#quian kun au | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

softsan · 4 years ago

Text

NCT MAFIA AU (kun)

🖇Slipping between us, suffering by fate (pt.3)

MASTERLIST

PARTS: | 01 | 02 | 03 |

MAFIA PROFILES | Y/N’S NAMES

GENRE: Mafia AU, CEO & assistant AU,

QUOTE: “He had tried his best to shield you, to keep his romantic feelings at bay. But he feared the truth left untold would cause more harm than good.”

WARNINGS: Graphic scenes of violence, Blood, Injuries, Kidnapping, Mentions of gambling

The city was bustling, the screeching subway echoing in the distance. The sun rose to the sky's center as a gentle breeze blew, bringing along the smell of burnt coffee.

You fiddled shyly with the hem of your blazer, glancing towards Kun. He sat opposite you on one of the cafés dining chairs. His jaw remained clenched as he squeezed the empty coffee cup that had laid idle on the wet tray.

You were still stunned. Kun had come running, hauling his arms around you as if his life depended on it. He had affectionally rubbed the back of your neck too. You could almost still feel it, his phantom touch across your burning flesh.

His eyes drifted forward, catching yours. You lowered your gaze immediately.

"I came to pick you up this morning." He finally broke the silence.

"You did?"

"Why didn't you tell me you no longer lived there?"

You wiped your sweaty palms against your jeans. "I didn't want to bother you any further." You replied. Kun had already been in a foul mood from your attendance at last night’s party.

Kun let out an exasperated sigh, "So you decided to walk home by yourself?"

You nodded wordlessly.

"Do you know how dangerous that was?" His voice raised, "They could have..."

They?

"I walk home alone all the time. It isn't a big deal," You tried to dismiss.

Kun had agonized, tossing in his bedsheets, worried you had caught somebodies' attention during the party. To think he had dropped you off at the wrong house and that you had walked alone in the dead of night. He rubbed his temples, attempting to reorganize his thoughts.

"Y/N?" The situation made him nauseous. How could he be so careless? "Do you need money?"

You blinked a little, taken off guard,

"I thought you loved the place you lived in, why would you move?" Kun's forhead creased.

He noticed your beautiful features fall. He reached for your wrist, his thumb brushing across. "Y/N?"

"I had to move out. I couldn't afford it," You admitted.

Kun urged you to continue.

"My father owes people money."

Your father has been a rabid gambler since you were a kid. The late-nights, the declined credit cards at the grocery store. It had become your norm as a child. Years had passed since you had last spoken to your father, yet his debts had managed to find their way back to you.

Kun's eyes softened, "Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you."

You shook your head, furiously, "I couldn't ask you for that kind of money."

Your problems were yours alone. You were more than thankful that Kun kept you as his assistant despite your clumsiness. Asking him to help you further felt wrong.

"Who does your father owe? Loan sharks?" A few names popped into mind.

"I think so." You weren't entirely sure.

"How did they approach you? How do you make payments?"

"Last fall, they shattered my windows and stole some of my stuff," You mumbled, "They told me I had to pay a certain sum every fortnight. Otherwise, they'd be back."

He cursed himself for not keeping closer tabs on you. How hadn't I realized sooner? His blood boiled. He'd teach a lesson to those who dared to intimidate you.

You noted the flush around Kun's neck, his grasp tightening around yours.

"It will be okay, though," You quickly supplied. "As long as I pay."

Your forced smile made Kun's anger cool. His focus shifting to how he could cheer you up instead.

"Come on," He stood to his feet, his hand still enclosed around your wrist.

"Where are we going?" You asked, tripping behind him. "What about the coffee?"

"Forget about the coffee." He headed towards his parked car, "We need to get you some new clothes."

Your eyes widened, confused. Kun nudged his head to your coffee-soaked jeans and your scuffed boots.

He opened the passenger side door, "Get in," He told you.

"What about work?" You tried to excuse. "I'll be late."

"I'm your boss," Kun stepped closer, your eyes slightly widening. "Remember?" You nodded your head obediently, sinking into the seat. "Yes, you are."

Kun muffled a smile, closing the door behind you.

───

You shuffled, struggling to stand in your new leather pumps. You took a deep breath, the cashmere skirt snitching tighter around your waist. Despite, your protests Kun had insisted he buy you a new outfit. From the lined, black stockings to the cream chiffon blouse.

You rubbed the thin sleeves, the delicate fabric failing to retain any heat. "I look strange," You commented.

Kun's lips twitched, "You look fine."

"Everybody is going to know these aren't my clothes."

The elevator made its ding, signaling it had reached the sixteenth floor.

"What do I say if they ask?"

Kun's face broke into a smirk, "Tell them the truth," He took a step out, turning aback "That I bought them for you."

Your cheeks heated, no way you could tell them that. Your peers already despised you for being Kun's assistant.

He paused, the coat he had lent you last night hooked around his arm. "Here." He offered.

Your teeth chattered, "I'm not cold,"

He tilted his head, stepping back. "Liar," He whispered, draping his coat over your shoulders—the thick wool adding a layer of warmth.

"Kun," Gracie bowed from outside the elevator, folders resting against her chest.

You noticed her moving her head side to side for a better look inside of the elevator. You subtly tried to motion her to stop.

"Gracie," Kun acknowledged, his eyes still lingering on your face.

She straightened her posture, clearing her throat, "I have the files you requested."

He hummed, before moving. "Follow me." He instructed her.

Gracie gave you a quick wave before disappearing after Kun.

You waited for them to leave. You slanted against the steel paneling, the lift's handle digging into your lower back—you clutching your chest. You closed your eyes to gather yourself.

He's your boss, Y/N. Get yourself together.

Kun settled in his office, pulling out his seat.

"You requested these files," Gracie repeated, resting the folders on top of the existing stack bedside's Kun's monitor.

"I thought I asked you to attend last night?" Kun crossed his arms. "Why did you get Y/N to take your place?"

"I didn't think it would be a problem."

Kun gritted his teeth. "It was a huge problem."

You were never supposed to receive such exposure to his world.

"You like her," Gracie innocently shrugged, "You should have asked her to go with you to begin with."

"I don't like-"

"Please," Gracie cut in, "Be honest with her. The longer you drag things out. The harder things will get."

───

Shots rang out, disturbing the otherwise peaceful atmosphere of the Laundromat. Bystanders fled, abandoning their washing baskets.

Lucas masked a yawned with his hand as he leisurely leaned against a washing machine.

A burly man kicked back the door of the backroom. He had a baseball bat in his hands. He came swinging, Lucas sidestepped effortlessly. The bat smashed into the lid of the dryer, splintering it in half.

"Come on! You can do better than that." Lucas taunted, poking out his tongue.

The man swung at him again. Lucas seized his forearm and gave him a punch to the gut. The man's hold loosened, the broken bat dropping to the ground.

The man swore, spit flying from his mouth. Lucas grimaced, patting dry his face. He was about to make one final blow when the man's friends came charging in.

"Put him down," One demanded, "You're no match against all of us."

Lucas' cocked his head, "Wanna bet?" He rammed his elbow into the man's nose. The man fell in a heap on the ground.

The others came forward, Lucas weaved, avoiding their strikes. He kicked up the broken bat, flinging it into his grasp and using it to block their assortment of weapons. After knocking away a man's knife, Lucas impaled the fractured wood into a torso. The man gurgled, blood spluttering from his wound.

Lucas’ phone vibrated. It was Winwin.

Shit.

Lucas ducked, yanking one of the men forward as a shield. The ground quaked, the windows imploding inward. The roaring explosion left Lucas covered in debris but otherwise unharmed.

Winwin casually strolled through the busted doors.

"I had it covered," Lucas yelled, unable to hear over the ringing in his ears.

Winwin rolled his eyes, "Come on, get out of here. We've sent our message."

"What?" Lucas squinted his eyes, struggling to read Winwin's lips. Winwin thrust his hand backward, indicating it was time to leave.

"OH," Lucas bopped his head, "Got ya!" He shoved a limp body of his own, dusting his pants as he stood back on his feet.

Few of the men were still conscious. They groaned, withering in pain.

Winwin's expression darkened. "Leave Y/N alone."

I want you to shatter their windows. Kun's icy voice had commanded. I want you to havoc fear as they did to Y/N.

"Or else we'll be back."

───

You slumped back in your chair. Your eyes were fuzzy from staring at your computer screen for too long.

Darkness had swallowed the sun, the starless night visible from the window of the sixteenth floor. Kun was still seated inside his office, finishing the last of his paperwork.

You span in slow circles, clutching your rumbling stomach. Kun had skipped dinner, which also meant you had skipped dinner.

Your phone vibrated. You flipped it over the screen lighting up with a message from Kun.

"The food delivery is waiting in the lobby."

You grinned, swiveling to Kun's direction. His head remained down, his concentration on the brief before him.

"I'll be back!" You announced, bouncing from your seat towards the elevator.

Kun's eyes drifted from the brief, a small chuckle escaping from his lips.

It wasn't unusual for him to stay back late, especially when he had a significant deal in the works. No matter how late the evenings got, you stayed. Kun peered down at the knitted throw resting upon his knees and the steaming tea you had reheated for him. Feelings of content settling in the pits of his stomach.

"Be honest with her. The longer you drag things out. The harder things will get." The words ran through his head for the fourth time that evening.

He had tried his best to shield you, to keep his romantic feelings at bay. But he feared the truth left untold would cause more harm than good.

Fifteen minutes had passed. Kun's brows furrowed as he eyed his watch. It wouldn't usually take you this long to ride down and collect the food.

He dialed reception, waiting for one of the receptionists to pick up. Nothing. Kun swallowed, kicking back his chair and rushing to the elevator. He furiously pushed down the button for the ground level. The minutes in the elevator felt like torture. He watched as the numbers slowly dropped.

The elevator made a ding, the doors sliding open. Kun frantically scanned the lobby. It was eerily quiet.

Where is everybody?

The reception's phone suddenly rang. The haunting ring echoed throughout the space. It was as if somebody knew he was there.

He lifted the receiver. His voice thick. "Hello,"

"Kun," Your voice trembled.

"Y/N!" Fear coursed through his veins, "Where are you?!"

Tears spilled down your cheeks as you tried to steady your voice, "I don't know."

"It's going to be okay," He soothed, his chest pounding, "Tell me what you see."

The room was pitch black. Restraints had tied you down, preventing you from moving around. Your eyes narrowed on an illuminated sign by two silver doors, which you thought might belong to the elevator.

"Seven," You sniffed, "I think it says the number seven on top of the elevator."

Kun was about to take off running when the phone's cord jolted him back. A staggered breath left his throat. He'd have to leave the phone behind to reach you.

"I have to hang up," He told you. "I'll be there soon, okay?"

You gulped. The phone that had been pre-dialed by whoever had captured you. They had propped it on your shoulders, allowing you to lift it to your ear.

"Hurry, please."

Kun regrettably placed down the receiver, sprinting back to the elevator. He pushed the button over and over, but it made no sound. He thumped against the doors, the realization hitting him that somebody had disabled the elevator in the short time after he had ridden it down to the lobby.

Hold on, Y/n.

Kun's legs burned as he charged up the staircases, each floor passing slower than the next. He needed to get to you, your terrified voice plaguing his mind. If anything happened to you, he'd never forgive himself.

He slammed back the doors leaving the stairwell and wandering the seventh floor. His chest heaved, his breathing uneven.

The room was consumed by darkness. The windows had been blacked out by sheets. He pulled out his phone's flashlight to examine his surroundings. The seventh floor was in the midst of renovation and had been deserted for the past few months.

"Y/N?" He called out.

"Kun!" He heard your relieved cry.

He directed his flashlight towards the sound of your voice. His heart broke at the sight of you bound to a chair, ropes knotted around your arms and legs. A noose loosely wrapped around your neck.

You straighten your head, allowing the phone to fall away. Kun bolted to untie your restraints and throw aside the noose that had been symbolically left hanging around your neck. He cradled you close as you sobbed quietly into his shoulder. Your arms curled around him so tightly, afraid of what would happen if you'd let go.

He gently stroked down your back, a murderous rage brewing inside of him. Someone was sending him a message—the noose around your neck representing your fate if Kun didn't obey.

"You found me." You hiccuped.

Kun's lips brushed against your temple. His fears were coming true.

"Come home with me," He murmured against your skin.

He would keep you safe, no matter what it took.

MONI’S NOTE: Mafia Kun's third installment. I hope you all enjoy it. If you do, please consider reading the other member's parts. They are all a part of the same universe, and you may even notice some cross-over between them.

If you’d like to be tagged in this fic please send me a message.

255 notes · View notes

lattaeyongs-main · 5 years ago

Text

[ 8:51 p.m. ] "you know how lucky i am to have you, right? your bright eyes, your soft hair, your laughter." magician!kun moves his hands to your waist as he pulls you closer.

"you just told me at dinner." you roll your eyes at your dork boyfriend, your lips curving slightly as you shyly look at his loving gaze.

"ah," kun smiles, taking a piece of your hair and putting it behind your ear. "never change." he pulls a quarter from your ear, smirking at the way your hand instinctively moves to that spot. his fingers intertwine in yours before pulling you in for a kiss.

#my first kun blurb i think #nct #kun #quian kun #nct fluff #nct blurb #wayv #wayv fluff #wayv blurbs #kun fluff #wayv kun #nct kun #nct wayv #wayv scenarios #nct scenario #nct au #magician au

119 notes · View notes

jaeminlore · 8 years ago

Text

Kun as Your Boyfriend

request: I’m so glad you love Kun I miss him ;-; @ SM free him !! could i get a Kun as your boyfriend post thing? Thank you <33

author note: my sister lives kun a lot and i love hansol a lot so we both are waiting impatiently for their debut. anyway, these are fun to write so I’ll probably do more - destinee

- wow wow kun as a boyfriend bless up!! - okay well i think he would start as a friend - probably mutuals thanks to dong sicheng,, a pal - he’s pretty shy when you first meet him but you two get comfortable pretty easily - all you had to do was ask to look through the photos in his phone - which was a mistake bc he made you look at his favorite albums - aka album one: cat memes - and album two: airplanes - and you’re like, “why???” - but he’s happy and it was a good bonding experience - kun basically had a crush on you after that bc not even sicheng will look through all 246 of his cat memes - some of which he made himself - he has to get sicheng’s help to ask you out - probably sang im yours by jason mraz or smth cheesy like that as a confession - ofc u accept bc why wouldn’t you?? - kun is a cutie and you like him so it’s a win-win cue sicheng situation - okay now that the backstory is done: - as an actual boyfriend, i think kun would be super sweet and soft - he would probably make you take a ton of selfies with him tho so be ready - he probably takes pics of u when u aren’t looking and sends them to the members with cheesy captions - he uses the moon emoji a lot bc it’s funny - that wasn’t related to the caption thing i was just thinking abt it - when you stay over it’s a dance party to his girl group playlist - you guys dance until taeyong comes out and makes you two sleep - no fun ty, no fun - one day while you two were just lazing around, he was like - “Y/n, we need a cat.” - you guys have this discussion literally every day - JUST GET THE BOY A CAT - eventually, you surprise him by taking him to the local shelter and letting him pick out a little kitten to take home - he’s so excited and basically crying at all the little kitties playing with him - he wants to take them all home and raise a cat army - you tell him no obviously - after a few hours of playing with each and every kitten and cat there was - kun decided he wanted to take home this lil gray kitten which he named smoky - taeyong wasn’t too happy about all of the shedding smoky did around the dorm - but kun was happy so he ignored it!!! - that’s probably when you two had your first kiss tbh - after you both arrived home and got the little kitten to sleep after introducing it to all the boys - kun was so happy he probably just kissed you - and it took some time for you to register what happened - up until now you and kun were just like two pals who said you were dating - but he kissed you - and his lips were soft and warm and you already missed them - so you kissed him again ofc - he smiles into kisses all the time and that’s why you two can’t have a serious kiss - he likes to tickle you when he’s bored so beware 👀 - probably took you out by the airport at night to watch airplanes take off - it was really cute until the cops came at you guys for trespassing - you swear you’ve never ran so fast in your life - you like to drop into sm and ask them when your boyfriend is going to debut - literally his biggest fan - you probably take videos of him singing when he’s just doing it absentmindedly - and send it to sm with a note attached - they know it’s you but let you keep doing it - when kun finally debuts you actually cried - your hand “slipped” and you bought like seven copies of the album - u keep ur kun photocard in ur wallet - he’s actually embarrassed by how supportive you are - it’s his fault he’s dating a fangirl i mean what did he expect ? - you probably send everyone in your family a link to the music video tbh - when you guys cuddle it’s rlly domestic like you guys are basically married already - you’re kidding no one - he likes to be the big or little spoon it doesn’t matter - unless smoky comes to snuggle as well than he has to be the little spoon so he can pet her - you guys always start movies and then fall asleep in the middle of them - yuta wakes you guys up and makes you go sleep on the bed bc he wants to watch his anime and you two are hogging the couch - idk i just feel like having kun as a boyfriend would be rlly comfortable and cute - !!!!! - bonus: kun blushes when you compliment him and gets rlly flustered bless - the end haha

#nct scenarios #nct scenario #nct au #nct as boyfriend #nct kun #kun scenarios #quian kun #quian kun au #kun fluff #kun as a boyfriend #nct boyfriend scenarios #kun boyfriend scenarios #destwrites

434 notes · View notes

stylhoseok · 4 years ago

Text

＃惠 ˒ 🏯 ： 𝙆 & 𝙏 ㅤ ー ৫.

𝚋𝟶𝙮𝙎 ᘏ ꞈ ⛩ ９４ and ⠀ ９６

⌕ ᴎ _ 𝘤 _ 𝘵_ 🍵 % ⧥

৶ ⸼ TAEIL AND KUN ♥︎

31 notes · View notes

multifandom-stranger · 5 years ago

Text

The Higher-ups:

The boss and his closest, most skilled men. Whatever these men said was law, no questions asked. If shit needed to get done, these were the people to do it.

