaebum’s lips curled up a little. You groaned inwardly.

“Well, I guess being left-handed is different.”

“You’re going to annoy me over that, aren’t you?”

Jaebum grinned. “Maybe.”

“Stop!” you chimed, and he laughed heartily. Your mouth fell ajar, now mesmerised by the sound.

Jaebum noticed and cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing a palm over the nape of his neck.

You darted your attention back to your food, cursing the momentary lapse in control.

“We should talk,” he mentioned after the silence stretched uncomfortably between you, and you shook your head. “Y/N.”

“Jaebum,” you countered, watching how he reacted to you saying his name. Such a strange thing for the soul to rush forward to, you thought. Then again, it was part of your identity, and you assumed all souls craved that type of understanding from the connection.

“We’re adults,” he pointed out gruffly, pinning you with a stare. “We can discuss this. Avoidance isn’t going to stop me from…”

“From?”

“Wanting to know you,” he replied eventually, no doubt having to change the words he was originally going to say.

You looked down at your remaining food, no longer hungry. The immense level of guilt you had struggled with all night consumed you again, and you huffed out a short breath. “I think it’s best that we don’t get to know one another.”

“And deny ourselves the bond?!” Jaebum asked you, disbelief and hurt flooding his tone. “Y/N, what we have is—”

“Nothing,” you interjected, smiling forcibly. “Listen. I get it. Believe me, I do. But this isn’t a situation I want to be in. Zara is one of my friends. We’re cousins, but she’s also been there for me when my life has seen hardship and happiness. And vice versa. I don’t know how you feel about her, but I know what she thinks about you—” You cut off with a choked sob, diverting your gaze from him.

The endless phone calls. The coffee dates. Zara had been smitten with Jaebum from the first time she laid eyes on him.

“I know we all have a soulmate out there, Y/N. But I wouldn’t even care if mine never turned up. I know I’ll always want him. Jaebum is… he is everything to me.”

“I care about Zara too,” he murmured, sounding broken. You didn’t dare look at him, not wanting your heart to betray the loosely forming resolve of your mind. “This is a fucking nightmare.”

“Yeah. But it’s okay because there’s only one answer.”

“No, Y/N, there’s not.”

You finally looked at him and his expression crushed your soul. “I won’t be the person who steps on my cousin’s happiness. Even if I know that you and I are connected in some way. And I won’t allow you to leave her for me either. We just need to accept this is how it’ll be, Jaebum.”

“Y/N,” he growled as you stood up and shot him another weak smile.

“Thank you for letting me stay here last night. I’ll go stay with my best friend instead. I hope you have enough sense to not break my cousin’s heart. She’s an amazing person, and she thinks the world of you.”

And with that, you reached for your suitcase and wheeled it to the exit, this time Jaebum didn’t stop your escape.

“Y/N!” Zara crooned when she saw you waiting for her, dashing over to you and hugging you tightly. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you in person! How dare you be a stranger like this!”

“Sorry, Zar,” you replied, smiling back at her infectious energy. “I’ve been busy.”

“Too busy for your little old cousin? Pfft!”

Six months had passed since you had met Jaebum. Six months of imagining what could have happened if you hadn’t chosen to walk away. Could you have been friends with him? At least then you would have known what he was up to.

Having found your soulmate made you deeply curious about him. Mostly about how Jaebum coped without you.

Of course, you had heard about him from Zara. She had remained oblivious, thankfully, more disappointed that you had chosen to take up residence elsewhere than with her. She had owed you from when she had crashed at your place, so she had insisted until it was all forgotten about and life had moved on.

You now saw your life as a series of before and after. Life after Jaebum sure was different than before.

The struggles hadn’t lasted as long as they felt they would. Your landlord was fined by the tenancy tribunal after you contacted for advice, and you were rewarded your bond back and compensation. That allowed you to secure a new apartment, and with that, you found yourself lucky to see a job opening for a manager at the bookstore underneath your home. Now, you had more than enough money in your savings, a future that was stable, and you hadn’t needed to crash on anyone’s couch again.

Especially Zara’s.

“I have big news to tell you!” your cousin exclaimed, giggling giddily. You watched her with interest, your observation of her appearance halting on her left hand. Zara noticed your acknowledgement of the sparkly gem on her finger and thrust it into your face. “I’m getting married!”

All the warmth withdrew from your body. A loud buzzing began to build until you couldn’t hear a word Zara was saying, and you had slouched back into your chair as oxygen began to feel difficult to obtain.

Zara was marrying your soulmate.

“Y/N. Y/N?! Are you listening?”

“Oh,” you managed, not even attempting to smile. “That’s great news.”

“I know. I mean, I’ve always wanted to be married before thirty, and here I am, getting to do just that. Louis and I will be getting married next year, though, so I suppose I’ll end out my twenties as—”

“Louis?” you cut in with a sharp tone, leaning across the table at the woman. “What are you talking about?”

“I knew you weren’t listening! I told you, I met my soulmate, Y/N. His name is Louis Grant.”

“When? I thought you were with Jaebum.”

“A month ago. We crossed paths at a work convention, and the connection was instantaneous. I went home that weekend and told Jaebum that I’d met my soulmate, and I wanted to pursue things with him instead.”

“You did what?” you breathed out, equal measures of relief and disgust roiling through you.

All this time, you had chosen your cousin over Jaebum. Over your soulmate. And Zara had dropped him as soon as she had found Louis.

“Jaebum was rather understanding. I think he’s met his soulmate already. I told him I was honoured he stayed with me all this time out of loyalty. I think his soulmate didn’t choose him. Poor guy.”

“She couldn’t,” you replied, and Zara frowned momentarily before gushing again about Louis.

You barely paid attention. Your mind was stuck on the man you had met six months ago. The one who had pleaded with you to stay, to listen, to figure another option.

Jaebum had been crushed by two women in this family now.

“Did Jaebum move out?” you blurted out, interrupting Zara a second time.

She gave you a concerned look. “No. We were both on the lease, so I left it to him. I moved in with Louis. Are you okay, Y/N?”

“No. Actually, I’ve got to go. Congratulations on your engagement and finding your soulmate, Zara,” you announced, grabbing your bag and scratching back your chair from the table.

You had to go find your soulmate now.

You hesitated in front of the door, wondering if you should just leave and pretend you didn’t know anything. Jaebum hadn’t once asked Zara for your number, and whilst you had kept his, you didn’t dare save it into your phone, let alone dial it. For all you knew, Jaebum might want to wash his hands entirely of both cousins.

Still, there was yearning there. You wanted to reach out for his hand.

This time it wouldn’t hurt anyone to do so either.

“Are you going to knock or just stand there?” a voice asked from behind you after another fifteen minutes staring at the front door, and you whipped around so fast that you lost your balance.

Warm hands reached for your waist to right you, just as they once had months prior. They trembled against your skin, though Jaebum didn’t remove them, staring down at you in a daze.

He’d cut his hair. It was the first you noticed as you soaked him in, unable to stop your hand from stretching up into his black locks. Jaebum leaned into your touch, and you smiled gently.

He didn’t want you to leave this time.

“We need to talk,” he murmured, and you laughed as you nodded.

“That seems to be your favourite sentence, Jaebum.”

He groaned. “Say it again.”

“Your favourite sentence?” you teased, and Jaebum’s grip burned hotter against your side. “Jaebum. My soulmate.”

“My soulmate,” he echoed, shunting you towards the front door. You eyed him warily, and he smirked. “Listen, the reason I say that sentence so often in your company is that you’re so eager to disappear on me. And this time, that’s not happening.”

“No?”

“You’re on my doorstep,” he reminded, and you laughed. Jaebum stopped attempting to unlock his door, instead caged you against it.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispered, closing the gap between you both a little, now breathing in the same air. His cologne was woodsy and musk, and you inhaled deeply.

“I thought you wanted to talk.”

“Oh, we have plenty to talk about, but there’s only one thing I want to ask you right now, “he murmured, lips now dangerously close to you. Your heart was a beacon calling out to his, and your hand slipped onto his chest, feeling the answering thud of his back. Jaebum smiled. “Can I kiss you?”

You pressed your lips to his in response, your mind imploding in the process.

You had kissed before but never had you felt like this. As if you were slotting against a puzzle piece that was made to be next to you. His mouth was the perfect fit, and as Jaebum’s tongue begged entrance to greet yours, you each let out a moan at how amazing this felt.

It was as if you had been dying of thirst all this time, and now his kisses were your salvation.

Eventually, Jaebum pulled back after nipping your bottom lip, each of you breathless and gripping the other tightly. You watched as he took you in again, a slight shake of his head in wonderment. You cupped his cheek within your hand. “I’m sorry I walked away all those months ago.”

“I’m not,” he answered, finally turning the key in the door. It opened and he guided you backwards into the entryway wall, shutting the door behind you both before he ran his hand down your side affectionately. “I missed you like crazy. Which is odd, right? We had one day.”

“Not even a whole day,” you corrected, and Jaebum groaned at the words.

“Not even a whole day with you, and you broke me somehow. But I didn’t want to hurt Zara either. You were right. It was a less than ideal—”

“Meeting, not match,” you supplied before he could, and Jaebum grinned.

“I didn’t just stick it out with Zara. I was committed to her. And I figured if we were meant to be, something would make that happen. I respected your decision to walk away from me. You were showing more strength than I was in that moment.”

“I didn’t want to hurt either of you,” you admitted, your thumb running over the side of his face gently. It was strange how natural it felt to touch him.

Even though you had been aghast with Zara’s reaction to her soulmate earlier, you could understand it a little. There was something about Jaebum that made you know you couldn’t be with anyone else like this. He made you feel fully alive.

“It sounds awful, but when Zara came home and explained she met her match, I was relieved. Even more so when she explained she hadn’t given in to her desires before telling me the truth. So, I told her the truth too.”

You blinked. “You what?”

“I told her that you’re my soulmate, Y/N,” Jaebum announced, and you frowned. He reached to smooth your forehead out. “She was surprised and annoyed with both of us.”

“Annoyed?”

Jaebum chuckled. “She told me that we should have told her, and she would have accepted.”

“Why didn’t she tell me? Or come and see me earlier than now? She’s been with Louis for a month!”

“I told her not to.”

You gaped at him. “Jaebum! I came here as soon as I knew. I didn’t waste another—”

He kissed you then, soft and sensual. When he finally pulled back, Jaebum smiled. “I asked her not to. Believe it or not, I did get dumped, you know. I had some things I needed to clear out from my life. Chapters to close type of thing. I wanted to make sure that when I approached you again, and believe me, I was preparing to, that you’d have no reason to walk away from me. That you’d find nothing but the ideal match in me.”

“I almost can’t hate you for that,” you confessed with a sob-laugh, burying yourself into his chest. Jaebum held you tightly and laughed too, running his hand up and down your spine.

“Don’t hate me. You can’t.”

“I don’t think it’s possible to,” you admitted into his chest and felt his lips on your head. “But Jaebum?”

“Yeah?”

You pulled back and smiled at him. “I think it’s time you and I have a talk, don’t you?”

Laughing heartily, he reached for your hand and pulled you further into his home. “First, let’s eat a meal together. You can tell me all about how attractive I am for being left-handed again.”

“I meant different!” you exclaimed, grinning as he laughed yet again.

“Well, let me show you just how different I am from all the other people you’ve ever met.”

You couldn’t wait for him to do just that.

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Needing Directions

Pairing: Choi Youngjae x female reader

Genre: fluff / idol au

Warnings: terribly cliché fluff – aka none

Prompt: “Don’t go that way.” - #7 for Idea Starters

Word count: 1076

“I need some directions.”

You should have just asked him for an autograph. That would have been quicker than this. What had you been thinking?!

To be fair, you weren’t thinking at all.

“So, there are two alleyways to head down,” he continued, and you were surprised you were able to hear the words coming out of his mouth and that they made sense to you. Well, some of them, because now he was still talking, and you had no idea where he was in the grand scheme of his directions. He paused, frowning for a moment. “Don’t go that way.”

“Huh?”

He smiled softly. “Down to the very end of that street. There’s a shortcut.”

“Next to the bakery,” you confirmed with a sharp nod. “Got it.”

The man frowned. “I didn’t say about the bakery.”

Damn it.

You really should have gone with the autograph now.

But his face had lit up when you hadn’t approached him walking his dog asking about his fame. His dark eyes had turned decadent warm chocolate, and his hand gestures excited.

You had treated him like anyone else on the street when you had asked Choi Youngjae for directions.

And he had appreciated more than you had expected.

Picking up Coco as she started to yap impatiently at his heels, Youngjae cocked his head to the side. “You already know the way there, don’t you?” “Would it annoy you if I did?” you asked tentatively.

Youngjae’s wide smile curved up his mouth, and soon his hearty chuckles let loose. Right in front of you. In person.

You needed to get a grip on yourself before you turned into a squealing fan.

“That was clever.”

“It was the first thing I could think of. Surprisingly more so than ‘can I have your autograph?’. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have fooled you.”

“Just to get me to talk to you more?” he wondered, taking a step forward. You wondered if that was an invitation for you to follow suit.

You hoped to God it was.

Falling into step at his side, you nodded and shrugged at the time same. Youngjae laughed again. “It’s okay. I’m not offended. Curious, though.”

“About?”

“Why, out of all places in this area, you asked where to find the closest dispensary.”

“Oh,” you replied, feeling flushed. “That.”

“You’re not unwell, are you?” Youngjae asked, concern etching his expression.

If you didn’t admire the idol before, you sure did now.

“Actually, I work there.”

“Sly move,” Youngjae announced with another laugh. “Ensuring I know where you work, uhh – sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“I didn’t tell you it.”

“That was a perfect segue into telling me, though. I mean, you know mine.”

“Doesn’t a lot of people?”

“You’ll be surprised how unnoticed I go on the streets. It’s this one that makes everyone put two and two together,” Youngjae admitted, nodding his head in the direction of the infamous Maltese he held.

Your lips twitched. He was onto something there. You had figured it was the singer by his dog. Especially when he had scolded Coco for walking around the other side of the lamppost and getting the lead tangled when he called her back.

“Y/N. That’s my name.”

“Y/N, the pharmacist,” he said, rolling your name around on his tongue like it was something special.

You bit your lip to suppress the giddy giggle pressing up your throat. “I’m sort of an intern, though.”

“An intern?”

