#the punctuation and lack of emojis | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

soobadnoonecanstopher · 8 months

Text

Can I Stay? (A Baekhyun Story) Part 19.

Pairing: You x Baekhyun

Rating: M (Mature)

Word Count: 7.8K

Warnings: oh hey, everybody likes smut, right? Good. Phone sex and swear words for grown-ups. Texting without proper spelling or punctuation.

A romance between two adults with an unspecified age difference between them, an English story that uses the word Noona for lack of another word in English that carries the same feeling, if you don’t like this, then don’t read this story.

Part 1, ….. Part 18, Part 19, Part 20

Links: Masterlist

It was the first morning in a long while that you woke up alone.

There had never been any definite decision made on which side of the bed was yours and which side was his; but Baekhyun’s side of the bed was cold.

It only took you a second to recover from the disappointment that surged through you. You’d reached a hand out to touch his skin and all that brushed over your fingertips was the flat lifeless bedspread that covered your bed.

After the disappointment came a quick judgment on your own silliness.

You’d just been with him yesterday. You ought to have had your fill of him by now, with as much of him as you’d had lately.

With the slip of your hand over the expanse beside you on this bed, your fingertips brushed higher over the soft plushness of the pillow; his pillow. He hadn’t purchased it himself, nor had he played any part in its selection yet if there was anything in this bed that belonged to that man more than you, it was this pillow.

You turned toward it, scooting yourself over the bed and feeling like an addict desperate for a fix, you turned your face into that pillow and you inhaled a deep breath through your nose and through your parted lips, desperation at its lowest point — a day after the party junkie licking every last speck of white dust left on the glass coffee table — catching the slightest, and I really do mean slightest hints of the smell of his shampoo. You inhaled again, deeper and slower this time and all hints of that fragrance vanished as if you had only imagined smelling it in the first place.

What a silly human being you were.

You rolled again, this time away from his vanishing scent, you reached for your plugged in cell phone and your hands moved of their own volition easily finding the one and only contact that sat at the very top of your most recent message history, opening his chat window and you typed out a quick message to your Assistant Byun.

‘I woke up alone and hated it.’

Your message to Baekhyun sat unread for exactly ten seconds before the status changed and your stomach fluttered to hear the tiny hopeful ticking sounds that accompanied those three rolling dots as he typed his response.

‘aww… :(‘

‘u miss me?’

‘already?’

‘i was just there last night’

‘you cant posibly miss me alredy’

‘big baby’

His responses came in rapid succession. Baekhyun texted like he talked. Rapid fire messages one after another; sometimes stream of consciousness thoughts of his with typos and most times, a complete and probably intentional disregard for spelling and punctuation. He was your favorite.

‘I even smelled your pillow :(‘ You tried out the emoji he had used, even going so far out of your comfort zone as to remove the period at the end of your sentence. Your next attempt at casual chatting with your boyfriend had you reverting to your old ways. You just couldn't do it — the shortened words and silly faces. It made you feel like an imposter.

‘I miss you. Yes, yes, I know. Already. I feel silly enough having smelled your pillow.’

‘so…’

‘did it smell like me?’

‘Not really.’

‘hehehe’

‘u miss me XD lemme see’

’Wait… what do you want to see, Baekhyun?’ It felt like such an abstract concept that you weren't quite sure what he was asking of you.

‘u’

‘u missing me’

So you leaned into it — your own little silly pity-party. You lifted your phone up, opening your camera to snap a quick selfie. Before you had a chance to scrutinize yourself too much for the obviously barely awake face that was still puffy from sleep, you sent it to him, knowing he would see your bare face and pouting expression.

You hoped he wouldn't immediately know the truth behind that dark look in your eyes that told of things like interrupted dreams of his lips and his touches; dreams that retold memories of the love-making from the night before. Memories that sent goosebumps over your skin and flooded your veins with heat and desire.

There was a noticeable silence after you sent the picture. It went on for longer than you thought was necessary. The longer the silence dragged on the more this feeling inside of your body crested and surged. It was a frustrated sort of feeling; kind of like being on the verge of a sneeze that just never came.

It wasn’t as if it was a racy picture or anything. This was just you missing him. He had asked for it and everything.

After several moments you heard a sound come from within your chat window and his dots were moving.

‘how do you do that to me?’

‘do you want me to come back?’

‘hmm?’

‘i’ll just cancel everything i have today and just come back to you’

His messages had you reeling. A hundred emotions and memories flooded you at once. The shocking way he always gave in to you. The particularly recent things he had done simply because he could not and would not say no to you. He babied you and gave into your every whim. It felt unsustainable.

‘do u need me? i’ll come’

Surely this man couldn’t keep giving into you this easily. With the memories came the tinge of guilt and slight shame you felt when certain things came back to you; like the sex in your office yesterday, but at a deeper level even something as life altering as him asking you to marry him that night. It had all started with some tiny words from you and just like that, as if the man’s head had only ever been filled with you — Baekhyun had given in so damned easily.

You couldn't be so selfish with his love. You surely couldn't take and take from him without giving back to him tenfold. Your heart wouldn’t allow it.

‘baby?’

He was busy today. He had told you about it already. He had some appointments and some things to take care of. Today was the day for him to get it all done. It was the first weekday he’d had off in such a long time; everything that he had been putting off was backed up and scheduled for today. It was important to him and it should also be important to you that the man was free to do whatever he wanted to do with his free time.

‘No, I have things to do today too. I’m just being a brat. I think waking up with you for so many days in a row has spoiled me.’

It was true. You did have things you had been neglecting. You had laundry to finish and your apartment needed cleaning. There were also some personal hygiene things you needed to take care of like shaving your legs and other similar things to get ready for the sexy dress you’d be wearing tonight. It wasn’t as if you didn’t also have things that you really ought to be doing other than guilting your sweet boyfriend into coming back into your bed just because you woke up from that dream kind of needy and desperate for the warmth of his lips.

‘just say you want me there’

’fuck it all’

‘i will come’

‘Baekhyun. Don't you dare. Didn’t you say you had important things to do today? You don't have to come over every time I complain about something. Sometimes I just need to say it outloud so I can get over it. Yes, I miss you. Yes, I love you. Yes, I just woke up from a dream about you but I’m an adult and I will take care of it. I will see you tonight at the wrap party.’

Your fingers typed out a quick paragraph and the moment you hit send you knew you had said too much. Both literally with how very long that entire message looked with the giant block of letters that practically filled up your phone screen and figuratively with all that you had revealed. You knew your suspicions were right with the incredibly long silence that took over the conversation the moment the message was sent.

He must have still been reading it. But then you saw no signs of life after the message status had changed to read.

Your eyes slid over your words once more and you felt a heat and warmth flood over the back of your neck as you read one particular bit of your embarrassing confession — the dream about him. You’d told him that you’d woken up missing him after the dream. There was only one kind of dream that could have possibly had this sort of an effect.

But where was his response? Was his long silence due to you rebuking him?

You read through the message again.

Baekhyun, don’t you dare.

Had your quick reaction been too much? Did you sound too much like an overbearing manager to him?

You don't have to come over every time I complain about something.

Nagging and admonishing. You could hear it yourself the more times you replayed the words in your own head.

Could he possibly be …upset by your words?

After a full ten minutes of staring at your screen, you had to put the phone down. The long silence had gone on for long enough to make your mood go from worried to genuinely anxious.

Another ten minutes had passed as you puttered around your bedroom trying to distract yourself with gathering occasional bits of laundry that needed attention before you heard your phone buzz.

You hadn’t been the type of woman to leap across your bedroom, plopping down hastily on your bed to reach for your buzzing telephone before. Baekhyun had changed so much about who you thought you were.

Sitting inside your text window, silent and unassuming was a voice note complete with the graphic ups and downs that represented the words he had recorded.

You pressed play, turning up the volume on your speaker so you could hear his voice.

Baekhyun was whispering.

“I nearly walked out the door. I almost left and came to you. They called my name the moment I stood up and I made eye contact — I had to go in — but baby…baby,” he dropped his whispers down even lower with the second ‘baby,’ you heard the smallest whimper turning into a whine.

This was a complaint, it seemed.

“Babyyy~” he went on again, “did you really just tell me you had a sex dream about me and you’re going to take care of it alone? You’re making me fucking crazy. How am I supposed to go on? I can’t stop thinking about it, but I really need to stop thinking about it.” His voice was speeding up. “Shit. I hear someone calling my name.” Between the whispers and the rapid speed with which he pushed the words out of his chest you had trouble actually making out what he was saying.

You could make out bits of it like, “Isweartofuckinggod,’ followed by unintelligible mumbles, then “—popaboner—teethcleaned—fuckingarrested,”

The last bit was said in a single dramatically whispered breath.

His message had you giggling and all at once whatever silly doubts you’d been feeling about your boyfriend had vanished. When the message finished playing you instantly wanted to play it again, only when your phone returned to his message window, you saw another much shorter voice message waiting for you. This one was extremely brief. You were certain he was by now, being ushered into some dental exam chair to deal with whatever internal battle he was fighting all on his own.

The second message from him sat there at only an innocuous and unassuming 7 seconds in length but it beckoned to you so intensely. You pressed play.

“Please,” he began with that same whiney begging tone you heard occasionally from him. It was a familiar sound to you at this stage in your relationship. He used it when he wanted something from you and he wanted to be particularly convincing. You couldn’t think of a single time it hadn’t worked on you. Honestly it didn’t take much from Baekhyun for you to instantly want to give him whatever he wanted. He didn't have to go so hard on the begging; even if you did really enjoy the way it made you feel inside.

His begging though…It felt somehow more desperate this time. “Please-please-please—I would give you anything. My entire fucking soul. Please take care of it and let me — oh fuck — please let me hear you do it.”

This request from him had a slow moving effect on you. At first it didn’t seem like much, but you found yourself transfixed by it. You stared at the tiny voice note with your finger hovering over the play button and before you could help yourself you pressed the button again, holding the phone up closer to your ear so you could clearly make out every stuttered breath between each word he spoke. Between each of his desperate pleas you could make out the labored in and out of the air from his lungs. You could hear the stuttered throaty groans that preceded the next words and the sounds of his begging; the way he seemed to lose control of himself entirely with the curse word that slipped in.

You knew what he wanted.

This wasn’t something you had ever done before.

How would you even manage letting go of yourself enough while also somehow recording the sounds you might make for him.

First and foremost the logistics felt like a pain. Were you supposed to record a voice message just as he had done? Was there some way to record yourself and send it back to him after you listened to yourself? Could you even reach your release knowing you were recording yourself. What about the timing of it all? You weren’t exactly a professional performer. Most of the sounds you made lately had felt entirely outside of your own control; had been pulled straight from within your chest by this very man.

Was he busy? Maybe you just could just call him.

You knew you were overthinking it, but Baekhyun had been so sweet with his request, you had a strong desire to give him what he asked for.

You rolled around on your bed, carrying your phone along for the ride feeling just a little frustrated with yourself now.

It wasn’t as if you didn’t know how to pleasure yourself. Hell, you’d spent the last year desperately single and pathetically alone; too busy with work for a relationship; too burned by the last one to have much interest in any of the men who’d approached you. When you’d finally given up on ever being touched by some other human being Baekhyun steamrolled into your life completely redefining everything you thought you had known about intimacy and sex.

It was the attention he paid to you. It was the way his eyes always bore deep into yours as he held you; as he touched you; as he filled you. He gave you everything without you having to ask. He anticipated what you wanted; he paid attention to your cues and when you didn’t give him everything silently, he straight up asked you what you wanted; sometimes with his words, sometimes with his hand pulling your own hand down to show him; until you felt yourself giving up every single little secret desire you’d ever dreamed of and at last, as the waves of overwhelming pleasure washed over you, you’d be rewarded by his sweet, self-satisfied smile as if he’d unlocked some new secret of the universe; of you, his universe. It was the vulnerability you could see inside his eyes as well.