Lee Taeyong

He’s the kingpin. Mob boss if you will. That’s the heavy burden he carried on his shoulders. When it comes to calling the shots on new plans or business choices he has the final say no matter what. Taeyong comes off as a sweet and charming individual, which he certainly is, but it’s more a trait he uses for personal gain. Drop of a dime and he’s a cynical, cold killer. To be at the top means you have to show your the one with power and by no means is he afraid to do so.

Nakamoto Yuta

He’s the right hand man. Taeyong’s second in command. His job focuses on managing the foreign operations. Yuta is trusted with anything and everything aside from that. Any command from the Boss is swiftly acted upon and carried out. Taeyong may be at the top, but Yuta had to deal with the people. A hit needed to be carried out? Drugs to be carted to another town? He had to make it happen. Unlike Taeyong, Yuta easily shows his rough side to people. Being quiet, headstrong, and loyal was how he won the game and worked his way to the top.

Jung Jaehyun

Another right hand man. Similar tasks to Yuta but with a slightly different approach. His job is to focus on the home base of Seoul. Jaehyun is known for his violent ways and outbursts of rage. It’s legendary amongst the members (and that’s really saying something). Although that’s how he acted with the family around, Jaehyun is still entrancing to most in his own way. Brutally honest and loyal as hell, he earned his spot at the second seat.

Qian Kun

Kun is working as the ‘Boss’ of the China unit, though he’s an underboss to Taeyong. He was given a small team and Taeyong’s blessing to go off to his homeland and stake claim in a new market. Kun is a charismatic leader, he only ever gets mad as a last resort. Members of the China unit jokingly call him a mom behind his back but never to his face. Shit like that would be his limit. No one messes with his image.

#nct mafia #nct mafia au #lee taeyong #nakamoto yuta #jung jaehyun #quian kun #nct 127 #nct au

61 notes · View notes

onetwosevensquad · 4 years ago

Text

Onetwoseven’s WayV Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Fics

One Shots

Time Stamps

Reactions

#wayv aus #wayv au #wayv imagines #wayv scenarios #wayv x you #wayv x reader #wayv #wayv masterlist #quian kun #ten lee #winwin #wong lucas #dong sicheng #wong yukhei #xiaojun #hendery #yangyang

3 notes · View notes

smileyjaeminies · 5 years ago

Text

Can You Stay?

Synopsis: The changes life brings can be tricky. A group of friends struggles to overcome their differences through a camping trip. Will this trip heal their friendship, or will it tear it further apart?

Word Count: 6,5 k

Genre: camping au!, best friend au!, fluff

Warnings: None

Member: WayV

A/N: This work is very special, as is the person it is dedicated to. Sharing dreams that become reality is a special bond indeed. This work was too long in the making as I wanted to make sure I portray each member in the most accurate way I could. WayV always have a special place in my heart, so I hope you enjoy reading about the boys I wish were my own best friends.

Sitting at your desk, you avoided looking at the unfinished homework that seemed to be staring at you and instead focused at the piece of paper in front of you. A picture was starting to immerse but you willed your mind not to think about it too much, allowing it to wander and think about other, unrelated things while you poured your feelings onto the paper.

A sudden knock on your front door snapped you out of your thoughts. You heard your mother’s voice: “I’ll get it!”. You brushed it off returning to your drawing and trying to get back in your zone. A knock, on your bedroom’s door this time, forbade you from doing so.

“Y/N” your mom said, slowly popping her head inside “it’s for you”

“For me?” you asked, getting up and walking towards the living room.

In front of the big bookcase in your living room stood a figure that you couldn’t mistake for anyone else.

“Kun!” you called, the brown haired boy turning to you and engulfing you in his arms “You’re back early!”

You and Kun went way back. Actually you couldn’t remember any of your life without him. He grew up next door to your house and despite the age difference between you, he always found time to play with you and take care of you. He would walk with you to and from school every day, even in his busy senior year. He felt like an older brother, a sibling you much needed as an only child.

He had just left for university a few months back. Luckily, his university wasn’t too far away so he stole time some weekends to come visit his family and friends. And now he was back for winter break!

“Finally” you thought.

“Hey kid. Yes, I came back a few days earlier, and I brought company.” He said. You looked around, thinking he brought someone in your house. He shook his head and gave a small laugh.

“Not here, silly. He’s at my house. He is my new roommate, I thought all of us could use some time off, to blow off some steam. And I really wanted you to meet him, I think you’ll hit it off really well.”

You wanted to curl into a ball. Since Kun had left, your introverted nature seemed to get the better of you every time. You always had Xiaojun, Yangyang, Hendery and Lucas, but they were all older that you and you barely shared any classes. You talked with some people from your year, you could even call one or two of them your friends. However, going out and meeting someone entirely new seemed like a whole mountain you had to climb.

Kun, being Kun, read the hesitation in your eyes.

“You don’t want to go?” he asked.

You thought about it for a second. It would be better to go over to Kun’s, then the second you were uncomfortable you could just walk out and come back home. You were curious to meet Kun’s roommate, he had talked about him a lot in the past couple of months. Kun’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts once again.

“Sicheng is over at mine too” he said.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier? Let’s go, old man!” you energetically said to him. He only laughed in response and allowed you to drag him over to his house.

Sicheng was another member of your little group, a senior, who you rarely got to see because of his hectic schedule. You love hanging out with him, his calm and understanding nature always making you feel more than comfortable around him.

Kun led you through the house and after a quick hello to his parents you went up to his room. There, sat atop his bed sat two boys. Sicheng smiled as he saw you at the doorframe and got up, you run into his arms.

“You asshole! You didn’t even reply to the last meme I sent you! It was a funny one too!” you fake scolded him.

“Yangyang had already sent it to me, sorry” he replied with a light laugh.

“That traitor! I told him not to!” you laughed with him.

Kun burst the little bubble you and Sicheng had by addressing his roommate.

“They are like this all the time, they love arguing” he said.

That reminded you that you had yet to greet Kun’s roommate. A small boy wearing glasses greeted you with a smile as you looked at him. “Hi, I’m Ten” he said, almost shyly.

“Hello, I’m Υ/Ν” you returned the smile. You thought about hugging him but decided against it. The atmosphere was a little awkward so you naturally gravitated towards Sicheng’s side.

“I feel like I know so much about you guys! Kun won’t stop babbling about you, all of you.” Ten said.

“Well I hope it’s only good things” Sicheng replied with a look at Kun.

“He talks about you a lot too, you know.” You added.

And with those few moments of awkwardness behind you the night went on, with you laughing and telling stories, talking about life, dreams, music and everything in between. Your unfinished homework long forgotten, you stayed and had a blast. You made plans to meet again the next day, the whole gang this time.

As you tucked in for the night you thought of the big step you had made that day. You met a new person and you stayed and got to know them despite being a little scared in the beginning.

“See? We can do this” you told yourself as you drifted off to sleep.

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

The next day you all met at you designated meeting place, a coffee shop really close to your school. Everyone grabbed their beverages and sat down. The conversation seemed to flow effortlessly and Ten fit right in with the group. He especially enjoyed hearing stories about Kun which all of you were more than happy to provide.

As time went by, mini conversations started to pop up. While you were in a heated discussion with Xiaojun about Greek mythology, Kun called the attention of the group on him.

“Guys, guys, shut up for a second. I was thinking, well, it was kind of Ten’s idea… Whatever, we were thinking… This Friday you all start winter break right?” Kun asked.

“Yeah, we close this Friday and then we have two weeks to ourselves!” Yangyang confirmed.

“Great! So, we thought that maybe you all, and us too, could use some fresh air! And then, we came up with the idea for, wait for it, camping!” Kun announced looking happily at all of you.

Your head immediately turned to Sicheng. Everyone seemed to be taking in Kun’s idea but you were worried about him especially. He had so much studying to do and so little time to do it. You were both quite introverted by nature so you sought solace to each other often and talked about your problems a lot. You tried to guess what could be going through his head right now, trying to find a way to make this easier on him.

As Yangyang, Lucas, Xiaojun and after a little convincing, Hendery all said they were in, Ten turned to you.

“I know we just met but I would love it if you came with us. I think you all are very interesting people and I’d like to get to know you better” he finished.

You were a little startled by his words. You didn’t need a lot of convincing after all, although…

“I’d love to come you guys but… I don’t know how my mom would feel. Especially with me as the only girl and seven boys around.” You explained.

“Hey, your mom loves me! She’ll come around. Besides, if both Sicheng and I corner her, I don’t think she’ll say no!” Kun exclaimed.

“I didn’t say I was going” Sicheng almost snapped, all the attention now on him.

You saw him take the attention like a blow, shaken, but he recovered only a moment afterwards.

“Look, you know I love you all and I love spending time with you, but… Two whole days off studying is a bit much. I need to use this break to my advantage, to study and focus, not to go off camping with all of you. I’m sorry, I just don’t think I’m up for it right now.” He finished, got up from his chair and left.

Kun looked like he was about to go after him, but didn’t. You could cut the tension at the table with a knife. Ten was the first one to speak up.

“At least the rest of you are in!” he tried to lighten the atmosphere.

A few words were exchanged after that. One by one everyone started to head back home and eventually, you, Kun and Ten walked home as well.

As you sat on your desk, you contemplated calling Sicheng to talk about what happened back at the coffee shop. You decided against it.

“He probably needs some alone time.” You thought to yourself and started working on your homework.

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

After a very convincing conversation with your mom, which included reassurance that you would sleep alone in your own tent, Kun made her come around and allow you to go.

Then, after a few teary eyed conversations between Kun and Sicheng, he also decided to join. All of you were curious as to what made him change his mind. You pestered Ten constantly to tell you, but even Hendery, who had grown to be a weakness of his, couldn’t get anything out of the boy.

The day of your trip had arrived sooner than you thought. Being the forgetful person you always were, you left packing to the very last minute, spending almost the entire night trying to pack all your things. Taking small steps out of the house willing your mind to remember if you had forgotten something, a tuck on your hand made you snap out of your thoughts.

Ten had grabbed the hand that wasn’t holding your bag, and tried to spin you around while screaming “ROADTRIP! ROADTRIP!” You laughed along with him, dropping your bag and grabbing his other hand, spinning around faster.

“Okay, OKAY stop, you two, we need to go get the others!” Kun shouted, putting your things in the van he had rented.

You and Ten stop spinning in a fit of giggles.

“Wow, I think that was a bad idea” Ten said.

Your head was also spinning but you managed to maintain your balance while Ten fell on his ass. You laughed at him and made your way back to your mom to bid her goodbye.

“Have fun baby! Be careful” she told you.

“I will mom, I’ll see you tomorrow” you answered as you hugged her.

“I call shotgun!” Ten called.

You didn’t really mind, so you made your way to sit at the back of the van. It got more and more crowded as you picked up your friends. You ended up being paired with Lucas with the excuse that “The little one and the big one should go together”. Of course, you didn’t mind sitting next to anyone.

You called in your staying up the previous night and excused yourself for a nap. You got comfortable, put in your earplugs and soon drifted off to sleep.

You woke up by one earplug softly being taken off your ear. You heard Lucas’s voice in your ear “Hey, we’re gonna play some games, care to join?”

“Yeah sure, just let me off the first round, I need a minute to wake up first” you replied.

As the rules were explained to everyone, the game began. You spend almost an hour playing silly little games, with quick arguments sparking up, fits of laughter that made your stomach hurt and teasing that only made you laugh harder.

“We’re almost there guys!” Kun announced for the driver’s seat.

“Finally! I feel like I might have to eat my legs if I don’t stretch them out soon” Sicheng whined.

You turned to look at Lucas. “Are you eating your legs anytime soon?” you jokingly asked.

“No, it’s pretty comfortable right here, you’re so tiny anyway, you hardly take any space at all” he answered and you laughed at his words.

“I’m not that small-” you started but the car quickly came to a stop which grabbed your attention.

As the boys started filling out of the car, you took a minute to take in your surroundings. The camping grounds were very beautiful, pine and oak trees filling the space, giving their shade and making the scene as picturesque as it gets. You saw trees that you didn’t name and made a mental note to look it up once you got home.

The boys had already gotten to work, having taken out the tents and just starting to spread them out. “What can I do?” you asked no one in particular.

“Oh no, you’re not touching the tents” Yangyang told you.

“What? Why?” you asked.

“Remember that time we were barbequing and you almost burned your entire hand off? Yeah, that’s not happening again. Besides, we’ve got three boys scouts right here. We’ve got this.” He answered you.

“They’re not letting me help either, if that comforts you” Ten told you.

“Should we gather wood for tonight then? At least we’ll be doing something” you offered.

“Yeah sure, let’s go” he answered, getting up.

All of you got to work. The guys were right, with three boy scouts and enough pairs of hands the tents were up in no time. You and Ten stacked the wood a little further from the tents and started setting down some fold up chairs and a fold up table for you guys to sit around.

As the camp space you had rented started to look comfortable, Hendery’s voice sparked up conversation again. “Why don’t we play a card game? I don’t think anyone brought a board game or something”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve got uno cards in my bag somewhere but other than that I suppose you’re right” Yangyang answered.

“I brought a ball!” Ten announced enthusiastically. “Think about it, we don’t even have to play something ordinary like football, or basketball or whatever but we could make up our own games with our own set of rules, it’s going to be fun!”

All of you seemed keen on the idea so you started right away. First was a game inspired by Kun where you would all have a designated move you had to do when the ball landed on you. Then you had to make the next person’s move and try to hit them with the ball.

Then Sicheng came up with a different game, then Yangyang. The camping grounds were filled with your loud voices and laughter, Xiaojun’s occasional shrieks and your own high pitched screams.

You called for a break after a while, deciding you all needed it. You scattered throughout the grounds, doing your own thing. After drinking some water from your bottle, you decided to go to the bathroom, a small building a little walk away from your tents.

As you finished your business and washed your hands a sudden thought popped in your head. You wasted no time to whip out your phone and type a text in your group chat.

You

Hide and seek begins NOW. You have 5 minutes to find your hiding spot. Sicheng you’re it, get in your tent and wait.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

As your message was delivered you could already hear Yangyang’s excited voice and footsteps running around. You then realized your disadvantage, anyone could find you here. You turned your head around trying to look for a place to hide. Your eyes landed on the only other building in the grounds, the kitchen building, but surely someone would already have thought of that so you dismissed it.

You contemplated asking one of the other campers to hide with them but that would be rude and also kind of cheating. You had to think quick as time was ticking. Then it came to you, the best hiding place.

You immediately took off, making for the entrance of the grounds. There was a small kiosk with a guard beside the gate, leaving you just enough space to hide between the walls.

“Please don’t tell anyone I’m here!” you shouted to the guard who took a look at your huge smile and flushed cheeks and seemed to understand.

You shuffled behind the kiosk and put your back against the wall. You checked the time. The five minutes where up. The waiting game began. A giggle of excitement burst through you, so you bit your lip and tried to stay quiet.

Slowly but surely texts started filling in of Sicheng spotting someone and catching them. After a while, the only ones left where you and Kun. You couldn’t stop smiling, patting yourself in the back for your perfect hiding place.

You heard Sicheng catch Kun not far from where you were hiding. As Kun’s dramatic screams continued, that was your cue. You ran with all your might back to your tents. All the guys saw you approaching and started screaming and cheering.

“Oh no! He’s coming! Y/N RUN!” Hendery warned you.

You didn’t need to look back as a war cry came from Sicheng’s throat. You knew he was behind you but you had a head start. You pushed yourself to run faster, faster and then-

“I WIN” you declared touching Sicheng’s tent.

Everyone around you cheered, Ten whirled you around, Kun and Yangyang attempted singing “We Are The Campions” and Sicheng dramatically dropped to his knees.

After the excitement of the game died down, you all gravitated towards the seating area.

“Pizza party? Loser’s treat?” Sicheng offered.

At the thought of food your stomach growled. You didn’t realize how much energy you had used up and how hungry you had gotten. Everyone agreed to Sicheng’s proposal so he and Hendery went to sit by the gate and wait for the pizzas to be delivered.

The sky started to get dark so everyone helped to bring out lamps to help you see. You also sprayed each other with a generous amount of mosquito repellent, which didn’t seem to do much, but it eased your minds.

As you sat down on one of the chairs, Ten came to sit beside you. There was a comfortable silence between you. “Thank you. For this.” You spoke up.

“For what?” Ten asked.

“For bringing us here. It has been… very different since Kun left. This has been feeling right. So thank you. And thank you for taking care of Kun. He might be good at taking care of all of us but sometimes he needs someone to take care of him… I’m glad it’s you” your eyes were glossy as you finished, but you willed yourself not to cry.

You turned your head to look back at Ten. He was already looking at you, his expression serious. He reached towards you, grabbing one of your hands and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Anytime.” He told you and you could tell he meant it.

At that moment, Sicheng and Hendery returned with the pizzas and they were met with great excitement. Sicheng looked at you intensely, searching for the reason behind your glossy eyes. You lightly shook your head and mouthed “I’m fine”. He didn’t seem to buy it, but he let it go.

As you all dug in, a silence spread. “I guess we were all hungry then” Xiaojun teased. You all gave a slight laugh and agreed.

“I love this pizza so much, I wish I could marry it!” Lucas declared.

“Why don’t you eat it for a start? The fat will stay with you forever” Sicheng answered him.

You broke into laughter, and the conversation quickly flowed from there. You didn’t realize how you could go from talking about pizza to whether or not aliens exist and the American government is hiding them, but this was your friend group and you wouldn’t change them for the world.

As you finished your food, the fire was lit. There had been talk of baking s’mores but all of you were too bored to actually bake them so you just ate the marshmallows straight from the package. Not that you minded and these boys ate practically anything (except from fruit in Ten’s case).

“It’s getting late guys, and I’m kind of tired from driving, is it okay if I crash first?” Kun asked the group.

“Of course man, go get some rest” Ten told him, and the rest of you agreed.