You nodded. “I just started working there two weeks ago. Not long graduated with my degree. You remain an intern for a year before gaining the full pharmacist title.”

“That will explain why I haven’t seen you in there before. This is my neighbourhood, after all.” He then eyed you cautiously. “Wait. You’re not going to—”

“Gosh, no. You know where I work now. That could complicate both of us,” you hastily pointed out, and Youngjae relaxed again. You smiled weakly. “Besides, you won’t see much of me. I’m normally out the back, running about for the senior pharmacist. I only see the front of the dispensary when the owner takes her break at two.”

Youngjae stopped walking, turning to face you. He smiled warmly. “Well, Y/N, the intern pharmacist, it was nice walking with you. Here’s the bakery turn off, so I’m sure you can make the rest of your way to work now, right?”

You nodded. “Thank you for escorting me and not seeing me as completely ridiculous for my weird reaction.”

“Not at all,” Youngjae replied with a wave, softly encouraging Coco off back the way you’d come.

Staring after him for just a moment more, you smiled. You didn’t believe in special encounters, but the one you’d just had with Youngjae had revitalised you. The last few arduous months had come into fruition now.

A full-time job, and Choi Youngjae’s handsome face in the flesh.

You all but skipped into work.

“I’m going on my break now, Y/N. Can you watch the front for me?” the owner Yelena asked, and you stepped out from the back with a nod.

You liked serving the customers. It gave you a chance to practice what you had learned in your degree when you gave out advice on what was best to take for certain ailments. You also got to know some of the regulars, and frankly, anything was better than attempting to chat with the senior pharmacist. He was polite where needed and silent there otherwise. At first, you had thought it was just you, but he was the same with everyone.

The doorbell chimed as the sliding doors opened, and you turned from restacking some stock that Yelena had left for you to do, your mouth falling ajar.

Youngjae grinned, looking curiously at some of the display items as he made his way over. Of course, since this was his neighbourhood, he’d come here for any health need he might have.

He wasn’t here because of you. Right?

“Two-ten,” he said suddenly, looking a little bashful as your expression narrowed with confusion. “I didn’t know if the break was a lunch one or just a quick one, but—”

“You came here to see me?”

“Well, I did come for a reason,” Youngjae mentioned, and you nodded, trying to rein in the fan inside of you. This was your professional environment.

“Oh? What can I help you with today?”

Youngjae smiled coyly. “I need some directions.”

_________________

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Taking Chances

Pairing: Jae Park x female reader

Genre: fluff / established relationship au

Warnings: none

Prompt: “What is this place?” - #39 for Idea Starters

Word count: 1300

Jae stared at what was in front of him for an immeasurable moment before turning his attention to you at his side. He could tell you were anxiously scanning his features for approval, and he swallowed roughly, knowing you weren’t going to find it easily. Looking back at the property, he ran a hand through his hair. “What is this place?”

“Well, I’m sure you can tell it’s a house.”

“A really run-down looking house,” he agreed, noting the immediate drop in your hopeful expression. Even though Jae hated disappointing you, he was honest to a fault. He had no filter, and you knew this about him well. If he had lied to you right now to keep your excitement levels high, you would have seen right through him.

It was a bit of a catch-22. He wasn’t going to tell you the derelict looking property in front of him looked anything more than that. Still, he didn’t like letting you down either. He could tell you already had a vision.

One you were going to let him in on.

“So, it needs some TLC.”

“Or a bulldozer,” he quipped, wincing immediately.

Yep, his no-filter business was going to end him up on the couch tonight if he didn’t attempt to reel some of it in.

“I’ll have you know it is structurally sound. I’ve seen the engineer reports from its current owner,” you answered with a glare. “You know better than to judge a book by its cover.”

Jae held his tongue, knowing he had a habit of doing just that. Smiling at you, he nodded. “I’m glad to hear you say, ‘current owner���. Here I thought you’d bought it.”

You didn’t answer immediately, turning your eyes to the house as you worked your jaw. Jae faltered, an awkward laugh leaving him. “You’re thinking about buying it, aren’t you?”

“Hear me out.”

“Oh no. Nope. Nuh-uh, Y/N. You’re serious?!” Jae stared at you incredulously. “It’s like a hundred years old!”

“A hundred and thirty, actually,” you corrected, hands lifting to take purchase at your hips. Your head cocked to the side. “It has charm.”

“The weatherboards are rotting! You can see that, right?”

“It’s an amazing deal.”

He snorted. “Yeah, because it’s a liability.”

“Some would say you were a liability for me, but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with you, now did it?!” you snapped back, and Jae blinked slowly, the tension slumping out of him.

You reached out for him at the same time, your hand trembling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s true, though, isn’t it? When we met, we were on opposite tracks in life.”

His thoughts slipped back to eight years ago when he had been talking loudly about his opinion about the way his boss was unfairly handling employees, not knowing you were his niece. You could have reported him to your uncle, pulled him up for his big mouth and inability to be quiet. You could have done a lot of things. Instead, you seemed to like that he was unashamed to talk about his thoughts and asked him out for coffee. And whilst he still did have a habit of speaking his mind, he had also discovered a whole new world at your side. One where he felt he was valued, appreciated, and challenged appropriately.

He wasn’t doing a great job of paying that forward right now.

“Okay, tell me.”

You folded your arms across your chest and let out an indignant huff of air. “I don’t know. I should have known better than to run this by you. But as your wife, even if we have separate checking accounts, something this huge is a decision I figured my husband should be in on.”

“Do you want me to get on my knees? Babe, I’ll grovel for your forgiveness if I have to.”

Your lips twitched, but you didn’t say anything as he dropped to his knees.

“Come on, Y/N. Tell me your vision. Let me see what you do.”

“A family home,” you whispered, and Jae blinked, looking back at the wrap-around veranda on the front of the house. In its heyday, the house would have been just that. With kids running around whilst parents lounged on a porch swing. There’d be a dog barking happily in the front yard, and the shutters would gleam in the sunlight. The house would have been the main focal point on this street, standing tall and proud.

Jae got back to his feet, and almost wanted to go onto the property and push against the side of the building and help it stop slumping in decay.

He felt your hand on his bicep then, your eyes wide with hope again. “You see it too, don’t you?”

“Curse you for making me watch The Notebook with you the other week.”

You giggled. “Noah built that house from scratch basically.”

“We might as well be with this one too, Y/N.”

“We?” you edged, biting your lower lip excitedly. “You’ll help me?”

“As if I’m letting you step inside that house alone. What if it fell on you?”

You rolled your eyes and slapped his upper arm. “It’s structurally sound, dammit!”

“You have any keys?”

“How did you know I had access to it?” you mused, retrieving them from your purse and letting the set of three keys jangle in your hand.

Jae took them from you, striding purposely for the front door. You dashed after him. “Oh! The front door kind of sticks so we need to enter from the back door,” you called out nervously, worrying he was going to take back the hope he’d instilled in you.

He merely swung around, dodging an overgrown bush, and headed down the side of the large house to the back entrance. Jae stopped, noticing the decently sized outbuilding next to the garage. You beamed at him as you came up to his side. “Oh, did I not mention I thought you could create an at-home studio for your band? I wasn’t entirely sold when I first looked at the development listing until I saw the potential for you to have a band cave.”

“Band cave,” he echoed, shaking his head. Jae was overwhelmed now, even if he should have expected you to have something just for him up your sleeve. You were always thinking of his needs along with yours.

Turning swiftly, Jae scooped you up into his arms bridal style, grunting when you struggled against him with a shriek. “Hold still or I’ll drop you!”

“Why are you carrying me? Heck, you didn’t even do this on our wedding night.”

“It’s supposed to be when you walk over the threshold of the first home you own,” Jae reminded, and you grinned brightly, peppering his jaw and neck in kisses. His mouth twisted into a lop-sided grin despite your active movement still causing him some concern you might both fall over the threshold of the back door instead.

“You’re on board?” you asked when he set you down on the solid wood flooring inside the door.

Cupping your face in his hands and trying to ignore the musty smell within the home that needed several days of airing out, Jae rested his forehead against yours. “You had me when you said you were imagining this as a place to start a family.”

Kissing him, you then shot him a sly grin. “So, the studio idea didn’t seal the deal?”

“Oh, you know it did, babe.”

You laughed, slipping your arms around his waist and nestled against him. “Thank you for giving me a chance with this idea.”

Jae merely smiled, thinking back to when you gave him a chance all those years ago. No, thank you for taking a chance on me.

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Work Ethics

Pairing: Im Jaebum x female reader

Genre: fluff / office au / strangers to lovers

Warnings: a slightly suggestive tone towards the end.

Prompt: “Don’t let them push you around.” - #8 of Idea Starters

Word count: 2566

“Y/N!”

Glancing at the clock in the corner of your computer screen, you groaned inwardly. It wasn’t even nine-thirty in the morning, and it had already begun.

Peering over the top of your cubicle, your bright smile betrayed the negative thoughts within your mind. “Yes, Gail?”

“We want coffee.”

Swallowing down the immediate protest that raced forth to your lips, you nodded tersely, getting up from your desk and headed towards the elevator, retrieving your wallet from your pocket in the process.

The instant coffee from the staff cafeteria wouldn’t satisfy them, and it was only Monday morning.

You didn’t want to deal with the myriad of tasks they’d delegate to you if you didn’t do as you were instructed.

As you travelled down to the front of the building, you almost laughed out loud bitterly. Why did you go through all you had in your life to become the office lackey? You had a better degree than the four workers who treated you like their slave. In fact, they were your juniors in the workplace. That was what bothered you most about it all.

How had you fallen into this predicament in the first place?

Shaking off your annoyance as you lined up at the local coffee shop, you trained your focus on the menu, reciting under your breath the orders that you already knew off by heart.

“Doing a coffee run?” a voice asked from behind you, and you faltered in the tempo of repeating your chant, glancing back at the man, and smiled politely.

“Monday mornings can’t be helped without caffeine.”

“You’d think workers in this day and age would have the self-belief to cater to their own needs and not waste the time of others.”

You grinned. “If only.”

“You could have said no, right?”

Blinking a couple of times as you tried to think of a response that didn’t out you for the unfortunate worker of your department to the handsome man, you opted with pressing your lips together in a straight line and nodded at him once when nothing came to mind. He pursed his lips in thought for a moment, his dark eyes washing over your face.

You didn’t know why, but the experience was exhilarating. You felt entirely exposed to the stranger, the intensity of his gaze seeming to uncover all your secrets. But there was something that you liked about it.

As if he saw you as someone and not no one.

“Excuse me?” the clerk behind the counter called, and you flushed with realisation that you had lost sense of the present. Vaguely catching the smirk he gave you as you dashed towards the counter, you ordered the drinks and then stepped over, waiting for them to be completed.

The handsome stranger looked at you pointedly. “Your drink?”

“Huh?”

“What about yourself? You ordered four drinks. Not five?”

How did he figure out I hadn’t ordered for myself, you wondered, eying him more curiously. When you realised you were holding up the queue as he waited for your answer, you breathed out your usual beverage and watched as he added it to his own order.

And then he joined you. Staring at his side-profile for only a minute, you cocked your head to the side. “Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Jaebum.”

“No, well, I mean, it’s nice to make your acquaintance, but how did you—”

“Don’t let them push you around,” he answered, and you gaped at him. Jaebum turned, washing his eyes over you once more. “You’re worth more than that.”

“I’m confused.”

He grinned. “That’s good to hear.”

“Not really. Why are you taking an interest?”

“It’s Monday morning. Don’t you have a meeting to attend soon?”

Checking your watch, you gasped and lurched forward when your order was called. Darting your focus between Jaebum and the sudden concern of your meeting that you were definitely going to be late to, you let out a whine and then dashed for the door.

“Wait!” you heard Jaebum call after you, but you chose to continue to your office hurriedly, groaning by the time you reached the department and found it empty.

Had Gail timed this to put you in your boss’ bad books again? It wouldn’t be the first time that she or Jeremy had intentionally sabotaged you from getting that much-deserved promotion.

Trying to decide whether you should enter the meeting or not, you mustered up the remaining amount of courage you had left and headed to the boardroom.

All eyes turned to you as you stepped inside, and you bowed apologetically. Lance, your boss, grunted before gesturing to the empty seat, and you quietly handed the drinks to Gail, Jeremy, Liza, and Margo along your way to the far corner of the table.

“Right, where were we before I was rudely interrupted?” Lance asked out loud, and you shrunk back into your seat, fully aware of the satisfaction on the other four faces in the meeting.

Just then, the door opened again, and you sat up with a start when Jaebum breezed in as if he was meant to be there. Mouth wide, you watched him survey the room and then smiled once he found you. “Good. I’m in the right place after all.”

“Who the hell are you?” Jeremy questioned, as Margo nudged him harshly.

“That’s Im Jaebum.”

The atmosphere in the room felt charged, and you watched with bated breath as Jaebum inspected the presentation being projected onto the screen. “Who’s responsible for this?”

“I am,” Liza proudly admitted, and Jaebum glanced at the woman before searching your face.

For some reason, you were certain he knew that Liza had left you on Friday night to complete this for her. Chewing on your bottom lip as you looked between him and Liza’s slowly fading smile, you waited to see what would happen next.

“Ah!” Breathing out suddenly, Jaebum walked around the table and held out the second drink in his hand. “You forgot this.”

“You were at the same place, Y/N? How come you didn’t escort Mr Im here?” Gail seethed, and you went to open your mouth to speak, but Jaebum beat you to it.

“I’m grown man, and it’s not in her job description to escort anyone anywhere. Nor is it to fulfil coffee orders for her junior staff members, but here we are.”

“She offered, didn’t you, Y/N?! She’s so kind!” Liza prompted, and you felt Jaebum’s encouraging gaze boring into the side of your head to tell the truth.

“N-No.”

“No?” Lance, your boss, echoed and then looked at the others. “You asked her whilst she was on the clock to do a coffee run again? What the hell are you all thinking?!”

“No. I meant I won’t sit here anymore,” you said, shakily standing up.

Jaebum gleamed with amusement as you briefly looked in his direction.

“I need to have a meeting with HR.”

“What?! Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N. It’s harmless.”

“Lance, that presentation is my work. I did it Friday night after hours. You can check with the security guard working that evening. He was surprised when I stepped into the foyer as the lights had been automatically turned off in the office.”