His vulnerable raw honesty was maybe the sexiest thing about him. He was your very own open book. And the stark contrast between what he showed you and the false bravado or professional persona that he gave to everyone else in his life made you feel as if you were the chosen one. His very special very privileged precious person; the only person with whom he shared his actual true self.

The dream that had started all of this had been just as all-consuming; just as pleasurable; just as vivid. You’d been so overwhelmed lately that this man had seeped deep into your unconscious mind and even at rest, it seemed, you could not escape the magnetism of Byun Baekhyun.

Your hands were roaming over your body. You’d dropped the phone somewhere in the bed sheets. You found that your skin felt hotter under your palms. The short sleep shorts you wore left your legs bare and the silky fabric of the camisole felt smooth under your palms; your skin was flushed below the thin fabric and a pass of your hands over your breasts made your nipples below the shirt pucker and respond to the light touches of your fingers.

The rolling around on your bed landed you somewhere around his pillow and you inhaled a deep breath from the center of it. You could smell him there right in the center of the pillow. It was very slight again, just the tiniest hint of the scent of his shampoo but the smell was undeniably him. He smelled so good. Everything about this man felt so good; but your sniffing over his pillow wasn’t enough. You wanted more of him. If not here in person, you at least wanted his voice in your ear.

“I want you to listen”

“I want you to hear me”

You’d found the phone and keyed out some rapid words to him.

To hell with it all.

“but”

The status of messages quickly changed to read. There was no sign of him typing a response.

“I don’t want to just make a recording to send to you”

He was reading them as soon as you sent them.

“I want you here inside my head”

“You don’t have to speak I just want you to listen”

Your fingers had slipped down to the waistband of your shorts and you slipped your fingertips beneath the elastic of your panties as the scene played out in your head.

Him looking down at down at this phone trying to keep his face neutral for some professional who made notes about his next appointment. Smiling their friendly smile at his handsome face.

“I want to hear you breathing on the line”

“I want you to listen to me cum”

The inaudible curse under his breath as his cheeks darkened. You knew how weak he always was to you. You had first-hand knowledge of the effects you had on him. Although you’d never admit outloud how much you enjoyed playing these little games with him, you were certain he already knew. Certain social rules would also keep him from openly admitting how much he liked this as well and you fully expected a half hearted scolding from him later for teasing him like this while he was out in public.

After too long of a stretch of his silence your phone buzzed. One short buzz and then quickly followed by one more.

“5 min”

“gimme 5 min”

The first few passes of the soft pad of your index and ring fingers within your own substantial wetness had your breaths quickening. How very turned on you felt wasn’t really a surprise to you. You found yourself so attracted to him that some of your days were spent in a constantly needy state of arousal. It was a miracle you had managed to get anything else done at all. The gentle nudges against the most sensitive parts of you felt better — felt even better than anything you’d done alone before, simply because of your knowledge of what Baekhyun knew.

Baekhyun knew exactly what you were doing with those recent thoughts of him coursing through your veins; prickling your skin with goosebumps and heating your skin with desire and arousal and a steady buzzing against your bare thigh pulled your eyes open.

Baekhyun was calling.

You reached for the phone with your unoccupied hand and answered the call; pulling the phone up to your ear to listen for the moment the call connected; for when the sound in your ear brought him to you. You heard the change in audio. Sounds of the world outside of your bed. He was here now. He could hear you.

“Hi,” you let the low breathy single syllable slip off your tongue followed immediately by a quiet sharp inhale of breath. Try as you might, your breathing had already taken on a rather uneven rhythm.

“Are you the only one who can hear me?”

“Ohh…yeah-yeah. Hyung, I’m on my way out. Sorry you had to wait.” Baekhyun was talking into the phone so you could hear him, but not only for you to hear; although he did answer your question in a roundabout way. He was wearing headphones. You’ve seen him do it before; slip one wireless earphone into his ear to take a quick call.

“Good. Only you can hear me.”

The false words he spoke sounded lifted and forced, “Yeah, I’ve been good. Just trying to get out of here quickly. A-Are you close by?”

His veiled question had your eyelids closing and you felt the smile erupt on your face. You bit down on your lip and you hummed out an answer for him.

“Mhmm, I am close.” The words pushed through the airiness in your voice; giving in so easily to your arousal.

“I miss you,” you dropped your voice and whispered into the line. Out of a sense of secrecy, the words came out softer. Even the long drawn out exhale was a tiny gnat buzzing around the room.

“I want you, Baek.” There was a slow moan that built up in the back of your throat as you dipped your fingers lower, slipping one inside of yourself before you pulled up again. The journey up, your fingertips dragging slowly over the center of your clit made the sound erupt. It broke free. It made your words catch. It made them stutter. And punctuated by another soft moan, the words “I wish you were here fucking me right now” slipped up the back of your throat. “I wish this was your dick instead of my fingers.”

On the other side, you heard the tiniest whimper come from your boyfriend’s chest. The next sound was a hiss through gritted teeth and he quickly turned it into a small cough.

“Do you even realize how wet I am?”

Somewhere in the far distance a wordless voice reached your ears. Just enough for you to register the owner's gender; a young female with a polite inquiry.

You heard a hitch in his breath. You heard a helpless moan. It was extremely quick and short lived. “Mmmm,” Baekhyun oh so quietly hummed; against his will. He could not stop it. Air huffed out noisily through his nose. His soft and delicate answer pulled your lips into a satisfied grin.

That same voice as before spoke again; the tone of voice lifted up with a more insistent inquiry.

“Sorry, No. No, thank you.” Baekhyun cleared his throat noisily and you heard a few labored breaths blowing over his phone speaker, his “hooooo” trembled. He made a small blowing sound through his lips with the smallest guttural whine ghosted just under his breath and the voice asked something again.

“No-no I’m fine. I was…I was just leaving.”

Another question sounded out from much farther away now. “I’m leaving now.” His voice sounded closer to you for a second. Low and throaty and desperate around the edges. “No—no, I don’t need it.” The sound of the man shouting back over his shoulder.

A bell sounded out. A door clanked. Footsteps were moving and lungs were laboring. A curse was whispered just under his breath and repeated. The meaningless expression of wild frustration muttered through gritted teeth, ‘fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.’

“Are you still with me Baekhyun?” The high pitched whine that came out of your mouth after holding his name on your tongue for a moment that happened was out of your control. You could feel the heat just below your skin building into a fever. Your fingers felt too good with how very wet you were.

“Yes, Ma’am. I am here.” he whispered and you could hear how his lips remained parted and he breathed through his open mouth.

“I asked you a question, my love.”

A new sound echoed out. The sound of a car door opening and closing quickly. A low grunt from the back of his throat and the deep roar of a powerful sports car engine coming to life.

“My brain isn’t working right.” He was back to you. His voice was clear inside your ear and you could hear the strain to keep himself level sounding.

“What am I going to do? What the fuck — do I do? What do I do? Ohh — I’m in over my head.” He was whispering under his breath again. He was breathing quite hard all by his lonesome and the sounds of his lungs sunk hard and deep inside your eardrums, making every pass of your fingertips hit harder.

In the back of your mind, you registered the sounds of his car engine speeding up and slowing down, taking corners with a quickness and soon you heard a change as he seemed to stop driving entirely. It was nearly impossible to keep your focus through the sounds he made. Low whines, short puffs of air and complaining grunts.

Whatever motion you had been hearing from his side of the phone call quit with the next sounds from him. It was a deep throaty moan spoken in your boyfriend’s low register quickly followed by a sigh that blew air across the phone speaker and then a slower longer whiney moan. “F-Fuck, baby, what have you done to me?”

“What did I do to you, Baekhyun?” It was too much. It had already been too much for a while and you were trying to focus more on his voice than the building fire inside of your body, even going so far as to pull your hands away from yourself. You’d been too close to a climax and the burning fire spread into a burning curiosity more than a need for an immediate release. You could draw this out for a while longer. It was too much fun to end it now.

“You’ve made my dick so hard I had to pull over to jerk off. Again. Fucking — again. You make me lose my goddamn mind. You have any idea how many times I’ve had to do this because of you?”

This felt like another one of his confessions — let slip during a moment of weakness. Or given to you purposefully because he wanted you to have every single one of his secrets. This was the vulnerable man who destroyed your every inhibition; weak only to you — raw and honest and telling and unbelievably sexy as all hell.

“How many times, Baek?”

He was moaning again. It was rhythmic. The perfect pace for your fingers to slip down between your thighs again. You could not help but match the pace you heard coming from him. It felt like maybe, maybe if you closed your eyes and left your mind drift maybe it felt like he was here; here doing this to you. Making you desperate; bringing you closer.

“I didn’t — keep count. At least — hundreds. Every time — before I had to work around you and then,” there was a definite hitch in his voice, “of course, after. You had no idea. Sometimes I-In the car, right after — Sometimes other places. Once even in your office after you had left. But again and again. And over and over — more than a year.”

This was news to you. He was right; you had no idea. This man, so very affected by simply being near you that he had to deal with the arousal after every encounter. Pre-gaming sometimes, just because he knew he would have to be around you and keep his sanity intact

You recalled a moment, it felt like lifetimes ago before the kiss and the confession and the sex and the obsessive love. Back then, he’d saved you from the speeding motorbike. Back then, you’d felt it, the deep inhale he’d taken from your skin as he held you in your arms after the near death close call that nearly instantly changed into something else when he let that low moan escape. The undeniable heat you’d felt built up to intolerable levels between your bodies where they touched. You’d suspected as much at the time and now, well, you could probably publish your findings for publication. Fact checked, peer-reviewed, and proven.

“What is it about me?”

It was such a stark contrast to every other relationship you’d ever been in. Those men seemed to have a mild passing interest in you. At best, just in it for the sex; at worst, merely tolerant of you until someone else came along, not even bothering to end it with you before beginning something long lasting and meaningful with someone else… someone much better than you. Someone easier than you who worked less or had less pride than you or nagged less or who was easily satisfied in bed; didn’t expect an orgasm every single time and was perfectly happy just to fake it to satisfy a man’s ego.

But Baekhyun was in love, obsessed even, with every single detail about you. Baekhyun begged on his knees just for the chance to please you. Baekhyun was your rare diamond. You would never let him go.

“It’s You. It’s everything — everything about you. Your eyes. Your smile. Your lips.” His breaths had grown ragged. You could hear each stroke of his hand “Fuck — Your hot mouth — your wet t-tongue and ass and tits and your pretty fucking pussy and how good it feels to fuck you. Your scent — My God — your scent. I want to smell you for the rest of my life.” He was lost.

He was lost. You heard him cry out. It tipped you over the edge. The mess between your legs was so substantial you felt it dampen the bed sheets below you. Through the panties and the sleep shorts you hadn’t even bothered to remove.

You shared the oblivion with him and only him.

It felt like ages until you could speak again. After the heavy breathing settled on the other side of the line you heard sounds of movement. A quiet grunt that sounded like he might be reaching for something. You frowned down at your own state, realizing you’d have to get some more laundry done before you got ready for the wrap party tonight.

“Did you make a mess?” Your quiet question to him reflected your own state of affairs and Baekhyun responded with a tiny giggle.

“No, I keep a big box of jerk-off tissues in my car. I wasn’t always so prepared. I once had to hear, with my own ears, my car detailer mention having to break out the precision tools to get the ‘stubborn, dried-up gunk out of the all cracks in the steering wheel,’ and I knew I had to fix my life.”

You were already laughing.

“I don’t care who you are or what goddess you might be jerking-off to. Something like that changes a man.”