“Alright then, good night everyone.” Kun said, coming to kiss the top of your head before disappearing inside his tent.

As Kun left to get some much needed sleep and the night grew darker the conversation flowed to more serious matters. Friends and loves that came and went, silly and serious fights, fears and the future, that now seemed to lie in the palm of your hand, but also just out of reach.

Slowly but surely as the time neared the wee hours of the morning everyone started disappearing inside their tents. Then Yangyang announced his departure, which left only you and Lucas. You were both snuggled in blankets, your feet placed on his lap and his hand lazily drawing nothings on the inside of your calf. You were almost asleep yourself although you didn’t want to actually go to sleep just yet.

“You want to go lie down too?” Lucas turned to you.

“Not really… There’s this feeling… I don’t want to let this day end yet. I know I’ll be with you guys again tomorrow but today has been so great and…” you shyly said.

“I get it. Totally. Today has felt just right. I think Kun was right, we all needed this.” He replied and you nodded at his words.

“There’s this other thing” you started. He turned his head to look at you. “I… I’m kind of scared of the dark? And I don’t want to be alone in my tent… I hate sleeping alone most of all. I was going to wake up Kun but he promised my mom and he’s so tired…” you finished, blushing. You couldn’t look at him so you looked at your hands, trying to keep your cool.

“Y/N.” your head turned at the nickname. Lucas rarely called you that. “Are you asking me to sleep with you?” he asked, a smile on his lips.

“Oh my God it sounds so weird when you put it that way” you said hiding your face in your hands.

Lucas didn’t reply, but you felt him putting your feet on the ground and getting up.

“Where are you going?” you asked him.

“To get my things. Get in the tent, I’ll be there in a second.” He smiled at you.

You quickly got up and turned off all the remaining lamps. You stepped inside your tent and slipped inside your sleeping bag. You could hear Lucas’s small movements, trying to get his things from his and Xiaojun’s shared tent. When he opened the zipper to your own tent he beamed at you. He laid down his mat and then slipped in his own sleeping bag.

A few words were exchanged between you, words spoken in the lowest of whispers. It sounded like you were afraid the night would find out your secrets, trying to hide yourselves in the safety of your sleeping bags.

You had gotten so comfortable you didn’t want to move until his voice slowly asked “Do you want me to hold your hand?” his voice was low, shy, a version of Lucas you rarely got to witness yourself but you always knew was there.

“Yes” you answered and got your hand out of the bag.

Lucas was quick to react, taking his own hand out and grabbing yours tightly. Your tiredness from your previous sleepless night had already started to catch up with you. Your eyes closed and your breathing evened out.

“Good night little one” you heard his whisper. Before you could reply, sleep had claimed you.

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

The next morning you woke up to a small weight on your abdomen. You groaned a little at the sunlight that was hitting your eyes. You looked down to see Lucas’s hand laying lazily over your waist.

“He probably pulled me closer throughout the night” you thought.

You lifted his arm carefully and turned around to face him. He was absolutely adorable asleep, his mouth hanging open and soft snores falling from it. You contemplated waking him up but ultimately decided against it, allowing him to sleep peacefully.

You quickly changed into new clothes and stepped out of the tent. As you looked at the chairs you saw that Sicheng, Kun and Hendery were already up.

“Good morning y’all” you called to them with your best southern accent.

They all mumbled their good mornings back to you, too preoccupied with the food in front of them for much more. You sat down and grabbed one of the croissants on the table and poured yourself some orange juice.

“Camping life is hard. How am I supposed to survive without coffee?” you asked.

“We really should have brought some instant coffee, we’re all idiots” Hendery agreed.

Kun and Sicheng were silent as you finished your breakfast. You got up to go to the bathroom. As you left, you heard Kun say something to Hendery. After washing your hands and brushing your teeth, you were about to step out of the building when someone grabbed your arm.

“What the- Oh, it’s you” you stopped when you saw Sicheng and Kun’s familiar faces. “What’s up? Are we pulling a prank or something?” smiled at them.

Their expressions didn’t mirror yours. Kun seemed almost mad and Sicheng just looked worried. You looked back at both of them, searching their eyes for what was wrong.

“Did Lucas sleep in your tent last night?” Sicheng broke the silence.

“He did… Look, you guys know I have trouble sleeping sometimes so I asked and he said it was fine. I know you promised my mom and all but I swear nothing happened.” You told them.

“Why didn’t you wake us up?” Kun asked.

“You had been sleeping for a while and I knew you were tired… I didn’t want to disturb you. And Lucas was there and he was fine with it… We don’t have to make a big deal with this. Nothing happened. He barely held my hand.” You said.

“Kun, she’s a big girl. We don’t need to baby her anymore. Right Y/N?” Sicheng turned to you and you nodded.

“I’m sorry you broke your promise to my mom. I’ll tell her once we get back. I’m sorry.” You said, hugging Kun.

He hugged you right back, squeezing you gently.

“I’m not mad. I mean, I am a little but it’s fine. I do need to stop babying you but it’s… Hard. You’ll always be the little girl that loved to play football with me instead of playing with her dolls.” He said, ruffling your hair.

You gave him the stink eye for messing up your hair and turned to look at Sicheng. His face was still a bit serious.

“Why were you crying last night?” you opened your mouth to protest but he stopped you. “I saw you talking with Ten and crying. Now that it’s just the three of us, tell us what’s happening.” He said sternly.

“I- It’s just” tears filled your eyes, blurring your vision but you could still see the worried faces of the two boys in front of you. They were here now. And they wanted to help.

“Everything is different.” You started. “Kun is gone, and he only comes back for a couple of days at a time. You’re gone too Sicheng, as much as we don’t want to admit it, and of course isn’t your fault but still it’s… Difficult. I love the others so much but both of you have been like older brothers to me when I felt I was all alone and you understand and-” You stopped, trying to catch your breath and Kun wiped a tear from the side of your face, then buried his hand in your hair.

“It feels like everyone is going to leave sooner or later and I’m going to be on my own again. I don’t want to be alone.” You finished looking at Sicheng, trying to read his eyes for what he was thinking about.

He took two big steps and he was right in front of you crushing you in a hug. You hugged him back just as tightly, trying to speak without speaking as you always did. You felt Kun joining in the hug. It felt more peaceful than you’d been in a while.

As you broke the hug, Sicheng grabbed your face in his hands and Put his eyes level to yours.

“I’m not going anywhere. Okay? I’m not going to leave. Who else would I share hours of silence with? I know I’m busy but I always have time for you. Always.” He finished, giving your cheeks a small squeeze.

“So am I. We might be away, but we’re always here for you Y/N. Whatever it may be. Surely, 3 am ice cream runs will grow scarce but it’ll be okay. Right?” he asked.

“Right” you voiced back.

The smiles they gave you were enough to put your heart at ease. As you walked back to the rest of the boys, your heart felt lighter than ever.

These boys would stay. Where you were unsure of everything else, your heart soared with happiness that they were with you.

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

With only a few hours left to your stay, you were all brainstorming ideas for what to do. Lucas and Xiaojun were preoccupied with a card game while the rest of you were talking.

“Okay wait! I think I’ve got it!” Ten announced, jumping up from his chair and fiddling inside his tent. He came out obviously victorious holding something behind his back, a huge smile on his face.

“It is with pleasure that I announce, the first ever group talent show to begin!” he said showing you all a microphone.

You smiled and immediately shouted “I CALL XIAOJUN” just as you finished your sentence Ten grabbed Yangyang and Hendery by their shirts and dragged them off. You clutched Xiaojun’s hand and tried to get away from the others. You saw Lucas and Sicheng sharing a look and laughing at all of your antics.

You heard Ten announce you only had twenty minutes to prepare your stage. You quickly talked to Xiaojun “Search your playlist for the perfect song GO!”

You both looked down at your phones and frantically looked for songs. You would recommend a song to the other, but as soon as your eyes would lock, you’d know it wasn’t the one.

Until you came across the perfect one. You showed it to Xiaojun and his eyes shined, his smile growing bigger and bigger. “This is it.” He told you.

“You think you can do the high note?” you asked, unsure.

“Oh, I can do the high note” he answered you with confidence.

You both got up and played the song. You choreographed a little and divided the parts. You practiced and made sure that you wouldn’t be bumping into each other. You were both beaming with excitement when you heard Ten’s voice.

“COME BACK LOSERS, TWENTY MINUTES ARE UP” he called.

“We are going to give you guys time to pull out before we start, we’ve already won” Xiaojun proudly declared.

“We will see about that” Lucas answered.

“So, who goes first?” Hendery asked.

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Kun offered. You all agreed and your fate was decided.

First would be Ten, Yangyang and Hendery, then you and Xiaojun and lastly, Kun, Sicheng and Lucas. You quickly sat down and waited for the others to start.

“Okay, hello guys, we’re team WIN!” Yangyang said.

“YOUR!” Ten continued.

“HEART!” Hendery finished with a smile.

They got their song ready and prepared to start. By the first second you could recognize the song and started clapping to the beat. Ten began singing Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ passionately. At some point Hendery picked up the microphone, then Yangyang. By the end of the song, you were all clapping and laughing along.

“We’ve got this” Xiaojun told you, holding your hand tightly as you got up.

“Hello everyone, so nice of you to come to our debut showcase.” Xiaojun said into the mic with confidence.

“Light me up! Hello, we are Lights~” you said at the same time.

You got into your positions as the song started to play. The familiar beat of Exo’s ‘Drop That’ got everyone pumped up and as excited as you were. You sang, danced, rapped and jumped in front of the others. They sang the lyrics back to you in return giving you their energy back.

It was time for the high note. Xiaojun took a deep breath and sang it perfectly. You jumped even more and sang your heart out. As the song finished you were laughing your asses off.

The others got up and applauded you. You laughed again and bowed down.

“Buy our album on iTunes!!” Xiaojun said and you all giggled.

As you sat down, catching your breath, you realized there was another team left. You tried to focus and see what they had come up with.

They played some generic bgm as they did a little runway. First was Kun, full of smiles, sending a kiss in your direction. You pretended to catch it and throw it away. Then was Lucas, pushing his hair back trying to look sexy. Yangyang and Hendery booed at him but you only laughed. Last was Sicheng, walking up to you and waving like royalty.

“Hello, we are Models~” they said in sync.

“No you’re not!” Hendery shouted.

After their introduction, they got ready for their actual performance. Again, by the first second, you knew what the song was. You were terrified.

“No, no, God please no” you said as the familiar tune of ‘Baby Shark’ played.

All the audience members were a mess, screaming at them to stop, hiding their faces or laughing so hard they fell off their chairs in Yangyang’s case. The performers seemed weirdly proud of themselves, except maybe for Sicheng who looked as if he was smiling through the pain.

When they finally finished, they gave a dramatic bow and you all screamed at them for their song choice. Voices were raised and your stomach felt like it would jump out of you from laughing so hard. After a while you all quieted down.

“We need to start packing soon” Kun said

“Pfff. I don’t want to moveeee” Yangyang whined.

“Wow, what happened to boys scouts? ‘Always ready’?” you teased.

“Oh shut up” he said throwing his empty bottle in your direction.

After a few other complaints and groans, you all got up and started packing. You and Ten, still not allowed to touch the tents, were instructed to put everyone’s things in the back of the van. As the guys finished up, the tents were also placed in the back of the van.

You looked at the camp space that was crowded only moments before and something twisted at your heart. It looked so bare now, no trace of your time spent there, you smiles and laughs and screams left there.

“It feels weird doesn’t it?” Hendery asked you.

“So weird. I wish I could leave something here… A mark to show that I’ve been here” you told him.

“You can! Come here.” He answered and ushered you to a nearby tree.

He took out a pocketknife and directed it to you. You looked at him like he was crazy.

“I’m not touching that! I would cut my hand open in a second!” you told him.

“True…” he said and you swatted his arm “But we need an artist for this. Hey Ten!”

Ten whirled his head around and started walking towards you.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Y/N and I want to leave our mark on this place. Do you think you could use this pocketknife to draw something on a tree?” he asked.

“Well, it won’t be amazing but I’m sure I can work something out” he replied, immediately grabbing the knife and getting to work.

Both you and Hendery sat by him as the picture started to immerge. You couldn’t exactly make it out at first, but when it was finished, you realized what it was. It was a rainbow, with a cloud on each side, and eight rays instead of seven, one for each of you.

“This is perfect!” you exclaimed, hugging the shorter boy tightly as he finished.

“What are you guys up to?” Lucas asked.

“Look! All you guys come here! We left our mark! We’re going to stay here forever!” You said, your excitement getting the best of you.

Happiness ran through your veins as everyone looked at Ten’s carving. You took pictures to be sure to remember where the tree was. It was perfect.

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

The trip back home was no less fun and energetic. As you filled into the van you decided to continue the singing competition which lead to all 8 of you screaming ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to the top of your lungs.

The feeling of the trip’s end kept creeping up on all of you so you decided to stop by your favorite ice cream shop before returning home. As you sat down scooping mango flavored ice cream in your mouth, you found yourself sitting between Kun and Lucas. You looked around at all of them, the boys that had stood by you for years on end and Ten, a new face that seemed to complete the puzzle’s picture.

You couldn’t believe how lucky you had gotten. To find people that made you shine and cry out of laughter. That lifted you up and made you a better person. Xiaojun seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“You guys… I had so much fun this weekend. I’m so glad we all stole time to make this work.” He spoke up.

“I know… Sorry for being difficult in the beginning. I really did need this. Thank you all” Sicheng said.

“To more trips like this, and to never seeing Kun’s aegyo again!” Ten declared, raising his ice cream cone.

“Amen to that!” Lucas agreed and Kun had the nerve to look hurt.

Yangyang gave you a pointed look from across the table. Yangyang could seem silly and aloof on a first glance, but he was also super caring and could sense someone’s distraught in a heartbeat.

“We’re fine” he mouthed at you.

“I know” you mouthed back and smiled at him.

Balance had returned in your heart and with the boys by your side, you were certain you could do anything. You really were fine.

45 notes · View notes

neoangelic · 5 years ago

Text

[10:02pm] You fall asleep while studying and wake up, panicked that you haven't finished your homework due tomorrow morning. Everyone from your study group seems to have left. Your workbook is no where to be found on your desk.

"Looking for this?" You look behind you to find Kun, a usually blunt and quiet student, waving your book with a playful smile. He slides it in front of you, bending over so that his face is flusteringly close to yours.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep--"

"Pages 118-127, right?" He flips the workbook open, revealing answer-filled pages that you never wrote. "Come back with this again next time and I'll go over the answers with you. For now go get some sleep. Yangyang told me you took an all nighter for the past few days."

"I had tests," you cough, shying away from his arm that reached over your shoulder. "I could've finished this by myself."

"If you feel so bad, let's make the next time we study just the two of us. A date."

#quian kun #kun #kin soft hours #kun imagines #wayv soft hours #wayv #wayv drabbles #nct soft hours #nct #nct 127 #night #college student! kun #but also #classmate! kun #high school! kun #college au #high school au #au #bc school is coming up don't forget to take care of urself

82 notes · View notes

sheepibee · 6 years ago

Text

“Now you wanna play me”

EXO’s “Artifical Love” Kun au

#korean aesthetic #kpop #kpop icons #kpop moodboard #kpop music #moodboard #nct #nct 127 #nct au #nct dream #quian kun #nct wayv #exo #exo icons #nct 2019 #dark aesthetic #pop aesthetic #nct china

42 notes · View notes

softperson · 6 years ago

Text

Blind Dates and Fairytales

Summary: When your best friend sets you up on a blind date you had no idea it was going to turn out like this.

Pairing: Kun x Female!Reader {Blind Date!AU + Royalty!AU}

Genre: a generous helping of fluff with a sprinkle of angst

Warnings: none

Word Count: 7.9K

Note: a couple friends and I decided to make Kun Day the 18th of June but we didn’t finish our fics so we rescheduled to the 29th, low and behold, I’m still late. Sorry Kun :( also, I’ll edit this later on when I re-read it.

The noise of the city never fails to make you cringe. Loud horns, the awful smell of car exhaust, children crying, people talking, walking, and bumping into you every which way you turn, and many other undesirable instances were an instant reminder as to why you barely came here. The only reason you were here was because of a date, a blind date to be specific.

It wasn’t often that you went on dates, not since the last disaster that left you down in the dumps for months, but your best friend insisted that if you went on this date, it would be the last time she tried to hook you up with someone so you reluctantly agreed.

The date hadn’t even started and you were already regretting your decision.

There you were, standing outside the bright pink coffee and cake shop that stuck out like a sore thumb squished in between two rather drab, dull grey buildings that you were supposed to meet your date at. You told him what you’d be wearing since you both had no idea what the other looked like.

The colourful sundress you donned was hard to miss with its vibrant orange, pink, and blue patterns standing out boldly against a white background. You had been eyeing the dress in a store window for months now and it miraculously hadn’t been sold yet so this date was the perfect excuse to splurge.

When you first got to the shop and went inside, he hadn’t arrived yet so you decided to go back outside just in case he missed you. The time on your watch told you that he was already almost fifteen minutes late, and nothing peeved you more than tardiness. At the back of your mind there was the nagging thought that maybe, just maybe, he stood you up, and that was enough to send your mind into a mini panic and question every single thing.

A gust of wind had you wishing that you’d worn something different as you tugged at your sundress self-consciously, ensuring that you didn’t have a wardrobe malfunction in the middle of all these people. You fidgeted anxiously as more time passed by, a thousand thoughts flitting through your mind. What if you weren’t his type? What if he found you hideous? What if? What if? What if? The thoughts were starting to make your head spin, making you sway a little on your feet. Before you could steady yourself properly, a particularly hard push from a passer-by had you tumbling forward, you closed your eyes tightly, bracing yourself for the impact but it never came.

A pair of hands grasping onto your arms brought you back into the upright position, and instinctively your hands latched onto the person holding you.

“Are you okay?” a voice smooth like honey murmured close to your ear.