Looking at the flabbergasted four before you, you then pointed at Margo. “I also completed the big merger contract that Margo claimed as her own work last week. Jeremy is having a fling with your married daughter, and I discovered it, which is ridiculous because it should have been me making them all do the dirty work that I have for the past six months, but I’m a fool who didn’t know my worth. I would much prefer a peaceful day in the office than cause drama. I realise I enabled these four to walk all over me and disrespect my worth here. I’ll take my leave now before I say anything more incriminating and follow the proper procedures through HR.”

“Y/N!” Gail, Lance’s daughter, exclaimed, looking back and forth before bursting into sobs. “It’s a lie, Daddy!”

“Wow, this department sure is interesting,” Jaebum stated, tapping a finger against his jawline.

“Mr Im, please—!”

“Shall I assist you on your walk to HR, Y/N?” Jaebum cut in, and you nodded appreciatively, stepping over to the exit with him. Walking in silence until you reached the elevator, you maintained your rigid posture until the doors closed and encased you in the small space.

Where you then slumped against the wall and heaved in several deep breaths.

Coming over to your side, Jaebum patted your back gently. “Well done. I wasn’t expecting quite the reaction you had, but I’m proud you chose to stop the workplace bullying there.”

“I’ve one-hundred percent just lost my job.” you suddenly wailed, looking up at Jaebum exasperatedly. “What did I do?! Even if I go to HR now and complain, how can I hold my own in that department?! They’ll treat me horribly. This isn’t what I wanted!”

“Why you would want to go back to that team is beyond me. Gail’s his daughter? He told me she was his best friend’s daughter. Lance has some cheek himself.”

“Wait, you knew everyone in there?” “Shouldn’t I?” he wondered with a frown, and you stepped out of the elevator and followed him down the hallway. Jaebum nodded towards the receptionist outside the executive doors of the firm, and you stopped walking, the man glancing back at you. “Y/N?”

“This isn’t the HR department.”

“I know, this is my office.”

“You’re… you’re-?!”

Coming back for you and then gently guiding you by your shoulders into his office, Jaebum didn’t stop until he had you seated in one of the armchairs near a desk. He took the one next to you and angled his head so he could catch your gaze. “Don’t go getting all silent on me again. Where’s the bold woman who finally stuck it to her team just before?”

“I did that in front of the big boss?!”

Chuckling, Jaebum nodded. “It was a great show, really.”

“I’m mortified.”

“On the contrary, that ought to be me for having a hard-working employee such as yourself feel stuck in a terrible position. My Dad warned me that office hierarchy was a thing when I took over the role recently, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how archaic it was. Are we in high school? Jesus.”

You smiled softly, and Jaebum grinned. “There’s my girl.”

“Your girl?”

Jaebum smirked and shrugged. “Going to tell HR on me too?”

“No!” you answered with a laugh before sobering up. Looking genuinely at Jaebum, you smiled. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Encouraging me. I had no idea who you were, and you seemed to figure me out in the coffee shop so well. When I saw you in the meeting room, I don’t know, it was as if I had a fairy godmother looking out for me and sent you along to boost my confidence. Whatever it was, thank you.”

“This world won’t look out for anyone. There’s a lot of opportunists out there, ready to take advantage of kindness. Of someone honest and hard-working. Of people in power, even.”

“I can’t imagine people slighting you when you’re the Chairman’s son and my current boss.”

“Only temporarily. My old man will be back in action in two weeks.”

“That’s a relief.”

“You mean, you don’t want to see me around the office more often?” he asked bemusedly, and you sighed heavily. “Fair call. I mean, I don’t want you to be walking on eggshells around me now that you know who I am. But for the meantime, whilst HR sort through the investigation of your department, I think you should come up here.”

“Here?”

He nodded. “I’ll transfer you up. You can help me.”

“Help how? You have a secretary.”

“That’s my Dad’s personnel. I want someone I can trust to tell me how it is.”

You laughed. “I spent the last six months keeping quiet and putting up with bullying. What makes you think I’ll be any good for you?”

“You stood up for yourself today. It was entertaining to watch them scramble about. I think you’ll have no problems looking out for yourself. Besides, I’m not going to ask you to get me coffee or work after hours. That would be rude of me.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the catch, though?”

He grinned. “You figured there’d be one?”

“I can tell there is something brewing behind that intense gaze of yours.”

“On the first, my role as acting CEO will be over.”

“And I’ll go back to my department then?” you surmised, your hopes falling. You knew it wasn’t practical, especially with the way your heart was racing with every look Jaebum gave you, but you were starting to feel addicted to his presence. If you were going to work with him for two weeks, you didn’t like the idea of building everything up, only to crash back down to reality when he was gone.

You’d much prefer unpaid leave for the duration of the investigation and living off your modest savings instead.

Leaning forward, Jaebum caught your gaze. Deeply, he tantalised your soul before speaking. “When I leave here, you come with me.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I’ve got my own business that I run under this corporation. So, it’s not a loss in prestige in your career to follow me. I understand it might concern you, but I could do with someone with your type of work ethic.”

“It’s just about ethics?” you asked, wondering why he had stolen your heart as he had just now for business. You faltered. He was just as much of an opportunist as the people he spoke of just before.

“Absolutely not. But you see, HR here is run by my Dad’s team. And if his son starts having a personal relationship with one of his workers, that could get messy. However, at my company…”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Is that so? You want me to call you Mr Im by day and moan out Jaebum at night?”

Taken aback by your bold statement, Jaebum was still for only a moment. And then a seductive smile spread across his face. “Now, that would be rude. You can call me Jaebum always. But as for the bedroom nicknames, how about we establish those when we get to it?”

“Bold of you to assume I’ll accept your offer,” you replied, and Jaebum laughed heartily.

“You’re right there. But I’ve got at least two weeks to impress you enough to consider it, right?”

You smiled and gave a small nod. Jaebum leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

“You’re trouble, aren’t you?” you asked, and Jaebum glanced over at you.

“Actually, I think you might be the true troublemaker here. I was just having a pleasant Monday morning when I stepped into that coffee shop.”

“Are you disappointed that you met me there?”

Shaking his head, Jaebum leaned towards you again. “Had you not been wearing your lanyard, I would have asked you out on the spot.”

“Darn, I would have liked that.”

“But this is better. Nothing like co-workers to lovers, right?” he teased, and you rolled your eyes, still excited from the flirty transaction.

“Dating your boss is frowned upon, you know.”

Jaebum chuckled, shooting you another wicked look. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

_________________

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The Broken Moon

Pairing: Kwon Soonyoung x female reader

Genre: angst / star-crossed lovers / royal au

Warnings: angst

Prompt: “There is a full moon tonight.” - #29 of Idea Starters

Word count: 1113

Looking to the skies, Soonyoung smiled wistfully. The night was particularly inky tonight, the perfect dotting of stars giving contrast to the dark. And right ahead of him was the moon.

“There is a full moon tonight,” he whispered, leaning against a rolled hay bale in the grass, yearning to reach out and pluck it from the heavens. If he could control the moon, would that bring you back?

It had been too long since he had last seen you.

“You shouldn’t love me,” you had told him desperately, right as his lips had parted from the soft caress of your first kiss.

Soonyoung had blinked several times, wondering where you had grabbed the word love from. He hadn’t uttered it out loud.

Yet.

Searching his face, you then smiled awkwardly. “Ah. Your kiss didn’t mean-”

“If it did, would you stay longer?” he asked, his eyes pleading with yours for hope.

You stepped back from him then, only for Soonyoung to follow you. “You shouldn’t—”

“Love you. I know, you just said that. And maybe it’s premature to do so. Still, I wonder if what I feel for you is just that. I could very easily love you, Y/N.”

You laughed softly. The melody carried upon the wind that picked up around your secret spot in the meadow. Soonyoung wished for it to go still again, but with how much his heart hammered in his chest now, he knew the world around you both was reacting also.

He would endure a gale force storm for you if it meant you stayed beside him.

“What you feel is infatuation. Excitement. Perhaps you—”

“Are you inside of me? How do you know what I feel?” he cut in for the umpteenth time, and you groaned.

“Must you interrupt?”

“Yes. Because you’re trying to talk for me.”

“One of us has to be talking sense right now,” you replied, and Soonyoung smiled confidently.

“I am infatuated by you. Entirely. Ever since I saw you here that first day, I’ve been besotted by your very essence.”

You swallowed slowly, your eyes growing momentarily with desire, only for your logic to squash it down. Before you could refute his statement, Soonyoung held up his hand and pressed on. “I am excited by you. By us. With that kiss, I opened a door to—”

“To a fantasy world,” you announced, causing Soonyoung to halt with his ardent confession and look at you strangely. You exhaled shakily. “One must be able to tell the difference between what is real and what is fake.”

“What we have is real, Y/N.”

You shook your head, clamping your eyes shut. “How can a princess have something real with a peasant?”

Soonyoung could tell as soon as the words left you, you wished to gobble them back up. The damage was instant, and as you reached out for him, it was he who stepped back from you this time.

A hollow laugh left him. “Ah, yes. How foolish of me.”

“Soonyoung! Please, I—”

“Once upon a time, there was a princess miserable in her castle walls. And a stupid farmer’s boy fell in love with her by chance in his fields one day. Not knowing she was the daughter of the King of these lands until she came to him one moonlit night wearing a crooked crown and carrying a desperation to escape into his arms, he continued to grow attached to her with every visit.”

“Soon—”

“And the stupid farmer’s boy thought regardless of status what they had confessed under the moon that night to one another had been enough,” he continued, reaching out to straighten the crown upon your head.

Tears now slipped down your face, silently crying as he gave a watery smile in return.

“Realising that the princess had escaped from her castle to him because of the upcoming wedding between the neighbouring kingdom and his own, rather than to come find him because she loved him dearly, the farmer’s boy looked to the heavens, asking them to grant him a wish.”

Turning his gaze to the full moon, he marvelled at the night sky for only a moment more. “May the princess bore her upcoming husband with an heir and allow her the opportunity to live out her most fulfilled destiny.”

Your hand connected with his cheek then, and Soonyoung laughed bitterly. “A first kiss and a slap goodbye. You know how to wreak havoc on this countryside tonight, Your Highness.”

“I don’t wish to live in a fairy-tale.”

“I didn’t ask for that for you either,” he commented, gesturing widely, as his pride continued to hurt. “Because if you wanted one of those, you would fall in love with the peasant, and love would conquer all.”

You inhaled deeply before nodding. “There’s a reason fairy-tales are told to us, Soonyoung. They teach us that reality isn’t as wonderful as they can be and to be grateful for what we have in this life.”

“Yes, you’re right. I sure am grateful that all these fields my family own will have a great harvest to give to our kingdom. To wake up each day and work these lands with no bigger dreams than that.”

“You should be grateful for the freedom these fields give you. One who might seem to have it all could be wishing to have nothing but that.”

Staring at one another with intense longing mixing in with the anger, Soonyoung eventually pulled away, blinking several more times and looked to the moon again, trying to clear his mind of the intense feelings he held for you. “We’re lucky to live under such a beautiful moon. It bears witness to our fleeting love.”

“Fleeting?” you echoed and laughed hollowly. “When a full moon rises into the night, I hope it makes you think of this love of ours.”

“I don’t plan on it, princess. But I hope the same for you. May your mind be full of me every time the moon is as round as it is tonight. Pray for good weather to the poor peasant who couldn’t do more than dream of a princess for himself.”

The hardness in your gaze snapped as the tears rolled down your cheeks again, turning on your heel and running back across the moors from where you had come from.

Every part of Soonyoung wanted to chase after you, as the bitter wind whipped around his face, dragging off with the tears that flowed freely from his eyes. And yet, he realised there was no way to chance this storm and come out alive.

A princess couldn’t love a peasant outside of fairy-tales.

_________________

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Matched

Pairing: Kim Mingyu x female reader

Genre: match-maker au / fluff / university au

Warnings: none

Prompt: “Are you lost?” - #1 of Idea Starters

Word count: 1545

You were stunned when Mingyu walked through the door. Not because of the obvious, however.

You weren’t like the rest of the population who thought of the tall man as incredibly handsome and fawned at his feet. Sure, you could acknowledge that when he was created, his maker dumped him in the physical appearance container one too many times. You just weren’t someone who went ga-ga over attractive guys.

No, you were stunned because Mingyu had no perceived reason to come into your department at all at this point in the day. You serviced many people on the university campus every Friday. Those who came into your little office in the Clubs department were of a certain type.

Those who found dating hard.

You simply couldn’t imagine Kim Mingyu having troubles with dating at all.

“Are you lost?” you couldn’t help but ask in a detached voice, clearing your throat immediately and chuckling. “Sorry, I just can’t imagine you need my services. Are you looking for the tennis club that used to occupy this room? They’ve moved into the bigger room-”

Smiling softly, Mingyu shook his head and interjected. “No, I meant to come here, Y/N.”

“Oh wow. You know my name.”

“Should I not? We’ve shared the same classes in high school before coming to the same university.”

“Huh,” you simply said, staring at the tall man for half a minute before recomposing yourself. “Well, what brings you to Matched, Mingyu?”

“What brings other people?” he enquired, and your eyebrow rose in confusion.

Your match-making skills were second to none, and you had built up quite the reputation in creating some of the hottest campus couples. Surely, your services were widely known.

Again, you gave him a reprieve, still convinced he didn’t need to come to you for anything.

“Most people enter my office looking for a way to make their crush see them in a romantic light. It doesn’t always work out, and I’m straight forward with pointing this out so people can move on instead of pining over the impossible. I also help with dating advice to build confidence in general.”

Nodding, Mingyu smiled weakly. “I’ve heard good things.”

“I appreciate that.”

Silence prevailed your statement, and so you smiled politely before reaching for your water bottle, pulling your straw between your lips.

“Can you help me?”

It was unexpected, much as it was to him that you would splutter your mouthful of water over the desk towards him. For a second, both of you stared at one another, aghast, before you launched into using some tissues to mop up your mess.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” you requested, darting your focus between the mess and the man before you.

Mingyu rubbed his neck awkwardly. “I need help.”

“With what exactly?”

“Dating. Finding the confidence to ask someone out,” he offered shyly, and you stifled a snort.

You could count on both hands how many close friends you possessed who would sell their souls to date Mingyu. You had witnessed countless girls throw themselves at the man and assumed he had his weekends full because of it.

“You need assistance with that?”