Your giggling blended like music with his and lasted long enough for a very recent thought to dawn on you.

“Wait a minute — In my office, Baek?” The abrupt realization interrupted your own laughter but had an opposite effect on him.

He laughed even harder.

“Baekhyun, when did you do that? Where did you do that?” Your voice had a half joking tone and half genuine concern. There wasn’t some secret stain you didn’t know about somewhere, was there?

“Well, I didn’t do it on your Official Employee Performance Review, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

His joke was unexpected and it pulled out a genuine wheezing laugh from deep within your belly. It left you cackling and struggling to catch your breath and you could hear him laughing that deeply satisfied noisy laugh that he did when he knew his joke had landed particularly well.

After the giggles settled and you were up and about within your apartment; beginning to clean up both your filthy body and your bedsheets, the time on the clock began to nag at both of you.

You knew you had taken up to much of his time. You knew he had more errands to run before he had to return home to get ready for tonight. You didn’t know the specifics but it sounded like a tight schedule.

“I’m sorry I took up so much of your time.” The apology from your lips was genuine but his response began with a dismissive scoff.

“I’ll always have time for you.”

It was a cheesy sort of line and had it come from anyone else, it would’ve had your eyes rolling; but the sincerity you heard in his voice had you squealing internally instead. You really had fallen in deep.

He inhaled to speak again, “Baby, what do you have planned for today? Just lazing around until the party?”

You were probably only imagining the judgment you heard in that word he used.

“Excuse you, Assistant Byun, I have so much to do here at my house. Do you know what happens to a home when the owner is kidnapped by her sexy boyfriend and locked up in his ivory tower for a week? I have dishes in the sink, a dirty kitchen, a filthy bathroom, a ton of laundry to do. Plus I have to somehow shower and shave my legs and do make-up and hair and get all pretty for tonight. How will I finish it all?”

He gave the occasional hum of understanding as you ranted; letting you know that he was listening to you being dramatic even if each of his hums did come further and further apart and the sounds of his big engine speeding drowned out quite a bit of the important emphasis you had placed on certain syllables for dramatic effect.

The whole thing made you huff in annoyance and you crossed your arms over your chest with an eye roll as you grumpily repeated, “lazing around…” under your breath but not soft enough that he couldn’t hear it.

You lifted your volume for the next bit. You could not help how defensive you felt for being criticized by the most privileged man in the history of privileged men. Has he ever even washed one dish in his entire life?

“Some of us have to do our own chores, you know?”

“Okay, okay. I got it. I understand. You big baby. You are very adulty and very busy and very hard-working and very responsible and not being lazy today even though you stayed in bed until ten in the morning.”

“Nine.” You were quick to correct him.

“9:55 in the morning,” he pandered.

“Nine. O. Clock.” Your emphasis on each word as a separate entity gave you a temporary spike in your blood pressure and you had to stand back a bit from the phone; holding it just a little further away from your face as you briefly considered pinching him the next time you saw him.

“Oh, are we not counting the extra hour in bed and all that transpired therein? Because, my darling, it is 10:25 right now. I am 10 minutes late to my next appointment because somebody, let’s call her Schmanager Smoona, decided that 9:05 in the morning on a Thursday was a good time to send pornographic text messages to her boyfriend —”

“I’m hanging up.” You interjected the moment there was a pause. He’d inhaled a breath to keep talking and you managed to squeak in three quick words mid-speech. But it was useless. You could tell there was no end in sight. He was complaining about being late and yet he had time for the longest speech in history about how needy and inappropriate you chose to act instead of washing your dishes like a normal person.

“— while he was in the dentist chair with a strangers glove-fingers in his mouth, tasting like latex and artificial grape flavored fluoride—”

You let out the longest sigh.

“—what happens the next time I drink grape soda? What if Fanta Grape gives me boners now? Should I seek counseling for this? Should I seek a settlement?”

You had your fingertips pressed firmly over your forehead, rubbing hard as you tried your best to keep a hold of your sanity.

“Baekhyun, didn’t you say you were already late for —-”

“Oh my God, Noona. I already told you I have to go. I don’t have time for this right now. Why are you, like, so obsessed with me? Maybe I’ll call you later. If I feel like it. Kay, byeee.”

The line went dead.

He won.

The animated voice he did quickly interrupted whatever it was that you were saying. He spoke fast and used some sort of silly accent. By the time you had any of your mind in tact to realize what was going on you heard the click and he ended the call; cutting off whatever futile response you could possibly give him.

You stared down at your blank screen in mild disbelief and before the phone could time out a single buzz alerted you to a new text message from him.

‘i love u so much. ill see u tonight. don’t look too pretty i can’t promise ill behave if u do.’

If anything has ever felt like a challenge…

If only you had less housework to do, you could manage to sneak in a trip to the salon. If only you hadn’t just added a whole extra load of laundry to your list of chores, thanks to your mid-morning phone sex adventures.

You frowned down at the fitted sheet, knowing full well that you had to wash and dry the thing separately, else you risked the danger of having it grab up everything else you threw into the machine and catch it all deep within its corners; a tangled and twisted ball of filth and moisture that would not only ensure that nothing in the load got cleaned, it would also include the added feature of keeping everything, including itself, wet and wrinkled as well.

Halfway through your sorting efforts your doorbell rang. You hadn’t been expecting anyone and it had been a while since you’d ordered anything online, so the sound came as a bit of surprise. Perhaps someone was lost?

The view through your doorbell camera gave you more mystery than answers because standing at your door were three young women, all dressed in what seemed to be white long sleeve cotton shirts and black skirts. It looked like it might be some sort of uniform. You hoped they weren’t here to talk about your soul’s eternal damnation. That ship had sailed long ago.

When you didn’t answer right away the doorbell rang again and one of them was leaning forward and speaking into the microphone.

“Excuse me, Madam Byun? We have been sent by Young Master Byun for the cleaning.”

One of them whispered to the one who was speaking.

“My apologies, Miss Madam Byun. Cleaning the whole house,” she said after conferring with her co-worker.

Unbelievable.

Your boyfriend was unreal. You felt mildly amused by this. A genuine laugh broke free from your chest and you leaned forward to press the button so you could respond.

“I didn’t order any whole-house cleaning. Thanks, anyway.”

There was some whispering amongst the three and one of them was holding a phone that she typed a few words into. The one with the phone leaned forward next to speak.

“He said,” she was leaning forward with the cell phone in her hands and she seemed to be reading directly from a conversation she was having with Baekhyun.

“tell her that you will all be fired if you don’t clean the whole house today you won’t really be fired but tell her that you will all be fired if she doesn’t let you inside to clean oh also tell her that you all have been properly vetted so anything that happens is strictly protected and insured not that I think anything will happen I’m not saying you guys will do anything you know I am not that kind of person tell me what she says after that”

She read the entire thing word for word to you. Without paraphrasing. These were your sweet boyfriend's words read without any pause for punctuation or any changes in voice inflection.

You felt as if you were having an out-of-body experience.

The man was both incredibly thoughtful and incredibly ridiculous.

You were tempted in a way you hadn’t felt in a long while. Thoughts of heading to the spa for a full body refresh filtered through your head. Thoughts of simply walking by the sink full of dishes and the piles of sorted laundry and the soap scum covered shower door and walking right out that door for some pampering led you to reach for the door and turn the handle.

When you opened the door two of the three faces smiled at you. The girl with the phone was still looking down at it. She inhaled to speak again.

”well what happened did she open the door did you tell her about being fired all three of you have a family at home tell her you have six kids each that will starve to death there are twenty one lives in her hands no that's too many she wont believe that she is very smart it is not believable for someone so young to have six kids how about two what age do people start having kids look up into her eyes and look sad and say please I have six kids or two kids whichever you think she will believe”

“Stop. Tell him it’s fine. You all can come inside and clean. Tell him we will talk about this later, though.”

Her fingers were moving and she was typing furiously as she took a few steps inside of your apartment to stand behind the other two girls carrying boxes of cleaning supplies as they looked around surveying the place.

The girl with the phone was still talking. You wished she wasn’t.

“oh good make sure to tell her this part tell her we can only talk about this in her office with some fanta grape soda tell her that period”

She looked up into your face and leaned forward as if she was revealing something vital to the meaning of the message, “he put a period at the end,” she said with a small smile.

You lifted your hands, palms facing out to stop the girl. You shook your head back and forth, “Just…don't respond to him anymore. In fact, can you block him?”

”I cannot Miss Madam Byun. He is my boss. Please accept my sincere apology.” Her expression was serious and you responded with a hopeless shrug and a laugh. At least now, she’d tucked the phone safely away inside the pocket of her apron and quit relaying his insane text messages verbatim like that.

“Is this the entire home? Is there more somewhere?” One of the girls stood at your open bedroom doorway and had turned back around to face you with this seemingly innocent, yet strangely insulting question. You noticed her first destination was to open and close a closet door on the opposite side of the living room before she peered questioningly into your bedroom, confused as to where the entrance to the rest of your enormous mansion could be.

“No, it’s just one bedroom and one bathroom.”

Her posture straightened out and her eyes flew to the other girl who was standing at the kitchen. The two girls smiled at each other.

“We will be finished in an hour, Madam Byun. Would you prefer to remain on the premises or can we lock up for you when we leave?”

You hadn’t considered that you could just…go.

You could simply leave the unsavory bits to them and just head out to the spa or salon or out for a quick stroll in the park with a to-go cup of coffee from your favorite coffee shop.

Baekhyun had just given you an amazing gift. The gift of time.

You smiled a genuine smile and let them know that you would get dressed quickly and head out for the day. They were already busy finishing up with the mess in the kitchen when you headed toward the door.

They hailed your exit with dramatic 90 degree bows and passive smiles on their faces and you shook your head as you left, catching the eye of the one you figured to be the leader on your way out with an instruction for them, using your very best authorities manager voice so they knew you meant business.

“Make sure you tell him you all worked for, at least, 4 full hours today and make sure he pays you for it. I won’t accept any less. Let me know if he gives you any trouble. I can be even more annoying than he is. Got it?”

At last, the smiles on their faces were real and pulled as wide as their surprised eyes were. You closed the door to a chorus of their cheerful farewells ready to venture out into the world on a mission now to make yourself as sexy and beautiful as humanly possible.

You were going to absolutely kill that man tonight.

Part 1, ….. Part 18, Part 19, Part 20

Can I Stay? Masterlist

#exo #exo fanfiction #exo smut #baekhyun #exo fic #exo scenario #baekhyun smut #baekhyun fanfic

132 notes · View notes

lovinbarzal · 1 year

Text

NASHVILLE | AF19

adam fantilli x fem! hughes! reader

masterlist (fc: lilia buckingham)

y/n.hughes has posted !

📍nashville, tennessee

liked adamfantilli, lhughes_06, and others

y/n.hughes NASHVILLE AWARDS🕯️

tagged adamfantilli

load comments

adamfantilli NASHVILLE AWARDS!

↳ y/n.hughes AHHHHH

jackhughes yk i was there too🤨

↳ y/n.hughes but you're stinky

↳ trevorzegras boom roasted💥

lhughes_06 take this crap off my feed😒

fanacc1 future duck🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆

edwards.73 livin' it up in tennessee

_quinnhughes blob🐡

plapointe_22 are you tennessee? cause you're the only 10 i see...

↳ y/n.hughes sometimes it's better not to comment

kenzie loverrrr💋💋

↳ y/n.hughes babygirl👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

fanacc2 quack 🦆

y/n.hughes has posted !

📍nashville, tennessee

liked by edwards.73, jackhughes, and others

y/n.hughes draft day!🐇💐

load comments

jackhughes you look semi-decent for once...?