You cracked your eyes open just a bit and nodded, still a bit shocked. The events of the last minute or so finally caught up in your mind and had your face burning up in embarrassment.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” you gasped, letting go of the stranger. You didn’t even have the gall to look up at the person, you were so mortified. “Thank you so much!” you told him quickly and got ready to bolt. His hand on your wrist stopped you from getting too far though.

“Should I take this as outright rejection?” he asked, and you could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Wha-what?” you stuttered in confusion, finally looking up at the person.

“Y/n right?” he asked, the charming smile still fixed on his face. “I’m Kun.”

You were incapable of forming a coherent response, the boy was beautiful, with sparkling eyes and a kind smile that made you regret making a fool of yourself in front of him even more. You nodded again, mutely.

“Ah! I’m sorry for being late, I know I probably made a bad first impression,” he told you, his smile dimming a bit and it had you wanting to apologise instead.

“Oh! No you didn’t! Thank you for saving me by the way,” you were still blushing furiously, and you were pretty sure no one would be able to tell the difference between your face and a ripe tomato by now.

“No need to thank me, I hope you’re okay, you looked a bit dazed when I saw you, coming down the street,” he said looking at you.

You remembered then just why the entire incident happened in the first place, thinking that he had stood you up. “I’m fine now,” you smiled at him. You made a mental note to give your friend props for this date later, he was way better than any of the guys she had tried to set you up with before.

“Good, so does this mean we can still have that date?” he asked, and the hopeful look on his face made it very hard to refuse him.

So, you didn’t.

“Of course, I didn’t come all this way and almost became sidewalk-kill for nothing,” you laughed a little.

He laughed hearing your made-up word, “Sorry again for being late, I had a, uh, meeting, I couldn’t get out of on time.”

You rose an eyebrow at his explanation but let it slide for now. He led you inside the shop, perfectly gentlemanly, he even pulled out your chair for you as if you were at some fancy restaurant.

“You look beautiful,” he drops the compliment so casually that you almost didn’t catch it as you sat down.

You blushed again at this, Kun seemed to be good at making you blush you realized, “Thank you, it’s the dress.”

“The dress is beautiful but it’s definitely you,” he responds, and you see the scattering of pink starting to dust his cheeks as well as he looked down at his menu.

It was adorable.

All of a sudden, the cake shop seemed to be not busy at all like it was earlier, you frowned noticing that it was actually empty, it was just you and Kun and the staff, but you didn’t think much of it. You glanced across the table at your date, and observed his slightly dishevelled appearance, as though he was in a hurry. Dishevelled, but by no means frumpy. His clothes looked expensive but effortless, like he just walked right out of a high fashion magazine editorial. You could definitely appreciate a man that dressed well.

“What is it?” he asked when he looked up and caught your eye.

He looked so genuinely concerned and…cute, it turned your insides into mush.

“Did you run all the way here?” you giggled, and you didn’t miss the slight pink tint to his cheeks at this.

“I… maybe? Is it obvious?” he looked like a deer in highlights, giving himself a once over.

You couldn’t help it but laugh, he was just too cute. “No, no! But did you really?”

“I was already late, I felt so bad about keeping you waiting,” he sighed, patting down his blazer self-consciously.

“Kun, really, it’s okay, and you look great,” you told him with a smile, and resumed reading through the menu hoping he didn’t see the blush once again on your cheeks, it wasn’t often that you gave compliments so easily.

Kun put his menu down and looked at you as you read, taking note of the little details, like how the sunlight hit your hair making it look lighter than it was, and how it illuminated the right side of your face, highlighting the softness of your features, and especially the way your eyelashes brushed tenderly against the very tops of your cheekbones. He wondered how he got so lucky.

You felt his eyes on you but you were too shy to look up so you kept your eyes downcast, focused on the menu even though you barely read anything at all.

It was only when the waitress came over and asked to take both of your orders that you realized you had no idea what you wanted, and you were about you embarrass yourself in front of this very handsome guy…again.

“Do you know what you want to order?” you asked first to get the attention off of yourself. You looked up at Kun and caught him looking away quickly, towards the waitress.

“Coffee cake for me, and you?” he asked, directing his attention once again to you.

You glanced back down at the menu trying to read through it quickly, but there was just too much on it. “Um…I like mangoes?”

There was a moment of silence before both the waitress and Kun burst out laughing, and you couldn’t help your own laughter. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t get to look through the menu properly.”

The waitress smiled and nodded at you, giving you a few suggestions. Your eyes lit up at the mention of mango cheesecake, it was the first time you heard about it and you were pretty sure it would be delicious. Kun laughed seeing your gleeful expression, “I’m guessing that’s the one?” he asked, and you nodded excitedly.

“So, a coffee cake and a mango cheesecake, coming right up,” the waitress smiled and headed back to get your order.

“I love cheesecake, and mangoes, I’m sure this is going to be good,” you all but squealed.

Kun grinned, “You’re so beautiful when you smile,” he let the words slip out before he could stop them.

“T-thank you,” you blushed, unable to help the smile from growing even wider on your face.

“I mean, that’s not saying you aren’t beautiful otherwise, because you are,” he corrected himself quickly, but he didn’t even need to.

You shook your head, “I think I’m glad I agreed to come on this date after all.”

“I’m glad you did too,” he said, giving you that heart-fluttering smile again.

After your order was brought over, you and Kun managed to get to know more about each other. This was a surprising development for you since you were usually very standoffish when it came to blind dates, or set-ups on the whole. The thought of other people having to set you up on a date left a bitter aftertaste so you were usually not too fond of them.

You found the conversation flowing so easily with Kun, telling him all about your new field of study for your Master’s degree that you’d just begun, and him telling you all about a new job he started, spearheading a charity for children in need. Immediately you knew why you were so drawn to this kind-hearted guy, as he spoke with a tenderness and passion for what he was doing. It was rare to find people like this anymore.

The charity was incidentally where he met your best friend, as she was doing catering for the event. He told you that he saw you when you called her, and your photo showed up on her phone. He mentioned that you were pretty and she instantly jumped at the chance to set you two up. You laughed at that, it sounded just like her, you weren’t even surprised. The more he spoke, the more you found yourself captivated by him. You were so glad you didn’t leave earlier when he was late.

“Are you sure you don’t want to taste the cheesecake? It’s really good, I swear,” you grinned, asking him for the fifth time. It really was good, so good that you’d probably even consider coming back to the city for it.

After a few seconds of a stare down between you and him, Kun burst into laughter, “Fine, I accept defeat, I’ll try the cheesecake, if I die it’s on you,” he teased.

“Wow, dramatic much?” you asked, shifting your plate over to him.

You waited patiently for his response after he tasted it, “Sooo?”

Kun heaved a sigh, “It’s…fantastic actually, you don’t have such bad taste after all,” he grinned.

“I told you,” you smirked, “I’ll have you know that my taste is impeccable.”

“Well you’re here with me,” Kun grinned.

“Oh my God! You sound like my friend Yuta, don’t ever do that again,” you groaned, thinking about the smiley boy and his greasy pickup lines.

The conversation resumed its light-hearted tone until he got a phone call that he had to take concerning work.

He came back and smiled apologetically at you. “I’m really really sorry about this y/n, but I have to go, it’s an emergency, and I know this might be overstepping but can I at least ask for a second date?” he asked.

You nodded, there was really no reason to refuse him, he was the perfect date, and despite it being a blind date, you were extremely happy that it turned out to be him. You both exchanged numbers and he offered you a ride home, which you refused because you were heading back to your campus to do some extra work before heading home. He reluctantly agreed after asking you several more times if you were sure you didn’t need a ride.

“Isn’t it weird that no one came in here while we were here?” you asked him casually as you walked to the door.

He visibly stiffened at your words but you shrugged it off until another man, in a full black outfit, burst through the door. He would have knocked right into you if Kun didn’t pull you out of the way.

“Your Highness! We need to go!” the man said hurriedly, seemingly not even noticing you were there.

You froze, before moving from behind Kun and standing beside him, wondering just who the man was talking to.

“Your Highness?” you asked, completely confused, “What is happening here?”

“Oh…I’m sorry,” the man muttered, bowing his head in Kun’s direction.

The entire exchange was baffling and you were starting to feel a little boxed in by all the questions that suddenly arose in your head.

“Junhui please, just give me a moment,” Kun said to the man before turning to face you.

“Kun?” you looked at him, your face a mask of confusion.

“Y/n, I know this is a bit…odd, I didn’t intend for this to happen,” his hand came up to the nape of his neck, rubbing it nervously, “Actually, I was hoping this didn’t happen at all.”

“W-what are you saying? Just explain it properly to me please,” your words came out a bit more harshly than you intended but it was too late to reconsider.

“This is Junhui…my friend,” Kun responded with a nervous smile. “The ‘Your Highness’ thing is a longstanding joke,” he laughed hesitantly.

You stared at him and the other guy suspiciously, he didn’t seem to be too much older than Kun but it was still perplexing. “Do you work together then?” you asked.

“We do…which is why I said I was hoping this didn’t happen, he’s so weird I didn’t want you to meet him on our first date,” Kun laughed, and you noted that this laugh was much less fake than the last one, leading you to believe him.

“I can see that…” you mumbled more to yourself than anything, giving the guy another glance, “I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you Junhui.”

“Likewise,” the man responded, and you were almost certain he didn’t mean that at all. He didn’t even crack a smile, before turning towards Kun and addressing him, “We need to go now, it’s important.”

“Ah yes! Y/n, so I’ll be seeing you soon again right?” Kun asked giving you his full attention again, that bright, hopeful look in his eyes couldn’t be refused, and you nodded in confirmation.

He beamed at you, “I’ll call you!” he grinned as Junhui practically pushed him out the door.

You stood there staring at the spot he’d just been and laughed to yourself. What a strange encounter, but it could be overlooked because this was the best time you’d had in a long time. Speaking of which, you were sure that your best friend was also dying to hear how the date went so you dialled her number as you walked out of the shop, heading for the train station.

____________________

The next time you see Kun you’re wearing another dress, this time it’s a pretty sky blue with pastel flowers on it. It’s beautiful, and way dressier, and way more expensive than anything you’ve ever owned. It arrived at your door a few days after your first date with him, along with an apology note from him for having to leave so soon on your first date.

You tried to return it because there was no way you could accept such an extravagant present, especially from someone you only went out with once, but there was no return address. Now that you think of it, you’re not even sure how Kun got your address in the first place.

A shiny black car pulls up outside your apartment, and you don’t know much about cars but you know for sure that this one is expensive. When Kun gets out of the driver’s side and sees you, he looks completely awestruck.

“How does it look?” you asked, twirling around.

“You are absolutely stunning,” he tells you as he opens the door for you.

It’s hard to keep the smile off your face after that. You thank him and repay the compliment because he does look quite dashing in his navy suit.

The date this time was to a charity ball where all the proceeds would go to the charity Kun was spearheading. It was the first time you had ever been to a ball of any sort so the nerves were inevitable. Kun assured you that it wasn’t a big deal but the moment you step out of the car and take his hand, you know otherwise.

The daunting building stood tall in front of you, probably at least eighty floors up, the top wasn’t even visible from where you stood. The place was sleek and elegant but intimidating and suddenly your dainty floral gown seemed way too soft for a place like this. Men in sharp business suits, and women enveloped in designer dresses glided out of posh cars and into the building, exuding an air of untouchability. Looking at them you felt extremely out of place, but Kun gave you a reassuring smile that somewhat eased your jitters. He offered his arm to you and led you inside the lavish hotel.

Not a big deal. That’s what he said. If scoffing wasn’t rude you would have. “Not a big deal,” was the understatement of the year if anyone asked you. The scene behind the ballroom doors was far beyond anything you’d ever imagined. Sure, you had never been to a charity ball before but with the kind of money they probably spent to organize this event, you were certain they could have just donated that and the charity would be thriving forever.

Stacks of champagne flutes decorated the bar area, and giant floral centrepieces adorned each table, speaking of the tables, there was no silverware, but gold, yes, goldware. You passed by another group of people, all of whom wanted to speak with Kun so you politely excused yourself for a minute just to look around. You found yourself standing by a table with a giant glass sculpture on it, the craftsmanship was impeccable if you say so yourself.

As an architecture student you could appreciate a good piece of work, that was until you noticed the sculpture was…leaking, or so it seemed to be. You leaned in closer to make sure your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you. Hesitantly, you reached out and touched the base of it and gasped.

“It’s made of ice,” came a voice from next to you, making you snatch your hand back quickly.

They had a freaking ten-foot-tall ice sculpture. Why were you even surprised at this point?

You looked at the boy standing next to you, he was definitely younger but radiated that same air of richness that most of the other occupants of the room did. “I see…” you muttered.

“You’re here with Kun aren’t you?” he asked with a mischievous smile that you couldn’t help but smile back at.

“I am, he was whisked away by some other people earlier,” you answered. “And you are?”

“I’m Pr—I’m Chenle, it’s nice to meet you,” he smiled again despite his falter.

You narrowed your eyes a little at him but nodded, “I’m y/n.”

Somehow you managed to get caught up in a conversation with Chenle who seemed much warmer than the vast majority of guests. He wanted to know all about your relationship with Kun, which seemed a little suspicious but you soon realized why.

“I’m not sure I mentioned it before,” Chenle grinned at you, “But, I’m Kun’s little brother.”

“You…what?” your eyes widened. You’d just spilled all about how much you liked Kun and hoped that things would progress with him, to his little brother.

“Oh God, please don’t tell Kun what I told you,” you groaned.

“Tell me what?” Kun asked walking up next to you.

“Nothing,” both you and Chenle replied a little too quickly, earning you both a suspicious look from the man in question.

“I hope you’re not scaring away my date, little brother,” Kun mock glared at Chenle who just grinned at him.

“Maybe you shouldn’t leave your date alone,” Chenle shrugged, “Also, ask her to dance,” he told Kun as he passed by him, taking his leave.

Kun glanced at you and blushed a little, “So would you…like to dance?” he asked.

“Sure,” you smiled taking his hand.

It would be a waste to come to a ball and not dance. You would never admit it but being there in that dress, with Kun, felt pretty much like all your childhood fantasies of being a princess were coming true.

Those ballroom dancing classes you took in your first two years of college were really paying off right about now. Kun, as with most other things, was also a phenomenal ballroom dancer, he never once stepped on your toes or missed a beat.

You looked up at him and your heartbeat immediately sped up, “This feels like a fairytale,” you whispered more to yourself than anything, but he heard it and smiled.

“I’m glad, maybe it can be more than a one-time thing?” he asked hopefully.

“Are you asking me out on another date?” you asked with a teasing smile.

“I’m asking you out on an indefinite number of dates,” he said, twirling you around.

The smile on your face was so bright it was impossible to dim it. “I accept.”

____________________

It had been five months since the ball.

Five months since you and Kun had been dating. Despite both of your busy schedules you managed to make it work, and it sometimes scared you how much you had fallen for him. It was hard not to with his sweet smile and kind personality. He brought calm into your hectic life, and you both had a lot in common so it was easy to communicate which was a definite bonus.

From museum dates, to cooking nights in at your place (he cooked, you ate), to picnics in the park, it was like you said, a fairytale.

But that’s the thing about fairytales, they don’t always have happy endings.

____________________

You glanced down at the phone in your hand again just in case you missed a call or message notifying you that he’d be late but there was nothing. You were at the coffee shop where you two were supposed to meet forty minutes ago, sipping on a latte that you had no appetite for anymore. It took fifteen more minutes before Kun came rushing over, completely dishevelled and breathing heavily like he’d just ran a marathon, apologies tumbling from his mouth when he caught his breath.

“Are you okay?” you frowned handing him a napkin to wipe the perspiration glistening on his face.

He nodded, “I’m so sorry y/n, but something came up that I couldn’t avoid,” he apologized again.

“It always does,” you mumbled under your breath.

When you looked back at him, the guilt was written all over his face. It made you uneasy, this wasn’t the first time Kun was late to your dates but it had been happening even more frequently in the last two months. You always brushed it off however everyone has a limit, and you at least deserved to know what exactly kept him coming late to dates and then rushing off with no explanation.

“What’s going on Kun?” you sighed, running your fingertip along the rim off your coffee cup.

He looked at you questioningly like he truly didn’t understand what you were saying, and it just made you more agitated than you already were. You felt bad on top of that because he really was so sweet, it felt like kicking a puppy to be angry with him.

“This is the fifth time in three weeks that you’ve been late to our dates, not counting the other times we’ve made plans and you cancelled at the last minute, or the fact that you keep leaving abruptly,” you told him, laying it all out for him.

“Oh…” Kun looked at you, and the guilt was still so openly present on his face that your heart sunk, automatically thinking the worst.

“What is it? Are you seeing someone else?” you asked before you could stop yourself.

“What? No! I’m not! Y/n I would never, it’s complicated,” he told you quickly, “I can’t explain it, it’s just—”

“Just what? We’ve been seeing each other for months now, I thought we were at the point where we could tell each other these things,” you frowned, looking down at the liquid in your cup which was surely cold now.

He sighed and reached for your hand that was on the table but out of reflex you pulled it back. You winced when you saw him flinch at that but you didn’t say anything.

“Y/n please, I promise there’s nothing going on between me and anyone else, it’s just work is really busy,” Kun said trying to catch your eye.

You looked at him and saw the way his eyes pleaded with you to believe him, and you did, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding something. It was all too suspicious.

“I believe you but apart from the charity, I have no idea what you do for a job Kun, and I was so caught up in you that I only realized that recently,” you took a deep breath before continuing, “I barely know anything about you, aside from Chenle being your brother you’ve never mentioned your parents or friends, you say your job is what takes you away from our dates, but what job needs you at 10pm that you have to drop everything and go?”

“It’s really complicated y/n, I want to tell you everything but I can’t right now, just please have faith in me,” Kun sighed looking defeated as ever, and it was the first time you didn’t feel the need to just drop it all and forgive him.