Mingyu nodded.

“The world is stranger than I thought.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh!” You let out a small laugh and waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing! No reason. I could help you. If you need it.”

“I do. I’ve liked someone for a while now, and I’ve struggled to ask them out.”

“Do you know why?”

You were already running through a mental list of the hottest girls and guys on campus. As you did so, Mingyu fumbled with the cuff of his sweater. Finally, you glanced up at him, and he was startled, sitting back in his chair as if you were about to confess his secret crush to him.

“Do I know them?”

“You know her, yeah,” he said, inhaling a shaky breath that relaxed him again.

“And she’s single?” you continued, turning to your laptop to take notes.

“I think so.”

“You don’t know?”

Mingyu cringed. “Her relationship status isn’t public knowledge, but I’m pretty sure that she’s single.”

“Okay, so we can work with that.”

“You’ll help me?” Mingyu asked, hopeful.

“I’m not sure what help I can be for you, but I’m ready to give it a shot. Everyone deserves the chance to tell someone they like them.”

You worked with Mingyu twice a week for a month. At first, it was rather awkward. You had a preconceived notion that someone like him wouldn’t need help. But after unpacking his good looks, you were able to establish that he wasn’t the type to do things just on a surface level. He was a deep thinker, and you began to appreciate his sensitive side a lot.

Mingyu warmed up to you the further he spent time in your company, his endless smiles leaving you in a good mood. In fact, after each session, you felt great. It was different from your other clients. They were always so focused on their situation, which made sense. However, Mingyu really engaged with you, was eager to learn more, and even wanted to understand how you would feel in the hypothetical situations you created.

“So, you would appreciate someone just telling you honest?” he asked, and you nodded immediately. “Even if they fumble over it?”

“Of course. Honesty is endearing.”

“I’ve held it in for so long though, I wonder if it would be taken as sincere or not,” he wondered, and you leaned forward, reaching out for one of his hands on the table and gave it a gentle tap.

“I’m sure when you do it, she’ll appreciate it.”

“In any situation?”

You laughed. “Describe the situation?”

“Like right now.”

“Totally fine. If you’re in a position like this with her, it would be the right time. There’s no one else around to interrupt the moment. Timing it to where it’s just you and her will make it easier for you.”

“Y/N,” Mingyu said, and you waited for him to continue. “It’s you.”

“It’s me what?”

“I like you. I’ve liked you for years.”

“Ohhhh, you’re practising with me!” you replied, chuckling lightly. Gesturing with your hands, Mingyu implored you to pay proper attention.

Your eyebrows furrowed together.

“It’s not practise anymore. I want you to realise the girl I’ve crushed on is you.”

You blinked slowly.

“Is what I’m saying registering?” he asked, and you nodded before shaking your head.

“I’m confused.”

“I can tell.”

“Are we talking about what you’ll say or-”

“I’m confessing to you.”

“You came to me for dating advice about myself?” you concluded, and Mingyu smiled coyly.

“You should know yourself the best.”

“I don’t know, right now I’m having a bit of an out of body experience,” you admitted, and Mingyu reached out for your hand, brushing his thumb over the top of it.

It was then when you comprehended everything.

Of course, it had been different.

Every session, Mingyu seemed nervous to be around you, not the idea of dating. He had a lot of questions for you, asking you what you liked, and you had assumed it was to get a general feel for what other girls of your age group might like. You had been completely blind to his affections because you believed from the moment he stepped into your office that you weren’t even someone on the cards.

You hadn’t offered yourself up to him to be approachable over all these years. No wonder he was hesitant to know how you felt compared to those who had confessed to him.

“Can I like you?” he asked, and you melted away from all confusion, a smile gracing your lips. His own curled up hopefully. “Can I?”

“Was this your plan all along? To blindside me like this?”

“No, definitely not. I didn’t know how else to approach you. And since you are a formidable matchmaker, I had hoped you would have the skills to even match yourself.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” you replied with a wry smile. “I don’t ever consider myself.”

“Why not?”

You shrugged. “I’m too busy with crafting love for others.”

“Can you try to craft a little with me?” he asked, and you clamped your eyes shut, feeling flutters erupt in your stomach.

Oh, you were good. Way too good. You had taught him well.

Laughing, Mingyu leaned closer, and you felt his breath hit your face. Opening your eyes, you blinked at his proximity. “Did you like that?”

“I don’t know if you need any more sessions with me. I think you’re about to become the master at flirtation.”

“That’s not true,” he mentioned, though his smugness permeated through his body. “I need more help.”

“With what exactly? You’ve done too well with this confession of yours.”

Mingyu smirked. “I’m not a very good kisser. I’ve been pining over this girl for so long that I haven’t had a whole lot of experience, you see.”

“Oh, so you think I could offer you lessons on how to improve kissing, like I’ve done with the dating, huh?”

“That would help me out a lot. I appreciate your efforts.”

Giggling, you then bit your bottom lip giddily.

It looked like Mingyu had you matched.

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Please

Pairing: Lee Minhyuk x female reader

Genre: star-crossed lovers / mafia au / sad-fluff

Warnings: talk of death, murder and blood

Prompt: “I followed you.” - #12 of Idea Starters

Word count: 1441

You knew Minhyuk was there before he said anything, blending into the shadows of your unlit apartment. It was too early in the morning for this, you thought, and yet the knowledge that he was there watching you intently from where he stood excited you for some reason.

You were too reckless with your safety over this man.

Steadying your shallow breath, you padded towards the kitchen, taking the usual steps you had worn into your mind from living here for two years. As you reached into the refrigerator for some water, you smiled sadly, knowing if Minhyuk had it his way, you wouldn’t be living in this apartment.

Perhaps even this city, too.

“Do you want anything?” you spoke out softly, sounding more tired than you felt. It had been a long week of work, but with the way your blood strummed through your veins right now, you couldn’t accept the exhaustion in your tone.

You were coiled, ready for any action that might come your way.

Relenting, Minhyuk stepped forth, coming over into your small kitchen. You stopped rummaging through your refrigerator for what you could offer him, not having a lot of options.

You needed to go to the grocery store tomorrow.

It felt foolish to think of something so mundane, especially when his breath hit your neck, his arm reaching in for a can of beer.

It was one of those nights.

“What are you doing here?” he murmured into your ear as he retracted his arm, and you turned around to finally see him.

With the door still open to the appliance, you could look at him with ease, the light illuminating your kitchen space. Minhyuk didn’t blink, holding your gaze darkly, your own trying to absorb all there was to his face greedily.

It had been a whole four months since you last saw him.

Not having your fill but being satisfied you had updated the look into your mind enough, you smirked. “Shouldn’t that be my line?”

“I thought I told you to leave.”

“And I thought I told you that I don’t take orders from you, like your men do,” you rebutted, stepping aside from Minhyuk and heading over to the small dining table.

Minhyuk didn’t hesitate to take the seat across from you, pulling on the tab to pop open the beer. You watched as he guzzled some of the drink down, enchanted with him still.

You had been in love with him for far too long now.

Noticing your stare, Minhyuk placed the can down on the table, shaking his head. “It’s not safe.”

“I know.” Minutes passed before you could continue more boldly. “I followed you, remember. I always do.”

“Where?”

“Here. To where you’ll go next.”

Cursing under his breath, he shook his head. “You need to stop doing that.”

“Why? Don’t try the whole line about not loving me anymore, Minhyuk. It didn’t work last time. You even told me I would never see you again. But here you are.”

He couldn’t hide his faint smile. “Here I am.”

“You ought to just take me in by this point. It might solve a few things.”

He didn’t answer, picking up the can and draining more alcohol from it.

So, you continued. “I’m never safe, not with my last name.”

“I’ve ensured that last name of yours isn’t your legal one anymore.”

“Yours would have been better,” you grumbled, and he chuckled softly.

“I’m sure that would have made you pretty happy.”

“You still could,” you offered, hopeful even when you knew he would shoot you down.

Like he always did.

“Things are getting worse out there.”

“For you?”

“For a lot of people,” he mumbled, leaning back in his chair. You watched as he relaxed into it, a smile warming your lips.

He was only ever this relaxed around you.

“I want you gone by the end of the month,” he instructed, his dark gaze falling to meet yours. Cocking your head to the side with a challenging expression, he groaned loudly. “Y/N, I mean it this time.”

“No.”

“No?” Minhyuk echoed, leaning across the table suddenly, reaching for your hand that was resting next to your water. He jerked it roughly, trying to shake sense into you. “I can’t always promise your safety, Y/N! You need to leave before someone takes you out.”

“I’d rather that than live someplace where you won’t meet me in the middle of the night,” you protested tersely, yanking your hand away from his and folding your arms across your chest. “I’m not that same little girl you rescued, Lee Minhyuk.”

“Aren’t you?” he murmured with a tired exhale, and it was then when you realised just how exhausted he was. Your heart sunk, watching the tired lines form on his temples.

It bothered you how little he took care of himself.

It bothered you more that he wouldn’t let you take care of him, though.

“I can handle this world.”

“No, you can’t,” he replied with a chuckle, shaking his head immediately. His eyes then snapped to yours. “I won’t let you, anyway.”

“Always so controlling, when really, you can’t control me anyway.”

“Please.”

His request was earnest, coming from a place deep within him. Vulnerable. As if he would get down on his knees and beg for you to listen.

It surprised you. For all the years you had known Minhyuk, you had never heard him say the word more than three times.

Please love me.

Please leave me.

Please.

You wondered if you could ever take on his requests after the first one.

“I can’t.”

“You won’t, more like.”

Shaking your head as your emotions began to well in your eyes, you sucked in a deep breath. “I can’t.”

“That’s an excuse.”

“Could you? Could you move away from this city, forgetting I exist, to someplace new if you were in my shoes? With no contact, no place to run to when it all got too much in this world? I have no one but you.”

“I wish you would try to explore other people,” he told you, and you shrugged.

“What’s the point. I learned they all died when I tried.”

Minhyuk’s eyes darkened exasperatedly, unsure of what more to say to convince you. And you watched him with continued boldness, oblivious to the threats above his head over you.

Neither of you would win here.

“If you wouldn’t linger around me, maybe—”

“Maybe I could be normal? I’ve witnessed too much, had too much blood on me to walk away from this world and you know it.”

“Not by my choice have you had to endure this,” he growled, jaw tense, washing a hand down his face. “You shouldn’t have had to face anything.”

“But I have.”

It was the truth, and it wasn’t Minhyuk’s fault, despite the guilt that appeared in his eyes. You were already wandering through the shadows when he found you scared out of your mind after killing the wrong person out of self-defence. Sometimes, you’d humour the notion that perhaps you should have died in the beginning.

It would have been easier.

And yet, you wouldn’t have found him.

“You’re not leaving me with many options, you know,” he said a moment later, and you smiled grimly. “And don’t say it’s because you don’t have any, either. Because you do.”

“I do. But I still choose you every time.”

He couldn’t hide the swell that rose in his chest, the way his eyes warmed momentarily. Your love for him was bountiful. He knew this. And yet he acted each time you reminded him of it as if it were the first time hearing that anyone could love him.

It was one of the reasons you couldn’t give him up.

Finally glancing at you, Minhyuk toyed with the can he held mindlessly, his stare reaching deep within you. You couldn’t take it for very long, scooting back your chair and flinging yourself into his arms, onto his lap. He groaned against your touch, your kisses soft despite the hunger you felt building. His gentleness consumed you, and if you weren’t so enraptured by the man at that time, you would be amazed that someone who could do such cold and dark means for a living could feel this warm, this tender.

It was always only for you.

Pulling away, Minhyuk dragged in a deep breath, shaking his head at you. “Why do you do this to me every time?”

“Because I know you.” Smoothing his hair away from his eyes, you smiled. “You never come here unless you’re aching for me first.”

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I Wished For You

Pairing: Lee Hyunsik x female reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: mention of sex but with no details

Prompt: “Will you come with me?” - #46 of Idea Starters

Word count: 2053

“Will you come with me?”

“Where to?” you asked, already reaching out your hand towards him. Hyunsik took your willingness in his stride, the scrunch of his eyes as he smiled warmly, causing your heart to beat erratically.

You would follow this man into the depths of hell if you had to. Addicted wasn’t even the right word to describe how you felt for Hyunsik, but it came pretty darn close.

You couldn’t go without him for too long. The withdrawal symptoms were too potent, too arduous to endure.

And so, it didn’t matter what his answer to your question would be. You would go anywhere with him.

But you were the tiniest bit of intrigued.

“You’ll see when we get there,” he offered, knowing full well that wouldn’t satisfy you at all.

It was almost as if he wanted to hear you whine.

“Not even a little hint?” you asked with a pout as you shook your linked hands back and forth.

If someone had told you ten months ago that you would be full-on pouting as a grown woman, you would have socked them one. Perhaps you needed to smack yourself just once and see if that would help shake you free from this spell he held over you.

You were doing so many different things these days that you hadn’t with other men. Not that you hated it, of course. Everything felt natural, giddy, and entirely satisfying at Hyunsik’s side.

It was just that you hadn’t experienced anything like this before that made you stop and wonder why you acted like this now. Was this true love? You weren’t sure just yet.

Neither of you had uttered the three little words at each other, and whilst you were certain your life would always have him in it now, you didn’t want to rush them out into the universe. The right time to say them hadn’t arrived yet.

It was weird to hold onto something that you had thrown out to others before. But this time, you wanted to make sure that even if you felt indescribably connected to Hyunsik, that he too was in it for the long haul.

Leading you over to his car, Hyunsik opened the passenger door, even leaning in to buckle you in once inside. You chose to use this moment to brush your lips over his, a token of gratitude towards his caring nature.

Chuckling, Hyunsik shook his head. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“It was worth a try,” you admitted with a playful scowl, having kissed him just because, not with an ulterior motive.

It didn’t take him long to round the car or pull it out of the parking lot and head for the highway that took you out of the city. You were surprised that wherever you were going wasn’t within the city limits.

Eventually, you looked around yourself before pointedly catching Hyunsik’s brief glance in your direction. “Should I have packed an overnight bag?”

“I’ve got everything we need sorted. Don’t worry.”

Of course, Hyunsik came prepared. He was the detail-oriented type, another thing you loved about him. He seemed to know right whenever you needed something, or him, appearing with arms open and goodies to spoil you with.