↳ y/n.hughes thanks for the compliment, mr. i open doors for ladies

adamfantilli gorgeous gorgeous girl

*liked by creator*

edwards.73 best friend eating it upp🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

mackie.samo tennessee is doing you wonders girlboss

_quinnhughes best hughes sibling

↳ y/n.hughes the lack of punctuation and emojis...are you being sarcastic?

↳ lhughes_06 he's obvious

seamuscasey slayer

y/n.hughes has posted !

📍nashville, tennessee

liked umichhockey, lucafantilli, and others

y/n.hughes bf got drafted😔 BF GOT DRAFTED🥹

load comments

jackhughes you weren't this sad when i got drafted

↳ lhughes_06 or when i got drafted

↳ _quinnhughes she was sad when i got drafted

↳ y/n.hughes i don't like any of you (except quinner)

trevorzegras 💙🧥

adamfantilli my beautiful girlfriend💓

↳ y/n.hughes OH EM GEEE ADAM FANTILLI NOTICED ME!!!!! @/nolan_moyle are you proud???

↳ nolan_moyle sure!

fanacc1 should've been a duck😔

rutgermcgroarty yasss slayyyy

edwards.73 pop off best friend and best friends bf!!

fanacc2 anaheim gonna regret not pick him🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

umichhockey our favorite couple!!

#adam fantilli #adam fantilli x reader #umich hockey #ig edit #mark estapa #x reader #jack hughes #luke hughes #ethan edwards #trevor zegras #quinn hughes

380 notes · View notes

oceanwithouthermoon · 8 months

Text

OKAY im posting this crappy wip kubosai one-shot because ive been lagging severely on writing... sorry if its cringe, its completely unedited rn</3

this is roughly 1800 words.. the actual wip is about 4000 LOL but i skipped a couple parts so this is about half the wip i guess..

Kusuo was sitting at his desk with his legs curled to his chest, glaring at nothing, when his phone dinged next to him. Already not in the best mood, he sneered as his eyes snapped over to the device. The noise had disturbed one of his favorite pastimes; being moody for no reason and doing nothing, and the bright light was equally disturbing. When he looked over, it also shone the time as "1:36am" which ruined his blissful unawareness of how long he'd been brooding. His unusually accurate internal clock could have told him that, really, but Kusuo would never pass up an opportunity to be mad about something stupid.

His eyes softened significantly when he caught sight of what the notification actually was. A text from contact name "Kuboyasu Aren" with no contact picture. Yeah, that was how Kusuo kept all his contacts. Super boring and super normal.

He clenched his teeth, trying to bring his anger from before back after realizing how much and how easily his mood lifted just reading his classmate's name.

His phone had gone back to a black screen before Kusuo could read the actual contents of the message, so he begrudgingly unfurled himself from his position with a heavy sigh. He planted his feet back on the floor just a bit too aggressively and swiped up his phone as he stomped over to his bed to flop himself down on it.

When he finally turned his phone back on, the notification read “3m ago” and he clicked on it.

The message read, “hey princess when u wake up do u wanna hangout ??!? could i come overrr tomorrow please”

Annoying lack and misuse of punctuation, but Kusuo has learned that this tends to be the norm in texting, especially with other teenagers. In all fairness, the way Kusuo texts isn't very conventional either. He made fun of Toritsuka’s severe overuse of emojis once, and then immediately got ganged up on by all of the self proclaimed ‘PK psychickers’ because he tends to overuse emoticons in the same way. He doesn't know how else to express himself over text, alright? He learned to text only from his mom, Akechi, and Aiura and this is just how it turned out.

And for your information, the stupid princess pet name was just some silly thing Kuboyasu had gotten in the habit of doing lately. Trust Kusuo when he says it's much more embarrassing when he says it out loud, especially at school, than when he texts it, though knowing that his name in Kuboyasu’s contacts was “My Princess :)” was probably even worse.

Anyway, Kuboyasu had clearly made the assumption that Kusuo would be sleeping at this hour. Well, usually he would be. Kusuo LOVES getting his sleep in, but he just so happened to have taken a very long nap earlier that day, so he had a late dinner, and subsequently a late dessert. So, his usually abnormally fast metabolism hadn't quite been rid of all the sugar and caffeine he'd consumed not long ago. A series of unfortunate events, really, which culminated in him not being tired enough to sleep yet. At least he got to get in his usual ‘angrily staring at nothing for no reason’ time that he accidentally skipped because of his nap, although that did just get interrupted too.

So finally, he responded to Kuboyasu with, “I'm awake. (-.-;) Sure, I guess.”

Kuboyasu read the message and began typing unnervingly quickly after it was sent. “really ?!?!? also y r u awake lol i thought u would be asleep hours ago”

The poor guy probably wasn't expecting him to say yes immediately. Kusuo usually would argue about it for a bit before giving in to the teasing and pleading of his self proclaimed friends. It was way too late (/early) to play that game right now though, he knew he would just say yes in the end anyway. It had nothing to do with him actually wanting to see the dumb former punk who he had been unusually close with lately.

The taller boy just GOT him in a way other people never did. His undying loyalty and honesty was a refreshing contrast from many of the other people the psychic was often forced to be around. Loyal, honest, strong, romantic, protective. Not that those last few things affected the way he interacted with Kusuo or anything…

Kusuo replied again, “Yes. And I usually would be, but… too much caffeine. (￣^￣)”

Another quick response, “lol thats totally something u would do.. since ur up, r u down to call right now ?”

“To call? It's almost 2am. ಠ_ಠ Why are YOU awake anyway?”

“lol i know i know but im so bored… i just cant sleep.. we can be quiet on the call, but id like to hear ur voice right now :)”

Good grief, ew. How disgusting. “Hm… okay. ∩(｡-_-｡)∩”

(Don't you dare ask Kusuo why his internal monologue is so different from what he actually replies with. It's definitely not because he's an unreliable narrator who doesn't want to admit to himself or anyone that he actually wants to talk to a boy. Why would that be the case? Don't be dumb.)

Kusuo forgot to turn his ringer off before Kuboyasu could call him, so despite entirely expecting the phone call, the loud ringing startled him into dropping his phone on his face. How embarrassing, all-powerful psychic drops his phone on his face at almost 2am.

He scrambled to pick it back up and answer it so that the noise wouldn't wake up his parents. It would be really easy for him to just lull them back to sleep with his telepathy the second they wake up, but it would be inconvenient and his dad might complain in the morning. About either remembering waking up or just about not getting a good night’s sleep.

He finally clicked the answer button, luckily before his parents could wake up, and held back a sigh as he held the phone up to his ear.

“Hey, princess!” Kuboyasu was speaking in a whisper yell, probably also a room away from his sleeping parents.

“Hello.” He tried to speak in a way that wouldn't give away the fact that he was recovering from a smack to the face. Phone calls were a bit awkward for Kusuo, since microphones didn't pick up on his telepathy so he had to use his actual voice to speak over the phone. He always just hoped people wouldn't notice the extra rasp to his voice, but the late hour might work in his favor in this situation.

“So what have you been up to?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Up at 2 am and you're just sitting there, doing nothing?”

“Yes, that's exactly what I've been doing. What else is there to do at 2am?”

“Well, I've been making the most of MY time, personally.”

“And how have you been doing that, exactly?”

“Thinkin’ about you.”

“...”

“... *snort*” Okay, how could that NOT make him laugh? He took the phone slightly away from his face and laughed into his hand.

“What?? It's true!” The idiot couldn't hold back his laughter either.

“Yeah, yeah, okay… whatever, you're such a pain…”

“Yeah? Am I?”

“Yes.”

“And yet, you're here talking to me at 2 am just because I asked you to? Admit it, you love it.”

“Tch. You really need to get over yourself, you know that?”

“Well. Humor me for a bit longer, will you?”

“You're desperate.”

“For you.”

Kusuo muttered into his hand, “Oh my god.”

“I wish I could see your face right now, I know you're blushing.”

“Yeah, right. Not like you can prove that.”

“You want me to?”

“What do you mean?”

“You want me to come over there and check?”

Kusuo could hear the smirk in Kuboyasu’s voice. The jerk knew Kusuo couldn't say no to him. They both knew this game. Kusuo would deny him just for show, even though they both know he wants to say yes, and Kuboyasu would tease the truth out of him. Well, fine. Kusuo could play this game.

“You want to sneak out of your house and into mine at 2am just so you can check how successful your teasing is?”

“Mhm. Not just that, I would do anything to see my pretty princess’ face right now. I'm bored, you're bored, the only solution is for the knight to rescue the princess from this ailment, obviously.”

“You're an idiot.”

“You want to see me, I know it.” And he did. Kusuo could hear shuffling over the phone. That asshole was probably already putting his shoes on, knowing Kusuo would say yes. “What, you scared to prove me right? You don't want me to see your pretty pink face right now?”

… Kuboyasu was good at this game. He knows that husky voice is fucking irresistible. To Kusuo, at least. “... Okay, okay. Only so I can prove you WRONG.”

He knew Kuboyasu was smiling, but then the mood settled a bit. “You serious, Saiki? I know I'm messing with you, but I won't pressure you if you don't wanna sneak me in. I mean, that's kinda a lot to ask now that I'm thinkin’ about it. I really wanna see you, but I wouldn't make you do that.”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up, I've already made up my mind. Are YOU sure? You realize how late and dark it is, yeah? You can't just stroll the streets at 2 am, you're gonna get hurt.”

“Awee, you worried about me, princess? No need, your knight in shining armor can protect himself just fine.”

"... Fine. Just stay on the phone with me."

"Hm? While I walk?"

He figured Kuboyasu wouldn't want to have a conversation over the phone in favor of paying attention to his surroundings, but... Kusuo couldn't help but be nervous about his friend's safety at this hour. He just wanted to make sure he was fine the whole walk.

"We don't have to talk, just... stay on the phone with me..."

Kuboyasu snorted. "What, you gonna miss me in those, what, ten whole minutes?"

Kusuo scoffed quietly. "Don't be so full of yourself. I'm just making sure you don't trip and fall or something at 2am on the way to my house. Wouldn't want the blame to fall back on me." He somehow still managed to convey snark in his almost monotone voice despite his whisper.

Kuboyasu chuckled softly, as he snarked back teasingly, "You know I can take care of myself. Can't believe you're still worried about me~."

Kusuo did know that. It didn't change anything. And he WASN'T worried, he just knew that his various nuisances tended to get into trouble when he wasn't there to monitor them. He was always getting them out of trouble even in broad daylight, so there was absolutely no reason to think that walking alone in the middle of the night would prove to be an exception.

"Just shut up and don't hang up, alright?"

He heard the quiet creak of a door closing and shutting, barely drowning out Kuboyasu’s attempt at muffling his laughter. "Alright, sweet boy. I'm right here."

EWWWW CRINGEE EW THEY HAVE COOTIES

#this is so cringe its crazy #maybe a little ooc idk u cant judge its totally unedited #im also not going to read it before i post this so last time i reas this part was like a week ago um hope its not too embarrassing #kubosai featuring kuboyasus shit fuckin rizz #i hate him #(lying)#also i dont have a title for this #but my other wips are named after mitski songs lol #gotta follow the pattern #saiki k #tdlosk #the disastrous life of saiki k.#saiki kusuo #kuboyasu aren #kubosai #meows post #meow writes #<-idk if ill ever use that tag again but im putting it here so this doesnt get buried

39 notes · View notes

perfectlovevn · 6 months

Note

what's milo's degree of Online (that is to say, to what extent is the internet part of his life)? i figure that with his complete lack of support system throughout his life, it would've been very easy for him to fall into the terminally online trap somewhere along the line, but it's hard for me to tell for certain.

in particular, how familiar is he with 2010s tumblr discourse and tumblr culture overall, and what's his preferred social media? is he a part of any online communities dedicated to his interests, or is he more of a lurker?

what's his texting style like? how's his capitalization, punctuation, and emoji/emoticon usage?