“Well in that case, give me a call when you can,” you told him as you got up and grabbed your purse, making a beeline for the door.

Kun looked bewildered for a few seconds before getting up and dashing out after you. He caught your wrist easily, “Y/n wait! What does that mean?”

You shook his hold off without much effort, “It means I can’t be with you if you’re keeping secrets from me Kun, I just can’t do this anymore,” you turned away before you could tear up in the middle of the street and hurried towards the subway station.

He didn’t try to stop you, and if you’d looked back you would have seen the completely broken look on his face as well.

______________________

After that day you threw yourself into your work so heavily that you barely had time for anything else, you were heart broken, and you acknowledged it which made it somewhat easier to handle. You did what you had to, to make yourself okay again, and right now that was focusing on your career.

Two months flew by so quickly you almost didn’t realize it. The second draft of your thesis was completed and submitted, soon you would have that Master’s Degree in your hands and you could almost see the finish line now.

Your work had somehow managed to catch the eye of some very rich people who requested that you to look over their mansion. They wanted to build a new wing for their son apparently, and the architectural firm you worked for told you they personally requested you. It was strange considering your portfolio was fairly empty compared to other architects at your firm but you decided not to question your sudden stroke of good luck.

Thanks to this venture, you had a two-week trip to a little-known country, - to be completely honest, you hadn’t heard of it at all before this-, where your clients lived. You were booked on a free first-class seat, and you had three different blueprints all mapped out with you. Keeping yourself busy these past two months had really paid off, and though you were still hurt that Kun didn’t even try to contact you after that day, your progress as a result of that was noteworthy.

You lifted the window shade excitedly when the flight attendant announced that you would be landing soon but you were unprepared for the sights below. There was lush greenery everywhere, and beautiful cottage styled houses, looking like something out of a storybook decorating the area around the airport that you could see.

Your mind vaguely wondered how you could’ve possibly not heard about this place before. With the way it looked you were shocked that it wasn’t a popular tourist destination. There was a big sign as you entered the airport with the words “Welcome to Fiorian,” on it, and for some reason it made you smile.

The entire atmosphere in Fiorian was lighter and more jovial, the people were friendly, even the immigration officers were cheerful, and the weather was just perfect, sunny but not too hot or humid. There was a car waiting for you upon arrival and as it whizzed through the town you looked out the window at the picturesque scenery. You asked the driver if everywhere was like this, and he confirmed with a gentle smile that it most certainly was.

The storybook town soon dwindled away and you were now traveling through fields of lavender that went on for miles, the sight was absolutely breath-taking. Even with the windows up, the calming scent of lavender perfumed the entire car, making your entire being feel more at ease. Soon you could see the silhouette of a house, no, a mansion, a sprawling cobblestone mansion that looked like it’d been there for years but no less beautiful than the day it was built. You pressed your face against the window, staring completely captivated by the beautiful place that looked more like a palace than a house.

“This is where you’ll be staying ma’am,” the driver notified you as the car stopped in front of the grand doors.

You looked at him flabbergasted, unable to form a coherent sentence, “W-what? This? My clients?”

The driver laughed at your stunned face, “Yes dear, your clients live here, and you will be staying here with them for the next two weeks.”

Before you could say another word, the door was opened for you causing you to nearly fall face first onto the ground, but a pair of hands caught you just in time. You gasped, and thanked the person, righting yourself before stepping out of the vehicle as gracefully as you could have that mishap.

“It’s my fault.”

Looking up you found yourself gazing into a pair of all too familiar pair of brown eyes. You stumbled backwards in shock, your mouth unable to form words for the second time in the span of no more than three minutes. His hand came up to your shoulder gently, it was a gesture of comfort that you remember instantly, it hadn’t been that long after all.

“Kun…” you whispered when you finally found your voice again.

“It’s me,” he smiled that perfect smile that hand your knees weak and your hands shaking.

“W-what are you doing here?” you asked bewildered.

“I live here,” he answered, as though it was the most casual thing in the world.

“No, you must be mistaken, or I must be mistaken, I’m here for work, my clients are supposed to be living here,” you rambled on like you normally did when nervous.

Kun noticed instantly and frowned, “Y/n, calm down,” he said softly.

Before you could respond, another familiar voice came from somewhere in the distance, “Your Highness!”

You stared blankly at the man in all black again, as he ran up to both you and Kun. “Not this again.”

Kun ran a hand over his face in clear frustration, making the other man mumble a couple apologies which Kun waved off.

“Junhui…it’s nice to meet you again,” you addressed the other man.

He nodded at you, once again straight-faced. It was like deja-vu.

“Will someone please explain to me what is happening here,” you gritted out, the frustration getting the better of you.

“Let’s go inside first y/n, you’re a guest and I’m sure my parents won’t be happy to know I have you standing out here in the sun,” Kun told you.

“I’m not going anywhere until I know what’s going on,” you insisted. It might have sounded bratty but this time you were getting an explanation.

Kun stared at you, not saying anything for a few minutes.

Another familiar face soon showed up, “Y/n! It’s been awhile,” Chenle smiled brightly at you.

“It has, it’s nice to see you Chenle, since your brother seems to have gone mute, would you like to tell me what’s going on?” you raised an eyebrow at the younger boy.

Chenle snorted and ignored his brother who was signalling for him to not speak, “Well, we needed another wing built, for me of course, and Kun here told our parents that there was no one better for the job than you, so here you are,” he grinned.

“That’s it, I’m leaving,” you turned to go back to the car but it was no longer there, or anywhere in sight.

Chenle stifled his laughter and whined when his brother hit him on the arm.

“Y/n, please come inside, regardless of what you think of me I know you’ll do a good job, I’ve seen your work,” Kun sighed.

“Fine, but I demand a proper explanation,” you glared at the three men standing in front of you.

Chenle looked between you and Kun and muttered a “Good luck,” to his brother before hightailing it back inside.

Junhui shuffled to your side and took your bags before you could say another word and was already half way to the door before you and Kun followed after him.

_________________________

Kun showed you to your room which was in the east wing of the mansion. It was massive, with billowing curtains and a king sized four poster bed, adorned with silk sheets and plush cushions. You knew Kun was rich, but this was far beyond anything you ever thought, the house was big enough to get lost in, you could easily live here and not ever see the other inhabitants of the place if you didn’t want to. That thought was comforting since you had no inclination to see Kun after today.

“I’ll leave you to settle in,” he said heading back towards the door.

Despite your bitter feelings towards him, your curiosity and hurt feelings still got the better of you. “Kun wait!” he stopped in his tracks and his hand fell from where it was on the doorknob.

“Please tell me the truth,” your voice sounded way smaller than you knew it to be, in that moment you felt so vulnerable you knew one wrong move and all the pent-up feelings would come rushing out.

“About what?” he asked, turning to face you.

“About everything,” you gestured around the room, “This place is no ordinary house, I saw the coat of arms on the first floor, and the paintings, your disappearing acts, Junhui following you everywhere, you never being able to tell me what was really wrong, I hate being kept in the dark like this,” you voice choked up at the end and you had to sit down on the bed to try to keep it together. The last thing you wanted to do was start crying in front of your ex turned client.

Kun took a deep breath, he reached his hand out to touch your face but let it drop back to his side before he could. He sat next to you on the bed and really looked at you, he felt the guilt rise up in his throat nearly choking him as he realized just how beaten down you were, and it was all his fault. He thought you were doing well after you two parted ways, which is why he didn’t try to contact you after. He had a few of his associates make sure that you were okay and doing well, and all reports came back stating you were fine and just very busy with your job and school. He saw now that it wasn’t the case.

“I’m sorry,” he told you softly, his hand came up again and this time pulled you into his arms. “For everything,” he mumbled against your hair.

And that was all it took for you to completely break down. All of the anger, frustration, and sadness that you kept at bay for the past few months came pouring out as you sobbed into his chest.

Kun didn’t say anything, he held you close and rubbed your back and caressed your hair letting you cry it all out, and that was what you needed right now. He always knew what you needed, and that thought made you sob even harder.

When you finally calmed down you pulled back from his chest and apologized, it was a moment of weakness but you did have to keep in mind that he was your client, no longer your boyfriend.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, I’m the one that owes you an explanation,” Kun said wiping the tear tracks under your eyes gently.

He took a deep breath before beginning, “There’s really no way for me to say this other than bluntly…”

You looked at him expectantly, prompting him to continue.

“I’m a Prince,” Kun blurted out.

You blinked, once, then twice, then a couple more times.

A Prince? Is that what he said? You wondered to yourself before bursting into laughter. This had to be a joke. There really was no other explanation for it, he had to be joking.

“Good one! You really had me there for a second,” you continued laughing until you looked at Kun and realized he didn’t find it funny at all.

Your laughter died down when you assessed the situation and Kun coughed awkwardly.

“Are…are you serious? A Prince?” you asked in disbelief, all the colour draining from your face. “Is this a joke?”

Kun shook his head, “I’m the Crown Prince of Fiorian, Chenle and I are the only two heirs to the Kingdom. Fiorian has been doing well in recent times but in order to keep our country thriving the way it is, I had to ensure that our connections with foreign allies remained strong, which is why I was always disappearing on our dates.”

You sat there, slack-jawed, trying to process all of this new information. You listened attentively as he spoke about having to maintain political ties with other countries and why he couldn’t tell you, for your safety and his, everything slowly fell into place.

“Kun,” you stopped him mid-explanation, “I understand why you didn’t want to tell me but didn’t you think you could trust me?” you asked a bit hurt.

He shook his head, “That’s not it, I had no idea how to tell you either, and I was always being followed around by Junhui, who’s my personal bodyguard by the way, I didn’t want him to go back and tell my parents that I told you and then give them a reason to make me come back home and end things with you.”

“But it ended anyway,” you muttered looking down at your shoes.

Kun nodded, “It did, and that was my fault again, for being a coward.”

You looked over at him and saw the pain on his face and you wondered how you could ever stay mad at him, he was so gentle and loving it was almost impossible. You reached for his hand and held it.

He looked down at your hands and intertwined your fingers, “I wanted to tell you right then and there but I had to leave the very next day to come back home for a short period of time, then by the time I got back, my sources told me that you were doing fine without me and I didn’t want to come back into your life and ruin that.”

“You could never ruin my life Kun, you’re too sweet for that,” you smiled at him. “I do wish you would have said something though, I’ve been beating myself up all this time wondering if I really meant nothing to you.”

“Don’t ever say that, you mean the world to me,” Kun’s grip on your hand tightened, “You’re the only person I’ve ever felt this connected to, you’re the only one for me and I knew that from the day I met you. Which is why I couldn’t resist and jumped at the opportunity to get you here when my parents asked if I knew anyone for the job.”

Your eyes met his and you knew he was telling you the truth, there was nothing but pure honesty and love in his eyes. You leaned forward at the same time he did, and you knew it was right the moment your lips touched his. The kiss was like magic, your heart felt at peace again.

_______________________

After the completion of all the plans for Chenle’s new wing in the palace, you were to head back home, but Kun’s parents insisted that you stay for their annual summer ball. They were holding it early just so you could attend, so how could you refuse?

This time you had a selection of dresses sent to your room for you to choose from, along with a personal stylist, hairdresser and makeup artist. A princess for a day you thought bemusedly.

All five of the dresses were stunning but one stood out amongst the rest. The blue was the colour of the Fiorian sky and you knew it was the one the moment your eyes fell on it. The fit was perfect, and you couldn’t be happier as you twirled around in it in front of the mirror.

Kun was waiting for you at the bottom of the grand staircase, and the butterflies rose in your stomach with a fury again. Suddenly, all the noise and other people were blurred out and all you could see was him. The way he looked at you made you feel like you were the only person in the world that mattered, it was quite possibly the most amazing feeling you ever had. He pressed a kiss to the top of your hand when you came to a stop beside him and offered you his arm.

“You are a vision,” he whispered to you, making your face heat up. You were reminded again that out of the many things Kun was good at, making you blush was at the top of that list.

This was the second ball you were attending, and if you thought the first one was fancy, this was at least ten times more. The palace’s ballroom was decorated with several giant crystal chandeliers, the long dining tables that held at least a hundred people each were adorned with goldware and massive rare orchid centrepieces, and there was not one but four ice sculptures.

“Is all of this necessary?” you whispered to Kun who just laughed.

“Probably not but my mom likes to go all out, we don’t have the heart to tell her no,” he replied.

You both mingled for the next hour or so, and despite being tired, you were having quite a good time. Kun introduced you to a handful of his friends, and fellow royals, and it made you happy to finally see this side of him where he didn’t have to carry the secret around. He was much more open and confident here and you wanted him to stay like this, even if it meant you wouldn’t have him anymore, it’s not like an ordinary girl could be with a Prince anyway.

Who would have thought a blind date would cause all of this?

“May I have this dance?” Kun asked, breaking you out of your reverie.

“Of course,” you answered, taking his hand and letting him lead you to the dance floor.

As you glided across the ballroom under the glittering lights of the chandeliers, you looked up at Kun and tried to soak it all in for the last time. The feeling of being in his arms was like flying, exhilarating and free, untouchable, you wanted to savour it.

Kun noticed your look and frowned slightly, “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing important, just how much I’m going to miss this,” you smiled a little sadly.

“Miss what?” he asked, brushing a stray bang out of your face.

“You.”

A look of understanding came over his features and he nodded, “You don’t have to miss me…you can stay,” he said biting his lip.

“What?” you asked, astounded, did he even know what he was saying? “Kun, I’m not a part of your world, this will never work, I’m not delusional.”

He put a finger on your lips, effectively shutting you up, “I was going to save this for later but since you brought it up, I’m asking you to stay, I don’t want anyone else, I’ve spoken to my parents and after getting to know you over these two weeks, they agree as well.”

“But but my job, my life, I can’t just drop everything and move here,” you told him, a million thoughts racing through your anxiety-ridden brain already.

“Shh, just stay for a while and give it a chance, I’m not asking you to give everything up, you’re on summer break now, can’t you just stay a little longer?” he gave you those sad puppy eyes and you were a goner.

“I suppose… we can take it from here and see where it goes,” you grinned at him.

Kun gave you perhaps the most dazzling smile you’d ever seen on his face, and bathed under the iridescent sparkling lights, it was an image of him that you would have etched into your memory forever.

#kun scenarios #kun fic #nct scenarios #nct fic #nct imagines #prince au #royalty au #kun fluff #quian kun #prince kun #kun imagines #kun #kun day

361 notes · View notes

nctzken · 6 years ago

Text

Quian Kun

Character Analysis

Masterlist

Position • Informant

Gift • Emotion Manipulation

Kun gift works through touch. It doesn’t have to be in an intimate setting. A simple brush on the shoulder will do. Although to sense how a person is feeling he doesn’t have to touch them. Kun can sense everyone’s feelings. He can understand how someone is feeling by being within a few feet of them. But to truly manipulate someone’s emotions he has to touch them. But once he’s touched you he can manipulate you’re feelings any time, any place.

32 notes · View notes

softsan · 5 years ago

Text

NCT MAFIA AU (kun)

🖇Slipping between us, suffering by fate (pt.2)

MASTERLIST

PARTS: | 01 | 02 | 03 |

MAFIA PROFILES | Y/N’S NAMES

GENRE: Mafia AU, CEO & assistant AU, Angst

QUOTE: “Fewer people would hopefully notice you now. Kun couldn’t stand the thought of all the hungry devil’s laying their greedy sights on you.”

“Don’t dare leave my side”.

You gulped hiding your disappointment behind a half-smile. Kun appeared to be less than impressed by your presence.

“Yes.”

He’s worried, you’d embarrass him. Stupid. Stupid. You scolded yourself, you were his clumsy and inferior assistant.

Kun guided you along, his arm caged around you. He kept you steady on your wobbly heels as your ankles threaten to buckle.

“Where’s your mask?” He asked coldly.

You murmured an apology, this was a masquerade party. You weren’t even supposed to be Kun’s date for the evening. Gracie had set you up at the last minute and failed to mention you required a mask.

Kun observed your beautiful features fall, your eyes focused on your feet. He sighed. How many others have already seen your face? He dug into his pocket for his white, lace mask.

You felt Kun tug you by the wall, he spun you effortlessly to face him. In his grasp was a stunning mask, threaded with white lace and silver jewels.

He gently placed the piece over the top half of your face. His eyes boring into yours, you averted his gaze. He tied the lacy strings behind your ears, his hands raking through your hair.

Fewer people would hopefully notice you now. Kun couldn’t stand the thought of all the hungry devil’s laying their greedy sights on you.

I have to keep you safe.

Taeyong slowly approached, his date on his arm. She was dressed in a fierce red gown, that tumbled to her knees. Her scarlet mask was decorated with dyed feathers and rubies from his personal collection.

Your mouth gaped by her grace, her willowy steps as she walked towards you.

“Who are they?” You shyly whispered.

“My boss Taeyong and his date.”

Boss?

“I don’t believe we’ve met.” Taeyong interrupted.

You quickly bowed. “No, we haven’t. I’m just filling in for tonight.” You assured. And never again do I agree to be my boss’ date.

Taeyong’s eyes curiously flickered to Kun.

“She’s my assistant,” His teeth gritted.

“Is she? You’ve failed to mention her to me before.”

Kun scrunched his fists.

“I’m Euna.” Taeyong’s dated offered, cutting the tense atmosphere. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”

“Y/N” Your chest warmed as you uttered mousy thanks.

Euna broke from Taeyong’s hold, his head sharply snapping to her.

“Let’s get something to eat!” I saw some caramel apple tarts on the way in.”

You eagerly nodded, forgetting your promise to Kun.

He threw you a deadly look.

“Ah,” You hesitated, shaking you head side to side instead. “I’m not hungry.”

“That’s okay.” Euna piped, “You can keep me company.”

Taeyong began to protest.

“Don’t,” She said firmly. “Stay.”

Taeyong held his tongue, he had promised her. Euna reached your wrist, untangling you from Kun’s arms.