But tonight, when he arrived on your doorstep, he had nothing with him except that request. Nerves strangely filled your stomach, fluttering around with confusion. You weren’t hugely fond of surprises, but you knew whatever it was that Hyunsik would do everything in his power to ensure you were comfortable.

So, when his car finally stopped in a small village deep in the closest mountains to the city, you didn’t panic. In fact, you merely breathed out a sigh of awe. “This place is…”

“The one in that book you told me about. You know, the one with the wishing stones?”

You were surprised that Hyunsik remembered that book because you almost didn’t. When your recognition came a second too late, he cleared his throat and looked away, somewhat anxious now. It surprised you to see the emotion there, knowing Hyunsik was usually quite confident in all his decisions. It was yet another characteristic about him that you admired.

“I’m so glad you looked for this place,” you told him sincerely.

Hyunsik smiled, brushing his lips over the side of your head. “Shall we check-in?”

A little old lady ran the inn, her weathered face warm and comforting. She smiled at you both, a little chuckle rising when she stepped forward. “You both shine together.”

“Do we?” you enthused, grinning at her before looking at Hyunsik beside you. “I think he shines a little more than me.”

“Come on, Y/N,” Hyunsik objected with a smile, leaning onto the countertop. “We have a reservation under the name—”

“I was expecting you, don’t worry,” she cut in, her wrinkles deepening as her face broke out into another welcoming smile. “Everything is ready for you in your room. It’s two nights, right?”

“Yes.”

“You can square me up at the end. Do you want any dinner? I’m almost finished with preparing for my family, and there’s always plenty to go around.”

Glancing at Hyunsik, you nodded. “That would be wonderful.”

“Come. I’ll show you to your room so you can freshen up from your trip.”

You followed the small astute woman across the courtyard of the inn as she slotted a key into the door of a unit. After flicking on the lights, she then left you both to it, with instructions on where to find the dining hall.

Looking around yourself as Hyunsik clicked the door shut behind him, you slowly turned until you were facing your partner. “This is just magical.”

“I thought you’d like it,” he agreed, coming to your side and encircling your waist with his hands. Pecking your lips softly, he grinned. “And I beg to differ about who shines more.”

“We’re not going to argue over it,” you replied before looking around again. “I would have never thought to seek this place out as you have.”

“I wanted this weekend to be perfect,” Hyunsik confessed, his eyes flashing with hesitance. You watched the emotion curiously before registering the words he spoke.

“Wait, weekend? If you told me I would need an overnight—”

“Like I said earlier, I’ve organised everything for you.”

“How?”

“You leave so much at my apartment lately that I had no problems sorting you out stuff to wear for the next couple of days.”

“Have I ever told you how thoughtful you are?” you wondered, brushing some of his hair away from his face before cupping his cheeks in both hands. “You’re too much.”

“I’ll do anything for you,” he murmured, leaning in to catch your lips, the kiss sweet, lingering.

“We better go to that dinner,” you whispered when he pulled away, your senses tingling all over.

The last thing on your mind was food right then.

Dinner was comfortable and full of laughter. You learned a lot about the small village and were given several locations to check out when the sun rose. And after the way you and Hyunsik spent the night writhing together under the sheets, that sun was high in the sky when your eyes opened.

“Morning, beautiful,” Hyunsik greeted into your skin, pressing gentle kisses into your bare shoulder. “Well rested?”

“Surprisingly,” you answered, lazily grinning up at him. “Especially after how many times you made me see stars last night.”

“We better go see some of the daytime then before I rain more galaxies down on you,” he teased seductively, and you stretched forward to capture his lips in three more kisses before following him out of bed and getting ready for the day.

The little old lady had kindly left breakfast for you on the doorstep and after enjoying the meal together in your room, you headed out onto the tracks around the village to explore.

It was an old township, and there were even older ruins all around. Overgrown at some points, the stone that remained from crumbling buildings seemed to be all over the sides of the tracks you and Hyunsik were taking. It gave the perfect excuse to hold hands as you hiked the terrain, helping each other over the obstacles sticking out in strange places over the earth.

“Do you know where we’re going?” you asked after an hour of exercise, the sheen of sweat on your forehead indicating the heat of the sun was at its hottest for the day.

Hyunsik nodded. “I came prepared, remember?”

“So long as you don’t get us lost,” you replied with a grin, and Hyunsik rolled his eyes.

“Even if I did, would you stop following me?” he wondered, coming to a stop. You stumbled into his arms, no doubt part of his sudden plan. Hooking his spare arm around your waist to balance you, he gazed at you deeply.

Struggling to breathe with the way his eyes captivated you, you shook your head loosely. “Never.”

“Good,” he answered with a kiss, gently pulling you along the track.

It wasn’t until you reached a body of water nestled into the mountainside that you realised where Hyunsik had brought you.

“Wishing Stone Creek,” you murmured, watching the water cascade from a higher part of the mountainside, pooling into the creek before it continued as a stream downward.

Taking a seat on the stone wall that banked a side of the large creek, you retrieved a bottle of water from your bag on your back as you took in the stacks of stones waiting for people to make wishes with.

Hyunsik was quiet as he observed the area for a few minutes, and you soon found yourself staring at him. It was already picturesque without him there, but being able to see this magical spot in the mountains at his side was overwhelming.

You almost didn’t feel right picking up a stone and casting a wish upon it when you already had so much sitting beside you.

Still, you grabbed two stones, holding out both your hands at your partner. “Which one do you want?”

He decided on the smaller, smoother stone, clasping his hands around it and closed his eyes. When he was done, Hyunsik tossed it into the water, his smile growing as he watched it sink.

“What did you wish for?” you inquired, and Hyunsik smirked.

“That would make the wish pointless, wouldn’t it?”

“Fine. I won’t tell you mine!” you exclaimed, mirroring his actions of wishing onto the stone before you tossed it towards the rainfall of water at the back.

You had wished for a life long of loving Hyunsik. You knew you were capable of doing that without making a promise upon a stone, and in that moment, you wanted nothing more than him for the rest of your life.

Comfortably silent for a while taking in the nature around you both, you eventually clambered back to your feet to make the trek down to the village before the moon rose in the sky.

However, Hyunsik stopped you, slipping his hand into his pocket. “Wait.”

“Hm?” You watched him expectantly and gasped when he pulled something out of his pocket. “What are you doing?”

“I wished for you,” he announced, holding up a necklace with a similar grey stone with a belt of white quartz embedded in the center of it. “And I’m always going to wish for just you.”

You were shaking as he placed the necklace around your neck, the stone settling upon your skin. Pulling you back against him, Hyunsik’s mouth lingered around your ear. “I love you. I’ve wanted to tell you for weeks now.”

“Why did you wait?” you breathed, slowly turning around to hook your arms around his shoulders, linking them behind his head. You smiled at him. “You know I love you too.”

“Do I? You haven’t told me yet.”

“I followed you here. I would follow you anywhere,” you pointed out, and his smile grew.

“I wanted the moment to be as perfect as it is now,” he confessed, gesturing to your surroundings.

You looked around yourself and smiled.

It was pretty perfect.

“I love you, Y/N,” he repeated, leaning in to brush his lips over yours. “I’m going to always love you.”

_________________

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Bold

Pairing: Choi San x female reader

Genre: Hogwarts au / enemies to lovers au / fluff

Warnings: none

Prompt: “Laughing at me won’t end well.” #17 of Idea Starters

Word count: 1851

Glancing around the atrium with a heavy sigh, you finally spotted your classmate and barrelled up to him. “Choi San, get down this instant!”

“Oh, it’s you,” he replied dramatically, groaning almost with the realisation that you had finally caught up with him.

It wasn’t exactly your idea of fun being paired with the Slytherin prankster, either. As expected, you were finding this class project to be a chore with such an unreliable partner. So far, you had already done two-thirds of the assignment alone, whilst San deviated away from the curriculum to play hooky.

Sure, it wasn’t every day that you were allowed off of school grounds and into the Ministry of Magic, and that to you, as a rule-following Ravenclaw, was the very reason why you were mortified to find San climbing over the Fountain of Brethen.

“Get down before you get us in trouble!” you hissed, and San grinned brightly, posing his index finger over his mouth momentarily before shaking his head.

“I’d much rather be up here than down there with you. I’ve had quite enough of your nagging for an entire century.”

“It’s bold of you to assume one would allow you to live for a century. You’ll drive someone to use a wicked spell on you one day,” you grumbled, and San laughed mischievously, leaping around the house-elf statue towards the centaur.

Lurching forward when San soon sat astride the centaur’s back triumphantly, you darted your focus around the bustling area, your cheeks darkening with embarrassment. Standing right at the edge of the fountain, you contemplated your options.

You could walk off and leave San to his immature playtime and hope one of the adults looking over in your direction would come and tell him off a real treat.

If you went and found a professor to tell on him, you’d never live it down, and frankly, you preferred your school life to be peaceful.

Unlike today was.

However, there was another option, especially with the animated expression on San’s face. You cleared your throat before smiling sweetly. “Have you ever ridden on the back of a horse, San?”

“This isn’t a horse, Y/N,” San shot back, mimicking the pose of the centaur’s upper body before patting the statue gently. “It’s more than a silly animal. Centaurs are valued creatures of our world.”

“So valued that you sit your unworthy ass upon one?” you questioned, and San scowled at you instantly. You smirked. “Well, you feel as if you have a right to sit there, do you not?”

“I’m just up here because I know you won’t be able to get me down from here, Ravenclaw.”

“I know it’s in your Slytherin nature to break the rules as do as you please, but you’re in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic, not Hogsmeade. Though, I’d like to hope you’d not behave poorly there either.”

San leaned back, hand over his heart. “You wound me so, Y/N. Next time we’re in Hogsmeade, I’ll take you to Honeydukes and buy you a butterbeer. It might sweeten you up.”

“Why on earth would I go on a date with you to Honeydukes?!” you exclaimed, and San’s mouth fell ajar before he shook his head.

“Why would I take you on a date anywhere? You’re definitely not my type, Y/N. Of all the students in our year, I—HEY!”

It was because you had jumped to the conclusion of San asking you out that you did it. After all, hearing him speak so poorly of you was a stain upon your family name. You came from a long line of outstanding Ravenclaw wizards and witches, and the last thing you needed was a Choi claiming you’d be the last person they’d date.

And so, you had acted upon instinct to shut him up, pulling out your wand and spoke the words Piertotum Locomotor. The centaur, along with the rest of the fountain sprung to life, moving around at your whim. At first, you were surprised at the use of the charm, knowing you hadn’t mastered it on smaller inanimate objects yet. The vigour of their movement was down to your annoyance, you were certain of it.

Darting his focus over at you as his arms gripped the waist of the centaur he was still astride, San hollered incoherently. “Stop it! Y/N!”

However, the sheer panic on his face did nothing but send you into fits of laughter, releasing all the tension that had built over the entire visit. You soon were clutching your stomach within your hands from how enjoyable this felt.

“Y/N! Come on, stop it! Laughing at me won’t end well, you know!”

“It certainly is worth it after being dealt the awful card of being your project partner!” you cried out happily, laughing again.

“I’ll cast the worst type of charm on you once I’m down from here!”

“Whilst this is a wonderful display of your skill, Y/N, could you please set the statues back into place now?” a voice instructed, and you darted your gaze to the person now beside you in horror.

Dropping your wand, the statues jolted with your loss of concentration and settled back into their resting spot with a thud. You bit your lip to withhold the snicker that went to depart you when San toppled into the fountain water and stared back at Professor Nam apologetically.

“Sir, I’m—”

“I’m sure you felt you had no other option,” Professor Nam suggested with a grim smile, and you nodded, lowering your head. “But you used your magic in a place where we have strict rules about students casting any spell. Y/N, you know what that means.”

“It means she gets detention!” San announced once he had squelched over to you both. Glaring in your direction, he then nodded confidently at the professor. “As she should. How dare you cast magic here, Y/N!”

“I would shut it if I were you, Choi,” you grumbled, reaching out for his lower arm and shaking it.

“Why should I? I’m the victim to your little stunt here.”

Professor Nam raised an eyebrow at the student. “And why were you in here and not in the area helping Y/N with your project to begin with? I watched her do all the work for the morning and chase you down twice. I had wondered where you both got to when I couldn’t find either of you after lunch.”

Smiling brightly and nodding to confirm his words, you didn’t say anything to add to the conversation. You were just grateful that Professor Nam had been the one to find you both.

The punishment shouldn’t be too severe because of him.

“Detention and twenty points will be deducted from both your houses,” he announced, and you ignored the loud groan from San, his complaints about it being unfair were the only thing you could agree upon.

It had been unfair to be paired with San, to begin with.

“Polishing silver in this trophy room with you is not how I wish to spend my Saturday,” San grunted, and you didn’t answer, methodically buffing the trophy you held.

He stopped working and turned to you. “Why did you do it?”

“You’re rather frustrating, aren’t you?”

San snorted. “I could say the same to you! But that doesn’t answer why you cast a spell that day. You know, if it hadn’t inflicted me with motion sickness, I would have said that was a bold move on your part. Of course, I’d prefer if you aimed your wand in any other direction than mine.”

“You were impressed?” you asked, now stunned, and San rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Really?”

“No one in our class has managed that charm with anything substantial like a statue. Of course, it was impressive. Just next time, don’t do it when I’m sitting on top of a centaur, Y/N.”

You couldn’t hide the small smile that grew on your lips. “Next time, don’t annoy me then.”

“Was that why? I thought it might have been because you assumed my Hogsmeade—”

“Let’s not bring that up again,” you swiftly intervened, and San approached you, leaning down to catch your gaze.

“Ah, so it was that. What part offended you more? The fact that it wasn’t a date or that I began to proclaim—”

“Will you just do as you’ve been instructed for once in your life, San?! I will only do my share of this punishment, not all of it, as I did for our assignment. Which, might I remind you, we now have to redo together on another topic. Goodness, I’ve never come across someone so infuriating un—”

San moved in and captured your lips in a surprising kiss, your sentence falling away as he kissed you with earnest.

You were momentarily confused, wondering if this was another of his tactics or not. However, he tasted sweeter than you ever expected a Slytherin to, and you melded against his mouth, closing your eyes and falling into your desires.

Just how long had you wanted this? It felt as if you had been building up to this kiss for some time now, though consciously, it was never something you had imagined before.