Good question. My guess is that PreMilo does spend a good amount of time online, but he mostly lurks. I think perhaps he did try to join some of the communities for things like knitting, crocheting and sewing, he generally is kind of shy. I imagine one bad interaction with him attempting to connect with people probably made him go back to lurking again.

I think he might be more on the video side of things? YouTube, blogs that sort of thing. I’m not really sure what kind of social media stuff he would be on, honestly.

I think texting wise it would be something like:

M: hey, do you wanna go out and eat…?

M: sorry for disturbing you…

M: if you don’t want to, that’s okay!!! we can do it another time…

M: whenever you’re free

M: (=^x^=)

I think he’d probably have the emoji of a rabbit but usually delete it so it never sends. Sometimes it sends by accident and he freaks out a bit.

Violence Milo probably isn’t online that much, but Manipulation sure is. He probably is on a bunch of social media and knows a lot about it as well. He’s in tons of chats and loves causing discourse amongst people. He’s that one guy with like 100 different accounts to start problems. I like to think he talks with a bunch more emotes, though much more cat emotes instead.

#perfectlovevn #male yandere #yandere #yandere boy #yandere vn #milo asks #about milopre #about manipulation milo #about violence milo

31 notes · View notes

hwaightme · 2 years

Text

Your fan, Yeosang (part 2)

(part 1) (your fan ml)

📺 pairing: yeosang x talk show host!reader 📺 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining, drama 📺 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if yeosang was stanning you 📺 wordcount: 8.0k (hehet? this be a long boi v sorry) 📺 warnings/tags: language, drama, reader has connections, woo and jongho are best homies, seongjoong parents, flute remixes to soothe the soul, general chaos, 6d chess master plans, prejudice, growth, interviews and press, discussion of media, mention of eating, slight sleep deprivation, sneaking out 📺 taglist: @acciocriativity, @senpai-of-doom, @layzfeelit @jcngh0-hq @black--awsum @honey-lemon-goose 📺 a/n: Hello!! <3<3 Is drama on the horizon for Yeosang? Let's find out! Thank you so much for your love and support, big hugs, much love and hope you enjoy <3 (p.s.: can you guess who is next? hint is: sOft chaos bringer)

The clock struck eight in the evening as you were sat in your favourite family restaurant, toying with a napkin that you had taken from the table drawer. You did not want to order anything before his arrival, just in case if the meeting were to be cut short for some unknown reason.

You liked to give people space to breathe, and that always started from the way one carried themselves, and whether they were forward-thinking enough to consider how some of their most insignificant actions could result in something much, much bigger.

For celebrities, and any public figures for that matter, this was amplified a thousand fold and had many nuances and interpretations.

Take a scandal stemming from exposure. Why you had chosen this restaurant in particular, was so that there would be no curious eyes: the storefront was covered by a myriad of posters, an old vending machine, and stacks of crates. Most importantly, they were actually closed today, and only because of your close ties to the owner were you allowed in here 24/7.

Take a red herring or misleading information. You were clear in your demands for the meeting, and appreciated the directness with which you had been approached. Seeing as this was an unofficial introduction, you had picked the time and day when you were bound to be off work and did not have to lie to your colleagues.

Take foolishness and lack of reflecting on one's actions and words. It was a simple error to make. Many had done it. You tried your best to veer away from such disasters during interviews that you led, but some... were just prone to talking first, thinking second.

This is why, when you saw the handsome young man by the name of Yeosang walk through the door, lowering his mask just a little to let you confirm that it indeed was him, you waited for him to greet you first. Perhaps you might have come across as cold, but you felt that it was the right tactic to choose considering that you had never crossed paths before.

Of course you knew ATEEZ, and had even tried to organise interviews with them before, alas, it had not worked out. At the time you either had not gained enough traction to come across as important enough, or they were simply too busy. Aside from that, you had a hand in suppressing some recent 'what could have been' scandals, but you kept your battles with the yellow pages under wraps.

Destiny had its own plans for you personally interacting with ATEEZ. Destiny in the form of a complex entertainment industry network and... an intriguing broken telephone that led you to contact a certain Jung Wooyoung directly.

And upon doing so, you had finally gotten to exchange a couple of message with none other than the instigator of this whole spy movie-level plot. The contrast between him, and the other member was nothing short of hilarious. Down to the emoji count and the use of punctuation, their personalities revealed themselves to you in seconds.

But Yeosang still seemed... odd. Like he was guarded. And you adored when people were guarded. Especially towards you. Since that normally meant that in reality, they had a lot to say.

He stood at the entrance, feeling a little awkward since he was unfamiliar with the place, it being in a distant neighbourhood to both the company and the dorms. To add, it was you he was meeting, so even if he tried to act cool, it would be a bit of a lie. He rocked on his feet a couple of times, fiddling with his face mask that he had now fully taken off.

Then, as his eyes scanned the surroundings, he spotted you. You were sat at one of the tables furthest from the door, and seemingly did not notice him yet. You were folding the tissue paper in your hands into an elaborate origami structure, and looked almost the same as on screen.

How you were sat reminded him of the little segments during the shows when the camera cut to you a little bit early, and you were still in your zone, waiting for a cue - this had been more prevalent in the earliest episodes, and even then was barely noticeable.

The only reason why he knew was because during an anniversary episode you had dedicated a portion of the show to discussing professional blunders, taking your own as examples and encouraging your viewers that mistakes were very common - it was how we responded to them that mattered.

That had resonated with Yeosang, and as such, he had written about this (for research purposes) in detail. It had motivated him to not be so hard on himself, at least in the moments when he recalled that you had said so.

You had become a sort of stabilising presence in his life, since he admired you so greatly, and he had begun to enjoy pretending that it was exclusively him that you were sharing wisdom with. He had been in denial about that part for a few days, but managed to convince himself that a provider of fan service had the right to enjoy some imaginary fan service too - now if he were to bring that to LIGHT.... that would be a different story.

Not appropriate for a first impression. Matter of fact, not appropriate for later impressions either. He vowed to keep this unfounded 'strangers to whatever it was'!au in his head until he himself turned into a blue bird.

He ambled towards you, straightening out his clothing as a soothing gesture, and when he was a couple metres away from you, froze in place. This was real, wasn't it? He blinked slowly a couple of times. Yep, yep it was. Wooyoung really did have mafia-level connections. All so Yeosang could act like a mafia boss. Bro code certified.

As he wondered how exactly to better gain your full attention and running through different alternative scenarios, you beat him to it, raising your head and beaming. Your cheeriness was contagious, making him return the smile two-fold.

"Kang Yeosang, right? A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine, L/N Y/N."

Yeosang took a seat right in front of you, and as if she had been waiting this whole time, the ahjussi who owned the restaurant strolled up to your table, and asked for your orders. With a kind, yet still unreadable smile you ordered a couple of things off the menu from memory. It seemed both you and the owner were on the same wavelength, existing in an alternate universe where no one forgot anything.

As he fumbled for the menu, not finding anything on the table, then struggling to figure out what the scribbles on the wall were as they seemed to have been written in stereotypical calligraphy of a medical professional, you softly captured his attention.

He half expected you to make a joke about his lost expression, or about how he was pulling a classic Yeosang moment and struggling to catch up, but you only mentioned that the best items were always the ones off the menu, and you would be interested in learning more about what kind of food he liked so you could make a suggestion that would suit him.

Yeosang's heart skipped a beat. Was this what it felt like to be in the studio with you? Were all the people who you worked with and travelled memories with actually there to just... fall for you?

But in the words of the greatest, we must stay focused, brothers, we must stay focused. He pushed the fanboy trapped within him a little bit further down so he wouldn't act up at least for the next hour, and nodded appreciatively towards you.

After confessing his love for certain types of fried goods, but making sure to politely add that really he was okay with anything, you grinned, and explained to him one of the specialties, that luckily, included chicken. He gazed at you, head resting on the palm of his hand, as he pondered just how nice it was to listen to you.

It wasn't just about how you asked questions really. Though that was technically what brought in the money in, as one could say. It was about how you treated your conversation partners with respect. You were not forcing the conversation, nor letting it burn out.

At this point he was not sure if Hongjoong even had the right to call himself a captain anymore because of just how masterfully you navigated discourse, guiding it but not overwhelmingly so. Just enough to keep things interesting. (but Yeosang did not have a death wish, so this was again, personal and exclusive to his mind palace)

As you two were served some soft drinks while you waited for the food to arrive, you decided to cut right to the chase.

"I have heard a few things through the grape vine, and have some conclusions of my own, but I would love to hear about a certain thing from you personally. How would you describe the purpose of a master of ceremonies, of a show host?"

Yeosang needed a moment as he contemplated the question. It felt purposefully cryptic, but he could not feel any malice behind it. Was he being too trusting? He could not help it though, you had an innate ability for welcoming yourself into the inner worlds of others.

Quick, quick... what should he say that would make him appear knowledgable? He could not have a person he looked up to, was basically stanning, think that he was a fool.

"Uh, someone who... and MC is someone who embodies the message of the show, is a reflection of it in a sense. They are a personification of what the programme stands for, from the language they use to how they dress to how they behave overall."

He listed off, feeling proud that he managed to muster up something he deemed worthy of your analysis. At least, until he saw your eyes narrow, and stopped fiddling with your glass of water, instead intertwining your hands together and resting them on the edge of the table.

You extended both your index fingers, and directed them at him. Be it in accusation, or because you wanted to emphasise something, he had no clue. But panic mode was upon him and he began to replay what he had just blurted out in search of an error or any sign of what could have possibly upset you.

The side of your mouth twitched upwards as you noticed a familiar series of behavioural patterns right before you. It was only natural for people to act that way when they said what they thought they had to say, instead of what they really believed in. Especially when you gave the sign that you did not buy it.

"In total agreement with you, Yeosang. Now how about you? How do you view it?"

"But I just-"

"Said what you assumed I wanted to hear. While I do appreciate how considerate you are, and how you respect my profession, it does little to help me get to know you."

Why did that sound so... double sided? Yeosang was at a loss for words. He had not prepared himself for this. The interviews... the shows... they all were so smooth-running. Yes, you were just as nice right now, and probably your technique did not change much either, but feeling it full force was making his brain fuzzy.

"Then how about this. You tell me about your experiences. You have quite a few events and filming under your belt. How would you evaluate your growth over, let's say the last year?"

He jumped at the modification of the question, thinking it was somehow easier and was neutral enough. He told you about how in shows with the rest of ATEEZ, he preferred to take more of a listener role, since there is always so much to cover and so much to do. He even went so far as to explain that prior to any filming, they normally got a rundown of who is expected to have what screen time. His nerves were getting the best of him and he was beginning to ramble. So much for pretending that he had some sort of master plan, when a real master was right in front of him.

But you did not stop him. Not once. You listened intently as he walked you through his journey as a new MC. You enjoyed his diversions into a couple of funny episodes, him stumbling over his words as he realised he was about to spoil something... but especially when he finally touched upon what you had been waiting for.

"...and I have been practicing daily. I find this to be like any singing, or dancing. So needs a unique approach... and... yeah..."

"How? That must take so much effort and the fact that you do it is so admirable!" You encouraged him, motioning for Yeosang to continue and elaborate.

He could not resist you, not when you were right here, not talking over him, complimenting him, and looked interested and not in a rush for time.

"I watch and try to work together with episodes or with clips of people I admire a lot."

"And how are you developing your unique style?"

"Late Night Di- oh. Oh no this is awkward wait oops haha I..."

"Not to worry. You can quote me anytime, Yeosang."

He swore his face just flashed beet red, went pale and heated up again. Instinctively he raised his hand to feel one of his ears - yep, he was beginning to burn up. Did this mean that...?