“She's staying with me,” Kun growled.

“Let them go get something to eat.” Taeyong placed a commanding hand on his underbosses’ chest.

You mouthed as sorry, to your boss as you followed after Euna.

Taeyong noted Kun’s body language, his longing looks, his twitching legs ready to set off after you. His second in charge was usually quite calm and collected. He rarely caused a commotion or a scene, it was what made him so reliable.

“Who is she really?” Taeyong asked.

“She’s my assistant.” Kun eyed you walk towards the table of the food.

Taeyong tilted his head. “Just an assistant?”

“She was never supposed to be involved in any of this. Not tonight, not ever.”

“The entire room has seen her on your arm... Luckily, assistants can be replaced, so it won't be a big deal if something happens to her.”

Kun’s jaw clenched, his face hot with fire.

“But she’s not just an assistant to you, is she?” Taeyong concluded. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so unsettled.”

Kun’s voice cracked. “I can’t-I can’t let anything happen to her.”

───

Euna handed you a fruit skew, her other hand reaching for a plum tart.

You nipped the strawberry from the top of your skew.

“So how did you first meet Kun?” Euna inquired, taking a napkin from the dispenser.

You watched as Euna wrapped two tarts in the napkin, subtly stuffing them down the front of her dress.

“Um... we met a year ago.” Your mind drifted the kiss you shared in the bathroom, your cheeks flushing. “But I’m his assistant now.”

“Oh? So, you’re not together?”

“No! “You furiously shook your head. “Never!”

She hummed, grabbing another napkin and folding three chocolate and raspberry biscuits in it.

“What are you doing?” You asked, watching Euna stuff the second napkin down her dress.

“Encase he decides to lock me up again.”

“Locked you up?” You repeated in disbelief.

“Can you deliver a message for me?”

You reluctantly agreed. She leaned over, the feathers of her mask tickling the side of your face. She whispered in your ear. Your mouth soured.

“Can I trust you?”

“Yes.”

───

The breathtaking song of strings and instruments swept through the room, the nervous orchestra played their best despite the audience’s glares.

You pattered your feet to the hollow-sounding piano, its melody filled with anguish and sorrow.

Kun held out his hand.

“I don’t know how to dance.” You said honestly.

“I don’t want to dance.” His fingers lopped with yours.

The two of you stood standing, hand in hand.

The touch of your skin brought him peace. His head had been a mess tonight.

You tried to ignore Kun’s tightening grip, peering to the dance floor. Elegant dresses whooshed in circles as their partners caught them in their arms.

You envied their divine beauty. Unlike you, they belonged at such a party.

“Oops!”

Your hands flew up shielding your face from the curdles of warm rice pudding.

“I’m so sorry,” A scantily dressed women, wondered closer her long, onyx nails scraping away the chucks from off your dress.

“It’s okay-” You paused, recognizing the cat-like eyes beneath the glittering black mask.

She looks familiar. You blinked. You must have been imagining things.

Kun harshly pushed back the women. His forehand, striking her torso. She bounced, unbothered by the force.

“I truly thought they wouldn’t hire you?” Her voice lacked its sweetness.

It’s her, the woman who split her coffee on me during the interview.

You didn’t know how to respond. Instead, you excused yourself, heading to the bathroom. You turned on the tap, slashing your neck with cold water. You rubbed away the small creamy grains of rice that stuck to your skin.

Kun followed you, his face etched with concern.

“Are you burnt?” He gently examined you, his thumb brushing across your flesh.

“I’m fine.” You peeled him off, Gracie’s dress was ruined. “Can I just go?”

“I’ll drive you home.”

You groaned.

───

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kun questioned for the fourth time.

“Of course,” You feigned a laugh.

The night was cool, an autumn breeze greeting you as you opened the car door.

You snuggled Kun’s grey coat closer. It smelled like him

“Call me if...” Kun was unsure how to finish.

How was he to explain you were in budding danger. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare you.

“... if you need me.”

“Ah, I will.” You couldn’t fathom why you would need Kun after work hours. “I’ll return your coat tomorrow.” You promised, turning away.

He gave you a small smile.

You glanced back, he was still waiting for you to enter your house. You bit your lip, you hadn’t told Kun that you no longer lived at this address.

You waved goodbye one last time before reaching over the fence to unlatch the gate. You slipped in through the small gap, closing the gate after you.

Kun stayed in front of your house, waiting for you to switch on a light. This was the address you had given many moons ago when he dropped you off. The cute cottage was decorated with ivy and guarded by a giant fence. The area you lived in was fairly good, close to supermarkets and schools. He had also made sure to run out any lurking gangs that could threaten your safety.

A warm light lit from behind the rust-red curtains. Kun rotated his keys starting his engine.

You let out a breath of relief, watching him leave. You soundlessly exited through the gate and scurried away.

You grimaced as the silver dress dragged against the dirty pavement.

After a long walk and a near miss when two hollering guys came brawling on the street. You had finally made it home.

You climbed up the steps, turning the doorknob. Your heart sank. They had locked you out again.

You hopelessly banged against the wooden door a couple of times before slumping on the stairs.

Faye, one of your housemates staggered from behind, taking out one of her earphones. She had dark bags under her eyes and reeked of chemical cleaner. She had just come back from her janitor duties at a local kindergarten.

“Don’t tell me we’re locked out again?” Faye sighed.

You grimaced.

The two of you lived in a share house with 5 other people. The rent was dirt cheap but the fellow housemates were odd, to say the least. Secretive, paranoid, giant conspiracy theorists.

The only normal resident was Faye. The two of you were friendly and leaned on one another when things got tough.

“Let’s check the back.” Faye yawned. “They might have left the bathroom window open again.”

You agreed. You stretched your hands out, ready to give her a boost.

───

Kun stared down at his watch then back to your house.

You should have left your house by now. He anxiously fidgeted with the cover on his steering wheel.

He had been outside your house since six in the morning. He admitted it was a bit early but he hadn’t been able to get a wink of sleep since he left your side.

He waited and waited. His body froze as he saw a tall man close the gate of your front yard.

His chest was heated as he stormed out, desperately thrusting the man into the fence.

“Who the fuck are you?” Kun spat.

The shaking man winced. He spluttered out his name, begging for Kun not to hurt him.

His name was unfamiliar to Kun.

“How do you know Y/N” He demanded, shoving him harder.

Kun’s mind was reeling. Are you there to hurt her? Are you her boyfriend? Why are you at her house?

“You mean the girl that used to live here?”

Kun’s eyes widened.

Use to?

“Where does she live now?!”

───

You smiled at the barista as he called your name. You came forward, accepting the tray’s of coffees. You quickly added sugars and fastening their lids. You would have to hurry, Kun disliked when you served him cold coffee.

You turned about, your gaze focused solely on the three coffees.

“Y/N!” A distressed voice called, rushing past the line of customers waiting for their orders.

Alarmed, your grip on the tray loosen. The coffees’ spilling down your jeans and your faux leather boots.

A pair of arms enclosed around your frame, pulling you into their chest. You went rigid with surprise.

“I’ve found you.” The breathless voice whispered against your flushed cheeks.

“Kun?” You asked stunned.

“I’ve finally found you.” He fondly rubbed the back of your neck, his fear melting away.

Taeyong was right. You weren’t just his assistant... you were so much more that.

MONI’S NOTE: Mafia Kun's second installment. I hope you all enjoy it. If you do, please consider reading the other member's parts. They are all a part of the same universe, and you may even notice some cross-over between them.

TAGLIST: If you’d like to be tagged in this fic please send me a message.

440 notes · View notes

jungbeez · 7 years ago

Photo

Dream Journal

Jaemin wants to enjoy every single second of his high school days and Jeno just wants to discover what love really is - or that high school au where both of them need to retake junior year.

Page 1: beginnings - 5/6

a/n: i wish i had better editing apps :( idk if this is good but it took me a while so enjoy it

jeno says “i don’t think this can be worse****” why can’t i have something without typos????

19 notes · View notes

solarune · 4 years ago

Text

flowers in your hair

part of @neo-cult-ure‘s colours collab! | masterlist + prologue

pairing: lee taeyong x fem!reader (feat. a nosy lee donghyuck, childhood best friend quian kun, and college best friend/co-worker johnny seo)

genre: fluff, soulmate au, florist au, coffee shop au, idiots (literally) to lovers

warnings: taeyong being too cute to be real, florist!taeyong, coffee shop owner!reader, donghyuck is annoying, reader has a nightmare, switches to taeyong’s pov for one part

word count: 10,577

summary: what you know about your soulmate taeyong in the 6 years that you’ve known him: he has 6 tattoos but is already planning on getting 4 more, he loves his dog ruby very much, he has only ever shared his banana bread recipe with one person (you), his mom makes the best kimchi jjigae in the entire world, his favorite color is pink, and he is the man of your dreams. literally.

what you don’t know about taeyong: what he looks like.

what you know about the owner of the new flower shop across the street: he has light brown hair, he’s a caffeine addict (if his cousin donghyuck picking up coffee 5 days a week says anything about it), and he is your enemy by association (according to kun).

what you don’t know about the florist: his name.

a/n: i’ve wanted to write a florist!taeyong fic for the longest time and i finally got to!! thank you so much to @neo-cult-ure for reaching out to me to be part of this collab and please please please check out the rest of the fics because they were all written by some really talented writers!! thank you to @jungwoohoos for checking this fic over as she’s done with my others ily. hope you enjoy and feedback is always appreciated :-)

When you open your eyes, you can’t help but feel like something is off. You can’t quite put a finger on it but something feels strange. But perhaps it was that strange dream that you had last night. Something about picking a color and finding your soulmate? The details of the dream were already escaping you but it doesn’t matter because you have to start getting ready for school-

Wait. School?

You sit up in bed and realize that you’re back in your childhood bedroom. You can even hear your dad singing in the shower judging by the terrible vocals that you can hear through your closed door. But why are you at your parents’ house? You look at your bedside table and see your phone and a letter with your name on it beside it. Picking up your phone, you check the time and realize that it’s 7am but it’s the date that throws you off; it’s 8 years behind. You pick up the envelope and slide your finger under the flap, hoping that whatever was inside would help you figure out just what exactly was going on.

Dear Y/N,

You’re probably wondering what’s going on. Your memories from our reality are mixing with your memories from the reality that you’re in so life is going to be a bit confusing. Good thing I wrote this letter to explain, huh? My name is Cyan. I’m the woman you ran into and told you to pick a color to find your soulmate. Yes, that was real, it wasn’t a dream. You’re currently in an alternate universe and your goal is to find your soulmate. Once you do that, you will return back to our reality and you and your soulmate will have the memories from the alternate reality. It’s your job to not only find them in the alternate reality but in our reality as well. This sounds difficult but don’t worry. Fortunately, you and your soulmate are able to meet in your dreams. However, I don’t know the exact details about that so you’ll have to figure them out yourself. Good luck and hopefully we’ll see each other soon!

All the best,

Cyan xoxo

You sit in bed for the next 5 minutes, trying to process everything in the short letter. You have a soulmate? You’re in an alternate reality? And not only that but you’re a teenager again so now you have to go back to high school? And what about your reality? How does time work here? Is this like a Narnia thing where you’re gone for years but return at the exact moment that you left? Or are you there for a week but 10 years have passed when you go back? And what the hell did “Cyan” mean about meeting your soulmate in your-

“Y/N! Are you awake? You’re supposed to leave in 20 minutes!”

Everywhere you turned, people were always talking about soulmates. Was there ever a time that we didn’t ever know who our soulmate is? How are we able to communicate with each other in our dreams? What about the people who don’t actually end up with their soulmate in the end? But you didn’t care about that. Especially in this very moment. Soulmates, in fact, aren’t real at all.

At least, you wish they weren’t real right now.

Because then Doyoung wouldn’t have broken up with you just because he finally dreamt about his soulmate last night. You’d probably be with him right now, watching whatever cult classic movie he thinks you just have to see because you made a comment once about never watching Fight Club during 8th grade. If he hadn’t had that dumb dream, your 2 year relationship wouldn’t be a flaming pile of garbage right now and you wouldn’t have the new drugstore eyeliner that Yejin had recommended to you running down your face.

“Wanna see this video that Xiaojun sent me of his dog?” Kun asks you, effectively breaking the hour of silence that the two of you have been sitting in, the only noise coming from your spontaneous bouts of crying and the videos on Kun’s phone as he scrolls through TikTok. After seeing that state that you were in at school when Doyoung broke up with you that morning, Kun knew that he wasn’t going to leave you alone today. You turn over to face him with a sigh, your head propped up on your hand as you watch Kun’s cousin’s dog run around their living room. But even an overexcited puppy isn’t enough to lift your spirits, something that Kun notices immediately and he frowns. “Listen, Doyoung didn’t deserve you and you know that and if given permission, I wouldn’t hesitate to dropkick him for you. You’ll find your soulmate eventually, and I’m sure they’ll be everything you actually need in a partner.”

You wrinkle your nose at his words; you and Kun have been best friends since you were 5 so it’s weird to hear him saying this cheesy stuff to you sometimes. “That was really nice and I really appreciate that, Kun, but please don’t tell me that you’re about to confess your feelings to me.” You laugh loudly when your best friend shoves you, returning his glare with a smirk as you attempt to smother him in a hug. “I’ll always love you but-”

“Y/N, I’m just trying to be a good best friend,” Kun rolls his eyes as he goes back to looking at his phone. “Your life isn’t one of those fanfictions you used to read when you were 15.”

“Yeah because if it were, the universe wouldn’t have made my boyfriend of 2 years dump me the day before my birthday!”

That night, you roll over in your bed for what feels like the millionth time. You check the time on your phone again and groan at the late hour, mentally preparing yourself for the exhaustion that you’re bound to feel tomorrow. You wonder if turning 18 will feel any different. Will you dream about your soulmate tonight? Not like you’re too eager to talk to any guy in a non-platonic way but it would still be cool. You wonder what they’re like; what’s their favorite color, what’s their favorite place to go to clear their head, do they like to look at the stars just as much as you do? You feel yourself grow tired as you think about your soulmate and force yourself to not think about Doyoung, your eyes finally closing as you wonder if your soulmate likes flowers.

“Thanks for coming tonight. Want some cake?”

Someone places a slice of cake into your hands and when you look up to thank the person, all you can see are deep brown eyes. Both literally and figuratively; their eyes are very nice but they’re also blurry. You blink a couple of times and squint to get a better look at them but even when they’re standing so close to you, you can’t seem to make out any distinct features at all. You look around at all of the other partygoers and find that you can see them all just fine, so why can’t you see this person?

“My name’s Taeyong. And judging by the fact that you’re the only person in here that I can’t see, I’m going to guess that you’re my soulmate and you also can’t see me. Am I right?” they say to you, and even though you can’t see him, you can tell that there’s a smile on his face.

You stick your hand out and, even though he can’t see you, you smile at Taeyong. “My name is Y/N.”

Taeyong shakes your hand but rather than letting go, his grip tightens ever so slightly and his hand slides across yours to grip it as he leads you away from the spot you were standing in. He takes you outside, the cool night air refreshing on your skin and the moonlight making everything glow ethereally. He sits on the grass in the middle of the yard and gestures for you to do the same, laughing quietly to himself when he sees you looking up at the night sky in awe. You take a seat next time, your eyes never leaving in the sky as you whisper, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars before.”

“Do you like looking at the stars?” Taeyong asks.

You nod, your gaze finally leaving the sky above you to look at the boy next to you. “They’re pretty. And they make me feel… seen. The light from those stars, which are most definitely dead by now, travelled millions of light years just for us to see them, and they see us too. I don’t really know how to explain it but looking at the stars just makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.”

“Whenever I visited my grandparents, my grandpa would take me outside and show me all of these constellations using his telescope. Everything I know about the stars and the planets are because of him.” Taeyong goes quiet and you wait. From the way he’s looking down and pulling up blades of grass, you can tell that what he’s going to say next is important. “He died when I was 16. Some drunk driver who couldn’t tell the difference between the road and the sidewalk. I was so sad after he died.” You place your hand on his knee as a sign of comfort, not wanting to push him since you two just met. He lets out a mirthless laugh and you can’t help but smile sympathetically. “I stayed with my grandma for that entire summer after it happened. One night I was using his telescope and I couldn’t get it to focus properly and I just got so mad that I broke it. I cried after that and my grandma found me the next morning, sleeping out in the yard next to the broken telescope. She yelled at me, not because I broke his telescope, but because I could’ve gotten sick.”

“He sounds like a great man,” you murmur. “I’m sure he’s proud of you and that he misses you just as much as you miss him.”

Taeyong hums beside you, the two of you continuing to look up at the stars in silence. “So,” he says loudly to break the silence. “Any sad childhood stories you want to tell me? Since apparently I’ve decided that that’s what we’re going to do the first time that we meet.”

You burst out laughing at that, and even though you just got your heartbroken, you think that having a soulmate won’t be that bad after all. “I think we’re going to have to at least be friends before I tell you all about my traumas.”

The boy beside you gets up and offers a hand down to you, helping you stand up. “Friends?” he asks incredulously. “We’re soulmates!”

“All I know about you is that your name is Taeyong and that you broke your dead grandpa’s telescope while stargazing,” you point out.

You turn to look at him and your breath hitches, finally noticing that Taeyong is completely facing you and is standing very close to you. He takes both his hands in yours and you look up at him, and even though you couldn’t make out his facial features, you could feel his hands in yours and the warmth radiating off of him and that was enough. There’s this inexplicable pull in your stomach that makes you want to move even closer to him and just as you can feel yourself lift your foot up to take that first step, you panic and take a giant step back instead, letting Taeyong’s hands fall to his side.

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong? Did I say something to offend you?” your soulmate asks, taking a step towards you but stopping when you put your hands up.

“You didn’t do anything, Taeyong, don’t worry,” you reassure him. “It’s just that…” You bite your lower lip in worry, wondering if talking about your personal life was appropriate in this situation. But he did just tell you something personal about him- “My boyfriend of 2 years broke up with me today so I’m not looking to rush into anything any time soon. I know that we’re soulmates but I need time to heal and be my own person.”