A clatter from the trophy you had been holding to the ground startled you, and you pulled away, breathing heavily at one another. San raked a hand through his hair and attempted a smile. “Well, uh, that sure was unexpected.”

“You were the one to initiate it, San. Surely you had some idea what would happen when you kiss someone.”

“Come with me to Hogsmeade next weekend,” he asked, and you tilted your head to the side with hesitancy. San smiled genuinely. “Not because of what I said the other day. For a date.”

“A date?” you echoed and shook your head. “Listen, if this is what you’ve come up with because I laughed at you, I don’t—”

“I don’t go around kissing just anyone, Y/N. I was teasing you that day, and the real reason I didn’t want to do the project with you was that I couldn’t focus. Slytherins might cause mischief, but we’re too ambitious to admit our weaknesses often. I preferred trouble than telling you I was distracted by you.”

“You’re telling me now,” you breathed out in a strange stupor, wondering if you had entered a parallel universe.

That would make more sense than this was in your reality.

Yet the taste of San was still on your lips, and you craved more. Reaching down shakily for the trophy you dropped, you used the cloth to buff it vigorously.

San laughed. “Are you shy?”

“No!”

“Then what’s your answer, Y/N?”

“You must have consumed a lot of butterbeer in your life, San,” you announced, and he frowned. You smiled. “You already taste too sweet. If I go with you there, what else will happen to me?”

Leaning in for another kiss, San’s mouth hovered around yours. “I guess you’ll just have to be bold enough as you were the other day to find out.”

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As You Wish

Pairing: Choi Youngjae x female reader

Genre: genie au / fluff / historical au

Warnings: none

Prompt: “As you wish.” #2 of Idea Starters

Word count: 2694

You had little understanding of magic. So, when you stumbled across a genie in a lamp, at first, you were frightened of the whole concept.

However, the genie’s smile was too genuine for you to be completely scared of him.

Marvelling the trinket box you had purchased at the local market earlier, you looked towards whom had come out of it only moments before.

“I can grant you your wildest dreams, Y/N,” he proclaimed, and you merely frowned.

“How do you know my name?” you asked, edging closer to the trinket box sitting on your bedroom dresser. You scratched at your head. “And how did you fit in such a tiny thing?”

Blinking several times, the genie was just as confused as you were. “Did you not hear me? Your wildest of dreams. Money, fame, love, I can grant it all. But only three times.”

“Sure, but logistically speaking, you shouldn’t have been able to come out of there.”

“You’re not at all interested in what I have to say, but of the box I have been trapped within?”

Gasping noisily, you looked up at the genie in horror. “You’re trapped in here?! Why, that must be awfully suffocating.”

“It can be,” he answered distractedly.

“You poor thing. I can’t imagine how cramped it gets living in there. Do you shrink? Or is the world inside here a different size entirely?” you continued, peering into the otherwise empty trinket box, trying to decipher how it all worked. You then stared back at the genie. “Do you also eat and sleep in there? My, it must get very messy if you do.”

“What a peculiar human you are,” he observed, and you grinned.

“You’re not the first, nor the last to cite that about me, Genie. No, wait! Do you have a name? And how do you know mine?!”

“So many questions and none of them free me faster from these blasted confines,” he muttered, your sudden excitement absorbing you, so you didn’t hear entirely.

You nodded. “Yes, I have many questions. You see, my father once called me entirely exhausting since I had so much to ask about the world.”

“I can relate,” he admitted with another chuckle, more nervous than the last.

“So, will you answer me?”

“Do you promise to ask of your wishes thereafter?” the genie inquired, and you nodded happily enough. “Very well. My name is Genie.”

“That’s entirely unoriginal.”

“You speak the word entirely often.”

“It’s a good descriptive word, don’t you think?” you mused, and he couldn’t hide his smile. “See! You agree!”

“You’re infectious.”

“And you still haven’t told me how you know my name, Genie.”

“Enslaved to you until you release me, I’m told all of my master’s details as soon as I’m woken.”

“By who?”

The genie’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Who tells you? I certainly didn’t. I never would have believed in magic before this to do so.”

“I guess… it’s just fed to me?”

“By what?”

“I’m not really sure.”

You nodded knowingly. “I see. A man with a job who is still learning the role.”

“Excuse me?! I’ve been a trapped genie for a thousand years now! I’ve learned my role well!”

“A thousand years?!” you echoed, your mouth falling ajar for only a second with surprise. Then you went back to your chatter. “I don’t know what surprises me more, that you’re a thousand years old or that you haven’t had a name for that long. Wow, that’s sad. I would be beside myself without my identity.”

He huffed. “I have an identity.”

“You’re a genie. What do you call your other genie friends, then? Do they have names?”

“I don’t have any genie friends,” he answered, growing irritated.

“You don’t have any friends and live in this tiny box? Being born a genie sounds rough.”

“I’ve never met a person like you before,” he announced cautiously, gauging your reaction.

You nodded eagerly. “I suppose I’m one of a kind.”

“You could say that.”

For once, since opening the trinket box, your bedroom fell into an unusual silence. You looked at the genie for some time until he grew bashful under your scrutiny. “What is it now, Y/N?”

“I have my first wish.”

“Oh, thank god,” he breathed, gesturing with his hands for you to speak it.

“I wish to give you a name.”

The genie was taken aback. “Why on earth would you wish for that?”

“Am I not allowed to?”

“No, you are. I guess so. It’s nothing forbidden,” he answered honestly, blinking several times. “Still, you could wish for anything you desire.”

You nodded firmly. “Which is to name you.”

“As you wish,” he stated weakly, leaning forward. “What will you name me?”

“What would you name yourself?”

He groaned and sat down on the bed beside you. “How am I meant to know?”

“Well, if I had a choice in naming myself, it would be something pretty or feminine.”

“Your name is pretty enough as it is, Y/N.”

“You think so?” you wondered, smiling brightly. “Thank you!”

“But that doesn’t help with your wish. You have to name me.”

“That’s maddening. You’ve put me on the spot! How am I meant to name you? I wish you to name yourself!”

“That would be your second wish then,” he mentioned tiredly, and you gasped.

“But my first wish hasn’t come true yet!”

“You didn’t specify the first time around those details,” he pointed out, and you scrunched your nose up in disgust.

“You tricked me.”

“I did not. Why don’t you name me, so you don’t waste your first wish,” he offered, and you grew determined, nodding again.

“Okay. Oh gosh, what do I call you? Let me look at you,” you instructed, and the genie turned to face you. After staring at him for some time, you grew flustered, darting your eyes around the room.

“What?”

“Hm?”

“Why are you flustered?”

You laughed awkwardly. “Are all genies as handsome as you are?”

“Well, I—I mean, I’ve never met another—you think of me as handsome?”

“Very!”

“Are you trying to trick me, now, Y/N?” he breathed, and you shook your head honestly.

“Never! I can’t lie or do anything deceptive. My mouth would betray me right away.”

The genie laughed heartily. “Now that I can believe.”

“I’ll call you Youngjae,” you announced out of the blue, and the genie looked at you.

“Youngjae?”

“Do you not like it?” you worried, and he smiled, easing your concerns.

“No, I do. It’s lovely. Thank you.”

“So, my first wish is completed now?” you asked, and Youngjae nodded once. “Oh wow, that sure was a blast! I’m so exhausted from just the one.”

“But you didn’t do anything grand,” Youngjae objected, and you gaped at him.

“Naming someone is an important task, Youngjae!”

“I guess so. Does that mean you’ll not make two more wishes now?”

“Well, no. I don’t plan to.”

“I see.”

You looked at the glum genie as he got up and headed towards the trinket box. “Wait! Where are you going?”

“Well, if you have no wishes to grant, I shall be inside here.”

“Why? Are you uncomfortable in here with me?”

Youngjae grew perplexed. “No.”

“Then why return to a place so suffocating?” you questioned and then gasped noisily before Youngjae could answer you. Jumping up, you reached out for his hand and walked out of your bedroom and down the hallway to another door. Swinging it open, you stepped inside the bedroom and smiled brightly.

Youngjae eyed you warily. “Yes?”

“Well, I figured since you’re a guest in our house at the moment, you’d be more comfortable in here.”

“In a bedroom?” he asked, looking around himself with a look you couldn’t quite grasp.

“Would you prefer somewhere else?”

“I’ve never had a bed.”

“You haven’t?! Why that’s dreadful conditions for a Genie to live in. Is there someone I can complain to?”

Youngjae chuckled. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“How ghastly. You make yourself at home here. My father is away on business this week, so it’ll just be you and I for dinner tonight. I’ll insist our cook prepares your favourite meal. What is it?”

“Food?” Youngjae said, cringing at your expectant gaze. “You see…”

“Don’t tell me that you don’t eat, either?! What is wrong with this system! How cruel it is to ask you to serve me without treating you to the basics of a nice place to rest and a full belly? It’s the least I can do for you, Youngjae.”

“Well, if you insist,” he murmured, soon smiling again. “I’d like to try your favourite food.”

“Oh, braised ribs are delicious! I make sure you’ll love them as much as I by nightfall!”

Several days went by in Youngjae’s company. In the beginning, he continued to press you to make your second wish, but over the course of fun-filled adventures together, he had soon stopped.

You were relieved that he could relax a little.

“Are you enjoying your vacation?” you wondered, and Youngjae frowned.

“I’m on vacation right now?”

You nodded swiftly. “Well, I assume this isn’t work for you? Am I still making you work? Oh, I hope not!”

“No, no. You’re fine, Y/N. I just haven’t had a master over a thousand years quite like you.”

“One of a kind, wasn’t that what you referred to me as?” you reminded, and Youngjae laughed.

“Yes, that is you.”

“I am sorry to make you suffer right now, though.”

“Suffer?”

“I know what my next wish is,” you announced, and Youngjae’s eyes flashed with surprise, stopping in walking along the forest path with you.

Turning to look at the genie, you cocked your head to the side. “What is it?”

“I’m preparing for your wish.”

“Do you need to prepare a great deal?”

Youngjae shook his head. “No, I’m ready now. What is it?”

“I wish for you to become my friend,” you stated, watching his chest deflate from the strong posture he once held. “What?! Why did you react like that?!”

“Like what?!”

“As if you were a deflated balloon. Is being my friend that precarious?!” you huffed in annoyance, spinning around on your heel and marching down the pathway. “I know I’m tiring at best to most people. I do try, you know, to keep my thoughts inside. But that isn’t me! I love to talk and share every thought in my head, and I perhaps believed you had come to not mind my endless chatter as much as you did in the beginning.”

Youngjae had caught up with you and reached out for your lower arm, halting your fast escape. You titled your head away from his gaze, trying to blink away your emotions threatening to fall.

“I expected something grander.”

“Is being my friend that bad of a concept?!”

“No! Goodness, you react so quickly, Y/N,” he admitted, reaching up to cup your face gently.

Slowly, you turned to look at Youngjae, and he smiled gently.

“I already could see our friendship blooming.”

“Really?!” you exclaimed, growing excited. “Oh, me too!”

“But since it is your wish, I shall grant it,” he announced, and you clapped with glee before leaping into his arms and hugging him.

“We shall be the best of friends before we know it, Youngjae!”

“What happens to you when my final wish is granted, Youngjae?”

Youngjae glanced over at you, placing down the book he had been reading. The library was full of light, thanks to the afternoon sun, and you marvelled at how handsome he looked with the light illuminating him.

He truly was a magical being.

“I will finally be free from my curse.”

“That’s good news! What will you do with your freedom?”

Youngjae didn’t answer your question, picking up the book again, though it was upside down. Flustered by his mistake, he put it back down and closed his eyes.

“Youngjae?” you called, getting up from the armchair you had been seated in and moving to the chaise he was upon. Reaching for his lower arm, you shook him gently.

“You haven’t mentioned my being a Genie for months now, Y/N.”

“Well, I’ve not wished to. Having three wishes has been a burden for me. Especially when I don’t know what happens in the end. Why are you not as forthcoming of your freedom as I hoped you’d be?”

“I’ve served my time as a genie.”

“And?” you prompted, curious as to why he couldn’t seem to speak the rest of this thought out loud.

You had come to understand Youngjae a great deal over the last months. A formidable friend, he was always there for you, and you had hoped you could remain there for one another after his genie days were over.

It hadn’t once occurred to you that the end could be near.

“And once I’ve fulfilled my duties, I turn to dust.”

“To dust?!” you breathed, not quite comprehending. “As in poof! You’re gone for good?”

Youngjae nodded softly.

“This won’t do! I’ll never grant that wish then! How could I accept your end to be so tragic?! This is too cruel!”

“Before I met you, I raced towards this end, Y/N.”

“What on earth for?! Dying is what we all do, I suppose, but to not live out your days until it’s your natural time to go sounds terribly wrong!”

“I’ve lived longer than any human,” he pointed out, but you weren’t satisfied.

“In servitude. You deserve to do as you please!”

“You’ve allowed me that, Y/N.”

“How? You can’t wander away from me at any stage because you’re bound to me. What if you wanted to do something and I didn’t?! That’s not fair for you!”

Youngjae shrugged. “I never considered what I wanted until I met you.”

“Well, consider it now. What do you want to do? We shall do it all together!”

“Really? You’d consider that for me?” he asked, and you nodded immediately.

“I care deeply about you, Youngjae. Of course, I’d do anything in my power to. And if I cannot, I’ll wish it to happen!”

Youngjae balked back, shaking his head and hands in unison. “I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“Why not?”

“Your first two wishes have been about me. You’ve not wished once for yourself.”

“I have no desire to. I have been blessed with all I need in life. I have no greed for fortune, fame, prestige. None of it. I met you by chance, and it’s been the best thing to happen to me. I’ve gained a friend, a wonderful companion. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“Not even of love?” he whispered, and you turned to him, rendered speechless for the first time. Youngjae smiled warmly, reaching out to cup your cheek in his hand. “Do you not wish for romance, Y/N?”

“The man I want it with no doubt can offer it to me,” you answered shakily, moistening your lips as Youngjae came closer.

You both hesitated before meeting one another midway, kissing for the first time. It was slow and tender, with a bit of a juvenile touch to it. Neither of you had kissed before, that much was evident, and yet you felt your heart soar with the feelings you had held within for several weeks now.

Youngjae smirked when he eventually pulled away, eying you differently. “I thought you told me you couldn’t lie.”

“When have I ever?”