"And to answer your question, yes, I did watch the episode. And I appreciate you prefacing it by saying 'as said by one of the greats'. Respectable and endearing." you leaned back. This was just the beginning for you, but you already saw Yeosang starting to crack a little.

That front that he had entered the restaurant with, some agenda that was not true to his intentions... it was crumbling away as you laid out the facts in front of him. Using the quiet that had fallen upon both of you, you continued your simple, but impactful monologue.

"I would like to apologise to you for being so persistent in my inquiry. As you probably know, I like to have those who contact me to be open. Maybe it is just how I am, or how I had adapted over time, but I have little patience for saying only half of something. And I think you can agree with me on that."

He merely nodded, unable to break his trance. He was feeling how he was enraptured by you. There it was. That magnificence. The professionalism only you had, paired with the sweetest words and silver-screen femme fatale looks (because even though he did initially find you and became a fan because of your talents, now, sitting together with you, all of his senses were going into a bit of an overdrive).

"As we have already established, we are aware of one another. At least from a distance. So, whilst I must thank Wooyoung for his pains, I have yet to see your intentions."

"Oh?" he whispered, looking straight into your eyes, hypnotised.

"You have a great friend, Yeosang. He almost made this rendezvous sound like a blind date with the number of good things he told me about you."

Yeosang pinched the bridge of his nose, imagining just how nonsensical his friend could be, and what sort of conversation that must have happened between the two of you.

"Gosh I am very sorry about that... Wooyoung is, well Wooyoung." he could not exactly say

"But he has a heart of gold. He lives for the people in his life, even if he might show it in unconventional ways at times."

"Well, that is one of the best ways I have heard him be described. I guess I will not be digging my hole any deeper if I say I am blown away by how you can read and understand people?"

"Not at all, I am flattered. And a word of advice, do not apologise for your friends if you cherish them, and especially if they were acting on behalf of you."

Yep. This was it. This was why he was here. Why Yeosang was just so into you. While he was often labelled as quiet, or shy, or zoned out, or slow, to you he was an open book. And instead of making him feel unsettled, it reassured him that there was someone right here with whom he could stop pretending and stop being unnatural.

This was the moment when he mustered up the courage, and in a tiny voice that got louder as he became more reassured by your nods, hums and overall attentive reactions, began to answer the real, unspoken question that had been hanging over him as soon as he had walked in.

Yeosang expressed his fascination with your approach to being a show host, commended you for starting and leading one of the best programmes on television, and listed of niche, thus even more special reasons for why he was just grateful to you.

For the first time in his life, he felt like he was on the other side of the fansign table. Like he was about to take out an album for you to sign or give you something, anything (he would give you his heart but you already had it).

His gushing was making you blush. It was hard for you to take the compliments, seeing as the whole time you had been in the business, you just took it day by day.

Though you were on the 'entertainment' side of things, you were still a journalist. You still did your fair share of articles for your company, and you still were in the know about the gossip pool. So you had come to ignore all comments made about you or said in your address, since to many you were a 'vulture'.

A lot of people did not care for your good intentions, nor for what had motivated you to start your show in the first place. They only saw a creature who wanted to coax juicy details out of big stars in exchange for huge lumps of money and clout.

Even your bosses, whilst they praised you and had given you a lot more free rein than to others in your age group, they were much more attracted to the connections and sums you were bringing in. That was the darker truth of your business.

You had found yourself forgetting the eagerness you had when you had just started, how you had done the same things Yeosang was doing now. His words woke up a hope within you. That maybe you were not the only one in this industry who wanted to see the brighter side of things was was working hard for that to happen.

His speech slowed down, and he began to pick words carefully, which made you hang onto each one. Then, he asked what you had suspected, but did not think he would go ahead with:

"May I... learn from you? As in... could we meet... sometimes? Whenever we are free..."

How were you in this position right now? A global star, asking you to basically be his coach??? His teacher???? Impostor syndrome was very real and activated, 0 to 100. The woman was too stunned to speak.

You studied Yeosang. The honesty in his eyes was overwhelming. To an extent you were not sure you even deserved this. But, if he wanted it. So be it. You had nothing to lose from continuing to speak to him, especially since he was now fully open with you.

"I would be more than happy to meet with you again, and would be honoured to teach and learn from you, too."

"I really don't know how I can repay you for that. Truly, thank you." Yeosang was on cloud nine as he heard your agreement. And he was mentally patting himself on the back for not becoming a puddle over the duration of this discussion.

"I have an idea." he perked up.

Your show host and main promoter of 'Late Night Dive' side would not let go of you, so you rapidly thought of something in return for sharing your wisdom. You produced a document out of your bag which had been resting on the chair right next to you, and placed it in front of Yeosang.

"These are just some brochures that we use to pitch LND to different agents. Truth be told, a couple of years ago I did try to talk with KQ, but nothing happened. So if you have the chance, mention my show to the big man. And it's a deal."

"Consider it done."

"Thank you. And by the way, I am really glad we met, Yeosang."

"Then let's organise for when we shall meet again, so I can look forward to it."

So you planned one meeting. Another. And the next one after that. It was pretty much like a meeting series on Outlook Calendar at this point. And then, you had stayed in that restaurant until you began to hear a bassline of a snore coming from the kitchen, which upon inspecting, was the ahjussi having a good ol' time sleeping against a wall.

Feeling bad about staying until what had turned out to be past midnight, you and Yeosang had split the bill and left an envelope with the money, adding a little extra in secret so that it technically was not a tip, but a treat instead.

You ambled towards the front door and locked it, having seen the owner do it many times, and with Yeosang's help, pulled down the inner shutter for safety. Then, you guided your companion to the back door, and soon enough, you were back out on the Seoul streets, fresh air hitting your smiling faces. Since you did not want to risk him having to take odd commuting routes at spooky o'clock, you drove Yeosang back to the dorms.

For the duration of the drive, you noticed a light blush on his cheeks, and when an ATEEZ song began to play on the radio, he practically tried to blend with the seat by squeezing himself into it. Did he think you looked very cool while you were steering and generally being all powerful behind the wheel? Yeah. Was he again doubting Hongjoong as captain? A little.

When he got back to the dorms and crept in through the front door, everything was enveloped in darkness. Not a single ray, from any of the rooms. Not a sound. Very, very suspicious. As he took of his shoes, washed his hands in the bathroom sink and was on his way to slink into his room, his suspicions were confirmed.

In the blink of an eye, ALL LIGHTS were flipped on, blinding him after he had gotten used to navigating without it, and a pyjamas-clad Wooyoung hopped out from behind the kitchen counters, recorder in his hands, and started playing an ear-bleed worthy rendition of George Michael's Careless Whisper.

There was no such thing as dynamics in this interpretation. It was just continuous musical screaming. One that made Yeosang double over and cover his ears. He thought it would end there. But, alas, the vocal line had other plans. A wild San and Jongho strolled out from their respective rooms, and launched into one of the later parts of the song. Damn were they going to have to apologise to the neighbours for this... again.

"TONIGHT THE MUSIC SEEMS SO LOUD-"

"...it sure IS GUYS CAN YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP WE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!?" a disheveled Seonghwa stormed out of his room, a selfie stick in his hands that now appeared to be a little to much like a weapon.

"I WISH THAT WE COULD LOSE THIS CROWD-"

"...guys I will legit dispose of all of you and JONGHO I CAN FIGHT YOU TOO I AM NOT AFRAID!" Mingi stepped out too, barely having time to put on his glasses, but with one 'you wanna fight bro' taunt from Jongho - and him moving to stand in a boxing position, made the taller member turn right around and loudly proclaim 'NOPE'.

"MAYBE IT'S BETTER THIS WAY"

"WE'D HURT EACH OTHER WITH THE THINGS WE'D WANT TO SAY"

"Guys???? Is no one going to stop them?????" Seonghwa was at a loss, and searching for salvation in Yunho, who just stepped out, and was leaning against his doorframe.

"Nah, I have no beef with Yeosang, he was a homie when I was having problems with a certain someone. Now his roommates on the other hand... well, you can see they want their revenge for the savagery." he simply shrugged, enjoying the show of a very flustered Yeosang not knowing how to process what was happening.

"At my ears' expense? Why is Hongjoong not home... OH HONGJOONG HELLO!!!!" Seonghwa spotted another figure at the door - an incredibly disturbed captain, who had initially walked in with a small smile on his face, but that rapidly turned to disgust.

"I swear I leave y'all for just a COUPLE OF HOURS and you legit start a shitty flute band????? What brain cell is responsible I need to have a word, and YEOSANG? Where were you?"

Yeosang was hoping that Hongjoong would not pay much attention to him since he was not the one being loud, and he managed to make his way behind the San and Jongho line, but nope. Eagle eyes. When he did not respond, Hongjoong basically flung his shoes off his feet and stormed across the room while muttering:

"I swear to all that is good in the world I am wearing all black because I am about to attend y'all's funeral."

"And not because.... goth gf?" Yeosang could not help it. He saw the opportunity."

"BOI sit down on the couch right now, and Woo give me this... instrument? When did you get this?"

"This morning. Saw it on sale. Isn't it great?"

"You should have picked this as your 'main object to describe you' for Watcha."

"Life-changing, monumental, legendary?"

"Loud. RIGHT. Seems you and Jongho are also part of this little... escapade involving Yeo's disappearance into the midnight. Care to explain?" Hongjoong's exhaustion was evident as he lowered his voice and was generally on the verge of letting them do whatever. But once a leader, always a leader. And he could feel that something was up. Something that needed his involvement.

The other members promptly retreated to their rooms, since their wake up alarms were going to be ringing in a couple of hours and they needed to at least pretend they got eight hours of sleep. San quite literally skipped back to bed, seeing as he managed to have his share of chaotic fun, but escaped the scolding. The only one to remain was Seonghwa, who sat down at the dining table and set the selfie stick of doom aside.

Hongjoong took one of the chairs and slid it towards the living area, so that he could sit in front of today's trouble maker trio. Clearing his throat, he asked no one in particular:

"Okay. Why do I find out about everything only after it happens?"

"Maybe because you don't come home?" Wooyoung quipped, stopping playing with his phone and looking up to face the leader.

"Excuse me, I don't come because I am working, for you guys, by the way. I literally carry the ATEEZ lore on my shoulders." obviously hurt, Hongjoong sent back a retort.

"No wonder you are the closest to the ground." Jongho commented on the other's height, looking off in a different direction, the picture of innocence.

"Yeah, so I'll drag you to hell if you dare say that shit again."

"Calm down, demon line rep, it's just banter." Wooyoung stepped in, because even though he did sent a thumbs up to the maknae behind his back for being so quick, he did not want this argument to get any more heated. "Plus, weren't you out on a date tonight, and not working, as you so proudly say?"

"Uh... that... I was yes." Hongjoong could not deny it. At the end of the day, it just would not be respectful to the one he was out with.

"Bro code?" Yeosang asked, breaking his silence.

"I'm sorry, bro, but I am afraid your bro code evaluation and policing privileges have been revoked, you are in the grey zone." Wooyoung turned his attention to him, a smirk on his lips.

"Wait hold up back it up-"

"Yeah you heard Hongjoong, baaaack it up-" Wooyoung was about to hop up, with every intent to begin twerking, but Jongho pulled him right back down and forcefully held him in place.

"And you should retire from your ho era." Jongho addressed him, face remaining emotionless.

"Okay Jong-ho."

"Do you want this fist?"

"Yes fist me."

"Just- oh my word." Jongho face palmed at Wooyoung's intentionally out of pocket statement. At least it did the trick of getting everyone to move on and right back to the main topic at hand.

"Anyways... Yeosang, care to elaborate about this so-called grey zone?"