Taeyong doesn’t say anything for a bit and you wonder if you’ve told him too much. Just as you begin to think of ways to stop yourself from sleeping ever again so you don’t have to see him, he surprises you. “Out of all the people the universe could have put me together with, it just had to be you. I think we’re going to be great friends in no time!”

He holds his hand out for you and you take it, allowing him to lead you back to the party.

When you wake up, the first thing you see are the glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling. Even though they’re nothing like the ones you saw in your dream, you can’t help but think of your soulmate’s grandfather. After a few minutes, you realize that you don’t remember your soulmate’s name or the story he told you about his grandfather.

“Great, so all I know about him is that he likes to stargaze with his grandpa-”

“Y/N, who are you talking to? Are you getting ready for school?”

Your meetings with Taeyong usually consist of you trying to remember at least one thing about the other, hoping that the repetition will be enough to get something to stick when you wake up that morning. The two of you are in Taeyong’s dream tonight (as you usually are since you rarely dream and if you do, usually it’s about someone trying to kill you), walking through a park full of cherry blossom trees with your arms linked together. He leads you over to a bench where you both sit in silence for a bit, the two of you lost in your own separate thoughts.

“So,” Taeyong says to break the silence. “We both leave for university tomorrow.”

You look over at him to find him already looking at you, and even though you can’t see him, you know that you share the same feelings he’s experiencing right now. “I know, it’ll be weird, right? One step closer to being in the adult world and all that. What higher power decided that I’m capable of being an adult?”

Taeyong’s hand brushes over yours and hovers hesitantly before taking it in his own. You let it happen because you know that he doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s just as scared as you are, so why not find comfort in the person that’s supposed to be in your life forever? You squeeze his hand and rest your head on his shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms before sighing deeply. Everything is about to change.

Your soulmate hums in consideration, shifting his body closer to you to make you more comfortable. “Well I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to college so I can be an adult,” he confesses. “I’m going because I want to get drunk off my ass with my friends.”

You roll your eyes at his joke, sitting up straight so you could playfully shove him. “Oh shut up, Taeyong, you know you’re gonna be the best astronomer out there.”

He shrugs in response, fiddling with your hand in his lap as he looks out at the trees in front of you. “We’ll see. Life is crazy; we might end up somewhere we weren’t even expecting.”

And Taeyong was right. Life is crazy. Yours and Taeyong’s first year at university was hard. You were pursuing a major in economics while Taeyong was pursuing a major in physics with a concentration in astronomy. The two of you were so stressed your first year that you barely got to meet in your dreams because neither of you had any; you just slept. Your lives were: wake up, go to class, do work for the rest of the day, find some time to eat in between all of that, and then sleep just enough to keep you alive.

But you knew that you couldn’t do this for another 3 years. You ended up switching to a major in food science and nutrition with a minor in business while Taeyong switched to a major in plant science. During your time at university, the two of you tried as best as you could to remember where the other went to school so you could try to meet somewhere in the middle but the most you could remember by the end of your third year was that you both go to school in Seoul.

(“You remember that we’re both in Seoul, so that’s good!” Taeyong reassures you one night as you whine about still not being able to meet each other. “We’re one step closer!”

“Yong, Seoul is huge and there’s so many universities here. How are we supposed to narrow it down?” you pout as you lean forward to rest your forehead against his chest.

Taeyong sighs and pats your head, not knowing what else to say because he knows you’re right. But he won’t give up hope; he knows he’ll see you soon. Just as he’s about to answer, the room around you goes dark and you hear the creaking of floorboards above you. He can see the fear in your eyes when he meets your gaze and his heart begins to pound. There’s a loud bang from upstairs and you immediately run out of the building you were in.

“You know, I’m really starting to hate your dreams. Maybe this is why we can’t remember anything, because we’re too busy running for our lives like we’re in a horror movie!”

When you woke up that morning, all you could remember was that he hates being in your dreams.)

By the beginning of your last year, the two of you agreed to stop trying so hard to meet each other. You assume that the universe just isn’t ready for the two of you to meet yet so you might as well enjoy just spending time with each other. Taeyong agrees and surprisingly, it works. You start to remember more and more about him—small things like his dog’s name and that the scar next to his eye resembles a rose—so you start to write them down. You even make a list of things that happen every day that you would want to tell him just in case you see each other that night.

Last night, you finally remembered the recipe for his banana bread, something that took you nearly an entire year to learn. You grab your journal from your desk and write down the recipe, humming in satisfaction when you write down the last ingredient. You read over the other things you’ve learned about Taeyong over the years—his favorite color is pink, he has a dog named Ruby and she is one of the 4 most important women in his life (“Who are the others?” “You, my mom, and my sister obviously!”), he has 4 tattoos—and hear his voice in the back of your head from your first year reassuring you.

We’re one step closer.

You place the finished drink on the counter just as the bell above the door jingles, alerting you to your first customer of the day. “One medium iced caramel macchiato with almond milk,” you announce, holding out a straw and napkin for Kun to take as he walks up to you with half-closed eyes. “Busy night last night?” you tease him as he takes his first sip, laughing when you see his body relax at the first taste of caffeine. “That one’s on me since you look like you need it.”

“Xiaojun had his friends over last night,” Kun complains as he takes a seat at the counter to be near you, tracing the letters of the coffee shop's name that’s on the cup sleeve as he talks. “It’s nice living with him since we’re cousins and all but him and his friends are such enablers. But I beat all of them at Mario Kart last night, so it was worth it I guess.”

You hum in understanding and pick up a towel to clean off the counters, knowing that the usual morning rush would come in soon and you wouldn’t get a chance to clean when it did. “So what I’m hearing is that it’s actually your fault, is that right?”

“They’re enablers, Y/N, I’m telling you!” your best friend protests, his words a bit muffled due to the straw in his mouth as he takes another sip. “They know that I can’t resist playing Mario Kart when I’m drunk!”

“They got you drunk?” you repeat. “I’m starting to think that I don’t even know who you are anymore, Kun. Getting drunk on a Sunday night knowing you have work the next morning? Doesn’t sound like my best friend if you ask me.”

Kun rolls his eyes at you but just as he’s about to respond, the bell above the door jingles (quite violently) and another customer walks in with a “Good morning, Busy Bean!” You look up to find Donghyuck walking towards you, a wide smile on his face and his right hand hidden behind his back.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Kun grumbles, gathering up his stuff as soon as he hears the younger boy’s voice.

You laugh at that, knowing that the only reason Kun dislikes Donghyuck is because he works for the new florist across the street. But Kun’s just funny like that sometimes. He had been the only florist in town and everybody knew about his shop, A Thousand Petals. The place was beautiful and Kun was good at what he did. But then a couple of months ago, the competition rolled in. At least, that’s what it was for him. To you, the new flower shop across the street from you meant nothing other than the fact that they had replaced the burger joint that nobody went to. And let’s just say that Kun didn’t appreciate being surprised with competition on a Monday morning while being handed his daily macchiato. You gave him free coffee for a week to make up for it.

“Bye Kun!” Donghyuck shouts happily, waving to him energetically even though your best friend only grunts in response. He walks up to the counter and reveals what he was hiding behind his back: a bundle of daisies. “Some pretty flowers for a pretty girl,” he says as he hands them over to you.

You accept them with a smile, thanking him as you put them in a mason jar in front of the register. “What’ll it be today, sunshine? The usual?” you ask, even though you’re already punching in the order for 2 iced Americanos.

Donghyuck blushes at your nickname for him and his lovestruck eyes staring at you doesn’t escape your notice. You’ve grown used to the boy’s antics and know that his flirting is meaningless. “Nope,” he replies, popping the ‘p’ as he leans against the counter. “Just a muffin please. And can I get it warm?”

You nod and put in his order, taking his cash and then smiling when you see him put the change in the tip jar. “So why no coffee today?” you ask as you put his muffin in the oven. “You guys find a place better than mine?”

The boy’s jaw drops at this, his posture straightening as he looks at you in shock. “Y/N, how dare you even suggest that. You know that there’s no coffee place better than yours!” He takes one of the flowers from the jar and starts fiddling with it, his smile widening when Johnny, one of your employees, comes out from the back. “Johnny!”

Johnny’s eyes widen at the sight of him and he freezes, his cup of coffee only midway to his mouth. “Damn, I thought you’d be gone already,” he mumbles, the two of you laughing as the boy starts fake crying. Johnny takes out the muffin from the oven and hands it to Hyuck after putting it in a bag. “Thanks for coming to The Busy Bean, we hope to never see you again.”

You push Johnny on to the floor, throwing a towel at his face as you chuckle. “Johnny, stop being mean to Hyuck and go clean the tables before Mrs. Choi complains again about them being dirty.” You ignore his noise of complaint in favor of turning back to the boy still in front of you who’s already started eating.

“His Majesty doesn’t want coffee yet,” he shrugs, crumbs falling from his mouth as he answers your question. “But you know he’s a caffeine addict so he’ll probably send me over during my lunch break.” He throws out the bag and puts the flower that he left lying on the counter back into the jar. “Speaking of which, I should probably head back. See you in a few hours!”

You wave goodbye to him and watch as he crosses the street to the flower shop. Donghyuck is an interesting kid. When you first look at him, you wouldn’t think that he works at a flower shop but you found out he’s only working there for the summer because he starts university in the fall. And his cousin’s the one that owns the place so it was a guaranteed job (“My mom and his mom actually had to convince him to let me work there but you know, I basically already had it.”). Ever since he first walked into your store, he’s been trying to set you up with his cousin, swearing up and down that the two of you would be great together. You’ve always laughed it off though since you weren’t particularly looking for anything and you weren’t about to take advice from an 18 year old.

“Here they come,” Johnny announces, running back to stand behind the counter with you as the morning rush comes in. You notice that the crowd seems to be bigger than usual and you feel nervous; The Busy Bean had just recently gone through some construction and had expanded but your new employees haven’t finished training so they can’t start working until next week. Johnny can tell that you’re nervous and places a hand on your shoulder, and when you look up at him, you see him smiling down at you. “Don’t be nervous, we’ll be fine! We always are.”

When you were in college, Johnny was the first friend that you made. Being without Kun was weird and scary even though he was only a 30 minute subway ride away from you but luckily, the boy living across the hall from you was there to provide you with company. The two of you did everything together—when you weren’t busy with labs and presentations and he wasn’t busy with his research and papers, that is. You even applied for jobs at the Starbucks on campus at the beginning of your junior year, and you were pretty sure the manager would have fired the both of you for always goofing off if you weren’t his best employees.

But the day that you knew he was going to be in your life for a long time was when you finally told him your dream of opening your own coffee shop. It was something that only Kun knew, too embarrassed to tell anyone else after your parents had told you that it would never happen. Johnny had surprised you that day, promising to be your first employee once it happened. You watch him from your place behind the coffee machine, watching him talk to Mr. Park from the restaurant that the two of you always go to with a smile on his face. Aside from Kun and your store, Johnny is all you have and when he notices you staring at him and makes a face at you, you thank the universe for putting him in your life.

“I have returned!” Donghyuck announces when he walks into the cafe, true to his word about returning during his lunch break. Behind him is a man who looks to be only a few years older than him with hair the exact same color as coffee foam. You’ve never seen him before but Hyuck apparently knows him as you watch him drag the older boy up to the counter. “2 medium iced Americanos please,” he says to Johnny in a cute voice, pouting when the man behind the register denies him his order with no emotion in his voice.

“Where’s your manager? I need to tell her you’re being mean to me,” Hyuck says as he sticks his tongue out at Johnny. You walk over with their coffee and place it down on the counter with a laugh, bumping Johnny with your hip to get him away from the register.

“Maybe Johnny wouldn’t be mean to you if you didn’t try to annoy him every time you’re here, sunshine,” you tease him as you take his money. Johnny hands them straws and napkins, making sure to stick his tongue out at the teenager in retaliation. You shake your head at him when he sees that you notice. You’re surrounded by children.

“Oh, this is the owner of The Busy Bean by the way,” Hyuck says to his cousin, smirking when he notices a blush beginning to form on his cheeks. “You know, the girl that you said you think is cute when you first saw h-”

“Hi, nice to meet you,” the older boy greets you very loudly as he cuts off Donghyuck, reaching out to shake your hand with blazing cheeks. “I’m- Uh- I-I’m TY.”

You shake his hand as you stifle a giggle, finding the blush on his face cute. Donghyuck on the other hand does nothing to hide his laugh, just narrowly avoiding an elbow in his side from his cousin. “Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. I wasn’t aware that I would be in the presence of royalty today otherwise I would have rolled out the red carpet.”

“I wasn’t aware that, uh, you have such a nice smile,” the florist compliments you, making you smile as you thank him. “Your teeth are pretty,” he blurts out and you feel your smile falter as you process the compliment. Your teeth are… pretty? Johnny and Hyuck attempt to stifle their laughter at the man’s outburst, the man in question turning red as a tomato when he realizes what he said to you. He slowly starts to back away, pulling Donghyuck by the back his shirt towards the exit as he stutters out, “U-Uh I mean- S-Sorry that was weird- You uh-”

“Watch out!” you warn him, noticing a customer looking down at their phone pushing open the door right into his back.

TY lets out an ‘oof!’ as the door hits him, stumbling forward and tripping over his own feet to regain his balance. The coffee in his hand wasn’t so lucky however, spilling all over the floor and some of it even getting on Hyuck’s white shoes. The two of them quickly rush over to get napkins, TY sputtering out apology after apology as he cleans up the mess on the floor while his cousin whines about the coffee on his new shoes. You quickly get to work on making him a new coffee while Johnny deals with the new customer.

The pair quickly exit after you give TY his coffee, and you’re able to hear Hyuck saying, “I’m telling your mom that you spilled coffee on my new shoes. Also who the fuck calls you ‘TY’, why didn’t you just tell your name like a normal person? I can’t believe I’m related to-” before the door closes.

“Do you think that guy’s ever gonna come back?” Johnny asks you after the customer had left, gesturing towards the flower shop.

You can see Hyuck dancing in the middle of the store while the owner laughs and you can’t help but smile. You wonder what his laugh sounds like. “I hope so.”

As you’re getting ready for bed that night, you open up the notes app on your phone to read over what you wanted to tell Taeyong about in case you saw him tonight. Even on slow days, you usually have at least one or two things to tell him, but tonight you find it empty. You hadn’t thought about him all day.

Taeyong surprises both himself and Hyuck when he decides to go back to The Busy Bean only a week after what his cousin likes to call The Incident™ (he even says “trademark” out loud, what a weirdo). The man usually isn’t one to be this brave but he can’t deny the pull that he feels towards you. You’re cute, you have a nice laugh, and he wants to make you smile again. And your iced Americanos are unmatched. Starbucks who?

Walking into the cafe, he immediately feels his hands start to sweat at the sight of you. Your hair looks extra shiny today and you’re dancing along to the song that’s playing with Johnny (kind of badly, but it’s pretty cute). Taking a deep breath, he repeats the simple order in his head one more time. One medium iced Americano, one medium iced caramel coffee, and 2 cake pops. (“If I don’t get to go, then you have to make it up to me somehow!” Hyuck protested when Taeyong told him to watch the store while he went to get coffee. So cake pops it is.) When you see Taeyong walking towards the counter, you give him the biggest smile and he swears his heart skips a beat. He knows he’s going to end up with Y/N eventually but wow, this girl sure knows how to take his breath away.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty,” you greet him, your cheeks still slightly pink from your laughing and dancing. Taeyong notices a daisy tucked behind your ear and he realizes that it’s one of the daisies that he had shoved into Hyuck’s hands and told him to bring when he went to the store just last week. The man feels his heart skip a beat at that; you look like a goddess. “Didn’t think we would see you back here so soon. Our red carpet is at the dry cleaner’s unfortunately.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Taeyong shrugs, playing along with your teasing. “I get treated better here than I do at my own shop anyways. Hyuck won’t stop bringing up last week to literally everyone we know.” He blushes when he brings up the events of last week but he feels immensely better when you laugh. “Thank you for replacing my coffee by the way. I can pay for it now since I left so quickly last time.”

“That one was on the house,” you say, waving your hand in the air. “Anyways, what can I get for you today?”

Taeyong makes sure to come back at least twice a week after that, much to Donghyuck’s dismay. Each time he comes, he has to force himself to go back to his own store rather than staying and talking with you and Johnny. He finds himself growing more and more comfortable with your presence, his words coming more easily to him the more he’s around you. The conversation even turns flirty at some point, something that he didn’t even think he was capable of since graduating college. Sure he’s had a few lay it on pretty thick with him when they come into the store but middle aged women aren’t exactly his type. You are more his type, if he’s being honest. You and his soulmate, Y-

“Your name is Y/N?!” Taeyong all but squeaks out, his voice cracking as he drags his eyes from Johnny to you. Could you be…?

Both you and Johnny blink at him, not understanding where this sudden outburst came from. “Uh yeah, why? Is there something wrong with that?” you joke as you continue to make his drink.

Taeyong mentally shakes it off, subtly rolling his shoulders to rid himself of the unnecessary excitement he just felt. It’s probably just a coincidence. The universe seems to like mocking him, apparently. There’s no way he would just randomly find his soulmate like this. He couldn’t even remember where she ended up living after graduating college. “It’s nothing,” he says while shaking his head, giving Johnny a small smile as he hands over his cash. He notices the withering daisies in front of the register and makes a mental note to bring some fresh ones next time. “I’ve just always liked that name. I think it’s pretty.”