“Your mouth betrayed you in another way, Y/N. Your kiss confessed all those thoughts about me that you kept hidden within your heart.”

“And yours did the very same. We are as guilty as the other,” you admitted, and Youngjae laughed, nodding in agreement as he brushed your hair away from your face.

“I want to grow old as a man at your side,” he confessed, and you smiled, kissing him softly once more.

“Youngjae, I wish for you to be free from your curse and live out the rest of your days as my man,” you spoke with conviction, tears welling in your eyes.

Mirroring your emotions, Youngjae nodded. “As you wish, my love.”

_________________

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Amazing Together

Pairing: Bang Yongguk x female reader

Genre: fluff / enemies to lovers

Warnings: mentioning of alcohol

Prompt: “I’ve always loved you.” - #16 of Idea Starters

Word count: 1429

“I’ve always loved you,” you murmured into his skin, delighted when a husky chuckle responded. Peering up at the handsome man, you smirked. “So maybe it wasn’t love at first sight.”

“I think contempt would be a better fitting word, don’t you?”

“I didn’t exactly hate you either.”

“It was close,” he answered, and you shrugged playfully. Toying with your bare skin, he smiled. “But now, we’re close in another way.”

“Intimacy suits us,” you agreed, and he chuckled again.

“I don’t want you in any other way.”

If someone had told you eighteen months ago that you would end up laying in Bang Yongguk’s arms whispering nothings at one another, you’d laughed hysterically. You would have been convinced something like this would only happen with you held at your own will or under the influence of something strong. Because when you first met the man, you had no time for him.

The feeling was mutual.

“Do we really need to hang out with him?” you implored Youngjae, who checked his watch before shooting you a look. You sighed heavily. “You know, I don’t get how someone like you is friends with someone like him.”

“Watch it. Someone like me is also friends with you. Some might say that’s unfathomable too,” he retorted, grinning when you reached out to swat him. Dodging your swing, Youngjae shrugged. “Yongguk and I go way back. And he’s new to this area. It’d be unsavoury of me to leave a friend in the lurch.”

Grumbling, you looked around the bar, hoping something came up to prevent Yongguk from joining your group of friends tonight.

You had enough of him last Friday night to wish for this one to be peaceful. However, five minutes later, your luck was up, the tall man walking over to your booth and smiling genuinely at his friends.

Your friends.

You knew it was petty. After all, Youngjae had known Yongguk a whole lot longer than you had known him. But as his current closest friend, you felt as if the connection he had with you was just as valid. If not stronger than the one he had with some guy returning from overseas.

At first, you were intrigued by his dark eyes and wavy hair. What was his story? What made Yongguk tick? That curiosity had been burned by his curt responses, barely answering you before talking in-depth with Jongup and Youngjae about their youth. You were bitter, feeling more and more like the outcast around your friends than you ought to.

Yongguk made no attempts to get to know you, half the time you believed he didn’t even acknowledge your presence. A sour taste formed in your mouth and was difficult to swallow down with the beer you consumed.

Daehyun chuckled at your side. “Y/N, slow down on that. Someone might take advantage of you if you’re not in your right mind.”

You heard a snort then, your eyes glancing across the table to where Yongguk sat, his lips curled up in the faintest smile.

It was then when you decided you would only ever despise him.

“Y/N! Come on!”

“No way am I working with him!” you answered, shaking your head vigorously in the process. “Nope! Nothing you say or do could make me take Yongguk on as a client.”

“Nothing? You were pretty desperate for these the other day,” Youngjae countered, and you wished you hadn’t looked up, your barriers crumbling in the face of temptation.

Snatching the concert tickets to your favourite band out of your friend’s hand, you gasped. “How did you get these?! It was sold out within five minutes!”

“I know a friend who knows some pretty important people.”

“Who?” you murmured, checking the tickets over for their validity.

“Your new client.”

Snapping your focus up, you blinked slowly. “How would Yongguk be able to get tickets like this?”

“Spend some time with the guy. There’s a whole lot to him that you know nothing about.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’d like to keep it that way. Mysteries have never enticed anything further than a burn from the flame for me.”

“You’re so poetic,” Youngjae mused, clasping his hands together. “Perhaps you could illustrate something equally as grand to Yongguk’s work.”

“I’m not interested,” you announced, holding onto the tickets Youngjae went to pluck out of your grip a little too much still. Arching an eyebrow at you, Youngjae removed them from your reluctant hands.

“Well then, I guess I’ll just have to ask Junhong if he’ll want to come see-”

“Junhong won’t appreciate them like I do!”

Youngjae’s eyebrow shifted up again. “Just admit it, already.”

“Fine. I’ll take him on as a client. But only because you bribed me in the most painful way. I’ll remember this.”

“Oh, completely. What’s a best friend worth if they don’t use your weaknesses against you?” Youngjae commented with a laugh, your scowl not deterring him. “I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for you both.”

“Hardly. He’s intolerable at best.”

“So are you.”

“Hey!”

Youngjae’s smile softened. “I honestly believe you could be amazing together if you stopped hating on one another.”

“You live in fairy tales, Youngjae. In the real world, Yongguk and I will be nothing.”

“So, is this not the real world, then?” Yongguk breathed into your ear, trailing his lips along the side of your neck.

“It sure feels like a dream to me,” you told him giddily, nuzzling into his touch.

For some time, it had felt that way too.

The project you worked on together had been a surprisingly great success. And in the process of collaborating, you opened up with him, Yongguk’s broody and aloof nature finally seen as shy and cautious instead.

“You don’t hate me?” you asked when the project was done and dusted, catching Yongguk by surprise.

After blinking, he composed himself and shook his head. “Why work with someone you dislike?”

“Well, sometimes talent is worth attempting to make an arrangement with.”

Yongguk cocked his head to the side. “Was it that bad for you in the beginning?”

“Considering you barely acknowledged my existence in our group of friends, yeah.”

“Ah,” he simply said, nodding softly. “I’m sorry if you thought that.”

“What else was I meant to think? You hardly answered me.”

“I was often flustered by you.”

“By simple questions?” you wondered, and Yongguk’s gaze diverted to the wall. “Why be flustered by me?”

“Perhaps you don’t own a mirror.”

Frowning at his statement, you moved closer, acutely aware of how this made him uncomfortable. Yongguk didn’t quite meet your gaze, and you slowly smiled. “No way.”

“It’s been a pleasure working with you, Y/N.”

“We’re talking about other things than work now, Yongguk.”

“I was attracted, yes,” he admitted painfully, gathering his things up from the large table you had sat at all afternoon finalising your project.

You jumped in front of him. “Was?”

“Hm?”

“Are you no longer attracted?”

“I see you’re having fun at my expense. Might I remind you that it was you who declared me the enemy.”

“You left me no choice with how little you offered!”

“How much should I offer you now?” he asked, his hesitancy evaporating. The way Yongguk stared at you now, completely unbridled, took your breath away.

It wasn’t like you to be at a loss for words, but your answer failed to arrive in a timely fashion.

You were certain the look within his dark eyes now seemed a little too satisfied.

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“Should we have dinner together?”

“Why?” you breathed, and Yongguk’s expression faltered. You blinked away from his stronghold, realising the rejection you were inadvertently sending as a message. You shook and then nodded your head. “Yes! Let’s do dinner.”

“You can ask me all the questions you want to.”

“Are you trying to cause me heart failure?”

He smirked. “I know you like to talk a whole lot more than I do.”

“I’m not sure how well I’ll talk tonight.”

“Have I thrown you off?” he wondered, and you groaned loudly.

“Why do I feel like I’m going to have to deal with an incredibly smug Youngjae soon?”

“What’s Youngjae got to do with anything?” Yongguk asked, and you dismissed the question before linking your arm through his as you both headed for the exit of your studio.

Maybe Youngjae was right, you thought as you glanced up hopefully at Yongguk leading you towards his car. And as he opened the passenger door for you, you smiled.

We might just be amazing together.

_________________

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Water Is Our Thing

Pairing: Bang Chan x female reader

Genre: fluff

World: The Water Guy

Warnings: stripping down to underwear

Prompt: “I love the ocean.” - #14 of Idea Starters

A/N: Finally, a sequel to my first Chan story I wrote. I really loved that world and have always meant to return to it. I hope those who enjoyed the first story can enjoy this also.

Word count: 2292

“The Water Guy, huh?”

Glancing up at your roommate’s teasing, you shifted your phone out of Eunhee’s view and got up from your bed you had been lounging on. “His name is Chan.”

“Is that who you’ve been messaging day in and out with since the party?”

You didn’t deny it, though you also didn’t answer verbally. As much as you adored Eunhee, you were still a little frustrated with her behaviour from that night.

Had you not gone to the party, nor sat down in the corner of it after feeling ridiculed for your love of water, perhaps you wouldn’t have met Chan there.

You were grateful for that.

Equally, you weren’t prepared to give her too many details just yet. Whilst you had a good time at the party with Chan, and subsequently held many engaging conversations over messenger, it was all starting to feel a little too good to be true.

“So when will you meet with Chan next?” Eunhee enquired, and you shrugged. Diving onto the spot you had been sprawled out on, Eunhee’s eyes grew round. “You haven’t sorted out a date yet?”

“We’re just chatting, Eunhee.”

“Chatting doesn’t lead to kissing,” she proclaimed, and you rolled your eyes, slipping your phone into your pocket and headed out to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

Eunhee followed, taking it out of your hand before you could open it. You spun around to face her.  “Hey!”

“Why not use the excuse of the bottle of water to get some time with him?”

You rolled your eyes. “I highly doubt he needs to meet with me just for me to buy him another bottle of water. Besides, I was the one to give Chan one first. And he’s already replaced that.”

“So?! Keep the water exchange going. I don’t remember an awful lot from that night, but I know whenever I looked in your direction, you were smiling brightly and laughing all the time. You don’t get that kind of opportunity often, Y/N.”

“There’s no rush,” you answered, taking the bottle from Eunhee’s hand and headed back into your bedroom, shutting the door behind you.

Glancing at the bottle of water in your hand, you then placed it down on your desk before reaching into your pocket for your phone. Staring at the two objects, you sighed.

The truth was you felt too nervous to ask Chan to meet up. Although the conversation flowed easily between you, you had somehow convinced yourself that the flirtation was just friendly banter instead.

Chan was generous with his kindness, and you had had enough time between the party and now to convince yourself the feelings you had that night might be construed from interest to friendship.

Having Chan as a friend would be a great thing too. Even if you harboured feelings for him already.

Hearing the messenger notification go off, you unlocked your phone and looked at the screen.

So what are you up to today? Do you want to meet up?

It seemed that Chan was making the first step to figuring out what this was between you.

“I’m glad you came out today,” Chan mentioned with an easy smile, and you reciprocated it, nodding once.

“I’m actually glad too.”

“Beats being at home studying, right?” You shrugged, and Chan whistled lowly. “Oh, so you’d rather a book’s company than mine?”

Giggling, you didn’t answer, simply walked along the boardwalk towards the restaurant you had agreed to have dinner at. Chan shifted in front of you, walking backwards whilst he grinned at you. You frowned. “Why are you doing that?”

“I’m just looking.”

“You’re going to end up falling over!”

“Nah, I’ve got good balance,” he commented, still staring at you. It unsettled your heartbeat, now thumping erratically in your chest.

Chan seemed satisfied after a moment more and swung back around, falling into step beside you.

Dinner was easy. The conversation, the sharing of meals, everything seemed to be effortless, much as it had been at the party. You continued the playful banter that had been established the first time you met, and by the time dessert arrived on the table, your sides ached from all the genuine laughter you had shared.

It wasn’t until it was time to go and pay for the meals that you got nervous. Pulling out your purse, you began calculating your share of the meal out loud. Inwardly, you were observing Chan’s reaction.

Would he swoop in and cover your amount? Then you could confirm this was a date and not just friends meeting up.

However, this also was an outdated thought. You could pay for your meal and still be on a date. Modern dating was more equal across the board, and you nodded to yourself, producing your card from your purse and stepped forward to pay.

Chan seemed thrown by the action but didn’t say anything either.

“Dinner was lovely,” you offered as you walked back down the boardwalk towards the car park.

“The night is still young, though, right?” Chan suggested and quickly pointed to the beach. “Shall we take a walk?”

“Sure! I have a brownie I need to digest,” you replied with a laugh, and Chan nudged you.

“It was pretty good.”

“You should know. You ate half of mine.”

“How was my sundae then?” he asked with a grin, and you laughed.

“Creamy.”

The chatter continued as Chan helped you down some rocks until you were on the dunes, a sudden imbalance toppling you into his side. Gripping onto his shirt so you didn’t fall completely, you felt his arms encircle your waist to support you.

“Easy there,” he breathed, and you were thankful the moon wasn’t bright in the sky tonight, hoping the flame of embarrassment wasn’t too obvious.

You thought he would step aside once you were upright, but a hand seemed to linger at your side, sometimes touching the small of your back or guiding you by the elbow away from the debris in the sand that wasn’t visible until you were almost on top of it.

Feeling more at ease with his touch and your heart finally stabilising over it all, you smiled up at Chan. “This is a date, right?”

“Took you long enough to ask,” he answered bemusedly, letting out an elongated breath after. “Is it?”

“I want it to be.”

“Why did you doubt that it was? I mean, I don’t let just anyone eat my sundae.”

You smirked. “That’s handy to know.”

“I liked you from the moment I sat down next to you at the party,” Chan confessed, and you gazed out at the sea whilst you silently rejoiced the reciprocation of feelings. “Maybe you put a spell over me.”

“The water was mixed with a love potion,” you agreed with a laugh, and Chan clutched at his heart dramatically.

“This is leading to love?! Oh no, all I wanted was some water.”

“Well, there’s plenty out there.” You gestured to the ocean, and Chan grinned, tugging you towards the wet sand.

Shrieking and trying to get away, you managed to hold up the shoes you had removed along the way and your skirt’s hem from the waves rolling in.

Looking around you both, Chan then chucked his sneakers up onto the dry sand. You questioned the behaviour until he started to unbutton his shirt. Discarding your own shoes, you then dashed to his side, eyes round. “What are you doing?!”

“You offered up the ocean. Aren’t you keen? I love the water.”

Frazzled, you nodded and then shook your head. “I love the ocean too, but I’m not about to just get undressed right here and… and-”

“Why not? We’re the only ones here. You do have underwear on, right?”