"First off, they are blowing it out of proportion just to take revenge on me. Second off, I met up with someone today." he kept it vague for now. Maybe it would be enough.

"And I take it that someone is in your sphere of interests, yes?"

Yeosang starts blushing and looks away. Of course, that was not enough. And of course Hongjoong knew him far too well to see he was acting smitten.

"OH MY GOSH YES IT IS SEONGHWA GET THE CAMERA KANG YEOSANG LIKES SOMEONE!" Hongjoong, acting like the dad he was, called out to the eldest, who just remained sitting in his place, processing.

"Dude not so loud the others will give me so much shit." Yeosang pleaded, waving downwards at Hongjoong to emphasise the need for a volume drop.

"I think all the shit has gathered on that couch next to you my guy." with a grand gesture, Hongjoong swept over the two others on the couch with Yeosang.

He glanced in their direction, surprised that they did not act out, and only shrugged.

"Okay, so, who is it?" Hongjoong was not letting up.

"Do I really have to-"

"Yes. Yes you do."

"Y/N."

"Okay? Do I know her, this Y/N?"

"Well... maybe. L/N Y/N?"

Hongjoong went pale in the face upon hearing that name. He took a moment, and asked for Yeosang to repeat it. Once he confirmed for himself that no, he was not being delusional and this in fact really was you, that he was aware of, that Yeosang was talking about, he was distressed.

"So... you are talking to press, basically." Hongjoong jumped to the conclusion, disappointing Yeosang.

"Where did that come from?"

"I should be asking you that, Yeo! How the fuck did you even reach her?"

"I just... I just did." he did not want his friends to get mixed up in this. At the end of the day, it was he who was your fan... it was he who liked you.

"Ugh, okay fine. Yeah, media people are all over the place. But were you even thinking? She is a big name in the industry right now. If she wants to she can squash us, and here you are selling yourself out?"

"Why are you saying all of this nonsense about her? What did she ever do to you?" Yeosang raised his voice, discouraged by the aggression he was suddenly having to face. The derogatory remarks, the prejudice, all of this was now hurting him personally.

"I know the likes of her. They try to get close, really butter you up and then they expose you and hang all your dirty laundry out to the world."

"Who hurt you, man?" Wooyoung placed a reassuring hand on Yeosang's shoulder. It was not hard to guess that this was the last thing he wanted to hear.

"Shut it Wooyoung, I am worried!"

"Dude, she is really nice and understanding, have you ever even seen an episode of-"

"Have YOU ever filmed a variety show or been interviewed before? You know how we all change in front of the camera. So. Does. She. She gets paid to act, 'tis the way of life."

"I think you are overreacting Hongjoong." Jongho joined back in.

"Look. Music people? Fine. Internet people or athletes? fine. Literally so many other people except those that drag us through the dirt? So fine. But this is just dangerous. Yeosang. You trust so easily, and I do not want you to get in trouble, nor subject yourself to the terrors that come with such close, unmediated interactions with those people."

"You are saying such shit about Y/N right now, and you dare attribute terrible qualities to her? I'll have you know she has NOT ONCE exposed ANYONE! She purposefully CUTS THINGS OUT OF HER SHOW IF THEY ARE SENSITIVE, even if including them would bring her more views. She literally helps her guests out of uncomfortable topics, and-"

"So she is manipulative?"

"WHY ARE YOU TWISTING THINGS?"

"As much as we need media people to survive, there are vultures out there, and I don't want you to become a victim of one. Seonghwa, thoughts?"

Hongjoong turned around, expecting support from his friend, only to see that he was face down forehead resting on his arms, and fast asleep. Hongjoong groaned, and turned back, his voice dropped into a whisper.

"One last thing from me then. I suggest you stop talking to her before things get serious. And no talking back at me right now. We need to be up soon so get your ass to bed."

As Yeosang watched the two eldest going back inside the room - Seonghwa having been awakened just enough for him to be able to migrate on his own, he was distraught. He did not believe a single word Hongjoong had said. Especially not in your address.

Yes, he knew far too well about how hatred can spread. He knew about the negativity, and about just how ruthless a journalist could be. But Yeosang also had the chance to meet you, and had spent even longer learning about you. And you were nothing like the rest. Not one bit. And just like that Yeosang decided to go against his own Captain.

"So... uh... want to learn how to sneak out of the dorms unnoticed?" Wooyoung leaned over and mumbled, making sure no one except those left in the living room could hear.

"I can help you plan better meet ups." the maknae offered his support immediately too.

Yeosang felt like crying, there really were people on his side. And on your side. Those who saw through the horrific, unfounded claims.

The next day, he took the risk and slipped the LND brochure into one of the senior publicity manager's desks. He was not sure whether it would work, nor if he would get caught, but he did not care. He was trying his best to repay you.

He did not bring up this topic to any of the members except his roommates, and was stoic enough to not give rise to any suspicions. Hongjoong had all but forgotten the quarrel, preoccupied with promotional schedules and training.

But, under Wooyoung's and Jongho's guidance, unconditional support and even pestering, Yeosang continued seeing you. If Jongho had the abilities to be an orchestrator of the most elaborate plans, Yeosang was doing it in 6-dimensional space, since not only was he dedicated to keeping his connection with you alive, but you too were giving 200%.

He did not give a single shit about what his hyungs had to say. Because you made him happy. You listened, you asked, you shared everything with him. You did not have a single judgmental bone in your body.

You had organised a couple of your 'meetings' (but really a couple of months in you had long transitioned to calling them dates) together with Yeosang's roommates, because he wanted them to meet you. They could not be more gleeful, and you had impressed them both.

During one of the deeper conversations, after Wooyoung had asked about whether you had known anything exclusive about them ever, you offhandedly mentioned certain Dispatch pictures of Wooyoung leaving a cafe after closing hours. Initially, that made Wooyoung ill at ease, suddenly remembering what Hongjoong had said. But then you launched into a story of how you almost physically fought the paparazzo who had taken the picture, and the editors, managing to make them delete some of the more 'exclusive' and 'breaking' pics that involved another person, for good.

This had elevated you beyond belief in the two members' eyes, and made Yeosang completely fall in love with you. He had never expected for that to happen so quickly, but you were easy to adore. He felt it - this was for the long run, and he was willing to fight for it.

You were witty, and smart and really could see through any bullshit and would strike if the situation called for it, but you never did it out of pocket. In reality, you were the nicest, most selfless person of all time. You cared about everyone.

At first, you were his coach and a fellow MC, then you were his inspiration, then you were his love.

Now, because every camera and stage where he had to MC was associated with you for him, so Yeosang glowed on camera. He just pretended that he was talking with you, and it all flowed. He had also improved his skills greatly, and had allowed himself to joke, to be truly joyful and just... be himself.

You had almost completely regained your faith in the industry, thanks to Yeosang always cheering you on. After any episode of your show, he would get back to you with a detailed review, and would praise you and if it was a date night, would bring a little gift, to celebrate.

During one such date, he had bought you a delicate silver chain bracelet, and asked you to be his girlfriend. Because even though Hongjoong and probably Seonghwa too would not approve, he did not see any other way being right. Much to his delight, you had agreed then and there.

All was calm, and all was bright, until one day, you had to come to the KQ Entertainment building because the publicists responsible for ATEEZ promotions had contacted you about a potential interview. Although it had been a few months, you were no stranger to waiting. Moreover, this made your heart soar as you just knew this was Yeosang's doing.

It was a success. By fate, filming could be done next week. You were ecstatic. Yeosang had explicitly told you of how the leader of ATEEZ felt about you, but you did not mind it, so long as he could be professional. But that hope flew out of the window when you accidentally bumped into him when strutting down one of the numerous corridors.

He recognised you instantly, and the side eye he gave you was less than pleasant. Smile a little too tight, phrases too generic and superficial, he was definitely less than fond of you.

You tried to turn the conversation around, and mentioned how you were excited to learn more about his leadership and hard work, about how he operated in the studio, his inspirations. But this led him to just grunt and rather coldly state that 'ah, so that's happening'.

Hongjoong guessed quickly enough that you were talking to Yeosang. And that broke him, for not only was Yeosang in danger, in the leader's eyes, but also that the member felt the need to lie, and conceal his feelings towards you. He was up front, and asked if you were together, to which you responded with a quick yes.

At that moment, none other than Wooyoung had walked around the corner, and sensing a possible conflict nearly ran over to the two of you. If hands were going to be thrown he was ready - no way in hell was anyone messing with Yeosang and the one he loved.

"What's popping party people? Manager just texted that we'll be on Late Night Dive, isn't it exciting? And hello Y/N!"

"Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That she, and Yeosang, they are... they are dating?"

"Boy they are official. Not just dating. Really a match made in heaven let me tell you. If you were to open your freaking eyes dude, you would see just how happy Yeosang is. Hah sorry Y/N, but yeah man's glowing."

"Is there any reason for me to fully trust that you won't do any harm?"

"For once I can say, time is on my side, for I never had, have, nor ever will want to harm him, nor anyone connected to him. You do not need to trust me, Hongjoong. I accept that and am used to it. What I would like is for ATEEZ to be harmonious, and for us to connect. I really respect you, and it would be a shame if we could not get to know each other better."

Your colleague, who had just wrapped up another meeting, called out to you as they appeared in the corridor. You parted ways with the two ATEEZ members before either of them could say anything else.

After you left, Wooyoung noticed a figure standing off to the side, evidently someone who had been in hiding, but chose to reveal themselves only now. It was a livid Yeosang, who had been hoping to find you, but now, just wanted to give Hongjoong a piece of his mind.

He admonished the leader for being so weirdly judgmental of you. For not wanting to just be happy for his own close friend. For being hypocritical, and forgetting about the fact that love was often found in the most unexpected places.

And it just so happened that yes, Yeosang had found his love in you. In a person who had dedicated themselves to journalism. Media. Broadcasting. Televised entertainment. Interviews. Celebrity life. But that was not not a manifestation of some kind of evil. Quite the opposite. It was you searching for the best in people. By doing what you did, you made people shine brighter than the damn sun.

He dropped facts on Hongjoong about how you had purposefully invited a star who was receiving unjust hate, and thanks to that episode, literally transformed their career for the better. Yeosang did not fail to mention the Wooyoung Dispatch - a recounting which made the Captain's jaw drop.

And, explaining that if Hongjoong still did not want to care about you a single bit, then he should know that only thanks to you was Yeosang so much more confident. thanks to you was he getting more offers to MC, or to make guest appearances. Because you had changed him. And he was proud of it.

Oh how Hongjoong regretted being skeptical and untrusting after seeing Yeosang's certainty. But the innumerable apologies that had followed that day, and lasted for the week until interview filming did little to influence Yeosang and how he was treating Hongjoong in private - like a stranger. Hongjoong needed to apologise to you.

It was the day, and ATEEZ made their way to the company where you worked. After styling and some final touches on makeup, they appeared on set and greeted the staff. You were nowhere in sight. As they were instructed on how they were going to make their appearance, and on different cues and generally what the structure was like, Yeosang kept on looking around.

In part because 'woah this was the real deal this was the set'. In part because he desperately wanted to see you. To cheer you on like he always did.

You appeared on set ten minutes before the scheduled time slot, and since you had to communicate some details to the staff, you barely had any time left for ATEEZ. You exchanged niceties and were incredibly polite (but extra friendly to Wooyoung and Jongho, and sent a loving glance towards Yeosang), but that was it. Hongjoong was becoming more concerned.

But there was no purpose in that, as the interview went better than anything he could have hoped for. Everyone was engaged, you asked each member questions that resonated with them, threw in some cheekier comments to successfully elicit laughter, and really were the master that Yeosang had described.