When you first created The Busy Bean, you hadn’t thought of incorporating flowers until Kun brought up that you had said you wanted to make it stand out from other cafes. That and the fact that the store’s name is based off of “a busy bee” and that, in the words of Kun, “your best friend just so happens to be the owner of the best flower shop in the city.” Unfortunately for you, your best friend and the owner of the best flower shop in the city won’t be around for an entire week because of a family emergency. And because of the store’s recent expansion and being so busy with training all of your new hires, it had completely slipped your mind to order new flowers for next month’s theme. When you had said all of this to Johnny during a lull in the morning rush, all he said in response was, “That’s rough, buddy.” (The two of you have been rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender together recently.) What a great best friend.

After making sure that Johnny and the new hires knew exactly what they would be doing during the closing shift, you take a deep breath and do the one thing that you know Kun will never forgive you for once he finds out. “He’ll forgive you, you have no other choice,” you whisper to yourself as you cross the street towards Bloomin’ Love. You open the door and are greeted by the fresh smell of flowers, a Yiruma song softly playing in the background and fitting the atmosphere perfectly as the setting sun shines golden light into the store. It felt like you had entered a magical world.

“Welcome to Bloomin’ Love,” Hyuck greets you, not even looking up from his phone as he leans against the front counter. “Is there anything I can help you with today?”

“I don’t think your boss would be very happy if he found out that you were using your phone while there’s a customer in the store,” you tease him as you walk up to the counter, laughing when Hyuck scrambles to hide his phone and looks up with wide eyes.

The boy’s shoulders immediately deflate when he sees that it’s just you, placing his phone in front of him as he smiles at you. “Y/N, I didn’t think I would ever see you in here. Did you and Kun get into a fight or something? Did he finally get mad that you’re ‘fraternizing with the enemy’s cousin because I’m trying to get you to fraternize with the enemy’?”

You shake your head, explaining, “Kun’s out of town, he has no idea that I’m here right now. I actually need to talk to TY, is he here? I have a big order because I need new flowers for The Busy Bean next month.”

Donghyuck nods as he points towards the back, an area that you assume is restricted to customers since it’s behind the counter. “He’s in his office right now. Let me just tell him you’re here really quickly.”

He walks away quickly before you even have a chance to nod, so you take a look at the flowers around the shop. Directly behind you are bouquets of roses but what really strikes your interest are the magnolia flowers and plum blossoms along your left. You lean down to smell them, their floral scent overwhelming your senses and making you feel even calmer than you already did.

“Plum blossoms are one of my favorite flowers,” a voice says from behind you, making you jump and bump into whoever it was. You feel hands on your waist that help steady you as you sway on your feet, your eyes coming up to meet those of the man you were looking for. “Sorry about that,” TY chuckles, the tips of his ears pink as he withdraws his hands from you. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Donghyuck said you’re looking for me?”

You nod frantically, before explaining your situation to him, his eyes never leaving you as you talk. “I usually give Kun complete creative control because I don’t know much about flowers and which ones bloom during which season.”

TY nods understandingly, humming as he thinks and scans over the various plants in the store. “Flowers that only bloom during spring…” He begins to walk around, with you following a few steps behind him, his hands hovering over the flowers and his fingers occasionally brushing over their petals as he looks at each one carefully. TY suddenly stops in his tracks, one hand resting on a peony before he suddenly turns to you with a wide grin on his face. “I think I have some ideas.”

The florist brings you back to his office, and you think you see Hyuck wink at the both of you as you follow his cousin to the back but when you get a closer look, the boy’s already assumed his previous position of scrolling on his phone. As of recently, the teenager has been teasing you more and more for what he assumes are the beginnings of feelings for his cousin. And even though you swear up and down that the two of you are just friends, you can’t help but think about the possibilities some nights. Which makes you feel guilty because what about Taeyong? Your dreams with him have felt different lately, both of you distracted at one point or another, the conversation becoming awkward at some points because the both of you know that something has changed. Is this the universe testing you? Putting a man that you feel yourself growing more and more fond of with every passing day just to see if you’ll reject him in favor of the partner that it has chosen for you?

“Y/N?” the florist calls out, his hand waving in front of your face to get your attention. You jump slightly in your seat, eyes meeting his after you’re pulled out of your thoughts. “You still with me? I asked if you could give me a floor plan or something of where you put all of your flowers.”

“Oh sorry,” you apologize, heart pounding in your chest at getting caught zoning out. You pull the floor plan that you and Kun had first made 2 years ago and hand it over to TY, your eyes tracing the veins in his hands as he smooths out the paper on his desk. His hands look like they would be really nice to hold. Wait what? No, stop, think about Taeyong.

TY shares his general thought process with you, lightly drawing circles and arrows on the paper to show you where he pictures bunches of hyacinth and jasmine would be. Names like Barberton daisy, dogwood, azalea, and peony are mentioned while you nod along enthusiastically, not really knowing what any of them look like but trusting the vision in the man’s head completely. As he’s talking, you can’t help but get lost in the sound of his voice, the passion and flow of his words making your heart swell. As guilty as it makes you feel, you couldn’t help the feelings that you could feel blooming in your heart for the florist.

The two of you stand once TY is done sharing his ideas and you’ve run out of questions to ask. You force yourself to leave rather than think up an excuse to spend more time with him, his laughter paired with the way he looks at you dangerous for your pounding heart and overly imaginative brain. He says goodbye to you with a wave but not before handing you a business card with the store’s number should you have any more questions. As you’re walking out, you can hear Hyuck teasing his cousin, and when you turn around to spare TY one last glance, you can see a blush on his cheeks as he quickly looks away, as if he was caught staring.

Just before you get into bed that night, you take one last look at the business card that you had been given just hours ago. When you read the name on the card, you feel as if time itself has come to a stop. Your breathing turns shallow as you bring the card closer to you, squeezing your eyes shut and then opening them just in case it was some weird trick of the light. But it wasn’t. Right there on the card is the one name that you weren’t expecting at all.

Lee Taeyong.

It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a-

You feel yourself being pulled down into the water, a hand wrapped around your ankle dragging you down to the bottom of the pool. You kick with all of your strength at the invisible attacker, your lungs screaming for air as you thrash in the water. A pair of arms wrap around your waist and pull you out of the water, the person screaming at you to stand as they tug on your arm. Coughing your lungs out, you can just barely make out Taeyong’s blurry form as he runs out onto the empty street with your hand in his.

Suddenly, an SUV with its lights on appears behind you, the driver revving the engine and accelerating very quickly towards the two of you. You just barely dodge it, the vehicle only inches away from Taeyong’s body as you pull him towards a dark house. You climb over fences and run through yards, neither of you daring to say a word in fear of whoever is after you being near. Your hand stays in his the entire time, too scared of getting separated to let go.

You see a light approaching you and duck behind some garbage cans, willing your breathing and heart rate to slow so that you could listen for any footsteps. Taeyong quivers beside you in fear, his hand squeezing yours and when you look over at him, you can only imagine how scared he must look right now. Looking at him, you realize that there was something you wanted to talk about tonight but with every single nerve being on edge since you’re, you know, running for your life, you can’t remember what it is for the life of you. Lights from the SUV pass by, gravel crunching underneath the tires as the car goes by you very slowly. You pray to every higher power out there that they don’t catch you and you release a quiet sigh of relief when you see the car turn and drive farther away from you.

“Have I ever told you how much I hate being in your dreams?” Taeyong murmurs, his grip on your hand loosening but still not letting go. “Because I really hate being here right now.”

You huff out a laugh before slowly standing up to brush the dirt off of you. Just as you’re about to respond, you feel a hand clap over your mouth, Taeyong’s eyes widening as he screams and reaches out for you. Something sharp presses against your back just as you hear a gunshot, blood quickly soaking into Taeyong’s pants from getting shot in the thigh, before everything goes black.

You have to stop yourself from looking over your shoulder every 5 minutes because of the intense nightmare that you had yesterday. The feeling of being watched lingered with you all morning, something that Johnny noticed and was concerned about at first until you told him the reason you were acting so paranoid and jumpy. Then he just ended up teasing you and even scared you in front of a customer, falling on the floor laughing when it happened. But you couldn’t help it, the dream just felt so real and it didn’t help that Taeyong, an actual person, was there with you to make it seem all the more real. You wonder how he must be handling it, you know he’s not the biggest fan of horror movies or scary things in general.

You decide to visit Bloomin’ Love during your lunch break, the questions that you wanted to ask Taeyong still unanswered. But if you’re right and Taeyong actually is TY, then you would get your answer in a few minutes. Except it turns out that you won’t be getting your answers today.

“What do you mean he’s not here?” you ask Hyuck in disbelief, even looking towards the back to check if the office light is on in case he’s just playing a joke. “He’s your boss and one of the two people that work here, why are you here and he isn’t?”

The boy shrugs before hopping up to sit on the counter, long legs swinging as he bops along to the music that’s playing from what you assume is his own playlist. “He was here when I got here this morning but then he left after an hour and told me he’s taking the rest of the day off because he’s been feeling anxious all morning. Something about having a nightmare last night? It must have been really bad for him to take a day off because you and I both know that this store is basically his baby.”

He had a nightmare?

The bell above the door jingles as a customer comes in and immediately approaches the two of you to ask for help. You back away to let Hyuck do his job, bidding him goodbye before heading back to The Busy Bean. Hyuck’s words swirl around your head, the conversation replaying over and over as you take out the business card that you put in your pocket this morning to look at the name printed on it.

Taeyong. Lee Taeyong, the owner of Bloomin’ Love. Lee Taeyong, who introduced himself to you as TY. Lee Taeyong, your soulmate.

After that, you become distracted during work, your eyes constantly looking at the clock to see how much longer until your shift is over. Of course the one day that you find out who your soulmate is, the one day that it would be super convenient to be able to leave work early, is the day one of your new workers can’t come in because they got food poisoning the night before. You don’t even know what you’re going to do once your shift is over though. The number on the card is the store number and you already know that Taeyong isn’t there. Maybe you could just ask Hyuck to give you his number? But then what? What would you even say? “Hey TY, it’s Y/N. Hyuck told me that you had a nightmare last night so I think you might be my soulmate”?

The universe, however, seems to have your back. At the end of your shift, just as you’re saying goodbye to Johnny and Jaemin, one of your new hires, you hear a very familiar voice call out your name. And when you turn around, there stands the exact man that you’ve been hoping but not expecting to see all day. You can’t help but smile widely when you see him and nod when he asks if you want to sit.

“These are for you, by the way,” he says as he gives you a small bouquet of pink forget-me-nots. “Pink is my favorite color but they reminded me of you when I saw them in the store just now.”

You thank them as you take the flowers from his hands, inhaling deeply before placing them down on the table. “You were in the store? Hyuck told me you took the day off.”

“I stopped by just to make sure he didn’t burn the place down,” TY chuckles and he sounds… nervous? Looking at him, you notice that he’s barely making eye contact with you, taking more interest in tracing the tattoo of a lavender plant that’s on his inner forearm. You wonder if he knows what you know, or at least what you think you know. You wonder if maybe he’s even known this entire time.

“Do you have a soulmate, TY?” you blurt out, too impatient to indulge him with more small talk.

He looks up at you with wide eyes at your question and you watch as the tips of his ears turn red. “I-I do,” he responds while nodding simultaneously.

“What are they like?” you ask him, telling yourself to calm down and to make sure that you’re right. It would be really embarrassing if you aren’t.

“She’s the girl of my dreams,” he jokes, laughing loudly when you groan and roll your eyes at his dumb joke. “She really is though. She’s really smart and knows exactly what she wants from life. She’s extremely hard-working but she also knows when she needs to stop and relax. She really likes strawberry cake and also likes stargazing. I actually tried making a move on her when we first met because I was young and dumb but then she told me that her boyfriend of 2 years had just broken up with her, so I felt extremely stupid that night.”

You feel like your heart is about to burst out of your chest at his words and you know that you must have a funny look on your face because TY- no, Taeyong is looking at you strangely. “What about you?” he asks, his wide eyes and head that’s tilted slightly to the side reminding you of a puppy. “What’s your soulmate like?”

You laugh and take a deep breath, mustering all of the courage to pour all of the love you’ve been wanting to show Taeyong all these years into your words. “He’s the best, honestly, I’m really lucky that he’s my soulmate,” you say softly, your eyes not once leaving Taeyong’s as you speak. “He’s really goofy and not at all afraid to be who he is. He’s very supportive too; Johnny and Kun were always there for me when college got hard, especially when I switched my major, but it was his words that always kept me going. His favorite color is pink and he absolutely adores his mom, he swears up and down that her kimchi jjigae is the best in the entire world. When we first met, he-”

You stop to look at Taeyong and you see tears in his eyes, a soft smile on his face as he listens to you talk. You take a shuddering breath and lift your hand to gently take his hand in yours; he knows. “When we first met, he told me about his grandpa and how his love for the stars came from him.” You see a single tear cascade down Taeyong’s cheek and you reach out to wipe it away. With a watery laugh, you say, “He also told me that he ended up breaking his grandpa’s telescope after he died.”

Taeyong rests his forehead against your joined hands as he laughs, his eyelashes wet with tears and his eyes shining when he looks back up at you. “I finally found you,” he whispers in awe. “After all of these years, the universe finally put you right in front of me and I didn’t even know.”

“That day, when you said that you think my name is pretty,” you say, his words playing in your mind as you remember the day you’re talking about, “did you know?”

“I was suspicious but I thought it was too good to be true,” Taeyong says as he shakes his head in disbelief. “I thought that there was no way that the girl I’ve been dreaming about for 6 years just so happens to own the coffee shop across the street.” He raises your hands to his lip to kiss the back of yours and you feel so happy that it feels like you’re practically vibrating in your seat.

You’re about to respond when you hear Johnny call out, “Hey lovebirds, keep it PG! There are kids in here!” The two of you turn your heads towards the direction of his voice to find not only Johnny behind the counter but also Kun and Hyuck standing there.

“Did you forget about our plans, Y/N?” Kun calls out teasingly, a smirk on his face as his eyes flicker from your hand in Taeyong’s to your face.

“Oh fuck,” you whisper, head turning to look at Taeyong with wide eyes.

He smiles at you reassuringly, kissing the back of your hand once more before letting go. “I’ll call you later?”

You nod enthusiastically, the two of you exchanging numbers before you stand up. You look up at Taeyong, not yet wanting to leave his presence. You can feel the warmth radiating off of his body and there’s a familiar pull in your stomach and this time, you allow yourself to indulge in it. He leans down just as you lean up, and as cliche as it is, it really does feel like you’re the only two there when you kiss. Taeyong tugs one of the flowers from your grasp and breaks off part of the stem, tucking the forget-me-not behind your ear and rubbing your cheek with his thumb before pressing one more kiss to your forehead and murmuring a “see you tomorrow” against your skin.

Waking up the next morning, you let yourself indulge in thoughts of yesterday, the events leading up to the kiss replaying in your head and making butterflies erupt in your stomach all over again. You and Taeyong had agreed to go on your first date today after work and you wish that someone could invent a time machine so you could just skip the work day and go on your date already.

You sit up in bed and feel every ounce of happiness drain out of you, your surroundings unfamiliar to you. The walls are still the same color but the books on your shelf are different, your floor is carpeted, and who the heck are those people you’re with in the pictures on your wall? You even look out the window to find a completely different view. Where the hell are you?

It suddenly hits you that you’re back in the real world—or your reality at least. The past 8 years have basically just been one long dream. You jump out of bed and rush to the bathroom to check to see if there were any visible signs of aging. You let out a sigh of relief when you realize that you still look the exact same and go back to your room to check the date on your phone just to confirm. There’s an envelope with your name on it beside your phone and you feel a sense of déjà vu as you rip it open.

Dear Y/N,

Welcome back! Hopefully you’re not too disoriented after returning to our reality but I wrote this letter just in case. It’s only been a day since we first met so don’t worry, everything in your old life is still the same as it was. It’ll take a few days for memories from your life here to resurface so just take it easy for now. You should still have your memories from your alternate universe and your soulmate should have them too, so all you have to do is find them! I know this sounds hard but don’t worry; as I’m sure you already know, the universe works in mysterious ways~

See you soon, Cyan xoxo

You let yourself plop back down onto your bed, giving yourself a few minutes to process everything before taking a deep breath. Taeyong. You have to find Taeyong. Getting out of bed, you decide you get dressed and get ready for the day, a memory of your friend Yuna telling you about the new cafe across town resurfacing, so you decide to go there. You feel too cooped up in your apartment, you need to do something.

Passing by the window of the cafe, you can’t believe your eyes when you see Cyan sitting at one of the tables. She smiles at you through the window while lifting a mug in greeting and you rush to enter the coffee shop, your hands shaking at your side as you approach her. “Good to see you, Y/N,” she greets you, standing up just as you sit opposite her. You’re about to stand as well before she gently pushes you back down with a hand on your shoulder. “These are for you,” she says as she hands you a small bouquet of pink forget-me-nots. You look down at the flowers, memories of the past 8 years (yesterday?) overwhelming you but you shake it off and look up, only to find Cyan gone. You look around frantically but it’s like she disappeared, completely vanished in thin air as you look around the coffee shop and even out the window. With a huff, you put the flowers on the table and settle your chin on your hand as you wonder what to do next.

“Are you finished with this?” an employee asks you as they point at Cyan’s empty coffee mug.

You look up, about to answer, when your breath catches in your throat, your eyes meeting very familiar brown ones that widen at the same exact time as yours. Before you stands Taeyong, a brown apron with the words “Wake Up Cafe” embroidered on it in gold tied around his waist. Standing up, you reach out to grab one of the flowers and break off part of the stem before slowly reaching out and tucking it behind his ear. His hair is different, a little longer and a dark grey color with bits of silver rather than the light brown that you’re used to, but you see the rose-shaped scar beside his shining eyes and you feel like you could cry. Taeyong’s hands cup your face and his thumbs come up to brush away tears that you didn’t even notice, the distance between your lips and his slowly decreasing.

His lips brush over yours and his eyes flicker back and forth between your eyes and your lips. “Found you.”

You chuckle at his words and close the distance, and you wonder if springtime feels just as good for the blooming flowers as the love that you can feel blooming in your chest when you kiss Taeyong.

673 notes · View notes