“What if I don’t?” you challenged, trying not to outwardly stare at his exposed chest.

He definitely was a swimmer, you deduced from the brief look you took at his defined torso.

Chan chuckled. “Well, I’m in for a treat then.”

“Are we seriously doing this?” you asked as Chan’s hands dropped to his pants.

Looking at you, he shrugged. “Why not?”

“Fine,” you concluded, reaching for the belt around your waist on the skirt.

You focused on removing your layers instead of looking in Chan’s direction, and you felt the same respect given to you. He lingered until you were ready, and once your outer layers were off, you dashed towards the sea, running into it and wading out until the water was up to your ribs. Chan caught up with you then, and you playfully flicked water at him, a gasp leaving him at the impromptu attack.

Flinging water back at forth at one another, you played for a few minutes before a wave gently rolled you closer to Chan.

And then a surge of passion crashed down on you both. Kissing him with demand with your bodies now flush, you were instantly overwhelmed. The salty kissing, the hot and cold temperature of the water and your bodies mixing was a sensory overload. You only parted long enough to catch your breath before you wound your hands up into his hair and enclosed the gap between your lips again, drowning with the lust enveloping you.

Chan’s grip tightened, holding you to him, not ready to let you wash back to shore as the waves rolled over you.

Eventually, the embrace softened, merely staring back at one another as your chests heaved with the exertion of what just happened. Chan tenderly hooked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “I like the ocean a whole lot more now.”

“Water is our thing, huh?”

“Don’t say that to me with where my mind is right now,” he warned with a chuckle. You cocked your head to the side in confusion, and he adorably reached out to peck your lips before explaining. “I want a few more dates with you before I bring a shower into this.”

“Chan!” you cried and slapped his upper arm, laughing all the same.

You could understand his thought process. The physical attraction surging throughout you right now quite easily imagined how things could progress between you.

But you were equally grateful that he wanted several more dates before getting to that level of intimacy.

“Should we go see if I’ve got some towels in my car?”

You rolled your eyes. “We should have checked before coming out here.”

“Damp clothes aren’t the worst thing, are they?” he wondered, and you shook your head, taking the hand he held out to you to head back up to the beachfront.

Although his hands had run up and down your curves in the water, once on land, Chan was polite enough to put his back to you as you tugged your clothes over your wet skin. And once dressed, you shared a shy giggle and linked hands again, walking back up to the car park.

Towels were found, though with your clothes now back on, it wasn’t so much for drying but for warmth. Wrapping you up in one, Chan then pulled you into him, rubbing his hands up and down your back to help you out. Glancing out from your towel burrito, you stretched to place a kiss on his jawline, ceasing his action.

“I had fun.”

“I hope so.”

“Why is it so easy between us?” you asked, and Chan became thoughtful, his gaze soon shifting back to the sea.

“Maybe water is our thing,” he announced, and before you could tease him about it, he continued. “We’re able to connect like we do because we’re made of the same stuff.”

“Well, the human body is made up of around sixty-percent of water.”

Chan gave you a dry look. “I was trying to be inspirational.”

“I heard you, loud and clear,” you assured, nuzzling into him. “So, what’s our next water date going to be?”

“You mean I’m going to get you out of your clothes again?” he taunted, and you sighed heavily. “I’m kidding. Maybe we can go visit a pool?”

“Or a lake.”

“A waterfall sounds nice.”

“So does a shower right about now,” you cheekily threw out there, and Chan cursed under his breath.

“I think you should go home and have a shower to warm up again.”

“You too.”

“And then we’ll have to plan our next outing,” Chan added, and you smiled happily.

“It doesn’t have to just be with water.”

“I know,” he told you, kissing you softly. “But for now, water is our thing. And I don’t want to let this opportunity wash away.”

“I see what you did there.”

“I could share more puns.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing all of them.”

“Because you’re anchored to me?” he suggested, and you groaned. Chan laughed. “Too much?”

“I’m really glad I had that bottle of water at that party.”

“Can I make a confession?” Chan stared at you for a moment, a smile slowly creeping upon his lips. “I didn’t approach you because you had water.”

“What?”

“There was a tap in the kitchen. I could have gotten a drink from there,” he explained, and you wondered why that never dawned on you. Chan moistened his lips. “I uh, came over because I wanted to know who you were.”

“Wow.”

Delighted, you soaked in the statement and then tilted your head to the side again. “And now that you know a little more about me, are you happy that you came over?”

“I’ll let you know once we’ve graduated to showering together,” he wickedly answered.

Instead of laughing at his playfulness, you merely grinned. “We’ll see how the next water date goes first. Who knows if we’ll even make it to that shower.”

_________________

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START HERE

Pairing: Mark Tuan x female reader

Genre: high school au / friends to lovers / angst-fluff

Warnings: bullying, nasty insinuations about Y/N’s appearance

Prompt: “Words can’t hurt me.” - #47 of Idea Starters

A/N: I’m always writing about personal experiences in my Mark stories >_> However, it was all I could think about when I saw this prompt. If only I had a Mark in high school. Anyway, if you’re triggered by bullying, probably skip this one.

Word count: 907

Words can’t hurt me, you chanted inwardly, blinking a couple of times to steady your emotions. The statement didn’t ring true in your ears, instead, all you heard was the laughter of your peers.

Your bullies.

It wasn’t easy to face school each day, and this year it had only become harder to navigate ever since a rumour went around whilst you were off sick. A rumour you still didn’t even have full details over because those you once called friends had suddenly disappeared from your side.

“Hey, Y/N, what sound does a pig make?”

“Moooo!” another cried, and the boys jostled each other around, talking about cows and pigs and all other farmyard animals too.

Thankfully, due to the emotions now welling in your eyes, your ears had stopped listening to their quips, the thumping of your heart now loudly filling the space their voices had been.

Words… can’t…

The first tear slipped down your cheek, and you wiped it away roughly, earning the boys the reward they were eager to receive from you. Ducking your head, you tried to get your emotions back under control before your Science teacher arrived for the lesson.

And then a note slipped in front of you, catching your attention.

It was a hand-drawn maze. You looked at the pattern in confusion, the START HERE standing out to you.

Glancing up at the student beside you, he didn’t say anything. Mark Tuan rarely said much in class, if at all. Tapping his pen at the starting point, he watched you as you stared at him for a moment longer, picking up your pen and trailing it along until you cracked the maze and made it to the other end.

You smiled, and Mark shot you a small grin back, right in time for your teacher to arrive and start the lesson.

The mazes continued. Whenever the bullies in your class started in on you, Mark would silently hand you another maze to crack. He had gotten really good at creating them now, and you anticipated them, eager to hand them back to him once you were done.

“Oi, Y/N!”

“Focus over here, you little pig!”

“Josh, mate, you aren’t speaking her language. Oink-oink-oinky-oink-oink!”

Whilst you heard it all, you were too busy trying to navigate the maze Mark had slipped on top of your book.

And the next time the boys started, you didn’t hear it because you were avidly trying to solve a riddle Mark had created.

Soon, the teasing stopped, not that you were even aware of them being in the same room anymore, to begin with.

Instead, it was Mark you heard from. “It’s not easy, is it?”

“Why did you make it so hard this time?!”

Chuckling, Mark scooted closer to you, pointing at the center of the maze which was giving you grief. “This isn’t the right direction.”

“It’s not? But it seemed like the only way forward!”

“Most often in life, we only see one way, but there’s always another option to take,” he mentioned, leaning in with his pen and drawing along the correct line. You gasped, realising there was, in fact, an entire pathway you hadn’t seen before.

“That is amazing!” you cried when he made it to the end, and Mark smirked.

“It’s just a maze, Y/N.”

“You’re so clever in creating these! I bet you can solve a Rubix cube too!”

Mark looked at you, surprised. “You can’t solve one?”

“You can?!” you chimed, and you both started to laugh.

Class was more interesting now.

Senior year had ended, and you watched as the people you had spent years together in the same classes go up one by one to collect their diploma. It felt surreal to look at the faces of Josh and the other bullies. Yet you smiled all the same. They hadn’t been a problem for more than a year, and whatever that rumour had been now no longer mattered.

It was strange how words could change how they impact you.

Once the ceremony was over, you thanked a couple of teachers you crossed paths with before meeting Mark in the midst of it all.

He grinned. “We’re no longer high school students.”

“That we are not.”

“There will be no need for me to create random things for you anymore,” he mentioned, and you frowned, shaking your head.

“Just because we’ve graduated doesn’t mean we won’t be able to see each other anymore. Didn’t you get into the same university as me? We’ll just have to try and share one class if we can.”

“You like my company that much?” he teased, and you rolled your eyes.

“Sometimes.”

“Oooh, I’m hurt. Maybe I shouldn’t give you this.”

“What?”

Holding out a sheet of paper, it was another riddle, one where you had to figure out what letter was represented by a number. Giving Mark another look, you held out your hand, and he gave you the pen he had retrieved from his pocket, going over to the brick wall of the school hall and figuring it out.

You eventually stared at the sentence you had created.

Would you like to go on a date?

Glancing over at Mark anxiously waiting, you nodded brightly.

You learned in high school that words, when attached to negative situations, could hurt you. But when attached to positive ones, well, they could make your heart soar.

Just as it was now.

_________________

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[GOT7 Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[prettywordsyouleft]

Idea Starters Prompt List - Requests Open

I’ve wanted to open requests with another prompt list for some time, so here we go! Guidelines and prompts are under the cut!

Guidelines:

Only one prompt per request. Requests will only be accepted through my ask box

Please supply the idol, prompt number and genre/au options. I only write idol x female reader insert. I write for the idols in my masterlist mainly, but feel free to suggest someone and I might be happy to write for them. I am an older fan, and do feel a little uncomfortable with some younger idols / groups, so please feel free to check in if I will accept them or not! 

Any suggestions that are too specific will be rejected as I prefer to have more control over the idea I’m writing. I will also reject any idea that I can’t see myself being able to execute/feel uncomfortable writing

I will not accept smut requests but suggestive ideas are okay

For a general guideline of what else I won’t write for, please check my FAQ HERE first before submitting a request

There will be no word limit - some might only be a drabble, other ideas might spark me to write more for it. I also may alter the prompt slightly to fit your idea where needed

There will be no time frame set for when I will complete your request. I use these to fill in the gaps in my schedule / when I don’t feel inspired to write something in my fiction file. It could be days, weeks or even months before I get to your request. If you don’t like the idea of waiting for an unforeseen time, please don’t send in a request

Once a prompt has been chosen, I will strike it out from the list. If two people request on the same day, I will pick the first one that came in. I will let you know if you’ve not been able to secure that prompt and you are welcome to choose another if there are any free

I will list the prompts allocated on my Upcoming Projects page HERE. If your prompt isn’t showing within the first 48hrs, please feel free to message me to see if I got it

Please try to be fair and only request once - unless I can’t fill all the spots and openly change this rule. I know this can be abused a little with anon but I would hope you will all leave space for everyone to enjoy this! 

When your story is completed, I will reply to your request with the link

MASTERLIST OF COMPLETED STORIES CAN BE FOUND HERE

Bold prompts are the ones still available.

Any other comments/suggestions are welcome either on this post or in a message! 

Prompts: [list credit: here] Updated: 19/01

“Are you lost?”

“As you wish.”

“Come with me.”

“Can you walk?”

“Did you see that?”

“Do you like it?”

“Don’t go that way.”

“Don’t let them push you around.”

“Don’t try to talk.”

“How are you feeling?”

“How did you get here?”

“I followed you.”

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I love the ocean.”

“I’m not answering that.”

“I’ve always loved you.”

“Laughing at me won’t end well.”

“Let’s go stargazing.”

“Let’s go swimming.”

“Let me introduce myself. I’m ___”

“Lie still.”

“Maps and I don’t get along.”

“May I braid your hair?”

“Nice clothes.”

“Nice weather we’re having.”

“Show me.”

“That isn’t for you to know.”

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“There is a full moon tonight.”

“There is more to the story.”

“These clothes are ridiculous.”

“They think we are in love.”

“This is comfortable.”

“This is for you.”

“Wait for me.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“What did you do?”

“What is your name?”

“What is this place?”

“Where are we going?”

“Where did you put it?”

“Where is your sense of adventure?”

“Who did this?”

“Why did you come here?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Will you come with me?”

“Words can’t hurt me.”

“You look terrible.”

“You have the softest hair.”

“You rest.”

[prettywordsyouleft]

Idea Starters Masterlist

Here is the masterlist for my current prompt requests. You can find the guidelines to sending in a request HERE

[Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

“Are you lost?” Matched - Mingyu (SVT)

“As you wish.” As You Wish - Youngjae (GOT7)

“Come with me.”

“Can you walk?”

“Did you see that?”

“Do you like it?”

“Don’t go that way.” Needing Directions - Youngjae (GOT7)

“Don’t let them push you around.” Work Ethics - Jaebum (GOT7)

“Don’t try to talk.”

“How are you feeling?”

“How did you get here?”

“I followed you.” Please - Minhyuk (MONSTA X)

“I’ll sleep on the couch.” Different - Jaebum (GOT7)

“I love the ocean.” Water Is Our Thing - Bang Chan (STRAY KIDS)

“I’m not answering that.”

“I’ve always loved you.” Amazing Together - Bang Yongguk (B.A.P)

“Laughing at me won’t end well.” Bold - San (ATEEZ)

“Let’s go stargazing.”

“Let’s go swimming.”

“Let me introduce myself. I’m ___ “

“Lie still.” An Uncomfortable Christmas - Baekhyun (EXO)

“Maps and I don’t get along.”

“May I braid your hair?”

“Nice clothes.”

“Nice weather we’re having.”

“Show me.”

“That isn’t for you to know.”

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“There is a full moon tonight.” The Broken Moon - Hoshi (SVT)

“There is more to the story.”

“These clothes are ridiculous.”

“They think we are in love.”

“This is comfortable.”

“This is for you.”

“Wait for me.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“What did you do?”

“What is your name?”

“What is this place?”

“Where are we going?”

“Where did you put it?”

“Where is your sense of adventure?”

“Who did this?” The Trial Period - Jinyoung (GOT7)

“Why did you come here?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Will you come with me?” I Wished For You - Hyunsik (BTOB)

“Words can’t hurt me.” START HERE - Mark (GOT7)

“You look terrible.”

“You have the softest hair.”

“You rest.”