You had even given Hongjoong special attention for his captain status, which left him in awe. How were you not mad at him? Were you indifferent? Were you just an amazing actress? Not really, you just had a thing for asking a lot of questions, and understood how people were when they were trying to protect someone they loved.

But what had left a permanent impact on him, was Yeosang. He was the most joyful and comfortable of the lot - a stark contrast to the more introverted disposition he normally adopted. He was in the same flow state as you, and at times was almost like a guest host, an improved role which you had welcomed. Yeosang was screen time king. He made you laugh, effortlessly recounted stories, did not spoil any shows, stages or comebacks but instead sent witty remarks your way. Finally Hongjoong could see, you really did give Yeosang everything and more.

After filming, Hongjoong had taken a split-second opportunity and apologised a number of times, with each iteration becoming more and more formal until he was basically doing a ninety degree bow. But you had forgiven him much faster than that, because being who you were and having seen the things you had seen (due to your job), you were not one to ever stay angry for long, if at all.

As you chatted away, with your boyfriend promptly joining you, both of you were elated, and were inseparable during a private dinner that the eldest members had organised. You had helped to pick out the venue, knowing exactly which locations were the safest - perhaps it was going to turn out to be very advantageous for the group in general to have you on their team.

Yeosang was over the moon as he watched you work your social magic - how you rapidly became close with each one of the members off camera, and were, quite simply, being yourself. His heart melted at the way you so quickly integrated yourself, and the adorable smiles, meant just for him, as well as the squeezes of his hand under the table... he really was a goner.

If he were to be told even a year ago that he was going to find a you in his life, he would have laughed. Because then, he had not yet understood that the most important phrase to live by was, in fact, not a statement, but a question. A dare, a motivator to take risks and a description for how you and Yeosang had become a beautiful duo:

Why not?

You and Yeosang had a thing for asking questions. And now, together, were crafting the answers, one by one.

187 notes · View notes

thesconesyard · 1 month

Text

Time for more Scones otp answers:

21. Movie Night?

Neither one is going to admit it to anyone else, but they like to watch cheesy romcoms. If someone asks, Scotty will reply about the latest action movie and McCoy will name a drama, but it’s definitely romcoms for them.

22. Who is the photo bug?

Who’s taking them? McCoy. He takes charge of the camera because he doesn’t want to be in the pictures. But Scotty gets some good ones of McCoy when he isn’t looking.

23. How well do they know each other’s favorite foods?

Scotty may have slyly copied a few of Mrs. McCoy’s recipes from her books on a trip to Georgia and surprises the doctor from time to time with his favorite dinner (and dessert if they’ve been close enough for fresh fruit- McCoy says he knows the difference between fresh and replicated.)

McCoy knows Scotty’s favorites, though he isn’t a fan of all of them. He tries to keep them eating healthy, but he knows a man must have his indulgences and tries to keep quiet about some of the monstrosities Scotty puts between two slices of bread.

24. What do their texts look like?

Scotty is the emoji guy. His lack of punctuation can cause some frowns and misunderstandings at first. McCoy keeps it short (he’s the one to give you a ‘k’ or his one emoji, the 👍) If he had to write something longer, he keeps it neat and to the point.

25. Parenting style?

Scotty: the extra fun uncle. But he’s no pushover. He’s parent first, then your friend. He’s ready to play and have a laugh, but he can be firm when need be. Bedtime is bedtime yet wee bairn. He’s ready to teach when you’ve done wrong and show you how to do it better/right.

McCoy: comes off as the stern parent, but he’s soft in all the right places. He may get mad, but he will give and take apologies as appropriate and everything will be water under the bridge with him and you.

#answering asks nobody asked #lol #star trek #leonard mccoy #montgomery scott #scones #one last set of five to go

8 notes · View notes

vulcankin · 1 year

Text

Quirk Mimicking

What is a Quirk?

Quirks in the context of Homestuck (and especially trolls) are a distinct way of typing that expresses the personality, interests, and individuality of a, well, an individual.

For trolls in particular, your quirk is as much a natural preference in speech as it is a traditional action related to troll culture. It’s as important as hemotyping (typing in a particular color, typically and traditionally the color of your blood/hemocaste) or the choice NOT to hemotype/go hemoanon.

While humans may naturally type in a particular manner, or choose to express themselves through a particular color medium, it often does not carry the same cultural connotations as a troll’s hemotyping and quirk usage.

For these reasons and others (comfort, habit, etc) dropping or breaking quirk can range from a little weird or awkward to upsetting or anxiety inducing for a troll.

On rare occasions [x][x] a troll will either drop or partly drop quirk for MAJOR emphasis or to show something is very important to listen to.

Quirk Examples

Sollux Captor:

TA: iim not 2ure why, but ii thiink iit2 liike...

TA: fulfiilliing 2ome requiirement for a true prophet of doom.

TA: iin order for the vii2iion2 two be riight, that ha2 two happen, and the uniiver2e wiill make 2ure iit wiill.

Sollux’s quirk has various elements.

First and foremost, he never uses capitalization unless for emphasis or when typing out his nicknames for people, and he only capitalizes those when in a good mood. There is a distinct lack of emojis or emoticons, outside of rare occurrences/duality puns. His speech is very straightforward and short, being sent in multiple pieces. This shows important aspects of his character such as aloofness, bluntness, and a lack of care for convention.

The use of double ‘i’s, his replacement of “to” or “too” with “two”, and ‘s’s with 2s are all both personality aspects and tradition aspects of his quirk.

The traditional reasoning is that they are a reference to his sign, Gemini, which is similar to the roman numeral 2.

Personally, they have a number of meanings. His dual colored eyes. His bipolarity. Referencing binary in connection to his skills with programming. His vision twofold.

He also types in traditional hemotyping for his bloodcaste, typing in gold.

Combined, these aspects all show parts of who he is, without needing to explain them, and make his unique mark in interpersonal communication.

After he dies his quirk changes (no double ‘i’s, no 2s, no ‘two’s; instead all ‘o’s are 0s) to show that he’s now “0kay” and no longer associates with his prior traits. However, his hemotyping remains gold.

Nepeta Leijon:

AC: :33 < *ac twitches her friendly whiskers at ct*

…-…

AC: :33 < i can tell you like to play games, d33p down you are a guy who likes to play games!  

AC: :33 < i can smell a guy who likes to play games from so fur away with this nose, you have no idea X33

Nepeta’s quirk is slightly more focused around her external connections than Sollux’s, but still expresses her individuality.

The header of her quirk is “:33 <”, which references her catlike nature/affinity, as well as having two mouths like her cat lusus, Pounce de Leon. This carries over into her emojis as well.

All of these relate two her sign, Leo, as relating to big cats.

Nepeta also does not use capitalization, and often does not use most ending punctuation. However, she makes liberal use of exclamation marks, comma and emojis. Her sentences tend to be compound, rather than short and simple. She uses cat puns whenever pawsible.

She also frequently roleplays in her speech, having a personal interest in it, and uses asterisks to denote roleplay actions.

Together, all of these things show her personality as creative, high energy, and fun-loving.

She also types in traditional hemotyping standards using her blood color, olive.

Karkat Vantas:

KARKAT: AND AFTER A BREAKNECK WARP SPEED JOURNEY IN WHICH MY BEST FUCKING FRIEND *EVER* PSYCHED ME OUT INTO THINKING HE DIED *YET A FUCKING GAIN* BY EXPELLING LITER AFTER GRUESOME LITER OF GRUBSAUCE FROM HIS EVERY ORIFICE

KARKAT: WHAT DO I FIND HERE?

KARKAT: WHY, IN ADDITION TO A PAIR OF HUMANS DRAPED IN CIRCUSWEAR AND ALL THEIR FLIPPANT GIBES LOCKED AND GODDAMN LOADED

The main aspects of Karkat's quirk are the use of all-caps, run on sentences, general aggressive tone, and explicit language/gratuitous insults. He also types hemoanon, or in a light grey color that does not represent or reveal his blood color.

Asterisks are used sparingly for emphasis, and he occasionally "whispers" in parenthesis.

Karkat's quirk trends slightly away from the traditional, instead breaking tradition.

Use of hemoanon color typing is both a purposeful and practical rejection of Alternian tradition, to keep his mutant bloodcolor a secret and prevent himself being culled.

It can be argued that his all-caps, aggresive speech is "traditional" in keeping with his ancestor's rage in his final moments as well as his Vast Expletive, however it would be unintentional as Karkat is unaware of his sign's meaning/who his ancestor is.

More so, it's a representation of Karkat's generally heightened emotional and defensive state- usually angry, irritated or panicked. Living life under constant threat of death, he tends to the aggressive/defensive in his behaviors and speech. He is also constantly thinking of things that can go wrong, have gone wrong, or how much things/himself suck(s), and therefore has a habit of venting and speaking in a very ranting-like manner, even in general conversation.

What is “Quirk Mimicking”?

Quirk mimicking is a phenomenon in which a troll (or occasionally a human) will either purposefully or subconsciously adopt quirk traits/habits from another troll.

Similar to mimicry among humans, there are two basic forms of quirk mimicry among trolls- negative mimicry and positive mimicry.

Positive Mimicry

This most frequently happens between quadmates/couples (moirails and matesprits in particular), but can also occur between close friends.

Positive mimicry can latch onto any aspect of another troll’s quirk (or a troll latching onto a human’s typing style) but does *not* include mimicking their hemotyping.

This does not mean completely changing their quirk to match another’s, but more often incorporating small bits of each other’s quirk into their own. It can also be expressed by slipping near full into another’s quirk when in a particular mood state or when saying something in particular associated with that individual.

Examples:

When Sollux and Feferi are matesprits, Sollux occasionally uses fish puns in his speech regardless of who he is speaking to.

Eridan also often uses fish puns when speaking with Feferi, but only with her.

Adjacent:

While not part of quirk mimicry itself, quirk matching is a related phenomenon when two trolls in a quadrant together alter their quirks purposefully to match each others.

The main example of this is in the moirallegence between Nepeta and Equius.

The beginning/“header” of Nepeta’s quirk reads “:33 <“.

The beginning/“header” of Equius’s quirk reads “D - - >”

When the ends of these headers are put together it forms “<>” or a diamond, the symbol used for moirails.

Negative Mimicry

There are many nuanced aspects to negative mimicry.

For humans, negative speech mimicry is typically repeating what someone said in a nasty tone, or mocking someone’s speech patterns.

And while this can also happen in trolls, that’s not quirk mimicry in particular.

Much quirk mimicry is psychological in nature, with one troll mimicking another troll’s quirk in a way that a partner or close friend would, while knowing fully that they are not close enough to do so.

In this way, it’s being done purposefully to both make the other troll uncomfortable as a form of taunt or emotional harassment, almost in a gaslighting or sleezy sort of manner.

This sort of negative mimicry can also happen accidentally, though this is typically with other species outside of trolls, in a manner that is intended to be positive.

If a human (or cherub or otherwise) that a troll was not close enough to tried to mimic them in order to match their energy, or be cute, or thinking it’s something more casual like picking up a friend’s turn of phrase-

The troll they’re mimicking can experience the same negative effects/emotions from that mimicry as they would from a purposefully malicious troll negative mimicking.

(There are occasions where trolls who are very close with other species do appreciate mimicry from their friend/partner, namely when they are close as two trolls would need to be to mimic.

This can be seen with Vriska appreciating John picking up her penchant for 8 vowels and exclamation marks. [x])

***Please note this is not a complete explanation of quirk mimicking in its entirety, just a general overview.

***This is based on the experience/memories of me and a few other trolls (kin and fictive alike.) This may not be accurate for all.

#sol says a thing #homestuck #quirk mimicking #quirk #trollkin #homestuck troll kin #homestuck trolls #homestuck analysis #homestuck kin #long post /

61 notes · View notes